The crew sat quietly around the table at the debriefing room, each of them having some form of alcoholic drink regardless of age or origin. A few minutes pass. And then a few more. Eventually a whole hour had passed and no one at the table had found a will to speak. Eventually, Gavin stood up, walked over to Anisa and punched her across the face. Knocked from her seat to the floor, she didn’t respond or even look at him. She just continued to stare. Gavin closed his eyes and admitted to everyone at the table, “You made the right call, Captain.” He returned to his seat, sitting down heavy and taking a deep drink before refilling right from the bottle.

Katsi asked, “Why would you ever make a weapon like that?” Her voice weighed down with worry and disbelief, looking directly at Dean who slumped heavy in his chair from exhaustion.

He sighed, “There are things out here in the cosmos that fear nothing less than power like that. We always tried to play nice, but the three of us sat on potential power like that every day of our life. Shawn especially.” Dean downed another can of beer and threw it into the trash before opening a new one and drinking it. “That’s the first time I’ve seen it fired, but that seemed like fifteen percent of the projected power.”

“Five.” Gavin announced. Everyone looked at him in worry and panic, “Five percent of specs. Fifteen for its current state, but that was five percent of what the finished product can do.” Everyone swore under their breath.

Anisa sighed, standing up, “They are right to be scared of us. Computer is still running numbers on potential collateral. In the meantime, we need a heading. What are we looking for, Dean.”

The bulky warrior sighed, “We would want to find the Dragon Gem first. If the memories of Doug come back we might be able to sow confusion and dissension among their ranks. Cap was always good at making friends. Once we have done that we can go to the only place where I think Chief’s emotions would wear the wall thin.”

Gavin spoke quietly, “I hid the other orange stone a few sectors over. It could be a few months or even a few years depending on how many problems we run into along the way. Maybe we can grab some of my friends along the way. Cause I doubt we can truly run this entire ship with only two people who know how to navigate space.”

Katsi stood up shakily, only just now realizing how much she had consumed. “Is there some kind of hologram room or something?”

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Dean nodded, “For recreation and training. Cabin fever is real in space. No lie. I almost stabbed Chief with a fork one time.” She looked at him, clearly trying to figure out if she was too drunk or if she heard him right. Deciding she was clearly too deep in her cup to communicate with, he said, “Deck 49, midship.” She looked at him like she wasn’t sure he was speaking English but nodded and walked off. Dean sighed, knowing he would need to keep an eye on her and stood up on his utterly spent legs and waddled after her, the booze killing the pain.

Gavin and Anisa continued to sit at the table, drinking their drinks. After awhile he poured her his drink and slid it towards her. “Something bothering you, Captain?”

She locked eyes with him and asked, “What did you see in those caves?” He raised a confused brow but she motioned him to answer.

Shrugging, he said, “A bunch of crap from my past. Stuff I’m not proud of. A life I had to let go of. You?” She sat there staring into the drink he gave her. He nodded, “Yeah, I know that feeling. But you are doing the right thing. Making hard calls when no one else is in a condition to. I’m afraid of old habits, Dean is clearly not leadership material, and your sister hasn’t seen this stuff before.”

She shook her head, “I’m just like you. Trying to live down bad habits. Build a new life. Repay an old debt.” He watched her silently from across the table. She eventually said, “I don’t know why, but there is something broken inside of me. It scares me. I try my best not to think about it, but it won’t go away.”

Gavin nodded and waited for it to appear as though she had stopped. “Captain, I vow as one monster to another that if I ever catch you slipping, I’ll call you on it. Stop you if I can.” She locked eyes on the former smuggler and felt somewhat reassured. He then muttered, “We really need a proper ship doctor is what we need.” She laughed and downed the drink he gave her. It burned like fire on the way down but once it hit her stomach, the whole world became finally warm. She stood groggily and stumbled towards the captain’s cabin, laying down on the hard bed and passing out.

________________________________________________

He awoke with annoyance to the beeping of his console. Another message? Time was relentless. He moved carefully, ignoring his still mending wounds as he had so often before. He looked at the death toll with confusion, glad that at least Slezou had perished as he had projected it would. It was only when he read the report that he smiled slowly. He muttered to himself, “So, Zora has left the planet. I suppose it was about time. Finally. I’ve waited for my life to get more interesting.” He began his feedback on the report:

Prince Visto IV,

I request your permission to join Retainer Lady Unicorn in the pursuit of this danger. This new facet requires further research.

Sincerely,

The Phoenix Emperor