Present

Hook slumped down in his captain’s chair. His patience was running thin, wondering if all this had been for nothing. The Krag were hired and doing their job, but would it be enough? Was it even needed? Whenever Hook was excited for something, he just wanted it to happen, rather than having to wait for it. He spent his time turning his hook into a variety of objects. A blaster, a sword, mustache trimmer, the usual sort of thing he used it for. He could have had a mechanical hand, but theatrically he thought the hook was much more intimidating. It had also saved his life multiple times. Someone could cut a sword out of your hand, but you can’t lose a sword if your hand is the sword.

Boredom reached a new low for Hook. “Still no movement Starkey?”

“No sir,” Starkey let out a huge sigh as he slaved over the console. “So far not a single starship has headed toward the second star to the right.”

“Blast him!” Hook yelled. “And what about the Krag?”

“They’re doing what we asked, sir.”

“And is someone going to come save the day so we can proceed with the next phase?”

“No report yet sir, but don’t you worry. We still have our spy on the grounds monitoring his ship. Once he takes off, we’ll have confirmation.” If he takes off, Hook doubted.

“C’mon you stupid child. Take the bait!” Hook yelled to himself, looking more unhinged now more than ever.” Starkey hobbled behind Hook, anxious about what he was about to do.

“Sir, permission to ask a question?” Hook changed his cybernetic hand back into a hook and turned to Starkey.

“You know I have an open-door policy,” Hook said as he changed his cybernetic hand back into a hook. Hook clearly just told a lie, but Starkey disregarded it. He remembered one time asking if they could upgrade the bunk sheets to a higher thread count and Hook nearly blasted off his arm for disturbing him. Despite this, Starkey still wanted an answer. He was trembling thinking of everything that could go wrong.

“Well this whole plan was devised, and it’s a brilliant plan sir, don’t get me wrong. Pure brilliance. The smartest minds in the galaxy wouldn’t be able to come up with a better plan.”

“You speak the truth, go on.” Starkey believed he got on Hook’s good side and now could ask his real question.

“But this whole plan takes so much effort and planning and it ends up with him, not being dead?” Hook remained silent. Perhaps Starkey just needed to elaborate further. “It’s just, wouldn’t it be simpler to kill him? We could do it ourselves, or hire an assassin. Some mercenaries to hunt him down? It would be hard to find someone to take the job with Pan’s reputation, but surely we could find someone.”

Hook’s already menacing stare turned into a malicious grin. Starkey unfortunately hadn’t noticed and continued blabbering.

“I have a few family members that would know some people who might be up to the job. Or you know we could try poisoning him. I know that didn’t work so well that last time, but…” Starkey finally noticed Hook’s glare.

He became at a loss for words as Hook slowly rose from his captain’s chair. Starkey needed to get back on his good side and he had to do it quick. “I’m, jjuusstt ssaying, captain, we could, fffind a way to ppposibly-” Starkey mumbled out. Starkey was barely making eye contact with him now.

Hook took his mechanical hook and placed it under Starkey’s quivering chin. He gently applied pressure and lifted upwards to give the hint for Starkey to move his head with his hook or else it would go straight into his mouth. Starkey complied and lifted his head until they were making eye contact.

“Starkey,” Hook said in a hushed voice, “May I ask you a question?” There was a darkness in Hook’s eyes. Starkey thought this must be it for him.

“Yyy-yess, captain. Of course,” Starkey said as he gave a forgiving smile.

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“Do you really think this is about killing Pan?”

“I’m just saying sir, it may be, easier?”

Hook gave out a subtle laugh. Starkey nervously laughed as well, sounding more like a sad mad man than someone having a good laugh. Hook gave out a heartier laugh. Starkey continued, thinking all may be forgiven. Suddenly, Hook turned his hook into a ball peen hammer and buried it into Starkey’s eye with a huge slam!

Starkey went flailing across the main console, possibly damaging it. He fell onto the floor with blood rushing from his eye socket. The entire crew looked back and saw the disturbance came from Hook. They quickly went back to work, as if this always happened or they just didn’t want to endure Hook’s wrath for stopping their work.

“Let me be clear Starkey,” Hook said in a stern, but calm voice as he walked over to Starkey’s body. He turned his hammer into a pair of vice grips. He placed it on either side of Starkey’s fleshy fish head and applied pressure, as if Starkey’s head was a stuffed animal in a crane game. He pulled Starkey’s head up to make him either endure the great pain of being lifted or comply and stand up straight for Hook. Starkey figured it out eventually and was now face to face with Hook. “Peter may be my arch nemesis from now till the end of my days,” he explained. He tightened the grip on Starkey’s head. Starkey let out a yelp of pain as his head sandwiched itself together. He thought about reaching for the grip to try and loosen them but knew that would just make Hook angrier.

In one motion, Hook turned around and flung Starkey across the room over Hook’s back. Starkey crashed into a crewman and both of them collided into the ship’s navigation systems. There was a crunch of metal and glass as their bodies broke into it. “He may also stop every plan we have to conquer this galaxy,” Hook continued as he sauntered over to Starkey. He changed his hand into a blaster and fired at Starkey’s leg. Starkey had to leap out of the way fast or else he would have lost it. “But…” Hook fired three more shots toward the ground Starkey was occupying. Starkey rolled across the floor, luckily dodging every blast.

Hook ran to Starkey and grabbed his throat with his human hand and lifted him against a window of the ship. Starkey’s body slid across the window and then found a blade at his throat. He looked down and noticed Hook had already transformed the blaster to a laser sword that was almost piercing his skin. Starkey tried not to breathe, afraid that a simple breath would move his neck enough to cut into the blade.

“We will never, EVER!” Hook was out of breath from the yelling and running. “Assassinate him,” he continued. “If he muddles our plans and we end up killing him, FINE! If we clash swords with one another and it ends with one of us with a blade in their chest, PERFECT! But let me make one thing clear,” Hook dug the blade into Starkey’s throat even further, somehow still not breaking the skin. “Killing Pan is NOT the objective. Don’t you think I would have killed him by now if that was!”

“Y-ye-yes sir! So-s-sorry sir!” Starkey managed to get out without moving his mouth into the blade. Hook transformed the sword back into a hook and dropped Starkey in one motion, having him fall hard onto the floor. His legs didn’t seem to work anymore.

“You need to see my plan as I do Starkey,” Hook said as he returned to his captain’s chair. “I’m doing him a favor. Giving him the world he’s always wanted. He either just doesn’t know it yet, or doesn’t understand that he can have it all.”

“Sir, may I please ask a question?” Starkey asked while still limp on the floor. Hook looked over to him with one eyebrow cocked up.

“Seriously? After your last question went so well?”

“Just to better understand the plan,” Starkey mumbled. Somewhere inside of him, there was a burning desire to learn about how his mentor’s brain worked. Hook may have seemed one note, but to Starkey, he knew Hook was much more than meets the eye.

Starkey took a few breaths to build up the courage yet again. “Why do you care for Pan so much? After all these years?”

The words entered Hook’s mind as they left Starkey’s mouth. His mind became flooded with old memories of Pan. Memories that felt like a lifetime ago. Memories that seemed as if they were from someone else’s life. Hook remembered Peter as a child. He had extended his hand towards Peter offering to take him off the mangled world of Earth, back when Hook was completely human instead of the cyborg mess he was now. He remembered the first sword fight they had, teaching Peter how to sweep the leg properly. Inducting him into the pirate’s life. If he was alone in his quarters, he would have let the tears built up inside him flow.

“Ummm, captain?” Starkey answered to break Hook off his silent remembrance.

“He’s the oldest friend I’ve ever had,” he said under his breath. “No matter what future may come, you can’t change the past. Some things you don’t let go of. He would do the same for me.”

“That’s great sir, but I was trying to get your attention for something else.”

“Why Starkey?! What could be more important than accidentally strolling down memory’s lane?” Hook was serious and not sarcastic at all.

“I just got word that Pan’s ship is leaving with the Lost Boys toward Grottowia. Sorry sir, won’t ever stop the strolling again.”

“Of course, not you fool! Nothing is more important than the plan!” Hook leapt to his feet in a victory stance. “It’s working Starkey! I never had a doubt!”

“You kind of did, sir,” Starkey said, more to remind him than to taunt him.

“Shut it Starkey!” If Hook wasn’t as obsessed with his plan, he definitely would have beat Starkey again. “It’s time that we move on to the next plan. Starkey! Get to the main console!” Starkey stumbled to his feet and headed over.

“What’s the next phase captain?”

“Contact…” Hook said as he produced a devilish grin, “Smee.”