The dark-skinned captain was tall and statuesque with hair sculpted into a cylinder on top, something apparently fashionable every twenty years among those humans with exceptionally kinky hair. “Captain!”

Frown deep enough to form a fissure, Renaud was clearly displeased. “That’s right, Lieutenant. Taking your time getting to my office, aren't you?”

“Uh, don’t you mean Lieutenant Commander, sir?”

“I mean dishonorable discharge if you don’t get your ass sat down in there right now!”

“Sir, yes sir!” and Justice scrambled past the Captain, into the office, gone in a flash.

“And you. Why am I not surprised to see Justice’s loyal puppy dog following him around the halls yet again shirking his own duty?”

“But I’m a bear … ohhh … I thee what you did there.” and Glen allowed himself an ill-advised smile at the cleverness of it all.

“Ensign Gentle, you will resume your patrol or I will fire you out of an airlock!” and Glen, too, was gone in a flash. “On two feet, mister!” Glen, naturally, was on all fours so as to double his speed. He slid into a wall, denting it, before rounding a corner and disappearing.

Justice clutched the arms of the antique wood chair as he sat, waiting. Renaud crossed in front of him, rapping him on the knuckles. “Ease up, Haymaker. I know what those hands can do. You break my chair; I really will see you off this ship. Chronal research be damned.”

“Yes, sir.” Justice clasped his hands in his lap as the Captain took his own seat in a much larger chair. Renaud also happened to have one with wheels. “Is … is that why you called me in, sir?”

“One reason.” Renaud retrieved a large mug of steaming liquid, taking a sip. First, I wanted to ask you why the hell the fabricator was being used to make psilocybin mushrooms again.”

Justice hoped that was the only reason. “Sir, uh, it’s just about the only thing that lets me feel normal, sir. Since my brain done got shocked by the squid man. Uh, Rant. Rant was his name.”

Renaud clasped his hands in front of him. “Uh-huh. You know, most men would be happy to feel no fear in the face of danger. I’d consider it to be a strength in a security chief, in fact.”

“Permission to speak frankly sir?” Justice knew it was a risk but he needed the Captain to listen to him.

“Hell, no. That mouth of yours is dangerous.” Well, it seemed the Captain did know him, after all. Justice was in low-key trouble for what he said on a regular basis.

“Sir, again, I only talk about how my daddy bein’ an abolitionist and myself fightin’ to end slavery because I want you to be comfortable around me.” Saying it out loud Justice heard, yet again, how awkward it sounded. The worst part was this wasn’t the subject he wanted to address.

The Captain held his head “Damn it … Justice, I said no because I don’t want to hear that shit again! Did you know I never curse around any other members of my crew?”

“No sir, I did not, sir.”

“It’s because none of them bring up the subject of race or skin color! There are forty-seven members of twenty-nine alien races from all over the galaxy on this ship! Nobody has talked about human skin color in two-hundred years but you can’t shut up about it!”

“Well, sir, with all due respect, I wasn’t initially gonna talk about that.” Finally Justice started to focus.

“Oh. Well then, permission granted.” That was easier than he thought it would be.

Pleasantly surprised Justice launched right into it. “Yessir. See, I been readin’ up on it and fear’s a good thing, y’know? Keeps a man sharp. Sure, I ain’t never runnin’ from a fight that can be won, but I never did that before no how, y’know?”

Renaud stroked the stubble on his face, rough because of his stressful, over-busy position that kept him from self-care. “So you’re saying your reflexes suffer when your brain’s fear reaction is impeded?“

“Yes, sir. That strain of mushroom especially helps where there’s been damage to the amygbolo. Amyg … y’know, fear part of the brain. Without it any man would slow down. Women too, I guess.”

Renaud gave a small nod. “Okay, I see your point. Fine. But you are not to do this on your own. I’ll inform Sickbay that you are to be prescribed Psilocybin under strict supervision. Also you don’t choose your own dosage, got it?”

“Yessir. Thank you so much sir. Was that it?” Justice dared to smile.

Slamming both palms down on the large, old wooden executive desk Renaud leapt to his feet. “Fuck no that ain’t it! You almost killed Commander Docker! The man almost died from that beatdown you laid on him in spite of the fact that we have miracle magic medicine on this ship!”

“Oh, I, uh, sorry?” He did feel bad about it. Not about whipping Docker’s ass but how hurt the tenderfoot was.

“For the love of whatever deity you worshiped in caveman times, I watched the footage! I know there’s a woman involved but you stuffed the man’s own nose in between his buttcheeks and he was not that flexible to begin with! How were you able to do that!? I mean why? No, how. Both!”

Justice didn’t want to get into the source of his strength seeing as he didn’t understand it himself, so he deflected. “I, but, sir, he had a weapon!”

“Yes, the brass knuckles that bounced off your iron jaw!” It really seemed like this should mean more.

“Bounced!?” Justice sputtered, annoyed at this under-reaction. “I mean, I was stunned! I was on the floor, reeling, at one point!”

“You were in a sparring session in the Sim-Chamber, man-to-man, and Docker thought he could gently stop your … interest in the Counselor. He told me in advance. I’m the one that suggested the knuckles!” Renaud was very matter-of-fact about that point, falling back into his chair and facing away from Justice.

“You set the man on me … with weapons?” This hurt a bit; Justice respected Renaud a good bit.

Not heartless, the Captain heard the betrayal in Justice’s voice and turned halfway back. “You’re a scary motherfucker, Justice. A fair fight would never be very fair between you and he.”

The big man set his jaw. “In my defense … he’s not a very good fighter. All show no go.”

“That’s not a defense!” Renaud got back up. “ That’s a valid reason to take it easy on the man! Did you know that Counselor Ilion has left the ship because of the things you said to her in your sessions?”

Justice was appalled. “I thought the counselor’s office was a safe space! I could say anything!”

“You told her how beautiful she was! That she looked like your ‘favorite whore from Pennsylvania’ when you were serving in the Union army.”

“But … wait, those sessions were confidential. I was telling her how I didn’t feel nothin’ for no ladies on account of stress. What? Did she tell you everything?”

This caught Renaud off-guard. “Well … no, only what was necessary.”

“I mean, man, I jumped like five-hundred years in the future, got dosed with cosmic radiation, shock therapy against my will, damaging my brain, forcibly drafted onto this ship and now you’re telling me the counseling I’m gettin’ for all my damage is just, what? On display for the entertainment of leadership?”

Renaud struggled to regain control of the situation as Justice turned surly. “Justice, you took another grown man, broke seventy of his bones in ragdolling fashion, like a toy! You were slamming him with your patented ‘Hammer Hand’ method over and over, tenderizing different areas to spread the damage out, and then stretched him, making him put his mouth and nose on his own genitals, taint and anus. This isn’t even remotely even treatment.”

“Yeah, all because I was too truthful with his lady.” Justice locked eyes with the Captain “He don’t love her.”

“Excuse me?” Anger was creeping back into Renaud’s voice.

“You listened to the video you watched right? He said she was his property, Cap. That’s why I had to ‘back off’. You guys talk about that while laughin’ at the brain-damaged caveman?”

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

“The … the audio was cut somehow.” Renaud had to break eye contact.

“Ain’t that convenient?” Justice threw his hands up, rising from the chair. “Man said he was gonna cut off my arms and legs and feed me diarrhea for the rest of my life and you didn’t hear that!?”

“Hey, you sit down!” The Captain felt challenged by this.

He wasn’t wrong. “I ain’t sittin’ in that rickety old antique! I weighed in at a hundred-twenty kilos this mornin’ and it is gonna break. I ain’t takin’ the blame for that too!”

Renaud stood there for a moment, one hand leaning on his desk, the other pointing at Justice. He sighed. There was just something about this man that made him lose control. “Look, we need to move on. Docker was scheduled to lead an away party on a mission exploring an uncharted planet. Since he’s unavailable, as Lieutenant Commander, the duty falls to you.”

Still angry, Justice saw the necessity of ending the argument, so he let it drop. “Yeah, alright. When I head out? Ah … sir?”

Turning away Renaud threw back the flat of his hand. “You and your team will disembark in thirty. For now … dismissed.”

Standing, wordlessly, Justice saluted and departed the office. Renaud shook his head, trying to still his own fear. “Son of a bitch. Count myself lucky he didn’t make me smell my own ass too. Wonder if those mushrooms make him more or less threatening. My damn life passed before my eyes for a second there…”

—

Justice hitched a ride in one of the ship’s lifts. The device was a little room that moved between the sections of the ship on an X, Y and Z axis. The sections were still pretty large and there were only two lift entrances in each section, next to each other no less, but it was still a mile long ship you could cross in a couple minutes.

Much longer was the hustle from the lift to his quarters. Back there, surrounded by the two bags of stuff from his era, arranged as decorations, Justice started gearing up. On his right hip he had a Destabilizer, standard issue in Spacefleet, capable of scattering atoms through space and time or just shocking the system of organic life.

On his left hip he had an Adams M1851 revolver, standard issue in his unit back in the Union Army. The original issued to him was mounted on the wall, a reminder of who he really was. He’d had a tough time finding enough broken-down units to make one that worked but “Jolly” as he now called her, after a whore whose name he couldn’t remember, was his most prized possession now. Mechanically he threw the other little bits of tech he had to carry that nobody from his day had even imagined yet onto their places on his uniform and departed.

Outside Glen was immediately on top of him. “How’d it go with the Captain? Ith everything okay?”

“Jesus, Glen, why? It’s … it’s fine. I just have to take over for Docker today since I almost killed him.” Justice couldn’t help but marvel at his silly the bear looked in his bespoke uniform.

“How long until he’th recovered?” He didn’t sound that concerned but, then, Glen was clearly only asking because he knew that would help determine how long his adoptive dad was in the doghouse.

“Didn’t say. Saw a man’s arm reattach itself because they aimed a light at it but what I did they can’t hardly heal.” Justice sighed deeply. “After the doc got him out of the danger zone to check on me she was askin’ what I did. Called his condition ‘bone gravel’. I don’t think that’s, ah, y’know, a technical term?”

“Well, you are the new thtandard for bare-handed fighting in the future.” Glen shrugged. “Perhapth Docker sshould’ve known better?”

Scoffing, Justice held back laughter. “Tell me about it. You’d think there wasn’t another man alive who came up wrestlin’ bears. Buncha pansies.”

“Yeah!” shouted Glen, feinting at a punch. “You wrestled me!”

The clingy ursine wasn’t making it easy. “Yyyeah, listen, this’s where we gotta part for awhile, okay? You’re the number two in security now, man. I’m goin’ planetside so you gotta keep order here. Don’t eat nobody.”

“Nooo! Why?” Glen hugged on Justice who bent slightly. His weight would have floored most men.

“‘Cause it’s a job, dummy! Dammit … stop.” In an effort to show Glen he couldn’t stop him just by hanging on Justice hooked a leg and an arm, heaving up to carry the dumb bear the hundred feet or so to the lift. It was slow going.

With a woosh the door opened and, unable to see the other people in the elevator, Justice accidentally pushed them into the wall. “Sorry! I can’t see! My boy’s bein’ clingy and I gotta go.”

There was a small clamor among the enlisted Spacefleet personnel in the elevator but only one voice addressed him. “What is this ludicrous nonsense? Where is the discipline?”

Switching grips Justice looked at the collected enlisted men and women, five in total, agape at the sight of him. “Who said that?”

Pressing forward a pudgy man with a ridiculous mustache addressed Justice. “I did. Andreas Clump is my name. I’m a merchant on my way to the Andromeda sector to secure a trade deal. Your Captain assured my safety for the duration!”

Justice stared, blinking, at this Clump. “Okay. You’re safe. You’re welcome.” then, loudly; “Shuttle bay six, please!”

“I am addressing you, sir!”

“Look, Lumpy.”

“Clump!”

“Whatever. He’s a bear. In human years he’s goin’ on 12. Now he’s mutated to talk about has gloves that give him thumbs but there’s still gonna be issues. So how about you keep your powder dry, okay?” Justice stared piercingly into Clump’s eyes.

Beat. Justice suddenly realized that the lift had stopped and all the enlisted people were staring. “What? Ain’t none of you never seen a man tryin’ to wrangle his bear before? Don’t none of you have kids? It’s like that but bigger!”

“Sir, I declare, if you do not apologize at this moment I will have my satisfaction in another way!” Clump started tugging at a white linen glove on his right hand.

Heaving mightily Justice managed to shrug Glen off of him and onto the floor, shaking the entire lift. Clump stopped tugging at his glove. Getting closer Justice asked in a dead whisper. “What way that gonna be, mustache? Ain’t gonna be vertical on two feet, that’s for sure.”

Looking at the massive bear, who he’d somehow misinterpreted as a stuffed animal before, looking at Justice bursting out of his uniform with muscle, Clump swallowed hard. “I … I am satisfied, sir. Thank you.”

Finally, the button was pressed along with the “open door” button, making the very next opening out of the lift available for all five and Clump to leave. Justice, naturally, was the one who hit both buttons. His body language made clear that he was finishing his ride alone. Just outside, the five departing all said in one way or another “don’t” to one guy trying to board the lift. The newcomer made eye contact with Justice. “Evening” said the man out of time to the newcomer, who looked like a civilian scientist, before the door closed and the lift finished its journey.

The frustration continued as he entered the shuttle bay, dragging his bear behind him (Glen’s legs were flat on the floor, mechanical thumb gloves hooked on Justice’s shoulders). Justice saw his crew of four. “Ahem!” he cleared his throat, turning and rolling Glen over one shoulder and down into a heap on the floor.

“Oof!” went Glen before whining, clearly in emotional distress but no longer willing to resist. He had failed to stop Justice from reaching his destination.

“Okay, away mission! I ain’t never led one of these and I don’t know none of ya. Sound off!” shouted Justice, doing his best impersonation of a drill sergeant.

“Spaceman Praggin, sir!” shouted a malformed, thick mass of what looked like rock. “Infantry. Please don’t hit me!”

“Say, uh, huh? I ain’t gonna hit ya.” Justice’s brow knitted. “Why you sayin’ that?”

“Well, sir … among the enlisted men it’s said that you hit every enlisted man you come into contact with for the first time. It’s said your hands are deadlier than a Destabilizer!”

The rock man flinched as Justice threw his hands up in frustration. “If I went off and decked every man I met there’d be a lot of dead men, Spaceman. At ease. Besides, you’re, like, made of rock! You’d be fine anyway.” Justice clapped him on the shoulder playfully but Praggin just cringed.

“Spaceman Michaels, sir. Infantry. Standard loadout, y’know. Commander, couple guns, medic, scientist.” The second in the line spoke with confidence.

“Well all right, Michaels! You picked up I ain’t never done this before and you’re cluin’ me in. Good lookin’ out.” Michaels, too, was clapped on the shoulder but reacted with a smile, not fear.

Justice looked closer as Michaels beamed at the praise given him but there was something about the young man that made Justice wonder. Peach skin, brown hair, brown eyes, not tall or short. “Shit man … you’re the most generic human man I ever did see. You keep your head down. Oh, and last name’s a first name! Yeah, you’re just the type to die on these things.”

“What!?” and Michaels’ joy dissolved instantly. He rubbed his arm where Justice had clapped him; it had actually hurt quite a bit when it happened.

“At ease now soldier.” Justice grimaced; that was a mistake.

“Spaceman McKinley” lilted a bronzed, amber-eyed, freckled woman with natural blonde curly hair. “Eh, like he said, Medicine.”

Justice peered at the pretty little lady. “Wow. What race are you anyway, Spaceman?

“What? I’m … I’m human. You can’t tell?” She was genuinely perplexed.

“Are ya? I mean … you ain’t white like Michaels, but you ain’t Chinaman, black, you’re, like, all of it! All in one!” Justice screamed inwardly; this was exactly what the Captain had criticized him for doing not fifteen minutes ago.

“Actually sir that’s pretty close to the truth. My ancestry traces back to the west coast of the United States. By the twenty-third century the western half of North America no longer had a discernible ethnicity. I’m surprised you were able to pick up on that. Most folks just take people looking like me for granted.”

“Oh, I ain’t takin’ you for granted, hon. But we’ll talk about that later. And, uh, hold on… Thought there were four of ya’.” A warbling sound straight out of an Earth jungle sounded. “Fuck’s that noise?”

“Down here, sir. Spaceman Derglabin, Science.” Looking down Justice looked at a rotund, lizard-skinned creature in a black jumpsuit that mimicked its lumpy hide.

“Oh, wow. Okay. You blend in a little. I mean, not little. Yes. Actually, little. I’m sorry but I gotta say it once; lizard midget. You’re a lizard midget. Guess that’s twice.”

“Well, my translator is informing me that what you’ve said is probably intended to offend but I choose to take it as good-humored ribbing, sir. Hazing if you will. Ha-ha. Good one.” said Derglabin in a monotone.

It’s like he couldn’t stop himself. “Heh, yeah. You sure got my number. Least you ain’t just human with a bump. Those words hung in the air as the enlisted types all exchanged uncomfortable looks. “Uh… You got the mission briefing then? Captain didn’t give me shit.”

Derglabin again. “Yes sir. This is a science ship, the spot check on the planet’s surface is a scientific mission, so I’ve been entrusted with the details on my datapad.

Justice nodded vehemently. “Okay, tell me on the way, maybe share the parameters with everybody. Now who wants to drive? Not you, Michaels. Survive this one and we’ll talk.” Again, it was like he couldn't stop!

Praggin took the pilot’s seat, McKinley on copilot, Michaels whined one time and everybody got seated. “On your mark, sir.” said McKinley.

“Hey, it’s Justice, not Mark. And I say go!” The joke got no laughs, maybe because the crew on the little shuttle took him to be kind of an idiot by this point. The shuttle hovered out of the bay, past the atmospheric shield and began its descent.