The Marvelous Adventures of the S.S. Crow

Chapter 1: The Crew Unites—Prof. Gordon Aims for the Planet of Pikmin!

"You want how much?!" A member of the Hocotate council shouted.

"About 2,000 Pokos." Gordon Fields, a biology professor, reiterated. "I personally don't think it's that much."

"Prof. Gordon, you only make 125 Pokos a year! That's already in the high middle class of our society." The member responded. "2000 Pokos is way too much!"

"But sir, just think! That planet that the highly acclaimed Captain Olimar came back from has so many stories to share!" Gordon argued. Gordon had read up on all of the famous Olimar's adventures on the Pikmin planet. Being the adventurous soul he was, he was intrigued to continue the research that Olimar had started. However, his lack of funds proved to be an issue.

"I understand, we're all interested in his findings and especially what life used to be there." The councilman responded. "But we just can't send random people out to this unknown planet! We would be responsible if anything were to happen."

Gordon shook his head. "Listen, I already have a few friends of mine, as well as my assistant, who have agreed to partake on this journey." Gordon's voice grew stern. "It's just 2000! And that's mainly for fuel costs. We already have a ship!"

The ship part is what really hit the council. They had been expecting to pay for a ship, which comes along with tons of insurance and warranty costs. Knowing that they were free of this debt eased them up. "Besides, who knows what we could discover?" Gordon pushed on once more. "Olimar said he only discovered five types of Pikmin, and one parasitic Pikmin monster thing…" The council sort of scoffed at his unintelligent name. "I think he called it a Bulbmin. Regardless, I promise you that I will be able to find new types of Pikmin within days!"

The council once again talked amongst themselves. Prof. Gordon was notorious for his crazy experiments and adventures, but he always showed up with full-proof evidence and conclusions. If he said the job will get done, then it will.

Finally, they reached the conclusion. "Gordon Fields, we want to make this clear. We have agreed to give you 2000 Pokos, as a start for funding your exploration. However, if you do not find new species of life on the planet or find new items and treasures, we will cut off our payment and you will be in charge of repaying the debt back to us."

"So we can go?" Gordon said, jumping happily. "Thanks so much! We won't let you down! Just put the money in my bank account!" Gordon then ran from the room, leaving the council still unsure of their decision.

It was a couple of hours later that Gordon had returned to his science lab in town, where his assistant Anna was gathering supplies for their trip. Anna had been working under Prof. Gordon for a year, and when he shared with her his ambition for the Pikmin planet, she was all ears. She immediately agreed to join him on his journey.

Along with Anna, another co-worker and friend of Anna, was Lexi, who joined the group when Anna told her a few weeks ago. Lexi was a great doctor in the science lab where Gordon worked, so it was reassuring to Gordon to know someone who could doctor would be on board. According to Anna, she was also a swell cook.

A life-long friend of Gordon's named Scott also joined the crew when Gordon told him about his plan. Scott was once a space-racer, but had retired when he almost crashed and died on an unknown planet. Since then, he settled down and now runs a technology shop. After hearing Gordon's plan, Scott agreed to provide a ship for them to use as long as Scott could tag along. Scott's friend, Barney ran the tech shop with Scott. Barney was a great engineer and knew how to fix things up quickly, so Gordon was more than happy to accept Barney onto the crew.

So, with five people in all, Gordon planned to leave for the Pikmin planet in only a few days. The council carried out their decision and granted Gordon a 2000 Poko grant, which was mostly spent on food and fuel for the ship. The ship was a large, circular ship that could easily carry large loads of cargo as well as a decent sized crew. With only five of them there, they knew there would be ample space.

Finally, the day came.

Gordon, dressed in a green space suit, stood in front of his friend Scott's ship, the S.S. Crow. Beside him came Anna, who had purchased for herself a blue spacesuit. "Hey, doc, where is everyone else?" Anna asked. Gordon shook his head, implying he didn't know the answer. "You don't know? Doctor, we have to leave soon! We can't leave behind our crew."

"Anna, calm down." Gordon replied, a care-free tone in his voice. "They'll be here eventually. I know Scott had some shop-management to take care of, and Barney should be with him. Lexi, on the other hand…" Gordon shook his head. "Bless her heart, but Anna, she's a complete ditz when it comes to some things."

"Hey!" Anna said, defensive of her friend. But she soon nodded in agreement to Gordon, who was still silent. Finally, Scott and Barney showed up. Scott was in a light-orange suit while Barney sported a red suit. Barney was a rather large and strong man, so it was reassuring to have him on board. Scott, however, was normal sized.

Finally, last was Lexi. She ran in sporting a purple suit. "Sorry I'm late Gordon!" She shouted as she ran to meet the group. "I was taking a shower and lost track of time. I also ended up taking a nap after that." Anna laughed, but Gordon stared at her with an 'are you serious' face on.

"So, Gordon, how do you like the ship?" Scott slightly bragged. "Pretty, right? She'll get us there no doubt."

"Yeah! I checked the engines myself!" Barney shouted happily. Gordon nodded and commanded the ship to drop the platform for entrance. About a few minutes later, a few members of the council and Gordon's science team came to see their departure. Family members were there too. With one last farewell, Gordon and his crew set off on the S.S. Crow for the land of wonders and unknown phenomenon: the Pikmin planet.

I will plan to update every Wednesday or so, starting after next week. I will try to have the second chapter up before then though since I won't be here. Thanks for reading! R&R!