Let me start off by saying this is a combination of something I wrote a year or so ago about spaceman Craig and the game I recently played called Creatures Such As We. If you haven't played it, I suggest you do, it's really good.I like this side of Craig and expressing him through his own mind, plus it's adorable all the spaceman references and stuff. Cutest spaceman ever.Copyright goes to Lynnea Glasser for Space Joy, and Matt Stone and Trey Parker for the characters.Anyway, enjoy!
Proper Footing- Chapter One
The air was thick, heavy in my lungs, my chest constricting in response. Years of training couldn't prepare me for this. I felt so alone, even though I wasn't physically.
Dust kicked up, the door slowly pulled open, gears grinding and turning as the sounds echoed in my head. Pupils blown, a landscape long forgotten appeared to fill them. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
I'd dreamed for so long, worked so very hard to get. All of the hard work and time I put in, it felt like a mistake, like karma was punishing me or fate was being unusually cruel. I wanted to cry like a baby almost immediately.
I was here with only a couple others, staring at the external surroundings of Base Fourteen. The people I'd grown so familiar with in our small town, the same ones who disgusted me not too long ago, I was starting to ironically miss. These were the same people who made me bitter towards humanity. I told myself I had certainly been through worse and it shouldn't be this hard. So why was it?
I took the deepest breath I could with the limited air in my helmet. I sucked it up, taking my first step of many to come.
My legs quivered inside the thickly layered canvas suit, my body staying in a familiar suspension until I slowly drifted to the ground.
I felt similar to how I imagined a toddler feeling about it's first steps. I'd practiced in the low gravity chambers on earth but this was somehow different from the man made imposter. Because of this, it took me a couple minutes to get the hang of walking freely. When I did, I uncontrollably began to laugh to myself out of pure excitement. It came from deep within my chest and reverberated off of the walls surrounding my delicate head. I was glad I'd remembered to turn my microphone off or it would certainly be a weird first impression.
All in all, my first day wasn't all that bad after I got past the loneliness. I had little concept of time so I relied on our instructor to remind me when I had to do things. I was grateful, but unable to thank him because of the way I was. I think he knew though. It took a person like me to sign up for something like this. I was a pawn, someone used for their knowledge just to escort tourists around a moon base, leaving my friends and family behind for a desolate planet.
The inside of the base was beautiful, equipped with so many engaging things that were new and state of the art. The interior was so modern, so futuristic. Spacey and brightly lit with many openings to peer at the galaxy through.
The other escorts in training seemed to get along, but my attitude got me excluded almost immediately. I was used to people not understanding me, not getting that I didn't chose to be like this. My parents never medicated me because they believed giving me pills since seven was a bad thing. If they had, maybe I would have been normal. I couldn't blame them though.
I'd forgotten all about how desolate and isolated I felt until I was introduced to my room. It was nice, a clear view of the stars from my window, but it was barren. The walls impersonal, the bed small and the bathroom untouched. I'd be living alone for the first time, and on the moon to boot.
That night, I dreamt about the day they told me I was selected as one of the lucky scholars who would be sent to the moon for my five year plan. There was an accident though, instead of everything going fine like it had in reality, I was trapped in the anti-gravity chamber and they couldn't stop it from flexing. My ears filled with a pounding. Was it my heartbeat? Or was it Ruby at the the window, watching her big brother die helplessly?
I woke up covered in sweat but still freezing. It was a bad dream. I never believed when people said they woke up from nightmares so dramatically. I wiped my teary eyes, chalking it up to stress.
I threw my covers off, undoing the harness that kept me down before climbing out of bed to answer the real source of the knocking. It was my trainer, informing me it was time for breakfast and more training. "The first night is always the hardest to wake up from." he laughed.
I heard someone, presumably in a room next door, begin to throw up. I could hear all the retching and gagging and I almost felt nauseous myself. "Moon sickness. I'll be back in a few moments so please be ready." he laughed again, but this one was a lot more nervous as he ran into the room to my right. I shut my door behind me and headed to my unpacked bag.
It didn't take long for me to get dressed, I threw anything on since it would soon be replaced by a space suit or my actual uniform if it came in.
When I left the room, I saw several other people standing in the hallway, most likely waiting for our instructor to come back out. I felt so lost without my phone to distract me from social interaction, so I just ended up looking around anxiously. I stuffed my hands in my pockets, eyes slyly moving around to observe the people I'd be with for the next month.
There was a girl with Blonde hair, wavy and poofy. She was very pretty, her features set perfectly on her face with red lips standing out most. You wondered how early she was up to do her makeup. Then, beside her, was a darker male. His hair was short, brows knitted as he stares through the doorway the instructor must have disappeared through. Your eyes followed, looking just in time to see the man emerge with a still sick looking blonde. His hair was a mess, disheveled and misplaced atop his head. He looked around nervously, eyes darting quickly.
"Usually, there are measures taken to ensure you do not feel the side effects of the travel, such as properly adjusted gravities inside structures and transportation. Unfortunately, they are not quite perfect and some cases slip through. Most guest should arrive safe and well, so it's a rare occurrence, but make sure to provide the utmost care if they do indeed get sick." He used the situation as a lesson. "We do have a sickbay, so if anyone feels down for too long, they can be taken there. We do administer anti-nausea treatment there for people such as Tweek."
Tweek was a very shy boy, and I easily got that impression throughout the day. The other two in your group got along well, their names Bebe and Token. They were loud and talkative, and me, not so much. I sat quietly to the side, kept my own business.
Even Tweek began to talk amongst them by the end of the day. I always did this to myself, no matter where I went. We were walking back to our bunkers when they finally asked my name. "Craig." I answered dryly, but they didn't seem to mind.
Her smile was so wide as she formally introduced herself, "My name is Bebe Stevens! It's nice to meet you~" She offered a hand out to shake mine. I was reluctant but figured since I was spending five years up here with them, I should do this much. I took her hand in mine, giving a gentle and kurt shake.
Next came Token. He was tall, good looking. I wondered if he was popular with girls as I shook his hand. not to say that I wasn't, but it was unwanted attention. It was more a question of whether these people spent their lives being popular and getting what they wanted. "Token Black." His name was so ironic.
Tweek was different, he was certainly unpopular. He was shy and not very confident in himself. Not bad looking, but he also wasn't terribly attractive either. He gripped my hand a little too roughly in the shake, his nervousness showing through his sweaty palms.
"Let's have a great five years as friends and coworkers!" Bebe cheered, bringing a smile to everyone's faces.
A month dragged on and I was almost certain that it wouldn't ever end. Here we finally were though, graduating from our final bit of training to become real, certified astronauts. Of course, we were nothing more than tour guides for Space Joy, but we were certified to walk the surface of planets and guide people as we did so.
I'd become surprisingly close to the others, happy that they accepted me for who I was. I'd opened up a little in the month, more comfortable talking to them at times. It was rare and far between, and my responses weren't very long, but it was something like what I'd had back home.
Bebe asked me why I'd gotten the job when I was so antisocial. I told her I loved space, it was my passion and this was the way to get here. It was rare people were chosen to become space tour guides, but almost impossible to become an astronaut for anything else.
We didn't get to hang out as a group as often because of our sudden influx of work. This was a new location and we were the higher ups in the facility.
Time flew as I saw people come and go out of our facility. Weeks turned to months and I quickly approached a year.
It was like any other job, the novelty wore off very quickly and without fault. It was just as exciting for me as it was for my tourists when I first started. I got to explore with them, we got to learn and experience together on certain things.
Every week, it was the same routine with a different group. Group after group, face after face.
Today was an especially tiring day. I had overslept and had to hurry to dress myself. A plain but sophisticated outfit, something that was similar to what a plane steward would wear. A pair of tightly fit, dark blue slacks. A white button up, a light colored tie and a pullover that was the same shade as my pants. It fit me well, it was nice, I always felt professional.
I didn't have time to do my hair so I quickly slipped my shoes on and headed out of the room. I combed my hair with my fingers as I rushed towards the entrance.
One of the luggage crew joined me in the direction of the entrance. "Good morning, Craig. Ready for this arrival?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." I scoffed, the man offering a wave before shuffling down a side hallway.
The main entrance way was brightly lit and full of employees getting into station. The airlock doors were along the far wall and just inside was my station, my podium. I quickly straightened myself up and took a deep breath as I made my way towards it. This was my door, this was where all of my clients came through to start and leave their journey. It was a symbol of my privilege.
Just passed me was the gift shop and a medication store. People were screened for serious illness before hand since the moon had a tendencies to lower immune systems. Illness spread like wildfire. Simple aspirins and other common medical treatments were there for the not so contagious sickness.
The door opened and I got that familiar twinge in my stomach. Anxiety. It didn't just wear off like I hoped. I always wondered if I would fuck things up this time, if I would get someone hurt or if they would even like me.
The pilot lead them in as usual, having already discarded their suits inside the dress room in the first entrance. There were three chambers you had to go through to get to my station. First was the wash room to throttle wash the suits while they were still on and keep any possible contaminants from the moon out. Then there was the other two chambers that locked air tight to prevent leaks into the building.
In followed five people. They lined up at the booth and I stood up straight.
The first person was rather normal looking, like an average joe character, similar to me. Black, straight hair that framed his pale features. His eyes were dark, his over all appearance reminding you of Token. He had his ID ready and pushed it out towards me blatantly. I compared the name to the list before stamping beside it, Stan Marsh. "Welcome aboard!" I tried to be enthusiastic but it might have sounded more like I was trying to shove him away. He didn't care and ignored me as he stood just behind me, clearly waiting for someone.
I presumed it was the next person in line. Bright red curls and waves peered from behind a green hat, freckles peppering cream colored skin. His smile was radiant, bright. Kyle Broflovski, surely of Jewish decent, his name was a dead giveaway. "Here ya go!" he held it out with both hands, bowing slightly in a polite gesture. I stamped beside his name and handed his ID back.
"Good to go, welcome aboard." I reassured and he thanked me, shoving his wallet in his pocket quickly and shuffling passed me. He quickly joined the noirette and they excitedly chattered before heading to peer in the window of the gift shop.
A big, bulky male moved up next, wavy brunette hair almost managing to hide his furrowed brows. He handed me his ID without a word, crossing his arms immediately after and beginning to tap his foot. Cynically, I took my sweet time and stalled when I saw his name. Eric Cartman, known as douchebag until the end of his stay. I handed it back and got a "Finally". I didn't give him a welcome.
A blonde boy that stands taller than all the rest in the group approaches and I feel a bit intimidated. It doesn't show though as I take his ID. He leans on the podium as he eyes me, wearing a warm parka which is smart up here. His bag is unzipped from when he presumably grabbed his ID and hangs off his shoulder. A dumb smirk crosses his lips and it annoys me, I have half the mind to tell him his passport is invalid. I don't though and stamp beside his name, Kenneth McCormick. "Tell me, should I start jumping now or when we're outside. I mean, what do most people do?" I side eyed him and he put his hands up defensively, backing off and heading to join his friends.
Lastly, a boy who reminds me of Tweek. Quite, shy, and a bit off. He forgets to take his wallet out beforehand and ends up digging through his bag in a frenzy of panic. "Sorry! I didn't r-realize-" he started but stopped, finding it. Butters Stotch, I check the name off. Just as I'm about to hand it back, he suddenly falls to his knees. Worried, I hurry beside him and lean down. I pay his back comfortingly and ask standard medical quiet ions without answer until he finally retches, liquid spewing from his mouth and all over the floor. Yup, just like Tweek.
His friends stop their banter and look on with something similar to horror. I pull my walkie talkie out and radio the sick bay immediately. "Code one-three."
I stay with him until the nurse arrives to escort him to the bay. A team hurries to clean the floor and I turn to our guests. I pick everything up from the podium, hugging the stuff to my chest. This was not the greatest start so I'll have to muster up some enthusiasm to make up for their friends sudden illness.
"Usually, there are measures taken to ensure you do not feel the side effects of the travel, such as properly adjusted gravities inside structures and transportation. Unfortunately, they are not quite perfect and some cases slip through. Your friend will be fine, it's similar to sea sickness. " I used my trainers same words to reassure them.
"Now then, are you guys ready to become astronauts?"