Jewels in Space
Sakamoto Tatsuma thought he knew how space looked like or at least how it worked.
During day, the sun would shine its rays hot on the skin. Yet it was far away, out of reach and never at threat; unless, of course, you stayed out too long and get sunburned, but that was another story. Another day, another opportunity; he used to think of it that way. At night, the sky was dark and glowing at the same time; a black sheet that spreads to eternity spattered with tiny twinkling dots. It was already beautiful to him back then as he gazed atop the roofs at nighttime. Night was for solace, to rest their tired, beat up bodies.
Now, however, as he traversed through and beyond the cosmos, he realized it was not as simple as the sky he once saw from his home planet. The deep space was complex, not to be taken for granted. An endless stretch of fascinating sights but dangerous altogether if one was not careful. It takes skill and knowledge to cross its expanse unscathed from all the debris, black holes, and such.
This would be where the Kaientai crew played a crucial role, manning a fleet required a lot of manpower. Mutsu, Kaientai's second-in-command, would be the one responsible in overseeing most of these tasks. The captain hated to admit as much as he loved ships and the outer space, travel unfortunately leads him to empty his guts due to motion sickness. It was not because he had a drink or two the previous night, or even the night before that.
Okay, maybe he did have a habit of fleeing without as much as a note. But they always come back for Tatsuma, that ragtag group, be it to haul his drunken ass or save his stupid ass. He was genuinely thankful they decided to stay, even after being freed from the Chidori's grasps. He would always insist when picked up that 'Earth women are the best!' and Mutsu would threaten to abandon him if he ever disappears again.
Speaking of Mutsu, she was not so bad, albeit a little too serious for her own good. In Tatsuma's opinion, the woman was unconventionally pretty, even though her manly clothes hid her body and her brute strength including her appetite altogether could never rival that of a human. He would sometimes catch himself smiling at her with wonder and amazement. What a special girl.
Space travel was tough. Transporting goods, in any event, posed a number of risks; there would always be a possibility of pirates ransacking and confiscating their goods. They could ward them off, large their fleets as it was. But there's constantly a what if. What if the enemy was larger? What if the artillery ran out of ammo? What if this, that and so on.
Another thing about space, especially during long journeys through nothingness, when daily activities become too dull and everybody felt restless was homesickness. The captain would at times miss random things from Earth, but just a bite of granny's heavenly looking would make him forget the unsettling feelings.
Granny, old as she was, still insists on running the kitchen. She had people to assist in preparations while still being hands-on in the actual process. The simplicity of her cooking would remind you of home, would make you feel warm and cozy on the inside. Sakamoto swore every time that the old lady literally poured love into the dishes, said he could taste it in every mouthful singing praises her way.
The crew called him Captain, the leader of the massive fleet called Kaientai. Their relationship started as victims of the human-trafficking fleet Chidori. He was their savior, in turn he was saved by them too; they always have each other's backs in a pinch. They were not related by blood, but he considered them family nonetheless. They are a bunch of diamonds, jewels he could call comrades.