Chapter 6: The Next Destination
Amy ate her sandwich in silence as she walked a few paces behind Reuben down the long hallway, the only sounds being their footsteps echoing down the corridors and an occasional remark from the yellow alien as they passed doors. She'd already learned they had a Rec Room, another two laboratories, a room full of maps, a hall that led to where the captured convicts were kept, and a mess hall. After the initial panic of being in a strange place surrounded by aliens subsided, Amy had found herself overcome by a feeling of forlorn emptiness, like there was nothing at all inside her. All of her enthusiasm from that morning had been knocked out of her in one fell swoop, and much to her disappointment, Amy realized she knew this feeling – it was the same one she had every day at school.
Reuben glanced over his shoulder when he realized the girl behind him hadn't said anything. Amy had finished her sandwich, and was now walking with her arms folded across her chest, shoulders sagging and head tilted downward. He slowed down, and waited for her to catch up with him before walking beside her.
"Amy?" Amy glanced up at him, and he frowned when he saw the look on her face – small frown, eyebrows furrowed, and depressed puppy-eyes that only looked bigger and sadder behind her glasses. He wanted to say something, maybe help her out of the funk she was in. "Hey, chin up, a'right? Y'know what they say about hitting rock bottom? It can only get better from here." He said, and smiled at her. After a moment, Amy smiled back. It was a tiny smile, but a smile nonetheless.
"… Thanks," she whispered, and Reuben nodded. Then, he glanced up ahead of them.
"This is the entrance to the front deck. Word of warning – the captain's a big fella, but you don't have to be afraid of him. Unless, of course, you're a bad guy, but that's another story. Just don't pass out when ya seem him. He hates that."
"Pass out?" Amy asked as the door slid open. Reuben nodded, and walked in. A moment passed before Amy followed, and quickly had every doubt in her mind that she was not on Earth wiped from her mind.
The first thing she saw was the front window, and the stretch of thick blackness, littered with flecks of light and color that were distant stars and planets, that could be seen from behind the think glass. She had never seen a lot of stars in the same place at once, and she had to blink to convince herself she wasn't seeing things. The front of the ship had what looked like a very long computer filled with lights and switches, with two monitors being watched by a pair of aliens in matching black uniforms. At the center of the room was the captain's chair, which was bigger than Amy. Then she saw the one sitting in it…
The figure sitting in the captain's chair glanced over his shoulder, and Amy went rigid when she felt his gaze lock on her. He stood up, and walked around the side of the chair until he stood a few feet directly in front of them, looming over Reuben and Amy at around 20 feet of what looked like pure muscle wrapped in a black captain's uniform. The only thing Amy could think as she stared with widened eyes and small pupils at the giant shark-alien was Don't faint, don't faint, don't faint.
The captain crossed his arms as he looked down at Amy, who was paralyzed, and Reuben, who seemed perfectly relaxed, hands in pockets.
"You're here." He said, and Amy recognized his voice as the one she'd heard on the intercom system. "I am Gantu, captain of the Galactic Armada. Welcome aboard." He turned his head to look at Reuben. "You've already met my Galley Officer, who is once again neglecting to wear his uniform."
"This is black, isn't it?" Reuben gestured to his tank shirt and cargo pants, "The uniform's uncomfortable. And I'm wearing the belt and badge, so I don't see what the big deal is," he added as he shrugged.
"That isn't my point, it's… never mind, I have other things to worry about." Gantu said, pinching the space between his… eyebrows? The middle of his forehead, that was it. "We're already on course for Planet Turo, and once we get there, the Grand Councilwoman will decide what to do about – is she alright?" He looked at Amy, who realized she was still staring at him. She blinked a couple of times before her eyes went back to normal, and nodded. "Good. We should arrive shortly. In the meantime, we can focus on - "
"Planet Turo approaching, sir," one of the two sitting at the large computer said, and Gantu turned around. "Excellent." He returned to his seat and pressed a few buttons that were on the table next to him. "Requesting permission to land."
"Permission granted," an automated voice answered after a moment. Gantu nodded to the other two, who proceeded to command the machine to land as Reuben started walking away. It took Amy a moment to notice.
"Wait - "
"We should head to the front as soon as possible, don't want to keep the Grand Councilwoman waiting." Reuben glanced over his shoulder. "You coming, Amy?" Amy nodded, and glanced at the incoming planet through the front window one more time before following him out of the control room.