Wander Over Yonder: The New Galaxy

Chapter Three: The First Day

Welcome to chapter three, everybody!

Hater has kind of accepted being Wander's roommate on board ship, but isn't intending to let Wander have his way completely, and the Star Nomad has left the secret planet behind it as it sets off into the galaxy proper. What adventures will our gang run into in the vast reaches of space?

I'm so happy everyone seems to be liking my season three story so far! I've been wanting to explore some adventures for it ever since watching the show. Feel free to let me know how I'm doing or just say hi. It really motivates my writing!

Enjoy the chapter!

Stars glittered overhead, stretching out farther than the eye could see; an entire blanket of them spread over and around the ship, and over and around Wander high up in the crow's nest.

It was Wander's favourite part of traveling; the peace and serenity, the endless distances stretching around him forever, filled with adventures, new sights to see and new people to meet.

Sylvia had once admitted that she sometimes felt lost and lonely when she looked out into space. It had been one of the things that bothered her about traveling by orble at first, but Wander found it exhilarating. Yes, he often felt small when he let those endless distances flow through him as he traveled, but in the best way possible. It was like he was being reminded that he was only one tiny part of the vastness of the universe, a tiny speck before the endless wonders of space, and that all of it would carry on forever around him. Or without him.

He felt like he needed that reminder right now.

It certainly had been a long season…of their lives.

Wander had encountered an awful lot of folks, including more than a few self-styled galactic conquerors over the course of his travels through the universe. And though he certainly wasn't one to blame a fellow, he'd witnessed them cause a fair bit of suffering.

And most of the time, that was just something he dealt with. No one hurt others without a reason, after all. It was just a question of finding out what that reason was, and helping them work through it. It could take a long time; years sometimes, but Wander never minded. Just so long as he was helping a new friend, he was fine with waiting and going at the pace they needed. Not every problem was a quick and easy fix, and a lot of folks needed time to change, or even to realize that they might want to change.

Below him on the deck, now that the business of launching the ship was finished, and only a few hands were needed to keep it on course, most of the other passengers were gathering in small groups, chatting and laughing. There was almost a party air to the gatherings, and Wander smiled as the happy noises drifted up to him. Ordinarily, he'd love to join in, chat with his friends and make sure everyone was having a good time, but he didn't quite feel ready to go back down yet.

A lot of things had been different this time, and he hadn't always handled the changes well. He'd let his friends down, both those who had been counting on him, and those he'd hoped to make. He wasn't sure how he would handle things in the future when he found others in need of help, and it left him feeling somewhat lost himself.

"How's it going, buddy? What're you doing way up here?"

Startled out of his thoughts, Wander glanced over to see his best friend poking her head over the edge of the crow's nest. He smiled brightly.

"Hi Sylvia! Nothin' much. Jus' lookin' at the stars."

Sylvia chuckled, hoisting herself over the edge to settle beside him.

"Same old Wander. How'd old bonehead feel about his room assignment?"

Wander's smile quirked slightly, fondness for the skeleton lord slipping over his face.

"Oh, Hatey's fine. Doesn't like ta show it, but I think he really appreciated the gesture."

"Uhuh." Sylvia's tone seemed to indicate disagreement, but she didn't say anything. There was a pause as both friends sat together and looked out at the stars. "So, how're you doing?"

Wander raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I'm fine, Sylvie. Just enjoyin' the view," he reiterated.

Sylvia gave him a look he'd only seen occasionally, when she thought he wasn't telling her something. She turned her gaze away from him, up the blanket of lights overhead.

"You keep saying that, buddy, but if you're 'fine,' why do I feel like we've barely talked in the last week?"

Wander wriggled guiltily.

"That's not true. We've chatted plenty. We've been workin' together all week. 'S been a li'l busy what with puttin' the Star Nomad together 'n everythin', that's all."

"Well, sure, we've been working on the same ship together, and you keep acting like everything's fine, but every time I try to talk to you about what happened with Dominator, you get like this; evasive and a little too chipper. I know you, buddy, and I know when you're trying to hide something." Wander didn't answer. His toes wiggled unhappily in his shoes and he found it hard to meet his best friend's gaze when she looked back at him. Sylvia sighed.

"Listen, Wander," she said after a moment. "I know it must have been hard for you to see me caught like that. Grop, it was no picnic on the other end either, believe me! And I get how you were feeling. I know it was scary. I didn't even really mind when you were sticking so close to me that first night after the battle, though don't get me wrong, having you wake me up all through the night to fluff my pillow and check if I needed everything, well, it got a little frustrating, and I was tired. I know I might have hurt your feelings by snapping, but…"

"No, no!" Wander waved his hands hurriedly. "It's not about that! I was bein' too clingy. Ya didn't hurt m' feelings, honest. It's just…" he trailed off, thumbs twiddling in his lap now as he thought. This really wasn't fair of him, he realized. He was just making Sylvia worried about him, and that wasn't okay. He'd have to own up to everything sooner or later.

"I really made a mess of everything," he said quietly. His eyes were focused on his hands in his lap. That seemed to make it easier to continue. "I put everyone in danger; I put you in danger. I thought if I could jus' talk to Dominator, I could maybe convince her not ta be so mean, an' we could all be friends." His hands clenched involuntarily. "But I was wrong. I thought I'd just be riskin' myself, but I lead 'er right to the secret planet, to everyone, an' I couldn't do anythin' ta help. Everyone coulda died. If Hatey hadn't shown up -" Two strong, blue arms pulled him into a hug and only then did Wander realize his voice had gotten shaky, that two big tears had formed in his eyes and spilled over onto his cheeks. He melted into Sylvia's embrace, burying his head in her chest.

"Oh, Wander." Sylvia's voice was soft. Her arms tightened around him, head resting on his hat. "Of course, you snuck off and tried to talk things out with Dominator. You're you. You can't help that. I shouldn't have brushed you off like that at the hideout. I knew you weren't comfortable fighting Dominator, and I should have known you wouldn't be able to sit out the battle either. At least if you were going, I should have gone with you."

"Sylvia!" Wander pulled back slightly so he could look his friend in the eye. "None o' that's your fault! You were leadin' an entire rebellion; ya shouldn't have ta keep an eye on me as well. Besides, if you'd gone too who knows what could've…" He trailed off and sighed.

Sylvia looked down at him in clear concern.

"Buddy," she said gently. "It isn't like you to dwell on something like this. People make mistakes. It's not your fault."

Wander bit his lip, looking away again.

"But what if somethin' really bad had happened?" In his mind he watched again as the silhouette of Sylvia was decapitated, that moment before he'd realized it was only an ice sculpture. That alone, he could have gotten past, but it had come so close to actually happening. He'd watched it happening right before his eyes when the drill was shrieking down directly towards his best friend and he hadn't been able to do anything. He didn't want to keep thinking about it, but he couldn't seem to stop, especially now he'd let it come to the surface. His mistakes had almost gotten Sylvia killed. What if they weren't so lucky next time?

Sylvia must have seen something in his face. She pulled him close to her again, arms giving him a comforting squeeze where they were wrapped around him.

"Do you remember a couple of years ago when we were having that really unfortunate day?" Wander looked up at her, slightly confused at the change of subject as Sylvia continued speaking. "We kept trying to help people and it kept going wrong, over and over for hours. Finally, it started getting to you, and you wondered if we should stop helping because things were getting worse and worse, and you were worried it might lead to the whole universe being destroyed. Do you remember what I said to you that day?"

Wander nodded slightly.

"Ya said that wasn't a universe ya wanted to live in anyway." He felt a small, watery smile forming.

"Exactly." Sylvia smiled back at him. "A universe where we can't try to help people, where we always have to hurt them, that sounds like a terrible universe to me. And I always want you to try and help people, Wander, even when I don't think it's going to work. And even if you weren't able to help Dominator, there are lots of people who wouldn't have shown up to help us if you hadn't helped them." She paused, seeming to collect herself before she continued. "Hater wouldn't have shown up if you hadn't been helping him, and then we really would have been in trouble. And, who knows, maybe some day you'll even help Dominator too."

Wander thought back to those last moments as the ship had been exploding, when he'd finally realized why Dominator hurt others, finally seen that her bullying behavior came from loneliness. He'd finally understood where she was coming from and the kind of help she might need.

"Yeah," he said softly. "Maybe I will."

"That's the spirit." Sylvia gave his hair a ruffle and Wander could feel his smile widening, that sore spot inside him easing considerably. "Just promise you won't leave me out next time. If you decide you have to go somewhere, tell me about it and let me go with you. I promise I'll do a better job of listening when you do. I know you were worried about me, but I was worried about you too, buddy. I thought I'd lost you when that ship exploded. I'm still not sure how you made it out to be honest. I didn't think orbles were that tough."

Wander chuckled a little.

"Jus' lucky, I guess." He'd like to tell Sylvia about what Hater had done for him and Dominator, about how safe he'd felt when the overlord's forcefield had wrapped itself around them, but he knew Hater was uncomfortable with all of that, so he wanted to respect his buddy and keep it to himself. Maybe someday Hatey would feel a little more comfortable and he'd be able to tell all his friends about it. Until then, he hoped Sylvia wouldn't mind waiting for an answer.

"Then I'm grateful to your luck, I suppose." Sylvia gave a chuckle herself, before she looked pointedly at him again. "So, how are you doing, buddy?"

Wander's smile widened and he pulled himself close for one more hug, giving his best friend a squeeze of his own.

"I'm doin' great, Sylvia," he promised, and he knew that this time, she believed him.

Despite his loitering, Hater still made it back to the room before Wander. That was good; he didn't want any surprise hugs or any junk like that when he opened the door.

Captain Tim had made himself at home by carving himself a hole and making a nest in one of the walls. He hissed at Hater in greeting but opted to stay in his refuge for now. Hater rather wished he could blast a hole in the wall and do the same, but that would be too much like hiding from the annoying pest, and that was something he absolutely refused to do. That and the walls probably weren't thick enough on this stupid ship.

He took a few minutes to look around the room, which was more like a cabin. It was quite small, especially compared to his own massive room on the skull-ship, and there didn't even seem to be beds, just some canvas slings hanging from the ceiling. There was also a kind of bench thing along one wall, and a small, circular window that looked out onto a nondescript patch of stars.

When he finally heard someone outside the door, Hater straightened, crossing his arms and focusing the full force of his glare on the entrance. He was all set to let the furry nuisance have it.

The door opened, and Wander slipped inside. Hater opened his mouth, taking a breath for a good, angry rant at the nomad, then paused. Wander gave him a tired, droopy looking smile.

"Hi Hater," he said. "Glad ta see ya made yerself at home." He seemed subdued, and his voice was quieter than Hater was used to.

Hater's glare slipped a bit, the anger he had so carefully built up, fizzling. He wasn't sure why, only that seeing Wander like this was…weird.

"I…guess," he said, without the ire he'd been planning on.

Wander paused to coo softly at Captain Tim in his nest, who gave a snarl but didn't try to bite the wiggling orange finger, and then the nomad crossed to one of the fabric slings and sat on it, pulling his knees up and wrapping his arms around them.

Hater was still standing in the center of the room, following Wander with his eyes. He felt confused, and vaguely annoyed that Wander's strange appearance had interrupted his planned argument. He also felt like he should say something, though he wasn't sure what.

"So, we're on our way," he tried, keeping is tone neutral with only his natural gruffness.

"Yeah!" Wander sat up, seeming to summon some energy, though Hater still thought he looked tired, not quite as bouncy as usual. "Should be reachin' Gravon V in a day or two. That'll be our first stop an' the technohead's should be departing, long as m' li'l flower friend's had time ta stitch it back together." His smile seemed a little more natural now. "It sure will be fun ta see how that plant is doin' an' get a look at the planets it's fixin' up close."

Hater scoffed, but with only half his attention on Wander's rambling. He was still trying to figure out what could have happened to leave the nomad acting this way. It reminded him a little of when Wander had been using his finger to keep that tiny black hole plugged, though he didn't look frazzled or miserable this time, just emotionally exhausted. It almost looked like he'd been crying, though he didn't seem sad anymore. It was more like the aftermath of being sad, and Hater wasn't sure why, but he didn't like seeing Wander that way. Probably because it meant someone else had managed to make the furry freak sad, when he'd never been able to. Yeah, it was probably that.

"What happened to you?" he growled at last, giving up on trying to be subtle. "Why are you being so weird?"

Wander blinked over at him, seemingly surprised, then that fond smile Hater was used to slipped back over his face.

"I'm alright, Hater," he said. "Guess I've been thinkin' an' frettin' too much and my ol' gal Sylvia had ta set me straight. Thanks fer askin' though. It means a lot."

Hater's glare darkened to cover up the sudden heat in his cheekbones.

"It's not like I care!" he snapped. "I just wanted to know why your stupid face looked stupider than usual, that's all."

"Sure, Hater," Wander agreed easily. He seemed to have perked up considerably now, and Hater was wondering why he'd asked about the nomad at all. Why had he cared? Shouldn't he have been happy Wander's manic energy had been absent? He felt anxiety coil through his ribcage. He'd just been jealous that he hadn't been the one hurting Wander. That was all, he told himself.

"What d'ya think of the room?" Wander piped up, interrupting Hater's confusing thoughts. "I know it's not too big, but it's a pretty nice place ta hang yer hat. Plus, we've got these neat hammocks. Captain Tim sure seems ta like it too!"

"Whatever," Hater growled, still annoyed at himself and slightly confused. He glanced at his pet, who was making his contented growl. Maybe Tim liked the change of scenery. "What are we supposed to do for food around here, anyway?" he demanded, trying to change the subject. No skull-ship meant no food court. It probably meant no to a lot of things for as long as he was stuck on this stupid ship.

"Don't worry, Hater. We brought enough food." Wander leaned back in his…hammock he'd called it, feet hanging off the side now. "I'll head to the galley in a little while an' start on supper."

"You mean you're going to cook?" Hater's eyes narrowed. Now, not only did he have to share a room with Wander, the furry pain was going to force him to eat his cooking too?

His mind flashed briefly back to that breakfast Wander had left in his dining room for him and how good it had tasted before he'd realized who had made it, not to mention read a vaguely threatening note Wander had written declaring them to be 'best friends' if he ate any. He pushed the picture away angrily.

"Well, somebody's got to," Wander pointed out. He gave a little bounce in the hammock so that it swung. Hater eyed it suspiciously, not sure how Wander was balancing in the thing. He was not looking forward to sleeping in his tonight.

He drew himself up, finally finding something he could object to.

"You expect me to eat something you've made?" he demanded. "For all I know you're going to fill it with love or rainbows or mushy gooey goodness, or something gross like that! Well, fat chance, pal, you're not cooking anything without me watching you like an astral hawk!" He smirked triumphantly. That would show the furry pest who was in charge.

Hater had expected Wander to laugh or brush off his threat. He wasn't nearly naive enough to think the nomad would actually listen to him. Instead, he drew back as Wander's smile spread from ear to ear, getting noticeably trembly as his eyes got big and wet.

"Golly, Hater." The skeleton lord winced at Wander's tone, practically dripping with emotion. "I figured you'd wanna hang out here an' rest, but if you feel like keepin' me company, I certainly won't say 'no!'"

It was then, with Wander's shining eyes and huge smile seeming far too close in the tiny cabin, that Hater realized he'd just made a huge mistake.

Thanks for reading!

I hope you all liked Wander's conversation with Sylvia. I feel like there were some strong emotions in The End Of The Galaxy that they needed to deal with. Hope I managed to keep them in character for it.

And Hater got a taste of what rooming with Wander will be like. I'm sure he'll get used to it.

I plan to have several adventures on the ship as we travel from planet to planet, before Hater and Peepers find the parts to their ship and get it repaired. Until then, let's see what the new galaxy has in store!

I'll try to update Fighting The Tide next, but that chapter is giving me some trouble, so it might be another one for this story first. We'll see.

Thanks for reading and see you soon!