A Charon-class shuttlecraft rose from Earth and was quickly escorted by two Apollo fighters. The shuttle made its way toward a luxury cruise ship, the USS Titan. The Titan was 270 meters long, had a maximum breadth of 28 meters, a height of 32 meters, and had ten decks. The ship resembled an ocean liner except for the large bulky engines in the bow. On the topside was a glass dome that went from bow to stern to give all passengers the ability to see a wide view of space. The glass dome was lightly shielded and could be covered by a metal top. Inside the glass dome were swimming pools, gyms, restaurants, miniature golf, stores, etc.
As the two escort fighters took off, the shuttle entered the belly of the ship, passed through a forcefield, and landed in a docking bay.
Captain Smith, a human navy reservist, came forth to greet the occupants of the shuttle. Brainiac 5 came forth in a black uniform with three red dots on the left side of his chest. "Lord Dox, we are honored by your presence," Captain Smith groveled.
"You may dispense with the pleasantries, captain. I'm here to put you back on schedule," Brainiac 5 said gruffly.
"My men are working as fast as they can," Captain Smith said defensively.
"Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them," Brainiac 5 threatened.
"I assure you, we will disembark momentarily as planned," Captain Smith told him.
"I do not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation," Brainiac 5 informed him.
"You ask the impossible. I need more men," Captain Smith beseeched him.
"You were given 885 human crewmen. If your crew had been drones, only ten percent of that number would be needed," Brainiac 5 chided him.
"We shall double our efforts," Captain Smith assured him.
"I hope so, for your sake. The princess is far less forgiving than I am," Brainiac 5 said and then walked off like a boss.
"Wait...princess? What the fuck?" Captain Smith wondered.
Alex then emerged from the shuttle wearing a black leather jacket, black undershirt, and black pants. She looked around with concern as her bags were taken away by shuttle personnel. Kelly then emerged wearing her tan jacket, pink shirt, and black pants. She gave the docking bay a look of amazement. Captain Smith gave Alex and Kelly uncertain looks wondering if any of them were the princess. Alex and Kelly were then escorted to their rooms.
Soon thereafter, the Titan's engines glowed, and the ship was underway to tour around the solar system at half impulse power or one-twentieth the speed of light. The Titan went past the moon within 26 seconds. Some of the passengers eyed the moon from their rooms or within the large glass dome and waved goodbye to the Earth as it progressively got smaller.
Alex was not enamored with such things and simply watched the maids unpack all of their belongings. Kelly unpacked a number of bizarre paintings from the 31st century and hung them up on the walls. Alex glanced at the paintings unimpressed. "It's shit," Alex judged.
"Don't be like that. This room could use a little more color," Kelly said as the walls were scarlet red, and all the decorative items were covered in gold.
"A finger painter from a kindergarten class could do better," Alex said scornfully. "You spent our entire art quota on all these paintings."
"Well, I think they're fascinating," Kelly said defensively. "Like being in a dream or something. There's truth...but no logic."
"More like an acid trip," Alex corrected.
"You have as much art sense as your fashion sense with you wearing black and more black upon more black," Kelly shot back.
Alex got close to Kelly while the maids were watching. "It's my style," she said and then gave Kelly a romantic kiss greatly scandalizing the maids present.
On the bridge, Captain Smith eyed the viewing screen. "Let's take her out. All ahead full," he ordered his bridge crew. The Titan accelerated to full impulse power or one-tenth the speed of light.
As the Titan approached Mars, Alex, Kelly, Brainiac 5, and high-ranking passengers had lunch. "She is the largest Earth space cruise ship in all of history. I may have designed her, but the idea came from the Supreme Leader. She envisioned a space cruise ship so grand in scale and so luxurious that its supremacy would never be challenged. And now, she is willed into solid reality," Brainiac 5 said.
Alex took a sip of her wine to hide her distaste for Brainiac 5's bullshit. "Alex, you should slow down," Kelly lectured her. As if to defy her, Alex drank the glass down. A waiter then came by for their orders. "Steak, rare, baked potatoes with sour cream, cheese, bacon, and a Caesar salad," Alex ordered.
The waiter gave her a WTF look but typed it down on his datapad. "Was it you that named her Titan?" Kelly asked Brainiac 5.
"It was the Supreme Leader, of course. She wanted to convey sheer size. In her view, size means stability, luxury, and above all, strength, to penetrate the unknown flower that is the cosmos," Brainiac 5 said.
"That kind of sounded like Freud," Kelly noted. "It's quite interesting how size is of particular importance to heterosexual women."
"Indeed, as it is important to all women on this ship," Brainiac 5 narrowed his eyes at her.
1200
After lunch, Alex and Kelly were alone together at the bow of the ship. The human passengers rushed into the glass dome as Mars came into view. The ship orbited Mars a few times before taking off again. Alex kept her eyes away from the glass as if Mars were cursed to her. Kelly, meanwhile, was observing human interactions to get a glimpse into 31st-century psychology.
"Nice ship, huh?" one passenger said to another.
"Nice drone ship," one said sarcastically.
"No way, we built this ship with our own hands," another refuted.
Alex ignored the passengers and focused on Kelly. "Barney just took a shit on us, telling us where we rank in the scheme of things."
"You're a princess, one of the highest-ranking people in the galaxy and I'll soon be a commissioned officer in psychiatry," Kelly reminded her.
"And yet, I'm still under the thumb of Kara, Mon, and Barney all acting like homophobic assholes," Alex said scornfully.
"It's going to take time for this society to get used to us. Just enjoy yourself," Kelly advised.
1800
Roughly six hours later, the Titan arrived at Jupiter just as dinner was to be served. The ship toured around the four moons and then orbited the planet for the duration of dinner. Again, Alex had to pretend that Kelly was only a mere colleague, a servant even. After dinner, she went out to the deck under the glass dome and saw Jupiter overwhelming the sky. Kelly walked over to Alex sensing she was distressed.
"I can't take this anymore. I've assessed the situation...and I'm going back to Earth," Alex said.
"No, you won't," Kelly knew otherwise.
"Don't presume to tell me what to do," Alex told her off.
"If you were going to do it, you would have done it already," Kelly told her.
"Stay on the ship, enjoy yourself. I'm leaving," Alex said.
"I can't. I'm too involved with you now," Kelly shrugged. "If you go back to Earth, I'm coming back with you."
"That's absurd. You don't have to do that," Alex shook her head.
"It would be disappointing not to see Saturn's rings up close. Not saying it wouldn't," Kelly guilt-tripped her.
"Try another shrink strategy because this isn't working for me," Alex said scornfully.
"You know, my father took James and me fishing in upstate New York. Anyway, I fell out of the boat. The water was so cold, it was like a thousand knives stabbing your body all at once. You can't breathe. You can't think. It was the worst pain of my life, but I'd do again in a heartbeat than have to endure being on this ship without you," Kelly said sincerely.
"Holy shit," Alex said, greatly moved.
"As I said, I don't have a choice, so I'm hoping you change your mind and hook up with me tonight," Kelly smiled gently.
"You must think I'm crazy," Alex assumed.
"That is...what everyone says," Kelly nodded. "But only I'm qualified to make that judgment here. Come on, you don't want to leave."
"You're right. I'm being stupid. There's a reason we're both here," Alex sighed.
"Now, back to drinking brandy," Kelly smiled.
"Let's not get too crazy," Alex smiled back.
The two then enjoyed wonderful views of Jupiter together for the next hour.
In their rooms, Alex and Kelly had to pretend they were mere colleagues with separate rooms. However, they both had a shared door. Kelly opened the door and noticed Alex staring into space at a mirror. "I know you've been melancholy. I don't know all the reasons this time. But I thought I'd show you this," Kelly said as she opened a compartment revealing a black-colored prosthetic penis.
"Wow," Alex said amazed.
"A reminder of my feelings for you," Kelly said romantically.
"It's overwhelming," Alex said aroused, but also uncertain she could go through with it this night.
"You're royalty, Alex. You're my princess," Kelly told her.
"We're royalty," Alex corrected as she started to get hot and bothered. "Kelly, there's nothing I wouldn't give you."
"I just want your heart, Alex," Kelly smiled.
Alex felt the sensation of awkward nervousness and butterflies in her stomach. She immediately kissed Kelly and took her to bed.
0200
Alex and Kelly walked the deck of the ship with Saturn in the sky. "I was an only child until I was fifteen. No brothers or sisters until she came around," Alex said resentfully.
Kelly yawned barely attentive. "You, paying attention?" Alex snapped. "We've walked a mile on this deck, talked about the space weather, and how I grew up. Do you have anything to contribute to this conversation?"
"I'm sorry, it's just so early and you kept me up all last night," Kelly said sleepily.
"I want to thank you for what you did," Alex said sincerely.
"What part?" Kelly asked confused.
"You pulled me back from wanting to leave this ship," Alex clarified.
"Oh, sure, you're welcome," Kelly nodded.
"I know what you must be thinking: poor little rich girl. What does she know about misery?" Alex said self-deprecatingly.
"No, but what makes you think you have no way out?" Kelly asked.
"My whole world and everyone in it that I wanted to protect is all gone. Now, I'm no longer a protector. I'm a celebrity. Everyone in the whole galaxy is going to know who I am. It's like I'm in a crowded room, I'm screaming at the top of my lungs, and no one gives a shit," Alex said distressed.
"Do you love Kara?" Kelly asked bluntly.
"What?" Alex asked confused.
"Do you love her?" Kelly asked again.
"You shouldn't be asking this," Alex turned away.
"It's a simple question, do you love your sister or not?" Kelly asked simply.
"This is not an authorized conversation," Alex deflected.
"Why don't you answer the question?" Kelly asked incredulously.
"This is absurd. We're not having this conversation. I've assessed the situation and I'm leaving," Alex said pissed off.
"This is really insulting, Alex," Kelly rolled her eyes.
"Well, you deserve it," Alex shot back.
"Alright then, see you later," Kelly said cheerfully using reverse psychology.
"Wait, I don't have to leave. I'm a princess now. You leave," Alex ordered.
"I don't think so," Kelly stood her ground.
"What is this you are carrying around?" Alex asked, snatching her notebook.
"Those are actually supposed to be confidential," Kelly sighed.
Alex read Kelly's notes anyway and noticed her detailed observations of all the passengers on the ship. "This is really good work," Alex complimented as she kept reading more pages. "You have a gift, Kelly. You see people," she said finally.
"I see you," Kelly smiled.
Inside, Brainiac 5 had a meeting with Captain Smith. "You are going at maximum impulse speed. I don't see the need for it."
"We need to make headlines with this voyage," Captain Smith said. "Show the galaxy that humans can command star ships just as drones can. Imagine if we made it back to Earth ahead of schedule."
"You shouldn't push the engines until they've been properly run in," Brainiac 5 advised.
"You're the passenger, I'm the captain. I'll decide what is best," Captain Smith told him off.
Brainiac 5 smiled amused. "Good man."
Alex and Kelly marveled at the rings of Saturn up close. "When we get back, you want to go horseback riding on the beach?" Alex asked.
"Can you teach me?" Kelly asked.
"Sure," Alex replied.
"Ride like a lesbian?" Kelly teased.
"Chew tobacco like a lesbian," Alex escalated.
"Spit like a lesbian," Kelly finished.
"Let's do it," Alex suggested.
"Wait...what?" Kelly wondered.
"Come on. Watch closely," Alex instructed and then spat over the railing where it landed on the glass dome protecting the passengers and crew from space.
"That is disgusting," Kelly said shocked and appalled.
"Alright, your turn," Alex ordered.
Kelly spat as well without enthusiasm. "That was crap," Alex shook her head. "You really have to hawk it back, get some leverage to it, use your arms, and arc your neck."
Kelly tried again and made modest progress. "That was better but still sucked," Alex allowed.
The other elitist passengers of high ranks gave Alex and Kelly WTF looks as they passed by them having no idea who they were.
The Titan orbited Saturn a few times and then went towards the moon, Titan. The ship smoothly went through the thick atmosphere and then the surface came into view. The ship then landed gracefully in one of the larger methane lakes. Small propeller aircraft left the ship and started touring around the terrain. Alex and Kelly were placed in protective spacesuits before entering the aircraft.
"Temperature is -180 Celsius, atmospheric pressure is 1.5 bars, gravity is 14 percent that of Earth," Brainiac 5 informed them both. "Should the oxygen in your suit leak out and should it create a spark, it could cause a lethal explosion. If you fall into the methane lake, you will sink quickly. Exposure to the moon's atmosphere will kill you instantly. Do you understand these risks?"
"Don't try to scare us, Barney. We got this," Alex said confidently.
Alex and Kelly went inside the aircraft and flew around the surface. There, they both saw deep methane lakes and large dunes. The door to the aircraft then opened. "You, ready?" Brainiac 5 asked them.
Alex and Kelly gave the thumbs up and made their way to the open door. Alex went first and then Kelly. As soon as they exited, wings extended from their suits. With the lower gravity and thick atmosphere, the two were able to fly and glide across the Titan surface with their wings alone. All around them, other passengers were doing the same.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Kelly said amazed.
"Not even I," Alex acknowledged.
A significant distance away, Kara eyed Alex and Kelly in the air with her falcon vision. Brainiac 5 made his way over to her. "She having fun?" Kara asked.
"She seems to be enjoying herself, but the emotional scars remain," Brainiac 5 reported.
"This is but a taste of what I can give her. Make sure she says safe," Kara said nervously.
"Of course," Brainiac 5 assured her. Kara then took off not wanting Alex or Kelly to know she was spying on them.
Later in the day, Alex and Kelly floated on a small boat across the methane lake. "This is so incredible," Kelly said as she stared into the crystal-clear lake.
"If only we didn't have to wear these suits," Alex remarked.
"In time, you won't," Brainiac 5 said as he piloted their boat.
2000
After several hours on the moon, the Titan continued its journey to Uranus arriving twelve hours later on schedule for dinner time. Alex obnoxiously dressed in a tux and styled her hair to make it look unnaturally short. A number of passengers gave Alex WTF looks but then carried on. Kelly finally arrived to meet Alex wearing a purple dress. Alex kissed her hand and then took her arm.
Brainiac 5 noticed them and went over to them to escort them to their dinner seats. "Amazing, Alex. You could almost pass for a gentleman," he mocked.
"Almost," Alex shot back.
"That would be General Astor, the highest-ranking man on the ship. His wife is half his age and in delicate condition. Quite scandalous if you ask me," Brainiac 5 introduced various people. "That is General Guggenheim and his mistress. His wife is at home with the children, of course. And, over here, we have General Cosmo and his wife, Lucile. She designs lingerie among her many talents, very popular with the royals."
"As in, Kara and Mon, right?" Alex figured.
"And yourselves. The lingerie collection you recently acquired comes from her firm," Brainiac 5 said.
"What the fuck?" Alex said softly.
"Care to escort a lady to dinner?" Kelly asked Alex flirtatiously.
"Certainly," Alex smiled.
"Your cover story is that you're a general manager of a diamond mine in the Congo," Brainiac 5 told Alex.
"Yeah, fuck that," Alex rejected.
"General Astor, may I introduce you to General Alex Danvers and Cadet Olsen," Brainiac 5 introduced them.
"Well, Alex, are you of the Boston Danvers?" Gen. Astor asked cluelessly.
"No, the Midvale Danvers, actually," Alex corrected.
"Oh, yes," Gen. Astor said visibly confused.
"You are a railroad general manager," Brainiac 5 told her.
"Fine, whatever," Alex agreed.
Alex and Kelly sat down with some giving them curious looks. Due to Alex's tux, hairstyle, and make-up, she could pass for an androgynous man or a weird-ass alien. Brainiac 5 fielded questions from the elite company on the construction of the ship. Although humans built it, he had designed it with Kara's input here and there. Alex looked around uncomfortably until a waiter startled her.
"How do you take your caviar?" he asked.
"Oh, no, fuck no," Alex shook her head.
"And where exactly do you live, General Danvers?" one lady asked.
"Midvale, Maine," Alex said vaguely.
"And how did you come to be a general of a railroad company in Maine?" another asked.
"Let's just say I lucked out with a very influential adopted sister," Alex replied.
"All life is a game of luck," one general said.
"A real man makes his own luck," another said. "Right, Danvers?"
"Well, I have everything I need right here with me, my beautiful wife," Alex said. "Aside from that, I don't care what's going to happen or who I meet. Life is a gift, and I don't intend to waste it. You never know the hand you're going to be dealt. You learn to take life as it comes at you, to make each day count no matter what millennia you happen to be in."
"Here, here," the table said together. "Bravo!"
Dinner was served as Uranus was featured prominently in the sky. "I'll need more of that," Alex said as a waiter brought bottles of champagne. "So, Mr. Brown had no idea there was a gas leak in the stove. So, he comes home drunk as a pig, celebrating, and lights a fire. Instantly incinerated," Brainiac 5 joked.
The entire table laughed hysterically while Alex eyed him with dismay. Brainiac 5 and the men then stood up. "You care to join us, Danvers?" Brainiac 5 asked. "You don't want to stay with the women, do you?"
"I should be heading back," Alex declined.
"Probably best. It'll be all business and politics, that sort of thing. Wouldn't interest you," Brainiac 5 mocked and then walked off.
"Such an asshole," Alex shook her head.
"Must we go?" Kelly asked.
"I did some intel gathering on this ship. Come with me," Alex invited.
The two headed towards the elevator. "Where are we going?" Kelly asked confused.
"A real party," Alex smirked.
On the lower decks, enlisted men who managed to get on the ship via Kara's lottery system celebrated with beer, folk music, and provocative dancing. Alex and Kelly danced together with no one paying any mind. With their 21st-century dancing skills, Alex and Kelly amazed the crowd. As the night went on, Alex began to drink a considerable amount of beer and liquor. Kelly became somewhat concerned as Alex challenged a few of the men to arm wrestling contests and actually won a few times. As the night went on, Alex drank way too much and became drunk as fuck. Brainiac 5 eventually arrived at the lower decks and saw Alex's condition.
"Help me, please," Kelly requested of him.
"Of course," Brainiac 5 said as he picked up a sloshed Alex and brought her back to her room.
1100
The next morning, Alex woke up with a hangover. Kelly assisted her out of her tux and into normal feminine clothing and then dragged her to lunch on their balcony. "Coffee, ma'am?" a maid asked.
"Please," Alex said painfully.
"Alex, you can't be exerting yourself like that," Kelly scolded.
"You can't tell me what to do. I'm a princess," Alex said, less than completely sober.
"I'm your wife and you honor me by not going too far. You have a problem, Alex. I don't think you should be exposed to alcohol again," Kelly said gently.
Alex glared at Kelly. "We may be married, if not under the law, in practice, but...I am still an individual."
"Yes, you are," Kelly agreed.
"And I won't be told by anyone what to drink or how much!" Alex shouted and then tore out of the room.
Kelly ignored Alex's temper tantrum and went to services. Captain Smith led the congregation of officers and their wives. Realizing she had fucked up, Alex went to go find Kelly at the chapel in a casual dress not appropriate for the occasion. She was stopped at the door by the guards. "Let me in. I have to see Cadet Olsen," Alex told them.
"Services have already started. You can't come in now," the guards said.
"So, if someone is late, they're fucked?" Alex asked incredulously.
"That's right. You can come in once services are over," the guards told her.
"Do you remember me? I'm a big deal," Alex told them.
"No, I don't," the guards shook their heads.
Alex attempted to barge in only to get detained and taken away to the brig. "Hypocritical fucks!" Alex shouted as she was taken away.
Inside the chapel, Kelly enjoyed herself with some good old-fashion Gospel music.
After services, Brainiac 5 and Kelly toured all the escape pods. "So, I did the math and theoretically there is room for everyone onboard to fit in all of the escape pods," Kelly calculated.
"As usual, you miss nothing," Brainiac 5 flattered.
"But at full capacity, the life support system would only be functional for a few hours," Kelly said.
"You need not worry. I built a strong ship, and we are very close to the heart of the Galactic Federation," Brainiac 5 assured her.
Alex suddenly grabbed Kelly and took her into the gym where they could talk alone. "I need to talk to you. I'm sorry," Alex said seriously.
"Alex, you're no picnic, alright. You can be a real brat sometimes but under that, you're the most amazingly astounding wonderful woman that I've ever known," Kelly said sincerely.
"Kelly...," Alex began.
"Alex, I'm not an idiot. I know there are challenges ahead for us, but we're too involved now. Where you go, I go," Kelly said.
"Look, I'm fine, I'm cool, I'm fine," Alex assured her.
"Really? I don't think so," Kelly doubted. "No matter how strong you are, your vices are going to destroy you. Maybe not right away but they will and the fire that I love about you is going to burn out."
"You can't save me, Kelly," Alex told her.
"You're right, only you can do that," Kelly admitted.
"I need some space," Alex said distressed, and took off.
Soon thereafter, Alex found Kelly all by herself enjoying the view of Neptune at the bow of the ship. "Kelly, I changed my mind after seeing a little girl act like a total conformist," Alex told her.
"It's okay. Just take my hand," Kelly reached out.
Alex joined Kelly at the edge of the ship which was conveniently empty of any other wandering passengers or crew. "It's like I'm flying," Alex said amazed as the Titan passed by the planet.
The two then had a romantic kiss in public not caring if anyone saw. Coincidentally, no one did.
Alex and Kelly went back to their rooms to relax for the night. As Kelly read a book, Alex strolled into her room in a bathrobe. Kelly glanced at Alex and then returned to her book. Alex suddenly let her bathrobe fall and was completely nude in front of Kelly. "Over...on the couch," Kelly pointed out. "Lie on the bed."
Alex complied as she lay down on the couch. "Does this look right?" she asked.
"Put your arm back the way it was," Kelly directed. "Put the other arm up, hand right by your face, head down, eyes to me. Perfect. Try to stay still." Alex complied with all of Kelly's directions. Kelly then took a deep breath and went back to reading her book, glancing at Alex every so often.
"You think you're so serious. I saw you blushing," Alex teased.
"Me, blush?" Kelly scoffed. "Just relax your face."
"My heart is pounding so hard. This is so erotic for me, and you're as calm as can be reading a book," Alex said dismayed. "Don't you want to do it?"
Kelly smirked. "Not here, get dressed."
Alex and Kelly practically ran through the halls, took the elevator, and went down to the engine room. "What the fuck?" the engineers wondered as they saw them.
"Keep up the good work. You're doing great," Alex told them.
Kelly led Alex into the cargo hold and found a car with some cover. "They can still see us through the windows," Alex pointed out.
"Nervous?" Kelly teased.
"No, put your hands on me," Alex replied.
"Isn't this what you like? The excitement and danger of getting caught. What a scandal that would be for an imperial princess," Kelly said.
"This is perfect," Alex said as she got an adrenalin rush from the thought of it. The two quickly disrobed and made love in the car not caring who actually owned it. Security eventually got around to searching the cargo bay after the engineers snitched them out. Upon surrounding the car, they suddenly opened the door only to find no one inside. On the top deck of the ship, Alex and Kelly, fully clothed couldn't help but laugh. "Did you see the look on their faces?" Alex laughed, feeling a true high from what they had just done.
"When the ship docks, I'm going to tell everyone about us," Alex promised.
"That is crazy, I should know," Kelly warned her.
"I know," Alex smiled. "It doesn't make any sense. That's why I trust it."
The two kissed in front of the bridge crew greatly distracting them. "Nice," several bridge crewmen said upon seeing them make out.
Suddenly, several objects appeared on the radar screen. "Holy shit!" the radar analyst realized.
"What do you see?" the lieutenant in charge asked.
"Kuiper belt asteroids dead ahead!" the radar analyst said as the objects were fast approaching.
"Kuiper belt asteroids!" the lieutenant informed the commander.
"Hard to starboard!" the XO ordered and then personally inputted the command to the engine room for a full reverse. After a short pause, the XO reversed the order. "Hard to port!"
The engine room immediately complied and tried to slow down while the helmsman rapidly inputted commands to turn the ship away from impact. At one-tenth the speed of light, the impact would be catastrophic. The ship started to slow down as the engines started to go in reverse. Despite the engines working hard to reverse the ship, the momentum of the ship was still going forward. The ship slowly began to turn away from the Kuiper Belt asteroids.
"It's going to hit!" the radar analyst determined.
"Well…shit," the XO realized.
Several Kuiper Belt asteroids hit the ship along its rear starboard side easily passing through the ship's weak-ass shields. The asteroids punctured several holes in the belly of the ship and damaged the engine room creating an instant radiation leak.
"Everyone out!" the chief engineer ordered his crewmen out.
The XO immediately ordered containment doors to go down to contain the radiation leak. Engineers rushed to get to the doors in time while suffering instant radiation sickness. Those trapped behind the doors quickly succumbed to radiation sickness and died.
"Note the time and enter it in the log," the XO ordered, still shaken up by what had just happened. Captain Smith then entered the bridge upon noticing the impact.
"What the fuck was that?" he asked.
"Kuiper belt asteroids, Sir. I put her hard to starboard and ran the engines full astern, but it was too close. I tried to port run around it, but they all hit," the XO reported. "We have a radiation leak in the engine room."
"Close the radiation containment doors," Captain Smith ordered.
"They're already closed," the XO told him.
"Full-stop, get Lord Dox and bring him to the bridge," Captain Smith ordered.
Brainiac 5 quickly entered the room to give an analysis of the situation using a hologram diagram of the ship. "Five engine room compartments have been breached and the warp core has been damaged. At any moment, the warp core could explode destroying the entire ship," Brainiac 5 said.
"Without the warp core, we're relying on battery power reserves," Captain Smith pointed out.
"That is correct," Brainiac 5 said.
"How long until battery power reserves fail?" Captain Smith asked.
"An hour, two at most," Brainiac 5 replied.
"There are twenty-two hundred souls onboard," Captain Smith said dismayed.
Alex and Kelly were back in their rooms when crewmembers came in unannounced. "Not now, we're busy," Alex told them off.
"Ma'am, I've been told to ask you to put on your spacesuit and come up to the ship deck. It's captain's orders," the crewman said.
"What's wrong?" Kelly asked alarmed.
"Not to worry, miss. I'm sure it's just a precaution," the crewman assured her.
"Holy shit, we're so fucked," Alex realized.
The Titan radioed a distress call with their relative position within the Kuiper Belt. With Alex onboard, the entire Galactic Federation fleet was put on alert and diverted to warp to their location. Meanwhile, the Titan passengers gathered in the dining hall while the escape pods were being prepared. At this point, the passengers were not made aware of the full extent of the situation, enjoying drinks and listening to classical music performances on the stage.
"What's the big idea, Barney? You got everyone in spacesuits and now we're just sitting on our asses," Alex said displeased. "I saw that the ship was hit. Tell me the truth."
"The ship's warp core was damaged. We're on battery power now. We're balancing power between radio transmissions, lights, the heater system, and life support. The ship will be uninhabitable within one or two hours," Brainiac 5 said bluntly.
"You're certain?" Kelly asked stunned.
"Yes," Brainiac 5 confirmed. "I recommend you keep this to yourself for risk of a panic and get to an escape pod quickly, don't wait."
"I understand," Alex said seriously.
Mon teleported onto the bridge of the USS Lena, the flagship Prometheus light carrier of the 1st Fleet. "We're leaving immediately. Head out to the Titan's last known location, warp 4," Mon ordered.
"My Lord, shouldn't we wait for the Supreme Leader?" the timid human admiral asked.
"The Supreme Leader is emotionally compromised, at the moment. I am taking command," Mon told him.
"Warp 4! Punch it!" the admiral ordered.
The command went to all the ships of the 1st Fleet. In a coordinated push, the 1st Fleet warped to the Kuiper Belt arriving in 18 seconds.
On the Titan bridge, Captain Smith was told the 1st Fleet was on its way. "We are ready to begin launching escape pods," a lieutenant informed him.
"Women and children first," Captain Smith ordered.
"Yes, Sir," the lieutenant acknowledged. "Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please. For the time being, I shall require only women and children."
"That's sexist," one man said outraged.
"I don't give a shit. Women and children, in the escape pods, now," the lieutenant ordered.
In the interior of the ship, spacesuits were still being distributed and checked for deficiencies by members of the crew. On the deck, the escape pods were haphazardly sent off into space without being completely full. Meanwhile, beacons were launched into space to make them easier to be seen by any Galactic Federation ship looking for them.
Brainiac 5 accompanied Alex and Kelly to an escape pod. "Get in the pod," he ordered them both. Kelly entered the pod and waited for Alex to come with her.
"Come on, Alex, get in the pod," Kelly said as others started to enter as well. "There's plenty of room…still," she said as more people got in.
Alex simply stared at her as the wheels in her brain turned on this. "Alex, get in the pod," Kelly reached out.
Alex waited for the pod to fill up. "I'll get the next one," she lied.
"No, Alex, don't do this. Alex!" Kelly shouted at her and then tried to get out of the pod. Brainiac 5 launched the pod before she could.
"Improves our chances of survival if we're in two different pods," Alex said to him.
"Right…," Brainiac 5 doubted.
"I'm not leaving until everyone is off this ship. If I'm to be their princess, I have to act like one," Alex said.
"Said no princess in the entire history of human civilization," Brainiac 5 mocked.
"Barney, I have to help. Help me help those still on the ship," Alex pleaded.
"Very well," Brainiac 5 allowed, not able to persuade her otherwise.
Brainiac 5 and Alex went down the halls telling people to get to the deck and put their space suits on. "Put on your spacesuit, try to be a good example," Brainiac 5 gently scolded a maid.
The corridors started to get rapidly colder as power from the heaters was being diverted to life support. Alex started to feel the extreme cold but didn't turn on her suit, wanting to preserve the battery on it. On the deck, there was a growing panic alongside human idiocy. Some of the passengers attempted to bring luggage inside the escape pods and were scolded by crew officers. A number of escape pods were launched without being full, in the confusion.
Couples were torn apart as the priority was still on women and children. Some of the men attempted to bribe the officer crew with favors. "Why are the escape pods being launched half-full?" Brainiac 5 scolded a crew officer.
"Not now, Lord Dox," the lieutenant said dismissively.
"One escape pod had twenty, designed for sixty-five. Another pod had only twelve," Brainiac 5 pointed out.
"Yeah, we're not sure about the weight, Lord Dox. They may not have enough fuel to get back to Earth," the lieutenant said lamely.
"That sounds like bullshit. Now, fill these pods," Brainiac 5 instructed.
Brainiac 5 watched as the officer crew worked to get more people into the pods. They then found themselves with the opposite problem as passengers tried to flood the pods beyond capacity. "Get back or I'll shoot you like dogs," the lieutenant told the passengers with a pistol in his hand. "Keep order!"
In the chaos, a few of the escape pods nearly hit each other as they separated from the ship. The officer crew began firing warning shots at the passengers to keep them back as more pods were filled. On one occasion, a lieutenant fired on one of the male passengers trying to cut the line.
On the bridge, Captain Smith, the XO, and Brainiac 5 went over the situation. "Ventilation and life support systems are failing in random spots all over the ship," the XO reported.
"We're losing life support in G and F deck," Brainiac 5 reported.
"Do we have any available security crew to evacuate those decks?" Captain Smith asked.
"Everyone is busy getting the passengers into the pods," the XO shook his head.
Alex made her way around G and F deck evacuating clueless passengers, children, the elderly, and the sick to the top. As she did, she started to become tired from the cold and lack of oxygen.
Mon waited impatiently for the Titan to be found. On the bridge of the USS Lena, he was surrounded by holograms of the battleship, cruiser, and destroyer captains. "We have not been able to locate them on our scopes. Considering the damage they have sustained, they must have been destroyed by now," one captain said.
"No, captain, they're alive. I want every ship available to sweep the Kuiper Belt field until they are found," Mon ordered.
The fleet admiral then approached Mon. "Prince Mon-El."
"Yes, admiral, what is it?" Mon asked annoyed.
"The Supreme Leader commands that you make contact with her," the admiral said timidly.
"Tell her to leave a message," Mon said dismissively.
Alex rescued a frightened child and brought her to a pod. Exhausted but determined to keep going, Alex backed away from the pod and entered the top deck lounge. "I need a drink," she admitted.
Brainiac 5 offered her a glass. "Thanks," Alex said as she downed it.
Some other high-ranking generals entered the lounge as well. "Where are your spacesuits? Aren't you even going to make a try for it?" Alex asked them.
"We're going down with the ship as gentlemen, but we will take a glass of brandy," they said.
Alex heard the musicians stop playing outside and figured the worst. "To the Titan," she clinked glasses with Brainiac 5.
"To human achievement," Brainiac 5 complimented.
Alex scoffed at that. "We should have built a stronger ship."
"The human spirit is more than just engineering," Brainiac 5 said, and then the music started playing again.
On the bridge of the USS Lena, Mon addressed several Vindicators. "There will be a substantial reward for whoever finds the Titan. You are free to use whatever means necessary, but I want them alive," Mon ordered.
"As you wish," they all said to him.
"Vindicators, we don't need their scum. Those tourists won't escape us," the fleet admiral said disdainfully to his officers.
"We have a priority signal from the USS Avenger," the captain informed him.
The fleet admiral then interrupted Mon's briefing. "My Lord, we have them."
On Titan, the last of the pods were launched. Due to general human incompetence, selfishness, and panic, only a third of the passengers actually escaped in the pods. Aside from the top deck, life support, and heater systems were offline. The lights on the ship began to turn on and off periodically.
"We must leave," Brainiac 5 said to Alex as he detected something below.
Brainiac 5 and Alex made their way to the bow of the ship, farthest away from the engines. The lights then permanently went off. Very soon thereafter, the warp core finally exploded blasting apart half the ship. Those still present in the doomed half of the ship were instantly killed. A number of passengers were sucked out of the ship and killed before they could activate their spacesuits. Some were not even wearing their suits. The glass dome shattered upon the explosion.
On the USS Lena's bridge, a pissed-off Mon entertained the Avenger's captain's apology for losing the Titan after supposedly finding them. "My Lord, I assume full responsibility for losing them, and I apologize," he said.
Mon considered killing him on the spot but was moved by the human's bravery and repentant attitude. "This isn't the time for falling on one's sword, captain. Go back to your ship and continue the search," Mon ordered him.
Mon then glared at the fleet admiral who had confidently told him the Titan had been found. "Don't fail me again, Admiral."
Alex activated her spacesuit as what was left of the Titan lost all power. She and Brainiac 5 finally exited the ship and using magnetic boots were now on the outer hull of the ship. "You'll conserve more power if you deactivate your magnetic boots," Brainiac 5 said to her.
"And get flung out into space like everyone else?" Alex questioned. "I don't think so." The two of them saw numerous passengers floating helplessly in space around the ship.
"Your suit is incompatible with my own battery core," Brainiac 5 informed her.
"I figured as much," Alex sighed.
"The escape pods may come back at the expense of their own battery life…or they may not," Brainiac 5 said.
"How long until the suit runs out of oxygen?" Alex asked.
"Eight hours maximum," Brainiac 5 replied.
Kelly broke from grieving Alex to think about those left behind. "We have to go back for the others. There's still room," she said to the pilot in charge.
"If we do, we'll be sacrificing power to get to them, to open the hatch, and let them in. That's power we need to stay alive until we're found. Now, do you people want to live, or do you want to die?" the pilot refused.
Kelly looked around for any support. "I don't understand you, people. What's the matter with you? That's your men out there! There's plenty of room for me."
"And there will be one less if you don't shut your hole," the pilot threatened.
"Is this the Christian way? What would God think of you all? I'm a queer woman. Are you going to let me have the moral high ground here?" Kelly asked them all.
"One less reason to have you in this pod," the pilot said.
The women in the pod suddenly overwhelmed the pilot and beat the shit out of him. "Very nice, ladies. Now, who can pilot this thing?" Kelly asked gratefully.
Alex and Brainiac 5 watched as a few of the pods started to collect a few of the survivors in space. "A nice gesture but it won't make much difference," Brainiac 5 analyzed.
"I intend to write a strongly worded letter to the minister of tourism about all this," Alex said dryly.
"I'll make sure they get the message," Brainiac 5 assured her.
"I loved her…and I let her go," Alex said reflectively.
"I don't recommend saying your goodbyes just yet," Brainiac 5 said encouragingly. "You're going go on. You're going to make lots of babies to increase the general human fertility rate."
"Don't…try to make me laugh," Alex rolled her eyes.
"You're going to watch them grow. You're going to die an old lady, warm in her bed. Not here, not this night, not like this," Brainiac 5 said.
"Even if I die here, I want you to tell Kara…that she was the best thing that ever happened to me. It brought me to you, all my friends, and Kelly. And I'm thankful for that," Alex said sincerely.
"I will tell her, in your own voice," Brainiac 5 assured her. "But don't give up, Alex. Don't give up hope, no matter what happens."
"Never give up, never surrender," Alex smiled.
At this point, the radiation leak killed anyone still below deck and continued to spread. On the bridge, Captain Smith hung out until the radiation caused his skin to boil. He clutched the steering wheel as he succumbed to radiation sickness. On the deck, the officer crew worked to manually unlock the escape pods with the power faltering. On the deck, people were dropping like flies from the radiation sickness.
A priest gave reassurance to some of the survivors on the deck suffering bitterly from radiation sickness. Alex could only stare in horror as men, women, and children were passing out and dying from radiation exposure. "You must detach from the ship, or the radiation will kill you," Brainiac 5 told her.
"Alright," Alex nodded and then deactivated her boots, floating off the doomed ship and into space. There, she closed her eyes and rested to conserve her remaining oxygen supply while expecting this to be the end.
The USS Avenger then exited hyperspace and arrived on the scene. The battleship immediately activated its tractor beam to gather all the pods inside its landing bay. Soon thereafter, the rest of the 1st Fleet also exited hyperspace and rapidly started pulling pods and people out of space. Hermes probes were launched to scan the area for any additional survivors including anyone still on the ship.
Alex was finally located and brought on board the Avenger. She was immediately checked out for radiation sickness, oxygen deprivation, and hypothermia and found to be healthy enough to be a low priority. Her suit was taken off and she was given a blanket for the time being. "Name, Ma'am," an ensign asked her.
"Alex...Alex Olsen," she replied.
The ensign looked over his datapad for anyone with that name and didn't find anyone. "Well, okay then," he said and then walked off none-the-wiser.
On the bridge of the USS Lena, Brainiac 5 joined Mon on the bridge. "They're both accounted for," he said to him.
Mon gave a very slight sigh of relief and then addressed his bridge officers. "Recover all the bodies and then scuttle the ship," he ordered. Mon eyed the ruined ship remains out the window of his bridge and then slowly made his way to the hologram room to now report to Kara.
After several hours of making sure every human body was recovered, the Imperial fleet blasted the Titan, so nothing remained.
On the USS Avenger, Brainiac 5 led Kelly over to Alex who was still sitting by herself still untreated. Kelly sat down with her and embraced her. "Why haven't you been checked out?" Kelly asked her.
"I'm a low priority," Alex replied.
"But you were out there the longest and below deck," Kelly said confused.
"I'm not exactly normal," Alex admitted.
"But you're still human," Kelly said tearfully. "Don't ever do that to me again," she scolded.
"Okay," Alex agreed with false sincerity.
Earth-Metropolis
Kara decided this was the right time to introduce Alex to the public. In front of Global TV, Kara and Alex were in their white royal uniforms. "I will try to be relatively brief. But I just wanted to get some folks together to pay tribute to somebody who's not only been by my side for the duration of this amazing journey. But somebody who has devoted her entire professional life to the service of Earth. The best sister I could ever have, Princess Alexandra Danvers...Olsen," Kara introduced.
"This has been quite a ride. It was over a thousand years ago that God fated me to have Alex as my sister. There has not been a single moment since that time that I have doubted the wisdom of that decision. It was the best possible choice, not just for me but for the people of Earth. This is an extraordinary woman, with an extraordinary career in public service. This is somebody the people of Maine should be very proud of," Kara continued.
"Behind the scenes, Alex's candid honest counsel has made me a better superhero and a better empress. From the DEO, to our weekly lunches at the Catco cafeteria, to our huddles after everybody else has cleared out of the room, she's been unafraid to give it to me straight, even if we disagree. In fact, especially, when we disagree. And all of this makes, in my belief, the finest princess we have ever seen. And I also think she has been a lioness of Earth's history," Kara declared.
"The best part is, she's nowhere close to finished. In the years ahead as your princess, she will continue to build on my legacy internationally and domestically. She's got a voice of vision and reason and optimism and love for people and we're gonna need that — that spirit and that vision as we continue to try to make our galaxy safer and to make sure that everybody's got a fair shot. So, all told, that's a pretty remarkable legacy, an amazing career in public service. It is, in fact, a big fucking deal," Kara complimented.
"I am pleased to award our galaxy's highest civilian honor, the Kara's Cross," Kara announced.
Alex gave Kara an odd look wondering what kind of award this was but quickly recovered with a straight face. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to award the Kara's Cross with distinction to my sister, Alexandra Danvers Olsen. Will the aid please read the citation?"
"Princess Alexandra Danvers Olsen. In a career of public service spanning over a thousand years, Princess Alexandra Danvers Olsen has left her mark on almost every part of Earth fighting for a stronger middle class, a fairer judicial system, and a smarter foreign policy, providing unyielding support for our troops, combating crime and violence against women, and leading our quest to cure cancer. With her charm, candor, unabashed optimism, and deep and abiding patriotism, Princess Alexandra Danvers Olsen has garnered the respect and esteem of colleagues and friends of people across the globe and around the galaxy. While summoning the strength, faith, and grace to overcome great personal tragedy, this daughter of Midvale, Maine, has become one of the most consequential women in Earth's history, the first human among equals," Brainiac 5 read out.
The crowd applauded but the press was skeptical of Alex for a few reasons. They were well aware that Kara practically worshiped the idea of "Alex" over the last seven years and were now seeing the legend in the flesh for the first time. Rumors circulated that Alex was a lesbian, something Kara had intentionally left out in all biographies of her. There were also rumors of a cover-up incident on Mars involving her and reports of Alex being involved in the recent rebellions in Africa on both sides. Traditionalists balked at the idea of a non-relative, an adopted sister, being given the title of princess via Kara while human nationalists applauded the move, seeking to put Alex in the line of succession somewhere.
Kara placed the Kara's Cross medal on Alex's uniform, it was a red ribbon with a golden cross on it. Alex then addressed the press and the global audience nervously. "Well, what a journey this has been," Alex said dryly.