Across the Galaxy: A Pirate's Path to Glory

Paradise Planet part 1

Most of the crew was hungover and disappointed. While I was being mocked by Tristen’s brother Kirsh, Valerie and Zayn got incredibly drunk and they forgot the mission and made themselves an embarrassment according to Sylas. 

When I got out of my room I saw Sylas already lecturing the two of them who didn’t seem to be listening. Tristen was sitting at the table and drank his coffee. His hair was a mess which meant he didn’t even have time to look in the mirror yet. I grabbed a cup of coffee as well and sat down beside him. 

“Sylas is incredibly disappointed at us huh?” 

“Yeah… He was hoping to get the penalty off us. However, it IS the Invidia crew. Not the most pleasant people around. Probably why my brother joined them.” He sighed and shook his head as he drank the last drop in his cup, grimaced then poured another. 

“Yeah… I did meet your brother. He was… I don’t even know how to explain him. He tried to steal from me I guess”

“He always snitched on me when I did it back home.” Tristen was beginning to zone out and kept drinking. Then he sighed loudly. 

“He’s an asshole. But not the worst of the bunch. Once you get to know him you’ll know. He has his reasons like all of us do.” He slowly stood up and moved towards Sylas, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“How about this. We are basically off duty. Let’s take a short vacation on the paradise planet. We are pirates for goodness sake, so make up and we’ll rest up for a week or something.” Sylas immediately shut up. He seemed to have more to say but didn’t argue. He glared at Valerie and Zayn before going towards the cockpit where Tristen went to as well. 

I moved towards Zayn and Valerie, sitting down with them in the meeting room. They seemed extremely tired and in pain. 

“Water?” It was hard to watch them be like this and after a weak nod, I poured them a glass of water. They weren’t up for conversation either and returned to their rooms to sleep probably. So I joined the other two in their cockpit instead. They seemed to be playfully bickering about something and Tristen had finally fixed his hair. Not really feeling to interrupt them I went to the storage area instead, looking around for something to do. Maybe fix something on the ship or whatever. But in the end, I was scrolling through my socials and played some games. 

A few days later we arrived at the famed Paradise Planet. They had tons of exotic beaches with warm sand and beautiful seas. They often varied their colour. The sky could be purple or orange and the ocean reflected that. Strange rumours were surrounding the planet and its people, however. Once you move here you never leave. Who would? Since it’s a paradise but… I could never make such a commitment, no matter the beauty of the planet. 

We parked our ship at the parking place and began packing things to the beach. Tristen also had the idea to stay at a hotel, feel a bit more luxurious than the same old ship. Everyone agreed while Sylas seemed more hesitant about it. I got to borrow a swimsuit from Valerie as well and we headed to the beach while Tristen and Sylas headed to a hotel to make reservations. There were quite a few people here from lots of different planets.

We managed to find a spot and laid down our blankets and such, cracked open some cold drinks and relaxed under the sun. 

“You know what we should do? Karaoke.” 

“But Valerie, you can do karaoke on any other club on any other planet.” 

“Yes but, it’s always the same old disco songs and such from sadotune. Here it’s different! They have different sorts of machines with themes, the drinks are different. It’s honey flavoured! Much more exotic than any other planet.” Valerie explained with passion and I couldn’t stop smiling. 

“My family usually came here for a vacation as well. But I haven’t been here again for a while.” Valerie stood up and stretched. 

“Then let’s cool off in the waves.” She patted on Zayn before running into the water and the two of us ran after her as well. We were of course soaked pretty soon but it was fun. The cold water felt nice after being in the warm sun, even if it was a short time. 

After that, we started building sandcastles which when Tristen and Sylas returned. They seemed happy and were wearing light clothes. 

“Rooms are fixed. I managed to fix one room for each of you. Except for me and Sylas but oh well.” A look was shared between Zayn and Valerie as they grinned which seemed to have made Sylas embarrassed and asked them to knock it off. 

“They also had a few activities booked like hiking and such so I thought why not. When you’re finished here, I thought we could go to the bar close by and sing some karaoke.” Tristen threw a bag on the blanket which was filled with clothes. 

“Some fashionable wear for you fabulous people. I’ll see you at the bar!” And with that, the two of them left. The sun was slowly beginning to set as well, making the air much colder. So we quickly got changed and finished the castle before packing up and made our way to the bar. The place was outside with a roof and some warmers all over. It was a beautiful view of the ocean and the sky. We sat down at the bar while we heard Tristen and Sylas singing a duet. We were barely able to see them because of the crowd surrounding them. 

We ordered some of their famous honey drinks and some of their famed fruits as well. The song eventually ended and they made their way towards the bar. They held hands at first but slowly let go and acted like it was nothing. I felt my desire to tease them a bit grew however, the nudge from Zayn and glare from Valerie told me to let it be. 

Zayn and Valerie also did a duett and their voices were harmonised well. I felt a slight sting, however. I wished I had a friendship like them… Or someone special like Tristen and Sylas are to each other. But I am just the sore thumb sticking out. 

“Aren’t you gonna sing Dahlia? I’m sure you’ll blow us all away.” Tristen winked and nudged me but I only shook my head. 

“I don’t know… I left home so I wouldn’t have to dance and sing anymore.” 

“Yeah but, now you can pick whatever song. Do it for fun!” Sighing I looked at the karaoke machine and debated. I did love music. I loved listening to it but it was close that mother took away that joy. That I am not good enough to make a living out of it. 

“Alright. One song” I went to the machine and put myself in the queue and picked a song I knew from the list. Then we waited, drank and ate the sweet and juicy fruits. Then after a while, it was my turn. I walked up to it and picked up the microphone then the song started. I picked a song that was much slower than what my mom usually forced me to sing. I felt how my body tensed up as the countdown started for the text to start. But taking a deep breath I focused on the words and sang. 

I didn’t think about the crowd surrounding me. I tried to forget my mother’s power over me. She isn’t nearby to tell me my pronunciation of the words is wrong or that the tone doesn’t fit. Slowly my body relaxed and singing felt easier. With each word, with each beat, I finally felt free. 

When the song ended, the crowd cheered and I heard Tristen cheering as well while the other’s clapped. I quickly handed over the microphone to the next person and rushed over to the rest. 

“I knew you could do it!” Tristen said as he patted me on the back. I couldn’t help but smile over the compliments. 

“You guys were really good too!” They smiled but didn’t seem to agree. We finished up our drinks and decided to go to the hotel before the sun began to rise. Entering my room I didn’t even bother turning on the lights. The moonlight worked out just fine and I was glowing anyway as well. 

I went to take a quick shower to wash off all the sand. When I walked out again the window was open and I felt the chilly breeze. Weird… I didn’t open the window… I went and closed it and when I turned around again I saw Krish standing in the room, holding my phone. 

“Surprise?”