Chapter 12 - The Captain’s Console
774 Words
The command room slowly settled after Drokan’s abrupt departure.
The quiet hum of the ship filled the space again, steady and constant.
Mira shifted awkwardly near the doorway, still unsure where she was supposed to stand. Her fingers twisted lightly in the soft fabric of her purple dress as she glanced between the remaining aliens.
Vael leaned comfortably against a nearby console again as if nothing unusual had happened.
Rethan returned to adjusting a glowing panel.
Seyrin resumed studying one of the floating charts.
And Kaelor…
Kaelor was watching her.
The captain stood near the center console, his large frame outlined by the faint blue light of the holographic displays.
After a moment, he lifted a hand slightly.
“Mira.”
She straightened a little.
“Yes?”
“Come here.”
Her stomach fluttered nervously, but she walked across the room toward him.
The closer she got, the larger the displays appeared. Transparent screens hovered in the air above the console, filled with strange symbols and shifting lines of light.
Kaelor stepped aside slightly to give her space beside him.
“This is the ship’s navigation console,” he explained.
Mira leaned forward a little, staring at the glowing projection in front of them.
A large map floated above the controls.
It looked like a swirling sea of stars.
Points of light marked different locations, connected by faint glowing pathways.
“…Whoa,” she whispered.
Her eyes widened.
“That’s space?”
“Yes.”
The map rotated slowly as Kaelor adjusted one of the controls.
A cluster of stars zoomed closer, revealing a faint blue line stretching across the projection.
“This is our current route.”
Mira leaned in closer.
“So that little dot is us?”
“Yes.”
“And we’re going… there?”
Kaelor nodded.
He tapped another control, and the map shifted again.
One particular star system glowed brighter than the rest.
“That is our destination.”
Mira studied it carefully.
The glowing point pulsed softly on the display.
“…Your home planet?”
“Yes.”
She folded her arms loosely as she stared at the map.
For the first time, she was actually seeing the journey they were taking.
The distance looked… enormous.
Her voice came out quieter this time.
“How long until we get there?”
Kaelor adjusted another setting.
Several symbols appeared beside the route line.
“In your measurement of time… approximately eighteen days.”
Mira blinked.
“Eighteen days?”
“Yes.”
“That’s it?”
She looked back at the endless stars on the map.
“That distance should take… I mean… years.”
“Our vessel uses fold-space travel,” Kaelor explained calmly. “It allows us to cross large distances far more quickly.”
Mira shook her head slightly.
“That’s insane.”
Vael spoke from behind them.
“I prefer the word impressive.”
Mira glanced over her shoulder.
“Both.”
Kaelor expanded the map further, revealing more systems along the route.
“You will have time to become familiar with the ship during the journey.”
“That’s good,” she murmured.
Her eyes remained fixed on the glowing image of their destination.
“Because I’m going to need time to wrap my brain around all of this.”
Kaelor studied her quietly for a moment.
“You are adapting well.”
Mira snorted softly.
“Debatable.”
Her gaze shifted between the map and the captain.
“So in eighteen days I’ll be… living on another planet.”
“Yes.”
“…Wow.”
The reality of that settled heavily in her chest.
She had barely accepted being on the ship.
Now she had to accept a completely new world waiting at the end of the trip.
Mira leaned on the edge of the console, staring at the glowing route line again.
“Does your planet even look like Earth?” she asked.
Kaelor considered the question.
“There are similarities.”
“Like what?”
“Atmosphere, water, land.”
“That’s a good start.”
Vael chuckled softly behind them.
Mira took another slow breath.
The map of stars reflected in her eyes as she stared at the destination point again.
Eighteen days.
Eighteen days until everything changed again.
She looked up at Kaelor.
“…I guess I have a lot to learn before we get there.”
Kaelor nodded once.
“Yes.”
And for the first time since she had stepped onto the ship, Mira realized she had been given something unexpected.
Time.
Time to understand the strange new life waiting for her among the stars.
- Writer
