#spaceventures

Day Four -- Masterpost -- Day Six

Callum prided themself on being able to handle anything that was thrown at them. It was a skill that had proven useful time and time again over their years on Hope Remains. It certainly had kept them alive for much, MUCH longer than they'd ever expected.

This situation, however, had thrown them for a loop.

Balthasar, the blind, technology illiterate man (or king or warrior or whatever else title people had apparently given the guy) was serenely sitting near a microwave in one of the least used spaces of the ship. They couldn't see what it was that he'd put inside, but they could hear it rattling around while the appliance was turned on. Callum couldn't even move from their spot in the doorway, they were so dumbfounded. They must have made a sound, because Bal turned his head to where they were standing. "Ah there you are, Callum," His voice was as calm and measured as it always was, despite the imminent danger. "I've managed to get this machine to work with the voice activation like you instructed. Such marvellous things that you're capable of."

The combination of his words and the slowly growing brightness in the window of the microwave got Callum moving. They smacked a hand on the ejection button hard enough that a crack could be heard from within the plastic. The door swung open wide, with small flames flickering to life inside. Cal swore, not even bothering to substitute it for their friend's sake.

"Ahh, so this is what happens when you put metal objects inside. No wonder you warned me about it." Bal commented as Callum cursed again and ran for the nearest fire extinguisher. It took a bit of fighting, but they eventually wrangled the device out of its holder.

Even before they started to speak, the man had gotten up to move out into the hallway. "Back up, this isn't toxic but it's not fun to inhale." With the press of a button and the pull of a lever, Callum successfully started the spray before the flame could leave the microwave. In seconds, the area was covered in white particulates that smothered the fire and ate the oxygen that could get it to start again. They coughed reflexively, trying their best not to get any inside their own body.

While all of this was happening, Balthasar had picked a white particle out of the air and rolled it between in fingers (though how a blind man could manage to do that was a mystery unto itself). "Fascinsting. How does this material work?"

Callum turned around and stared at him for a moment or two before sighing. "You know, there are better ways to experiment than setting things on fire."

"Yes, but if I had not then I wouldn't be about to learn how you are able to stop a fire without using water."

You really couldn't argue with a man who knew what was about to happen long before you even did. Callum had a vague feeling that Bal might be messing with them, but...

"Fine, alright I'll tell you. Let's just...get away from here." They'd call a cleanup crew here later. Maybe make the excuse that there was faulty wiring. Not like anyone would argue with them.

Day Two -- Masterpost -- Day Four

A thousand and one thoughts swirled in Callum’s brain as they stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling. They could hear their sister’s soft breathing nearby. Callis. For the first time in a very very long time, they were in the same room as her. Her presence should’ve brought them comfort, but all it did was keep them thinking. 

With a sigh, they sat up in bed and rubbed at their tired eyes. As always, it was hard to tell what time it was just by feel. There weren’t any activated devices that displayed the spaceship’s current time, which didn’t help. Not that Callum actually cared, but they knew they would get lectured if they were caught being awake while it was very late. Again.

Maybe a walk would help them fall asleep. It did wonders for other humans, right? Cal looked at their hands with a deep frown. The faintest of violet lights could be seen on their pale skin. A consequence of having artificial eyes. It was just another reminder that they weren’t fully human. Hadn’t been for a very long time.

They shook their head to clear their mind of the all-too-familiar thoughts before they hopped out of bed. Callum padded to the door and quickly stepped through before the light from the hallway could wake up Callis. A walk was definitely called for. The familiar-yet-different hum of the Black Gentleman’s inner workings kept them occupied. 

Cal was in the middle of trying to pick out potential problems from the sounds alone when they spotted Captain Ryddel. Which was odd, because he’d stated that he’d rather stay on Hope Remains forever rather than deal with the Black Gentleman’s captain--even though the two ships were made together. The crews had nothing against each other, but having the two captains in the same room was like trying to mix oil and water. The two refused to cooperate on nearly anything, only agreeing to work together for the sake of survival. 

Which was why Callum started following their captain to see what was going on. 

Ryddel cut a twisting, turning path through the Black Gentleman. Some of the parts of the ship were familiar, but even a great engineer like Cal quickly started getting lost. Just when they thought they’d have to turn back, the man made a final turn down a hall and up a small staircase. They followed him, making ready to call out the captian’s name when they finally stopped to see where he’d gone.

It was an observation deck. A small one, for sure, but the panels displaying the star field around the Black Gentleman made the room seem far, far bigger. It was similar to a place that Callum had been to recently, but with none of the emptiness or hostility that they associated with there. 

The captain looked over at them from a seat he’d taken towards the center of the room. He gave a gesture and they walked over to join him in stargazing. It was strange how peaceful a place could be with just Ryddel. Callum had tried over the years to figure out how he did it to no avail. He just radiated friendliness and safety. When he wasn’t in a tizzy about something that might or might not be justified.

Here follows a quote from Malcolm Lancer-Grey’s Planets of Our Solar System, a widely-used guide to the Sol System…

Here follows a quote from Malcolm Lancer-Grey’s Planets of Our Solar System, a widely-used guide to the Sol System…