Where would I even start? It’d been less than three hours since the last log. I frowned and cancelled the recording. I placed the device back on to the console and sighed. My crew was limited, and L’andia was less than an hour away.

  “What do we know about L’andia’s planet?” I asked, thinking out loud.

  “Not much,” Brie replied. “They’re part of the Praetorian system. Most of the time, visitors steer clear of them. The only thing mentioned on the research articles is that they’re governed by elders; men who reached the age of wisdom.”

  “Age of wisdom? I don’t understand. Do they take an IQ test or something… or known as an expert in a particular field?”

  “No, Captain. By their rules, it is simply the age when their hair had turned pure white. They believe the white hair is associated with wisdom… not expertise on a particular subject.”

  I frowned. “So, they could know nothing of value and still be called wise, just for having white hair? What about the youth who have white hair?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t think they’d ever seen a white-haired child—or someone with white hair under the age of eighty.”

  I thought back to my child that I’d left behind. I recalled how he was at ten years old. I shuddered at the thought of him being in charge of anything. He’d make gaming a mandatory skill, and jobs would cease to exist. He was a man now, and his hair wasn’t as white as it once was. I sighed. I’d not seen him for almost three years, since the quest. My wife, on the other hand, had remarried.

  “L’andia docking station in sight, Captain!” Solan called out. He turned to face me, waiting for my orders.

  “All right. Open communication channels. Let’s see if they’d allow us to dock at their station.”

  “Opening communications,” he replied, tapping the screen. A few seconds passed, then he nodded. We were live.

  “Zadriel to L’andis, can you hear me? My name is Captain Claude Becha. I am requesting permission to dock at station L’andis-9.”

  There was a long pause. I held my breath, listening to the sound of static come through the speakers.

  “This is L’andis. What is the reason for your request?”

  I hesitated. I didn’t know them well enough to inform them of the security sweep. I decided caution was my best bet.

  “We’re just passing through and require rest and fuel.”

  Another static-filled pause filled the air, before the woman’s tired voice crackled over through the speakers.

  “Very well. Access granted. Please type in the ship code into the computer when you’re docked. You’ll be sent the docking fee to your main console shortly. The usual fees apply.”

  I agreed and thanked her cheerfully before hanging up.

  My whole body tensed, wondering how I was going to carry out everything that was needed to be done.

  “Solan, come with me to get the medicine and fuel. Krys and Brie, you head over to the cargo deck and run a diagnostic. Whilst that’s running, have another run through the security cameras for any more footage of unwanted visitors.”

  “Okay. Please, be careful Captain. We don’t know if they’re friendly or hostile.”

  “I’m well aware, Brie.” I turned to Krys, my tone firm. “You both be careful as well. If there are any issues or trouble, call me immediately.”

  Krys nodded. “Understood.”

  ***

  The ship clicked into place on the station floor. The parking bay, if I could call it that, was marked for the size of the vehicle. The fourth bay at the far left, labelled the area as simply ‘XLV’; otherwise known as ‘Extra Large Vehicles’.

  I turned towards the crew, watching as the engine was shut off. The cargo bay outer doors opened, revealing the station’s bright yellow metallic flooring and parking lot.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  At the far end, a woman with a clip board noticed us and immediately began to approach.

  “Captain. Please book your license into the system. You’re aware of our rates?”

  I hesitated. “I understand it is your standard rates, though it was never explicitly stated how much it would be.”

  “I see.” She typed into her iPad and turned the screen around to face me. “For your size vehicles, you’re charged by the hour. It’s four Quorin per hour. How would you like to pay?”

  Quorin. I blinked. “I have no idea what the currency conversion rate is. How much is that in Aurex?”

  She frowned, typing again into the screen. A drop-down menu appeared, tapping the currency I used.

  “Ten Aurex,” she replied.

  I sucked in a breath. That was steep. I cleared my throat. “What about for the night, rather than the hour?”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry. For a vehicle of your size, we wouldn’t be able to sustain the full night without a pre-booked appointment.”

  I sighed again. “All right. I guess I’ll pay for the three hours then, and try to get as much done as I can.”

  “Does stopping for supplies normally take you more than three hours?” She raised an eyebrow.

  Oh, right. I had forgotten I hadn’t told them everything. “Sometimes, if we don’t know where we’re going. It wouldn’t be the first time we’d got lost on another planet.”

  She studied my face for a moment, then nodded, seeming to accept the reason. Of course, it wasn’t a total lie. Getting lost was a problem, it just hadn’t taken three hours to return. It was closer to an extra thirty minutes at the very most.

  “There are maps on the walls throughout the station. If you lose your way, feel free to take a look.”

  “Wonderful!” I cheered. “That’ll make the visit go much smoother. Thank you.”

  She nodded again and smoothed down her outfit. The deep blue matching outfit with a yellow stripe.

  “Just make sure you’re not late. The charge starts at the beginning of the hour, not the end.”

  I told her that I understood and turned towards my crew. “You know what you need to do?”

  They nodded. I gave them a tight smile. “We have three hours, so let's make it count, shall we?”

  ***

  I watched as the security guard left and waited for my crew to disperse. Three hours to scan the ship system for breaches, update the passwords, and find out if there is anyone else lurking in the ship that isn’t part of the crew. The ship that has six floors, large rooms and only a small handful of officers.

  If it was any other day, I’d call it crazy. Today, it was a challenge and we couldn’t fail. Worse case, we’d leave and would have to continue the search in flight—leaving a couple of officers manning two stations at once. It wasn’t impossible, but I hoped it wouldn’t have to come to that.

  “All right, Solan. Let’s go. We can join the others after we’ve got what we needed.”

  The metallic base had the distinct smell of antiseptic. It reminded me of the medical bay. My stomach twisted in knots, worrying about Cadence and the doctor on board. I hoped that there wasn’t anyone else on board that could put them in danger. Right now, though, the concerns were mostly the security sweep. Solan was only accompanying me for the medical supplies and the fuel as a front, whilst the rest of the team did the real job.

  I called in through the intercom. Each had a small intercom radio attached to their uniforms, disguised as a pin. Most fleets had them, but some were less than obvious. I had seen one where a fleet officer had the communicator as one of the buttons. Blew my mind.

  The first left out of the cargo bay, the station was filled with people and different species. My eyes scanned the crowd, noting one individual that had gills on the side of his neck. I tried not to stare but couldn’t help but wonder if it filtered the air around him rather than breathing in water. Especially being in space. Another had blue skin and purple eyes. I marbled at how many planets must have stopped here or lived on a planet nearby.

  “Stop staring,” Solan whispered, leaning in. “Even I can feel your gaze. The one with the gills, are very easily offended. The other…” he nodded towards the blue figure walking briskly around the next corner, her back rigid. “She’s from the planet of Shaolam. The females are blue, and the males there are all purple.”

  “Amazing,” I gasped. “How did you know that?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I did a last minute research on the culture of the planets nearby. Not a lot, just the highlights.”

  I directed him towards the map on the wall, speaking in hushed tones. “Ok. According to the highlights, is there anyone or anything we should be avoiding?”

  He nodded, and glanced briefly at a stall beside an alley. It was parked beside a cart, filled with boxes and small crates. “That stall over there are looking for deliveries to planets a little outside the solar system. More often than not, the stuff they’re shipping are contrabands. Folks would only deliver for them if they’re desperate for money. Risky business, but they pay well.”

  “All right. So, where do we get the fuel and the medicine supplies?” I asked, turning my attention back towards the map.

  Solan looked for a moment, then pointed with a reluctant finger. “It’s on the other side of the station, top floor for the meds, first floor for the fuel.”

  “Great,” I grumbled. “We better get moving then. I don’t want to be too far away if the others need help.”

  “Agreed.”

  With the mission in mind, and not a lot of time to do it, we headed for the elevator for the first stop.

  “My turn,” Solan asked, walking alongside me. “But, how do we get the fuel to the ship?”

  I frowned. I wasn’t sure yet, but I had a guess.

  “We’ll probably get a card from the store, and link it to one of the pumps. It’ll allow a certain amount, according to what we paid for. I’ve seen a few stations like this with that set up, especially for the larger vehicles.”

  He blinked. “Oh, awesome. I was worried we’d have to carry it.”

  I laughed. “I don’t think, even combined with the both of us carrying it, we’d be strong enough to carry a ton of fuel.”

  He looked sheepish, and laughed. “Oh yeah. I hadn’t thought of that.”