Torona

“Another day in paradise.” Ian sighed as he got up and got ready for Gamma shift aboard the Torona.

The lanky young man made his way to his small bathroom to take care of business. Getting his purple ensign tunic and black slacks on, which looks good against his ashen skin tone and muted blue eyes. Ian then brushed quickly through his short curly aqua blue hair. He rushed out of his quarters and to the ship’s bridge.

Ian couldn’t believe these turn of events. They were studying a black hole when it had suddenly opened up wider and swallowed the damn ship in! They had gotten sucked close to a hundred light years away from Futasha. And to top it all off another nearby ship got stuck with them, it was a Gilous ship and they now have to work with the bastards! The people they have been at war with for almost a hundred years now.

Ian got to his station at the helm and began his boring shift. At least his fellow pilot is Futashian. Gumhi came and sat down next to him a few minutes later. He was larger built then Ian and had darker blue hair. Bonding tattoos graced his left forearm.

Nothing happened for most of the shift until a spatial anomaly appeared, a giant black gas cloud. Captain Ditax came on Bridge and ordered her first in command to fill her in, Nivam quickly described what was happening, basically Torona was being sucked into some kind of magnetic gas cloud. The hull started to take damage.

“Evisious menourvers!” Their captain ordered.

Ian and Gumhi did what they could to avoid destruction. They almost made it out when an electrical charge went through the control panels. Gumhi was sent flying backwards and rendered unconscious.

Ian too went flying, but he refused to pass out until the ship was out of danger. He struggled to get up and went back to his station. Ian, while fighting the pain away, safely guided Torona out of the gas cloud. He then let himself pass out.

Ian woke up in the ship’s medical wing with Doctor Baysha hovering over him. He was subjected to a check up and was told to stay in the medical wing for the night.

“Great.” Ian mumbled sulkinly, but did as told.

Later on that evening he had a surprising visitor. Captain Ditax herself came. She stood by the cot Ian was using her long deep purple hair nearly touched the ground, it was rare for Ian to see his captain without her hair being put into a large bun, but it went perfectly well with her own ashen colored skin.

“Ensign Ian how are you doing?” She asked voice clipped yet with a softness to it.

“I’m fine Captain, but Baysha seems to want to keep me here, so I’m not being released until morning.” Ian told her.

She nodded, “Good. Well get plenty of rest because I’ve moved you to Alpha shift.”

“Really!” Ian was excited, all of the action happened in Alpha.

“Yes I need my ship’s two best pilots during Alpha.”

She left after that and Ian couldn’t wait until his next shift. He did wonder though who the other pilot was. In his excitement though Ian hardly slept throughout the night, that’s when he saw many Gilousians come to Baysha, the ship’s only trained doctor, for minor injuries; broken fingers, burns, cuts, and bruises. They all claimed that they were from work accidents, but Ian knew better.

Futashian officers had been bullying them and had gone too far. While Ian didn’t like the Gilousians himself no one deserves this kind of treatment either! So Ian promised himself to treat all crew members Futashian or Gilousian as equals. He knows that if his mother or the rest of his village where here they would be disappointed to find out that while Ian may not have participated in the bullying, he never did anything to stop it either.

When the time came for Ian to start his new shift he was so excited! Of course his excitement tampered down once he saw who he was co-piloting with... Rylance Jubon.

Ian wanted to bang his head against a bulkhead. Of course he gets paired off with him! The ship’s playboy and biggest flirt! Not to mention a Gilousian! Ian reluctantly made his way to his seat.

But he soon remembered his own promise to himself he made while in medical. That also includes Jubon, he reminded himself.

He went over to Jubon to introduce himself, “Hello Lieutenant Jubon, I’m Ensign Ian.”

Jubon looked over Ian and raised an eyebrow, “I’m working with a kid?”

Ian had to take a deep breath and reminded himself that he does look quite a bit younger than he is.

“No I’m not a kid.” Ian said and then took his seat beginning his first Alpha shift and trying not to get too annoyed by Jubon.

Alpha was, as Ian expected, a lot more eventful. He definitely wasn’t bored anymore. He and Jubon didn’t talk for the rest of Alpha which was fine by him.

After Alpha Ian went to the mess hall and got his lunch. He looked around and found Jubon eating his lunch alone. Ian sighed and went to go sit with Jubon. When he sat down across from Jubon the older man looked up in surprise.

“Why are you sitting with me kid?” He asked.

“Because since we are going to be working together we might as well get to know each other old man.”

Okay so Ian can be a bit childish sometimes, but he started it!

“Okay? But you do know I’m a Gilousian right?” Jubon was confused.

“Look Jubon, frankly it doesn’t matter right now. We are stuck light years away from home and both of our species need each other right now if we ever are going to have a chance to get home. So the least everyone on this ship can do is put aside their hatred and at least tolerate each other.” Ian said loud enough for everyone in the room to hear which was about half of the ship members.

The Gilousian crew were shocked by Ian’s speech, some Futashains looked a bit ashamed, others accepted what Ian was saying, while others were angry at him for even suggesting such a thing!

Jubon himself was shocked, but he too agreed with the kid.

“Yeah you’re right kid um thanks. So what do you want to know about me?” Jubon asked.

“What’s the most dangerous maneuver you have ever done?” Ian asked excitedly to talk with an experienced pilot.

“Well you see...” Jubon smirked.

Ian and Jubon spent all of lunch talking about their adventures as pilots. They parted ways after lunch with an agreement to have dinner that evening together as well.