"Status report," the captain commanded.
"Captain, the ship appears to be intact, and we are in orbit around the star."
"Did we lose anybody? How many survived?"
"No, we are all accounted for, sir."
"Open the lights, find us some habitable land, and let's get out of these space suits."
The Bridge lit up like a school auditorium, and the captain stood up, pulled out the IV from his arm, and unclipped the aid from his belt. He unfastened his helmet and placed it on the armrest of his chair. As he removed his gloves he noticed a red light flashing on his console.
"That's strange. I think we lost our power. Tell the crew to salvage some power from the cargo hold." The crew said they would do so.
He turned to his first officer "Turn off that damn red light on my screen! We must have set it up wrong."
"Sir, the crew are attempting to conserve energy, and we have no power."
"What in the savin' hell is going on here? Watch the light on my screen. It's blinking. Someone set up a subspace system to divert power from the engine. We need full power! Turn it off!"
"Yes, sir. Reaching into the console, the officer found the button. He pressed it down and a flash of light appeared on the screen.
The captain and the first officer huddled around the monitor to find something wrong with the screen, but when the light cleared all they could see was sky.
"Open a door," the captain said, directing the crew to use the airlock.
"There's no air on the other side, sir. We'll have to suit up to enter."
"Lights," the captain said.
"Sir, there's no power," the first officer said.
"Exactly. Bring us about and set a course back to the Ship. The lights will go out at any moment. Just make sure you have an emergency suit on. I don't want to perish in utter darkness. I don't even want to suffer in darkness."
As the ship completed the rotation, the lights swiftly faded. The crew did not have full space suits on.
"Everyone off the ship and to the Lifepods," the captain commanded.
The crew huddled around the lifepods. "This is a terrible situation. We are worse off than we were yesterday," the crewman said.
The minutes passed, and the lights faded and went out.
"The lights are off, sir. We can see in the distance. What do we do?"
"I'll suit up and check the ship. Have the crew flop in the pods, then get in them. We've got a long way to travel."
As he suited up and entered the corridors, he felt two arms cling to his suit, then he heard a voice in his ear, "Don't leave me."
"Who are you? I know you're not my wife. We should have been married already, but you disappeared. What happened to you? I put you in my cabin to make sure you kept clean. I thought you were my wife," the captain said as he turned to face the person.
"I am your wife, and you should follow me," she replied as the captain felt her hands pull him down the corridor.
"I don't know who you are. I don't even know where I am. I know that this ship is real, but you are not. I must return to the ship and lead the people back to the Ship. Which way is the ship?"
"The ship is no safe, and I must protect you. I was going to wait until you woke up and surprised you with a romantic dinner. But you unfortunately woke up too soon."
"Listen, whoever you are. I am Captain Craig Benjamin. I am the captain of the Confederation Ship Confed 715. We are not far from the colony that gave us the name, and I hold a position of trust and power in this universe."
"Your ship looks real, but I hear your engines ticking away, and I know it is not real. It is all a sick joke," the woman said as she walked backward, leading the captain back towards the lifepods.
"You are my wife?"
"Yes, I am. You recognize me, but I don't know you."
"I think I must be asleep."
"No, we aren't. We are going to a place where I can protect you. I need to get to a safe place."
They entered a room with walls of glass. It was empty except for a man sitting at a table reading a book. The man looked up, and the captain screamed out. "You! You are my wife, and this is a dream!"
She grabbed him, and he fell into the chair as he called to the man at the desk, "Get me out of here. I am awake. I must go back to my ship and save the people."
The man came to the captain and handed him his helmet. "Take this, it will protect you from the air. Here is a mirror to protect you. Take this, and this is yours. It is a weapon. It can hurt people and crush rocks."
The captain strapped on the helmet, and as he looked in the mirror, he saw it was a red on a shirt. "You see, we are seeing things from the point of view of a group of people who have lived and blinked for hundreds of years. It is really an attempt to give the reader the perspective of a human society."
"I don't know who you are, but you have answers to questions I have been seeking all my life."
"I am a friend."
The woman shook her head, "No, I don't know you, sir, but this is love. I want to protect you."
The captain awoke in the chamber with his wife holding his head. They looked in the mirror, but it was clear. "We are in a place where I must return. Perhaps your people have solved the problem they are experiencing. I must check with you again. I have more questions."
She kissed his cheek, "Go. Keep me safe in your heart. I am safe."
"I will make it. I will make it."
"You will be careful, won't you. You'll come back to me."
"I will, I promise. Goodbye."
He stepped through the door, and a blast of air hit him.
Pic (Source)
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