Excerpt: Space, the Paramour

Apart from the buzz of the overhead lamps, and the subtle vibration of the ship’s engine, the dormitory corridor was silent. Every curtain was still, and not a single voice or breath could be heard. The captain stood and enjoyed it briefly, until Vance had managed to weave his way through the halls, making himself heard as his footsteps clapped loudly on the smooth floor. Just as Vance had come into view, his face still etched with terror, Fathom opened his mouth wide and took a deep breath.

“Manic depressive!” He bellowed down the hall. For the first few moments, it was silent. Then the first voice came through.

“Fuck! Everybody up! Go! Go! Go!” They cried. The silence was smashed as the sound of rustling sheets and clanging metal roared, every crewmen scrambling to get up and out to their stations. There were frantic shouts, bumping and cursing, and within a few seconds, the first crewman came rushing out, his dormitory curtain billowing outward. He was zipping up his shirt furiously, looking directly at the floor. When he finished, he would have looked both ways down the hall, but froze as he saw the captain’s figure. The next crewman from the same dorm barged out and fell on his side, first looking to the single man standing in the hall, and then to the captain. He too, had frozen. Within a minute, every single crewman had frantically rushed out and stopped in terror, the captain furiously staring them down.

“I’ve had it with you all!” the captain cried, “I just don’t give a shit anymore! The second we get back to earth, you're all fired!”

“Good!” replied Mick, “You’re a terrible captain!”

Hank took a step back, as if the comment had carried the impact of a fist with it, “Excuse me?!” he squawked.

“You’re lazy as hell! You treat us like shit! You pay us like shit! You even feed us like shit! All you care about is yourself! You never lift a finger around here, and you make us work absurdly long shifts!” Mick got louder and louder as he got more confident. He had never stood up to the captain before now.

“Well then you should be happy you’re getting fired then, shouldn’t you?” Hank retorted.

“No! You’ll still treat everyone like this, even when you get a new crew.” Mick was now in the captain’s face. At least, he would have been if he was as tall as him. “You can’t even hold a marriage together you’re such a dick!”

Hank stood silently for a few seconds, and then he punched Mick across the face. Blood and spit shot over onto the wall, and Mick collapsed onto the floor. He pushed himself up slowly, and then flipped over onto his back.

“You just proved me right.” Mick laughed.