Star Bate

Angel Carraway jolted upright with a start. His breathing was ragged and he was dowsed in sweat. He looked around and down at the sensors stuck to his body; he ripped most of them off and called out. He was alone in a pure white room. It was sparse except for the bed he was lying on and a machine in the corner. 

The solitary door slid open and in walked a graying man in a vivid blue uniform, decorated with many medals and honors. His face was solemn but his eyes were light and alive, a rather pedestrian shade of brown. 

"Father what are you doing, where am I?!"

The man sat down on the edge of the bed and offered up a small smile to his son. "Angel, you did it. You passed the exam."

Angel sat in a moment of stunned silence before he was overcome with a coughing fit of dry gags. Small tears leaked out of his eyes. He looked up and stared dead set into his father's eyes. Captain Carraway's hand was suspended mid air, unsure as to whether he should and how to comfort his son.

"I died. Firmament died."

Captain Carraway looked weary and suddenly very tired. "It was a dream sequence. That's how we test for captains. We had to make it... personal. It's how we find the true leaders of each generation. It wasn't real, son." 

Angel sat quietly. "What about Firmament?" As he said this, there was a commotion in the other room. Shouts and crashes filled the air. 

"She must be awake." Captain Carraway and Angel, rather unsteadily, jogged towards the next room where Firmament was squaring off with three men in white fatigues. She had the same sensors dangling off her and looked wild eyed, her marks burning bright blue. 

"This isn't real!" She shouted, and smashed another clipboard at one of the men's feet. 

Angel limped towards her and grabbed her arm. She reared wildly and then collapsed into him. 

"We died."

"No we didn't."

"I felt the flames--"

"It wasn't real. This was all a sick test. This was the exam." Firmament seemed to grow limp as her breathing quieted. Captain Carraway who was waiting with baited breath stepped into the room. 

"You both should be very proud. You passed the exam with flying colors. Ingenious. You saved the lives of almost everyone on the crew. You're both captains now."

Firmament spat, "I couldn't stomach being captain under the command of asinine, abominable pigs like Star Runner." Angel nodded. 

Captain Carraway just sighed. "That which you ran into in the simulator wasn't real. But there is real evil out there like it. You needed to be ready, prepared, broken even."

Firmament raised her eyes and looked dead center into the eyes of Captain Carraway. "You speak to us as if we are the domestic horses beneath you. Damned to a life of penned agricultural existence. You forget that we are wild." 

There was silence in the room. Captain Carraway just looked away. "Soldiers, get these Captains some descent clothing. Have them ready and out by the time the Star Bate is finished loading cargo." He then stood at attention as the men followed. He saluted and left in a few bounds. Firmament and Angel stared after him. 

An hour later Firmament and Angel were standing in front of the Star Bate. It had a metallic copper titanium sheen with a glint of rose in the sunlight. It was star shaped, with each point having a singular observation deck. In the middle was home base; the bridge. Firmament and Angel were both wearing matching blue uniforms. This consisted of a starched and boxy jacket, and creased pants that tucked into calf high, shiny black boots. Angel still wore his cadet hat while Firmament had taken hers off, her hair being down and straight. Each had a set of wings on their breast. 

As they stood ready, the doors opened and out walked a few familiar faces. Chatoyant stood, head high, in pressed cream slacks and a cape of similar color. Her long raven hair was ties back in a ponytail and in her hands she held a small package. Next to her was Anderson in a tan leather jacket and black jeans and black turtleneck. He linked arms with Aria, who was smiling, adorned in a striking magenta hijab. Last was Grayson, smiling in his very own cadet uniform, with a badge of his own. He jumped up and waved. 

Chatoyant gracefully approached Firmament. "Dear, I've never met you, but I feel as if I've known you my whole life. I thought you might like this." She handed over the package to Firmament who opened it tentatively. Inside was a lavish cobalt coat. Firmament smiled and gripped the woman in a tight hug. Chatoyant returned the hug with equal enthusiasm.  

Captain Carraway appraoched. "So, Captains, you're first stop is to a small settlement in a rather industrious spiral galaxy to deliver salt. I bid you all the luck in the universe." He then shook hands with Angel who slipped in a quiet hug and went off the greet the crew. Firmament stood facing him. 

"Captain, about my planet."

"Everything in the sequence was fake. No one really knows what happened to the planet. Even Captain Tychism, who was there, can't remember. It's all very mysterious. I'm sorry." Firmament nodded and then shook hands with the man. He smiled sympathetically and she was off with the rest of the crew. 

"All right ladies and gentlemen, who's ready for their medical examination?!" Chatoyant called out playfully from the bottom rung of the ladder. She was met with many groans. "Hey complain now but I don't want to see any complaining when you all catch Galactic Salmonella from not being properly vaccinated!" Again, there were groans. The crew laughed all the way up the ladder and disappeared into the ship to get ready for take off. 

On the ground, Captain Carraway and a man in black fatigues and a laser clipped to his belt were still conversing.

"Captain, are you planning on telling her any time soon? Telling them?"

Captain Carraway just sighed and looked off into the sky. "They can't know. Not yet. They're not ready. No one is."