Rafael was in the captain's cabin with an old, worn manual open on his lap. The paper was impregnated with a musty smell, a mixture of humidity and time. His fingers scanned the surface as he tried to decipher the alien symbols with the help of a translator that sent him to the nearest screen.
His breathing was a little heavier than normal. Exhaustion was building up in his body, and the nagging headache didn't help. Even though the ship's artificial intelligence recognized him as its captain (or something similar to one), Rafael didn't trust the thing. He never had. The AI rarely gave information without demanding something in return, but he wasn't going to risk it. Deciphering the manual himself had become a priority.
Oliver had left hours ago, muttering that he would be back 'any minute'. Rafael doubted he would. Meanwhile, a small gecko slithered nimbly through the cockpit, climbing the walls and chasing its own shadow reflected in the control panels. It was the only sound other than the prisoner's breathing and the noise of the ship.
The humanoid was reclining as best he could in the chair, despite being strapped into the chair, his restraints secured with almost obsessive precision. Despite his situation, he remained completely unperturbed, as if discomfort were a choice rather than an inescapable reality. Her presence filled the cabin. There was something about the way he smiled and watched with such patience that made Raphael feel more vulnerable than he would like to admit.
Kaelen was playing on his patience. Rafael knew it. And he hated him for making him feel that way, promising to throw him off the ship.
A high-pitched beeping pierced the air, its frequency increasing in a methodical, oppressive rhythm.
Rafael stood up immediately, slamming the manual shut with a sharp snap. His eyes swept over the control panels, gliding over flickering lights and fluctuating readouts. His brain worked at full speed, dissecting every signal and every warning, searching for the source of the sound. The beeping persisted, regular and insistent, like a heartbeat, marking the countdown to impending disaster.
He frowned, carefully fiddling with buttons and keys. Alien technology was an area he was not familiar with. One mistake could be his undoing. He knew how to fight in the worst of situations, but here, on this ship with controls he didn't know, his physical endurance meant nothing against a system he didn't fully understand. A shiver of frustration ran down his spine.
"Fuel."
Kaelen's voice burst like a poison seeping through the air. Deep and serene.
Raphael turned his head quickly, his eyes meeting those of the humanoid, who was unfazed by the murderous look thrown at him. "What did you say?"
"It's the fuel. It happens when you ignore it. It's almost gone."
The intermittent beeping of the navigation console intensified. The flickering light tinged the cockpit with reddish flashes, reflecting off the edges of the metal surfaces like a warning. Raphael advanced to the prisoner with a firm stance, his shadow projecting, determined to get any information out of him. He was not easily fooled. He had dealt with murderers, con men and traitors. A two-meter tall humanoid would not be a problem.
But Kaelen showed no fear. There was no despair, only amusement, as if he enjoyed watching the disaster slowly unfold.
"Why should I believe you?" Rafael crossed his arms, his jaw taut like hardened steel.
Kaelen shrugged; the black leather metal braided rope creaked with movement. "Because if you don't do something soon, this ship will be left floating adrift." His smile widened, showing sharp teeth. "And then... well, none of us will live to see how this little adventure ends."
The beeping became faster. An alarm began to flash on the control screen. Rafael let out a snort and clenched his fists.
"Good." His voice sounded like crushed gravel. "What do I have to do?"
Kaelen bowed his head with that satisfied expression. "Let me go."
Rafael didn't even blink as he responded. "No."
Kaelen looked at him calmly, confident. "Then you will have to find another alternative."
The beeping was already an alarm in his brain. Rafael gritted his teeth. His whole body was on edge, his instinct screaming at him that he shouldn't trust him. But he had no time.
"Listen to me carefully." His voice was a menacing growl, his gaze a burning ember. "I'm going to let you go, but if you try anything, I won't hesitate to break every damn bone in your body."
"I promise you, by my god Solut, that I will never try to hurt a Kavumproli again."
The promise sounded strange and ambiguous, but Rafael had no time to question it. With a snort of frustration, he took the braided rope of black metal and leather from her, dropping it to the side.
Kaelen stood up calmly, his height making him look even more intimidating in the flickering light of the cockpit than when he was seated. He stretched with a creak of joints, as if he had just awakened from a long, comfortable sleep, rather than having been immobilized in a seat where he could barely move his head.
Rafael took a step back, without letting his guard down.
"You are free. Do what you have to do and do it fast."
Kaelen nodded calmly, turning his attention back to the control panel. The alarm was still sounding insistently, a piercing beep that threatened to shatter anyone's patience. But he did not hurry. His fingers glided with precision over the surface, pressing a specific sequence of buttons illuminated in different colors. He adjusted the gauges with the dexterity of someone who knew the system like the back of his hand, reviewed the ship's holographic schematics, and began typing on the side keyboard a series of commands in a language Rafael did not understand.
From his seat near the captain's station, Rafael watched him with his arms crossed, and his expression hardened with distrust. Kaelen moved with the ease of someone who had a much deeper knowledge of the ship than he would admit. But what irritated Raphael most was not his efficiency, but the cocked smile the drathis maintained, as if the whole thing amused him.
Suddenly the beeping stopped and the lights went out. A thick silence filled the cabin, so oppressive that it seemed to suck in the air.
Kaelen leaned back with a triumphant expression in the captain's chair, exhaling slowly as beads of sweat glistened on his forehead in the dim bluish light of the ship.
"It is done." His voice slurred the syllables with lazy satisfaction. "But if you want to prevent this from happening again, don't tie me up again—"
"Is it fixed or not?" Rafael interrupted him, without patience, for a sermon.
"Yes, for now." Kaelen clicked his tongue and crossed his fingers over his stomach, settling into the seat as if he were sitting on a throne. "But if we don't get more fuel soon..."
He left the sentence unfinished, with a lopsided smile that gave Rafael a bad feeling. He didn't need her to say it. He knew what it meant.
Rafael exhaled harshly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He felt the irritation rising in his throat like bitter poison. The last thing they needed was to be stranded in the middle of this cosmic hell.
"Tell me you have an idea."
"Oh, yes, but you won't like it." Kaelen sat up slightly, his sharp eyes twinkling with mockery.
Rafael rested his elbows on his knees and ran both hands over his face, holding back a grunt. "Tell me anyway."
"We are going to have to land."
The shiver ran down his back like an ice knife. He didn't want to land on another unknown planet, infested with monsters and creatures twice his size. He had already escaped from one and had no intention of repeating the experience.
The drathis bowed his head in delight, enjoying his reaction.
Rafael suppresses an insult, before saying. "Is there no other alternative?"
The confirmation sound from the console echoed through the cockpit like a dull thud. Rafael tensed.
Kaelen turned the screen toward him. "No, i have already programmed the ship to land on the nearest planet in three hours. Automatically."
Rafael let out a curse as quietly as possible so he wouldn't hear.
"The ship will adjust clothing according to the preferences and tastes to whom it scans, but since we'll be visiting a semi-advanced planet with a large population and a focus on trade, it's best if you wear something that will help you go unnoticed." Kaelen stretched casually. "I've already instructed the AI on the attire you and the other Kavumproli will need to wear."
Rafael clenched his fists, feeling the frustration, burning in his chest like glowing embers. The discussion had been brief, but the anger boiled in his veins like a slow poison. Without answering, he rose from the seat with a jerky motion and left the cockpit, his firm, heavy footsteps echoing through the aisles of the ship.
The cold lights in the hallway cast angled shadows on the metal walls. Just as he was about to enter his room, a screen descended from the ceiling with an insistent flicker. The annoying glow illuminated his face with an artificial glow, displaying a smiling emoji along with a message in the ship's adopted dialect.
"¦Kavumproli-Rafael, I already told Kavumproli-Oliver about the change of clothes. His new clothes are already in his closet waiting for him to put them on.¦"
Rafael snorted in annoyance, dodging the screen without deigning to respond. He entered his room and closed the door with a dry click. The room was an austere space, without unnecessary ornaments. Just a bed built against the wall, a small desk with built-in screens, and a metal closet. All clean, tidy, efficient... and stuffy.
He dropped heavily onto the bed, sinking his face into the nearest pillow. The coolness of the synthetic fabric against his skin helped him restrain the urge to scream out of sheer frustration. But the tension in his chest would not relent. His mind went over the discussion—the faces, the words, the way they had looked at him—as if his principles were a burden and not a virtue.
Then, a flicker in the darkness. The screen appeared again above the bed, illuminating the room with its pale glow.
"¦What's wrong with him? Why isn't he changing?¦"
Rafael grunted, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling. "You can leave me alone."
"¦No. When you are with complicated emotions, I can detect it, but don't worry, I know how I can help you.¦"
He gritted his teeth. "I don't need you to detect me or scan me. I need a fucking break."
"¦But—¦"
"Turn off! Now!" Rafael hit the pillow with a clenched fist, feeling anger explode inside him like a spark.
"¦I understand.¦"
The screen disappeared with a whirring sound and the opening in the ceiling slammed shut. Silence returned to the room, broken only by his own agitated breathing against the pillow.
He lay there, feeling his own heart pounding in his temples. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He had three hours to sort out all his thoughts, to push away the anger and the urge to hit the humanoid.