《Dark Space: A Space Opera and Time Loop Fiasco》Double the Fun

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In the hangar bay, Keisha and Dr. Mirlaj were talking aboard the Velos during pre-flight checks, "The Captain? You knew her before this mission?" Keisha asked.

"She approached me with a puzzle and led to the dissertation that gave me the title of being a chrono-biologist. She is a brilliant woman, completely ruthless when it comes to what she wants."

"What was the puzzle she gave you?" Keisha asked.

Mina Mirlaj just tapped the side of her nose and said, "That my dear, is classified." With that, she got up and started heading for the door.

"Wait, that's it? She gave you a puzzle and you stopped being a wreck from the guilt you felt? Are you saying I just need a good puzzle to stop feeling bad?" Keisha stood up to and they were facing each other.

"She gave me much more than a puzzle, Pilot Brakas. She gave me a chance of redemption." She smiled at Keisha and turned to walk down the ramp back into the hangar bay, "Perhaps," She stopped and turned her head, "Perhaps, you can find your own redemption, so you can live with yourself again." With that Mina walked out of the ship and left Keisha to think about what she had said.

Keisha looked out the door to see Fiolas up in the command center for the hangar, showing Dr. Sturletto something on a screen. I should say something to him before I go. It's just another coward's way out to ignore him until we go. She got up and walked off the ship towards the stairs to the command center. Before she reached the stairs the intercom clicked on for the entire hangar, "Velos crew report to the Medbay for clearance checks immediately. Velos crew to the Medbay." She looked into the window where Fiolas was and shared a look through the glass. They had already been cleared medically. She looked around at Zayd and Mina who looked just as confused as they were.

Sturletto stomped down the stairs in a huff. "What's this crap? I've already been cleared medically." He looked at the three of them accusingly.

"We're all just as confused as you are Dr. Sturletto," Zayd replied more calmly than Keisha would have. "C'mon, let's go. Maybe they forgot something or figured something out. This mission can't get that much weirder right?" The four of them went through the large personnel doors towards the Medbay. Zayd and Sturletto led the way arguing about why they were called with Mina close behind. Keisha dragged her feet down the hallway, lost in guilt that now she hadn't even said goodbye to Fiolas.

The rest of the crew were way ahead of her now, I should catch up to them. She saw something out of the corner of her eye. Andromeda smiled and waved. Keisha gave a half-smile and waved back. Before she could walk by Andromeda pointed to the floor then tapped the front pocket on her and then put her fingers to her lips to signal quiet. Then she smiled and walked away. Keisha looked down and saw a key card that had fallen out from someone and put it in her pocket. That was weird, even for Andromeda.

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"Keisha, are you coming?" Dr. Mirlaj called out to her. They had stopped at the doors to the Medbay to wait for her. Keisha checked back to where Andromeda had been and she had vanished.

"Yeah, I'm coming. Sorry," Keisha jogged a bit to catch up. The four of them went into the Medbay and saw it cleared out and Captain Anna Katapodis waiting there for them with a team of armed shipmasters Keisha had never seen before.

"Captain," Zayd stood at attention and Keisha followed suit. Sturletto and Mirlaj merely stood next to them.

"At ease." The Captain stood up from leaning against a hospital bed. "You're mission has unexpectedly been changed. We will no longer need to send out the Velos."

"Captain, we're going backward through time.." Dr. Mirlaj shouted.

"How did our mission change so fast?" Sturletto shouted at the same time.

"You will be escorted to private quarters and you will wait for further instructions." She nodded to one of the armed guards

"You can't do that to us!" Keisha joined the shouting. "We were willing to go die for all of you, where are we going?"

"I can do this to you, I am the Captain here. You are here because of my mercy." For a moment Keisha saw hot anger in the captain's eyes she had never seen before. The woman was always so calm and collected. Something had shaken her. "Take them now before anyone else on the crew figures it out. Someone bring me Fiolas."

"Velos crew report to the Medbay for clearance checks immediately. Velos crew to the Medbay." It Rang loud and clear throughout the Medbay. That's weird, the whole crew has already been checked out. Fiolas thought to himself.

"Dr. Sturletto, I think we're good here. May the stars be with you." Fiolas shook Dr. Sturletto's hand, "Don't mess it up."

Dr. Sturletto's face went a little green and he looked around the room to see if anyone else heard, "As the senior officer here, I should be saying that to you."

"As the one who figured this out in time to do something about it, I'll say whatever I want." Fiolas let go of Dr. Sturletto. He stormed out of the Hangar Bay's command center. Fiolas watched out the window as Keisha stopped midway, it had looked like she was going to come see him before they took off. He had hoped she would anyways. I guess now she's going to the Medbay. He had wanted her to see him in his new grays, the Captain had promoted him shortly after he had woken up. He chewed his bottom lip as he watched Keisha drag her feet out of the hangar.

"Ok everybody let's finish getting the AI transferred to the Velos. I want the Velos to have the best computers on this hangar bay." He called out to the men who now worked under him.

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"Yes sir," they all shouted back. He smiled at them as he left through the back door. He couldn't wheel down the stairs directly to the hangar bay.

In the back hallway, he ran into Andromeda, "Oh hey, I've been looking for you."

"Hello, Fiolas. I've been looking for you also. I have a gift for you." She smiled her genuine smile and Fiolas wasn't sure if she even knew Keisha was planning on leaving on a dangerous mission she might not come back from. He gave her a half-smile and looked up at her from his chair.

"Thanks Andromeda, but I don't really have time right now." He answered.

"It is quite easy. I left it for you in the key slot just outside the door where you're headed." She walked past him, "See you later Fiolas."

"Wait, I..." She had already left. He had been wanting to talk to her about all her work on the Pytheas but hadn't been able to find her since the meeting. Fiolas wheeled to the end of the hallway and saw the key card still inserted in the door. He shook his head and put it in his front pocket. He would have to figure out who it belonged to later. Classic Andromeda, only she would be pranking people during a crisis.

He would have to worry about her after he got the Velos crew off safely. He started wheeling down the corridor towards the command deck of the Pytheas. He liked the new grey of his uniform but didn't like how much time he would have to spend in heavy gravity.

Before he could get there he was stopped by an armed shipmaster. "Excuse me sir, I'm to escort you to Hangar Bay B." Fiolas just raised his eyebrows at him. Something strange was happening. No one ever went to Hangar Bay B.

"Lead the way soldier." The young man turned and led him a strange way to the hangar. Fiolas guessed the kid was lost. After taking an extremely circuitous route the young man checked his messaging system on his arm. "Do you need some directions?" Fiolas asked him.

"No sir, just following orders." He replied. After a few moments of waiting he must have been given the green light and this time they went directly to the hangar. Fiolas wheeled in, extremely annoyed at being detained from the current mission that was required to save them all when he looked up and saw the most beautiful ship he had ever seen in his life.

His jaw went slack and he looked it over, not even sure if it was a ship. It sparkled a thousand different rainbows around the room and sat like an upside-down pyramid with a few lander pads that were keeping it upright.

"What am I looking at?" he asked the kid who led him here.

"I think that's what you're here to tell us sir," he said.

Captain Anna Katapodis walked in with a contingent of more armed shipmasters. "Fiolas, just who I need to speak to. She walked at a quick pace right towards him and then straight past him and just kept speaking. "I need you to confirm if this is the Icarus, and if it is do we still need to neutralize it."

"Oh, that's all huh?" he responded. and started to wheel the perimeter with her. "Shouldn't the crew be here to look at it? They were the ones who were supposed to go get it." He laughed and saw the Captain was not laughing. He stopped wheeling, "How did this get here?"

The Captain stopped walking, "Just go over this ship with a fine-tooth comb and tell me if it's the Icarus. Then tell me if we're still going backward through time." She looked rattled. Fiolas had never seen her like this, although arguably, he had rarely seen her at all until today.

"Yes ma'am." He said.

She turned and faced him, "I know you're close with shipmaster Brakas, but I need you to focus on this problem in front of you. Can I count on you?"

"Yes ma'am." He bit his lower lip and looked back on the ship. "Is that the Velos attached to a port?"

"That's another thing I want you to find out. These men are at your disposal, but this is completely classified. No information leaves this room. Food will be brought to you, bunks if we need them. This is your new barracks until I get some answers." The cold and calm exterior was back on the Captain's face. He just nodded in agreement. She turned and left the room at a pace Fiolas didn't think was possible without wheels. Speaking of wheels, the Icarus didn't exactly look wheelchair accessible.

"Hey kid," he pointed to the one who had led him here. "What's your name?"

He ran up to Fiolas, "Carter, sir."

"Carter, how strong are you?" Fiolas asked him.

He shrugged. "One of the strongest on the team sir."

"Perfect. I'm going to need some help getting inside this thing." Fiolas watched Carter's face trying to figure out what exactly he meant by that. When it hit him he only made a small grimace.

"Yes sir," he responded. Fiolas decided he liked this kid.

"Let's go see if the Velos crew is still inside, shall we?" Fiolas got a big grin on his face. Keisha promised she would be back, she probably didn't mean quite so soon though.

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