The Betelgeuse

"Captain Reynolds," the Kainian admiral said, his visage projected onto the Betelgeuse's bridge. He was flanked by a hundred other officers, the 18th Kanian Battlefleet. "We of the Kainian Empire uphold a sacred creed that holds humanity above all else. We have lived by these words for centuries, ever since we took the oath to carve the galaxy out for our continued propagation. We understand humans, what they do, how they think. If you think we are being harsh in the abandonment of your daughter's body, we understand. However, as terrible as this accident is, it's for the best that it ended like this. If she had made contact with the Pandemians, the potential butterfly effect could cause a calamity threatening the entire planet."

Another ship captain perked in. "You still don't understand the gravity of this mission, Reynolds. Our fleets have had to subjugate our current allies on several first contacts. Our mere existence is a danger in itself for a primitive planet like Pandema. The Diome's population was crippled for generations by a Kanian virus. The Necodeses nearly ended themselves in ritualistic mass suicide upon seeing our starships. Thirty years ago, Earth nearly caused nuclear annihilation from seeing ONE ship, much like your own."

"We of Kain's council approach our jobs with the utmost severity. We cannot afford any sentimental behavior in this line of work. Millions, billions of humans are on the line, and they are our charge. We can't afford failures or risks any further. We are approaching as soon as possible, but I fear we're being outpaced. For the sake of the people of Earth and Pandema, you will stay hidden. Understood?"

The longer, twenty-minute message was delivered several hours ago. As the Betelgeuse adjusted to nighttime lighting in mid orbit, Zelda kept her ears on the comms for any updates on the surface. Her mind was barely cognizant. She was well past her regular shift and any state of usefulness, yet she remained in her chair.

"Carlo," she mumbled. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah," the young man replied, eyes baggy from the constant blue light. He was usually a well put together, clean shaven man. A real IT kind of guy. His countenance was quickly becoming more and more deranged. "I can't see a thing. It's all green."

"You mean the night vision?"

"...Yeah."

Zelda yawned. "I just need my ears, so… I'll just close my eyes for a little…" 

Zelda's nap only lasted a moment until the distinct cry of a baby awoke her. The two turned back in frustration as Zoldyck rocked her baby back to sleep.

"He missed his feeding," she said. "Sorry."

Both were too tired to fight, although Zelda maintained her glare. It was jealousy. The Zelda of five years ago was on the mission for love, to hopefully find a suitable mate in the vast ocean of the galaxy. This had proven unfruitful, her reputation amongst the crew a source of ridicule for many embarrassing incidents. Meanwhile, her prettier, younger, blonder colleague was holding the fruit of her love story that began almost as soon as they took off. It was infuriating. Where was her alien Casanova?

"Ritz, have you checked this settlement yet?" Park asked. He was the oldest of the group, a Korean man with a deep voice and the body of a superman. "The locals may have picked up her body."

Carlo's head hit the keyboard. "For Christ's sake, Park, I checked there! I checked a dozen times! There's no one worth mentioning in these stupid villages!"

The drones scouring the surface for Sam had been running nonstop for hours. While the Betelgeuse's scanning equipment was free to roam across approximately 1/3 of the planet's surface, due to limited numbers, only a few dozen were operational in the area where Sam crash-landed. They were able to check the underground, where the drop pod could still be found, but there was no child. This left a quandary. Either Sam had left the underground into the complex cave system in the region, or she had been swallowed whole. With only a couple dozen bug drones at hand, less each hour given they were highly tantalizing to the local fauna, Ritz was at his limits.

"I see." Park stood. "In that case, I'll go find the Captain to make sure he's safe. I'll give the bridge a beep if we're dismissed for the night."

"Beep it now."

"Yes, beep it."

"Please, beep it, Park."

The Betelgeuse's supply of alcohol was a well-regulated and hidden treasure that had been released only a handful of times over the course of its service. The first year en route, Zoldyck's wedding, and the return to realspace after five years of wormhole digging were just a few of these occasions, but on the Captain's orders, that seal was removed. From now on, the mess hall would present every type of liquor at its disposal, but given the circumstances, Reynolds partook in this treasure alone.

The pale, shuddering man sat before a dozen empty glasses, all poured by his hand. The Captain's face was a travesty to behold, flushed red and purple from the pain of overwhelming emotions and a physical bludgeoning that had yet to reduce in swelling. It was all deserved in his mind. The grief was getting to him, the guilt. He hoped that the alcohol would've wiped his memory by now and that he would forget about his wife, his daughter, and all of the sins he had committed, but it wasn't working. His mind was too clear for this to be swept away.

Park had no way of sneaking up behind him. The echoes across the dark and empty communal hall made that impossible, so he approached as he usually would, as his friend.

"Mind if I join you?" Park asked.

Reynolds didn't answer, turning away.

Park sat down anyway.

"Go away."

"I cannot." He pointed off the clock. "In Korea, drinking with the boss is mandatory." He went for his personal whiskey brand and poured a line of shots for himself as if challenging the Captain.

Reynolds had a strong urge to deck the pilot but wasn't in the physical state to do it. Half an hour passed before any words were exchanged.

"Park, you're uh, you're a father, right?"

"Father of two," he nodded. "They're waiting for me back home. I was finally able to send a message to them yesterday. I already have a reply but haven't opened it yet."

"Do you feel that you shouldn't have left them home? It must be hard on you."

Park took a shot and let out a ghastly guttural breath. "If there's one technology I'm glad the Kainians gave us, it's the tethers. Without wormhole technology and the infrastructure to regulate spacetime flow between every solar system, I might be coming back to my great, great-great-grandchildren." He downed another shot. "Still, even now, I'd do anything to see my girls in the flesh again."

"Yeah, I guess." Reynolds matched his drink, catching himself before he cried. "Sam loved me when she was a kid. She was this little superhuman who could do anything she put her mind to. I thought she was perfect."

"All children are."

He sniffed. "I started missing things after the divorce. Syl was making her this new girl that I was unfamiliar with. I thought I could change that if she came on the mission with me, but I didn't think..." The father couldn't control his sobbing. "Dammit, Syl! Why didn't you tell us!?"

"It's okay, Jack." Park put a hand on his shoulder, but he knew he couldn't remove this weight.

For the next two hours, the men had enough to black out for the night. Neither of them would remember their conversation, and the only evidence was the missing liquor and barely audible surveillance footage. Ritz held this footage as revenge for not beeping.

"Lemme tell you something, Park." Another glass went down. "If you're not a Kainian, Kanian women will annihilate you in bed."

Park checked his person to make sure. "I'm not a Kanian...Did Syl do that?"

"Yes."

"Did you...survive?"

"No." Another drink. "She'd pin me down a bunch and use her weight. They're heavy, Park, like three hundred pounds. And they really like to show off how tough they are. There are "movies" out there, Park. Kanian on Earthling stuff, Omegaverse film series. Other races are making fun of us, Park. We're a laughing stock, Park!"

"For what!? I don't know what an omega is!" Another drink down. "But, sorry you had to go through that."

"No, no, it's...I can't go back to Earthlings. She was just better." His face slammed into the counter. "My life is ruined! I've messed up so many times! How can I be Captain if I can't protect my family!?"

Park grabbed him by the collar. "Do I have to keep saying it!? You've been nothing but excellent to us. Your daughter's alive down there. Trust us." As drunk as he was, the man could clean up a uniform. "You need to change and get some sleep. Imagine if Sam sees you like...this, Christ."

Reynolds pulled himself together, as hard as it was. "Thanks, Park."

The drunk man hitched the other drunk man on his back, ready for a rendezvous. "We'll make Earth proud, Captain. There's a reason we came here. With you, I'm sure you'll make the right decision."