Distant Beacon

  Location: Inter-orbital quantum drift between Heartser Orbital and the outer nebula

  Time: 1802

  Status: Passive drift

  Fuel: 1400 gallons of Ionized Plasma

  Spacecraft: Titanium 6-3k

  Crew Aboard: 6

  Threat level: White**

  Mission status: Standby

  Beep. Beep.

  Beep. Beep.

  “C’mon now, throw it at me.”

  Coope called out, holding up his hands.

  Coven threw the metal ball toward Coope. The magnetic gloves attracted the ball and…

  Thud.

  He caught the ball.

  Days like these were slow. Especially during the rest period between missions.

  I was sure Doxie enjoyed it, but not me. I needed momentum in my life. Not stillness.

  “Damn you, Coope!”

  There she goes, yelling at Coope for being better than her. She has this unpleasant habit of trying to be better than everyone else in the room.

  “Give it to me, you stupid—”

  Doxie said, trying to pull the metal ball off Coope’s gloves.

  “Hey! Let go!”

  He resisted, pressing his palm against her face.

  While those two fought like children, Coven was busy laughing.

  I had no idea why Hornet chose him to become leader of the department of Rapid Engagement.

  What did Hornet see in him except his annoyingly good charms to win over anyone?

  Even a married man like Hornet got pulled into that.

  “Here,” Aureolo said, holding out the pack of pocky sticks for me. I took out a couple, turning my gaze back over to Coven’s team members.

  Despite how obnoxious this was, they were entertaining.

  “Coven, control your children!”

  I said, taking a bite of the pocky stick.

  Snap.

  It snapped in half.

  “C’mon on now, your mother isn’t happy. Stop before she starts to beat your ass.”

  Coven said, which made Aureolo laugh which made me give him a look of irritation. I looked back towards Coven as he made his way over to Doxie and Coope to break their banter apart.

  “Okay, enough children. Mother isn’t happy with you guys.”

  Coven continued despite my annoyance. That man really has a knack for riling me up with his insinuating comments.

  “Stop with that bullshit!”

  I scoffed. He looked over at me, grinning, so I showed him a threat. I snapped the remaining pocky in half, staring glare at him

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  He still didn’t back down.

  What an annoying man.

  But he did separate Coope and Doxie, sending them to their seats.

  I rotated in my chair and looked ahead at blue and purple gas clouds of a nebula.

  We were free-floating through space to save fuel for any mission that may come up. There was no refueling station near us, a hundred light years away.

  It was better to conserve fuel for emergencies.

  Beep. Beep.

  I spotted an emergency signal being sent. A weak one.

  I got up from my chair, stood up on both feet and leaned over the craft’s panel.

  Beep. Beep.

  The console continued to flash faintly.

  An emergency?

  Must be far because of the faint light.

  I pulled up the map of the near solar systems and wandering planets. None seemed to have a signal of life.

  “Hey, pass it to me!”

  Aureolo shouted behind me. I turned my head around and saw him joining the other three in the game as well.

  He should know better. He was under my supervision yet he was clowning around.

  I shook my head.

  I will teach him later.

  I zoomed out with my index and thumb for further signal.

  Beep. Beep.

  Either the atmosphere was thick, or the signal traveled a long distance. I needed four pairs of arms to manage all the controls, hence calling–

  “Aureolo!”

  I called out. I turned my head around to look back at him. He was still clowning around. He didn’t even listen.

  “Aureolo! Come here.”

  He finally passed the ball to Coven and dashed over.

  “What is it?”

  “Look up if there is a registered inhabitant 20 light years from us.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  I pointed at the dim emergency signal. An SOS was coming from somewhere in this part of the galaxy.

  “Oh.”

  “Quickly now. This could be urgent.”

  “Right.”

  He pulled up the recently updated data of this section of the Eusebeia galaxy.

  “There.”

  My eyes snapped over towards Aureolo as he pulled up the inhabitants. I zoomed in on the holographic display, focusing on the asteroid belt, zooming on the tiny dot from which the signal originated.

  A dwarf planet carried the signal. The burning planet full of active volcanoes carried life.

  317UXG - Valconalla.

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