This kal has been assigned their first mission into outer space. What is their mission about? Are they going alone? What do they find? How does it go?
"Alright, Akemi. You ready?"
The Kalon was pressing buttons and flipping switches like he had practiced many times before.
"Ready as I'll ever be" he wiped a paw across his helmet in a lame silly gesture of wiping off sweat.
"Alright, they're on the seventh sector quadrant B, it'll be a bubble-like ship".
Akihiko dialed up some more electronics and the ship began it's countdown to descent.
"5... 4... 3... 2... 1... blast off" a computerized voice called out across the platform as the rocket was released from it's display and started to slowly head towards the sky.
It wasn't long before Akihiko broke atmosphere and started towards his destination.
His mission was to rescue a ship with two astronauts in it who were sent out to bring building supplies to the moon but shut down somewhere between Earth and there. They were part of a colonizing project meant to send populations of Earth into space before the Earth was completely inhabitable.
"I'm coming, guys" he said to himself. The rocket felt lonely. He had been hoping they'd send someone with more experience with him, but he was on his own this time.
He walked about the cabin staring out the windows into the endless black. It was beautiful yet scary at the same time. This was the first time he was able to enter space... and he was terrified.
The radio made a scratching noise.
"Hey kid, who's everything going?"
"Boring. I'm a long ways from their location and I have no way to kill time".
There was a chuckle.
"First tip of space; always bring some toys".
The radio fuzzed again and a new voice appeared.
"Hello? Houston? Central? Anyone? Hello?"
Akihiko ran back to the radio and leaned into the speaker to hear the voices over the static.
"Command! This is Central, I'm on my way".
"Just you? Is this... Akemi?"
"Yes, and I'm halfway to your location point, just bear with me..."
"We believe in you, boy!" the two atsronauts were barely audible over the static before the cut out completely.
"Houston, I made contact with the bubble, Command crew is okay, and I've alerted them of my arrival"
"Good job, Akemi, you'll be made captain yet!"
Akihiko smiled when suddenly the ship started to quake and shudder. He ran as fast as his paws would carry him with the lack of gravity to the side panels and began pressing some complicated machinery. Lights flashed, sounds blooped, things sparked to life. It was a haywire of lights and sounds and chaos.
"Houston, something knocked off a fin from the ship and it's been knocked into a different course".
"Well, turn it around! You know how without that rudder".
Akihiko took a deep breath and prepared to exit the ship.
It was cold, but the suit kept him alive even in the harsh temperature of space. He let himself float a bit, a cord holding him to the ship, and started to swim towards where the fin came off. It was nothing like a ship the way houston made it sound, it was stiff and could not be moved, he had to attach a fake piece in place. He opened up a large hatch and pulled out a makeshift fin and a blowtorch, melding it into place.
"Come on... I need to steer us back... don't do this to me..." he struggled, muttering to himself. It started to pull lose and broke free. Akihiko launched himself at it, slowly furthering himself from the ship until he grabbed on to the piece. He tugged his cord back to the ship and began to repeat his process.
Soon he was able to get it to stay. It looked sad and pathetic, but he just hoped it would work.
"That was easier than expected..." he said right before a clump of space debris knocked him off the ship. He floated out, winded and tired, his wire holding on tight and weakening on it's hold on him. Once he was back to normal he tried pulling himself back, but suddenly the wire snapped and the ship started drifting too far for him to get back to.
"This is it... this is how I die... I'll either run out of oxygen, freeze, or starve..." he pressed the button in his suit, hoping it would work.
"Houston... this is Akemi... I've been separated from my ship in an unknown quadrant... I... I failed... but... it was an honor serving with you all..." he went limp when the static went off.
"You did your best, and you did it well... Captain".
It felt as if hours went by, oxygen dwindling rapidly. Akihiko could feel himself growing lightheaded and his chest feeling heavier.
Suddenly he was hit gently by something huge. With one last feeble effort, he turned and saw... the command ship. He smiled and let out a chuckle before his vision went dark.
"Come on, kid... stay with us... come on... breathe..." Akihiko opened his eyes again to see two familiar faces staring down at him.
"Captain Tony... Commander Nycroft... you... you saved me... but now we're all stuck..."
Tony laughed. "Nay my boy, you've saved us all! Before we found you, a little something-something rammed into us..." he sat Akihiko up and pointed out the window.
"My ship!"
"Good job, central. Now leave the rest to us... you need to relax. It took us 2 hours to revive you".
The green kal sat back, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was legally dead for 2 hours and these brave men never gave up on him even when everyone else would...
"Hey, Akemi. We called Houston... you're a captain now. Congrats!" Nycroft called to him, hoping to cheer the boy who was clearly having an existential crisis.
Akihiko looked up, a weak smile growing on his face.
"What was it like? You know... dying?"
Akihiko blinked a moment.
"It was suffocating at first, running out of oxygen. But... then when everything went dark, it felt... light and almost... like nothingness. I saw sparks of light and old memories. Then you guys. I... I've lived a full life. I have a fear of dying in space but..." he paused and smiled a little, "I would have died knowing I lived my life the way I wanted".
Both the other astronauts applauded gently.
"That's the wisest thing anyone so young could say" Tony purred.
"Hey," Nycroft walked to Akihiko and touched his shoulder, "thanks for this" he pointed out the window.
From the view, Akihiko could see... home.
