The ship floated steady through the black ocean of stars, engines humming like the breath of a sleeping animal. Inside the crew bay, for once, there was calm. No alarms. No explosions. No monsters. Just people.
Lasso stood, cracked his neck, and clapped once.
"Alright," he said. "New guy privilege: I'm making you suffer. We're doing a crew icebreaker."
Kiara raised an eyebrow. "Ew. Are we twelve?"
"Almost emotionally, yeah," Lasso replied with a grin. "Come on. Each person says their name, what matters most to them in life, and why they joined ALKEN. I'll start."
He stood tall, eyes playful.
"Name's Lasso. What matters most to me? Good energy. Humor. Laughter that saves lives, not just kills silence. And I joined ALKEN to actually help people — and maybe make things a little less boring."
He winked.
"And I'm very cute, obviously."
Kiara clapped. "We love confidence."
Lasso pointed. "Go for it, kiss queen."
Kiara stood up, hand on hip. "Name's Kiara. What matters most to me? Kissing. Giving, receiving, stealing — it's the universal language, babe. I joined ALKEN because I got kicked out of home for being 'too much,' and now I'm just enough."
Lasso walked over and gave her a high five.
"You're officially my favorite."
Anna sighed. "This is already a mess."
Lasso turned. "Go on, Professor."
Anna stood. "Anna. What matters to me is intelligence. If you're not thinking, you're wasting oxygen. I joined ALKEN after seeing a recruitment poster on the subway. Thought, 'Sure, let's flirt with death in space.' So here I am."
Kimberly sat quietly, arms hugged around her knees. Lasso turned to her gently.
"Your turn, pink hoodie."
Kimberly swallowed hard. "I-I'm Kimberly. What matters to me is… my family. My friends. I joined ALKEN because I… didn't want to feel alone anymore."
Anna smiled. "That's actually sweet."
Kiara cooed. "You're adorable, you know that?"
Kimberly went red immediately.
Taze spoke next. "Taze. What matters most to me is teamwork. That feeling when a crew clicks — moves like one. I joined to represent Uganda. We don't get many seats on ships like this."
Lasso nodded. "Respect."
Taze scratched his head and laughed softly.
Steven stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall, eyes downcast.
He muttered under his breath, "Again the stomach growls… and the imbeciles talk."
Anna glanced at him, disturbed.
Then, Lasso turned toward the nearest wall panel and pressed the comm button.
"Colonel?"
A second passed.
Then Londo's voice came through, cold and flat.
"I'm Londo Martino. I built ALKEN with my own hands. What matters to me? Justice. Real justice. The kind that ends wars before they start."
Kiara giggled. "Aww, and here I thought it was sex."
Everyone laughed, even Anna.
Steven didn't.
Then, all eyes shifted to Lana, who stood with her arms folded.
"Deputy Commander?" Lasso asked.
Lana stepped forward with that sharp, unflinching presence.
"I'm Lana Kor. First woman ever in ALKEN. I came to prove it wasn't a mistake. What matters most to me?"
She smirked faintly.
"I don't answer questions like that."
Kiara swooned. "Ugh. There's no one like Lanush."
Lana sat without responding.
Then, a soft beep.
The ceiling shifted, and a massive screen dropped down with a faint hum.
"What now?" Anna muttered.
The screen lit up.
And there she was.
Caitlyn Theresa.
Hair in a perfect violet bun. The robe was half-open in a way that demanded attention. Lips painted deep purple. In one hand — a glass of Shambord, glowing like forbidden candy.
"Hello, my sweet chaotic degenerates," she purred.
Kiara gasped. " My Goddess!"
"I'm the boss of ALKEN, baby," Caitlyn grinned. "But let's be honest, you all run this shit. Me? I just drink well and flirt badly. What matters to me? Shambord, of course. And humor. Without those, I'd strangle half the council."
Lasso smirked. "Unexpected cameo. Pleasant surprise."
Caitlyn's eyes narrowed playfully. "You must be Lasso. Calm. Handsome. Mysterious. I like it."
Taze visibly blushed. Kimberly giggled behind her hands.
Kiara blew a kiss. "You're a goddess."
Caitlyn returned the kiss in the air. "Right back at you, sugar lips."
Anna rolled her eyes. Lana did too.
Caitlyn grinned wider. "Aww. Look at those icy queens. I love you too. Even when you pretend you hate me."
Her eyes found Steven on the corner.
"And you. Stivy. Is that you or a potted plant?"
Steven didn't move.
"Houseplants have more personality," she added.
Then, a ding.
She looked down. "Oop. Sexy man's calling. Gotta run, loves. Be safe."
She blew one more kiss, winked, and the screen shut off.
Caitlyn sipped her Shambord slowly, lounging in her velvet chair, robe draped over her like royalty on vacation. The screen in front of her blinked, Incoming call: L. Ceccoli.
She rolled her eyes and accepted.
Leonardo's sharp features appeared, bald head reflecting the low light, coat collar still up, expression thunderous.
"Did you reroute the ship from Venus?" he barked.
She didn't even blink.
"Hey, Leo. Long time no compliments."
"Don't dodge," he said. "I know you changed the mission parameters. Are you hiding something?"
Caitlyn swirled her glass with a grin.
"Of course I am. That's literally my job."
"I'm serious."
"So am I," she said, voice softening into a whisper. "The difference is — I enjoy it."
Leonardo leaned in. "You're playing games again."
She leaned closer to the camera, lips almost grazing the lens.
"And you still like losing."
A pause.
Then his voice dropped. "What are you planning?"
She smirked. "If you want answers, come over next time. No suits. Just you, a bottle of wine, and your… suspicious little mind."
He clenched his jaw. "Caitlyn—"
"Relax," she cut him off, raising her glass. "You'll know what you need to know — when it's interesting."
Before he could speak again, she leaned back and added with a wink:
"Bye, Leo. Try not to explode from frustration."
And just before ending the call, she blew him a slow, teasing kiss in the air.
Click. The screen went black.
Lasso blinked. "That woman's a category-five storm."
Steven muttered, "Why is my heart pounding? Is she supposed to turn me on?"
Lasso nodded. "Alright, Steven. You're the last. Don't keep us waiting."
Steven took a breath.
"My name is St—"
BOOM.
The ship shook violently.
Lana slammed into the panel. Sparks flew. The room rattled.
"Impact!" Londo barked over the comm. "Secondary asteroid. Lana, activate the vacuum barrier. Now."
Anna and Kimberly sprinted to the intel room.
Taze grabbed a support beam, yelling, "Kiara, come on!"
Kiara flipped over the console, rolling to the side. "This is why I don't trust space!"
Lasso ran toward the side corridor and saw Lana stumbling sideways, one leg caught in a loose bracket.
Before she fell, he caught her. Firm hand around her waist.
She looked up, stunned.
Lasso didn't say a word.
Just steadied her.
Then — a soft smile. A wink.
He released her and walked off toward the weapon control panel like it meant nothing.
She blinked. Once.
In the intel room, Kimberly adjusted her headset."Pressure holding. Asteroid field approaching fast."
Anna scanned the screen. "Fourteen objects. One massive. Velocity... rising."
Taze locked into his station. Kiara was next to him, flipping switches and biting her lip.
Londo and Lana entered the cockpit.
"Deploy RX-defense, now," he growled.
"Charging," Lana confirmed.
Outside, in the void, a monstrous asteroid turned, slow, dark, and inevitable.
Steven stood alone by the maintenance corridor, unnoticed in the panic.
He looked through the small viewport.
His right hand... shifted.
Green. Fluid. Stretching.
A flexible, tentacle-like structure emerged — silent, smooth.
He whispered to himself, "No one sees this... no one hears this... but I'll make sure we live."
The slime expanded under his skin.
And as the asteroid loomed, Steven reached toward the glass.
His fingers elongated — ready to act.
To be continued.