Ship Log - Verse Date: 4216.50

Back on the Infinitum, my new wife greets me as I enter my quarters. Two priest accommodators whose role it was to ensure the marriage remains sacred with consummation and holiness, are with her. Captain Mallick is not pleased. I could hear the captain from behind the closed door of his office, actively ripping Captain Selta a new one.

The door opens with a wisp of anger and humiliation, and Captain Selta quickly walks by not saying a word with her head down.

"Lieutenant, in my office, now!" He says.

I'd never heard him talk with such serious tones before. He was normally a laid back guy.

He points at the chair in front of his old oak desk. "Sit down. I'm gonna talk, you're gonna listen." The air fills with tension as he parks his rear end in the office chair behind his desk.

"Just what the hell were you thinking? I thought you wanted to be a captain, and here you are married to a citizen of another world. And I've got these two priests here doing god knows what. Have you anything to say about it?"

"You told me to listen, captain."

"You know what I meant. You are jeopardizing my retirement, and I will get to sector 12 and marry a Daplopodian. And kick back my feet drinking margaritas on the beach as she caters to every whim. Lord knows I'm gonna need it after this."

"Maybe you should have made me captain, instead of Captain Selta and this wouldn't be happening. I'm doing my job, and training her now."

"That's how this works, Lieutenant. How do you think I got where I am today?"

"I guess my question would be, how did Captain Selta get this far if she's supposed to have already taught a captain?"

"It's different with her. She's just a little anxious is all, and a woman. She'll get the hang of it soon enough. Now, Tell me what went on down there so we can sort this thing out?"

"We were trying to learn about the people of Nunia when I went to shake her hand. Those priests detained me and forced us into marriage. Its some kind of mating custom they said."

"But she's hot too, right?"

"Yeh, she's pretty."

"I thought so."

Captain Mallick continued questioning me about the Nunian girl in my quarters, until he was satisfied it wouldn't mess up his plans for retirement. I'm being confined to quarters until everything is resolved. He told me I would have to go along with it until one of us could figure out what to do about it.

———- Time break

Entering my living area, I was hit by a wall of fragrant lilac and jasmine flowers. This might not be so back. Except for the constant overwatch by these priests. There's a lot of work to do, getting to know my new wife. For starters, I don't even know her name.

The two priests standing on either side of the door like queen's guard. Not staring at us, but not not either. Both of us, as stiff as the stance of statues, the air bearing down on us from all directions. Feeling like any moment, I could make another cultural mistake, and they would pounce on me again. Who knows what they would do this time.

"So, what's your name?" I tread carefully, keeping my hand to myself until I know more.

"Sasha Waalsh." Keeping her answers to only what is asked.

"Can you tell me more about your culture, the people? If we are to be married, I want to understand my duties to you."

"We are believers of the one true god Zapolan. He is the greatest." She seems to be parroting the same stuff. I can tell even though she is in high spirits she keeps glancing at the priest after everything she says, like a child looking at their parents for approval.

"Hey fellas, can we get some privacy?" I ask them.

"We are guardians of Nunian's. It is our duty to ensure our culture remains sacred." They say in unison, not moving much or changing their eye focus.

"Are you supposed to watch us have sex too?" I ask.

They turn and look at each other with questioning eyes. "No, we are able to leave for this. We will stand outside the door, but we will be listening."

The two priests step outside and the door closes to my quarters. Finally, I am able to speak to her in private. Maybe now I can get some answers.

"Ok, they're gone, what is going on." I whisper.

Sasha immediately wraps her soft body around mine. The smell of her shampoo filled my nose as she got close. The smell of lilac and jasmine gets stronger.

"Please help me." she whispers back. "It's like a prison down there. I just want to live my life, and not be forced to live under these rules. Everytime I try to express myself it's Zapolan this, Zapolan that. Can't I just stay here with you." Sasha begs.

Technically, we are married, and Bluith policy on the matter was that we could bring her along on the ship, but that was not the case here. I had married her while visiting another planet, and that was strictly forbidden. Only in Verse one could I marry, but it had to be from planets we had established colonies on. In this situation I would be required to return her to the Nunian planet, and live there with them unless I can find a way around it. If I can't, I might never get a chance to be captain.

"Have you completed the consummation?" The door slid open, the priest standing in the doorway.

"Guys, we need more than a few minutes. We're still talking."

They back out foot by foot. The door slides closed again. Sasha leans back, seeming to have changed her mind about us.

"Is everything alright "

"It's just that, well, it will never work between us."

Of that, she was probably right. I was half way between whether I wanted to stay with her, or continue trying to find a way out. Now that she was saying we might not work, I felt the need to try to make it work. Maybe some sort of natural human behavior or something. I grab her hand lightly.

"What do you mean?" There is an obsession growing within me now. Before, I was just attracted to her, but now that she was pushing me away, I felt a need to have her.

"I thought we could make it work. I thought I could escape my life, but I don't know who I am without my family & friends. It will never work because my family wouldn't accept me being with a non-Nunian male."

For some time, I mope around my kitchen, then back to my bedroom, and back again. What is happening to me? This planet had some effect on me that is making me so emotional. It seems to have made us all more emotional. Captain Mallick was never so angry the way he was earlier, and Captain Selta never would have just ignored me like that. She almost seemed in despair.

——- Time break

Sasha is sitting on the couch, the priests standing at the door once more in their black gowns that only accommodators wore. The air an emotional abyss, and I can hardly contain the urge to beg her to stay.

I don't understand why I am feeling this way. She had only just arrived and everything was so sudden, but it seemed that we had made a spiritual connection somehow. Why can't I shake this feeling? She looks up at me with those big doe eyes, with a mask of sadness that said she was sorry.

I shared the same response as I looked at her direction saying nothing in return.

"Lieutenant Loon, report to the command deck." Captain Malick's voice jars us from our incessant self pity.

I walk towards the door. The priests stand in my way, and extend out their arms to stop me.

"You cannot leave, until the marriage has been finalized!" They say in unison.

"What do you mean? We're not going to be married anymore. Havenet you just heard what she said?"

"You must finalize the marriage with consummation. If you do not, we will be forced to detain you for judgement of your crimes against Zapolan."

"Outta my way!"

I push past them, and the door slid open. Everything began to blur around me. When I come to, we're back on Nunia. There is a large podium in front of me elevated higher than all the rest of us. Pews lined up behind me in either side, and an altar just down in front of my feet. The two Priest behind me in unison. My hands bound before me sitting on the ground, legs extended.

The church was full of Nuninan's waiting for the judge to arrive. What was once my wife, was now sitting to the right of me in a solitude chair where she was being consoled by her family members who were staring me down. Eyes so sharp, they could have cut right through me like warm butter.

The room lit up with iridescent light, a loud boom and trumpets played. When the light dimmed it revealed Zapolan. The god of Nunia. He was flaming hot and furious at the failure of our union. It seemed to me that noone had ever not went through with a marriage before, and that noone had ever been divorced either. That or all of them had been poofed into non-existence by the great Zapolan now standing before me.

"Who is responsible for this?" He ask, not wanting an answer. "You are hereby sentenced to death."

That was quick. As he raises up to strike me down like the colorful guy in the airport, I remember I had that device that Lector had given me. Only this time I knew how to use it. I wasn't sure what it would do, but I had no choice I guess.

I pull the device out of my pocket, removing the red dust cover this time. I lock on to the Zapolan as the priests try to stop me. A struggle ensues until I am able to break free knocking them on their backs. The device now trained back on Zapolan, I depress the blue button. A straight bright beam of laser light lands directly on Zapolan's chest.

Immediately the device made the Zapolan poof into a cloud of smoke, and he himself now a part of the non-existence tribe he had sent so many to join.

The spiritual connection I felt on this planet was still there even though the god of Nunia was gone. The negative emotions I had felt before were no longer there, and I feel an intense sense of relief washing over me. I'm not sure what he really was, but the people of the church broke out into cheer after.

"Thank you for ending his reign of terror. We could never have done that." Sasha said as she gave me a big bear hug. "My family said that we can be together, turns out I was afraid for nothing. They actually like you, but we had to act like that before or Zapolan would have zapped us into non-existence.

I know they only like me now because I had just freed them from the grips of a tyrant. A huge no no in the eyes of Bluith, but acceptable under the circumstances of the outcome. Had these people been upset it could have been bad for me. Either by their destruction or mine. In this case, it works out for us all, except me and Sasha.

While I find that I still have the feeling of a long time connection. With her, I must remain true to the mission. Still I wanted to know why our feelings were so strong here.

"Sasha, why have I been having such strong emotions here?" I stand before her. She laughs.

"We came to this planet thousands of years ago after being dropped off by our ancestors to explore this sector. When we landed on this planet, we began to have strong emotions too. We discovered that the planet itself is a living being and its energy field affected us. We began to feel strong feelings for one another. One day, one of our own Zapolan figured out how to harness the energy and he became a sort of god to us."

"Was there anyone in this sector before you got here, or is everyone here from the exploration team?"

"The Xaxons. They were here before, but we steer clear of them. If you run into them while you're here, ask for directions. It will help"

We say our goodbyes, and she lands her soft lips on my right cheek, wrapping her arms around me for a tight squeeze.

"Thank you." She says softly.

—----- Time break

Back on the Infinitum, I run into Captain Selta in the chow hall. She is standing at the buffet line getting her food. Its wacky meat Wednesday, no one's favorite. Maybe she is just basking in her own depressive state. The air was filled with the scent of beef stew, hamburgers fried in beetle juice.

Still unsure of how to approach her because of what happened, I decide to just jump in red hot. I was ready for anything. I slide my tray next to hers. She looks at me.

"Hey Captain"

She says nothing.

"So, how about those talons? Great game huh?"

Is she ignoring me? It was obvious, but I still play it off a bit longer.

"Yeh, I enjoyed them myself"

"What do you want, Lieutenant?" She says finally.

"Just to talk about the Talons."

"You really got me into trouble, you know. Captain Mallick threatened to have me demoted, and sent back to the academy for retraining."

"Ahhh, he's just saying that cause he wants to retire soon."

We walk over to a table near the ship window and sit down. We can see the passing stars as we prepare for our next jump on our way to the nearest gateway (black hole). I could feel the intense emotions that I once felt while near the planet begin to fade the more distance we made between the Nunian surface.

"It doesn't matter what he wants. If I don't get this right he'll have to keep working until a suitable replacement can be found."

I know just the guy. But, even with the emotional intensity declining, I still felt wrong for thinking that.

"And it won't be you, trust me. I've seen your file Lieutenant. Emotional instability, need to be validated all the time. You're a classic insecure officer. Noone is going to promote you to captain."

My recent remorse, now gone completely, and attack mode ensues.

"And what do you think is so special about you? You can't even handle the stress of being a captain. I'm sure, I can do a better job than you."

We both sit there in silence, taking large bites of our food as if to say, I'm so stressed all I can do is eat right now to keep myself from jumping on you and beating you down. It was a cardinal offense to attack another Bluith crew member. They end your assignment immediately and imprison you for life if you do.

"I'll make you a deal." She says

"You help me with my anxiety of being a captain, by supporting me, and I'll help you with your insecurity. If all goes well, after I take full command of the Infinitum, I'll put you in for promotion. Deal?"

Another deal from another captain. Just what I need, to be strung along with the promise of delivering my dreams.

"How long do I have to wait, because Captain Mallick has been promising me a promotion since he's been here, and I'm not going to be strung along like that again?"

"Give it 2 years."

Giving it some thought, there's no way to know if she would deliver, but it would keep me in the game at least. Besides, I have no other options.

"Deal."