Just minutes before they were to approach planet Earth's atmosphere, Keth's ship abruptly stopped moving, as if suddenly frozen in ice. Frowning, Keth reached into the pockets of his long black trench coat for a metallic black device and attempted to re-establish the signal, to no avail. He looked at the screen, his face like stone.

"A foreign ship has us in its energy field. That's why my ship stopped moving." Keth said, looking very irritated. "Blast it."

"English, please?" Vengimi asked. "I'm a first time space traveler."

Keth turned towards Vengimi, his long stylish trench coat swishing softly as he did so. "We're captured," he said simply, his tone cold. "Another ship has my ship in its grasp. Of all the swirling galaxies."

Vengimi felt fear creep up his spine. "Has this happened before?" he asked nervously.

"No, this is the first time," said Keth, scrambling over the control panel. "I've never been overtaken by another ship before." He turned towards Vengimi, asking, "Can you please call Iérti and let him know we're captured? My communication systems won't work for some reason."

Vengimi immediately took his phone out and called Iérti, but he didn't answer. He started to leave a voicemail, saying, "Iérti, this is Vengimi Carven aboard Keth Vasileniy's ship. We spoke an hour earlier. We are being – "

A sudden thrust jerked the phone out of Vengimi's hand, making it sail towards the other side of the ship. As Vengimi reached for it, the ship tilted, forcing him to lose balance and slide across the floor towards his phone. Keth slid after him, nearly colliding into Vengimi, as inertia slammed them both against the ship wall.

"What just happened?" Vengimi asked in bewilderment.

"They seized control of my ship, whoever they are," Keth said in response, struggling to rise. "If they do so much as put a dent in my ship...."

The men grunted as they fell to the floor again, as a result of the ship being lifted up by some sort of contraption. Voices rose, not lovely ones either. Stern orders were heard in the distance, adding to Vengimi's sense of apprehension and Keth's anger.

"Keth...." Vengimi said fearfully, pointing at the window. "We're being moved."

Keth's jaw clenched as he saw Vengimi was right. "Glittering stars! We need to pick up your son first. We can't let them take us."

Keth rose unsteadily, using the ship wall to brace himself. He took several deep breaths, his mind working hard to figure a way out of this predicament. Truthfully, he was afraid, terrified, angry, frustrated, all of the above, yet he resolved to pull himself together, to either release the anger or restrain himself, neither of which seemed to be working in his favor.

Vengimi went over to the control panel, his eyes perusing the strange alien technology. He glanced at the window, seeing the other ship for the first time. It was bronze copper and brown with cream white balloons holding it up, powered by helium gas. There were men shadowed in the dark windows, but they looked human, which gave Vengimi some relief.

Vengimi sensed a presence as Keth joined him, his eyes frantically looking over the control panel. "It's no use," Keth said helplessly. "Everything's overridden. They have secured us in an energy field and are carrying my ship somewhere away from Earth."

Keth turned to Vengimi with an apologetic expression. "I'm so sorry, Vengimi. Soon as we are free of this mess, I will make every effort to return to planet Earth so we can retrieve your son."

Vengimi looked gratefully at Keth, appreciating his willingness to go back for his son. They huddled against the ship wall in worried silence, unable to do anything as the other ship moved them elsewhere.

After what seemed like an eternity, the ship finally stopped and voices began talking in the distance. Keth stood, brushing dust off his trench coat. He brandished a long silver sword with a purplish silver hilt. He strode towards the ship entrance door, ready to reclaim his ship.

Vengimi watched in amazement as Keth opened the ship entrance door, saying sternly, "Show yourselves! You who dare try to take my ship."

The attackers showed themselves at the prowl of their ship. Vengimi saw their ship was indeed overtaken by another ship. Thick bronze coils had wrapped themselves around the ship, a reddish orange energy field keeping Keth's ship mobilized while the other ship carried it in space. He looked around curiously, seeing for the first time the strange planet they had arrived on.

They were in the midst of a steampunk city, on what appeared to be a docking port for both spaceships and airships. It was a strange, whimsical world full of wonder, excitement, intrigue, with vintage and futuristic elements woven throughout.

Vengimi saw people in various attire, mostly vintage style with ruffle jackets, waistcoats, corsets, long dresses, pants with weapons strapped to them, belts that slung effortlessly across the wearer, and capes that moved as though they had a mind of their own. Strange contraptions hung about the bustling city, intricate clockwork measuring time and thus ensuring nobody was ever late.

Keth and Vengimi came face to face with their captors as they lugged them off the ship. They were Mijishian pirates from planet Mijishin, bandits who scoured the galaxy in search of ships to overtake, loot and steal. Mijishians were humans, though they dressed much differently than Earth humans. The Mijishian pirates were armed with guns and pistols, revolvers, and hand grenades. They walked around Keth's ship, looking for anything valuable.

"If they take my tea collection, I will be so irate," Keth seethed. "Took me three years to find the tea stolen from the Vanquesha lifeforms on planet Ghatom. A rare blend with irislan jasmine flowers and – "

"Get moving," a Mijishian pirate urged them none too kindly, pushing Keth and Vengimi further away from the ship.

Keth sighed as he gave his ship a farewell glance, promising to get it back soon as he dealt with the pirates who "took my beautiful ship" and hence caused all the complaining Vengimi had to put up with on top of being captured and taken to who knows where.

As they were being pushed towards what looked like a transport ship, Keth exclaimed, "Just a moment! We need to pick up his son first. He's a father; he has a child. Allow us to pick him up first, then we'll go with you willingly."

"Will you now?" the Mijishian pirate sneered.

Vengimi bravely stepped forward, looking directly into the Mijishian pirate's sneering face. "Yes, willingly," he said, his voice firm, without any waver of fear.

The Mijishian pirate considered Vengimi's response, then he said carelessly, "Tragic, then. We've already arrived at our destination. Returning to your planet would take up fuel and resources. In addition, you would seek means of escape. We have our bounty now. It would be unwise to let such fine men as you go now, would it?"

Keth began protesting, insisting on being taken back to planet Earth to retrieve Vengimi's son, but Vengimi set a hand on his arm, saying defeatedly, "No point in arguing a senseless case, Keth. It's on me. I was the one who abandoned my son. I left him, seeking out my own path. Now it seems, my path is lost."

"Your path is not lost when you've still got me to guide you," Keth told him in response. "I'm not going anywhere unless these bastards dare separate us. We will find a way to get your son."

"Why are you so eager to help me? You barely know me," said Vengimi, questioning his friendship with Keth for the first time.

So much had happened to him in a mere span of hours, so much that Vengimi was beginning to think maybe all this was just a strange dream, that he would wake up and find himself back home in his bed, his body hurting from painful abuse, his ears ringing from the awful shouting from his wife Nadima, the clatter of metal and broken plates, the fearful sound of his son's voice as he ran from his mother and called for his father, Vengimi rushing out of the bedroom to protectively hold his young son in his arms....

Vengimi jumped when Keth brought him back to the present, placing a hand on his shoulder while looking him in the eyes and saying, "Because I would want my father to search for me the same way you are searching for your son." There was pain in his voice, lined with a certain bitterness.

Vengimi locked eyes with Keth, finally realizing. The bitterness emerged further when Keth said, "My father abandoned me and my mother when I was a small child. I know you have your reasons for running away, but seeing that you still care for your son, whereas my father didn't care, I will not hesitate to assist you in reuniting with your son. With that future accomplishment, I will be content in knowing another won't share the same fate dealt to me."

Keth looked away, his gaze returning to his ship as it was being taken to custody. "We'll need to retrieve my ship first. Soon as we are able to, I will do everything in my power to reunite you with your son. I don't wish for your son to grow up the way I did, without a loving father's care and protection."

Walking ahead of Vengimi, Keth left Vengimi in a state of quandary as he pondered over the sad past Keth shared with him. Though the situation varied, it was a past Vengimi didn't want repeated for his son.

Vengimi glanced at the docking station, wondering how they would go about retrieving the Silent Whisper. He hoped the Mijishian pirates wouldn't try to take it apart, that they would see the ship was of significant worth and in immaculate condition. He hoped they would be able to make it out of this strange alien planet. He was unaware of what awaited him, of what his future held for him. He didn't know what was to become of him, or whether he would ever see his son again.

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Music:

"Disengage"
by Circle of Dust

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