Chapter 11
ELEVEN
One Year Later
His grandparents were not invalids by any means, but Renn took immense care and time getting everything squared away for his grandparent’s care before he left Earth for the next few years.
He had personally helped them in interviewing some in-home assistance to come a couple times a week to aid with cleaning, grocery shopping, or anything else that came up.
As time went on, the more help they would need, but he wasn’t worried; they would have everything they needed to be comfortable.
Of course, they’d stay in contact the best they could, but with the distance and Renn being immensely busy in his new role, it would be less than they would like.
The Vision was scheduled for a three-year mission.
The first half of the voyage was checking in on establishments and planets friendly to Earth; the second was crossing into the unknown.
Anything could happen in space, even when the destination was planned.
So when travelling to parts unknown, you had to be ready for the unexpected.
Everyone had a role to play and the crew of the starship Vision was top notch.
They had been together for nearly a year, and Renn had used every opportunity he could to learn from the captain—from how he handled stressful situations between crew to technical difficulties with the ship itself or equipment.
And every time the problem was resolved, it was due to a combination of the skills of the crew and the guidance from a leader like Grey.
Renn and Nate made their way down to the dining hall for breakfast.
“Anyway, something is off. She’s been distant lately and I don’t know why,” Nate explained.
For the last week, Kylie hadn’t been her normal self, especially around her boyfriend. At first, Nate gave her space, but now he was starting to spiral.
“She won’t talk to me about anything.” Nate looked to Renn for any kind of advice or encouragement.
Renn had known Kylie for just as long as Nate and he hated admitting to him that it wasn’t just him sensing the change. Something had shifted between them.
“At this point, I think you have to make her talk to you,” Renn said gently. Nate’s brows pulled together in worry. “I’m sure if you explain to her that you’re concerned for your relationship, she’ll tell you whatever it is.”
Nate nodded fervently. “Yeah, yeah. You’re probably right.”
Grabbing food trays, they filled them up with the excellent selection that was always provided by the ship’s cooking crew, before they found a seat on one of the long tables near a window. Before they could dive in, though, Kylie, with a few other linguistist officers, came over to join them.
“Hey babe!” Nate exclaimed, taking hold of her hand and pulling her to sit next to him. She kissed him quickly, then seemed to forget he was there in an instant.
“Hey, Renn! When is your next free day?” Kylie asked, excitedly. The crew were called on duty either during the day or night, with a free day once a week.
Renn tried not to sound annoyed as he answered, watching his best friend look completely defeated. “Um, tomorrow actually. Why?” he said as cheerfully as possible.
“I heard that Tessa was wanting to ask you to hang out with a bunch of us getting together tomorrow, and as luck would have it, we all have a free day tomorrow too.” She beamed.
“Sure. I’ll go as long as Nate can.”
“My free day isn’t until Sunday,” Nate said, monotone, not looking up from his hashbrowns that he was pushing around on his plate.
Renn shrugged. “Sorry. Maybe some other time.” He smiled. But even he knew it looked as forced as it felt.
Kylie and the rest of her friends looked disappointed.
He rarely did anything without Nate, and Kylie knew that, especially when it came to group dates. Dating on an intergalactic mission was weird enough, so having Nate around made things easier.
And Renn wasn't looking for anything serious. He usually preferred to find time with women who weren’t on the ship—at outposts mostly, where the residents didn’t know who he was or his past.
Everyone on this ship knew at least a little about Renn, and it was, at times, a challenge, especially being in close quarters for months on end.
He had decided long ago that he wouldn’t get into a serious relationship until he was well past his years of being a captain, and that was at least ten to fifteen years down the line.
That was, of course, if he did become a captain.
After the awkward breakfast, Renn and Nate were scheduled to report to their designated assignments for the day.
Nate was with the engineering team while Renn was assigned to the bridge as a floater, helping where it was needed.
Sometimes it was navigation, other times comms. Renn loved it.
The energy was electric—never a dull moment to be in the center of the action.
It was the same every single time he stepped onto the bridge, and the ten hours on shift always passed too quickly.
The door to the bridge slid open and he was immediately greeted by the captain. “Good morning, Officer Anton.”
“Good morning, Captain.” He saluted.
“I trust you are well-rested?” he asked, sipping coffee from a mug as he sat in the captain’s chair in the middle of the room.
“Yes, sir.” He nodded
“Good. I’d like you to sit with Officer Lawson for the time being. As we enter deep space, it’s always good to have extra eyes on the scanners in case we miss anything noteworthy.”
“Absolutely. Yes, Captain.” He saluted, taking his orders and joining the nav officer. The captain had already moved on, giving instructions to another crew member.
“Lawson.” Renn slid into the seat next to the pretty female officer. She had dark red hair and green eyes, and was only a few years older than himself.
“Ah, Officer Anton. Am I stuck with you again?” she said sarcastically.
“Oh please, don’t act like this didn’t just make your day,” he said with a wink. They had been flirting with each other for weeks and she played along, beat for beat.
“Anton, you are too full of yourself,” she said playfully, rolling her eyes.
He leaned in so only she could hear. “Eileen you wound me,” he whispered.
She bit back a smile. “Oh, get to work, Anton. Start with this quadrant here.” She tapped the large screen, zooming in on a collection of stars.
“If you see anything within 40,008 km in circumference, verify it’s cleared of orbit.
If it isn’t, just make notes and we can document it for later missions.
We are focusing on the larger objects.” She turned to face him.
“But I’m sure you remember that already, right? ”
He, of course, remembered, but he liked listening to her explain.
“I got it all in here.” He tapped his head. “Thank you, Officer Lawson.”
“Good. Now get to it,” she ordered, sneaking him a look before returning to her own tasks.
A couple hours had passed before they spoke again.
“Officer Lawson, I think I’ve got something here.”
She leaned in closer, tapping and checking the specs of the sphere Renn had been observing for the last half hour.
“I think you’re right, Anton.” She smiled with a light of excitement in her eyes. “Captain, I think you should take a look at this. I believe we have an ELP.”
Everyone on the bridge glanced their way curiously. An ELP (Earth Life Potential) was always a good day for an exploration crew.
The Captain pulled up their screen to the main promoter for the bridge. “And are we sure there is no proof of human life, Officer Lawson?” he asked, scanning the planet and the specs.
“I’m positive, sir. And it was actually Officer Anton who made the discovery,” she clarified, looking at Renn with an arched brow, clearly pleased
“Well done, Anton.”
“Thank you, Captain. Officer Lawson is a great teacher,” he said genuinely.
The captain pondered for a moment, rubbing his jaw. “Officer Anton, I’d like you to hike out with Lieutenant Rogers and the science team when we arrive.”
Renn’s heart leaped in his chest. “Yes, sir.” He tried to sound calm, but was finding it difficult not to jump up and down like a toddler with excitement. This would be his first experience on a completely untouched planet.
“Rogers, can you notify the security team as well? A few of their members won’t hurt to tag along.”
“Yes, Captain,” Rogers said. Renn hadn’t worked exclusively with Grey’s first officer yet, but from what he knew and saw from afar, the man was much more serious and leaned on his intimidation more than Renn liked.
“All right, everyone, let’s get ready for entry. Officer Torres, find us the best location to dock in orbit. Officer Hart, let’s get the shuttles ready.” The captain continued to give out orders, the crew rescinding with purpose, knowing exactly what to do.
“Time to suit up, Anton,” said Lieutenant Rogers, clapping him aggressively on the shoulder. Renn should have taken it as another sign that the lieutenant was no good.
The adrenaline pumped wildly through Renn’s veins as he secured his helmet into place.
Nate had been half-heartedly happy for him and it hurt Renn to unintentionally make him feel worse.
Renn thought some time off the ship would do him good but Nate declined in asking if he could come along.
At The Academy, Renn often found himself picturing, in great detail, what it would be like to encounter many of the scenarios they trained for when visiting new worlds.
Some were more sinister than others, but Renn felt confident he would make the right call, should any of them occur.