Starhoppers

02 - Just a Few Minutes More

"How are things looking down there, Ralph?" Captain Walker called out, staring through the displaced floorboard with his hands on his hips. "We don't have much time to spare."

"We're nearly ready, Isaac," Ralph shouted, his voice echoing from somewhere deep within the belly of the Tourist. "Just need a few more minutes before I can give you the green light."

The captain groaned softly, glancing at me as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You know, sometimes I think he likes to stay down there. Maybe he enjoys the heat. Like a goddamn cat."

It had been nearly two hours since I'd first stepped foot on the Tourist, and in that brief time, I'd started piecing together why the crew found it so challenging to keep a steady employee in my position.

"He's got the hair of a cat, that's for sure," Ezra muttered as the tools on Ralph's waist clanged against the underside of the metal floorboards, the sound growing unhurriedly in volume. "Probably has the brain of one, too."

"I can still hear you down here, Ez," Ralph grunted as he pulled himself up through the hatch, shaking his head. "And I'll have you know that all the cats I've ever known are pretty smart, thank you very much. I'd gladly share a brain with one."

Ezra chuckled, pointing down the hall behind us. "Well, I think I heard a mouse somewhere over near the kitchen. That would be a great place to start."

"Really?" Ralph gasped, following Ezra's gaze excitedly before shooting the man a glare of playful annoyance.

If nothing more, the man was certainly a good sport.

"How much more time do you need, Ralph?" Captain Walker asked quietly, clearly not in the mood for fun. "We're already behind schedule as it is."

"Not much, Captain," Ralph replied between heaving breaths, the man gesturing towards the back end of the ship. "I just wanna take a quick look at the Fitlit before take-off, and I should be content with giving you the A-OK. Just ask Serena... she can back me up on this one."

"Ralph's right," Serena's voice sounded suddenly from a speaker somewhere above us. "We'd be finished by now, but there's only so much I can get done without any fingers of my own."

The captain nodded, shooing the man away. "Good. Then get to it... I see a fresh ball of yarn in your future, so long as you do a good job."

Ralph chuckled loudly, doing his best impression of a cat as he jogged tiredly down the hallway.

"I'll never understand how you looked at that man and decided he was the one for this job, Isaac," Ezra laughed, peering back at me for my approval; he found my face contorted in confusion. "What? What's the look for, kid?"

I scratched at the back of my neck, following Ralph with my gaze before speaking. "What the hell is a Fitlit?"

Ezra frowned, sharing a confused look with Captain Walker. "You know... it's a Fitlit," he shrugged, pausing for a moment before continuing. "As in Faster-Than-Light Travel? That's what people call the drive that makes this job possible in the first place... you really didn't know that?"

"We all had to start somewhere, Ez," the captain sighed, patting the man on the shoulder as he started towards the bridge.

"I guess," Ezra said, turning back to face me as he walked. "I'm sure you'll catch up eventually, kid."

I nodded, glancing down at the man's rifle as it hung loosely against his back. Ezra noticed. "Oh, come on, now. I know you've seen a gun before... right? You grew up on a farm, didn't you?"