The System

Prologue Ō - Part VIII --> The Big Guy vs Crook vs Kal (Part - 01)

    Tess Baultrex, the elephant who almost puked her guts out, found herself inundated with messages. Perhaps it was due to her newfound role as the ship's helmswoman, or maybe it was because she had become Captain Crook's trusted first mate.

    How did Tess end up in such a position?

    In a twist of fate, Tess found herself in that position, a fluke that would forever alter her life. Only time would reveal whether it would lead to tranquil waters or challenging voyages.

    In her current predicament, suspended upside down, Tess pondered whether it was due to the intruder or a result of the million and one combinations she had inadvertently pressed upon the ship's wheel during her state of panic. Uncertain of the exact cause, she attributed all the mishaps to the intruder while feeling a sense of gratitude towards Kal.

    Seizing the opportunity presented by chance or luck, Tess harbored a genuine desire to assist her captain. However, her first hurdle in achieving this seemingly straightforward objective was the incessant flood of nonsensical messages from the passengers aboard the ship.

    "Where is the room service?" exclaimed a disgruntled passenger. "The room has been turned upside down, and I demand immediate rectification!"

    "The bloody hell is wrong with you lot? Restore the bloody facilities to face down. I cannot stop now."

    "I will publish a negative rating if I don't get my meals on time."

    "Ew... I am floating in my own... Ewe..! I would be needing. Um... Some room service." Their words stumbled towards the end.

    "My room has a hole in it! I demand a new room and my luggage fetched back." - "You forgot to tell them about our children who were swept off alongside our luggage." His wife added more important details to her husband's message.

    "Oh yeah! That too... And bring your finest liquor collection if you don't want me... Ah!" - "No more liquor to room Z4501, if you get any, you will have to fetch my husband from outer space too."

    Tess took a moment to locate the so-called "urgent" messages and set them aside. In the brief period before she could fully grasp how to manage them, she reluctantly read through a few. The absurdity of taking the ship's tab into the washroom? EW...! She shook away the thought as soon as it came up with a reason. One particular message captured her attention, which managed to divert her attention from the rest.

    "Eat... floating passengers... already... in space... need... permission."

    Tess's realization was immediate, as she knew all too well the source of such a disturbing message. Those damn Zeeches were back at it again and this time, she understood the captain couldn't help her. He had more pressing issues to handle.

    A fleeting moment of pity washed over Tess as she contemplated the burdens a captain must endure. How much nonsense did they have to tolerate? She couldn't help but wonder why these imbeciles didn't grasp the gravity of their current situation. Sure, Tess considered their predicament, she acknowledged some passengers might be deep within the vessel, struggling to grasp the sudden change in protocols and follow the new orders. The sudden shift from "we are going back home" to "we are about to die" was, in part, the captain's fault.