Taking a deep breath, you walk up the ramp of the huge starship in front of you, clutching your file to your chest. You cast a glance behind as you cross the threshold into the ship, watching the ramp slide back into the metal hull and the hangar door slowly shut with a soft click.
This is it, you tell yourself as you look around the pristine lobby. There's no going back from here. This was the day you've been dreaming of since childhood, the day you've prepared your whole life for. You couldn't back out now.
As you look around the room, you realize you don't know where you need to go. You feel your face flush in embarrassment, disappointed with yourself for this small error. You're drawn out of your thoughts by the sound of someone clearing their throat, and you look up, being met by a tall anthropomorphic blue dog. Beagle is printed across the left breast of his uniform, and the numbers 07 on his shoulder.
"Hiya there, do you need help?" the dog says, his voice gruff but warm and friendly as he grins at you, showing dull pointed teeth. You rub the back of your neck and nod.
"Yes, I'm trying to figure out where I need to go," you reply, and with his inquisitive expression you add, "I'm here for the interview with Walsh Darling, I'm the new rookie."
"Oh! You're the little fella he was talkin' about!" he laughs, his face lighting up with friendly realization. "Sure, I'll take ya to him." He nods at you as he turns and starts walking towards a corridor on the left side of the lobby. "By the way, the name's Barnicus B. Beagle, but you can call me whatever you want."
"Nice to meet you Barnicus, I'm Y/N L/N," you say with a smile as you follow him.
"The pleasure is mine, Y/N," Barnicus responds, chuckling. He stops in front of a rather tall door, the name Walsh Darling etched in a vibrant cyan on the polished metal. Barnicus knocks on the door, rapping his fist against it in a short rhythm.
"Be right with you!" a gentle and upbeat voice calls from behind the door, and a heartbeat later it's slid open, revealing a humanoid figure who looms over you and Barnicus at a shocking height. "Hello Barnicus," he says, smiling at Barnicus.
"Hey Wally, I was just showing the newbie here where to find ya," Barnicus retorts, patting you on the shoulder. Wally turns to you, allowing you to get a proper look at him. He wears a uniform identical to Barnicus's, with Darling and 01 printed on it instead. Dark indigo hair rests at his shoulders, shimmering like the starry void of the galaxy, matching the deep blue of his left eye; his right eye is hidden behind bandages.
"Ah, you're Y/N, aren't you?" Wally asks, beaming warmly. You nod, still feeling intimidated by his unnatural height. He chuckles softly, having noticed how nervous you are. "Don't worry, as scary as I look, I don't bite."
"Ain't that true!" Barnicus chimes in, laughing. "Wally here is nothing but a softy with a big heart. He wouldn't hurt a fly." He takes a deep breath and blinks a few times, rubbing the back of his neck. "That is when he's not out there on missions, then he can be a bit scary." Barnicus and Wally both grin at each other then at you.
"Well, thank you for dropping Y/N off, Barnicus," Wally says, patting his canine friend on the shoulder. Barnicus nods at Wally and chuckles.
"No problem Wally," he replies, smiling. "I'll leave you to the interview then." He waves to you and Wally before turning and walking down the hall, tail swinging behind him. Wally waves after him then nods at you, stepping aside to let you into his office.
"Well, have a seat and we'll get started," he says, gesturing to a chair by his desk. You sit down and smile at him, handing him your file as he seats himself across from you. "So, remind me what training district you're from again? I know you mentioned it in your message, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was."
"Oh no, that's fine," you respond with a lighthearted chuckle. "I'm from Agatha's District, based on Alpha C12."
"That's right!" Wally declares with a snap of his fingers. He nods and grins at you. "The captain went there."
"I thought you were the captain?" you inquire, raising an eyebrow. Wally shakes his head with a laugh.
"No no, I'm his deputy," he answers. "Homero - or as we call him, Home - is the captain. He's a very antisocial and reserved person who spends most of his time in his office, so I handle most people-related things."
"Oh, I see," you mutter, nodding slowly. Wally nods back, before clearing his throat and looking through your file.
"Alrighty now, let's see what we've got..." he mumbles under his breath, squinting his eye. "It says here that you got one of the highest scores in your district's generalized preparation test, around 19.7 if I'm not mistaken?"
"You would be correct," you confirm with a smile, beginning to get a tad prideful. "I was one of the fastest and smartest." Wally's eye widens as he hears your remark, a grin of amusement twitching at his lips.
"Well, it's good to know we've got someone with plenty of skill under their belt," Wally comments. "Most applications we get are from a randomized pull of average scores. And don't get me wrong, those kids have potential, but I wouldn't say they're suited for this team in particular." He continues to grin at you, his expression glowing with excitement and pride. "It's a nice change of pace to receive someone who is already up to our speed around here."
"I wouldn't say I'm all that great," you respond humbly, rubbing the back of your head. "I just happen to be intellectually and skillfully gifted." Wally shakes his head, watching you with a warm gaze.
"You were blessed with wonderful talent. It's something I would be proud of," he says, reaching forward and resting one of his large hands on your shoulder. "Other people wouldn't know how to handle something as marvelous as that. You do though, and you certainly don't let it go to waste."
You find yourself unable to respond to his kind words, so you just smile and nod before the interview continues. Wally asks you more questions about previous experiences you've had, even derailing a few times to listen to you go on about amusing stories that have happened to you. Eventually, you two reign it in and the air becomes serious as Wally hands your folder back and looks you in the eyes.
"Well, Y/N. I've quite enjoyed this conversation with you," he states, offering you a small smile to which you offer your own.
"I enjoyed it as well, Mr. Darling," you reply. Wally chuckles and shakes his head.
"No need for that. I find that such formal titles don't really fit me," he says, holding his hand out. "Please, call me Wally." You take his hand and shake it firmly, holding your smile.
"Then I enjoyed this interview as well, Wally," you correct yourself, nodding at him. "When will I receive your answer?"
"That is a good question," Wally retorts, tapping his chin. "I assume you'll know as soon as you put this on." You raise an eyebrow as he hands you a neatly folded uniform with your last name printed on the chest.
"Wait, hold on," you mutter in disbelief as you take the uniform and stare at it in your hands. You feel the slick texture of interlaced layers of smooth silk and tough leather on your palms, the feeling sending a shiver down your spine. It all seems so surreal.
"Are you... am I?..." You lack the ability to conjure full cohesive sentences as you gape at Wally, being met with his friendly smile. He puts a hand on your shoulder, and the next words are hard to believe.
"Welcome aboard, rookie."
[CHAPTER 2 IS BEING WRITTEN]
YOU ARE READING
Danger in the Stars
Science Fiction-- A Welcome Home AU fic written by yours truly. :) The AU is Intergalactic Bounty Hunter which was also created by me. Welcome Home was created by @/partycoffin on Tumblr. -- All those years of training and dreaming pay off when you're accepted in...
