Story Doodles

Canis Major

Delta took a deep breath, sweeping the nonexistent dirt from her suit. The door of her dorm opened with a hiss, and she stepped out into the quiet corridor. Today was the day she would meet her new crew.

The space station, SYNC as it was called, was enormous, and Delta had had her fears of getting lost in its many floors and sections; however, those fears were dissipated as she spotted two Sebulaks walking steadily towards her. Their tails swished behind them as they marched perfectly in time, and Delta wondered if they had a metronome inside their helmets.

"Miss Delta Rivis," the cybernetic with the longer tail addressed her with a nod, her voice slightly metallic.

"Ma'am," Delta returned nervously.

"We are to escort you to the docking station," she informed her.

"Lead the way, then." Delta followed the two down the crome hallways, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She was supposedly the only human assigned to this crew, and she hadn't been able to meet any of them yet. She just hoped they kept an open mind.

A few elevators and corridors later, they arrived at the docking station. Delta stared in awe at the many ships and spacecraft. There was a constant flow of ships coming in and leaving the station, with a mix of races tuning up and tending to the docked crafts.

"Here is your ship, Miss Rivis." Delta looked up at the ship, star-struck. It had a simple, sleek design, and though it wasn't very big, it made up for it with its elegance. A seal bearing a canine head glowed on the side of the hull.

"Ah, the fledgling has arrived," a feminine voice mused from the open bay door. A tall, slender figure with large feathered wings stepped forward on clicking claws, adjusting her goggles. "Welcome to the crew, downy. You're the human copilot, I'm guessing?"

"U-um, yes ma'am," Delta stuttered staring up at the tall creature, who eyed her with the predatory yellow eyes of a hawk.

"'Ma'am'? I think I'm gonna like you." The Avian offered a slender, gloved hand, a smirk teasing her pale, pointed lips. "The name's Avis. It's a pleasure." Delta took Avis' hand, and Avis shook it firmly.

"Uh, Delta. Delta Rivis," Delta introduced, and Avis nodded, the peacock-like feathers on her head bobbing.

"Welp, we'd best be getting you to the rest of the crew, eh?" She gently pushed Delta forward, into the hull of the ship.

"Um, yeah I guess," Delta agreed reluctantly, moving to walk beside the Avian. The inside had a design as sleek and elegant as the exterior, and Delta marveled at the expert craftsmanship. "So how many of us are there?" She asked after a moment's silence.

"Including you and me? There are seven."

"Wow. Kinda small, isn't it?" Delta commented.

"Eh, we're taking Dr. Kemp to an unexplored planet, and he said we should keep it simple," Avis explained. "Captain wanted us to bring more, but the Doc said it'd be too risky."

"Oh, so this is for scientific exploration?" Avis nodded.

"You hit it on the nose. We're headed for the next star system, Gliese 876. It'll take us about six months if we're going at light speed for most of the trip. Which is why I have you, copilot," Avis smirked, nudging Delta with her wing. Delta gave a shy smile, the halted as she spotted a life form further down the hallway.

The creature was a rosy pink, with paler, short pink hair styled not unlike a human male's. It looked mostly human, aside from its frog-like feet and axolotl-esque frills where ears would be. It was crouched down, the tentacles it had for arms sifting through the mechanisms of an open panel, humming a cheerful tune. Avis snickered at Delta's reaction.

"That's our mechanic, Edrik. Let's go say hello, eh?" She took Delta's arm and lead her forward, stopping in front of the seemingly aquatic creature. "Hey Edrik, I found my copilot," she introduced. The creature paused from its work, and his intensely dark eyes lit up as he saw Delta.

"Oh my!" He exclaimed in an odd accent, "Pilot Avis, this human is your copilot? How perfectly wonderful!" He stood, towering over Delta and even surpassing Avis' height. Delta swallowed, then smiled nervously.

"Uh, hi. I'm Delta. Delta Rivis," she stammered, straining her neck to look up at the smiling amphibian. She hesitantly held out a hand, unsure of what else to do. Edrik looked down at her hand.

"Oh, is this a human greeting ritual?" He asked excitedly, then held out his tentacle; not shaking her outstretched hand, but simply extending his tentacle towards her. Avis suppressed a laugh, shaking her head slightly. Delta bit her lip, holding back a smile of her own.

"Uh, yeah," she said reluctantly, lowering her hand. "You're... Eric, right?"

"Very close. My name is Edrik, of the planet Roseate. Are you from the human Earth colony?" Delta nodded.

"Yup, that's my planet. The blue planet," she stated awkwardly. Avis cleared her throat.

"Alright, you two parakeets can talk more later. Delta needs to go meet the Captain," she explained to Edrik. He nodded in understanding.

"It was very pleasant to meet you, Human-Delta." He smiled at Delta, bowing. Delta nodded her head in return.

"Okay, well, see ya," she said quickly walking past him. Avis gave him a salute, and he went back to working on the panel of the ship.

"You have a thing for the Plaz?" She teased, and Delta bit her lip.

"No," she denied, "I just was a little shocked by his appearance. He's... really tall, and pink, and has tentacles..."

"Say no more, downy." Avis raised her hands in defeat, though she was smiling smugly.

They passed several rooms before reaching the control center. The doors hissed open, and Delta nearly ran into someone as they were exiting. The creature, who was some kind of herbiate, leapt back with an odd gurgle. Delta started, stepping back as well.

"Hey Smoss, easy there," Avis comforted. The plant creature, Smoss, relaxed slightly at the pilot's words. It looked from Avis to Delta with wide eyes, clutching its cactus-like arms, and then walked past, the yellow petals on its head bobbing.

"Who's that?" Delta asked quietly, looking back at the creature.

"That's our navigator, Smoss. They're a bit shy. Only ever talks to Captain and the doctor. And me, occasionally." Avis gestured to the open doors, and Delta stepped inside.

"Miss Rivis, welcome. I'm delighted you made it." The Captain, who was a Sebulak like the ones who had escorted Delta here, greeted her from the elevated platform in the center of the room. She stepped down, adjusting the jacket she wore over her jumpsuit and then holding out her hand.

"Captain Andromeda. It's a pleasure."