Dragon in the Void

1. Tugging on the darkness

A/N This will be the only time I do an A/N before and after, but this one is only so I can tell you that by dragon, I mean a humanoid dragon. Like the one in the picture at the start of the chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and leave a comment.

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"Another planet down. Infinite possibilities left. Next planet to destroy is A115R79. The standard procedure is as follows: approach the planet, make a loud humming noise to signify that we mean destruction, and if there is no life, then we destroy the planet and use the remains as fuel for The Ship. My position as captain dictates that I decide where to go, unless I ask someone else to. This might seem weird, but the fuel consumption is massive. Also, despite destroying entire lifeless solar systems, the universal balance is still fine."

I send my questions directly into Strope's head. I lost my vocal cords when I was four while throwing a temper tantrum. Since then, I learned to communicate differently than anyone else around me. As well as communicating differently, I also observe more than others do. For instance, I can see the individual particles that make up the star map, the minuscule scratches on the windshield of the ship, how the right armrest of the captain's chair is worn less than the left, the pristine condition of the floor at the foot of the captain's chair, and the grime on Strope's hands. The window scratches tell me that every now and then we enter an asteroid field, and the worn section of the armrest means captain Strope is nervous that the ship is going to fall apart in one of said asteroid fields.The clean area of the floor tells me the captain vomits when he gets too nervous to handle, and has a janitor clean it up every immediately.

"Why do I sound so unenthusiastic, you ask? Well, you get that way after discovering too many lifeless planets. It gets depressing, it feels like the only life in the universe is that of your own planet. How about this, Kaiuun, you tell me where to go next, since I must be really bad luck."

I point at the star map.

"G541F927? Readings say that planet is pure lava, are you sure that's where you want to go?" He asks cautiously.

If that planet is pure lava, then I can't have fun with whatever that is able to live there. I shake my head.

"Then where?"

I look at the map, place my finger on it, then start moving it around until my gut tells me to stop.

"X119R191!?!? Really?" He stands up almost screaming, entirely incredulous.

I pat my stomach, a sign that he understands. My gut says yes.

He laughs, "Alright, get into containment pod 4, and we'll be close enough for you to see it when you wake up."

I walk out of the cockpit down the long hallway to the private deep-sleep chambers of the captain and his family. Since the captain has no family, and I am the closest thing Strope has to family, I get special privileges on The Ship. Funny name for an interstellar vehicle, but hey, they didn't ask for a poll when they named it. After a three minute leisurely walk, I make it to the chamber. I take a good look around, feeling it would be my last for a while. I take note of the bare metal interior, the mildly dusty air, the polished door, the cuboidal lighting, and the slight smell of ozone being produced by a loose wire somewhere. Probably not important, since someone would be fixing it if it was life-threatening. As I take my last look around the chamber before deep-sleep, I open my pod and climb in. I let my imagination go wild thinking about what kind of planet X119R191 would be as I fall into unconsciousness.

THREE YEARS LATER ON THE SHIP

"Captain, wake up!"

"I'm awake. Status report!"