In 500... (or less)

A Fight in the Flight

It takes so long to hear from home now, I wonder if it was worth it. I know I signed up for it, but I didn't expect it to be this way.

Every kid dreams about going to the stars, seeing what's out there. I know I did. All the training and psychiatric profiling in the world can't prepare you for the reality.

Our mission was the first to travel outside of the solar system, the first to venture out among the stars. It sounded so exciting. We were sent to investigate the planet orbiting Bernard's Star.

"Godspeed, Ambassador One, you are go for your interstellar burn." The message took six hours to reach us. We sent our data six hours before that. It only got worse from there.

We were chosen because of our compatibility, we were the best of friends on Earth. Being cramped in this craft changed things. Graves turned into a monster. She was unpredictable and moody. I was the only one she could talk to in real time. We slowly withdrew from each other.

"Dammit, where are my peanut butter cups?" I bellowed to her, knowing the answer. They were my treat to myself, my personal item. She claimed to be allergic to peanuts.

"Where you left them," she barked back. "You know I can't eat them."

We hardly spoke after that. Messages from home grew more sparse and dated. They labored under the impression that everything was fine here.

"Why won't they answer!" Graves pleaded after waiting a few days for a response. She was asking for them to send more coffee. It wasn't my fault she drank all of it just after the Oort Cloud. I took it as proof of her mental instability. I didn't respond either. We weren't on speaking terms anymore.

Part of me missed her, I wanted my friend back. I wanted someone to talk to. But she only got worse.

"I'm going for a walk," she declared one day. She was pulling at the airlock, trying to budge it open.

"Are you insane?" I asked her. "Get your spacesuit on at least!"

"So what if I am!" she shot back. "Anybody would go insane if they were on this trip with you! I ate your peanut butter cups. What are you going to do about it!?"

My anger at her exploded. I barged over and ripped open the airlock, shoving her inside.

She banged on the door, shouting curses at me. I sent a quick message home about the situation, before realizing it was going to take 10 years to get a response. The situation would have to be resolved long before that.

"You can't keep me in here!" she screamed. "Let me out!"

She was right. So I did. The ship shuddered a little from the decompression of the airlock. I didn't bother to look at her body outside the craft.

"It's a long walk home, Graves."