If Carpets Could Rule The World (and other stories)

Planet Red

"Dang, Marianne, hit those brakes gently!" screeched Martin, the copilot and second-in-command of the Navy Sol spacecraft (it was debatable who'd decided that, or why). "We don't all have a death wish!"

"Shut up, Marty," muttered Aster, her own fingernails gouging the seat cushion. "It's just a few bumps. Planetary entry isn't always smooth, you know."

At the sound of Aster's voice, 'Marty' simultaneously blushed and scowled, but stayed quiet.

"Habitable," called Marianne from up front. "Looks stable, too. All good signs. Who's writing that log entry?"

"No one's writing the log," called out Martin, unable to resist, "if you don't pilot this ship more smoothly."

"Shut up, Martin." A red planet filled their line of sight, effectively shutting up Martin and whoever else might've planned to speak.

Aster was the first to recover. "Iron oxide."

Then Marianne. "Whoa."

And finally, Martin- "Guys, it's getting tight in this seatbelt, 'cause this is taking my breath away." Both girls turned to glare at him. "What?" he protested. "I'll have you know there is a very real and invisible force tugging me out of my seat."

Aster's lips pulled into another scowl- until she realised something was pulling her out of her seat, too. "We're under attack!"

"Relax," Marianne said, flipping through the log, knees keeping a tight grip on the steering wheel. "We're not under attack."

"How do you know?" shrieked Martin, now dangerously close to being ripped out of his seat. "I'm pretty sure that's Aster's ramblings, not a scientific journal!"

"Planet Red," Marianne mumbled. "Influenced and powered by intense emotions." She held the log over her head. "Aster, want to translate?"

"Powerful emotions!" yelled their team captain, clinging on to her seat. "Tries to influence objects around it according to powerful emotions between them!"

Martin's expression transformed into horror, and his olive skin turned unmistakably red. "Any way we can turn this off?"

"Martin, you can't turn a planet off!"

"Oh. Sorry, Aster." The seat buckles finally gave way, making Martin wish he'd brought along duct tape- and he crashed right into Aster.

Who did not look happy about their new seating arrangement.

"Martin, get your behind off of me!" Both strained against the pull, but short of standing stuck together- nothing happened. "Powerful emotions. Shoot."

Meanwhile, Marianne was plastered against the hull, as far from the two as she could get. "Glad to see how much you truly like me."

"I am not," Aster shot Martin a disgusted look. "Marty, want to explain why we're trapped together?"

"You're the scientist," he tried. "You explain."

"Well, you're the one whose powerful emotions have us stuck together, so you explain!"

"I think," Marianne called helpfully, "is that you two must be attracted to each other-"

"Turn around!" Aster begged. "I can't live stuck to this idiot for the rest of my life!"

"I could," Martin offered- but too late. With a sweeping jerk, their craft reversed direction. And thus, the crew of the Navy Sol left the planet- and those 'powerful emotions'- unexplored to this day. 

Although it was, sometimes, the butt of jokes at parties. 

[an Aim To Engage entry]