The Lie that Killed the Crew

“Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. But I know better. I could hear the scream of metal as the hull of the ship was being torn apart, but even louder, was the scream echoing in my guilt-ridden mind.

“You see, I’m Roy Starstream, nephew of the famous pilot Soren Starstream, apprentice to the talented dog-fighter Toreen Star-”

“Cut the act,” the agent across the table said. “I have your ID right here. See?” She waived the card in front of me, then brought it close to her eyes and squinted. She stared at it intently, mockingly. “It definitely looks like you, but this says your name is Leroy Jablonski from Chicago. A city on Earth. Oh, and look. No pilot endorsement.”

“I-”

“Look, kid, I don’t have time for your pretty words and lies. Just tell me what happened and tell me where the councilor is.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do, but you keep interrupting.”

The woman stared at me with one side of her jaw clenched, tapping her foot impatiently. After a short staring contest, she leaned back, sighed, and gestured for me to speak.

“Thank you. Now…”

***

I was at a bar, regaling my fans with a tale (one of my harrowing flights), and the man abandoned his drink at the bar, to listen. He wore a defeated expression, but it diminished further and further with every word I spoke. When I finished, he approached.

Silvering hair descended from his head, down along the contours of his weathered face. Weariness masked the youthful energy I’d come to see in him. His confident demeanor told me he was the captain of a ship. (Well, he told me, but it seemed obvious once he said it.) He offered me a job, right then and there,

I tried to refuse, but everyone in the bar was watching, so I gave him an exorbitant number. I thought it would be ample deterrent, but he agreed to pay the fee without hesitation. My face warmed and my brow suddenly felt wet. I looked to the crowd, hoping to find an excuse, a way to stall, anything to get out of the situation, but as the seconds passed, more expressions filled with suspicion. With no other option, I accepted.

We shared a couple drinks as he explained the job. The way he described it made it seem pretty straight-forward. All I had to do was fly a ship from Earth to – somewhere else. He said he’d tell me where we were going the day we left. He told me it would be a simple flight for someone of my caliber. He didn’t even bother checking my credentials… probably didn’t want to offend a Starstream.

Look, I didn’t ask for the job. I just wanted the perks of being famous. Recognition, free drinks, maybe a kiss on the cheek from a beautiful woman. It was a little white lie. A harmless ruse, and I thought everything would be fine. It would only be a couple weeks. And besides, I’d always wanted to go into space.

But space was nothing like I imagined. It was hot, then cold, then hot, then cold again. And the stars… stars are just massive balls of fire that want to kill you. Oh, and between the stars? Nothing but black. There’s no freedom to be found flying through space. It was suffocating.

I tried to convince myself that the cockpit, with its digital displays and touch controls, was just like the simulator I had back home, but it wasn’t. It was a cage full of deafening alarms and flashing red lights.

“Get us out of here, Starstream,” the captain yelled over the intercom. My breaths were quick and shallow. My muscles twitched from the adrenaline. My eyes darted back and forth across and between the panels. There. The toggle for auxiliary power. I flipped the switch. A screen flashed and a status bar appeared.

“C’mon. C’mon,” I pleaded as the ship rocked. The bar filled unbearably slow, like a loading screen from old games. The ship jerked once more. “C’mon!” I slammed my fist on my armrest, then finally, all systems were back online.

I tried to use one hand to steady the other, but then they both shook. Reaching to engage the secondary thrusters, my trembling fingers betrayed me. I heard a loud coof, like the sound of a sudden burst of air. I checked the monitors and watched helplessly as our last engine disconnected and floated into the void. I’d just doomed us all.

The door to the cockpit burst open and an out of breath captain entered. He smashed a button on the wall and the blaring alarms stopped.

“I-I’m sorry,” I forced out with a shaky voice. He looked around the cramped room, then back at me. His shoulders slumped and he sighed.

“It’s not your fault,” he said. “If a Starstream couldn’t save us, no one could have.” My stomach twisted, and it must have shown on my face. “Heh. Don’t worry kid. I know you did the best you could.”

“Yes, but – but I’m-”

I’m a fraud, I wanted to say, but the words choked me. My throat clenched, my body torn between whether I should cry or throw up.

The captain yanked me out of my seat and flung me out of the cockpit. I fell to the metal floor of the hallway. I turned to look at the man I’d condemned. He stared back, but his eyes weren’t full of disappointment, disdain, or dread. He smirked.

“I’ll take it from here, kid.” And the door closed. The clang of a bolt slamming into place barred me from protesting further.

I clutched my stomach as it threatened to swallow me whole, but I didn’t have time to feel. Not yet. I had to move. I pushed myself to my feet and started running.

An explosion caused me to lose my footing after only few steps. I slammed into a wall and heard a pop in my shoulder. Tears blurred my vision, but I couldn’t tell if they were from the pain, the smoke filling the hallway, or the shame filling my heart. I clenched my teeth and continued forward.

“Attention. This is your captain speaking. We’ve sustained too much damage and have no choice but to abandon ship. If you haven’t made it to them already, get to the escape pods. I’ll buy you as much time as possible.”

I stumbled my way through the ship until I rounded the final corner. The surviving members of the crew were shoving their way into the escape pods. I used my momentum to try to force my way through.

“Starstream,” the captain continued over the PA. “This may be a lot to ask, and I know you didn’t sign up for this, but with the first mate gone… Please. Get everyone to safety.”

I swallowed hard as all eyes turned toward me.