Out of bounds

[Sombs]

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Day 31 - Location unknown

There was a location onboard the Apahanta which was differing from anything else on the ship. The air was different. The scent was exotic. The crew came here to take a break, to talk, to relax and to close the eyes for a few minutes. It was the hydroponics. Once it had begun to produce beautiful red apples, it did not stop. And thus the crew had a steady supply of apples.

The Captain sat on a bench, looking up at his tree. It was his idea. His own apple tree, on a space ship. On a warship. It was satisfying to have this tree and the crew loved it. The apples were tasty, ensured by two Kishiro Service Robots programmed to take care of the tree. There were no insects on the ship, so their work had to be done by someone or something else.

The warm air felt nice on his bare chest. The fruity, exotic scent was a nice change to the rather neutral-ish air all over the ship. It was different back home on his Corvo, the Hoffnungsschimmer, which was simulating Curacao's air and temperature, until Maren and Valery turned it into an infected hybrid ship. Exhaling deeply, with a bit of voice to it, he frowned, almost stressed. The Hoffnungsschimmer was still out there, somewhere in Sirius. Maren had full control over it. A few things of himself were still stored there, and a great amount of cardamine he and Maren had smuggled from Malta was hidden close to the power core. Once more Ezrael had to exhale audibly. If one single person had found that ship and knew it was his, he was not only declared a smuggler but also all the suspicions about him having deals with the Nomads would have been revived. Although, in the meantime, he informed the authorities and the neural net about the ship being missing, probably stolen, and thus no longer in his possession. Another shaky breath, tensed up, followed by him relaxing again. In the end, the Hoffnungsschimmer was lost. His old home. He now had the Apahanta, and maybe his bungalow on Curacao if Maren would still pay the rent.

Sherry was emerging from her knees, standing up, looking down at her Captain. There was a shy smirk on her blushed face. "You're still eating mostly fruits," she commented with a satisfied expression, just to sit down next to him.

Ezrael nodded with his typical charming smile, pulling up his Apahanta suit again to cover his lower body entirely. "I know a guy who claimed he tastes like créme brulé," he commented with more cheerful smirk. James El Harady was a funny guy. "Thank you, Sherry."

For a few minutes, they just sat there like this, remaining quiet, looking at the apple tree. It was relaxing, even without what she just did, Ezrael thought. It was nice, though. Suddenly, he felt a weight at his shoulder. It was her, having placed her head on him. It was untypical for her to do such things, but Ezrael sort of was used to see her non-authoritarian aspect. After all, she was just a human. Just like him. "Sometimes I really wonder whether I made the wrong decision, Ezrael. As the Commander of the Apahanta, I only meet so many people and have to remain distant to them to stay in my role as a person of authority."

"Are you unhappy? I mean, if we wouldn't face death soon and all that," Ezrael began, taking a hand of hers to place it on his now covered lap. He held her hand, massaging it slightly with his thumbs.

"I don't think we will die. Isley wouldn't have proposed the plan in first place if he wasn't certain about it being successive," she commented, watching his hands treating hers. "But no, I am not unhappy, not at all. Yes, I had to make heavy decisions, just like you had to, and there is blood on my hands just like on yours. But it is satisfying to be on the Apahanta. We have seen incredible things. Systems you would never visit as normal Core captain. Or as anyone else. We have seen miracles and dreads of the Edge Worlds. We have been snooping around in the house systems in areas nobody else would survive to tell about. It is a life of adventures, and I guess that is why you do all these things. The thrill. It is just, sometimes, you start to feel lonely here. At least I do."

"And then I come over and spend a night with you," he said quietly, instantly making her blush again. "I know what you mean. I often was asking myself why I am still doing this, instead of just selling the Apahanta. Auxesia would have paid for it, probably. Not the full price, even though it is one of the most advanced ships of Sirius with the stealth capabilities, the robotic crew and our unique weaponry. And the jump drive. The ship's value has exceeded three billion credits the last time I was checking it. I could sell it and have a nice living with Maren and Mittens and Nancy and Sombra." He chuckled for a moment. "A nice little living on Curacao, with me as daddy, if I'd ever get Maren pregnant. She wants it so badly but her body is fucked up by cardamine, rendering her completely infertile. But then again, I'd probably be a horrible dad. There are many reasons for me to not settle down like this, Sherry. We have enemies. Sirius is at war, with Gallia and the Nomads and all the internal wars. Corruption, et cetera. What we have here is awesome, because we can escape from all that as long as we want. We can go wherever we want. The only judges of our actions onboard and with the Apahanta are just ourselves. And nobody is better at keeping things running on the ship than you. And thus I will do what I can to keep you happy as well."

"What if I wanted a baby?" she asked him, smirking at him.

"... let's not overdo things." It was obvious she was joking and for the first time after months, Ezrael heard her laughing.

"On a more serious note, though, Ezrael. I wouldn't mind it if you would sleep in my bed. We don't know how long we will survive." She grabbed one of his hands, holding it with her fingers between his.

"I thought you were trusting in Leon's plan?" His other hand was cupping the back of her hand.

"We don't know where we will end up after the blind jump," Sherry clarified, still eyeing their hands. "The chances of returning to Sirius would be way higher if we were in the vicinity of Sirius. But out here, we could end up literally anywhere. In the worst case, we end up in another stray anomaly."

"That would be pretty lame," Ezrael said quietly, letting go of her hand to stand up and pull up his suit to cover his upper body as well, stuffing his arms back into the sleeves of the onesie. Pulling up the zipper at his back, he turned towards Sherry, who gave him a questioning look. "I want to show you something. Come."

He offered her a hand, now as gloved as her own. Taking the invitation, the Commander stood up, smiling slightly at him. Following his lead, he entered the new hydroponical extension with her, and to her surprise she saw potato plants. They had breached through the soil, reaching for the artificial lights which where feeding them with tasty photons. They weren't tall yet, but it was a beginning. Ezrael went down on his knees next to a plant bed, carefully caressing the plant. Joining him, she took a close look at the plants herself. "They are nice."

"They take around a hundred days before they can be harvested. But they will be awesome. We'll be the first humans to have grown potatoes at this black hole somewhere in deep space outside our known galaxy. I think that's worthy an interview with the University of Cambridge, don't you think?" He smirked at her, which caused her to smile as well. The worries she just had were gone. Left was the scent of artificial nature on this warship, the warm air around them, and a not unpleasant taste on Sherry's tongue.

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Uncharted System Stories: 18 | 32 | 34 | 37 | 38 | 85

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