One Giant Leap for Dogkind [Astro's Adventures, Ep. 1]
An Astro Adventure
Day 1
Astro's floppy golden ears perked up as he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the kennel hallway. Who was it? He couldn't smell them yet, but it sounded like Mark's sneakers.
The squeaks stopped, and he heard the beep of the access badge open the door.
Yes, it was Mark! Astro's tail wagged. He jumped to his feet and walked to the door of the kennel. Mark turned the corner and Astro barked. Mark was his absolute favorite person.
"Hey, boy! How are you?"
Astro barked.
"Yeah, here you go, I brought you a treat." Mark opened the gate and Astro pushed out. He could smell the treat. It was his favorite flavor.
"Here you go, boy, filet mignon dog bone! You like that, don’t you? Only the best for our hero."
Yes, Mark, yes I do like them!
Mark brushed Astro’s coat and checked his paws while he chewed the treat. "Today's the day for the big test, Astro. You're going to be the first captain of the new warp propulsion ship. You'll be the first Earther out of the solar system, buddy, what do you think of that?"
Test. Got it. I am good at tests. He sniffed Mark's hands for another treat. There probably wouldn't be a second one until after the test, but a dog could hope.
Mark scratched Astro behind the ears and cradled his head in his hands. "When you get to Proxima Centauri in six months, you send me a postcard and tell me all about it. And then you fetch it right back home to me, got it?"
Fetch. That is an easy test. That is just fun, not a test. He barked and nuzzled into Mark's hands.
"This is the biggest test of your life, Astro. It's 4.2 light years to Proxima Centauri b and you're going to be the first one from our entire planet to ever go there. Promise me you'll come back safe and sound, okay?"
Big test. Got it. Come back. Got it. He wagged his tail and it thumped against Mark's leg. He licked Mark's face. I always come back to you, Mark.
Mark clipped his leash on, and Astro straightened his back and lifted his head high. There was no playing around when on the leash. First stop after leaving the kennel was the vet for a final checkup. Astro got a high five and good report from the orbital station's vet, and they were off to another press conference. Astro was good at press conferences, too. He sat very straight and tall and didn't bark unless Mark told him to speak. That always got laughs and cheers from the crowd. Waving goodbye to the flashing cameras of the press, Mark and Astro boarded The Arrow. The ship smelled new: fresh paint, cut carpet, molded plastic, soldered copper hung in the air thicker than the sweat of the men who had built it.
"This way, boy."
They passed a large, dark room full of robots, restrained in storage. The oil and rubber were a dead giveaway to robotic units. Astro had worked with such units before. They didn't bother him. Around a corner, Astro picked up the smell of new fabric and thin plastic. He poked his nose in curiously, while Mark waited. There were human-style beds, with plastic-wrapped blankets and pillows at the end.
"Crew quarters, for when there is a crew. For now, Astro, it's just you. Captain Astro of the starship Arrow." He smiled.
Astro barked in response and wagged his tail. They moved on. A large archway opened onto an interesting room with many chairs, computers, and a large window at the front. He sniffed the air current from the archway.
"That's the bridge, but don't worry, everything will be on autopilot for this trip. You won't have to fly the ship. Let's go to your quarters."
Mark led Astro to the Captain's quarters, which had been modified for Astro's journey. A large, round dog bed lay in one corner, just under a window. He'd be able to look at the stars while lying down. That was nice. He turned twice on it and laid down to try it out. Two tail thumps for a comfy bed. He followed the smell of food to a set of dispensers. He was familiar with this technology. A press of the paw on the lever, and the dish would fill with dog food. The light above the pedal shone blue.
Astro pressed the pedal to test the equipment. He wasn't really hungry at the moment. As expected, the bowl filled, and the light turned dark yellow. When it turned blue again, he could get more. The dispenser beside that one had a treat-shaped emblem on it, along with the blue light. He pressed that one and gobbled down the treat. The light went yellow. He pressed it again.
"You can get one treat each day, Astro."
The third dispenser was the water fountain. He pressed the pedal and water flowed from a spout down into the bowl. He lapped at the fountain and let go of the pedal. The water in the bowl quickly drained away. It wouldn't stay in the bowl, but there was no restriction light on this dispenser. Water was always available from this setup. In addition to food, water, and a bed, the room held a pressure-sensitive treadmill, a box of dog toys, and a highly sophisticated potty pad. There was also a desk and human chair with a computer access station, a set of drawers built into the wall under a mirror, and the human-style bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower, but Astro had no interest in those. Those would be for Mark. The large square bed in the center of the wall with blankets and pillows they'd share.
Astro wagged his tail. These were excellent quarters for them!
Mark knelt down and scratched Astro behind the ears. "Who's a good boy?"
I am! I am a good boy.
"Yes, you are! You're a good boy. Yes, you are."
I knew it! Astro pushed into the scratching and nuzzled Mark.
"Astro, I am not going with you this time. This trip is all you, buddy."
Astro ran over to the box of toys and dug one out to bring back to Mark. Play?
He took the toy from Astro’s mouth, but didn’t throw it right away. "I am staying here, pal. I'll be here when you get back. It's only four light years to Proxima Centauri. Just six short months."
Mark stay?
Mark rubbed Astro's head one last time and stood up. He tossed the toy to the other side of the room. Astro ran for it. He picked up the ball of fabric and turned to bring it back. Mark was standing at the door, and then it closed.
Mark stay. Astro go.
A few minutes later, the rumble of starting engines vibrated the floors of the ship, and the station outside the window slipped away into the darkness of space.
Day 16
Astro lay on the big human bed in the captain’s quarters. He’d been there all morning. He stared at the treadmill. I don’t want to run. His eyes slid over to the food bowl. I’m not hungry. He looked back at the treadmill. Mark says run. Getting off the bed was getting harder every day. He drug himself to his feet and clambered down. Maybe eat first. He turned to the dog bone dispenser. He hadn’t gotten his daily treat yet today.
Down the deserted hallway, on the empty bridge, the ship’s operations stations checked sensors, ran data, and changed settings as though operated by ghosts. On the main screen was a view of space ahead of them: a broad expanse of black emptiness sprinkled with distant stars. In the center of this expanse hovered a swirling red storm.
A warning flashed on the science station. The vacant chair gave no response. Navigation remained constant. The red storm on the screen grew larger. Blue streaks of lightning raced across the face of it, lighting the interior of the tumultuous particle clouds. The warning light redoubled its signal, and an alarm joined it. The captain’s chair stayed silent. The autopilot program sailed on, following the course plotted from navigation. The ship had not been programmed for an event like the violent red storm ahead. The Arrow needed her captain.
Astro was finally on the treadmill. Good dog, he praised himself, since no one else was here to do it. He missed having people around. He missed Mark. Without warning, the treadmill lurched sideways. His paws tripped each other, and his shoulder hit the moving rubber of the treadmill. It threw him off violently and powered down. Astro shook his head, lying in the middle of the cabin floor and glared at the machine. That was mean, he barked.
The floor shook. Astro realized it wasn’t the treadmill after all, it was the whole ship. He had experienced rocking and turbulence before. It wasn’t fun, but nothing to worry about. He moved to the dog bed and looked out the window as the ship lurched again. Red sparks flew past the window.
Fire? Fire is a very bad thing on a ship. He barked, then remembered there was no one to call for help. More red sparks whirled outside the window, and clouds blocked out the stars. This not fire, he whined. This worse.
The red particles passed through the window, flooding his cabin. Astro leapt to his feet and growled. The particles swirled closer to him, less violent inside the ship than in the chaotic storm that surrounded it. Astro barked frantically and backed away from the sparks. The particles surrounded Astro. His barks had no effect. One eddy reached toward him. He snapped at the glowing arm. His teeth tingled. In moments, the particles were all over him. His entire body trembled as he collapsed on the bed.
The red particles entered his body. His legs stretched and warped. Joints cracked and rearranged. Mercifully, he slept.
Eventually, the storm passed. Navigation analyzed the stars and generated route adjustments for the autopilot. The ship was soon back on course.
Astro woke when the day lights came on. His dog bed was soft, but felt wrong. He yawned, his long tongue curling out beyond his muzzle. He stretched his legs out and flinched, as the stretch activated muscles that had been placed in new positions. Something’s not right.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his body. His legs, especially his front ones were angled differently. He gasped as he saw his paws. Both his forepaws and his hind paws were much longer than they should be. And the toes on his fore paws were almost ridiculous- almost… human. He sat up in his bed. His shoulders were wider apart. He pushed himself up onto his hindlegs. His sense of balance couldn’t adjust, and he stumbled forward, catching himself with his fore paws. He was certainly more used to being on all fours, but the lengths of his new legs made it ridiculously awkward. He made his way to the mirror beside the human bathroom, and held onto the wall to keep his balance standing upright. His shape looked like Mark.
He decided to go looking for Mark. Mark would know what was going on, and help him understand. He took a step, paused, and shook his head around his nose.
Mark isn’t here. I’m alone. He was a very smart dog, Mark had told him so. He could figure this out himself.
This kind of walking was strange. He walked to the door of the cabin. It still did not open for him. Astro thought back about how Mark would make the doors open. Beside the door was a drawing of a human hand. He looked at his fore paw, which was now remarkably similar. He matched his paw to the drawing and the door whispered to the side. He could open doors now. What else can I do?
Astro stepped into the hallway and sniffed the air. He found the same smells of plastic, paint, and steel. No people.
He wandered down the hallway and placed his paw on the next door panel he found. It felt strange to flatten his paw against the panel. He did not have fingers before. The door slid open for him. He could go anywhere on the ship now. He just had to get the hang of walking without touching the walls.
He wandered onto the bridge, nibbling a bone-shaped dog biscuit. He sat in the center chair with his tail curled around to the left side and looked around. In front of him was a very large window showing their travel through space. Around the sides were many smaller windows showing other things. Some seemed to be drawings, some were rows of numbers. Astro knew what numbers were. Mark had taught him to count to five. He really wanted to be able to bark ten times, like the launch countdowns, but he'd had trouble when Mark ran out of fingers on one hand. It occurred to Astro that he could count to ten now.
He barked ten times, counting them in his head, just to prove it. His barks echoed in the empty chamber.
Astro realized that the smaller windows were not windows, but screens of information. He'd already known this, somehow. He'd seen them before, but somehow he was now understanding them on a higher level. An image on one of the screens caught his attention. Mark!
Astro threw himself out of the captain's chair and toward the screen and seat where Mark was silently talking. Mark vanished from the screen, replaced by a video of the starship.
Astro pushed buttons at random trying to get the screen to show Mark again. Suddenly, sound emerged to match the images. "--the six-month journey for The Arrow and its sole passenger will be humanity's very first travel outside of our own solar system." The video showed pictures of Astro, as he used to be, and Earth's solar system in turn. The recording switched to another video, and Astro sat down in the chair to watch. His nose had already told him he was the only one on board, but hearing it said aloud made it somehow more final. He was startled to also realize that he was understanding much more of the human speech than he had before.
"Greetings. Bonjour. Zdravstvuyte. Nǐn hǎo." A smiling man appeared on the screen, waving. Astro knew that trick. He waved back at the man in the screen, pawing forward as Mark had taught him.
"Hello from Humanity." Astro watched the entire introduction, which included music, pictures from Earth, and scientific images of skeletons and DNA, whatever that was. It was a lot to soak in all at once. The next video was more his level. Another man appeared on the screen. Below it, letters appeared. "Man."
Astro copied the video without thinking about it. "Mahn." The image was replaced with a baby and the letters below it. "Child." This video was teaching him to read and speak English!
Astro spent the next few hours studying. He learned not just elementary language, but some of the controls for the Communications station, as well. His new fingers were much better equipped for the little buttons and knobs than his paws had been. Finally, his stomach forced him to take a break.
He went back to his room to dispense his meal. "Food," he practiced, as he leaned down and pressed on the dispenser.
The following days and weeks were spent in learning to speak and read, and then in learning more about the ship. He found a supply of uniforms in crew quarters. The small size fit him, though it did not take his tail into account. He made do. He liked the soft, dark shirt with the ship’s Arrow logo on the chest. If I’m going to look like a human, better dress like one, too.
He grew tired of the dog biscuits, though they had been his favorite for as long as he could remember. He found the ship's dining chamber and gained access to the food storage. He ripped eagerly into the boxes marked "FOOD" only to find them empty place holders for a crew that were not on this mission. The only food aboard were the dog biscuits and kibble that staved off his hunger. He accepted the disappointment and returned to his self-imposed studies. If he was to be the only crew member aboard, he'd make sure he did a good job.
In one of the supply rooms, he discovered a set of communicators that snapped around his wrist with magnets. It allowed him to play the videos and get ship updates without having to be on the bridge. He even found that he could control the lights in his room with the new language skills he was developing.
As The Arrow traveled through the dark emptiness of space, Astro learned about the ship's systems and mission, the zoological taxonomy of Earth, and human customs of which he'd only barely glimpsed understanding before.
Day 191
Astro strolled onto the bridge holding his branded Arrow coffee mug and wearing a crew flight suit with the Arrow logo on the shoulder. Exploring the ship had led to many little discoveries that were stashed aboard. He lapped some water from the mug as he stepped from one station to the next, checking on the ship’s status. Navigation showed the ship approaching the Alpha Centauri solar system.
“Finally!” Astro took his usual seat in the contoured Captain’s chair, leaning forward in excitement, his tail wagging through the hole he’d ripped for it in the flight suit. The ship uniforms had not been designed for transformed test canines. The modification was crude, but effective. “Artemis, put Navigation and Forward Camera on the main bridge screen.” His wrist communicator chirped, and the main screen flickered, now divided between Navigation’s flight plan and the matching view from the forward camera of the ship.
He'd been counting the days as the ship neared their destination. Just a few hours ahead lay Proxima Centauri b. Navigation had a countdown. He, like the human scientists that had launched him in this ship, wondered what the surface would be like. He hoped there would be food.
Eventually, the planet filled the front viewport. Astro could make out round, blue shapes on the surface. Water. The top and bottom halves of the sphere were mostly white and gray, but the band around the center was covered in green. He glanced at the various screens around him as they shifted into landing control programs. The vibration of the ship, which he had long gotten used to and could ignore, increased as the ship descended into the planet’s atmosphere. He held a tight grip on the arm of his captain’s chair and resisted the nervous impulse to whine.
The viewport filled with the greens of the central temperate zone of Proxima b, and the thruster jets fired to slow the ship's descent. The science station was already taking atmospheric samples and reporting breathable air and moderate temperatures. Soon, he and the robotic sample collection teams would step out onto the surface of a planet no man, or dog, had touched.
The moment the ship's engines quieted, Astro opened the hatch and leaped to the mossy ground. He took a deep breath of the sweet-smelling air. Unfamiliar smells filled his nose and aroused great curiosity: fragrant plant smells, earthy dirt smells that were not earthy at all, and, most exciting, furry rodent smells. He'd grown sick of dog biscuits months ago; he was hungry for fresh meat.
He sniffed and scouted toward a grove of trees with wide, blue leaves. The smell of fur and sweat, rich blood and tender meat, was mixed with the odor of natural dirt and a woody smell that matched the higher breeze from the forest. “Food,” he murmured to himself. There was another aroma about them, something vaguely fruity, that he couldn't identify.
Behind him, the robots trundled down the ramp and began their surveys and collections. He knew from mission logs that the ship would be here for several days while the robots did their work, before loading back up and returning home. He wondered if he would be able to catch many of the rodents and somehow store the meat on the ship. The kitchen had a large refrigerator. He’d learned to do lots of things on the ship since his transformation; he was sure he could learn to cook, too.
There was a rustle in the low, dark blue bushes as he approached. The smell was suddenly even stronger, and he barked without thinking about it. The rodent emerged, one of the broad leaves clutched in its jaws. Astro leaped for the rodent, and it made a short squeal, dropping its leaf in its haste to escape.
Astro chased the short-legged creature through the underbrush. This was harder on two legs, and the feather-tailed rodent was fast. The trees broke into a small glade, edged by a hill, and the rodent scurried directly across the flat ground, but on even terrain, Astro had the advantage. He threw himself forward, landed on his stomach, both hands stretched out, and grabbed the feathery tail of the creature.
"Ha!" Astro barked. The rodent doubled back and bit his fingers. “Ow!” He jerked his paws back in reflex, and the creature scrambled across the glade and dove between a pair of legs and into the brush.
The legs were covered by cloth pants. Above the pants was a leather belt and a loose-fitting shirt. He knew the smell, though it was not quite the same as he had smelled before. The figure's tail swayed confidently behind her. Her ears perked forward, her slitted eyes narrowed. Her white whiskers trimmed on either side of her pointed nose. Her fur was black, except for a stretch of white running up her chest along the front of her throat and forming a triangle that tipped between her mouth and nose. The sword in her paws smelled of sharp metal and frightened blood.
It was pointed right at Astro. He realized, now that he wasn't distracted by the rodent and his stomach, that the smell of the creature was coming from all around him. Two more were poised at the top of the low hill, holding bows with nocked arrows. At the edge of the glade opposite the hill were another two, crouched in the shadows. He was surrounded and defenseless.
Cats. He'd traveled through space to another star system to be captured by cats. He was smart enough not to bark at them. His own tail curled down between his knees, and he raised his forepaws to show that they were empty. “Friends?” he offered hopefully.
Astro didn’t understand the response, but the motion of the sword was clear enough: follow.
The group led Astro through the woods and around a hillside. He made mental notes of the travel, both landmarks and smells, so that he would be able to find his way back to the ship. Or at least to the area around the ship. He'd been foolishly distracted by that rat. He tried not to mentally punish himself for the error. The forest broke a short distance from a stone castle. Square towers rose up from the corners and held swaying rope bridges between them. The large wooden drawbridge crossed a turbulent river between the approach bridge and the steel portcullis.
"I guess this is Cat Castle?" No reason he couldn’t make jokes, just because he was at the point of a sword.
No one laughed. Most likely, none of them understood him. More feline warriors granted access to the front gate. He knew they were alien, but he just could not fight the resemblance to cats. On the other side of the gate, where he got very curious looks from the guards, the party walked along a center marketplace street, with neighborhoods of wood and stone houses on either side.
Shopkeepers and shoppers alike paused to turn and look as they passed by. Kittens halted their games to follow the group on its journey to the main castle.
Astro soon found himself standing in the castle throne room. The group of cats (aliens, he corrected himself) surrounding him knelt, each with one fist across their chest, before the stately cat on the big chair. His head bore no crown, but he was clearly in charge. He meowed a question. The hunter who had challenged him (Astro had decided not to think of himself as having been captured) stood and began to speak, occasionally gesturing to Astro. Astro stood quietly, observing the court, and trying to ignore the gathering crowd at the walls who stared curiously at him. The leader-cat mrowled and leaned forward. The hunter stepped aside, leaving open space between Astro and the leader, who now spoke.
His words were nonsense to Astro, who shook his head in response and spread his paws. "I am sorry. I do not understand you."
The leader-cat hissed and spoke again, with a more forceful tone.
Astro again responded. "I do not speak your language. I learned English, but not cat." He wanted to pace a circle, but kept his feet still. If he could not communicate with these people, he would not be able to make true contact with them for Mark and the humans of Earth. A white-whiskered cat in dark robes, with a hood covering the back part of his head sidled up beside the leader-cat and purred in his ear. The leader-cat nodded his head. He placed his paw on his own chest and meowed softly.
"Chieturr." He patted his chest again and repeated the word before gesturing silently to Astro. He waited. Astro had the feeling that the leader-cat wanted something from him, was trying to meet him halfway in communication, but he did not understand the word. He shook his head again.
The chief struck his chest. "Chieturr." He pointed to the hunter who had brought Astro to the castle. "Sakesh." He gestured to himself again, "Chieturr," then the other, "Sakesh." He repeated the silent gesture towards Astro.
Names! It struck Astro suddenly and he felt foolish: He was giving their names. He placed his paw on the chest of the human suit he was wearing. "Astro." He pointed to the leader-cat and tried the name. It was awkward in his mouth, and he was sure it was not quite right, but perhaps close enough. "Chieturr." He turned to the other. "Sakesh."
Chieturr smiled and nodded over his head to the adviser next to the throne. He gestured to the crowds around them, including himself. "Zicato."
Astro repeated the gesture and the word for their people. "Zicato."
Chieturr gestured to Astro. Astro hesitated. He understood the question, but he wasn't sure of the answer. Was he still a dog? He certainly wasn't human. Finally, he chose the simple answer, but he promised himself to think about the question more later. "Dog."
"Meyowki chi, Astro?"
Astro shook his head. Chieturr had moved too fast for him.
Chieturr meowed commands behind him. The dark-robed adviser came forward with a large rolled up piece of paper, and displayed it to Astro. It was a map. Chieturr pointed to a small paw print on the map and then to the castle around them, the ground at their feet. Each time he repeated the word "Femnufah."
The name of their castle, or country, or perhaps just 'home.'
Chieturr pointed at Astro. "Femnufah Astro?"
How did he tell Chieturr where he had come from? An idea came to him. He slowly brought his wrist to his mouth, and spoke to the communicator he had used to learn so much on his journey here. "Show a map to Earth." The screen lit up, and projected into the air above it a holographic image of the solar system they were in, zooming out and across the stars back to Earth. Chieturr leapt backwards with a yowl, and the guards raised their weapons again. There was a reaction of surprise from everyone, but Chieturr hushed them quickly, examining the images. The adviser leaned in closely from the moment the images appeared. He purred to Chieturr again, and pointed at the holographic stars.
Astro zoomed in to his home solar system, and then focused on Earth as it circled the native sun. "Earth is Astro's home." He pointed at the little glowing ball of blue and green. "Earth. Femnufah."
He was making progress, making contact. Mark was going to be so proud of him.
Chieturr consulted with his adviser. The adviser pulled a worn, leather-bound book from his robes and turned through the pages. Whatever was between those pages seemed to make the decision. Astro was welcomed and given a room. The advisor's name, he learned, was Kuzax, and they spent much time together. Astro learned words in their language, and the adviser, mostly through gestures, asked about the stars and Astro's home. Sakesh the Hunter joined them in these studies, helping to teach, and learning words in English, as well.
The next day, they held a feast in his honor. Sakesh brought him clothing that fit his canine body a lot better than the human-designed suit. It was a relief to have the cloth pants designed for a tail. He was especially fond of the leather vest and boots. They served him roasted fish, meats with rich gravy, and plates of food he couldn't even begin to identify. He was certain he'd never be able to stomach the dry kibble again after eating like this.
He was happy to show off the abilities of his wrist communicator on request. He showed them images from Earth, maps of stars, and the same human-language lessons he'd used himself. They were endlessly fascinated by it. The castle was still lit with torches, warmed by fireplaces.
Day 195
On the fourth day, his communicator sounded an alarm. "Automated information gathering drones have returned. Launch scheduled in one hour."
"No, no, no," He wouldn't be able to make it back to the ship in that time. "Cancel!"
"Confirm command: cancel scheduled launch?"
"Yes. Confirm."
"Launch canceled."
Astro lay back and breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want that ship to take off without him, but he also realized that it was time to go home. To return to Mark. He dressed in the leather vest, boots, and cloth pants and gathered the other gifts he'd been given in a shoulder bag. He sent for a copy of their ‘Words of Guidance’ to bring back to the people of Earth. He was sure Mark would be very pleased.
He met with Chieturr and Kuzax.
“Time go home. Astro femnufah.”
The chief, who had not sat in on the alien language lessons, exchanged words with Kuzax the advisor faster than Astro could translate them.
“We understand,” responded Kuzax finally. “We want help Astro. How need?”
Astro considered the offer. The ship supplied most of his needs, though an extra pair of pants wouldn’t hurt. Then it came to him. “Astro need food. Long travel.”
By the end of the day, a caravan of supplies escorted Astro back to his ship. As the supplies were loaded into the ship’s kitchen and cargo holds, Sakesh made a request.
"Go," Sakesh intoned slowly in English.
"Yes, I have to go."
Sakesh shook her head briefly, her ears snapping to either side as she did. "Go. Together." She had a small bag slung over her shoulders, her sword at her hip.
As the sun set, Astro curled back in the captain's chair of The Arrow. But this time, he wasn't alone. Sakesh sat in the first officer’s seat to his right.
Astro gave the commands. "Artemis, launch for Earth."
"No launch has been scheduled." The ship’s voice was as cheerful as always.
"Fine. Schedule a launch for Earth."
"No flight plan found." The ship still sounded like it thought it was being helpful.
"Use the plan for the launch that was scheduled this morning."
"That launch was canceled."
"I know. I'm the one that canceled it. Reschedule it."
"Automated flight plans must be programmed by mission control."
Astro started to bark at the computer, then froze as the realization hit him. He had canceled his ride home.
"Artemis, I am your captain. Return to Earth!"
"Automated flight plans must be-"
"I heard you! If I can't program an automated flight plan, what am I supposed to do?"
"Stay."
Astro glared at the primary information screen. "Not this time."
He swiped through various screens of controls and information until he found what he was looking for: Launch controls. He’d studied every screen on the bridge in his voyage here. Time to see how much he’d learned.
"Launch initiated,” sang the ship’s sweet voice. “All crew members please secure for launch."
Astro sat back in the captain's seat. He nodded to Sakesh as though this was how space captains always talked to their ship computers.
The ship’s engines roared to life, and he and Sakesh were pressed into their chairs. The sunset rose back above the horizon, and the sky darkened into open space. He may have to fly the ship himself, but he would find his way back to Mark.
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