Chapter 1

A moment of temporary blindness. A blink, then the typical monotone robot voice sounded: Left ETL: External Time Loop: Now in the 48902794th universe, Ballad Doran. Last known spot of Bounty Hunters Captain Charity Kedkas and crewmates Lully pap and Coe KK. I sighed, flicking the switches to our destined coordinates. I left the unpredictable ejector seat, feeling the tremor and not feeling in the mood to ride away. Ritz, why did you have to run away?
A pen shaped spaceship came into view. It was positioned ready to flee at any moment. “Dock the ship!” I started tapping at the keys, my glasses coming askew and sweat beading my forehead and sticking my hair to my face. Locked in. Awaiting next command. The eerily inhumane voice echoed through the empty spaceship. I had done it. I left the oddly advanced docking port swiftly. My hand tracing along the silvery glass-like material.
Activating the Earthen-lock or as some uncivilised people called it, ‘powers’, I had, I leapt into the air and let it carry me to where I needed. Earth’s planet-lock was air manipulation, and was handy in times like these. Slipping inside the grand doors that stood in front of me, I noted the grand shelves that lined the walls, and the three singular armchairs facing the great window. A girl sat on a blue-and-silver one, one hand resting lightly on a book, flipping the pages as her eyes scanned the text, and the other tapping the keys to coordinates and instructions to her crew. The girl ‘captain’ wore tall leather boots, a ninja suit and a navy captain’s jacket over a black ninja suit, and was poised, ready to jump at her twin katanas at any moment. “Who’s there?” She thundered, moving like lightning, a sword immediately pressed to my neck.
I bit my lip. I'd forgotten. She had Planet Rannot’s planet-lock, the power of super-speed, or hypersonics. “Human,” A voice hissed beside my ear, drops of red staining my sticky shirt. Blue locks brushed my shoulder. A gust of wind swept her onto the floor. Spinning around and snatching her sword out of the air I faced her, my eyes blazing.
“It’s you.” Two words that had her reaching up, seemingly to reach for her sword.
“I'm not here to hurt you. I only need your help. Two months. Maximum.” I stared her down.
She dusted herself off. “Ok. And then you give me five months to escape?” Rolling my eyes, I mentally cursed the infinite game of hide-and-seek that we were playing. Brother and sister. Perfect Police Officer and Known Fugitive for stealing citizens to her crew.
A single nod of the head, and that was all it took.
She spat on her hand, and clasped it in mine. Effortlessly pushing open the gates that I could only open a peek of earlier, we walked down the cylindrical spacecraft. Well… I walked, she sauntered.
Kitchen, Bathroom382, Reading Room, GLOAT, Din… Wait what? Gloat? I tuned into my sister’s toneless monologue. “The Great Library of Alexandria Two.” I snorted. Her piercing cobalt eyes speared me. “You wanna laugh and leave or do you need me?” Skeptically eyeing me, a smirk appeared on her face.
“Fine.” I rolled my eyes, “What else are you gonna tell me you have? A rock climbing room? A greenhouse? A roller coaster?”
She snorted, “A rock climbing room with no ropes? A greenhouse with only potatoes? A roller coaster with a zipline?” She stifled a giggle as my eyebrows lifted off my face.
She kicked down a door. Her shoe fitted perfectly into a groove in the door. Chucking my bag down, I tried to lift the door back up. “Umm… Sis? Ritz? I sorta need the door…”
“Weakling,” A long time ago, I wouldn’t have tolerated that. Today, though… “I’ll send in my crewmates. First and second.” She lifted her head and stalked away. Two moments later, two humanoid figures appeared in my doorway, one looking like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world than here, and the other… I blinked. Where did she go? Her frightened head and antennae peered over the door frame and she shrank in horror. A Martian. And a Kryip. Of course the Martian would be terrified. We’d scared them off their own home planet! Her black eyes speckled with white dots peered at me curiously. Her teal-green skin waved into a forest green. The Kryip didn’t bother to hide his shifting. One moment a deer, the next a piece of paper, the next his true form, a purple blob.
They were dressed in black ninja suits that clung to their skin, with a breastplate and helmet tightly fitted. Alien technology. Boosters similar to ship boosters propelled themselves into the air, a trick similar to the one I could do with my air manipulation.
With ease, they lifted the ten-tonne weight, and shared a knowing glance with a stare at my limp and stringy limbs. The girl suddenly gasped and fell over, another Martian trait that was commonly known. I stuck my hand out and pulled her up. She bowed her head, the same action a human had done when the Martians had pulled them up from the floor of their beautiful red planet, and the ultimate symbol of trust. I returned the gesture, glad for her gratitude. Suddenly, a grin stretched across her face. Gesticulating to a spacesuit on the floor, she turned around. I could feel my cheeks redden. Quickly changing, I then followed the others' lead. With a running leap, I leapt over a parting crevice in the ground. Too slow. The opening widened, my legs falling through. “HELP!” Screaming till my lungs hurt, I watched the space-station, silver and blue above me. Two frightened faces, the Kryip and the Martian stared at my falling body. Windows dotted the body of the station, lights flickering behind them, and I saw a great window, where a girl was looking out. Bookshelves lined the numerous walls behind her.
As I flickered into a comatose state, as I had never been here, I fell. And fell. Gravity affecting me where it shouldn’t. I closed my eyes, ready to burn up, my helmet never having been charged fully and running out of air. A golden light flickered at the tip of the pen shape.
I fought for a moment more, the air consuming me.

TO BE CONTINUED…