Outside the window, a gas giant dominated the view. The swirling pink and purple captivated Ppnlak's attention. His tentacles and helmet were pressed up against the glass as he took in the beautiful sight, and the small circles that lined his body glowed lavender. His time on the Architeuthis, a deep-space pirate ship, had opened his eyes to the wonderful sights that could be seen all around the universe. His favorite view was the nebulae. Even this planet with its vibrant surface couldn’t top the shinning spectacles that filled the interstellar space.

His home planet was barren, and the surrounding view was the same. The overwhelming darkness of his home made the stars appear fuller in the sky, but they were so far away the light was negligible. He adjusted the helmet on his head, making sure it was on correctly. His eyes were sensitive due to them evolving to see in almost total darkness, and the bright halls of the Architeuthis irritated him. He imagined the nebulae and planets would be hard to look at without his helmet as well.

Ppnlak pulled himself away from the window and got back to work. The captain would be furious with him if he was caught slacking. His glow shifted from lavender to a cool blue. Ppnlak grabbed his abandoned mop with one of his many tentacles and resumed wiping the floor. He was fighting a particularly hard stain when someone came up to him. The alien pulled on one of Ppnlak's tentacles to get his attention. Ppnlak whirled around, almost hitting him in the face with the mop.

Ppnlak asked, Yes?

The alien, Thur, responded, "You need to get out of here."

What?

"The captain's painted a target on your head."

What have I done?

"I don't know, but you've pissed her off."

How much time do I have?

"Not a lot. I've got a pod ready."

Why are you helping me? I'm sure the captain has killed friends of yours, but you've never lifted a finger.

Thur sighed, "Because they knew what they we're getting into. They joined the ship knowing full well what kind of reputation the captain had. That's probably why they joined. You, on the other hand, were abducted and have been forced to work here. You don't deserve this."

Ppnlak pushed his feelings of gratefulness to Thur. The alien blushed a bright gray, and waved his hand dismissively. "Don't thank me. Just let me get you out of here."

Thur led Ppnlak to one of the storage rooms on the ship. He rummaged through the suits that filled the room, holding them up one by one to Ppnlak to see what looked like it would fit. The Architeuthis had a diverse crew, so Ppnlak knew that there should be a spacesuit that would fit him.

"Do your tentacles have to be covered?" Thur asked.

Ppnlak's tentacles wrapped around his body protectively. Yes, they have to be covered. They wouldn’t like the vacuum of space.

"I'm not seeing anything that works for you." Thur grabbed another suit that had tentacle coverings, but the length of the sleeves wasn’t long enough for Ppnlak.

What planet are you sending me to?

"We're taking a new route to the Ynzibra system because the ICC's got some grunts out on the usual path. We're swinging by Vasreimor, an icy moon off their largest gaseous planet. I know you come from an icy moon as well, so you should fit in."

Whether a planet was habitable or not was reliable on more factors than just the two planets being made of the same material. Although unknowledgeable about most space matters, Ppnlak at least knew this. He decided not to bring it up with Thur. He was doing a nice favor for Ppnlak, and the alien didn’t want to appear ungrateful.

What species live there? Are they friendly?

"To be honest, I don't know. The Hiacce aren't talked about in our circles."

Which means that they are either sympathizers or not worth the effort.

Thur glanced at Ppnlak with a smile. He chuckled; the low purring sound filled the room. "You've learned a lot."

Ppnlak shrugged and his tentacles mirrored the motion. People don't censor themselves around the janitor. Most of the time they don't even notice me. I don't even know how I angered the captain.

"Well, I was able to notice you, so I wouldn’t call you invisible.”

Considering the situation, that doesn’t comfort me.

“Don’t worry. I'm going to get you out of here. Right now, the Architeuthis is going slow because our maps don't have an accurate read on this part of the galaxy. The escape pod won't work when we're in hyperdrive, so now is our best shot."

Thur yanked another suit off the rack. He held it up to Ppnlak and made an approving sound. He then threw it at Ppnlak and ordered him to put it on. Ppnlak stepped into the spacesuit and shoved all his limbs into the holes. The fit was a little tight, but it would work. 

Ppnlak was unsure about what his future on Vasreimor would look like, however he didn’t have the luxury to complain. If he stayed on the Architeuthis, he would die. If he couldn’t acclimate to Vasreimor, he would die. Either way, his two options pointed to the same outcome. 

I'm ready.

"Good," Thur said, "Let's go to the escape pods. Wait, I'll give you the coordinates before I forget."

Thur handed Ppnlak a paper that contained a string of numbers. Ppnlak was sad to say that he didn’t understand the numbering system used on the Architeuthis, but he could match what he saw with the pictures on the keypad. Suddenly, Thur flinched. Ppnlak quickly turned to face the door in preparation of seeing something. The zenran, Thur's species, had excellent hearing and could sense the vibrations caused by people's movements.

The door slammed open, and a hulking alien was revealed. She had to bend down to enter the room. The imposing figure was none other than their captain. Her uniform was crisp and devoid of wrinkles. She hissed, "What is going on here?"

Thur shrunk behind Ppnlak. His desire to help Ppnlak was eclipsed by his fear of the captain. He stuttered, "N-n-nothing, Captain Karach."

Karach narrowed her eyes, "Who’s that in the spacesuit?"

Ppnlak and Thur glanced at each other. This might just save Ppnlak. Thur said, "It's a new recruit. I was showing them the ropes."

Karach moved closer to the two, towering over them. She eyed Ppnlak and said, "I don't remember adding anyone to the crew recently."

Thur gulped, "Um, um. Well, you. I, um, you see."

Karach leaned closer into Thur's face and gritted, "Spit it out."

Ppnlak cut in, I was part of the Laridae under Captain Colume. You added me to the crew after you raided my ship.

"I see," Karach leaned back, "Don't let me catch you in here again. You have jobs you're meant to be doing. Consider this your first warning, recruit."

Ppnlak and Thur bowed to her and she slithered away. Thur breathed a sigh of relief. He said, "If it wasn't for your quick thinking, we would have been killed right there."

Yes, the captain wouldn’t have hesitated.

"Let's hurry before she changes her mind."

Ppnlak and Thur hurried to the escape pods. Thur entered a passcode to open the door and pushed Ppnlak in. He said, "Do you still have the paper with the coordinates?"

Thur's voice was hard to hear in the pod, but Ppnlak could understand the gist of what he was saying. He replied, Yes, and held up the paper.

"Go to the dashboard in the middle."

Ppnlak walked up and turned on the screen. Gibberish greeted him. Ppnlak was also sad to say that it wasn’t just numbers that vexed him. It was the entire inter-cosmic language. He learned how to speak Common by interacting with the pirates of the crew. They felt it important for him to understand them with minimal effort on their part. The pirates didn’t put the same importance on learning to read.

"There will be an icon that says navigation. Tap on it."

Ppnlak stared at the unfamiliar shapes and symbols. There’s a problem.

"What is it?" 

I don't know how to read. I don't know which icon you're talking about.

"Oh," Thur said. He rubbed his back legs together in thought. "Can you do that freaky mind thing?"

Freaky mind thing?

"Like connecting our minds, so I can push images into your head."

Oh, a channel. Yes, I can do that. Although Ppnlak communicated telepathically, he tried not to enter other alien's minds more than he had to. Privacy was something he valued above all else. He opened a mind channel with Thur, who winced at the feeling. Ppnlak said, Concentrate on the image you want to send to me. The more you visualize it, the clearer the image becomes.

Thur formed the image of the icon in his mind and sent it through the channel. Ppnlak received it and looked back at the screen. He found the now recognizable image and pressed it. A message popped up. 

Thur said, "Once you hit the icon, a message should appear."

I see it.

"Tap on the box to the right." Ppnlak pressed the correct button and another text box appeared. This one had blanks that he could fill in.

"Just type in the numbers you see on the paper I gave you. Do it quickly, though. I hear someone coming," Thur said, nervously looking down the hallway behind them.

I can't read numbers well either, so I'm not sure I can do it quickly.

"They're getting closer," Thur said. "Do it as fast as you can."

Ppnlak started to punch in the numbers, but he was unable to go fast. He had to look down at the paper, look up to find the correct number, and look back down to confirm before he pressed anything. Ppnlak glanced at Thur, and he could tell he was getting frustrated.

You can leave. I don't want you to get in trouble.

"I have to tell you what to do after you put in the coordinates."

Send it through the channel. I promise I'll remember what you show me.

Thur nodded, and sent the images to Ppnlak, who engraved the instructions into his mind. Thur repeated the instructions out loud as well, helping Ppnlak remember it. 

I got it. Go before someone sees you.

"It's too late. They're coming this way."