A few hours later and I’m practically blind. I’ve seen no one else come into the bar but the number of patrons have somehow quadrupled. Lance and Shauna certainly weren’t drinking as much as me but they were far from sober. Maybe if I go to sleep I’ll wake up from this nightmare. “Heyyyy… I’m gonna,” I squint at the various shapes to my left trying to guess which ones were my friends. “I’m gonna gooo. Peace.”

Stumbling off my seat, I weave through the group, grabbing at any shoulder or high top that can support me. Reaching the bright light where I was pretty sure the exit was, I stepped out into the hallway. Much to my dismay, I feel a small prick in my left wrist and my vision starts to clear. “Oh for fuck’s sake! RIN, what is this?”

The computer’s voice echoes inside my brain once again. “As Captain, it is required that your mind stays clear for any decisions that must be made. Thus, whenever your vitals show that you are intoxicated, I am required to inject you with a special mixture that removes your inebriated state.” First, they make me Captain. Now, they won’t even let me get drunk. How could this possibly get worse?

“Oh, hi Clark.” Oh, that’s how. Brenda struts up to me with a small black case in hand. “How’d your meeting go? Do you know who our new Captain is going to be?” She sounds genuinely intrigued, which only makes me sicker.

“It went terribly. I’m the new Captain. What’s in the case?” If I’m gonna have to talk to her, I’d rather it not be about my new position.

“This is the replacement terra-pulser I ordered. I know you said to take the day off and get the supplies tomorrow but… you know I get anxious about this kind of thing.” She has a half smile that she’s pointed towards the floor. Her hair on one side has fallen in front of her, draping in front of her face. She’s always looked cute when she’s embarrassed like this. I can’t help but smile a little bit. “Wait, did you say you’re our new Captain?” She looks back up to me with a gentle concern. “I know how you feel about being a Captain, are you gonna be alright with this?”

Even though I’ve been cruel and dismissive since we split, she still worries about me. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t worry about her sometimes too. Suddenly, I feel a desperate urge to rub the back of my neck. “I honestly have no clue. It’s gonna be hard, that’s for sure. Fuck, I really don’t want to do this. I’m not fit for this.” It’s hitting me all over again. The fear of all those lives in my hands. The weight of the decisions I’ll have to make. The inability to ever stay drunk for the next several years. My mind is racing and nothing is clear anymore.

“Clark,” and her voice cuts through it all. She places a gentle hand on my arm, “I know you can do this. I saw how you acted on the bridge today; you’re a natural. You’ve got this.” Her smile is as soft as a cloud, her eyes brighter than a supernova.

“Thanks, that really helped. I’m gonna go to my quarters and hopefully I’ll feel better about all this tomorrow morning. Good night.” I turn away and start walking towards the gangway.

Reaching my quarters, I’m greeted by my door refusing to open. “RIN, open the door,” I command the air around me hoping that the system hasn’t just died.

The panel beside the door responds back to me, “I’m sorry, Captain. But I cannot do that. This is not your living quarters.” Not my living quarters? Maybe RIN has shit itself.

“What do you mean ‘not my living quarters?’ It’s ID’ed to me, has my things in it, and has been where I’ve slept for, nearly, the past month.” I stand, staring at the panel as if my gaze can somehow intimidate the system into letting me back in.

“Yes, Captain. However, this is the First Officer’s quarters. You’ve been reassigned to the the Captain’s quarters.”

“Can I at least get all of my things? Or does all of that belong to the new First Officer?” I’m yelling at a glorified keypad.

“I’ve already taken the liberty of transporting your things to your new living quarters, Captain.” Transported my things? It can’t just do that! I have my things in a very particular order! My games and movies are all very carefully organized and I like all my clothes in their particular spots.

“What about all of Rock’s shit?”

“The late Captain Taggart’s belongings have all been packed and taken away by Corps personnel to be shipped to his family.” Oh, that’s actually really sad. I suddenly feel bad for being so angry.

“W-well whatever. If anything is out of place when I get to this new place!”

“I assure you, Captain, it is all as you would like it.” It better be… I give one last glare to the panel and walk off towards the Captain’s living quarters. Once there, the door slides open, just as expected.

The room is massive. A similar desk is placed in front of the entrance, but this time a bartop and cabinets is along the right wall. Where there was once just a couch, there’s now a large leather couch, loveseat and two arm chairs. The wall that would’ve held my television is now an inset bookshelf from the ceiling. Sure enough, all I’ve my games, movies, box sets, etc. (and even stuff from my storage that I didn’t have room for in the old room) are all organized on the bookshelf, just how I want them. The television is on the wall that used to have just the small wet bar. It’s significantly larger than my old one too. Going into the bedroom, the bed is massive! A California king sits against the far wall and yet there’s still floor space for another plush armchair and ottoman, side tables and a standing lamp. Another television is mounted to the wall across from the bed and another inset bookshelf is on the next to the armchair. The master bathroom has a standing shower with a shower head with an extreme amount of settings. Next to that is a whirlpool tub with another small TV next to it. The toilet has an array of buttons and functions next to it and there are two sinks (those were just sinks). Inside the bathroom, a door leads to a walk in closet the size of one of the normal crew’s living quarters. All of my clothes are hung and sorted in my particular style and all my dirty clothes are in the hamper just as I left them. I can’t believe this room.

As if it’d wake me up from some dream, I walk back out of my new abode to see if the door will still open for me. Standing in disbelief at the still open door, my silence is broken by a familiar, soft voice. “U-um… Sir? Isn’t that the Captain’s room?” Blinking myself back to reality, I turn to see Yuki standing off to my left. She’s out of her uniform. Her hair is draped lazily on both sides of her face and she’s looking at me with these big brown eyes that could melt an ice cap. She’s wearing a pink sweatshirt that seems to be two sizes too big for her, it has a cute graphic of a cat on the center that just matches her already cute demeanor. If she’s wearing any shorts, the sweatshirt has eaten them up. She’s walking around in fuzzy pink slippers that match her giant sweater. If you told me she’d sleep walked here just out of bed, I’d easily believe you. “Sir?”

I snap back to reality a second time and look in her eyes. “Oh! Sorry, I was just admiring how cute your outfit is. You look really cozy.” She blushes and puts her sleeve covered hand to her mouth. “Yes, this is the Captain’s quarters. Well, I guess now they’re my quarters…” I stare at the open door with contemplative worry.

“You’re the new Captain?” Surprisingly, her eyes light up and her smile radiates an innocent joy. “That’s amazing! I’m so happy!... F-for you, that is.” Her eyes drift back away and point to where the wall meets the floor.

“Haha,” she instantly puts a smile on my face, “Thank you. You wanna see the room? It’s really big!” She looks back with even more excitement and joy. We spend an hour exploring all the nooks and crannies of my new home, talking about the ship, the crew, and my bookshelf of games, movies, etc. It turns out that Yuki has a good taste in media. I told her to come back another day while we’re docked so we could watch some things and chat. But for right now, I needed to try and sleep my new position off.