The three of them huddled beneath the railing of the Celestial Pearl, their backs pressed against the cold metal, their voices dropping to frantic whispers. Donna's platinum-blonde hair was a disaster of tangles and sea spray, her pink baby tee clinging to her skin like a second layer of panic. Jeny's zebra-print dress was torn across the shoulder, and her six-inch heels had somehow survived the crash but were now caked in something that might have been engine fluid or might have been something worse. Chad sat between them, his oversized white turtleneck splattered with grease, his pale blue eyes darting back and forth as if expecting an attack at any moment.
"Okay, okay, okay," Donna whispered, her voice trembling. "We need a plan. Like, a real plan. Not a 'let's panic and scream' plan. A plan that actually works."
Jeny nodded frantically, her dark brown eyes wide with terror. "Yes! A plan! Chad, you're the smart one. What's the plan? What do we do?"
Chad's face contorted with panic. "Me? Why me? Why is it always me? I didn't ask to be the smart one! I didn't ask to be in charge! This isn't fair! This isn't fair at all!"
Donna grabbed his shoulders, her nails digging into his turtleneck. "CHAD! FOCUS! We need to figure out how to get out of here!"
Chad took a shuddering breath, his eyes darting around the deck. "Okay, okay, okay—so, like, we could—we could—" He paused, his brow furrowing. "We could pretend to be dead. Like, play dead. And then when they come to check on us, we—we—"
"Run away?" Jeny suggested, her voice hopeful.
"Run away!" Chad confirmed, nodding frantically. "Yes! We run away! We find a hiding spot! We wait for them to leave! And then—"
"And then what?" Donna interrupted, her voice rising with panic. "We're in the middle of nowhere! On a planet! With water! And—and—and we don't even know where we are!"
Jeny's eyes went wide. "Oh my god, we don't even know where we are. We could be anywhere. Anywhere at all. What if we're in the middle of—of—of a monster ocean? What if there are sea monsters? What if there are—"
"JENY!" Donna shrieked. "STOP MAKING IT WORSE!"
"I'm not making it worse! I'm just—I'm just stating facts! Facts are important! We need to know the facts!"
Chad's voice rose to a desperate pitch. "The fact is we're going to die! We're going to die here! On this—this—this water planet! With all this water! And—and—and I didn't even get to finish my snacks!"
Donna grabbed him by the collar, her face inches from his. "CHAD! PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER! We are Palmerseas! We don't give up! We—we—we fight!"
"How do we fight?" Chad shrieked. "We don't have weapons! We don't have training! We don't have anything!"
Jeny's eyes lit up. "Wait! Wait, wait, wait! I have an idea! What if—what if we pretend to be really, really important? Like, super important! Like, diplomats or something! We could say we're ambassadors from the Bafana Nebula! And if they hurt us, there will be—there will be—"
"Consequences?" Donna offered.
"Yes! Consequences! Big consequences! Galactic consequences!"
Chad's face twisted with doubt. "Do you really think that's going to work? They don't even know what the Bafana Nebula is! They're—they're—they're planet people! They've never been to space!"
Donna's voice cracked with desperation. "Then we make them think we're important! We—we—we act important! We act like we belong here! We—"
"Like that's going to work," Chad muttered. "We're covered in grease and seawater and we look like we just fell out of a washing machine."
Jeny's face fell. "Oh. Yeah. That's true. We do look terrible. My hair is a disaster. I haven't even reapplied my lipstick."
Donna grabbed her compact mirror, checking her reflection with a gasp. "Oh my god, I look like a mess. This is literally the worst day of my life."
Jeny nodded. "Worst day ever. And I've had some pretty bad days. Like that time my father made me attend a business dinner. That was terrible. But this? This is worse. This is so much worse."
Chad's voice was barely a whisper. "We're going to die here. On this planet. With all this water. And I didn't even get to say goodbye to my gaming console."
Donna slapped him. "CHAD! STOP BEING DRAMATIC!"
"I'm not being dramatic! I'm being realistic! There's a difference!"
---
The hatch of the Dreadnought Thalassa flew open, and Bianca Yvonne Clark burst onto the deck like a woman possessed. Her waist-length black hair was escaping from its messy bun in wild tendrils, and her magnifying goggles were pushed up on her forehead. Her grease-stained overalls were worn open over a floral blouse, and her calloused hands were covered in what looked like fresh engine fluid. She skidded to a halt, her eyes scanning the chaos before landing on the sleek, black vessel floating beside them.
"Like, for real?" Bianca breathed, her voice filled with awe. "For real, for real?"
Charlie Leonard Wooley followed close behind, his vintage pith helmet perched perfectly on his head despite the wind. His crisp khaki shirt and shorts were immaculate, and his overloaded cargo vest bulged with scrolls and notebooks. He adjusted his round wire-framed glasses, his voice carrying that precise, scholarly tone that made everything sound like an academic observation.
"Ahem! I must say, this is an extraordinary development. A vessel of clearly non-terrestrial origin, appearing through a spatial anomaly. The anthropological implications are—"
Vesta beamed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her rainbow hair shimmered in the sunlight, and she pointed a thumb over her shoulder toward the Celestial Pearl. "Hey guys! Look! We made new friends!"
Bianca's face lit up like a child on Christmas morning. She rushed past the group, her boots pounding against the deck as she made a beeline for the gangplank—which was now bridging the two vessels.
Marya, Atlas, Bō-Zak, Kaburo, Jannali, and Aurélie all watched from the deck of the submarine, their expressions ranging from amusement to exasperation.
"She's going to fall," Marya observed, her voice flat.
Atlas's ears twitched forward, his blue eyes gleaming with amusement. "Should we stop her?"
"Nah, let her fall," Jannali replied, her voice dry. "She will fall happy."
Bianca skidded to a halt at the edge of the deck, her hands gripping the railing as she stared at the plank connecting the two vessels. She looked down at the water, then back at the Celestial Pearl, then down at the water again.
"Like, okay," she muttered. "Okay, okay, okay. I can do this. I can like totally do this."
She took her first step, eyes focused on the Celestial Pearl, tongue sticking out the side of her mouth she made a run for it.
Her boots caught the edge of the Celestial Pearl's deck, and she tumbled forward, rolling across the gleaming surface before coming to a stop in a heap of tangled limbs and greasy overalls. She pushed herself up, her face beaming with triumph.
"LIKE, YES! I DID IT!"
Charlie cleared his throat, adjusting his pith helmet. "I think I shall go and assist. They could offer some insights into their anthropological origins. The cultural implications of a space-faring civilization are—"
Bō-Zak clapped him on the back, nearly sending him stumbling forward. "Sure, kid. I'll go and help. I like anthropology."
Jannali rolled her eyes so hard it was a miracle they stayed in their sockets. "Yeah, nah, mate. I'm not going to let you over there unsupervised."
Bō-Zak looked over his shoulder as he stepped onto the gangplank his smirk firmly in place. His voice dripped with mock offense. "I don't think I like what you're insinuating. I am here for support. Pure, innocent support."
"Ah huh," Jannali replied, falling into step with him. "Sure, mate. Pure support."
Vesta giggled, falling into step behind them. "I want to see the ship! I bet it's so cool! Like, space cool! Do you think they have space music? I bet they have space music!"
The hatch of the submarine flew open again, and Sanza Kaplan Figarland burst onto the deck, his red hair a wild mess of tangles. He struck a pose, his arms crossed, his heavy eyebrows drawn down in what he clearly thought was an intimidating expression. His bamboo practice sword was tucked into his belt, and his Gundam-style graphic tee was wrinkled from sleep.
Behind him, Eliane Anđel scrambled onto the deck, her silver hair tied back in a practical braid, her chef's jacket smudged with flour. Her blue eyes were wide with excitement, and her small hands were clasped together in anticipation.
Jelly "Giggles" Squish bounced between them, his translucent blue body rippling with each bounce. His massive starry eyes were wide with delight, and his permanent toothy grin stretched across his face. His tiny red bandana fluttered in the breeze, and his seaweed belt bounced with each movement.
"Bloop!" Jelly giggled. "Space friends! We have space friends! This is the best day ever!"
Eliane nodded, her voice breathless with excitement. "We heard there's a spaceship! Like, a real spaceship! From space! Can we see it? Please?"
Sanza attempted to look cool and unimpressed, his voice carrying that high-crust posh accent that made everything sound like a royal decree. "We thought we would come and see what we could do to help. As the future Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights, it is my duty to—"
Jannali waved from the gangplank, her voice carrying across the water. "Come on, kids! We're going to check it out!"
Sanza's facade cracked, and he scrambled after her, his small legs pumping. "Wait for me! I demand to be included! I am the future—"
"Future Supreme Commander, yeah, yeah, we know," Atlas called out, his voice dry. "Get in line, kid."
Kaburo announced his departure with a flat, emotionless voice. "I'm going back inside."
Atlas glanced at Marya, his blue eyes gleaming with amusement. "What do you say, boss? Want to check out the spaceship?"
Marya's smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Yeah."
Atlas chuckled as they made their way across the gangplank, his rust-red fur bristling with excitement. "This is going to be interesting."
Galit Varuna stepped through the hatch of the submarine, his long neck held in that loose S-curve that allowed him to survey the entire scene without moving his body. His sharp emerald eyes darted across the Celestial Pearl's gleaming hull, cataloging every detail. His tactical slate was tucked under his arm.
Aurélie raised a brow, her steel-gray eyes fixed on him. "And where do you think you're going?"
Galit cleared his throat, his voice carrying that sharp, intelligent edge. "There could be a security threat. I should really—"
Aurélie's lips curved into something that was not quite a smile. "Of course. I will accompany you."
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