What Happens Now?
The group was still mostly silent. Melancholic.
Until Cassandra broke the silence.
— Let's talk about the elephant in the room?
— What elephant?
— It's an expression, Harvey!
— Oh… That old-timer phrase, like that piece of trash Smith…
— What?! Ah… Whatever… We need to decide where we're going and what we're going to do.
— She's right. We can't just keep drifting around, and I need to set a course…
H.K. remained seated in his chair, merely spinning around to face the group, who sat slightly apart from each other on the left-side wall of the ship. He noticed Cassandra had opened the center table.
— Let's kill the sons of bitches governing all the countries! Wasn't that the plan?!
— Without a plan, Harvey?
— The plan is to shoot everything! It worked last time…
— Last time only proved that we need to plan something better…
— And what do you suggest, then?!
— Hey! Can you calm the hell down?! I have an idea of where to go. In fact, we're already heading there. You guys know you can't navigate this place without a destination… And before you say anything, I'll change it if needed.
— Alright, then spill it… What's this 'magical' place?
— It's an American planet… And how do I put this… It's the perfect place for us.
— Be direct, H.K.! What system is it in? Does it have a nationality?
— It's in a uni-planet system.
— What could a single-planet system possibly offer us? I didn't even know there were any left nearby…
— Burton… Why are you only speaking up now?
— I speak when necessary…
— Whatever… But yes, it still exists, and it's one of the more isolated planets… Right now, that's exactly what we need. We're completely out of equipment… And there, we can buy some useful things… Weapons, bombs, and some other gear… Even… a ship.
— Alright… I'm already liking this… But how the hell do you know about this place?
— Look, Cass… That's not a question for right now…
"Why the hell did this kid just call me Cass? When did I ever give him that kind of familiarity? Ah… If he does it again…"
"What's wrong with me? Why did I say Cass?"
— I think we should figure out how we're gonna pay for anything… Did you forget we don't have a single cent?!
— That's easy, Stjarna… We sell the ship.
— What?! Have you lost your mind, H.K.?! That's the last thing we can afford to sell…
— Listen, Cassandra, it's simple. We don't need such a big ship. There, we can buy a smaller, faster one!
— Fine… Fine… But if there isn't one, Harvey will vaporize you on the spot.
— I thought we were a team?
— We are, until you or anyone here screws up and drags us down. Revolutionaries don't have time to waste. The world only gets stronger every day…
— Whatever… I'll double-check the course to make sure it's right.
H.K. kept thinking about Cassandra's last words for a while, but he tried to force the thought out of his mind…
...
About fifteen minutes had passed. H.K. had finally double-checked all possible routes again, just to make sure he had picked the right one. When it came to piloting, he had started becoming meticulous. It reminded him of Alfred. The gentleman, the perfectionist who had helped him the most with this annoying part of route-checking.
"Why do I care so much about him? I didn't even know him that well..."
— Cassandra!
— Just spit it out, H.K.!
— You tell me! What are we buying? We need to be precise…
— Didn't you say they'd hardly be looking for us there?
— Yeah, but… I think we should be ready for any surprises… After all, weren't you the one who said revolutionaries don't have time to waste?
She stayed quiet, turning her face away and rolling her eyes out of his sight, pretending to fix her hair.
"Since when did he start talking like this?! This is definitely not the same kid who used to talk way too much…"
— You're persistent, huh? Fine then… We need high-stability plasma pistols; an armed ship; supplies; fire rifles; and a retractable vehicle that fits inside the ship…
...
H.K. was discovering a little more about the control panel. He hadn't had the time to check out the new functions yet. As he started exploring, he noticed several differences from the old Facilis.
In fact, this ship was definitely more advanced and cleaner than the previous one.
The entire panel was slightly tilted downward, stretching across the front of the ship. He pushed the chairs aside with his feet, and the first thing he spotted was a portrait-shaped screen. H.K. smirked slightly.
It was a music-playing system. What made his smile grow even wider—almost mischievous—was the fact that it had an almost infinite database… meaning he could find any kind of song there.
And curiously, at the top of that endless list, the first song was [Come and Get Your Love].
Without hesitation, he tapped the screen with his index finger, and the music began to play.
Ta. Ta. Ta.
He spun his chair around and continued checking the panel. The rest of the group simply ignored him.
Hail! (Hail!)
What's the matter with your head? Yeah
Hail! (Hail!)
What's the matter with your mind and your sign and-?
Oh, oh, oh
He started syncing his lips with the song. Quickly, he pushed off with his feet, rolling the chair as he continued inspecting the panel.
Hail! (Hail!)
Nothing's the matter with your head
Baby, find it
Come on and find it
Hey, with it, baby
'Cause you're fine
And you're mine, and you look so divine
Come and get your love
Come and get your love
Come and get your love
Come and get your love
H.K. felt free. The music brought back memories of his father, a lover of superhero movies…
"Wait… where do I know this song from?"
Hail! (Hail!)
What's the matter with you feel right?
Don't you feel right, bab...
...
...
A long time had passed, and they were finally approaching the lonely planet…
— Guys, we just have two more intervals to go. But it'll take a while.
Harvey was stretched out on the right-side seats, sleeping.
— SHUT THE HELL UP!
H.K. stayed quiet. He had become more cautious with his words in recent days.
"I think I'm going crazy… He's unbearable!"
He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, resting his feet on a smooth section between the middle and the right side of the panel.
"Maybe I should sleep… It'll be a while before we reach the next interval… I need some rest. And the autopilot on this ship is way better than the old one."
Slowly, he closed his eyelids, sighing again, feeling a faint bubbling in his stomach. It had been four days since they had eaten properly. Sure, humans of this era had adapted to a greater scarcity of food, so their bodies could go much longer without eating. But even so, hunger could still creep up unexpectedly.
As he slowly drifted into sleep, his mind returned to that phrase…
"Find peace in the c..."