The Time Travel memoirs: Lost And So Alone

“Now guys, we don’t have the artificial intelligence computer anymore, so you know what that means.” Lloyd shrugged, “means we will find it hard to get some information, it’ll be fine captain, and we’ll just have to work harder.” I shook my head. “Ah, we used to print currency off the Majestic’s computer” said Susie. I nodded, she was right; we were going to have to work for the money if we wanted to pay for food and fuel. Zach sighed, “Come on captain, honest work, honest work sucks.” I looked at Zach and grinned. “No one said it has to be honest work.” Zach nodded slowly, “I hear you captain, we work to keep this bird in the sky.”

My crew understood what we needed to scrape currency to run the ship. We would need to take jobs no matter how dirty they were, we would have to take them because the money offered would be substantial enough to run the Revelation. I hadn’t dropped my bombshell yet though.
Lloyd’s brow wrinkled, “there’s something you want to tell us, isn’t there sir?” I sat down in the living room on one of the new comfortable fabric chairs. “Yeah, there is.” I took out the page I had ripped out of the journal of Beelzebub. “I ripped this out of Lucifer’s journal as you all know. This page holds the names of the most powerful species and rulers in the entire universe so we are in the know.”

“What’s the point in that Georgie?” Susie asked.
I placed the page down on the coffee table in the middle of the room, the table the chairs surrounded. I pointed to a name and my crew crowded closer to look at where I was pointing. “Wow boss, Pandora, I’ve heard that before.” “Yeah Zach, Pandora’s box, it’s written all over the universe, this chick wanted to get herself known and she is not a myth, she is real and so is her damn box.” “Something you’re not telling us Georgie?” Susie asked. “Yeah, she’s our client” I said scratching my head nervously. Lloyd sprang up fast. “Sir, you didn’t accept?” My eyebrows sprang up as fast as Lloyd did.

“Of course I accepted Lloyd, its work, its money.” Lloyd shook his head and sat back down on his chair with his arms folded. “I just think it’s going to be a risky business sir.” I began to laugh, “A year ago, you marched into hell with me and helped me disintegrate Beelzebub’s forces, whilst I killed him. You think this job is risky?” I saw the change of Lloyd’s face almost immediately; he broke out into heavy laughter and didn’t stop for at least five minutes.
***
Pandora had contacts everywhere. She had got a message to David the mechanic and he had silently slipped me the note whilst we spent the week building the Revelation. Pandora informed me in the letter that she was in a jail cell on a planet named Paramorphosis. Paramorphosis was a planet renown for its jails. She hadn’t shared the details but the letter told me that she wanted to meet me in person. I was to visit Paramorphosis with my crew and decide then whether I definitely wanted to take the job.
But that’s a story for later.

For now was a pressing matter of sorrow and thanks. I stood in the rain next to Lloyd and Susie. Planet Rah was honouring its dead; I had chosen to turn up, it seemed only right. I stood listening to the words of the high combat. Lloyd had bought me a black suit for this day. I hated suits, I loved my new trench coat but I had of course been forced to leave it on the Revelation. “As we lower the bodies of our brothers into the ground, I ask you to lower your heads and pray for their immortal souls to ascend into heaven and into the afterlife.” A group of armoured Spartans tuned to their rights in unison and each fired a shot from their rifles into the air, as a sign of respect.

We shook hands with the high combat and I gave him my personal thanks and my apologies that so many men were lost that day. We had fitted the new pocket watch onto the Revelation so the ship would be capable of time travel. I was grateful for this, I had missed the funeral so I felt glad I could return and attend. The funeral was held when I was in hospital, the high combat wouldn’t have minded me missing it, but I thought it seemed wrong not to honour the dead, especially as it was my fault they were dead. “Are you sure you won’t stay for some refreshments George?” I shook my head reluctantly, “sorry sir, I’d love to but I’ve left Zach at the controls of the Revelation.” “I don’t know this Zach, is he a part of your crew?” I nodded, “yes he is, he used to have a ponytail.” The high combat raised his eyebrows, “young people today have very little taste.” I shook his hand tightly, “amen to that sir.”

The Revelation flew the same way a harrier jet did. It used the VTOL system, that’s vertical take off and landing aircraft. The thrusters could turn to face downward to land graciously and to fly they pointed backwards, simple really. The VTOL system was also handy for quick space manoeuvres, which would be handy in a space fire fight. The revelation also had laser cannons, whereas the Majestic was unarmed, it was lucky we had never gotten into a Major space fight.

Over a year later word was spread that the people of the ship; The Revelation, were reliable and could be hired to do the jobs that law abiding citizens would class as risky or illegal. My crew would never object to our new line of work. We would kill a person if we were hired to, but the reason would have to be just for an assassination and the fee was double. A lot of our money was earned my salvage operations, ships broke down in space more than you would think, and sometimes we would find the horrible ones. This was when the crew had simply died if they were starved of oxygen or if they froze to death. Honest jobs came simple enough to folks like us, don’t get us wrong. Yes we were technically criminals, but we pulled legal transport jobs too. Honestly.

Now you know my story. I spent my early life miserable as hell; I suppose that was my fault really. I never saw fit the need to get on with other people. Everyone was so different though, my crew were my family because I respected and loved them each differently and of course in different ways. My crew were brave; they would always be there for me and for the Revelation.

But was there still something wrong, did I still feel like a recluse? Was I the lone wolf? I walked through the corridors of the Revelation for a drink of water. The lights were still on in the living room. I entered the room and the whole crew were sitting around the table and Lloyd was shuffling a deck of cards. “Are you up for a game of Blackjack sir? If we win Zach has to do the washing up for a whole week.” Zach laughed nervously. I smiled at my crew and joined them, it was then I knew, I was lone wolf no more. I was wanted and needed. Through the bad times everyone in this room had stuck close, through the good times too. I was glad to say there were more of those. The whole crew looked at me waiting for my response. I smiled cockily and laid down a twenty and an ace. “Blackjack.”
The sound of laughter and booing filled my ship once more. I sat and spent the night with my family.