Zach III, Chapter 5 Zach's fingers danced over the cold metal clasps with practiced ease, each click and snap echoing through the cargo bay like a symphony of security. Around him, the crates—sturdy as the walls of a fortress—stood tall, their contents more precious than any treasure. He tugged at the tie-downs, his black eyes reflecting a galaxy of stars in their depths, ensuring that nothing would shift during transit. The sensitive equipment inside was the heart of his future gaming dome, and he was its steadfast guardian. "Everything's snug as a space bug in a rug," Zach murmured to himself, a half-smile playing on his lips. His father always said preparation paid off in space—a lesson Zach had taken to heart. "Hey, Zachariah." Marcus’ voice cut through the hum of the ship, as steady and reassuring as the hum of the engines. The man approached with a slow gait, his head bowed, not just in deference but in a shadow of regret. "Marcus," Zach acknowledged without turning, recognizing the heavy footsteps of his ally. "What's up?" "Listen, I—" Marcus hesitated, scratching the back of his neck. "I just wanted to say thanks, you know, for pulling our butts out of the fire back there." "Anytime," Zach replied, finally facing him with a grin. "It’s what we do, right? Pulling butts out of fires." "Still," Marcus continued, "I'm sorry we couldn't get the whole dome. I know that was the plan." Zach shrugged, his young face betraying none of the concern that gnawed at his thoughts. "Plans change. We adapt. That's how the game is played." He patted one of the crates affectionately. "Besides, I didn’t really need the dome, I just needed the tech inside." Marcus offered a small, appreciative nod. "You're a lot like your dad, you know that? Adventurous, brave..." "Reckless?" Zach supplied with a wry twist of his mouth. "Resourceful," Marcus corrected, a smile breaking through. "Just don’t let it get to your head." "Too late," Zach quipped, his laughter bouncing off the walls, mingling with the ever-present hum of the spaceship. He turned back to the crates, double-checking a final strap with a satisfied nod. "So, you already have a dome, or you’re building one?" Marcus clasped his hands together nervously. Zach's reply was lost in the sudden roar of engines, as if the very ship shared in his excitement, propelling him towards the next chapter of his cosmic journey. "Come on," Zach said, a spark igniting within his black eyes. "I’ll show you." With a swift motion, he beckoned Marcus to follow. The two made their way through the narrow corridors of the ship, the hum of machinery a whisper beneath their boots. As they entered the observation deck, an expanse of stars greeted them, a cosmic ballet of light against the darkness. Zach leaned forward, hands pressed against the cool glass, his gaze fixed on the void outside. "My dad and I are actually salvage pilots," he began, voice steady and sure. "And we found the greatest derelict of all time." He paused, letting the suspense hang in the air like the distant nebulas that dotted their view. Marcus, ever the patient listener, crossed his arms and raised a questioning eyebrow. "And what would that be?" "An opportunity," Zach said, turning to face him with the eagerness of a gamer on the cusp of a new level. "The Agro Farming Corporation left behind more than just soil samples when they bailed." "Left behind what?" Marcus asked, curiosity piqued. "An abandoned colony agro-dome," Zach revealed, his words painting the picture as if pulling up an image from a game's loading screen. "They called it quits after the hyper-drive went kaput. Didn't even try to salvage the tech." "Abandoned?" Marcus echoed, the word settling into the space between them, heavy with implications. "Yep, completely deserted," Zach confirmed, nodding with a sense of pride as if he had personally discovered the relic. "All that tech, sitting there, ripe for the taking. It's our next quest, Marcus. Our very own treasure hunt." "Treasure hunt in space," Marcus mused, the corners of his lips twitching in amusement. "You have quite the knack for turning mishaps into adventures, Zachariah." "Zach," he corrected automatically, though the glint in his eye showed he didn't mind the full name. "That’s what a salvage pilot is–a treasure hunter, and we scored big." Marcus shook his head, a chuckle escaping him. "Only you could make space salvaging sound like the next hot game release." "Oh, that’s a great idea," Zach said, his enthusiasm undimmed. "A game called Salvage Pilot, or maybe Treasure Hunt." Zach suddenly pointed. “There it is, once we get that hyper-drive humming again," Zach began, drumming his fingers on the cold metal railing, "we'll steer Ocean Odyssey straight to Ares." Marcus let out an impressed whistle between his teeth. “Would you look at that, a Phoenix Geodesic Agro-Dome, third generation I think,” Marcus arched an eyebrow, leaning in. “They built those things like a fortress. It can take a direct nuke strike and you’d barely feel it–brilliant engineering. Ocean Odyssey, huh?” "Yep, that's what I'm calling her," Zach declared, the name rolling off his tongue like a promise. "Imagine it, Marcus: our very own gaming dome, riding the waves on Ares. It'll be the first of its kind!" "Riding the waves?" Marcus repeated slowly, skepticism etching lines on his forehead. "You mean to land it... in the ocean?" "They were built for land and ocean colonies, right?!" Zach said, his grin spreading contagiously. "Yes, they were, but an ocean landing requires some preparations before re-entry, and even then, there’s some risks." Marcus’ words hung between them, each syllable heavy with caution. "An ocean landing with a ship that big, and at hyper-speed, is going to cause a tsunami, Zach. But, I might be able to mitigate some of the damage to the coastal regions.” "So, you can fix the hyper-drive?" Zach asked. “No. They had hyper-drive engineers on board, and if they couldn’t fix it, it’s broken and there’s nothing you can do to change that. However, hyper-space travel was very new technology twenty-five years ago, we’ve learned a bit since then. Stop thinking two-dimensionally, you were born in space, weren’t you? You should know better. There’s no up or down. Imagine that behemoth upside down. We land this cargo ship on its belly, weld some quick release tow struts in place, and then I adjust this ship’s hyper-space bubble to enclose the dome with us, and off we go.” “How do we land it?” Zach asked. Marcus ran a hand through his hair. “A breaking maneuver around the sun, but the dome will still hit the ocean like a killer asteroid. Remember, for water landings, those domes were intended for water worlds with few or no land masses, and certainly no people on the planet yet.” Zach shook his head. “There has to be a way.” Marcus took a breath. “We could do a zero-movement hyperspace jump, but that’s a really new technique and the calculations are insane. One mistake and we’d crack your planet in half. So far, it’s only been done in the safety of space.” Zach nodded enthusiastically. “We’ll do that.” “You’ll need a theoretical mathematician, and a really good one,” Marcus said. “Easy peasy, I know just where to find one,” Zach replied. “Come on, let’s get ready, we’re almost close enough to go over and see our new game dome.” Marcus stared out into the abyss, pondering the audacity of the idea. Despite his reservations, the infectious optimism emanating from the young adventurer was hard to resist. Zach's confidence, it seemed, knew no bounds, much like the vast expanse of space that surrounded them. *** "Prepping the shuttle could take a bit," Zach mused aloud, tapping a code into the hangar's security panel. The door slid open with a whisper, revealing the shuttle, its sleek hull gleaming under the overhead lights like a promise. "Or not," Marcus chuckled, his eyes skimming over the readied vessel. "You run a tight ship, Hunter." "I should be flying this cargo ship," Zach quipped back, stepping inside the shuttle. “I’ve flown a luxury liner, and a water tanker, but dad says this ship is too big and requires a different kind of pilot. So, until I get licensed, I’m stuck on shuttle duty.” He moved through the pre-flight checklist with practiced ease, fingers dancing over the controls. Screens lit up, engines hummed to life, and the heart of the craft began to beat. "Strap in," Zach instructed, his voice steady even as anticipation sang through his veins. "It's going to be a bumpy ride." He flashed a quick smile at Marcus before securing his own harness, the click echoing in the compact space. "Wouldn't have it any other way," Marcus replied, his smile hidden behind the harness but evident in his voice. With a lurch, they detached from the mothership, the shuttle pirouetting gracefully away from their temporary haven. Through the viewports, the asteroid belt loomed, a maze of rock and ice that spun lazily in the void. "Shuttle One setting course for the dome," Zach announced, hands expertly guiding the shuttle's trajectory. Asteroids slipped by, close enough to reveal their pockmarked surfaces, distant enough to pose no threat. “Careful out there, son, we don’t know if the dome sustained damage in the last twenty-five years,” said the voice of Captain Hunter over the comm link. “I’ll treat it like any other new derelict,” Zach replied. “Shuttle One, out.” "Ever piloted through an asteroid field before?" Marcus asked, eyeing the debris field with a mixture of respect and trepidation. "I’ve been fighting pirate ships inside asteroid belts since I was little and had to sit on a pile of books to reach the controls," Zach replied. “I heard you were a true space rat,” Marcus replied. “A title I accept with honor,” Zach replied with a flip of his head. “I didn’t even know what gravity was until I was four. The first time dad took me to Ceres, I thought he was playing a joke on me, because it was like I was glued to the ground.” “I’m surprised you had any bone density,” Marcus noted. “You don’t spend a lot of time in space, do you?” Zach replied. “We have to take special pills that taste nasty, but it makes sure we don’t have any bone loss. I was just as strong as any other boy when I started school, thanks to dad forcing those pills down my throat.” The shuttle weaved between the celestial bodies, each maneuver precise and fluid. Zach's confidence was infectious, and soon Marcus found himself relaxing into the rhythm of their dance through the stars. "Approaching target," Zach called out as the abandoned colony dome came into view, larger now, its silent bulk casting a shadow against the backdrop of space. "Let's hope she's worth the trip," Marcus murmured, peering out at their destination. Zach didn't answer, his focus narrowed to the dome before them. It stood like a forgotten monument, a testament to ambition—and now, a canvas for new dreams. "Prepare for docking," Zach instructed. Together, they would embark on a mission to breathe life into a ghost, to transform isolation into a hub of laughter and play. The game dome beckoned, and Zach Hunter, son of Captain Thomas Hunter, was ready to claim it. The air in the shuttle grew tangibly cooler as Zach and Marcus slipped into their spacesuits, the fabric hugging their forms like a second skin. Zach's fingers danced over the seals with practiced ease, ensuring not an inch was left vulnerable to the void outside. He could feel the anticipation buzzing through his veins, a live wire sparking with every breath he drew. "Remember, slow and steady on the mag-boots," Zach reminded Marcus, his voice crackling over the comm-link, a playful edge to his tone. "We wouldn't want you pirouetting off into space." "Your concern is touching," Marcus replied, the sarcasm in his voice floating as clearly as if there were no helmets between them. "But I think I can manage a walk without turning it into a dance." "Good," Zach said, a grin pulling at his lips, invisible beneath his helmet. "Because it’s showtime." "Let's find out what this ghost ship has to offer," Marcus answered, his voice steady despite the fluttering in his chest. With a nod, Zach punched the release. The hatch sighed open, revealing the shadowed maw of the dome's entrance. Holding a portable battery pack and cables, Zach propelled himself forward, his body buoyant in the absence of gravity. Each movement was a leap of faith, each push a declaration of intent. He floated through the boundary between worlds, his reflection fleeting in the polished surface of the dome's interior. The silence of space pressed against him, a vast emptiness that filled his ears with the sound of his own heartbeat. As his boots found purchase on the dome's exterior, a jolt of exhilaration shot through him. This was it—the first step of many in a venture that would carve their names across the stars. "Welcome to potential," Zach whispered, gazing at the expanse before them. This was more than steel and circuits; it was a dream made manifest, a vessel for visions yet unplayed. "This is harder than I thought," Marcus said, joining Zach on the surface, his voice laced with the edge of panic. "Keep your eyes on your boots, don’t look into the beast’s eyes," Zach quipped, already bounding ahead, his eyes alight with visions of gamers locked in digital combat beneath these very stars. The abandoned colony dome may have been silent now, but Zach Hunter, the brave and reckless, would see it echo with the sounds of joy and rivalry. “Beast? What beast, is something out here?” Marcus replied, the panic in his voice growing. “No, no… there’s nothing out here, no monsters, it’s just a saying,” Zach reassured him. “We call the void, the eyes of the beast.” “Are you sure… this is…” “Stop walking, look at your boots, I’m calling it, you’re going back in the shuttle,” Zach said, recognizing the warning sounds and his voice taking on the tone of command. Zach sat the portable battery down and hurried back to Marcus. Experience told him that in another thirty seconds at best, Marcus was going to panic. He reached Marcus and pressed his helmet against his. Marcus’ eyes were wide with terror. “Take one step back, I’m here… that’s it… now another… good, you’re doing good… we’re almost back to the shuttle… that’s it… now step up… good… you’re in the airlock.” Zach slapped the control panel to close the outer door. “That’s it, we’re inside.” “I’m… sorry… I thought I could do it,” Marcus stuttered as he hyper-ventilated. “Slow you’re breathing down, or you’ll pass out.” Marcus slowly got his breathing under control, and his pale face returned to normal. “You’ve never space walked before, have you?” Zach asked. Marcus shook his head. “No, but it looked so easy.” “It takes training, and time, and more training. I’m sorry, I should have realized you didn’t have any experience when you asked about the bone density pills,” Zach said. “I have to go open the shuttle doors manually, then I’ll come back and fly us inside. You’ll be fine once we’re inside the dome.” *** Zach propelled himself forward, the arc of his trajectory bringing him to the colossal dome's side entrance. His black eyes, wide with wonder beneath the helmets glare, drank in the sight of this once-thriving ecosystem. The dome's skin was a patchwork of transparent and opaque panels, each reflecting a different shard of the universe around them. "Whoa," he breathed into the comms, his voice a beacon of awe in the hush of space. "It's like a giant snow globe forgot its snow." "Or it traded white fluff for star dust," Marcus replied over the comm link, the chuckle indicating his harrowing escape from the infinite space forgotten. “Hey, you coming back to get me?” “On my way,” Zach replied. “These doors were bigger than the derelicts I usually break into and took longer than I expected–drained my whole battery too, I hope we don’t have any other doors that need opened.” Zach returned to the shuttle, and together they flew into the dome. His gaze traced the skeletal framework, an intricate dance of metal and silence. Vines, brittle and ghostly, clung to the panels like the last whispers of green, reaching toward a sun they could no longer feel. Dust swirled in lazy eddies where air currents had once flowed, painting abstract frescoes across the dome's interior landscape. He maneuvered closer to the central cluster of buildings. Here was potential, untamed and wild. It was not just a place, but a canvas for creation, ready to be reimagined into a gaming paradise. The dome stretched vast above him, a testament to ambition and dreams that matched his own—dreams now tethered to the very fabric of this abandoned world. "Imagine, Marcus," Zach said, his thoughts spilling out with each word, "players duking it out in zero-G arenas right here, where these vines are sleeping. We'll have them wake up to cheer on the champions!" "Sounds like we'll need to clear some space for the leaderboards," Marcus quipped, his humor a counterpoint to the grandeur of their surroundings. Grinning, Zach continued to explore, revealing more secrets of the dome. Solar arrays lay dormant, their surfaces dulled by cosmic dust, yearning for a touch that would bring power surging through their veins once more. Hydroponic bays stood empty, the memory of harvests past lingering in the stale air. Together, they navigated the cavernous expanse, each corner holding possibilities, each empty building a promise of thrills yet to come. This was the beginning of something extraordinary, and Zach Hunter, video gamer and visionary, knew exactly how to play it.