When the Star King said I would be put to work he was in no way exaggerating.

The day after we recovered San I stood alone with the Star King in command. He quirked an eyebrow and shoved a piece of paper into my hand. I looked up at him questioningly. "What is this?"

"Your schedule," He answered simply. "Until I can figure out a way to get rid of you I'll take full advantage of the extra pair of hands." Then he turned on his heel and left me standing in the hall.

Monday I woke up bright and early to meet up with Seongwha in the kitchen. We prepared breakfast for the crew and meal prepped for the week. The amount of meat needed to feed the three headed dog was astounding, a fact that was not lost on Seongwha, who complained while slicing up the eighth raw chicken to for it's breakfast.

"I don't think Hongjoong thought of how much this would cost us taking that animal in..." He said wistfully wiping his hands dry on his apron. It was a soft lilac purple with ruffles.

Afterwards I followed him around the ship and helped him perform a deep clean. He was extremely meticulous in everything he did and was quick to correct me whenever something wasn't done to his satisfaction.

"I want you to go through all the rooms on this side of the ship and clean," He said gesturing to a cart of cleaning supplies. "Remember what I taught you, use the roller first, then sweep, mop, use wet wipes to clean surfaces then the roller once more for good measure." He instructed wiping a stray blond hair from his eyes. "I will be going over your work too so don't slack off."

"Understood."

My life here was not at all what I'd expected.

After a grueling day of cleaning I retired to my room exhausted. I found a cherry juice box on my bed from Seongwha with a note thanking me and telling me to go to bed early that night.

On Tuesday I spent the day doing inventory with Mingi. We took stock of everything on the ship in the hold and separated out valuables from daily necessities needed for the crew. The Star King planned on selling or bartering with anything precious we could find.

The Star King's second in command was very quiet and rarely spoke to me unless asked a direct question. Even then his responses mainly consisted of grunts. So side by side we worked in musty storage rooms and the dark cargo bay for hours on end. Nevertheless the silence was pleasant and the work wasn't hard.

At one point Mingi hefted a box off of a shelf and a spider skittered across it. He screamed, dropped the box, and ran from the room. It took me thirty three minutes to convince him to come back. Even after I had disposed of the spider at his insistence.

The pirates were not at all what I had expected.

After we finished our tasks for the day Mingi surprised me by waiting for me in the hall. He shifted on his feet and looked everywhere but at me. His muscular frame leaned over my smaller one and he awkwardly ruffled my hair. "Good job Ten." He then quickly took his leave before I could respond.

On Wednesday I found myself with Yeosang in command. I gave him a tour and logged him into the ships system. I showed him where things like our digital maps, barometer, and flight plans were located.

While in the large room I noticed a cot from the sick bay pushed against the wall. A familiar plain white cotton blanket rested on top of it.

"Is something wrong with the men's sleeping quarters?" I asked Yeosang pointing to the bed.

His eyes followed my finger to the bed and he shook his head. "No that's just Hongjoong. He's always piloting the ship so he rarely leaves command." He turned back to a screen his face bathed in blue light. "How has your week been?" He asked. I blinked at his sudden question.

         "Food preparation went smoothly, the ship is cleaned to Seongwha's standards," I reported. Yeosang looked amused and rested his cheek in his hands on a desk. "Inventory has been sorted and catalogued--"

       "Ten that's not what I meant," He said with a breathy laugh blue eyes sparkling. "How has the crew been treating you?" I thought back to Seongwha's juice box and Mingi's odd way of thanking me.

        "Everyone has been pleasant towards me." I responded.

        "That's good he'll be glad to hear it." Yeosang said with a mysterious wink. He walked away without explaining who he was referring to. My eyes flitted over to the unoccupied bed.

The Star King continues to do unexpected things.

On Thursday I was allowed to accompany San to the sick bay. The beast had developed a fever along with a nasty infection that needed constant tending to and San, of course, was giving it around the clock medical attention. In a few days it's condition had stabilized and the beast turned out to be very docile even towards the other crew members. I knelt next to San as he cleaned and applied a fresh bandage to the gash along it's back.

After he finished he gave each head a rigorous scratch between the ears. It's massive hind leg reflexively scratched at it's side. One head panted happily with a tongue lolling out of the side of it's mouth.

I grabbed the bucket I had brought with me and distributed raw meat into a large trough that was designated for feeding. After I was done I handed a sandwich to San and he and I sat in peaceful silence side by side.

       "In my dream she told me her name is Cerber," San said around his ham and cheese. His eyes watched Cerber as she scarfed down her meal, nails scraping the floor as she shifted.

        I nodded my head a took a bite. "That's a good name."

           He turned to look at me and snorted a laugh. "You've got a little something right there," He swiped his finger over my lower lip and wiped it on his pants. The motion made my stomach feel strange.

I hadn't expected to experience anything like this.

On Friday I was scheduled to run fighter jet simulations with Wooyoung in the hangar. I showed up at the meeting place at seven without a second to spare and peered around the room. My steps echoed in the large white space and I found myself alone.

That's when I noticed one of the jets had already left the dock.

I stood there waiting until my watch told me it was ten minutes to nine.

Wooyoung never showed up.

Not wanting to waste the day I left the hangar to look for the captain but bumped right into Yunho.

"Hey Ten are you in a hurry to get somewhere or something?" He chuckled. He rested his hands on my shoulders steadying me. I looked into his brown eyes flecked with green and felt a little smile appear on my face.

     "I apologize Yunho. I was on my way to locate the captain and inform him that Wooyoung is one hour and fifty seven minutes late for the scheduled flight simulations." At this Yunho looked over my shoulder into the hangar and sighed.

        "Looks like he took one of the jets on a joyride," He scratched his chin and considered. "Don't take anything he says or does personally Ten," At my blank expression he clapped my shoulder. "How about you help me out with maintenance today instead?"

I hesitated and pulled out my schedule. "But I am not scheduled to do maintenance tasks until tomorrow." Suddenly Yunho snatched the paper from my hand and crumpled it up throwing it over his shoulder with a smirk.

"What schedule were you talking about?"

                                           ***

Yunho laid on the ground beneath the thruster we received from Monster's shop. He hummed a tune in time with the sound of the ratchet. The smell of oil permeated the air and he abruptly stopped.

"Shit, um, oil pan please Ten," He asked blindly reaching out. I handed it to him and it disappeared with his outstretched arm. After a few seconds he blew out a breath and slid out from underneath the machinery. "Just a couple more tweaks and it'll be good as new." Sitting up he wiped his hands with a rag.

"Hongjoong should appreciate just how much I do to keep this ship running. It's a big job for one mechanic." He wiped sweat from his brow leaving a smear of black behind. I noticed how the front of his mechanic uniform was filthy with grease and oil. Ever since we'd returned he disappear for long stretches of time, either stowed away in the hangar or various other parts of the ship for repairs. I then wondered if he had been asked to work at all or if he simply wanted to be alone. I began gathering the tools and putting them back into the metal toolbox.

"Have you and Star King had a chance to converse together?" I inquired.

"Not exactly," Yunho blushed and stood to his feet. "We've had so much going on there hasn't been much of a chance to talk.." He grabbed a flathead and began unscrewing the side panel of the thruster. It seemed as though there was more to it than what he wanted to let on. "How have you been adjusting Ten?"

"I am alright." I looked down and absentmindedly organized the tools while I thought back on the dream I had and how I'd kept it a secret. The feeling in my body crushed me with the weight of it.

I felt guilty.

And so we stood away from each other in uncomfortable silence, both of us not wanting to continue the conversation. That is until Yunho dropped the metal panel he had in his hands. It landed on the floor with a loud clang and Yunho gasped. I whirled around just as he choked out "Ten what--"

The opening revealed a terrible sight.

All I could see was a tangled mess of white ropes. It wound in thick coils around the inner mechanisms of the thruster. Some of the ropes came loose and fluttered in a seemingly invisible breeze while others cling stubbornly to the walls. But the thing that struck me was the smell that emitted from the inside. Earthy and musty with the promise of something horrible inside the dark.

We both slowly walked forward until we could see what was inside. Many things were partially cocooned within. Dozens of spiny sacs bound together filled up the entire space. Covered in a sheen of silvery slime they pulsated in the low light.

       I was so transfixed by the sight I didn't notice Yunho walk around to examine the other side.

"Er, Ten, we should probably go tell the captain about this..." Yunho suggested his voice wavering.

        His tone worried me so I stepped around him to see what he was referring to.

      The bottom of the thruster had been blown out or, more accurately, something tore free from it. The hole it left in it's wake was sizable which suggested that whatever it was was enormous. Ripped through the metal sheeting as if through wet paper. Multiple marks over the white floor showed that it ran across the floor of the hangar then crawled up the wall to the ceiling.

Then it had escaped through a ventilation grate.

           It was then that the Seongwha and Yeosang both entered the hangar.
 
         "Alright pay up Seongwha," Yeosang demanded holding out his hand. "I told you Wooyoung wouldn't even show up today."

         Seongwha laughed and slapped his hand away. "We didn't set terms for the bet Yeosang." Then his smile fell from his face when he saw Yunho and I standing there.
  
Both of us remained frozen in fear our faces pale.

      Seonghwa surveyed the scene his eyes resting on the destroyed thruster trying to piece together what was going on. Yeosang scrunched up his nose. "What the hell is that smell?"

       Yunho opened and closed his mouth like a fish gasping for breath something that at any other time may have been comical if I my stomach wasn't in knots. Seonghwa looked at the hole in the thruster's side his eyes widening. "What's that?"

       Then a popping and squelching sound began filling the air. We all turned in horror as the egg sacs inside the thruster began bursting. Fluid ran down the ropes and tiny legs began to escape from their wombs.

      Then without another word all four of us scrambled to flee the hangar. Once we had reached the door Yeosang and Yunho didn't wait for it to open and rammed their bodies against it. It sent the panel into the opposite wall and we tumbled through the opening.

That's when I heard the first sounds.

      Something big was moving in the ventilation shaft. The ceiling bowed overhead as whatever it was ran in our direction. The thing screeched which only further fueled our desperate flight.

      "What is going on?!" Seongwha screamed as we pounded down the hallway back to command.

       "It some type of arachnid hybrid," Yeosang panted casting a look over his shoulder his pupils pinpricks.

      "What does that mean Yeosang?!" Yunho demanded sweat dripping into his eyes. My lungs were on fire and the sounds of our boots hitting the floor echoed all around us.

       "BIG ASS SPACE SPIDER!" Came the blood curdling scream. We all shot a glance behind us as Mingi crashed then slipped through the door from the men's lavatories. Suds still in his hair and towel wrapped around his waist he caught up with the group. His eyes had the look of someone crazed and out of their mind with fear.

Then from behind him came a behemoth.

         It fell from the ceiling and landed on the ground in a bang. The lights that lined the hallway flickered out for a moment we were all running through pitch black. I looked over my shoulder once the lights came back and instantly wished that I hadn't.

      It erupted from a cloud of dust from the cave in. A living breathing nightmare of hairy spindly legs and dripping fangs gave chase. All of its dozens of red eyes followed our group as it began to rapidly close the distance between us.

The double doors lay just ahead of us.

I only hoped against hope that we would be able to make it in time.