12.

Badger McCall and Angus Tate have been buddies since their teens. Both became orphans early on in life and both were homeless fairly early on in their lives too though neither knew that about the other on the day they met. If anything, neither knew the other even existed prior to that first moment they met.

At seventeen, Badger had been out wandering the streets with nothing more in his possession other than the clothes he was wearing and a bottle of whiskey he had stolen from an off license the evening before which, by a certain point, had already been half emptied. Everything was difficult, everything was a constant battle, and a point certainly was coming where he would consider making the decision to call it a day and fight no more.

No parents, the location of other family members could be anywhere, not that any of them are interested enough to want to aid him in any way. Friendships are non-existent, acquaintances are few and far between and generally of the unsavoury variety, best to steer clear of such people unless it is unavoidable. Living outdoors is a challenging adventure at the best of times and downright next to impossible at the worst of times. No matter how horrible people can be, Mother Nature is the worst bitch of them all.

So yeah, life is difficult at the best of times. If he were to think of it, which he often did, then an end seriously may not be all that far away. The whiskey made a difference, temporarily for the better but generally for the worse. In his life there are three moments with which he can consider life changing, two of which came more or less one after the other and the third would come sometime later.

The first moment came as Badger sat alone on a low-lying wall both wanting to cry and not feeling good worthy enough to allow himself to cry. Someone came along and sat right next to him, an older fellow who has a certain something about him. If Badger hadn't already downed half a bottle of whiskey, then he may be able to hazard a guess as to what that certain something may be though his best sober guess in itself would be a difficult one to accept or believe.

'So, who are you ... supposed to be?' Badger asks.

'Are you so drunk you can't see things for what they are and put them together?' the two look one another in the eyes. '...Of course, you are. Forget I asked anything.'

'You do look a little familiar' Badger slurs a little but not all so much for he can handle his whiskey better than most.

'Yeah, you are getting there. I look familiar because I am you, twenty years from now ...'

Badger laughs, his first laugh in a hell of a long time. 'Ha, yeah right, pull the other one why don't ya?'

'It's true.'

'Prove it.'

'Tell you what. Something is going to happen very soon. Involve yourself in it then forget about the whiskey. When it is gone, lay off it and things will begin to improve for you.'

'You what?'

'You'll see.'

Older Badger, if that is who the older fellow is, stands, smiles and then moves on. 'Hey' young Badger calls after him though the older fellow has gone. However, he does notice the presence of a lady nearby, a lady he would guess to be in her mid-twenties. This lady is just standing in her nearby spot and looking young Badger's way ... how odd?

***

At fifteen, Angus didn't belong to anywhere. Available charity mostly kept him fed, provided second hand or maybe even third hand clothing every once in a while, and provided a bed to sleep in at times such a thing was available. Mostly he kept to himself, possibly more so when he was lucky enough to be indoors. It is so much better to be indoors that out, and for a few reasons he only ever resorted to steeling at times he felt it to be absolutely necessary.

Indeed, out wandering and attempting to keep to himself, Angus picked up speed from a slow paced walk when trouble decided to pay him a visit. Being small and thin, his circumstances seeing to the thin part, he is usually speedy quick, circumstances mostly see to that too. Angus can be as quick as a hare and just as difficult to catch though sometimes his body lets him down. Tiredness and a lack of nutrition can take away from him at the worst of times. When he needs to be the hare the most, he simply just doesn't have it in him.

Upon spying the lone wandering straggler, a group of four misfits decide to intervene and have themselves some fun. Unfortunately, Angus walked into this moment more so than it being a moment he could have avoided or anything he could have foreseen though moments like this occur more often than he'd like to admit they do. On this occasion, all he had done was turn a corner that had him come close to the spot where these misfits were 'hanging out'.

Before his mistake could be rectified, as in back away and move on without having trouble find him, it was clear that Angus would have himself a moment of misfortune. For Angus stopped right in his tracks the moment he stumbled upon that group of older boys, and he froze for a second or two which ultimately would be a second or two too long.

This particular moment and its surroundings ensure that moving forwards would not be an option and Angus would almost immediately speak an 'oh crap' realizing the potential trouble he had stepped himself into.

The eye contact being made ensured that something was gonna happen one way or another. Angus slowly turned attempting to collect and compose himself so he could begin to run, if he had run immediately, he might have had himself a bit of a head start. The four older boys were quick to move and go after the unfortunate new casualty of circumstance. They did this on instinct as if a group consciousness were at work. The chase would last minutes with the group of four relentlessly moving like hungry wolves at feeding time.

Angus would be caught, and a beating would commence. Whether the moment would be decided as or could be thought of as being a fortunate one or something else entirely, Badger just so happened to be close by to where this beating came to be. He wanted nothing to do with it though at the same time he simply just could not let it go on without involving himself somehow. Sure, there is the thought too that this is moment he was told about, by himself no less.

Badger moved to interfere and before he could be thanked with a beating of his own, he smashed the bottom of his whiskey bottle against the ground then would be sure to hold aloft what remained of it. After a momentary pause the group of misfits decided it best to vacate the location. And of course, with the world being what it is, it would be at this exact moment that a heavy rain would begin to fall.

'Aw crap and double crap' speaks Badger, one crap for the falling rain and the other for the loss of his whiskey with realizing what breaking the bottle had done. 'And that as good whiskey too', another though hits him, hadn't there been a whiskey comment too from his older counterpart?

Safe to say that no matter what exactly happened prior to and after this moment, Badger and Angus became friends, one odd conversation influencing a saving act and that act in itself returned the favour as there were to be no more whiskey drinking days after this one, and almost twenty years later the two friends somehow find themselves on an extraordinarily large star ship on a mission to find a new world for all of mankind. Some change in fortune, right?

A third life changing moment had come to pass. As for it being a change in fortune well, both guys may see the lighter side in not totally agreeing with that as the roles they both have acquired upon this home they have managed to venture onto has them being part of the rather large cleaning staff.

Cleaning crew number thirty-two is their designation, and they are not alone in their crew either, there is a lady who has the pleasure or rather the misfortune of joining the two pals within cleaning crew number thirty-two.

Sheila Ryan is an acquaintance of one of the doctors brought aboard to serve upon The Pathfinder. Being in the right place at the right time gained Sheila her position aboard the ship then maybe a moment of being in the wrong place at the wrong time settled her with a position but really, when she settles in, she does indeed settle in.

At thirty-four years of age Sheila has resigned herself to the fact that her dreams were never anything more than just dreams. Still, she is on one heck of an adventure, and she may even have her own little part to play. And who knows, maybe a cleaning position aboard The Pathfinder may just be exactly what she needs.

Ever since she was a young girl, Sheila had dreams of becoming a model. Though not an unattractive lady she had in the past been described as having no inviting or beneficial features to gain her a modeling position. She was never completely sure how to take that, though she tried not to let it get to her, unfortunately in some way or another it eats away at her in the deepest darkest regions of her soul. What do those in the modeling business really know, especially at a time when the world is not what it once was?

Planet Earth had been falling apart for many years though its inhabitants still had time for a modeling industry, something most likely part of the reason why the world is being left behind. Humanity is as odd as anything else that has ever existed.

Being put on cleaning crew number thirty-two, to Sheila, was her penance for having a moment of luck which saw her entry to where it is that she is, that right place moment being followed by her wrong place moment. She accepts it though; being where she is has to be a good thing, better than being left behind in a world which only ever seemed to reject her. At all that, who is to say it all will be doom and gloom from here on in? There may be a bit of fun to come along too.

By the time the third shift of cleaning crew number thirty-two came around, Sheila herself was beginning to come around to all things that now are her life. The guys she works with aren't all so bad, if anything there is a certain something about them. Sheila knew nothing knew nothing of her fellow crew members prior to coming onto The Pathfinder and Sheila soon begins to feel that she may get to be the little sister to two misfit brothers.

Yeah, for Badger and Angus are so close they are as good as being brothers. And there is that trip through space that she happens to be on, sure isn't that something more than a little bit special by itself regardless of anything else that may be occurring or anything else that came before? Who knows what the future will bring?

With it still being very early days on The Pathfinder, Sheila Ryan is sitting in the ship's main mess hall with her doctor friend Sylvia Thompson. It is late in the evening, and both have grabbed something to eat together as each are working night shifts and it is better to do so after ensuring their stomachs have been looked after first. Sylvia has the night shift in the medical bay and indeed Sheila has a shift on cleaning crew number thirty-two to look forward to.

'The medical facility here, what's it like?' Sheila asks as she finishes off her soup.

'Oh, it is awesome' Sylvia says, still digging into her chicken salad. 'With this being the largest ship, the main ship leaving Earth, we apparently have all the top-of-the-line stuff.'

'Sounds great, are you expecting a quiet night tonight?'

'Not bloody likely. I know we are not all so long out here and all but when late shifts come on there are those who go without sleep and are likely to have some sort of accident and it is a big ship too. People get sick; some even have make believe symptoms being new to space travel and so on, it can get quite busy in the medical center.'

'Never thought of that.'

'So how are you getting on with the lads?' Sylvia asks once food has been finished.

'Boys will be boys; I don't think either of those two will ever grow up.'

'As long as they are looking out for you.'

'I'll keep them in check. Hey, what time have you got? My watch has stopped; I don't think it is adjusting well to space travel.'

Both ladies share a laugh before Sylvia tells Sheila that it is almost ten.

'Aw hell, I'm late, better get going.'

A hug is shared and off Sheila heads onto her shift.