In Search of Home

Chapter 89

"Look, Kohgrash, what is that?" Vok'Rul asked, pointing out of the cockpit window. 

"Huh?" Viktor looked up from his breakfast - some kind of leafy, veggie salad - toward the window. He wasn't really expecting to see anything. For the last six or so days, his view has been the same; dark nothingness. Sometimes, they'd streak by a star and its planetary friends, but they went by so fast in the Drive that it was merely a blink of light. There and gone again in a fraction of a second. Now that they were in his Solar System, he didn't really think anything would change. 

What he saw wasn't just empty space, though. It was beautiful. 

Jupiter shone proudly through the window. 

For a second, Viktor couldn't do anything. The fork clattered onto his plate as his muscles slackened with shock and awe. 

"Spirits! Shut the window!" he heard Vok'Rul exclaim. Someone hastened to comply with his request. "Are you alright, Kohgrash? Is it having some... weird human effect on you?"

"No!" he said loudly - or as loudly as he could get. Thankfully, the alien listened, freezing on the spot. "No, no it's not that. It's just... it's beautiful." 

And terrifying. Completely, utterly terrifying. Viktor was the tiniest grain of sand compared to Jupiter. 

The Red Dot wasn't visible, but its red and white bands, swirling around the planet made sure there was no mistaking it. Viktor could see neither top nor bottom of the planet; it was that big. Seeing the real thing in person, right in front of him, was overwhelming. This wasn't some ball on a piece of paper. This was a planet. 

"I suppose it could be rather pretty," Vok'Rul said slowly, voice raised in just the right way he used to appease politicians. He ruined it by saying, under his breath, "if you're blind." 

"Hey," Viktor rebuked, tearing his eyes away from Jupiter to glare at Vok'Rul. The alien smiled sheepishly. His eyes traveled back to the planet. They were slowly drifting away from it. "Can we get the others up here?" He wanted them to see this. He wanted to share this experience with another human. Viktor loved Vok'Rul and all that, but these aliens had seen more planets than he probably ever would. Seeing Jupiter was nothing to them. 

The others made it up here in record time. Thruul, who had gone to fetch them, looked rather smug at getting them up here. Viktor immediately grew suspicious when they all looked wild with fear and concern. 

"Viktor!" his dad shouted, rushing up to him. He grabbed his shoulders. "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah," Viktor assured him, shooting a suspicious look at Thruul. "What did Thruul tell you? I just wanted you guys to see this." 

"Whoa!" Nikolas gasped. "Jupiter." 

"He told us- wait, what? Jupiter?" Oskar asked, finally looking out the window. His mouth opened in shock. 

The others had pretty much the same reaction as he did. They watched it in silence for a long time, simply taking in the view. Viktor couldn't describe it in enough detail to do it justice. 

Soon enough though, it traveled out of sight as the ship corrected its course toward Earth. They were going slightly faster now, apparently. Viktor couldn't really tell the difference, but Captain Ghhvresh told Vok'Rul they had used the gaseous planet as a boost to travel faster. They didn't want to waste fuel, as they had used more than expected traveling through the Drive. 

"Worry not, O Vokkra," she reassured quickly as Vok'Rul's face quickly flickered through multiple expressions of sheer panic. "We have enough to go home; we just weren't expecting to travel so slowly. Our capacity and weight will be much lower on the return trip, as well. It will be smooth sailing, I promise you that."