Atlas arrived in the kitchen to find chaos. Jelly was bouncing around the counter, his translucent blue body rippling with each bounce, his massive starry eyes fixed on a pile of space snacks. His voice was high-pitched and eager.
"Bloop! Space snacks! I love space snacks! Everything is so—so—bouncy! Is bouncy a word? It's a word now!"
Jervis hovered beside him, his holographic form flickering with barely contained fury. His tone was sharp, cutting. "Will you cease that incessant bouncing? You are disturbing the aesthetic harmony of this culinary space."
Jelly continued bouncing, oblivious. "Snacks! Snacks! Snacks!"
Jervis's voice rose to a furious pitch. "I said CEASE!"
Jelly giggled. "Bloop! No!"
Eliane was busy filling her arms with space spices, her silver hair tied back in a practical braid. Her chef's jacket was smudged with flour, and her blue eyes were wide with excitement as she examined the various containers.
"Oh my god, look at this one! And this one! And—" She paused, her brow furrowing. "What is this? This is—this is—"
Vesta was hunched over her guitar, Mikasi, her rainbow hair shimmering with the effort of concentration. Her violet eyes were squeezed shut, her fingers moving across the strings with frantic determination.
"No, no, no—that's not right. It's supposed to sound like—like—" She paused, her brow furrowing. "How do you even make that sound? The space music—it's like—it's like—"
Mikasi vibrated with what might have been frustration, and Vesta sighed. "Okay, okay, I'll try again."
Sanza stood at the counter, his small hands gripping a space snack with the intensity of a man who had just discovered the meaning of life. His voice carried that high-crust posh accent, but his mouth was too full to properly enunciate.
"This is—hrmmph—this is—grmph—acceptable," he announced, his voice muffled. "For a space snack, that is. Obviously, I have had better. Much better. But this is—"
No one was listening to him.
Atlas leaned against the doorframe, his rust-red fur bristling with amusement. His blue eyes gleamed with that feral, taunting edge, as he had come to accept chaos as a constant companion.
"Hey," he announced, his voice cutting through the noise. "Time to go."
Vesta whined, with genuine disappointment. "Ohhh, already? But I was just—I was so close to—"
Atlas nodded, his voice flat. "Yeah. Better get off now unless you want to catch a ride to space."
Eliane, Sanza, Jelly, and Vesta paused, exchanging a look. Eliane's voice carried a note of genuine curiosity. "Do you think they have chili peppers and miso in space?"
Jervis's holographic form flickered with confusion. "Chili peppers? Miso? What are these substances you speak of?"
Eliane gasped, her hand flying to her chest. "You don't know what chili peppers and miso are? Like, actual chili peppers? And actual miso?"
Jervis made a sound that might have been a sigh, might have been a growl. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
Eliane's eyes widened with horror. "We need to leave. Now. We can't be somewhere that doesn't have spice. I mean, next they'll say they don't have garlic or ginseng."
Sanza nodded in agreement, with high-crust authority. "Quite right. As the future Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights, I cannot be seen in a place that lacks—"
Jelly bounced past him, his voice high-pitched and eager. "Spice snacks! I love spice snacks! Spice is—spice is—"
"Spice is not a snack!" Eliane called after him. "Spice is an ingredient! It's—"
Jelly was already gone.
Vesta lingered for a moment, her fingers still resting on Mikasi's strings. Her rainbow hair shimmered with indecision, and her voice carried a note of genuine conflict.
Atlas's voice was gentle, probing. "What's it going to be, Songbird?"
Vesta's lips pressed together, and Mikasi vibrated with what might have been a fussy protest. Vesta sighed, torn between two great loves.
"But it's space," she whispered. "I mean, think about it. We could play music of the stars. We could—"
Mikasi wiggled in her grip, and Vesta sighed again. "If you say so."
She started for the door, her steps slow, reluctant. Atlas fell into step beside her, his voice carrying a note of curiosity.
"What did he say?"
Vesta's voice was flat, disheartened. "Mikasi says space is boring."
Atlas chuckled, with genuine amusement. "Really?"
Vesta nodded, with the weight of a woman who had just had her dreams crushed by a sentient instrument. "Yeah. And he has a thing for chili peppers."
Atlas shook his head, at the absurdity of the world. "Of course he does."
---
The deck of the Celestial Pearl was bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. Donna, Jeny, and Chad stood at the railing, their faces flushed with excitement and relief. They waved frantically at the group on the deck of the submarine, their voices carrying across the water.
Donna's voice was breathless, grateful. "Thank you! Like, seriously! Thank you so much!"
Jeny nodded, with wonder. "We'll never forget you! Like, literally never! You saved our lives!"
Chad's voice carried a note of cautious optimism. "We're going to survive! Like, actually survive!"
Galit looked down at his tactical slate, his voice flat. "You may want to get inside. You're going to take off in ten seconds."
Donna, Jeny, and Chad exchanged excited glances, then rushed inside the ship, their voices trailing behind them.
"Ten seconds!" Donna shrieked. "We're going back to space!"
"Space!" Jeny echoed. "We're going back to space!"
"Please don't crash again," Chad muttered. "Please, please, please don't crash again."
The door slid shut behind them, and the Celestial Pearl hummed with the promise of departure.
Bianca turned to Marya, bright and triumphant. "So, like, I was able to snag some like parts and stuff. Like, really good parts. Like, compatible with the submarine parts."
Eliane nodded, her arms full of space spices and other random items. "And I got some space snacks and spices! Like, really good ones! I can't wait to try them!"
Jelly bounced beside her, his voice high-pitched and eager. "Snacks! I love snacks! Snacks are—"
Eliane's voice was sharp, fussy. "Jelly, stop bouncing! You're going to drop something!"
Jelly giggled, his voice bubbling with joy. "Bloop! Sorry!"
Marya nodded, her golden eyes fixed on the Celestial Pearl. Her long raven hair moved in the breeze, and her leather jacket with the Heart Pirates Insignia settled against her shoulders. Nisshoku was a familiar weight against her back.
In a dramatic burst and spray of water, the Celestial Pearl launched into the air. The sleek, black vessel rose on a column of shimmering energy, its three massive masts catching the light like the fingers of a god. It shot upward, disappearing into the sky with a sonic boom that echoed across the water.
Everyone watched it go.
The hatch of the submarine flew open, and Ember's head popped through. Her neon-pink space buns were a wild mess, and her mismatched eyes—one icy blue, one gold—blinked in the sunlight. Her tattered black-and-crimson Lolita dress was wrinkled from sleep, and the charred plush rabbit tied to her waist bounced with each movement.
Atlas's voice was flat, amused. "Sleeping beauty finally woke up."
Eliane rushed to her, her arms still full of space spices and random items. Her voice was breathless, excited. "Ember! You're awake! Look! Look what I got! Space snacks! Space spices! And—and—"
She shoved an armful of items toward Ember, her voice rising with enthusiasm. "I'll make you something to eat! Like, really good! I promise!"
Ember blinked, her voice still groggy from sleep. "What—what's happening? Where are we? Did I miss something?"
Eliane's voice was bright, reassuring. "Don't worry! I'll explain everything! But first—first—food! You need food! Real food! Not space food! Well, space food is good too, but—"
She grabbed Ember's hand and started pulling her toward the hatch, her voice trailing behind her.
Marya watched them go, her expression unreadable. Then she turned to Galit, her voice flat and deliberate.
"How about we get back on course?"
Galit nodded, "On it."
He walked back through the hatch, his boots echoing against the metal grating. The others followed, their voices rising and falling with the excitement of the day's events.
Marya lingered for a moment, her golden eyes fixed on the spot where the Celestial Pearl had disappeared. The sky was empty now, nothing but blue and white clouds stretching to the horizon.
She shook her head, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.
"Space," she muttered. "Of course."
She turned and followed the others into the submarine, the hatch closing behind her with a soft hiss.
The journey continued.
If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider giving Dracule Marya Zaleska a Power Stone! It helps the novel climb the rankings and get more eyes on our story!
Thank you for sailing with us! 🏴☠️ Your support means so much!
Want to see the Dreadnought Thalassa blueprints? Or unlock the true power of Goddess Achlys?
Join the Dracule Marya Zaleska crew on Patreon to get exclusive concept art, deep-dive lore notes, and access to our private Discord community! You make the New World adventure possible.
Become a Crewmate and Unlock the Lore:
https://patreon.com/An1m3N3rd?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
Thanks so much for your support and loving this story as much as I do!