18 Days Before the Crash
Asteroid Belt, Deep Space
A small blue spacecraft gleamed in the distance, its thrusters hissing softly as it drifted motionless through the vast emptiness near a field of asteroids. A black reactor mounted at the rear powered the vessel's movement. Its twin wings and pointed nose resembled the jaws of a shark, while a transparent canopy enclosed the cockpit at the front.
Ahead of it floated millions of spinning chunks of ice alongside countless pieces of space debris drifting through the void. Beneath the ship, a woman slowly emerged from an access hatch. She wore a sleek, futuristic spacesuit and was secured by a tether around her waist as she drifted away from the vessel.
The shark-shaped craft crawled forward at little more than the speed of a sea turtle.
"Nothing worthwhile out here, damn it! What a waste of a trip. If we're heading back to Towdy, we oughta have something to sell." A man's voice crackled through the woman's black high-tech helmet. The helmet's blue searchlight swept across the debris field in search of anything valuable.
"Would you shut up, Sam? I'm looking..."
She scanned the area for a moment longer.
"Hmm... doesn't seem like there's anything here."
She tugged on the tether and slowly reeled herself back toward the hatch. The opening slid apart to admit her before sealing shut automatically behind her.
The woman stepped into a red rectangular chamber. Jets of cold vapor sprayed from vents along the walls, connected to the grating that led down toward the engine room. She removed her oxygen helmet and took a deep breath.
Her features were striking, almost like those of an Arabian beauty with flawless skin and a sharp, elegant chin. Her nose curved gracefully downward, and her short hair stopped just below her ears like that of Queen Cleopatra. Dark blue-black strands framed her face, and her large blue eyes seemed bigger than average.
Most distinctive of all were the black fang-shaped tattoos beneath both eyes, stretching down her cheeks almost to her chin.
After removing her suit, she crossed into the next compartment, revealing smooth, lightly tanned skin.
Eventually she entered the cockpit, where a blond American man sat surrounded by countless control panels and switches.
The ship's gravity was weak enough that a person could nearly float freely. Even so, walking was still possible thanks to the magnetic flooring. Both crew members wore magnetic boots that allowed them to move around comfortably.
"What a complete waste of time! You—"
He spun his chair around and immediately caught sight of her flipping weightlessly through the air inside the ship.
And saw every curve of her body in the process.
"Ghk! Cough—cough! Damn it! Could you put some clothes on first?!"
The man nearly choked on his own saliva.
A dollar-sign tattoo sat above his left eyebrow. Beneath his left eye were two phrases that seemed to define him:
'Keela's Dong' and 'Non-Believer'
"What, afraid that'll punch through your pants or something?" the woman replied while getting dressed behind the partition near the cockpit entrance.
"You call yourself a woman? You act more like a damn hooker."
Sam sneered.
"Blah blah blah. If you like what you see, just say so."
Rolina twisted her hips playfully as she dressed, forcing Sam to grit his teeth.
"A promiscuous woman like you? The same woman who keeps leaving bite marks on my— and whose friend's named... uh... Jasmin Tootood?"
He stared blankly for a moment.
"What the hell was his name again?"
Rolina froze.
"...Hup... pffft!"
Then she burst out laughing.
"What was his name?!"
"I dunno! Shoo-Shoo Tattoo or something! Jizma Bumptoo—shit! Why are these names so hard to remember?"
He dragged both hands through his hair.
"His name is Jajas Tootoos, you dumb! You butchered it completely!"
She collapsed onto her back, giggling uncontrollably.
"I'll do you one better! Jiggly tittoos....." Watching her laugh only made Sam grin wider.
"Ahahaha!" The two laughed like a pair of monkeys.
Sam rose from his seat and quietly crept out of the cockpit toward Rolina, who was still lying on the floor laughing. A suspicious grin spread across his face.
"Huh?" Suddenly he felt something damp against the leg of his pants.