A much needed relaxing chapter that focuses on building relationships between the characters. Next chapter will have the heavier stuff...

~19:56~

"I thought your father was born on Mars?" Jimin asks as you step into the cockpit, sitting on the co-pilot's seat.

"Well... he was. He was raised on Mars, it's his home."

"Okay, so how can he be born in two places at once?"

You shake your head, "He was born on Kepler then transferred to Mars not long after. He considers himself a Martian born, tells everyone that, even me, but eventually he told me the truth. Kepler is an old station used only for experimentation."

"Is your father...?" Jimin starts, but you shake him off.

"An experiment? No. Not as far as I know. Kepler should be near Pluto."

"I'm sorry did you say Pluto? As in, the abandoned planet Pluto?"

You nod sadly, "Yeah... see why you don't know about it? It's not exactly something considered common knowledge." You flip on the controls as Baekhyun walks in.

"What's going on?"

"We're setting course for Kepler Station," you reply.

"Kepler? I've never heard of it."

You freeze, looking back at Baekhyun. "You don't know where it is?" He shakes his head. Your eyes widen, and you look up at Jimin. He looks back, then realizes what you're so amazed at.

He softly smiles, "Yes, Y/N... you can fly us there."

You squeal, hopping out of the co-pilot's seat and jumping into the pilot's seat. As soon as you hit the seat, you feel a wave of much needed ecstasy hit you. Your fingers hover over the controls, your eyes darting around and trying to take it all in at once. Flying a cruiser... flying the Moonchild... you're about to fly the Moonchild. You let out a small laugh of surprise before placing your hands on the yoke and taking a deep breath.

"Let's do this," you whisper before the ship comes to life under your grasp. Your mouth nearly falls open when the ship moves where you tell it to, zooming across the open space freely.

"You don't want to do autopilot?" Baekhyun asks in disbelief.

You shake your head, looking out at the stars that pass as you traverse. "Now why would I ever want to do that?" you whisper-ask, still taking in all your surroundings. You're near Neptune now, but you choose to keep your distance. It takes you a minute to get used to the acceleration the Moonchild has, but you're a quick learner, especially when it comes to ships.

"How long do you think it will take us?" Jimin asks.

"Hard to say, my guess is we still have a good five hours."

"You sure you want to fly all five?" Jimin inquires.

You softly smile, running your finger over the joystick and letting out a relieved sigh. The rumble of the Moonchild is beautiful. The controls are beautiful. The entire ship is beautiful. You want to fly this thing as often as possible. You give Jimin a nod, "Always."

"Well, looks like she has it covered," Baekhyun says with a smile.

"Yeah... yeah she does," Jimin whispers, in awe of you.

You chuckle, shaking your head before looking back at them, "Better go get some food boys, after all, we have a long journey ahead."

~22:34~

Jimin and Jungkook stand in front of Taehyung, who's innocently eating a potato pancake, a hot chocolate on his left. "I apologize, I know you're in the middle of eating but I think you know that we need to talk to you," Jimin starts, sitting down across from the boy. Jungkook mimics the Captain's actions, folding his hands together on the table once he sits down.

"It's okay, I understand," the boy says, placing the potato pancake on his tray and sliding it over. He takes a small sip of his hot chocolate and dabs his lips with a napkin before clearing his throat. "Ask any questions you have."

Jimin and Jungkook share a look before turning back to the new member. "Who is this 'Min Yoongi'?" Jimin can't help but ask. He knows that Yoongi is a Commanding Officer, but he doesn't know much else. If they go to Kepler, the crew could run into him, and the more information they know on him, the better.

"I'm honestly not sure. He kind of came out of no where and became a Commander. Not many people know him, or have seen him really. Only the lucky ones working in the spire..."

"Lucky?" Jimin asks, raising a brow.

"They have all the security and supplies in the world. If Woojin took your armor, that's where he would have wanted to go."

"Woojin? That was your leader's name?" Jungkook asks, and Taehyung nods.

"How did Triton fall apart?" Jimin asks, then places the data chip on the table, "this said that the Blackwell brought in something. Something from Kepler Station."

Taehyung knits his brows together, "Kepler Station? I've never heard of it."

Jimin shrugs, "Me neither, but Min Yoongi has. I was hoping you could tell us why."

Taehyung shakes his head, "I can tell you exactly what happened on Triton, but I've never met Yoongi. I couldn't tell you how he knows what Kepler Station is."

Jimin sighs, "I've asked the entire crew and no one except for Y/N has known. Even him." Jimin pauses to point to Jungkook. "My platinum intelligence officer. Even he doesn't know. That must be one well-hidden station." Jungkook softly smiles, but it quickly fades away as he realizes how serious the situation is. Jimin clears his throat, "Now... where were we? How did Triton fall?"

Taehyung looks down, frowning. "It all happened so fast. I was with my family, at home watching TV when suddenly they evacuated us. We ran and ran but there were these things following us."

"Things?" Jungkook inquires.

Taehyung shivers, "The creatures were huge. They were all dark green, but they didn't even have heads. They just had four massive legs and were making this clicking sound. God they were so fast, they gained on us quickly..."

Jimin's eyes widen, "Like a giant praying mantis... shit."

"My family told me to run while they distracted them. So I did. Woojin and I met up near a bunker, but watched as the creatures tore it down. He guided me to an underground facility, the same one we kept you and Y/N in," Taehyung explains, motioning towards Jungkook.

"So let me get this straight... the Blackwell, a small transport vessel... brought in massive alien lifeforms?"

Taehyung shakes his head, "No. The Blackwell brought in a disease. I've seen what it does to people. If you physically touch someone who has it, or something that has it you go crazy. Your body swells, you lose your mind and start screaming, attacking anyone you see until you're completely controlled by it."

"Those people Namjoon and I saw..." Jimin whispers, rubbing his temple with his index fingers.

"How did those massive creatures get on Triton then?" Jungkook asks.

Taehyung sighs, "I don't know, but I have a theory."

"What's your theory?" Jimin inquires, looking up.

Taehyung seems almost hesitant to say it. "We need to know," Jungkook urges, which finally makes Taehyung sigh.

"I don't have all the information but... the creatures..." He pauses, taking a deep breath.

"I think they started as humans."

~22:35~

You sit back, letting the Moonchild float for a few moments before starting forward again. You love flying, and this is exhilarating, but you do need to rest your hands every once in a while. Then again, you also want to savor each moment since you never know if you'll even touch the Moonchild's controls again. With a sigh you gently ease into the new speed. Oh man the Moonchild is fast. Not the fastest ship you've ever seen, but it's up there, especially for a cruiser model.

"How you holding up?" Seulgi asks from the doorway. You jump and turn your head slightly. She leans against the wall, offering you a small smile.

"I should be asking you that," you softly say back, giving her a knowing look.

She bites her lower lip, then looks down. "I'll be okay. I'm more worried about you, Jimin, and Jungkook."

You shake her off, "I'd be more worried about Jimin and Jungkook if I were you. I'm hurting, but I'll be okay. They were the closest to him, after all." Seulgi still seems unconvinced. You don't blame her, you're really hurting. You miss your late Captain more every minute, but you have to keep moving. It's what he would have wanted. "Really, I'll be okay." She stares at you for a few more seconds before giving you a nod.

"Alright... I'll believe you but, if that ever changes..."

"I'll come right to you," you reply, giving her a small smile.

You glance over her appearance and notice she's wearing a white t-shirt and basic grey sweatpants. That's strange. She always has a blazer on or a long sleeved shirt. You glance down at her arms and notice a few marks there. Your eyes slightly widen. When she notices your gaze, she hides her arms. "You don't have to hide them, you know," you whisper, and she hesitates, then slowly shows you her scars. She has what looks to be needle marks littering her upper arm... and it honestly scares you.

"Namjoon said that you were running from addiction?"

She somberly nods, "Heroin."

Your eyes widen even more, "Heroin..." She goes quiet, and so do you. You don't want to pry, but it secretly terrifies you that her addiction was to something so severe. On Ganymede, heroin is extremely rare: that's mostly an Earth drug. You can only hope that she's better now.

"Well, how about happier topics... how does she fly?"

You light up, accepting her distraction, "Oh she's amazing. So fast and smooth. It finally feels like I'm free."

Seulgi snickers, "Do you think one day you could teach me?"

"I'd absolutely love to teach you. Gold Intelligence Officer Kang Seulgi... maybe a Gold Pilot instead? I'll start giving you lessons."

She shrugs, walking over to sit in the co-pilot's seat. "Lessons wouldn't hurt. We should all know how to fly in case of emergency. Until then I'll leave the flying to you and Baekhyun. I like knowing everything."

You raise a brow, "Oh yeah? Everything?"

"Everything."

"How about your feelings for Jung Hoseok? Do you know them?"

She fakes a look of hurt, "Low blow. I'll have you know we're only friends. Really."

"If you're only friends then Jimin and I are strangers."

"Hey!" You laugh, shaking your head. It feels good to laugh again. You've been in such a slump that you didn't even think about smiling and laughing.

"How is he?" you ask, and Seulgi sighs.

"I don't know. He looked up to Joon, like we all did. He's hurting I know that. He hasn't talked to me at all. I think he needs some space."

You nod somberly, "Jimin's the same way."

Seulgi looks over at you, "He's the new Captain..."

You look back at her, giving her a puzzled look, "Yeah, he is." She isn't doubtful of him, right?

"Captain Park Jimin..." you whisper, processing the words. It didn't even fully hit you that Jimin is the Captain until now. The circumstances are obviously not ideal, but he's still the Captain. You feel guilty, but also proud. Well, you feel proud, but guilty of that feeling. You miss Namjoon so much, but you know you have to keep moving. So does Jimin.

"Who do you think he'll choose for his Executive Officer?" you ask, and Seulgi looks at you as if you're crazy.

"You're kidding, right?"

You shake your head, "I wouldn't accept, I'm not from the crew."

"That doesn't matter, what matters is you're a leader too."

You look down, "I wouldn't be able to do that. I'll leave that to Jimin and whoever he chooses."

Seulgi goes quiet for a moment, which causes you to look at her. "Do you think he'll do a good job?" she whispers. Your lips slowly spread into a smile.

"No. He'll do a great job."

~22:41~

Jungkook storms out of the dining hall, Jimin following. "Jungkook, wait, where are you going?" Jimin asks, trying to keep up with the boy. It's difficult due to his enhancements, but Jimin manages to keep him in eye sight.

"I need some air."

"We're in space there's no such thing as air," Jimin lets out, slightly exasperated.

Jimin doesn't blame Jungkook for acting this way. Truthfully, that was Jimin's first instinct when those words came out of Taehyung's mouth. Jungkook slows down, reaching the ladder and turning back to look at Jimin. "How am I supposed to react to that? How am I supposed to react to any of this? Alien life, enhancements, war! How?" the boy asks, and Jimin shakes his head.

"I don't know."

"I mean - Jimin, people. Taehyung is saying that those creatures were once people. We could be one if we got infected."

Jimin takes a cautious step closer. Jungkook allows it. "We won't. I can promise you that."

"We're going to the station where this could have started..."

Jimin raises a brow. "Do you think we should turn back? It's not too late, we could always go back to Earth..." Jimin pauses to let out a shaky breath, "Bury Joon... decide where to go from there."

Jungkook shakes his head, "No. We haven't heard anything from the rest of the solar system in ages. What if they're already at war?"

"Our satellites are still down?"

Jungkook gives Jimin a funny look. "Well... yeah, ever since the broadcast. Jimin you kind of are the engineer."

Jimin looks down in shame, "I guess with everything going on, I forgot to look at it. Same with the door."

Jungkook offers the Captain a smile, "I'll fix it with Jin."

Jimin's eyes slightly widen, "I can handle it, really."

"Jimin." He nods. "Let me do this for you."

Jimin sighs, then nods again, "Okay... thank you. Thank you for having my back."

"I always will. Whatever you need."

A beat of silence follows. "Do you honestly think I'm doing the right thing?"

"Of course. Like I said, we haven't heard from the rest of the solar system. What else are we going to do? Float around and watch as the big three fight and ruin lives?"

Jimin shrugs, "It is an option."

"Jimin listen, no one else is doing what we are. No one cares enough. The war is the main priority right now. The solar system needs a group like us, willing to find whatever is coming and stopping it before it breaks out."

Jimin sighs, "I have an idea, but I don't know if you'll like it."

"Shoot."

"We broadcast what happened on Triton. The last two messages. Of the commander panicking, and of the creature."

"Why wouldn't I like it?"

"Well, the last time we broadcasted something to the whole solar system, we ended up being boarded. Not to mention half our systems went down and you got sick," Jimin replies.

"Me being sick isn't a big issue. It happens a lot. Enhancements-"

"Sure, but that doesn't mean it's not a factor. I don't want you getting hurt, Jungkook."

Jungkook gives his Captain a small smile. "I don't want you getting hurt either," he whispers back, and Jimin gives him a grateful nod.

They fall into a small silence, then Jimin sighs. "We should really get back in there and continue questioning him. We still don't know all the details."

"If you don't mind, I don't know if I can listen to it," Jungkook says.

"I understand."

"I'll get Jin and we'll fix the satellites. I'll keep you updated on the latest news from Earth and Mars."

"Thank you, I mean it."

Jungkook gives him a small nod before turning to the ladder and placing his hands on it, preparing to propel himself upward when he pauses. He sighs, then looks back. "What happens after this is over? The Belt must be looking for me by now, they wouldn't want someone with all their dirty secrets floating around. What will we do?"

Jimin shakes his head, "Honestly Kook... I have no idea."

~22:56~

Jimin wasn't able to get much useful information out of Taehyung after Jungkook left. The new boy seemed on edge without Jungkook around. Jungkook seems to fix all of their problems it seems. Jimin respects that massively, maybe this is how Namjoon felt when Jimin was around.

Jimin hums to himself as he walks around his room, making sure everything is in order. After all, he'll need to appoint an Executive Officer soon, so he'll kind of have to move out and go into the Captain's quarters. He sighs as he closes his closet door, wearing a basic t-shirt and sweatpants now. No more Executive Officer gear. Jimin isn't sure how to feel. On one hand, he's in a lot of pain. On the other, he's a Captain. Of course he hates the way he was made a Captain, but the shock isn't wearing off. Is this how Namjoon felt when Captain Kwon...?

He shakes his head, refusing to think about that. He wishes he could ask Namjoon how he did it... but he can't. There's a lot of changes going on around the crew, and Jimin doesn't know how to take it. So, he does something he hasn't done in a long time.

He pulls out a hologlobe and searches for Earth.

Back on the Hep, he had his own personal hologlobe. Pretty much a hologram that can search up anything. It can call, text, search, play videos - everything he needs. Right now, he's using the one that came with the Executive Officer room. Each room should have one, but this one has more to it. Jimin can only wonder what features the Captain's has. Not that it matters, he's an engineer, he can create a new function if it's missing any.

He pulls up Earth and looks at the trees and grass. There's longing in his eyes. He didn't feel much homesickness throughout his stay on the Hep, however, being with Y/N and being a survivor made him miss not only the planet but even his family. His parents were so awful to him, which still surprises him to this day. They were fine for years upon years. It wasn't until he was a late teen that they started going downhill. Jimin doesn't know the full story himself, but he saw a lot of letters coming in, and his parents started to fight often. That fighting ended up coming towards him... and eventually, towards Jihyun.

Jimin pushes his memories aside, pulling up the video app on the hologlobe, seeing his own face staring back at him. He doesn't know why he's doing this, but in a strange way, he feels like he has to. So, he sets the hologlobe on his nightstand and makes sure he's visible in the frame before clearing his throat and leaning forward, pressing record.

"Hey mom... dad. It's been a really long time," he breaks off, not entirely sure what to say. He takes a shaky breath, "I'm sure you've seen the broadcast. I wanted to let you know I'm still safe, and I'm doing good. Really good, actually. This crew is like my second family." He pauses, starting to feel tears burn at his eyes. "I guess by them becoming my second family, I started to miss my first one."

Jimin has no idea why he's doing this, but he keeps going anyway. He originally wanted to record a video saying he was fine. That's it. But now he feels obliged to keep talking. "Actually, there's more I wanted to talk about. This journey made me into a different person. Captain Kim Namjoon he... unlocked... something in me. I became more confident, I spoke up more, I made plans and wasn't afraid of my own shadow for once - and I got made into an Executive Officer because of it."

He softly smiles, "That's right, little shy Park Jimin came out of his shell. Not only that, but came out of it enough to be an Executive Officer." He pauses, sniffling. "There was an accident on Triton, and Namjoon he..." Jimin trails off, a single tear falling down his cheek. "Long story short, you're looking at Captain Park Jimin of the Moonchild."

He averts his eyes, taking a few breaths and giving Namjoon a moment of silence. "We found alien life on Triton," he starts, looking at the camera again. "It's crazy how much has changed in just a few weeks. We're on our way to the station we believe made contact with or maybe even made the alien life. I'm not gonna lie: I'm scared. More scared than I think I've ever been before. But I'll pull through. I have amazing people surrounding me."

Jimin pauses again, then, starts to slowly smile. "You know, there's some good news, actually. I met a girl." He trails off for a moment, his smile widening. "She's amazing. She's so passionate, determined, smart, beautiful. There's nothing I don't like about her. Her name is Y/N, I'm sure you saw her on the broadcast. We're together now, and wow she makes me so happy." He chuckles to himself, shaking his head. "At least there's something positive, right? Maybe, if you want to, we can contact each other again. Oh uh if Jihyun's around, please tell him to talk to me. I miss him so much."

He cuts himself off with a sigh. Jimin still can't believe he's actually doing this. He's actually going to make contact with his family after all this time. It's literally been years. "And I'm sorry, for leaving and not contacting. I think we all know why I had to get away... but that doesn't mean I'm not sorry for it. I should've at least kept in touch." Jimin leans forward, about to turn off the recording when he gives the camera a sad look. "I still love you guys so much," he whispers, then turns it off before he says anything else.

He sits there, leaning forward, his eyes looking at the ground. Jimin waits a few seconds, then leans back, wiping away his one tear and bringing the hologlobe onto his lap. He swipes on the hologram, looking up his mother's name. Most people on Earth have a hologlobe mailbox that anyone can send messages or videos to, as long as they have the right name.

Once he finds his mother's mailbox, he attaches the file to his message, not bothering to fill out anything else. Without giving himself a moment to regret his decision, he hits send. Jimin knows it won't send until the satellites are back online, but he doesn't bother thinking about that right now. He turns off the hologlobe and practically throws it on his nightstand. He takes a deep breath, then buries his head into his hands.

"What am I doing?"