Cost of Insubordination

The hiss of pipes losing pressure overhead screeched down the corridor. Kendal stumbled into the concave wall next to him, while the ship lurched from the blast outside. The lights flickered three times then turned red. Darkness filled the rest of the void the red light would not. The metal pang of his boots hitting the floor announced his presence as he made it to the door at the end.

The sliding door jerked open to reveal the flight crew trying to deal with the real chaos. Yala and Tenso were grappling with a large duct hose that was flailing in the air, filling the room with steam. A different thinner cable was dancing with the Captain while he tried to avoid getting zapped by the sparking end. At the four consoles, only Zenith was at her's. Her feet were tucked toward her chest while she sat at the console. Underneath her, Ronny was head deep inside the console banging away at something.

"Kendal, give me a hand with sparky here," Captain Carson said.

Kendal squeezed past the consoles and ducked under Yala's butt as she was lifted in the air with Tenso by the steam tube. He caught a whiff of the bean casserole she just ate and held his hand over his mouth.

"Kendal. Any day now?" Carson said, dodging another strike from the sparky viper.

Kendal grabbed the cable above his head with both hands. Then he slid his right hand down toward the sparking end. The cable calmed from wild flailing to light spasms. Carson made a step with his hands and hoisted Kendal up to reattach the cable. Sparks from the cable made it easy for Kendal to see where the cable went. He pushed the end into the socket and gave it a turn. The cockpit hummed to life and startup beeps came from the consoles.

"Consoles are back online. Get to your stations everyone," Zenith said.

Yala and Tenso were on the ground still wrestling with the mighty steam spewer. Their skintight grey jumpsuits were coated in some dark liquid that was pooled on the ground. If Kendal didn't know any better, the duct hose was using them as human mops to cleanup the mess.

Carson lowered Kendal down and turned to his struggling crew. "Get to your stations! Kendal and I will handle this."

Yala and Tenso both let go at the same time, scrambling to get on their feet. The tube whipped up and blasted Carson with steam, sending him flying into the unforgiving glass.

"You said you had it Captain," Tenso said, flicking a few switches before sitting down.

Carson groaned. "Yeah...I got it."

Kendal tackled the duct hose, squeezing both his arms and legs around it, trying to constrict it into submission. The steam sputtered to a cough, but continued to buck him around. Carson got up and went over to help, when the hose banged Kendal into the wall. His leg grip loosened, blasting another steam plume at the Captain, this time at his legs. Carson was upended and face planted onto the smooth floor.

The steam snake was not done yet, rocketing Kendal into the ceiling. Kendal got wedged in-between the metal ceiling and the hose that didn't want to quit. The steam blew up his nose, making him cough. He lifted the hose up above his head, along the ceiling and he heard a click. The steam stopped and he could hear it being funneled through conduit.

He let go of the hose and was suspended by his shirt that was caught on something sharp before it gave way. Kendal fell on something soft, the Captain. 

"Kendal...Why?" Carson groaned.

Kendal rolled off Carson. "Sorry sir." 

Kendal helped his Captain up. Carson's back cracked a few times until he stood straight up. 

"Hyperdrive is ready," Tenso said.

"Punch it. Before the Ecorians realize we aren't sitting ducks anymore," Carson ordered.

Tenso clicked the button at the same time an Ecorian fighter pulled in front to face them. It was basically an egg with thin wings on each side that held twin laser cannons below. The fighter kept getting closer with every second.

"Is he going to ram us?" Carson said.

"Um...I think we are going to ram him," Tenso said.

"Cancel the hyperdrive. Don't run through him."

Tenso mashed the same button over and over, nothing changed.

"I can't stop it!"

"Brace for impact!" Carson yelled.

Kendal held on to Tenso's console. The words of his previous commander filled his head...at least the ones that hurt the most, "If you just followed my orders, I could've protected you." Kendal closed his eyes, preparing to meet his fate. Their ship crashed into the fighter like a hammer to styrofoam. The fighter splintered in half, sending pieces everywhere into space. The pilot's blood smeared on the glass.

The crew looked at each other, shocked that they were still alive. Kendal opened his eyes to see the blood smeared over the glass.

"We're alive!" Yala said, releasing the console she was grabbing on to for dear life.

"Those Ecorians must make their ships out of tin," Zenith said. 

The crew laughed while Carson looked back at the stain on his window. The crimson smear marked the ship like a bad omen waiting to be awakened. He pointed at it and turned to Kendal. "Kendal. You got one more mess to clean up."

"I'm sure it won't be the last," Kendal said.

Ronny peaked out from underneath the console and threw up upon seeing the blood outside. Zenith rolled her eyes, unable to move without stepping in vomit.

"Now you got two messes. Aren't you glad you are stuck here with us?" Carson asked.

Kendal smiled. He was happy. Not about the chunky green sludge on the floor, but the crew he was with. They made what was supposed to be a punishment, a blessing. And an opportunity.