Page 14 of A Million Stars and Shadows

He looked at me as if he was contemplating something heavy on his mind, weighing his shoulders down. Finally, he said, “I don’t want anyone to panic. I don’t know if it’s certain yet, but yes, we may have to try to land earlier.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I know you tested the highest in psychological and emotional stability, Jana,” Thomas said, “Out of all the passengers on the Red Genesis, you came in close to my score on strength of will. Maybe slightly higher.”

“You just said I came in the highest,” I said, almost teasingly.

He smiled and then ran his hand over his hair, “Maybe slightly higher than me.”

“You really are the most arrogant person I’ve ever met,” I said.

He actually laughed this time and said, “Yeah, you’ve told me a couple of times since the first day we’ve met.”

“Knowing how my mind works then, Captain,” I said, “you can tell me the truth and I won’t panic.”

Thomas smiled, “That’s what I like about you, Bunny.”

“Jana,” I corrected him.

He moved in a little closer to me, almost to the point where I could feel the heat of his presence. “But I love calling you my pet name for you. You’re pretty cute like a bunny.”

“Please,” I said, walking past him to stand in the hallway.

“Hey, having a nickname like ‘Bunny’ isn’t so bad compared to the nickname you gave me – ‘Pop Idol Boy’, which is pretty insulting to have when you’re the captain of a ship this size.”

“Well, it suits you,” I said. “Three months later, and you still remind me of a Pop Idol.”

“What…because I enjoy going on stage in the concert hall and entertaining the passengers with my singing and dancing abilities?” Thomas asked.

“Uh huh,” I said. “That and everything else,” I pointed to the way he was dressed.

“I like to dress fashionably,” Thomas said. “My hair, too. Nothing wrong with that.”

“No,” I said, “But really, Thomas, were you ever in a boy band? Did you ever post dancing videos on Tik Tok or whatever social media platform like that? You seem to fit right in with the bad boy Pop Idol type. And you must love all that attention from the girls.”

“Truthfully,” Thomas said, “I was in a boy band, I hate to admit it.”

My mouth dropped, “Nah, really? No way. I was just joking about all that…”

Thomas shook his head. “Yes, really. Ever heard of Space Boyz?”

I thought hard. “Sounds vaguely familiar.”

He pulled out his pocket-size computer called the Zipline because of how it was the fastest portable data and voice communication system on Earth. “Ever seen this?”

I looked over at the photo he was showing me. Three young men wearing silver suits with slicked back blue, green, and red hair. One was playing the keyboards, while the other one was on drums, and another on guitar. My eyes shot wide open. “You mean you were in this boy band?” I asked. “You’re huge!” I blinked my eyes again. “So huge! Why did you stop?”

“That was me about ten years ago,” Thomas said. “I got tired of the lifestyle and decided to pursue my passion about space. That’s how I got into the space program.”

“But you’re still able to entertain our passengers better than anyone else,” I said. “We lucked out having you as a captain.”

Thomas’ eyes shot wide, and his eyebrows lifted, “You really think so?”

“Yeah,” I said, walking away. “So, that was the big secret? You were in a boy band for real… well, that’s good to know. If you’ll excuse me, Captain, I have to get over to the other side of the ship to check on the plantation. Our system is doing well enough growing the plants on board, but I have to check the atmosphere there once a week.”

“Good,” Thomas said, seemingly relieved that we were ending this conversation.

As I made my way over to the other side of the ship to our horticulture and garden area where farmers and plant experts had already grown fruit trees, vegetables, and flowers in pods, I noticed the area was empty. It was dinner time, and most likely everyone was in the restaurants or food court area where meals were being served.

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