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nicolewoo · 6 months

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Super Earth Chapters 9 and 10

What the heck! Why not post them together since they're both done?

Chapter 9: Dodgeball

Capter 10: Fruition

Part 9: Dodgeball

I floated into the mess hall followed by a couple of scientists that were still trying to get adjusted to having no gravity. By the time we arrived, the mess hall was full of crew and passengers. The crew members cheered when I got there.

“Everyone ready?” I asked Orange and Carmello, who were waiting for me at the door. I looked at Orange now, “You’re not needed in Engineering?”

“Gargano and Coffey can handle it.” He said casually.

Our conversation was interrupted by a woman yelling “Wait! Wait! Wait for me!” A second later, Ensign Tilly floated in the room.

“We haven’t picked teams yet.” Mello assured her, and she cheered.

Cassidy clapped his hands loudly. “Everyone ready?” There was a chorus of yesses. “So, does everyone know how to play dodgeball?” A couple of the scientists didn’t, and Orange explained. “So we have 2 team captains. Captain Y/L/NQ is one and Carmello is the other. We’ll pick teams. Then we line up in two lines facing each other.” Dr. Owens and Dr. Zayne demonstrated. “Then we start throwing balls at each other. If you get hit by a ball you’re out.” Owens threw a ball at Zayne, which he avoided. “Whichever team has the last man standing wins. Understand?” There were agreements.

“But there’s no gravity.” Dr. Lee asked. “Seems to be a lot easier. The balls are going to be so slow.”

My crew laughed. “Yeah, but the balls don’t land; and you still have to avoid the rebounds. They’ll be floating everywhere. Trust me, it’s a lot harder than you think.”

“Team Captains. Coin toss.” Mellow and I each faced Orange. “Captain Y/L/N you pick,” Orange tossed a coin into the air, which just spun in place for a second before Orange clapped his hands around the coin.

“Tails.” I said, but when he looked at the coin, I’d lost.

Mello laughed happily. “I’m starting with Dr. Owens.”

I just smiled at Mello as I made my first pick, “First pick is Dr. Reigns.” Nobody was surprised.

For the past couple of hours, I’d been thinking about what order I was going to pick my teammates. If I picked Roman first, I could end up losing Orange or Dr. Thorpe by choosing Roman first, but I was willing to take that risk.

Mello took a deep breath before choosing “Dr. Zayne”. I kept my face stoic, but I was hugely relieved. Mello knew what our normal teams were, and he was not stealing my guys. I’d treat him with the same respect.

“Orange.” Mello nodded at me as if saying, that of course we’d respect our normal teams.

A few minutes later, our teams slowly tried to get lined up and ready to play…. The crew occasionally helping the scientists who weren’t used to no-grav. Balls were handed out to a few members of the crew. I looked down the line at my team. I had my usual Dr. Thorpe, Orange, and Tilly. I’d also chosen Towzawa, who looked like he could be fast and flexible, Dr. Lee and Dr. Ripley, both had the potential for real violence. I’d lost Dr. Gunthar, and his co-workers Dr. Kaiser and Dr. Davinci to Mello. I was really hoping to get them, but I knew Mello would choose them before I did. As expected Ensign Trick Williams was standing at Mello’s side. They had been friends for years.

Trick fished a whistle out of his pocket. “Everyone ready?” He yelled excitedly, and everyone yelled yes.

The whistle sounded and the balls began to float through the room. Laughs, taunts, cheers, the sound of balls bouncing off bodies… the whole room descended into a joyous chaos. We all took it easy on the scientists in the beginning; allowing them to get their sea legs before throwing balls at them. Quite a few of them got hit by balls that had been thrown at other targets, as expected. Mello and I had already decided to let them back in the game while they got used to everything. Some of them decided not to play, which was fine, and we ended up having cheerleaders for each team.

Drs. Guntar, Kaiser and Divinci adapted almost immediately, launching what I’m sure would have been painful throws in gravity at us. I could see why Mello chose them. Roman, Orange, Jamie, Thorpe, Tilly and I formed a circle, backs to each other; holding balls to fend off attacks until the time was right to launch a ball at a target. The strategy would hopefully help us avoid the loose balls. It worked pretty well until a deflected ball shot straight down into our circle, soundly hitting Jamie on the shoulder.

“Hey!” She protested, but then waved it off. “I gotta take the helm anyway so Ciampa can play.” She grabbed the wall and launched herself toward the bridge.

The dangerous trio of Guntar and friends were formidable indeed. They were systematically picking off my team members; somehow launching the ball so hard the rebounds even had speed. Towzawa turned out to be a huge asset. The Guntar group didn’t see him as a threat right up until the moment he took out Guntar and Kaiser in one rebounding shot. My whole team cheered. We were getting our tails whipped, despite gaining a fresh Ciampa in Jamie’s place.

The longer the game went, the more people fell into two categories. Those of us left in the game were getting more serious with each throw while the pool of eliminated players laughed more, cheered more, enjoyed more.

It was Dr. Owens, who came out of nowhere. His shot landed squarely on my chest, eliminating me and garnering a round of cheers from the other team.

In the end, Dr. Thorpe alone faced Mello, Trick and Owens. He fought valiantly, but he was outmanned. Seeing the three opponents on three sides of him with three balls, ready to throw at once. He shook his head defeatedly as they launched their balls. He was able to avoid 2, but the third hit his elbow.

With that, the whole room cheered. Now that the game was over, the scientists started playing around in the wide open space, doing the normal flips and moves, drinking water in no-grav. Some felt the NEED to pee in no-grav. I could have told them it was a pain the ass, but if they didn’t do it, they’d wonder what it was like for the rest of their lives. I just chuckled to myself.

“Cap,” Mello floated beside me with a bag of water for me. “Good game.”

I smiled, looking around the mess, seeing everyone having a blast. “Good game.” I agreed. We touched our water bags together as if we were clinking wine glasses.

“Oh!” Mello turned to Trick. “Can I have a bag for Roman?” The bag floating to us. “Here.” He handed Roman the bag.

The shoulder I’d dislocated a few weeks ago was really sore after the game, and I tried to move it around and massage the shoulder. Dr. Thorpe noticed and launched himself toward me.

“You ok? Did you re-injure it?” He asked putting his hand on my shoulder and exploring the joint.

“Nah,” I said, “It’s just sore.”

“Want something?” Thorpe asked, knowing I’d turn it down.

“No. A good hot shower will help.” I said.

Thorpe turned to Roman now, “Can you massage her shoulder tonight?” He ignored my huff. “Right here.” Thorpe pushed his finger into the socket and then put Roman’s fingers there. “In this joint?”

Roman agreed. It wasn’t until Thorpe was gone that Roman turned to me with a wicked smirk on his face. “You heard the doc. I’ve gotta give you a massage tonight.” His smirk showing that he meant to massage more than just my shoulder.

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Part 10: The Fruition

The computer chimed. “Good Morning Captain” The automated voice chirped.

“Morning Ship” I answered groggily.

“How did you sleep?” The automated voice added. “Today is the big day!” At that, I was wide awake. Today! Today was the day! I would finally see Super Earth today! I’d get to walk through the colony, feel the water, see all the work that is being done. Today everything I’ve worked so hard for was coming true. My joy was tamped down as I realized none of that was going to happen unless I safely set the ship down on the settlement’s platforms. I’d practiced on the simulator hundreds of times. I’d talked to other pilots who had been to Super Earth. I was 100% ready for this, but I was scared to death.

Roman sat up lazily, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “You can do this!” We’d spent a lot of time talking about it. This was the one part of the mission I was dreading.

“The landing pad is so small” I lamented.

He kissed my temple. “You’re an excellent pilot, and you’ve practiced this… you know this… you got this.”

I leaned into his touch. He was right. “I’ve seen you steer through a debris field, baby. You had to make a million little split second decisions and you kept us safe, and you hadn’t practiced. I trust you to do this landing. You know the pad inside and out. You know the ship. Just trust yourself.” I wished his words would have been enough to calm my nerves.

I turned to kiss him before dragging myself out of bed and into the bathroom. I turned on the shower to heat up. “Computer, how are my crew and passengers?”

“The passengers are doing well. Dr. Thorpe is doing pre-landing exams on them now. There are some signs of anxiety, but all seem to be healthy. Lt. Coffey broke his finger last night. Dr. Thorpe has treated the injury.”

Roman slipped into the bathroom with me, naked and glorious as he climbed into the shower I had heated up for myself. I climbed in with him. My shower wasn’t built for two, but that meant we were constantly wrapped up in each other; soap and water covered skins sliding against each other. It was enough to distract my mind for a short time.

He’d gotten out of the shower, picked me up and carried me to the bed wet, but I didn’t care. I was lost in him, and I needed it. He was primal, wild, grabbing, biting, pulling, ensuring I didn’t have time to think about the landing.

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We were getting dressed now, my body ready for another delicious breakfast from Carmello. “Computer.”

The computer chimed. “Yes Captain.”

“How did Lt. Coffey break his finger?” I put my shirt on.

“Boxing, Captain” The computer answered. Lt. Coffey loved to box, so this answer was expected.

“Who was he fighting?” I asked.

“Dr. Thorpe.” The female voice answered.

“How is my ship today?” I asked as I tied my shoes.

“Systems are functioning within expected parameters. Thank you for asking” The ship answered.

I sighed in relief. My crew had been working diligently to make sure the ship was working perfectly. Most of us were looking forward to a 3 month rest on the planet. My crew deserved it.

The mood in the mess hall was different today. People spoke in hushed tones, nobody joked or played…. We were all nervous about today’s landing. It was the most dangerous part of the trip.

Lt. Coffey was the first to approach our table. “Cap, you got this.” He put out his fist for a bump. After his example, every time someone got up, they came and gave me their support. It was incredibly appreciated. Hearing the crew and passengers trusted me gave me an ego boost.

Jamie came into the mess, grabbing a tray of food before sitting at the table with Roman, and me. “Almost vacation time.” She sang out cheerily.

“Just that one little thing to do before that. Nothing much…..just landing a spaceship on a tiny, floating platform on an alien planet.” I got more nervous just saying it.

I could always count on Jamie to boost my spirits. “I’ll be right there with you. We’re gonna land this ship just like we do every time in simulation.” She placed her hand on mine and squeezed. “I’m not scared at all.”

Orange spoke from behind me as he came to our table. “I’ll be right there too.”

I was done eating and put my fork down. “Who is covering engineering?”

“That would be me.” Lt. Gargano answered as he approached with his breakfast tray.

I scooted closer to Roman to make more room at the table. Gargano pulled up a chair to the corner of the table, jockeying for room to set his tray.

Orange continued. “Both Lt. Gargano and Lt. Coffey will be in engineering.”

That was comforting. I’d worked with Gargano for years, and I trusted him implicitly, and Lt. Coffey had proven himself on this trip. Orange relied on the young Lt. often, and he’d done stellar work every time.

“Morning.” Commander Ciampa said as he approached the table. He didn’t even try to fit at our table. He sat at the table next to us, digging into his food the second he was seated. “Big Day!” He seemed excited.

Gargano went to sit with Ciampa, freeing up some room at our table. “I can’t believe that we’re FINALLY going to see Super Earth!” He said once he was seated.

“Oh yeah!” Lt. Coffey said as he joined them. “Can’t wait to explore everything!”

“I can’t wait for vacation!” Jamie added.

Nobody seemed concerned about the landing but me. It was my job to be concerned, but still. Their confidence eased my apprehension even more.

When Lt. Deville approached me with a tablet, my mind switched into mission commander mode immediately. I reviewed the information on the propulsion system quickly, asking Sonya about a couple of the readings before letting her get back to work.

“Checking ships’ systems?” Roman said quietly to me, the rich, velvet undertones of his voice seemed to seep into me and comfort me a bit. I nodded curtly, and he wrapped an arm over my shoulder. “You’re gonna do great. Just remember why you’re doing this.” He knew how much this trip meant to me. He knew how much good was being done on the planet and how excited I was to see how this work could be used to heal our Earth.

Carmello must have seen the exchange, because he tapped a spoon on a bulkhead to get everyone’s attention. “Hey guys, Listen up!” The room settled down quickly. “Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for.” Everyone cheered a little. “But today is also the most dangerous day. Let’s focus on our goals for a minute, remember what good this mission is going to do. Dr. Towzawa, can you start? How will your experiments improve Earth?”

Tozawa was a small man, from Taiwan with a crazy blonde streak in his hair. He didn’t speak English very well. He stood to address the whole mess hall. “If my crops grow on TOI-1452b, we feed everyone there, and more humans can live there, easing burden on Earth’s….” He paused, asking for help translating from one of his colleagues. “resources on Earth.” Once done with his bit, he pointed to Dr. Xia Lee. She was a stunningly beautiful woman with long dark hair and an infectious smile who had picked up the nickname “Michin” on the trip.

“My experiments focus on converting plant matter into vehicle safe fuels.” She sat and pointed to Dr. Guthar.

The overly large aesthetically daunting Doctor was actually one of the funniest people on board. “My work,” He looked over at Dr. Davinci and Dr. Kaiser. “Our work,” he corrected himself. “We will be trying to figure out how to translate the technology of harvesting energy from the ocean’s waves into energy and adapt it for Earth.”

“It’s not as easy as that.” Dr. Kaiser interrupted.

Dr. Guthar nodded. “No. Not that easy, but it’s a start.”

It took about a half hour to go through all the scientists, and it was a half hour I didn’t have, but Carmello had been correct. Hearing what we were fighting for was enough to shore up my resolve.

I was in the gym, getting in a quick workout as a way to distract myself when the computer chirped. “Captain,” It was Jamie. “We are nearing TOI-1452b. It should be visible in the next half hour.” I peeked out the window and saw nothing but stars. I turned off the treadmill, dabbing my face and neck with a towel while I walked to the computer panel to answer.

“Understood.”

I showered faster than I ever have, putting on my lucky underwear to face the day. Roman chuckled. “You won’t need them.” He said as he lounged on my bed. “You’re the best pilot in space.”

“Need and want are two different things. I’m not taking any chances today.” I said as I pulled my hair up.

I was putting on my shoes when he spoke again. “Can I come with you? See the planet?”

I considered. “Yeah, but just until we start the landing sequence. You’ll have to be strapped into your seat with everyone else when I do the landing.”

“I know,” he said. “I just want to see it!” He stood after putting his shoes on. What he meant is he just wanted to be there to support me, and I wanted that as well, but regulations prevented me from having him on the bridge while we landed.

Although we generally acted professionally in front of the crew and passengers, I took his hand as we walked to the bridge.

Orange, Ciampa and Jamie were already there as I expected, but I found the majority of the crew and passengers there, trying to get a look at the planet.

“What’s going on?” I asked from the doorway.

“Captain!” Dr. Zayne said cheerfully. “Just in time to see it.” He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me toward my seat at the helm.

“90 seconds until visual.” Cassidy said from his station.

I should have cleared the bridge, leaving only Orange, Ciampa, Jamie and me, but I was just as excited about seeing Super Earth as everyone else. I could let them stay a few minutes. “Ok, everyone back up. You can stand on this side of the room.” I indicated the door away from the controls.

The computer chirped. “Incoming call from TOI-1452b.” The automated voice said. I couldn’t help my smile.

“Answer it.” I told the computer.

“Earth vessel Explorer. This is Super Earth Colony. I am Base commander Seth Rollins. We have you on our radar. Expected time of arrival is 2 hours and 14 minutes.” Everyone on the bridge cheered.

“Super Earth Colony, this is the Earth vessel Explorer. This is Captain Y/L/N. We expect visual in 45 seconds.” I answered.

“How was your trip?” Mr. Rollins said.

I was so focused on landing the craft, and his small talk didn’t seem important, but I should pretend to be calm for the crew and passengers. I thought quickly. “It went very well. Just a couple of hiccups.”

I was barely done talking when he answered, a good indication that he was focused too. “Glad to hear it. I’m here to help you land. I understand you’ve racked up some miles on a simulator?” It was a question instead of a statement.

Jamie laughed as I answered. “My crew and I have been through 153 simulations.”

Rollins’ whistle rang through the air. “Ok! This is going to be a breeze then.” I hoped he was right to have so much confidence in me.

“Cap!” Jamie said. I looked up to find the tiniest little orb of blue way in the distance.

“Colony, we have visual.” I said to Rollins.

There was a pause. I heard some rustling and movements. “Great.” Rollins finally said. “Ok, when you get here, take an orbit of 2,700 Kilometers and radio us. I’ll help guide you in.”

Everything was exactly like the simulations, which calmed me a bit. “See you in a couple of hours.” I answered Rollins.

“Can’t wait Captain. The whole settlement is excited to meet you all. We don’t get too many visitors.” He laughed.

“Not as excited as our crew and passengers.” I answered, and I heard the crowd behind me laugh.

I turned to face them. “Ok. Off the bridge everyone. We’ve got work to do.” Disappointed sounds rang out from many of them. “You’ll be able to see the planet as we approach from the gym.” The alternative was very welcomed and the crowd started leaving to go to the gym and watch. It wasn’t quite as good of a view, but I couldn’t have them all on the bridge while we did this.

My crew went to work. For the next 90 minutes, every system on the ship was checked and double checked and in some cases triple checked by my crew and reported to me. Short of a tripped relay in the environmental controls, the ship was in perfect condition. We all kept an eye on the planet as it got closer, but our main focus was checking the ship.

I stood in the middle of the bridge trying to figure out what to do next. Surely, I was forgetting something. “Cap?” Orange said.

“Yeah?” I answered.

Slipping his hands into his pocket, he answered. “We’re ready.” When I didn’t answer or move he continued. “I suggest you take a little break. Pee, hydrate, relax.”

“Agreed!” Jamie said. “You’re gonna drive me nuts if you sit here. “Go take a break.”

“You first.” I said to them.

I hadn’t noticed Ciampa at the door. “How about you all take a break? I’ll take the helm until we’re in orbit.”

A break? In 153 simulations, I’d never ended up 45 minutes ahead of schedule. I had to admit my crew had done an amazing job. “I can’t.” I said confused. There had to be something that needed done.

Ciampa walked to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. “You can, Cap. I’ll be right here. If anything at all happens, I’ll let you know, but you have a rare chance to relax before landing. You should take it.”

I nodded. “Ok.”

Roman was waiting outside the bridge for me. He opened his arms and I practically ran into them, burying myself deep in his arms as if he could protect me from the universe. He ran his hand soothingly over my back. “Why don’t we go to your quarters? Maybe you can lay down.” When I didn’t immediately answer yes, he continued. “Would you prefer to go to the gym and watch with everyone else?” He asked, but my quarters had just as good of a view of the approaching planet as the gym did.

I immediately shook my head no. I wanted nothing more than to lose myself in him. “C’mon then.” He started toward my quarters.

“What’s wrong?” Roman asked.

I thought for a second. “I don’t know what to do.” In all of our simulations, we never had this much downtime.” He sat on my bed, patting the spot next to him. “Come sit down and relax.” Without any other idea what I should be doing, I listened to him.

He sat, leaning against the headboard and I crawled between his legs and into his arms. We watched the planet coming closer out my window.

“I heard Super Earth is planning a party for our arrival.” He whispered in the silence.

I looked at him. “I hadn’t heard that. Where did you hear it?”

He smiled down at me and placed a kiss on my temple. “Mello.” He answered. “I guess they do it every time a new ship lands on Super Earth. Back on Earth, they asked him what everyone’s favorite food are, and they’ll try to re-create them with their foods.”

“That’s really sweet.” I answered him. “Doubt I’m gonna be in the mood to party though. Probably be exhausted after the landing.”

“Baby girl,” He nuzzled into my hair until his lips were next to my ear, soothing me with his deep calming voice. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. You’ve done this what…. 150 times in simulations.”

“153 I corrected. But there were 10 bad landings on the simulation before the successful landings.” I lamented.

“Baby,” His voice was like a balm for my soul. “That’s why they have simulations. So you can learn, and you did learn. You’re ready for this.”

“I’m not sure talking about the landing is calming me.” I ran my fingers lightly over his arms, exploring the muscles and veins.

“Mmmm” he grumbled sexily. “Maybe I can find a way to distract you.” He licked my ear lobe.

I checked his watch, “Not enough time, baby.” He looked deflated. “But I bet there will be time tonight.”

He growled, “Tonight then.”

“Can we….” I started and trailed off.

“What baby girl?” He prodded.

I took deep breath. “I think I should go check on my crew.” “Baby, they’re ready. You’re ready. The ship is ready, but if it will make you feel better, let’s walk around the ship checking on everyone.” He smiled down at me.

I was up quickly, holding my hand out for him to hold. He rose quickly and we started our tour.

“Captain on deck.” Ensign Tilly said as she jumped to attention.

I walked into engineering, looking around as I said “Thank you Ensign Tilly.”

Lt. Gargano approached me. “Captain! Thought you’d be on the bridge.”

I paused, “Ciampa has the helm until we get to orbit.” I answered. “I’ll take over in a bit.” I started walking through engineering, checking readings. “How are things here?”

Gargano had fallen into step behind me. “We’re ready to go Cap. The ship is in fantastic shape.” I’d gotten a similar report over the com less than an hour ago, but it calmed me to hear it again.

I approached the station Coffey was working on. A red light blinked on his computer. “Is that the relay in the Environmental Controls?” I pointed to the light.

“Yeah yeah!” Coffey answered. “Just a tiny leak. Commander Cassidy said it could wait until we landed.”

“Ok.” I said. I looked up. Coffey happened to be working in front of a window that showed Super Earth really well. “You’ve got a good seat.” I joked.

Coffey’s eyes lit up. “Yeah. I won an epic battle of rock paper scissors to get it.” He laughed.

It made me laugh too, “and who lost?”

“Me!” Ensign Tilly’s voice rang out, and I turned to see her hand up.

“Sorry Ensign,” I said to her.

“It’s ok, Cap. I get that station when we go home. Tilly always found a way to make the most out of everything. It was a trait I admired.

I was turning to leave when it hit me. If Tilly and Coffey were making plans for the ride home, they trusted me to land the ship. Maybe I could be a little more like Tilly today and have a positive attitude about this. “Thank you Ensign Tilly.”

She turned from her work, obviously confused. “For what Captain?”

“I’ll tell you at dinner tonight.” I smiled at her, and she didn’t push the subject. Tonight, after I’d landed us safely, I’d tell her how much her positive attitude helped me calm down.

“Thank you everyone. See you all on Super Earth!” I slipped out of Engineering.

Roman had waited for me at the door, and as I walked out with a smile on my face and a bit of a cocky swagger, he smiled and took my hand. “Time to go to the bridge?” I smiled and nodded at him.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” I smiled. He squeezed my hand, but we walked in silence to the bridge.

He wrapped his arms around me. “You’re going to do great.” He kissed my forehead.

“I am.” I said.

“What happened in Engineering? You seem to feel better.” He asked.

I thought for a beat before just saying “Ensign Tilly.”

He had a knowing look in his eye as he smirked. “Ah… Miss Positivity got you.” I laughed and nodded.

He kissed me softly, “Ok Captain. Go do your thing.” He started to pull away, and I pulled him back for one more kiss.

“Go get strapped in.” I said as I stepped onto the bridge.

@mindofasagitarius @lclb13 @serenityfiretrash @lustyromantic @reigns-5sos @bigpsychicbagelauthor @omg-im-such-a-masochist @marlananicole @wickedsunfire @starwithaheart for the wolf fic @spookys-girl for the wolf fic @pitlissa22 for the wolf fic @snowpanda18 @thesamoanqueen @sassginaswanmills

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#roman reigns #roman reigns fanfiction

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