Back then ~ possibly part 1

"If you look back far enough, you can see the future" Someone old and wise might say. They won't be very wrong either, because if you look back about two lightyears, you will see three weird-ass pretzel-shaped spaceships gunning straight for our position.

"Captain, they are still on the same line!" I announce loudly as I swivel my chair around and stamp my feet down to stop abruptly.

"Mr. Pan, have I not told you to stay in your kitchen and leave the TRACKING SYSTEM ALONE!" She yells down from her chair which is on a platform at the centre of the shipsfront two steps up from where I am sitting.

I stay quiet for a bit so she knows I am considering what she is saying then reply "Yes Ma'am but..."

"NO BUTsss." She hisses at me.

"But, it is Potter," I say under my breath as I leave the bridge I think they called it.

I can see the Captain following me with her eyes, and knew when she flinched I should have kept quiet. "What was that?"

"Potter. My name is Mr. Potter" I said meekly without stopping.

"Just..." She started to say and turned back to face the space zooming past in front of us.

I headed back to the kitchen and started doing the dishes which I had neglected after lunch service. "I know I am right, those ships are coming and with them big trouble," I tell the plates intently as I scrub them clean.

"Potter, you know the Captain said to leave it." James says handing me the charted courses for the pretzel ships. As I take them from him he jerks the tablet back so I can look at him.

Looking up and firmly pulling the tablet from his grasp, I know what to say to soften him up a bit. "Yes. I know, call it a hobby, I just find it interesting that is all. You know scrubbing dishes really is not all that interesting."

"Why you choose to work in the kitchen and try to use it as an excuse is beyond me. Take these charts, but know they are the last ones. Ok?"

"Ok." I reply as he turns to leave my room.

Waiting in front of the Captain's quarters, I pondered the dilemma. I had no real proof of what bad would come from these ships if and when they did catch up to us.

Really the only thing I had to go on was that they were definitely following us, maybe. That they definitely were very strange looking and that the Captain would send me to the historical farmland research centre to shovel Squidhorse manure.

Finally, I buzzed her quarters. After a moment James stood in the open sliding door and to my surprise says "I told you to leave it alone, but she says you should know or you will never shut up. So come with me." James stepped out of the Captain's quarters and made his way down the passage, I watched him for a moment then briskly walked up behind.

I kept quiet, but it would be very evident to anyone that saw me right now that my mind was screaming "I bloody knew it, fuck I am smart."