"Happy to have had you join us on Voyager's last trip," Dan forced himself to say cheerfully as he shook the hand of the old gentleman in front of him with both hands. He and his family were the last leaving the ship. "We hope you had fun and made tons of great memories."

  While the old gentleman and his family went down the stairs, Dan gazed on with a far look in his eyes before sighing and turning around.

  "The last trip, huh?" Robert, who stood next to him, said as he kept his eyes on the old man. "To think that this day would come this fast, I seriously thought that I would retire on this ship."

  "Same..." Dan sighed, his shoulders slumping now that there were no outsiders to keep a facade in front of. Ever since he got the news a few months ago, he had been going on autopilot, living his days while wishing that there would be a different end to this nightmare that he found himself in.

  He sighed again as his mind took him to that first trip 10 years ago. The weather was perfect as he stood in that same spot and welcomed the happy and joyful passengers to the brand-new cruise ship. He could still hear the joyful laughs and see the happy smiles as if he was there. Looking at the gloomy weather and the backs of the leaving passengers, he couldn't help but lament the differences.

  "Let's head to the bridge, Captain." Robert patted him on the shoulder.

  "Hmh..." Dan grunted as he turned and headed to the bridge, his right hand never leaving the railings, or the walls when he got away from those.

  "You shouldn't be this down," Robert's voice dragged Dan from his thoughts after they had walked for a while. "We all knew that a day like this would come. It is earlier than we thought, but that's life for you."

  "... Just a series of unfortunate events, huh?" There was a hint of dark humour in Dan's words, yet even that couldn't hide the clear hurt there. "The outbreak and the quarantine were hard, but we pushed through. Things aren't as they were before all of that but we're getting there. The Voyager still has a lot in her, I have no idea what the higher-ups are thinking, decommissioning her this early."

  "You still have a lot in you too," Robert said with a cheer to him that Dan knew was forced, the man was just as devastated as he was. "You're a great captain and any crew or ship would love to have you. I'm sure that the company has a new ship with your name on already."

  Dan knew that, after all, he already got the papers for it. The company had already relocated him to their newest ship, their new jewel. It just...

  "It's not the same," He just couldn't bring himself to feel any happiness at being sent to the new ship while knowing that his ship was being dismantled in some corner of the world. The Voyager was the first cruise ship he captained, it held memories he wouldn't exchange for the world. And yet, the end was here. One of the biggest cruise ships of her time, getting shelved just like that.

  Thinking about that again, he could feel the tiredness oozing from him. He had been pushing himself for the last few weeks, doing his best to make the Voyager's last trip as perfect as could be, not wanting to mar her history by letting something happen on her last trip. But now, with all the distractions gone, with him free and alone with his thoughts. He couldn't ignore and push them aside anymore, he had to face his new reality head-on.

  Robert, who got a few steps ahead of him while he was lost in his thoughts, pushed the door to the bridge dragging Dan back to reality. Looking inside, he saw that all the senior crew of the cruise ship were there, along with some of their family members -Dan had secured them a few tickets for this last trip.

  Robert's wife, Diana, a singer on the cruise ship, came and hugged him tightly, no doubt aiming to comfort him. Unfortunately, Dan never managed to find someone to build anything like that with.

  A series of 'hi captain' and such similar greetings sounded all around as Dan came in after him. Dan smiled and returned the greetings. The people there were some of the people he loved the most, people he saw and spent more time with than anyone else in the past 10 years. He had already given a speech and paid farewell to the other members of the ship, and right at that moment, while the senior crew members were gathered with him in the bridge, those were leaving the ship for the last time.

  Dan then locked eyes with a short but well-built man, who nodded at him. He was around 1.65m tall and had a quiet demeanour. He kept to himself while most of the others were around the room socializing. Dan nodded back at the man as he smiled. The man was Marcus, the ship's Chief Security Officer and a dependable asset when the need arose for someone like him. He wasn't with them for as long as the other members there, but he was still someone Dan wouldn't do without there.

  "Dan darling." An old lady's gentle voice sounded from the side as Dan went deeper into the bridge, "Thank you for inviting us for this, we truly appreciate it."

  The speaker was an old gray haired lady who was dragging an old balding man with her towards him. The old man gave Dan a light smile as he nodded.

  "Mrs. Raily, I wouldn't have had it any other way," Dan replied laughingly as he hugged the old woman.

  The couple were Mr and Mrs Raily, an old retired couple who had been with the Voyager for most of its trips these last few years. Throughout their trips, the couple became an essential part of the crew, just like Robert and the others. They were loved and cared for by everyone.

  Dan had a few words with the old couple before leaving them and moving along.

  "So, captain." William, the Chief Engineer and probably the oldest person there, started as he walked to Dan with his wife, Mary, by his side. There was a hint of worry on his usually happy face. "Are you sure this won't cause any trouble for you? The company might not be happy about this."

  The old engineer was the person Dan knew the longest there, and just as his chubby and gentle demeanour let out, he was probably the gentlest and most caring person Dan knew. Well, outside of the engine room and other important sections of the ship. He was a force of nature there.

  "I'm sure it's going to be alright," Dan answered as he patted the old man warmly. "After all, it's just an old sentimental captain taking his ship for one last ride, right?"

  Dan saw that most of his crew members had worried frowns on their faces, but he just smiled at that. They were worried about him, worried that he would face some trouble for taking the ship for a ride while it was supposed to be docked. But they needn't, he still had some say in the company. He had hinted to some of his close friends there about what he was going to do, and from their reaction he understood that as long as he didn't take things too far, and returned the ship with nothing off, all was going to be alright. He basically had permission, just nothing on paper.

  "Come on, no need to give me that, I know what I'm doing," He said as he smiled at all the people there. "Let's just enjoy this chance we have now, our last trip on our Lady the Voyager."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  People smiled at his words as he hugged William's shoulder and pulled him deeper inside. He went from person to person as he engaged in conversations with them. He recognized everyone in that room. Throughout the years he got the chance to meet the close families of all the core members of his crew. Having them be here, for this last trip, was all he could wish for.

  Around half an hour or so later, the door to the bridge was pushed open as a man who seemed to be in his mid to late thirties stepped into the room. Once he saw everyone inside, a big smile appeared on his weathered face.

  "Jackie, you finally decided to join us," Robert said lightly, making the others in the room smile or laugh.

  Jackie rolled his eyes as he got a drink at the table. "Unlike you who were enjoying your time and lazying here," He lifted his drink in salute to Dan, before continuing. "I actually had some work to do."

  "I take it that all is good then?" Dan asked as he nodded back to the bosun.

  "Yeah," Jackie shrugged as he simultaneously chugged his drink. "Everyone's down already, I oversaw them leaving."

  Dan nodded at that. Jackie was talking about the other crew members of the Voyager. Having already given a word and said his goodbye, he didn't want to make the situation any harder than it was, so he left Jackie there to deal with it.

  "Well." Shaking his head to drag himself back from his thoughts, Dan said to everyone as he watched his bosun carry his little daughter and spin her happily. "Now that it's just us here, why don't we get this party started."

  With a few cheers here and there, Dan walked to the ship's steering wheel, a small little thing considering the behemoth that it was controlling, and went into the process of getting the ship away from the port. Usually, this part would need the presence of the port's specified pilot, but Dan knew the port like the back of his hand, and knew his ship just as well, if not even more. So with the cheers and claps from the people on the bridge, Dan steered the huge ship away from the port slowly.

  Affected by the atmosphere, he looked back at his crew and their families with a smile and nodded at Robert, who grinned widely and walked to a small red button,

  "Prepare yourself, everyone!" With that, the Chief Officer pressed the button and a loud horn sounded out as some people in the room shrieked and put their hands on their ears.

  With the ship moving and the horn sounding, the party started for real. Dan laughed and looked at the people he appreciated the most, enjoying the moment and the time he had with them. His hands fell on the board near him, patting it gently. He considered this a party for the Voyager as much as it was for him and his crew.

  "Enjoy your time big girl. You deserve it..." He murmured in a barely audible voice.

  As time passed and people had their fun, Dan still kept his eyes on the equipment and readers all around the bridge. The weather had been a bit off that day, cycling between sunny, heavy rain and even some flecks of snow at one point in time. Robert joked that even the heavens were sad at seeing the Voyager being decommissioned.

  "It's getting weird..." Keith, the First Officer, said as she looked at the reading on the dashboard.

  It wasn't just her, Robert and Freddie, the Second Officer, were also there. Along with Dan, all 4 had hints of worry on their faces. Though it was hidden to not affect the mood of the party.

  The readings were erratic, and somehow even illogical. The atmospheric pressure kept on fluctuating, the wind speed and directions kept on changing and the humidity dropped to levels that should never be seen on a body of water. It was so illogical that Dan wondered if the ship was really in a worse shape than he thought, and if the sensors were malfunctioning.

  BEEEP! BEEEP!

  Suddenly, a loud sound was heard, freezing the cheerful atmosphere that was spreading through the crowd. The initial shock didn't last long for the crew members, while their family members were still petrified, they had all turned or made their way towards Dan and his small group.

  "Captain, what is it?" William asked, the gentle and cheerful expression on his face replaced by a seriousness that reared itself whenever the situation called for it.

  "Something's off," Dan answered as he kept his eyes on the readings in front of him. "The readings all indicate that there should be a huge hurricane just ahead, one that would be impossible to miss. Yet, nothing's there..."

  "Could it be a misreading-" Robert asked, but just as he did, someone suddenly said in a trembling voice:

  "Wh- what is that?" Turning around, Dan came face to face with the kind old lady, Mrs Raily, but unlike usual, the old lady's kind smile was nowhere to be seen. Instead her face was as white as a ghost as her trembling finger pointed to something.

  Heart skipping a beat, Dan turned to where her finger was pointing. Meeting with something that was certainly impossible to miss. Right in front of the cruise ship, blocking their field of view, was a huge foreboding hurricane.

  "How did that appear there?" He heard someone murmur. He had to admit, he had the same question. Dan was no meteorologist, but he was almost certain that monsters as big as the one ahead of them weren't something that could spawn into existence out of nowhere.

  Shaking off the shock of the moment, Dan ran to the wheel as his mind worked overtime to come up with something that could steer them off the course of the hurricane. He was the one who called everyone there, and he wasn't going to let anything happen to them, or at the very least, try everything he could before letting it come to be.

  He was about to start shouting orders at his crew when suddenly- and in a manner that made him question his eyesight, the huge hurricane flickered for a split second before a crack that spanned its entire height appeared. Before he could even voice his shock with an exclamation, the crack spread open and an otherworldly darkness billowed from the inside, soon spreading so much that it consumed the hurricane in its entirety.

  "What is that?" Someone shouted. While many others voiced similar questions all around the room.

  Feeling an incomprehensible horror gripping his heart, he froze as the all-consuming void started spreading even more. With his heart thundering in his ears, he did his best to steer the ship away, to move it away from the maw-like monstrosity that seemed to be swallowing everything in its path towards them. Dan could see the sea water just disappearing as the darkness continued on its path towards them.

  "Get us out of here!" Mr Raily shouted as he hugged his wife, his face pale. Dan feared that the old man would die of a heart attack right then and there.

  "I'm trying," He grumbled, heart falling when he noticed that the ship wasn't moving at all, it wasn't responding to any of his inputs.

  "It's too late..." A voice said from next to him while he was still busy with the ship's different controls. Turning around he found the Chief Security Officer, Marcus. The short well-built man was looking out the window at the abnormal disaster with a deep frown on his face. Following his gaze, his mind went blank as he noticed that the bow of the ship was already consumed by the void. With it advancing towards the bridge at a breathtaking speed.

  In those last few seconds before the void consumed him, Dan's thundering heart calmed down as a sentence flashed through his mind. It was so silly and out of the blue that it almost made him laugh out loud.

  The captain always goes down with his ship...

  ***

  In a place beyond comprehension. A space where beings that can delete universes with a thought lived and fought, one of the stronger beings -one the feeble human mind would melt at the mere description of- was just calming down from what we would consider a small tantrum, a tantrum that resulted in space around It being destroyed, with cracks spreading all over.

  Suddenly, and at a speed that can't even be measured for humans, the being turned Its attention to one of those cracks in space where a weird, tiny artefact of some kind passed through. The being's mind reacted, analysed and protected said artefact as soon as it appeared. One second it hadn't been there, and the next it sat there in the void, frozen in an emptiness devoid of space and time, protected from the weird space by the being's fleeting interest. Its intent, aura and power seeping into the artefact, acting as protection for the tiny life inside without interacting much with them. The being knew that such weak lifeforms wouldn't take well to direct contact with Its aura after all.

  Understanding the artefact for what it was in the minuscule amount of time It studied it, the being soon lost interest in what It saw. The combined worth and existence of the artefact, its passengers and their whole lives, not even enough to hold Its interest for a second. The fact that such a tiny thing was able to do so at all was surprising. Usually, It would have just ignored it and let it get obliterated in the void as soon as it appeared.

  Feeling at least some obligation for the artefact that held Its attention and the life inside it, the being opened another fissure in space and pushed the artefact through it. It sent them to a world where beings such as them lived, not caring if that world was the same one they came from or not.

  Once the artefact passed through and the fissure closed, the being moved away, thoughts about it already a forgotten memory. For It, it was nothing but a small episode in Its almost eternal life. Not caring how Its actions affected the artefact and the lives of those inside it.