Part 2

Three hours later...

The nebulae was just a curtain of smoke and stardust. Most of the nebulae that they checked had a layer of dark clouds and stars that was used to hide moons, dwarf planets, planetoids, asteroids, even black holes. You have to avoid the latter in order to prevent the vessel from getting sucked in amd devoured, some of the space cadets died from entering  therein in such cases.

Micah logged in to write a journal entry, including the date, coordinate, and occurrence. [Log #100857-325-909. 08/16/2020 8:46 AM] -- Stella had recalibrated the coordinates to examine the nebulae that appeared on the map. The current coordinates of the nebulae has been registered as: C28-50089kmx10⁵⁸=N148-6; S246-09; E198-06; W82-4: Pinwheel Galaxy/= There was nothing hidden within the nebulae other than the typical veil of smoke and stardust.

After the small Amoebian completed typing the entry on her tablet, a notification popped up from the spaceship reporting the fuel gauge. To which it showed on the screen the red bar of the fuel tank with the letter L blinking in lime green.

"Coccus!" Micah cursed out loud, hitting the metal desk which was near the navigating equipment.
"Calm down, Micah. There has to be a planet somewhere." Stella checked on the I.B.I's database.
"Even if there was a planet nearby, there is no certainty that the planet itself is inhabitable. Let alone have the resources necessary to refuel the spaceship!" Micah countered while Stella checked the list of planets that were within reach.

There were 169 planets within the Pinwheel Galaxy that have been archived. One of the planets that Stella scrolled downwards to find were as followed: Colossa; a planet that doubles the size of planet Jupiter with a creamy red color palette. The dominant species ranging from 8-12ft giants. Cammo; a green planet that has a similar mass and size as planet Mercury, the dominant species are humanoid chameleons and other reptilian subspecies. Einßteïnen, a slate planet akin to Neptune in appearance, known for its rocky terrain and hidden waterways, the dominant species are the Steinens, the stone people. Despite their primitive appearance, they are highly intelligent. As much as she scrolled down the list even further, the planets that had resources were too far away to reach and the ones that were within their range didn't have the resources they need to refuel the spaceship.

The spaceship only had enough fuel for one hyper-speed. It was their only chance of finding a planet, a risk Stella was willing to take. With a glance of the warp button, Micah caught unto Stella's intentions. "No! Stella Spacey, don't you dare press that button!" The Izarian stretched her finger to touch the button, but Micah slapped her finger away.

It didn't stop her from trying.

A series of hand slaps followed until Micah got on top of the equipment and shielded the button with her small body. "Stella Nova Spacey, I forbid you from depleting our remaining fuel for one of your stunts!" Micah commanded.

"Micah, we don't have much time. This is our only chance!" Stella reprimanded her.

"That's exactly why I'm not letting you ruin this! I was paired up with you because you need a supervisor to check on you! Do you have any idea how many missions have gone awry because you made brash decisions!"

"For your information, one of my brash decisions led you to a breakthrough! Or have you forgotten?!"

"Of course I haven't! There is a time and a place for everything, Stella! But now is not the time nor the place to do it!" Micah knelt from her position then stood up.

"What are you afraid of?! The possibility of getting stranded on an uncultivated planet? The thought of getting out of orbit in the middle of space? That hasn't stopped you from finding a solution! In fact, it motivated you from completing your mission!" Stella recalled on the times they were training together as interns for the I.B.I. "I know why you're acting like this, is because deep down you know I'm right." Stella loomed over Micah.

"If this is your feeble-minded attempt to use reverse psychology on me to do want you want, then forget it! I'm not letting you push this button. Over my. Dead. Body." Micah declared.

Stella's cold glare shifted into a sinister smirk. "I know." Stella pulled out her atomizer from her holster and pointed it at Micah. "Which alien do you want me to turn you into? A Steinen? A Colossus? Or an Elepherdant?"

"An Elepherdant? You sure like to contradict yourself. You know I'll whoop you the second I jump off the navigator, and I still won't let you go near the button." Micah stated.

"Wanna bet on it?" Stella implied.
"Only gamblers and tricksters gamble." Micah countered. Stella's atomizer whirred, ready to shoot as she aimed the weapon at the Amoebian.

"You can bluff all you want, but I am not moving from this spot!" Micah put her foot down and accidentally stomped on the warp button, immediately regretting her mistake.

The spaceship vibrated and whirred before it got shrouded in a barrier of light, bolting into hyper speed, leaving a puff of smoke behind.

🌠

Meanwhile at Pangaea, Carina returned to her hideout at a bedroom apartment. Carina sat on the edge of the bed as she pulled out a mobile device from her pocket to keep track of her credits. She remembered the advertisement as the electronic billboard revealed the award on display. It had a gem embedded on the golden trophy, along with the prize money.

The prize money could be converted into any currency in the universe, including credits. She couldn't wait to get her hands on the poly-powered gem. The electromagnetic pull of the gem could be a great substitute to activate her spacecraft, the CarinaCruiser.

She couldn't believe that she allowed herself to make an error of that magnitude. Now they were in an undesignated spot in space, nearly three light-years off course. And worse of all, she allowed herself to get goaded by her colleague, to which she still had the nerve to smirk triumphantly at her face.

The Amoebian stood up from the sleek metallic floor to glare at the Izarian. "I hope you're happy! Now we have less than 5% of fuel because you wanted to take the shot at defying my orders." Micah barred her teeth derisively, wiped the dust off her lab coat.

"It was worth it." Stella said, no longer having that commanding, detached tone that she had earlier. She winked and stuck her tongue out like a child.

"Enjoy it while it lasts. If we find a planet that has spacecraft fuel, you're on your own, Spacey." Micah set the coordinates to land on a green and blue planet that was called Pangaea, a fertile planet that had exotic plant life and avant-garde architecture. The majority of the inhabitants of Pangaea were multicultural enthusiasts, ranging from natives to foreigners, from different species, even creatures of different planets came to visit the popular planet within its Solar System.

To their surprise, the city where they have landed by mere chance had a Universal Teleporter, basic transportation, an online interface, and an Intergalactic Signal that would put the I.B.I. (Intergalactic Bureau Investigation), E.C.O. (Extraterrestrial Communication Organization), and the U.W.P.P (Universal Witness Protection Program) to shame.

She paced four steps forward, her mouth agape as her eyes glimmered. Micah was just as miffed as she was, though she didn't show it. It was already bad enough that she was made the fool off earlier, so she walked back into the spaceship and closed the shuttle, leaving the awestruck Izarian outside to her own devices. 

Stella took a jaunt around the town, the odds of her finding a civilized, advanced planet that accepted universal currency was nearly astronomical. At the corner of her eye, she spotted a red dress with ruffled sleeves. The inner shopaholic that laid dormant in her urged her to buy it. "I want it!" She stepped into the store and went on a shopping spree.

The petit cadet checked on the map of the planet so that she can guess exactly which area of the planet they landed. From what the application displayed, the spaceship landed on the southern hemisphere of on the third largest continent of Pangaea called Wantonamoe; the continent had 78 countries. 

She wasn't interested in unnecessary information, she wanted to know which was the nearest space station that distributed fuel for her spacecraft. To her misfortune, it was 78 miles away. "Great." Micah muttered under her breath. She wasn't too thrilled about trekking all the way to her destination with her short legs, at least she had a hovercraft that she could use in such short notice. With a flip of a switch, the lights of the ceiling shone upon a medium-sized yellow hovercraft with the front lights having a striking resemblance to her goggles.

It was equipped with retractable steps for her to walk with ease, as she sat on the dark leather seat, she twisted the handle while the engine purred. Micah grinned as she revved the engine then used a remote to open the shuttle before she shot out like a rocket, then the shuttle closed automatically five seconds later.

💳

Carina checked the remaining credits that she had on her mobile device, 459,025 credits. If she were to convert that currency it would be the equivalent of $4,590.25. It was enough to stay on the planet for another week. Sure, she could use the Universal Teleporter to go to any part of the galaxy and safe herself the trouble of spending her credits, but she was wanted by the I.B.I. The authorities could pick up on her DNA signature the second she gets teleported, and in less than a minute and she would be caught and locked up in a maximum security prison on an uncultivated moon guarded by an asteroid field with an electromagnetic barrier to keep intruders out. Not even the most experienced space pirate could help break her out. That is why she needed that poly-powered gem to power her spacecraft, it was the only power source that was within her reach. It had more power than 65 utonium rods, and 12 electrically powered fuse boxes put together. The latest spacecraft models can use alternative power sources. One of them being electromagnetically powered crystals.

Carina stood from the bed and walked out of her apartment, closing the door on her way out. Stella gets out of the last store where she shopped while she carried over 8 shopping bags of different shapes, colors, patterns and sizes while she walked past the street on her way to the spaceship. She stopped at the sidewalk when then stoplight turned green for regular vehicles and hovercrafts alike to pass, Stella frowned at the thought of waiting so she glanced elsewhere to see if she could find anything interesting. Her red eyes beheld at the electronic billboard as it announced an upcoming event. A tournament that was being sponsored by a woman, given that her voice was being heard assuming that she was the one who hosted the event.

"Welcome to the Auctorian Stadium! Where the greatest fighters from all over the world come to compete to prove their worth at the Collaboration Colosseum; a place where competitors show their strength in the arena. We value camaraderie, courage and integrity above all. If you have these qualities, you are more than welcome to partake in the arena for the prize that is in store for you." The advertisement showed the arena, the stalls, the seats, the stadium, and the weapons and armor with silhouetted warriors clashing. One of the prizes displayed was the prize money worth of 3 billion credits, and the award had poly-powered gem in place. "Noooooooo." Stella gasped before the stoplight changed color, giving her an opportunity to cross. "I gotta tell Micah about this." The Izarian dashed with her shopping bags in tow, running 34 miles per hour, dodging the hustle and bustle of a busy city.