Episode 2: The Ghost Ship and the Old Pirate

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Emil and Tom pressed their faces to the great round window, hearts thumping, and stared out into the dark.

And there, drifting slowly through the stars, was the strangest sight either of them had ever seen.

It was a pirate ship — a real one, with a great wooden hull, a tall mast, and a deck just like the sailing ships of old. But this ship was not sailing the sea. It floated silently through space, turning gently end over end among the glittering stars.

"A pirate ship?" Tom squeaked. "Out here?"

From the very top of the mast flew a tattered black flag, flapping in some unfelt wind. Where ordinary sails should have been, there hung instead enormous electric sails — great shimmering panels meant to catch starlight and solar winds. But they were broken now, cracked and dark, dangling in torn pieces.

"It looks abandoned," Emil murmured. "Like no one's been aboard for years and years..."

But just then, Tom grabbed Emil's sleeve. "Emil — look! In that window!"

Emil looked. And sure enough, in one small round window near the back of the ship, there was a light — a faint, soft, shivering light, flickering ever so gently, like a candle that refused to go out.

The two friends looked at each other.

"Someone might be in there," said Emil slowly. "Someone who needs help. We have to find out."

Tom gulped, then nodded bravely. "Together," he said.

And so they made up their minds. They hurried to the dormitory and pulled on their space suits — round helmets, padded gloves, little boots and all. Emil checked Tom's helmet twice to be sure it was snug, and Tom checked Emil's right back.

"Ready?" asked Emil.

"Ready," said Tom, though his voice wobbled just a little.

Emil opened the airlock, and out into space they floated. The stars wheeled all around them, vast and silent. Holding hands tightly so they wouldn't drift apart, the two friends pushed off from the cozy red tomato-ship and sailed slowly across the empty space between the two vessels.

It was the bravest thing Tom had ever done. But Emil's hand was warm and steady, and soon — thump — their boots touched down gently on the wooden deck of the mysterious ship.

The deck creaked beneath them. The torn flag rippled overhead. And there, just as they'd hoped, was a sturdy wooden door leading into what must be the ship's bridge — and from beneath it spilled that same soft, shivering light.

Emil took a deep breath. He raised his gloved hand and — knock, knock, knock — rapped politely on the door.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, with a slow creeeeak, the door swung open — and both friends gasped.

Standing in the doorway was an old pirate. He was tall and broad, with a great bushy red beard that tumbled down his chest, and a weathered coat and hat that had clearly seen a thousand adventures. But the most surprising thing of all was his arms — for while one was an ordinary arm, the other was made entirely of gleaming steel, like the arm of a robot, its metal fingers clicking softly as he gripped the doorframe.

The pirate blinked down at them, just as surprised as they were.

"Well, blow me down," he rumbled in a deep, gravelly voice. "Visitors? All the way out here?" He raised a bushy red eyebrow. "And what, may I ask, do two little spacefarers want with an old sailor like me?"

Emil swallowed his nerves and spoke up kindly. "Hello, sir. We saw your light from our ship. Your sails are broken, and... well, we thought maybe you needed help. Is your ship in trouble?"

At that, the old pirate threw back his head and laughed — a great, booming, friendly laugh that filled the whole bridge.

"Trouble? Trouble?" he chuckled. "Noooo, little ones. There's nothing wrong with my beloved ship! This here is the Fury — finest vessel ever to sail the stars." He patted the doorframe fondly with his steel hand. "Oh, she's old, aye. Older than you'd believe. The sails may be a bit tattered, but don't let that fool you — she still flies anywhere I please, exactly when I please. We've been everywhere together, the Fury and I."

Emil and Tom let out a breath of relief. The pirate was not stranded after all — and he did not seem the least bit frightening. In fact, his eyes were warm and kind beneath his bushy brows.

"Well, don't just stand there on my cold deck," said the pirate, stepping aside and waving them in. "Come in, come in! It's not often I get company. Mind the step."

In they went, and Emil and Tom found themselves standing in the heart of the Fury — the bridge. It was a wonderful place, all warm wood and glowing lanterns, crowded with brass instruments, rolled-up maps, strange dials, and a great ship's wheel worn smooth by years of use. And through the big window at the front, far across the stars, they could see their own little red tomato-ship, glowing patiently as it waited for them.

The pirate settled into a great creaking chair and looked at his two small guests for a long, thoughtful moment.

"You know," he said quietly, his booming voice gone soft, "I've been sailing these stars for very nearly two hundred years."

Tom's eyes went round as moons. "Two hundred years?!"

"Aye, lad. Two hundred years." The pirate gazed out the window at the endless deep. "I've seen things you wouldn't believe. Stars being born and stars going dark. Planets of fire and planets of ice. Comets racing like wild horses. Oceans that float in the sky." He smiled a tired, faraway smile. "I've had more adventures than there are stars in the heavens."

He fell quiet for a moment, and his steel hand rested gently on the arm of his chair.

"But I'll tell you a secret," he went on. "An old sailor gets weary, in time. After two hundred years of storms and journeys, all I want now is a bit of peace and quiet." He sighed a long, deep sigh. "That's what I'm searching for, you see. A nice, quiet, friendly little planet — somewhere green and gentle — where I can drop anchor at last, and rest, and live out the rest of my days in peace."

Emil and Tom looked at one another. And in that very same instant, the very same thought lit up in both their minds — a thought of a certain green planet, with a giant apple tree, and the kindest friends in all the galaxy...

But that is a story for the next episode.

To be continued in Episode 3...