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Humans were one of the strongest species in the galaxy and to make matters worse they were intimidating. They stood tall (even when some slouched), they had eyes that locked onto movement and their reaction speed to things they weren’t even aware of until they’d already moved was terrifying. It made them hard to approach, hard to interact with. They were fighters and anyone with half a brain could see the energy itching under their skin. It was why everyone kept calling Impulse dumb for hiring a pack of humans onto his crew.
Impulse was tall, big. The thick skin that covered his body in shades of yellow and brown did him well for hiding in the shadows. He was admittedly slow but never struggled in an altercation, so when he met his first human who failed to meet the incredible legends he’d heard about his large heart didn’t even skip a beat.
Skizzleman was small. Not small for most alien standards but he only reached Impulse’s shoulder. He was teen sized, at least in his mind, so the overbearing energy, the arm wrapped around him in comradery, the jokes and the smiles did not bother him. They became something like friends.
It didn’t take long for Skizz to notice what Impulse’s line of work was; Board abandoned ships and purge them of foreign entities. This could be anything between cat-sized rats, dead bodies or… yes ghosts.
Not all ships were interesting, it was quite obvious when a ship had been in a fight and lost. There would be singe marks all over the hull, broken glass that could not easily shatter since it was produced to withstand the forces of space and bullet holes in every hallway. Those ships just needed to be cleaned out, the valuables collected and the ship returned to a port to be recycled.
The good ships would buzz with an eerie sound. Lights would be on even without a source to feed them, wails would call out for help, the air was chilled even through the protective suits Impulse wore.
Skizz wanted in. He said ghost hunting was everything he’d wanted to do back on Earth. Space ghost hunting was another level of cool.
Impulse didn’t mind the company. He didn’t even mind the human’s inexperience as he got possessed a few times and turned on him. His dull nails did not hurt him, his teeth could not make contact through their helmets and even when Skizz kicked his joints out to pull him down he wasn’t strong enough to unbalance him.
Impulse would tie him up and continue on with his work. He’d identify the spirit, avoid the hunts, set up his gear to eradicate the ship of paranormal activity then place a hand on Skizz’s shoulder when his eyes cleared and smile at him. Skizz would always moan about missing the best parts. Impulse chuckled and rolled his eyes.
Getting back on their own vessel, they’d carry the no longer haunted ship to a planet to sell. Impulse made good money.
There must’ve been something about the way Impulse treated his teammate on the job. Skizz had a shine to his eyes, praise on his lips and a skip in his step. He’d tell anyone who would listen at the markets and landing ports about their adventures. Junkyard traders rolled their eyes, merchants curled their noses and scurried away from the human, and ship dealers ducked their heads and disappeared from the conversation. Nobody liked Impulse’s job so it made sense that no one wanted to hear about it. The work needed to be done, he did a lot of good for the creatures racing through space but ghosts were a taboo topic. Or so Impulse thought.
Another human was eager for the hunt. He heard Skizz chattering about their latest expedition and he approached Impulse with a contract written and a serious look on his face. “I want to work for you. I heard you treat your workers well and give good pay, I promise in return I will give 110%.”
Impulse read over the contract and glanced at the human. His stance was defensive, his terms horrifically simple in what he would gain. His clothing looked suited for stealth and exercise with accents of red to give a hint of character.
“Sure.” Impulse huffed. “I don’t see why not. You’ll get a commission for each ship we clear out so expect the pay to fluctuate based on how many ships we can find.”
The human nodded. “My name is Grian.” He held a hand out.
Impulse didn’t know what to do with it. “Ok... I’m Impulse.” He turned slowly and headed back to his ship. “I have one other crewmember. I hope you aren’t scared of hugs…”
Grian’s expression pinched but he didn’t say anything. “How are you manning a ship with only one other crewmember?”
“I’m not a businessman.” Impulse chuckled. “I’m hunting ghosts for the fun of it so… don’t ruin Skizz’s fun. If we’re all sad the paranormal can use that against us.”
Grian nodded seriously. “I won’t let you down.”
“Just don’t get hurt.” Impulse chuffed. “You don’t need to impress me.”
Gem was the next human that wanted in. She pulled out a knife and stabbed the table Impulse was sitting at with his crew. They were trying to eat out to commemorate their last hunt…
“Ghosts? In space? Where?” She asked.
Skizz chuckled undisturbed. “I know right?! You wouldn’t believe it but they’re everywhere! Impulse here has a knack for finding haunted ships and we clear them out!” He elbowed their captain.
“Who are you?” Grian raised an eyebrow at the young woman. He gave an obvious look to all the weapons lining her belt and running across her sash.
“Assassin.” She answered easily before turning her eyes to Impulse. “Where can I sign a contract? I want a change in pace. Slicing down the paranormal might actually be interesting.”
“Uhh.” Impulse said. “I don’t know if I want an assassin on my ship…”
“Me neither.” Grian glowered.
“I like her!” Skizz declared. “Hey, how many people have you killed?” He leaned closer in curiosity.
“Plenty. Don’t ask me about my kill count.” She dismissed. “Look,” She kept all her attention on Impulse seeming to know he was the one who called the final shot. “I don’t act unless I’m given the order to. I do not kill unless it’s in my contract to.”
Skizz narrowed his eyes at her. “How old are you again?”
“Irrelevant.” She kept her eyes on Impulse.
“Oh my god you’re a young one aren’t you?” He said appalled. “Impulse hire her now so she doesn’t end up with the wrong crowd.”
“Excuse me?!” She replied.
“Yeah Skizz, that ‘youngun’ over there is armed to the teeth. Don’t let her age be a deciding factor to letting her board our ship.” Grian hissed.
Impulse shook his head. “Calm down.” He waved a hand. Both Grian and Gem went silent even as Skizz kept that look in his eye that meant he was ready to burst into a rant. “I suppose if we have a contract and you stick to it then I’ll allow you on board.” He addressed the woman.
She perked up. “Great! Write me one now!”
“Write you one-?” He glanced down at their half-eaten food still on the table. “I don’t have a pen or paper on me.”
Grian scoffed. “Why didn’t you come preprepared? I had mine ready to sign when I wanted the job.”
Gem bristled. “All my employers make one in front of me! How am I supposed to get my hands on official documentation? This place is anti-human!”
Impulse paused at her wording. “Anti-human…?” He glanced at their surroundings and sure enough a lot of the patrons were shooting looks to their table. “Why are they-?”
“It’s nothing!” Gem waved her hands in his face to distract him. “Just finish up your meal and we’ll be on our way!”
Impulse frowned at her. He shot a look to his crew but they all seemed to be on the same page as her.
“Skizz.” He said to his friend. “I want an explanation when we get home.”
The man gulped. “Uh… sure thing boss.”
Impulse couldn’t help the crease in his brow at those words. Something felt wrong. With three humans in his presence he sensed a pattern he hadn’t been able to before. They were treating him with far too much respect… It was almost like being the biggest in the room gave him the most authority. He ate his food distractedly and paid attention to the other customers in the inn. They were all wary… He’d never had that kind of reaction when he went out alone. He couldn’t understand, humans weren’t even scary…
He finished off his burger and stood up. His crew scrambled to follow.
He’d thought Skizz was his friend, that they were on the same page… He’d thought Grian had warmed up to him, that even though he slipped up on missions and acted like an employee around the ghosts he was comfortable with the crew.
Gem’s eyes flickered around the room for danger. Impulse paid and led everyone to their ship.
Gem never once relaxed, even with a contract signed, even with a room guaranteed to her, her posture stayed stiff.
Scar wouldn’t stop talking about how much he loved ghosts. Impulse smiled as the human walked by his side through the markets and he even chuckled at a few jokes. He finished buying what he needed (apparently humans needed a lot of fruit in their diet) and then went to the junkyard to collect some spare parts.
“Oh? You need an engineer?” Scar asked.
“No.” Impulse stated simply. “I cover all the repairs of my ship.”
“Ah, good good…” The human rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know how to do any of that stuff anyway.”
Impulse glanced at him but kept sifting through the piles of scrap to find what he needed. “You looking for work?” He hazarded a guess.
“How did you know? Yes!” The human perked up.
Impulse nodded, his motions getting swifter as his mind span. He’d talked to Skizz, had a word with all his crewmembers and learnt how fear kept humans unemployed. None of them could understand why Impulse wasn’t scared of them, every other alien was. He’d explained how, not to be offensive, but they weren’t really impressive at first glance. Grian and Gem were smaller than Skizz. All of them were built thin and they didn’t have tusks like he did. He didn’t care how much they smiled, he’d noticed after having that conversation Gem showed off her teeth more. She dared to giggle and smile at dinner time. She was leading the way for Grian opening up too…
Scar’s eyes were hopeful as he shifted closer.
“You can join us if you want.” Impulse said slowly. His hands found the item he was looking for, the metal was bent but he knew he could reshape it and get it working. “Ghost hunting pays well.” He said.
Everyone had lied on their resumes.
Impulse rushed through the ship jotting down evidence in the holopad that synced to everyone else’s devices.
Scar was screaming, running away from apparitions as Skizz took photos that did not count as useful. Gem was trying to knife fight a ghost and Grian was talking over the comms pretending he was more useful tucked away where it was safe.
Impulse groaned and found the breaker for the ship. He switched it on and the apparition following Scar disappeared under the lights, the two humans could be heard panting and yapping over the comms as Impulse deleted photos from his device and started moving to the area Gem had found activity in.
“Grian, give me something I can work with.” He said.
“Uhh.” Grian scrambled to find information he could relay. “I think put some dots down and try a spirit box?”
Impulse shook his head wordlessly. So much for ‘being the best worker he was ever going to find’, Scar was arguably doing more even while fearing for his life. Saying he was participating was being kind because fleeing wasn’t helping anyone in this situation, but Impulse appreciated the man sticking around.
Impulse found Gem through her tracker and spotted a shelf with freshly knocked down items. He pointed a UV at it and submitted ultraviolet into his evidence folder. He’d need to make a personal evidence folder with the amount of photos Skizz was submitting of Scar falling down flights of stairs and the selfies the two took next to mundane objects.
“Uhh, what’s the protocol for finding a dead body?” Scar asked over comms.
“Pin the location on your map and we’ll clear it out once the ghost is sorted.” Grian replied.
“But shouldn’t we be more worried about a body?”
“No.” Grian said. “We’re here for the ghosts.”
Scar hummed as he moved around the ship with his finger pressed on the button of the radio. “Do you ever wonder what happened here? Why the ship was abandoned?”
“Impulse probably knows.” Grian said.
Impulse stayed silent knowing it wasn’t information the humans needed to know. Space travel was cruel in the worst ways sometimes, anyone who survived even a single expedition was lucky let alone their whole life.
He traced his eyes over the walls of the ship noting purple blood stains and singe marks from high tech weaponry.
“Impulse you ok?” Skizz asked over the radio.
“Yeah.” Impulse clicked his comm and replied distractedly.
Scar laughed nervously over the line. “If you need help just ask.”
The poor human was constantly nervous that he was slowing them down, in Impulse’s eyes it wasn’t a huge difference compared to the other crewmates, each of them were too inexperienced to make the most of their talents. He did a lot of the ghost hunting on his own.
He sighed and tapped his holopad in thought. He had to remind himself he enjoyed this line of work. More equipment got broken than necessary and sometimes the wrong evidence got logged but even with the missions taking longer he didn’t have anything else to do with his time. He enjoyed the company, he liked his crew. He closed his eyes and strained his ears for them down the hall. Every laugh and squeal in delight made his heart soar, every joke and fond look made him content.
He continued walking through the ship alone.
He just wished they lost their wariness around him. If he wasn’t actively leading they were skirting around him and trying to act ‘appropriate’. The laughter stopped when he was in the room, the relaxation fled them as they stood to attention.
In his distraction he missed the temperature dropping rapidly. His breathe fogged and he flicked his eyes up to find the lights shutting down.
He wasn’t alone.
Turning his holopad off he attached it to his hip. Bringing an incense up in front of him he got ready to light it with a lighter. He moved slowly to the kitchen and in the doorway opposite him the ghost appeared.
It screamed as it spotted him forcing his ears to pin to his head. It charged and he circled the island counter lighting the incense.
Come on, come on…
The ghost clawed at its own face as the smoke blinded it but it didn’t stop moving. It hunted him down and he dodged its sharp nails.
The incense ran out.
He kept circling, his eyes trained on the creature’s face. Its red eyes locked onto him and the room wavered around them.
Oh no… this ghost could cause hallucinations with eye contact.
Impulse reached his hand for the counter but as he stepped back the shadows darkened and the walls warped. The cold air was making his knees weak as he attempted to keep circling the ghost. Its anger made the hunt last longer, the fact it had a hold on him allowed it to gain power.
His comm crackled with interference as someone tried to talk with him. It was no use trying to relay what was happening back to them, they wouldn’t hear him anyway.
The ghost’s mouth opened and an echoing static grew louder like an enderman in distress. Impulse cringed and stumbled giving the ghost enough time to slam into him. He fell and his muscles locked up at the icy frost climbing over his suit. Sharp flashes of pain stabbed into him before his mind got yanked from his body and the ghost replaced him.
When Impulse opened his eyes he was no longer himself.
Impulse walked heavily through the halls guided by the sounds of intruders on the far side of the ship. They were loud, irritating, as his lip curled and his gloved hand slid over the walls.
Blood caked his fingers as his past kills lay at his feet. This ship was his and no one was allowed to disturb his resting place.
His other hand balled into a fist, his muscles tense as he- Impulse tried to gain control back.
He shook his head with a huff. There was a war inside of him. Were the humans going to live or die? That would be up to them. Both of them were too strong. Neither wanted to give up their goal.
He was closer now. Scar and Skizz were so LOUD. He wanted them gone, he wanted them to perish, he wanted them to live.
“Guys…” Grian said over the comms.
Impulse’s tech was dead, electricity did not like him as he was.
“I think something is wrong. Where’s Impulse?” He asked.
Scar looked up and spotted him as he rounded the corner. “There he is!” He radioed back to Grian. The device started crackling. “Oh, G? Can you hear me?”
Skizz’s eyes were locked on Impulse, they trailed over his large form and his lips flatlined to hide his frown.
Gem stiffened and her eyes narrowed on him. Impulse didn’t like her knives, those were the tools that killed him, they were the reason he was dead.
“Dipple-Dop.” Skizz started but he was cut off as Impulse lunged with a deep roar.
Gem dodged and backtracked as he aimed for her. She held her knives up but didn’t slice like she ought to. “Impulse!” She shouted.
Impulse chased her and shattered walls with the strength of his swings. The ground trembled but she wasn’t worried as she sheathed her weapons and held her hands up.
“Impulse you know us. Calm down.” She said.
The knives were not gone. They could still be used to hurt him, that was all he cared about as he tried to grab her.
“Stop!” Skizz shouted as he leaped onto his back and wrapped him in a headlock.
Impulse screamed but it turned into a roar with his deep vocal cords. He shook his head and stumbled back to slam the intruder into the wall. Skizz yelped and crumbled to the floor meaning he was sufficiently dealt with. Impulse turned his anger back on- The woman had hid her weapons. Good. Impulse snorted and narrowed his eyes on her, she was still unwelcome here.
He rushed forward but the human was faster than him. His eyes followed her to grab and throw the intruder out into space - He didn’t need air to breathe. He was dead and he liked his silence – but she skidded next to the second man and squared up.
He rattled a sound in displeasure.
“I think that’s a poltergeist.” Gem said.
“I know. I set up the trap, just lure him in.” Scar answered.
Impulse lumbered forward picking up a table next to him and throwing it at them.
Scar ducked with one of his signature noises of surprise as Gem stepped out of range. Impulse grabbed whatever was on him and ripped his holopad off his belt. He threw that too for good measure and Scar cringed as it bounced across the floor.
“He’s going to be so upset that got broken.” He mumbled to Gem.
Impulse followed the sound of Scar’s voice growing irritated at the intruders talking. Scar squeaked and rushed to get away.
“He doesn’t like noise.” Gem realised. “You stay quiet Scar, I’ll get him to come after me. Hey!” She shouted. Impulse turned his eyes to her. Her knives were held in the air again and she was loud. “You picked a bad person to mess with!”
Impulse stalked after her, his powers buzzing like static around him. A part of him was relieved Scar wasn’t being chased anymore. He knew he was the slowest. He wanted him to be safe.
Gem bounced on her feet and jogged down a hallway. Impulse followed with a hiss through his teeth. The lights flickered and died, his eyes glowed. He wanted her dead.
As his powers rose up to lunge Impulse faltered as his feet met the floor and landed on something wrong. He swiftly retreated a couple steps staring down at the salt.
It hurt him.
He glared up at Gem who was on the other side of it. She was smiling.
“Don’t like salt huh?” She goaded.
He rattled an angry sound. He pulled something else off his belt and threw it. Her eyes widened as the UV light flew at a high speed past her face.
“Ok! Ok! Calm down!” She yelled.
There was a sound behind him and Impulse turned to see Scar finishing up another line of salt. He was trapped… Impulse narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like being trapped. This vessel was bad enough, he wasn’t going to be contained to a smaller space.
Impulse turned and slammed his fist into the wall. Both humans jumped as he repeated the motion again and again.
“Gem…?” Scar said.
Impulse tore through the metal, grabbing it with no heed for the jagged edges and tearing the wall down. His gloves shredded as he threw the sheet towards Scar. He had a clear path to Gem now and around the salt he walked.
The woman wasn’t fast enough as he caught her. He squeezed her arm until he heard a satisfying crack and threw her over the salt towards the other intruder. Scar made an oomph sound as Gem barrelled into him. Impulse was both satisfied and horrified that the man had blood running down his face. The metal must’ve hit him in the head.
The salt prevented him from getting to the intruders. Impulse stared at the obstacle then opted to go deeper into the ship to circle back around to them.
As he left, he heard Skizz rushing to the team with wheezing breaths. Disappointing. He was still alive. Impulse couldn’t be more relieved.
As he traveled through the dark halls his eyes drooped. There was no one around. No intruders… Impulse crumbled to a knee and heaved at the thin air around him. His hands were sore, bleeding from the cuts he’d obtained. The ghost couldn’t find its anger. It trickled away like water at the silence.
Impulse took his chance to push the poltergeist out of his mind. It screamed but faded with little resistance. The lights turned back on with a luminescent buzz, the empty hall held no paranormal chill.
Impulse forced himself to straighten. His muscles shook with the exertion the ghost had put him through - his blood had been racing, his bones flooded with a foreign power. He put a hand on the wall beside him to help him up. His legs wobbled but he powered on.
He circled back to his crew and his thoughts floated airily in confusion. He couldn’t remember everything that had happened, emotions briefly gave him consciousness but he’d mostly been swamped with the ghost’s anger. His mind recalled fighting for control, his throat hurt as he swallowed. He panted as he made it to the room where he’d last left his team. Both Skizz and Scar were kneeling next to Gem propped up on a wall. His crewmates whipped their eyes to him but they relaxed once they caught on that he was himself.
“I…” Impulse stared at each of them. Gem favoured her upper arm where it had been brutally broken, Scar swayed like he had a concussion on top of bleeding from the head and Skizz was sitting like a rib had been damaged.
Impulse closed his eyes in regret, not realising how injured he was himself until the motion made him stumble into the wall next to him.
“Impulse!” Scar and Skizz shouted.
Impulse held up a hand to ease their concern as he sat down properly.
They shouldn’t be worrying about him. He’d hurt them…
Grian skidded into the room, his hair a mess and his eyes flicking around as he panted. He’d likely run to them when he figured out what was happening. “Give me the run down.” He ordered.
“Poltergeist.” Skizz explained. His eyes weren’t leaving Impulse.
“Injuries?” Grian asked.
“We all got them.” Skizz chuckled before hissing and grabbing his side.
Scar rested his head on Gem and closed his eyes. Impulse frowned at the motion. “Grian, check on Scar, he has a head injury.”
Grian nodded and moved to him.
As Grian kneeled down Impulse’s eyes found his holopad on the floor. It was in pieces and a part of him mourned the expensive tech.
“Dipple-Dop?” Skizz said. Impulse looked up at him. “You doing alright?” Impulse couldn’t help glancing at the hand clutching his side. Whatever he'd damaged it limited Skizz’s movements, he wasn’t able to be loud and expressive. Likely he wouldn’t be for many more weeks.
“I’m sorry.” He replied.
“Hey, none of that. You know what you always say to me when I go cuckoo.”
“I’m supposed to be better.” Impulse whispered. He looked at the floor and avoided Skizz’s eye. He wasn’t supposed to be caught by the same things the humans were. He got them all into this mess, he decided ghost hunting was a profession he could share. Maybe he shouldn’t let that delusion continue…
Skizz stood up with a wince and walked over gingerly. Impulse closed his eyes at the grunts of pain his friend made as he sat down.
“Hey, buddy.” Skizz put a hand on him. “Look at me.”
Impulse glanced at him, his eyes stuck on the curve of his shoulders, the way he hunched over to protect the injury he had caused.
“My eyes dude, not my amazing pecks.” Skizz rolled his eyes theatrically.
Impulse scoffed. He met his friend’s gaze.
“This wasn’t your fault.” Skizz said seriously. “We shouldn’t have been mucking around. Someone should’ve been with you, you always remind us to stay in pairs. That should’ve applied to you too.”
Impulse hummed in thought.
“Bro.” Skizz squeezed his shoulder. “Get off your own back, we’re all going to be fine.”
Impulse looked over to Grian who had wrapped Scar’s head, given him water and moved to Gem. Her face was tight in pain as Grian used a piece of metal as a splint.
Impulse couldn’t help being harsh on himself. All he could think about when he was possessed was how Skizz should’ve died when he slammed him into the wall, Gem should’ve been gone when he threw her, Scar had every chance to die as time passed. Any other alien wouldn’t have been able to handle him at his worst. Even as strong as the humans were they were in bad condition after fighting him.
The ghost had those same thoughts as it left him in that hallway. All the aliens who died on this ship didn't need much to end their life.
Impulse flexed his hands noticing the blood on them.
His crew could’ve faced the same fate…
Impulse refused to take anyone’s help as he shuffled back to their ship. Grian was in the front guiding Scar, Gem hovered nearby with her arm loosely hanging by her side and Skizz took up the rear to make sure Impulse didn’t get left behind.
Impulse couldn’t help grinding his teeth as his body stung in a million little ways. He had a deeper appreciation for how fast Skizz bounced back from his possessions; as much as the man complained about Impulse’s fretting and forcing him to rest, he would be insisting on it a lot harder in the future. The way he shivered and struggled to hold himself upright made him want to collapse. Fatigue kept flowing over him in waves, Skizz was shooting him concerned looks.
“I’m fine.” Impulse said for the hundredth time. His only problem was how long it was taking them to get to safety, Scar shouldn’t be walking around, Gem needed more attention given to her arm and Skizz needed something to support his broken ribs.
Skizz’s hand never left him. The human kept flicking his eyes up and down the hall to check their progress and keep an eye out for danger. His face turned serious. “It’s back.” He said.
“Huh? How do you-?” Impulse said before the EMF on Grian’s hip went off. The lights dimmed then went dark and the sound of a ghost entering the area echoed off the walls.
“I’ll handle this.” Grian moved Scar to the wall for support then lifted his head in each direction to sense the ghost. He looked certain of the south entrance and squeezed past Impulse and Skizz to make a stand.
“Grian… you can’t just assume where the ghost is coming from with no evidence-“ Impulse said.
The ghost appeared at the end of the hall, its red eyes locking on Grian as it screamed. Gem tisked and shuffled past Imp and Skizz to stand behind him.
“Take a breather buddy.” Skizz pushed Impulse against the wall and stared at the spirit.
“I’m not leaving-“ The ghost began running at them, the words drying up in Impulse’s throat.
Grian turned on the spirit box he’d brought, the ghost repeating the phrase- Get out or die, get out or die, get out or die.
“That’s not ominous.” Scar whispered.
None of the humans made eye contact with the poltergeist. Grian unclipped an oil lamp from his belt and lit it up. The ghost slowed down, a vibrating sound starting up at not being able to get closer.
“Doesn’t like light…” Gem muttered. “Wish I’d brought that with me on the first attack.”
Impulse ducked his head in embarrassment.
The ghost paced on the edges of the light, still wanting to get to them since they were all congregated together. Grian pulled the device out that everyone had been sourly missing, a ghost trap, specifically the one for poltergeists.
He opened it and approached the edge of the light, the ghost eagerly reached for him but as its hand hit the light it hissed and Grian lunged forward. The ghost was sucked into the device, its screams echoing loudly throughout the ship making Scar put a hand up to his head in pain.
Everyone paused in tense silence as the ghost’s cries died down. The lights came back on, the paranormal presence disappeared. Grian clicked another button on the device and it whirred as the ghost was split up and banished from their world. All his tech went quiet and Impulse listened for his teammates breathing.
“I think we’re clear, that was the only one.” Gem said.
Skizz nodded. “It was strong. Stronger than any poltergeist I’ve ever seen before.”
Grian passed him a frown - Skizz had been around the most ghosts so the statement was concerning.
“Thanks for the save G.” Skizzleman patted his back.
Grian nodded. “I had a hunch it was a poltergeist from Scar’s shouting over the radio.” Scar huffed in amusement as he let his head rest against the wall. “Good thing I was correct.” Grian returned his equipment to their places and looked up at Impulse.
Impulse stared at him in curiosity. He’d never seen the human take charge like that, all of them surprised him as they handled the ghost efficiently and as a team.
“Let’s get you to the infirmary buddy.” Skizz returned to his side and gave him a gentle nudge. Impulse's feet were stuck to the floor, he didn’t know what to make of all his scrambled thoughts.
“I think…” He said slowly. “That we should take a break from ghost hunting.” He admitted.
“What?!” Both Gem and Grian whipped their head to him. Scar straightened and frowned as Skizz kept his eyes locked on Impulse.
“Dude, we just won. We can’t quit now!” Scar complained.
“We had that handled.” Grian said.
“Your possession was just a little hiccup.” Gem assured.
Impulse lowered his head. “This was a big hit. None of you would’ve been injured if-“
“Don’t talk like that.” Skizz cut him off. “There were so many things that went wrong today but we’re all still here. I still want to ghost hunt, I still want you on this team.”
“I knew what I was getting into when I signed up.” Scar stepped closer.
“This isn’t any more dangerous than my last job.” Gem added.
“Or mine.” Grian agreed. “Space is always a dangerous place, simply flying on a ship has the chance of ending us all.”
Impulse trailed his eyes over them. He’d almost forgotten how they approached him eager for the challenge. Humans liked ghosts. That could not be said for most alien species.
“I’m supposed to protect you.” He said weakly.
“No you’re not.” Gem laughed. “We’re all adults here. We know the risks and we’ve accepted them.”
“Dipple-Dop you weren’t seriously putting that pressure on yourself were you?” Skizz’s eyes were pools of concern and fondness.
Impulse didn’t have an answer he’d want to hear so he looked away.
“Buddy. We’re all equals here.” Skizz reminded.
“I’m the captain. I hired you-“
“I approached you because I didn’t trust Skizz would let me on board his ‘cool ghost hunting’ missions.” Grian rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t because I thought you were the main authority of the ship, I just thought you would be easier to convince to let me join.”
“I figured you would write me the best contract.” Gem shrugged with one shoulder. “Grian and Skizz definitely wouldn’t do it.”
“I just thought you looked interesting and then I found out what your job was.” Scar smiled. “I wasn’t expecting to become a crewmember, that was a bonus.”
“But I’m…” Impulse started.
“You’re one of us.” Skizz squeezed his arm. “You don’t have any more or less responsibility here.”
“You made it sound like humans need help.” Impulse frowned. “If people aren’t giving you work-“
Gem scoffed. “I always found work, they just didn’t like me.”
“Same here.” Grian added.
“We’re the strongest species in the galaxy.” Scar said.
“Well, one of.” Grian corrected. “It means even without money we can survive.”
All the humans nodded.
“I just liked having an alien friend.” Skizz said.
“Me too.” Scar chuckled.
“You’re nice to us Impulse. That’s all we really want.” Grian admitted quietly.
“We can be ourselves around you… that… took getting used to.” Gem said. “But it’s been nice.” She smiled.
Impulse took in their warm expressions. How could he have thought-? Why was he so sure he was different from them?
“Come on.” Skizz nudged him towards their ship again. Impulse easily followed. “I bet your brain is still scrambled, let’s not make any decisions fresh after a possession, it’s in the ghosts' best interest that we stop hunting them.”
Impulse nodded.
“I want a nap.” Scar yawned. Grian took his weight and led him after them.
“I need some painkillers.” Gem grumbled lightly.
“I could take some of those.” Skizz agreed.
“We’re going to have a shortage.” Grian jested. “I’ll have to buy more after this big payout.”
“Get the good stuff.” Scar pointed a finger in the air. “If I get an injury like Gem I’m going to need it.”
Gem smiled at him. “Maybe I should take nothing while my arm heals to assert dominance.”
“Don’t do that young lady, I’m putting you on bed rest right beside Impulse!” Skizz looked over his shoulder.
Gem snickered. “You’re not my dad.”
“I will turn on dad mode if I need to!” Skizz threatened.
Impulse snorted. “I thought we were all equals? And adults?”
“Hush you.” Skizz narrowed his eyes at him. “You’re a different case.”
“I’m not an adult I see.” Impulse deliberately misheard him.
Skizz blew a raspberry in frustration. “Kids these days.”
“Wait.” Gem sped up to be closer to them. “Do you see us as adults or children?” She asked Impulse. “Cause I heard some aliens see us as underdeveloped and can mistake our ages.”
Impulse cleared his throat and looked away. “Well, you are all small…”
“Am not!” Skizz screeched. “I am very tall for a human!”
“And… very teenager sized for my species.” Impulse admitted under his breath.
“Teenager?!?” Skizz yelped. Everyone snickered at his offended tone. “I’m probably older than you! Give me your age!”
“112 cycles.” Impulse replied.
“I don’t know what that means.” Skizz pouted.
“It’s based on my planet’s rotation. I have it logged on my devices.” Impulse said.
“I’m checking those after we get healed up.”
Impulse nodded as they got to the bridge connecting the two ships together. “If we’re close in age I’ll be surprised.”
His birthday was coming up soon… He didn’t really have anything planned for that.
“Can’t believe you thought we were young.” Grian shook his head. He hefted Scar over the threshold and waited for the airlock to do its job. The door opened allowing them to head on their way.
“I think we need more cultural chats because assuming things is ruining the efficiency of this crew.” Gem declared.
“It’s also ruining my ability to ‘pack bond’.” Skizz complained.
“Humans don’t pack bond what are you talking about?” Gem hit him lightly.
“All the aliens say we do!” Skizz defended.
“That doesn’t mean you start adopting their terms! They think we spit venom!” Gem gestured wildly with her free hand.
“I wish I could spit venom.” Skizz shot her a teasing look.
“I’m glad you don’t spit venom. You’d be even more of a menace than you already are.” She said.
Skizz snickered making Impulse smile tiredly. His body had stopped shaking but his exhaustion was only worsening. He was eager to lay down in the infirmary.
They made it to the medical room and Skizz pushed him towards the closest bed. Grian helped Scar to another one and connected some brain sensors to his head to monitor his activity. Scar’s snoring appeared immediately after he was given the green light to. Grian wiped his face down from the blood and checked him for other injuries.
“Come on Impulse. Let’s see the damage that ghost did.” Skizz got him to lie down then touched all the devices next to the bed. Gem watched with a disapproving look.
“You’re moving everything around and achieving nothing. Stop getting your fingerprints on the sterile equipment!” She stepped forward.
“I don’t know what I’m doing?! Do I look like a doctor?” He argued.
She gestured for him to move away and grabbed what she needed. Impulse wanted to close his eyes but didn’t trust them to be left alone.
“You can relax Impulse.” Skizz said by his side.
Impulse squinted at him. “That sounds like a poor decision.”
Gem got some wires and connected them to him with Skizz’s help. She took his gloves off and tutted at the damage. “You can wrap flesh wounds right Skizz?” She asked.
He nodded and she passed that job to him with some bandages and wipes. Impulse clenched his jaw as the alcohol cleaned his injuries. Skizz looked worried because he hardly ever got hurt from having such thick skin. His hands got wrapped and Gem pressed buttons on the computer next to her to read his vitals.
“It looks like he needs to keep warm, we’ll give him some nutrients and he should sleep most of the effects off.” She noted.
Skizz grabbed a blanket from out of one of the cupboards, his motions slow as he clutched his ribs. “You gotta sleep. Doctor’s orders.” He said as got to the bed and laid it over his friend.
“What about you?” Impulse frowned at Skizz’s injury.
“I’ll handle it.” Grian walked over. Scar was peacefully sleeping, all cleaned up and drooling on his pillow.
Gem connected an IV to his arm and checked it was working. “Impulse is done. Skizz and I should be fairly simple.”
Grian nodded as he directed Skizz to a bed. The man was showing some resistance as he kept checking on Impulse. “Sleep!” He whisper-shouted.
Impulse didn’t reply as he simply watched Grian sit him down and pull up his shirt. His skin was mottled in all sorts of ghastly colours.
“He’ll be fine.” Gem placed a cool hand on his forehead. “Human’s deal with broken bones all the time. Focus on resting up.”
Impulse pouted at her. “It’s my job to worry.”
“No it’s not.” She reminded. “Sleep or I’ll make you.”
Impulse rolled his eyes.
“I’m serious. Close those eyes or I’ll make you take something.” She said.
He closed his eyes just to appease her - it was a mistake as exhaustion rushed up to claim him. He fought to stay conscious, the sounds of Skizz hissing at his ribs being poked then ice being applied and medicine being given to him faded into the background.
Impulse hoped Gem was looked after. He didn’t have long enough to find out as his body clocked out.
He was warm… his crew were talking nearby and the danger had passed. Impulse felt better after their conversation, when he had more time to process what they said maybe things would improve for them.
He’d like to get closer with them. They were important to him.
Scar’s snores were soothing as he slumbered.
Impulse loved his crew of humans. They were odd but made a great team.