“Captain, please report to the bridge,” Veyle, my science officer, said over the intercom, “It’s urgent.” 

My eyes shot open. I had been trying to fall asleep for an hour, to no success. I sighed, massaged my temples, and got out of bed. Minutes later, I was on my way to the bridge, clad in my silver Captain’s uniform. My shoes made little noise as I traversed the steel corridors, making my way to the front of the ship. The door to the bridge opened automatically with a catlike hiss, and I stepped inside. 

 The bridge was one of the bigger rooms on the Aether, housing workstations for all officers facing a viewscreen at the very front. Currently, only two of the six were present. At the front, up by the viewscreen, was Brych, my pilot, his short brown hair messy and unkept as he toiled away at the helm station. To my left was Veyle, her brow furrowed as she stared at her station. I sat down at the central station, my Captain’s chair. 

“Sorry to wake you Captain, but we’ve got some strange readings coming from just off our starboard side,” Veyle explained. 

One of her eyes glowed blue as she talked, an electronic feature of her race, a wise and cybernetic species known as the Aesthe.  

“Strange readings?” I inquired, stifling a yawn.  

“I’m detecting the spatial signatures of multiple starcrafts,” she said skeptically.  

“How is that strange?” 

“The scanners appear to be picking up the signatures of over two million starships…at the same location.” 

“That’s not possible. Brych? Turn us ninety degrees starboard.” I commanded my pilot.  

“Aye.” 

Brych carefully guided the throttle to the right, pulling the ship with it. The ambient hum of the ship amplified as we turned. Stars passed by the viewscreen like snowflakes in a winter storm. Then something else came into view, a silver sphere the size of a small asteroid. It was entrancingly shiny, like a puddle on an overcast day after the rain had passed. I could see our ship’s reflection in it, in fact, I could see hundreds of them, each one slightly different. I didn’t have much time to question it, because the puddle rippled, and light began to emanate from it. 

“Veyle what’s going on?” I asked urgently. 

“Energy levels in… whatever that thing is, are skyrocketing.” 

At that moment, the light grew brighter, and the ship began to rattle. A high pitch sound accompanied the light’s expansion, growing louder with every second. It got brighter and brighter, louder and louder. Then, just when it got painful, everything faded away. My eyes slipped closed, and when I opened them, I was no longer on the bridge of my ship. As I looked around, all I could see was an infinite expanse of silver, sparkling light coming from seemingly nowhere. Then, the silver gave way like a window opening, and I could see myself. Many versions of myself. It was like looking into a room of mirrors, except I looked different in every one. 

One that looked quite divergent caught my eye, so I walked up to it. This particular me was wearing civilian clothes and seemed to be cooking something. The vintage green wallpaper told me this was my parents’ kitchen on Earth. Humming to himself as he chopped an onion, this me was clearly enjoying himself. It all seemed picture perfect, but then I spotted something on the wall. It was a college plaque, awarding a master’s degree in English from the University of United Planets. Underneath, in fancy script, was my name, Nix Renfield. Wait. My name? It couldn’t be, I had never gone to university. Straight out of high school I had enlisted in the Venturers, an intergalactic organization dedicated to keeping the galaxy safe and exploring deep space. I still remember how relieved and excited I was when I passed my Captain’s exam. But in this world, it was almost as if the world was without the Venturers, or I had never enlisted in them. I looked happy in this world, content, but being a Captain in the Venturers was a dream come true. Still, I looked so happy in that twisted mirror, so carefree. Maybe there was more to life than being a Captain. I dragged my eyes away from it and looked at another.  

This one was not as cheerful. I was wearing a Venturer uniform, hunched over a testing tablet like I was worried it would burn if exposed to light. My brown hair was long and knotted, my beard unshaved. My bloodshot eyes flickered over the tablet, scanning it desperately. I appeared to be taking my Captain’s exam, but that couldn’t be right, I looked way too old. This version of me finished the test and the proctor entered the room.  

“Did I pass?” The other me asked in a nervous, scared voice I had never heard.  

“Commander Nix, I regret to inform you that you did not pass. As this is now your ninth attempt, you must wait six months to retake it. Do you understand?” The proctor informed him coldly.  

The other me’s face sank into an intense unquantifiable emptiness. As a broken man, he sat there not responding. A singular tear carved its way down his face like a raindrop on a car window. Since I was a child, space had always intrigued me. A vast expanse of infinite possibilities, ripe for exploration. What’s not to like? The Venturers had been around since before I was born, so when I learned about them in school, I knew that I had to become a Captain. For this version to have failed the test nine times… it couldn’t have been healthy for his mental health, that’s for sure.  

“Commander? Do you understand?” The proctor repeated.  

“U-uh, yes, I understand,” he stuttered.  

I looked away, no longer able to bear it. I couldn’t look at any more of these, I had to find a way out of this place. How did I get here? I couldn’t remember.  

“Captain!” A faint voice echoed.  

Frantically looking around, I was unable to locate the source.  

“Captain, are you okay?” The transcendent voice asked.  

Then, just as quickly as they opened, the cursed windows closed. My vision faded to black, and my eyes opened back to the bridge.  

“Captain?” Veyle said. “You’re finally awake, thank the Maker. Are you okay?” 

“Huh?” I said, dazed. “Oh… yes, I think I’m okay. What happened?” 

“That anomaly knocked us all out. Then, I had this bizarre dream-,” 

“Dream? Was it like, seeing other-,” 

”Versions of myself? How did you know?” 

“The same happened to me. You said the anomaly is gone?” 

“Without a trace.” 

“Weird. This whole situation gives me the creeps. Let’s get the hell out of here. Brych? Punch it.”