Christopher Hook groggily began to wake from his sleep. Something was wrong, and he knew it, but he couldn’t place it. Everything felt fine. Sitting up, he felt the soft rustling of the silk sheets roll off his body as he stretched and yawned deeply, feeling the morning weight on his shoulders. It was space of course, so there was no light of day to shine through the window like in his house back on Earth. But the lights of his cabin were set to brighten like the sun at the exact moment the sun would rise on his home in Scotland. He knew his wife was up and making a breakfast for herself…perhaps even glancing at his portrait by the living room. He’d have to holocall her later to ask how she was. He walked across from the bed and to the other side of his quarters, part of the way stumbling, almost off balance. He leaned against the wall and rubbed his tired eyes. Why did something feel so wrong to him? Everything was fine…he felt fit as a fiddle.

And then it hit him.

Everything was fine?

Why was everything fine? Age had not been kind to Hook’s body, leaving him with aches and pains in the morning and a need to take medication for a bum knee of his. In his younger days, he was the finest swordsman in the fleet…now his hands shook terribly just gripping the handle! True, with medicine he could function just fine…but he was not on anything, and his body felt spry! Energetic! Alive again! What had happened!? Fear gripping his heart, he leaned up and stumbled his way to the bathroom, throwing his body against the sink and looking up at the mirror.

His heart stopped.

“Wh-who….what is that!? WHAT IS THIS!?” He cried, hearing an unfamiliar and highly feminine voice leave his lips. Before him was a young and beautiful woman. Long brown hair fell across her shoulders and down her back, and the same old golden eyes like a hawk stared back at him. Wrinkles of an old man replaced with youthful cheeks and lips. A body once worn down from battles and stress was now thin, curvaceous, and healthy! Breasts sat upon his chest, and a horrid emptiness met his sensations. “WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!?”

His eyes must be fooling him…it was the only explanation! He threw his hand to his face and slapped himself harder and harder in a desperate attempt to wake himself from this nightmare, but to no avail. Instead he only felt sharp pain and realization that this was no dream. But how!? What had happened to him? What had caused this?

“…The creature!”

It was the creature from yesterday. That had to be what caused it. But this wasn’t the only thought shooting through his, now her, mind. He hadn’t been the only one to tussle with the creature…

“PETER!” Christopher cried. Running from his bathroom and out of his quarters, he ran as fast as he could, forgetting to throw on his captains coat as he ran down the ships decks to Peters quarters. Crewmembers who saw him run by stared in surprise and disbelief. Who was the mysterious girl!? Where had she come from? Why was she in Captain Hook’s clothes? Was she…a mistress? Christopher didn’t have time to stop and rationalize these things to them. Hook might be in danger.

He finally made it to the large metal door and slammed his fist against it.

“PETER, I’M HERE!” He cried. “ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?” The door slid open and Christopher stumbled in. There, staring at his reflection in his own bedside mirror, was a young man…in fact, he looked barely 28 years old. He had healthy, fair skin, deep blue eyes, luscious red hair and a strong fit body. He was shirtless, gazing upon his muscles and fit new form. But the face…the expressions…it was all his. It could only be one mans. And that man didn’t look like this yesterday.

“PETER?!” Christopher cried. Peter spun around to see Hook and his own eyes widened from their already surprised expression to a new look of terror.

“CHRISTOPHER!? WHAT IN THE HELL HAPPENED TO US!?” He shouted. “I’m…I’m practically a child again!!”

“I’m a woman for God’s sake, Peter! A young WOMAN!”

“It had to be the girl…that creature from yesterday! That flash of light changed us somehow!” Peter growled, slamming his fist against the wall in anger. “We can’t let her get away with this!”

“Peter, we can’t kill her. We must keep her alive until she turns us back!” Christopher cautioned. Peter sighed and looked down in frustration.

“You’re awfully calm, despite your new appearance, Hook.”

“Believe me, Peter…right now I am trying so hard not to have a complete mental breakdown…but I can’t afford to. We NEED to find that girl…she’s the only one who can fix this.”

“We will, Hook.” Peter agreed. “C’mon…we’ll round up the crew and have them search the whole planet.”

“Right…right, let’s hurry! Time is essential. Our field report and evaluation is expected tomorrow morning.” Hook reminded Peter.

“Don’t know how we’ll explain this…”

“We won’t have to if we find that thing! Let’s GO!” Hook ordered.

The crew was shocked, skeptical, and in an uproar over the fate of their captains. Few even recognized Christopher Hook anymore. The only way they knew it was indeed him was the sword that he carried. All ranked officers at the rank of Captain or higher were granted special officer swords. Unique blades that were specifically crafted for the officer they were granted to. The handles were capable of recognizing an individual that held it by fingerprints, skin DNA, and average body temperature. If anyone else tried to hold it, the handle would burn their skin. When the woman before them drew the sword and brandished it, wielding it with obvious training and skill, there was no room for doubt. Only Christopher Hook could touch that sword. As for Peter? He looked enough like his old self that most of the crew believed it to be him quickly. After an hour of explaining the situation, the crews organized in to search parties, and prepared to embark.

“Remember,” Hook reminded them, “keep all of us regularly updated every 30 minutes with your position and status! If you sight the creature, DO NOT approach it.”

“We’re not sure how powerful this thing is, or if it’s capable of doing this to anyone else. Do not engage and simply radio us on your communicators. Go ahead and sound off.” Peter ordered.

“This is Team Red.” Officer Jones replied, indicating his crew.

“This is Team Blue.” Officer Ortega sounded off.

“Team Green is ready sirs!” Officer Barnes answered.

“And Team Yellow is prepared sirs!” Officer Klaus replied. The crews all saluted and then turned to march off. Peter glanced to Hook and smiled encouragingly.

“Ready to go hunting?”

“Oddly enough, yes…in fact, I feel very full of energy right now. Perhaps it’s the fear of remaining this way…” Hook answered.

“Or it’s our new youth. You can’t deny…you missed the spryness of youth, didn’t you?”

“…Admittedly yes. But this is not the way it should be Peter. Let’s find that creature and turn back to normal.”

“Of course. Lead on.”

The day could not have been more difficult for the two captains. Peter had traveled with Yellow Team…Hook had gone with Red Team. They never once encountered the girl…but instead encountered other things…far worse than her. Team Blue had called in that a great serpent had rose up from the ground, as large as a mountain and ferocious to boot. Acidic venom had nearly taken the lives of half their team and they’d been forced to return to the ship to nurse the injured. Team Yellow had run afoul of a form of quicksand not long after that. Team Green had not been heard from for an hour and, when they finally did report in, they tearfully stated that they had gotten lost in a cave where bats as big as bears had devoured three crew members. While Hook had encountered nothing, fear was growing among the men and in his own heart. This planet was not the paradise they had expected; far from it. Rather it was something like a hell hole. The plentiful vegetation and beautiful scenes hidden within them horrors the likes of which he had yet to understand. As the sun was beginning to set in the distance, and the crew was growing tired. Hook felt the weight of defeat on her shoulders.

“Captain Hook?” Officer Jones sighed. “Sir…we’ve gone as far as we can. The men need rest.”

“…Understood. Radio the other teams and inform them that we’re heading back…”

“I’m…sorry Captain.”

“Don’t be, Jones.” Hook smiled. “We’re not leaving tomorrow. We just need to submit our field report. We can remain a few more days until we find the girl.”

“Aye Captain.” Jones grinned. “We’ll find her, without a doubt.”

“Good man, Jones.” Hook chuckled, walking past him. “Let’s get back to the ship.” Hook felt some sense of regret creep under his skin. He’d lead these men on a difficult hike for selfish reasons. He had to get them to safety…and send in his report tomorrow.

“HOOK!” Christopher heard the shout and spun around to see Team Yellow walking out of the woods, Peter running to him, smiling, covered in mud and dirt.

“You look terrible, Peter.” Christopher grumbled.

“Well, you would too if you had to dig some of the guys out of the mud.” Peter laughed. “I did it with my bare hands too!”

“Sounds rough, Peter…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be! Hook, it was great!” Peter beamed.

“…I’m sorry, what?”

“Hook, it’s like I’m alive again! Like I found all my old strength! I’m spry as an elk! Strong as a bear! I feel fantastic!” Peter laughed. “I’ve been thinking…Hook, maybe this isn’t as bad as we thought.”

“Don’t talk that way, Peter…we’re not staying this way.” Hook snapped.

“Hold on, just hear me out!” Peter begged. Hook glared at him and then looked to the crew, all looking to the captains curiously.

“Get some grub, men!” Hook shouted. The men took the meaning to heart and ran back to the ship to escape the wrath of two captains about to argue.

“Peter, you’re letting your youth cloud your judgement.” Hook hissed. “This is not the way things are supposed to be! You and I are due to retire after this mission.”

“But we don’t have to!” Peter argued. “With this body…with this strength, I could go on a hundred more missions! As for you? Well, certainly we can get this whole gender thing worked out when we find the creature, but imagine being a young man again! Imagine this energy…this feeling of youth! We’ve found the fountain of youth on this planet, Hook!”

“At what cost, Peter?!” Hook gasped. “Look at me! I have breasts for godsake! And you? Who knows if you won’t be stuck that age forever!?”

“A man can dream, right?” Peter laughed. “I think that this planet could be the answer to my problems…the GALAXIES problems! The key is in that creature! Old age and death will be a thing of the past!”

“NO!” Hook shouted. “Tomorrow, I give our findings to the council and I’m quarantining this whole planet until we find that creature and get ourselves fixed.”

“Christopher no! Listen to me, you can’t do that! This thing needs to be found and studied!”

“Why? So you can stay young forever?!”

“IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT ME!” Peter cried. “Think of the scientific discoveries we could make from her! The possibilities! This is the find we’ve been waiting for!”

“It’s a sin against nature! It’s wrong! We are born, we grow old, and we die! THAT is nature! THAT is life!”

“Oh don’t feed me that garbage!” Peter snapped. “Medicine was created to prolong and sustain life, you know! Are you saying medicine shouldn’t be used for that same reason!?”

“It’s not the same thing! Medicine was discovered and researched heavily. Tested and refined over years of work! It’s something we learn and understand! THIS is supernatural and should be treated with respect and reverence, not grabbed and shoved in a test tube!”

“So you’d rather we ABANDON this find!?” Peter growled. “Are you an explorer or aren’t you!? Our MISSION is THIS!”

Hook inhaled deeply and gripped his arm tightly, trying hard not to think about Peter being right. In truth…Peter had a point. This creature held the keys to so many things. Could it be possible for youth to be given freely? Medical advancement could sky rocket with her help. Was it worth it? And as she debated this, she felt the foreign weight on her chest of breasts that did not belong and she shook her head.

“Peter, our mission IS to discover the unknown and report back. You’re right…this creature provides the possibility of massive medical research and discovery. But…not until this place is cleared. Not until we’re ready.”

“But Hook,”

“Today we lost at least 4 good crew members to this planet. We don’t know it as well as we thought we did. This paradise is not so welcoming to strangers and the unprepared. Tomorrow I’m declaring the planet unsafe and in need of further study before any settlement or travel can be made here.” Christopher muttered, crossing his arms.

“…Christopher…don’t do this. If the planet is deemed unsafe, then every carrier in the fleet will come and we’ll be forced to leave until it’s deemed safe again! They’ll come loaded with detectors, excavating equipment, soldiers, and who knows what. They’ll destroy this place, and the creature might never come out of hiding then. While there are still so few of us, she might not run away…she might feel more comfortable. Don’t do this…give us a few more days! We can fix you…we can study her in secret…we can change the galaxy!”

“No, Peter…you’ll change yourself.” Christopher sighed. “You’re not thinking like a Captain of this ship. You’re thinking like….a selfish child.”

“….Hook…”

“I’m sorry, Peter…but until this place is studied and fully explored, no one can stay on it. We make our report and leave tomorrow. Then we’ll wait until the exploratory team finds the creature and finds a way to fix us."

“You don’t have the right to-”

“I AM CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER HOOK!” Christopher bellowed, his female body shivering from raising his voice so loud. Peter stepped back in shock at the outburst. “I AM STILL A CAPTAIN, I AM STILL HEAD OF THIS MISSION! You are my friend, Peter…and I owe you more than my life. But our job was to decide if the planet was safe. After what happened today, I know it’s not."

“…You’re right…” Peter groaned, defeated and looking down at his feet in anguish. “You’re right…I’m sorry I….I got so excited to be young again…to feel…hopeful.” Hook calmed himself some and glanced at the disappointment on Peters face…the gloom etched on his younger visage. Hook sighed sympathetically and walked to Peter, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Peter…maybe they’ll find a way to keep you this way if you want. But…that’s not our place.”

“Maybe…” Peter grumbled. “Those rookies wouldn’t know real discoveries and what to do about them…not like we would.”

“It’s not our job, Peter. This is the way it has to be…I’m sorry. Let’s go to bed. We’ll make the report tomorrow.”

“Of course…” Peter agreed. “Again, I’m sorry for my selfishness.”

“We’re friends Peter, it’s fine.” Christopher smiled. He turned and began marching back to the ship to find a cot to fall in, never once looking back to see the sour look on Peters face turn ever more dark. It would be the last time Christopher ever smiled at Peter…and the beginning of the end of their friendship.