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The Skeld had gone exactly thirty-seven minutes without a single emergency.
Thirty-seven.
A new record.
Red was fixing wires.
Blue was checking the engines.
And their mini crewmate was sitting in the cafeteria, coloring pictures of astronauts.
Everything was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Because whenever the mini was quiet for more than five minutes, it usually meant he was planning something.
“Where’s the mini?” Blue asked over comms.
“Wasn’t he with you?” Red replied.
“No.”
“With Yellow?”
“No.”
A pause.
“Oh no.”
Meanwhile, the mini had discovered something fascinating.
A giant red button.
Shiny.
Round.
Perfect.
It sat in the middle of the cafeteria like the most important thing in the universe.
The mini stared at it.
Walked around it.
Touched it.
“Pretty.”
He squinted at the sign next to it.
He couldn’t really read yet.
“Emer…gen…cy…”
No idea what that meant.
But he knew one thing.
Buttons existed to be pressed.
That was simply how the universe worked.
He poked it.
Nothing.
Poked it again.
Still nothing.
“Hmmm.”
He climbed onto a chair.
Placed both hands on the button.
And pushed.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The emergency alarm exploded throughout the entire ship.
Crewmates jumped.
Tools were dropped.
Someone screamed.
“WHAT HAPPENED?”
“IS THERE AN IMPOSTOR?”
“REACTOR FAILURE?”
“ARE WE DYING?”
Everyone raced toward the cafeteria.
They found the mini sitting proudly beside the button.
“Hi.”
Silence.
Blue covered his visor.
Red closed his eyes.
“Why did you press the emergency button?”
The mini smiled.
“I wanted to see what it did.”
The meeting ended.
Everyone returned to work.
Two hours later…
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
“No.”
“Not again.”
The crew rushed back.
The mini sat at the table waiting.
“What happened this time?”
“There was a fly.”
“A fly?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“It looked suspicious.”
Purple nearly fell out of his chair laughing.
“You called an emergency meeting because of a fly?”
“Yes.”
“The fly isn’t the impostor.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Very sure?”
“Yes.”
“One hundred percent sure?”
“Mini.”
“Okay.”
The meeting ended.
Twenty minutes later…
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The entire ship groaned.
Everyone already knew who it was.
They arrived at the cafeteria.
The mini waved cheerfully.
“What now?” Red asked.
The mini looked serious.
“Important announcement.”
“What announcement?”
“I found a cookie.”
Silence.
“And?”
“It was under a table.”
“And?”
“It was delicious.”
Black smacked his helmet against the table.
“That is not an emergency!”
“It was for me.”
Blue started laughing so hard he almost fell over.
Red was trying not to laugh.
Trying.
The crew eventually decided the mini was no longer allowed near the emergency button.
That rule lasted exactly seven minutes.
Because another meeting happened shortly afterward.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
“HOW?”
Everyone stormed into the cafeteria.
The mini was sitting on Orange’s shoulders.
Orange immediately pointed.
“It wasn’t my fault!”
“You helped him!”
“He told me he wanted to look at the stars!”
The mini nodded.
“I did.”
Orange looked horrified.
“I didn’t know he was planning this!”
Red sighed.
“You’re banned too.”
“You can’t ban me.”
“Then you’re grounded.”
“You can’t do that either.”
“Just stop talking.”
The next emergency meeting happened for an even stranger reason.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Everyone marched into the cafeteria.
The mini pointed directly at Red.
“He sneezed.”
“What?”
“He sneezed.”
“Yes,” Red said slowly. “I sneezed.”
“I wanted to make sure he was alive.”
The cafeteria exploded with laughter.
Even Red finally laughed.
“I’m alive.”
“Good.”
“You didn’t need to call a meeting.”
“Oh.”
Five minutes later…
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
“MINI!”
The little crewmate looked startled.
“I forgot something.”
“What?”
He pointed at Red and Blue.
“I love you.”
The room became quiet.
Red blinked.
Blue smiled immediately.
“We love you too.”
The mini nodded happily.
“Okay. That’s all.”
The meeting ended.
That night, Blue found the mini sitting alone in the cafeteria.
Staring at the emergency button.
“Thinking about something?” Blue asked.
The mini nodded.
“The button makes everyone come together.”
Blue sat beside him.
“Well… yes.”
The mini looked down.
“I like when everyone is together.”
Blue’s heart melted.
Suddenly everything made sense.
The fly.
The cookie.
The sneeze.
The endless emergencies.
The mini just liked seeing everyone in the same room.
Blue wrapped an arm around him.
“You know, you don’t need the button for that.”
“I don’t?”
“No.”
“We can all be together anyway?”
“Of course.”
“All of us?”
“All of us.”
The mini smiled so brightly that Blue thought he might glow.
The next day, the crew organized a big cafeteria gathering.
There was food.
Games.
Stories.
Laughter.
And plenty of cookies.
The mini was happier than anyone.
For several hours, there wasn’t a single emergency.
The crew relaxed.
Maybe they had finally solved the problem.
Then the mini raised one hand.
“Question.”
Everyone froze.
“Yes?” Red asked cautiously.
“Can I press the button one last time?”
The entire cafeteria shouted at once.
“NOOOOOOOOO!”
The mini burst into giggles.
Blue laughed.
Red laughed.
Even the rest of the crew laughed.
And for the first time in Skeld history, nobody minded the emergency button sitting in the middle of the room.
As long as the mini stayed at least ten feet away from it.