Worlds Apart Pt. 02

"This is my first time," Jamie admitted, hoping he didn't look as worried as he felt.

"Okay," Sarris began, gesturing to the door. "The airlock is just two doors, one on the inside and one on the outside. It's there to equalize pressure and to act as a failsafe if there's a blowout. Which won't happen," he added hurriedly as he noticed Jamie's alarmed expression. "Door one opens, we go inside and equalize pressure. Then, door two opens, and we continue down the umbilical that leads to the ship. Easy."

He reached up and scanned his phone on a panel beside the door, and it opened with surprising speed, vanishing into a recess in the ceiling above. The scent of the station's stale air gave way to an odd, acrid smell that reminded Jamie of ozone. The three of them stepped inside, and the door closed again with a whoosh, the hiss of escaping gas filling the chamber. They waited for a few moments, and when the process was complete, the second door opened. Beyond it was the umbilical, an extensible, metal frame that resembled the load-bearing jib of a crane. Jamie could see the far door that led into the ship proper, perhaps fifty feet away. The white material that protected them from the vacuum of space seemed flimsy and thin, giving the impression that someone could put their hand through it if they weren't careful. The walkway was metal, textured with a diamond plate pattern for better grip, exposed cables winding their way between the supports like vines through a jungle canopy.

"Sorry, you might have to duck a little," Sarris warned as he led on. The metal platform emitted worrying creaks beneath his boots, Jamie sharing a shrug with Liz before following after him. The umbilical was barely tall enough for an average human, never mind a Borealan, Liz having to double over as she made her way along. She finally relented, handing off a couple of the bags to Jamie when he offered to carry them.

"Welcome to the Magellan," Sarris announced as he reached the door, extending a hand to give the hull an affectionate slap. "She's a survey vessel, Pythia class, and she's going to be your home for the next few months. Cap says I should give you the tour before everyone else gets back. They're making the most of a few hours of shore leave," he explained as he entered a code into a bulky number pad on the door. It slid open, revealing another, smaller airlock.

There was barely enough room for Liz to squeeze inside behind them, another rush of ozone-scented air indicating that the pressure was equalizing. With the opening of one last hatch, they were finally standing inside the ship. It was about what Jamie had imagined. He found himself in a fairly narrow corridor, just wide enough for two people to pass one another, and just tall enough that Liz would have to watch her head. The walls were mostly white hull material, pipes and electrical cables snaking their way along them, the deck made up of textured sheet metal. It was lit by light strips that were embedded in the ceiling, casting everything in a bright, synthetic glow.

"Let me show you to your quarters, and you can put those bags down," Sarris said as he set off towards the aft. "There are three decks, and most of the living space is up on deck three. That's where the cabins are, and the rec room. Deck two has the bridge, the computer lab, the kitchen, the galley. The lower deck has the science lab and the server room. The hold and the engine room extend up through a couple of decks."

They turned left off the main corridor, Jamie spying signs that placed him between the hold to his left and the engine room to his right. Mounted on the wall in the middle of the corridor was a ladder that led to an opening in the ceiling. Sarris climbed up, Jamie following behind him, Liz passing up her bags before squeezing through after them. It was a tight fit, the aperture brushing her broad shoulders.

This time, they continued towards the stern, quickly arriving at rows of cabins. Jamie could make out six doors, and judging by the layout of the ship that he had seen so far, there were probably another six on the other side. It seemed that two corridors ran the length of the ship, hugging the exterior, while all of the rooms were situated between them.

"You're in cabin nine," Sarris said, stopping at one of the doors. "Sorry," he added as he hit a button in the frame, the panel sliding aside. "We don't have locks or codes on the doors, as we're not used to having guests aboard. The crew will respect your space, though, so don't worry about it."

The cabin resembled a small hotel room. It was little more than a bed, a shower cubicle, and a sliding cupboard for their belongings. It was nice enough, Jamie had seen much worse. Sarris was already looking Liz up and down, however. Jamie could see the wheels in the man's head turning as he sized her up, his eyes darting first to the bed, then to the shower cubicle. She would probably fit in the shower if she crouched, but the single bed was a no-go.

"Ma'am, are you...going to fit in here?" Sarris asked skeptically. "This ship wasn't built with a Borealan crew in mind."

"Don't worry about me," she replied, tossing her bags onto the bed. "This isn't my first rodeo, I've flown on human ships before."

"If you need anything, just talk to the Cap," he added.

"Any extra blankets and pillows that you have aboard would be a good start," she replied, turning to appraise one corner of the room. She lifted her furry hands, holding them up to her face, forming a square with her fingers like she was about to take a photo.

"You got it," he replied, giving Jamie a confused glance. "I'll let our requisitions officer know."

"How's your food situation?" she continued. "I don't know if you're aware, but Borealans eat enough for about five humans."

"The UAS made us aware of your nutritional requirements," Sarris replied confidently. "We've stocked up on supplies."

Jamie set the bags that he was carrying on the bed, then they continued their tour of the ship. Deck one housed twelve cabins for the crew, along with a rec room where they could unwind when they weren't on duty. It wasn't dissimilar from the break room at the supermarket where Jamie worked, albeit much more comfortable. Right at the back of the ship was the engine room that housed the reactors and the jump drive, running through all three decks.

Deck two housed a large computer lab where many of the crew did most of their work analyzing data from the Magellan's arrays of sensors. Sarris explained that the purpose of a survey ship was to mount expeditions into deep space, searching for potential colony planets and mapping out uncharted systems, of which there was no shortage. The kitchen and the galley were also on this level, along with a large cargo hold that extended into the lower deck.

On the final deck was the science lab, where experiments could be conducted, and the server room where all of the ship's data was stored. The ship was far from spacious, but Jamie was surprised by how much they had packed into the limited space. Having lived in a small apartment for most of his life, he was no longer too worried about getting cabin fever.

Their last stop was another ladder that led into an observation deck mounted beneath the vessel's belly. It was little more than a glorified cupola, a bubble-shaped capsule large enough for maybe three people to stand inside it, lined with windows that would look down on whatever planet the ship was orbiting. There were computer terminals where the occupants could access tools like advanced telescopes and radar systems that could penetrate dense cloud cover to map alien terrain.

Finally, Jamie got the unobstructed view that he had been wanting. To his left was the bottom half of the space station, its disk-shaped modules attached via a thick, pillar-like central structure. Its hull was a stark white against the backdrop of space, every surface covered in glittering windows that reflected the unfiltered glare of the sun. From out of view beneath the upturned dome at the bottom were the tethers, at least a dozen of them trailing down towards the planet. They were so unimaginably long that they didn't seem to diverge at all this far from the ground, even though their anchors were separated by thousands of miles. The jewel in the crown was Earth, Jamie's gaze lingering on it. It was like a blue marble wreathed in swirling clouds, glowing brightly in the harsh sunlight, so small from this distance that he felt he could have reached out and plucked it from the sky.

Liz's words in the crawler resonated with him now, and a profound sense of his own insignificance washed over him like a tide. He remembered worrying about making rent payments, being disappointed that his favorite brand of soda wasn't in stock, grumbling to himself about delays during his daily commute to work. Everything that he had ever known -- every experience, every person -- had just been condensed down into a singularity that he could cover up with his thumb.

"Nice view," Liz said, following his gaze. "Puts things into perspective, doesn't it?"

"I think that covers everything," Sarris said. "Nowhere is really off-limits save for the engine room and other people's quarters. You should probably stay out of the lab, too, and don't take anything out of the cargo hold without getting the okay from Bradley first. He's our req officer. This isn't a military ship, we're all pretty laid back here."

"When will we meet the rest of the crew?" Liz asked, turning back to face him.

"They'll be along shortly, we have to get underway pretty soon," Sarris replied. "They're probably dragging their feet as much as possible. This is the last time any of them will be setting foot outside of the ship for the next few months."

"What about you?" Jamie asked, wondering why the radar operator had stayed behind.

"I drew the short straw," he chuckled. "Oh," he added, fishing in his pocket for his phone as it began to chime. "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. The crew is on their way back. If you guys need anything that isn't already onboard, now is your last chance. Out in the black, there are no rest stops, no convenience stores."

"I think we have everything we need," Liz replied. They had been diligent in their packing, double and triple-checking their list of necessities.

They followed Sarris back up to the airlock, where they awaited the rest of the crew. After a few minutes, the outer door to the umbilical opened, and a group of people carrying armfuls of shopping bags stepped into the pressure chamber. They were all wearing the same white uniform as Sarris, each one sporting a UAS patch.

As soon as the inner door opened, all eyes were on Liz, the reactions ranging from surprise to fascination. A woman at the head of the group stepped forward, setting down a pair of plastic bags that were loaded with goods. Jamie could see snacks, drinks, frozen junk food, presumably all things that they didn't have in the hold.

"So, these are our passengers?" she asked as she appraised the pair. She was a stout woman with brown hair that was tied back in a utilitarian ponytail, a pair of icy, blue eyes peering out from a weathered face. If Jamie had to guess, he'd put her in her late forties.

"This is Liz and Jamie," Sarris confirmed.

"I'm Captain Cassidy," she said, extending a hand to Jamie. He took it, noting her surprisingly firm grip. "Most just call me Cassie or Cap." She reached out to Liz, shaking the alien's giant, furry hand without reservation. "It's been a good while since I've seen a Borealan," she said, craning her neck as she appraised the towering feline. "I was part of a survey team that did some work mapping Borealis a couple of years back."

"Did you stop in Elysia?" Liz asked.

"Didn't get to go planetside, unfortunately. We were just there to scan the surface from orbit. Beautiful planet, though."

"Borealis is often best enjoyed from a distance," Liz chuckled.

"I trust that Sarris has helped you get settled in?" she asked, Jamie and Liz nodding their heads. "This is my crew," Cassidy added as she turned to gesture to the group of people who were standing in the airlock behind her. There were nine of them in total, all of them hauling shopping bags. Jamie could sympathize. This was their last opportunity to stock up on snacks and comfort food. "I'm sure you'll all get well-acquainted over the coming months," she continued, stooping to lift her bags. "Right now, we need to get this stuff to the hold."

The crew gave them brief greetings as they passed, following their captain down the corridor.

"You've earned some brownie points with the crew already," Sarris said once his companions were out of earshot. "Any excuse to take a little shore leave and stock up on perishables is a good one."

"So, what happens now?" Jamie asked.

"Once the crew have put their haul away, I assume we'll be moving out," Sarris replied. "Now that you two have arrived, we can get back on schedule. I don't think Cap would mind you being on the bridge when we undock if you wanted to get a good view."

"Sound good to me," Jamie replied, Liz giving him a nod.

They proceeded to the stern of the ship, entering a room that was arranged in a semi-circle, the forward bulkhead giving way to a single, long pane of glass that wrapped around the nose of the vessel. It doubled as a display, Jamie noting that there were a few icons and system status readouts at the edges. Beyond was the inky darkness of space, the hull of the terminus station curving away to the left.

To the left and right of the bridge were consoles where the crew would sit, banks of monitors and holographic displays showing more readouts from the ship's systems. There was more seating further towards the back wall, as well as a prominent captain's chair situated in the center of the room, equipped with its own holographic projector that was creating a flickering display within easy reach of its occupant.

As if on cue, Captain Cassidy and some of her crew began to file onto the bridge. Jamie half expected Sarris to stand to attention and salute his superior, but he reminded himself that this wasn't some Navy frigate, it was a civilian science ship. Sarris would no more salute his captain than Jamie would salute his shift manager.

"Hey, Cap," Sarris began. "Is it cool if the passengers stay to watch us undock?"

"Of course," she replied, gesturing to the seats at the back of the room. "Make sure you guys strap in. I had our Chief Engineer rig up a Borealan-sized crash couch that you can use when we jump."

One of the chairs was indeed larger than the rest, the weld bead that secured it to the metal deck decidedly makeshift compared to the bolts on the neighboring seats. The chairs had some extensive padding, and Jamie was a little alarmed to see that each one was equipped with a pair of manacles on the armrests that would fold over the wrists of whoever was sitting in them. Liz had mentioned those, they were intended to stop people from injuring themselves during a jump. It was a rather macabre sight, and it really drove the reality of his situation home.

Two of the crew members took up seats behind the consoles, while Cassidy sat down in the bridge chair, reaching up to tap idly at the holographic display that was hovering in the air to her right. Jamie sat down beside Liz and fumbled with his buckle for a few moments, the smirking feline eventually reaching over to help him, securing the harness tightly about his chest. Sarris joined them, taking a seat to Jamie's right.

"We have clearance from flight control," a man announced from behind one of the consoles. He was wearing a pair of headphones, suggesting that he was responsible for communications.

"Good," the Captain replied. "Daryl, decouple us and take us out. Let her drift a little before you warm up the engines. All hands, prepare for undocking procedures," she continued as her voice crackled over an intercom system. "I hope nobody left any of their shit on the station, because you can kiss it goodbye."

Jamie felt the deck beneath his feet vibrate as the umbilical detached, starting to retract back towards the hull. He knew exactly what was happening, as an external camera view had opened in a semi-transparent window on the main viewport. This was it, no turning back now...

As they drifted away from the station, Jamie got a better view of the structure. Despite its size, it looked like a toy to him. There was no atmospheric haze to indicate distance, the shadows harsh and black in the sun's glow, no point of reference as it hung there in empty space. There were a few ships milling around it like bees swarming a hive, the blue glow of thrusters picking them out as they coasted along. Up at the top, he could make out the large engine nozzles of a freighter that was docked in one of the berths, metal cradles that resembled rib cages. It was so far away, yet the most minute details were crystal clear in the absence of an obscuring atmosphere.

"Alright, Daryl, give her a shunt," Cassidy said. "Let's get her to minimum safe distance."

Acceleration tugged at Jamie gently, pressing him back into his padded seat, the deck beneath his feet vibrating as the helmsman fired the main drive. It quickly subsided, the vessel drifting further from the station. It was hard to estimate their speed, but judging by how the mile-long structure was rapidly shrinking in the rear camera view, they were going fast.

"Jump prep, two minutes," the Captain announced over the intercom. "Get yourselves strapped in, guys." Her chair swiveled to face the back of the room, and she addressed the passengers directly. "I have to ask, do we have any first-time fliers here?"

"Me," Jamie said, raising a hand. "Liz has already explained what to expect, though."

"Alright," Cassidy replied. "Sarris, you're responsible for our guest. Make sure his arms are clamped and he has his bit before we jump."

Sarris leaned over to double-check Jamie's harness, then reached into a small compartment beneath the seat, fumbling for a moment. He withdrew a small box, handing it to Jamie, who opened it curiously. Inside was a transparent, plastic bit, like a retainer that a dentist might prescribe.

"Bite down on this," Sarris explained. "It'll stop you from biting your tongue off."

Jamie did as he asked, adjusting it inside his mouth, gripping the armrests of his chair as he waited for the countdown. Liz reached over to give his hand a reassuring squeeze, Jamie returning a grateful glance.

"Okay, keep your hands on the armrests," Sarris explained. "These manacles are going to close over your wrists automatically. They have sensors, so they can't hurt you."

"One minute," Cassidy announced.

"Charging drive," the helmsman added. "Surrounding space is clear, course is locked in. We're good to go on your mark, Cap."

Jamie kept reminding himself that superlight jumps weren't dangerous, that everyone here had done it multiple times, but it didn't do much to alleviate his tension. The seconds dragged by until finally, the Captain gave the order.

"Punch it," she said, the helmsman hitting a button on his console.

Jamie's world went black.

***

Like climbing out of quicksand, Jamie slowly awoke, splitting pain bouncing around inside his skull. There was something chewy in his mouth, which he spat out reflexively. He tried to move his hands, intending to cradle his head, but he found that they were immobilized. He couldn't see anything but shifting blobs and floating points of light that stabbed into his eyes like daggers, his ears filled with a buzzing like radio static. Panic gripped him, and he fought against his bonds, but he couldn't free himself.

Where was he? Why couldn't he remember anything?