Time to Orbit: Unknown

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Captain Kae Jin’s wheelchair is properly outfitted, and the astronauts hold the funeral for their dead the next day. I don’t want to go, and nobody asks me to. Nobody asks any of us replacement crew to. They gather in Pod Launch Ring 2 … Continue reading 128: CODE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Xanthe’s issue turns out to be some kind of hormone regulation thing. “A synnerve,” the Friend explains, “has grown into the amygdala and, while it’s inactive, has interrupted Xanthe’s adrenalin regulation.” “Is it dangerous?” Captain Klees asks. “It’s… difficult to say. It puts a … Continue reading 127: HERITAGE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Two days later, and after enough failed revivals to convince me that going under chronostasis at such an advanced age did indeed have effects on the crew’s revival chances that the system didn’t pick up, Captain Kae Jin and Asteria are joined by Earl … Continue reading 126: ASTRONAUTS

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Captain Kae Jin asks that the conversation be recorded. “I’m still sedated,” she points out, “and if the story is half as complicated as you’ve all made it sound, either give me a copy I can refer back to or endure being asked to … Continue reading 125: WIPED

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Captain Kae Jin reaches full alertness surprisingly quickly. Her eyes open, drift slowly across the faces of the strangers surrounding her, and immediately focus. She glances between us, then at the IV and oxygen system next to her, then about the room, gaze lingering … Continue reading 124: UPDATE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> The atmosphere around Sienna Kae Jin’s chronostasis pod is… tense. She has a sixty two per cent chance of waking up. A thirty eight per cent chance that she won’t. A thirty eight per cent chance that we’ll be completing this mission without any … Continue reading 123: SIENNA

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> “Why Dor Delphin?” Lina asks, frowning. “Because,” the captain explains, “he’s probably got information, and he doesn’t have any authority. When we wake the astronauts, Captain Kae Jin is probably going to want to take command of the ship, being easily the most qualified … Continue reading 122: INFORMATION

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> I don’t take a nap right away. I take a shower, being careful of my face, then pause to take a good look at myself in the mirror. The face looks… Well. A lot better than when it didn’t have skin, that’s for sure. … Continue reading 121: RESPONSE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Tinera snickers. “Sixty five lightyears and you can’t outrun those books, huh, Aspen?” Her snickers turn to giggles and then hysterical, cackling sobs as she gasps for breath, grabbing the back of Tal’s chair for support. “Fucking hell!” “Tiny?” Denish asks. She takes a … Continue reading 120: DELIVERY

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Pale orange steam blasts the right side of my face, burning the skin immediately. I press my mask down over my nose and mouth with one hand, trying to avoid breathing whatever it is, and stumble back, but I can’t see. I back into … Continue reading 119: SIGHT