Time to Orbit: Unknown

<<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

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> “Klees to Denish,” the captain says into his radio, “we’re at the site and starting work. It’s just matching the colours, right? Over.” “Yes, Captain. Each plug in the same colour socket. They only fit the right way up, cannot go wrong. Over.” “Roger … Continue reading 118: VIEW

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> We all, of course, gather in Engine Ring 1 for the reading. It’s a tense moment. I find myself shifting from foot to foot, holding my breath, exchanging looks with – “Yep, there’s an ozone layer,” Sam says almost immediately. I blink. “That was … Continue reading 117: TUBE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Shortly after Hylara passes the sun, Captain Klees calls a meeting. “Let’s go over what we know about… everything. Everything started with the Antarcticans developing the Kleiner array. This allowed us to view and study exoplanets in much greater detail than previously, and actually … Continue reading 116: REVIEW

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> It’s about 2am on our personal ship schedule, but both the captain and I are awake. I can feel his breathing through his back, measured but not the slow, soft breath of sleep. I reach my arms around him and lay a hand on … Continue reading 115: SAFE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> The next morning, we assemble around the picnic table, and Lina explains what she and the Friend have spent the past day investigating. “So. We have a hypothesis that may actually answer quite a lot of questions.” “Great,” Tinera says. “I love things that … Continue reading 114: REACTION