Time to Orbit: Unknown

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> My arm feels normal again by the time our little holiday is up. It still moves a little clumsily, which is probably a sign that I’m getting too old for this shit, if one night of wrong sleep can hurt my arm for days. … Continue reading 074: CULPABILITY

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> “Hi, Captain,” I say cautiously. “Everything alright?” His expression clears quickly, so quickly that I might almost think I’d imagined it. Almost. “Completely fine, Aspen. How are you?” “Also fine. What are you up to?” “Just enjoying a quiet coffee.” He takes a sip … Continue reading 073: TRUST

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> I wake up the next morning with my arm all sore and tingly. I sit up in bed and try to rub some normalcy back into it. Through the flimsy walls of the bedrooms, I can hear the rest of the crew (the non-convict … Continue reading 072: FREEZE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Everyone, of course, stares. “First things first,” Lina says. “We don’t know the full knock-on effects of these genetic changes, but we… don’t think that they’re immediately bad. Nobody’s going to drop dead tomorrow, and we can keep an eye out for progressive problems … Continue reading 071: HOUSEKEEPING

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Despite the captain’s paranoia, Celi’s recovery seems to go just fine. I still can’t believe that Lina and the Friend managed to pull off a rootrotting liver transplant with no apparent trouble, despite not being surgeons. We have the best doctors. A week later, … Continue reading 070: GENETICS

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> “Aspen, can I see you a moment?” I look up from the book I’m reading. It’s about an hour until Celi’s scheduled operation; a corner of the medbay has been completely sterilised and blocked off with long sheets of plastic, a solid steel bench … Continue reading 069: TRANSPLANT

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Captain Sands gestures his companions forward to explain. Sunset, eyes glittering, drops a stack of identical computer printouts on the table. We all take one. “The chronostasis pods we sampled can be divided into three groups,” she explains. “The position where Rynn-Hatson died and … Continue reading 068: RATE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Captain Sands had said ten minutes, but I really want to get to the bottom of this mess, so I go to grab supplies from Laboratory Ring 2 immediately. I’m pulling a box of sample containers off a high shelf when I hear Renn … Continue reading 067: CYCLE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> “Okay.” Captain Sands claps his hands together and surveys the crew. “Let’s talk about progress. Anything to report?” It’s the morning after I found the bacteria. We’re all in Network and Engineering Ring 1 for this meeting, abandoning the usual Recreation and Medical Ring … Continue reading 066: PROGRESS

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> “Lina!” Lina looks up from fiddling with Zale’s life support. “What?” “The chronostasis fluid. How are you studying it?” “The fluorescent element is really easy to concentrate. I just don’t know enough molecular chemistry to get a better idea of what it is.” “Did … Continue reading 065: VECTOR