The Inner Ring (gxg)

Chapter 9

"Is everyone strapped in?" Lena asked over the suit's communication system.

A series of checks answered in the affirmative as the massive vessel prepared itself for launch. The layout consisted of a huge block of sixteen boosters in the back, with a dozen of those expected to be ejected once they were burned out. At that point, the ship would be the fastest spacecraft launched by man. The remaining four engines, all nuclear powered, would then maintain that speed out to Uranus. Once there they would help to slow the ship down with the aid of the planet's gravity while pulling it into an orbit near the inner ring. A travel plan had been plotted out to put the ship in a low orbit near the two vessels that they had already seen, but they would still be on the lookout for more.

Lena and Xavier were in the cockpit as the pilot and copilot. Emily was the third pilot and would be relieving them after eight hours, at which point the ship should already be at top speed. In the meantime, everyone else was in their suits, strapped into their bunks. The bunks were designed with rotating mattresses that would spin to cushion the person in the bed against the g forces they were experiencing. The resting crew was hoping to get some sleep during the initial stages of the mission. The crew compartments were modular two-person bunk bed designs, and Vanessa and Pepper had taken one on the end, the closest to the science lab where they would be looking over incoming images, with Vanessa on the top. They were next to the next compartment which was the Emily and Xavier, and then Anton and Miles. At the other end was Brody and Lena. With Xavier and Emily both pilots, each on an eight-hour shift, they wouldn't have a lot of time together, but they planned on bunking up together when others were working.

"All right everyone, hang on tight!" Lena called out. "Ignition in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!"

Pepper was pushed into the mattresses as the boosters kicked in, and the mattress spun up against the wall. She bit down twice on her suit communicator to turn it off, and then grunted through her earpiece. "Are you okay Vanessa?" The g forces made it too hard to talk normally for her. The suits and the medicine they gave everyone was helping to offset the g forces, but it still wasn't fun.

"I'm here. Just relax and try to rest. I know it isn't easy," Vanessa said back.

"There is no way I can sleep," Pepper admitted to her friend. "Can you?"

"No, I think you're stuck talking to me for a bit," Vanessa tried to chuckle, but it came out as a bit of a cough.

"DAMN, this feels good baby!" came Lena's yell over comms again. "Take that thrust! You know you like it!"

"Lena, you're talking to the ship, right?" Brody asked sarcastically.

"Oh, sorry, I was trying to give Xavier things to tell Emily later!" Lena called out.

"Hey!" Emily yelped.

"All right, let's keep it professional people!" Anton admonished.

"I think you picked the wrong crew for that boss!" Lena couldn't stop.

A mixed chorus of laughs followed. It was official, Lena was never going to be repressed.

"So, this is what we get to look forward to for the next ten years?" Pepper joked to Vanessa.

"Well, you can be sure it will be interesting!" Vanessa replied. "I'm shocked nobody has gone for the Uranus joke yet!"

"I still can't believe this is real. Two weeks ago, I was deciding which frozen meal I was going to eat, and now I'm headed further from the planet than anyone ever has."