Far from home

Chapter IV

The next day was free time. Nasa told us to spend it with the people closest to us. Dad, Dante and I just had fun. We ate Chinese, talked, went shopping at the hotel and stuff. It was nice, but even that couldn't keep the launch out of my mind.

Of course I still wanted to go. It was just that there was like a million things that could cause us blowing up before we even got out of Earth atmosphere.

We'd leave with a pretty small rocket that would be attached to the actual ship that was already in space. Actually, it was built there.

The thing I didn't get was that why we couldn't just leave with a shuttle and fly that to the ship. They were a lot more safe. But Nasa had just said that if we couldn't take the launch, we weren't the right people for this mission.

My guess was that the point of us leaving with a rocket was to test how the ones of us who hadn't properly been to space, would react. I guess it was a good thing.

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The next day the whole crew was sitting in the cabin of a rocket - the rocket that would take us away from Earth, maybe for the last time.

The engines started to rumble louder as they warmed up. Nothing else that happened in the cabin could be heard. Only things we heard were the instructions from the ground control.

"Commander Clearwater, are you ready for the countdown?" asked a man's voice. My guess was that the man was general Williams, but I wasn't sure.

"We are ready", Derek said and I took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. Sergei, who was sitting on my right side, glanced at me with an expression that showed... I didn't know what.

"Okay then", general Williams said and then there wasn't any voices except for the rumbling if the engines for a while.

Then it started. The most scary ten seconds if my life that far. I wouldn't think they were scary a few months later, but anyway.

"Ten, nine, eight", the rumbling of the engines grew even louder as the rocket prepared for launch. I grabbed the handles of my seat and focused on my breathing as the countdown went on.

"Three, two, one, go!" a voice finished the countdown and the rumbling grew still. The cabin started to shake. I think everyone were scared, at least based on their positions, clenched fists or faces. Although, the commander didn't seem to be scared and that was weird, but I didn't stop to think about it then.

Is this really supposed to take this long? Why aren't we at space already? I thought scared. But I just kept focusing on my breathing: in, and out, in, and out. I closed my eyes and just breathed.

Then, everything stopped. The shaking, the rumbling, all gone. I let the handles go and looked around. The window of the cabin was closed after the launch, but the silence told it. We made it. We were in space.

"Commander Clearwater, all good there?" general Williams asked.
"We're good, we're in space", Derek answered. Everyone started to cheer and that told that the whole crew was okay too. I was pretty sure that there was a lot of cheering back on Earth too.

"Okay, we're starting towards The Savior", Derek said. The hissing told that we were moving again. Moving towards our home for next two years.

"Olivia, open the window", Derek ordered. Olivia pressed a button and the iron skin slid off the window. There was a silence, when we all stared at the endless space with its bright stars.

"Beautiful", I whispered so quietly that most of the crew didn't hear me, but one did. Sergei. He glanced at me again, with- I don't know, agreement? Our gazes met for a short moment and then he turned away.

We were moving and the ship with it rings grew bigger in front of us. Our rocket was a part of it so it looked like it was missing a piece - like it was.

We reached the Savior and connected without problems. When the ship was stabled, we unlocked our seatbelts and took our space helmets off.

I took a deep breath. We made it. We were in the Savior. That was just the beginning, but it was good. It was really good. I mean, we could've died already.

"Okay. Once you've got out of your suits, you can go to your room and change something more comfortable to wear. I'll call you to the mess hall soon", Derek said and walked through the door. We followed and left our space suits to their places.

I walked out of the sliding door with motion detector. Well, the hall looked like from a spaceship (no shit Sherlock). I pressed my hand to a tablet like device on the wall and it read my hand print. It opened and a voice said:
"Hello Fia."

It was our A.I. called Sebastian.
"Hello Sebastian, show me the map", I said. I haven't talked to Sebastian before, but many others like it. Nasa had dozens of them for different meanings.

"Of course, what are you looking for?" he asked and opened the map of the ship to the monitor.
"My room", I answered. Sebastian didn't say anything, but a red mark appeared on the map showing me where my room was. It wasn't far and I started walking.

I got to my room and changed the skinny jumpsuit that was wore under spacesuits to sport leggings and a hoodie.

The room was small. It had a one person bed and a school locker room type of lockers. There was also a desk that was screwed in the floor since we were in space and the ride was not gonna be always smooth.

All my stuff was there: clothes and photos and other things I had packed. We also had tablets of our own much like the ones on the walls. The Sebastian speaking from them was different than the one of the ship systems.

He was more intelligent and its answers weren't from a stock. It actually listened to us and 'thought' about the answer.

I opened messages from my tablets and wrote:
We're up here safely. I'll call you later when I can talk, the commander is expecting us soon. Love you, Fia <3
I send that to dad Dante and Leone, even tho the last one wouldn't probably answer. But I still hoped he would, and knew that in some point it was going to happen - if we were both still alive then.

I lay on the bed for a while thinking about everything and then rose to walked at the mess early. When I got there, Olivia and Sergei were already there.
"Hi", I said walking next to Olivia.
"Hey", she answered smiling and Sergei just nodded.

Other crew members arrived one at the time and the commander himself was the last one.
"Oh good, we're all here. It's time we begin our journey", he said.

Okay, now this story starts. From now on, the chapters will be a lot more hectic and a lot of stuff will happen. Can't wait to get to write them! 💕