By EowynDoyle
~ -0 years, 00 months, 1 week, 5 days, 10 hours, 27 minutes ~
"Gangplank up!" I shouted into the radio over the stiff wind, watching the metal plank retreat into the side of the ship. Thick wire cables stretched from the magnificent vessel to pillars manned by dock handlers, each one at the ready, huddled against the wind.
"Release cables." The captain's calm voice filtered through the radio, nearly drowned out even though I had it turned up to full volume. Engines roared to life beneath my feet, my excited heart rate rising with it.
"Release cables!" I relayed to the dock handlers, slamming the red button to my left. In practiced synchronization, each one deftly pulled their lever. One by one the cables popped loose from the holding pillar. Gears whirled and each cable was immediately sucked in and coiled around great wheels hidden behind plates of metal.
It could have been done from the bridge, but the captain always preferred for the docking crew to do it. Said it was easier to tell if one would go haywire and it also shortened their own checklist of things to do before departure.
The cable hatches slid closed with a hiss. A puff of hot air blasted me from above as the closest one locked. The head dock worker gave me a thumbs up, other hand gripping her safely line.
I gave one in response, smile splitting my face.
We were ready to depart.
"Cables retracted and hatches sealed!"
"Good work. Close your hatch and return to quarters for departure." The captain said with a chuckle. "This will be a rough one!"
"Yes, Captain!"
I stared out the hatch enjoying the last few seconds of the shining skyport and glowering storm clouds before it disappeared behind the thick metal plating. The plating around the outer doors and windows were the thickest on the entire ship, nearly a foot thick.
Giddy laughter bubbling from my lips, I dashed though the corridors and the empty atrium, golden staircases winding upwards, surrounded by shops and cafes on each level. All the passengers had already gone to their rooms; no one was allowed outside of quarters for a lift-off to lessen the chance of injury if something went amiss.
By the time I returned to my quarters, the ship had begun to pitch upwards, rearing to pierce through clouds and atmosphere and break free of the planet's hold.
"All good?" Max, a Terran with silver dyed hair, asked while strapping herself into her bunk. She worked in the galley as a second-cruise chef. If I ever detoured through there, she often slipped me a bit of whatever she was working on.
"Yeah!" I slid the straps hanging from the railing of my bunk over my shoulders, buckling it tightly across the chest. The foam mattress conformed perfectly to my body, deadening some of the vibrations that coursed through me.
"Calm down, mate!" Jenida laughed, black and white striped ponytail splayed over her pillow and vibrating with the motion of the ship. "Ya look like ya gonna explode! This is what, ya third cruise?" She was a fellow technician. We swapped landing and lift-off duties each port.
"Lift-off never gets old!"
"I'd beg to differ." Max's face paled considerably as the shaking increased. The ship's rotation was nearly complete and we hung against our harnesses, held back only by the straps.
With a click, the bunks slid downwards then up, moving along a track in the opposite wall that brought us to a near horizontal position. The passenger's bunks, much fancier than our simple ones, rotated smoothly with the ship's motion.
