ERA ADRIFT

2: IN ASTRA

It was a vacant feeling as Jacob sat in hit room slouched over the edge of his bed. As air traffic crossed by the window he watched as he peeked through the blinds. Staring at floating vehicles and ships in the sky.
"This isn't the life for me." Jacob stood up as he leaned against the window sill. Grabbing a backpack and placing a few clothes inside. He zipped up and locked the door on his way out.
Jenny, a neighbor of Jacob's stepped outside her apartment.
"Will you be back soon?" Jenny asked.
"Probably not, I don't know where I'm going but I'm going." Jacob exclaimed as he further analyzed her emotional response to his answer. "If I need something more to this life other than, waking up everyday with the same amount of misery that keeps holding me back."
Jenny frowned as she titled her head low and glued her eyes to the ground.
"You know, I couldn't properly register how you felt being in this complex until now." Jenny stated as she looked back up at him. "I enjoyed being your neighbor, I just noticed now that I'm looking at your eyes, they're dark as can be."
Jacob dug in his pocket, handed Jenny a key. "This is for you, I've scrapped and stored away the rest of my belongings in the closets, will you watch over Bailey for me?" He asked.
"Yeah, but I want to come with you." Jenny stated as she grabbed Jacob's arm.
Jacob paused. Riddling the idea that wherever his choices would lead him. He wouldn't be alone, Jenny seemed to had genuinely cared for him. Watching over her though would be a liability for him.
"Ok, you can come but just know that I don't know where I'm going." Jacob said. "Just that I'm going."
Jenny nodded as she rushed inside her apartment to begin packing.

As the two ventured off, Jacob with Bailey his cat in a transparent backpack and Jenny behind him. She smiled as he towered over her.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Jenny asked.
Jacob nodded yes.
"You're my only friend, and I kinda like you but am afraid to tell you but that's okay, cause we'll be spending sometime together." Jenny stated as she fondled her hand gestures toward Jacob patting his shoulder.
Jacob paused as he continued walking. Jenny followed behind.
"I need you to be able to catch up to me." He stated as he looked back over to Jenny.
"Where are we going first?" Jenny asked.
"I heard Artemis was looking for volunteers to travel across a wormhole they discovered across the Lataya system."
"Oh, so we're going to space?" Jenny smiled.
"Yup, we'll be heading out there in the unknown." Jacob smiled as he climbed into his car.
   "But why?" Jenny asked.
  "Lately I've been getting this overwhelming feeling that I'm not meant for this place, that this world isn't mine." Jacob was stuck in a loop deprived of a certain feeling he looked to obtain. But he was paralyzed by the idea that something else was out there beyond his reach.
    Jen only look at him with comfort and confidence as she felt safe in his presence. But Jacob didn't know, focused on the larger mission, he only had one destination.

   After a few days of suborbital training. The two were officially outfitted for galactic travel.
Here at Axium our goal is to expand on horizons further than leaving this world behind. We seek to conquer the perilous journey in reaching worlds beyond our grasp.
  Whether it's a distant world, the alternate, or the impossible. Artemis is prepared, and always one step ahead.
 
  "Attention; attention. You are the new crew of the tempest-5 space shuttle mission, you will be launching past Glecies Antorra, and looping around the maxim wormhole." The instructor announced at the podium. "Do not steer off course, the shuttles and pods you'll be assigned to will be automatically synced to the worm hole, do not throw yourself off course."
   "Ok crews when you make it close to the worm hole, assuming you didn't fall off course, you'll pass a light push beyond the black hole."
   "Your mission, searching for sentient life beyond our galaxy in near by habitable planets outside the worm hole" The instructor stated as he listed over the comms of each shuttle. "You should be able to properly communicate with other shuttles when you pass the effect." As the instructor continued on, the service crew boarded behind the astronauts as they proceeded to strap each astronaut into their seats.

   Jacob looked over to Jenny as she smiled and stated to him. "Here we go."
   Grabbing her hand she look at it and back at him. "Who knows what we'll find." Jacob smiled as he looked over at the launch bay doors. As the beam retracted behind them. The lift pulled the shuttle in and readied the ship for take off.   
   "Tempest-5, this is control, all systems look nominal." Control announced. "Main engine check, fuel system is at 92% capacity ready for full departure."

"Roger control, this is tempest-5 ready for departure." The shuttle pilot announced.
   "Understood tempest, clarify all life boats are ready."
Percy is green.
  Fox is green.
  "Era is green." Jenny stated as she chuckled in excitement.
Pangea is green.
  Maximus is green.

   "All systems checked, green across the board. You may launch when ready." Control announced as the bay doors fully opened.
   The flaps and drag fins opened up from behind the rocket. A bright yellow flame deployed followed by a bright blue flame as the engine thrusters deployed.
    The rocket began moving vertically, as the frame began to shake around the ship. Jacob looked out as the sky started to fade to black as the ember like stars began to glow abundantly. Jenny turned over and looked at the same window.
"Axiom, we have entered the upper atmosphere, getting ready for stage two separation." The pilot announced over the comms. As the shuttle disengaged the main thrusters. An overwhelming jolt shook part of the ship as the throttle increased substantially.
"What separation are we?" Jenny asked.
Jacob stated, "stage four separation, but it'll be a couple days before that happens."
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've officially entered the outer atmosphere, you may now freely walk about your cabins." The pilot announced.

Jacob lifted his strap off his seat. Jenny followed behind. Checking his carrier. Bailey, under a large dose of anesthesia drooling. Jacob chuckled as he set the carrier under his bed.
"What now?" Jenny asked.
"We'll eventually be given a choice, a choice in which path to take." Jacob watched as he looked out his bunk room window.
"Out there is a choice with endless opportunities, we'll get there eventually." Jacob finished as he laid down in his bunk.
"I love you Jacob, I've liked you for so so long, but I can't hold it anymore." Jenny stated as she leaned over to his bed.
"I can't love you right now, I've always liked you but you know that if I stayed there, I wouldn't be alive right now." Jacob finished as he held her hand.
"I just want you to know, I'd travel this endless universe with you if it means just being with you." Jenny stated as she placed her hand on Jacob's chin pushing his face up.
"Maybe I just need a bit of time before I open up about my feelings again, but for now; this is what I need to find myself." Jacob explained further. "I mean, going through the break up, losing a baby, my world fell apart." Jacob slipped off the bed and walked to the meal cabin as Jenny followed behind him. "I tried to drown it out but even then, that didn't work."

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're officially passing across Leyda's belt. Jacob turned over as the shuttle had passed the planet Glecies Antorra and it's numerous asteroid clusters orbiting a similar pattern with the sun.
Thrusting over at an angle the shuttle dodged some incoming meteors.
As the shuttle veered closer to the wormholes. Jacob and Jenny settled in for the night.

Only a mellow picture to be seen, he dreamt of her again. Brushing is hands against her face as she laid next to him. Dreaming of the causalities, the idea of him running into her again. He waited. Feeling against her soft purple hair she smiled and giggled as she continued her focus on him. Climbing over him. Laying her head against his chest, he could feel her chest rub up and down against him as he imagined her. The sweat between two body heats, the intensity of her breathing. The passion they shared again.
All coursed away as he rummaged the shouting behind walls as he cornered himself with his finger in his ears. Screaming in pain. He only wished the idea of her would shift away.
Hoping the idea of her, would come back to him.