Nova

Chapter 1 - Newbie

"Thorne!"

Nova shoots up straight, setting her gloved hand into a shaky salute. The captain shoves a clipboard into her chest roughly. His expression is shielded by a black space helmet. She can see her own reflected in his visor.

"Read this," he says flatly as he turns to face the terminal, mumbling something to his first mate who types a hurried command. Nova shuffles through the documents on the clipboard. It's ancient, and water damaged. I can't read any of this. She glances around from her spot in the corner. The ship is small and dimly lit, with several fuzzy display screens glowing from the front. Shovels and flashlights clutter a single rusty shelf, and the speaker buzzes softly. There are no windows, and nowhere to sit. The captain and another crew mate stand near the screens, they all wear the same prison orange space suit. This thing is like a sardine can, and where's the fourth mate? There's always four, it's the standard practice of The Company. Suddenly a heavy hand rests on her shoulder, startling her out of her pretend reading.

"Hey newbie! You ready?" a friendly voice asks. He playfully nudges her shoulder as he struts past her, casting a looming shadow over her.

"Heey Steele!" He gives the captain a slap on the back. The captain grumbles a reply, clearly uninterested in his antics.

"Where are we off to today? Titan?" he asks, folding his arms and leaning against the command center. Even though helmets conceal everyone's faces, Nova is sure he is grinning ear to ear. This guy is way too happy to be here, maybe his sentence is almost done?  The captain scoffs at him, pulling down a lever on the control desk.

---

The ship jolts forward, letting out several concerning creaks and moans. Nova braces herself against the wall, feeling slight panic building in her chest. Metallic clanking and whirring echo around the small ship as it begins to descend. It slams into the ground, knocking Nova into a nearby pipe. The crew moves quickly, grabbing flashlights and weapons, and spray paint? Nova stands still, not sure of her role in all of this. Captain Steele passes her without a word, flipping on his communications and adjusting his gear. He pounds a button on the wall with his fist, opening up the ship door in a loud whooshing sound.

"Hey newbie, take this," Hawk hands her a large garden shovel, "Just bash anything that moves and you'll be fine. Oh, and stick with me." She nods quickly and follows close behind as they set out into the alien planet.

Tall grass rustles at their feet as they make their way toward a large warehouse building. It towers over them and stretches far beyond the fog in both directions. Steele shoves open the front doors, they creak with lack of use and slam shut behind them. Darkness.

"Hawk?" Steele asks, annoyed.

"Oh, right." Hawk flicks on his flashlight, illuminating the small room. It is entirely metallic, with steel walls and grated floors. The ceiling reaches up forever, obstructed slightly by pipes and whirring fans. The holes in the floor reveal a dark abyss, red light defining its depth.

"Don't look down," Steele says, taking a place at the back while Hawk proceeds forward. Nova knows the mission: Gather scrap to bring to The Company. They will buy anything that the crew could find. Oh, and don't die. Who would want anything in here? It's just pipes and metal scraps.

"Engine!" Hawk's light bounces in the darkness as he runs ahead. His footsteps echoing around the thin hallway. He picks up the large vehicle engine, grunting from the weight. "I'll drop this off outside," he says. Steele nods at him in approval as he shuffles past with the massive hunk of metal. Nova peers ahead into the nearly complete darkness. Is that ...? She squints her eyes. I could have sworn I saw something move. She grips her shovel tighter, remembering what Hawk said.