Journeys of the Shepherd

Chapter 1: In The Zone

In silence, the SV/F Stellar Conveyor soared through the endless, black abyss of space. She was a giant ship, over 500 meters in length. The deep space freigher had left port a month ago, and was now en route to an outer space trading station, transporting several hundred tons of crude oil, ore minerals, and grain. The cargo ship was manned by about a dozen crew members, but they weren't the only people on board.

Luke sat in the reinforced, titanium frame of a window in one of the cargo holds, glancing at the stars that engulfed the Stellar Conveyor. The countless white spots that dotted the black sky shone bright, giving the illusion they were somewhat nearby. And it was just that, an illusion. Their actual and exact distance was hard to comprehend, it was even more difficult to describe it with the standard metric system.

In the 25th century, humans had reached far beyond Earth, colonizing other worlds that lay lightyears away. But man's presence was still miniscule compared to the sheer vastness of the galaxy.

The majority of the stars around the Stellar Conveyor, would never be seen upclose by Luke, or any other person living in the 22th century. He sighed with that thought in his mind, and ran his hand through his short, black hair.

It was three months ago when the 18-year-old got a ticket handed by his father and was send against his will to some military academy at some Federal outpost. Although a cruiseliner was more luxurious, hitchhiking along with a cargo ship was cheaper and faster. To Luke, it seemed his parents were anything of short of reluctant to get him out of the house.  In the end, Luke didn't care much for luxury. In fact, he liked the freighter more than some crowded cruise ship filled with tourists.

His parents where convinced Luke didn't have any ambition or motivation whatsoever. Luke didn't agree, but he never tried to disprove them either. He didn't mind the long journey that would last more than half a year, because that's all he ever wanted: set out and travel through the galaxy. But instead he was going to an army school where some drill sergeant would be yelling at him all day. He got a little angry, but then he heard steps at the door of the cargo bay.

''Dreaming of the stars again, Mr. Brooke?'' Luke looked up, and smiled. A man with curly blond hair in his late forties walked towards him, cleaning his hands with an old rag soaked in grease.

''Marshall!'' Luke said. ''What's happening, man?'' Roger Marshall was the ship's mechanic, and one of the only crewmembers that actually spoke to him. The two got along from the start, and Luke would often help him in the engine room when he was not wandering around the ship.

''Well, Luke, not a whole lot.'' the mechanic said, and leaned against the wall of the cargo bay. ''The last four weeks sure are boring.'' replied Luke.

'You got that right. Amazing that when we entered the zone, nothing happened anymore. I expected the ship to be crawling with pirates right about now!'' Luke chuckled, and moved his feet out of the frame so the mechanic could sit next to him. ''So, how are you doing, Luke?'' the mechanic asked with curiosity.

''Pretty good.'' he lied. ''I'm just not to happy that I'm being send off to that fucking military school.''

''I understand, kid.'' Marshall patted him on the shoulder. ''But like I said before, maybe they have a flying course. Who knows.'' 

''Yeah, I hope you're right.'' Luke said, still not entirely convinced.

''Remember,it was because of one of those academies that I ended up in the Federal Fleet.''

A few seconds later, a voice crackled from the loudspeakers of the intercom. ''Marshall, report to the bridge at once.''  Marshall sighed, and stood up. ''Looks like they need me upstairs. Catch you later, kid.''