Awakening

The End

Another cloud of condensation blossomed on the glassy front of the helmet. It obscured Eelaya's view of the ship, but she could still see she was no longer in her bed--not anymore. She was just opening her green eyes, noticing the buildup of the haze in front of her as she breathed-out.

Wasn't it my week off? She though.

The occasional bleep of her suit emphasized the same point and reminded her of the daily routine at the mines and the fact she was still alive and well, probably.

She blinked, trying to clear her head from all the distractions around and focus more on the here and now. It didn't look like her Miner-XV cockpit. The inner shell of the craft was without the familiar red hue.  The blue-tinted control-panel of the ship was unidentifiable--although still usable.

What the rads? She cursed in her thoughts.

A blinking blue text labeled 'wake' was hovering in front of her, casting its hue on the rest of the vessel ever so lightly. The only audible sound was her own breathing--slowly inhaling and exhaling inside the space-suit. It was dark, but the blue tint was enough to paint the rest of the place and reveal she was indeed not on her usual seat inside a miner.

She straightened her posture and reached out to touch the 'wake' button. The motion revealed her own--an orange suit with a patch on the side stating it belonged to a 'Tracy'--as she touched the button.

Tracy...

The lights came to life as all the equipment of the ship hummed to existence with a magical orchestra of colors. Impressive as the ship's display was, the first thing which caught the eyes wasn't actually any of the popped messages or graphs which hovered on her sides. Eelaya opened her mouth and eyes wide to marvel at the cruel blackness of space, visible from the view-panel.

The view-panel made the inner-shell of the craft transparent, showing seamlessly what was behind the metallic structure of the spaceship, as if it was nothing more than an egg made of glass.

The darkness was breathtaking--both cruel and serene. It was a grand emptiness with an occasional bright white, yellow or red star carefully set on a specific location not to harm the rest of the universe. Glancing around, she finally realized the closest planet appeared as a large sphere beneath her feet--a planet of blue, green and brown. They were colors she hadn't seen for a while. Colors she really missed--the colors of life itself.

Moments passed while she stared dumbfounded at the infinite space. The sense of time blew out the window the moment the view-panel came to life. But like everything, it had to come to an end. A loud bleep of her suit slapped her back to reality, reminding her there is an unsolved mystery still lurking.

She quickly pulled her left hand, twisting it as if to look at a watch. There was no watch there, of course, but her personal-panel--commonly referred to as PeP--activated itself as she completed the motion. It was an implant in her arm, containing all the information about her as a person. When a PeP was interconnected with a suit, it transferred all the crucial information about the suit's condition to the wearer.

At first glance, everything seemed to be in order. The shuttle she sat in was filled with oxygen, refilling the suit's supplies; The suit was in a tip-top shape with no visible damage or breach; But she still felt something. A familiar coldness which pointed that something was wrong.

Why do I have this strange feeling?

The answer didn't take long.

An enormous force shook the vessel violently, breaking the stillness of space abruptly, and making new warning messages pop in front of Eelaya. The interior of the shuttle was painted red with all the warnings. She turned her head around trying to find the source of the intrusion of peace, expecting to find an enemy ship or an asteroid shower. It was not until her eyes fell to the floor of the ship did she realize the severity of her situation.