Starbound

7 - The Starbound

Charlotte

The Starbound. Staring at the hologram of the ship, I am immediately in love with her. I may be a computer engineer but I know a well designed ship when I see on and she's one of the best designed ships I've ever seen from the tip of her nose to her rocket engines. Her ovoid main body sits between her triangular wings and the whole ship completes one full rotation every hour to control the gravity in the ship. I walk around the hologram, examining her from every angle. Incredible, that's what this ship is. Looking around me, I spot a control panel for our hologram and move towards it, studying the buttons on the panel.  Deciding to press one, I reach out slowly and tap in with my left index finger. Immediately the hologram begins to move and zoom in, the ship splitting down the centre so that I can see inside it. There are 7 levels, each with a different level of gravity ranging from 1.2 gravity in the outer levels down to 0 gravity in the centre. Each level also has at least one room which could be anything from training rooms, bedrooms, experiment labs, storage, a farm, a pool, a lounge, a study, a cooking room, a giant window and a control centre in the very centre where there is no gravity.

Someone moves to stand beside me, snapping me back into reality. I had almost forgotten that I was in a room full of people. Glancing at the person beside me, I see that it is Zach. I try giving him a smile but he doesn't seem to notice and I feel myself deflate. Why is it so hard to have a conversation or to even catch his attention, he just seems to ignore me and everything else around him, opting for a brooding silence instead. I understand that it is just a part of who he is but it frustrates me because everyone else seems to be Paired with someone they can get along fine with and relate to in many situations and yet I am stuck with him. Yes, there was a moment back in our dorm before breakfast where we had an almost decent conversation but I doubt that will ever happen again, he's not very talkative. Couldn't they have chosen anyone else for me? I turn my attention back to the hologram and begin to circle it again. I want to have the inside of the ship memorised for when I finally do get on board it so that I will be able to find my way around with ease. I hope Zach does the same, I don't want to have him getting lost anywhere or having to be guided around. It shouldn't be a problem though, he seems smart enough. I certainly hope he is because I would hate to have a Pair like that Alyssa girl who didn't even know a single thing about stars. How ridiculous!

I refocus on the hologram of the Starbound, blocking all else from my mind. I create an image of her in my mind, imagining her orbiting around Earth somewhere far above. I can't wait to actually get up there, to see the stars as I fly by them on my great adventure through the universe; the great adventure that I know I will never return from. But that won't matter, it never has to me and I know that the feeling will never change, even as I die somewhere out there whether it be on the Starbound, floating in the middle of space or on some other planet. It won't even matter that Zach will be the last person I will ever see because even with the lack of personality, he's better than nothing.

'If you could please all turn your attention this way,' the man who lead us here calls from somewhere else in the room but to me his voice seems so much further away. I force myself to turn away and begin to shuffle towards him with the rest of the group, glancing back at the ship a few times. I think I have the entire layout of it committed to memory by now and if not, I at least know most of it. Scanning the crowd, I search for Zach again. He always seems to be disappearing amongst the crowd and he moves so silently that I never know when he comes and goes. At last I spot him and weave through the crowd to reach him, standing beside him quietly while I wait for the man to speak again.

'Now that you have all been assigned a starship and had the opportunity to look at it, you will begin the next stage of preparation for your departure from Earth,' he says. 'In a few weeks, you will begin packing your transporters with the remainder of your supplies ready to take up with you when you leave Earth. Seventy-five percent of your supplies have already been placed in your starship but you will need to bring the rest up with you. We will depart for lunch now and you have been given the rest of the day off to do as you please. I would like to remind you to stay with your Pair at all times, especially during your free time to allow you to bond better.' Once he finishes, he pushes his way through us and heads towards the exit from the virtual hangar and back into the main hangar, probably to lead us to the dining hall after that. I move with the group, trailing behind him until a realisation causes me to stop still, causing the people around me to stop suddenly too. 

Zach isn't by my side anymore.

I whip my head round, eyes darting from face to face in search of him. Why does he have to be so damn quiet all of the time? The other Pairs step around me and continue walking, leaving me at the back of the group. Slowly, I keep walking as I search for Zach but I can't see him anywhere which means he must be further ahead. Sighing, I pick up my pace and hurry after the group, not wanting to be left behind. I'll try to find Zach again when I get to the dining hall, it will be easier to spot him then when everyone isn't so crowded together. 

*Note from Ju- Hi, I know that this is Izzy's chapter but I have something to say about it. If you are a science freak like me (HELLO LIKE MINDED PERSON), you would know that having a spaceship spin at 1 rotation per hour would not give sufficient gravity. I did my calculations and according to science and maths, the rotation would have to be every 20 seconds. I know that is a very big difference but it is necessary for the story as you will see in the next few chapters.