The Key of Astrea

Moon Pool

Jack sat at a corner table in the mess hall with a view of the entire room. He was drinking his third mug of coffee when Mazu entered. She held a package under one arm and scanned the room. Jack had to admit the woman interested him, and his mind had wandered to her more than once.

Mazu approached Jack's table and dropped the package next to his empty platter. "I hope it's the right size."

"What is it?" The contents of the package were flexible and weighed more than they looked like they would.

"A wetsuit." Mazu tapped her foot. "We've gotta go."

"Wetsuit, as in water?" Jack's blood froze in his veins. "Right now?" Damn. Jack thought. Victus, where are you? You strand me here, then leave as soon as I send proof of the Selkans. What am I supposed to do, just wait here until you come back for them?

"Didn't you review the mission briefing?"

"No, I thought I had until tomorrow." Jack's leg bounced with excess caffeine and nerves.

"Well, c'mon, I'll fill you in on the way. But hurry, we don't have much time."

"How long will we be gone?"

"Not long. The cave is only ten kilometers away, and we'll need to do some spelunking. I'd say six hours round trip, tops."

What if Victus arrives while I'm gone? Jack thought. Would Victus just leave me behind? I wish I knew when he was coming. If they discover I can't swim, my cover will be blown. I'll just have to say no to the mission.

"Are you coming or not?"

Jack looked at Mazu, and his mind went blank. "Count me in." Damn it, Jack thought. He drained his mug, picked up the package, and followed Mazu out of the mess hall.

Together, they descended to the next floor and entered a converted cargo room that smelled of salt water. Four large mechanical diving suits lined the walls like gleaming silver trophies. A giant robotic arm waited nearby. At the end of the room, a large circular hole opened to the ocean.

Jack gulped as he stared at the rippling pool. Until yesterday, the most water he'd in years was in a bathtub. Being this close to the open sea made him break out in a sweat.

"Tell me about your time in the Navy," Mazu said.

"There's not much to tell, really." I spent most of my time in a space suit, Jack thought, not a diving suit. Not that I can tell her that. I was a pilot though, so that's what I'll tell her. "I flew marines from one place to another."

"Did you see any action?"

"Only from a distance." From thousands of kilometers, Jack thought. Most space combat was fought out of sight from your enemy, using sensors and lidar to 'see'.

Mazu unbuttoned her uniform and pulled her jacket off. Underneath she wore a skintight black bodysuit. Blue lines embedded into the material connected to hard discs at the joints. She left the headpiece off, letting it hang against her back like a hood.

"You need something?" she asked as Jack continued to stare at her.

"Some things are coming to mind."

"Get dressed." Mazu grinned and pointed at the gray package in his hands.

Jack sat on the floor and tugged his boots off. He took off his leather jacket and piled the whole lot in the corner of the room. Next, he unfastened his belt and worked at his uniform pants.

"While I'd love to see how far you'll go, there's a changing room over there." Mazu pointed at a stall in the corner of the room.

"Oh." Jack entered the stall and pulled the door closed. There was barely enough room to turn around. He would have preferred to change out in the open. Sighing, he tore the package open. Inside was a black suit like the one Mazu was wearing. The elastic fabric was a lightweight, carbon fiber weave. Blue lines traveled up each leg, crossing the torso, and continued down each arm.