Aquaertus

Chapter Three - First Splash

"Cynthia, what the hell does 'flummox' mean?"

"The definition of 'flummox,' according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is a verb that means 'confuse.' Would you like me to use it in a sentence?"

"No, Cynthia, I'm good."

It's been a week since I landed on Aquaertus, and I've learned a lot about the pod. Cynthia is what the random device attached to the wall is. She's an artificial intelligence; I can ask her questions, tell her to store information, ask her the date on Earth, etc. Plus, she makes a good companion to help battle my loneliness. She was programmed with thousands of gigabytes worth of information back on Earth, so she knows a lot, which has come in handy quite a few times. The pod and Cynthia are powered by small solar panels which are on the outside of the pod, so thankfully I have a continuously renewable source of energy if I ever need it.

Also, the pod has flotation devices, so I've been rocking on the surface of the water for an entire week. I'm not used to being on the water for so long, so I got sick a few times. It was disgusting. I think I'm used to it now, though. At least the pod didn't sink to the sea floor.

I've also learned a little about the planet itself. I was sent here to study Aquaertus, so I might as well do my job while I'm here. I've been telling Cynthia to record all of the information I find, so at least if I die, somebody might find my research.

I haven't gone into the water yet, though. The majority of my time has been spent inside the pod reading my survival guide, but over the past week I've mustered up some courage to sit on the top of the pod and observe the planet. I've collected a little bit of information from my comfy perch on the pod and with the help of Cynthia.

Aquaertus has a very similar atmosphere to ours. Organisms on and near the surface of the water perform photosynthesis, so they provide oxygen to the atmosphere and take in carbon dioxide. Also, the sun isn't scorching the planet; Aquertus is the fourth planet in the system and a similar distance from the slightly larger sun, so the climate is similar to Earth's.  If humans could find a way to make life easy to live on water, the planet would be perfect.

Although Aquaertus is similar to Earth, they're not identical. Aquaertus has about 10 hours of day and 10 hours of night, which is 4 hours less than a day on Earth. The planet moves faster. Also, the life is vastly different. Since there's no land, there are no life forms above the water, at least from what I've seen. It's difficult to see what's living under the cerulean blue waves from where I sit, but nothing has attacked my pod, so the large predators are thankfully not near me. I've been extremely lucky so far.

Currently, I'm reading my ocean survival guide for probably the hundredth time. I decided that today I would actually go into the water. I've completely run out of food and water, so I need to find a way to get some, and the only place I can go is into the ocean. I want to read as much information as I can before I actually dive in.

I hope the water isn't freezing. The only clothes I have aren't waterproof, or protective against anything really. I'm wearing a simple, navy blue jumpsuit, which was the USS Pertempto's uniform. The material is a heavy canvas, so it would drag me down if anything. If the water is warm enough, I could take it off. Swimming in my underwear would be a lot easier.

I read the last page of the guide and mentally prepare myself for what I'm about to do. "Cynthia, could you play some motivational music?"

"Of course, Errin," Cynthia says in her robotic voice as her speakers begin to blast some sort of boppy electronic exercise music. Thank God Cynthia has music, the silence alone would've killed me in an hour.

I take a deep breath and climb onto the roof of the pod. There's rungs on the outside so I can climb down. I stop at the last rung before the rest of the pod is submerged in the water, and I dip a toe into the ocean.

The water is surprisingly warm. It's not hot, but the lukewarm water surprises me. On Earth, the ocean water would be freezing.

I climb back into the pod and proceed to take off my jumpsuit. Once I have it off and folded neatly on the single seat, I climb back to the final rung.

I think that maybe I could slowly sink myself into the water, then I toss that thought aside. I plug my nose, close my eyes, and jump into the unknown waters.