Universal rim the voyage to the last corner;
2675 years ago, in the year 3457, humanity started a voyage to the outer edge of the universe. Me and my crew were in cryosleep for this whole time, while generation after generation of pilots controlled our cruiser from the international planetary station on Io, a moon of Jupiter, through the depths of the universe.
We are finally on the finish line of the journey. The last 300 light-years. We estimate it to be about 5 weeks for us, so we can safely wake up and arrive it contiously, with no worries at all. At least that's what we thought until now.
But I should introduce myself to you, the reader of this book,
I am Jamie Harbory the official captain of this glorious ship. The "Aura-Luna-13" It has an integrated Ai with simulated human emotions called Ac77-44 but for simplicitys sake we just call her A-Lu or just for short Lu, with her included we are a crew of 17 people. 8 women and 8 men. In two hours we should wake up and i am extremely pumped to see the outside and getting to know everything that has changed over the time.
-2 hours later-
I think we're waking up.
Yes i can feel my whole body thawing from the cryosis, it's a good feeling. This whole procedure is taking about thirty seconds and then the crew and i should wake up.
Oh, i can feel it the...This typical heavenly sensation of waking up. It' s such a wonderful feeling. I can feel my whole body tingling, and as soon as I open my eyes my body overflows with adrenaline, I take a deep breath and step out of my cryopod. In this moment I can feel the air flowing around me, my feet which are tuching the warm grass on the ground - wait a minute... Grass? In the cryochamber? - I call out to Lu: „Lu? Why is there grass on the ground of the cryochamber?" Lu responds in her beautiful silky voice:"„Oh captain, you're awake. How are you?"
„I feel awesome, now would you please answer my question?" i say while stretching. „Of course captain, i filled the room with grass because i thought to myself, if you're going to wake up then i should have a present ready for you. And so i build a small spring ecosystem inside the ship. But i am not ready with the new room and so i placed the grass the trees and the flowers all over the ship to keep them healthy until i finish the room."
I took a moment to think about what she just said.
„Thank you Lu, this is probably the best gift that i have ever gotten!"
„Yayyy, thank you captain! This makes me soo happy to hear!"
„You're welcome, how are the others doing right now?"
"They're doing great! Mel and Kaye are almost awake and Rachel is already in the tower, should i open a voice channel to the tower or do you want to go there yourself?"
„Please open a voice channel if you would be so kind."
"Sure"
A Robotic voice replied „voice channel opened"
„Hey Rachel, how are you?"
„Oh! Hey Jamie! I'm good, how are you? Did you wake up well?"
„Yes i did, how is the view?"
„It's beautiful! I have never seen such beauty in my whole lifetime! Come up here there is something I want to show you."
„All right, I'll be there in a second."
„Come quickly!"
"But... Why"
"Come on, hurry or it'll be gone when you get here! Hurry!"
"Alright i will hurry. "
I rushed to the door and opened it.
"Lu? Can you please call the turbolift down for me?"
„Sure it'll be there any second"
I went outside and headed to the left, down the empty hallway. While i was qickly walking down the hallway i could feel the slight simulation of wind from the ecosystem and it felt great, Lu had done a wonderful job at it.
I arrived at the turbolift and went inside.
„To the tower please"
„Alrightyy" Lu happily replies and the turbolift shot up.
I lean against the mirror on the wall and i could feel my blood pumping through my veins i was exited to see what Rachel meant. But i also needed to greed the crew when they wake up. I thought a bit before I said to Lu.
„Hey Lu, would you be so kind and tell the others to come to the tower when they wake up? Rachel and I will be waiting there."
„Of course captain"
And the turbolift arrived at the viewpoint of the Tower. The door opens and I saw Rachel standing on other side of the room. Her beautiful long red hair was waving in the Breeze when she turned around.
„Heyy, there you are! Come over here quick!"
As i walked over to her i took a look past her into the deep space and i could not believe what i saw. A giant asteroid with a ginormous blue trail and behind it the universal web, all the galaxies of the known universe right behind us. It was a sight I would never forget.
„Can you believe that? Isn't that beautiful?" Rachel asks.
I try answering but my mouth was still hanging wide open.
„Blerp" was the only sound that was comming out and i quickly tried covering my mouth while struggling to hide my embarrassesment.
Rachel starts laughing and a couldn't help myself but to start laughing too.
And so we stood there for some time, just two childhood friends laughing together.
As Rachel stoped she looks me in the eyes and smiled, her sea green eyes sparkled and she said.
„You know Jamie...since we were kids...I wanted to tell yo-"
She couldn't finish the sentence because the turbolift opened and Kaye and Mel stepped outside. The chief engineer and one of our best doctors.
Kaye saw us two standing a the window.
„Are we...interrupting something?" asked that giant of a man with his silky deep voice.
„No, not really, we were just talking." Rachel said and turned around, I could see her getting red as a tomato. And I couldn't help but start to grin at her. She looked at me with a mixture of embarrassment and agony in her eyes.
„He just startled me... Okay!" She whispered
„Yeah right. Of course he did" I whispered back.
After that she started to grin too and turned around to Kaye and Mel.
„I have never seen anythin' like that in my whole life"
Kaye says.
„If you wouldn't wear that white shirt i could not tell you apart from the black parts of the universe." Mel said
„You ain't better over there Mel." Kaye responded with a big smile in his face.
„That was very racist from you Mel." Lu interrupting
„Nah. It's fine. Don't worry about it A-Lu-74."
„Please call me Lu"
„All right 'Lu' "
„Please don't try to mock me. I have emotions too, you know."
„Yeah, yeah I know lil' robot."
And with that, our way parted again for the moment Mel and Kaye went to get something to eat, while I and Rachel looked after the rest of the crew wich was still sound asleep. After some time we went to the cafeteria as well.
On the menu today was a fine steak with ice-cream as a dessert. "The cryosis sure makes you hungry" I said. While sitting down. "Well yeah, it uses most of your fat reserves for the needed nutrients before artificially provideing your body with nutrition. Thats why you are always hungry some time after existing the pod." she responded while gesturally swirling her hand through the air to simulate the way everything works. "I knew that, you didn't have to tell me again We're not in Space-School anymore" i said while starting to eat the ice-cream.
"You never know what you had forgotten until you get told by someone else"
"is that a quote?"
"Yes... From me!"
After that she grinned at me as if we were in school again, going through the rough self defense drills she always had beaten me in.
"What?"
"Nothing." she said while still grinning.
"You sure about that?"
"Yes."
"Do i have something on my face?"
"What?? Nooo of course you don't"
"Hey Lu, could please hand me a mirror?"
"sure can do captain"
Shortly after came a robotic arm which was attached to the ceiling with a small mirror at the end. I looked into the mirror and saw that i covered almost the entire area around my mouth with ice-cream.
"That's what happens if start with a soft meal right after cryo" Rachel said while laughing.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" i asked but at that point she couldn't hear me over the sound of her own laughter.
I quickly wiped my face before anyone else could come and see.
"Lu, tell me you got a photo of that?" she asked.
"Yes, what would you like to do with it?"
"
