Edge of the Stars

Chapter 4

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean, Miss Stringer?"

"It's saying Daniel's dead." The panic in her voice was clear. Daniel was taken aback, suddenly shaken away from his thoughts. Her amazement had so suddenly turned into terror. Cedrick immediately swooped in, brushing away Claire's hair to analyze the implant.  

"That's quite odd. Perhaps there's...no, that can't be. These are the newest models. A glitch in the system would be impossible."

"Wait, wait, wait. It disappeared. That readout's gone. His vitals are normal and it's saying he's alive and well." 

"Well I'd hope so, I'm standing right here." Daniel forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat. Claire's eyes were wide and locked on him. 

"Look, I'm sure there was a hiccup in the programming. I'm fine, I'm certain of it. Let's go ahead and perform the surgery on me so we can continue where we left off on the bridge." After a terse moment, Claire nodded. She got up from the chair; Daniel took her place. He allowed himself to sit. Not to relax, but simply sit. Cedrick prepared the second HUD implant, pressed it to his skull, and clicked with the same ease and precision. Like his sister, Daniel winced as the implant was embedded in his skin. The icy liquid coursing through his mind made him shudder; it felt too real for his liking. He prayed it would end quickly.

"Feels weird, doesn't it?" Claire asked softly.

"Yeah, it does."

"Alright, Mr. Stringer, we're all done. Take a look around the room." Daniel obeyed. There was a flashing light at the center of his vision; after a moment of blinking, it vanished. Readouts began appearing on the sides of his field of view, detailing everything Cedrick said it would. He wasn't sure how to feel when he saw the bathroom monitor. He willfully chose to ignore it. Daniel glanced over to his sister, who was watching him; she rubbed her thumb again. He could see she was torn between excitement and worry. Readouts began to pop up as he focused his attention on her. Her full name. Overall health. Everything looked good, save for the accelerated heart rate. 

Daniel waited. For what seemed like an eternity, no message with the DECEASED warning ever appeared. Once he was confident, he rose from the chair.

"Thank you, Cedrick. We'll be returning to the bridge."

"It's been a pleasure, Daniel. Please, don't hesitate to return to my office if you need anything."

"We'll keep that in mind. Thank you." Claire followed her brother out of the med bay. She pushed down her rising uncertainty and returned her focus to what lay ahead.

I.

Daniel and Claire made their way back to the bridge. With the addition of the implants, they moved through the Legacy quickly and efficiently. Along with names of rooms and directional options, the walls showcased information about the ship. Blue and green panels  followed the siblings, displaying the Legacy's status and real time tactical information on positioning and trajectory. Daniel took his place in the Captain's chair, Claire ready on standby at the First Officer's station. 

"Alright, are we finally ready?"

"Yes, Captain!"

"We have been granted permission to detach. Please input your serial code to authorize the ship launch sequence." A number pad blinked into existence on Daniel's HUD. Daniel swiftly entered his code. Without missing a beat, each member of the bridge crew skillfully awoke the sleeping ship. Instead of the usual roar of standard ships, a low hum filled Daniel's ears. It was so quiet, it took him a moment to realize the engines had begun firing. The helmsman maneuvered the ship with such ease it was as if he had done it since birth. He guided the Legacy out of the hanger towards the universe beyond. Daniel found himself impressed with the masterful transitions in direction, acceleration and deceleration he displayed. The name Elias hovered next to the helmsman's head. Daniel took a mental note and immediately saw a message appear in the top left corner of his vision: Memory Saved.