between the stars

Prologue

As I stared up at the New Horizon I felt my heart swell at the prospect of spending the next 18 months soaring through the stars aboard the behemoth of a ship. I couldn't help but smile like an idiot as I started towards my new home. It took everything I had to keep myself from flat out sprinting towards the boarding bridge. In front of me were several of my crew mates already making their way aboard. I quickly fell into step behind them as we made our way through the security check.

    As I stepped aboard there was an older looking man who stood beside the entryway, when our eyes met he gave me a curt nod, "You must be Kody, one of the rookies." he sounded like he smoked a pack a day. Even with such a hoarse voice, it was filled with authority that I straightened my back it still caused me to straighten my back out of instinct.

    "Y-yes sir," I snap a quick salute before continuing, "Electrical specialist Kody Hunt reporting sir, my smile slipping from my lips as I spoke.

    He waved his hand dismissively, "No need to stand on ceremony here kid." He offered his hand which I took without hesitation, "Names Edward Finnigan, team leader. Come along I'll show you to your room, then once everyone is settled I'll show you youngins around." and with that, he began to move further into the ship. I quickly followed him, trying my best to hide my excitement.

    He leads me through a massive storage area where people were buzzing around packing away everything that we would need for the next year. Once we made our way through the expansive bay we entered a short corridor with only a single room off to the right. I peered inside seeing a large holo table in the middle of the room. Before I could really take in the room we entered another large room. This one had tables spread throughout it with a galley off to the left. This must be the cafeteria, I thought to myself as we walked off to the right to a small elevator. As soon as we piled inside he hit the L2 button and the doors slid shut as the lift shuddered us sending us deeper into the ship.

    I already had a million questions but I could tell with that distant expression on his face they would fall on deaf ears.

    When the doors opened it revealed a well-lit corridor flanked with five doors on each side and one at the end. He motioned to the first door on our right as we walked passed, "communal laundry room. Don't make a mess," he said gruffly.

Before I have a chance to respond he opens the second door on the left. As he ushers me inside I take a look at my new home. On the far wall was a small porthole giving me a beautiful view of the launch area just beyond the ship. On my right was a basic desk. From first glance, it wasn't anything special one single drawer on the underside and to the left and a small shelf above for storage. The chair looked to be bolted to the floor, but upon closer inspection, it looked to be on a track to give a bit of movement while sitting. It looked quite comfortable. On the wall beside me on my right was a wooden wardrobe, large enough to store all my clothes and then some. On the left side of the desk, there was a door, presumably to the bathroom beyond. To the right of the desk was a small bookshelf, it was sparsely filled with what I could see with a glance was technical manuals. To my left was a simple double sized bed. Matted grey sheets, and a single pillow. My personal baggage was in a messy pile beside it. At the foot of the bed was a second Wardrobe, this one having a physical lock on it. I tilted my head quizzically at the sight of it.

    As if to answer my unaired question Mr. Finnigan walked over opening the lock revealing a pure silver astronaut suit. He spoke up, "that there is your crew suit. It looks bulky because it is. Outside the crew quarters and the mess hall, there is no shielding from solar radiation. But there is o2 so you won't have to worry about air tanks in the suit." With that out of the way, he turned to leave, "Two hours, Cafeteria. Got it?"

Without waiting for a response he leaves. Now alone in my new room with nothing better to do, I begin to unpack. I didn't have much, so it didn't take me very long. The biggest time-waster was putting all my books on the shelf. I knew I was going to need something to keep my busy in my downtime, so I packed as many books as I could fit into my luggage. Once everything was perfected I flopped down on my bed looking up at the grey ceiling. I wonder what my other crew mates are going to be like? I found myself wondering. I glanced at my watch, seeing I still had an hour to kill, I opened up my phone putting on some random happy song to fill the quiet void. I made sure to put it quite as not to annoy anyone else getting settled. As I sat there, bored out of my mind I looked to the door to see Edward coming down the hallway with a new person in tow.

    The woman with him had chocolate brown hair that she had tied up into a bun. Her skin was so pale, you could have mistaken her for a ghost, and her deep green eyes just seemed like she was disinterested in the world. Her expression is what really intrigued me. Before I could get a better look she slipped out of view further down the corridor. There was something about her that made me curious, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Well, I guess I'll have over a year to find out after all. With that I made my way towards the door, Thinking I was ready for what this trip was going to throw at me.

I was not.