star constellations or planets around. The Milky Way is far behind, and there are three moons in the distant space behind the station—all three in different shades of grey.
Apollo approaches the dock at the space station with the utmost care, and finally lands steadily in the dock. The ship is locked in, and the hatch is opened for free access to and from the space station.
All crew members gather in the dining hall.
“This is our outermost space station, and the last stop we make before entering virgin space. It’s the most restricted area of our entire corporation, and it’s an honor and a privilege to be here.” Captain Alvah speaks to the crew in his pompous manner. “In addition to the general provisions of food, oxygen and water, we’ve brought certain provisions, that need delicate handling. I need only our two flight captains to stay behind to monitor the Apollo. The rest of you will carry the special provisions onboard the station under Jack’s supervision.” The captain nods at Jack, who’s usually in charge of technical stuff relating to the engines and the controls of the ship. Jack is another crew member I haven’t had an actual conversation with.
“Lorenson, you come with me.” The captain heads for the space station followed by Lorenson, who turns out to be a small, rather skinny guy with a balding head, and a serious-looking face.
Everybody else follows Jack, who distributes boxes and containers between us in the storage room. I get a box that is rather light and easy to carry. I follow the others through the hatch and onto the space station. It’s gigantic. Much bigger than I could ever have imagined any facility in space. I wonder what they use all that space for, and how many people there are. We enter into what seems to be a huge hangar, where different engines hang from the ceiling. There are vessels parked on the floor of the hangar. It’s primarily small one- or two-seater spaceships, carrying something that look like weapons.
Jack shakes hands with a crew member from the station, who takes us through a maze of narrow halls to a large storage room. We stack everything up nicely, and when the station guy starts leading everyone back out through the narrow halls, I fall behind. As I exit the storage room into the hall, Captain Alvah and Lorenson have just passed the others in the hall, and are walking further into the spaceship in the opposite direction of us. I feel my curiosity accelerate like crazy, and I know I’ve got to follow them. When the others turn the next corner, I stay behind. I turn around and walk back past the storage room in the same direction as the captain and Lorenson. I pass a few doors and suddenly a door opens in front of me, and the captain steps out the door next to another guy from the station, who’s wearing a white coat like a doctor. I freeze and don’t even try to hide—there’s no time. They turn away from me, head down the hall, and don’t notice me. I can’t believe my luck. I make sure I don’t move a muscle until they’re gone. Then I quietly open the door they just came through. Behind the door there’s a small entrance hall and another door. A couple of white coats are hanging on a rack on the wall, and protective slip-on shoes are standing in a row on the floor underneath. I can hear noises from behind the second door. I slip in a white coat and a pair of the white shoes, and open the door. I step out onto a narrow railing that runs all along the wall of a massive hall, two to three stories tall. In the middle of the hall a huge thing is floating in the air. It looks like some sort of spaceship. It’s kinda round and has very organic-looking curves in the hull. It’s not suspended by anything, and just hangs there in the air, all still, as if it’s weightless. The strangest thing about it is that it has no real color, and seems translucent. Along one side of the hall there’s a wide horizontal window into what looks like a
Apollo approaches the dock at the space station with the utmost care, and finally lands steadily in the dock. The ship is locked in, and the hatch is opened for free access to and from the space station.
All crew members gather in the dining hall.
“This is our outermost space station, and the last stop we make before entering virgin space. It’s the most restricted area of our entire corporation, and it’s an honor and a privilege to be here.” Captain Alvah speaks to the crew in his pompous manner. “In addition to the general provisions of food, oxygen and water, we’ve brought certain provisions, that need delicate handling. I need only our two flight captains to stay behind to monitor the Apollo. The rest of you will carry the special provisions onboard the station under Jack’s supervision.” The captain nods at Jack, who’s usually in charge of technical stuff relating to the engines and the controls of the ship. Jack is another crew member I haven’t had an actual conversation with.
“Lorenson, you come with me.” The captain heads for the space station followed by Lorenson, who turns out to be a small, rather skinny guy with a balding head, and a serious-looking face.
Everybody else follows Jack, who distributes boxes and containers between us in the storage room. I get a box that is rather light and easy to carry. I follow the others through the hatch and onto the space station. It’s gigantic. Much bigger than I could ever have imagined any facility in space. I wonder what they use all that space for, and how many people there are. We enter into what seems to be a huge hangar, where different engines hang from the ceiling. There are vessels parked on the floor of the hangar. It’s primarily small one- or two-seater spaceships, carrying something that look like weapons.
Jack shakes hands with a crew member from the station, who takes us through a maze of narrow halls to a large storage room. We stack everything up nicely, and when the station guy starts leading everyone back out through the narrow halls, I fall behind. As I exit the storage room into the hall, Captain Alvah and Lorenson have just passed the others in the hall, and are walking further into the spaceship in the opposite direction of us. I feel my curiosity accelerate like crazy, and I know I’ve got to follow them. When the others turn the next corner, I stay behind. I turn around and walk back past the storage room in the same direction as the captain and Lorenson. I pass a few doors and suddenly a door opens in front of me, and the captain steps out the door next to another guy from the station, who’s wearing a white coat like a doctor. I freeze and don’t even try to hide—there’s no time. They turn away from me, head down the hall, and don’t notice me. I can’t believe my luck. I make sure I don’t move a muscle until they’re gone. Then I quietly open the door they just came through. Behind the door there’s a small entrance hall and another door. A couple of white coats are hanging on a rack on the wall, and protective slip-on shoes are standing in a row on the floor underneath. I can hear noises from behind the second door. I slip in a white coat and a pair of the white shoes, and open the door. I step out onto a narrow railing that runs all along the wall of a massive hall, two to three stories tall. In the middle of the hall a huge thing is floating in the air. It looks like some sort of spaceship. It’s kinda round and has very organic-looking curves in the hull. It’s not suspended by anything, and just hangs there in the air, all still, as if it’s weightless. The strangest thing about it is that it has no real color, and seems translucent. Along one side of the hall there’s a wide horizontal window into what looks like a
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