It was a humungous simulator like they use in the movies.
Beside it was a similar apparatus , but a slightly different shape, and it looked to be brand new whereas the one they’d left looked like it had been to hell and back. A dozen men were busy wheeling a large tube towards the entrance of the other one.
She asked accusatorially, “What’s going on over there?”
“Another crew is docking with the Seeder ,” Davis said with a smile. “They’ve launched from Earth’s orbit and are about to set out on the journey of a lifetime.”
“How many of those poor people will die before your sadistic experiment is concluded?”
“This mission is far too important to just wing it without doing a trial run. As you saw, not everyone is fit for such a mission.”
Michael said, “When do we launch for real?”
“We’ll schedule the launch as soon as we find a captain for the mission.” He looked over his shoulder at the new simulator. “Captain Sarah Miller is a fine candidate, should she survive this test.”
Jane angrily said, “I thought I was the captain?”
“No, no. You ran off and hid in a cupboard when things went bad. You’re lucky you’re even part of the crew after that little display of cowardice.”
Michael gave her a guilty look, and then looked away when she stared hard into his eyes.
They heard the large tube as it bumped into the unused simulator. Men at controls fiddled with switches and the simulator jerked as though it had been docked. An audible hiss issued, as though an airtight seal was being achieved.
Jane heard footsteps as the new crew of the fake Seeder made their way on board to wait for confirmation from ground control that they could leave Earth’s orbit.
Captain
Captain Sarah Miller was exhausted. She was alone in the control station, awaiting orders. She ran a systems check for what seemed like the millionth time.
The monotone male voice of the computer said, "All systems are optimal."
She already knew they were, but she had to be sure.
She watched the Earth tumble below on her little monitor. They were only in orbit to fuel up and that had happened over an hour ago. Hopefully they'd take off sooner rather than later.
She shook her head sadly as she thought back over the past twenty four hours. The training she'd endured just to get here was so intense that not everyone survived it. Within an hour of passing that frightful fake test, she'd boarded a rocket with her new crew and launched into Earth’s orbit. Everything had happened so quickly it made her head spin.
Just yesterday she had been tricked into believing she had already launched towards the seed planet they were to colonize. In her mind, the mission had already gotten underway. What she hadn’t known was that she was actually still on Earth in a lab, being evaluated. Her fellow crew members had been tricked in the same manner. Two of them didn't survive the ordeal. She made it out alive and so did Jack Mayberry, her second in command.
The training left her conflicted and it also left her completely drained, emotionally and mentally. In a way, she couldn't wait to go into stasis just to shut her thoughts off for a while.
She was thankful that those responsible for putting her through the training weren't coming on the journey with her. The Earth was doomed and they deserved nothing better than death for what they'd done.
Jack came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. The contact made her flinch.
He said, "Sorry. I guess you're still a little jittery from the training."
She shot back angrily : "Yes I am. I wasn't lucky enough to pass the tests early like you did. I had to watch Emma go unconscious twice and die of cyanide poisoning. I was the one who had to administer chest compressions to Johnson when he went into cardiac arrest, and then I had to watch him die too."
He said defensively, "You know I had no control over any of that. I was just as clueless as you were. I just got taken
Beside it was a similar apparatus , but a slightly different shape, and it looked to be brand new whereas the one they’d left looked like it had been to hell and back. A dozen men were busy wheeling a large tube towards the entrance of the other one.
She asked accusatorially, “What’s going on over there?”
“Another crew is docking with the Seeder ,” Davis said with a smile. “They’ve launched from Earth’s orbit and are about to set out on the journey of a lifetime.”
“How many of those poor people will die before your sadistic experiment is concluded?”
“This mission is far too important to just wing it without doing a trial run. As you saw, not everyone is fit for such a mission.”
Michael said, “When do we launch for real?”
“We’ll schedule the launch as soon as we find a captain for the mission.” He looked over his shoulder at the new simulator. “Captain Sarah Miller is a fine candidate, should she survive this test.”
Jane angrily said, “I thought I was the captain?”
“No, no. You ran off and hid in a cupboard when things went bad. You’re lucky you’re even part of the crew after that little display of cowardice.”
Michael gave her a guilty look, and then looked away when she stared hard into his eyes.
They heard the large tube as it bumped into the unused simulator. Men at controls fiddled with switches and the simulator jerked as though it had been docked. An audible hiss issued, as though an airtight seal was being achieved.
Jane heard footsteps as the new crew of the fake Seeder made their way on board to wait for confirmation from ground control that they could leave Earth’s orbit.
Captain
Captain Sarah Miller was exhausted. She was alone in the control station, awaiting orders. She ran a systems check for what seemed like the millionth time.
The monotone male voice of the computer said, "All systems are optimal."
She already knew they were, but she had to be sure.
She watched the Earth tumble below on her little monitor. They were only in orbit to fuel up and that had happened over an hour ago. Hopefully they'd take off sooner rather than later.
She shook her head sadly as she thought back over the past twenty four hours. The training she'd endured just to get here was so intense that not everyone survived it. Within an hour of passing that frightful fake test, she'd boarded a rocket with her new crew and launched into Earth’s orbit. Everything had happened so quickly it made her head spin.
Just yesterday she had been tricked into believing she had already launched towards the seed planet they were to colonize. In her mind, the mission had already gotten underway. What she hadn’t known was that she was actually still on Earth in a lab, being evaluated. Her fellow crew members had been tricked in the same manner. Two of them didn't survive the ordeal. She made it out alive and so did Jack Mayberry, her second in command.
The training left her conflicted and it also left her completely drained, emotionally and mentally. In a way, she couldn't wait to go into stasis just to shut her thoughts off for a while.
She was thankful that those responsible for putting her through the training weren't coming on the journey with her. The Earth was doomed and they deserved nothing better than death for what they'd done.
Jack came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. The contact made her flinch.
He said, "Sorry. I guess you're still a little jittery from the training."
She shot back angrily : "Yes I am. I wasn't lucky enough to pass the tests early like you did. I had to watch Emma go unconscious twice and die of cyanide poisoning. I was the one who had to administer chest compressions to Johnson when he went into cardiac arrest, and then I had to watch him die too."
He said defensively, "You know I had no control over any of that. I was just as clueless as you were. I just got taken
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