by Travis Sande
Once inside the bunk he noticed a panel on the underside of the ceiling above him. The panel was roughly arms reach away and he found himself curiously searching through the functionality. It appeared to be an interface fully integrated into the ship's computer system. He could adjust all aspects of his quarters and review any scheduling from the comfort of his bunk. He noticed an archive of video stored that he had access to. Movies and television would provide some late-night entertainment if needed. He also had access to all incoming transmissions addressed to him. Either text or video would arrive through any interface accessed with his CCD. A bracketed zero was highlighted above that section. "No messages." He said as he let out a sigh.
Before getting too carried away with the panel he decided to power it down and shut off the lamp. He wanted to get a proper sleep after an eventful day. A long drawn out yawn preceded his eyes closing. Pulling his blanket up, he was happy to be met with darkness. The vivid dreams he experienced earlier in the rec area were gone. Appreciating their absence, he was able to drift into a deep sleep. Tomorrow would officially be day one, signalling the start of their journey.
Chapter 4
Day one
The familiar feeling of his buzzing CCD roused Derrick. Opening his eyes, it took him a second to locate himself. The lack of windows was immediately evident, as the room remained dark. Lifting his arm, he looked at his CCD; the interface was blinking, '05:45' displayed brightly. To his surprise he had slept nearly twelve hours uninterrupted. The power toggle for the panel above his head had a dull glow that guided his finger to it. He felt the smooth surface of the button as he was suddenly bathed in light from above. His eyes burned, fighting the early morning illumination. Derrick focused his attention on the panel, navigating the menus in search of his day one schedule.
"What do we have going on today?” He whispered to himself in a gravely morning tone. "Oh yeah, Ben." His first duty was reporting to Ben at 08:00 to aid in the initial setup of the botanical experiments.
Derrick had taken a botanist course in the lead up to the mission. The goal of which was to provide Ben with a capable assistant for his experimentation along the way. Derrick was grateful for the added responsibility in the long mission. It also afforded him the opportunity to spend more time with Ben, a leading mind in the field of biology.
Taking one last deep breath and staring blankly overhead, Derrick forced himself upright. Reaching behind him, he toggled the underside panel off. Darkness engulfed him, Derrick felt the claws of lethargy reaching out for him with a renewed focus. Rubbing his face, Derrick pushed back against the advance and stood from his bunk. He could feel the cobwebs start to fade as muscles confronted the new-found gravity of his upright body.
Still in the clothes from yesterday, Derrick disrobed and moved directly to the shower. After completing the two-minute cycle, he was somewhat disappointed that he couldn't stay inside. His favourite part of the morning was those few moments of peace standing under a hot, running showerhead. The door abruptly opened and revealed the clothes he had just dropped on the floor. A brief pause followed by a loud sigh preceded his exit from the stall. Derrick picked up the discarded clothing and threw them in the laundry compartment. He moved back to the closet, grabbing a fresh suit from within.
For the first full day, Derrick decided to pick the all-purpose running shoes. His plan was to get in a workout before reporting to Ben. All fitness pod scheduling requests were handled through the CCD. Derrick applied for an early opening and was automatically approved. The 06:00-06:30 block was reserved in weight training and the 06:30-07:30 was reserved for cardio. It was already 05:55 so he decided to get to it.
The laundry and fitness pods were located just beyond the kitchen, inside the engineering access corridor. This allowed for a central location with easy access between both crew sections. Some of the initial designs had fitness being integrated into the rec area but ultimately designers opted for a more private and accessible experience on the main deck.
The doors to Derrick’s quarters slowly slid open signalling the start of his day. The corridor looked dark and empty, almost uninviting as he stepped out. Before the feeling of isolation overtook him, lighting panels recognized movement and began lighting his way. The desolate hallway before him gradually came into view as the ceiling and walls came to life with the dull hue of morning light. Derrick peered down the corridor and watched as the light trailed off before exiting into the galley. The pure dark escaping the end of the hall was unsettling at first. Shaking off the sensation, he started moving.
The clicks and buzz of the lights coming to life would provide eerie companions to his morning commute. Tracking his movement and anticipating his destination, lights pushed ahead of him and out into the galley. For a second, Derrick thought he saw someone sitting at a table as he entered. The figure appeared to be hunched over and wearing a full flight-suit. Derrick felt chills run up his spine. The figure was dimly lit from the light in the corridor making it difficult to discern any intricate details. He decided, against his better judgement, to alter his course for a closer look. Before a more in-depth inspection could take place, the lighting came to life in the galley. Derrick jumped at the sudden intrusion of light, frantically looking at the panels as they flickered into existence. Before he could approach, the lighting seemed to chase the figure away.
“That’s just great. Either I’m so stressed that I am hallucinating, or the ship is haunted.” Derrick felt as if something was creeping up from behind, the experience had rattled him. The feeling forced him to increase his pace to the fitness pod while occasionally looking over his shoulder. Without hesitation, he moved directly toward engineering. He felt a tingle creep up his back as he made his escape.
The feeling reminded him of his childhood basement. The light switch was placed at the far end, forcing you to walk through its entirety in the dark when you wanted to leave. Whenever he had to shut it off, he could remember flicking it then running as if something was chasing him. It would always fill him with anxiety as the hair stood up on the back of his neck. That familiar tingle caught up to him again all these years later. Reprieve came in the form of the engineering corridor opening to accept him inside. He jumped through and made sure it closed behind him. Once in the engineering corridor he was able to shake off the troubling feeling. Derrick laughed at the thought that he may suddenly be scared of the dark.
Derrick noticed the laundry area to his right and beyond that was the fitness pod. At the end of the corridor was a large door marked for engineering. This was the reach of Derrick’s permissions within the area. Curiosity gripped him as Derrick stared at engineering access. The unstable rift matrix and their RIP engines were housed just beyond it. He had never seen a functional rift matrix outside of media. Even the one on Mars had access restricted to top level personnel only. Derrick shrugged off his curiosity and started into the corridor.
Lighting came on as Derrick moved to the fitness pod access door. Waving his CCD over the sensor, the doors slid open. He was early for his appointment but thought he could hop inside for a look and maybe get an early start.
As the doors opened he noticed two distinct sections. The cardio section on the right had two bikes and the resistance training on the left housed several machines. He walked around the room and inspected some of the equipment. On the resistance side there were a few benches that could be modified to sit in several positions. Attached to them were polymer bands that could be programmed to imitate varying weights. Anything from five pounds for single arm exercises, all the way up to three hundred and fifty pounds for bench or leg press.
Not wanting to waste too much time, Derrick sat down at one of the resistance benches and began working on his upper body. After barely ten bicep curls he heard the door open. Expecting privacy, he was startled.
"Oh hi." Derrick said as he greeted Sian walking in through the door.
"Good morning, Derrick." Sian’s voice held a similar feeling of surprise. "Yo
u're up early, how are you feeling?" She said.
"I feel like I am back to one hundred percent. Whatever you gave me seems to have worked, thanks. I slept like a baby too." Derrick smiled at Sian as she mounted a bike and began to ride. "Do you have any update about the rec area?" Derrick asked.
"None yet, Luke and I are scheduled to look this morning. I am certain it will be clear." Sian was never short on confidence.
"That's great, if it’s the same thing you gave me, I have no doubt. I was hoping to get back in there for more than a nap, that place is beautiful." Derrick’s words were strained by each rep on the resistance machine.
"The rec area is not ideal for sleep, I would suggest your quarters in the future. There is no guarantee of silence in the rec room." Sian continued. "Given your medical episode yesterday, I would caution you not to push yourself today. If you feel any discomfort, cease what you’re doing immediately. We can address any issues during our appointment."
"Ok, I’ll be careful." Derrick hadn't even thought about his illness being a cause for concern. He was glad Sian reminded him. “I am scheduled for an hour of cardio after this, I imagine that will be more of a strain on my lungs.”
Sian cocked her head to the side slightly and said, “I noticed that this morning, I altered your schedule slightly. You should have received a notification.” A twinge of frustration could be heard in her voice, as if annoyed that her change went unnoticed.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I haven’t checked my CCD since I set the appointment.” Derrick set down the resistance bands for a second. He quickly opened the holographic interface of his CCD, there it was, one unread notification. “There it is.” Derrick embarrassingly opened the message. “You want to limit my cardio to half an hour?” Derrick read the message.
“Yes, at most. I have already adjusted your schedule accordingly. I would suggest familiarizing yourself with the notification functionality of your CCD.” Sian was always blunt, but her attitude seemed even more so this morning. “I don’t want you fighting through pain or trying to tough it out. This is a long trip and your full recovery should be your highest priority. We are alone out here.”
Derrick considered confronting Sian about the notification. If it had been set to urgent, it would have chimed and made Derrick aware of the change. Without that, it was silent. Deeming that a war not worth fighting, Derrick conceded the point and accepted the change. “I will try to be more diligent.” Derrick sighed as he picked up the resistance bands to continue his workout.
Derrick slowly made his way around the machines. All three were to be used once a day by the crew. The upper body machine he started on was designed to target the arms, chest, shoulders, and back. Each machine was a basic motion utilizing multiple muscle groups with resistance bands. The idea was to get an overall workout as efficiently as possible. The second machine was for the legs and hips. The third and final machine was for core strength. Combined with cardio it was designed to keep the crew in above average condition over the course of a year.
Sian was quiet throughout her workout and Derrick wasn't compelled to start a conversation. Derrick’s CCD chimed, signalling the end of his resistance workout for the morning. Moving over to the bike next to Sian, he hopped on and started his ride. Derrick was happy to get his workout in early enough to give himself a break before meeting Ben in the lab. With the additional half hour Sian had just provided, he would have plenty of time to recover, change, shower, and even eat before heading to the upper deck.
Ten minutes into his ride, a sound abruptly dispatched the silence that had descended over the room. Sian’s CCD was sounding an alarm. It was a slightly different sounding alert that caught Derrick's attention. Whoever sent the message clearly marked it as urgent. Derrick considered mentioning that to Sian but chose to shy away from the point once more.
"What's that for?" Derrick was curious if it had anything to do with the rec area.
"Looks like commander has overrode my scheduled workout." Sian stopped pedaling the bike and looked at her arm. "I am needed in the infirmary. An emergency has not been issued but it appears he personally approved the change. Excuse me." Sian stepped off the bike and left the room.
"Talk to you later." Derrick's words appeared to glance off Sian’s back as she made her exit. Once the door finished closing behind her he said, "Thanks, you too!" to himself.
Derrick was never particularly fond of Sian’s analytical approach to everything. She rarely participated in any of the crews talks outside of official business; as if it was beneath her in some way. He had immense respect for her as a physician and never allowed his personal frustrations to interfere with their professional relationship. Her refusal to participate in a candid manner was difficult for him to empathize with. It was as if she was a prisoner to formality.
As he continued his ride, Derrick couldn't help wondering about the schedule change Sian received. With roughly twenty minutes left in his ride, he knew that if it was anything serious he would also be alerted. He tried to push it to the back of his mind and continued pedaling.
The room didn't have much in the way of distractions. A digital readout providing the vitals for the ride was about it. He decided that he would make a request for some form of entertainment to be added to the room. Something simple that could occupy his mind for the length of the ride. 06:41, 06:42, Derrick counted the minutes as they passed. Fearing for his sanity, he made the decision to stop checking until the end of the ride.
A few moments later, the doors slipped open again. Expecting Sian, Derrick was surprised to hear Yanna’s voice. "Morning, Derrick!" She said with a big smile.
"Hey, Yanna, good morning." He returned the greeting but lacked the enthusiasm for a smile. "I didn't know you were such a morning person."
"Always have been, the day is all in front of you and there's nothing to stress about, yet." She jumped on the bike beside Derrick. "I just woke up ten minutes ago, you're already here and you're calling me a morning person?"
"I'm up but I'm not happy about it, that's the difference. I got twelve hours of sleep and couldn't justify the snooze button. How did you sleep?" Derrick asked.
"Great, I slept straight through until my alarm and didn't even dream. I never sleep that well." Yanna had to adjust the bike to fit her smaller frame.
"Come to think of it, yesterday was the quietest I had ever seen you in the morning. You barely said a word during the launch." Derrick reminded himself of Yanna's peculiar silence the day before.
"Well yesterday was one of the mornings where there was a lot to stress about. I decided that it would be best if I stayed out of the way. Henry was starting to get on my nerves with all the joking around." Yanna continued fiddling with the adjustment controls of the bike beside Derrick.
"People deal with stress in different ways, you were quiet, he was loud." Derrick tried to justify Hank’s behaviour.
"Kim's rubbing off on you, trying to analyze us now." Yanna chuckled.
"What do you mean trying? I nailed it, a regular Ken Howel over here." Derrick laughed at his own joke, turning to face Yanna with a big smile on his face.
"Oh, my mistake, I didn't know I was dealing with a psychological genius. I thought you were Derrick Rich, AI slayer." Yanna was still struggling to adjust the bike as her and Derrick shared a laugh. "What is going on with this thing?" Her frustration was getting to her.
"Really, a physicist can't figure out a seat?" Derrick couldn’t help laughing at her predicament.
"In theory I know what I am doing but the practical application of my hypothesis appears to be difficult to implement." Yanna stood back from the bike, hands on her hips.
"Do we need to get Luke down here?" Derrick pointed at the bike. “Right there, it’s the lever on the back.”
"I got it!" Yanna yelled as she lowered the seat. Triumphantly hopping on, she started pedaling.
“That was painful, we were each issued this equipment to utilize at home during training. I take it you neglec
ted that aspect.” Derrick had practiced with each piece of equipment extensively. He shook his head at Yanna, exaggerating his disappointment.
“No, I used it every day, I only ever adjusted it once, like two years ago when we first got them. Cut me some slack, at least I didn’t almost die already.” Yanna’s quick, insulting wit had always made Derrick laugh.
This was the Yanna Derrick was missing yesterday; he was very happy to see her triumphant return to form. Joking around with her was making the time fly. It was a very welcome and pleasant change from the deadpan exchanges with Sian moments earlier. Yanna was always willing to dive into a playful fight. If you were going to attack, you had to be ready for the inevitable riposte.
“I wasn’t the only one quiet yesterday, there was a moment where you didn’t say much.” Yanna cryptically said.
“What do you mean?” Derrick asked, suddenly feel a twinge of defensiveness invade his chest. He wasn’t exactly sure what she was referring to and felt suddenly self-conscious.
“When the blast shields came down, I saw the way you were looking at Kim.” Yanna’s words were embarrassing to hear. Derrick wasn’t expecting an audience for the moment.
“Well…” Derrick stumbled over his words trying to explain. “It was just the light, it was a beautiful moment. Besides, she was the only person I could see with the harness holding me tight.” Derrick attempted to dismiss the sincerity of what he had felt with Kim.
“Hey hey, you don’t have to justify anything with me, from what I saw, she returned the look. It was cute, but judging by your reaction, there was no follow up?” Yanna probed the situation a little deeper.
“There’s nothing to follow up with.” Derrick doubled down on dismissing the situation.
