It always felt like a jolt; an imagined fall, and never just like waking. The fluorescent glare could have as easily been a blazing sun as Joshua opened his eyes, echoing starlight speckles as he closed them tight. He pressed a fist against his forehead and winced.
".." he said, trying to speak though the words didn't catch. Clearing his throat, he tried again.
"Sage, status. How's the ship holding up?"
"The Essentir's manifolds a-" replied a hollow voice, though was cut off by Joshua.
"Short version."
"Optimally, Master Keene."
"So why am I awake?"
"We are nearing our destination."
"Already?" asked Joshua, the syllables coming through a yawn.
"See for yourself."
He rolled his body to the side, and squinted his eyes open. Greys, light and shadow, and not much else.
"Okay. Give me a minute. We got a minute at least?"
"We have."
Stars. Even though the ship was blazing through space, Joshua could only see stars; a spatter of dots set against the black of space. If it wasn't for the hum of the Essentir, he wouldn't have thought it was moving.
"I thought you said we were close. There's only... that."
"Do you really want the statistics, Master Keene?"
Joshua winced. He'd made that mistake before, having once said yes to Sage's question, though he'd since lost the naivety that made you take up an Artificial Intelligence on an offer of statistics.
"No, no... it's fine"
Sage sounded disappointed. "Very well. Anyhow, despite what your perceptions may be telling you, we are now within the gravitational pull of LX-126."
Joshua floated upward from the stasis chamber, hand pulling himself along a railing that ran toward the Essentir's fore. Muscle atrophy would have made it a difficult task under normal conditions, but weightlessness had advantages. He guided himself down into a chair next to the command console, and strapped himself in. He tapped commands into the console before him, though his eyes stayed focused on the viewscreen as his fingers moved, scrolling through information. A portion of it had turned opaque, showing a schematic of the ship, and diagnostics for the core systems within. He tapped another command, and the image changed to show a starchart with additional pieces of data. His lips mouthed the words as he read them... Speed, date, location.
"Really Sage, since when does seventeen hours count as almost? You could've kept me frosty for half a day more."
"Standard navigation procedures dictate that based on the completion percentage of the journey, all personnel should be brought out of stasis and refamiliarise themselves with the rest of the crew to ensure a cohesive team."
"Team, Sage. I think you could have waited. I can understand one or two hours. Even eight I could have probably dealt with, but seventeen?"
"There's no 'I' in team, Joshua."
"I am the team. And the team's going to bed."
"I can quote the exact regulations if you insist, as well as the supporting records that led to the installment of it. I can share this extensive catalogue of data if you wish."
Joshua shook his head, and leaned back in the chair. He closed his eyes, and lifted his feet on top of the console.
"Go right on. It ought to help me get to sleep."
"Really, Master Keene. I appreciate your desire for further rest, but idleness, now?"
He waved his hand aisde, then moved it to catch an escaping yawn. As Joshua started to shift from his waking state, he felt a jolt - a falling sensation. Then he felt a feet smashing against the console sensation, which reverted to the first feeling as he fell from the chair, and to the ground. He groaned.
"Really, Sage? Gravity?"
"Gravity, Master Keene."
Joshua picked himself up from the floor, a hand grasping the chair for support. His muscle atrophy was only slight, stasis having kept his body at the same level of fitness that he'd gone in with. Overbearing tiredness, coupled with an overbearing Intelligence, meant that adjusting was an adjustment. He sat down in the chair, fastened the seat belt, and put his feet back up on the console.
"I'm fixed on having this nap. What could it hurt?"
The console that Joshua was resting his foot on emitted a beep, then he felt a zap of electricity coursing up his leg. He tried to jump out of his seat, but the seatbelt meant he flailed instead. He pointed up at the screen.
"Not cool, Sage. I've warned you about shocks. You know I can get better pilot units, so just try me. The ApraNav Mark V is meant to work a treat. An absolute treat."
"I wouldn't recommend it. The Mark V is considered to be extremely anti-social."
"Compared to homicidal tendencies, I'd be inclined to take my chances."
"I'll concede then, Master Keene, and allow you to rest. Promise not to kill you."
It was almost four years he'd spent on the Essentir, though he'd gone in and out of stasis so frequently over that time, that it felt like he'd spent weeks wandering the ship. He was lucky; fortunate even for the help and the companionship that Sage provided. There were times when it overwhelmed him. The nature of his journey was hard enough, though stasis meant it didn't seem like the almost-four years that it was.
Every time he went to the pods felt like a mere blink. His body was rejuvenated, but his mind was exhausted. He didn't know how long it had been since the last time he slept, either in real time or waking time, but it felt like a week, interspersed by dozens of blinks that spanned countless months. He needed sleep - real sleep.
Joshua glared at the screen for a moment, then his eyes flickered shut. "Better not", he mumbled before he drifted off.
So that's what I write like. At least once I edit, though the off-the-cuff stuff is still surprisingly readable. While I do want to finish this oh so badly (but would ideally like it to take not one little bit of effort). Just glancing at it, I know it's not quite the 'final' quality I'm hoping to achieve, but it's still got something. Actually, I don't care if nobody else likes it, cause it entertains me!
0 comments:
Post a Comment