Have you any idea of how deadly still the air is aboard a space vessel? Even when doors open, the air doesn't seem to move itself. There are noticeable pressure changes sometime even, but the air stays absolutely still. This bothered me more than anything else about the large space vessel, the Aspen. Long after I got use to the silent hum of the engines and the gravitational compensator and even the ever imposing sterility of everything, I was still extremely uncomfortable with the air. Night time, or should I say sleep time, made it all the worse.
I suppose one could say it was my fault. Flip, one of my few friends would have said that, but really it wasn't. He would say all these things I could have done to avoid this fate. But my fate was sealed the day I was born. There's no running away when they have you chained down.
Born and raised as a member of the underclass in New Cinci meant that I didn't have options. There are many stories I've heard regarding my parentage. Maybe my parents were dissidents against the American Progress (the biggest political party in the country). Dissidents were either killed on spot or sent off to prisons. A few lucky ones got house arrest. Or maybe they were just unlucky poor, unable to afford another child like so many others. Maybe they were dead. In any event. I ended up being a child of the state. That's a crap thing to be. I wasn't asking anyone for sympathy though.
I turn over slowly in my bunk, trying not to wake the person below me, though I'm certain these beds are shake proof; it's a habit. It's a pretty small space, just wide enough for two average sized people to stand side by side. There are bunks, three levels of them, on either sides so each of these mini barracks house six people. At each end of the bunks there is a set of lockers so we might store our meager possessions.
The bunks are contributing to his being utterly unbearable for me. It's a little cubby hole built into the wall. This place doesn't seem like the best set up for an emergency evacuation. Then again, if we are far enough away from earth, which we will be, I doubt an emergency evacuation would do us much good. Space is like that.
I'm so wide awake right now, agonizing over being here. I'm not as bad as Langley or Winters both of them ended up on Doc Watch. That's what they call it when people go space crazy. The isolate them and send them to this simulation room. So that they can calm themselves. I've not seen Langley or Winters since.
Right now we are about three weeks from Earth. It's not too late to turn back. They brought extra ships just for that. They're going to follow us for five weeks after that...there's no going back. Of this crew of seven hundred, one hundred and thirteen have turned back. Only three hundred are eligible for that option.
The Aspen is two thirds public/government, one sixth corporation and one sixth private. Only the private and the corporation sectors are allowed to turn back since their people are the ones that brought the extra ships. Most of the people are volunteers. Guess who's not included in that most. There is no going back for me; even if I could. I am in desperate need of a fresh start.
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