“Well, J.T.,” the captain said. “Today would appear to be your lucky day. Our engineer for this voyage *is* the designer. He refused to be parted from it. He’s in the engine room now, if you’d all like to meet him. If not, I can give you a better tour now. I just wanted you to see the bridge first.”
“We’ll have plenty time for both on this trip,” Saxton said. “But personally, I’d like to explore rather than be given a tour.” Saxton turned to Fisler. “May I have your permission, sir?”
Captain Fisler paused, internally debating. “Yes, you may. And you are all free to roam about the Astra if that is what you wish, but don’t destroy anything if you can help it.”
“Yes, sir!” came the ecstatic replies, and the students scattered. Indi stayed on the bridge, however. She walked down the official wall and saw, beneath the platform beneath the hatch, a lift. Captain Fisler saw her look at it curiously.
“Nice eye,” he commented.
“What’s down there, sir?” she asked him respectfully.
“Notably, the briefing room, my office, and the captain’s quarters,” he replied. “None of us will be spending much time down there. There won’t be much I’ll have to brief you on, and there’s a small enough amount of you, anyway. I decided to be quartered with the rest of you. They have the captain’s quarters so near because then he can access the bridge more easily, but there should be no emergency and I’d rather be with my crew. As for the office, I’ll probably be using my quarters for that.” Indi nodded with a smile and went back down the hatch.
She got off at the first floor she came to and found herself in a large, round hallway. There were four doors and Indi tried all four, one at a time. The first room she entered was huge. There were three shuttles, large enough to hold at least six people. There were large, double doors big enough for the shuttles to go through, and above that, a strip of window. Outside, one could see the surface of the moon, a large amount of the city they were just outside of, and beyond that, space.
The next room was very well-lit. There were medical beds all around the room, but in an orderly fashion, almost a pattern. There were cabinets and a small room with a desk and chair.
The third room had ten small, enclosed rooms that each had one, large opening. There were three of these on the left and right sides of the room, and four lined up on the wall opposite the entrance to the large room. In the middle were desks set up in a circle and with chairs all on the inside. “I hope we won’t have to use this room for anything,” Vex, who had been in there when she entered, commented to Indi as she left.
The last room on that floor was as large as the shuttle bay, but completely empty and with no bay doors or window.
While Indi was getting off the staircase upon reaching the next floor, she bumped into J.T., who immediately said, “Oh, I’m sorry. You all right?” Indi found herself staring into his deep blue eyes for a moment.
“Um, no,” she said, trying to move past him and looking down out of shame from looking at his eyes, as though they were sacred. “I mean, yeah! Sorry.” J.T. smiled slightly.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he replied before going up the steps himself.
The hallway on this floor looked the same as the previous one, down to the four doors, although one of the doors was up higher and had two steps leading up to it. Indi choose this room first out of fascination.
It was smaller than the other rooms, and was black rather than white. There were drawers on all the walls, and at the back was a small, circular room with a silver cylinder in the middle of it. There was an old human man there with trimmed, grey hair and some sort of oil all over his dark grey uniform.
“Another student, eh?” he said, looking her up and down. “What’s your job on the ship?”
Indi paused. “Er, I don’t know yet.” She seemed to have wished she had thought to ask.
“No one seems to,” he said, sitting down in a fold-up chair that he seemed to have brought in himself, considering how much it didn’t match. “I’m Phillip,” he said, introducing himself. “I’ll be the engineer for this here voyage.”
“Good,” Indi said uncertainly. “Where’s the engine for this here engineer?”
“She’s all around ya,” the man said, spreading out his arms wide. “This room is in the middle of the engine.” Indi knitted her eyebrows, confused. Phillip sighed heavily, stood up, and opened up a drawer in the wall. Rather than a drawer, it was a means of sliding parts of the Astra’s engine and main circuitry into the engine room. That part contained several circuit boards. Phillip slid it back in.
“That’s brilliant,” Indi said.
“I don’t know about brilliant,” Phillip said, “but it surely makes it all accessible.” Phillip sat down again before realizing that Indi was staring at the large, silver cylinder. “That’s Astra,” he said, preemptively answering her question. “Not the ship, exactly. The A.I. I have her turned off for now.”
“The ship and the A.I. have the same name?” Indi asked. “Won’t that get confusing?” Phillip suddenly got defensive.
“No,” he said firmly. “No, it will not.”
“Okay,” Indi said apologetically. “Nice work with the Astra, by the way.” Phillip just nodded and Indi quietly made her exit.
Indi was a floor down from the engine room, looking around in a large room with lounge chairs, coffee table, and a fluffy-carpeted floor when Vex found her. “Indi,” she said as she approached. “We’re sharing a room, do you want to go down with me and help me choose which? They all look pretty much the same, but my offer still stands.” Indi looked up at the taller girl.
“Yes,” she replied gratefully. “Thank you for fetching me!”
Vex nodded. “Of course,” she said, leading the way to the rooms. On the next floor down, there were, once again, four doors in the hall. One of the doors, however, had a note up on the screen to the left of the door that said, “No one is to be in these quarters.”
“There are three rooms in each section,” Vex told Indi. “All pretty much identical except for bed positioning, although we could move them, not that it would be easy. Basically, there are three different kinds of rooms. I've seen them all and don’t really have a preference, so you can choose.”
“Thanks, Vex!” Indi said excitedly. She almost hugged her destined roommate, but held herself back. After a pause, Vex spread her arms out.
“Just go for it,” she said with a hint of a smile, and Indi hugged her. After, she went through one of the four doors, finding herself in a lounge sort of room. There were three doors, but there were also comfy chairs in corners. She entered the door on the other side of the room, which led to a large, wide room, the longest wall curving inward: the outside of the round ship. On the left of the room were two beds and a small bedside table, all fit snugly into the wide part of the room, which was about eight feet. There were two windows symmetrically placed on the side that was the outside of the ship, a bin, and a single desk, not quite exactly in between the windows. On the right was a door into another small room, its purpose clear. Vex came up behind Indi.
“I know, none of them are very large,” Vex commented.
“I like the view,” Indi commented, gesturing at the windows.
Vex shrugged. “Just so you know, the other two are the same, just mirrored.”
She got off at the first floor she came to and found herself in a large, round hallway. There were four doors and Indi tried all four, one at a time. The first room she entered was huge. There were three shuttles, large enough to hold at least six people. There were large, double doors big enough for the shuttles to go through, and above that, a strip of window. Outside, one could see the surface of the moon, a large amount of the city they were just outside of, and beyond that, space.
The next room was very well-lit. There were medical beds all around the room, but in an orderly fashion, almost a pattern. There were cabinets and a small room with a desk and chair.
The third room had ten small, enclosed rooms that each had one, large opening. There were three of these on the left and right sides of the room, and four lined up on the wall opposite the entrance to the large room. In the middle were desks set up in a circle and with chairs all on the inside. “I hope we won’t have to use this room for anything,” Vex, who had been in there when she entered, commented to Indi as she left.
The last room on that floor was as large as the shuttle bay, but completely empty and with no bay doors or window.
While Indi was getting off the staircase upon reaching the next floor, she bumped into J.T., who immediately said, “Oh, I’m sorry. You all right?” Indi found herself staring into his deep blue eyes for a moment.
“Um, no,” she said, trying to move past him and looking down out of shame from looking at his eyes, as though they were sacred. “I mean, yeah! Sorry.” J.T. smiled slightly.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he replied before going up the steps himself.
The hallway on this floor looked the same as the previous one, down to the four doors, although one of the doors was up higher and had two steps leading up to it. Indi choose this room first out of fascination.
It was smaller than the other rooms, and was black rather than white. There were drawers on all the walls, and at the back was a small, circular room with a silver cylinder in the middle of it. There was an old human man there with trimmed, grey hair and some sort of oil all over his dark grey uniform.
“Another student, eh?” he said, looking her up and down. “What’s your job on the ship?”
Indi paused. “Er, I don’t know yet.” She seemed to have wished she had thought to ask.
“No one seems to,” he said, sitting down in a fold-up chair that he seemed to have brought in himself, considering how much it didn’t match. “I’m Phillip,” he said, introducing himself. “I’ll be the engineer for this here voyage.”
“Good,” Indi said uncertainly. “Where’s the engine for this here engineer?”
“She’s all around ya,” the man said, spreading out his arms wide. “This room is in the middle of the engine.” Indi knitted her eyebrows, confused. Phillip sighed heavily, stood up, and opened up a drawer in the wall. Rather than a drawer, it was a means of sliding parts of the Astra’s engine and main circuitry into the engine room. That part contained several circuit boards. Phillip slid it back in.
“That’s brilliant,” Indi said.
“I don’t know about brilliant,” Phillip said, “but it surely makes it all accessible.” Phillip sat down again before realizing that Indi was staring at the large, silver cylinder. “That’s Astra,” he said, preemptively answering her question. “Not the ship, exactly. The A.I. I have her turned off for now.”
“The ship and the A.I. have the same name?” Indi asked. “Won’t that get confusing?” Phillip suddenly got defensive.
“No,” he said firmly. “No, it will not.”
“Okay,” Indi said apologetically. “Nice work with the Astra, by the way.” Phillip just nodded and Indi quietly made her exit.
Indi was a floor down from the engine room, looking around in a large room with lounge chairs, coffee table, and a fluffy-carpeted floor when Vex found her. “Indi,” she said as she approached. “We’re sharing a room, do you want to go down with me and help me choose which? They all look pretty much the same, but my offer still stands.” Indi looked up at the taller girl.
“Yes,” she replied gratefully. “Thank you for fetching me!”
Vex nodded. “Of course,” she said, leading the way to the rooms. On the next floor down, there were, once again, four doors in the hall. One of the doors, however, had a note up on the screen to the left of the door that said, “No one is to be in these quarters.”
“There are three rooms in each section,” Vex told Indi. “All pretty much identical except for bed positioning, although we could move them, not that it would be easy. Basically, there are three different kinds of rooms. I've seen them all and don’t really have a preference, so you can choose.”
“Thanks, Vex!” Indi said excitedly. She almost hugged her destined roommate, but held herself back. After a pause, Vex spread her arms out.
“Just go for it,” she said with a hint of a smile, and Indi hugged her. After, she went through one of the four doors, finding herself in a lounge sort of room. There were three doors, but there were also comfy chairs in corners. She entered the door on the other side of the room, which led to a large, wide room, the longest wall curving inward: the outside of the round ship. On the left of the room were two beds and a small bedside table, all fit snugly into the wide part of the room, which was about eight feet. There were two windows symmetrically placed on the side that was the outside of the ship, a bin, and a single desk, not quite exactly in between the windows. On the right was a door into another small room, its purpose clear. Vex came up behind Indi.
“I know, none of them are very large,” Vex commented.
“I like the view,” Indi commented, gesturing at the windows.
Vex shrugged. “Just so you know, the other two are the same, just mirrored.”
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