Escape to the Stars!
Chapter 13: GenStar One
Alexi awoke eagerly. Today was the day they moved to the ship!
During the two months she had been aboard the station, she had been asked about the details she wanted in her quarters. She had chosen paint-colors and carpeting from swatches. She had picked out linens and towels. She was giddy as a bride over being catered to this way. And she didn’t have to pay for any of it!
The fixtures in her apartment were fixed in-place so she didn’t have much say about them but she had been shown layouts of available apartments and had chosen a one-bedroom apartment that was nearly 600 square feet! The kitchen had a skylight and the living room had a small porch the extended into an open area between levels that doubled as an air-shaft. The kitchen was small but adequate. And she had a full bathroom all to herself! She couldn’t wait to actually see it.
Her personal stuff and her space suit had already been moved over days before. She had her keycard already and a picture of the completed unit. Someone had even put a vase of flowers on her table!
She packed her small bag and checked that she hadn’t left anything behind. She then closed and locked the door to her tiny cubical for the last time. She literally floated to the embarkation lounge to join the others that would be allowed to board that day.
They pressed together at the huge hatch that was normally open to allow workers access to the ship from the station, but it was closed today. The station Commander arrived and everyone grew quiet as he made his way through the crowd and returned quiet greetings from individual colonists. He reached the hatch and turned to face the crowd. They drew back respectfully and awaited the inevitable speech.
“Congratulations on your last day of your training aboard the Lagrange Five shipyard space station. You have all passed your tests with adequate to outstanding demonstrations of Emergency and Damage-Control skills. I hereby certify each of you as true Spacers!”
A ragged cheer went up from the crowd, who were more interested in boarding the ship than listening to one of the Commanders’ long-winded speeches. Surprising them all, the Commander palmed the lock-plate for the hatch and it parted almost silently. He then stepped aside and ushered them to the next phase of their lives with a smile and a wave.
One at a time, the colonists walked forward and grabbed the tow-rope leading ‘up’. As they reached the axis connector between the rotational part of the station and the ship-access, their weight dropped away. Alexi watched as those ahead of her, freed from the artificial gravity of the station began to show-off and laugh. The tow-rope ended at a reception room on the center of the framework that led into the ship itself.
The center of the room was connected axially to a passageway that led into the ship itself. Rope-tows led from the room to a mirror-image room that was half-way between the two habitats at the forward end of the ship.
The Colonists gathered around the walls of this room to await the ships’ Captain. While they gathered and waited, yard workers moved through the room and grasped the tow-ropes one-handed and were pulled into the ship. A few grinned at the colonists’ evident fear and waved as they launched themselves off of one rope and mimed swimming through the air or tumbled in spectacular fashion before catching one of the rope-tows leading into the ship or the station. A few of them howled or hooted like monkeys and made other simian sounds at the newcomers until the Ship’s Commander appeared. She scowled at one crewman that didn’t spot her in time and he quickly fled down the shaft.
“Welcome aboard GenStar One! I hope that display of infantile enthusiasm didn’t put any of you off.” She smiled wanly and added “Unfortunately, if you use the tows long enough, you begin to feel like howling like Tarzan and acting foolish in other ways.” As if on request, a distant yell was heard the sounded distinctly like the ancient television hero. The Commander blushed furiously and another crewman quickly headed in that direction, no doubt to chastise the offender.
Struggling to regain her composure, the Commander went on. “This is the Central Connector between the station and the Ship. Once the ship is ready, this section and the shaft will be sealed-off and moved away to allow the ship to be towed out of the yard. At the other end of the shaft is a room similar to this one, but it is a part of the ship. It will be used to allow movement between the habitats, and to dock the various jumpers and shuttles the ship carries. Follow me please.”
The Captain grasped a tow-rope and was pulled into the shaft. It took a while, but the colonists managed to reassemble in the next room in good order. The Captain waited until all were present before going on.
Pointing one way then the other, she said “these tunnels lead to each habitat. You use rope-tows when the ship is not accelerating. You can use the slide-walks during acceleration if you want to. That tube you see over there” she pointed to the rope-tow leading off into a yellow tunnel “leads to Hab-1, and that one” she said, pointing the other way “leads to Hab-2. We have other names for them that you will learn later.”
“Each of you will already know where you are supposed to be living. Each of you was given a map of your Habitat. Crewmen will direct you if you get turned around. And don’t worry: these places are huge and it is easy to get turned around. Just scan your keycard at kiosk at an intersection and it will point you in the right direction.”
“Now, I’m sure you are eager to see your new home for yourself so I will release you for 24 hours to find your homes and get settled in. You will be contacted by your supervisors via pad or Comm panel and directed to your work assignments at that time.”
“Dismissed and welcome aboard!”
Alexi was quartered in Hab-2 so she moved to the line for the rope-tow and waited for her turn. She grasped the rope and allowed it to pull her along at a good clip. As the rope neared the end of the tunnel, recordings told her to let go and to grasp a stationary rail to slow down. She watched as more-experienced people casually let go of the tow-rope and slowed their forward velocity by letting the stationary rail slide through their hands. It was then that she noticed that everyone had special gloves on at least one hand. Friction-burns were a real possibility!
She tentatively released her hold on the tow-rope and allowed her momentum to carry her forward. She missed her first attempt but caught the rail on her second attempt. She gripped too hard and slammed against the wall and rebounded, losing her grip entirely. A couple of grinning crewmen caught her by the arms and guided her towards the rotating section of the connector.
She was blushing furiously and could barely thank them as they chuckled and moved off. She resolved to become as adept as they were, and soon! The connector to Hab-2 was a circular room with narrow escalators disappearing down tubes branching out very 45 degrees around the rim. Alternating with them were escalators that were bringing people up from the inside surface of the Habitat.
Alexi watched as experienced crew allowed the escalators to launch them towards the center of the room, where they would grab hand-holds to arrest their forward motion, then push off either into the stationary part of the connector to go to Hab-1, or to a down-escalator to another part of the habitat. It was Grand Central Station, without the trains!
Alexi pulled out her passkey and read the numbers that indicated Habitat number, Street, Avenue and Level. Using those coordinates, she could get within a block of her apartment. Streets ran around the circumference and Avenues the length of the cylinder. Avenues were numbered by degrees from Zero clockwise facing forward and Streets were numbered from lowest to highest from the forward-end of the ship.
She was headed for 2-32.5-155-1, Residence 103. She looked at the escalators leaving the room and realized that they were identified by their angle from zero. She located the escalator for 45-degrees and pulled herself across the room until she was right above the opening. She pushed off towards the down escalator and grabbed onto the moving handrail. She waited for centrifugal force to bring her feet to the p
latform where she struggled to stand up. By the time she was halfway to the bottom she was feeling closer to what she remembered she had weighed on Earth.
She was looking around in sheer wonder when a tap on her shoulder caused her to turn around. The woman behind her pointed towards their destination and Alexi turned back to see that they were nearing the bottom. She glanced back and thanked the woman and then prepared to step off the escalator.
She managed to leave the escalator with a minimum of stumbling. Orienting herself, she saw a bicycle shop nearby with racks of hundreds of bicycles in different sizes, styles and colors. She approached a woman behind the counter and asked “Do I need to buy one of the bikes to use it?”
“Buy or rent; it’s your choice. The fancier ones are for sale while the plain green ones are for rent. If you just rent, I scan your implant to release a bike from its lock. When you are done with it, push it into any open position in any other rack on the station. You are not charged per use but by the pay-period. If you do not use a bike during a pay-period, you are not charged. If you buy, there is no further charge but you have to pay for repairs.” She smiled at that point and added “You can also buy insurance if you want it.”
She looked Alexi up and down and added “Go easy your first few times riding. This is not real gravity here. Centrifugal force can play strange tricks on you, especially when you need to turn.”
Alexi thanked her and bought a petite pink bike that fit her well. She mounted the bike and carefully rode towards Avenue 32.5. When she tried to make a turn, the strange effect of centrifugal-force dumped her over. She was unobserved and so was able get back on the bike and pedal away with her dignity intact.
After a few wrong turns, she finally found her block and level. She got off and walked the bike the rest of the way because she was too winded to ride further. It turned out that her apartment was in the middle of the block. Her door was painted red like she had asked, and there was even a plastic bucket with plastic flowers on the step. She inserted her keycard and the light turned green. She turned the handle, opened the door, and stepped into paradise.
The apartment had that “No one has ever lived here” smell. The lights came on as she stepped further in and soft music issued from a hidden speaker. She grimaced; just because she came from the Russian Federation, doesn’t mean she wanted to hear Russian music! She wheeled the bike in and closed the door. She left the bike leaning against the hallway wall for now.
She put her bag on the kitchen counter and wandered into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and found it stocked with bottled water and the items she had ordered a couple of days before. The cupboards had the plates she had specified, and the drawers had the flatware she had asked for. The rest of the cupboards were fairly empty.
She headed to the bedroom and sat on the mattress to test it. It seemed too soft. She finally spotted the remote control for the mattress on the shelf over the head of the bed. She explored the rest of her apartment and then made a lengthy list of things to acquire.
She used her pad to check her account. She had been frugal in training and in the shipyard station, so she had a comfortable balance. Feeling hungry, she grabbed her keycard, and then remembered that the door was also supposed to be keyed to her implant. She stepped outside and closed the door. When she released the handle, the green light went out. When she grasped it again, the light came back on.
Curious, she tried her other hand and the light stayed out. Thus assured, she called up a map on her pad and found the nearest café. As she walked along, she glanced into the windows of the apartments she passed. Most were dark but a few had lights or other signs of occupancy. She spotted a market down the street as she stepped into the café. Making a mental note to go there after she had something to eat, she scanned the menu and was surprised to see the variety of foods available. She was also surprised to see the prices. She would not be eating there frequently!
She ordered a soup and sandwich with tea and enjoyed siting at a tiny table near the window. As she ate, she spotted some other newcomers negotiating the labyrinth of address designations. She noted to herself that the residents would eventually come up with a more user-friendly way to tell others where they lived.
The market was not very-well stocked with fresh foods. When she asked about it, the manager told her that the area was just starting to gain in population. As demand went up, so would supply. She nodded and then wandered the aisles looking for supplies. The kitchen utensils and baking supplies area was better-stocked and she indulged in an electric teapot along with her basic needs.
When she reached the dry-goods area, she did find a few teas and even some freeze-dried coffee! She hadn’t indulged in coffee in quite a while as it was quite expensive. She spotted the price for the coffee and decided on only a small container. She added soap, shampoo and other minor toiletries.
Carrying her groceries back to her apartment, she began to feel more at home. The door opened at her touch and she smiled as she closed it behind her. She put her purchases away and used her teapot for the first time.
Conscious that she had less than 20 hours before she had to report to work, she decided to try out the bed and catch a nap. She checked her pad but didn’t see any new messages. She tried out the bathroom and let the bidet do its thing. That was the one change in her habits she had had the greatest difficulty adjusting to. The warm water did feel good though.
Done, she moved to the bedroom and lay on the bed. It was too soft. Reaching for the remote, she allowed the bed to inflate a bit at a time until she was satisfied. Pulling a set of sheets out of the cupboard, she made the bed. She was especially pleased with the comforter she had ordered and had shipped ahead. Then she remembered something and searched the cupboard again. Yes! The curtains and towels were there as well.
Changing into her pajamas, she slid between the sheets and luxuriated in the feel of fresh linens and a fluffy pillow, in her own apartment! She shivered in pure joy and then turned out the light and tried to sleep. After tossing and turning for what seemed like an hour, she gave up and got up. She dressed and headed out the door determined to explore the area and try to meet some of her neighbors.
Picking a direction at random, she strode off and headed to the tunnel that would take her up to the surface. She emerged from the tunnel into bright light that even felt warm on her face. There was only a faint breeze and it was only as she allowed her eyes to follow the curvature of the interior that she was realized that she could see all the way around the inside of the habitat. The light and heat came from a central shaft at the axis of the habitat.
She found a bench at the verge of a strip of grass and sat down. The shape of the bench allowed her to lean back and gaze around the interior easily. She watched as tiny figures scurried about their errands or rode bicycles over her head.
She was near the front end of the habitat so eyes were gradually drawn down the length of the massive cylinder. She had to shade her eyes against the bright light from the central shaft but even then, she couldn’t quite make out the far end. At one point, she felt a drop of water land on her up-tuned face. Startled, she looked around her and saw a sparse rain falling gently. She had been told that it could rain if conditions were right but it still surprised her.
She returned the greetings from a couple that strolled by at one point, then watched as they moved away, hand in hand. The sight caused tears to swell up in her eyes as she missed Pieter terribly. The encounter with the couple left her feeling down so she returned to her apartment, checked for messages and went to bed. She had no trouble falling asleep this time.