Come with us [ Log 2 ]

Sol

I checked the systems one last time as Elsa docked us to the station orbiting D473. All functioned in perfect order.

She had done pretty well, considering it was her first time flying the ship, and I’d only needed to compensate for the slightly too-high speed with my frontal thrusters. I glanced at Laya sitting behind the chef's console. Was she skilled enough by now to have noticed it? The 0.02s power surge was a hard ask, but not an impossible one, and she had done really well during our voyage, despite her age, so maybe she had.

Karla sat behind Master Wang’s console, staring at the holo displays that surrounded her. Putting her on the scanners had made the most sense, but it wasn’t the easiest task, and I hadn’t expected her to do anything. She’d barely managed to survive her first week of BNT, and even if Laya had followed the training plan I’d created for her, I was sure she’d been more lenient with her than any sergeant would have been.

“I will deal with the formalities.”

She got up and stretched herself. She still seemed stiff from her accident with the power suit, but at least she hadn’t suffered any serious injuries. Elsa followed her with her gaze until she disappeared through the doors and then went back to the shutdown checklists she was going through with Laya. It was nice to see them working together, they were a good team. I smiled and went back to the diagnostic protocol I was running in the background.

“Shall we go and look around?”, Laya asked.

She peered at us, excited about this new place.

“Do you want to? It is just a B-class starport. It looks like any other.”

“No, it’s not. The miners spend their holidays here, it has all sorts of things. It has a pool with a glass roof so you can see the stars when you swim, and it has a garden.”

“How do you know?”, Elsa chuckled.

“Karla told me…”

She patted her shoulder and turned to me.

“Do you want to come with us?”

In the past, I’d always said no, and if it hadn’t been for Sherma, who sometimes dragged me along, I would never have left the ship during our leave. Back then, I thought it was pointless, but now, when my crew had become a stardust spread throughout the dark void of space, I deeply regretted not getting to know them better when I still had the chance.

“Sol…”

Elsa walked over to me and put her hand on my shoulder. I looked at her, surprised, but she just smiled.

“Come with us.”

Laya took my hand and started pulling me towards the door. Was this what I had missed back then? I had only wanted to focus on my duties so everyone could come back home safely…

We walked through the dock. Elsa was right, it wasn’t any different from what I’d seen anywhere else, maybe just a bit smaller and less busy, since there were only a few regularly scheduled cargo ships bringing supplies or taking back the ore. Visitors like us were rare, and the ship only added to the attention we received from the dockworkers.

We went to a cafeteria tucked between the customs office and the fire station. It was empty. Karla must still be dealing with the customs, and we had arrived in the middle of the shift.

An older man standing behind the counter looked at us with curiosity.

“Military, huh?”

He leaned over the desk, looking at our suits.

“Never saw anything like it before, but what do I know?”

He chuckled.

“What can I do for you?”

Elsa ordered them food, and we sat down at a table in the back of the room, far away from the entrance and bustling noise of the dock. They were almost done with their meal when Karla entered and walked over to our table.

“Sorry, it will take a while, you know….”

“You want a coffee?”

“No time…”

She shook her head and looked at Laya.

“Do you want to come with me?”, she asked hesitantly and glanced at Elsa.

“What will we do?”

“I will show you how to get the best price for your cargo.”

“Let’s get a lot of money so sis doesn’t need to work so hard.”

She jumped from the chair and ran over to her. When they’d left, Elsa pushed her plate away and looked at me.

“What do you want to do now, Sol?”

I wish I could give her an answer, but I had none. What was I even supposed to want? She tried to smile.

“You wanted to see the beauty of the universe, right? We could go to the viewing deck.”

Captain Leav had wanted us to do it after the war, but… She got up and offered me a hand, and I hesitantly took it.

The main station looked like one of those holiday resorts I had seen in movies. It was light and spacious, with soft walls painted in pastel colours and many real plants hanging from the walls or standing by the door in large ceramic pots. Even the constant hum of machinery was almost inaudible due to the soundproof panels used in the station’s construction.

The news of our arrival must have spread the moment we appeared on their scanners, and we got many curious looks as we walked. In this manner, it almost felt like visiting a small outpost where everyone knew each other, which was probably true despite the station's size.

At least the viewing deck was empty. I guess not many people wanted to spend their free time looking at the world below where they worked every day.

I walked over to the glass that separated us from the dark void of space and looked at the fluffy clouds below. I couldn’t tell if it was beautiful, but I was pretty sure Captain Leav would have been happy to see me here. I looked at Elsa and smiled. I didn’t know what to say, as my words could so easily invite the dark void of space to cross the glass and envelop us once again, but she must have understood. She walked over to me, took my hand in hers, and pushed against the void that dwelt in the silence filling the deck.