hijacking. The most mundane were that the captain was trying to save money and ran his ship too long without good maintenance. The most likely, at least in Piper’s mind, was that they’d been hauling something they shouldn’t have been and whatever deal they thought they were going to make didn’t go so well. People didn’t just show up at 773 for convenience. It was too far out of the way from… well, everything.
Still, business was business and any business that showed up at 773 was probably good for everyone. No one thought much about the out-of-the-way stations until they were low on juice and drifting, then everyone prayed for one. Destiny’s Undertow was finally close enough that a couple of tugs had gone out to meet her and were bringing her in. Piper pinched one of the sensor windows to compress it and then expanded a new window from exterior cameras to check out the progress. The tugs were already flaring thrusters in their slowing protocol, which meant they were maybe a half hour out from starting the docking procedure. Maybe when it got closer to time, she’d flip her main view around to watch the ship come in. Maybe.
For the time being, Piper was content to let her gaze fall out into the soft and endless expanse of the Deep. A few minutes later, out in the nothingness, motion caught her eye. Reflexively her gaze snapped to it, but when she looked, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just the pinprick lights of stars so distant they might no longer exist. It struck her then, oddly; the idea that some of those pale, cold lights might be ghosts of things long dead. And while she was staring out into the emptiness pondering what such an ending would look like, and whether she’d ever get to see such a spectacle, one of the stars winked out. Vanished.
No. As she continued to look, a shadow shifted across the void; a blackness against the deep charcoal of the Deep.
Something was out there.
Piper sat up in her chair and swept her fingers over the console, waking it from standby. With a few deft strokes, she brought up the short and medium-range sensors. It took a moment for her to orient herself to where her current viewpoint was on the top-down display, and a few moments afterward to confirm what she knew ought to be… namely, there was nothing there. But when she looked up at her giant window, she couldn’t stop seeing it. It looked like a hole in space.
She thumbed a virtual slider and opened comms to Gennady, her supervisor. He answered on the fourth tone, which probably meant he’d been out cold.
“Yeah, Pip,” he said, and then cleared his throat. “What’s up kid?”
“Hey, chief, sorry to wake you, but I think something’s busted up here.”
“Annoying busted, or can’t-wait-till-morning busted?”
“The can’t-wait kind.”
Gennady let out a heavy exhale that was about a fifty-fifty mix between resigned sigh and gearing up for the effort to hoist himself out of bed. “All right. Be up in a couple.”
“Thanks, chief.”
“Yep.”
Piper spent the next few minutes staring intently out into the void, torn between hoping she really had spotted something and hadn’t awoken her supervisor for nothing, and hoping she was wrong. And just when she’d about convinced herself that she’d imagined it all, the star that had winked out reappeared for half a heartbeat. Piper shivered. Things weren’t supposed to surprise you out on a hop. Not when a stray chunk of comet could tear a hole through your life support and send your friends spiraling out to a horrible death. Sometimes in the break room they’d argue about whether you’d freeze to death before your lungs got sucked out through your mouth. Fortunately, no one had settled that one yet for sure.
The door slid open behind her, and Piper swiveled her chair around to see a groggy Gennady stumble in. He’d taken the time to throw on a T-shirt and some pants, but his zipper was down.
“What’s bothering you, Pip?” He still
Still, business was business and any business that showed up at 773 was probably good for everyone. No one thought much about the out-of-the-way stations until they were low on juice and drifting, then everyone prayed for one. Destiny’s Undertow was finally close enough that a couple of tugs had gone out to meet her and were bringing her in. Piper pinched one of the sensor windows to compress it and then expanded a new window from exterior cameras to check out the progress. The tugs were already flaring thrusters in their slowing protocol, which meant they were maybe a half hour out from starting the docking procedure. Maybe when it got closer to time, she’d flip her main view around to watch the ship come in. Maybe.
For the time being, Piper was content to let her gaze fall out into the soft and endless expanse of the Deep. A few minutes later, out in the nothingness, motion caught her eye. Reflexively her gaze snapped to it, but when she looked, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just the pinprick lights of stars so distant they might no longer exist. It struck her then, oddly; the idea that some of those pale, cold lights might be ghosts of things long dead. And while she was staring out into the emptiness pondering what such an ending would look like, and whether she’d ever get to see such a spectacle, one of the stars winked out. Vanished.
No. As she continued to look, a shadow shifted across the void; a blackness against the deep charcoal of the Deep.
Something was out there.
Piper sat up in her chair and swept her fingers over the console, waking it from standby. With a few deft strokes, she brought up the short and medium-range sensors. It took a moment for her to orient herself to where her current viewpoint was on the top-down display, and a few moments afterward to confirm what she knew ought to be… namely, there was nothing there. But when she looked up at her giant window, she couldn’t stop seeing it. It looked like a hole in space.
She thumbed a virtual slider and opened comms to Gennady, her supervisor. He answered on the fourth tone, which probably meant he’d been out cold.
“Yeah, Pip,” he said, and then cleared his throat. “What’s up kid?”
“Hey, chief, sorry to wake you, but I think something’s busted up here.”
“Annoying busted, or can’t-wait-till-morning busted?”
“The can’t-wait kind.”
Gennady let out a heavy exhale that was about a fifty-fifty mix between resigned sigh and gearing up for the effort to hoist himself out of bed. “All right. Be up in a couple.”
“Thanks, chief.”
“Yep.”
Piper spent the next few minutes staring intently out into the void, torn between hoping she really had spotted something and hadn’t awoken her supervisor for nothing, and hoping she was wrong. And just when she’d about convinced herself that she’d imagined it all, the star that had winked out reappeared for half a heartbeat. Piper shivered. Things weren’t supposed to surprise you out on a hop. Not when a stray chunk of comet could tear a hole through your life support and send your friends spiraling out to a horrible death. Sometimes in the break room they’d argue about whether you’d freeze to death before your lungs got sucked out through your mouth. Fortunately, no one had settled that one yet for sure.
The door slid open behind her, and Piper swiveled her chair around to see a groggy Gennady stumble in. He’d taken the time to throw on a T-shirt and some pants, but his zipper was down.
“What’s bothering you, Pip?” He still
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