Past and present
Author: Miyoshi Akachi
Original post:
Entry for the YC118 Pod and Planet Contest in the A Day in the Life category.
The emptiness of space.
The stars shines on the black velvet of the space. She had always dreamed of them. When she was just a young girl making her first step into life, she looked up to them, she spoke to them and dreamed of them. She thought many secrets were hidden up there, amazing worlds to be discovered and unheard phenomena. She wanted to reach the stars and explore the vastness of space.
Growing up, she learned the reality of all: how stars were made of elements, atoms and energy but still their charm never really faded; she still kept looking up to the stars and their secrets. She learned of the capsuleers too, how they became “immortal”, how they fight and change the destiny of so many people. She would become one, she wanted to fly between stars, guiding a ship to the far corners of the universe and back, trying to uncover the hidden secrets of space.
Her dream found oppositions, her race wasn’t one much fond of space adventuring, they were more reclusive and introverts compared to other space-faring races. But there were others that saw in her the stargazer’s attitudes. Still she was stuck on the planet with her spirits yearning to be free.
And then fate struck, an incident put her on the verge of death but in that, she saw an opportunity: she could reborn. She could become “immortal”. And this time no one stopped her. They created a copy of her, a new plain body where she transferred her consciousness. When she opened her eyes for the first time, she felt different. She felt reborn. She could now be a capsuleer and the stars were within her reach.
She wasn’t a scientist, she wasn’t at all interested in the pure phenomena of the material world, she felt an explorer, a fighter looking to discover the secrets of the unknown. For this she enlisted for a place in the State War Academy and she got in! Her dream was slowly coming true.
The first time in pod had been a thing she won’t ever forget. The nothingness at first and then once the connection was established, the world burning bright again, only through the electronic eyes of the pod. She had more information she could think of, within the reach of just thoughts.
And the first time she stepped outside the boundaries of know space? She had just stepped free of the Academy and she still had to get used to be free when she traveled through a wormhole. The moment space around her shifted and changed, her instruments beeped and the map turned up blank, she felt fully the call of the unknown. And she loved it.
She smiles, watching the emptiness of space, that empty is not but is full of secrets, tales and wrecks, made her remember. A sigh escapes her lips, she felt like eons passed from where she was living on Saisio but in that span of time so much has happened. She did things she had only dreamed before: she had flown between the stars, she had discovered and unlocked secrets, but she had risked her life too. She feels her dream has come true.
The com of her quarters beeps “Miyoshi, are you ready?”
She smiles, it seems like it is time to go “Hello Azmodai, of course I’m ready.”
“I was wondering, you know. How is your ship?”
“Fitted and ready to go.”
“Great, usual one?”
“Yes, you know how much I love her.”
He laughs “Okay, undocking now. I’m waiting for you outside.”
“Okay, I’m coming!” she gets up and quickly walks to the door. It hisses open and she leaves her quarters. Soon her boots' heels echo in the corridor opening on the dock, her ship is waiting there for her, shining under the hangar’s lights. She takes a moment to contemplate it, she and her fought so many battles together and she never failed her.
Slowly, she immerses herself in her pod. Darkness hugs her tight as sensation disappear only to flare up again once connected to the machine. “Yes…” she thinks, savoring the feeling as the pod undock.
More information and panels flare to life as the pod connects and becomes part of the ship itself. Just the time to run a quick check of all system that she is undocking. The hangar’s open mouth let her out and she accelerates, taking speed and flying out in space.
“I’m here.” She calls in the com and her fleet mate is quick to answer “Welcome, route is set. Ready?” she smiles but no one sees her “I am. Let’s go.”
This is her present.