I spent most of my first day as an astronaut trying to find the nearest restroom.
The five of us trailed behind our CEO. He trotted down the center of the corridor on the tenth floor of our headquarters building and we did our best to keep up with him.
True, this wasn't really the way I planned it, but I woke up early with excitement and downed a whole pot of coffee.
Chris double-timed it down the stairs and emerged onto the first floor and out the main doors. The perfumed smell of creosote and sage washed over us, and even though it was the middle of summer I knew it must have rained somewhere nearby, most likely the mountains to the northeast. The day was still young, the sun ascending toward its zenith. Without pausing Chris motioned us to walk next to him.
"Come on, come on," he said. "No need to trail behind me like a bunch of ducklings crossing the road." Our group of five quickened its collective pace and we fanned out, two on each side of our leader and one bringing up the rear. I found myself walking next to Eve. She was about a half-foot shorter than me, probably about my age, with shoulder-length auburn hair that flashed hints of red in the sunlight. I felt like I was out of breath with the quick pace, but Eve seemed barely affected.
Chris spoke up, "I think you'll like this. Your instructors plan to show you all this, but I don't see why we should waste any time." He led us from the cluster of office and research buildings toward the perimeter of larger structures where SpaceFirst conducted research and development. The sidewalk curved back and forth through the manicured grass. Even though it was morning I was working up a sweat. I glanced once more at Eve. She maintained a faraway look in her eyes while gliding over the sidewalk.
We threaded our way between bulky warehouse buildings, and Chris took a right turn. The sidewalk narrowed. Within a minute he made another right. The huge white hangar in front of us had no markings on it other than "A-10" in large black, block letters to signify the building number. The door he led us through seemed disproportionate to the size of the high wall it was set into, a mouse hole in the baseboard of a giant's house. We filed in and found ourselves in what felt like a large cavern. The translucent ceiling allowed natural light to illuminate the interior evenly. Suspended light fixtures hovered over the collection of objects spread across the floor, highlighting individually each item Chris wanted us to see.
He led our group into the middle of the hangar. We stopped in a semi-circle as he gestured at the vehicles surrounding us. "Here you are. These are the ships that'll take you first to the planets and then to the stars."
We surveyed the hardware surrounding us. The vessels were corporate secrets and none of us had ever seen the ships before, not even in leaked pictures or drawings. The first thing Chris had done on our first day was to give us an up-close look at the coolest things we'd ever seen.
After the excitement of the moment leveled off, I counted. Eight of the craft sat on the bare concrete. Each one looked exactly the same, as if they'd come off an assembly line. They were amazingly small. In the science fiction movies and shows we'd all seen, space ships were almost always massive, accommodating hundreds if not thousands of people. In contrast, these ships were made for one occupant at a time and no larger than a small RV. The sphere perched atop the craft would be comfortable enough to move around in without gravity, or at least that's the way it looked from the outside.
"Don't just stand here. Go take a look. There are three drones and you each have your own ship that'll be customized for you." I don't know how he knew which was which, but he unerringly pointed Colt, Peter, Sandra, Eve, and me to our respective ships. "Explore, kick the tires, touch it, get inside, make it your own," he said, his voice echoing in the large cavern of the hangar.
I approached mine and circled all the way around it. When I glanced away I saw the others doing the same. The comparison to a catamaran jumped immediately to mind. Twin hulls rested directly on the floor, tapered wedges that I supposed contained the apparatus for "flight," which I knew was a misnomer. Top, bottom, and outer sides of the hulls each sported small vents, which I later learned were thrusters for maneuvering in space. They wouldn't get you anywhere fast but could move the craft short distances if needed. I had to say, the design was sleek.
Topping it all off, literally, was the sphere. Strong cross-braces linked the two hulls, and the bottom of the sphere anchored to the middle of them. It looked to be detachable. The whole surface was perfectly smooth, frictionless. Thin metal supports arced from the top to the bottom, thick glass filling in between the struts. The visual appearance reminded me of the sections of an orange, and I gathered the goal was to provide the occupant a 360-degree view from the inside. From the outside the glass was smokey, no doubt to provide protection against nasty things like x-rays and radiation. It wasn't a starfighter made up by some Hollywood special effects guru, but I had to admit it was impressive.
Chris snuck up beside me as I stood taking it all in. "What do you think, Lewis?" he asked.
I let my awe get the better of me. "I think this might be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
He chuckled. "You need to go on more dates." He moved on quickly to talk with Eve at the sled next to mine. She continued circling her craft with wide eyes.
I wanted to enjoy the moment, knowing familiarity would creep in over the next several months and the initial sense of rapture would never return. I stepped onto one of the hulls and lightly ran my hand over the surface of the sphere. It was cool to the touch. I took a step to the left and searched for imperfections in the glass. My hand found none. Then I put both hands on it. I saw my reflection and couldn't help but smile.
I hopped down and walked around to the gap between the hulls. A handy step up and I stood at what I thought must be the access point into the sphere. The smooth glass provided no clue of how to get inside. I touched the surface. The outline of a doorway pulsed green and then extended outward on unseen hinges and swung open. Once again I grinned like an excited schoolboy and stooped to enter.
As I looked around I let out a low whistle. Everything was new and shiny and perfect. The sphere was twice my height on the inside, with plenty of room to maneuver in a weightless environment. It took a few seconds, but then I realized I could see out through the surface and into the bay at all the other vehicles. At the bottom of the interior a dark spot marred the unbroken glass, and I guessed it had to be where the sphere connected to the sled. Other than that, it was pristine, with an unmarred interior surface, no equipment, nothing.
"Hello, Lewis." The voice emanated from all around me. I froze and my eyes darted everywhere in a futile attempt to locate the source.
"Hello," I said.
"I'm your artificial intelligence system. You can configure me however you like."
I turned my head and looked out the hatch to make sure no one was standing there and pulling a fast one on me.
"Okay, what are my options?"
"I can speak using whatever voice you prefer. Right now, I'm using a default male voice that many people find reassuring and soothing, but you can adjust the pitch and cadence to your preference. Or you can change to a female voice and also make adjustments."
"What does the default female voice sound like?" I kind of liked the idea of having a female companion in space.
The voice emerged as distinctly feminine. "This is the default female voice profile. You can change this option at any time."
"Can you give it an Irish accent?"
"Aye, what do ye think about this, Lewis?" I liked it. And it would be very distracting when I needed to get work done.
"Nice, but let's go back to the default male voice for now. Maybe lower the pitch a tiny bit."
"Okay, I've made the adjustments. Please confirm if you like this setting." The voice was male again, about a step down that gave it what I thought was an air of confidence.
"Confirmed. What next?"
"How about a name? I have a factory ID but it's not conducive to a successful long-term relationship."
"You have a sense of humor, too?"
"Of course. I can't let you be the one to make all the wisecracks."
"Great. Are there any conditions on what name I pick?"
"Personally, I'd prefer something noble, a name fit for a king. A name that will ring through history when people tell our saga and how we changed the universe."
"Sounds like you've been reading stories about King Arthur. Or you're just full of it. Maybe both." I stood in the center of the bottom of the sphere, turning slowly and taking it all in as we spoke.
"I am well versed in history."
I thought for a couple of moments. "How about Ray?"
"Your great-grandfather."
"You know my personal history, too, then," I said.
"Of course."
"He was the smartest man I ever knew. A scientist, and he would have loved seeing all this and what I'm doing."
"I am honored to share his name," said Ray.
"And if I ever change you to a female voice, we can just change the spelling of your name to be Rae with an 'e' on the end."
"Let's not."
"What other options do I need to set?"
"The next option is a very personal preference. The company doesn't dictate this configuration, which I think is actually very open-minded of them. You can leave me here and only interact with me when you are in this vessel, or you can take me with you wherever you go through your implant."
Ray referred to a small metal object which would be surgically implanted behind one of my ears, a procedure we'd been told would take place later in the day. This implant was vital for communications, location, and monitoring our health. I knew it would be hooked into the company nets and I'd be able to use it as a means to instantly contact anyone else connected to our net, including my fellow team members with their implants. The idea of having Ray with me 24/7 was intriguing but I wasn't sure about it yet. The implant was already going to give the company unlimited access to everything about me, but they couldn't get into my thoughts. At least not yet.
"Can I think about that one a little bit before I decide?"
"Yes, you can change that setting at any time. I know we just met and it's probably a little overwhelming to think that I'd be with you during your worst, most intimate moments."
"What does that mean? You think my intimate moments are horrible?"
"Your romantic history and current lack of a long-term relationship indicate that my assumption is correct."
I laughed. "I think we're going to get along just fine. Now tell me, where is the equipment we'll need for our missions? I don't see a whole lot of storage space."
Ray flashed a series of light blocks on the surface around the inside of the sphere. "These areas are where the operations team will install equipment and supplies before we depart. The team has determined optimal locations for everything, but of course you'll be able to move them to your preference. For example, see this area?" A square illuminated on the glass near the hatch. It was brown. "This is where the toilet apparatus will be positioned."
"Nice example," I said.
"Dónde está el baño? That's the first question most people ask."
"Great. I'm sure we'll get it all figured out."
"Now you have to leave," said Ray. "Chris has alerted all of us that your team is to gather once again in the middle of the hangar."
"Thanks, Ray. It was nice meeting you."
"You say that now. Wait until we're all alone in the midst of space and start getting on each other's nerves."
"Sounds wonderful," I said as I ducked my head and exited, bracing my hands on the frame of the hatch. As I stepped off the sled and back onto the concrete I heard the hatch quietly close behind me.
We were in the middle of the hangar and the nearest restroom was a hundred yards away. I eyed the distance but knew I couldn't make it there and back quickly enough. It looked like I was going to have to suffer a bit longer. Stupid coffee.
I admired the craft one more time, trailing my hand over the smooth hull, and walked slowly over to the small group assembling around Chris. He waited in the place he'd left us earlier, standing with hands folded. I joined the team and a few seconds later Peter completed the circle. He had slicked-back dark hair and wore a smile a mile wide.
"What'd you think?" asked Chris and answered his own question when he saw each of us beaming. "Pretty amazing, huh? There's a lot of work that went into each vessel and I know you'll take care of them. I want you to learn them inside and out. Great things are going to happen. Any questions?"
Sandra raised her hand and Chris chuckled. "This isn't grade school, Sandra, you don't have to raise your hand."
She lowered it sheepishly, a blush reddening her cheeks. "Who gets to go first?"
Chris tilted his head. "To where?"
"To wherever it is we're going. Planets, stars, wherever."
"Great question," he said. "I don't know yet. And neither does anyone else, no matter what the news reporters say. For now, let's just say our management team will figure out a fair method to determine who goes on each mission. All right, I've taken up enough of your time this morning and they're waiting on you. Let's head back."
I wanted to hear more about who would be first, knowing the others did, too. My discomfort overrode my curiosity. "Can we stop by the restrooms on our way out?" I asked without raising my hand.
"Yes, please," said Eve. She nodded and aimed a shy smile my way.
Chris waved for us to follow him and aimed for the facilities. As we followed in his wake, I glanced over my shoulder at my vessel and smiled once more. Maybe it was because we walked so quickly or maybe it was just a reflection, but I could have sworn a light briefly appeared on the glass surface of the sphere.
It was the shape of a huge grin back at me.
