Departure
24 Sep 2018Nuran Mukkader
The lock hums and clicks, debug codes clearly not intended for her ears. The door to the command deck opens, projecting the orange tinted glow from the security screen behind her into the bluish, partially-lit consoles; this is the way she likes it during the graveyard shift. The city-station encompasses her like a metallic womb. Outside the ship life continues - the little dramas, the small happinesses, the gentle flow of humanity. Among all the acrid ozone-smelling, metallic behemoths this one is the closest to what she would call home - and yet so, so wildly different from her memories of childhood.
She can't help but think exactly the same things every time she gets ready to depart; it makes her wonder if this is her personal ritual to commit today's events to long-storage memory.
The whole synesthetic synchronization procedure happens in a flash of colors and tastes that invades her as the ship AI's own sensors intertwine with her own as she brings the rest of the ship back to life.
Departure request issued, she throws one last glance at the city skyline from the docks.
"Core Dynamics Alpha Sierra Golf, you're cleared for take-off."