Personal Log 1: 10th February, 3301
03 Sep 2016Jemine Caesar
10th February, 3301The trip to Trevithick Dock was the first time I had ever flown into space. Or flown at all, for that matter. As soon as the shuttle heaved itself up from the launchpad, my stomach began to heave with it.
"If this is what I'm like now," I thought, "then how in the name of Gaia will I cope with flying a starship on my own?" The training simulations didn't prepare me for this!
The Sidewinder was a lot smaller than I expected. On the hull, next to the cargo hatch, was a large blue sticker which proclaimed "My other ship is a Fer de Lance!" in comical lettering.
"I'm going all the way to Sol in this?" I wailed.
The bored-looking Hangar Marshal seemed equally doubtful. "Are you sure you know how to fly, love?" he asked, disdainfully. That irritated me. A lot.
"Look," I snapped back at him, "just give me the access codekey, sign the datawork, and clear me for take-off."
She may have just been a Sidewinder. But she was my Sidewinder. "I'll get to Earth," I said to her. "And then I'll find Caz, and claim vengeance for Bekka.
"Even if it's the last thing I do."
* * * * *
That rather fatalistic phrase rumbled around in my head as I ran through my first pre-flight checklist. Once satisfied that all systems were ready, I lifted away from the pad and engaged forward thrusters. I instinctively ducked in my seat as I passed through the exit portal, fearful that the ship might crash into the bulkhead above.
Then I was clear. The vastness of space made me catch my breath.
"Well, Jemine Caesar," I said to myself, "here goes. May Gaia be my guide and my guardian." Keying up the navigation computer, I resolutely plotted a course to Sol.
The words 'Permit required' flashed up on the display.
I needed a permit to go to Sol? This was an unexpected complication. I realised I would have to find out how to acquire one of these permits. I felt foolish and way out of my depth, but pride wouldn't let me go back home. I needed to have some sense of progress, so I set course for a nearby system I had read about in magazines: Eravate.