I would like to take out the time to reach out to those who were also first-time flyers through the galaxy as I was during that time. How was it for you? What was going through your mind when you could see the Earth right below you? Were you afraid? Were you excited? Maybe both? I ask because the actual realization that I was far beyond the reaches of normal man began to set in. I was in space. I was in space..! Just a century ago, most people could only dream of being in my position, and yet there I was...just an ordinary girl off to college in a space station. There were so many emotions and thoughts running through my mind by then, most of them repeating themselves over and over as I tried to rationalize my situation, mostly the fact that I was one of the ones who was going to attend school for another four years several thousand light years away from the planet I called home. I was alone on that shuttle with only a few familiar faces and the deep vastness of space around us.
We were told that that actual trip there would take 48 Earth hours - or 2 days, to get there. The Ark itself sat in a galaxy that was far from the one us Earthlings resided in, so the shuttle had to "galaxy hop" to make the trip accelerate to just those 2 days until we would arrive there. To explain further so it's easier to understand, galaxy hopping is just a term they use for warp speed when traveling through the hundreds of thousands of light years in a single bound. We were to remain in our seats until we finished warping, although - again - it only lasted for several seconds before we were back to cruising speed.
At that point, we were free to move about for the rest of the trip, and it was around that time when I realized that there was much more to the ship than I had realized. I still stand by what I said when I say that it was built to be more like a spacious train, but it had several levels all dedicated for one or two purposes. The level we sat in was at the very top of the shuttle along with the cockpit and is what they referred as the passenger level where we all had to remain until we finished galaxy hopping, then we would be free to walk around to the other two. The seats also folded out into beds whenever one was ready to sleep or nap. Whenever that was. The second level - which was the one right below our feet - contained the dining and entertainment areas which had a restaurant, snack shops and bar for us to go eat at any time, as well as what could easily be described as a rec room. The lower floor contained facilities such as a infirmary and a counselor's office, although that floor in particular could be accessed easily via a small flight of stairs down from the second.
I stayed on the passenger floor for a few hours; while there were some of my classmates present on the shuttle, I didn't exactly see any point to talk with them at the time. As I said before, I never made friends with the other kids I went to school with, and even if we recognized each other, what would we talk about? Small chitchat about seeing each other in school followed by an awkward silence as neither of us would be able to find anything to add to the nonexistent conversation? I did notice that the girl who used to pick on me was also on the shuttle; That girl in particular was the stereotypical popular girl in high school with a wealthy family and had a lot of friends and got everything she could ever want. She and I butted heads during my freshman year and half way through my sophomore year. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't intimidated by little miss Danielle, because I was when I first started high school. I was a new student in a new school without any friends and I was hoping to make a good impression on the kids there to where I could hopefully be accepted into one of their social circles. Unfortunately, that was never the case and I became the victim of Danielle's torment, but only for a while. Her words did bother me for a while before I just stopped worrying about her entirely; I think I bothered her more than she bothered me after, because she kept her distance when she realized that I no longer paid her any heed. I considered it a small victory.
There wasn't much that went on for those 48 hours of travel; I spent most of my time in my seat messing around on my laptop, reading my books, playing my portable game system or looking outside my window to see the passing stars, planets and various asteroid belts only going down to the second level when I was hungry. There were several small restaurants, all of which had just about every type of food available back in the States, and a buffet that I usually frequented, although my diet consisted of a variety of snacks from the shop such as chips, candy bars and ramen. Not the healthiest of diets, but it was cheap and convenient. I think that best part of the trip was being able to look outside and be able to see the vastness of the universe with your own two eyes. There was something...surreal about it, to think that just a century ago, most of us humans could only dram to touch the stars and beyond...and yet, a couple hundred individuals from all over the world was given this chance to sit in the same seat I sat, to see new planets, worlds yet to be explored, right before your eyes! I would have considered that the best part of it all, but I was in for a wild ride and didn't know it at the time.
We were hitting the final stretch of our journey; The intercom above our heads went off stating that we would reach the Ark in the next hour and we should prepare to dock. We were all approached by flight attendants (I know that's not what they're called, but that's what they are to me) passing out strange devices that was something like an advanced cross between an Earth bluetooth and hearing aid without the mic to the other passengers. I was also given one, as well as an explanation as to what they were and how they worked.
Basically, the devices were universal translators. The earpiece hooked around your ear as you'd expect, however there were small, thin needles on the earpiece that pierced into your skin around the base of your ear. The needles themselves sent these...pulses through your nerves that connects to your ears, eyes and brain whenever you hear or see an unfamiliar language, which translates it into your native language as long as it's stored within the translator's data banks. For example, let's say you're talking to someone that speaks only in Uyanian; The translator would send the pulses through your ear and to your brain which translates the each word spoken into English, and it works vice versa. It's basically what Google Translate wished it could be.
I was given a brief explanation of how the translator worked, it's upkeep, as well as treatment tips for the puncture wounds that may or may not appear or if infection sets in whenever I take the translator off. The needles are so small that it was very unlikely that any blood or scars would be left behind, and I was fairly certain nothing of the sort would appear on my body given I had darker skin.
The attendant helped me get my translator on, and aside from a slight pinch from the needles going through my skin, there was nothing else to it. There was this low buzzing I could feel in the back of my head afterwards, however, but that was how you knew the translator was on and active. Once all of the other passengers were given their translators, we were advised to buckle up as the Axel prepared to be pulled in to dock. I couldn't see much of the Ark given my where my seat was, which was towards the back, but what I could see was the doors of the docking port slid open, which was made of the blue metal that the Axel was made from, indicating that the Axel was indeed constructed on the Ark or at least made of the same or similar material.
Let me be the first to tell you that a ship docking into a space station is nothing like a plane landing. There were more steps involved, but I won't explain that until I get to the time I started my Spacecraft Engineering course. Nonetheless, the deep vacuum of space soon left my vision and was replaced with the metal cocoon that was the Ark. The Axel slightly shook and rumbled as it was pulled in into the station before it eventually came to a halt, the engines finally cutting off for good.
* * *
I can only imagine that my fellow Earthlings can picture the Ark being a standard space station completely mad of metal with various tech all around with a cyber city sitting at the core. Something you would mostly see in sci-fi movies, TV shows or video games. The Ark was nothing like that.
After we disembarked, I was expecting the same thing you may have, but I was pleasantly surprised once we were outside. The paint an accurate picture...imagine an airport that used holograms, androids and warp panels. And make it twice as big. Maybe 3 times bigger. That was the Ark docking station in a whole. I didn't have time to really look around as much as I wanted since I needed to get my stuff and had to be escorted to my new dorm. While I waited for my belongings to be unloaded form the storage bay of the Axel, I was able to see that the Ark truly was the mixing pot of races and species from all over the universe, all of whom came in many shapes, sizes, colors...I was quickly overwhelmed by it all, but I managed to remain level-headed as I watched one of the worker droids - whom I will refer as "Beemo" - load the boxes that contained what I had left from Earth onto a cart. Beemo scanned my GT to determine that I was a new arrival to the Ark, where they motioned for me to sit in the cart while they drove me to my destination.
The reality of being in an entirely new world out beyond the galaxy I called home was beginning to set in around that time as I could only sit and watch the docking station slowly morph into the utopia that was the Ark itself. This wasn't like I moved to a different state or country, I was no longer on Earth. I was light years away from everything I had ever known before now...where I was a foreigner to an alien world. I was truly on my own. I would have began to panic if it weren't for the fact I was too captivated by my new environment, which was my only saving grace in this instance. The Ark wasn't dull, dark or had that stereotypical or cliche grey and gritty build one would associate with a massive space station. It was the exact opposite, in fact; It was very bright with a myriad of colors dancing all over. People walked the streets or drove in strange and impressive vehicles...there was even a train that ran on a holographic railway just above our heads! It was all very impressive already, but there was so much more for me to see, which I will be sure to share later on.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
How someone is given a dorm is determined by how they answered the questions on the survey, as well as the number on their GT. I won't disclose my GT number given that it would be the same as giving away your social security number for the next identity thief to take and use as they pleased. Long story short, my dorm was located within a small square of buildings that were resident homes, and the building I was assigned to was on the eastern side of the square. During the ride there, Beemo had entered my personal information into the computer to not only obtain which building I would be residing in, but there was this compartment on the dashboard that made this paper-thin bracelet I had to wear at all times. The bracelet - called a Coding Band - acted as your door key into your dorm - you put it on your wrist, and it shrinks until it's fitted around your wrist to where it could be considered skintight. It was also transparent on your skin, except for a series of small turquoise glyphs where the clock of a watch would be. That is what could be considered as a serial code needed to enter your dorm - once the Band was on, it can't be taken off unless you were moving out of your current dorm, where it would be replaced with another.
We reached the building, Beemo assisting with loading my things onto a hoverpad where I was told my room number and which floor I had to go to, and then my little droid friend left me to where I was truly on my own. The lobby was a welcoming sight once I entered; it had a scent that was similar to lilac and jasmine, with a pillow-soft settee and love seat, a coffee table and various potted plants - all of which I had never seen before - decorated the various corners. With my hoverpad in tow, I boarded the lift and went straight to the third floor. My dorm was to the left of the lift and around the corner, the room number was C-571. What struck me as strange was that there was a door directly next to the main door, C-571S. I ignored it since every door had one and proceeded into my dorm (I should point out that there's a panel next to both doors that you hold up your Coding Band in front of. A sensor reads the glyphs, and if they matched, the door slid open).
I was tickled pink when I went inside; my dorm wasn't a dorm, but an apartment. An apartment that was furnished with the furniture and appliances I had picked out of the catalog, no less. I was happy to see that my items went through, which made my new environment feel a little more homey. All I really needed to put away was the things for my room, but I took the time out to explore my new home; It had everything you would expect for an apartment; a living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, linen closet...I didn't see a door that would lead to the mystery door outside though, much to my disappointment. I looked around for a few good minutes, getting a feel of the place and turned to retrieve the hoverpad with my things...and screamed.
I had forgotten that I had left the door open, and I failed to realize that I wasn't the only one in the building. There was someone standing just outside my door peering inside when I turned around, which startled me given that I was completely oblivious to their presence. As a foreign human on an alien hub world, that wasn't a good sign. Although given the person's reaction, I think I scared her more than she scared me, since she screamed louder. After we simultaneously alerted the entire building of our presence, I was able to get a good look at the...well, "intruder" is a bit of a strong word since she didn't exactly walk into my apartment. Anyway, she wasn't human; 4 feet tall, only came up to the bottom of my chest, covered with small periwinkle scales, a light underbelly and rabbit-esque ears. There were these webbed spines that went from her head down to her tail, and all she wore was this cute pastel yellow graphic t-shirt with strange glyphs. We stared at each other awkwardly for a good minute, sea green eyes on deep brown, before the silence got the better of my and I decided to break the silence.
"Uh....hi." I greeted her, and I could feel that buzzing in the back of my head, and I knew the translator was working.
"Hello...!" She perked up immediately after I spoke, her ears shooting straight up. "S-sorry if I startled you..! I know it's impolite to stand outside someone's door and just...stare..."
"No, no! It's okay! Really. I guess it was my fault for leaving my door open." I shrugged with a small laugh, and I could see that she was beginning to ease up some, much to my relief. I invited her in, which she immediately bounded inside, but stopped as she seemed content with just watching me as I moved my hoverpad into the bedroom. I still had to unpack my belongings, but I also had a guest to tend to, so I couldn't disappear into my room with her still there either. "I wish I could offer you something like a drink or snack but...I just moved in. Like, literal minutes ago."
"Oh, don't worry about it." I heard her say as I reentered the living room. "But, um...the main reason why I came here is...well...o-okay, please don't get offended, but I mostly came here was because...I wanted to see a human up close." That made me pause as I looked at the smaller creature, my brow furrowing in confusion. I opened my mouth to speak, but she immediately took over in panic. "I-I know there are a lot of other humans here, but...but you're the first and only human we've had to ever move into this building!"
"Really?" Was the first thing out of my mouth. I don't know what intrigued me more - the fact that I was the only human to move into this building or the fact that I was the first. Still, I couldn't blame her for being curious; On the way there I had seen so many interesting and strange species and races that I wished I could approach to learn more about them, and I won't deny I felt the same towards my house guest. I was as much of an alien to her as she was to me. I wanted to know what she found so fascinating about humans, though. "There really hasn't been any other humans before me?"
"None." She shook her head. "They mostly all go to the north or west buildings. And it's not like we can go to either if we don't know anyone there..."
Understandable. They'd probably kick her out the building or call the authorities on her in a quick second if she went in there and not know anyone. What I didn't understand is why humans were mostly put into the north and west buildings when they were all supposed to be diverse with at least one for every species and race they could house in each. I wasn't sure how to take being the only one of my kind to be put in the east building. It also made me wonder what the other tenants were like and if that had anything to do with it. At the same time, it also could have been for the fact that the initial placement is randomized and the other buildings were full and they put me into the nearest building that had a vacancy.
My thoughts would be disturbed as I would be greeted with another guest in the form of what I could best describe as a jackal. He was at least 6 feet tall - much taller than the small critter and damn near towered over me. Short but silky mocha fur that almost looked like skin to the unaware, long raven hair that was held back by a loose ponytail. His muzzle was turned into a frown as he peered in, although a look of surprise appeared on his feature when his deep amethyst eyes fell on me.
"Oh." He murmured, his gaze going from me to the small critter. "I should have known it was you when I heard the screaming."
"You shush!" She huffed, clearly offended. "Who asked you to come down here anyway? Go back to the seventh floor!"
His ear twitched, which drew my attention to them. I noticed that they were at least twice the size of that of a normal jackal, standing perfectly straight up, even grazing the top of the door frame. "It's difficult to ignore terrified screaming several floors below me."
"It wasn't terrified! We...we startled each other!"
"After she saw you standing in her doorway staring at her? I would scream in terror too." The small critter ruffled up further and went to make a retort, but the jackal-creature stepped in before she could get a word out. "Hello, there. I would like to apologize on Ismarii's behalf. She has a very...unique way of greeting new neighbors."
"O-oh...no, it's okay." I say with a smile. "She has been great company, actually..." I noticed Ismarii grew a triumphant smile on her face, but the jackal ignored it. "My name's Minuet."
"Ra'rael. Pleasure to meet you."
I know I had just met to two extraterrestrials minutes after my arrival, but they managed to ease away the growing pang of loneliness I was feeling ever since I arrived. Plus, aside from the constant flow of workers I went through while getting here, it was nice to see some genuine friendly faces for once. Even if they weren't human, they were friendly nonetheless. I would have loved to have taken the time out to get to know more about them both, but I still needed to unpack, not to mention that I haven't showered in over 48 hours...and I was getting tired of the space suit and wanted to wear my normal clothes. Ra'rael must have picked up on that, or we had similar thoughts at the time, since he began to usher little Ismarii out, much to her dismay as she vocally protested about it.
"We're sorry to disturb you, Minuet." He spoke, only turning back when Ismarii was out the door. "I know it's late, you've just moved in, you're tired and would like some time to regain your bearings. But tomorrow, if you'd like, the two of us along with a few other tenants will be having a get-together a little after noon, and you're more than welcome to join." I was given the floor and room number where this meet-up would be held before the two left where I was left to my lonesome once more. I found myself smiling despite myself - fresh memories of when I started middle and high school appeared in my mind, those days when I was a new student, being in this strange new environment with children I didn't know. None of the kids - not even my own classmates - were as welcoming as Ismarii and Ra'rael. To think, I was offered more hospitality by aliens than I was by my own race back on Earth.
Still, I was glad they were gone; the suit was beginning to stick to my skin and it didn't help I already felt gross for not showing in 2 days. I went to my room and put away most of my things (after closing my door this time), although it was mostly my clothes, shoes and some decorations I took with me. I showered, changing out of that god-forsaken suit into some lounge wear, piled up the boxes on the nearest wall and pushed the hoverpad under the coffee table since I had nothing else to do with nor knew where to store it. Truthfully, I could have stowed it away in the closet, but I had gotten lazy and wanted to rest. I knew it was late, but it took for me to look at the clock to really see how late it had gotten...and 11 o' clock at night is pretty damn late. I retired back to my room and ended up falling asleep once my head hit the pillow.
I think it was halfway through the night when I woke up and realized that I had forgotten to call my family to let them know I had arrived. But I wasn't going to get out of bed either just to make a Skype call at 2 o' clock in the morning either - that would be my first priority in the morning.