Chapter 05 – Accept
I thought they would take me back to prison, but thankfully, I was wrong. The guards led me to my quarters. It was not much bigger than my cell to be honest, but at least the walls weren’t transparent anymore.
“This will be your temporary room until we arrive at Vielovento,” one of the soldiers escorting me explained. “You’re free to access all common areas of the Broodmother, but we ask that you avoid talking about what Earth was like or any topics that could cause unrest.”
“What’s going to happen when we reach Vielovento?” I asked.
“I don’t have that information. Probably some officer will brief you before we get there,” he explained. “Any other questions?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Alright. Main meals will be served every six hours, starting at 0000, then 0600, 1200, and the last one at 1800. Between these times, light snacks and food will be available. Consumption of alcohol and recreational substances is only allowed on Sundays, and only after formal approval from one of the Grand Admirals. Understood?”
“Why do you still use Earth’s 24-hour system and weekdays?”
I couldn’t see the brute soldier’s face under his metal helmet, but judging by the silence and his body language, I could tell he had no idea what I was talking about.
“That’s exactly the kind of thing you shouldn’t be saying around here,” he retorted. “Unless you want to go back into quarantine.”
“Got it, I’ll keep quiet,” I replied. I just wanted to confirm my theory. The TRAPPIST-1 planets are tidally locked, meaning one side is always in daylight, and the other is in eternal night. Because of this, using hours to measure the day’s progression doesn’t make sense in terms of a day-night cycle. They only use hours to measure time. Also, Planet F, or Vielovento as they call it, has a “year” of just nine Earth days, but that doesn’t mean much since TRAPPIST-1 has no seasons like Earth. So they probably continued using Earth’s time measurements and calendar out of convenience.
The brutes who had escorted me turned and left. I closed the door, and for the first time since waking from cryosleep, I finally relaxed. I took off the suit Gulliver had given me—it was completely destroyed in the area where I used it to break against the steel cables. I headed toward what I assumed was the bathroom. I was expecting wet wipes or, at most, a steam hose for a shower. I was pleasantly surprised to find a nozzle spraying real warm water, which was surprisingly relaxing.
I took full advantage of the real water to wash away all the remnants of the cryo chamber’s gunk. The soap was fragrant, leaving a fresh scent that reminded me of flowers. There was also a kit with deodorants, lotions, shampoos, razors, and more. The deodorant smelled strange, as I had been using the same woody scent for over ten years, but it was better than having body odor.
Looking in the mirror, I noticed that my skin was paler than I remembered. It used to be a rich chocolate brown, slightly oily, and—without wanting to brag—almost wrinkle-free, even though I was nearing thirty. Or rather, nearly one hundred and eighty if you count cryosleep. I also noticed that my beard had grown out. Cryosleep slows your body to a near-death state, similar to how tardigrades survive extreme environments. But even in that state, hair and nails still grow, especially after 150 years. The razor blades were so sharp that my face felt smoother than when I was ten years old.
After some time staring in the mirror, I realized my vision wasn’t as sharp as it had been on Earth. Making self-diagnosis tricky; still, it was clear my vision wasn't what it used to be. It was yet another common side effect of cryosleep.
Then it hit me: I should have undergone a medical checkup after waking up from cryosleep to address deficiencies and minimize the side effects of the drugs I had taken. I hurriedly put on one of the A.U.T.N uniforms I found in the closet, looking just like one of them, and set out to find the infirmary, wandering aimlessly in the gravity ring.
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“Hey, excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the infirmary?” I asked.
“Uh… hi,” the young woman hesitated before answering. “I think you just passed it. It’s in that direction, marked with a red cross.”
“Oh, really? Didn’t notice, thanks,” I replied.
“You’re the guy who came from Earth, aren’t you?” she asked. It seemed avoiding that topic was going to be difficult.
“Yeah, that’s me,” I answered with an awkward smile.
“Is it true that there are forests on Earth bigger than cities?” she asked, trying to strike up a conversation. I really wanted to continue talking. Not only had I been enjoying talking about Earth lately, but she also seemed like good company. She had a youthful look, with large, expressive brown eyes, long wavy hair that shimmered when she moved her head, and full, rounded lips. Her golden skin was sprinkled with freckles and darker patches. From what I gathered in conversations with Gulliver, this skin tone came from the “hot side” of Vielovento.
“Yes, it’s true! There are forests so vast that you could wander for months without ever finding your way out,” I replied.
“That’s amazing, Earth must be a beautiful planet,” she responded, clearly interested in continuing the conversation.
“Unfortunately, our species treated Earth pretty badly. When I left on the Genesis IX mission, it was just starting to recover, but many cities were already underwater, pollution tinted the air a sickly yellow, and there was a lot of poverty and misery due to overpopulation and lack of jobs” I regretted taking the conversation to such a grim topic. “I hope in the 150 years I’ve been gone, it’s become what it once was.”
“They say the Overseers fixed all of Earth’s problems.”
“Seriously?” I was astonished. Did it really take aliens coming to our planet to fix it for us?
“Well, that’s the rumor, but they say yes. The Overseers needed a lot of manpower, so they gave everyone on Earth a job. And people who are starving and miserable don’t work well, so it makes sense they would have solved that issue.”
“But what do the Overseers need twelve billion people for?”
“No idea,” she said with a shrug. “By the way, you’re wearing our uniform. Are you joining us?”
“I just wanted to be fashionable,” I joked, managing to get at least a smile.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“I’m part of the Virgo crew, same class as the Peregrina. I saw your rescue and the battle with the Overseer’s interceptors in the feed. You guys fought really well.”
“To be honest, I didn’t really know what was happening. The ship started making these crazy maneuvers, and I could barely stay on my feet. All I managed to do was patch up the hull breaches and try not to pass out.”
“Being a patcher is one of the most admirable roles. Not everyone can handle that. Especially with Cira as the pilot—she’s amazing. No one can hit her.”
“Wow, I figured she was experienced, but I didn’t know she had a reputation too.”
“She sure does. It’s because of her that the Peregrina holds the top spot for confirmed kills—four so far,” she said, checking the time. “I’ve got to go. We’re starting a simulation training on the Virgo. We’ll have to catch up sometime, so you can tell me more about Earth.”
“Is this a date?” I asked, taking a chance.
She looked at me with a puzzled expression, tilting her head as if she didn’t quite understand.
“Uh, well, we’re going to meet up, so I guess it’s a date, right?” Clearly, she hadn’t gotten what I meant. I should have considered that, after all this time, some expressions might have lost their meaning.
“Yeah, brain fart,” I replied, embarrassed.
“No worries,” she said with a laugh, extending her hand toward me. “By the way, my name’s Alice.”
“I’m Fred,” I said, shaking her hand.
“Nice to meet you, Fred,” she said, waving goodbye as she walked down the corridor.
I turned and did the same. I realized I really had walked right past the infirmary. But to be fair, I had already spotted Alice when I passed by, and that distracted me. Also, my vision wasn’t great at the time, in my defense.
I went through the checkup with one of the doctors on the Broodmother, undergoing several tests and receiving some injections to minimize the effects of cryosleep. The doctor was astounded by how archaic the cryogenic methods of the Genesis program were. In his words, we were “lab rats being tortured by psychopaths,” and I couldn’t disagree. He also gave me a pair of temporary glasses, saying my vision could be corrected with surgery on Vielovento. As soon as I left the medical office, I rushed to the cafeteria—I had already seen the way when the brutes were dragging me around.
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The crew of the Peregrina was already seated at one of the tables and waved me over to join them. I scanned the room for Alice, but no luck. I grabbed a tray and headed to the buffet.
The food felt strange to me. Everything looked appetizing and smelled good, but at the same time, nothing was familiar. The meats were fileted with a layer of fat on one side. The fibers were thick and loose, like beef ribs, but pink like smoked pork. I gave up trying to figure out what the food was and just filled my plate with anything that made my mouth water. And when I say “filled,” I mean really filled—I even considered swapping my fork for a shovel.
I sat down with the rest of the crew.
“Man, people on Earth sure know how to eat well, huh?” Gulliver’s joke was teed up and ready, and he just kicked it home.
“Nothing like a good nap to work up an appetite,” I played along.
“Well, look at you, all dressed up in uniform,” Tài chimed in.
I didn’t want to know what the food was—I was more concerned with the fact that it tasted amazing. Or maybe I was just starving.
“I heard you’re famous, Commander,” I said, turning to Cirakari.
“Apparently, staying alive long enough is all it takes to get famous,” she dismissed the compliment with a wave of her hand.
“I heard it’s more than that. You’ve shot down four interceptors, right?”
“Yes, but that was Gulliver and Tài’s doing,” she said, pointing to them. “By the way, who have you been talking to for all this gossip?”
“I’m trying to fit in, and the easiest way to do that is by swapping rumors,” I replied playfully.
“If I were you, I’d be careful with those rumors. There are a lot of conflicts of interest around here. One wrong word to the wrong person, and it could be the end of you.”
I nodded as I stuffed my mouth with food. I didn’t want to admit it, but she seemed right.
“So, how did things go with the Admirals?” she asked.
She had to wait until I finished chewing and swallowing to get a response.
“I don’t think it went quite how they expected… I tried to help as much as I could, but the only thing I have to offer is general knowledge from 150 years ago—not exactly useful.”
“They asked me if you could replace Louis...” she said, and suddenly the light atmosphere at the table darkened.
“We’re just cogs in a big machine,” Tài added.
“We don’t have a choice, this is our reality,” Cirakari responded. “If we were civilians, we’d be going about our lives, calm and unaware that hell is coming to TRAPPIST-1 in the next few weeks.”
“I know that, but still, he was our friend,” Tài said, leading into an unspoken minute of silence.
“Anyway, Fred,” Cirakari said after the pause, “I told them about your performance patching up the Peregrina during the attack. I said you had a knack for it. I also mentioned you’re an engineer with knowledge of fusion and fission.”
“What exactly did Louis do?”
“Power Control and Maintenance, Heat, and Survivability Systems—or PCMHS, as we call it. Basically, your job would be to manage the fission reactor, hydrogen and coolant flows, and make emergency repairs, like you did on the Peregrina.”
“Do I have the option to say no? I was never much into military stuff.”
“I think if you don’t want to join the space forces, they’ll take you to Vielovento and try to put you to use in some other way.”
“You said it takes months to train an officer. How would I be ready in just a few weeks?”
“Most of that time is spent learning how to live in space, do EVAs, decision-making, and all that,” she explained. “And you already know how to do that. You’d just need to learn how the Peregrina works.”
“My knowledge is 150 years out of date.”
“Fission physics hasn’t changed. You’ll have to learn the new tech, but the basic physics is the same, right?”
“I don’t want to seem ungrateful or anything, but is there a specific reason you prefer me over a trained and ready officer?”
“There is a reason,” she said, locking eyes with me. “We don’t have any trained and ready officers left. Between picking someone who’s never stepped foot on a ship and a crazy colonist who spent over ten years studying, I’ll take the crazy colonist.”
“I don’t think I’m really cut out for this. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying getting to know you all, but I’m not suited for this kind of thing.”
“You’re probably making the right choice,” Gulliver said. Cirakari shot him a glare with her obsidian eyes. “What? You know how I feel. We should surrender to the Overseers. That’s what the people on Earth did, and as far as I know, it worked out for them.”
“I don’t want to hear you say that again, Lieutenant Gulliver,” Cirakari retorted. “That kind of comment is how people end up slipping in the bathroom.” She finished, subtly nodding toward the other tables.
“Understood, Commander Cirakari,” Gulliver got the message.
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After dinner, I headed to my quarters. Gulliver and Tài taught me how to use the terminal and manage the hologram projector. Unfortunately, there weren’t any video games. I was scrolling through the news, trying to learn more about my new world, when my routine was interrupted by a live broadcast of the Genesis X rescue attempt. The transmission had a three-second delay, meaning it was happening about 900,000 kilometers away.
In the video, four Liberty-class ships, similar to the Peregrina, were attempting the rescue. Two Overseer’s interceptors launched a suicide attack and managed to destroy the light frigates. Immediately afterward, a third interceptor made three attack runs on the Genesis X. Their goal wasn’t to destroy the ship—that would have triggered the emergency systems of the cryo chambers. Instead, they were targeting light weapons directly at the chamber compartments. Even if someone had survived that attack, there were no more A.U.T.N ships nearby to rescue them.
The next morning, I went to Cirakari and accepted her offer to join the crew.