Deep Contact still took a few days further to get into orbit of Neptune. The ship had to compensate for the lack of engine thrust to boost it’s angle, using only the outer air-thrusters along the hull to help guide it in and park at the space station, situated between the planet and its thin dusty-like rings. Sarah Brigham always loved seeing this kind of view. She piloted the craft like a pro, and marvelled at the vista before her. The bridge crew was equally interested from the panoramic view they got. The main window filled vast as the got closer, as the orbital station became greater in detail with each minute.

Commander Yang, sat in his chair, looking over at Riley’s empty seat, and gave a disappointed sigh. He had tried to coax the captain in making this docking as a special event for the crew, but, Riley refused and instructed Yang to do it for him. This had become a common occurrence of late, and Yang was getting tired of it.

“Coming up on Poseidon Alpha One station, Commander.” Sarah announced.

“Steady as she goes, Brigham.” He instructed back. “Park her as best you can into that docking section.”

“Looks like it’s still under construction.” Jen Sakura pointed out. “It’s pretty big though, even if it is half-way built.”

Yang nodded in agreement. The station was only fifty-percent done, with most of the outer sections stretching out with only a skeletal structure of metal girders and incomplete panelling dotted about. The centre was round and bulbous, but it was totally finished and already home to a good number of personnel and colonists making a life for themselves out here. Sakura wondered how anyone could manage to do that so far from Earth. Supplies take months or a year to ship out to this place. That’s a long time to wait for the necessities.

The ECUF was already an established presence here, as was The Omega Group. There were two smaller military vessels parked in place around it, and an Omega Group section that looked out of place as it sat at the top of this expanding station. It was like they built their own facility elsewhere and attached it later to the main section of Poseidon Alpha One.

Doctor Nyjiumu stepped onto the bridge as they pulled up closer and stood beside Yang as he watched on.

“Amazing what humans have accomplished in such a short time.” Nyjiumu stated. “And to think that Jupiter station is something to behold, this… well, this is just as amazing.”

“Wait till you hear what they have planned for Pluto.” Yang snickered. “They’re planning to encompass it in some sort of see-through glass fabrication.”

“You’re kidding?” The doctor frowned at him. “Like a fish bowl, or something?”

“Yeah,” Yang giggled. “Something like that, Doc. The great plan is to terraform it over the course of centuries, make it into a mini-Earth. Don’t ask me how, that’s beyond my pay grade.”

“Must be something those Omega kids thought up.” Sarah dismissed. “I’d just like to know how they’re going to solve the gravity issue on that one. Its a planetoid, with very little spin, for Pete’s sake…”

“Ah-ah-ah, not anymore, the science council states otherwise, they’ve just declared it a planet again.” Sakura corrected her.

“Again?” The doctor turned to her. “That’s like the twentieth time they’ve changed their minds on that.”

“Twenty-fifth, actually,” Sakura informed him. “Perhaps they’re hoping to kill that debate by turning it into a viable world. As for the gravitational issue, Sarah, I believe they’re working something to compensate for that.”

Yang rubbed his chin in thought, and looked up at the station, now filling up the window view.

“That could take a long time to work out the problem. But, I’ve never known The Omega Group not to find a solution, yet.” He shifted in his seat, returning to a command posture. “A discussion for another time, it’s back to business everyone. Helm, prepare for docking.”

“Aye, sir,” Sarah nodded, and focused her attention back on the controls. “Linking the nav-computer to the station’s AI, confirmation has been approved, and docking arms are open… ready to proceed.”

Yang stood up from his chair and walked over to her console. He leaned on the edge of it and kept his view on the station docking area. There was a section that widened, compensating for the size of the ship, and a string of lights switched on along the sides. These lights were actually magnetic stabilizers, that guided the craft towards it, and then would lock onto the hull. Sarah let go of her joystick, allowing the station’s artificial intelligence to navigate it successfully in place.

The sound of the docking arms clamping onto the hull reverberated throughout the ship. Everyone felt a slight shift as it rocked the vessel, but it was brief. Once it was done, Yang patted Sarah on the shoulder and glanced around at the bridge crew.

“A fine job everyone,” He grinned. “Inform the crew that shore leave is hereby granted, and will be in shifts.”

“Welcome to Poseidon Alpha One,” The station’s female voiced AI greeted over the bridge communications. “Please enjoy your stay here, and have a wonderful day.”

Sarah leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms.

“Mmm,” She smirked. “That woman sounds sexy.”

Yang did a double take to her.

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“It’s an AI lieutenant, not a real person.”

“I know,” She smiled at him, giving a wink. “But, with a voice like that, I’d bed that girl any day.”

“Charming…” Sakura scoffed.

Yang laughed at her response and motioned for them to get off the bridge. Sakura acknowledged him, as did Sarah, and the Doctor walked out giggling at their antics.

* * *

The first bunch of crewmen bound for shore leave hustled and bustled about the narrow corridors of Deep Contact. They were chatting, laughing, and filling up the narrow space as they all headed for the main airlock on mid-level. The door was wide open to an umbilical that connected directly to Poseidon. The excitement of being off ship was palpable. Those that remained behind, and wait for their turn, like Scott Robinson, tried not to let all that dampen their spirits. Unfortunately for him, he was given security duty at the airlock doorway. He had to watch all these happy people come waltzing through. Those that pasted by, mocked his predicament, giving slight “see ya” and “sucks to be you” comments.

Scott just took it in strides, giving slight smirks to each person saying it, and rolling his eyes at their behaviour. He wore the full black security garb, complete with weapon in hand, and a protective helmet. A tad overkill in his view, but protocol for all ECUF ships. He wanted to be part of security, so, he had to follow procedure and look goofy standing there.

“Catch you later, Rob-duh-son!” A crewman mocked.

“Bite me, Gonzales,” Scott grumbled, looking away from him. “Ya prick…”

“What was that?” The young latino man glared back. He stopped in his tracks, along with his three other friends, and stepped over to Robinson with disapproving eye. “What did you say to me, you son of a bitch? Did you just call me a prick?”

“Nah,” Scott shrugged. “Must have been hearing things. Go have a lovely time with yer buds.”

The other friends tried to pull Gonzales away, dismissing Scott’s flippant behaviour, but the young man refused to go with them. He got closer to Scott’s face, and raised a fist to him.

“Naw, dude, I heard you say it. You want to settle this on the station? Huh? Let’s go, bro!”

“I said,” Robinson stated, staring him down, and gritting his teeth. “Go have a lovely time… now, quit yer yapping, get moving, or else the butt of this gun is going to make contact with that thick head of yours.”

“You think you’re so tough, don’t ya Scotty.” Gonzales snarled. “But you’re just a punk, a low-life southern punk.”

“Is this because I took your bunk when we came aboard? Or the fact that the ladies seem more attracted to me than you?”

“You son of a…”

Gonzales was a bout to take a swing, when Commander Yang and Doctor Nyjiumu showed up. The Commander ran over and grappled his arm.

“What the hell is going on here, crewman!” Yang shouted at him.

“Commander Yang!” Gonzales glanced in surprise. “I, uh, I… this guy was… mocking me.”

Yang stared up at Robinson, who stood motionless while looking up. He tried to to provoke the situation, and held his weapon in a stationary position. The doctor shook his head in disappointment.

“Is that true, Ensign?” Nyjiumu asked with a raised brow.

“Sorry, sir,” Scott exhaled. “That’s on me, I apologize to both of you and him…”

Yang forced Gonzales back, releasing his arm and stood between the two.

“Enough of this, nonsense,” Yang glanced to both men. He then pointed to Gonzales. “You, if you’re on shore leave, then get going, otherwise, I’ll have you cleaning the washrooms right now and for the entire week.”

Gonzales looked as though he wanted to protest further, as he grimaced at Robinson, but he decided otherwise, and left the ship with his other friends waiting nearby. Yang turned his attention to Scott and raised a finger to him.

“Don’t you dare let that happen again, Ensign. Or I’ll right you up for it. You hear me, mister!”

“Aye-aye, sir,” Robinson nodded back.

Commander Yang looked back at the doctor before stepping out of the airlock door and into the umbilical corridor. Nyjiumu was just about to follow behind, when he paused beside Robinson and glanced up at him.

“I get it.” He snickered. “You’re itching to get some R and R too. But, take care, my boy. Just be patient. All good things come to those who wait, yes?”

“If you say so, Doc,” Robinson smirked. “If you say so…”

The doctor patted his shoulder like a kind father, and gave him a smile back.

“You’re a good man, Ensign. Don’t stoop to such levels others do.”

And with that, Nyjiumu walked off the ship, whistling a tune Scott never heard of before, and joined up with Commander Yang at the other end of the umbilical. Scott exhaled with relief.

“Get a grip, Scotty ol’ boy… you’re going to get spaced if this rate.”

* * *

Captain Riley sat in his small, cramped office adjacent to the bridge. There was a port window to the right of him, where he could see the station and the planet below. Though, the view was mainly of the station, since it was so large. His workspace table was no bigger than his lap, and the shelves behind were narrow and full of his old books and trinkets he’d collected over the years; A mug from his favourite pub back in Ireland, a picture of his deceased wife, and several navel antiques that were once used by oceanic vessels on Earth. The best and favoured one by him, was the bronze eighteen-eighty-five navigation sextant. These would be used to chart the distance between sea and land back then. Something no sailor could do without when charting unknown oceanic territories.

Riley wasn’t actually doing any work in his office, he was just sitting there, looking depressed, casually looking out the small window from time to time. In his mind, he conversed with his dead wife, as if she were there listening to him:

I don’t know if I can do this anymore, my love. I’m so lonely without you. I’m trying my best to hang in there, but, the months and weeks are making this worst as it drags on. Oh, Linda… I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you, in the end. This damn career kept me from you, I really wanted to spend more time with each other, and not stuck out in space doing nothing but routine patrols. God, what was I thinking? I should have just quit the damn job and left the military, like you suggested.

Now, here I am, the furthest I’ve been away from Earth in years, on a brand new ship that’s full of gremlins sabotaging it already. I remember the old tales, my great, great grandfather wrote about in his book. Of World War Two pilots talking about mischievous fairytale creatures messing with their planes on maiden flights, and crashing them because they yanked out the workings. Yeah, those were some good stories, they always terrified me as a kid. But, who knows, maybe they’re real. Maybe they’re on this ship, gumming up the works and making it impossible for us to leave this system. Yes-yes, I know, you’re right, I’m just being negative again, aren’t I.

I suppose I should go and stroll about while I can. To see a different place, on that station there, before I’m locked away for all eternity on this doomed vessel. Maybe that will help, do you think? Fine, I’ll go. God, I wish I could tell someone about this mission we’re embarking on. But whom could I trust with this? Who here doesn’t have a grudge with me already? Would they even believe my word? Oh, God, Linda… I wish they never told me in the first place. I wish they had spaced me for my crime, at least then, I would be with you forever and ever.

Yeah-yeah-yeah, I know, shut up and get off your arse. Live while I can. I’ll try, my love, I’ll damn well will try.