The lights stayed off even as I finished my meal. Hopefully the reclamation system on this scraped-together bucket of bolts was at all similar to what I was used to. All one had to do was place their trash and such into the food slot and the system would automatically take care of everything. Well, it would when and if it worked. God, I hoped it would work.

Given a lack of any useful information on anything, I continued down the hall. It angled toward the other side as doors lined either side of it. All of which were closed. At least human paranoia and history taught ship designers that there had to be some sort of non-powered method to open and close doors.

The first door slid back just enough for me to get my head inside before getting jammed on something. A few small, circular windows let in enough light so that I could make out a room filled with scattered machines.

My hopes soared as I caught sight of them only to crash back down as I noticed the amount of pieces interspersed amongst the mess. I highly doubted anything was intact. Hell, it was unlikely that any of those machines even worked.

With a shake of my head, I moved on to the next door. I even managed to get it halfway open. The room inside was clean. A bed took up one wall while a desk took over the other. Nearly the entire wall between the two was taken up by a massive window. A window that was nearly covered in dirt.

Curious as to whose room this was, I opened the drawers. There were data sticks, data pads, some small tools, and a few other items. But the thing that caught my eye was the two envelopes sitting next to a pair of pictures. One was of everyone I grew up with while the other was of me and Kailee. Her head was on my shoulder as she hung off my back.

For the life of me, I couldn’t recall anything about the day this picture was taken. The fact that some of my memories were as clear as the day they happened while others were simply missing was going to drive me crazy.

Still, something about the image caused my eyes to sting and my breath to hitch. Just where was she? How was she doing? Would I ever see her again? I set the pictures back into the drawer and pulled out the first of the envelopes. As I opened it and pulled out the paper inside, I recognized the elegant handwriting.

Ernesto,

By the time you read this, you will be at your destination. Or at least you should be unless you decided to ignore my clear instructions. But then again, you have never been the most obedient child out there.

Still, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you do your best. That you do what you were sent there to do. If all goes well, then we will be on the first ship to join you.

Just know that, even if we are not with you physically, we are with you in spirit. Supporting you every step of the way as you help to build a whole new world.

With love,

Octavia Russo

P.S. – The data stick inside the envelope contains music, books, and movies that I know you enjoy. Just remember to not take on too much at one time and to rest. This is a marathon after all.

The stinging in my eyes had grown as I read the letter. By the end, I found I could no longer contain my tears. I set the letter down so that I could wipe them away with a sleeve just as the lights turned back on.

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“Well, that was…wait, where did you go this time?” The AI’s voice cut through the silence. “Oh, there you are. Anyway, about that door?”

I sniffled a bit before asking a question of the AI. “Are we really on another planet?”

“Well duh. Did you really think there was any place like this left in the Sol system?”

It was right. The truth was outside, but I still had to ask. “But how?”

“Some stupid lucky tick…wait, no, that’s not right. Scientist! That’s the word.” The system sounded almost happy to have found out the word it was looking for. If only my memories were as easy to find. “Some stupid lucky scientist found a way to bend space. Before they were fired and charged with wasting resources, they managed to send a probe through. It found three potentially habitable systems in close proximity.”

“Wait, wait, wait…” I pinched my brows in disbelief. Talk about wormholes or faster-than-light travel had been all over science fiction for, well, ever. Given that, I was pretty sure the damned system was mistaking a fictional book for the real deal. Then again, how else would I explain where I was? “And why did they send me here? Surely there are better people to send to a new planet. Scientists and the like.”

“Sure, except they are focused on maintaining everything back at home. Trying to stretch what little is left. Plus, no one could be sure what the conditions were like on this side.”

“So we are guinea pigs. Leave it to the government to look to us spacers for test subjects.” I scoffed while slamming a hand onto the desk hard enough to cause the letter to shift.

The AI stayed silent for a minute before letting out a sigh. “Pretty much, yes. But let's be honest. Who would you trust to tell you that somewhere is safe and ready? A spacer or someone who has spent their entire spoiled life planetside?”

“Spacer,” was my instant reply.

“Anyway, as I was saying.” The AI continued. “A massive system-wide effort was made to build a single ship to carry the first people to the planets. You are one of those selected.” Well, that explained the crappy ship. It was likely put together with scraps and parts scrounged from anywhere and everywhere. Just as long as it didn’t impact the rich.

“And what do I get for taking such a risk?” I asked while thinking about my mother and friend.

“Other than being one of the first to explore a new planet? Four people of your choice are given tickets on the first ship to the planet as well as the first pick of land.” Wait, that would mean that we would be able to own our own land. To no longer have to worry about if we would have enough to pay for the bare minimum. And, since it was just me and my mom, I would be able to get Kailee and her parents out of that hell hole too.

“Now, before you go counting your puppies…wait that’s not…fuck it. We need to get this place up and running. It will be even more of a challenge for us given the state of everything.”

With a final wipe of my eyes, I nodded. “Okay, just tell me where to go and what to do.”

“Um…go down the hall and grab the shovel. Hmm, you might want to grab the pry bar as well.” Following the AI’s instructions, I found the objects hanging on magnets inside a small cabinet set into the wall. “Our best bet would be the door near the back of the ship. While it might be the biggest, it is also the closest to the surface.”

As I made my way around the ship, I made sure to stay away from any of the plants. Of course, this meant I slipped and slid in the furrows of dirt. Furrows that got steeper the further back I went. Loose wires, pieces of metal, and even a bit of oily liquid were strewn along the path.

Given the amount of visible dents, buckling, and even rents torn into the ship, it wasn’t a surprise. It was honestly surprising that I had survived the landing at all. For all intents and purposes, I shouldn’t have. Some of the damage came too close to some tanks of fuel. Other rents cut deep enough for me to make out daylight on the other side.

Finally, though, I made it around the pair of engines set into the back of the hull. The door I was looking for was between them. With a quick look, I found that the AI had been right. It was only partially covered. Too bad partially, in this case, meant at least a good foot of dirt needed to be removed. At least the dirt was loose and soft. I managed to clear the place with just under two hours of work.

As the AI worked to lower the door, I leaned against the ship's hull. At first, my eyes looked out at the alien land, but the pair of objects high in the sky caught my attention. Two moons worked their way across the sky. If I hadn't believed I was on another planet yet, the sight was enough to convince me.

As I watched them dance across the sky, a mix of awe and loneliness washed over me. I wondered what everyone else on this planet was doing right now. Did they all land safely? Were they already getting set up? Were any of them looking up at the moons at this moment? Would my mother or Kailee ever see this place? Would I ever see them again?