applepie
07-31-2007, 08:10 PM
I've thought of a tentative title for my stoy and have made many changes to what I already have written. I've added in a scene, and also expanded a little more on some of the scenes already written. I've also changed the breaks for chapters, so the story looks pretty different than the original. This is a work in progress, and I'm currently writing the fourth chapter. I know this is long to read, but please read it if you have time. The feedback that I'm getting from readers here is one of my main tools for editing. I know the formatting is a bit off since I'm still copy and pasting from my original document, but I hope you enjoy the story.
Meg
Chapter 1
Arabella surveyed her appearance in the mirror as she began to tuck one last curl into the tight knot at the back of her head. She was a lovely girl with black hair that cascaded to her waist in curls when left unbound. She had a heart shaped face with a pert nose, but her lips were just a little too full for her face to be truly stunning. The most unique thing about her appearance was the large aquamarine eyes that stared out at you as if they could look right to your soul. Without such unique eyes, fringed by thick black lashes Arabella would have been merely attractive, but those eyes made anyone who looked upon her think she was a great beauty.
With her hair firmly secured Arabella turned to collect her travel bag. As she did so it was impossible to miss the bareness of the room. Not three days before the room had been filled with ornate furniture and tokens of her life. Now, the large canopy bed that had been draped in silk the color of the night sky had been tucked away in a storage unit with all her other worldly belongings to await her return. The few personal items of importance, like the picture of her mother, sister, and niece were already stowed aboard the shuttle so as not to be forgotten at departure.
This would be Arabella’s last journey the duration of which was expected to last six months. The company for which she worked had made it possible for an early retirement at the very young age of thirty. It helped that the last twelve years of Arabella’s life had been devoted to the design and manufacture of spacecraft that were at the leading edge of technology. Not only was Arabella a gifted engineer, but she was also well skilled in the programming of onboard computers as well as piloting deep-space craft. Today was actually the final step in the design process for the newest Ara space craft, a line fully engineered and tested by Arabella. The newest model was the Ara X. The craft was capable of reaching the closest galaxy in only a single week. Other spacecraft models required at least a month to travel the same distance. Arabella had managed to cut the time that it would take to make the same journey by devising a way to actually create small tunnels through space. The Ara X would actually move through a series of these tunnels, from one visible landmark to another at four times the speed the shuttle would normally fly. In laboratory tests the technology had been perfected and now all that was left to do is test the working equipment in the spacecraft.
Arabella left her apartment building with bag in hand. She had one final stop before she went to the space station. She had agreed to meet with her coworkers for lunch at a restaurant only two blocks down from her apartment. It was a deceptively shabby place called Mary Lou’s which served some of the best home cooking that Arabella had ever tasted. She was a regular at Mary’s store so when she arrived there was already a table waiting.
“Hey there Bella” called Mary Lou, the restaurant’s namesake. She was a delicate looking woman with hair the color of golden honey. Many people expected that she would be an elderly woman who looked motherly, so they were surprised to see that she was very young and modern looking. Arabella had always thought she looked like a fairy princess with her blond ringlets, cornflower blue eyes, and petite frame. Though she looked like a princess, Mary had the temper of a dragon. Arabella had lost count of the times that she had seen Mary forcing men out of her diner for taking liberties with herself or her servers. She chuckled softly to herself at the memory of her forcing a man three times her size out the door brandishing a bat to ensure that he left the premises.
“How are you today Mary? Is business good?” Arabella smiled and waved. She was already moving towards the table with four of her coworkers.
“You know it is. Who could resist some of Mary Lou’s cooking?” This prompted a giggle from Arabella who was one of the people who couldn’t resist Mary’s food. She ate dinner at the diner more than she did at her home. Then Mary asked, “Aren’t you leaving today for some sort of test flight?”
“I’m just stopping by for lunch, and then I’m off to the space station. Besides, you didn’t imagine that I would leave without coming to tell you goodbye. I’ll be gone for six whole months this time, and I just have to have my fix of your fried chicken and fudge brownies before I go.” Arabella shared one more smile with Mary Lou before refocusing her attention on the people before her.
Arabella’s regular table in the corner was filled to overflowing her closest friends who also happened to be her coworkers who were creating a spectacle for the other patrons. There were four of them. Three of her guests were men and one was a woman. The woman was Larissa who was more commonly known a Rissa. She was the epitome of WASP breeding with hair so blond it seemed to be made of spun silver, and eyes as blue as the ocean. Her hair was cropped close to her head and currently worn in a multitude of spikes strewn across her head. She looked as if she should be a runway model for a French designer, so it seemed incongruent that she was clothed in baggy jeans and a simple black tank top and even more so that she was a brilliant scientist. The men sitting on either side of her were identical twins Castor and Pollux. Their mother had named them for the twins of Gemini, the constellation they were born under, and they fit the profile. They were as different as day and night, two opposite sides of a coin. Castor was outgoing and vivacious, while Pollux was much more shy and subdued with his emotions. They each shared red hair and green eyes, bestowed on them by their Irish father, and both were very conscious of their physical fitness. It wasn’t uncommon to hear them complain if they found themselves with stomachs that appeared to be less than perfect washboards. Next to the twins, the final person at the table seemed to be very unremarkable. He was neither tall nor short, and neither fat or thin. He was a bespectacled black man who seemed to always speak in monotone much to the frustration of those around him. This was Aiden, one of the kindest men Arabella knew, and he one of the greatest minds ever employed by VegaTech. Aiden was a mathematical genius who could calculate the necessary thrust to place a specific craft into orbit within his head. It was Aiden who had calculated the necessary measurements that made the Ara X reality rather than just a dream.
Arabella took a seat at the table and was immediately bombarded by the conversation around her. It seemed that Castor and Pollux were arguing over who knew the most on black hole theory, and Aiden was mumbling to himself about the calculations and whether or not the systems derived from them were suitable for testing. Rissa was sitting back watching the commotion and she gave Arabella a secret smile as she sat. It was an inside joke between the two of them that at any gathering of the friends Aiden would be focused in his own little world of math and the twins would find something to argue over.
“So, are you ready to make your flight today?” Rissa asked as the others continued with their own discussions.
“Of course I am. This is it for me and then I’m off to a life of leisure and fun. I think my first stop after retirement is going to be some nice warm beach with crystal clear oceans.” Arabella sipped her drink and watched the others for signs that they were going to end their discussions soon. It was always an amusement to see them in a setting outside of work; because it was plain from the other patron’s expressions that they thought the entire table was crazy. She assumed that between Aiden’s talking to himself and the twins yelling about gravitational forces and neutrinos that they did seem pretty odd.
The waitress approached the table and the twins stopped their argument so that everyone could place their order. As promised, Arabella ordered Mary’s exceptional fried chicken, creamed corn, and garlic mashed potatoes. She also placed her order for dessert, knowing that she would be sure to save room for the heavenly fudge brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The waitress read back the entire order for the table to be sure that she had everyone included, and then she sauntered off to give the ticket to the cook.
At the table, Pollux asked Arabella about her apartment. He was curious to know if she already had someone lined up to rent, or if she was still looking. “If you need someone to take over the rent while you are gone, Castor and I would be happy for a new place. Our contract has just come up, and we are looking for somewhere new to live that is closer to the office. Your place would give us a chance to look for something else in the interim and we will be happy to take over any payments for you.”
“I haven’t found a tenant, so if you wish move in immediately. Rent is paid through the month and it will come due again in three weeks on the fifth.”
“Perfect, so we will move in later today before we have to go in to the office,” Castor said. He looked pleased to have delayed really searching for an apartment. All they had to do is move their things and transfer their bills. That was much easier than spending the time calling and visiting dozens of places.
Aiden took on a serous look and said, “We sure are going to miss you. It isn’t going to feel the same without you in the office with us when you leave, and it will seem even stranger when you leave permanently.”
“Well, Vern is still trying to talk me into staying, but retirement will be nice. Besides, it doesn’t mean that I’m not going to see everyone. I’m sure we will all see plenty of one another, just now we won’t have to see each other everyday at work also.”
“Even still, what will we do without you? How are we going to fill your shoes when none of us are willing to put the time and energy into the company that you have?” Rissa asked. “We all know that both you and Vern spend most of your time at the office working. I know that I’m not willing to work hundred hour weeks when there are so many other things to do in life.” She smiled as she said everything so Arabella didn’t take offense at the implication that she had nothing better to do.
The truth was Arabella didn’t have anything else in her life that meant much. She had her family, but they lived almost two thousand miles away, and she didn’t go out to visit often. They disapproved of her relationship with Vern and assumed it to be something more than what it was. Actually, everyone thought that the relationship between the two of them was something it wasn’t. No one was able to believe that they were not a couple merely really close friends with more of a paternal bond than anything. Long ago the two of them had learned to ignore the gossip and not let it have any impact on their personal and professional interactions. They chose to leave their connection as a mystery for others, but he was a huge part of her life.
As the food arrived, the five friends became silent to enjoy their meals. It was almost an entire thirty minutes before anyone spoke again which was a testament of the Mary’s quality recipes. The first to speak was Rissa.
“So, I guess this is really goodbye. Well, I should say bon voyage, since it isn’t really forever. I just can’t believe that after you return there will be no return to work and the regular routine of things. For me this is really the end of an era since you have been the leading designer for the last decade.”
“I guess it is goodbye. It will be hard for me to walk away from VegaTech after I return home, but I think it is time I find some new things to do. I’ve spent the last twelve years working insane hours and never taking a break. It is time for me to enjoy some of the wealth I’ve accumulated and find what the good things are in life.” Arabella looked at her watch and realized it was time to bid everyone farewell. She stood and found that her eyes were misted with tears as she began to say goodbye. “It is only six months and then I will be seeing all of you regularly,” she sniffled a little and waved one last time.
On the way out the door, Arabella paused to tell Mary Lou, “See you in six months. I’ll be coming strait to you for my first meal. I don’t know what I’m going to do without your cooking while I’m gone.”
“Have a safe journey, and I’ll be waiting with a fresh pan of brownies when you get home Bella.”
Chapter 2
Without a backward glance, Arabella walked out the door to a waiting cab. There was a nervous energy about her, which she recognized as overwhelming excitement, as she instructed the driver to take her to the Orion Station. The Orion Station was the main hub for space travel in the area and it was from there that she would be departing on her journey. She turned her head to the window of the cab and proceeded to watch the passing skyline. It crossed her mind that it was going to be quite a long period of time before she returned to her home in Miami, Florida. She might as well look her fill before boarding the Ara X so that there are no lingering thoughts or regrets that she didn’t look at the city one last time before leaving. Miami had been her home for the past twelve years, ever since she left home and joined the ranks of prodigies at VegaTech.
VegaTech was the leading firm in the research and design of deep space shuttles that carried between one and six passengers. In the recent years it had become increasingly popular for small research groups and wealthy families to use such shuttlecrafts to travel for both study and pleasure. The appeal of such small craft for the science community was that it was now unnecessary to spent large sums of money on using the more traditional large deep space shuttles that often carried a few hundred people at a single time. To rent, or even purchase one of these large shuttles for scientific use made conducting any deep space research impossible because of the high costs associated with the project, but the smaller and more affordable shuttles of VegaTech had made such undertakings not only possible but common. The space crafts were also quite popular with wealthy families who could afford to pay the asking price of $500 thousand. They often used them to shuttle between off-planet work sites or to take family vacations to locations outside of the solar system.
Arabella sighed as she thought of all the things that had come from the introduction of smaller and cheaper space craft produced by VegaTech. It was her company’s craft that had carried the first scientists to the Erebus Nebula, which was so named because it seemed to be made of black mist as its namesake was in Greek mythology. It was here that they discovered a new chemical toxin that was capable of destroying cancer within humans without damaging the surrounding tissue. A single injection into the cancer site resulted in the destruction of the cancerous cells within a matter of days. New, uninhabited, planets had been discovered that could be suitable for agricultural purposes. This was especially important for the inhabitants of Earth. They had exhausted their planet’s resources long ago, and now they were dependent on sites located on other planets for food and other resources. The smaller, swifter craft made it possible for an entire fleet of scouts to be searching for planets where people can settle or which can be used for other purposes. The VegaTech craft had also revolutionized the tourist industry. Taking short vacations to off-planet destinations had started to raise with the introduction of the first Ara space craft, and it was now a booming industry. Almost anyone could afford to rent one of the Ara crafts to take a weekend vacation into space. Because of VegaTech people were going further into space, more economically, and more frequently leading to a revolution in the travel industry and a boom in scientific discoveries that was just at its leading edge.
For Arabella, VegaTech had been her life for the last decade or so. She basically lived at her office in the four story VegaTech offices in downtown Miami. Most days found her there by 6 a.m. and often she didn’t leave work until close to midnight, which was if she left work at all and didn’t catch a few hours of sleep on the plush sofa that was also in her office. She had joined the company shortly after reaching her eighteenth year. The company had been fairly unknown at the time, but they were acquiring prodigies, the best and the brightest in key fields like aeronautical engineering and astrophysics. VegaTech had a vision, to be the first company to design and perfect a small, affordable, lightweight shuttle capable of deep space travel. Arabella had been part of the first design team to create the first shuttle VegaTech released, the Vega Flier. In the subsequent years the company had quickly carved out their place in the space shuttle industry and was now the industry leader in small shuttles. The craft had changed over the years but each new shuttle still gave Arabella the same thrill as that first craft. Now, to have her own line of shuttles that she had been designing and testing for the past four years, that had been a true fulfillment of dreams. The company had always been very generous with their employees, since many of them had been with VegaTech at the start of their success, but in Arabella’s case they had given her a ten percent share in the profits from the Ara line. They had never imagined that she would be able to make the line the flagship line of the company and one of the most successful shuttlecraft lines in history.
The cab reached the Orion Station and slowed to a stop. Arabella quit with her perusal of the skyline and paid the cabby. She exited the car and entered into the station. A magnificent domed room of glass greeted her, from which she was able to see departing shuttles as they blasted into the heavens. The launch pad for VegaTech was in its own private area of the station and Arabella immediately proceeded to the dock. It was a long walk, but it was one that Arabella savored knowing that this would be her last adventure. Well, maybe it wouldn’t be her last adventure since as part of her retirement she had been promised to always have one of VegaTech’s shuttles available for her personal use, but it would be the last time that she was testing a shuttle and technology designed solely by her. It was always such a thrill to see your dream come into being and be in the thick of the events when it occurred.
“Arabella, it is good to see you. Are you ready to make history?” greeted the man at the door. This was Vern, the founder of VegaTech and the man who was more a father to her than the man who sired her. Vern was 6’5’’ with a shaved head and tattoos covering his arms making him look more like a criminal than a CEO and founder of one of the most successful companies in recent history. He looked as if he spent every day of his life in the gym, but anyone who knew him well was both aware that this wasn’t the case. He was one of the few people who just remained thin no matter what he put into his body. Most nights found both Vern and Arabella at the office eating fast food and talking of the latest project. In his mid forties Vern had no family and had devoted his life to building his company. All of his employees were hand chosen by him, and many of them were close friends as well. When she first began to work for VegaTech, Arabella had been intimidated by Vern, but she quickly learned to consider him one of her closest and most trusted friends. For Vern’s part, he had never shown anything but kindness to Arabella and he treated her more like a daughter than an employee though he wasn’t really that much older than her. The way he greeted her now, you wouldn’t know that they had just spent the previous night together having dinner and talking till the early morning. Vern always greeted Arabella like he hadn’t seen her in ages, but today it was different. She was about to leave for six months, and that was a long time to go without having late night meals in the office. It seemed like a lifetime away from Vern, the man who had filled to void left by her own father’s abandonment.
“Is it history that we are making today,” Arabella said with a broad smile and a kiss on Vern’s cheek, “I thought we were here to make money.” She was well aware that it wasn’t money that drove Vern. He had more than enough to live richly for the rest of his days. Vern was driven by the challenge, much like herself, to always go one step further and be the best. For her teasing Arabella received a small chuckle and a big bear hug.
“You know I don’t need the money imp. Let’s get this test finished so I can try to talk you into staying when you get back. I hate to let someone so talented go when they have so much left to give. Plus, who will take care of me when you are gone?” This was said with a pouting look that was completely out of place on Vern’s fierce countenance.
“Now, we’ve been through this. I’m not staying, but we will still see plenty of each other. In fact, you will likely see more of me that what you wish to.”
“Never Bellisimo, could I see too much of you,” Vern replied using the pet name he had bestowed on her years before. The familiar endearment warmed Arabella’s heart, and steadied her for the coming voyage. She knew that he would be here waiting when she returned, and it was a comfort to know that he would be here the whole time vigilant, worrying and loving her, waiting for her safe return from another adventure. She always viewed new test flights as an adventure because there was always something exciting that happened. One time she had been able to watch a supernova occur in near real-time from a neighboring solar system.
With a smile Arabella linked her arm with Vern’s, and they moved through the door and crossed the docking bay to survey the Ara X. She was about sixty feet in length and made of honeycombed titanium. The honeycomb sandwiched between two quarter inch titanium sheets made the hull of the craft one of the strongest in the market. Inside there was a small kitchen, bathing area, and berthing for up to four passengers. There was also a cockpit that contained four seats behind a reinforced glass window which allowed for a full 360 degree view. The engine in back looked much like the one you would find on a fighter jet, but there were some important differences in the design. Fighter jets needed to carry their fuel onboard, but the Ara X craft relied on fusion as its power source. The craft also used beams of radiation to create the tunnels that the craft would travel through. By agitating the particles along a stream they had discovered that it was possible to move much more quickly through them. They believed that the unnaturally high degree of agitation actually created pockets where time and space behaved differently than they would under normal circumstances. In short, the relationship between the two was altered so that one could move a greater distance in the same unit of time. This invention is what the flight was all about. Arabella was to test the jump function of the craft and determine its ranges and limitations. They believed that it would only be useful if the object is within line of site, but they had never tested the line of site theory on the scale that it would experience in space. In the lab, line of site meant only a few feet or even a mile on one of their larger scale tests. In outer space, line of site meant possibly hundreds of light years and it was uncertain how effective the invention would be over such long distances.
Vern gave Arabella one last hug as she climbed into the Ara X, “You know you can still back out on this test if you want. We can do further lab tests to check the safety of the system before such a large scale test.” Vern’s worry was evident in the lines of his face, but only to someone who knew him as well as she did. He was trying to look thrilled, but there was still some small worry that they had missed something in the design of the new system that would prove problematic in a true field test.
“Nothing we can do in the lab will ever tell us how the system behaves in space. Trust me; we’ve perfected it to the best of our abilities. All we need to do now is see how she will behave in the real environment. Don’t worry; I’ll be home before you know it. Six months of testing isn’t that long, and I’ve been on other test voyages longer than that.” With a final wave, Arabella shut the hatch to the Ara X and began to buckle into the pilot seat.
Chapter 3
The Ara X craft was truly a technological marvel. There was enough living space for all four passengers to be mostly comfortable on the flight. For Arabella, this was more than enough space. She already had her personal belongings stowed in the captain’s berth and now it was time to make sure that all the systems were ready and the food stores were loaded. There was enough food to last an entire nine months just in case anything malfunctioned and her trip was delayed. This was common practice with any of the test flights conducted by VegaTech. The control room of the ship was filled with blinking lights and gleaming metal consuls. There was a main computer that acted as the chief interface with the ship. The computer was controlled by voice and all that was necessary to receive information was to ask a simple question and in order to give commands you simply stated what you wanted accomplished. The exceptional thing about the computer was that there was a certain amount of free thinking done by the system. Along with being able to pilot the ship after being conditioned by Arabella, it was possible to converse with the computer as long as the topics were logical. Other systems on board included a defensive weapons system, communications, long range tracking, environmental analysis, navigation, environmental controls for the ship, language recognition, and the newly developed transport system.
“Computer, run a diagnostic check on all systems and tell me the status of food and water stores.” There was a soft hum as the computer began to process the tasks that it was given. A complete diagnostic check of all the systems would take about two minutes, so Arabella sat back to consider the voyage to come. This was to be a fairly routine test flight, but the distance that she would be covering was much larger than normal. On previous flights the range had been within the solar system, but this time she would be traveling all the way to Omega D.
Omega D was a small system discovered twenty years ago that was about ten fifty light years away from the edges of our solar system. There were four planets in Omega D and they were all hospitable. The inhabitants of the system were farmers and businessmen. Two of the planets were lush with vegetation, and they provided food for the entire system. The other two planets in the system were devoted to tourists. One was a planet made up of large oceans and a few small tropical islands. It was known throughout the galaxy for its blood red beaches, glass blue seas, and fantastic resorts. It was on of the most popular destinations for the rich and famous for some relaxation. The other planet was almost the exact opposite. It was still a popular place for tourists, but the planet was covered in ice and mountains. Furthest from the sun the temperature rarely reached above freezing and the mountains were perpetually blanketed in sheets of snow while vast icebergs filled frozen seas.
Arabella had good reason for convincing Vern to allow her to travel so far on a test flight. She would never be able to afford a stay at any of the resorts in the Omega D system, but as part of the voyage she had a scheduled three week break in the system on VegaTech’s expense account. Call it her final escapade with the company to join the ranks of all those that had come before. It was good that Vern had a sense of humor, because all he did was chuckle when she had submitted her proposal for the test. It had actually been his idea to take three weeks of rest in the middle of the trip when Arabella had been content with a couple days worth of sightseeing in the system.
“If you are going to go so far, you might as well enjoy one last vacation on the company. Consider it repayment for all the late nights and for helping make us the success we are,” had been Vern’s reply to her protests that three weeks was too long.
The consul beeped to let Arabella know that the diagnostic was finished. She perused the report on the screen making sure that all systems had passed the diagnostic. Finding no problems with the report she also checked the inventory of supplies on last time to be sure that she had everything the trip required. When these tasks were completed she hailed Vern over the radio to let him know that she was ready to depart as soon as they received approval from the tower.
“Arabella, we have been given the go ahead for launch,” Vern replied after a moment of hesitation while he confirmed with the tower.
Arabella engaged thrusters, and in less than five minutes she was staring down at Earth from the inky darkness of space. No matter how many fights into space she conducted, the view of the planet from space still managed to leave her breathless. There was something exhilarating about being able to look down and really see just how small one single person is in the greatness of space. After a final glance at her surroundings, Arabella contacted Vern to let him know that she was engaging the experimental system.
“Systems are ready, and I will begin the jump in ten seconds. I expect that I will be out of contact for ten minutes as I make the first jump to Pluto.”
“Be careful Arabella, and contact me as soon as you arrive. Once we know the first jump was successful we will continue with testing until you have reached Omega D.” Arabella began the sequence of buttons that would initiate the first jump and used the scanning system to lock in the location of Pluto.
“Five seconds,” the countdown continued. In the office Vern was wringing his hands and relying on only his force of will to keep his worry from projecting in his voice. Arabella was the closest thing he had to family, and no matter how many tests they did he always worried over new technology. The first jump to Pluto would let him know that continuing on would be safe and that he could expect Arabella’s return in six months. He was sad to see her leave the company, but he knew that she wasn’t leaving him just the job.
“Three, two, one, initiating sequence,” the final countdown drawled from the computer. Arabella closed her eyes, unsure of what to expect as the Ara X lurched forward into space at a speed that forced her against the seat. The force of the jump caused her to black out for what seemed to be only moments, but when Arabella opened her eyes it was not to the glorious sight of Pluto. All she saw was the black velvet of space with pinpoints of light emitted from far off stars. Immediately, Arabella ordered the computer to tell her the location.
“Location unknown,” came the reply in the same lilting voice one would tell you the weather. The information was like a tsunami crashing on the waves for Arabella. Something hadn’t worked properly and she was in an unknown part of the Universe. At the thought, Arabella began to lose all composure, because the Universe was immense in size, but everything within five-hundred light years of her own galaxy had been explored. The area being unknown meant that she may never find herself at home again. She may never feel Vern envelope her in his consuming love, or watch Mary lose her temper, never to see Castor and Pollux argue over something inconsequential, and never sit down to a dinner with Rissa and Aiden. Her breath caught in her chest in tight, gasping, spurts of air as the full impact of her situation smacked her in the face. Her eyes, which only moments ago had held a look of joy and anticipation, overflowed with tears as she surveyed the area. When the invisible hand squeezing her heart and chest relented and she was finally able to draw a deep breath it came out in uncontrollable sobs while her body was wracked with the strength of her emotion. For the first time in her life she lost all control of her sanity and curled into a weeping ball on the floor of the Ara X.
Meg
Chapter 1
Arabella surveyed her appearance in the mirror as she began to tuck one last curl into the tight knot at the back of her head. She was a lovely girl with black hair that cascaded to her waist in curls when left unbound. She had a heart shaped face with a pert nose, but her lips were just a little too full for her face to be truly stunning. The most unique thing about her appearance was the large aquamarine eyes that stared out at you as if they could look right to your soul. Without such unique eyes, fringed by thick black lashes Arabella would have been merely attractive, but those eyes made anyone who looked upon her think she was a great beauty.
With her hair firmly secured Arabella turned to collect her travel bag. As she did so it was impossible to miss the bareness of the room. Not three days before the room had been filled with ornate furniture and tokens of her life. Now, the large canopy bed that had been draped in silk the color of the night sky had been tucked away in a storage unit with all her other worldly belongings to await her return. The few personal items of importance, like the picture of her mother, sister, and niece were already stowed aboard the shuttle so as not to be forgotten at departure.
This would be Arabella’s last journey the duration of which was expected to last six months. The company for which she worked had made it possible for an early retirement at the very young age of thirty. It helped that the last twelve years of Arabella’s life had been devoted to the design and manufacture of spacecraft that were at the leading edge of technology. Not only was Arabella a gifted engineer, but she was also well skilled in the programming of onboard computers as well as piloting deep-space craft. Today was actually the final step in the design process for the newest Ara space craft, a line fully engineered and tested by Arabella. The newest model was the Ara X. The craft was capable of reaching the closest galaxy in only a single week. Other spacecraft models required at least a month to travel the same distance. Arabella had managed to cut the time that it would take to make the same journey by devising a way to actually create small tunnels through space. The Ara X would actually move through a series of these tunnels, from one visible landmark to another at four times the speed the shuttle would normally fly. In laboratory tests the technology had been perfected and now all that was left to do is test the working equipment in the spacecraft.
Arabella left her apartment building with bag in hand. She had one final stop before she went to the space station. She had agreed to meet with her coworkers for lunch at a restaurant only two blocks down from her apartment. It was a deceptively shabby place called Mary Lou’s which served some of the best home cooking that Arabella had ever tasted. She was a regular at Mary’s store so when she arrived there was already a table waiting.
“Hey there Bella” called Mary Lou, the restaurant’s namesake. She was a delicate looking woman with hair the color of golden honey. Many people expected that she would be an elderly woman who looked motherly, so they were surprised to see that she was very young and modern looking. Arabella had always thought she looked like a fairy princess with her blond ringlets, cornflower blue eyes, and petite frame. Though she looked like a princess, Mary had the temper of a dragon. Arabella had lost count of the times that she had seen Mary forcing men out of her diner for taking liberties with herself or her servers. She chuckled softly to herself at the memory of her forcing a man three times her size out the door brandishing a bat to ensure that he left the premises.
“How are you today Mary? Is business good?” Arabella smiled and waved. She was already moving towards the table with four of her coworkers.
“You know it is. Who could resist some of Mary Lou’s cooking?” This prompted a giggle from Arabella who was one of the people who couldn’t resist Mary’s food. She ate dinner at the diner more than she did at her home. Then Mary asked, “Aren’t you leaving today for some sort of test flight?”
“I’m just stopping by for lunch, and then I’m off to the space station. Besides, you didn’t imagine that I would leave without coming to tell you goodbye. I’ll be gone for six whole months this time, and I just have to have my fix of your fried chicken and fudge brownies before I go.” Arabella shared one more smile with Mary Lou before refocusing her attention on the people before her.
Arabella’s regular table in the corner was filled to overflowing her closest friends who also happened to be her coworkers who were creating a spectacle for the other patrons. There were four of them. Three of her guests were men and one was a woman. The woman was Larissa who was more commonly known a Rissa. She was the epitome of WASP breeding with hair so blond it seemed to be made of spun silver, and eyes as blue as the ocean. Her hair was cropped close to her head and currently worn in a multitude of spikes strewn across her head. She looked as if she should be a runway model for a French designer, so it seemed incongruent that she was clothed in baggy jeans and a simple black tank top and even more so that she was a brilliant scientist. The men sitting on either side of her were identical twins Castor and Pollux. Their mother had named them for the twins of Gemini, the constellation they were born under, and they fit the profile. They were as different as day and night, two opposite sides of a coin. Castor was outgoing and vivacious, while Pollux was much more shy and subdued with his emotions. They each shared red hair and green eyes, bestowed on them by their Irish father, and both were very conscious of their physical fitness. It wasn’t uncommon to hear them complain if they found themselves with stomachs that appeared to be less than perfect washboards. Next to the twins, the final person at the table seemed to be very unremarkable. He was neither tall nor short, and neither fat or thin. He was a bespectacled black man who seemed to always speak in monotone much to the frustration of those around him. This was Aiden, one of the kindest men Arabella knew, and he one of the greatest minds ever employed by VegaTech. Aiden was a mathematical genius who could calculate the necessary thrust to place a specific craft into orbit within his head. It was Aiden who had calculated the necessary measurements that made the Ara X reality rather than just a dream.
Arabella took a seat at the table and was immediately bombarded by the conversation around her. It seemed that Castor and Pollux were arguing over who knew the most on black hole theory, and Aiden was mumbling to himself about the calculations and whether or not the systems derived from them were suitable for testing. Rissa was sitting back watching the commotion and she gave Arabella a secret smile as she sat. It was an inside joke between the two of them that at any gathering of the friends Aiden would be focused in his own little world of math and the twins would find something to argue over.
“So, are you ready to make your flight today?” Rissa asked as the others continued with their own discussions.
“Of course I am. This is it for me and then I’m off to a life of leisure and fun. I think my first stop after retirement is going to be some nice warm beach with crystal clear oceans.” Arabella sipped her drink and watched the others for signs that they were going to end their discussions soon. It was always an amusement to see them in a setting outside of work; because it was plain from the other patron’s expressions that they thought the entire table was crazy. She assumed that between Aiden’s talking to himself and the twins yelling about gravitational forces and neutrinos that they did seem pretty odd.
The waitress approached the table and the twins stopped their argument so that everyone could place their order. As promised, Arabella ordered Mary’s exceptional fried chicken, creamed corn, and garlic mashed potatoes. She also placed her order for dessert, knowing that she would be sure to save room for the heavenly fudge brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The waitress read back the entire order for the table to be sure that she had everyone included, and then she sauntered off to give the ticket to the cook.
At the table, Pollux asked Arabella about her apartment. He was curious to know if she already had someone lined up to rent, or if she was still looking. “If you need someone to take over the rent while you are gone, Castor and I would be happy for a new place. Our contract has just come up, and we are looking for somewhere new to live that is closer to the office. Your place would give us a chance to look for something else in the interim and we will be happy to take over any payments for you.”
“I haven’t found a tenant, so if you wish move in immediately. Rent is paid through the month and it will come due again in three weeks on the fifth.”
“Perfect, so we will move in later today before we have to go in to the office,” Castor said. He looked pleased to have delayed really searching for an apartment. All they had to do is move their things and transfer their bills. That was much easier than spending the time calling and visiting dozens of places.
Aiden took on a serous look and said, “We sure are going to miss you. It isn’t going to feel the same without you in the office with us when you leave, and it will seem even stranger when you leave permanently.”
“Well, Vern is still trying to talk me into staying, but retirement will be nice. Besides, it doesn’t mean that I’m not going to see everyone. I’m sure we will all see plenty of one another, just now we won’t have to see each other everyday at work also.”
“Even still, what will we do without you? How are we going to fill your shoes when none of us are willing to put the time and energy into the company that you have?” Rissa asked. “We all know that both you and Vern spend most of your time at the office working. I know that I’m not willing to work hundred hour weeks when there are so many other things to do in life.” She smiled as she said everything so Arabella didn’t take offense at the implication that she had nothing better to do.
The truth was Arabella didn’t have anything else in her life that meant much. She had her family, but they lived almost two thousand miles away, and she didn’t go out to visit often. They disapproved of her relationship with Vern and assumed it to be something more than what it was. Actually, everyone thought that the relationship between the two of them was something it wasn’t. No one was able to believe that they were not a couple merely really close friends with more of a paternal bond than anything. Long ago the two of them had learned to ignore the gossip and not let it have any impact on their personal and professional interactions. They chose to leave their connection as a mystery for others, but he was a huge part of her life.
As the food arrived, the five friends became silent to enjoy their meals. It was almost an entire thirty minutes before anyone spoke again which was a testament of the Mary’s quality recipes. The first to speak was Rissa.
“So, I guess this is really goodbye. Well, I should say bon voyage, since it isn’t really forever. I just can’t believe that after you return there will be no return to work and the regular routine of things. For me this is really the end of an era since you have been the leading designer for the last decade.”
“I guess it is goodbye. It will be hard for me to walk away from VegaTech after I return home, but I think it is time I find some new things to do. I’ve spent the last twelve years working insane hours and never taking a break. It is time for me to enjoy some of the wealth I’ve accumulated and find what the good things are in life.” Arabella looked at her watch and realized it was time to bid everyone farewell. She stood and found that her eyes were misted with tears as she began to say goodbye. “It is only six months and then I will be seeing all of you regularly,” she sniffled a little and waved one last time.
On the way out the door, Arabella paused to tell Mary Lou, “See you in six months. I’ll be coming strait to you for my first meal. I don’t know what I’m going to do without your cooking while I’m gone.”
“Have a safe journey, and I’ll be waiting with a fresh pan of brownies when you get home Bella.”
Chapter 2
Without a backward glance, Arabella walked out the door to a waiting cab. There was a nervous energy about her, which she recognized as overwhelming excitement, as she instructed the driver to take her to the Orion Station. The Orion Station was the main hub for space travel in the area and it was from there that she would be departing on her journey. She turned her head to the window of the cab and proceeded to watch the passing skyline. It crossed her mind that it was going to be quite a long period of time before she returned to her home in Miami, Florida. She might as well look her fill before boarding the Ara X so that there are no lingering thoughts or regrets that she didn’t look at the city one last time before leaving. Miami had been her home for the past twelve years, ever since she left home and joined the ranks of prodigies at VegaTech.
VegaTech was the leading firm in the research and design of deep space shuttles that carried between one and six passengers. In the recent years it had become increasingly popular for small research groups and wealthy families to use such shuttlecrafts to travel for both study and pleasure. The appeal of such small craft for the science community was that it was now unnecessary to spent large sums of money on using the more traditional large deep space shuttles that often carried a few hundred people at a single time. To rent, or even purchase one of these large shuttles for scientific use made conducting any deep space research impossible because of the high costs associated with the project, but the smaller and more affordable shuttles of VegaTech had made such undertakings not only possible but common. The space crafts were also quite popular with wealthy families who could afford to pay the asking price of $500 thousand. They often used them to shuttle between off-planet work sites or to take family vacations to locations outside of the solar system.
Arabella sighed as she thought of all the things that had come from the introduction of smaller and cheaper space craft produced by VegaTech. It was her company’s craft that had carried the first scientists to the Erebus Nebula, which was so named because it seemed to be made of black mist as its namesake was in Greek mythology. It was here that they discovered a new chemical toxin that was capable of destroying cancer within humans without damaging the surrounding tissue. A single injection into the cancer site resulted in the destruction of the cancerous cells within a matter of days. New, uninhabited, planets had been discovered that could be suitable for agricultural purposes. This was especially important for the inhabitants of Earth. They had exhausted their planet’s resources long ago, and now they were dependent on sites located on other planets for food and other resources. The smaller, swifter craft made it possible for an entire fleet of scouts to be searching for planets where people can settle or which can be used for other purposes. The VegaTech craft had also revolutionized the tourist industry. Taking short vacations to off-planet destinations had started to raise with the introduction of the first Ara space craft, and it was now a booming industry. Almost anyone could afford to rent one of the Ara crafts to take a weekend vacation into space. Because of VegaTech people were going further into space, more economically, and more frequently leading to a revolution in the travel industry and a boom in scientific discoveries that was just at its leading edge.
For Arabella, VegaTech had been her life for the last decade or so. She basically lived at her office in the four story VegaTech offices in downtown Miami. Most days found her there by 6 a.m. and often she didn’t leave work until close to midnight, which was if she left work at all and didn’t catch a few hours of sleep on the plush sofa that was also in her office. She had joined the company shortly after reaching her eighteenth year. The company had been fairly unknown at the time, but they were acquiring prodigies, the best and the brightest in key fields like aeronautical engineering and astrophysics. VegaTech had a vision, to be the first company to design and perfect a small, affordable, lightweight shuttle capable of deep space travel. Arabella had been part of the first design team to create the first shuttle VegaTech released, the Vega Flier. In the subsequent years the company had quickly carved out their place in the space shuttle industry and was now the industry leader in small shuttles. The craft had changed over the years but each new shuttle still gave Arabella the same thrill as that first craft. Now, to have her own line of shuttles that she had been designing and testing for the past four years, that had been a true fulfillment of dreams. The company had always been very generous with their employees, since many of them had been with VegaTech at the start of their success, but in Arabella’s case they had given her a ten percent share in the profits from the Ara line. They had never imagined that she would be able to make the line the flagship line of the company and one of the most successful shuttlecraft lines in history.
The cab reached the Orion Station and slowed to a stop. Arabella quit with her perusal of the skyline and paid the cabby. She exited the car and entered into the station. A magnificent domed room of glass greeted her, from which she was able to see departing shuttles as they blasted into the heavens. The launch pad for VegaTech was in its own private area of the station and Arabella immediately proceeded to the dock. It was a long walk, but it was one that Arabella savored knowing that this would be her last adventure. Well, maybe it wouldn’t be her last adventure since as part of her retirement she had been promised to always have one of VegaTech’s shuttles available for her personal use, but it would be the last time that she was testing a shuttle and technology designed solely by her. It was always such a thrill to see your dream come into being and be in the thick of the events when it occurred.
“Arabella, it is good to see you. Are you ready to make history?” greeted the man at the door. This was Vern, the founder of VegaTech and the man who was more a father to her than the man who sired her. Vern was 6’5’’ with a shaved head and tattoos covering his arms making him look more like a criminal than a CEO and founder of one of the most successful companies in recent history. He looked as if he spent every day of his life in the gym, but anyone who knew him well was both aware that this wasn’t the case. He was one of the few people who just remained thin no matter what he put into his body. Most nights found both Vern and Arabella at the office eating fast food and talking of the latest project. In his mid forties Vern had no family and had devoted his life to building his company. All of his employees were hand chosen by him, and many of them were close friends as well. When she first began to work for VegaTech, Arabella had been intimidated by Vern, but she quickly learned to consider him one of her closest and most trusted friends. For Vern’s part, he had never shown anything but kindness to Arabella and he treated her more like a daughter than an employee though he wasn’t really that much older than her. The way he greeted her now, you wouldn’t know that they had just spent the previous night together having dinner and talking till the early morning. Vern always greeted Arabella like he hadn’t seen her in ages, but today it was different. She was about to leave for six months, and that was a long time to go without having late night meals in the office. It seemed like a lifetime away from Vern, the man who had filled to void left by her own father’s abandonment.
“Is it history that we are making today,” Arabella said with a broad smile and a kiss on Vern’s cheek, “I thought we were here to make money.” She was well aware that it wasn’t money that drove Vern. He had more than enough to live richly for the rest of his days. Vern was driven by the challenge, much like herself, to always go one step further and be the best. For her teasing Arabella received a small chuckle and a big bear hug.
“You know I don’t need the money imp. Let’s get this test finished so I can try to talk you into staying when you get back. I hate to let someone so talented go when they have so much left to give. Plus, who will take care of me when you are gone?” This was said with a pouting look that was completely out of place on Vern’s fierce countenance.
“Now, we’ve been through this. I’m not staying, but we will still see plenty of each other. In fact, you will likely see more of me that what you wish to.”
“Never Bellisimo, could I see too much of you,” Vern replied using the pet name he had bestowed on her years before. The familiar endearment warmed Arabella’s heart, and steadied her for the coming voyage. She knew that he would be here waiting when she returned, and it was a comfort to know that he would be here the whole time vigilant, worrying and loving her, waiting for her safe return from another adventure. She always viewed new test flights as an adventure because there was always something exciting that happened. One time she had been able to watch a supernova occur in near real-time from a neighboring solar system.
With a smile Arabella linked her arm with Vern’s, and they moved through the door and crossed the docking bay to survey the Ara X. She was about sixty feet in length and made of honeycombed titanium. The honeycomb sandwiched between two quarter inch titanium sheets made the hull of the craft one of the strongest in the market. Inside there was a small kitchen, bathing area, and berthing for up to four passengers. There was also a cockpit that contained four seats behind a reinforced glass window which allowed for a full 360 degree view. The engine in back looked much like the one you would find on a fighter jet, but there were some important differences in the design. Fighter jets needed to carry their fuel onboard, but the Ara X craft relied on fusion as its power source. The craft also used beams of radiation to create the tunnels that the craft would travel through. By agitating the particles along a stream they had discovered that it was possible to move much more quickly through them. They believed that the unnaturally high degree of agitation actually created pockets where time and space behaved differently than they would under normal circumstances. In short, the relationship between the two was altered so that one could move a greater distance in the same unit of time. This invention is what the flight was all about. Arabella was to test the jump function of the craft and determine its ranges and limitations. They believed that it would only be useful if the object is within line of site, but they had never tested the line of site theory on the scale that it would experience in space. In the lab, line of site meant only a few feet or even a mile on one of their larger scale tests. In outer space, line of site meant possibly hundreds of light years and it was uncertain how effective the invention would be over such long distances.
Vern gave Arabella one last hug as she climbed into the Ara X, “You know you can still back out on this test if you want. We can do further lab tests to check the safety of the system before such a large scale test.” Vern’s worry was evident in the lines of his face, but only to someone who knew him as well as she did. He was trying to look thrilled, but there was still some small worry that they had missed something in the design of the new system that would prove problematic in a true field test.
“Nothing we can do in the lab will ever tell us how the system behaves in space. Trust me; we’ve perfected it to the best of our abilities. All we need to do now is see how she will behave in the real environment. Don’t worry; I’ll be home before you know it. Six months of testing isn’t that long, and I’ve been on other test voyages longer than that.” With a final wave, Arabella shut the hatch to the Ara X and began to buckle into the pilot seat.
Chapter 3
The Ara X craft was truly a technological marvel. There was enough living space for all four passengers to be mostly comfortable on the flight. For Arabella, this was more than enough space. She already had her personal belongings stowed in the captain’s berth and now it was time to make sure that all the systems were ready and the food stores were loaded. There was enough food to last an entire nine months just in case anything malfunctioned and her trip was delayed. This was common practice with any of the test flights conducted by VegaTech. The control room of the ship was filled with blinking lights and gleaming metal consuls. There was a main computer that acted as the chief interface with the ship. The computer was controlled by voice and all that was necessary to receive information was to ask a simple question and in order to give commands you simply stated what you wanted accomplished. The exceptional thing about the computer was that there was a certain amount of free thinking done by the system. Along with being able to pilot the ship after being conditioned by Arabella, it was possible to converse with the computer as long as the topics were logical. Other systems on board included a defensive weapons system, communications, long range tracking, environmental analysis, navigation, environmental controls for the ship, language recognition, and the newly developed transport system.
“Computer, run a diagnostic check on all systems and tell me the status of food and water stores.” There was a soft hum as the computer began to process the tasks that it was given. A complete diagnostic check of all the systems would take about two minutes, so Arabella sat back to consider the voyage to come. This was to be a fairly routine test flight, but the distance that she would be covering was much larger than normal. On previous flights the range had been within the solar system, but this time she would be traveling all the way to Omega D.
Omega D was a small system discovered twenty years ago that was about ten fifty light years away from the edges of our solar system. There were four planets in Omega D and they were all hospitable. The inhabitants of the system were farmers and businessmen. Two of the planets were lush with vegetation, and they provided food for the entire system. The other two planets in the system were devoted to tourists. One was a planet made up of large oceans and a few small tropical islands. It was known throughout the galaxy for its blood red beaches, glass blue seas, and fantastic resorts. It was on of the most popular destinations for the rich and famous for some relaxation. The other planet was almost the exact opposite. It was still a popular place for tourists, but the planet was covered in ice and mountains. Furthest from the sun the temperature rarely reached above freezing and the mountains were perpetually blanketed in sheets of snow while vast icebergs filled frozen seas.
Arabella had good reason for convincing Vern to allow her to travel so far on a test flight. She would never be able to afford a stay at any of the resorts in the Omega D system, but as part of the voyage she had a scheduled three week break in the system on VegaTech’s expense account. Call it her final escapade with the company to join the ranks of all those that had come before. It was good that Vern had a sense of humor, because all he did was chuckle when she had submitted her proposal for the test. It had actually been his idea to take three weeks of rest in the middle of the trip when Arabella had been content with a couple days worth of sightseeing in the system.
“If you are going to go so far, you might as well enjoy one last vacation on the company. Consider it repayment for all the late nights and for helping make us the success we are,” had been Vern’s reply to her protests that three weeks was too long.
The consul beeped to let Arabella know that the diagnostic was finished. She perused the report on the screen making sure that all systems had passed the diagnostic. Finding no problems with the report she also checked the inventory of supplies on last time to be sure that she had everything the trip required. When these tasks were completed she hailed Vern over the radio to let him know that she was ready to depart as soon as they received approval from the tower.
“Arabella, we have been given the go ahead for launch,” Vern replied after a moment of hesitation while he confirmed with the tower.
Arabella engaged thrusters, and in less than five minutes she was staring down at Earth from the inky darkness of space. No matter how many fights into space she conducted, the view of the planet from space still managed to leave her breathless. There was something exhilarating about being able to look down and really see just how small one single person is in the greatness of space. After a final glance at her surroundings, Arabella contacted Vern to let him know that she was engaging the experimental system.
“Systems are ready, and I will begin the jump in ten seconds. I expect that I will be out of contact for ten minutes as I make the first jump to Pluto.”
“Be careful Arabella, and contact me as soon as you arrive. Once we know the first jump was successful we will continue with testing until you have reached Omega D.” Arabella began the sequence of buttons that would initiate the first jump and used the scanning system to lock in the location of Pluto.
“Five seconds,” the countdown continued. In the office Vern was wringing his hands and relying on only his force of will to keep his worry from projecting in his voice. Arabella was the closest thing he had to family, and no matter how many tests they did he always worried over new technology. The first jump to Pluto would let him know that continuing on would be safe and that he could expect Arabella’s return in six months. He was sad to see her leave the company, but he knew that she wasn’t leaving him just the job.
“Three, two, one, initiating sequence,” the final countdown drawled from the computer. Arabella closed her eyes, unsure of what to expect as the Ara X lurched forward into space at a speed that forced her against the seat. The force of the jump caused her to black out for what seemed to be only moments, but when Arabella opened her eyes it was not to the glorious sight of Pluto. All she saw was the black velvet of space with pinpoints of light emitted from far off stars. Immediately, Arabella ordered the computer to tell her the location.
“Location unknown,” came the reply in the same lilting voice one would tell you the weather. The information was like a tsunami crashing on the waves for Arabella. Something hadn’t worked properly and she was in an unknown part of the Universe. At the thought, Arabella began to lose all composure, because the Universe was immense in size, but everything within five-hundred light years of her own galaxy had been explored. The area being unknown meant that she may never find herself at home again. She may never feel Vern envelope her in his consuming love, or watch Mary lose her temper, never to see Castor and Pollux argue over something inconsequential, and never sit down to a dinner with Rissa and Aiden. Her breath caught in her chest in tight, gasping, spurts of air as the full impact of her situation smacked her in the face. Her eyes, which only moments ago had held a look of joy and anticipation, overflowed with tears as she surveyed the area. When the invisible hand squeezing her heart and chest relented and she was finally able to draw a deep breath it came out in uncontrollable sobs while her body was wracked with the strength of her emotion. For the first time in her life she lost all control of her sanity and curled into a weeping ball on the floor of the Ara X.