Last day of training, and it was pretty light. We have
learned all the basics about running the station, from mining to food and
repair, and we had some medical information covered with us today. I think our
instructor heard our complaints about medicine, and showed us how to stitch
deep cuts closed, how to administer medication (we have pain killers,
antibacterials, antivirals – everything we need!), how to bind broken bones.
Zariah and Durada both looked displeased about the speed of the instruction, but
neither said anything, so I suppose they were mollified by the information that
we would be given medical equipment over many supply shipments.
We were also administered several rounds of vaccines, and now my arms hurt. I suppose that will be taken out of our mining overage, but I don’t mind that too much.
We also had an overview of everything that we learned in the last six days. Our body masses and blood nutrient content were measurement while we were verbally quizzed; we were released from our gravity boots and encouraged to float while we worked on welding and circuitry repair; Zahid and Olive were still on the station, and we demonstrated how we were able to train her to move from one side of the tank to the other or hand us different objects; and finally, we were taken, one by one, into a room to discuss our thoughts on the group. Or, well, at least that’s what I was asked by the wild-eyed Gadhavi, who clearly had not yet adjusted to Moon Base “gravity.”
I described the traits of each of the ladies that are in the first wave of settlers. I mentioned that I would like to work on the station as long as possible, far more than a year, and I thought we were all compatible enough that we would have a successful excursion. I even mentioned that we had overcome our caste differences and were beginning to teach each other the skills that we have picked up over our years on Earth. I admit, I hoped the Gadhavi interviewer would have been more impressed, or pleased, but I got no reaction.
Oh well, we will embark tomorrow. And we only had 7 hours of classes and review today, so we all decided to gather in the gym before dinner, to avoid the rush of Moon residents.
Truth be told, I had not actually been to the gym since that first day on the Moon, when it was recommended but not enforced. After so much concentration on our training, none of us had been able to go for very long, so it is likely that we’ve lost some bone and muscle mass, which we will need to concentrate on during the flight to Europa.
I asked Zariah about flying to Europa – what she thought it would be like. When she was Bakalov, she worked as an asteroid miner on a few excursions, but avoided military service of all kinds, which led to her banishment to Bainbridge. I assumed, because she had experience with space travel – she’s the only one among us – that she would have some insight. She has never hesitated to share insight with us before.
Unfortunately, she only shrugged. “No human has been beyond the asteroid belt for a long time. You know as much as I do about what it’ll be like. Our ship is flung off the Moon StarTram, but I’m used to being in space for only a week at most, landing a craft on a large asteroid, and spending a mere few days at rockface while we find what’s inside before leaving.”
“What is the asteroid belt like?” the timid voice of Samira piped in. Her eyes were watery saucers in her pale face.
Zariah shrugged again. “It’s a bunch of floating rocks full of precious metals as far as the eye can see. Getting beyond it will be … more than most pilots are used to.”
Durada looked at all of our faces. “I thought we had an autopilot, and we’ll have to take over on occasion.”
Zariah nodded agreement. “I doubt we’ll have to take over much more than landing on Europa. Humans make too many errors to get all the way through 180 kilometers of stone and dust.”
“I read something about it the other day, did you see it, too?” Chloe asked. “We might do best to stay in the center of the ship for the week’s crossing. We won’t have communication with Earth during that time, and minute fragments of asteroid can get into the ship, cause tiny oxygen leaks, and even break through our skin or collect in our lungs because of the mucous. So if we stay away from their entry points, we won’t have to worry too much about that.”
“There will be a centralized portion of our craft for just that purpose,” Haven said. “It will be cramped, but less cramped than our bedroom, which we’re used to.”
Natsuki and Ihsan looked skeptical, but they didn’t say anything.
“So we’ll be back in contact once we get on the other side of the Belt?” Ghadir asked. Chloe shrugged but nodded.
“It might take some work, communication was off and on during mining operations,” Zariah said, “but yeah, we should be able to send Breathe Easy messages once we get to the other side. Then we spend the next week calculating where Europa will be in order to land in the right melty spot.”
Samira spoke up again: “It will take Breathe Easy three weeks to get supplies to us.” She took a deep breath and looked at the floor.
Haven tenderly touched her shoulder and said, “They have regular supply shipments planned, and they will be every month in the beginning. We’re getting a second wave of colonists within 6 months to a year. We have a lot of hard work, so that time will fly by. They are prepared to support us, don’t worry.”
Samira nodded, and I think her eyelids finally relaxed a little.
After lifting some magnetized weights, for the first time in too long, we hauled ourselves to dinner and back up to our room, where we packed the uniforms we’d been given – which Budur and I checked over thoroughly for tears and imperfections – and then we sat down with our barely-begun knitting projects.
“I’m not sure this can go in my luggage,” Vivien said, with a tinge of wistfulness. Budur smiled.
“I have a plan, don’t worry. Just make sure to give me your work at the end of this evening. Now, we’re making one back panel of the sweater, so here’s how to begin.” She showed us a basic stitch. Most of us caught on fairly quickly, although Natsuki and Vivien both had trouble. It is unlikely that we will all need to knit our own sweaters while on Europa, so I imagine those two will head all of the gardening operations –although I sometimes wish that would be me.
We worked a little too late into the night, and I just barely had time to write all of this down. Tomorrow, we depart, and we will have communications as we pass by Mars and use its gravity to sling us faster into the Asteroid Belt. I will be out of touch until we get to the other side, but I will try to keep a written record of what the events are like to the best of my ability.
We’ll start seedlings on the ship, since we’ll have a lot of time, and I plan to ask Haven and Chloe to help me with inventory – we have a list of everything we’re taking, but I want to make sure I know what all of it looks like and how it all fits together.
And then – the rest of my life begins.
We were also administered several rounds of vaccines, and now my arms hurt. I suppose that will be taken out of our mining overage, but I don’t mind that too much.
We also had an overview of everything that we learned in the last six days. Our body masses and blood nutrient content were measurement while we were verbally quizzed; we were released from our gravity boots and encouraged to float while we worked on welding and circuitry repair; Zahid and Olive were still on the station, and we demonstrated how we were able to train her to move from one side of the tank to the other or hand us different objects; and finally, we were taken, one by one, into a room to discuss our thoughts on the group. Or, well, at least that’s what I was asked by the wild-eyed Gadhavi, who clearly had not yet adjusted to Moon Base “gravity.”
I described the traits of each of the ladies that are in the first wave of settlers. I mentioned that I would like to work on the station as long as possible, far more than a year, and I thought we were all compatible enough that we would have a successful excursion. I even mentioned that we had overcome our caste differences and were beginning to teach each other the skills that we have picked up over our years on Earth. I admit, I hoped the Gadhavi interviewer would have been more impressed, or pleased, but I got no reaction.
Oh well, we will embark tomorrow. And we only had 7 hours of classes and review today, so we all decided to gather in the gym before dinner, to avoid the rush of Moon residents.
Truth be told, I had not actually been to the gym since that first day on the Moon, when it was recommended but not enforced. After so much concentration on our training, none of us had been able to go for very long, so it is likely that we’ve lost some bone and muscle mass, which we will need to concentrate on during the flight to Europa.
I asked Zariah about flying to Europa – what she thought it would be like. When she was Bakalov, she worked as an asteroid miner on a few excursions, but avoided military service of all kinds, which led to her banishment to Bainbridge. I assumed, because she had experience with space travel – she’s the only one among us – that she would have some insight. She has never hesitated to share insight with us before.
Unfortunately, she only shrugged. “No human has been beyond the asteroid belt for a long time. You know as much as I do about what it’ll be like. Our ship is flung off the Moon StarTram, but I’m used to being in space for only a week at most, landing a craft on a large asteroid, and spending a mere few days at rockface while we find what’s inside before leaving.”
“What is the asteroid belt like?” the timid voice of Samira piped in. Her eyes were watery saucers in her pale face.
Zariah shrugged again. “It’s a bunch of floating rocks full of precious metals as far as the eye can see. Getting beyond it will be … more than most pilots are used to.”
Durada looked at all of our faces. “I thought we had an autopilot, and we’ll have to take over on occasion.”
Zariah nodded agreement. “I doubt we’ll have to take over much more than landing on Europa. Humans make too many errors to get all the way through 180 kilometers of stone and dust.”
“I read something about it the other day, did you see it, too?” Chloe asked. “We might do best to stay in the center of the ship for the week’s crossing. We won’t have communication with Earth during that time, and minute fragments of asteroid can get into the ship, cause tiny oxygen leaks, and even break through our skin or collect in our lungs because of the mucous. So if we stay away from their entry points, we won’t have to worry too much about that.”
“There will be a centralized portion of our craft for just that purpose,” Haven said. “It will be cramped, but less cramped than our bedroom, which we’re used to.”
Natsuki and Ihsan looked skeptical, but they didn’t say anything.
“So we’ll be back in contact once we get on the other side of the Belt?” Ghadir asked. Chloe shrugged but nodded.
“It might take some work, communication was off and on during mining operations,” Zariah said, “but yeah, we should be able to send Breathe Easy messages once we get to the other side. Then we spend the next week calculating where Europa will be in order to land in the right melty spot.”
Samira spoke up again: “It will take Breathe Easy three weeks to get supplies to us.” She took a deep breath and looked at the floor.
Haven tenderly touched her shoulder and said, “They have regular supply shipments planned, and they will be every month in the beginning. We’re getting a second wave of colonists within 6 months to a year. We have a lot of hard work, so that time will fly by. They are prepared to support us, don’t worry.”
Samira nodded, and I think her eyelids finally relaxed a little.
After lifting some magnetized weights, for the first time in too long, we hauled ourselves to dinner and back up to our room, where we packed the uniforms we’d been given – which Budur and I checked over thoroughly for tears and imperfections – and then we sat down with our barely-begun knitting projects.
“I’m not sure this can go in my luggage,” Vivien said, with a tinge of wistfulness. Budur smiled.
“I have a plan, don’t worry. Just make sure to give me your work at the end of this evening. Now, we’re making one back panel of the sweater, so here’s how to begin.” She showed us a basic stitch. Most of us caught on fairly quickly, although Natsuki and Vivien both had trouble. It is unlikely that we will all need to knit our own sweaters while on Europa, so I imagine those two will head all of the gardening operations –although I sometimes wish that would be me.
We worked a little too late into the night, and I just barely had time to write all of this down. Tomorrow, we depart, and we will have communications as we pass by Mars and use its gravity to sling us faster into the Asteroid Belt. I will be out of touch until we get to the other side, but I will try to keep a written record of what the events are like to the best of my ability.
We’ll start seedlings on the ship, since we’ll have a lot of time, and I plan to ask Haven and Chloe to help me with inventory – we have a list of everything we’re taking, but I want to make sure I know what all of it looks like and how it all fits together.
And then – the rest of my life begins.
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