Bea started up the central systems and the ship woke up with a gentle shudder. Her fingers tapped across menus, pulling up readings and diagrams as she and Kristen read out outputs and compared parameters to ensure everything was in order. Before they’d even finished, Nyle burst into the cockpit and threw himself at her, locking them into a tight hug.
“You scared us for a second there,” he chastised, pecking her on the lips. “I’m so glad you are okay.”
“Marcus really didn’t hold back this time,” Kristen commented as he entered the cockpit a few seconds later, holding a device the size of a suitcase. “This is some experimental hijacking tech. And the ships you ran into near the Moon were as well.”
“Good thing we won’t have to worry about any of that anymore,” Bea concluded, hopping up and giving Kristen a passionate smooch.
“Do you three… want some alone time?” Darren said, giving them a fond look. “We have to figure out what we are doing and where we are going, but we can handle that on our own.”
Nyle shook his head and winked. “Don’t worry about us. We are resourceful. Get a line to George and Nan. They should have some scans by now.”
“Okay.” Darren chuckled and tapped on his earpiece. “George, you should be able to connect to the Maine now.”
“Hello.”George’s face came up on the main screen as soon as Bea accepted the video feed from the cruiserAstero. He looked tired and a bit somber himself, the loss of one of the ships clearly weighing on him, too.“I… can see you’ve been told about the cruiser. We lost a lot of good people today. May they all rest in peace.”Smiling without it reaching his eyes, he nodded at someone near him after a pause of silence.“We have a lot of work ahead of us that can’t wait, I am afraid. Paying our respects will have to come later. I’m pinging you over the scan results we have.”A moment later, the screen split into two, one half showing George’s face and the other a scan of the star system.“We can’t get a read on the entire system, but there are two habitable planets in this sector, both with atmospheres and water.”
A second holoscreen slid down from a seam along the ceiling, displaying the two planets’ data. The first one was about the same size as Earth, and according to the scan results, comprised 95% oceans with 5% land in the form of a single continent. It looked promising, save for the low temperature that averaged minus seventy degrees Fahrenheit and the hurricanes that seemed to ravage its blue surface.
The second planet, on the other hand, was smaller, though closer to the two suns. The deserts that spanned its landscape gave it a yellow-orange color, and as far as Aiden could tell, there was not even a single body of water.
“George, are you sure about the second planet?” Darren asked, having made the same observation as Aiden. “I’m not seeing any water.”
“Yes, hold on.”Manipulating the view remotely, George zoomed in then loaded a cross-section of a cliffy area.“While the surface is too dry and generally inhabitable, there is a system of underground caverns, rivers and a massive ocean,”he explained, indicating the blue-colored lines and areas.
“What’s the purple?” Bea asked.
“Flora.”
Aiden glanced at the rest of the data, noting that the temperature below the surface of the desert planet was mild and gravitated between sixty-five and eighty degrees. Aboveground,the average was a hundred-fifty degrees during the day and minus ten at night.
“The caverns seem like a better option, but… there is no natural light,” Aiden said, wondering how the lack of sunlight might affect things.
“Yes,”George confirmed.“I spoke to my head geologist, and he’s confident we could find a workaround.”
“Are those two planets our only options?” Darren said, spinning the desert planet’s 3D visualization around.
“In this part of the system, yes. We could travel further, though with our current capabilities it will take us a few months to even reach the edge of the area we’ve scanned. This system is gigantic compared to ours.”
Darren’s brows scrunched in thought. “Have the ships head to the planet with the caverns. Let’s see if we can make it work.”
“I’m sure we’ll figure something out. And if not, we can always look for a better place later.”
“Want me to take the lead, Darren?” Bea chirped once George hung up, her hands grasping the ship’s controls.
Darren looked at Aiden, a goofy smile sliding on his face. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, captain,” he said and draped an arm over Aiden’s shoulder.
Aiden laughed as did the rest, a sense of budding excitement making his stomach flutter. He looked out just as the cruisers fell into a formation and let the Maine pass so it could lead them to their new home.
For the first time in two years, he felt truly ready for a new start.
