Chapter 1: November 21st, 2347

The long nonstop days of Aphadus have been a constant for Raavi as he stood outside New San Antonio’s port. He stood with only the belongings needed for the short trip. The dim red star in the background was unending. The tidally locked planet was perhaps one of the few planets out there in the galaxy that could survive the relatively light radiation flares that this red dwarf star could give off. Life had been flourishing since the Milky Way Galaxy had been formed. Aphadus had been a miracle planet for the United World’s Alliance. It was one of the few red dwarf exoplanets that had natural life evolve on it.

For Raavi, he took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. The light oxygen content was something he was used to by now. If you ran, you risked passing out. His thoughts went to the fact that he knew where he was going. It was a place of wonder and suspicion. Stories circulated about the colony world of New Olympia. It was another red dwarf system of the United Worlds’ Alliance.

“I can do this...” Raavi said to himself as he put his hand to his light beard. His slightly dark skin complexion was typical for the people of Aphadus. His family descended from India long ago of former Earth.

Raavi was dressed in his white and gray shirt. He wore a set of comfortable brown pants along with his favorite white sneakers. He wanted to dress comfortably, but he wondered if he needed to dress more formally.

“She told me to just come in this...” He reassured himself as he walked closer to the airport.

Raavi scanned his home planet one last time. The red dim sky was beautiful as always as it always produced a hue to the surrounding area. Not far was the great dome military base for the United Human Navy. It must have been one of the most massive domes to the colony itself as it was separated from the other domes of the city of New San Antonio. It was littered with weapon emplacements and doors that lined the entire structure. Not far from the gigantic dome was the great lake of purple colored water. The red skylight would turn the blue colored water to purple. It was a sight that made former Earth or the great colony of Cebravis look like nothing.

To some, it was an acquired taste. Many always considered Cebravis to be more beautiful. Aphadus had lakes rather than oceans. One side was still facing the star, while the other was in perpetual darkness and ice. The exoplanet was moderate in size. The gravity was less than Cebravis, while the oxygen content was seemingly less. For some, people wanted to have augmented lungs if you wanted to do regular exercise outside. Raavi, on the other hand, had been used to it. For many, the runners of Aphadus were better than most runners in the entire United Worlds Alliance.

For Raavi, he looked at the great mountains of Aphadus. It lined the distant landscape. The location of the great cities of Aphadus lined a specific place on the planet. With temperatures too hot on one side and too cold on the other, the only ideal location for a settlement was the area where the climate met in the middle. This was where the ice would melt and produce a series of lakes. Some called it “The Black Ring.” It was a place where native plants evolved and grew on the planet. These plants starved for sunlight, and they adapted themselves to developing black leaves to gather as much available light as possible. On the other side of New San Antonio was one of these great black forests.

It was a peaceful world. Sure it had its typical media and events like any planet, but it was a place that was seemingly isolated. For the ones that enjoyed this world, it was quieter than many places. The domes were a necessity, though. Aphadus was standing next to a powder keg that could go off at any minute. While the star to Aphadus was calmer than most M-Type stars, there was always the fear that the star could send off a massive superflare. These flares were so intense that it could pummel the atmosphere, raise the surface temperature by a few degrees, and slam high amounts of radiation everywhere. If not careful, these superflares may produce radiation surges so high that it could even strip the planet’s atmosphere. In order to receive adequate temperatures to support life, the world had to be very close to its star. Building codes were strict. All cities had to be constructed to ensure that the population inside could handle the radiation surge inside if a big one came. Aphadus might as well have been known as the dome world alongside the colonies of Batrice and Gillan.

The world was ready for such events, though. The star was seemingly stable, and its atmosphere ongoing for millions of years. The people of Aphadus were enjoying a good life. It was not surprising to see the population of the planet vibrant and healthy.

It was something that Raavi was all too aware of. A part of him told himself what he was going to expect. It might be the last time he was going to be on Aphadus. He was ready to make such a choice. The hardest part would be his parents. He turned to look at the airport ahead of him. It was nine AM, but it was seemingly pointless on Aphadus. The star never moved much on the distant horizon, and days never ended. Only the regulated time schedule of the UWA made any sense to Raavi and the people of the planet.

Raavi took one last deep breath from Aphadus. He closed his eyes and nodded. He was sure of what he was doing. He wanted to do this as the need for companionship was high. He felt that he was going to get his wish.

Nothing more was said as he opened up his eyes. He didn’t need to see the landscape anymore. He turned to walk towards the hatch that would lead to the shielded tunnel inside the airport/spaceport structure. With a slight noise, the doors opened up as he stepped inside.

As the doors closed, he recognized the classic smell of internal regulated air. The shielded tunnels connected to the other domes of New San Antonio as the great fusion generators provided an endless supply of power to the great city.

There wasn’t much foot traffic, surprisingly. Raavi could see a few individuals that were walking down to the port, but these appeared to be attendees and workers. Pilots that were getting off work or going to work were going in the direction he was going. A small connected hover tram was available for those that wanted to head to the corresponding building or port. Even then, the tram was barely moving much at this time. With a population of hundreds of thousands, New San Antonio had shifts in the schedule that everyone went with. Days that never ended produced civilizations that choose when to sleep. Jobs operated appropriately as a result. This meant that while some places still had a “Day schedule,” the general population was more open to working anytime. The star wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Compared to Cebravis, the people of Aphadus was used to this and almost equalized the working shift schedules.

Raavi continued his trek down the long passageway to the port. He didn’t want to take the tram. It wasn’t a long walk, but he needed to pause and head outside for a short bit. There was some commotion as a couple walked past him and headed towards the airport as quickly as possible. They seemed to be in a hurry. A short announcement could be heard over the intercoms announcing the final boarding to some spaceflight to another world. It was nothing for him to worry about.

There was still activity coming from the port, though. Among one of the things that Raavi noticed was a large space shuttle that was coming into land. To him, it looked like a giant arrow with thrusters parked to the back. Its rear engines turned down as the vectoring thrusters worked overtime to slow down the landing shuttle. Looking above the clear, tinted shield windows, he could see it as it was slowly landing on a massive landing pad of an open portion of the port’s dome. The sound alone was loud, but the passageway’s construction lessened the volume level significantly.

“That might actually be my shuttle,” Raavi noted out loud.

He kept walking forward as he could see the faint outline of the moving transport. The typical “gatejumper,” the massive passenger shuttles, were designed to ferry people from one place to another. Cheap and straightforward, the passenger spacecraft was the evolution of passenger aircraft of ancient Earth.

He watched as the outline vanished from view. The sounds began to quiet down as the ship apparently landed. Its next job was to depart its passengers and go through a quick checkup by the crew and staff.

“Plenty of time...” Raavi remarked.

It had been an hour later as Raavi stepped onto the landing pad that led to Flight 66613. The landing pad was enormous to accommodate the large transport vessel. The port itself consisted of four of these colossal pads that were walled off by the massive dome that it was located in.

After stepping out of the waiting lobby, did Raavi get a chance to see the spaceship. He already knew what it was. It was a Luna QX-829 Class Gate Jumper Transport. These were the typical short-range civilian spacecraft that ferried individuals from one planet to another. Their roles were simple; provide accommodations for the passengers as they are brought to a new system. These ships lacked the ability to create their own gates and instead relied on the massive orbital gate arrays to get them from one location to another. They measured out to be around 160 meters in length and could typically carry about 200 passengers or thousands if pressed to an emergency.

This wasn’t the atypical QX-829 model that Raavi noted. Most companies tended to color-code their Gate Jumpers to reflect the company logos. Manufactured from the Luna Base of former Earth, the base enjoys its long history of building civilian spacecraft for the entirety of the United Worlds’ Alliance. These gate jumpers would be spat out of the moon’s launch doors relatively fast in short building periods. They could carry passengers or cargo from one destination to another.

What made this transport different was its hull color. It was painted solely white. A small color-coded flag with a paw print was placed on the flight bridge’s side near the stern. This gate jumper must have been either bought from Luna by the New Olympians or built-in license from the colony world itself.

“New Olympians must paint their ships white,” Raavi remarked. He considered it as he looked at the transport. “Odd ... I always wondered why they choose such odd symbols to identify themselves?”

The New Olympians. His thoughts dwelled on the matter. It seemed to be the one colony people had trepidation or excitement over. Each colony world was seemingly beautiful or had its quirks, but New Olympia was an enigma. Out of all the colony worlds, their history was seemingly silent. Even if they were friends and spoke regularly to the UWA as valued representatives, it was as if they were strangers. Each colony had its own rights, but with New Olympia, no one knew what they did. Some people went there but few ever left.

Now he was going to this place next. He had made up his mind, but a part of him still wondered if this was a bright idea. Even with the three ramps extended down for passengers to get on, there was seemingly little to get on. It was almost as if it was an enormous chariot that came solely for his benefit.

“Boarding for Flight 66613 is still open,” an overhead speaker called out that echoed through the waiting room and landing pad. “Flight will depart in about ten minutes.”

Raavi began his trip as he walked towards the enormous transport. Finally, he could see a few people getting on, but it was much less than the flights that Raavi had seen before. New Olympia still had a tourist economy that others had seen, but it was much less than Oshun, Cebravis, or even what Aphadus ever had. The tourists that came back had nothing but high praise for it regardless.

He continued his trek towards the transport. He could make out the vast wingspan of the spaceship. Like an enormous space shuttle of former Earth’s past, the ship was a flying delta wing of engines. It had a large nose where the bridge sat and vectoring thrusters that perforated its hull. The overhead lights made the white hull beam to Raavi’s eyes.

He saw at least five passengers step onboard as he continued to walk forward. It seemed so little for such a big ship.

“Maybe more people are expected to arrive...” Raavi commented out loud.

The individuals were nothing remarkable. He noted one blond woman getting on board as there were two men together who were stepping on the ship. Another woman he saw was getting on board, but he didn’t get a good look at her.

He ended up seeing a shorter man that was getting onboard. He was dressed up as a pilot. He appeared to have what could be described as Japanese features on his face, but nothing else was remarkable about him. He shrugged his shoulders as he kept walking towards his intended flight.

Raavi was nearing the seemingly enormous ship now. These gate jumpers were seemingly small in the distance, but as he was getting close to the port side ramp, he could see the sheer size of it. Most of it was due to the array of engines that were installed. He could only imagine why it had to be so large inside as he stopped to look at it again.

“Excuse me...” a soft voice came from behind him. Raavi turned around to see a woman that was pushing what looked like a large stroller of some kind.

“Oh, sorry,” Raavi replied to the woman.

Raavi had a glimpse of this stranger of a woman. She was dressed up in formal attire, and she was also seemingly short in height. Her features were also Japanese in facial features by appearance. Her hair was dyed blue and white, though. His eyes caught a quick glimpse of the stroller. It was a baby stroller of some kind connected to a hover block.

“It is alright. Can you step aside, so I can get these babies brought on board?” she asked politely.

“Yes, I can. I was checking the flight before getting on board,” he remarked as he stepped aside.

“Thank you. If you are heading to New Olympia, I can provide some insight for you. You seem to be a newcomer. Let us get on board, of course.”

Raavi had one last look at the craft. He didn’t need to be reminded twice. It was still curious for him to look at. Seeing the flag of New Olympia plastered to the side and seeing the black paw print was something that was oddly weird about it. He saw the woman with the stroller push it up to the ramp. He had a chance to see inside it. The hover capsule had a clear plastic screen that allowed the viewer to see inside. He could see three babies that were in it, all sleeping together. He wasn’t going to inquire about it at the moment. The floating capsule adjusted to the ramp as the woman pushed it up and into the spacecraft.

He looked at the ramp as he stepped aboard. Following behind the woman, he knew he was the last person to get on board the vessel. The ramp gave a vibrant glow to it as his feet moved on it. It had an array of colors that radiated like a faint rainbow of some sort. He walked up and turned to look back. There was no one else that he could see. An entire flight and departure to New Olympia and it would consist of only a few individuals.

Raavi didn’t think twice about it. He turned his attention to the interior of the spacecraft. He could see the other ramps that had extended to the ground. His eyes focused on the inside of the ship. It was typical of a QX-829 spacecraft. Civilian accommodations were terrific. The interior of the vessel had an array of space to it. Past the extended forward ramp were two passageways that led to the bridge section of the ship. Gray silk carpet lined the floors. The interior walls had a pearly white dim glow to it. As his feet moved, he felt like he was walking on a solid cushion.

He didn’t think more about it as he decided to go and find his seat. The rows of seats were spaced apart. Each chair was cushioned and had an extendable table to it. It was like having a mini room for each seat. It wasn’t to say that the craft didn’t correctly utilize its space. Even Raavi knew that the gate jumpers were designed to affiliate comfort while being prepared for emergencies. If a planet-wide disaster were to occur, the spacious seats could be easily and quickly switched out to allow as many seats as possible. The vessel could be turned into an evacuation vessel that could house thousands upon thousands of individuals. It had to be true. Even with the ability to fold space, people rarely left their home planet or colonies. The need for transportation was always critical. That was obvious, but these flights must have been doing well never to use its extra space even then. The result was having plenty of room for passengers and extended comfort.

Raavi could see the few passengers strewn about. Why bother with arranged seating? He could sit anywhere he wanted. These seats might as well been couches with seatbelts. He could lounge and wait to be brought to New Olympia for all he cared.

For some reason, he thought about the woman with the stroller. He was drawn to the scene he had wondered about. It was a rumor, but it was something that he had to confirm. A particular curiosity had driven him to find the formally dressed woman in the spacecraft.

He continued his trek down the large dual isle. He could see the two men that were together as he walked past him. They both looked similar to one another. Perhaps they were brothers. Both of them had an excited look on their faces. He could see the blond woman next as he walked past her. She was busy looking at a projected three-dimensional screen of data that originated on her augmented left arm. Her right hand was busy moving files like she was checking something out.

“Nah ... I don’t want to sit on my assigned seat,” Raavi commented. “No need to do so. Plenty of other seats to choose from, and no one cares anyway.”

He could see her. She was busy securing the hover capsule stroller to a special compartment by her seat. It was altered in its angle to correctly handle the G-forces that were going to be pressed onto everybody. She herself had a middle seat by the dual isles. He decided to find the window seat that was adjacent to her.