The New Frontier Page 2

  She paused, staring at him, then continued, “All the things I like to do—and there’s NONE of that on the station!”

  “I’m sorry, kiddo.” He pulled her close and hugged her. “I know it will be rough at first, but you’ll like it. I promise.” She reluctantly hugged him back, closing her eyes and trying to hold back the tears.

  Their two other siblings ran out of the back room. Evan was 8 and Maia was 6 now. She had just had a birthday the week before.

  Their dad said, “I was just showing Evan and Maia where we’re going. Do you want to see?”

  He started walking to the back room, expecting the girls to follow. When he noticed they weren’t coming, he yelled back, “Come on!”

  Lauren folded her arms and looked at her sister. “Fine!” and went to see, with Julia close behind.

  Hovering above the table in the middle of the room was a hologram of the solar system. Each rocky planet was a small dot, including Earth, and the gas giants were big balls with multicolored bands encircling the globes. The hazy ring outside Mars, but inside Jupiter, was the asteroid belt. The planets looked strikingly real, as if they were looking at them through a telescope.

  Their dad eagerly pulled up a chair in front of the table, “See, here we were on Earth and now we’re waaaayyy out here.” A red line showed a curved path from the third rocky planet out to the asteroid belt.

  Maia hopped up on his lap and tried to grab the planets above the table. Her hand disappeared into Jupiter, and then she poked two fingers out the top to make it look like it had ears. The other kids laughed as she played.

  “Let me do it,” Evan said, shoving Maia aside.

  “No, it’s my turn. I did it first!” Maia insisted, and the scene erupted in violence.

  “Come on, you two. Settle down.” Their dad separated them then resumed his explanation zooming in on their destination. The detail of the asteroids and the stations sharpened. The stations were some distance away from the asteroids. They had a grid of small space buoys separating the stations from the asteroid belt.

  The chaos of the asteroid belt was immediately apparent, as the real-life diorama showed massive asteroids hurtling through space, colliding with each other and exploding in a dazzling cloud of dust.

  Their dad continued, “See here, this is the Cielo Outpost. We’ll live here and I’ll spend a lot of time out here.” He pointed to the asteroid belt some distance away from the outpost. “I’ll be supervising the operations out there.”

  “What are those things for?” Lauren asked, pointing at the buoys.

  “That’s to protect the station from the asteroids. They blow up any stray asteroids that come close to the station,” their dad said.

  Lauren raised her eyebrows.

  “How long will you be gone?” Julia asked.

  “A few days at a time.”

  “Can we go out there, too?” Julia asked next.

  “It’s no place for kids. Lots of big machines floating around, and those stray asteroids.” He patted Julia on the shoulders. “Maybe when you’re older … for now, I’ll be sure to bring back lots of samples for you!”

  That was good enough for Julia and she smiled her crinkled-nose smile back.

  Their mother came in and put her hands on Juila’s shoulders. “I know this is hard, but I really think you’ll like it. How many kids your age get to live on a space station?”

  “We’ll see,” Lauren said, not scowling this time.

  “All right, time to eat! We have your favorite – Indian food.”

  Chapter 2

  Welcome to Cielo Prime

  The family arrived at the outpost two days later. The transport ship stopped some distance away from the stations, and small ferries came out to pick up the passengers. The day they were to disembark was hectic. The family had to scramble to get to the transport dock for their scheduled moving time. Most of their possessions were already boxed up and had been moved to Cielo Prime while they slept and only their tote bags remained.

  “Lauren, Julia, come on!” their mom barked while she picked up her bags. Lauren was moving slowly, having just rolled out of bed minutes before. Still half asleep, she struggled to stay awake as she changed out of her pajamas.

  Their dad rounded up the last bags, then grabbed the younger kids. “We’ll go on ahead to get us a spot in line. See you down there,” he said as they headed out the door.

  “Mom, hold on! I’m getting ready!” Lauren gurgled as she brushed her teeth.

  “Your dad and the other kids are already going down to the dock. We need to get going.” As she spoke, Julia suddenly appeared, standing by the door.

  “I’ll catch up with dad,” she said as she stumbled out the door, tripping on the doorframe. She recovered, brushed her clothes off in stride, then ran down the hall.

  Lauren walked out several minutes later, surly, dragging her feet. “OK, I’m ready, let’s go.”

  Her mom stood with her hands on her hips. “Why is it that you are always the last one out the door?” Lauren shrugged and walked out the door without answering.

  Hundreds of people waited in winding lines for the ferry. Their dad and the three other kids were halfway up the line when Lauren and their mom arrived at the dock.

  “Oh, no!” Lauren muttered. “We’ll have to take a different ferry. Or maybe not go at all. Too bad.”

  Her mother just pushed forward into the line.

  “Excuse me … excuse me,” she said, dragging Lauren with her up the line and around other passengers. Many gave her dirty looks as she passed.

  One woman glanced back, seeing Lauren and her mother trying to get by, and shifted her bag to her side to block the way.

  When her mother reached the lady, she tapped her on the shoulder. “Excuse me, we’re trying to reach the rest of our family.”

  “Why don’t you ask them to come back to you?” the lady asked, frowning.

  This time, her mother gave the lady a dirty look and pushed the bag aside.

  “Hey!” the lady exclaimed.

  Lauren’s mother didn’t respond and just kept shuffling up the line.

  They reached the rest of their family and dropped their bags.

  “Did you hear that woman?” their mom asked their dad.

  “No, what did she do?” he asked.

  Lauren’s attention drifted as she looked out the window. A glass wall separated the waiting room from the actual dock. The ground personnel waited at the front of the line for the ship to come in.

  She ducked down, peering through the window to see the ferry looming outside the ship, floating in space. It slowly maneuvered toward the dock.

  She elbowed her sister. “Julia, look!”

  Julia looked out the window, seeing the ship slip into the bay with its thrusters burning. It hovered for a moment, then came to rest on the deck. When it did, the bay doors closed. A loud whooshing sound erupted in the dock, pressurizing it with air.

  The ferry looked like a twentieth-century bus to Lauren. Its boxy shape had windows along the outside and a couple doors on either end. There weren’t any wings, and it had two large thrusters on the back. She could see the seats situated in rows all throughout the cabin. Towards the front, there was a large circular emblem which was a triangle with a line drawn through it.

  “What’s that?” Lauren asked her dad pointing to the icon.

  “Oh, that’s the seal for Cielo,” he said. “It’s on all their official documents.”

  “Huh,” Lauren said staring at it.

  Small doors along the back of the bay opened and bots automatically started loading large stacks of crates onto the ferry. At the same time, the passenger doors opened, allowing the crowd to spill into the bay. The crew on the deck opened the gates and waved the passengers out to the ferry. The family moved with the crowd and boarded.

  On board, voices from overhead speakers repeated in a soothing voice, “Please take your seat. The ferry departs in 10 minutes.”

  Luckily
, they were far enough up in the line that they found six seats next to each other. Lauren got the window seat and looked out the window to see the attendants stop the line right at the rude lady. She smiled slightly, then put her seat belt on.

  Other families weren’t as lucky and had to piece together their seats, spreading their families around on the ferry. Her siblings sat down and strapped themselves in. A few minutes later, the message from the voice changed to “Doors are secured. Please remain in your seats and secure your belongings.”

  Just then, the ferry lifted, hovering above the dock deck, turned 180 degrees, and moved slowly out of the bay as quietly as it had come in. As soon as they pulled away from the ship, the ferry twisted in space, shifting out of the transport ship’s rotation, and gravity let go. Lauren got a sick feeling in her stomach as if she were falling in a really quick elevator.

  Groans could be heard throughout the ferry as gravity released its grasp. “Oh, I’m going to be sick!” Lauren moaned, clutching her stomach. She reached in front of her seat for a throw up bag and put it over her mouth.

  Maia had been flinging her water bottle around and accidentally sloshed it out by Julia. Without gravity the water droplets hovered right above Julia’s lap. The spheres of liquid suspended harmlessly like floating silver balls until the ferry accelerated. The kids were pushed back in their seats and the liquid splattered all over Julia.

  “Argh!” Julia shouted.

  “Be quiet, you guys. We’re not the only ones here!” Their mom tried to quell the impending disaster. “Julia, it’s just water. Calm down.”

  “But, Mom, it’s all over!” Julia frantically wiped the water from her fanny pack and scowled at her younger sister. “Maia, watch what you’re doing!” She slapped Maia on the hand. Maia yelped and reached to pinch Julia.

  “Do NOT touch each other!” their mom murmured through gritted teeth. The two straightened up, sat back in their seats, and continued frowning at each other.

  Outside the window, they could see Cielo Prime getting closer as the ferry picked up speed. On either side, they passed several small satellite stations that mimicked the shape of the large station.

  “What are those?” Lauren asked.

  Her dad looked up from reading a message on his phone and glanced out the window. “Farms,” he said absently.

  “Farms? They don’t look like farms,” she retorted.

  Her dad looked at them again. “They’re farms, all right. See, they’re spinning really fast. The plant roots grow toward the center of the satellite and nutrient water is sprayed on the roots. It’s called hydroponics. That’s how they grow food for us to eat here in space. And there’re lights all around the outside, see?” He pointed at outside rim of the satellite.

  Lauren creased her nose and made a face. “Does it taste good?”

  “Yes, it tastes fine. You won’t be able to tell a difference,” he assured her. Skeptical, she watched the farms race by quickly as they got closer to the station.

  Now in full view, the station was even more impressive than it had looked from the transport ship. The massive station dominated the entire view from the ferry. Lauren couldn’t look anywhere out her window without seeing station.

  Hundreds of buildings stood at varying heights rooted on the surface of the station. Several buildings clustered together, forming small skylines. Lights from all over the station glowed, shimmered, and flashed. Elevators went up and down buildings. Train lines wrapped around the station, looking like ribbons on a Christmas present. The trains sped back and forth, darting up and down.

  Outside the station, ferry ships, cargo ships, and mining ships all waited in line to dock. Other ships sped away, headed for one of the other stations, a farm, or the asteroid belt. The passengers on the ferry sat gawking in wonder, as this was the first time most of them had seen the station.

  Cielo Prime was rotating counter clockwise as the ferry moved to get in sync with the station. The ferry slowed down the closer they got. They could see the docking bay. Lights illuminated the landing spot their ferry aimed for and cargo lights shone on the bay, making it look like it was daytime.

  The ferry landed with a thud and then sank down as it came to rest. Overhead, the soothing, almost mechanical voice returned, saying repeatedly, “Welcome to Cielo Prime. We hope you enjoy your stay.”

  “OK, we’re here,” Lauren said, sighing and releasing her grasp on the armrests.

  As the ferry came to a stop, everybody on board got up from their seats and stood in the aisles. The family unbuckled and gathered their carry on luggage.

  “Let’s wait until it clears out a little,” their mom said, holding the kids back.

  People shuffled by as they made their way out of the ferry. When it had thinned enough, the family got up and worked their way toward the door. Out in the bay, the crowd followed the yellow lines on the bay floor toward the far side.

  Above the door, a sign read “Customs” next to the Cielo seal. Lauren and Julia looked around, absorbing every detail. They crossed into the customs area, which was a nondescript room with 10 lines of people in front of stalls. Each stall had a sign that read either “Residents” or “Non-Residents.” The family moved to a line for non-residents and waited.

  The residents whizzed by, simply placing their hands on the scanners at the Resident checkpoint booths and being waved through by guards. The non-residents waded through the winding lines.

  On the side of each Non-Resident booth, there was a small pad tilted out from the side of the booth. In front of the pad was a line painted on the ground. When it was their turn, their dad stopped at the line and put his hand on the pad.

  “Alex Michaels identified. Proceed.” A green light flashed and he walked forward to a second line.

  He stood with his arms at his sides, and a thin robotic arm extended out with an injection syringe. A small burst of air hit his arm. He flinched a little with the inoculation.

  “Alex Michaels, you are processed. Please move forward,” a voice commanded.

  “Did that hurt? What was that?” Lauren asked with a look of panic in her eyes. She didn’t like shots much at all, and her dad knew it.

  “It’s just a little shot,” he said, trying to soothe her.

  “No, No, NO! I’m not going to do it!” she insisted.

  “Well, then they won’t let you on the station. Everybody has to get one,” he said, looking back at the disgruntled passengers who were next in line. “Come on, it doesn’t hurt that much.”

  Julia jumped past Lauren and stopped at the first line. She got her handprint read and then stepped up for the shot. She flinched a little, too, and gave her sister an impish grin.

  With puckered lips and a scowl on her face, Lauren stomped to the first line and placed her hand on the pad. “Lauren Michaels identified. Proceed,” the voice said. The green light flashed. Next, she stepped to the second line and out came the syringe. She covered her eyes, bracing for the injection.

  The cold liquid jetted into her muscles. She flinched like her sister and dad before her, feeling strangely invaded by the inoculation.

  “Lauren Michaels, you are processed. Please move forward,” a voice commanded.

  “Processed? What am I an animal?” she screamed at the arm as she walked away.” She rubbed her arm where a weird feeling radiated from the spot. “What was in that?”

  “Just something to make sure we don’t spread diseases to other people,” he said.

  “Well, I didn’t like it. It didn’t feel like a normal shot,” she muttered.

  “That’s it, let’s go.” The other family members went through without any issues, and they all followed the crowd to a set of escalators that took them up to the surface.

  Lauren didn’t know what to expect. She assumed the station would just look like the inside of a building: drab, dull, and boring.

  Immediately past the escalators were gates keeping hundreds of vendors outside the customs area. They were selling anything f
rom food to everyday staples, like toothpaste.

  Their dad turned to the family. “OK, just walk past them and ignore them.”

  The family exited the gates and fought their way through the mass of people. The girls just kept their heads down, not talking to anyone.

  The sea of people parted, revealing a grand mall with shops, restaurants, and lots more people. A dazzling array of plants and flowers invited them in. It almost looked like a rainforest, with sprawling trees supporting hanging vines, orchids growing on trees, moss clusters nestled on branches, and fragrant smells from the gardens wafting by. A thin mist permeated the area from a picturesque waterfall in the middle of the space.

  Far above their heads was the ceiling of the station. It was a web of steel and glass intertwined with strips of lights. It almost looked like clouds had formed around the lights.

  Massive cable bundles shot up into the ceiling every thousand feet or so, holding the station together. Although the station was curved, it wasn’t as noticeable as on the ship. There were so many trees and the ceiling was so high that the gradual curve of the station was barely noticeable.

  The mall was bustling with activity. There were restaurants, and people reading, talking, and on the go. It was much busier than the ship. A breeze flowed by and the sisters took deep breaths.

  Julia looked around, squinting.

  “What are you looking for?” Lauren asked.

  “That breeze! Where is it coming from? How do they do that?” Julia asked.

  “I don’t know, but being on that ship I almost forgot how nice it was to feel a breeze. This almost feels like Earth,” Lauren said.

  There were even squirrels running around, jumping from tree to tree. Lauren watched as two small squirrels chased each other around the trunk of a large tree. They looked like they were playing tag, as one would hide from the other in the crook of the tree, surprise the other one as it approached, then start the chase over again.

  Birds flew in the massive open air space. There was a flock of parakeets flying in unison as they dipped and swooped, eventually landing together on the top of a tree and chirping loudly.