Sanctuary Sought

Sanctuary Sought - Book 1 - Chapter 8

I looked at him with determination. "Well, I'm going," I declared firmly, sounding far braver and less broken than I felt.

Miles looked up from his tablet, his expression filled with concern and fear. His forehead got covered with sweat once again. "Wait a second, Sarah," he said, reaching for his wrist controller.

I watched as he typed something quickly into the device, his fingers moving rapidly across the screen. He looked up at me with a serious expression. "I'm going too," he said firmly.

I was surprised by his sudden change of heart. "Are you sure?" I asked him.

Miles nodded, his eyes fixed on mine. "Yeah, I'm sure. I don't want you to go alone," he said, his voice trembling but filled with determination. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go change into the lighter suit since we are now in cruising mode."

The next few hours were a flurry of movement and activity. One by one, everyone changed into and adjusted to the lighter suits. It was amazing how much easier it was to move in them. It was liberating.

As the day went on, the diplomatic team began to form a plan for our approach to the aliens. It was clear that they were technologically superior to us, so we had to tread carefully. We discussed possible strategies and tactics, trying to find the best approach. By the end of the day, the 3 of us attending the meeting felt confident in our preparations.

By the time evening came around, I was exhausted. Evening, meaning a clock in the corner of the monitors and my own feeling since everything was lit constantly to comfortable levels. My mind involuntarily was flooded with memories of a trip with Issac to a northern country in the height of summer where the sun never sat for the whole trip.

I stumbled my way through the weightless environment, trying to find my way to my bunk. It was little more than a sleeping bag strung up to anchor points at the top and bottom of the compartment, designed to keep it from floating away. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world but better than sleeping in full light.

As I settled into my bunk, zipped up the opening, and was engulfed in darkness, instantly dropping my energy levels to nothing. I felt my body relax for the first time all day. But because of the weightlessness, it was hard to fall asleep.

I woke up groggy and disoriented, floating in the dark. Then, a soft beeping and gradual light reminded me where I was. A deep bang of homesickness shook my body, and I covered my mouth to not sob. It took a few minutes to compose myself. As soon as I regained my bearings, I went to the common area.

It turned out that the day was filled with preparations for the first meeting with the aliens. Since the diplomatic team finished yesterday, I spent most of my day floating around, helping wherever possible.

As the day wore on, it became clear that the military team was the only one with more than enough volunteers to participate in the first interview. Most teams had to pull straws or draw lots to see who would go. The military guys drew lots on who was going to stay.

The next few days were a stark contrast to the flurry of activity from the first 2 days of the trip. We were left with nothing to do but wait. It was a slow, monotonous crawl at a few thousand miles an hour, and the boredom was crushing. There were no communications back to Earth, no updates, and no new tasks to be assigned. The only activity was the occasional idle conversation with my crewmates.

I found myself drifting off into my own thoughts more and more. I thought about my family back on Earth and how much I missed them. It was tough being so far away from them, and the lack of communication was only making it worse. I tried to keep myself occupied by reading and playing chess with Miles, but nothing seemed to lift my spirits.