Outsystem: A Military Science Fiction Space Opera Epic

Chapter 1

"During these maneuvers we require you to be in your cabin, and strapped down to your bunk, for your safety.

"Mars Outer Shipyard is a class 1A environmental space with 0.8g centripetal gravity and a standard temperature of nineteen degrees Celsius. Be sure to have your customs forms filled out and debark only after the announcement is given to do so.

"Thank you for flying Dawn Transport. To all of you colonists, good luck, and to everyone else, we hope to see you again."

"Well, I guess I'll see you ladies after we finish docking," Eric said.

"You will indeed," Patty said. "We'll meet tonight for drinks at that restaurant I mentioned."

"You going to come, Tanis?" Eric asked.

"I'll see. I have to report in and get my assignment by 0800 station time, but if I'm not busy, I'll be there." The military life brought her comfort, but the last few weeks on the Dawn had given her a taste of what a more relaxed life could be like. It made the offer tempting.

With final farewells the three left the lounge with the other passengers and proceeded to their cabins.

One of the privileges of rank was that Tanis had a room to herself. She made certain all of her belongings were secure, and lay down on her bunk. She didn't bother to strap down, but did hold on to the rails along its sides. The ship shuddered several times as it shed all of its velocity relative to Mars. The process took several minutes, following which the vessel rotated and the engines fired again.

The cabin systems displayed a holo count-down and also flashed a warning that the air would jell to help ease the discomfort of the upcoming maneuver. The cabin systems knew her body could hold up the strain, so the nano-injectors didn't deliver the frame firming nano bots into her body, but it was quite likely Eric was undergoing the rather uncomfortable procedure at the moment.

The captain wasn't lying; the 15g burn was hard. Tanis's body weight increased to over a ton and she was pressed deep into the acceleration cushioning of her bunk as the ship matched the twenty-two kilometers per second orbit of the Mars Outer Shipyards. Once that velocity was reached, the fusion engines powered down, eliminating the gravity their thrust had created. In the resulting 0g Tanis let go of the rails and allowed herself to slowly rise above her bunk as the air thinned out once more.

She could feel the telltale vibrations of thrusters firing as they eased the Dawn into its external berth on the planet side of the MOS. Once the ship was in place and latched onto the station, the thrusters slowly phased out until the physical coupling supplied the ship's angular momentum. During that process the ship gradually fell under the centripetal force of the shipyard and achieved the station-standard 0.8g.

Tanis let the increasing gravity pull her back down to the bunk. It was an experience she always enjoyed; a ritual that had persisted since her first stellar flight with her father some sixty years earlier.

An announcement came over the shipnet indicating a successful docking. The passengers were reminded to remain in their cabins until the debarkation signal was given.

Shortly afterward, the low thud of the passenger and cargo umbilicals linking the Dawn to the station could be felt through the ship. Fresh air from the MOS filtered through the vents. Tanis could practically taste the difference after the stale stuff the Dawn had been recycling over the last few days.

The debarkation signal came over the shipnet and a glowing green icon flashed on the door's holo display indicating that passengers could leave their cabins. Tanis took her time giving the sparse space a final check, making certain nothing was left behind. It would give the corridors a chance to clear out. No point in rushing into a crowd of people.