Nyx (Complete✅)

Chapter 11

   "I gave them a two-week deadline. Let's wait until then." Said Captain West to Officer Carter.

   "What do we do in the meantime?"

   "Keep them locked up. Stop interrogating them. Let them wonder what's going on. At the end, I will give them their private conversation." Replied the captain.

   "Very well sir." Officer Carter said and turned to leave.

   Walking down the hall he thought about how hard the job of captain must be. He had a lot of responsibilities just being head of security. The captain was head of the entire ship!
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   Beth wondered why she had waited so long to apply for a job. After all, she had been on the ship a couple years now. The minimum age to apply was sixteen, but it wasn't mandatory until you were twenty years old. You were still considered a child until you reached the end of your teens. Long ago, the legal age of adulthood had been eighteen. Now you were not a legal adult until you were twenty years old. Beth was curious to see if they would change that, once they got to the planet. They were still under earth's rules and laws until they reached Nyx. Once they landed, they wouldn't be obligated by anything. They would have a clean slate.

   The past few days had passed without much excitement. Although there wasn't much happening, Beth was bombarded with loads of work to do. Now that she was going to be an explorer, she had extensive studying and training to go through.

   Beth sat at a desk in the Planetary Preparation Workstations. She was in the exploration division. In her division, she would be learning about the terrain of the planet and how to navigate it. There was also hands-on training, where she would learn things like self-defense (should she ever encounter hostile life-forms), and survival skills. Beth was amazed at how much there was to learn.

   After hours of working, the dinner bell rang. Beth quickly finished what she was working on and got up to leave. Liam met her at the door.

   "How was work?" He asked.

   "Very interesting. And I enjoy it, but there sure is a lot to learn!" Beth replied.

   "Yeah, there sure is!" He agreed."But be careful not to wear yourself out, we still have a whole year left until we reach the planet."

   "Don't worry, I won't. Thanks for the advice." Beth looked into his eyes, and for the first time noticed how caringly he looked at her. She then quickly looked away, realizing that she was awkwardly staring into his eyes. "Besides, I thrive when I have a lot to do." She added.

   "Just don't be a workaholic," Liam said with a sly smile.

   Beth laughed." I'll try not to."

   Liam looked around at the empty stations. "We better hurry, or we'll miss dinner."

   When they reached the mess hall, they got in line together. Holding out their dishes, they accepted the unappetizing mush.

   "Thanks," Beth said to the lady serving the food.

   The lady's face brightened, and Beth wondered how many people just went through the line begrudgingly accepting their food while ignoring her.

   Beth found a table and sat down. Liam sat with her.

   "I bet you just made her day," Liam said.

   "Who?" Asked Beth, unaware.

   "The lady serving the food." Replied Liam.

   "Oh," Beth said and looked back at the lady. She was still smiling.

   Liam went on,"It's so cool how one little gesture of kindness can be so meaningful."

   Wow, all I did was say thanks." Beth marveled.

   "No, you didn't." Said Liam."You did much more. You noticed her. You acknowledged her."

   Beth ate her last bite of food then looked at Liam, he was done too. They brought their dishes to the washing area and left the mess hall.

   When they reached Beth's door, she realized how tired she was and yawned.

   "I'm going to bed early." She said to Liam.

   "Me too, it's been a long day." Liam turned and began walking down the hall. He looked back."Good night Beth."

   "Good night." She replied, and Liam continued on his way.

   Beth palmed her door open and went in. Once she was ready, she collapsed into bed and promptly fell asleep.

   Sitting on a park bench, Beth looked at the sea of green grass around her. Glancing upward she saw a bird alight on one of the trees. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the sweet scent of summer. Her ears heard the happy sounds of children laughing and playing.

   Opening her eyes, Beth's gaze fell on a trio of young men having fun with a frisbee in the distance. They had wide smiles.

   Beth got up and started walking along a path that went around the whole park. She looked past the quiescent trees of the park to the city beyond, with its shining buildings and bustling people.

   Suddenly the ground beneath her feet trembled. The atmosphere darkened. She looked up at the sky. Huge black blotches were forming all across it. The earth trembled again, this time more violently than before. People started running and screaming.

   Everything abruptly got very still and quiet for a few seconds.

   The calm before the storm.

   The air became thin. Beth struggled to breathe. The stillness ceased and the earth shook so fiercely, she was knocked to the ground. Huge cracks were forming along the surface of the planet and immense chasms that reached all the way to the earth's scorching center.

   The sky was totally dark now. The earth continued to quake. Buildings were falling like mighty oaks. Beth's lungs screamed for air. Her body began to convulse from lack of oxygen. The earth felt as if it was on the verge of exploding. Like a ragdoll, Beth's body was suddenly flung upward, the force of it knocked her out.

   Beth woke up in a cold sweat. She sat up and clapped on the lights. Looking at her surroundings, she began to calm down. "It was just a nightmare." Beth thought to herself. She slowed her panicky breathing and looked at the clock. She still had a few hours of time to sleep left. Clapping off the light, she lay back down and fell asleep.