Guest of the UFO

Chapter 6

On the D-day, our jumpers were ditched and we were each given a box of clothing for space. As usual, it had our name tags but there was no differentiating individual color.

We had all made it, except Khalid. On that morning, we had our breakfast, got a little briefing, and we were strapped into a vertical vehicle on the take off field. Aunty Petti was the field engineer in charge. She was a petite woman with lush dark hair that was cut into a Bob. She was with her copilot who also doubled as her fiancé. He was Chris, a tall redhead with beefy hands and a certain calm about him. We were all strapped in when Aunty Petri began to panic. It was not dramatic or conspicuous. But I was observant and I could spit it, no matter how covert she tried to make it seem. I saw Chris put a reassuring hand on her shoulders.

Aunty Petri took a deep breath, and soon, the countdown began. When it got to 5, Austin turned back to look at me.

"You okay?" He whispered.

I nodded and he gave me a thumbs up.

As we escape the Earth's gravitational pull, I feel my body getting lighter. There is a floating sensation that makes me feel heady and like a balloon or kite filled with helium, rushing single mindedly towards the sky. Soon, Aunty Petti announces that we will initiate sonic speed as soon as the spaceship reaches Mars's orbit. We have to brace ourselves for it.

Mars had been colonized in 2055, and soon the survival rate on that planet exceeded expectations. The dreams the people before us had carried, all the apocalyptic and dystopian ideas all came to pass, but without the total anarchy they claimed would play a key role in exterminating the human species. To prevent the repetition of what humans had done with earth, the rules in Mars were a bit stricter and more choke-neck. For a brief moment, I imagined what it would feel like to visit my aunts and cousins over there. When I had mentioned it to mum, she had only smiled and kept mum. I contemplate what it would feel like if I could jump out of the ship and fling myself into mass, against the floating trajectory of space. Although we are strapped to our seats, the seats can hover towards the window planes. I push the buttons that make mine float silently. It takes me a while and a little experimentation. We had only learnt the seat navigation in theory. Eventually, I got it right and I knew I had to go towards the windows. We had already passed Mars, but I was drawn to the beauty that was rushing past us by the window. It was too beautiful to ignore.

Risking a capital punishment from the Major, I makes my way towards the nearest window to gaze out. Austin silently sneaks behind me, drawing a few looks of disapproval from Akio. Austin smiled and signaled to him to come look too. I could see as he struggled internally with such a decision. Akio wanted to respect the authority just as he loved to do, just as he was raised to do. But another part of him also wanted the thrill of this adventure, the chance to appreciate the beauty of this place from a vantage point. I felt it was absolutely necessary because we did not know what would happen to us over there. Eventually, Akio gives in and floats towards us. Austin gives thumbs up while I smile at him through my shield.

We are mesmerized by the twinkling of orbital satellites in space all heading towards the humongous space station over the earth's equator. The dark outside seems like something I can reach out and touch. We are all like impurities suspended in ice, only that we are in motion and not concentrated at a corner. Or I would say, impurities suspended in a gelatinous, highly viscous fluid. But it is beautiful, scary, all at the same time. If people begin to think too much of themselves, all they need is a little space travel to show them how small and inconsequential they are in the grand scheme of things.

"Is this how you have been trained to behave?" A voice says from behind us. I gasp.

It was major Santorez with his characteristic mean look. He stood, arms akimbo, staring us down with disappointment.