“That’s eight out of ten!” the master chief laughed to the clerk behind the security desk just inside the boarding hatch. “I’m on a roll today!”
Nathan frowned at the master chief as he stepped through the hatchway and onto the ship, walking through the airlock and into the entryway. “Ensign Scott,” he reported to the clerk sitting at the security desk. “Requesting permission to come aboard.”
“Don’t feel bad, Ensign. At least he only told you to touch it,” the clerk smiled. “He got me to lick it.”
Nathan smiled at the thought. “How do I get to C one-fourteen?”
“First left, then follow the corridor around the hangar bay to the far side of the ship. And welcome aboard.”
“Thanks.”
Nathan made his way down the corridor as it wrapped around the inside of the ship over to the far side of the hangar bay. Every so often, he would have to step through an open hatch to pass through the various bulkheads used to compartmentalize the ship in case of sudden decompression.
The corridor itself was not abnormally narrow, with enough room for several people to pass by at least three abreast. Yet it felt much more cramped, possibly due to the maze of conduits and pipes that were always ducking in and out of walls as they snaked their way throughout the ship.
The inside of the Aurora was no more colorful than her outside, with the usual dark-gray floors and light-gray walls. The ceilings were medium gray, but very little of them were visible due to all manner of ducting and conduit. As he moved between compartments, he kept checking the navigation signs posted above each hatchway and on overhead support beams. Although the ship’s internal layout was pretty simple, the last thing he wanted to do was get lost on his first day aboard.
As he neared his cabin, Nathan passed a tall, muscular fellow leaning against the wall as he flirted with a Middle-Eastern woman in medical attire. The man cast Nathan a quick glance, checking to make sure he wasn’t out-ranked. Satisfied that he did not have to salute, the fellow continued his conversation as Nathan passed. A few more steps and Nathan found his cabin, stepping inside.
The cabin was small, with just enough room for a bunk on either side and a couple of lockers built into the wall between them. Up against the far wall at the foot of the bunk farthest from the entrance was a small computer desk. Above the desk there was a large view screen built into the wall in a manner that made it seem more like a window.
The hulls of all fleet ships were composed of several different layers that together were nearly three meters thick, so windows were not possible. Instead, view screens were designed to act as virtual windows to the outside. Each of them could display the view from any of the hundreds of cameras scattered along the outside of the hull. In addition, they could be used as computer terminals or entertainment displays. The viewer in this compartment was set to its default view, which was of the space directly outside. Nathan stepped closer to look out the virtual window. He knew it was really just a live camera feed, but the incredible clarity made it nearly impossible to tell the difference. Through it, he could see the trusses of the assembly framework that surrounded the ship, as well as the Earth itself as it rotated below.
After a few moments gazing out the viewer, Nathan moved over to inspect the bunks, noticing that each of them also had a viewport built into the wall. The bunks had additional storage compartments above and below, and were equipped with a roll-down privacy door that also enabled the bunks to seal and pressurize in an emergency. In the event of a sudden decompression of the entire section, the occupant could survive inside their bunk for days while they awaited rescue.
The room was spartan and cramped, and had obviously been designed so that nothing would get tossed about during abrupt maneuvers. But the designers had been thoughtful enough to make it as comfortable a space as possible.
Nathan saw that someone else’s duffel bag was already on the bunk nearest the door, so he tossed his duffel onto the empty one against the opposite wall.
“You must be my new roommie!” a voice boomed from behind.
Nathan turned to see the same dark haired man from the hallway. He had a full head of thick, wavy hair, and steely blue eyes. He was a bit taller than Nathan and was obviously stronger. “Yeah, I guess so. Nathan Scott,” he introduced, extending his hand.
“Vladimir Kamenetskiy,” he announced proudly in what Nathan recognized as a Russian accent. The animated Russian shook Nathan’s hand vigorously as he continued. “I am engineer, first class. And, I am computer systems specialist,” he added proudly.
“Well from what I’ve seen so far, you’re going to be busy for the next few weeks.”
“Yes, yes. It is wonderful. This ship has so many interesting systems,” he exclaimed. “I am like kid in candy store, yes?”
“Yeah, I can see how you would be.”
“Yes, yes. This is true. Did you know this ship has four antimatter reactors? And the engines? Oh, they are incredible!”
“Really?”
“Yes! But do not get me started on this,” he warned. “What is it that you do, Nathan?”
“Helm and Navigation.”
“Great! I fix it, you fly it!” he announced, slapping Nathan on his shoulder. “We will make a good team, you and I!”
“I guess so,” Nathan agreed, as he turned to start unpacking his bag.
“No time for that, my friend. We must report to the quartermaster, for we are not properly dressed for this ship.” Vladimir pointed to the Fleet Academy patches they still sported on their sleeves.
Nathan followed his new roommate’s suggestion, leaving his bag on his bunk. “Lead the way, roommie.”
“Excellent!” he exclaimed as they exited the cabin.
Nathan followed him out of their cabin and down the corridor, his excitable new roommate rambling on about the engines as they walked. This is going to be interesting.
The main briefing room was filled with the sounds of conversation, as the newest members of the Aurora’s crew talked amongst themselves as they waited for orientation to begin. A good sized room, it had several rows of chairs in order to accommodate the fifty people in attendance.
“Attention!” the Officer of the Deck ordered. Everyone in the room quickly stood tall and straight, with eyes fixed forward, as Commander Montero, the ship’s Executive Officer and second in command entered the room.
“At ease,” he ordered as he stepped up to the podium. “Be seated.” The commander paused to allow everyone a moment to get situated, scanning the faces in the room. He was a tall, lanky man with a rugged face and strong dark eyes. On the way to the briefing, Vladimir had told Nathan that the commander had a reputation as a stickler for details, and had probably read all of their personnel records prior to their arrival.
“Good afternoon everyone. I’m Commander Montero, your Executive Officer, and I’d like to welcome all of you aboard. The Aurora is the first of the fleet’s new Explorer class ships, which means that she will have plenty of bugs to work out. But she is also a state of the art design, based upon the most advanced concepts and technologies yet found in the Data Ark.”
The commander picked up a remote and dimmed the lights. An image of the ship’s design faded-in on the view screen built into the wall behind him, replacing the ship’s shoulder patch design that had been there only moments before. As he spoke, the display faded from one image to the next, revealing the Aurora’s overall design and layout through a series of perfectly crafted schematics and illustrations.
“As you all probably know, the Explorer class was conceived for an entirely new mission profile. Unlike her predecessors who were designed to stand their ground and slug it out with an enemy, the Aurora is built to move. She is very fast and highly maneuverable. She can strike quick and strike hard, and then make a quick escape. Her designers like to say that she can get out of trouble faster than she can get into it. On the surface, she is a ship of exploration and diplomacy. But at her heart, she is a considerable tactical platform that can be used in just about any combat role. And she will be the Fleet’s first ship with faster than light capabilities.”