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LENA STRETCHED HER limbs out on the couch and reached to the mind of the ship. ARohirohi seemed preoccupied, but that could’ve been because she’d just asked her if it was possible to go faster. If there were limits to her massive friend, this was the first time she’d had any sense of it.
The images that came from Rowie’s mind were amazing, breathtaking, and never the same twice. Life on the ship had slowed to its own pace, which was ironic, considering the speed the skein of the universe was passing the ship’s surface. It was difficult to think of Rowie’s outsides as a hull. She was a person not a vehicle, but as well as that, she was flexible, malleable. As such, even skin seemed like a word that didn’t fit her. The volume she was occupying currently, was only by choice or convenience. She could be a flea or a titan. Was there a limit to that? There must be, surely? Today they were a massive whale, or that was what Lena thought they looked like. It was like they were powering through the ocean of star-stuff, powerful flukes pushing against the substance of the void, then breaching and sailing high into the aether, a space above and through and impossible to comprehend before crashing back down into the shapes and forms they were used to.
Then up again, wherever up was on this crazy ride. Everything Lena could see exploded into shards reflected a million ways. The closest thing her head was grasping at was one of those slow-motion films of something exploding, she remembered seeing something from history of a bullet being shot through an apple. She remembered how fascinated she felt about watching the tiny specks of apple, tracking their journeys one picture at a time. Were they those specks? Or the apple? Or the bullet? Lena didn’t know. But each time they came back down again, whichever way that was, it was like that film running backwards and the apple was whole again. It made Lena’s head spin, but she loved it.
She sensed the crew running about on the bridge, she could sense them too, like a heads-up display in her dream. They were running around, not in panic, but excitement, checking readings from a stack of military-grade boxes they’d plonked in the middle of the bridge, mirroring the plinth she lay on.
“That’s six-hundred million knots captain!”
“That’s amazing, I can’t—”
“What’s that in science then?”
“One point, oh-three-cee.”
“We’re going to need to alter this monitoring program or it’ll crash.”
“Get on it please, Ms Jones, it’d be a shame to be breaking all these records and not record it for posterity. Integrity readings please, PO Lee?”
“The hull temperature is— huh, exactly the same as it was when we left dock. Eleven degrees celsius. Hull integrity, is, well we talked about that captain—”
“Yeah, don’t even read me that one anymore, what’s life support looking like?”
“Nominal gases. One gee of gravity, temperature inside hull is fifteen-point-five celsius. Rowie’s keeping us lovely and safe, captain.”
“This is a Royal Navy ship, Petty Officer Lee, do not refer to her as that!” Fazar’s bark cut through the dream.
Lena’s mood wilted like an unwatered plant. She tried to keep her focus on being in space, but she couldn’t.
“Relative velocity dropping, captain—one-point-zero-two, one-point-zero-one, one cee. We are now back below the speed of light, five hundred and eighty million knots and falling.”
Lena opened her eyes. Her vision was a little blurry. Her body felt like she’d slept for a whole weekend, except her brain did not feel refreshed. As if she’d rested her body, but been doing an exam with her mind.
“Hello young lady, are you back with us?” She was pleased it was Dr Fuller and not Lt Fazar who greeted her. “You’ve achieved quite a milestone.”
“Wait till we tell your mum what you’ve been up to!” Uncle Richard was virtually hopping from foot to foot. Lena couldn’t recall ever seeing him that excited before. She smiled and went to sit up.
“Woah there,” said Dr Fuller. “Let’s just give you a quick check over first.” And he began attaching the medical cuff.
“Ship steadying to a cruise speed of five hundred million knots captain,” said PO Lee.
The medical cuff chimed cheerfully. No alarm in the universe could sound like that. She grinned up at the big face of Dr Fuller. He grinned back and gave her a thumbs up, “Clean bill of health here, captain.”
“Excellent, thanks Solomon. I think that calls for a little announcement, don’t you think Ms Lee? Patch me in.”
“Aye, aye, captain.”
“All hands, this is the captain. Today, my friends, we’ve made history. Six hundred million knots.”
Applause broke out all over the ship. Lena sat up slowly to see people embracing and shaking hands.
Uncle Richard grinned at her. She managed a smile back. He came over and placed a hand on her shoulder, “You okay?” he mouthed.
She nodded.
“No ship has ever travelled so fast,” the captain went on, “we are the crew of the first ship from Earth to break the light barrier. Congratulations, and thank you for all your hard work.” There was more applause, crew not on shift started arriving on the bridge, there were even marines, staring out of the side windows, but all they could see, was the space they’d expected to see. They stared, some clutching coffee others just drifting.
The marine corporal, Rodriguez, was closest to her. When they were off duty, they all wore faded green T-shirts with the disturbing dagger logo, but at least that meant they helpfully had their names on their back. The sergeant, Fazar and the captain seemed to be in disagreement about something, on the far side of the bridge. Rodriguez turned and smiled with half her mouth. She had an odd smile. A smile that had seen too much and done too much, but was still on the mouth of a person trying to do the right thing. Not a carefree smile, but a genuine one, “The first ship from Earth to break the light barrier, huh?”
Lena nodded, but all she could think of was Rowie was not from Earth at all, was she?
