Life on Earth was never my thing. I could not fit in, no matter how hard I tried. There was always something about me that felt different, awkward, distancing me from the crowd. I am a loner, a person whose world consists of books, movies, studies, lots of work and the ultimate dream to uncover the mysteries of deep space. There is too much on my mind to be good at socializing. I am driven by endless curiosity, but not about people. My thoughts strain away from them, longing to leap over the ordinary and get lost into the unknown.

   My planet is already too busy, too friendly and too packed for me. Everyone is crazy about the new 'get to know each other and become friends' fashion, ruling the society since all the borders between countries fell and we turned into a gigantic, buzzing beehive. There are no crimes, no poverty, no serious deceases and no separation into cliques, groups and fractions, based on gender, religion, politics, social status or race. We are tolerant and understanding. One big, happy family. I feel guilty for not being able to become its integral part, especially knowing how many painful stages humanity has been going through for centuries on end and the enormous efforts to achieve this. I am proud of what we have become. I cherish the freedom it gives us. But I am also overwhelmed by the endless stream of mental energy, flowing around me most of the time, trying to suck me in and suffocate me. I am one of those people who would rather avoid large family gatherings and read by myself in the library instead.

   When I completed the five-year, despicably harsh training course at Space Fleet Academy to become a deep space pilot and passed another year of severe psychological tests and evaluation, I finally found my place in the world. This is what I want to do. I am in my element, having earned with blood, sweat and tears my rightful place among the only twenty acting First Rank Commanders. 

   I was chosen to be the captain of the biggest spacecraft ever built. My darling Aurora is huge, almost the size of a small village and also the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. We have been roaming the galaxy together since then.

   I still remember the Commander-in-chief's exact words at our graduation ceremony, two years ago. The brawny, intimidating, eighty year old Admiral was emotional and his voice full of pride.

   "You are the strongest among us," he said. "We all admire you. Our rigorous assessment has shown that only twenty out of five million space cadets can withstand what you are about to experience. Your task can be carried out by no one else. Never forget that you are Earth's Ambassadors, the front line, the best of the best. When the time comes to contact other sentient species, you will be their first impression of the human race. I have no doubt. We couldn't have made a better choice. Good luck and remember that we will always be waiting for you to come home."

   I cannot deny how deeply his speech touched me and how proud it made me feel of what I have achieved. It sounded pompous, though, and quite far from the way I perceived my career. For me this is simple. What I do is just the best way to be exactly who I am.

   I take a deep breath before pressing down the helmet until I hear the familiar click, indicating it has connected with the portable life support system and the oxygen will flow inside in ten seconds. I always count them to make sure everything is ok. Not that I am afraid. I have been in too many dangerous situations to worry about a minor spacesuit malfunction. I actually never worry. It is absolutely pointless. There is a strict routine I persistently follow and plan A, B and C in case of unpleasant surprises. In the end, I either survive or I don't. Adam says that the estimated probability of failure is one in two million. My chances are pretty good, much better than those of a car driver.

   Three short beeps and the inner door slides shut, sealing me into the airlock's cylindrical chamber.

   "Do not remove any of your protective equipment until you are back in the habitable area. Depressurization begins in five seconds," a soft, pleasant and very calm female voice announces.

   "Heyy, Aurora," I grin, greeting my spacecraft. "I'm glad to hear from you at last. You've been quiet all day. Were you asleep, darling?"

   "Nah, just another long, boring day in the middle of nothingness." She sighs deeply and makes a dramatic pause. "This job is killing me, honestly."

   I laugh out loudly at my own joke. I programmed the response and the exact intonation into her main computer myself. The engineers back home always roll their eyes and can't stop cackling during every routine inspection, coming across my innocent modifications on the ship. It does not happen often. We return to Earth no more than twice a year at best.

   "Lock fully depressurized." Aurora's voice goes to the usual even tone, but I am not done yet. My grin widens in anticipation of the next banter. I just can't stand having dull, repetitive conversations with my own ship. I want her to rock, and since it only takes a bit of messing with her speech settings to give her the sass she needs, why the hell not? "External hatch will be operational in five seconds. Have a nice walk outside, Captain! I'll keep an eye on you in case you get lost in space. Oh, and could you, please, scratch my back when you pass by section B305? I think I got a little more tan than necessary when we passed near that star yesterday. The itching is unbearable."

   I snort. "Sure thing, darling. Don't complain, though, cause you certainly won't regret the bronze shimmer when I put you on dock next to that shiny cruise liner again. We have only three months to Dragon Eye Bay, ya know."

   "Oh, please," Aurora giggles. "Long distance relationships suck. I'm way bigger than him too, so he doesn't really stand a chance."

   "let 'em know who's boss, girl," I wheeze.

   The external hatch opens soundlessly and I step outside, quietly mumbling, "We both like 'em big and nasty, don't we, darling?"

  I haven't coded instructions for her to respond to that, so Aurora remains silent. She will talk to me again only if there is a need for technical assistance or any danger is detected. As hilarious as she can be when I add some spice to her answers, she is simply a spacecraft, my favorite one, my home and companion for the last two years, but still just a machine. She will say and do exactly what I tell her, no deviation from the norm, zero surprises.

   I shake my head and smile. The same certainly cannot be said of Adam. He is real. For me he is as real as my own existence. There is no way for him to be programmed. I have known him for about three months and I am already so intrigued that I can't stop thinking about him. 

   I almost trip over the cargo bay door control console. Fuck! I better concentrate. Aurora will have to chase after me in the open space, if I am not more careful. Adam makes me lose my balance in all possible ways and it both thrills me and irritates me. I frown at the thought that I am not even sure if 'he' is the correct pronounce. I will not use it, if there is no active identity protocol until we clarify the matter. 

   I nod in approval of my own decision and let my gaze wonder over the shiny, metal surface of the ship. The vertical stabilizer which did not ascend during the last maneuver is approximately a hundred feet away. Free drifting in the orbit of a small exoplanet's moon is the best opportunity to fix it.

   "Anything flying around?" I ask.

   "Scanning at eighty nine percent," Aurora immediately informs me. "I recommend keeping the current position until completion."

   "How long?" I wrinkle my nose. I don't want to wait, if there is nothing suspicious. Contrary to what one would think, it is not good to waste your time during an interstellar flight, no matter how many months it may take. Every second is precious and some rules are way too strict than necessary.

   "Five minutes and thirty six seconds," Aurora answers. "I recommend keeping the current..."

   "Yeah, yeah," I stop her. "What did I tell you about repeating recommendations?"

   "To keep my mouth shut," she responds promptly.

   "That's right," I grumble. "Follow your Captain's orders then. Give me the intermediate result."

   "I recommend waiting for full scan without changing position. Intermediate results' reliability is ninety-eight percent lower on average, depending..."

   "Aurora," I slightly raise my voice. "This was not a request."

   "Scanning at ninety percent," she instantly starts to brief me. "No debris or other objects of human or alien origin. No biological traces. No radiation. Environment classified as non-hostile."

   "I'm off," I announce and push myself away from the surface.

   "I recommend pulling yourself along the safety rail. Free flying carries a seventy-five percent risk of breaking the retaining cord..."

   "Shut up!" I make a somersault in the open space and laugh. I love it. Maybe, this is how birds feel during flight. It would be totally awesome if I could do this without the restrictions of the suit. I do have a low gravity training chamber in the living quarters and use it mainly for fun, but the sensation is completely different outside.

   "Scanning completed," I hear Aurora's voice in my ear, followed by a piercing beep. "Red alert! Black capsule detected in quadrant Alpha 3, ten thousand kilometers from the Nose Cone Beacon. Initiating immediate extraction."

   "What the fuck..." Everything around me becomes a swirl of purple, silver and gold before I can blink an eye when the sudden, powerful pull of the retracting cable hurls me back into the airlock for less than a second. The hatch closes behind my back even faster.

________________________________

Photo by JCH from pixabay.com

A/N

Hello my dear friends at the end of Chapter 1 of my newest and first sci-fi book.

Thank you for reading and always supporting the leaps of my imagination! ❤❤❤

I plan this book to be surprising, super steamy as always and, of course, as romantic as it can get.

Let's see if I succeed 😀

What do you think about our first lead, Commander Haru and his precious Aurora?

We will witness this extraordinary love story through his eyes.

As you have probably already guessed, the second lead is not human 😉

Have fun, share your thoughts, ask questions and criticize and I will try to respond as much as I can.

And don't forget to vote, if you liked the chapter.

Thank you!

Love: Anny