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Jasen strapped himself snugly into the seat of the shuttle saucer. There was a soft purr in the background, one that he could feel more than hear. Lights on the panel three feet in front of him glowed, blinking various colors automatically.
His special pressure suit fit comfortably, but he lifted the clear plastic face shield one more time to tuck away a few stray locks of his unruly blond hair. They had been floating around in front of his face ever since he had left the limited gravity of the lunar space station. The space station was the last stop before the final leg of his trip home for summer break. Home was not that far away by space standards, only a twelve-hour space flight from Moon orbit to Earth orbit.
Jasen wore the silver and blue uniform of the Lunar Seven
Technical School on the Moon. He wasn't sure he wanted to go back after this break
or back to regular school on the space station. Going to Earth was out of the
question, since he had been born in low gravity. The training and rehab time would
have made that idea impractical. He had lived his entire 13 years on the space
station. The last nine months had been on the moon for school.>
Under his pressure suit, Jasen wore the silver and blue uniform of the Lunar Seven Technical School on the Moon. He wasn't sure he wanted to go back to it after this break--or even back to regular school on the space station. Going to Earth was out of the question, since he had been born in low gravity. The training and rehab time would have made that idea impractical. He had lived his entire thirteen years on the space station. The
last nine months had been
spent on the Moon at school.
A voice suddenly broke through Jasen's thoughts. "Orbital transition will begin in one minute," repeated the cold voice of the control computer. He tried to turn his head enough to see if the others in the little saucer were settled in. The curvature of the pod made it difficult to see more than a few persons on either side.
The computer voiced droned with the same dumb lines rehearsed at the beginning of every trip. Out of boredom, Jasen tried to see if he could repeat the whole speech in his head. "Please be sure that your seat harness is securely fastened. Please do not try to move around the chamber until the secure light is on. Please be aware of the instructions printed on the panel above your head concerning emergency procedure in case of pressure loss in the cabin. Please be aware of the...."
"Maybe a nap would be more exciting," mused Jasen to himself.
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