The Chronicles of Aallandranon - Episode One - Ant-Lion by Benjamin Allen Page B

the bracer glowed to life as it
synchronized with his vital signs.
    His
room door slid apart as he walked under the sensor and then it closed and locked after he
entered the dimly-lit corridor leading to the Bridge. Juan
Langston ’ s door was open so Jonathan could see him meditating on a
red carpet with his neighbor, Rick Daniels, seated at his side. The
use of meditation had been promoted by the military throughout the
last hundred years as it was proven to steady the mind and body.
Since they were about to embark on a journey that could easily take
the lives of the 5,000 people aboard the ship, a little relaxation
couldn ’t hurt.
    Jonathan took the stairs leading to the Primary Life
Support Hall. He stepped off the bottom stair to the rubber path
leading through the bright green grove beneath the artificial sun
on the ceiling high above. He walked between the large genetically
engineered evergreen oak trees that filled the room. He saw
Stephanie Rawi, the head of the ship ’ s environmental control
department, typing on a touch-pad as she observed a tree that was
yellower than the others. She had long red hair, brilliant blue
eyes, and a naturally fair complexion.
    “ Good morning, Doctor Tabith. ” She smiled at
him.
    “ Morning, Doctor Rawi. ” He nodded, looking at the tree-limbs
swaying with the steady stream of wind that pumped through the room
periodically throughout the day as Rawi surveyed her notes. “ Is there any way I can be of assistance? ”
    “ Not
unless you can explain why this tree grew with an imbalanced
cytokinin to auxin ratio. ” Rawi cocked her brow at the clueless
expression on his face. She smiled. “ I’ ll be fine, thanks for asking. ”
    “ Sorry, my botany skills were subpar at
best. ” Jonathan laughed. “ Hard to grow anything
on Venus. ” He started toward the lift nearby.
    “ Good luck if I don ’ t see you again before
the launch. ” She called as he turned around on the
lift.
    “ Thanks, good luck with the tree. ” He said. She adjusted
her glasses and nodded. The lift doors closed and he descended to
the Engineering Hall.
    In
the Engineering Hall, hundreds of uniformed people hurried through
the many corridors between the reactors and computer terminals.
Jonathan made his way around the cat-walk and entered the
foreman ’ s office.
    Chance Trillian sat at the desk looking uncomfortable as he
scratched the collar of his suit. He met
Jonathan ’ s eyes. “ Morning, Doctor
Tabith. I hate going through Life-Support to get here. That
artificial sun always makes me itchy. ” He had short, brown
hair and blue eyes. Chance had been born with a rare skin disease
that made him more susceptible to the sun ’ s UV rays. Before
leaving Earth, he had undergone a skin transplant that was supposed
to permanently cure his disease. After getting his PhD in
Aeronautical Engineering, Chance was one of the first engineers to
sign on with the Enigma.
    “ Sam’ s putting out
fires, ” said Chance. “ Captain Joyce told
him he ’ d be off the ship if he didn ’ t have the reports on
his desk by five this morning. Sam forgot, even though he had the
reports ready on the desk when I got here. Hope the
captain ’ s in a good mood. ”
    “ Where ’ s William? I need to go over a few points before
launch. ” Jonathan said.
    “ Really? You ’ re being anal-retentive. Everything is just as perfect
as it ’ s been for the last three months. There ’ s no point you could
cover that he hasn ’t.”
    “ You ’ re probably right, and I briefed him and Sam Hartigan
already so it should be fine. ”
    “ Engineering is covered. ” Chance assured him. “ Go enjoy the launch from the Bridge. ”
    Jonathan took a deep breath. “ Fine. Carry
on. ” He continued to the other side of the Engineering Hall and
rode the tram to the Core and Observation Deck. The doors opened to
the massive neon purple core that consumed the center of the Core
room. Terminals surrounded the base where