15 May 2012
There was a shudder as the transport vessel docked with the Alexandes. The airlock opened and Malcolm was greeted by a gust of stale, recycled ship air. Funny, Malcolm thought, I'll be breathing the same roomful of air for the next two years.
The passengers rose and started shuffling towards the airlock, accustoming themselves to the low gravity. Malcolm had read that thanks to the central asteroid and rotating ring, the ship had a gravity roughly equal to that of Mars, which made it the ship with the strongest gravitational pull in the solar system.
Another steward was waiting in the ships lobby, taking passenger's names and handing out room keys.
While waiting in line, Malcolm overheard Avril talking to a friend. "I'm surprised there are stewards on the ship at all" said Avril, "I was expecting a computer sign-in or something" "it's probably just a ploy to make the ship seem more friendly" considered Avril's redheaded friend "after all, people love being served by a real person"
After getting his key and other items from the polite steward, Malcolm turned and headed to one of the windows in the bustling lobby. As expected, most of the window was covered by a touchscreen offering information and services. Malcolm sighed. Couldn't a man look out a window without being confronted with technology? He closed the screen down and took in the view of his home planet...
The century had not been kind to the earth. The once vibrant green surface was mostly orange now, and the vast, sprawling major cities were clearly visible from the orbiting Alexandres.
"C'mon mate, get your skates on." said a passenger behind Malcolm. "you've got the next two years to stare into space!"
Malcolm's Journey - Part 3 • Opuss № I