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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.
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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