“Let’s get on with this tour. Top to bottom sound good? How about bottom to top? Oh, what do you care? First stop: the Bridge.”

Chapter Fourteen

The stars have never been so bright, or the Milky Way so dark. There is no sky. Only distance. Undil looms above us, with day and night separated by a massive shadow. The sun shines to the left, a strange sight to see amid an empty black backdrop when I’m so used to seeing it up in Undil’s pale blue sky. It casts a white glare and illuminates the arc of the horizon, as if a stream of white flame is licking the edge of the planet.

Officer Remmit’s expression has settled, even become reverent of the sight. “Every memory you’ve ever had… every step you’ve ever taken… Every breath you’ve ever breathed…” He lets out a long sigh. “It’s all down there.”

It’s almost impossible to imagine. It wouldn’t be possible if the truth wasn’t floating in front of my eyes. Here we are, hundreds of miles above Undil, mere specks in the sky, so close to being nothing at all. Not even Father’s portfolios could define this sight. Those were pictures.

This is life.

Officer Remmit takes us farther into the Bridge. Five independent levels are connected by ramps, and a set of stairs drops into Station Control. Officer Remmit introduces us to the team of station pilots and Captain Fallsten, a woman who has faded ginger hair, a rigid mouth, and stern, gray-green eyes that analyze our every move.

Terraced platforms rise up the rear half of the Bridge. Teams of officers and engineers tap away at workstations, toss data orbs, or gather around desks to discuss assignments.

Officer Remmit points at the holograms covering some of the walls and outermost windows.

“All the important stuff is up there. You got your engine power, MRR strength, weapons capacities, thrust levels, velocity gauges, and more. Designed the MRRs myself,” he adds. “Tricky work to figure out. Requires an acute understanding of vector fields and polarization, and a dash of creative liberty to test my theories.”

One of the officers on the platform we’re passing looks up from his work. “Don’t bore them to death, Remmit,” he says, his voice drawling. “Your planet hunting presentation had enough casualties.”

Both he and Officer Remmit laugh. “You were never good at the math, Aaron.”

“Yeah, and you’re too good.” Aaron turns to the rest of us. “Only reason he didn’t join Horizon is because he was scared he wouldn’t be the smartest guy in the room.”

“My deepest thanks for your kind words,” Officer Remmit says, chuckling. “We’ve got to get a move on, Aaron. Tour isn’t going to guide itself.”

“Not yet, at least,” we hear Aaron muttering as we walk away, climbing higher up the ramp.