Drifting Dark

Helen tapped the side of the console silently, leaning back into the well-used, cushioned chair. A few feet ahead of her, Mike and Shrey were working away on their own workstations, running through their checklist. Unlike them, she wasn't paying attention to the screens in front of her, instead, her gaze was forwards, on the wide view screen located at the front of the flight deck.

Even though it was black.

That's was all the camera outside could see at the moment. The dark zone was aptly named. She glanced sideways at one of her own screens, set to scan the area. Their sensors also confirmed there was no one out there. No one they could see.

It was a good sign. No ships was a good sign.

They were far past the point where any Terran or Martian civilian ship would dare to go. Nobody went this close to the dark zone, unless it was a military vessel, or they intended to cross.

Everything on this trip was looking normal so far.

"We're approaching the border," Shrey announced. "We should turn on the cloak soon."

Helen nodded. "Let's take one more look at that new flight plan before we head in."

Shrey hit a few buttons and the viewscreen switched from the camera view to a limited map of the solar system. The Sun, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. All the major asteroid stations were labelled. Their ship was represented by a small green triangle, not to scale, and their journey up until now marked with a solid white line.

They were almost at the border of Mars' territory, the edge of the asteroid belt, an area completely covered in red. The overlay showed the sections of the solar system under enemy control or currently disputed, based on the updates from military intelligence. A few seconds later, a white, dotted line appeared on the map, showing their projected course to Phoebe Station, a path directly through the red area.

"Everything is matching expected trajectories. No stray asteroids as far as I can see," Shrey announced. "We'll pass by Jupiter, giving it lots of space, then it's right on to Phoebe Station."

Helen leaned forwards in her seat, silently studying the image.

"It's not a big change from our original flight plan," Mike added. "Adds a couple days, but that's it."

Helen tapped her chair's armrest. "And what was wrong with our usual route again?"

"Someone else got themselves spotted on that path," Mike answered. "It's been swarmed, according to the latest intelligence reports."

Shrey leaned back and crossed his arms. "Weren't we the only ones using it?"

Mike shrugged. "I guess not."

Helen got up and the screens of her station dimmed to black, just like the other empty workstation to her left. She stepped up just behind the two pilot seats, resting her arm on top of Shrey's headrest. "What do we know about this route? Anyone flown it recently?"

"Not according to intel," Mike answered. "They're eager to get their hands on our sensor logs as soon as we get to the other side."

Helen scowled. "They're using us as a test run," she muttered irritably. "We're not one of their damn spy ships."

"And the extra fuel is going to cost us," Shrey remarked. "Those Ellidium prices aren't going down anytime soon."

"How do you always manage to find the negative side to everything?" Mike said in mild annoyance, but there was no real heat behind it.

Shrey smirked. "It's a talent."

"He's right." Helen's scowl had only deepened. "This is going to eat into our cut."

"Try telling intel that," Mike muttered under his breath. He cleared his throat. "Look, we can make it up on the next run." A smooth, dotted curve appeared on the map, connecting their destination to another friendly station marked in the asteroid belt. "We fill up at Phoebe, at half the orbital station price. Phoebe to Pallas is an easy trip." Another line appeared from the asteroid back to the Mars station they'd departed from. "One big loop."

"Pallas is going to be even more dangerous than usual." Shrey scrolled through a long list of reports he'd brought on his own console. "They practically get attacked every day now."

"That's nothing new," Mike pointed out. "It's the largest planet-controlled mining operation in the asteroid belt, it's always been a major target."

"It's also got five cruisers hanging around at all times," Helen added. "No matter how badly the rebels want to cut off our main source of Ellidium, they aren't going to be taking it out anytime soon." She pointed at the section of the asteroid belt in the middle. "It's getting past that blockade that's the tricky part."

"Phoebe will have more up to date info on that," Mike suggested. "I'll see what I can find once we get there."

Helen tilted her head. "That's a good idea, we don't have to figure everything out right now."

Shrey's console beeped once. "So are we taking this route to Phoebe? It's not like we can change our minds later."

Helen stared up at their projected path across the solar system. "There's no other options, we'll just have to keep our eyes out for any nasty surprises."

Mike nodded in agreement. "Our sensors are limited in dark mode, but we should be able to spot any other ships long before they spot us."

"Unless they also have a cloak, then we crash into each other at a million miles an hour before either one of us can blink," Shrey stated plainly.

Mike shot Shrey a look. "The odds of that are near zero."

"I was thinking more along the lines of minefields," Helen clarified.

Mike raised an eyebrow at her. "That's just unsubstantiated rumors."

"You put too much faith in intel," Shrey stated bluntly. "The rebels don't care about minimizing casualties."

"They wouldn't," Mike repeated confidently. "There's too much of a risk of friendly fire, on both sides." He twisted around to look at Helen. "This is the safest route."

Helen nodded. "Then that's what we'll take." She exhaled softly. "But let's make sure there's always someone up here. Between you, me, Geoff and Brendan, we've got more than enough to set up a rotation."

Mike looked at Shrey. "You want to go first?"

"Sure," Shrey agreed, shrugging. "I've got some stuff to catch up on."

Helen tapped the back of his chair. "Just make sure you set up the audio alerts before you turn this place in to a movie theater."

Shrey smiled apologetically. "Already done."

Mike and Helen looked skeptical.

"The computer will make a very loud, annoying noise in the event that anything shows up on the sensors," Shrey explained. "And stop whatever's playing automatically."

Mike glanced over at Shrey's screen, now open to the media library. "More Moon of Horrors?"

"Nope, got canceled after just one season," Shrey answered sadly. "I've got all eighteen seasons of Mayday: Deep Sea instead."

"You're going to watch a show about sinking ships while we're on a ship?" Mike asked curiously, his brow gently furrowed.

"It's not the same, we're not in the middle of the ocean," Shrey replied quickly, almost defensive. "Besides, it's all historic. Wooden boats and such. Stuff that would never happen today." He leaned over the armrest. "In one episode, a ship gets sunk by an iceberg."

"Isn't that a little unrealistic?" Mike asked doubtfully.

"Based on a true story apparently," Shrey said as he turned back to the screen, scrolling to the next page. "It's on the shared media drive if you want to watch it."

Mike smiled politely. "I'll pass."

"So are we ready to turn the generator on?" Helen interjected.

Shrey switched his screens back to the ship status. "Ion drives are offline. We're at full speed." He scrutinized the display closely. "All good here."

Mike glanced over at the console on his left. "The generator is ready."

Helen looked up at the screen. They were rapidly approaching the red area, the unofficial border of the dark zone. Waiting any longer would only increase the risk that an unfriendly ship would spot them.

"Buckle up," Helen slid into one of the empty seats behind them. "We're going dark."

The cockpit filled with silence.

Shrey and Mike shared a puzzled look.

"Uh, we don't have seatbelts?" Shrey asked slowly, his gaze switching between Helen and Mike.

His current copilot seemed just as confused. "Yeah, what on Earth are you talking about?"

Helen sighed. "It's a figure of speech." She leaned back and crossed her arms. "You know, some of us still remember the time when space travel wasn't so luxurious."

"Ah, yes, the luxury of rehydrated mush and recycled air," Shrey agreed sarcastically. "Living like kings out here."

Mike smirked. "Don't forget the amazing drink options. Cold water, hot water and lukewarm water. Pure luxury."

They both cracked up laughing.

Helen sighed as she rubbed her temple. "Just give Aqeel the signal to turn the damn thing on."