Closer To The Core (25,000 Light-Years Book 1)

by S. Hansen

  'So what shall we call the ship?'

  'I don't think we need to give it a name, we won't have it for long and it's not ours.'

  'Please you'll hurt her feelings, a ship is a she. And I say she needs a name, something imposing like The Formidable.'

  'Oh my God, if we are going to name "her" can we not call "her" that?'

  'Well what do you think she should be if you're so good at this?' After a short time of thinking Polly began to speak in a voice that seemed wiser to Stark.

  'In Greek mythology there was a Titan Goddess known for reading the stars and prophetic dreams. Typical of Greek mythology she has a very dramatic back story that involves her being pursued by Zeus, throwing herself into the sea and forming the island of Delos. It seems as though this ship is a dream of yours and we are sat amongst the stars. I think Asteria is the perfect name for her.’

  Stark smiled at Polly as he stood upright and moved about the room marvelling in the ingenuity of space travel.

  'The Asteria.' He inhaled deeply and nodded his head.

  Chapter Three: A Pretty Swanky Do

  For some time Stark tried every which way to open a large door that sat at the back of the bridge, far behind Polly’s seat of power and the strange white box. Eventually he gave in to defeat, at least temporarily, and began to explore the rest of The Asteria. He was meticulous in his mental mapping of the ship. He searched each room with excitement and zeal, hoping to find something more impossible in each room.

  The Asteria transported her human cargo deeper into space and ever closer to the as yet still unknown device, Polly and Stark began to notice strange occurrences. The first event was subtle. Polly sat piloting the ship when Stark walked into the bridge from the port side after having explored the ship for a while.

  'I think I found our cabins on a lower deck, there are four rooms with what could be beds. It's either that or there are four dining rooms up there with strangely comfy tables. I’m off to find a kitchen.' He paused and his eyes widened. ‘I hope there is a kitchen, I get hungry.’

  'I don't see why that matters much to you, I don't even think you can cook.'

  'Hey, I can cook, I just choose not to.'

  'Burning food is not the same as cooking food.'

  Stark wandered off again in search of the illusive kitchen, this time in a starboard direction. Roughly two minutes later Polly was still sat at her chair when Stark walked through the port door and began to speak.

  'I think I found our cabins on a lower deck, there are four rooms with what could be beds. It's either that or there are four dining rooms up there with strangely comfy tables. I’m off to find a kitchen.' He paused and his eyes widened. ‘I hope there is a kitchen, I get hungry.’

  Polly hesitated before speaking and developing a puzzled look.

  'You know you said that two minutes ago?'

  'No I didn't I have been exploring for the past twenty at least, this is the first time I've come back since I left.'

  'You definitely just came in here, said those exact same words, I told you that you were a terrible cook and you left to find the kitchen.'

  'Firstly I am not a terrible cook and secondly that never happened.'

  Polly began to remember some of the things Hajeel had explained about the device and put the connections together.

  'Adam how close are we to the device now?'

  Stark moved over to the cube and made a series of arm gestures that made him look like a drunk conductor attempting to combine his work with dance. A representation of The Asteria's travel route appeared. The pair were not even half way to their objective.

  'So what do we do if this happens again?' Polly was becoming increasingly worried and looked to her idea of a hero for comfort.

  'Well if we have a few conversations twice it's not really a big deal. We just keep going, the faster we get there, the faster we can be done.' Stark wasn't particularly comforting, he had returned to his professional state with a cold exterior. Polly missed the boyish wonder that seemed only to appear when he was oblivious to her presence.

  When he at last found the room he determined to be the kitchen he clapped his hands together and rubbed them gleefully before opening every cupboard in the room, of which there were a significant number. He stepped back and examined their contents, closing any cupboards that contained nothing that looked edible. His next step in the process was to systematically try each of the foods, he began to unwrap each of the differently packaged items and cautiously tasted the first one. It clung to the inside of his mouth as he looked at the brown paste in disgust. His tongue poked in and out of his mouth as he tried to cleanse his palate. The next packet was smaller and contained many small red balls and as though what he had previously tasted had not been unsatisfactory he filled his mouth with the next unknown flavour. He began to chew enthusiastically and turn the food over in his mouth while he started to dance to himself.

  ‘Ooh that’s a nice one.’ He scanned the cupboard for matching packets and found very few. He looked over his shoulder to the doorway, checked the room and removed all of the matching packets sliding them into his pockets. He continued in this way until he had tried all of the foods and his pockets were filled with his favourites. He left some of the nicer foods in the cupboard but hoarded those in limited supply.

  Once he had thoroughly examined as much of the ship as he could reasonably gain access to, Stark’s next port of call was to choose his room. He carefully selected a room next to a gun room and on a hallway in line with the kitchen. He had very few items with him in order for him to be able to personalise the room how he would like to have, but he began to hide food around. With that job completed he stood in his cabin, gazing seemingly vacantly at the wall until suddenly he lurched forward and banged on the wall with the side of his fist. He heard a muffled echo and knocked further down the wall, causing a small panel to shift from its correct position. He smiled excitedly before hastily removing the panel entirely and poking his head into a hole only dimly lit by the lights of his room. When he backed out into his room again his smile was wider and he eagerly removed his coat before launching himself on his stomach, head first into the gloomy guts of The Asteria. Occasionally tucking food packets away in the tunnel he followed it around to a dead end and learned that many of the panels were removable.

  ‘Interesting, veeeeerrry interesting,’ he mischievously muttered to himself. He tried to learn all the nooks and crannies of the ship as though a small child given a new toy.

  ☆★☆

  After a long time of piloting the ship and focusing on the endlessness of space Polly’s eyes grew tired and heavy. She was proudly given a tour by Stark who was now very familiar with much of the ship, he neglected to tell her many things but showed her to the remaining rooms and allowed her to choose her own. Stark was not surprised when she chose the room next to his, rather than either of the rooms on the other side of the ship. He considered her possible reasoning for the decision and came to a decision of his own, he didn’t want a next door neighbour.

  ‘Are you sure you want the room next to mine?’ Polly looked at him with suspicion as her eyes narrowed.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Oh no reason…’ He smiled widely but it was an unsettling smile that concerned Polly briefly. She lay down on her new bed to test its comfort and after a few minutes she heard a tapping and scratching. She sat up on the bed and looked around the room but fouvcnd nothing.

  ‘Adam?’ He remained silent which caused her to investigate the noise further. When she neared the source of the noise she realised it was coming from inside the wall and became nervous. Stark timed his strike perfectly as he knocked out the panel and shouted at her.

  ‘Boo!’ She leapt back across the floor in fright and sat propped up by her arms for some time, shaking from both fear induced adrenaline and anger.

  ‘For Christ’s sake Adam! You scared the bajeezus out of me!’ Stark chuckled to himself as he repeated the image of her flying back
across the room in his mind.

  ‘That was a good one, but I think I can get you better next time.’ Polly’s jaw tightened when she stood up.

  ‘You know maybe I don’t want this room.’ She stomped across the ship and picked the room furthest from Stark before making herself comfortable. Stark sat down on his bed and the world changed around him. He suddenly found himself sitting on the edge of a bed he was far more familiar with. Next to him was a slim brunette woman with mossy green eyes piercing into his, pleading for answers. Lying on the bed were a number of passports, all from different countries but all with Stark's face. Stark had no particular desire to relive this conversation but he thought maybe he could do a better job this time.

  'I'm sorry Anna, I am. I'm sorry I lied, I was going to tell you.'

  'Tell me what exactly? And when? We dated, we moved in together, we got engaged, we got married. When were you going to tell me?'

  'I was going to tell you, but then I thought maybe it was safer if you never knew that I'm an MI6 agent.'

  That wasn't right, he was desperately trying to change the conversation. But the only words that would come out were the ones he had already said. Anna stood up with a tear rolling down her cheek and turned to Stark.

  'We took vows Adam, I don't keep anything from you and now I find out you’re bloody double o seven. Do you understand how much it hurts that you wouldn't share your life with me when I have shared everything with you?'

  'I'm sorry Anna, I didn't know how you would react, and I was scared you would leave.' Stark tried to grasp Anna's hand but she took it away and stepped back.

  'I don't know you Adam and obviously you don't know me. I'm going to Jeanie's.' She turned to the door and began to head downstairs.

  'Anna please. Don't go.' As she reached the front door she turned to see him pleading at the top of the stairs, she wiped the tears from her face and left.

  Stark sagged at the top of the stairs as a single tear broke through his emotionless facade. He closed his eyes to blink any further tears away and when he opened them again he was hunched up in the corridor outside his room. Polly poked her head around the corner

  'Are you okay?'

  'Yeah, just the time thing again.'

  'Do you want to talk about it? You seemed pretty upset.'

  'No.' He stood up and stomped back to his room.

  ☆★☆

  Polly awakened well rested but unready to head back to the bridge, she thought it unfair that Stark had had so much time for exploration while she piloted. She began to wander around and check every door, hatch and cupboard as she went. After a while she guessed that she was in the starboard wing and knew roughly which direction she needed to head in. As she walked down the corridor she could hear a knocking, the knocking grew louder as she went. It was a steady three knock beat that sounded as though it were on repeat, as she came to the source of the noise she was puzzled to find a door that looked very much like the inside of Stark's front door. As she opened it she found herself standing in Stark's door way looking at a slim brunette with puzzled mossy green eyes. The woman seemed upset by Polly's presence and was about to walk away when Polly involuntarily said

  'Can I help you?'

  'I'm Anna, could you tell Adam I'm here.'

  'I would but he isn't here, do you want me to call him? I didn't think he had any friends how do you know Adam?'

  'No don't call him, if he hasn't mentioned me then it really doesn't matter.'

  Anna was holding back tears as Polly tried hopelessly to apologise and pretend that she had forgotten Stark's wife was called Anna. Instead all she could say was

  'Are you sure I can't help you? If I just knew who you were, that would help.'

  'I'm his soon to be ex-wife, I guess I don't really need to speak to him anymore.'

  Anna turned to leave, fighting to keep her dignity and keep the tears back. Polly felt unimaginably guilty, there was more to Stark's relationship than she had realised the first time around. As she closed the door the ship returned around her and she solemnly returned to her role as The Asteria's pilot.

  Whilst Polly directed the ship towards the object they were both beginning to really dislike, the controls that she was becoming familiar with suddenly began to flicker and move at speed. The ship rocked and shook as Polly lost control of her.

  Stark had been examining the engine at close proximity when the ship swayed and pulled him towards the huge metallic object. His head smacked the engine which knocked him out and he flopped over a railing. After a short while he began to straighten out and sooth his head with the palm of his hand. The Asteria had stopped jerking, in fact she had stopped altogether. Stark headed towards the bridge, he could hear 'where the hell are we?' bounce down the corridor before he found Polly stood up gazing out of the vast windows at a planet that looked similar to Earth. There was less sea and the land seemed greener but it was definitely similar enough to make Stark wonder if they had jumped to a future or past version of Earth.

  Polly turned to face Stark with caution marked on her face. He motioned towards the cube but he didn't really know how to use it for anything other than checking a previously plotted course. He remembered Hajeel's movements to bring up the galaxy map and used guess work to try and locate The Asteria. After much frustration and swearing Stark was finally able to find information on the planet they were facing. The cube displayed the planet rotating on its axis, most of the information was written in a language neither of them understood, but they did recognise 'Drium'.

  'Drium, that's one of the ones the funny little guy told us about.'

  'How come you insist on naming the ship but can't remember Hajeel's name?'

  Stark shrugged, 'I guess I like Asteria better. Was Drium the one with the shorter guys or the taller guys?' Polly sighed and sunk back into the chair from the prone position she had been in before speaking absent-mindedly.

  'Drium, most significant planet of the Rhyma system, home to the Dantans. Dantan lifeforms are typically six inches shorter than humans with poorer vision but the ability to echo locate.' Stark gazed at her in awe.

  'Err... wow.' Polly raised her eyebrows and half smiled at him to demonstrate her apathy for her talent. A youthful grin appeared on Stark's face as an exciting idea popped into his head.

  'Soo...'

  'No.'

  'You don't even know what I was going to ask.'

  'You want to explore the planet.' Stark pouted at Polly sullenly.

  'But we have space adventuring outfits.' Stark's pleading ice blue eyes met with Polly's.

  'I don't know if we should, Hajeel said that was against their code or something.'

  'Yes, their code, not ours. I want to explore, if they really didn't want us to go to other planets then they should have piloted us themselves.' Polly's lips twisted to one side as her eyes flitted between the image of Drium and Stark's imploring face.

  'We don't have any weapons for protection.'

  'Then it wouldn't be the first time I have found myself in a hostile situation with no weapon.'

  'Well it would be for me!' His eyes begged her to give in.

  'Fine, but how will we understand them? I doubt they speak English.' Stark thought about this and just shrugged as he spoke.

  'We will just make it up as we go along, it's what I do at work. I heard it's what historians do too....'

  'We do not make it up, our studies are extensive.......' she paused when she realised he was joking. 'Ha ha very funny. There is just one problem with your idea, they never actually showed me how to land.'

  'Mm that could be a problem, or it could not be. Let's go.' The excitable boyish Stark was back and it helped to calm Polly's nerves. She returned to her seat and steered The Asteria towards the planet’s surface. It was a shaky ride as they broke through the atmosphere of the planet but Polly's chair cushioned it and Stark had endured worse. Polly had decided heading for a land mass was their best hope of finding civilization. Although finding a city w
ith a space dock would be trickier, she had just assumed that Drium would have a space dock without giving it a second thought. Fortunately she was right, not only did it have a dock but it had guided docking. She lost control of the ship as it was smoothly guided through Drium's capital city, Kanarik. Stark was impressed with Polly's abilities as a pilot until she removed her hands from the controls and looked at him with worry. But the worry was temporary as awe took over, the view was like nothing Polly and Stark had ever seen before, through The Asteria's vast windows they both had panoramic views of Kanarik.

  What struck them first was the colour, every building, plant or structure was vibrantly hued and coloured banners were hung, draped and splayed across many of the structures. It was so different from the endless grey of an Earth city that it was almost unappealing to the humans. But as the humans looked closer and noticed the intricacies of Kanarik they grew to appreciate the use of colour.

  Stark's boyish sense of wonder was bursting through as he leant against the window taking in the vast, tall city with no low level buildings in sight, each building was sleek and attractive in design, there were two building designs that were repeated for much of the city. There were tall oblong buildings similar to a human skyscraper that differed in that each had a fifth wall set away from one side. The fifth wall stretched upwards until it curved cleanly over the building and pointed off into the distance. These structures often had walkways halfway up them leading to another, some walkways would intersect and some would crossover each other. Polly pressed her palms against the window as she studied the city, her whole life had been spent studying ancient civilizations, their societies, architecture and people. But none of it had prepared her for the wonder of Drium.