Die for all I care

Kuiper Belt > Pluto > Type VB Hades Station

"Doctor Burns," a bald, middle-aged man in a crisp white lab suit announced as the door hissed open. The woman who entered, Dr. Vennie Burns, was tall and imposing, her shoulders slumped with exhaustion. Her dark hair was pulled back in a tight bun, accentuating the sharp angles of her face. She glanced around the bustling research station, a network of interconnected labs filled with the hum of machinery and the glow of holographic displays. Not seeing who she sought, she made her way to a cluttered desk, collapsing onto the oversized aerogel cushion with a sigh. The gel molded itself to her form, a brief sensation of weightlessness before conforming to her shape. With a flick of her wrist, reports and documents shimmered into existence on the holographic display above the desk.

A few minutes later, Dr. Reeves approached, placing a steaming mug of something dark and fragrant on a clear patch of the workstation. "Shouldn't keep a lady up so late, eh, Dr. Burns?" he said, one eyebrow arched.

"A lady wouldn't be stuck in the freezing Kuiper Belt, sifting through the blasted remnants of a rock that pretended to be a planet for a measly seventy-six years," Vennie retorted, her Martian accent thickening with fatigue. She leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Where's Dr. Khan?"

"Topside," Reeves replied, nodding towards the ceiling. "Collecting more samples." He adjusted the small holographic display on his own meticulously organized desk, a serene scene of a wedding by a mountain lake juxtaposed with a small, spiky cactus.

"Frakking idiot," Vennie muttered, scrubbing a hand across her face. "He doesn't need to go himself. We have drones for that." She snatched up the mug, the scent of spiced Cycklen coffee momentarily cutting through her frustration. He can freeze out there for all I care. The first sip was bracing, the bitter warmth spreading through her, easing the tension in her shoulders. She finally looked at Reeves, a ghost of a smile touching her lips. "Thanks, Reeves."

Reeves, sensing the shift in her mood, returned to his work, pulling up the latest news bulletin on his HUD. "Looks like the SSUM are lowering their recruitment standards for the L1 mechanics," he commented.

"What do you expect?" another researcher scoffed, his voice laced with cynicism. "All the real talent's already been snatched up by Forge. Who wants job security when you can have a fortune?"

"A real fortune," Vennie corrected, taking another sip of her coffee. "Not everyone can afford a twenty-thousand credit bus ticket to paradise."

-

A flash of emerald green and turquoise streaked across the sky as the gunmetal grey hovercraft descended, slowing to a hover beside a vibrantly decorated storefront. Inside, an elderly Pan-Asian woman carefully handed a package to a waiting delivery drone. Inside the cockpit, Euri's eyelids fluttered open, revealing eyes still hazy with sleep. "Are we there yet?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

"Not quite," Lin replied, handing her a clear takeout container filled with an assortment of steaming buns. The aroma of savory pork and sweet bean paste filled the cockpit. "Thought you might be hungry."

"Fork vuns!" Euri exclaimed through a mouthful of fluffy dough and savory filling, her cheeks flushing crimson as she realized her childish slip of the tongue. She swallowed quickly, suddenly aware of a ravenous hunger. She hadn't eaten anything since yesterday's protein shake, the strange pill, and last night's wine a distant memory.

Lin, stifling a laugh, picked at her own food while reviewing her exam prep materials. As the delivery drone zipped away, the Red Devil accelerated westward, climbing steadily above the cloud layer.

Feeling slightly more human after devouring her share of the buns, Euri glanced at the navigation display. 12:25. ETA: 3 hours, 45 minutes. We can do better than that. "Hold on tight, Lin," she warned, her fingers already dancing across the control panel.

The Red Devil shed its gunmetal grey disguise, reverting to its signature crimson. The main thruster unfolded, humming with barely contained power. Euri buckled herself in, gripping the joystick. After a final check of the sensors, she flipped open a protective cover and pressed a small, unmarked button. The windows instantly opacified, plunging the cockpit into darkness. A thin, white line shot out from the nose of the craft, stretching towards infinity. Then, a sensation of being pulled forward, of immense speed, and a faint shimmer of distorted light. The windows cleared, revealing a familiar blue sky, but with far fewer clouds and a vast cityscape rising from the ocean below – a tapestry of gleaming domes, towering skyscrapers, artificial forests, and a bustling spaceport. ETA: 2 minutes.

As they descended, Euri relinquished control to Tina, the ship slotting neatly into a long line of incoming hovercrafts, each carrying hopeful candidates for the CMA entrance exams. On the landing pad, Euri and Lin joined the throng of students heading towards a large elevator. A data file containing exam information and directions flashed onto their HUDs.

Euri scanned the file, her brow furrowing. "Lin," she said, her voice laced with confusion, "I'm pretty sure I applied for the pilot program."

Lin, still scrolling through her own data file, looked up, surprised. "Yeah, me too. What's yours say?"

"It says… mechanics."