Outcasts of Gideon

A Joining : Part 1

Dewey played with one of the dials before him. Under working conditions, it probably controlled the flow of some flammable liquid. In its current state, it served as a distraction. He'd had enough of looking through the small portal. There was no angle that would allow him to see their approach to Luna.

He was sequestered with Dawn and Bobby in one of the two laboratories attached to the sides of the Gakuto. Captain Peduli ordered them quarantined for the remainder of the flight. Dawn had strapped herself into one of the several seats that lined the bulkheads. Bobby did the same, only he was further away. Neither had stirred since first being locked up. They hadn't said a word either.

Dewey wasn't enjoying the silence. Had this been the Aion, he would be listening to music. That also would have helped him sleep. The dials at his disposal were only modestly distracting.

Before the Captain's order, Kishan had argued in their defense. "Captain, I can appreciate caution. But we've traveled with them all this time without any issues."

"If what you're saying is that you should join them in the auxiliary lab, I fully agree."

"No, what I'm saying is that the effect isn't contagious."

"When you can prove that to me, I'll be happy to lift the quarantine. Until then, they stay locked away."

Dewey recalled the exchange several times. It was more a matter of occupying him than anything else. The silence meant having to fill his mind with something.

"I'm the one who took the risk," Dawn had argued.

"On my ship!" shouted the Captain.

That was something Dewey understood. At least he thought he did. It was never really his ship, and he didn't have any rank, but he felt possessive about the Aion. He identified with the Captain in that way, at least.

The hours had passed slowly since then. Now that the braking burn was complete, he hoped to get a view of the moon they were approaching. If not the moon, then Earth. That would not be the case.

He didn't know much about Luna. What little he did know was from primary school. Earth and its system were still required subjects even in Odyssey. Until now, his sister was as close as he'd gotten to it. In her words, she "escaped" here from their home some five or six years prior. Why Gwen picked this system was anyone's guess. He only heard from her once after she left. At that time, she was on Luna. Maybe she would still be here, though he found that unlikely. By now she'd probably sped off to some other place.

He heard Dawn sigh again. Earlier, he counted each time she did. Having lost interest some hours ago, he no longer wondered if he should ask her about it. This time, her sigh coincided with the ship's thrusters. They had engaged. The wait should end soon.

He craned to look out the small portal. They were close enough now that he could finally see the cold gray landscape. He'd seen pictures. The real thing was more spectacular.

Sinus Iridium was what he'd heard before they were locked away. It was likely a research facility, a place to study the object, a place to study them. He had no idea where on Luna it was. He hoped to get a glimpse of it from up here.

As the thrusters adjusted the ship's inclination, something else came into view. It was a small blue planet, another place he'd seen only in pictures. It too was more spectacular, even from this distance. He wondered if they'd ever make it there.

The thrusters cut. With them, the anti-grav drive activated. As their descent slowed, something else washed over him. It seemed familiar. It was something that he felt when Bobby first boarded the Aion.