Pioneer I

Sylvia rearranged her desk for the fifth time in anticipation, moving the "Sylvia Lockhart, HS" plaque back and forth before placing it back in its slot. Everything was already secured for liftoff, she knew, even if liftoff would hardly disturb much considering how light and precise the propulsion systems had been engineered. But it paid to be safe, of course, always.

She was sitting in her office, because she was aware that right now the young pioneers would be getting their rooms right about now, and more importantly, saying goodbye to their old lives and homes. Now wasn't the time for her to meet them, to speak with them; later, at a better time, she would make herself known and acquaint them with the Pioneer I. It would be her job to walk them through it all during Orientation tomorrow, after all; but for now it's best they were left alone, for the children to decide for themselves how they were going to handle the transition. Later tonight, there would be fellowship, roommates meeting up, names to learn, rooms to unpack. I might go down to dinner... She mused; wondering if socializing or allowing them to settle further before reminding them of work would be a better move.

She turned in her chair to look out through the expansive window. Quite a perk of office... Can't wait to see the view from orbit, Sylvia thought. Unlike many others aboard the ship now, she already hardly missed the Earth she was now leaving; to concerned with the ship and its inhabitants, she could have easily been convinced she was living in orbit already if the perspective from the colossal balcony had not told her otherwise. Faintly in her ear, the mechanical voice chimed [One hour to liftoff. One hour to liftoff.] and she smiled, before going back to her work.

Wes Blakely lay sprawled across the couch in the lounge room, doodling idly in a sketchbook as kids hurried to find rooms around him. Rather than risk getting trampled, he figured he would simply wait until the rush died down and then scope out the available rooms. He didn't know any of these people well enough to have a preference, and besides, a room was just a place to sleep. And the arrangement would only last a year; once the mentors cleared out their rooms and returned to Earth, everyone would have a little more breathing room.

Maybe if he was lucky, the mentors would just let Wes sleep on the couch; it was certainly comfortable enough. He snuggled into the cushions and let out a contented sigh. Even amidst all the current noise, he felt very much at ease in the lounge. The color scheme created a welcoming atmosphere, and the size of the room was perfect. Wes assumed that every little detail of the Pioneer ships was fully thought out. After all, the ships had to function as both a home and a strong, easy mode of transportation. If thirty middle and high school students had to live on these ships, then they had to be perfect.

Sometimes, Wes had to question the sanity of those in charge of the program. To send people so young - practically children - into space was a huge risk. Sure, they had gone through training and intense schooling, but there were still much more qualified scientists and Navigators in the world. But simply looking at the interior of the Pioneer I gave him a little more faith. The ships were constructed to perfection, and to him, they reflected the Pioneer Program as a whole.

Wes liked to believe that everyone and everything was "innocent until proven guilty." To him, the Pioneer Program was perfect, and he had no reason yet to believe otherwise. He turned his blue-tinted glasses back to his notebook and began to sketch again. For now, he decided to simply relax - no need to worry about things that hadn't happened.

Sophie Delcambre, on the other hand, did not know how to relax. The young Runner was living up to her title, rushing back and forth and introducing herself to everyone she could find. "Salut! Je m'appelle Sophie Delcambre...Salut, je m'appelle Sophie Delcambre..."

The automatic translator made the job of socializing much easier. Sophie had taken the time to study the English language, but she spoke with an awkward cadence, and her vocabulary was deplorable at best. Besides, she didn't have the patience to translate; her mind was elsewhere. Eventually, she was going to have to face her future aboard the Pioneer I, but for now she could simply smile, shake hands, and repeat, "Hi! My name is Sophie Delcambre..."

Nick walked through the entrance chambers of the Pioneer I mutely, mostly unsurprised by the high-end technology and the multitude of faces swarming within. He had arrived somewhat late, saying his last goodbyes to his parents, which equated to a sparring match between him and his mother and then father. As usual, he lost to them. But it was a heartfelt loss: the grasping and striking seemed to be pleading him not to go, trying to force him to stay on solid ground. He managed to escape their blows and pleadings anyway.

Now he was a little bruised, walking stiffly from the hidden marks and swelling at the eye from one of the more obvious ones. His one unbruised arm held a duffel bag containing his only remaining belongings, a large package for a sparse life such as his. The congregation of "Pioneers" inside had free reign of the ship, running around frantically between rooms, yelling and screaming. 'Where are the Mentors?' he thought.

Sliding through the crowd of children and teens that ranged in height from his waist to above his head, Nick went about finding a room. Most of the ones nearest the Lounge were already occupied, so he opted instead for one next door to the gym, the next floor down on the ship down a spiraling hall. The door to the gym was locked, but looking through the porthole, Nick could see several rows of weight training machines, dumb bells, several gymnastics devices and an open mat in the far corner. Smaller than he was used to but it would serve his purposes.

The bedroom closest to the gym was empty save it's furniture, which was untouched. Nick dropped his duffel on the nearest bed and retreated from the room. The number 10 was emblazoned on the front of the door. 'Room ten, alright. Let's go meet the neighbors...' Looking back up the hall there was no one running around down here yet, so Nick returned to the Lounge instead.

As he entered the room a brown haired beauty paused in her running around to say to him, "Salut! Je m'appelle Sophie Delcambre!" Nick had forgotten to put in his translator, but didn't need the aid anyway.

The American smiled and replied in perfect French, "Bonjour madame Delcambre, je suis Nick Mechling. Il est agréable de vous rencontrer."

Before Nick even had a chance to talk, Sophie had already absently turned away, preparing to move on to someone else. But when he greeted her in flawless French, she paused. She faced him again, her blank smile replaced by a genuine grin that lit up her entire face. The sound of her language from human lips coaxed the tension out of her body, and her stiff shoulders dropped as she sighed. She felt as though they had already developed some sort of camaraderie through the French language.

But Nick's name, Sophie realized, was certainly not French. She took his hand and shook firmly - an American custom, she had heard - and asked in French, "Your French sounds beautiful. But you are American, are you not?"

Finally, Sophie was truly meeting someone, not just rushing around to greet people who didn't care about her. Sure, a few people had seemed eager to introduce themselves, but most of them were boys who weren't necessarily looking at her face when she spoke. Sophie planned to avoid people like them, if possible. Back at home, she had too many friends that only liked her because of either her father's money or her pretty face. Personally, Sophie never judged people based on their looks; then again, she wasn't one to let them go unnoticed, either. And in that respect, Nick Mechling certainly caught her eye.

Sophie quickly gave him the once-over with a stealthy eye. His dark, gleaming skin was warm to the touch; his hand, which still held, was attached to a perfectly toned arm. He was just tall enough that, if she stood on the tips of her toes, she would be at eye level with him. And then his smile...it made the real girl in her simply want to faint.

However, she did not faint. She did not blush or giggle or swoon. She simply maintained her amiable smile and firm handshake. After all, she had her pride to maintain. She could gush about him in her mind, but as far as the rest of the world was concerned, Sophie Delcambre did not fawn over boys.

Nick grasped the young woman's hand warmly and replied in French, "Thank you Sophie, but yes I am a Yankee. I decided to learn the languages of all of my comrades here when I signed up for the program, make things a little more comfortable for everyone, no?"

Her eyes fluttered a little bit, the sure sign of hiding where she was looking. Nick was used to that kind of treatment when meeting someone, especially another competitor. Sizing up the other in the few seconds you have before engaging was vital to victory. But Sophie neither quivered in apprehension nor squeezed his hand tightly in challenge, instead she only smiled more. 'A very nice smile', Nick decided, 'A confident person hid in plain view just behind it.'

Nick's eyes did not waver from her face, instead he took her in with his peripheral vision: An energetic body tinged with the softness of laziness and perhaps self-absorbsion. 'But she would make a good student, she appears to have the drive.'

"So what are you going to be doing aboard our fine ship Sophie?"

"I'm a..." Sophie quickly trailed off. She had been accepted to the program as a Runner, but that plan had died about a week ago. While she had no clue what the Head Supervisor was going to do with her, she knew for sure that she wasn't going to be a Runner for long. A fleeting expression of panic crossed her face, but she quickly composed herself. For the time being, she had to keep what she knew to herself or risk losing her place in the Pioneer Program.

"I'm a Runner," Sophie finished, forcing a smile, and hastily changed the subject. "It's incredible that you've taken the time to learn so many languages. And your French is immaculate!"

For just a moment, Sophie had felt like a regular sixteen-year old girl. While talking to Nick, she had been able to relax and even flirt a little. But all of a sudden, she didn't feel like socializing at all. The force of reality had hit her like a punch to the stomach. Neither she nor Nick were regular kids, anyway - they were about to spend the rest of their lives together on a spaceship - and Sophie had managed to complicate everything even before they took off. She wanted to cry; she wanted to bury her head in Nick Mechling's shoulder and tell him everything. She wanted to tell someone - someone who could help her. But she couldn't.

Besides, Sophie reminded herself, she had never needed help in the past. She had never crumbled under the pressure of adversity. After all, she had her pride to look after.

The show must go on, she thought bitterly, and she turned her attention back to Nick after a moment's hesitation.

"And might I ask what you'll be doing on the ship?"

"Well I suppose I am a bit of a perfectionist, comes with the territory though. I'll bet the majority of the crew has a stick up our collective asses too," he joked.

'Interesting,' Nick thought, 'many others in the training program seemed so self-assured about what they wanted to do. But this girl, Sophie...' Nick didn't show any of the surprise or skepticism that he felt, almost an about face to his initial impression. Instead, he just kept smiling, ignoring the shifting emotions he was witnessing.

There was an awkward moment where we both fell silent. She visibly turned her attention away from him, distracted by something, Nick found himself worrying over the situation. 'Did I say something wrong?' A feeling of guilt fell over the usually confidant and headstrong young man briefly, unsure of what to make of the circumstance. 'Another lost connection?' he thought. Small talk evaded him and Nick was unsure of whether to leave or to stay.

Thankfully, she returned her attention to Nick:

"And might I ask what you'll be doing on the ship?"

"I'm a runner too. Wanted to see these new worlds first-hand actually, be like Armstrong on Luna!" Feeling like the mood was too serious not to act foolish, Nick struck a ridiculously defiant pose and stared off into the distance like one might see on a poster: chin held high, fists on the waist, chest puffed out, a dashing smile on his face. The only thing missing was a fan blowing his short hair in the wind.

He narrated in English, " 'Nick Mechling! The first human on New Earth!' "

He held the pose for a moment, building the tension and catching the glances of some of the the crew. And then he broke down laughing. He waved off the comment, chuckling and returning to French, "Or something like that."

Nick smiled and chuckled more, allowing the attention he had caught to die down, before he continued on.

"So, why'd you sign up as a Runner?"

Nuri Sabine arrived on the Pioneer I with only a small satchel, the rest of her belongings having been delivered ahead of time. She wondered briefly if it had been put into storage or if it had been deposited in one of the rooms. She leaned forward when the scanner commanded, her eyes flickering slightly as the light flashed over them. "Access granted. Welcome, demoiselle Sabine."

At that moment, the doors opened and she heard another voice from within the ship announce, "One hour to lift-off. One hour to lift-off." Good, Nuri thought. I'll have time to find a room and unpack. There were a few people already milling about the common areas, but Nuri had no interest in socializing until she had secured a spot of her own. She continued down the hall, heading straight to the back without so much as a glance at the other rooms. Once she reached the end of the dorm hall, she peeked into the last two rooms. Room 10 appeared to have an occupant already, but Room 9, directly across from it, was yet unclaimed. Nuri headed for the bed in the back corner, as far from the door as she could get. She unpacked her undergarments, pc, and reader into the dresser provided, leaving her notebook and pens in the pack on her bed, to claim it. Then she decided she'd better find the rest of her things.

There were surprisingly few adults onboard, although perhaps they were all too busy with the press, or maybe paperwork. A kindly older gentleman led her down a second hall and pointed out the storage room that the suitcases had been stowed in, so she searched about until she found hers. In addition to her necessary equipment, she had brought several sundresses, which were her favorite things to wear. She would only wear the spacesuits when absolutely necessary. Nuri liked her clothes to breathe, or she felt claustrophobic. She was already wondering how claustrophobic she might feel on the ship, although it seemed spacious enough.

Once thoroughly unpacked, she figured she'd procrastinated long enough. She'd have to meet her crew sooner or later, so better sooner, lest they think she was a snob. People often did, since Nuri was naturally shy and withdrawn. The impression was cemented when others learned of her family and background, though Nuri was surprisingly un-snobbish, at least compared to the circles she'd grown up in. She just got nervous talking to people. She'd hated her courses in debate and languages, though she'd passed them all. She knew how to interact when she had to. She just really wished she didn't have to.

Thus resigned, she headed out to the nearest lounge. She saw on boy, seemingly the center of attention, with his chin held high, fists on the waist, chest puffed out, a dashing smile on his face.

"Nick Mechling!" he cried, then continued in English, "The first human on New Earth!" Nuri didn't need the translator buds to understand his speech. She was fluent in all of the major languages of the program.

The boy, Nick Mechling, she assumed, held the pose for a moment, then broke down laughing. He waved off the comment, chuckling and spoke in French, "Or something like that." She was impressed at his fluency in her mother-tongue. You shouldn't be, really, she thought to herself. You think you're the only multi-lingual girl among the best and brightest on Earth? Silly Nuri. No, of course not.

This boy was obviously at ease in the lime light. Nuri remained against the wall, one hand crossed over herself, holding the opposite arm. She knew that this was poor body language, but she just didn't feel comfortable. She slid along the wall, trying to remain rather invisible, until she'd positioned herself in a corner. For now, she merely watched the proceedings.

In spite of herself, Sophie burst into a genuine laugh as Nick struck a dramatic pose. The more she spoke to him, the more she appreciated him. Perhaps she would have felt the same way about anyone she may have spoken to, but he provided exactly the kind of distraction she needed. His sudden goofy outbreak made her just a little self-conscious, though; he had obviously realized the brief change in her mood despite her attempts to conceal it.

Nonetheless, Nick seemed like a well-meaning boy, and he went out of his way to relieve the obvious tension that had arisen. Sophie uncrossed her arms and allowed herself to breathe.

"It sounds like you'll make a fine Runner," she giggled. She half-consciously stepped forward a fraction of an inch, closing the space between them. As she moved, she turned to face Nick head-on and placed her hands on her hips. A moment ago, it had seemed like she wanted to escape the conversation, but suddenly her open posture invited conversation.

"As for my role here..." she paused for a moment, scratching the tip of her nose with her forefinger in thought. Then, she continued bashfully, "I didn't intend to be in the program, actually. You see, I actually got into a little bit of trouble with the law... and my mother sent me to basics as a punishment. But when I got there, I saw what the Runners did, and I suppose I just realized that the job was a perfect fit for me."

Sophie thought back to her first day at basics camp for the Pioneer Program - what she had once called the worst day of her life. She couldn't pinpoint when or why her attitude changed, but she was glad it did. At one point, she had said resolutely that she would find her way out of the program. Now, she was ready to do anything to stay in it.

"It sounds like you'll make a fine Runner," she giggled.

Nick momentarily rose an eyebrow at Sophie's sudden change of posture and attitude. 'Ah, what do I know?' he scolded himself, 'We're all just as nervous as the other. Leaving our lives behind for something... new.'

"Well thank you very much, madame," he responded curtly, the overly formal word choice contradicting his serious tone in Nick's special brand of sarcasm. Sarcasm through tonality.

...But when I got there, I saw what the Runners did, and I suppose I just realized that the job was a perfect fit for me."

"A born again, eh? I think I can relate..." Nick's mind wandered to when he first witnessed a match between his father and a mixed martial artist, a practitioner of several disciplines. Though his form was not as refined as Grand Master Mechling's, his adaptability almost won the match, almost. A rare occasion to see from a man like Tim Mechling. The fight had prompted 8 year old Nick to seek out other Masters to learn from, a seemingly life-long pursuit that consumed not only his martial arts, but also his education, leading him to world-renound professors that were more than willing to help him in his search for knowledge. It was one of them that had suggested the Pioneer Program.

Something that would allow a life-time of self-improvement and learning from the brightest minds and bodies the planet had to offer. The thought of Pioneer I becoming his own personal Ivory Tower made Nick giddy, though he did lament the loss of daily instruction from his martial arts mentors. His days of leave during docking on earth would be spent in their dojos, every hour of the day and night until he had to leave again.

Seeking some kind of small talk, and unsure whether to invite Sophie to sit down, they had only been speaking for a few moments, Nick asked: "So, what room are you staying in? Meet your roommates yet?"

Nick responded with false brusqueness and then relaxed, causing Sophie to laugh quietly again. His sense of humor was goofy at times and subtle at others, but he could put a smile on her face. Back in Le Rhin, Sophie had found herself surrounded by the most raucous bunch of teenage boys, many of whom were simply desperate for a girl's attention. Nick, on the other hand, had a genuine sense of humor. Better yet, he actually seemed to care about what she was saying.

"A born again, eh? I think I can relate..."

Nick trailed off, lost in thought for just a moment. Sophie found herself wishing he would explain his thoughts - perhaps they had a lot in common - but instead he changed the subject.

"So, what room are you staying in? Meet your roommates yet?"

"Roommates...?" Sophie echoed. The word triggered her memory, and she suddenly remembered what she had been doing before Nick stole her attention. She laughed at herself and shook her head.

"Well, I was actually going around looking for roommates, but somehow I let you distract me," she admitted with a wry smile. "And what about you? Have you settled into a room yet?"

If Sophie remembered correctly, the handbook said that the rooms were co-ed. Before she boarded the ship, she would never have settled for rooming with a boy, but the boys on the Pioneer I starkly contrasted the boys she knew at home. After all, they were some of the best and brightest in the world. Sophie decided that, if Nick didn't already have a room, she would extend him an offer.

The exchange between the two seemed so casual, like they'd known eachother for far too long. Sophie had quickly loosened up, and Nick was taken aback by how friendly things had become. 'I did decide to be less uptight didn't I? Maybe I should act like this more often...'

"Well, I was actually going around looking for roommates, but somehow I let you distract me," she admitted with a wry smile. "And what about you? Have you settled into a room yet?"

The look seemed to change the question into an invitation, and Nick's inexperienced hormones made his quiver with excitement. 'Share a room with this hot woman? Hell fucking yeah! That ain't no innocent look!' But that was when his rationality caught up to him, draining the pools of blood that had been forming in his cheeks to their typical light brown.

"Uhm, yeah I have, my bag has anyway. Room, ten I think, closest to the gym, though it was deserted last I was there."

Nick's inner coach said, 'Dolt! That's an invitation in itself!'

"How about you? What room are you in?"

'So you can make a midnight rendezvous? Baka!' The inner turmoil appeared invisible, except for a flickering of the eyes, from Sophie's face to the wall behind her and back again. Nick was a champion with his fists and words over both men and women, but when it comes to the wiles and temptations of women, he was but a novice.

Suddenly, the sunny atmosphere between Sophie and Nick clouded over. They had talked like old friends in one moment, and then Nick seemed to freeze in the next. After feeling the confidence he exuded, Sophie hadn't expected to make him nervous. She couldn't hold back a good-natured laugh; the way he blushed and his eyes darted around was kind of cute.

"Uhm, yeah I have, my bag has anyway. Room, ten I think, closest to the gym, though it was deserted last I was there...How about you? What room are you in?"

Sophie sensed that Nick was mentally scolding himself for sounding too desperate. Back home, she had seen boys encounter this problem all the time, but never from someone as attractive as Nick Mechling. She would have assumed that he was more experienced in the ways of the opposite sex.

As Sophie opened her mouth to respond, a voice over the loudspeaker interrupted her.

"Liftoff in one minute. Liftoff in one minute."

"Oh!" Sophie gestured to her bags around her feet with one hand and put the other on Nick's arm. "I need to get my things settled before we get off the ground. Would you mind if we roomed together, Nick?"

Her back still against the corner, Nuri watched the exchange between the two kids who seemed to be about her own age. She ducked her head and hid a smile as the boy stammered at the idea of rooming with a girl. He certainly didn't look Chinese, so Nuri placed him as an American. They were still conservative in some areas about such things.

Nick, the girl called the boy, though she still wasn't sure what the girl's name was. It was Nick's bags that she had seen in room ten. Now the girl was eagerly trying to get in there with him, not that Nuri really blamed her. Nick was pretty cute. So these would be the people in the room across the hall from her. It was good to note. They both seemed friendly and at ease talking to others, unlike Nuri, who preferred to hang back and observe. Her mother would give her a sound talking-to. Some diplomat she was turning out to be. Still, there was wisdom in gathering intelligence before jumping right into the fray.

She bit her lip and continued looking around. A few last-minute crew made it in just before the last call for lift-off. She wondered what had held them up so long. Perhaps they were close to their families. Nuri had posed for many pictures with her family and still gotten aboard with plenty of time. Perhaps they were just procrastinators. Nuri marked their faces, making a mental note to keep a close eye on them until she could be sure of their dependability. One wanted to know who you could count on, out in space. They would not come earthside for at least a year. Nuri hoped that she'd been placed with the best of the best.

Adelaide was in Room 4, though it didn't seem like she had any roommates yet. She'd heard the lift-off warning, so she couldn't help but wonder if people were avoiding her because she was so young. "Their loss," she mumbled, though the idea hurt anyway. It would be kind of cool to have a room to myself, she tried convincing herself.

She double-checked to make sure her weapons were all locked away securely. Safety first had been drilled into her long before she joined the Pioneer Program. She wondered if there was an actual target range onboard or if she'd have to settle for the virtual games. It wasn't quite the same.

Finally, everything was put away neatly. Adelaide tucked her curly hair behind her ears and decided to go explore the ship. She made her way out to the lounge, where she could hear voices. She put on a bright, plucky smile before stepping out of the hall. "Hi!" she said, waving as she entered and took a seat on one of the sofas.

When she laid a hand on his arm, Nick unconsciously shifted his center of weight to a more stable position, expecting to be thrown. At the same time his nerves shot up again from being touched by this clearly attractive woman. But she seemed genuinely looking for help, not a rendezvous, or a fight. Nick tried his best to relax, become the amiable friend again and smile.

"Yeah, sure!" He said, just a bit too eagerly. Before looking at the bags that she motioned to. 'What the- why are there so many bags!?'

Despite himself, Nick left Sophie's grasp and bent to pick up the bags effortlessly. He stacked most of them to carry in his arms, just short of blocking his vision over them. "If you'd grab that last one, the room is down this hallway here," he pointed with a nod of his load.

Across the lounge, a short, high-pitched greeting cut through the hubbub of crew members introducing themselves. Nick glanced through the crowd, but couldn't place the body it came from. Shrugging, he turned and started to walk down the hallway to room 10, his mind split on what he was hoping would happen, or not happen, once he and Sophie got there.

"Oh, you don't have to carry all those..." Sophie tried to stop him, but he was already halfway down the hall. Smiling and shaking her head, she picked up the last bag and hurried along behind him. Compared to the other kids, it did seem like Sophie had brought a bit more than she needed along with her. It looked like she had packed enough for two people.

As soon as they made it to Room 10, Sophie felt the floor rumble under her feet. She poked her head out of the room and looked out the nearest window, watching the world disappear below her. No turning back now, she thought with a relieved grin and returned to the room.

Immediately, she went to take some of her baggage off of Nick's hands. "Thank you so much for helping me. And thank you for offering your room to me." She smiled. "I was really starting to think I wouldn't find a roommate."

As she spoke, she began stacking her bags in the back corner of the room, wedging them between the wall and one of the beds. There, she could keep a watch on them until she had more time to organize her things. Once she had established her space, she sat on her new bed and grinned at Nick.

"I like this. There's so much space in here! I was so worried we were going to be squeezed into tiny little bedrooms with beds made of straw, or something like that."

Laughing softly, Sophie appraised the room. The structure offered her a choice of either privacy or company whenever she wanted, which she liked; she loved to have people to talk to, but everyone needed some time alone every now and then. Obviously, the Pioneer Program had drawn out the ship with its occupants in mind.

A glance into the eye scanner in the middle of the door popped it open for Nick and Sophie with a quiet chime. At the same time, it logged her entry and added her iris key to the room log. There was no notification, just a function of the ship I had read while scanning the extensive crewman's manual of Pioneer I's functions. A glance around the room showed that it hadn't been disturbed since Nick had left it, his bag was still on the nearest bed to the door, the other beds still crisp and clean. He allowed Sophie to take a couple bags before depositing them on the bed she had apparently settled on, the one furthest from the door.

"Hey, no problem, 'Mi casa es su casa,' my home is your home." A small piece of Spanish he had picked up from his worldly grandparents.

Nick grabbed the desk chair in front of Sophie's bed and sat down in it backwards, watching her absently as she finished packing her luggage into a small space next to her bed. 'Did she pack the kitchen sink too?' he wondered, smiling to himself. Nick had be reluctant to bring even one full bag of clothes, it baffled him why other people hung onto material things so tightly.

"I like this. There's so much space in here! I was so worried we were going to be squeezed into tiny little bedrooms with beds made of straw, or something like that."

Nick joked with a twinkle in his eye, "Did you expect a hull made out of wood too? Its nice though, we're not cargo or anything. I'm just glad we don't have to eat maggot ridden bread, though I'm not looking forward to the freeze-dried stuff." He hid his grin and feigned a gag.

"I suppose I should have expected better," Sophie admitted with a giggle. As she spoke, she half-consciously pulled one of her smaller bags up onto her bed. "But you know, they never make it look so nice in the old movies."

Sophie thought back to all the films she had seen with futuristic themes - since the Second Space Race, movies about outer space and aliens had soared in popularity. In those movies, though, everyone crammed himself into a beat-up old ship with dingy little rooms. As Sophie looked around her room, she laughed again at how wrong the old movies had gotten it.

Then again, futuristic movies and books had been popular since the 20th century, and they almost never portrayed Sophie's time correctly. She almost felt like her generation had let down its predecessors by not living up to their expectations. Movies as far back as the late 1900s had depicted a world with flying cars, and still, three hundred years later, there were still no flying cars.

Perhaps the scientists of her time had spent all their energy on the Pioneer Program. After all, two centuries was not a lot of time to create this colossus called the Pioneer I. It was not only a spaceship, but also a small community. Even Sophie, who knew little to nothing in the way of science, could see what kind of work had to be put into making all ten of the Pioneer crafts. Maybe they hadn't gotten around to making flying cars, but Sophie figured her ancestors hadn't expected that she would live most of her life in outer space.

Sophie opened the bag in her lap and pulled out a piece of her old life - a tattered blue teddy bear. Holding it to her chest, she looked up at Nick and smiled sheepishly. "I just had to bring him with me. I've had him since I was a baby."

A redheaded little girl plopped down on the sofa next to Wes's feet, breaking his focus. He glanced up at the child, surprised to see someone so young on the ship. The Pioneer Program accepted people as young as ten, but Wes had only seen teenagers until this girl decided to share a couch with him.

Wes threw a welcoming smile her way and set down his journal. "What's up?"

Instinctively, he had wanted to say something along the lines of, "Hi, kiddo! What's your name?" Being the youngest child in his family, though, he had experienced first hand how patronizing adults could sound. Besides, as young as this girl was, there was a reason she was in the Pioneer Program; Wes wasn't about to underestimate her.

Adelaide looked up at one of the most exotic men she'd ever seen, and her face broke into a wide grin. "Oh, not much. Just heading out into space." The guy had dark skin and the most incredibly cool head of hair that Adelaide had ever encountered, and most people made a fuss over her hair. She held out her hand to shake. "I'm Adelaide Jenkins, a runner from Virginia. That's in the U.S. This is my first trip into space. I really like your hair. How did you do that?"

"Wes Blakely." Wes took the girl's little hand and shook. To his surprise, he found himself laughing. Not only was Adelaide Jenkins a thoroughly adorable girl, but she was pretty funny, too. On top of that, her energy seemed boundless. Adelaide suddenly bombarded him with a variety of questions and statements, and he didn't know where to start.

Well, he figured he would start with the hair. Wes was fairly accustomed to comments about his dreads, but they always seemed substantially less cool once he had to explain the process of styling them. The transformation of his black ball of hair into dreadlocks had required three months of vinegar, beeswax, and no conditioner.

"Well, the hair took a while," he summarized with a laugh. Then, he joked, "You know, with thick hair like yours, you could probably get dreads like mine."

In fact, Adelaide's hair was more of a lion's mane. Wes didn't know much about the female style, but he knew girls would kill to have hair like hers. Somehow, though, Adelaide didn't seem like the kind of girl who would care - partially because she was so young and partially because she was a Runner. Wes always pictured female Runners as girls who didn't care about appearances. Then again, there was that Sophie Delcambre girl he had seen earlier...

Wes kicked back on the sofa and asked:

"So, Addie - can I call you Addie? - you said you're from Virginia? I know where that is. In fact, I lived there myself. Quite a coincidence, huh?"

"Pleased to meet you, Wes," Adelaide said properly. For some reason, he laughed, but Adelaide didn't mind. He had a very nice laugh.

Her face lit up at the thought of having hair - dreads - like his. She wondered if they were easier to maintain than her crazy curls. She was going to ask, but then Wes continued on. A small frown flitted across her face at the nickname 'Addie', but she cocked her head and gave careful consideration to his request before answering. "Uhh...well, usually only my family or really, really good friends call me 'Addie'." She unconsciously wrinkled her little nose, but she smiled softly at him. "I mean, I guess I don't mind too terribly much. You seem like a very nice person. You'd have to be a really, really good friend if you called me that, though. But it's an even trade, because I'm a really, really good friend myself." She looked at him for a moment, hoping that he understood the magnitude of such a trust. Feeling comfortable enough that he did, she pulled her legs up to tuck under bottom, settling in. "How old are you, anyway?"

For a moment, Wes worried that he had offended the girl with his nickname. One had to be careful when talking to children, especially ones around Adelaide's age - he guessed about nine or ten. They wanted desperately to feel like adults, or at least "big kids," and they hated to hear their elders talk down to them. But then, she explained herself, and Wes breathed the slightest sigh of relief. She seemed like a nice girl, but he knew how quickly her kind could potentially mutate into little brats. He sat up on the couch so he could fully face her, taking off his blue glasses as he did so.

"I'd be honored to be your friend...Addie," he said with a ceremonious air. "And you seem very nice yourself."

A voice from the intercom above their heads reminded Wes of where he was. "Dinner is being served in the Dining Hall. Dinner in the Dining Hall."

Wes clapped a hand to his forehead and laughed at himself. "I haven't even found a room yet," he explained to his new friend as he gathered his bag and notebook. Before he put on his glasses, he threw a wink at her. "Good to meet you."

As he turned toward the bedrooms with his bag in tow, he realized he had forgotten about Adelaide's question. He whirled back around on his heel. "Oh, I'm sixteen, by the way. How old are you?"

Adelaide kept her smile, pleased that this new boy she'd met was so nice to someone so much younger. Most of the older kids just ignored her, so Wes was a friendly and pleasant surprise. She was almost sorry that the call for dinner interrupted them, but her growling stomach reminded her that she'd been eagerly awaiting that moment.

"I'm eleven, as of last month," she said, almost not wanting to admit it. While five years' age difference wasn't that much to an adult, she'd already learned that it was a gaping chasm to the teenagers on board. She bit her lip, but went ahead and offered anyway. "I'm all alone in room four, so far. You're welcome to room with me," she ducked her head, unable to meet his eyes, "though I won't hold it against you if you don't want to." She wouldn't, either. He'd been nice to her, and that was enough for Adelaide.