The Fourth World

Chapter 2

Chapter 2The showers on board the Hippomenes were hot or cold air blasters equipped with dry shampoo and a few other cleaning supplies that didn’t require water. Jenna slipped off her suit without attending the staff meeting. Brad, Jayden, and Selina were huddled around the screen with Captain Audrey Paz. Jenna ran her fingers through her long dark brown hair, hair that had taken her seven years to painstakingly grow. Nothing ever seemed to grow in space; it hung there in suspended animation. Even when the gravity gauge was on, the hair never had body. People like Selina cut hers super-short and called it a day. Other women astronauts, especially other black ones, would keep their hair in tight corn rows for the longer missions.

But Jenna had worked hard for her hair and she liked to feel it on her shoulders. Even if it didn’t look like the magazines or pulp sci-fi covers she saw as a kid, it was still hers.

When she entered the common area, the computer screen was still on and the standby message from the university bounced on the screen. Everyone else was around the centre table, their rehydrated meals in front of them. The conversation stopped as soon as she entered the room.

Jenna grabbed some water, her meals, and faced the screen.

“So. I miss anything important?” Silence. Space echoed in Jenna’s mind. “Should I call back?”

“No, no,” Brad said. “There was nothing much we couldn’t figure out. We’re sending the samples via messenger tomorrow, but we won’t be able to hear back for a day or so. Even when we send it express.”

“Makes sense,” Jenna said. “Where does that leave us? Jonquil, as pretty as it is, can’t support our life systems.”

“Well done, Dr. Kitchener,” Brad said, a hint of venom in his voice. “Audrey’s sent paperwork for us to a feeder planet. Planet is perhaps a strong word. It’s more like a giant asteroid that’s becoming immobile due to space traffic, so it’s being pulled into a rotation and is on its way to becoming a planet.”

“An asteroid? And that’s somehow more hospitable?”

“There are a few communities set up there, in addition to the original inhabitants,” Jayden said. “It’s mostly a trading post, but they support life—our life included.”

“When they heard we were from the university, they wanted to give us the key to the city,” Selina said, giggling.

“Why’s that funny?” Jenna asked. Her peas and carrots tasted bland, like their washed-out colours suggested. She was no longer hungry.

Selina shot Brad a look. After a silent back and forth conversation, Selina spoke again. “Well, the inhabitants are an evolved form of life that descended from beetles. They’re a touch shorter than most humanoid bipeds but are basically giant insects that walk on two legs like us. So they look a little weird. Audrey wanted us to be prepared. She even sent us some pictures of them to get us acquainted. They’re really funny looking. Do you want to see?”

“No, no. I think I’m already prepared,” Jenna said, barely hiding her smile. “Sounds like fun.”