The Ethereal

I sat in solace in the waiting room of the transport ship. Sitting on the chairs, holding the overhead handles. We were traveling to the moon, although our ship, the Ethereal broke down and we had to ask for some help. the passengers, calmly waiting as I am started to talk. One spoke,

“What are all y’all business at the moon? Mining? Adventuring? Or just to get away from earth for awhile?”

“Well a bit of both actually.” I said. “I’m fed up with earth, it same old cities and cars. nothing seems to progress there. Yesterday I got a job offer from one of the mining teams up there at the moon and I accepted, of course!”

“Lovely. Well I, you see, i‘m a researcher. A geologist to be precise. The associations back on earth sent me. It wasn’t my choice. I liked earth. It felt like home. Yeah, the moon has all the low-grav devices though earth seems like home, like somewhere I would like to spent the rest of my life at. Though it looks like we’re stuck here in space. Maybe destiny wants me to spend the rest of my life in the vast cosmos...” the Geologist announced . He passenger crew began to get along with each other, and they started to share their stories and backgrounds from back on earth. Meanwhile, a transmission from the captain was coming in,

“Attention passengers! I know it seems like an eternity waiting in that bleak room of mine,” the captain said, “though you will have to hold tight because I’m doing the NASA Maneuver.”

“Hey yo! The captn’ is doin’ the maneuver! Dangerous for sure!” Someone said.

“Only one NASA Mission could pull it off. The first one they sent up to the moon needed the maneuver. I’m a geologist yet I’m scared of what might happen.” Said the geologist. The ship began to rattle and the passengers water flasks and wallets began to fall off stools and seats, causing havoc. The materials went under he chairs and shafts, lost forever.

“My wallet! Damn it! I had some emergency cash in there for the moon!” someone said. The shifting began to get worse, and metal plating began to tear of the ceiling. No, we weren't having an engine malfunction-pieces of satellite debris were crashing into our ship, ripping and starching pieces of the exterior. There was a loud bang sound coming from the back of the ship, most likely the engine, then a small whirr, whirr, whirr. The engine must've been hit and it began to shut off.

"Everyone stay calm. As you may have seen from your windows, a satellite has crashed into the ship's exterior, damaging the engine. NASA is going to pick us up. I'm so sorry. I failed the maneuver, and a satellite crashed due to my foolishness." said the captain, speaking in the intercom.

The shifting began to stop and the ship seemed to start moving. In the small windows all we could see was the jet-black space out before us but the trails of smaller ships-space jets-coming to escort us to the moon. The ships began to send some sort of chain, or wire onto the ship's body and they towed the Ethereal towards a larger ship, The Celestial. On the Celestial, a passenger's passageway opened up and attached to our ship. Our malfunctioning ship, the Ethereal was being attached to the Celestial. The captain's assistants walked us out of the ship, and onto the Celestial. The Celestial was much newer and nicer, and much cleaner than its predecessor, although, the shift of getting our luggage, moving, and all that hassle induced stress in some people, and not many people thanked the assistants, or the captain for doing the NASA maneuver, knowing they would fail. We passed out the earth’s full atmosphere and into the depths of the space we went. The grey moon began to enlarge, and before we knew it the Ethereal was docking at McBen Port.

I remembered when the ship first started off, I dreaded the long journey ahead of me. All the wait would gnaw at my morale, but maybe one kind of malfunction can add a spice to

your trip. Then I realized my journey wasn't over. No! I had to wait in the customs line to be checked for any diseases back on earth before I entered the Moon. I saw the captain, she was talking to some officers by the look of it. I could hear them, I was eavesdropping. They said,

"I told them I did the maneuver and I failed. They had no idea about the substance, and that the satellite crash was planned." the captain said.

"Do you have the substance, captain?" said one of the officers, with his palm open, waiting for this "substance" to come to him.

"Of course. Yes. My assistants are going to pick it up from the Ethereal's wreckage. The Ethereal was meant to be abandoned so the assistants could get the substance without any hassle. If the assistants just walked freely without any malfunction, anyone would be suspicious of someone holding a package and handing it to me like it was illegal or something." said the captain.

"Well it is illegal, captain, but not to us. Not the the Moon Government. We are a rebellion, remember, trying to become independent and autonomous from the Greater Earth." said one of the officers. Then I realized, I'm in a conspiracy, and I must leave this place. Surely the rebellion's plan is going to take foot sooner or later.

I left the ship. I went out onto the docking bay, shuffling in my huge, puffy yet sleek, spacesuit. I looked at the first two signs:

Left for Mining

I knew the wait was worth it. I have found a purpose, my destiny brought me to the heart of an uprising. This will be a new experience, good or bad. Who knew the moon was this crazy? All the intrigue, conspiracies all mines, but the right sign:

Right for Adventure....