The Station, Part 15

18/6/2207

I don’t know if I can pack any more gear. Fortunately, I’m in good shape and all together the equipment will be a manageable weight. I’ve got the signal booster pack, flashlights, miniature beacons, medical kit, food and water for three days and most important of all, the portable sensor which will map my progress as well as keep a permanent fix on Frontier in case I get turned around in one of these tunnels. This could be a really short trip, or it could be the first part of a much longer one. I have no idea. These tunnels may go fifty feet, or fifty miles. If they’re more like the latter, well, I only can only carry so much food and water. I’m talking like I’m actually excited about this. More like scared shitless. What I really want right now is a damn gun. It would just feel good to have some solid protection with me. Hell, I thought of bringing just a good old fashioned wrench along. Not a very effective weapon but the psychological effect would help. Something heavy and solid in my hands that can do damage. For the caveman in me you know. But there’s only so much I can carry, and I don’t want first contact to involve a bludgeoning. I’ll forgo the wrench. I’ll be leaving in about an hour. I want to make some final checks to the excursion suit because no matter how good the air out there may be, it’s still an alien atmosphere. The good news is technology now allows us astronauts access to oxygen packs that can last a week. I don’t know how many lives have been saved by these little wonders. I remember that starliner incident from five years ago. There were what, three hundred people involved? The ‘liner had been equipped with a bunch of these newer O2 packs. For something like two days, these people lived on these tanks until a rescue vessel finally reached them. Only three people died and those deaths had been caused by the initial engine failure that caused the accident. Had this happened a few years before, a lot more people would have died. And that was the incident that altered the spaceline routes, too, remember? That’s all it takes sometimes, just one tragedy to get the rules to change. Takes longer to get to the Outer Colonies now, but at least it’s safer.

Enough chit chat about recent history, and let’s get this show on the road, shall we? But first, one good meal and a shit and then I’m going hiking. Did I say that out loud?