Chapter 1
Gemini Taylor awoke to the pitter-patter of rain on the window. She slowly opened her eyes in the darkness and sleepily revelled in the peaceful, Earthly sound. She remembered a time when the sound had been real, back when she actually lived on a planet with an atmosphere. Now, the sounds and the weather were just digitally rendered patterns, designed in the hopes of making the ship feel more “homely” for the human passengers.
Groggily, Gemini emerged from her sleep pod and neatly braided her long auburn hair. She shimmied out of her sleep clothes, washed herself quickly with a wet towelette, and chewed a toothpaste capsule. Ever since they had picked up the extra cargo on the exoplanet AL-953 the other day, the crew had been forced to excise some of its water supplies and equalize the ship’s mass. To Gemini’s dismay, that meant that water usage was going to be limited. She desperately yearned for a long hot shower.