I did not understand. Claxons were sounding everywhere. Alerts were being offered from all sides of the room. Orders were being shouted over comms. Whatever they were saying was lost in the static. Turning in my bed an image resolved itself next to me of Aeniah. The din all around me softened to allow her voice to come through.
‘Get your ass out of bed George, we’re nearly bloody there. Don’t make me come in there and drag you to the gallery.’ She disappeared.
Groggily I pulled on some clothes and staggered out of the door. The melee continued outside. The corridors were full of frantically running people. The air was filled with a frenetic energy that was contagious. Blossoming with energy my body threw itself at a run towards the elevator. As the door began to open I ran with all my speed towards them. With a crash I collided with the partially opened door.
‘Bugger,’ I exclaimed rubbing my head as I took a breath, red faced, and made it inside.
‘For future reference George, you should wait until the doors are open before charging...’
‘Oh shut up,’ I snapped cutting it off mid-sentence.
‘Please state your floor,’ it requested politely.
‘CIC.’
‘Going up.’
Emerging from the lift I launched myself towards the bow where I could witness what was ahead of us. I moved in a trance down the stairs leading from the CIC and into the gallery. The gallery was a walkway suspended in the middle of a circular room that was entirely transparent. All around me I could see stars and a large point of light that was moving ever closer.
A comms holo resolved into existence next to me and began producing sound. ‘Helm hard left, directional heading to dock marker A-44-C’ came Aeniah’s voice.
‘Yes sir,’ replied a hushed voice.
‘Tactical, establish servo connection with Ascension!’
‘Establishing connection with Ascension. Connection approved. Awaiting passcode authentication. DNA. Cognative. Ascension confirms docking privileges. Beginning data up-link. Up-link confirmed.’
‘Status,’ Aeniah barked.
‘Ascension is in low power mode. Primary systems are offline and not responding. Wake commands stalled. Ascension’s systems are not responding to command request. Life support is available but areas of the stations are in red status. There is limited power available. Main generators are dark. Defensive systems partially active but are recognised as friendly. No further information.’
‘What?’ Aeniah stated incredulously.
‘Sir there are no systems, except for life support and some tag markers. Docking is only functional because our vessel is providing the number crunching capability and programme codes.’
‘Hell no one told me the damn thing was busted to pieces,’ Aeniah grumbled. ‘Take us in slowly then! I don’t want any surprises.’
What was once in the distance was now in full view. It was simply beyond all words. It was the very essence of beauty, of human majesty. It was a work of art. Ascension was the most massive thing that I had ever seen. Surrounding its outer architecture were wings like those of an angel reaching out and embracing the superstructure. The six wings, each many kilometres long, were shaped as if folding towards the building. As if in an embrace.
The outer surface of Ascension was a mass of shapes, like waves that were crashing into rock. Rising above each of the thousands of waves were figures. No, they were horses, people, lions, mythical creatures, each many hundreds of times the size of their deceased equivalents. Long spines of the superstructure curved and punctured themselves through the station, creating a living image.
At the peak of Ascension there was a dancing violet aura surrounding a cluster of brilliant white light, collecting in a circle. It appeared as if this oasis was collecting light like water out of a desert, pooling it into a brilliant lake of dancing diamonds.
The skin of Ascension was itself a mass of wonder. One minute green, the next fluttering to amber, then blue; and then for a tantalising moment it was clear. In that moment of transparency a billion points of motion and wonder could be observed before the colours shifted again. Ascension was still and isolated in a world made of nothing, literally nothing, and yet it bustled with life, with motion. It was a pure essence of beauty, of the perfect from. It was in a state of perfect motion, and we were moving closer.
The little ship, a point of barely visible light, was moving its way toward the open wings of an angel. They rippled like water against glass as they met. An embarrassed motion between lovers.
The world around them faded away as stars set like suns. It was as though the majesty of creation was unfolding, as two tiny points of light joined together amid the green and blue and white constellations. A moment captured forever amidst the forests of heaven.