Code of Affliction

Andras pulled the isotherm jacket off the solitary hanger and donned it over the grey-blue, graphite one-piece suit of his uniform. He ran his palms over the soft squishy material, patting the many pockets, feeling every crack in the worn fabric. Today, however, it did not bring him comfort.

She hurried to leave the observation deck. As she moved down the tapering corridor, all she could think of was the radiation penetrating the hull and the black, freezing emptiness just outside the ship.

Donghyun flipped the spoon on the table – the sound echoed through the empty refectory like a ghost. However, as his plant soup was cooling, his attention was stolen by what had to be another apparition on the screen of his tablet.

She could see the LEDs flaring through the door opening but did not rush to follow. She had no desire to meet those mutants again, whoever they were. It was easy for the voice to say they were irrelevant and then use them to capture her. However, she could not be hiding here forever. In the end, if the voice wanted, they could send those creatures here.

The very top sector of “Cheonsa” was the place where Alaya felt she could be alone and undisturbed. Although she still reached from here to the farthest corners of the station and monitored the major systems, it was her sanctuary, where she did not need to devote her processes to communication or anything above the basic maintenance.

The darkness was overwhelming. The LED-lights illuminated no further than two metres ahead; the new ones lit up only when she reached the border of blackness. Her heart beat boomingly, filling in the silence of the place.

She opened her eyes only to shut them straight away as the bright yellow light hit the pupils from very close by. She blinked a few times, adjusting; the tears did not come.

On June 4th, 3072, the space station “Prosperity”, belonging to the Lemming Mining and Terraforming Incorporation, held the UGN Anniversary Ball of Diversity. One of the newest seats of the Lemming Inc., “Prosperity” was the best place to commemorate the humanity’s commitment to versatility and expansion.