Escapades of the Unfamiliar Frontier (Closed for DarkWarrioress)

A rectangular photo sat between the neat crevices produced by the natural folds of skin that formed between his thumbs and index fingers. The edges of the matte textured paper had been worn while wrinkles ran along the points at which the corners of the rectangle folded inward when it had been mishandled or misplaced. The colored photograph bled all the way to the edges before cutting off to reveal the organically white foundation onto which it had been printed. The sea of seemingly randomly placed granulated pixels meshed together into a coherent display. The iris, pupil, and cornea worked in unison as it translated the multicolored display into that of a portrait. The jaded-emerald colored irises flashed across the tangible photo while the eyelids soothed the drying corneas as they closed shut briefly before allowing the brilliant orbs resume its analysis of the portrait. The tips of his digits gently held the landscape view of the paper. In the portrait was a young woman who sat erect upon a ivory colored pedestal. Her brunette colored hair was neatly secured along the back of her hair. She had been wearing an elegant white dress which had cut off slightly above her ankles displaying the white heels she was wearing. The white outfit contrasted the woman's glowing brown complexion. The woman's arms held around a little girl who had been dressed in a similar manner; the pink outfit matched the child's exuberant smile, while neat curls formed along the locks of hair that fell neatly over her shoulders. The backdrop was an incredible lush garden-scape . A smile grew from Danny's expressionless face as he stared at the photograph between his hands. Danny set the photo gently at the edge of the desk, leaning it up against the tempered window of his quarters. As Danny looked up through the window, it would reveal the magnificent view of the planet Earth. The massive globe sat in mysterious sea of darkness which had been dotted with different sized specks of light. It was a sight to behold as the space vessel maintained its orbit above the planet from which it had originated.

The Frontier Research and Operation's Space Transport or commonly referred to as FROST was a privately chartered spacecraft that served as an operational space station as well as an international space port from which international spacecrafts can dock, refuel, and resupply. FROST would be the first privately owned space vessel that would serve this purpose. As space travel and exploration opened up to the private sector, many corporations would try to stake their claim in the seemingly profitable venture. Galaxy, an aviation-based company, was one of the few business ventures that aggressively took advantage of the new prospect. After merging with several other avionic networks and companies, and teaming up with a small group of NASA scientists, the Galaxy umbrella took investments into private space travel and exploration by the reigns. Immediately, the corporate network began to focus and commit the majority of its funding and research in the FROST project. The company tried to keep the project and the information surrounding the venture under guarded eyes, however, it would inevitably be revealed to the public as Galaxy began openly hiring experts to facilitate and expedite the completion of the project. After twenty arduous years of research and painstaking labor, the company was able to produce a prototype that would be the first of its type to launch into space. The successful launch brought upon great credit to Galaxy and ultimately boosted the stock value of the company as well as attracting wealthy investors from around the world. The prototype housed an initial crew of ten individuals. These ten individuals were comprised of scientists, engineers, and pilots. After spending an entire year in space and validating the concept of a privately operated space station, Galaxy soon replace these individuals with fresh bodies that have graduated the FROST astronaut program. Thus, Galaxy soon developed rotations, ensuring that their employees would spend no more than twelve months in space.

Rotation 32

Galaxy had already started on another project for designing a spacecraft for deep space exploration, however, decided to keep the FROST prototype in orbit, finding that it was more cost-effective to continually make manual upgrades and add-ons to the spacecraft in orbit rather than to bring the spacecraft down and relaunch a newer model. In the meantime, the contracts between Galaxy, public and private entities continued to rake in profits for the umbrella corporation. In addition, some of these contracts negotiated the terms for private and international spacecraft to transport these "manual" upgrades and add-ons to FROST on their logistical missions which further reduced the expenses shared by Galaxy and their partners. The size of the FROST vessel thus grew in size as the physical structure had been expanded from the multiple upgrades and add-ons that it had received throughout the years. The maximum personnel capacity increased from a crew of ten to twenty personnel. With the larger crew, Galaxy found that FROST had operated more efficiently, and were able to self-sustain better. The types of specialists became more diverse, which now added psychologists, doctors, and security specialists to the staff. Indeed, the miniature "colony" which occupied FROST operated in their own unique way. The amount of personnel aboard the space vessel allowed for social development, interaction, and entertainment which relieved the seemingly monotonous drills and procedures that the crew performed on a daily basis as part of their occupational function.

It had already been thirty odd years since the launch of FROST and its inception into the international space community. On board, FROST hosted its thirty-second rotation to the space station. This rotation, however, was the subject of unforeseen circumstances. The crew of twenty had already been aboard FROST for eleven months. It was during the ninth month, that the crew received the disheartening news that their tour at the space station would be extended. While the crew continued to operate and maintain the orbiting spacecraft, the planet seen from their cabins was in a deep crisis. A deep recession in both the United States and China's economies affected the international markets causing economical turmoil at epic proportions. This change in the economic stability of international corporations affected the industries for space travel and exploration the most. Research came to a temporary halt as corporate leaders and investors debated on the priorities of the company. Operations slowed down while contracts became expired with little hope for renewal as the world was living on the verge of economic collapse. The command center back at Galaxy's operations headquarters dictated to the crew of the thirty-second rotation that FROST will continue to function and operate despite the dire situation. Furthermore, the extended tour end-date was still undetermined; the command center assured the onboard crew that their relief would arrive no later than a year from their original projected end date. To assuage the anguish of their employees, Galaxy would pay a bonus in addition to the monthly salary they receive for every month the crew had been extended. Needless to say, the crew voiced their displeasure with their employers who could do nothing at present but plan for the soonest operation that would retrieve the staff of the thirty-second rotation from FROST.

Astronaut 32-16: Danny Axel

As Danny gently sat the photograph against the viewing window of his domicile, his emerald colored orbs focused on the large blue planet which had dominated the view of the rectangular glass aperture. From the orbiting space station, the massive globe seemed tranquil and peaceful, however, this was probably not the case for its terrestrial beings. His gaze met with a borderless, greenish-brown colored land mass while the rays of the sun gleamed over the horizon; the mundane geographic identifiers given by the planet's human inhabitants seem to bear no meaning or reason from this part of the cosmos. His eyes travelled across the overwhelmingly blue mass before it was swallowed up by the darkness which prevailed where the light from the Sun had not been able to reach. Even in the dark shroud, Danny was able to make out the human metropolises that littered the continents; the dots of light lined the various coasts while some settled deeper in the heart of these terran masses. However the magnificent view of the Earth from space no longer captured Danny's awe. He longed to return to the native terrestrial land from which he deployed and to be with the family he left behind.

Danny would make his way across the room, before badging in to his room's private bathroom facility. Absurd as it would seem to necessitate authorized entry to an ultimately essential utility, this access card system allowed both the specialists on FROST and the command center at the operations headquarters to monitor and log the activities aboard the space station. This data would be primarily used to monitor the health of the crew and provide evidence for any breaches in and tampering with the security net that protected FROST. As his badge swiped across the automated reader which had been built and networked into the communications mainframe of FROST, the manual interface displayed the relative name associated with the access code. "Astronaut 32-16: Danny Axel" appeared on the digital display, while the interface prompted Danny to confirm his identity via the voice recognition and code word sequence. The code words were established by the command center on Earth, and randomly selected for use aboard FROST. The crew was given these code words every day prior to the completion of their shifts. As a method for maximizing the security aboard the vessel, the constant change of the code words kept the crew on their feet. The security mainframe would prompt each crew member for the code words at the beginning of their shifts; once the crew member successfully identifies the correct code words, it was no longer require the individual to identify them again. Danny's mind race effortlessly back into his memory bank to retrieve the code words that were briefed to him from his last shift. A smirk rose from the corner of his lips as Danny recalled the words.

"What is the color of the sky?" questioned the androgynous toned voice of the interface.

"Tree," Danny responded, waiting briefly for the system to acknowledge his response.

"To which direction does the Sphinx face?" the interface asked.

"Kiss," Danny smiled, as the interface indicated the successful identification of the code words and authorized him access.

As the sliding door unhatched, Danny stepped into the short vestibule while the automated door closed behind him. The other end of the small lobby opened up to a rather basic bathroom. Directly to his left was a sink that had been paired with a mirror and medicine cabinet while a simple toilet sat against the opposite wall. In front of him was an enclosed shower; the shower head was built into the ceiling while the knobs and handles to operate the shower nested inside the shower space. Danny stepped out from his comfortable shorts, as they dropped to the bathroom floor beneath. He bit back his lips from naturally cold environment of the sterile bathroom while he eagerly stepped forward into the shower space, securing the shower door behind him. His dexterous hands quickly found the knobs and adjusted them to an agreeable setting. Danny weathered the first spouts of cold water, before finding relaxing comfort in the ensuing hot shower. Bearing his face directly up at the raining water, Danny allowed his face to enjoy the soothing beads of warm liquid as the droplets pelted his tanned skin before instinctively wiping the excess water from his face with his brushing hands. Meanwhile, the continuous waves of water as it poured from the shower head above seeped through his black hair which had been slicked to the back of his head. The running beads of water trickled down his well structured face; the prominent, chiseled jawline dominated the lower portion of his face while his neatly groomed dark brows adorned his emerald-colored eyes which had been shielded by his well defined eyelids. His thick, tender lips pursed together allowing the warm droplets of water to easily slide off from his bottom lip. His toned form soaked in the warm water as it came down along his broad neck and shoulders. The trails of water ran along the contours of his chest and abdomen, as droplets collected on the groomed curls of hair upon his chest and upper torso. The liquid trails followed the deep toned channels of his pelvic region before converging into the nest of pubic hair that had crowned the base of his penis. The flaccid organ hung effortlessly while the running water spouted off the sizable head that had been secured by the soft shaft. The rest of the water continued down his hairless legs before disappearing into the dark portal of the shower's plumbing system beneath. Danny would enjoy this brief shower before his work day began.

Dr. Tara McKenna. Psychiatrist. Assigned to the space station, FROST. She wasn’t by far the youngest member to join the team but she wasn’t one of the oldest either. She removed the dangling card around her neck and slid it through the card slot outside of her apartment. It was quickly followed by a punched in code and a word, one she had given prior to boarding the space station. Uniquely hers. The doors slid open and she stepped inside, with the doors closing securely behind her. Tara sighed with relief. That sigh was cut short with a quick glimpse of her watch. No time for sleep. Her regular work day began in about two hours. Striding over to the small kitchen area, she took down a coffee mug, slipped it into the slot provided and punched the Coffee choice on the screen, then pressed Columbian. She was going to need something strong. There had been an incident in Section 32, Compartment C. Engineering. One of the crew. Not surprising really. People were more than ready to depart after their tour of duty up here and recently only to be told this retrieval would be delayed. She had ordered the man sedated and sent to his apartment under guard. Once the sedative wore off, she would check on him again.

Taking her mug, she went to her desk and sat down, but instead of reading the papers on her desk, she swiveled her chair to gaze out of the large picture window. Her eyes leisurely moved from one end of the window to the other side. Things looked so differently up here. Without all the lighting that a populated city offered, the heavens took on a whole new awesome aspect. It was a scene she never got tired of. Certain stars deflected the rays cast off by Earth’s sun. Watching the Earth from up here was as fascinating as being on earth and sky gazing. The perspectives were obviously different but not any less fascinating. The scene before her was soothing. She could feel the tension easing from her shoulders as she sipped her coffee. Another glance at her wristwatch informed her she had been sitting there for an hour. A hasty sip of coffee before she set the mug aside and rose, stretching as she did so. There was time for a quick shower before her morning appointments began.

Approaching the bathroom, Tara’s hand hovered over the little console set to the right of the door and rolled her eyes. She understood why they did it, but failed to comprehend how it helped. Unless they each logged using the toilet or showering or brushing their teeth or any of the simple every day hygiene tasks each of them saw to, she failed to understand how they could compile enough useful data to determine their overall health. If the toilets didn’t register urine flow, she failed to see how it helped. Rather, she felt as if it was Big Brother poking its nose in where it didn’t belong.

The bathroom door slid open and Tara began stripping down, letting her clothes fall where they would. The shower door was opened, knobs turned, water flowed and was adjusted before she stepped inside. Tara tipped her head back, closing her eyes as streams of water poured down into her face. The heat from the water seeped into her body, easing the tiredness. It was a good three or four minutes before she reached for soap and a cloth.

Twenty minutes later, Tara was dressed and refreshed. Her red hair was twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck. The door to her small apartment closed behind her as she left it, heading toward her office. Her heels made a soft tapping sound on the floor as she passed through corridors and turned corners. She paused outside the door to her office for the usual security walk through. Card was swiped, thumb print taken. A series of numbers pressed on the keypad before the door slid open.

“Good Morning, Martha. Who’s my first this morning?”

“Good Morning, Dr. McKenna. Here’s the report on Mr. Hanks. The gentleman from last night.”

Martha handed her a couple of stapled papers. Tara read through them and nodded.

“Tell them in sick bay they can release him but only after they secure an appointment for him to see me in the next couple of days, please.”

Martha held up a finger and was about to say something. Tara forestalled her.

“I need to see him, Martha. I know my schedule is filled. Bump someone if you must but I want him in my office within the next forty-eight hours.”

The door to Tara’s private office slid open and she stepped in, followed by Martha.

“Mr. Hobbs is your first appointment this morning. Nine o’clock.”

Tara glanced at the clock on her desk. She had forty-five minutes.

“Mr. Hobbs’ file?”

“On your desk, Dr. McKenna.”

“Thank you, Martha. “

Tara sat down behind her desk, pulling the file toward her, opening it and began reading her former notes on Mr. Hobbs. Martha came in quietly and set a cup of hot tea on Tara’s desk. The good doctor looked up and smiled at her assistant then went back to her reading. By the time forty-five minutes had passed, she was ready for her client. There was a soft knock on her door just before it slid open. Tara looked up and smiled.

“Good Morning, Mr. Hobbs. Come in, please. Have a seat. It’s good to see you again.”

Tara rose, stepped around her desk to greet the man, holding out a hand. Her work day had begun.