beneath the ship. The glass was slightly cool against her skin. The view below held nothing new. If she craned her neck though, far off to the right was a green orb smothered in a yellow veil of smoke. She was so absorbed with the sight that she nearly missed the reflection in the glass as a figure approached from behind.
"Aimee."
The deep voice brought her to attention. She wanted to call him Mr. Vodu. Her mother always taught her to respect her elders with the use of their title, but did titles apply here? The man had introduced himself as Vodu, and no matter how aristocratic he appeared in his tailored sparkling suit, she knew of no other way to address him.
She settled on, "Hello."
"I hear from JOH that you are learning things quickly around here."
"I am." She searched the rash of activity, curious over what the technicians with the transparent map were doing. The desire to master the mechanics of this ship clawed at her. But that thirst for knowledge was ambushed by a sudden and harsh bout of homesickness. An image formed of her mother's troubled face as she sat at the kitchen table and whispered her daughter's name.
"I understand that time moves quickly up here," Aimee pushed the image aside for a time when she was alone and could surrender to the grief. "How long until the Horus returns to Earth?"
Vodu laced his fingers together and nodded. His white hair gleamed.
"Time. You equate that to a span of life." He swept his hand in the direction of a console with holograms atop it. A miniature replica of the green planet with yellow smoke hovered a few inches above a grid scored with lines and points. She watched the slow rotation of the orb as it progressed across the undulating grid beneath it. "We see time as a unit of distance, or a measure of travel."
"I understand that," she offered. "A light year is a measure of time, not distance."
Vodu's eyes widened. "If you ever decide to stay on the Horus, you could be a great asset to this team."
The compliment made her feel good.
"This is not my world." Just saying those words made her throat restrict.
"I know." Vodu nodded. Age lines caged the corners of his lips.
He stepped over to the interactive grid and swiped his hand over it. Immediately, the green planet began to shrink in size and was flanked by a new series of globes, like someone had spilled a jar of marbles. Vodu's hand crooked again and these new planets diminished. The green orb was barely a spec as new bodies formed beneath his touch and then shrank. She started to understand what he was doing. He was reducing the universe or universes for a broader perspective—in effect, zooming out. A gasp escaped her lips when she thought she recognized the rings of Saturn, but none of the familiar planets from her solar system flanked it. Finally, Vodu lowered his hand.
"There," he said, tipping his head.
Aimee traced his glance and sucked in her breath. Three bodies away from a bright flare—a swirling sapphire marble. Such a beautiful vibrant shade of blue. She recalled an image of Myrtle Beach and could almost feel the hot sand between her toes.
"I see you recognize your home." Vodu smiled. "We are here." The tip of his finger wiggled on the far left-side of the three-dimensional panorama.
"Of course we are," she whispered in defeat.
"Before you get dejected, watch this." He made a circular motion, and the miniature universe began to rotate in a slow arc. It was not a true circle, but planets that were close to her now advanced to the other side of the console. Earth approached her hand which was gripping the corner of the panel. She resisted the urge to reach out and touch it.
"Where are we?"
Vodu pointed at a spot close to him.
"So we're still just as far away, only the universe has flipped."
"The universe, as you call it, has rotated. It is in a constant state of rotation."
"What is it rotating around?" she asked. “There’s no big sun that the entire universe revolves around.”
"You are a
"Aimee."
The deep voice brought her to attention. She wanted to call him Mr. Vodu. Her mother always taught her to respect her elders with the use of their title, but did titles apply here? The man had introduced himself as Vodu, and no matter how aristocratic he appeared in his tailored sparkling suit, she knew of no other way to address him.
She settled on, "Hello."
"I hear from JOH that you are learning things quickly around here."
"I am." She searched the rash of activity, curious over what the technicians with the transparent map were doing. The desire to master the mechanics of this ship clawed at her. But that thirst for knowledge was ambushed by a sudden and harsh bout of homesickness. An image formed of her mother's troubled face as she sat at the kitchen table and whispered her daughter's name.
"I understand that time moves quickly up here," Aimee pushed the image aside for a time when she was alone and could surrender to the grief. "How long until the Horus returns to Earth?"
Vodu laced his fingers together and nodded. His white hair gleamed.
"Time. You equate that to a span of life." He swept his hand in the direction of a console with holograms atop it. A miniature replica of the green planet with yellow smoke hovered a few inches above a grid scored with lines and points. She watched the slow rotation of the orb as it progressed across the undulating grid beneath it. "We see time as a unit of distance, or a measure of travel."
"I understand that," she offered. "A light year is a measure of time, not distance."
Vodu's eyes widened. "If you ever decide to stay on the Horus, you could be a great asset to this team."
The compliment made her feel good.
"This is not my world." Just saying those words made her throat restrict.
"I know." Vodu nodded. Age lines caged the corners of his lips.
He stepped over to the interactive grid and swiped his hand over it. Immediately, the green planet began to shrink in size and was flanked by a new series of globes, like someone had spilled a jar of marbles. Vodu's hand crooked again and these new planets diminished. The green orb was barely a spec as new bodies formed beneath his touch and then shrank. She started to understand what he was doing. He was reducing the universe or universes for a broader perspective—in effect, zooming out. A gasp escaped her lips when she thought she recognized the rings of Saturn, but none of the familiar planets from her solar system flanked it. Finally, Vodu lowered his hand.
"There," he said, tipping his head.
Aimee traced his glance and sucked in her breath. Three bodies away from a bright flare—a swirling sapphire marble. Such a beautiful vibrant shade of blue. She recalled an image of Myrtle Beach and could almost feel the hot sand between her toes.
"I see you recognize your home." Vodu smiled. "We are here." The tip of his finger wiggled on the far left-side of the three-dimensional panorama.
"Of course we are," she whispered in defeat.
"Before you get dejected, watch this." He made a circular motion, and the miniature universe began to rotate in a slow arc. It was not a true circle, but planets that were close to her now advanced to the other side of the console. Earth approached her hand which was gripping the corner of the panel. She resisted the urge to reach out and touch it.
"Where are we?"
Vodu pointed at a spot close to him.
"So we're still just as far away, only the universe has flipped."
"The universe, as you call it, has rotated. It is in a constant state of rotation."
"What is it rotating around?" she asked. “There’s no big sun that the entire universe revolves around.”
"You are a
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