MARDUK DANGER BETWEEN GALAXIES THE KARENTA CRUISER

In the Türenka Universe, space travel was no longer undertaken only by scientists, exploration teams, or Galactic Federation personnel. Regular transportation networks established between galaxies allowed civilians to travel to other star systems and visit planets they had previously seen only in images.

The passenger walkways at one of the major spaceports in the Ankerya Galaxy were crowded. People boarding Karenta were making their way toward their assigned entrances. Screens above the walkways displayed accommodation decks and entrance numbers, while attendants directed arrivals toward different sections of the ship.

A young passenger stopped to look at the cruiser through the glass along the walkway. The woman beside him turned to look outside as well. It was impossible to see all of Karenta, fifteen kilometers in diameter, from where they stood. The ship’s hull extended beyond the view through the glass.

“Which side will we be staying on?” the young passenger asked.

The woman checked the accommodation information in her hand.

“Let’s find our entrance first,” the woman said. “They’ll show us once we’re inside.”

An attendant greeted them at the end of the walkway. After checking their travel records, the attendant pointed toward the transportation area ahead.

“You can reach your accommodation section from here,” the attendant said. “Your luggage is being sent to the same section.”

Before starting to walk again, the young passenger looked outside once more. The spaceport structures were behind them now, and the ship’s hull filled the view ahead.

In Karenta’s control center, Captain Tali stood in front of the screen displaying passenger boarding. Numbers arriving from entrances at different points around the ship were collected in a single table. Accommodating the ship’s eventual total of one and a half million passengers required every section to work together.

“How is boarding progressing?” Tali asked.

Kapi, the communications officer, checked the records in front of him.

“In the planned order, Captain,” Kapi said. “The accommodation attendants are meeting the passengers. Sections that have completed their preparations are reporting in.”

Tali looked at the ship’s layout on the adjacent screen. Accommodation decks, common areas, and shuttle bays were marked separately. While passengers continued to board, the crew was completing its final checks.

“Collect the technical sections’ reports here as well,” Tali said. “Get each section’s status from its supervisor.”

Kapi relayed the captain’s request to the appropriate personnel.

Karenta was a civilian cruiser designed to remain in space for extended periods. Its accommodations were spread across different decks. Restaurants, lounges, and entertainment areas had been prepared for the passengers. On this journey, they would do more than travel from one planet to another; they would live aboard the ship for weeks.

On one of the accommodation decks, an attendant showed arriving passengers the corridor where their rooms were located. A wall screen displayed the locations of the restaurants, medical center, and observation lounges. The young passenger who had stopped along the walkway paused again in front of the layout.

“Can we go to the observation lounge now?” the young passenger asked.

“You can go after you’ve settled in,” the attendant said. “Follow the signs on this deck, and they’ll take you directly to the lounge.”

While the woman beside him checked their room numbers, the young passenger studied the route on the screen. After learning the way to their room, he also remembered which direction led to the observation lounge.

Meanwhile, teams in the medical center were checking supply cabinets and treatment areas. The necessary preparations had been made for problems that might arise during long space voyages. Personnel who finished their checks handed their records to the section supervisor, and completed procedures were reported to the control center.

The ship’s most popular areas, however, were its spacious observation lounges.

The screens in these lounges had been turned on while passengers were still settling into their rooms. Seating in front of the large windows was arranged to provide a clear view outside. An attendant checking the imaging systems transferred a view of the spaceport to one of the screens. Then the attendant opened the itinerary.

Galaxies, star systems, and the planets they would visit appeared on the screen. Scheduled stops along the route were shown individually. Some worlds had surface landing information beside them, while others were marked for observation only.

One of the first passengers to enter the lounge stopped in front of the screen.

“Will we be landing on every planet in the itinerary?” the passenger asked.

The attendant pointed to the visit information on the screen.

“We’ll land only on worlds where visits are permitted,” the attendant said. “You’ll see the others from the ship. These screens will tell you which system we’re approaching and how long we’ll stay there.”

The passenger began reading the names of the stops where landings were scheduled. Other people entering the lounge moved toward the windows and screens. Some sat down to watch the spaceport, while others examined the itinerary.

A little later, the young passenger arrived at the lounge with the woman beside him. They found empty seats in front of the window and sat down. Part of the walkway they had used to board was visible from here. People were still arriving at the ship.

“You wanted to see the itinerary,” the woman said. “The screen is right behind you.”

The young passenger turned and looked at the screen. He traced the line from the first stop to the next with his fingers.

“We’re going to see all of these,” the young passenger said.

The woman read the duration listed beneath the itinerary. They had chosen a journey longer than the vacations they had taken on their own planet. She saved the itinerary to her personal screen so they could examine it after settling into their room. The young passenger turned back toward the window. He wanted to sit here during departure as well.

Not every planet would be seen only from a distance.

Karenta’s shuttle bays held small ships that could separate from the main vessel and land on planets. When they reached worlds open to visitors, these craft would take passengers to the surface and bring them back to the cruiser after they had seen the designated areas.

Hapu, the shuttle section supervisor, was reviewing the final checklist in the area where the craft were secured. An engineer beside him closed the record for the shuttle whose inspection he had completed.

“The craft in this row are ready,” the engineer said. “They’ve been secured as well.”

Hapu compared the records with the craft numbers in front of him. Then he walked toward the remaining row. Each craft’s readiness was verified separately, and completed checks were entered on the same list.

After receiving the status of the last craft, Hapu contacted the control center.

“The shuttle inspections are complete,” Hapu said. “The craft are secured in their bays.”

Kapi entered the report on the ship’s layout. He checked the areas where supplies were still being loaded. Materials needed throughout the journey were being carried aboard, and received cargo was being sent to the relevant sections.

New reports appeared on the screen as Tali approached the control console.

“The shuttle section is ready,” Kapi said. “Supply deliveries are continuing. Passengers are still boarding.”

The captain opened the route display in front of him. During its journey across several galaxies, Karenta would pass through different star systems, travel near many planets, and stop at worlds where visits were permitted. Each stop in the itinerary marked another world the passengers would see.

Tali enlarged the point where their initial departure would begin. He would remain in the control center until the final checks were finished. Every report from the crew took its place in the ship’s preparation records.

The journey across several galaxies was about to begin.

Karenta’s first route was ready.

The journey would begin in the Ankerya Galaxy of the Türenka Universe.