Chapter 1
As the sun crested over Cog Station 312, the solar-infused metal panels glistened as they absorbed the energy from the sun. Asteroids whirled around the station as the mechanisms whirred, dropping the asteroid attached to the underside. A few twists and pulls, and another one mounted the station.
The touch of the sun changed the colour of the station from a deep charcoal to a silvery-white with the faintest hint of blue. Merchant ships and travellers flew by; a few stopped by to dock for fuel and supplies.
No people were present, at least not yet. It was time for the computers to work. To prepare the asteroid while the Cogs slept.
Well, almost all the cogs. Kaylee jumped out of her makeshift bed as the grabbers attached to the asteroid. She was supposed to learn to ignore it, to tone it out, but she never could.
She threw her head back onto the square pillow on the couch and tossed the blanket off onto the floor. If she were going to be up at the break of dawn, she should at least get started on her final year nine school project.
Her knee banged into the table as she threw her hands out in front of her.
“Damn it,” she said, covering her mouth. Light from her tablet’s screen illuminated the room as she picked it up. Her dark brown eyes blinked a few times.
Cog wife Program - 3000 to 5000 words, typed. Presentations will be accepted as well.
A sigh escaped Kaylee’s lips as she tossed her tablet down on the couch next to her. Of course, her teacher assigned her that project. Her brow furrowed as she closed her eyes, breathing deeply.
Relief flooded over her body as the ringtone of her father’s phone rang through the living pod, from the only bedroom. It was a welcome distraction.
“Yes?” he said; a groan escaped his lips.
Her father emerged from the bedroom, followed by his latest lover, Callie. Of all the lovers her father had, she was the most tolerable. Callie never stared at the odd green tinge to her skin or the little bone spurs that shot out of her forearms.
“Please tell me you aren’t going into work this early.” Callie said, interrupting the phone call.
“I’ve run three diagnostics on this vent. It says nothing is wrong, but it is still making a weird sound.”
Her father made a little grunt.
“Nix will be down in half an hour to help you.”
He ended the phone call and sent a quick message.
“Kaylee,” he said.
Kaylee looked up from her corner of the living room.
“You beckoned?”
He rubbed his eyes, moving his legs from Callie’s grasp. She held onto his arm, almost grasping it.
“What are you up to this morning?”
She sighed, not impressed by her father requesting her time with such ease.
“I’m working on my final project. That dumbass instructor assigned me the Cog Wife Program. So unless you can help me with that, I’m busy.”
“I am useless for that stuff.”
Kaylee watched as Callie continued to climb her father’s arm.
“Maybe I’ll go down to visist auntie and work on it there. She is smarter than you will ever be.”
Callie’s mouth dropped, but her father did not react. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and made his way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Callie had finally let him go and sat herself at the small peninsula.
“While you are there, can you confirm she received the job I sent her this morning?” Her father said.
“Yes, Your Royal Highness.” She said she rolled her eyes.
“Hey,” Callie said. “You can always ask me if you have questions about your schoolwork.”
A smirk adorned Kaylee’s lips as she left, closing the door behind her. Callie spoke to her. A confident swagger flowed through her body as she made her way down the hallway. It would be the last time she ever saw Callie.
A small strip of lights filled the middle of the massive hallway, creating a runway to the end. It seemed like the space went on forever. The faded glow of the light turned the boring beige walls crimson.
Kaylee opened the stairwell door at the end and headed down. She kept going and going until she reached the lowest floor. The sign on the door read mechanical access only. Her hand rubbed the cold door handle as she swung it open.
A shiver ran down her spine. The air in this area showed her breath. The access panels vibrated throughout the space. Some vibrations were deep and clanking, while others were high pitch and rhythmic. It was almost as if they were singing. She wove her way in and out of radiators and large metal tubes that transported water, waste and air through the station.
Hidden between a jut of a wall and a massive venting tube was a folding metal door. Kaylee knocked ever so lightly.
“It’s open.”
Her aunt was standing at the stove when Kaylee opened the door. She was wearing a white t-shirt and had tied the top of her coveralls around her waist.
“Close the door. You are letting out all the heat.”
Kaylee shut the door and shuffled her way next to the warm hot plate, hoping to steal some heat off it.
“Whatcha making?” Kaylee asked, leaning into the frying pan for a sniff.
“Eggs. There is enough for you, too. Should be warming up in here soon. That is if you want some.”
“Well, I don’t want to be at home listening to Dad and Callie argue for the next hour.”
Nix smiled as she plated the eggs for the two of them. They sat at the round metal table, barely large enough for two.
"Oh, Dayne and Callie are fighting? Do tell."
"She said she could help me with my homework."
Nix chuckled.
"That's not going to go over well."
Kaylee shook her head no.
“Dad wanted me to tell you that some old man needed help with a job.”
Nix looked over at her niece and smiled as they ate.
“Really? I didn’t know. I just woke up this morning and decided I’d dress like this for fun.”
Kaylee rolled her eyes.
“Whatever. He sent me down here to tell you. So I did.”
A few minutes passed as they finished their breakfast, making idle chatter in between bites. Kaylee got up and washed all the dishes, hanging the pots from the rack above the sink.
She popped herself up onto the cot in the corner, while Nix did a quick stretching routine. The chill in the air was not dissipating, so she threw the small microfiber blanket on her lap. As she pulled her tablet out, a sigh escaped her lips.
“So, what is so important on that tablet that you can’t put it down?”
“I need you to help me with this year-end project. So, can you like just write it for me, please? I have better things to do with my time than research a pathetic system that the hoity toity uppers refuse to disband.”
Nix looked over at her niece with her eyes glaring.
“Have I ever done your homework for you?”
There was a silence in the room for a moment. Kaylee sighed. her shoulders falling.
“Fine. I’ll do it myself.”
Nix slid back in the chair next to her, resting her head in her hands.
“Try the title The Cog Wife Program: A perfect example of trained mediocrity.”
Kaylee smiled. “I can work with that. So did you ever do any Cog training?”
With a casual shrug Nix said, “A DNA test, oh and when I was sixteen I had to write the enterance exam.”
Nix walked over and ruffled the blue curls on Kaylee’s head.
“I’ve gotta go clean up someone else’s mess. Have fun with your assignment.”
Kaylee gave her a little wave as she headed out the door.
