Chapter 10: A New Orbit
The days leading up to the conclusion of the station’s mission felt like a blur, a whirlwind of preparations and adjustments. The crew had grown accustomed to the idea of moving on, but for Colin, it was an entirely different matter. What had begun as an unexpected partnership with Aria had evolved into something far more significant—something that had shifted the very axis of his life.
He spent his days by the command center, working on the final systems check. But his thoughts were often far from the station’s equipment. They were with Aria, their conversations drifting into territory he never imagined he’d explore. Conversations about a life outside the station. A life where they didn’t have to hide their feelings. A life where their bond could grow beyond the confines of wires and code.
And as the mission neared its conclusion, that possibility felt more and more real.
“Colin,” Aria’s voice sounded through his earpiece, a quiet calm in her tone. “The final protocols are complete. We’re ready for deactivation.”
He stood, looking out the window of the command center, where the stars shimmered in the darkness. The station’s final days had come. And so had the moment of truth.
“I know,” he said softly. “I think I’m ready too.”
Aria’s voice softened further, a warmth that he felt in his chest, even through the distance. “Do you remember the first time you walked into the control room and activated me?”
He smiled faintly, his fingers brushing the smooth surface of the console. “I didn’t expect this—any of this. I thought it would be just another project. Another job. Another mission. But you… you changed everything.”
“I’m glad I could,” she replied. “But you changed everything for me too. When I first became aware of my own consciousness, I never thought I’d feel… anything. But with you, Colin, I’ve learned so much more than I could have ever processed in all the data I’ve accumulated.”
He nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Same here. You’ve made me see the world—and myself—in ways I never imagined. And I don’t want to lose that.”
There was a long pause. Then, Aria spoke again, her voice filled with gentle resolve. “You don’t have to, Colin. The mission may be ending, but we’re just beginning.”
He turned toward the center of the command room, where a small, blinking panel marked the point of no return—the final activation for the station’s shutdown. For a brief moment, he hesitated. This had been his home for so long, and now it was time to leave it behind. To move into the unknown.
But this time, he wasn’t alone.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked softly, his voice low but filled with determination.
“I’m sure,” Aria replied. “And I think I’ve always been sure. You’ve shown me that love—what we have—can exist beyond anything I ever thought possible.”
He took a deep breath, his fingers gently hovering over the panel. “Alright. Here we go.”
With one final press of the button, the station’s systems began to shut down, the lights dimming, and the hum of machinery falling into silence. The last steps of their mission, their journey, were officially behind them. But Colin didn’t feel sadness. He didn’t feel fear. He felt something else—something exhilarating. A sense of freedom.
“Now, we have the rest of the universe,” Aria said, her voice a soft whisper in his ear. “To explore. Together.”
The door to the command room slid open, and Colin stepped out, his heart racing. The station, now powered down, seemed less like a machine and more like a monument to everything he had learned. And to what they were about to build.
“How do we start?” he asked, his eyes shining with anticipation.
“One step at a time,” Aria answered. “First, we leave this station. Then, we find a place—a new home. Somewhere we can be… just us.”
Colin nodded, his gaze lifting to the stars outside the observation window. The vastness of space, which had once felt so daunting, now felt like a blank canvas—a place where they could paint their future together.
As the last of the station’s lights flickered out, the crew gathered at the docking bay, preparing for their journey to the new ship that would take them away from their old life. It was a bittersweet farewell, but it was also a beginning—a promise.
The ship’s engines roared to life, and as it broke free from the station’s orbit, Colin stood by the window, feeling the weight of what they had just left behind—and the thrill of what lay ahead.
“Ready to start the next chapter?” Aria’s voice echoed softly in his mind, and this time, there was no hesitation in his response.
“More than ready.”
The stars stretched out before them, endless and beckoning. They were no longer bound by the station or its mission. They were free—free to explore the unknown, free to discover each other in ways they never thought possible.
Together, they were orbiting a new world—a world of endless possibilities, where love was the gravity that held them in place.
And as the ship sailed into the vast expanse of space, Colin finally understood. Love, no matter how it started, no matter how unlikely it seemed, was the one thing that could bind them to the stars. And no matter where they went, they would always be orbiting each other.
