Chapter 01: The First Descent
The engines of the spacecraft hummed softly, a steady vibration that was more familiar than comforting to Astrid King. She had been piloting craft for years—sightseeing shuttles, research vessels, military transports. But today, her mission was different. She wasn’t just flying through the stars; she was heading toward a moon barely on the map. A barren, low-gravity rock called Veritas-IV.
“Ready for descent, Captain King?” came a voice from behind her, smooth and almost too calm. Dr. Leo Hale’s tone had that slightly dismissive edge she’d come to expect from the astrophysicist.
“Just keeping my eyes on the instruments, Dr. Hale,” Astrid replied, fingers dancing over the control panel. She could already feel the tension creeping into her shoulders. No one had warned her about how… unpredictable things could get when you were dealing with low gravity. She didn’t mind flying near planets or asteroids with heavy atmospheres, but the moon was a different beast altogether—light, treacherous, and filled with sudden gravitational shifts.
She glanced into the rearview mirror where Leo was seated, his face buried in a tablet, fiddling with data that only he understood. His lanky figure was draped in the white jumpsuit of a scientist, a far cry from her own rugged flight suit. They had little in common—he was reserved, soft-spoken, and entirely uninterested in taking risks. She, on the other hand, was known for living on the edge. It was no surprise to anyone that they had been paired together for this mission.
“I hope your calculations are correct,” Astrid said, more to herself than him.
Leo looked up from his tablet, eyebrows slightly furrowed. “My calculations are always correct. If they weren’t, I wouldn’t be here.”
She shot him a side-eye but didn’t respond. Leo had the kind of calm confidence that irked her. Maybe it was because it was a confidence born of intelligence, something she lacked, or so she felt. Leo was brilliant. He had a mind for astrophysics that could chart the entire known universe in minutes. But Astrid had always preferred to take the wheel, the reins, the control. That was her thing.
“Initiating descent in three… two… one,” she muttered under her breath, the words as much for herself as for the computer systems.
The sudden drop in gravitational pull felt almost like a tug, a slow pull downward as the ship descended through the thin atmosphere of Veritas-IV. She couldn’t help but chuckle as they both shifted weightlessly in their seats. This was the moment she was waiting for—when everything changed, when gravity no longer ruled.
“Well, this is fun,” she said, her voice tinged with amusement as she felt her body slowly float free in the cockpit. It was like being in a dream, or maybe a video game.
Leo, on the other hand, was adjusting the straps on his seat as if the low gravity might cause some unseen disaster. He wasn’t nearly as comfortable with the sensation as she was.
Astrid smirked, watching him struggle. “You sure you’re okay with this? It’s a little different from the safety of your lab, isn’t it?”
Leo shot her a glare, one that couldn’t quite hide the slight flush rising to his neck. “I’m fine,” he said, his voice tight. “Just not used to… this kind of environment.”
“Low gravity can be fun once you get the hang of it,” Astrid teased. “Maybe if you loosen up, you’ll start enjoying yourself.”
She felt a sharp jolt, and for a moment, she had to fight the urge to reach out and stabilize herself. The ship hit a rough patch in the atmosphere, a patch of turbulence that sent them tumbling. Even in low gravity, the forces of nature were still at play. Astrid immediately pulled the controls, steadying the craft just before they began to drift too far.
“That wasn’t part of the plan,” she muttered, her heart racing for a few beats. The last thing she wanted was to crash this ship, especially not when Leo was counting on her to get them down in one piece.
Leo held onto his seat, eyes wide but focused. “Is this supposed to happen?” he asked, his voice just a little shaky.
Astrid’s lips quirked into a wry smile. “Oh, it’s not supposed to happen. But it does. Welcome to the thrill of spaceflight.”
Leo grumbled, obviously not enjoying the lack of control. “Maybe next time, we could just take a shuttle. With gravity. Preferably with a much larger margin for error.”
She just laughed and kept the ship steady as it finally glided toward the moon’s surface. The rocky terrain below was scattered with jagged cliffs and barren craters, a desolate landscape that looked more like something out of a bad science fiction novel than an actual place.
As the landing gear came into place, Astrid allowed herself a sigh of relief. They had made it. Barely.
“We’re here,” she said, flicking off the descent controls. “Let’s get you and your precious instruments to work.”
But Leo didn’t immediately respond. He was staring out the viewport, lost in thought, his fingers tapping gently on the edge of his seat.
“Something on your mind, Doctor?” she asked, giving him a sideways glance.
Leo turned to face her, his expression unreadable. “Do you ever think about what’s beyond the science of all of this? The bigger picture, I mean.”
She blinked at him. “I’m not exactly a philosopher. I’m more of a ‘get-the-job-done’ type.”
“Hmm. I figured,” he said with a small smirk. “Still, there’s something poetic about this place, don’t you think? It’s so… lonely. So far from everything. Just us, this ship, and the moon.”
Astrid paused for a second, her hand hovering over the hatch control. He had a point. She didn’t exactly believe in fate or destiny, but there was something oddly romantic about being stranded on a moon like this with no one around to bother them. No distractions. Just the vast, endless expanse of space.
“Sure,” she replied, with a grin that didn’t quite mask her curiosity. “Poetic. But first, let’s get your equipment set up before this place drives you crazy.”
Leo smirked but didn’t argue. They both knew this was going to be an adventure—one neither of them had planned on.
Little did they know, the adventure was only just beginning. And it was going to take them places neither of them ever imagined.
