The spacecraft glided through space, and the cabin was so quiet that the low hum of the air circulation system could be heard.
Chen Hao was still leaning back in his seat, humming that off-key song, his fingers tapping his knees to the rhythm. Just as he reached for the kettle on the console, his hand lifted, and suddenly he was lifted into the air.
"Why?"
He froze, his feet leaving the ground by half a foot, his back gently bumping against the ceiling. The kettle also flew away, spinning in the air, the lid coming undone, a few drops of water escaping, hanging in mid-air like small balls.
Susan opened her eyes just in time to see this scene. She didn't move, but stared at the water droplets for two seconds before looking up at Chen Hao stuck in the corner.
"You've become an immortal?" she said.
"No... there must be something wrong with the ship." Chen Hao twisted to grab the handrail, but used too much force and flipped over. "Nana! What about gravity?"
Nana stood in front of the control panel, her finger already tapping the screen.
“No problem,” she said. “We are currently in free-floating mode, and the gravity simulation system will gradually activate over the next ten minutes. This is standard navigation procedure.”
"You should have said so earlier!" Chen Hao grabbed the back of the seat and pulled himself down, but before he could even sit properly, he bounced up a little. "This is even more uncomfortable than falling asleep during an exam."
Carl pulled a strap from his toolbox, expertly fastened it around his waist, and fastened the other end into a floor clip. He then handed Susan a neck pillow from the side.
“Place it behind your neck,” he said.
Susan took it, gently pressed the back of her neck, and slowly adjusted her posture. She looked down at her abdomen, slowed her breathing, and waited for her body to adjust to the light feeling.
"Luckily I'm not dizzy," she said. "It just feels like walking in water."
“It’s always like this the first time,” Carl said. “It’ll be fine once the artificial gravity is on.”
Nana walked over, holding a small box in her hand. Inside were several magnetic stickers.
“Place it on your wrist or ankle,” she said. “It can help with positioning and prevent it from drifting around, especially when eating or operating equipment.”
Chen Hao took a piece, slapped it on his wrist, and immediately stretched out his leg to kick the floor. However, he used too much force and crashed directly into the ceiling.
"I forgot there was a light above my head." He hunched his shoulders and slumped back into his seat.
Susan chuckled, put the patch on her ankle and tried it out. With a gentle push, she slid half a meter and came to a steady stop.
"It's actually quite fun," she said.
"Fun?" Chen Hao's eyes widened. "I even have to use a straw to drink water now. How am I going to go to the toilet? Don't tell me I'll be wearing diapers from now on."
“It has an absorbent portable device,” Nana said. “It’s already stored in the third cabinet in the bathroom, and the instructions are behind the door.”
"...I don't want to hear it." Chen Hao covered his ears. "Can you please not go into so much detail?"
“You need to understand,” Nana said, looking at him. “Otherwise, you’ll open the wrong cabinet at the wrong time.”
"I'd rather keep it to myself."
Carl had already packed away all the loose items, locked the toolbox, tightened the kettle lid, and even retrieved the pen that had flown by and put it back in the pen holder.
He turned around and saw Chen Hao still struggling with the seatbelt, failing to align the buckle after three attempts.
“Sit on the other side,” Carl said.
Why?
"The slot on your left is broken. Metal slag splashed out during the last welding, and it can't hold anymore."
How did you know?
"I fixed it."
Chen Hao moved to the right and finally fastened it. He breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had accomplished a great task.
The starry sky outside gradually became clearer.
There were no clouds, no light pollution, and no atmospheric refraction. The stars didn't twinkle like they would on Earth; instead, they shone steadily, densely filling the field of vision.
Susan slowly floated to the porthole, one hand holding the edge, her face close to the glass.
In the distance, a planet with a pale golden ring slowly rotates. Further away, a blurry halo stretches across the sky, like paint scattered by the wind.
"Is that a nebula?" she asked.
Nana stood next to her. "The dust cloud in region M-31 is about 40,000 light-years away from us. The currently visible part is a luminous phenomenon caused by a mixture of hydrogen and helium."
"Oh," Susan nodded, "It looks quite nice."
“I named it the Star of Nutritional Paste.” Chen Hao leaned closer and pointed to one of the particularly bright ones. “Look, it flashes like a cafeteria light. It flickers on and off every time the battery is about to run out.”
“That’s a pulsar,” Nana said. “It rotates once every 1.3 seconds and releases electromagnetic waves.”
“Then let’s call it ‘Overtime Star,’” Chen Hao said, “as tireless as the boss.”
Carl walked over and stood on the other side. He didn't speak, but just looked out the window at the blue planet that was getting smaller and smaller.
It has shrunk to a single point, blending into the many stars, and cannot be distinguished at all without careful searching.
"He just left like that," he said.
"We can't just sit there eating dirt forever," Chen Hao said. "Besides, the base has lost power, and there's no internet when we get back."
“I’m not talking about the base,” Karl said in a low voice.
Chen Hao paused for a moment, then said, "I know."
Nana brought up the external camera feed and switched to the stern view. The planet floated silently in the lens, surrounded by endless darkness.
She paused the video, glanced at it, and then turned it off.
“I will keep a record,” she said, “of all the places I’ve been.”
Susan pressed her hand against the glass, as if trying to leave some mark.
After a while, she said softly, "The child should have been born in a new star system by then."
“Hmm.” Carl nodded. “The prenatal checkup data is stable, and the environmental parameters are within the normal range.”
"I hope that the first thing he sees is the stars."
“He will see a lot,” Nana said. “There are currently 327 known habitable star systems, and we are currently screening for the most suitable target.”
"Don't wait too long," Chen Hao said. "I'm afraid I won't make it to the day we land. There's not even any takeout on this ship."
“You can write a letter to your future self,” Susan laughed, “and then open it when you get there.”
“I can’t write for that long,” Chen Hao shook his head. “I even copy other people’s weekly journals.”
“Then you can start practicing now,” Carl said.
“You two ganged up on me.” Chen Hao pointed at the two of them. “One of you is pregnant and the other is a tech geek. You actually teamed up to mock me.”
“This isn’t sarcasm,” Nana said. “It’s team building.”
"I think it's a personal attack."
He struggled to unbuckle his seatbelt, intending to float to the storage compartment to find something to eat, but he bumped into the air vent as soon as he got off his seat.
"Ouch!"
He bumped his head and instinctively raised his hand to touch it, only to find a bump on the top of his head.
“This ship is poorly designed,” he muttered. “It’s full of horns.”
“You’re moving too much,” Susan said. “Push slowly, don’t use too much force.”
"How was I supposed to walk like I was paddling?"
He used the momentum to glide again, this time much more carefully, and slowly made his way to the cabinet. He opened it and saw neatly arranged food packages inside, labels facing out.
"Braised beef flavor?" He pulled out a packet. "They even have this?"
"Bionic flavoring technology," Nana said, ""with a 72% accuracy in recreating the taste."
"It's better than my high school cafeteria." Chen Hao tore open the packaging, took a bite, chewed a couple of times, "...but it's really just so-so."
"What else would you like to eat?" Susan asked.
"Hot pot." Chen Hao's eyes lit up. "Trip, beef aorta, frozen tofu, and a serving of duck blood, with minced garlic, sesame oil, and cilantro as dipping sauce."
“No,” Nana said.
Did you dream about it?
"Dreams cannot provide real warmth."
"You're such a spoilsport."
He floated back to his seat with his food bag, munching on it while looking out the window. More and more stars appeared, and the background grew darker and darker.
The feeling of weightlessness is still there, but everyone is gradually getting used to it. People unconsciously slow down their movements when speaking, look for a point of support when moving, and even their expressions have become softer.
"Do you think people will talk about us in the future?" Chen Hao suddenly asked.
"What are you going to say?"
"Let's say four idiots were traveling in a broken-down ship in space, got lost for thirty years, and ended up as space vagabonds."
“No,” Nana said. “The navigation log will be preserved in its entirety.”
"If I die, remember to throw me out," Chen Hao said. "Let me float around, like a human satellite."
“No,” Susan said. “The corpse will affect the balance of the track.”
"I also want to be a star."
“You’ll be a shooting star at best,” Carl said. “You’ll be gone in a flash.”
"And what about you? What do you want to keep?"
Carl thought for a moment, "One photo will do."
"A family photo?" Susan asked.
He nodded. "Right next to the seat."
He actually took it out of his backpack and magnetically attached it to the panel next to the passenger seat. The photo was a bit wrinkled and the edges were worn, but the figure was clear.
Four people stood together, with the base gate behind them.
"That's good," Chen Hao said. "Next time we take photos, let's change the background to a new planet."
"That is, if we can get there alive," Carl said.
"Absolutely." Chen Hao patted his chest. "I'm tough. I can still play games even if I go hungry for three days."
"You want to save electricity right now?" Susan laughed.
“Habitual thrift.” He shrugged. “Back home, my mom said that turning off the lights could save fifty yuan, so I would even speed up my showers.”
After checking the last system parameter, Nana walked to the porthole and stood there.
Outside, starlight flowed silently.
She raised her hand and gently pressed it against the glass, in roughly the same spot Susan had been in.
No one spoke.
The spaceship continued forward, traversing the silent depths of space.
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