The Ship was prepared and ready for take off Casey and Jake along with the rest of the crew were making the final preparations and safety checks - this was it.
Casey had almost forgotten the nagging doubts she had had a few weeks ago (almost), she was excited and eager to get up and away. The crew were professionals and the equipment was at the cutting edge of current technology, she felt honoured to be a part of this historic trip into the unknown. They all knew the protocol, knew the risks and were fully prepared for every eventuality. Every member of the crew had a personal survival unit, an individual space capsule that could sustain the crew members life in case of severe emergency. This round globe-like unit was activated by the initiation of a light transmission orb attached to their suits. A flick of the wrist and a one word command from the crew member released a ray of light that surrounded the individual and shaped itself into a giant bubble completely sealing the passenger within it.
Although these tools had been tried and tested many times throughout the readiness programme in a simulated environment, they had never been actually used in the environment they were created for, and this always represented a risk, but Casey knew the level of expertise involved in the programme and she felt easily assured by the support they had to hand. Jake was in usual high spirits and the whole atmosphere was one of excitement and eagerness.
The ship brain spoke "Crew, you have 5 minutes to take off, please prepare yourselves to be placed in position for the sleep capsules" Casey gave Jake a hug "this is it Jakey, when we land we will be in a new world!" Jake hugged her tightly and sighed "Yeah can't wait to see what the chicks are like" he winked at her, they laughed, kissed one another on the cheek and took the levitation caplets to prepare themselves for take off.
The levitation caplets enabled the body to become completely weightless and in moments the crew were suspended in mid-air waiting for the sleep capsules to wrap around their bodies, these delicate capsules were wafer thin, clear pods that contained every nutrient needed for the body to live in their invisible infrastructure and were designed to act in harmony with the subjects own bodily requirements. They were living amoebic structures designed to sustain life and monitor body, mind and spiritual requirement. They were engineering genius but also aesthetically beautiful, almost iridescent in appearance and spherically perfect. These capsules would protect and support the crew throughout their journey.
The ship brain began the countdown and the crew were now secured within their capsules and set to sleep for 10 years, this was the length of time designated to the first galaxy they would explore. Casey heard the last words from the ship brain before she began to fade into a blissful sleep "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.........we have take off - sleep well crew".
