Spectacular Start

„Beep, beep, beep, …“. This was all you could hear, a continuous noise breaking through the black silence. Is it dark, or am I asleep…, you think, finally being able to. It was as if you woke up from dreamless sleep, just to find yourself, well, where actually? Opening the eyes just revealed dimmed plasma lamps above. A quick gaze to the side finally answered where that noise came from; A big Med-Tech computer including ECG loudly reporting the fact that you are still alive, your heart still beating.

“Ah, our patient just awoke, as it seems.”, A masculine voice said, seemingly to nobody in particular. A middle-aged man walked in, wearing white clothes. You know knew where you are, the blatantly obvious snapped into your still slow mind later, than it should have done. I am in a hospital.

“Now young man, how do you feel?” the doctor asked, checking some information on the tablet computer he carried.

“Good, I guess?” Your tongue felt like an old sock, and the sound of your voice surely carried that impression.

“Certainly, for somebody who narrowly escaped being sucked into outer space.” The man smiled.

Suddenly, fractions of your memory return: Your first lesson on a spaceship, the airlock, the extreme suction, desperate attempts not to end up is human popsicle. “Wow”, is all you can say for a moment. After a few seconds you got your thoughts together again, more or less.

“How did that happen, Doc?”

The man started to laugh, a laugh competing with the obnoxiousness of the ECG next to you. “Well,” he started after some time and a slightly annoyed look of yours,” It seems as if you accidentally hit the airlock control after slipping on a trail of spilled Fuel-Gel. You even nearly got the General killed, quite impressive for your first lesson, isn’t it?” The doctor still tried to suppress a chuckle while you started to look for a way to make up for the disaster. My excuse for that may damn well better be good, you think to yourself before letting you fall back onto the sheet in resignation.

That was going to be a hard first year.