Silas steps of the shuttle, feeling a little queasy. He was assured they have artificial gravity, and to be fair they do, only it is very artificial and he suddenly feels a long, long way from home.
Through the view port he can see the earth below. It twists in spaces like a burnt brown marble. Looking it he can not help think about the images of his own earth with it’s blue oceans and white clouds. “What did they do to this planet?”
“They fucked it.” The voice comes from next to him. He turns to see a man almost as short as Paul. Beard and hair closely cropped to the same length to give him and overall dark fuzz. His eyes a soft light brown with a smile in them even if there isn’t one on their lips. “Some thing Humanity seems to be extraordinarily good at. You wouldn’t believe the number of destroyed earths I’ve seen.” He shrugs “You’d have thought they would have more respect.”
“Mines blue.” Silas states almost boasting.
“I haven’t got one at all.” The man confesses. “Not even a distant memory.” Then he holds out a hand. “Andi.”
“Silas.”
“Cool it would be embarrassing having that conversation with the wrong person.” He smiles. “I’m your lift. Charles gave me a call. You a long way from home?”
“Yeah.” Silas confesses.
“Brill I’m in the mood for a road trip. Mags is this way.”
The man pulls himself along on hand holds in the wall and ceiling, obviously far more used to the strange version of gravity than Silas. With some difficulty Silas follows him down a narrow access way towards a small black space vessel. The surface seems to shimmer and change as Silas looks at it, swirls of purple and green that aren’t really there, but his brain is insisting on trying to put in anyway.
“What the hells that?”
Andi looks at him, almost as if to be sure what Silas is looking at himself. “She’s a fold ship. Not a big one but she doesn’t need to be.”
Silas blinks, the effect is almost painful to look at.
“Ahh. “ Andi exclaims, a sense of sudden realisation in his voice. “You’re Bulmäs.”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
He gestures to the ship. “Fold ships. They use a form of Lea gate to access U space, but it means they are really only ever half in this world. That’s why it’s getting to you. You’ll be fine once you are in there.”
He reaches out to touch the shell of the vessel; it wraps back to reveal a small compartment inside with space for a couple of beds and a set of seats. Andi pulls himself inside and then moves over to let Silas in.
Silas takes a deep breath “It’s not like I have a choice.”
The door folds close behind him leaving no sign of it’s presence.
Andi lowers himself into a bucket seat at the front of the ship, pulling a strap across his legs to stop himself floating out again.
“I’m guessing you’ve not been in space before.”
“No.” Silas confesses.
“Ok. Strap your self in because I don’t bother with gravity unless I need a piss. If you want to pass out feel free. But please keep all screaming to an absolute minimum because pissing off your helmsman can prove fatal.”
Silas watches as Andi reaches out towards a projection from the desk in front of him. The projection opens up and folds itself around his arm, flowing up it as Andi leans back and relaxes into the seat, Soon it has curved over his shoulder and up around his neck and obscuring is mouth. The next time he hears Andi’s voice it is from a speaker like construct by his head.
“Well you coped with that well. This is the point when I find most people scratching at the door, screaming ‘let me out! let me out!’.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.” Silas responds. “I take it that is part of the controls.”
“Yeap. It’s not exactly standard issue. I like to get up close and personal when I fly.” As he ‘speaks’ the black fluid flows over the rest of his head, covering his eyes, and then starts down his other arm. “This allows me to be the ship; feel it. It’s… Not sure I can describe it really.” Soon it is impossible to see him. “Would you like some in flight entertainment?”
“Like?” Silas asks a little nervously.
“Music. I usually listen to something whilst I fly, If that’s ok.”
“Ok by me. I usually have a tape in when I drive.”
“Well yell if you don’t like it.”
Music starts in the chamber. Silas is surprised to realise it’s the same album Aaron was playing at the night in that wasn’t. A dark thought forms. Suddenly he connects the name with a throw away line from Aaron.
“Do you know a Dr Mellor?”
“Isn’t that compulsory?” Here is a brief pause then he adds. “Yes, sorry. He gave me this. The music in the world I come from is a bit shite. I’m always looking for something different to listen to. If you don’t like it I can put on something different.”
“No it’s fine. I suppose I was surprised I recognised it.”
“Ok. I just need to get clearance and concentrate a bit whilst we get into space; scraping off the side of the dock is a bit embarrassing and more than a little uncomfortable when I’m In. Once we’re past Jupiter orbit we can make the jump to U-space. Would you like the view?”
“View?”
Suddenly the ship vanishes, the walls transparent. Silas can only see the seat he is in and a vague shadow where Andi is. Before he can speak the chair seems to lift off the floor and turn gently towards an opening portal revealing black space and innumerable dots of light beyond.

---

Silas sits in silence as the planets rush by him. They looped round Venus and it’s swirling cloud layers to pick up some speed before heading out of the system. Andi brushes the outer edge of the asteroid fields so he can see the tumbling rocks and balls of ice gas beneath them. Silas gets the distinct impression he is getting the guided tour rather than the most direct route, however it is worth it. He is all too aware that he may never get an opportunity like this again.
As they come towards Jupiter the music cuts out.
“Oh you have just got to hear this.”
Suddenly there is a sounds like glass bats twittering away to each other. High pitched almost at the edge of his hearing. And then suddenly it is blown away by a wall of rushing thunders, like a wave crashing hard on a beach of tin sheeting. There is a very brief shudder in the craft.
“Class.” Andi whispers with a reverent awe.
“What was that?” Silas asks softly.
“Jovian Bow wave. It’s caused by Jupiter moving through the solar wind. It’s just so cool. All planets do it but he’s the biggy. Saturn really sings but she’s’ a bit out of our way. I’m telling you Silas there are some great things out here.”
“I wish I had time.” Silas comments honestly. “But I need to get back to Caester.”
“Oh well, may be we can meet up again some time in the future.”
The ship banks steeply to the right away from the planet.
“Prepare for entry into U-space. This might be a little rocky.”



If you want to hear the Jovian bow wave check it out at
http://www-pw.physics.uiowa.edu/plasma-wave/tutorial/voyager1/jupiter/bowshock/text.html