Chapter 1: Earthbound

Christopher stared out the window of the moving bus with his suitcase tucked beneath his seat. He was dressed in an outfit that almost seemed like he was about to go into the arctic. Long sleeved shirt, cargo pants, and insulated shoes. He had once read that the place he was heading to was cooler a large part of the year. Down here in Knothole, Ashton was much more used to warmer temperatures. Now that he was leaving and heading for a place he knew nothing about, he wasn't exactly sure what to expect.

But there was a sense of pride within him that wasn't there before. It was a feeling of true independence that was a sign of maturity. He was going away on his own. He was becoming more of an adult. There was also something else that he hadn't accounted for before. In leaving Mobius, he would be a first in his family. Ever since his Namesakes taught his ancestors how to explore, none of them had ever gone to another planet.

He smiled when he thought of that. An Ashton in Space.

An Astro-Ashton!

He giggled out loud.

His parents were sitting next to him. They wanted to come along to see him off, and nothing would make him happier.

His mother spoke to him, "Haven't seen a smile like that in a little while!"

"I'm just thinking."

"What about?" His mother asked.

"Well, what am I going to see? Everything I know about Earth… well, I got it out of the history books."

"Well, maybe you'll be one of the first that can put something in again. Write stories about what you find and tell people about it. You know, you'd make a great historian."

"You think so?"

"We know so." His father said clapping him on the shoulder. "You've got promise kid." He looked out the window to see the approaching airport. "Maybe this is what you need."

The bus pulled in front of the airport ten minutes later. All of the passengers shuffled off. Ashton got up and noticed that a very small percentage of those leaving for flights were Human. Not very many Mobians at all were among them. Those that were leaving were dressed in suits and ties mostly. Some others wore military uniforms.

Christopher looked at the soldiers. They weren't wearing the uniforms of the Royal Armed Forces. These men and women wore different colors. They were olive colored coats with matching cargos with black polished boots. On their shoulders , an eagle, or a bird of some sort spread its arms upwards with the letters 'UNSC' engraved beneath it.

"Dad, what's that? I've never seen soldiers like those before."

Murray sized them up. "Oh, I've heard about them. They may be Mobian, but they fight for the Humans. They call them the UNSC. United Nations something or whatever."

They exited the bus, but Christopher's eyes were still locked on the soldiers. "They came from the ship above, right?"

"Well, the Humans did, son. That was their ship. These people have been recruited by them. They're going to train somewhere else."

"You don't sound very impressed." Ashton noted.

"It may seem that way." His father answered. "I respect soldiers. I was in the Great War, kiddo. But, we're probably never going to see these men and women again."

"They're going to die, aren't they?"

"There's always the chance, but that's not what I mean. I heard the Humans live on more than one planet. They're probably headed for one of the others far away."

Ashton's mouth dropped. "More than one planet? How is that possible?"

"I don't know son. But they've managed to do it somehow."

Ashton's mother smiled at him. "Maybe if you're lucky you'll get to go to another one of their worlds. Wouldn't that be something?"

Murray chuckled. "Give the boy some time, dear. He has to get used to Earth first."

The inside of the airport was slightly more populous than usual. Knothole International was built fifty years ago and had always been a place to get from one big city to another. During the Great War, the airport was used as a military base where fighters would land and launch. Even a few small air and space ships docked here. In the far fields, Ashton could make out the shapes of the Flak Cannons that stood guard over the airstrip. In the closing days of the war, Mobius International was under constant threat by Overlander aircraft. The Flak Cannons were there to protect the aviators and civilians who were using the base as protection.

After the War ended in '24, plans to take them down were spoken about. After Kintobor's coup a year later though… well, they found new purpose. They now served as the second line of defense for Knothole.

The family had to fight through the crowd to reach the desk where Ashton could redeem his ticket. The main floor was crowded with Humans in suits and uniforms speaking to each other or through phones. Ashton never really got the chance to listen to how Humans really spoke ever since they arrived on Mobius. So, he actually stopped to listen to a few of them, taking in their speech.

One dressed in a uniform was talking to a friend of his. "So, where you heading after this?"

His friend said, "I'm probably going to stay on L5 for a few days to wait for the layover."

"A few days? Where are you going?"

"Outbound."

"Dude, that's 14,000 lightyears away!"

"Like I said, a few days of layover until the ship docks. It left about a month ago."

Ashton listen to another man, a tall Human wearing a black suit and red tie. He held a phone of some sort on his ear. "Listen, listen, you don't understand. I need to be on the first flight out of here to get back to Beijing! Yeah, I know that there's a small delay, but there are people that need to get this economic data! What do you mean there's nothing you can do?" He muttered something in a language he didn't recognize. "Well, is there anything you can do? Priority Flight? A direct connection? No stopping? Alright, I'll take it. WHAT?! 15,000?!"

Christopher changed Humans before it got ugly. The last pair was different.

"Ze gowz a maihom." A young woman said to who Ashton assumed was her boyfriend.

"Mmm, maihom etta ben; ze hem centant a'em. Mobius... ah, et netta maihom. Et different."

"Ya'ho, dem decca a Earth. Ze gow Paris." The young woman said with a dreamy expression.

"All a'e du." They kissed and laughed sweetly.

Ashton noted how differently all of these people were. The soldiers seemed like real people, not like robots like he read in his books. The people wearing suits must be businessmen or politicians. The Humans sounded the exact same as his own people did. The couple on the other hand certainly looked Human but they spoke like aliens. Ashton knew little about languages, but he must have assumed that they were from a completely different place than the others. He wondered if people on Earth only spoke English or if they had many languages. He recognized the place the lady mentioned. She called it 'Paree', but Ashton remembered the picture he packed. It must have been the same place.

His father noted his son's thoughtful expression. "Hear anything interesting? With these ears I'd be disappointed if you didn't!"

"They all sound different." Christopher said. "They all sound unique. Just like us."

"I agree." His father said.

"Are you two eavesdropping?" Ashton's mother said. "You know that's not polite!"

Murray chuckled. "Don't worry about it, precious. We're only doing some analysis."

Mrs. Ashton growled slightly. "Can you analyze without invading privacy?"

"Alright, alright, dear." The Mobian acknowledged.

The line to the ticket counter moved slowly but surely. Ashton glanced at his watch to make sure he was on time. He gulped seeing that he was only half an hour from take-off time. He hoped the line would hurry up. Five minutes later, he got his wish. Another table had opened up further down the hall. The line halved in length, and he was at the front before he knew it.

The ticket taker was also a Mobian. She was a sweet looking fox with deep brown fur and similarly colored hair tied in a single ponytail. One of her ears was pierced and she wore a smart coat and skirt. She spoke in the accent of the area. She was a native, unlike his family.

"Good morning! How can I help you?"

She was cute.

"Um, hello." Ashton smiled. "I… uh, I'm here to redeem this ticket for a boarding pass?"

"Well, I can take that for you." She said. Christopher handed over the slip of paper and she looked it over. "Well well! Heading to Earth, aren't ya?"

Ashton nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to spend some time there."

The attendant printed out the pass. "You're the first Mobian I've had that's leaving the planet." She glanced at his parents. "Are you going as well?"

The Ashton parents shook their heads. "Just junior." His father said patting his shoulder. "Big fella can't wait to be on his own!"

The attendant smiled sweetly and passed the young man his pass. "Remember to come back every now and again!" she advised. "You don't want to leave your parents worried!"

"Wise words from a wise young lady." Ashton's mother said.

Christopher took his pass. "Thanks."

"Any time! Have fun!"

The family left the line and headed towards the terminal. "You should have gotten her number, son." His father said. "She was a keeper. I can tell."

"Dad!"

"Just an old man rambling. Just ignore me, son!"

Ashton looked at his father as they passed into the first terminal. "I'm going to miss you both, you know that?"

"We do." His mother said. "And we're going to miss you even more."

"I felt homesick for a month when I left for the first time." Murray told his boy. "Remember, we're just a letter away. I'm sure you could even call us somehow."

"How?" Ashton asked his father.

"That's for you to find out I guess."

The terminal was filled with many Humans sitting and standing alike. Military and government personnel comprised the greatest number, but a few people in plain clothes like him stood around. Even better! He found a Mobian just like him in one of the corners. He didn't even seem much older than he was!

His parents noticed him too. "You have someone to talk to!" his mother smiled.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! This is a boarding call for Shuttle 43 departing for Earth in 15 minutes. This is the first boarding call for passengers of Shuttle 43."

Suddenly, his mother started to become upset. "I guess this is it, isn't it?"

"Better get onboard, son." Murray nodded, bringing his wife close. "Don't want to be late."

Ashton looked at his parents and wiped his eyes. He didn't want to get emotional right before he left, but a few tears managed to escape. He waved one last time. "I love you guys."

"We love you too, son."

"Be sure to write us ever week!" His mother called.

"I will." He turned to walk."

"Eat three times a day!" She called again.

"I won't forget!" Ashton said walking a bit faster.

"Don't talk to strangers!"

"OK!"

"Change your underwear every other day!"

A Human near him started laughing into his hand.

"Goodbye ma!" Shaking his head playfully he looked over his shoulder and waved one last time to his parents before walking through the last door to the boarding tunnel. When he crossed that threshold, and when he no longer saw them, Christopher Ashton realized that for the first time, he was truly on his own.

A Human female stood before him dressed in a different outfit than the girl at the front desk. She eyed him and raised her eyebrow while giving a warm smile. "Good morning!"

"Hello." Ashton said politely. "I'm… um… here to board?"

"Absolutely. You have your pass?"

The young man nodded and handed the Human his slip. She took it and looked it over, making sure that it was fully authorized. She took a scanner and ran it over the sheet. The beam glowed blue, but several symbols stood out when she ran it over with the device.

"What are you doing?" Ashton asked, his curiosity piqued.

"I'm just making sure that this is an authentic ticket." She explained.

"The airport doesn't usually do this with other tickets."

"Well," She explained "this isn't just an ordinary ticket. This is a ticket that will get you through the jumpgate. Because of the flight being the nature that it is, we want to make sure that everyone is accounted for and has proper authorization. The ticket is essentially your pass and a liability waiver at the same time."

Ashton gulped. "A… a liability waiver for what, exactly?"

"Aw, don't worry about it, you'll be just fine during the flight." The scanner glowed green.

"Authorized." It droned in a monotone voice.

"Looks like that's settled. Make your way on and find a seat. We'll be departing soon." The attendant smiled again and handed back the authorized pass. Ashton noticed that a certain part of the ticket was suddenly visible. A code along the bottom of the sheet was now present in bright red. He was curious about it. The scanner must have made it visible.

Cool! He thought to himself.

The Mobian didn't want to hold up the line and moved along down the tunnel. He took a single gentle turn and found himself looking into a craft he was not familiar with: the Human shuttle!

This was it. This was the thing that would bring him away from this world and to another. He could just see into it now. There were blinking lights, computer screens, and out of one corner, he could see two men looking over controls – the pilots no doubt. He stepped inside and looked around.

It looked like an airplane to be honest. Rows of seats stretched to the back of the shuttle. A stewardess with bright blond hair in a tight bun stood waving towards him. He was one of the first aboard as he saw a few men already in their seats.

He talked to the stewardess. "Excuse me, miss?" she nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm looking for my seat?"

She looked at his ticket. "Looks like your lucky day! You have the window seat a row behind me!"

Ashton wagged his tail. He loved window seats. Perhaps it was a dog thing, but he was always looking at things fly by whenever he took long car rides. He found his seat and took it immediately. Ashton searched frantically out the window looking for his folks. He tried to find them in the terminal windows, but sadly couldn't find them. He still tried anyway. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see who it was. His ears perked in relief. It was the Mobian he saw in the boarding lounge. It was a male raccoon scarcely younger than he was with short black hair. He wore a short-sleeved shirt with jeans. He looked better dressed for Knothole than Earth. But then again, Ashton had no idea what the climate was.

"Hey, I saw you earlier!" He said with a smile. "Good to see another furry on this flight."

Ashton noted the casual use of the slur. If anybody but a Mobian called him that, he would feel much more offended.

"Yeah, likewise." He extended his hand. "Chris Ashton."

"Alistair Ibkis." The raccoon said accepting the hand. "Can't believe we're finally here, huh?"

"Yeah, I know the feeling." Ashton responded, suddenly grateful for someone to talk to. "Where are you off to?"

"Dunno."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Ashton wondered.

Ibkis shrugged. "I'm kind of the free-spirited type."

Ashton suddenly chuckled. "Fan of the Blue Blur, huh?"

Ibkis returned the laughter. "No way, how could you tell?"

It was no secret that every other kid in Knothole looked to the local superhero Sonic the Hedgehog as their inspiration. Sonic represented everything that was right with the world, especially in the time of darkness that engulfed their world. He was the symbol of hope that everyone wanted to look up to, especially the younger Mobians. Even though he was older than Sonic, Ashton was always an inspiration to him. Last anybody ever heard, he was out exploring in space.

"Just call it a hunch. You think he's out there?"

"Sure!" Ibkis said. "This is the ultimate definition of freedom!" He held his hand out in front of him. "Infinite universe, thousands of planets, and somewhere out there, the Hero of Mobius is out exploring the galaxy!"

"Well, I wish you luck then. You still need money to explore."

"Oh sure." The raccoon leaned back in his chair. "I've already got a cousin in a city called Toronto. It's in Canada!"

Ashton sat a bit straighter. "Whoa… you mean like Nova Kanada?"

Alistair shook his hands. "No, no, no! They're actually supposed to be really nice there!"

Ashton stare into space and raised his eyebrows. "Huh. Imagine that."

"So, where are you off to, Chris?"

"Call me Ashton. I'm heading to New York."

"Wow. I hear they call that place the Big Apple!"

"Hang on… I thought that's what Sonic called that big city up north. Megaopolis, or something?"

"Really? That's weird."

"Attention passengers. Before we take off, we'd like to go over some safety procedures with you!" the intercom suddenly come on and broke the conversation between Ashton and Alistair. The two hadn't even noticed that the rest of the passengers had filed in and sat down. Now the shuttle was full.

"There are six exits located on the side of the craft that are illuminated in the event of an emergency and/or power failure. Please make note of where the exits are."

Ashton looked around and saw that there was a door not three rows behind him. He made a mental note on it in case of a problem. A problem that he was sure would never happen, of course.

"In the event of a water splashdown, please make sure that you are in possession of a floatation device underneath your seat." The stewardess placed one on herself to demonstrate. It looked like a tight fitting life preserver that you wore around your neck.

"In the event of splashdown, the device will automatically inflate. A light and transmitter are also automatically activated on contact with water." The attendant then got out a different device. This one looked like a mask. It had built on goggles and what looked like earmuffs of sorts. Ashton was confused by this and then noted that neither his nor Alistair's ears fit.

"In the event of a hull breach or loss of pressure midflight, masks will be deployed for passengers while we attempt to fix the breach and equalize pressure. Please ensure that the mask is fastened tightly over the face and ensure that there is air flow in the tube. Do not be alarmed if the tube does not fully inflate as air may be flowing through anyway."

"Dude…" Alistair noted, starting to look a bit nervous. "Dude, the masks don't fit us."

"It's alright."

"Yeah, now it's alright, but not when there's a crack in the hull three feet wide!" He hissed in a low whisper. "What then?"

"That won't happen." Ashton assured. He hadn't even thought of the possibility before his friend mentioned it. He pointed to a few Mobian Marines near the back of the shuttle. "Those soldiers aren't bothered by it."

"Well those soldiers probably were selected not being afraid of vacuum!"

"You know something; I'm amazed that a guy who wants to explore space is terrified of space."

"Watched too many bad movies."

Ashton decided to curb the young man's fears. "Excuse me, miss? Are there a few masks designed for us?"

The stewardess nodded, but held up a finger. One second, please.

"At seventy thousand feet, we will require all passengers to place acceleration bracers on themselves for the final climb to orbit." Once again, the attendant demonstrated with her own seat. "With all of this in mind, we wish you a very happy flight. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight aboard Shuttle D547! See you all Earthbound."

The attendant then got what Ashton had asked for. Two Mobian masks were passed out to them. They were slightly different than those built into the shuttle's stock design. It was understandable though, and Ashton didn't mind. He stowed the bag under his seat while Alistair tested his. Satisfied, the raccoon then followed suit. "Looks like we're taking off now!" He pointed out the window. People were directing the shuttle to wheel back.

Ashton was wondering if they would take off like a jet, but was surprised when the shuttle started to rise on the spot. They were hovering above the ground. He was incredibly excited all of a sudden to be seeing something so different. "Look Alistair! We're hovering! Look at that!"

Soon they were five hundred feet above the ground – well over the height of the terminal. The shuttle started to turn in the air, and then sudden acceleration pounded them like a punch. They blasted away from the ground at such speed that Christopher quickly lost view of Knothole.

Mr. and Mrs. Ashton stood at a large window watching the craft rocket away from the ground. It slowly became a speck in the sky. Mrs. Ashton began to wipe her eyes.

"Katherine, what's wrong?" Murray asked.

"Do you think he saw us waving at him?"

"I'm sure he did, dear."

"I just wanted to say goodbye one more time."

"I know, I know."

"Murray, he's our only child!"

Her husband rubbed her hair. "I know, sweetheart. I know. But he'll be alright. He's an Ashton. He's an explorer, and we have no business keeping him from that."

"Murray… is your child leaving… a sign that you're growing old?"

"No, baby." Her husband laughed. He held her warmly, smiled, and said, "It's a sign that we're free!"

She gave him that look.

"What?"

"Our son is gone, and all you can do is make jokes?"

"He's not gone forever, Kath. He's a survivor. Be happy. Our boy's becoming a real man, and I am damn proud of him."

He hugged his wife and looked at the sky. A bright star was rising into the sky. "Aurora give you speed kiddo."

Ashton had been on a plane before, but none of them had ever gone this high. They were above the cloud layer, and he could see the sky slowly becoming a dark blue.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching the 70,000 foot mark. We are advising all passengers to prepare their bracers for second stage ascension. We will announce again in one minute."

Ashton and Alistair quickly folded down a bracer of sorts that helped cushion them against the seat. It kind of felt like a roller coaster. He was sure he was going to be feeling a bit more than the usual 'stomach drop' sensation. Alistair was clipped in and so was he. He felt almost suspended in his chair. He was going to need that floating feeling.

"Hang on everyone! Here we go!" the pilots called.

Suddenly, a wave of acceleration pressed into him that he had never felt before. It was speed that was so alien to him that Ashton couldn't comprehend it. For the briefest of seconds, he wondered if this was how Sonic felt to have acceleration. No, Ashton realized it. This wasn't what Sonic felt. Sonic wasn't subject to the acceleration. Sonic was the acceleration.

They were going much faster. He tried to raise his head to look, but he couldn't. The acceleration was pushing him into his seat. His teeth were chattering and the corners of his vision were starting to black out. He wasn't prepared for this, but was giddy out of his mind.

Alistair was likewise enjoying the experience. The raccoon had his eyes wide open and was laughing heartily.

The sky turned black quickly and stars started to appear.

Stars! That means that we're in space!

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now in low orbit around Mobius. We will be adjusting our trajectory to take us around the planet. In the meantime, we will be giving you a wonderful sight!" The pilots rolled the craft over. Ashton looked out the window and saw a flash of blue. He couldn't see it all that well as it moved so quickly.

Then they stopped. The acceleration was gone. He noticed that the tips of his sleeves were floating. Floating!

"Dude!" Ashton called to Alistair. "Look at this!" He pointed out his sleeves and his shoelaces.

"We've got to be astronauts now!" Ibkis responded. "I'm disappointed. I thought there was artificial gravity."

"Maybe they didn't turn it on."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be making the above panels transparent. If you would like a view of Mobius, here's your chance."

The panels seemed to disappear before them. Ashton had a momentary bout of shock, but all that disappeared when he saw the beautiful sight of his home 'above' them.

It was a sight beyond true description. Mobius was a radiant blue ball of oceans with streaks of white clouds and patches of green land. All of it was floating in silence. Ashton realized with sadness that this would be the last time he would see his home in a while. His parents and friends were down there somewhere. He would be leaving them all behind. For some reason that brought a tear to his eye. The droplet floated free and hung there in the air. Ashton chuckled, but wiped it away before Alistair noticed.

"Sure makes you look pretty small, huh?" the other Mobian said.

"Yeah, it sure does."

"Just think, we're going to see thousands of worlds eventually."

Alistair was right. Ashton was feeling very small right now. Kind of insignificant compared to the large world above him. At the same time, he felt strangely at peace as well. But then even Mobius started to leave him behind. They had begun their departure.

"We've reached perapsis and we're firing our main engines now. Stand by."

A rumbling was felt through the whole ship for about five second, silence yet again. There was no point in looking out the window any longer. Mobius was gone as soon as it was there. Now, the ship was pointed towards the moon. The engines were cut and he was floating yet again.

"What happened?" Ashton asked.

"I don't know. Feels like we're not even moving."

A man next to him put down his datapad. "We're heading towards the moon."

"Excuse me?" Alistair asked.

"Look." He tapped a button on his screen. "See this?" A holographic screen popped up and showed two circles. Mobius and the Moon. Ashton noted that the computer didn't show that the moon was broken. Ashton was sure that it was only an oversight though. A hoop of some sort was connecting Mobius and the moon. "This is our orbit, okay? This will take us to the jumpgate."

"Oh." Ashton said, understanding. "Orbits. Right."

"Well, how long should it take to get there?"

The Human shrugged and pouted his lips in thought. "Ah, not long. Maybe an hour or two."

"Wow. That's fast."

"You bet. Just try to keep it down for the rest of the flight. Alright, guys?"

"Sure. No problem." Ashton nodded. "We'll keep ourselves busy."

"Actually." Alistair said. "Speaking of busy, I'll be right back." He unclipped his seat belt and tried to get up. The raccoon's head accidentally hit the seat in front of him. He recoiled in zero gravity. He was obviously not expecting that."

"Ouch!" he said, rubbing his forehead. "That was weird!"

"Hey watch it!" A soldier said in the seat said to him. "I'm trying to watch the news!"

"Sorry, man." Ibkis said. Alistair put his hand above him to brace himself on the ceiling. "Where do you think the bathroom is?"

"Probably in the back." Ashton said shrugging.

"OK. OK, I can do this." Alistair said with a toothy smile. "Man, this is weird!" He found handholds in the ceiling and used them to even his way into the central row. "Hey, you should try this." He said to his friend.

"Nah, I'm fine here."

Alistair huffed and pulled himself towards the rear of the craft, reveling in weightlessness.

Ashton on the other hand just looked out the window towards the stars. He had never seen so many out here before. He touched the window and discovered that it was ghostly cold. It was thicker than it seemed as he knocked on it. It was some sort of plastic or maybe even transparent metal. Farther away, he could make out a bright light that was closer than the stars. Then he focused and saw that it was a ship! He could barely make out the shape. It wasn't Mobian. It must have been a Human ship. It had writing on the hull, but Ashton couldn't read it. He wondered what the ship was here for, who was on it, and where it came from.

He didn't notice that Alistair had quietly sat down in the chair.

"Well that was fast." He noted.

"I… uh… I didn't go."

"What do you mean 'I didn't go'?"

"I just saw the no-gravity bathroom. I… think I can hold it."

Within the hour, the shuttle coasted up to the moon. Ashton didn't even see it until the pilots announced it. It seemed that the moon was just catching them and putting them into its own orbit. The shuttle was coasting not far from the surface. Christopher held his breath as he saw the craters that had been peppered throughout the surface. Nobody he had ever known had seen the moon this close. He could see craters miles wide that had been carved by ancient rocks. He also knew that down there, there were hulks of Overlander spaceships from the Great War.

They called it the Moon Theater. This was where Mobius' space navy earned their wings. It was here that some major battles were fought and nobody knew about it. The Overlanders had wanted the moon to be their listening outpost. Some thought that they were establishing weapons emplacements on the moon and would launch them at the planet given the chance. The Royals would see to it that this wouldn't happen. So, a six month campaign was waged here in the skies above this dead, broken rock.

Funny. Nobody was really sure how it was broken in the first place.

Ah yes, he saw it! There was a streak on the Lunar soil that looked like something had crashed there. The black streak looked like it travelled for miles after bouncing a few times. He wasn't sure if it was Mobian or Human though.

Before he could make a further observation, the ship rocked. A few people yelped in surprise.

"Whoa!"

"What the hell?!"

Alistair jumped with a start. "What was that?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We're entering a small debris field. We're going to stay clear from the large pieces, but it looks like some small pieces are playing ping pong with is. Don't worry. Shields are up, so we're able to deflect them just fine."

That didn't help Alistair, who was uncomfortably drumming his fingers on the chair arm.

Ashton was also a bit nervous. Though he trusted the pilots.

A few more bumps came their way. The stewardess reminded everyone to keep their belts and bracers tight. Twenty minutes later, the bumping stopped.

"Finally." Alistair breathed. He was pretty much voicing the thoughts of everyone aboard.

"Alright everyone. We're on final approach to the jumpgate. It's been adjusted to our flight path. We'll be hitting it in 30 seconds."

Ashton wasn't sure what to expect from this. He had heard stories about the Jumpgate, but wasn't sure what would happen when they crossed the threshold. He activated the screen on his seat and saw that it was shaped like a circle or rounded square. It pulsed with blue energy. There was also a countdown timer to when they meet it. They would hit it in 13 seconds.

"Ten seconds to aperture."

Oh man, this is going to be weird.

"Five seconds to aperture."

Well, here we go.

"Three. Two. One."

The black space suddenly turned white, blindly white. Ashton had been looking outside trying to spot the Jumpgate, but he never saw it. He had just gone from black to white. He couldn't see anything, and averted his eyes.

"What do you see?" Alistair asked.

"Nothing. There's nothing at all!" Christopher noted.

"Where are we?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think we're… anywhere." He suddenly had a shot of pain move through his head. "Augh. Feels like I got a migraine!"

"Yeah, I feel it too." Ibkis said. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"We are aware that we are taking on Mobian passengers today. Do not be alarmed with dizziness or sickeness. This is a completely normal reaction and will subside momentarily. Stand by. Approaching exit aperture now."

Ashton counted down ten more seconds, and then it was gone. The blackness had returned. The stars were back. The moon was outside his window, but when he looked outside, his jaw dropped. There was no debris field – the moon was whole. Ashton looked to the surface and saw lights! He saw lights spread across the Lunar ground. He saw buildings! He saw vehicles move through the air. He saw a city!

"Alistair! Look at this!"

The raccoon clamored over to see. "Sweet Jesus." He whispered. "There are cities down there!"

"We must have done it! We're here!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to bid you welcome to the Sol System. Local universal time is 11:45 AM. Today is March 15, 3235. Below us is the city of Armstrong, population 11 million. Temperatures are a balmy -57 degrees Celsius on the surface."

A round of laughs came through the cabin as men and women found the joke humorous. Ashton and Ibkis joined them.

"Alright. Looks like our exit aperture will slingshot us straight to the planet. We'll be coasting for the rest of our flight."

Ashton hoped that the pilot would tilt he ship so that he could get a view of the world. Until then, he looked at the moon. He saw tall buildings, small ones, and even domes where he saw green under them. He was amazed. People were living on the moon and in large numbers! Twenty minutes later, the ship started to drift away. Ashton tried to stay with Armstrong, but the city rotated out of his view. Now, he looked forward. He was taken by surprise when he noticed that the pilot had made the panels transparent again. That's when he saw the planet.

It was still far away, but the sun was rising behind it. A blue ball that glowed in space. On the dark side, there were lights that he could see even from here. Cities larger than those on the moon. His mouth went dry and his ears perked. He would wag his tail in excitement, but it was tucked by his side.

We made it. He said in his head. We're here. We're actually here!

He turned to Alistair, but he was transfixed by the ball. His eyes were wide and his eyes were deep and dark. "It… looks just like Mobius!"

"It's… wow…"

The two didn't say anything as they watched the ball come closer and closer. The ball became larger and larger. The shuttle turned again to position the Earth below them. Ashton looked out over the horizon of the sea. The sun reflected off the water beautifully. Clouds banded above the sea in fluffy white clumps.

"Attention passengers, we'll be docking at Rassalov station momentarily. From there, there are additional shuttles to ferry you down to the surface."

"We're not landing on the planet?" Ashton said, suddenly disappointed. "Aw man."

The man in the seat next to them said, "Don't worry kid. There are shuttles that come and go all the time. You don't need tickets for that."

Ashton nodded in appreciation, but then brought his eyes back to the window. Ibkis was just as focused as he was. Something was visible out in the distance. It looked like a ribbon of some sort.

"What was that?" Christopher asked. "Looks like a ribbon!"

"I dunno." Alistair said."Maybe a tower or something."

"That's impossible! You can't make a tower that big!"

"Humans man. I guess anything's possible now."

Rassalov station appeared shortly after. It was a large station that was a collection of modules, prefabricated structures, tubes, docked ships, and many shining lights. It was a city in space, and right next to Earth!"

Alistair scratched his head. "Why would the Humans need a city in space when there's plenty of places on Earth?"

"Why would they build on the moon? I guess Humans need to explore and build."

"That's not always a good thing Ashton."

"You're right. But keep it to yourself for now."

"Sure. No problem."

"Docking procedures to commence immediately. Please remain seated while we dock with the station."

The shuttle's speed constantly got lower. Rassalov Station grew from the size of a toy to something so big that it seemed to dwarf the shuttle. Ashton tried to grasp the size of the station and the planet behind it, but found his mind wanting in response. The closer he got, he saw dozens of smaller ships swarm the station, all of them going somewhere important. One barreled straight towards Earth at high speed.

Rassalov station extended an arm outwards that pulsed green. This had to be where they were landing. Puffs of braking pushed the young Mobian forward until they weren't moving at all. The holographic panel showed that the shuttle was now in an orbit identical to the station. It was fascinating stuff.

Then he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that seemed off. He sunk into his seat. He fell.

"The station's artificial gravity field has linked with ours. You should now be feeling normal."

Alistair held his arm up and let it go limp. It fell into his lap as if it would on Mobius. "Huh. Well look at that! Looks like it works after all!"

CLANG!

The ship rocked.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Rassalov Station! Ambient temperature is 24 degrees Celsius; station time is 10:40 AM. Shuttles to the surface depart every 45 minutes. Please ensure that you gather all of your bags from the overhead bins and underneath your seats. Once again, we thank you for flying on Shuttle 43 from Mobius to Earth! Enjoy your stay and have a nice day!"

Ashton stood up, all smiles from the trip. He grabbed his only bag and waited for Alistair, who likewise took his stuff. The two were out walking up the isle within seconds.

"Dude, what should we do first?" Ashton asked, excited.

"How about we get our bearings first, alright?" Alistair answered with a smile.

The pair thanked the stewardess and the pilots.

"Great flight guys!" Ibkis said. "Blew me away!"

One of them, a blond-haired man with a square jaw chuckled. "Just doing our job!"

Unlike on Mobius, the docking tunnel was a transparent one. Ashton stepped onto it and felt a bit of discomfort looking below him to see the planet beneath his shoes. A large stretch of land was below him. He wasn't sure whether it was New York or not. It was too far away to tell.

Alistair stood next to him admiring the view. The station's exterior had many enclosed walkways and advertisements for various products. It seemed so strange to have this stuff floating out in space. Ashton enjoyed every second here.

"You know man, we could stay out here forever."

Alistair said, "You could, but me? I think I'm looking for a drink. I wonder if the Humans drink beer."

"I think we'll be exploring this station before anything else."

"You have a point. Let's not waste time then."

The two Mobians , now new friends, went through the door at the end of the hall, and got their first taste of an Earth Welcome.