April 2nd, 2107

Captain Flores' alarm woke him at the usual time, 0700 hours. Groggily he allowed his service bots to prepare him for the day ahead before trudging up to the bridge. A cup of coffee, as always, sat waiting for him on one of the bridge consoles. As he sipped from it, he could feel alertness seeping into his body. After the cup was drained he found himself ready and awake to face the day.

"Computer, status report." he spoke aloud.

The familiar holo-screen jumped up and he began his daily conversation with the ship's computer.

"Mechanical systems?"

"Unchanged." the computer stated.

"Reactor core temperature?"

"Unchanged."

"Passenger count."

"Net gain of seven."

"Food service volume."

"3 percent increase."

"Jacuzzi pH balance."

"Unchanged."

"Laundry service volume."

"1.2 percent decrease."

The Captain nodded and turned away from the screens, only to find the Autopilot gliding towards him on its rail.

"What's the story, Auto?" he asked the wheel. Over the past two years he had warmed up to his circular companion, and had dropped the formality of calling it 'Autopilot.' Sadly, the robot remained as monotonous as ever.

"Annual Operation Cleanup report from headquarters expected at 0730 hours, Captain. Would you like me to alert you when it is received?"

The Captain nodded and Auto saluted him before heading back to its bridge interface. After placing his breakfast order with GO-4, Captain Flores wandered over to the Lido Deck side of the bridge to make the morning announcements.

As it had been for the past 730 mornings, his face appeared ship-wide for all to see.

"Good morning everybody! Welcome to day 730 aboard the Discovery! Today is our second anniversary since we departed Earth! As was the case last year, expect a great party tonight on the Lido Deck. If you can't make it down here, we'll have the music going in every dining room across the ship, so be sure to stop in for a dance and a slice of cake!"

The Captain grinned at the camera. The past two years had flown by faster than the Discovery going into hyperjump, and he was so excited for the next three. Last year's report from Earth had been great, and the good news had been received immensely well by the passengers. He couldn't wait to share today's with everybody as well. More good news would only add to the festivities!

"As most of you probably remember, today is the day we'll be receiving our latest Operation Cleanup report from Earth! As soon as I hear from Mr. Forthright and team I'll let you all know just how much of that nasty trash has been picked up and thrown out back home. But until then, enjoy your day! We've got yet another great lineup of events today, including the semi finals for the women's doubles tennis competition! Come on down and cheer on your friends! We've also got a great-"

A blinking light on the console had momentarily broken the Captain's focus. It was the incoming transmission indicator, letting him know the report had been received from Earth. Looking back to the camera he smiled again.

"Well, looks like I'll have to cut this short folks. We've just gotten our report in from HQ so I'll go review that right away and be back soon to let you all know what it said! Have a great rest of your morning!" he waved as he faded away from the holo-screens.

Quickly he made his way over to the bridge computer terminal and ordered Auto to bring up the message. The BnL logo appeared accompanied by its famous jingle for a moment, before the camera faded in to Shelby Forthright standing at a podium.

"Hey there captains and Autopilots! Shelby Forthright here with your second annual Operation Cleanup report. We've made a little less progress than last time, unfortunately, but are still going to be able to meet our 2110 deadline! So far regions 1 through 527 have had at least 42% of their trash cleared and we have begun incinerating in all regions across the planet. Our team here is doing a wonderful job at ensuring everything is running smoothly and we have rapidly been making up for the time we lost a few months ago due to some malfunctions with a few thousand WALL-E units. Some extra acidity in the rain that has been cropping up in coastal regions caused some mechanical issues with the bots, but we've rolled out new and hardier units in those areas that are quickly picking up the job."

Captain Flores felt a bubble of worry rise up into his stomach. It wasn't terrible news, but it was the first setback they had encountered. He knew they were still on track to make it home on time, but just because he was confident didn't mean all of his passengers were. Even the tiniest amount of bad news could trigger a case of mass hysteria aboard the ship, and he couldn't even begin to think about how he'd handle that.

The numbers being read out by the man on screen were simply going in one ear and out the other at this point, as Captain Flores was too consumed with figuring out how he could put a positive spin on this report for the passengers. Only when he heard Mr. Forthright beginning to wrap up the message did he snap back to reality.

"Well I suppose that about wraps it up. We're looking forward to hearing from all of you over the next few days as you send in your own annual reports. In the meantime, enjoy your vacation and have a margarita by the pool for me, haha! See you all real soon!"

The logo and jingle were back, and soon the holo-screen disappeared. Captain Flores rubbed his chin, thinking about his next move. He had to report to the passengers right away, and then record his own report back to HQ. Pacing back and forth in front of the public address console, he went over his speech in his head.

With a heavy sigh, he turned back towards the console and called up the PA system. Everyone aboard had been waiting with bated breath for him to return to the holo-screens, and a wave of relief washed over the starliner's population when he did.

"Hello again, everyone! Just got word back from Earth. Sounds like things are still chugging along well! Everything is still set up for us to return in April of 2110, which means we've still got an awesome three years ahead of us to enjoy the wonders the solar system has to offer!"

Captain Flores adjusted his hat before continuing. Those who picked up on this began to feel a little nervous to hear what was coming next.

"One small thing, though. Some extra harsh conditions near the coastal regions of the planet caused damage to some fleets of bots, meaning that BnL had to roll out some new, hardier units. It was a bit of a set back, but I've been assured it's nothing major! No need to worry, folks." he smiled. It wasn't a smile that inspired confidence, though. His eyes betrayed him; a vacant stare that seemed preoccupied with worry.

"Alrighty, then. That's all from me for now. I'm going to go send off my own report back home and let you get back to enjoying the sun! Have a wonderful day, everybody."

He signed off and stepped back from the PA console. That went well, he thought. No one could panic after a nice address like that, right? Captain Flores nodded in agreement with himself, trying to push his anxieties aside. He went back to the computer terminal to record his own annual report.

Taking his place in front of the holo-screen, the Captain ordered Auto to begin the recording. Clearing his throat, he looked ahead into the display that was reflecting back the view of the camera.

"Captain Joel Flores of the BnL Discovery, recording the ship's annual report on April 2nd, 2107. I've just received the report from headquarters on Earth and reported the contained info to the passengers of the ship. Despite the bad news in the report, there has not yet been any disturbance within the population of the Discovery. I am confident that the report was received well by all, and that there will be no issues in the future. As for news about the voyage, we have been adhering to our itinerary to the letter for the past two years, and have heard nothing but positive feedback from the passengers. Morale is high and all of our planned events have seen excellent attendance. We have not encountered anything unexpected during our travels, and have seen no issues with any of the ship's systems. All in all this year's report is much like last year's. The ship's Autopilot has been performing impeccably, and I often find myself hearing about issues after they have already been dealt with. My compliments to the BnL Artificial Intelligence team for their great work with the Autopilot program. That's all from me for now. We all look forward to next year's report, and hope things are going well on Earth! Captain Flores, signing off."

The Captain nodded and the display shut off. Now his recording was flying through space at light speed, ready to be watched by the team back on Earth. Captain Flores wondered what is was like there now. He was certain it was immeasurably worse than when they had left, and that he would not like to be living there right now, but part of him was curious to see just how bad the planet was. Maybe BnL was just under-promising so they could overdeliver later? Maybe they'd be home sooner than 2110! He smiled at the thought. It was wonderful being in space and exploring the solar system, but in all honesty the bridge and his quarters had begun to feel a bit cramped. Even the sky dome was beginning to lose its ability to make him feel like he was outside. Getting back to real blue sky and fresh air was something he was looking forward to more every day.