2194
"Okay dad, I'll see you tomorrow!"
Eliza Pender turned to leave her father's cabin. He wasn't doing so great in his old age. 138 was a respectable age to live to, but microgravity hadn't been kind to him. She and her brother had been lucky to board the Discovery before they were 25, as they had adapted to the conditions and even after they had turned 100 they were able to move around without the use of a hoverchair. Bill hadn't been so lucky. He had been stuck in one of those chair for at least two decades, and he hated every minute of it.
As she made her was down the hall, Eliza passed a few children. The only people who had planned to have children on board a starliner were those who were pregnant when they boarded, but when BnL extended their cruises indefinitely in 2110 plans had changed. Eliza had been married for years, but her and her husband Michael had never considered having kids. They decided it wasn't the kind of environment they wanted to raise a child in; one full of recycled air and food in a cup.
Soon she was at her brother's cabin. She pressed the doorbell button and was quickly let inside. James was standing by the large window, staring into space. His cabin was much smaller than hers, due to the fact that he lived alone. For many years after 2110 him and Tyler had maintained contact over video phone, but after awhile the physical distance began to pull them apart and it had been some time since they had exchanged more than an email.
"Hi, Eliza." James said, without turning around.
Eliza walked up the James and put her hand on his shoulder, staring out at the stars with him. "Hey, James. I was wondering if you wanted to go grab a coffee with me? It's been awhile since we've just hung out."
James sighed, looking down at the floor. "Yeah. Yeah that would be good."
Eliza smiled. "Great. Let's go then, shall we?" She began to lead him by the arm to the door.
James shuffled through the cabin with his sister, slowly making their way across the room. They eventually ended up in the hall and began to walk towards the elevator. The cabin door closed behind them, and a service bot in the room began to make the bed and tidy up.
A lot had changed aboard the Discovery in the past decades. A few years after 2110 the ship's supply of real food had run out and the multitude of buffets and dining rooms had started offering synthesized nutrient slurries as a replacement. The drinks tried to replicate various flavours like eggs and bacon or hamburgers, but after a few years of consuming them everything started to taste the same.
For awhile after the cruise extension was announced life on the starliner had been tense. People had no idea how to cope with the fact that they may not ever return to Earth, and the stress and anxiety this caused had resulted in more than a few angry protests. The majority of passengers, however, accepted their fate with little argument. A lifetime of pampering thanks to the luxuries BnL offered them meant the idea of organized resistance against the corporation that had given them everything wasn't something that crossed their minds. By 2120 or so everyone had settled down and life proceeded as normal. At least, as normal as it could be aboard a massive space-faring cruise ship.
Eliza and James meandered through the crowds of hover chairs and passengers on the Discovery's promenade, making their way to the people-mover. Thousands of holo-screens pelted them with advertising for Buy n Large products from beauty supplies to sunglasses. The hundreds of shops on board had steadily been running out of products to sell, thanks to the ongoing "buy now, pay later" promotion that applied to everything available. Some of them were completely empty, but kept their doors open to customers due to the rigid automation of the Discovery.
The people-mover pulled into the station and James and Eliza both stepped onto it. The electric light barrier raised up from the ground and the tram accelerated out of the station. In a matter of minutes the pair had left coach class, passed through economy, and arrived in the first class shopping district.
Eliza and James stepped off the people-mover and entered the cafe. All around them passengers young and old floated along on hover chairs, guided by a network of illuminated lines in the floor. As more and more chairs were being used, more and more of the Discovery's polished floors were decorated with these guidance lines. Some areas of the ship had even banned foot traffic since it slowed down the hover chairs.
Eliza order a coffee for her and a tea for James. Quickly a bot delivered them to their table and she began to sip her drink. James left his untouched.
"So, what's new?" Eliza asked, trying to sound enthusiastic.
"Oh you know. I spent some time at the driving range yesterday. Managed to score some bonus points when I hit Pluto." James responded in a bored tone.
"Oh! That's fun!"
James scoffed. "Yeah..."
Eliza frowned. "Well I uh. I got my hair cut yesterday, what do you think?"
James glanced at his sister's head. "PR-T style number F726, right?"
"Uh, yeah." Eliza muttered, her enthusiasm deflating. She had remembered why they didn't get together much anymore. The monotony of life was all too apparent when you tried to make small-talk with anyone.
The two sat in silence for a time, listening to the whirs and whizzes of passing bots and hover chairs. This had been life for the past 89 years. This would most likely be life for the next 89 years and beyond. The updates on plant life had fizzled out after 2125, so no one was in the loop about what was happening back on Earth.
James turned his gaze upwards to the digital clouds floating overhead. Eliza followed suit, and the two were lost in a trance. Neither of them had ever experienced a real blue sky back on Earth, so this digital recreation was the best they had.
Suddenly, a bright red ad for BnL Action Sneakers appeared in the sky, obscuring the view.