The Passage

The anchors are set, the fractures are made: the cork is ready to be popped. All we have to do is wait, which, as I've said before, is the hardest part of the job. Our money, our benefits, and our tickets home all rely on the swiftness of whichever planet cracker the CEC sends our way. Though, this is the Ishimura after all, so I suppose I'm feeling something closer to anticipation than anything resembling boredom.

Everyone's waiting, but most of them are doing this by the Marker. The crowd had thinned down, calmed, so the security guards were given the okay to leave. Of the people who remained, some hesitated to get close to the Marker out of respect, some pressed their faces upon it and embraced it full in arms, their fingers tracing the inlaid, alien patterns. The crying and praying, as far as I know, hasn't stopped all day.

But who can blame them? How often does one truly have the central icon of their religion fall right into their lap? Some must be thinking that Altman himself isn't too far behind.

I shared a few drinks with Singh while we talked at length about the implications of this whole thing before I made my way back to my room. On the way, I checked Vancil's room. I knocked loudly, but he wasn't there; if he was, he didn't want anyone to think so.

Estrella was walking away from the door to my room, and I caught her before she could get too far away. She talked my ear off immediately. "Did you see it! Tell me you saw it. Por la Gracia de Altman, it was beautiful!"

She had started hugging me at some point. Singh's bootleg liquor was still working its way through me, so I didn't really notice until her face was against my chest. "Yeah, I saw it. It was, erm, cool."

"Just think about it. Once it's taken into the embrace of our brothers and sisters, the galaxy will be a better place for it. No more war, no more famine, and never another death as people think they know it. Now everyone will see." She ran a finger across my cheek. "You will see," she said excitedly.

"Good to know." I couldn't hide my discomfort. "You wanna come inside?"

She nodded and led the way. Our coitus was a little more, ah... passionate than usual. I thought such rides were reserved only for men come home from the frontlines. In combination with the drink, I didn't know which way was up. She lay back and put her arms around me, kissing me at random intervals. It was definitely atypical behavior for Estrella, but I didn't really mind.

As I drifted off, I remember her kissing my cheek and whispering something that I almost didn't hear.

"Soon, we'll be made whole."

—

I checked Vancil's room again this morning and he's still not around. At this point, I'm not really worried about his privacy anymore; I'm just plain worried. I contacted security, so they should be by to unlock his room at their behest. They're usually really good about stuff like this. It's not like they have much else to do these days, what with the project winding down.

Estrella hasn't been around today. I hope she calmed down from last night. She's found a new brand of sweetness that's starting to border on unsettling, but, then again, I'm trying to keep in mind how much of a big deal this Marker business is. I'm not sure I'm properly comprehending the magnitude of the whole thing. Sensitivity is the key to unlocking many, many doors.

I'm gonna go check in with my site foreman and see if there's any work to be done off the POF. That anticipation in waiting I was talking about is starting to swing toward frustration. I'm getting restless.

—

Vancil's dead.