Mosaic - Jeri Taylor [19]
And once more they dematerialized, only to find themselves, seconds later, in the spacedock which orbited Earth's northern hemisphere. Kathryn had never seen anything so astonishing. It was huge, with cavernous hangars and dozens of docking piers, cargo bays, and corridors. Windows to space were everywhere, affording incredible views. Earth swam below them, blue and cloud-shrouded, a stately orb that soared majestically in the starry heavens.
Kathryn had seen pictures, of course, but nothing had prepared her for the sight of her planet from space. She stood at one of the huge windows, staring at the jeweled sphere, trying to figure out where Indiana was. "Amazing, isn't it?" She looked up to see her father standing next to her. "I remember the first time I saw Earth like that. I was about your age."
"Is that when you decided to join Starfleet?"
He smiled at her, gray eyes crinkling at the edges. "I think I decided that before I was born."
"Did you mean it when you told them I'd be a cadet someday?"
"Only if that's what you want."
"It is, Daddy. More than anything."
He put a hand on her shoulder and looked down at her for a moment. He did that from time to time, and Kathryn never knew what he was thinking. "We're ready to go now," he said, and she took his hand as they entered the shuttlebay.
Standing at stiff attention next to a Starfleet shuttle was a cadet wearing the uniform of Starfleet Academy. He looked very odd to Kathryn. His skin was a light golden color, and his eyes were pale. She tried not to stare at him. Admiral Finnegan nodded to the cadet as they entered the shuttle. "We have a very important young guest today, Mr. Data, so make this flight nice and smooth."
"Yes, sir," replied the cadet. He had a gentle, soothing voice. Kathryn looked up at him as she passed by, and this time he didn't look so strange. He had an air of imperturbability that was appealing. The group took their seats in the shuttle, and the cadet boarded last. He began working the controls, and Kathryn was reminded of her piano teacher, whose fingers roamed so effortlessly and precisely over the keys. "Shuttle Curie to docking control. Ready for pre-launch sequencing." The cadet's voice was as confident and poised as his demeanor. "Control to Curie. Prelaunch sequencing under way. You may proceed." The cadet continued his manipulation of the controls.
The hatch closed, the shuttlebay decompressed, and the small craft lifted smoothly off the deck, heading for the giant doors which even now were gliding open.
"Shuttle Curie to docking control. Approaching portals. Ready for egress."
"Go ahead, Curie. Smooth sailing."
Kathryn held her breath. It was a regal moment, endowed with wonder and mystery. Gracefully, silently, the vessel passed through the massive portals and into the inky void of space.
Only the faint hum of the impulse engines broke a silence that seemed almost holy. Kathryn sat with nose pressed against a window, staring back as the spacedock receded from view, growing smaller and smaller until she could no longer see it. Earth was diminishing, too; soon it was a small blue dot and finally only a circle of light.
Three hours later, Mars became a visible disk. Kathryn stared as it grew larger and larger; the first discernible feature she spotted on it was a whitish spot, almost like a tiny star, twinkling at one edge of the disk. "That's the southern polar cap," said Daddy, as though reading her mind. "It's always the first thing you notice on Mars.