Erik straightened himself like a soldier at attention and held a fist to his chest. “Transport from Neptune is docked. You have new materials awaiting.” he spoke formally. Ethel pulled herself up. Erik knew that she need not be appraised of the docking. “Thank you” she mentioned nonetheless, thinking of when the complete the eighth trial. Incomplete science might as well have never begun.
Erik’s arms fell beside him. “I will go with you.”
“You needn’t accompany me.”
“I want to.”
“Very well” Ethel stated plainly. The material would have been brought to her by a delivery mechanism, but she wished for exercise, and it seemed Erik did, too.
A doorway opened, and another. Ethel took two flights of stairs downward, and Erik followed her. Handholds were placed liberally along the walls, ceiling, and floor sometimes along beams that serve no further purpose. Most things were an eternal white or light grey, a side effect of the many clean-rooms. Erik kept pace with Ethel, lagging a meter behind. Few people could be found. Even if they were not concerned with various operations and experiments, this place could hardly be crowded.
The two stepped into docking room. Despite the hallway and the docking room both having gravity, between the door there was a tiny pocket of antigravity. Ethel stepped through it and almost immediately became dizzy, and instinctively reached for a handhold. Erik walked through the doorway as if it were any other.
A sign on the wall read “Seraph, Titan • Dock 04”.