Intergalactic

Valarie Sarron savored the flavor from her bio-sculpted mushroom stir-fry. The side of fried cultivated chicken was small enough for her to consider today’s meal nearly vegetarian. Besides, it was grown in a vat and not from an actual chicken, which didn’t exist on Binary Bloom. Imported meat was too expensive for an everyday lunch. She remembered the exquisite dinner she’d had with Twitch before he set out again on his piracy business. They had indulged in real chicken that evening, imported from Dephyr.

But today was an ordinary day - or so it seemed. The restaurant was largely empty, as it was already past lunchtime. But she had been busy and only now found the time. Her leather satchel on the chair beside her, the uniform jacket slung over the chair, she was finally enjoying her meal. Stir-fried mushrooms were one of her favorites.

Beyond the twenty-odd tables in the canteen-like restaurant, the hallway leading towards the market was busy but not crowded. At the left-hand wall, the automated kitchen was visible through glass walls. Her mother had once tried to explain to her that being able to see your food being prepared had been a cultural norm ever since cost-cutting in the restaurant industry had become so serious that it lead to years of people falling ill and even dying from food poisoning, and everyone who could spare the time and effort went back to cooking at home. That must have been two or three centuries ago, when most humans still lived on planet Earth.

Valarie shrugged and speared another mushroom on her fork. She twirled it in the sauce she had chosen - pepper with a hint of honey - and raised the fork to her mouth, when mid-move everything around her suddenly went pitch black.

The sounds of footsteps outside turned into the sounds of confused stumbling and a few people falling, and inside the canteen someone dropped a bowl that fell to the floor clanging and sloshing its contents over the floor. Then things went quiet as people had stopped in the complete darkness, standing or sitting wherever they were. Not a single light source was left on. Even the status lights on the robots in the auto-kitchen were off.

Valarie noticed that there was also no humming of the air supply, and none of the other faint background sounds of Binary Bloom. She carefully put the fork down. She sat still for a moment, as did everyone else. Disorientation.

Outside, people now started to talk to each other. First couples and groups that had been walking together. Simple verbal signals. „Honey, I’m over here!“ or „Guys, stay where you are. Everyone alright?“

Valarie had been sitting alone. Out of habit she closed her eyes to focus, but it made no difference at all. She recalled the layout of the restaurant and where she was sitting, trying to replace the visual view that had vanished so suddenly with a mental image. When she had some confidence in that, she slowly stood up, keeping her hands on the table, chairs, windows as she walked slowly towards the exit. She had grabbed her satchel and jacket but left her food.

A few steps ahead and to the right of her, she heard the sound of two people bumping into each other, and then various things falling to the floor. „Hey“, someone said. „Watch it“, the other person said, by the voices both of them males. „Very funny“, the first one answered, „watching is kind of a problem.“ - „Really? I hadn’t noticed.“

Valarie tried to blend out their bickering and walked forward. She heard similar sounds from outside now, and one voice going „coming through, coming through“ on repeat, slowly moving. She immediately liked the idea and copied it, herself mumbling „coming through“ just loud enough that people within a few steps should’ve been able to hear it.

Near where here mental image placed the door, someone answered her position calls: „I’m here. Careful.“

She slowed down and her probing hands found the door frame and another woman standing there. „Sorry“, she said and pulled her hand back. „Not important“, the other woman answered, „Same idea? Get outside and find out what’s going on?“

Valarie answered in the affirmative, then added: „The market is right around the corner. If someone knows what’s going on, the news will definitely reach it fast.“

„Good idea“, the other woman said, then grabbed Valarie’s hand, „Let’s go.“