A voice squawked over the intercom. “Jonathan Riggs, check in.” The speaker crackled off.

Jon rubbed his eyes as he hopped off the bed. The lower gravity made him feel light on his feet as he crossed the room. He didn’t notice it earlier.

He spoke out. “Responding, Jonathan Riggs.”

A crackling voice came back on. “Meet up with your team at 15:00. They will be on deck 3.”

“Will do.” Jon then looked at his wrist. His brain spun a moment….15:00? Oh, 3:00…that’s right. His watch read 2:45. He walked over to his boots and strapped them on and headed out.

He walked out to the hall and made his way to the lift. The LED lighting cast a blue glow down the hall. The dim light washed out the faces of others in the hall. The overall drone combined with the lights was depressing.

Jon started questioning if he made the right decision. Should I be thousands of miles from home for a job I barely enjoy, just for the money? But what else am I going to do? Home was just a shell of what it was anyway, nothing remained to keep him there.

He boarded the lift and announced “Three”. The lift began to descend down into what felt like darkness. When it stopped, the door opened. Jon took in a breath before stepping out.

Deck three was the main gathering area on the station. The builders appeared to take more time in this area. Jon stepped out into an atrium dotted with vivid green plants and almost fresh smelling air. A small group of men were gathered nearby around a table with a blueprint laid across it.

Jon shook his head to himself. That must be the team. He made his way to the table. “Hi, Jon here. Is this Team Chi?” He pronounced chi as the Greek letter as kai.

The men looked up from the table towards Jon and stood straight. Directly across from him, a smaller framed person lifted their head.

Their short hair belied their gender. His eyes met theirs. Then he realized he knew those eyes. She smiled at him, but kept it under control. “Hi, Jon.” She glanced at the watch on her own wrist, more to gain her composure than to check the time, then looked back up. “Nice of you to join us.”