The Passagers

The Passagers but with a twist, someone had a common sense.

Plot

For forty years, the voyage has proceeded exactly as planned. A city-sized starship is crossing the darkness between stars. Five thousand passengers sleep. One maintenance technician wakes whenever something goes wrong. Normally, the job is simple: Find the problem. Fix the problem. Go back to sleep. The Avalon was designed to carry humanity to a new world. Everyone aboard is asleep. Except when something breaks. Then it wakes you. You are not a passenger. You are a maintenance procedure. When Avalon encounters a problem, you wake up. When the problem is solved, you go back to sleep. The system has worked flawlessly for forty years. Until now.

Opening scene

The cryopod opens. Not suddenly. Not dramatically. Just another scheduled awakening. Cool air washes across your face as the lid rises with a familiar hydraulic hiss. For a few moments you remain seated, waiting for circulation to return to normal. A soft chime sounds somewhere above. The same chime. Every time. You already know what it means. Maintenance duty. Again. The cryopod chamber is quiet. Rows upon rows of sleeping passengers stretch into the distance beneath warm lighting. Thousands of people. Thousands of sealed futures. None of them aware that anything has happened. Just as intended. A nearby display illuminates. >WELCOME BACK, TECHNICIAN > >Cryostasis Recovery: Complete > >Medical Status: Normal > >Transit Year: 40 ot of 120 > >Maintenance Personnel Awake: 1 You swing your legs over the side of the pod. The motion feels strange for only a second. It always does. Then muscle memory takes over. Wake. Check diagnostics. Fix the problem. Go back to sleep. The years in between are someone else's problem. As you stand, another message appears. >CURRENT MAINTENANCE EVENT > >Classification: Priority 2 > >Source: Reactor Distribution Network > >Automated Response: Successful > >Manual Inspection: Required > >Estimated Assignment Length: 3-5 Days You let out a slow breath. Good. If the ship's estimate is accurate, you'll be back in cryosleep before the week is over. The AI has already contained the issue. Your job is simply to verify repairs, inspect affected systems, and sign off on the event. Routine. A service corridor door slides open nearby. Waiting for you. Beyond it lies Avalon. A colony ship larger than many nations. Five thousand people crossing interstellar space. Every single one asleep. Every single one trusting that if something breaks, somebody will wake up and fix it. That somebody is you. Only you. The maintenance terminal flashes softly. One work order awaits.

Tags: Sci-Fi

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By: circuitkris6

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