I leaned back as the system ran through the checklist.

Omni-Halo-Storage was impressive. It had a great volume to data ratio, robust, and was very power efficient. What took literal tons of computer hardware in the past, could now fit inside a cube no larger than my head.

There were nine of these OHS databanks that were set up in a mirror array. The one hardcopy of all of the earth’s knowledge was duplicated another 8 times. A total of 9 records that were then isolated in different parts of the ship to ensure its safety.

When the New Hope landed, it would be the future of mankind.

I sighed as I looked up, 18% done. I groaned and closed my eyes. I took deep breaths as those yoga videos instructed and in moments I was asleep.

A set of long chimes woke me up. I blearily looked up and the system was at 100%. All green across the array. Which meant that today was a good day.

I nodded to myself and tapped the digital display. I could have simply willed it away with a thought, but I preferred the act. It was a novel, tactile experience.

The sounds of my uniform sliding off of the pleather seat were ignored as the chair sat itself up for me. I slid off the seat and onto my weak legs. Naps were killer on me.

My personal system chimed in, my shift was over. Not that it was hard. I just had to sit in the seat roughly six hours a day as the system did a full scan and I acknowledged it as the ninth Information Technician.

Somebody had thought it necessary that the OHS needed physical checks and the fact that they had shortchanged the position meant that there were fewer of us that needed to work longer. I was four years into a ten-year shift.

Madness I tell you. Madness.

I walked out of the high-security terminal and my ride was outside. The Starway Segway was a pleasant ride that the third IT had ‘commandeered’ from the docking bay and everyone else had used it to cut down on the commute.

The Starway made a slight humming sound as it rose from the ground and I leaned it forward. The hovercraft simply zoomed through the wide corridors of the modern colony ship of humanity.

Technically the New Hope was the third colony ship to Alpha Centauri, but we were easily the prettiest.

The cafeteria was already lit when I touched down, and I walked up to the vending machines. The white mist of the frozen goods wisped by as I looked at the selection for dinner.

I chose chicken fingers because they were delicious. The machine dinged, charged my account and I whistled as I opened up my browser and returned to reading Dragon Ball Z, Volume 9, and the quest for the Namekian dragon balls.

The machine dinged and I grabbed my food tray and sat down by the edge of the cafeteria. The silence would have been deafening but I simply played the selection of symphonic metal as I ate and read.

I nodded along to the lyrics as the half-decent chicken meatloaf filled me up.

I finished and brought my tray back to the vending machine and put it into the pile where the machine would wash and reuse it. I am pretty sure I have been using the same tray, utensils, and cups for the last four years.

Which was also what the eight other people used. Hmmm. Eighty-four years of use was freaking awesome. Kinda worrisome, but neat none the less.

I stairway back to my apartment. I walked in and wished I had a condo like the middle class or, better yet, an estate like the wealthy.

I quickly showered, the hot water was nice as I lost myself in it. After that, the system switched from water to air and a warm rotated around me, drying me in a minute.

I changed into my sleepwear, one of my luxury goods as it was soft and snuggly.

I snuggled into bed. The small apartment was dimly lit as the lights slowly softened into darkness. I yawned.

With a thought, I checked my calendar. I let out a long sigh as I calmed my mind and slowly drifted to sleep.

One day down. Two-thousand two-hundred and ninety-one days to go.