Etap 24 Page

Dr. Aris made a note on her clipboard. “Correct. Now, the bad news. Hydroponic Bay 7 is showing nitrogen depletion. You’ll need to rebalance the solution. The good news…” She paused, almost looking human for a moment. “This is your final stage. ETAP 24. After this, the ship enters the deceleration phase. The colonists will wake in eleven months. You won’t have to be replaced again.”

The silence stretched. Dr. Aris looked at her shoes.

The intercom above the cryo-pod crackled to life. A voice, flat and synthetic, announced: “ETAP 24. Initiate neural priming.” etap 24

A door hissed open. A woman stood there, older, with tired eyes and a clipboard made of actual cellulose paper. Her name badge read: Dr. Aris – Chief Psych.

“The Odyssey ,” he recited. The knowledge was there, planted like a seed. “Bound for Kepler-442b. 140 years from Earth. I am a soil analyst. My task is to test the hydroponic bays every six months to ensure the 5,000 sleeping colonists don’t wake up to sterile dirt.” Now, the bad news

Kael smiled. A small, sad, real smile.

There was nothing. Just static. Just the Odyssey . The good news…” She paused, almost looking human

And for the first time in twenty-four lives, Kael decided he was okay with that.