There were a series of dull thuds and reverberations as the docking arms pulled back from the hull of the Pontificus. A slight vibration and the chemical engines moved the ship away from the dock, and then a low rumble heard through the engine’s soundproofing as the fusion engines light themselves in nuclear fury. We’re on our way.

I pick up a glass of water given to me by a stewardess, a glass stylishly laser-etched with the Legacy Starlines logo. I consider the way light and non-light interact within the glass and the cup for a few moments, but I feel too restless to continue such pointless contemplation. Voices rise unbidden from my mind.

There’s no escaping the fact you’re running away, you know.
Even a nuclear-powered starship can’t take you away fast enough to outrun the guilt.
The guilt will always be with you. The guilt is part of you now.
And that’s your punishment. You can’t escape the punishment of your own mind…

I let my head fall heavily into my hands. This was not what I had wanted.