There was nothing outside. A thick, stalking, mind-crushing void, waiting for a false move to get in, and kill everything in seconds.

The halfway trip alarm went off. Silently. Enough to alert Omni. As if she needed one. Ceremoniously, she stood up for a moment. Checked all the systems. Routine protocol. Done.

Omni was ready to start the project. She knew how important it was. The moment she was made for had arrived. With a graceful movement, she started printing the first subject. She made sure to record the date and time in the project’s log. Maybe she should have had thought of a speech to make now, but she couldn’t think of anything.

‘00010001000,’ she said aloud and laughed, adding a note to herself to remember to give it a second thought later.

The printing, if no issues arouse, was going to finish in 3 hours 23 minutes and 6.3 seconds. She needed to give full attention to the whole process, apart from piloting the starship. And she was nervous, kind of, at least she thought so. She was indeed still new to some feelings.

3 hours 19 minutes and 6.6 seconds to go.

She was impatient to see the result.

3 hours 17 minutes and 5.4 seconds to go.

Time seemed to go slower, even if she really knew that was not possible. Not there at least, she laughed to herself.