*Flight E-I-O #7583, Begin Boarding"

A cool voice spoke over the PA, jolting you from your silence to gaze around the gate waiting area, turning your head towards the counter you were sitting near, you saw the screen light up

[Pan-Am Airlines] [EIO7583] [TNS-ITSS] [0622] [Now Boarding]

People around you slowly began to stir. As you looked up, you could see the amber heavenly rays of the morning sun gracing leather seats, which were neatly lined up in rows around the gate

This was, of course, your flight, a 3-hour-long shuttle from Tokyo's Spaceport to the International Trans-Solar Station, then to Jamestown, the Capital of the Moon.

You got up as people began to line up at the gate. Turning your head out towards the windows one more time, you could see the towering Mass Driver. The thunder of one of the SSTOs resonated across the spaceport as it launched, ripping up and across the track into the sky at breakneck speeds before soaring off into the air.

You had your ticket scanned before you headed into the Jetway. Looking through the the windows on the jetway, you could see the aircraft, a Boeing 909-100 'StratoClimber', one of Panam's finest SSTOs. Soon, you arrived at the cabin door, where the passengers were filing in. As you entered, you found that despite its arrow-like thin exterior design, the cabin was surprisingly spacious, with rows of fluid lounge-like seats on each side of the walkway. Finding your seat, 18A, you slipped in.

Finally, once everyone had settled in, the cabin door was sealed. The slim screen in front of you came to life as the standards of Triple O (Out Of Orbit) Travel were explained to you, as the SSTO began to taxi out. Gazing out the window you could see the Tokyo-Narita Spaceport in all its glory, a large complex housing both vertical and mass driver launched shuttles, as well as the newly built space-elevator rising in the distance from Tokyo Bay.

Within the next few minutes, the SSTO taxied towards the Mass Driver, over the intercom a voice crackled on

"Good Evening, Ladies and gentlemen, I'm your Pilot, Captain Shiroji Alexander, and I will be taking you folks to the ITSS, and Beyond, On Behalf of Pan-American Airlines. Enjoy our flight. Standby for Launch"

You could feel a slight lurch as the shuttles landing gear clamped into place with the driver's accelerators locked on.

Seconds later you could hear the roar of the afterburners as the shuttle moved in a sudden jolt. In mere seconds, gravity pressed against you as you were launched forward, the force of multiple Gs pressing into your body as you rapidly accelerated. Out of the window the Spaceport flashed by, before falling beneath the clouds as you were flung from the driver, ripping through the sky. In less than a heartbeat, you were already above the atmosphere, slowly orbiting the earth, the dark abyss of space contrasting with the bright blue, white, and green of the planet.

There was a gentle chime the feeling of lightweightedness associated with zero-g travel filling your body as the intercom crackled once again to life.

"We've passed the Karman-Line, feel free to unfasten your buckles and roam around the Cabin as you wish. Our estimated time of arrival is about two hours and forty-two minutes, drinks and snacks will be served shorty, and I will be joining you in the cabin momentarily."