Among the Milky Way

1- The Departure

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. Only a simple miscalculation placed the crew in this unfortunate circumstance. Of the original 15 members, only Sarah O'Neil remained tethered to the vessel, with little to no chance of survival. The rest were left drifting among the infinite cosmos, along with the broken scrapes of the vessel. For those left adrift, their oxygen tanks became entirely depleted, no matter how conservative of breaths they took. Removing their masks would kill them almost instantly, and leaving them on would force them to absorb large quantities of Co2 until the body slowly shuts down from lack of cellular respiration. Many say it's a peaceful way to go, almost like drowning without water. Communications were lost, and now, the central life support systems are increasingly scarce with each passing moment. Mother earth, in all her unique magnificence, could be seen drifting slowly out of focus. Mission control was now unreachable. Only short static-filled signals could be heard as they slowly dissipated, cutting in and out with unintelligible voices. There was some hope that a rescue pod would reach her soon if the solar flare didn't fry the suit's tracking device. Where should she find herself, an hour, day, or week even longer? If she reached a new frontier, would it even be habitable? In this vast expanse of infinite possibility, would it be possible to achieve something before it's too late? Of those in the crew, she was the only one with something back home.

* * *

During the height of the planning phase and during the discovery that would determine the species' very survival, it was clear that anything could go wrong. It was not to be rushed, requiring some of the most complex calculations that concluded an entire 98.2% of all possible outcomes. This was the furthest that any humans would have traveled. It was only in the past few hundred years, a fraction of human existence, that humankind became able to reach beyond even their dreams past the stars, floating among the galactic tails. We took to the seas and then the sky as far up as to see the world turning below. New horizons and discoveries place man higher than any other species. With each step towards the heavens, man's ego expounded simultaneously. In some of the most influential minds, this created a more profound sense of how small yet unique we are. With an ego higher than the stars themselves, these discoveries also became man's destruction. These discoveries became much more than a dream; they became a vision where the path toward the stars was paved in innovation, moving us further and further away from God's grace.

Over about half a decade, a dream team was assembled. After the political borders were dissolved, the world's best were gathered and selected for what could be considered the most critical mission in humankind's existence. Each member held vital skills serving as engineers, botanists, chemists, medical practitioners, operators, and soldiers. Many had little connection to anything besides their team and their mission. They were focused and driven. Most were still young and prodigies in their selected fields. Each contained something almost beyond human and, in a sense, almost as robotic as the systems they operate. To go this far made each a hero in their own right. The destination set, Romulus V, held the most promise for sustainability and the future of humanity. Water became so scarce on earth that it became more valuable than gold, silver, or oil. Earth's moon was almost wholly mined out of lunar ice, and Mars, the place that many thought to be this new haven, couldn't produce a large enough amount of resources to sustain the species as a whole.

Each moment leading up to the departure was both exciting and terrifying. Even with the combined efforts of the world's best scientists, there are still uncertainties even now that most countries put aside their differences to reach new heights, not as a state but as a species. Was this species ready? Would human beings inevitably drain this new place for all it has, requiring something else in what; 10, 20, 30 years? Space is unpredictable and man even more so. Complacency would create more issues than needed despite the high percentage of success. An intelligent person isn't interested in the 98%. Their success relies on the fact that they keep a sound, sober intuition that presents itself as almost robotic. The human error becomes much more potent when emotion takes hold of one's rational mind. And just this, human error is what kept the species from evolving further.

* * *

Two large parallel metallic doors released their air pressure and opened. Complex systems that would baffle even the most intuitive minds lined every wall of the ship. Despite their years of preparation, each member began to familiarize themselves with the layout, as did the captain. No amount of practice could indeed detract from the sense of wonder that would soon be bestowed upon them. The cosmos awaits!

At the front sat Captain O'Neil's throne, her position of humble yet strict authority. There was about an hour until take off. Each member of the crew began to take their position. Everyone turned off their youthful sense of wonder and quickly moved to their selected sections in an almost choreographed fashion. Lights and meters began displaying the necessary information; fuel & oxygen levels, weight, altitude, and safety systems. Nothing now kept them from moving forward with their mission. The moment of truth had arrived, yet no one was even afraid in the slightest.

After each member took their position, Mission control began their communications with the captain and crew.

Captain O'Neil turned on her commlink. "All systems all optimal and were ready for departure."

There was a short silence matched with slight static. "All right, captain. Everything looks good from our end. Is there anything you want to say to the world before you go?"

Captain O'Neil thought for a moment. "You see the side of our ship? 'HOPE' I want everyone to keep that in mind."

"Roger, that captain. May god be on your side."

The ship began to rumble. Crew members strapped in, readying themselves for launch. They looked at each other with confidence. Today they would enter the cosmos, left to drift among the milky way inside of man's creation. Despite their close scientific accuracy to potential solutions, there was no telling what could happen. Departure was now imminent.

Mission control radioed in, "Is the crew in position?"

"Roger, we are strapped in and ready to go." Captain O'Neil relayed.

The rumbling of the engines increased in intensity.

"Alright, ready to launch in 1 minute.

Captain O'Neil looked at each of her crew members. They held a calm, confident disposition.

"Is everyone ready?" She asked.

"Roger that, Captain," the crew replied in succession.

Smoke began to fill the air surrounding the space around the rocket.

"Launch in 3, 2, 1."

Large flames protruded out of the engines lifting the towering masterpiece into the sky.

"Everything looks good so far on our end," Mission control relayed.

"Roger that."

Outside the window, the clouds and clear blue sky turned gradually dark as they left the atmosphere. By now, those below were still peering into the sky with only the trail of smoke leading behind the vessel that disappeared into the daytime sky—exiting the atmosphere, the rocket detached from the vessel leaving on the shuttle. It became calm and serene. They were now weightless. All systems were stable.

"Launch was successful," mission control relayed.

"Yep, we're good to go. All systems are stable and were now on course." Captain O'Neil replied.

Captain O'Neil unblocked and turned to her crew. "You're good to unstrap, crew."

Staring out of the front window, she couldn't help out think how beautiful the sky is when not polluted with light. It was challenging to cope with the weightlessness of space. They call it the final frontier but couldn't help but think there had to be more than just a supermassive black hole eating everything into the center. What made this? Only a select few have ever experienced such a feat as leaving the very planet that molded them. For centuries, humans looked into the night sky, mapping every star to find direction. Would they ever even conceived of drifting among them, and among the milky way, among Orion or Ursa major?

Their direction is set, and now all that's left is to keep, even just a morsel of hope for themselves and those they left waiting below.

.... To be continued