Into the Void

Chapter 1: Can You Hear it Calling

Log 500, Day 10,227

“Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. I heard someone say that once, and it's really stuck with me growing up. We as a human species have been exploring space since the beginning of time. It was about 16,000 years or so into our existence before we even found a way to make it out of our own atmosphere and to our only moon. Before Athena Alula, we never made it outside of our solar system.” Finally, as hope of ever making it farther than our nearest solar system was fading, Athena discovered a way to bend time space. Athena created what She called GaiaNovas; they were essentially devices used to create wormholes to any coordinates both on Earth and through space. Essentially teleportation had been born.

At first these devices were designed to teleport one person at a time, but they did come with one side effect. If your coordinates were the slightest bit off, you could end up in a wall, in the middle of the air, or in between floors. Or worst of all, if trying to travel through space, you may very well find yourself in the void; wondering if anybody can hear you scream, as you take your final breath of nothingness, and watch your world fade into eternal darkness…

It wasn't long before we as a species militarized and weaponized it, and eventually commercialized it. We as a species adapted the devices to transport entire fleets of ships, yet still had to travel at sublight speeds to first learn of new locations they can go. Once they discovered new worlds they could create permanent GaiaNova stations and travel back and forth from one location to the other. And thus, colonization groups were formed. Rather than attempting to send fleets of militaries, we would assemble giant colonization ships built for intergenerational travel. The ships would have their own hydroponic farms, schools, recreational areas, and of course, military barracks. These colonization groups would be going on trips that can last up to anywhere from 100 to 500 years. The groups would be intergenerational travelers, thus knowledge needed to continue to be passed down as we as a species set off into the stars and paved the way to search out new worlds. My ancestors were the ones to expand the human footprint on other worlds other than Earth. The first being, Pandora, where they were able to create peaceful settlements and continue their journey into the stars.

“Captain Astro Calypso, starting my new daily log. Today is my birthday, I have earned my title of captain of the Titan 1 today, and I can’t help but feel the pressure of what that means,” I spoke into my computer. I was Born on the ship the Titan 1, on this day, 10,277 days ago. We are on a voyage that is set to make a landing in 3 more years on the world of Mosstrop. “I am tasked with keeping all colonizers aboard healthy, safe and alive. At least until we arrive on Mosstrop, then lord knows how things will turn out. We weren't able to gather as much intel on Mosstrop as we were Pandora; just that this planet appeared to contain more signs of life and that it was habitable for our species. I can't help but fear what obstacles lay ahead, we are headed toward uncharted lands. Who knows how evolved the species is on this planet. Pandora was Easy, it was an uninhabited world with a plethora of resources. I have been briefed on what to possibly expect, but when being in charge of so many lives, I feel there is no room for error. “

For now, I will get to know this ship better than anyone else, and prepare. Prepare for the worst, but expect the best, that's what my father used to always tell me, and now its what I always tell myself; only by thinking of every possibility can you be prepared for any turn of events, and how you react to these events; are what make the difference between you arriving to your destination, or being devoured by the void and all that it has to consume.

2 Years Later…

Log 1,230 Day 10,957

“It's been 2 years two the T since I have been captain of this ship, and I have Learned more than I could have ever thought imaginable. The ship's crew works endlessly to make sure that everything stays in order, they are really people you can trust to do their jobs, and a good one at that. I dont ever have to worry about much other than the occasional asteroid field we need to redirect around, but for me it feels like I have drawn the short end of the stick. Everyone on this ship has a purpose, sure I have a purpose as well, but things lately have been boring and it's hard to tell whether or not anything I do matters.” When you go on these trips and you face the challenges that come with it, mine up until this point have been mental. I feel as though my purpose on this ship is almost so expandable; if I were to die I can easily be replaced, meanwhile all the other crew members seem irreplaceable.

Log 1,231 Day 10,958

Well it seems shit has hit the fan…

“Captain Calypso, Logging on to have a series of events recorded; we have been greeted with an alien fleet.” This is not what we expected when we were briefed that these lands had more signs of life than Pandora. Mosstrop appears to be highly evolved and has technology that is equal to, if not superior to our own. They seem to have jumped from hyperspace just across from out ship, which when we encountered resistance I finally had something important to do! I needed to think fast, else our ship would be introduced to the Void. “I have reached out to this alien fleet without response, they have not attacked us yet and it would take quite some time to assemble a Gainova station. I am not left with many options other than an attempt at diplomacy, at least to buy our ships some time to figure out exactly how we could outwit these alien folk and gain some sort of leverage.” My options were thin, but this is what I was put into this position for, to be able to make the decisions that can save lives. I will not fail us, I will not falter, and I will protect this ship until my last dying breath.

This universe is so vast and unknown. I mean who would expect and entire alien fleet to appear right before their eyes, yet this is what has happened, therefore I was left with no choice. There aren't just soldiers aboard the ship; there are families and civilians that vastly outnumber our military force; we are on a mission of peace and although we would not leave ourselves defenseless, we don't go around with intentions of malintent.

“I will board my own pod with my most trusted advisor and set course to meet with the mothership myself. If they blow us up, I'll have my second in command ready to start our getaway. We have to remain peaceful because otherwise we are like sitting ducks, we still haven't mastered hypertravel, we only have the Gaianovas. So i will buy us time to at least build a temporary gainova by offering myself to their mercy, and maybe perhaps come to a peaceful agreement with these folk, who clearly may be more advanced than us, yet we were close enough to their planet that this calculation wouldn’t be such a difficult one and therefore possible with the right technology. Captain Calypso, signing out, as I head into the void between our ships, hoping not to be vaporized by some sort of laser weapon, perhaps this will be my chance to hear whether or not my screams can be heard in the vacuum of space, or maybe that vacuum with just suck those sounds up like they never existed. I will keep my coms open so that everything FoL and I go through can at least be documented. ”

And so I set off with my most trusted advisor. It's the Flower of Life, an AI capable of translating any language as well as locating other worlds. It is also a sentient being, and to be highly respected, for it is greater than any man can ever be. It understands the true meaning of creation, and a piece of me feels so connected to it, I think it may be the only reason this alien fleet has not annihilated us yet. As FoL and I set off into the void between us it says to me “I believe we have a 36% chance of making it out of here alive.”

I responded to FoL, “way to be optimistic buddy, this is why I love having you around, you aint afraid to give it to me straight.”

“It is better to be straightforward and clear, that way there is never confusion about what you are sayng.” responds FoL

“So only 36% Chance huh? At least it means I should make it into one of these ships. Do me a favor FoL, try to steer me in the right direction so we can land inside that 36% percent chance,” I said.

“No can do Cap, I will be but a means of communication on this trip, the rest lies on you and the decisions you make and choose to communicate,” Said FoL.

Well shit, FoL cant do shit to help me other than help my communicating with them. Man, if you ever find yourself caught in the void with nothing but the fact that a potential enemy hasn't attacked, you really start to wonder. Will they hear my screams if anything goes wrong? At least we had not been blasted out of space yet. That gave me hope, hope that we would reach this unknown, yet highly advanced species, and potentially become allies with them. There must be something to offer that a highly advanced society may have use for. Shit, we made it as far as here, there could be no turning back, we would either all make it out of this alive, or we may have the chance to hear the echoes of screams in the void as our very existence is annihilated by these beings. I personally as well as I'm sure everyone on board the Titan1 wishes for the former.

We began to approach the mother ship and seem to have been caught by a beem that seemed to take control of our pod and begin to drag us into a port that simultaneously began to open. I looked like we were headed into their docking space. These beings, clearly were not new to space travel. They had fleets that can appear on command and mother ships that had docking ports that looked like a mile long platform with ships lining both sides and an open runway for anyone to take off. These people were not to be messed with and our ships only chance at survival lay in the hands of a second generation captain, born in space, who knew little about what was out there other than how to fly and navigate a spaceship. We began to doc and it looked like there were two beings there to greet us; these beings looked like giants, but long forms, meaning they have probably been traveling space as a species for several generations. Even so they looked like people who weren't playing around and they pointed their space weapons at us as we began to land. Well we are fucked, FoL I hope you make me sound like a prince when I talk to these folk, because the wrong thing and boom, ill be finished; or even worse they will make me watch my civilization destroyed before finishing me off.

“Well FoL, This is it, our moment of truth, I pray that the universe will guide us to a peaceful resolution,” I said to FoL.

FoL Responds, “Just Align yourself with my ways and the universe will guide you into what is meant to be, as it has a plan for everything, and trust me when I tell you this Cap, My intuition tells me this is only the beginning of our journey, and these beings stand to be a great ally with us. Let us discuss with them that we are not looking for war but for partnership, an ally in our travels throughout the unknown, and if they’d be willing to show us their home and share some information with us that we would be blessed by them and forever consider them a friend to our people.”

“Easy for you to say, all you are going to be doing is translating, im the one who has to play this delicately,” I responded. Our Ship had finally finished docking and the doors opened.

Well, I guess its time to find out what this void has to offer, lets hope they are a peaceful people, and not someone we must consider an enemy. Meanwhile as we began our journey into the unknown, our brightest minds back on the ship began their work, constructing a GaiaNova, so that in the worst case our people can retreat back to Pandora and mount a potential defense, if these beings choose to follow us and try to annihilate us all. Or so I hope.

“This is captain calypso, with FoL on my board signing off on my log, pray the universe has my back and wish me Luck, hopefully this is goodbye for now.”

Chapter 2: New Perceptions...