Journey to Amarethea

Nee stood in front of the window. Slowly she stretched out her hand to reach the blue button. Now she can reach it. A few months ago, she was too short to reach the button, Orak had to come with her to push the button. But Nee did not like it, she wanted to come alone.

Orak is Nee’s personal caregiver. Orak has no expression on his golden metallic face, but Nee always felt that Orak was irritated inside because of doing that outside his routine work.

But Nee didn’t know that Orak was completely free of anger, irritability and humor. Those human feelings were not given to him, his makers did not install those in him.

Nee pushed the blue button slowly. Every time she comes here and stands here in front of the window at the end of this dark corridor, she experiences a strange feeling, a combination of fear and pleasure.

The opaque lid of the circular window moved aside. Now there is only the transparent lid present. Nee placed her eyes very close to the lid. Now the wonder of space is revealed in front of her. Numerous planets and stars, dense dark nebula, spiral galaxies far away –all out there for her to see, glittering with clear sharpness! What a mysteriously beautiful universe!

Nee learned in school that all of them are in a long journey. They are all going to a beautiful planet far away. The planet, full of green trees and blue oceans.

The astronomers who first discovered the planet many centuries ago, named it Amarethea. Nee and all her other companions in their star-ship are going to Amarethea.

Nee also learned that many years ago, their star-ship Phoenix1 started its journey from a planet called Earth. It was also like Amarethea, full of green trees and blue oceans. But the people there polluted the planet with thoughtless use of technology. They were also engaged in war which eventually proved to be self-destructive.

A group of scientists who wanted to save humanity, started project Phoenix. The purpose of this whole project was to protect humanity from total destruction. So they sent the frozen human eggs and sperms to space.

Far away from Earth, inside the star-ship Phoenix, those eggs could be fertilized and developed into human babies in gestation units. Then when born as human babies, they could be raised and taught by the humanoid robots who will prepare them well for settling down on Amarethea.

Nee does not understand everything about project Phoenix she learned in school. None of the ten children here understand those information totally. But their robot teacher Rusha said that once they grow older, they’ll understand everything better.

Nee and all her companions are of same age, they are all eleven Earth-years old. Rusha said that when they will become seventeen, they will be able to access classified information which is stored in a special device in a special room in Phoneix 1.

Nee came back to her present position from the ocean of her memory. She looked at the beautiful spiral galaxy she absolutely loves. She loves to think that there are beings there just like her. Or like Tavam, or like Orin.

She loves to imagine that someone out there is also looking towards her galaxy and thinking about the possibility of life here. Can they speak? Do they have close friends? Are their friendships similar to her own friendship with Diotima?

Very softly, as if talking to herself, Nee said, "Listen, listen, what is your name? Do you understand my words? I am Nee, will you be my friend?" Then she smiles to herself, with whom she is talking?

Nee heard a sound behind her. It was a familiar sound, footfall of Orak. Orak was coming to take her back to the living quarters of Phoenix 1. It was the time for their group-study. Nee pressed the button to close the window with opaque lid.

Yes, Orak arrived, orange light in his helmet fell on the metal wall. Nee turned back to face Orak. Orak said in his fixed metallic voice, "Nee, this is your study-time. Let’s go there."

Without raising any objection, Nee held the hand of Orak and said, "Yes. Let’s go"