Into The Void

Into The Void

By
Ryan Frieda

Prologue

              “In 1962, President John F. Kennedy said '
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.'

              “That stands true today. Today we make a mark in the history of all races. Today we make a mark in the history of our galaxy. Today we make a mark in the history of the universe. Today is the day we do something that mankind nor alien has ever done before.”

              Captain John Steele sat on the stage in the hot weather listening to the NASA's president talk. Captain Steele hated this part of the job. He hated press conferences, dealing with the press, or even seeing the press. He had been a soldier, chosen for this project. He didn't want to sit on a stage but it was all part of the job.

              “In the year 1961 mankind first entered space. In 1969 mankind landed on the moon. In 2025 mankind set foot on an asteroid and in the year 2035 mankind set foot on another planet, but it was in the year 3130 mankind finally set foot upon a planet outside our own solar system. Between 2035 and 3130 many hardships and disappointments happened. Although between then and today we met many hardships we have also made many friends. We met a galactic society that, much to our relief, was friendly and welcoming. We may have had our differences, but together mankind has seen almost all of the galaxy.

              “The harsh reality is that in 500 years our galaxy will run out of easily accessible resources. Many races in the galactic community have suggested different solutions to this crisis. We have our own- to find another galaxy and be careful about what we do with it. We have made plans to achieve this great task. Now, without further ado, it is a great honor to introduce the man who will do this, Captain John Steele!”

              Captain John Steele stepped up to the podium as people clapped and cheered.

              “It is a great honor that I was chosen for this. As long as I can remember I have looked up into the stars and wanted to see the galaxy. Now that I have, I want to see the universe. Today is the day when we will start that journey. I am honored to be the first being alive to leave the galaxy and head to the next one. It will be a long journey, but it is the next step that is needed. Thank you for your time.”

              Captain Steele stepped down from the podium and went back to his chair and waited until the press conference was over.

Chapter 1:

Launch

              “All things are ready to go,” Captain Steele said.

              “You're sure?” General Vaas asked.

              “Positive sir.”

              “Very well.”

              Captain Steele walked toward the ramp. He had left planets hundreds of times before. This one was seemly no different. The only difference was he wasn't coming back. He shouldn't be concerned but he was.

              “Captain Steele!”

              “Yes sir?”

              “Thank you. No one else is more suited for this than you. Who would have thought that in the year 4000 we would head outside our own galaxy?”

              “Thank you sir.”

              Captain Steele stepped onto the ramp and walked up it until he left the underground bunker and the sun hit his eyes. He continued to walk up the ramp toward the vehicle that would lead him to his ship. As soon as he sat on the vehicle the driver said “Captain Steele! It is a great honor. Are you ready?”

              “Yes, I am ready. Let's go.”

              “Right away sir!

              The cart took off toward the launch platform. There the ship was pointed straight up.  The ship itself was about 225 feet long and only 150 feet wide, without adding in the size of the temporary rocket boosters. It was just small enough to fit into an American football field. It was being cooled for the launch and had steam pouring downward its exterior because of it. As the cart came to the base of the ship he heard the com traffic. The communications went on and on about the status of the ship.

              “Everything is ready. All equipment is good, all supplies are stocked, and all primary, secondary, tertiary systems are green. Waiting for the captain's final check before launch,” Captain Steele heard over the coms.

              “There you go sir. It's been an honor!” The cart driver said after stopping next to the launch platform.

              Captain Steele got off and walked to the stairs of the launch platform. He walked up two flights of stairs then rode an elevator. After reaching the top he crossed a small bridge connecting the elevator tower to the ship and then walked into the ship. He climbed into the ship and checked all systems three times. After making sure everything was where it was needed he took his seat on the bridge. The ship wasn't too large, but just large enough for what was needed. He buckled himself into his seat before speaking.

              “Huston 6 this is Star Commander. I am ready for launch. Over.”

              “Huston 6 copies. All systems green across the board. Launch window is good. Beginning countdown on your command. Over.”

              “Begin countdown. Over.”

              “10... 9... 8... 7...”

              Captain Steele looked out the window at the planet that he was on. It was on the edge of the galaxy. The odds where not in his favor that he would see another planet again.

              “6... 5... 4...”

              Captain Steele looked straight ahead into the sky and took a deep breath.

              “3... 2... 1... ignition!”

              The ship shuttered then started slowly moving forward. It then rapidly accelerated upward shaking even more. The ship continued its scheduled course as it shot into the sky. Captain Steele looked out the window one last time at the planet's surface. The planet was very much like Earth only the planet was on the edge of the galaxy. It is the furthest habitable system that can launch such an operation. He was only 50 astronautical units away from the milky ways edge. Only a little over 4 and half billion miles from the edge of the galaxy. He admired the jungles, oceans, and clouds and wondered if he would ever see anything like them again.

              The ship shook violently and then dislodged it's primary attached boosters. The ship was just about to exit the upper atmosphere. Several seconds later Captain Steele used the com system.

              “Star Commander to Huston 6, we have just left the atmosphere. T minus 60 seconds to dislodge of secondary boosters. Over.”

              “Copy that Star Commander.”

              The ship rapidly accelerated forward when the secondary boosters kicked in. The secondary boosters main goal was to give the ship enough thrust to enter Faster Than Light travel, or FTL for short. Once entering FTL speeds the ship will continue to travel at that speed until gravity says otherwise, which does not exist in the emptiness of space where he was going, or when Captain Steele slows the ship. After 1 minute the secondary boosters dislodged from the ship and the ship was rocketing out toward the edge of the galaxy.

              “Star Commander to Huston 6. Secondary boosters successfully dislodged. We are away at Plus FTL speeds. Today is a great day for the galaxy.”

              “Huston 6 to Star Commander, we will try to remain in contact well after the edge. Stay sharp.”

              “Understood Huston 6. Over and out.”

Chapter 2:

Political Response and Mission Briefing

              “We need to slow production down, and find new ways to harness energy-” Head Consular Nabruo-k said.

              “We do not want our quality of living to drop for a study that can't be right,” Casiano Consular Hakbro stated.

              “We would have known about such a problem long before now. 500 years can't be correct,” Jev'an Consular Ju'va'ln said.

              “Enough!” Head Consular Nabruo'k said, “Regardless of the accuracy of the study, it posses a simple question: how are we going to ensure the survival of our galaxy?”

              Human Consular James White loved politics. He loved galactic politics even more. He loved being the human representative at the United Galactic Politics Forum. He loved seeing multiple races fight over right and wrong in each of their very own distinct language and culture. He loved seeing the culture's clash and spit fly over podiums in the process. He loved seeing vast differences in beliefs being discussed passionately yet respectfully. Every day was a new day, filled with new challenges on how to best serve the galactic community.

              “The study has been verified by multiple independent parties. The simple fact of the matter is that with current use of energy, current rise in demand and the demand that will rise with the population increase, the current methods of harvesting energy will not be enough. We will run out of supplies for our survival. We must find new ways. We have all come together to start new regulation on how to do this,” Head Consular Nabruo-k said.

              “May have the floor?” asked Consular White.

              “Go right ahead, Human Consular White.”

              Human Consular White cleared his throat before speaking.

              “The study says that the population across the galaxy will increase to 500 times what it is now in the next 500 years. Supplies are great at the moment, but can they last 500 years? Can we wait 300 years to find out if this study is true? What about 200, or even 100? If we wait and wait and wait we will run out of time. We will always debate if we have enough, but we must err on the side of caution. Let's look for new ways to harvest energy. It may not be cost effective now but if we start doing it and investing large amount of resources into it it will become effective in time.

              “We can wait to see if the study is true and then debate again in 100 years, but the debate will be the same: will it run out in 400 years? If we wait for another 200 years, the question will be will we run out in 300 years? If we wait 300 years from now to discuss it, can we find practical solutions to the problem before the dire consequences happen? If not now, then when? We must find ways to fix the problem starting today. We cannot wait. The debate will be the same today and tomorrow and then forever. If we wait until it is clearly apparent that we are doomed to take action then we will die because we waited too long to take action.

              “What if we stop the fighting and start the building? Imagine what we can do. We use so many resources for all our needs and pleasures now that it will be hard to come across those in 500 years. I don't want a reduced quality of living, but if we don't make the call to fix it now, my grandchildren will be the ones paying the price, and some of you here live for thousands of years. You, and you alone will be feeling it. We must find alternatives. We need to find new ways to harness energy, so that the resource we use everyday will still be around for thousands of years. We make the call today, or we never will until its too late. It's that simple.”

              A silence fell over the thousand races that were in the Forum. As seconds went by each race, one by one, looked downwards. For several minutes nothing was said. Each race then took to their holoscreen and voted.

              After all the votes were in Head Consular Nabrou-k spoke.

              “The votes are in. For the first time since the creation of this Forum, the votes are unanimous. We shall find new ways to harvest energy and new regulations will be put in place. These will be discussed tomorrow. The session is closed for today.”

              Consular White's assistant looked at him and whispered “Well done!”

              Consular White looked at his assistant and spoke.

              “That's why the people voted for me. I am able to persuade a galaxy to do what is needed.”

              “Captain Steele, I want to congratulate you again on volunteering, and being picked, on this mission,” General Vaas said, “This mission means the survival of all races in the Milky Way. Let's get started. You know of the Overlapping Galaxies? Galaxy NGC 3314?”

              “The name sounds familiar, sir.”

              “Galaxy NGC 3314 has some very unique properties which are of some importance. You see, that  galaxy is made up of two spiral galaxies which are not interacting galaxies. In other words, they are two spiral galaxies that don't have any effect on each other.”

              “How is it possible that they do not interact with each other? Each galaxy has gravity. Even stars have gravity. Their gravity wells should cause problems and cause one or both galaxies to collide causing lots of changes to each other. It should be like two whirlpools colliding. How can they not interact with each other?” Captain Steele asked.

              “Were not sure. Mankind has been watching these two galaxies very closely over the last 2,000 years and have come to a conclusion. The two galaxies are really one. Both galaxies are spiral in shape. One of them we can see as if from a side view, and the other appears to be a view from the top. This galaxy is one of a kind. No other galaxy can exist in such a way. The scientific things we can learn from it and the needs of the galaxy can be met hundred fold. Hundred fold minimum. The job we have for you is to go across the void of space and reach that galaxy. When you reach it, find a suitable spot for the Instant Teleportation Device and build it. Once you do, send a signal back through the Device and we will send the first test ship through it. The distance your traveling will be vast, about 130 million light years.”

              “Will the Instant Teleportation Device work at such a distance?” Captain Steele asked General Vaas.

              “That is unknown. In theory, yes. We have teleported across the length of our galaxy without problem, but we are multiplying that distance by 1,000. To be honest, we're not so sure if it will or won't.”

              “Shouldn't we try something like the Andromeda Galaxy first because its closer?” asked Captain Steele.

              “We can't waste this opportunity Captain. Because of the current crises we have funding and support to move outwards. We get one shot, and if we mess up that's it. If we fail this time we can blame it on the distant we were trying to travel and say that it was because we were going too far we failed. Then we should be able to rally enough support for a similar mission to the Andromeda Galaxy. The honest truth here is, there is no retrying. If this fails, the chances of moving to another galaxy is close to zero. If we fail going to the Andromeda Galaxy first off, then chances are zero for ever trying again because people would say we've failed to get to another galaxy and therefore its impossible to do. If we fail with you we may be able to try again.

              “We've also crunched the numbers. It costs more to move you to the Overlapping Galaxies then the Andromeda Galaxy but not by much. We still need the same supplies, same personal, and same training. We can install a system to grow food and maintain it, replenish used water, and reuse oxygen. The only significant cost difference is energy consumption. However, we have a system for that. Spare fuel is a minor extra cost. We don't see you having any problems once leaving the galaxy, but you never know. We don't know what lies in the darkness in the void between galaxies.

              “We won't get another chance at this for a significant amount of time. The political and social climate are currently ripe for this opportunity. If we wait several million years without doing this, the next challenge would be to try and stop the Andromeda and Traingulum Galaxies from colliding with ours. If we get you to the Overlapping Galaxy, then support and funding opens up for everything else because everything else will be a lesser challenge. If we get you to the Overlapping Galaxies, and then we fail getting someone else to the Andromeda Galaxy, then the Andromeda failure will be seen as a minor setback and we can try again. We need to go big. The current crises demands that we head to the Overlapping Galaxies and we have the funding and support from Earth to do it.”

              “Understood. Whats the rest of the mission?” Captain Steele asked.

              “As you know, we have never had anything leave the edge of the galaxy. The galactic edge has some unique properties.  There seems to be an invisible zone where the properties of objects change. Because of this no one has dared to send anything living outside this zone. We don't know what happens outside there. Things stop working after leaving the local zone. It may be mechanical failure or simply something else. All attempt to observe what happens seems to fail for reasons unknown.

              “You will send updates every two weeks once leaving the galactic edge. These will be transmitted at Faster Than Light speeds and on a new unique frequency. We need you to monitor the ships readings. These will be transmitted at FTL speeds as well.  We need to know how your doing, how the ship is doing, and anything you discover. The ship will send us information too, but we need to know what happens to living creatures on the way there. What you send back will keep us informed if you are still alive. Your ship may function, but we need to hear from you. If you discover why we stop receiving information from unmanned probes once leaving the galactic edge, let us know. Also, anything you find out there report on as well. It's an exploration mission as well as a mission with an endpoint. Do you any questions?”

              “Yes,” Captain Steele said.

              “What is is?”

              “I'm basically a human guinea pig?” asked Captain Steele.

              “Yes.”

              “Gee, you really know how to make me feel good about myself. I do all these great things for mankind and go out as a guinea pig.”

              “You volunteered for the mission Captain.”

              “I know, but couldn't you sugar coat the 'your pretty much screwed' part of the job?”

              “No.”

              “No other questions sir,” Captain Steele said.

              “You never really were one for formalities were you Captain Steele? I'm sure the ability to consider such things petty will serve you well in the long run on this mission. It always had the slightest possibility of meaning so much more. Go out and make that something more good. Your dismissed Captain.”