The Impostor

CHAPTER ONE

     "You'll be fine right, Shawn?" He ask, with concern in his blue eyes.

     I gently smiled at him and nodded. "Yeah don't worry much, I'll be back in 2 years." My voice almost crack when I said that. He sighed and cupped one of his hand on my face. I closed my eyes as I felt his lips stick to mine.

     I was the first one to break the kiss as I pull the zipper up of my army-like uniform. I heard him sighed and felt his hands on my shoulders. "I'll miss you," he said, almost a whisper.

     We both hug then I went near the side of the stage.

     The chairman executive officer of the company was doing a speech on stage as I met the crew.

     They saluted me after they saw me. I saluted them back and stand besides a girl who looks younger than me.

     The CEO called us one by one after he finished his speech.

     "And here is our crew for our new ship, for our females we have:

Abegail Maguire

Amberley Crimson

Courtney Blair

Donna Simone

Emberley Klein

Fiona Johnson

     and Samantha Watson," the girl besides me followed them behind.

     "And for our males we have:

Arron Kim

Ben Peterson

Chase Hudson

Christian Kennedy

Fred Walters

Harold Miller

and Cyreil Taylor."

     All of us went to stage and waved our hand to the crowds. They cheered for us, making me not to feel nervous for our launch to space.

     "Fred Walters, Ben Peterson and Abegail Maguire is our engineers and our scientists is Amberley Crimson. The captain is Cyreil Taylor, one of our best astronauts who went to Mars 2 years ago." As the CEO, Arthur Taylor—yes, he's my uncle—said that, we bowed our heads and smiled. I'm the captain, for the first time.

     After the ceremony, one by one, me and the crews shook our hands to the CEO and then the photographer took a picture of us. Me and the boys knelt down in front while the girls are behind us. And then the photographer took a photo of us.

     The first crew for the first ever space exploration.

     20 years ago, was the year where pandemic started. I was only 6 years old that year, the year where my mom passed away due to the virus. She was having a critical illness, like a flu but worst than a flu.

     That was also the year where the people are getting advance at technologies and science. Everything change here to be honest. Climate changes, Antarctica is starting to melt but thanks to advance technology they slow the melting. The Sun is slowly increasing which is a bad news for the next generation.

     The reason why we're doing this mission is to actually find a planet to call a new home. It's not only for us but for the next generation of humanity. We're the only ones who's aware of this. We don't want the people to panic.

     "Cap," I turned around my back. Only to see one of my crew. "Yes, Ben?"

     "The others are waiting for you in the ship, we're leaving in 20 minutes." I nodded then he salute and left me. Ben Peterson, the youngest member of the crew and one of the best engineers in the industry.

     I can't help but to feel nervous. I'm going out from Earth again. I still can't move on from the past. Mission to Mars was difficult, the temperature wasn't the same as the Earth due to its close to the Sun, it was more hot in there that you would start to feel your skin burning and your blood boiling. Many people were dismay by it, I can't help but to think if I was a best astronaut. To think about it, we just waste our knowledge of building a space rocket for Mars, learn about the planet, everything! For nothing.

     Sigh.

     "Checking every ship's system. . . Systems are fully function," said Courtney, while pressing every buttons of the ship. I sat on the middle, checking the navigation systems.