The Pilgrim Mission

"2 days until the Pilgrim launch."

There were a lot more people in the space flight control center than usual. Employees scurried in different directions, there was tension in the air, anxiety about what would happen in 2 days.

Sarah sat in the boardroom and put her thoughts together. In front of her were several cameras, a man in a solid suit read the script of the shooting and silently spoke the sentences. Closing her eyes, the woman took a deep breath. A few minutes later she heard a voice behind the camera: "We are on the air!".

The host switched on the duty smile and started the interview with a loud and enthusiastic voice.

"Good morning! This is a special report on the upcoming historic space flight! I am presenting to you Sarah, the pilot of 'Pilgrim', the first spaceship to fly outside the Solar System."

"Thank you for the warm welcome, I'm glad to be here," said the woman with a nervous smile.

"It's been a long and hard road, and I understand you've been training for months. Can you give us more details about the preparation process for this mission?"

"Yes, the training was varied and intense. For months, we have been undergoing training on how to fly a ship, handle emergencies, and support each other as team members. It was both exciting and exhausting," Sarah tried to keep her voice straight.

The reporter nodded with understanding.

"Now, can you tell us about the mission's objectives and what you hope to achieve?"

"Our main goal is to explore beyond the Solar System," Sarah paused briefly to better articulate her thought, "We hope to gather valuable data that will help us better understand the universe and our place in it."

"What technology do you use to travel outside the Solar System and back?"

"The installation we use is called Pilgrim Engine. It's an innovative technology that allows us to move faster than light. With the Pilgrim Engine, we will reach distant star systems in a relatively short amount of time. Of course, there remains the possibility of unpredictable events, but I believe that we are ready for the upcoming trials, and that we can achieve our goals and go down in history!" Sarah shared her heartfelt enthusiasm.

"How do you personally feel about this mission, Sarah? Are you excited, nervous, afraid?"

"I will not hide, I am filled with emotions. This mission is unprecedented. We must face our fears and find the will to overcome them. My job is to ensure that we have a safe and successful flight. I am confident in my abilities, in the abilities of the team and in the technologies we use," Sarah tried to express her emotions as clearly and calmly as possible so that viewers felt confident in the agency's mission.

"Thank you for an honest and detailed conversation! This is Tony Stevenson and the pilot of the Pilgrim ship, Sarah Lisbeth," the host politely nodded to Sarah and continued, "Mission Pilgrim starts in two days, stay with us, we'll be broadcasting the launch live on our channel. See you soon!" The man smiled at the camera for a few seconds. Then quickly walked out of the frame when he was waved.

"Pilgrim Launch Day"

Sarah buttoned up some cold metal locks on her spacesuit. Upon reaching the mirror, the woman examined the suit's tightness. She tried to dismiss the idea that something might go wrong. Fear and anxiety mixed in her soul with incredible admiration. Sarah dreamed of this flight from the moment she knew about it. It will go down in history as the first pilot who left the solar system.

Moving along the corridor to the launch site, she felt awe at the beauty and power of the spaceship. Sarah stopped at the viewing window and stared at the miracle of modern technology, a silvery-white ship. Pilgrim's hull was curved, smooth, and shimmering in the sunlight.

The woman was waiting for permission from the Center controller to get on board. The lock was slowly approaching by the rest of the crew.

Sarah heard a woman's voice through the intercom, "the Pilgrim was ready. You can get on board."

After the entire crew of the ship was on the bridge, final preparations for takeoff began. Inside the Pilgrim was covered with smooth white panels with bright lighting. On each wall there were several monitors to monitor the status of different systems.

The astronauts took their seats and buckled up, connecting their space suits by cable to the ship's internal systems. Sarah one by one lowered down several silver switchers. "Ready to take off one minute," a voice sounded through the intercom.

Sarah slowly put her hand on the engine lever. Closing her eyes, she gathered her thoughts. This is the moment that will change the future of humanity.

"Break!" a man's voice shouted sharply in Sarah's ear, and the woman lowered the lever down.

The engine roared deafeningly, the ship began to shake. The Pilgrim gained strength and flew away from Earth.

The ship docked with a special structure that simulated gravity and allowed it to live in space for a long time. It was only a few minutes before the Pilgrim Engine was launched. Pilot Sarah Lisbeth looked into the porthole of the bridge.

The Earth seemed so small and vulnerable, and the woman felt a flash of fear and sadness. It was her home, the only place she ever knew, and now she was leaving it behind, embarking on a journey that would take her farther than a man had ever come. Sarah couldn't stop thinking about all the things she'd left behind, the people she loved, the things she might never have to do again. It was hard, but she knew it was a sacrifice she was willing to make, a small price to pay to be part of something so incredible, so remarkable. Sarah will be part of a great history. She will help humanity to explore space.

"Pilgrim Engine startup initialization, warp jump after 15 seconds," voice through intercom was heard with more and more interference, but it was still possible to understand the speech. All Sarah had to do pressed the green button that lit, so the ship would rush directly into the Alpha Centauri system. "Launch," ordered a voice from the speaker, and Sarah took her breath away. She closed eyes and pressed the button.

"The time is unknown..."

The Pilgrim crew has just successfully completed the first warp jump in human history. It was an incredible moment that should have gone down in history as one of the most innovative achievements in human exploration.

Without delay, Sarah and the rest of the crew proceeded to diagnose, testing each system and making sure that there was no damage that could jeopardize their journey.

"Something is wrong. Something is clearly wrong. It can't be," the woman's thought rushed through her head.

"Captain, you should see this," said Sarah slowly.

Based on the coordinates of the spacecraft's position, they were at the same location they started.

Sarah gave a cursory glance into the porthole in front of the control panel. There was a lot of debris around the ship, like large asteroids. Here should be the Earth.

"Are there any signals? Any? What do the ship's sensors show?" asked the captain.

Sarah ran the scan by pressing a few buttons on the panel. Those few minutes of waiting were perhaps the longest in Sarah's life. The results of the system puzzled the team. There was nothing else in the place where Earth was supposed to be. Sensors detected neither the planet nor signals from other ships. Nothing.

All crew members were stunned into silence. The entire planet could not simply disappear.

Sarah felt like she was in a nightmare. The crew was alone in cold space, without contact with their home planet. They had no choice but to try to figure out what had happened to Earth. No one could believe that they could remain the last people in the universe. There was clearly some glitch, some mistake.

But if not a mistake, what then?