The Dawn

Year: 4012

Time: 19:10 Intergalactic Standard Time

The Atss 5000, Lightyear Travells’ newest model in its line of light-year-space-travel engines, hummed a steady throb that reverberated through the ship as we started it up for the first time. Being a rookie aboard the largest space shipment’s most decorative ship was a privilege when you’re just out of flight school, especially when you’re on its maiden voyage. I was up in the bridge, Captain R.S Houston, the most seasoned captain of the company, was boasting orders and manning the wheel as we took off from the plant Ryun, an intergalactic hot-spot that I was training on.

As I watched the boards light up with wonder the Captain spotted me, waving me over to the wooden wheel, I had forgotten what the tour guide I had been stuck with told me, do not tangle with the higher ranks. “Ahh, Sahara de Aurora, how you have grown.”

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, he’s a long time friend of my recent passed father, Odin de Aurora, or Odin the Dawn. We adopted the name from being one of the leading families in the rebuild of our race, the dawn of the new age in the stories. I, being his only daughter, youngest of seven boys, was the most successful in following his dreams of one of us becoming a space pilot. It was something that’s been done countless times, being so far from the earliest years of space travel. The light year was what kept the human race alive after the Great Plague, an unknown disease that affects only the Homo sapiens, and they say it still rages on our home planet, Earth.

The immense pull of the lift off made me stumble, but it made several other people fall. I was lucky, blessed with balance and actual brains among the others of our now-rebuilding species. Our numbers had been of only a hundred in the 31st century but now we were up to a million, spread throughout the universe and helping other communities.

Our shipment was made to go to the Milky Way, to a planet unknown, but able to communicate. They had requested fifteen metric tons of fresh water and the same of food, also seeds and equipment for several cities. I was fortunate enough to be there at the time of the request transmission, and the man who reported the request said, “Location blocked, sir, I tried to track them but they were off the map.”

Now, on the maiden voyage of the Odysseus III, I was up at the bridge, the man who had requested me was now babbling on about his life’s works and how this had to top them all. We were flying at the speed of light through the cosmos, watching as the celestial bodies, now charted with super intelligent technology, flew by us. It was truly amazing, I thought nothing could beat that. As we hit hyper speed I felt a tug, we were heading for a worm hole, something that would have been impossible to find if it wasn’t for Galacitta, an ASIB (Ancient Super Intellectual Being) from the planet Tierra, the oldest and most earth-like planet ever found. She had invented the machine that tells the exact route the worm hole takes, along with a technology enables ships to pass through it, even with the massive sizes of cargo and passenger ships.

You definitely need that for this ship, its two thousand meters long, three hundred and two meters wide and a height of forty stories, hull to stern. When you first see her she’s just an awesome sight, her polished up domed decks is the ultimate place to be during a cruise through the stars. Of course, this one may not be a cruise ship but it’s definitely a great liner to be on.

As I watched the worm hole open up I felt my mouth sneak down, this was nothing like the simulation in RSFA, Ryun Space Flight Academy. I saw outside, outside the worm hole, the universe. It was like we were on the bottom of an ocean, in a tube of glass with so many creatures swimming above. Only those creatures were celestial bodies, ones that were brilliantly colored, I had never heard of this.

I mean, I had obviously seen the distinct colors of the universe but this went beyond it. The outside was colored with neon blues, pinks, and other I couldn’t even begin to name. I saw black clouds forming, blocking out the colors and all of the stars wherever they hovered.

Dark matter. I had heard of this in the academy, but nothing of the vividness and awe that came from it.

I flinched when the walls of the worm-hole started to fluxuated, bending and distorting our pathway. A normal thing, Captain Houston assured everyone, and I went back to watching with a bit more confidence. As we came to the other side of the worm hole I saw our ancestors home, the Milky Way.

It was huge, the great swirls of arms, dotted with the various stars resting upon it, spread out before the ship as if a barrier, trying to keep us from entering. The light coming off the star in the middle was immense, illuminating the mist-like clouds hanging lazily around the whole place, giving it a mysterious look. As we neared the captain called out, “Where’s this drop off zone?”

“Uhh, sir, our system’s equipment is on the fritz.” Said one of the crewmen.

“What do you mean, ‘on the fritz’?” Captain Houston asked, narrowing his eyes at the crewman. “This is the maiden voyage of the Odysseus III, that’s impossible.”