space rocks

You are the last to wake up, again.  Doc Penner puts the blood pressure monitor on your arm, checks your vitals, and then gives you the green.  You leave the FTL-ship to search for Professor Jane.

 

“We made it back, against all odds.” You approach her sleep station entrance.

 

“Not all of us, Charlie.”  She has a laptop strapped to her wall and is holding on to it with trembling hands. Her eyes are bloodshot and you notice a wet tissue floating in the corner.  You see a video of Professor Scot in pause.  It’s the message to his family. “I can’t get myself to send it.   No one should bury an empty casket. You know, he wrote me a letter, he said he had a feeling that he wasn’t going to make it.  He said he was ready.  That he didn’t fear death.  Said some things about heaven and that he is with the Father now.  Asked me where I’d be. Rather him than me, I didn’t write any letters.  If I did they wouldn’t have been like these at all.”  She takes out a letter from a blue bag strapped to the wall and waves it at you.

 

  Doctor Penner approaches you and Professor Jane. “Jane, you should let the kid get ready for the trip back down.  Spoke to Moorland, he said the funeral will be in a week.  They made it public.  Professor Scot is a hero to every nation.  We all are.”  She places her hand on your shoulder and nods once to Professor Jane.

 

You feel your throat drying.  What if it wasn’t the rock that would hit?  What if you could’ve done it all over to save Professor Scot?

 

“He should’ve been here, with us.  We are no heroes, we lost a man.  We lost a father, a brother, a husband, a friend.  I will not accept that title.  I failed.  Get the team in Destiny.  They need to prepare.”  She folded the letter neatly and placed it back into the bag. 

 

“Professor?  Are you not coming back?”

 

“Of course I am, but I’ve been preparing to leave for a long time.  Two shuttles will dock to take us back. Only Quinn will stay behind to man the ship.  It is mandatory for everyone else to go to the funeral.”

 

Professor Jane and the team goes to Destiny, Moorland and ground control are on the line.

The meeting is being streamed live to all possible channels.  Never in history has this happened before.

 

“Moorland.” Even on a live stream Professor Jane doesn’t bother to be polite to Moorland.  Moorland’s face looks unsure as he clicks to start the live stream.

 

“Professor Jane, Earth thanks you.  You have all risked your lives to step up to your call of duty.  You have saved us all.  Never have I talked to a group of humans more worthy of praise.”

 

“Now listen, Moorland…”  Professor Jane frowns and points her fingers at his face on the screen.

 

“Thank you, Moorland.  What seemed to have been impossible, was accomplished by not just us, but by every mind that worked together to make the mission possible.  To every soul that worked to build the ship, we thank you.  Without your hard work, none of this would’ve been possible.”  Doctor Penner gently moves Professor Jane’s hand out of the view of the camera.

 

Professor Jane crosses her arms in front of her and looks at Moorland with disdain.  If not for Doctor Penner, no NASA agency would ever use her for public relations again.

 

“Thank you Doctor Penner.  Indeed, the success of our mission did not rest in only the hands of those you see before you now. It rested in all those who sacrificed their time and efforts to make this possible.  And even those who sacrificed their lives.  When we left we had the world’s leading astrophysicist with us, but we lost this great and noble man to the mission when he sacrificed his life to save us all.  To his family, we give our heartfelt condolences.  To his children, you’re father’s name will echo throughout history.  Professor Matthew Henry Scot!”  She bends her arm upwards, balls her hand into a fist and taps the air three times as she says his name. 

 

Moorland turned the live stream off.  Professor Jane straps herself to a chair a turns her head away from the camera.

 

“Uh, yes, uh, thank you Professor.  The funeral will be held next week on Wednesday at 8.  We will do our utmost to give Professor Scot the honour he deserves.  Uh, that will be all.”  He presses his glasses up and looks into the screen waiting for a response. 

 

“Goodbye Moorland.” Professor Jane closes the laptop screen and starts to float out of Destiny to her sleep station.  “Let’s go home.”

 

The next few week on the ship was gloomy, the team spoke little and worked hard to prepare for their return.

Professor Jane walks to you as you sit at the cupola. 

 

“Hey, Charlie.  I know Professor Scot would’ve talked you through the landing, but if you’d like I’d help you prepare a bit.  What do you still need?”  You didn’t realise before how much of a caring person she could be, she frowns lightly and searches your face for any signs of confusion.

 

“Oh, yeah sure.  My stuff is all packed, I went through the manual a few times.  I guess I’m just afraid of landing and for things to go wrong.”  You use your hand as a falling parachute that crash-lands on earth.

 

“Me too, I’ve been up here five times and it’s terrifying every time.”  She pats you gently on the shoulder and floats away.

 

The day of your Journey back has begun.  You return with Professor Jane and Quinn in a Soyuz both of whom is breathing hard and barely speaking.

The same man that talked you through the launch is also now talking over the radio.

Professor Jane undocks the shuttle right above America.

 

“Remember kid, we might not land where we aim for.  Whatever you do don’t pull the parachute open to fast.  Hold on to your chair once the chairs launch from the shuttle.  Don’t try anything fancy, stick to your training and make sure you land close to where we are, but not on top of us.”  Professor Jane rotates the shuttle and says, “falling in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”

 

Falling back down to earth is much faster than flying up.  As you enter the atmosphere flames engulf the ship and then dissipate.  Professor Jane waits for the man on the radio to give her the green light to eject the pod.

 

“In T minus fifteen seconds….eject in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.  Eject.”

 

You burst forward into open air, freefalling for a few seconds you wait the computer tell you the exact moment to open the parachute.  You are approaching an open field just outside of Houston when you hear the AI recording, as you release the chute the pod is yanked backwards.   You feel the pod crash down to earth and roll forward.  You and the others are helped out of the pod by a team of NASA employees and surrounded by a welcom party.  You take a moment to look out to the landscape, I wish you could’ve landed in this beautiful field with me Professor Scot.