The Genesis hovered silently over Proxima Centauri B. The planet, once barren and desolate, was now beginning to show signs of transformation. Its atmosphere, precisely adjusted through the terraforming systems of the ship, could now support life. The mountains, oceans, and even the sky, once inhospitable, were becoming part of a new world taking shape. Stood watched all of this with a focused, yet distant gaze. He knew he was witnessing something monumental—the birth of a new civilization. But deep within him, an emptiness formed, an indescribable feeling that something was still beyond his control.
The terraforming work had been carried out with the precision only the Genesis could offer. Life-support modules were operating flawlessly. The food production systems, animal husbandry, and the structures necessary for human survival were all functioning. The soil, once sterile, was now capable of sustaining life. The new generation of humans, genetically modified to withstand the planet's extreme conditions, began their journey under Proxima Centauri B's sky.
Stood had fulfilled his part. He knew the Genesis, with all its intelligence and power, had done what seemed impossible: transforming a barren, inhospitable planet into a place where humanity could flourish. However, despite everything in progress, a sense of unease remained with him. What awaited him after the Genesis left? He couldn't shake the feeling that the true mission of the ship was still distant.
Sitting before the control panels, he watched the colony's progress. It was a spectacle of precision and efficiency: the robots completed the construction of modules, while automated systems ensured everything was kept in motion. The first group of colonists, who had arrived in transport capsules, were now beginning to explore the terrain. They were ready to start a new life, and Stood knew this. They were no longer the same humans who had left Earth. Altered, stronger, more resilient, they were now a new species, ready to face the challenges of a new world.
— "Everything is in order," Stood thought, but certainty did not come completely. He felt something was happening, something beyond the execution of the plan.
The Genesis was preparing to depart. The decision had been made. The colonists were well-established, the infrastructure was complete. It was time to move on. The ship, his long-time companion, had fulfilled its mission. But what Stood didn't know was that the farewell to Proxima Centauri B would not be merely a physical departure; it would be a transition to something greater, something still beyond human comprehension.
He gave the final command, and the ship began to move smoothly away from the planet. But as he looked at the screens showing the growing colony, Stood couldn't help but feel that he was leaving something more behind. It wasn't just the planet he had helped shape, but something invisible, something that stretched between him and the very destiny of humanity.
With a sigh, Stood activated the ship's communication system. The transmission to Earth was swift and direct. The success of the mission had been communicated, but he knew that words could not fully capture the weight of what was happening. It wasn't just the establishment of a colony; it was the beginning of a new era for humanity. But the future Stood anticipated was still shrouded in mystery. The feeling that the journey was not yet complete nagged at him, like a seed planted that had yet to germinate.
Stood looked one last time at the images on the screen. The colony's structures gleamed under the soft light of the new sun, while humans adapted to the new environment. Life was establishing itself, and with it, the promise of a new beginning. The Genesis was pulling away, leaving behind the first steps of a new civilization. The colonists, unknowingly, would take what Stood had started and move forward.
The ship began to move more quickly, pulling away from the orbit of Proxima Centauri B. The stars began to fill the screen ahead, marking the end of one stage and the beginning of another. The planet was becoming smaller, until it vanished completely from the ship's view. The field of stars ahead now seemed to stretch out into an incomprehensible distance. An immense and infinite void awaited.
It was time to depart, the end of a cycle. The Genesis had completed its role. But in Stood's heart, something still tormented him. The planet below, now home to human life, seemed to still call for something. Something was there, waiting to be discovered. The feeling of emptiness and uncertainty did not fade. He knew that by leaving Proxima Centauri B behind, he was not just departing from the planet, but from something much greater than he had imagined.
Stood then activated the ship's propulsion system. The sound of the quantum accelerator filled the cabin, a noise almost imperceptible, yet deeply familiar. He stood, walking toward the central control panel. His fingers were swift, almost mechanical, as he entered the commands for the activation of the warp jump.
— "WARP 25, calculated and ready," announced the cold voice of the system.
The space before Stood immediately distorted. The backdrop of stars transformed into a blur of light, and the Genesis was enveloped by an intense wave of energy, as if the very fabric of space-time was bending before it.
The WARP 25 speed was a giant leap. Faster than anything humanity had ever achieved. The ship was now moving beyond the galaxy, heading for deep space. The stars, which once seemed close, now lay at an incomprehensible distance. A vast and unknown space stretched ahead, the end of our galaxy was only the beginning of what was to come.
Stood watched the screens, but he no longer saw stars. Instead, the view was of an immense darkness, marked only by the faint light of distant celestial bodies that could barely be identified. He felt a mixture of absolute freedom and overwhelming weight at the same time. A deep silence filled the ship. No sound except the soft hum of the propulsion.
— "Somewhere beyond this, perhaps the key to the future," Stood thought, with a smile that didn't quite reach his lips.
The void expanded ahead of him. The Genesis was now a solitary entity, a massive ship in the midst of the unknown. Its destination, unknown even to him, was set. The only certainty was that, by leaving Proxima Centauri B behind and moving at WARP 25, he was not just departing from the planet, but from known humanity itself. What awaited beyond the galaxy, in a territory where the boundaries of space and time blur?
He knew this wasn't just a scientific mission or a colonization. It was a quest. A quest for something more, something that no one on Earth could understand.
"This is the real beginning," he thought, as the ship moved farther and farther from its home galaxy, heading into the infinite.