"We are getting closer to the moon. There is a relay because of the unusual interference, so expect a communications delay soon. The AI on board made the announcement in a soothing, artificial voice. Ariella was absolutely perfect when it came to mission-critical jobs, despite its snarky disposition.
"Alright, HQ," I said before entering the communications. "We're on schedule. Everything is operating without any issues.
"Good to hear," was Earth's crackling response. "To be honest, it's amazing that the ancient piece of metal even came off. The day at the scrapyard must have been enjoyable.
"Wait," I scowled and replied. "Don't tell me this ship wasn't properly tested before launch."
A long pause followed before HQ reluctantly replied. "It's been sitting in storage for a while. We did a basic systems check, but... you know how tight the budget is."
I clenched my teeth, holding back my frustration. It was one thing to be assigned a first-gen Redwing—it was practically a flying fossil—but to find out they barely inspected it? That felt like a slap in the face. I swallowed my irritation. "Understood," I said curtly, cutting the connection.
Turning my attention back to the console, I muttered, "Ariel, please tell me you've checked the hull integrity and propulsion systems. I'd rather not burn up in space if something fails."
"First of all," she said, her voice tinged with mock indignation, "stop calling me Ariel! I specifically chose the form of an alluring female avatar for your convenience, and you give me the name of a cartoon mermaid? Rude."
Suppressing a groan, I played along. "Fine. What would you like me to call you, then?"
"Anything that doesn't sound like it belongs in a children's movie," she snapped. "How about Ariella? It's classy, sophisticated, and far more fitting for my brilliance."
"Done," I said, rolling my eyes. "Now, can we focus? Are we good to go?"
"Yes, Captain." She dragged the word out sarcastically. "The hull is intact, propulsion systems are operating at optimal efficiency, and for an old-timer, this ship has been meticulously maintained. Probably by someone who actually cared about their job."
I glanced around the ship's interior. It was true—despite its age, the Redwing G-1 was in remarkable condition. With a wingspan of a hundred meters and a sleek, stingray-like design, it was one of the original pioneers of single-crew exploration. Its labs were equipped to analyze extraterrestrial material on-site, making it perfect for a solo adventurer like me.
"Approaching the quantum relay station," Ariella said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Instant communication will require your authorization."
I sighed. "They still haven't upgraded the comms relays? We've got superluminal systems now—Mars is practically a weekend getaway—but we're stuck with these outdated stations?"
"You know why," Ariella said. "Superluminal comms require a dense relay network. Updating the infrastructure across the entire system would take decades, and Earth is already patting itself on the back after terraforming Mars. Progress doesn't happen overnight."
"Progress should happen faster," I muttered. "A delay of a few minutes could mean the difference between life and death out here."
Switching the ship to hover mode, I opened a channel to the relay station. "This is Captain Theo Normandy aboard Redwing G-1, requesting access to the Ceres navigation system."
"Copy that, Redwing," a gruff voice replied. "Authorization code?"
I rattled off the sequence, listening as the relay operator confirmed my identity.
"You're clear to proceed. We'll assign you a quantum channel for comms, but remember to stay near relays for smoother communication."
"Understood," I said.
"One more thing," the operator added. "Once you pass the asteroid belt, you're on your own. Anything outside the protection zone is your responsibility."
"Got it," I replied, ending the transmission.
As the ship surged forward, I let out a breath. Space was a frontier of endless possibility, but it was also a lawless expanse where even the all-seeing AI entity couldn't enforce order. Over the years, countless people had vanished—some due to accidents, others... not so innocent.
"Finally," I said, settling back into my chair. "Ariella, set course for the unexplored sector. Maximum speed. Let's make history."
"You've got it, Captain," she said with a playful lilt.
The journey would take about a month, so I decided to enter the stasis pod. It wasn't just about conserving energy—long-duration travel often took a toll on the body. Even with modern advancements, space miners often lost up to ten percent of their body mass on extended missions. I'd need my strength if I stumbled upon something significant.
---
Two weeks later.
I woke to the shrill wail of alarms. My head throbbed as I stumbled out of the pod, groggy and disoriented.
"Ariella!" I shouted. "What's going on? Did we reach our destination?"
"Not yet," she replied, her voice unusually tense. "But we have a situation. There's an unidentified phenomenon about a hundred thousand meters ahead."
I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the stasis haze. "Unidentified? Is it charted territory?"
"No," she said. "There's nothing in the database that matches this. Whatever it is, it's pulling us toward it."
I hurried to the deck, gulping down a glass of water as I scanned the data on the console. My stomach dropped. The readings were bizarre—gravitational anomalies, electromagnetic interference—it was like nothing I'd ever seen.
"Ariella," I said, my voice low. "Is that what I think it is?"
She didn't answer immediately, but when she did, her tone was laced with awe. "If you're thinking what I'm thinking... then yes. It might be the first recorded instance of—"
She didn't need to finish. I was staring into the unknown, and my heart raced with equal parts excitement and dread. If this was what I thought it was, the mission just became far more dangerous—and far more important—than anyone could have imagined.
We were finally near the hazardous zone that had been a issue of debate for most people on earth. But when I was close to it, I felt a familiar presence not physically but like a mental image which boggled my mind!