Hosein Kouros-Mehr - Extinction 6

The ship flies past the moon towards the wormhole. Felina analyzes a navigation monitor. “Mr. Kharon, we don’t have an ETA to our destination. I’m not sure how far away it is.”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t appear on our map.”

He looks over. “Well, how do we know where we’re going?”

“I was hoping you would tell me, sir.”

They sit silently as the star grows larger in front of them, its incandescent bluish light filling the cabin. A black ring surrounds it and demarcates the boundary of a portal. The ship shutters as it approaches the object.

“Falcon, stop immediately!” Manos shouts.

The rocket rapidly decelerates, hurling Manos against the controls. Minutes later, they slow to a crawl and hover in space in front of the star. Manos helps Felina get back into her chair. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” The bright light glows on her face. “Should we cross to the other side?”

Manos turns to her. “What if it’s a one-way road? We’ll be stuck in outer space forever.”

“That’s true.”

“Gareth said there’s a planet out there, but I don’t see anything.”

Felina activates the ship’s telescope and looks through the wormhole. She beams the image onto a monitor. In the magnified view, a dark object blocks a portion of the star.

Manos points. “That’s it! Zoom in.”

A blue world comes into view. Felina waits for the image to focus. “My God, there are oceans.”

“Gareth was right! This must be New Earth.”

“It has white clouds and an ozone layer—”

“And ice caps! That’s probably water on the surface…”

“Not necessarily, sir. It could be a poisonous sea for all we know.”

“It looks like Earth except the land is purple. Why is that, Felina?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to inspect it.”

Manos rubs his hands in contemplation. “We should cross the tunnel.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“What if we can’t return?”

“That’s a risk we have to take. It’s the GoldRock way.” He buckles into the command chair and instructs Felina to do to the same. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Falcon, go full speed ahead!”

“Preparing ignition…” The rocket accelerates and the g-forces hurl them backwards in their seats. As they cross the event horizon, flashes and streaks bounce across space and the cockpit shakes thunderously, detaching electronics equipment from the control panel. Starlight flashes randomly like magnified electrons dancing in orbit.

Then everything goes dark.

“Felina?” Manos shouts.

“I’m still here, sir.”

“What’s happening?”

Seconds later, light reappears as the ship barrels through the passage and exits the other side, spinning rapidly on its axis. The universe twirls from the cockpit window and a planet comes in and out of view. Manos shuts his eyes and vomits. “I’m sick to my stomach.”

Felina’s face grows pale.

“Falcon, stop the ship!” he shouts.

The air brakes activate and the Falcon 12 comes to a forceful halt. Manos releases his harness and hurls into a bag.

Felina breathes heavily. “That was excruciating.”

“I think I’m dying.” He gags. “Did we cross the portal?”

She stares from the window. “Yes, I believe so. Take a look.”

He peers out. “Oh, my goodness…”

They see Earth and the moon on the other side of the portal. Manos turns his head and spots a blue world with two moons orbiting it. “Where are we?”

“Falcon, what’s our position?” Felina inquires.

The navigation console flashes. “You are in the Barnard’s Star solar system.”

“Where the hell is that?” Manos asks.

“In the Milky Way Galaxy.”

Felina reads the monitor. “Mr. Kharon, you have to see this.” Her jaw drops. “I’m at a loss for words.”

Manos looks over. “What is it, Felina?”

“We just traveled six light years in less than a second. We’re 36 trillion miles from home!”

“How is that possible?”

“I don’t know, sir.”

“Get Gareth Allen on the line. Let’s finish this mission and return home.” He buckles in. “Falcon, take us to New Earth and land where it’s safe.”

Boosters fire and Falcon 12 lunges forward, veering to the left and bringing the planet into view. Oceans and white clouds wrap its surface along with a thin ozone layer. A single purple land mass covers the equator.

A voice comes through a speaker. “…Falcon… do you copy?”

Manos jolts upright. “Gareth, is that you?”

“Yes. We lost track of your ship. Where are you?”

“You won’t believe this, but we crossed the wormhole to Barnard’s Star and we’re about to land on New Earth.”

“Incredible. You’ve made history, Manos!”

“Don’t congratulate us yet.”

The ship slows and grid fins pop out from its base. A lead shield emerges from the underbelly as the rocket rotates and descends into the atmosphere, heading for the purple lands.

Felina runs a search. “Apparently, there are 15 planets in this solar system. New Earth is 100 million miles from Barnard’s Star, about the same distance as Earth from the Sun.”

Manos shakes his head in disbelief. “This is amazing…” The sky turns blue as Falcon 12 slows its descent. “Gareth, there’s land in front of us.”

“What is it like?”

“We are flying through white clouds! There are purple mountains covered in snow with streams and lakes everywhere. I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”

A red light flashes and the A.I. comes on. “Please strap your safety belts and prepare for landing.”

Thrusters ignite to slow the ship. They drift downward and land in a valley next to a river. Purple grass and trees stretch across the land into the horizon. Manos looks up to see two silver moons in the vast sky.

The flashing stops. “You have arrived.”

Manos leaps from his seat. “We have no time to lose. Hurry!” He heads for the exit and runs down ten flights of stairs to the dock in the ship’s base.

Felina tracks close behind. “Mr. Kharon, please don’t rush. We can’t get overexcited.”

“It’s too late for that. I feel like a kid in a candy shop.”

In the cargo bay, Felina enters a passkey and a closet opens with two white spacesuits. She hands him a pair of smartglasses. “Please wear these so we can communicate.”

Manos puts on the specs and dons a space helmet. “Gareth, can you hear me?”

“Yes.”

“We’re about to disembark. Stay online with me.”

He suits up in the cargo bay, sliding into a pair of space trousers that auto-adjust to his measurements. He steps into the boots and they automatically seal around his legs.

Felina hands him a chrome rod. “Use this to take samples of the air and rocks.”

“Aren’t you coming with me?”

“I’ll stay here and run the analysis.”

“Have it your way.” He enters an airlock and shuts the door. Felina stands behind a glass panel and initiates a test sequence.

Manos dons a helmet. “Can you hear me, Felina?”

Her voice comes through the speaker in his smartglasses. “Yes, loud and clear.”

“Perfect. Gareth should be on the line as well.”

“Yes, I’m here.”

Felina gestures. “Prepare for safety checks.” A wind tunnel kicks up and the room’s pressure lowers. “How are you feeling, sir?”

“Excellent.”

Seconds later, a green light flashes. “You are good to go, Mr. Kharon.”

Manos smiles. “It’s time to meet our new world. Open the doors!”

The cargo bay opens, exposing an orange colored-land covered in purple foliage. One-hundred-foot trees stretch to the infinite sky, their maroon-colored leaves rustling in gentle winds.