Tera
2099 Words
Benedict and Zack were sitting in the kitchen smoking and talking about the recent events that occurred to them.
“I never thought a black hole could save my life,” Zack was surprised and at the same time could not believe what saved them.
“Yeah,” laughed Benedict. “The thing that is designed to kill saved our lives and by the way great thinking with the rockets.”
“Oh come on you would have done the same,” Zack comforted.
“No, I wouldn`t have, I panicked, remember?” said Benedict.
“It happens to all of us,” Zack kept trying to cheer up Benedict.
“No I am a captain and such things are not expected from me,” said Benedict.
“Why not? We are humans remember? I mean take me, for example, I would never be a captain I don`t feel ready I can`t take that responsibility, I don`t know how you do it,” said Zack.
“Oh now that`s comforting,” laughed Benedict as Zack stood up and grabbed a piece of paper from the counter. “So listen…” Zack became serious.
“What?” Benedict went grim as well.
“The black hole wasn`t a black hole at all,” Zack shocked Benedict.
“What! Well, then what is it?” Benedict was confused.
“I`ve run some tests and…it checks out, no Hawking radiation, nothing besides it pulled us to fast,” explained Zack as he handed him the paper.
“Zack are you saying that there is a….”
“Yes, there could be an advanced civilization that left the wormhole there, and advanced civilizations are always bad news for a civilization like us,” warned Zack. “I didn`t want to say anything to the rest, because I didn`t want to scare them,” Zack looked seriously at Benedict.
“Come on… we`ll be fine,” Benedict ignorantly swooshed with his arm.
“Guys are you going to help me clean this place up?” asked Simon as Benedict instantly tucked the paper away and acted as everything is fine and at the same moment Sarah announced on the radio that they arrived at the planet.
“Perhaps later,” replied Benedict as they strode out of the kitchen to look at the planet.
“But…” Simon was left alone.
Peter and Benedict were watching at the planet with their eyes wide open like they`ve seen a ghost as Dave approached behind them.
“You guys look like you`ve seen a ghost,” he turned to them, but they did not move nor flinch and just kept staring at the planet. “Oh look this one has a moon…okay, what the f**k is that?” Dave opened his eyes wide as well. The planet was the same as Earth the same size, the same shape of continents; the same moon except there was no life.
“How is this possible!?” Peter asked.
“Just because it looks Earth…ish does not mean anything,” Viktor tried to calm the situation.
“It could mean a lot of parallel universes and stuff,” Peter contradicted him.
“We should question ourselves, what do we know of this universe?” Zack underestimated human's understanding.
“Okay, I don`t care I`m going down there,” Benedict acted like a kid.
“NO!” Sarah burst out of nowhere as everybody looked at her. “I mean who knows what could be down there!” she looked angrily at Benedict.
“No, I know what`s there,” said Benedict. “There`s someone who has nothing better to do, but to wait for us and kill us,” said Benedict as he grabbed a visor and left the bridge.
“Hold on I am coming,” Zack followed after him.
After thirty minutes the two of them went down.
“Okay so oxygen, no aliens, and no sandstorm, most importantly no one is here to kill us, you are safe to come, people,” scanned Zack. After some time all of them were down on the planet doing the same routine they did with the first planet and it was all good, they congratulated each other for landing on yet another hospitable planet.
“This is all good but we`ve got to leave,” Sarah looked around the horizons of the planet.
“No,” replied Benedict.
“No?” Sarah was confused.
“I am staying here… You can go thought I`m not holding you back, after all, I found this place, I would like to stick around,” Benedict wasn`t going to miss this chance.
“Yeah but.., what are you going to do alone?” Alexander asked him.
“Start colonization for the scientist to come,” the captain explained himself.
“So there is no way talking you out of it?” Zack asked him.
“Nope,” he replied shortly.
“What an adventure huh?” Simon asked him as they shook hands. “Shame there`s no spices here, I could experiment with,” Simon looked at Raven who made a mocking face to him.
“Yeah,” he replied happily.
“The crew will need you and miss you,” Dave said goodbye to him.
“You will manage,” Benedict was confident in them.
“Bye animal!, Boosted ape!, Mongol!” those words came from Alexander, Viktor, and John as he simply replied with a farewell, as Raven didn`t say anything and just hugged him.
“What`s with the sentimentality we`ll see each other again,” the captain was sure about that, given that Khan wouldn`t just let him have a planet all by himself. The last one was Peter whom Benedict promoted to captain.
“Take care of them, captain, oh, and tell them in Goddard this…” Benedict whispered something to him. Whilst Benedict was telling him, Peter noticed in the distant horizon what seemed to be a human figure. But it could not be it, after all, Dave`s scanners showed no life signs on this planet, never the less he chose not to tell the others, “It`s probably nothing or a tree” he thought.
Two weeks later they arrived in IASA.
“So he stayed?” asked Khan.
“Yes, he also whispered to me that he wants to name the planet Tera and the moon Luna,” explained Peter.
“Oh…that kid, tell him that Earth and Moon are to sue for copyrights,” said Khan as Peter changed his expression to puzzled.
“What was that sir?” he asked.
“Tera and Luna are Latin for Earth and Moon, or at least I think it is,” said Khan.
“Oh…” Peter got the joke and laughed, but then remembered that the planet looked like Earth and is no coincidence why Benedict chose that name. “Now we will all like to go back to him,” Peter asked for permission.
“Tell you what…” Khan paused for a while as something came to his mind. “Why don`t you go grab your captain and survey a planet that I have in mind,” proposed Khan.
“Really?” he asked.
“Yeah you did a mighty fine job with the mission we gave you, besides you showed Jane you are capable, she is nowhere to be seen,” Khan was happy for once as Peter laughed.
“Thank you, sir,” they shook hands and Peter left his office.
“Zack?” Khan was surprised.
“I have a question sir, tell me how time dilation is not working?” he asked.
“Oh…well there`s this device on the ship that`s connected to an atomic clock on Earth as that device just acts together with the shields protecting you from any time breaking vandals,” explained Adam. “Something Star Trek and Star Wars or any other sci-fi movie has failed to explain,” smiled Adam.
“Have you been here the whole time?” Zack asked him. “Where did he come from?” Zack turned toward Khan who was also surprised. “Okay I am gonna go now,” Zack slowly walked out of the office in shock.
“They`ve done well on their part, and you let them go again,” said Adam.
“Yes they deserved it, they are free now, hell they don`t even have to come back anymore, but the question is…how are we doing on our part?” asked Khan.
“Bad…” exhaled Adam. “More and more people every day,” he looked at Khan.
“Well then…” nodded Khan. “I guess we are going with your plan,” he said.
“I guess we are…” said Adam who also nodded.
“So how did it go?” Sarah was anxious as Peter didn`t answer her and just smiled indicating that everything is good. Two weeks later they barely managed to persuade their parents to let them go, but with a little lie and a little hiding certain things from them, they managed to get permission. As Peter readied the Star Fury and embarked again.
They arrived at the planet and from the horizon appeared a figure with long dark hair and round glasses a figure that looked like a nerd.
“Told you we`ll see each other again,” he smiled at them.
“We have a new mission,” Peter said to him as they looked at each for a while, at this point they were all confused and probably expecting for the captain to let them down, but he smiled and accepted as all of them entered the ship.
“Let`s go,” ordered the captain.
“Yes captain,” John pushed the lever, as Dave started laughing.
“Guys do you think that we should have a unique saying?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” asked Raven.
“Well, you know something like: To go where no one has ever gone and blah, blah, blah…”
“Yeah we should,” agreed Viktor.
“Okay, here`s a good one: To go where the stars shine the brightest!!!, haha what do you say?”
“Stop it!!!” Raven yelled at him as Viktor was laughing the Star Fury disappeared in an instant.
In a dark room whose white walls were covered with pictures of important figures and events of history and connected by a red thread. They were illuminated by the big screen, a man approached the screen and starred at it he wore what seemed to be a golden armor of sorts and on it implemented various additions, he stood in front of it starring as on the screen appeared Benedict saying his goodbyes to everybody as he decided to stay on Tera.
“Look at this” the man moved away as a lady walked inside the room.
“We can`t allow this,” said the lady in a good British accent.
“What must we do?” asked the guy as the lady moved to the back and disappeared in the darkness. She looked at two pictures that were attached on the wall aside from the others the two pictures were those of a man and a woman somewhere in their thirties, the lady made an angry expression seeing the pictures and walked away. She returned wearing the same golden armor as the guy. He looked at her as she pressed a button and her appearance slowly morphed into someone else, she wasn`t a female anymore, her face, and her skin color was changed in a matter of seconds just like magic... she became Khan.
“We must unite them with… Azra.”
- Writer
