Eternal Explorers

Gennaro felt honored to be the Chief Science Officer on the Chrysalis for its maiden voyage. Their mission was to explore the Alpha Centauri system and to help set up teleportation relay stations along the way, like those around the solar system. The Alpha Centauri system sat over four light-years away. The hope was that the relay stations would act like hubs in a network that would allow quicker travel from one location to another, much like airport hubs from the days of air travel on Earth in the pre-eternity days.

Gennaro strode the corridor past research bays on the way to the bridge, smelling the musty concoctions brewing there. He knew he could teleport some of the distance, but he enjoyed the exercise that came with walking and the chance to marvel at various parts of the ship along his route. He heard friends call his name. He nodded his head or waved at crew members as he passed. Each face brought a slough of good memories to mind.

In the corridor, he passed one of the plaques commemorating the Chrysalis for winning first place in the Project Hyperion Design Competition. He ran his finger along the smooth metal groove at the edge. The design for the current Chrysalis spaceship was modified from that original inception. That was in the days before solar sails and interstellar probes had become commonplace, the days when people used AD and CE to label the era. The Chrysalis Gennaro rode was a scaled-down version, carrying only around one thousand people, as the need to cater to various generations no longer existed. Probe data from non-human excursions to Alpha Centauri and advances in propulsion and logistics also informed the modifications. God Himself suggested a few improvements, too, but He tended to let humans figure out things for themselves.

The smell of bacon woke him from his reverie.

He had plenty of time to reach the bridge before they entered the Oort Cloud. Passing through the Kuiper Belt had caused no issues, and they did not expect any here, either. They were planning to leave a relay station they had built on the way but had ample time since they would not enter the Cloud until all ship systems were ready. Protocol called for senior officers to be on the bridge during these crossings. His team was up to any engineering challenges. He had trained many of them himself on missions around the solar system. Since death was no longer a concern, they could focus on keeping the ship running smoothly.

Gennaro greeted his fellow officers upon reaching the bridge. “How much longer until we reach the Hills Cloud?” he asked Captain Phan, who was seated in the captain’s chair, a fragrant cup of Lotus tea nearby.

The captain looked through her virtual screen and answered, “Coming up on it in a few minutes, by our internal clock.” The view closed, and she locked eyes with Gennaro. “Is the relay station ready?”

Gennaro nodded. “It’s set up in Loading Dock 4.”

Captain Phan smiled. “Do you plan to send it out the bay door, or will you teleport it into place?” A new view appeared to her side. “I’ll report our plans and status to Command Central.”

“We’ll launch it out the bay door,” he said. “I like doing things the old-fashioned way.”

The captain smirked. “I remember. You must have some interesting conversations with the Lord.”

“He cheers my…technique,” stated Gennaro. “I haven’t changed it much since Christ returned.”

The bridge buzzed as they approached the Hills Cloud, the inner Oort Cloud, as if everyone were enjoying strong cappuccinos. The captain spoke to her viewscreen to share their progress with those back on Earth. The First Officer, a garrulous recruit from Mars but whose family heralded from Cameroon before the global wars, stepped from post to post checking in with each bridge officer and the tactical crew. The Chief Communications Officer, happy to not be paralyzed anymore, announced their arrival at the Hills Cloud in his booming voice to the entire ship. The Chief Xenobiologist arrived and positioned herself near the biological and botanical view screens. Her family was originally from the Aymara peoples around Lake Titicaca, and her role would become more prominent when they reached Promixa b. Gennaro felt his heart bursting with excitement.

Captain Phan closed her view and stood. She spoke to the bridge crew about this momentous step. They were the first humans past the heliopause, a rough and thrilling experience, and would be the first humans to enter the Oort Cloud, both of which had been considered the edge of the solar system at different times in the past. Once through the Cloud, the next stage of their journey was longer but speedier. They anticipated reaching Proxima Centauri, the faint red dwarf star, in roughly ten years.

She nodded to Gennaro and ceded the floor to him.

“As you know,” he started, “one of our mandates is to seed our route with relay stations in order to make future journeys around the galaxy less cumbersome.” He smiled as he thought about all the scientific and engineering advances that had occurred since the dawn of eternity. “From the beginning, our Lord commissioned humanity to multiply, to tend his Creation and to spread out across the world, and now worlds. We stand at a point in time when we can say, with the Spirit’s help, we have spread out through our solar system and are encouraged to explore further to new systems throughout the galaxy and eventually the universe.”

Gennaro paused for the applause. The crew was enthusiastic for their mission.

He continued, “Teleportation technology has long since made distance a technicality. I won’t go into the details since not everyone has chosen to learn these disciplines.” Several people chuckled. “Suffice it to say, God has directed our paths so that now we are on the forefront of being able to explore our galaxy, and eventually the universe, in ways before thought unimaginable. He is such a good God.”

Gennaro bowed his head at the applause that was for God alone. He spoke praise to Jesus and moved to the engineering panel on the bridge.

Once the applause had faded, Gennaro opened a channel to the loading dock that held the relay station. “We are at the edge of the Hills Cloud. Please ready the relay station and maneuver it out the bay doors to space.”

The bridge crew watched the view screen. They could listen in on the team in the loading bay. Three members of the team hopped on. The relay station lifted. Gently, using directed particle beams, the team launched the station through the bay doors. The station with the three crew members drifted slowly out to space away from the Chrysalis. Soon, they could be seen out the bridge windows. Once it was far enough away, the crew members began the activation sequence for the station’s teleportation device. The captain alerted Command Central.

In moments, the lights of the relay station blinked on, and cheers erupted on the bridge. Soon, they heard that new members from Earth and Mars had joined their crew members on the relay station with materials to begin the construction of the Hills Cloud Space Way Station.

Gennaro smiled and turned to Captain Phan. “I believe we are ready to continue into the Oort Cloud and continue our journey to the Alpha Centauri system.”

“We can spare a moment to celebrate,” replied the captain. “I’m giving the crew time to enjoy this milestone and to rest and relax for a bit. They’ve earned it.” She closed her views and stepped close to Gennaro, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve earned it. Go celebrate.” She smirked. “That’s an order.”

Gennaro nodded and joined the others as they filtered off the bridge and made their way to the entertainment district to meet with friends there. He appreciated how the captain not only helped them take this journey but also provided the time and space for them all to enjoy it. After all, they were in no rush. They had all eternity to explore the universe.