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Echoes of the Past 2.0

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A few calculations the next day and we estimated the travel time to be around six months.  And that’s traveling at the fastest known ship speed.

“Darn, we better pack up since we don’t have many pit stops between here and there,” Abel grumbled.

“It’s a good thing we’re taking the Monster then,” I said, watching his reaction at the corner of my eyes.

Abel almost choked.  “Monster?  As in The Monster?  However did you get her?”

The Monster is the legendary intergalactic ship of our Space Agency.  No wonder Abel is impressed.  It has been the ship of choice in most space explorations and nobody knows yet of its limits.  It was designed and made by the best engineers in our planet.  I’m sure Abel is on the verge of a heart attack knowing he’ll be driving the monstrous beauty.

I snorted.  “C’mon, I was one of the engineers who designed her.  Besides, I told the director we are investigating something really, really awesome.  Something worth his time.  We do have some discretion to using things as long as it’s for the good of the agency.  And I assured him it is.  How do you think I got him to agree to let us disappear for months at end?”

“The Monster,” Abel said dreamily.  And he whistled all throughout the day as we went and executed our plans.


Space traveling could be a very daunting task.  While the Monster is designed and equipped to travel for years at end, I couldn’t very well say the same for me.  Traveling past the speed of light could make one feel dizzy.  And my body clock has altered considerably with the natural light coming and going at the strangest times.  Even Abel, who is used to traveling for months, is grumbling on how we should have just sent a space probe to the message source.  This is something I shrugged off as I know I just have to get out there and look for it myself.

So on the sixth month aboard the Monster, both of us are plenty grumpy and slightly homesick.  The grumpiness started after we passed the solar system nearest us and we know that we are now entirely on our own. 

“We are beyond help now,” Abel said after we passed our last space station. 

“I know,” I said.

That was months ago.

Like most creatures, Abel and I long to have sun rays strike us directly instead of the dreary artificial lights the ship has.  Also, I long for more companionship, no offense meant to my friend, as odd as that sounds to an introverted person like me.  Combine that with the fear of the unknown before us and we have two unhappy campers onboard.

But day after day we are getting nearer and nearer to our destination, wherever that is, and this keeps our spirits up somewhat.  I know it does mine at least.


One morning I woke up to a happy and cheerful Abel.

“We’re getting nearer man!” he exclaimed. 

That is enough to make my heart skip a beat.  Whenever Abel say “near”, you could bet it is very near.  Still in my pajamas, I looked at our space scanner.  For days we have not seen nor detected any heavenly bodies nearby except for some lone meteor rocks.  But now I see a cluster of dense masses at the scanner.  I know for a fact that these are planets, around nine or ten overall.

“How many hours before we get to that planet cluster?” I asked excitedly.

“An hour or two if we keep up our speed,” Abel said proudly.

I whistled.

“Our kind has never traveled this far out, ever,” Abel said in awe.  “Space probes had, but us?  Never!”

“We already broke the record three months ago already,” I reminded him.

Abel shrugged, fame and glory probably going through his brain.  “I will go down in history!”

“We will go down in history,” I corrected him and both of us laughed at that.


I have seen dead planets all of my adult life.  When you do space exploration, an empty planet is a common phenomena.  But as we go through the cluster of empty planets, I got an ill feeling in my stomach.  For one, these planets do not have a source of light.  I have seen several solar systems which have a sun and yet all of them do not have life.  What more so a sunless system?  Is it probable that not all life forms need sun?  I thought of the guns aboard our ship.  I am mentally preparing myself for hostile life forms if any.

“These planets do not have life!” Abel said in disgust as he run his life scanner over the first few dense planets.

“Shh.  Go further ahead.  We don’t know the condition of the other planets beyond these.  Besides, these planets are not the source of the message.  Their locations are not the exact one.”  But I am starting to have doubts myself and was thinking we have probably hit a dead end.

“I believe the next planet is the source,” I said after a few minutes of traveling and staring at the scanner.  “The location is most precise.”

I almost held my breath as I wait for the next planet to be within eyesight.

A blue planet soon loomed in a distance.

Abel maneuvered towards it easily.  “I bet this is it all right.  Blue is always a good sign,” he said with mixed emotions in his voice.  We peered through the cockpit. 

“Could you run the life scanner from this distance?”

Abel tinkered with his machine for a few seconds and shook his head.  “Too far.  But close-up images show slight ridges on the planet floors, just like in our planet.  But something’s wrong with it.  It just gives me the creeps.  No sun and no heat?  It might be one of those dark planets.”  He shivered visibly.

“Well, it looks like it has traces of water…” I said, trying making sense of it.  “Look, let’s see their moon first,” I decided seeing how it’s currently nearer us.  I figured if this planet has inhabitants, then they will inhabit their moon, too, wouldn’t they? 

So I took a close-up image of the small sphere and scanned its surface gingerly.  I scanned it over and over again looking for God knows what until a unique structure caught my eye.  “Look, there’s an unusual lone, tall structure on it,” I pointed excitedly.  “It doesn’t look naturally made.  Maybe they are made by other… life forms?  They probably created a space station on their moon just like us!  Maybe every advanced being in this universe think alike after all.  Abel, prepare to get us near the moon.”

“Aye aye captain,” Abel said tightly.  The moon loomed closer as we get nearer it and Abel ran his life scanner on its surface.  He looked confused.  “Sorry boss, I couldn’t pick up any signs of life here either.”

A wave of disappointment ran through me.  “But that,” I told him gesturing towards the odd tall structure, “Is not normal.  I am not going back without looking it up close.  If there are no signs of life whatsoever, then we’re most probably safe.”

“Look it up close?  You mean land on the moon?” Abel asked dazedly.

“That’s exactly what I meant,” I said unwaveringly.

Abel thought a minute but then nodded hesitantly.  “Ok… but let’s take full armory with us, ok?” he asked.

“Of course,” I said.  “Abel, this is not the first time we have set upon a moon, you know?” I reminded him.

“I know that,” Abel said.  “But this is an odd place that might have traces of life on it.  That’s very unusual.  It might be just a moon but things could go differently this time, right?”


to be continued...
For Part 1 of this short story mini series, please click here.

Watch out for Part 3 next week-- the last installation :)

Update:
For Part 3, please click here.
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pilandok's avatar
there were only two person in the ship? XD lol i like your work,