“Honey, it won’t be too long,” I said as I clicked my suitcase closed. “It’s just a short mission, no problem.” Maryanne, my wife, walked into the room. I always admired her red hair, red as an apple with a pretty yellow bow in it. Usually, her face was one of quiet affirmation for me. But today, she looked unusually worried. She wiped her hands on her clothes.
“I’m just concerned that you’ll miss our child’s birthday next Tuesday,” she said. “It’s Saddie’s third, and she’s really looking forward to seeing you, Ted.” I took her into my arms and hugged her. “It’ll be alright, Maryanne, I’ll come back, I always do.” After letting her go, she stepped back. I could tell she still looked nervous, but put on a smile anyway.
“Well, I’ll see you next week, Ted,” she said, opening the door and shutting it behind her. I picked up my suitcase and pulled up a transporter. Then, with a click of a button, I was transported to the space station. I could see my colleagues arriving. I walked over to greet them.
Stacy, the captain of the Blue Maiden, walked towards her ship as I walked towards mine, The Voyager.
“Hey Stacy, going on a mission, too?” She nodded, looking a little bit stressed. I noted and asked her what was wrong. She tried to play it off.
“The orbital core of Titan 2 is unstable, and I’m not sure why. Something is disrupting its core functions.” Titan 2 was a planet she was studying and made regular trips to. I nodded and tried to reassure her. After a few minutes, I left for my own ship.
Scientists in the early 20th century would have loved our ships. These days, they almost look like what you’d see in Star Trek, I thought as I admired my black steel beauty. The Voyager, I called her. This ship was big enough for my solo mission, yet small enough for me. I picked up my suitcase and climbed aboard my small vessel. As I made my final preparations, I thought about my wife and daughter. I’ll have so much to tell them when I get back, I thought. My ship roared to life as I lifted off. The hangar doors opened, revealing the black of space. Besides me, twenty more ships followed for their own missions. Then we went through the wormhole.
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