They would be able to use the different facilities found in the plaza, and in general they would live entirely in that area for the rest of the time on the station.
The issue of the intruder continued to bother the captain; as such, they would interview every single one of the people, trying to find anyone suspicious. They all cooperated, and all the interviews were completed.
The first week drew to a close, and they were unable to find anybody suspicious. The people were beginning to forget that amongst them there was a person who had hijacked the station. The time continued to pass by, and the intruder still was not found. Four weeks later, it had already ceased to be so important; the only thing that mattered was whether they would be saved or not.
In spite of the extreme nervousness of the people on board the station, they had remained calm enough to follow Captain Val’s orders without protest. They had worked together to save the station’s resources in order to survive as long as possible, and for the moment, everything was going according to plan.
On Earth, they still had no answers regarding the station’s whereabouts, and tensions were rising.
C0-UN1 and Denn had become good friends, and Senlar had learnt to trust both of them, for their constant cooperation.
Val maintained his doubts regarding Denn; he was still wondering what he was doing on the station. He did not believe that he had been the hijacker, but he did believe he was hiding something. Even so, he had seen how Denn was trying to help with everything he needed; he considered him to be a good person.
What concerned the captain more was the fact that the hijacker had still not been found. He knew that he was still among them, and feared for the passengers’ safety, but with the important voyage they still had ahead of them, he needed to focus on the target to which they were heading. Now, they were sufficiently close enough to better analyse the composition of what they were now certain was a planet of similar size to the Earth.
The analyses they were conducting regarding the planet had already allowed them to verify that it contained suitable elements to sustain life. However, they were still unable to know whether they were in the quantities necessary. Due to the fact that their instruments were partially damaged, the only way of confirming it was to get further to the planet.
The time continued to pass by. They had rationed out the foods as best they could, and now everything depended on their being able to reach the planet before the supplies were depleted. Impatience was beginning to get the better of people, and although almost all of them were accustomed to living on space stations, the concern at not finding a solution before the resources ran out was causing them fear.
When they finally reached the planet, it had taken them ten weeks to get there. The captain decided that it was time to speak with the people afresh, who were now hungry and without much hope.
This time, he was not only going to speak via the loudspeakers. The captain approached the plaza to speak in front of everyone. Neil was in charge of getting everyone’s attention. “Attention, everyone,” came Neil’s voice through the loudspeakers, as he was in the control room next to Senlar, looking at the image of the plaza on the monitors. “The captain is going to say a few words. Everybody make your way to the central plaza.”
Everybody left what they were doing in order to listen to what the captain was going to say. “Move!” he insisted unnecessarily to the people still hurrying to the centre of the plaza.
The people congregated anxiously in front of the captain, who was as serious as always. Finding any emotion in his face was a difficult task. Nobody in the plaza could guess whether it was going to be good news or bad.
“We have arrived at our destination planet,” said the captain, without beating about the bush, and the very second that everyone was gathered to listen to him. “We are still in orbit. We’ll begin with the preparations to send a probe. Soon, we’ll be completely certain of whether or not it is habitable.”
Immediately, there could be heard various murmurings amongst the people. They were all impatient to learn more details. With the exception of Denn and the station officers, nobody ever knew how far it was to reach their destination during the journey, and now that they had finally arrived, they were on the verge of finding out if they would have any chance of survival.
“How long will it take to prepare the probe?” asked Dani, who was by now already well known for being somewhat impulsive. “We wouldn’t be averse to a bit of good news.”
“Patience,” replied the captain. “Now is the time we must be more patient.”
The captain moved his hand in front of one of the cameras in the plaza, so as to give a signal to the control room where Senlar, Neil, and other officers were watching him attentively. After the captain’s signal, Senlar ordered one of the officers to activate the shutter system covering the station’s windows.
“Perhaps this view will motivate you whilst you wait,” said the captain, pointing to the windows that had been covered during the last few weeks, with the intention of preventing people from becoming discouraged at seeing the void.
Everyone rushed to the windows. The cover began to slowly lift, revealing the planet they had been pursuing for so long. The open-mouthed faces of some, and the sounds of surprise from others, united with the azure beauty of the planet lying in front of them to create the first joyful moment in weeks.
“It has clouds... and water...” said someone in the plaza. “Those are continents... it seems...”
“Vegetation!” cried another.
The people were shouting and celebrating. Others were hugging. ‘We’re saved!’ could be heard. The guffaws and exclamations of the peoples’ jubilation was enough recompense for the captain, who had taken a risk in telling everyone they had reached their destination, still not knowing whether it would be safe to descend to it.
Senlar himself had made him consider not sharing the news before making sure that the planet was fit for life. He had feared creating false hope, but in the end the captain’s desire to try and raise the depressed morale of the station’s passengers won out. ‘Even if the planet does not turn out to be good for us, at least they’ll see we have reasons for travelling here,’ Val had told Senlar hours earlier.
On seeing the peoples’ reaction of happiness and hope, Senlar was glad they had shown them the planet. It did not matter what happened afterwards, the people were smiling again.
“What are we waiting for? Why don’t we go down right away?” one person asked the captain.
The captain allowed them to enjoy the view for a few seconds before interrupting the passengers’ premature celebration.
“Listen!” said the captain, in a loud enough voice to calm the celebrations. “We mustn’t declare victory prematurely.” There was a brief pause whilst the captain continued his explanations. “Now is the time that we must be more cautious. It is necessary that a probe be sent, in order to confirm whether we can survive on the planet. Even when everything seems to indicate that it is habitable, there are many things we must analyse first.”
The people reined in their euphoria. They immediately understood that their survival was not assured. In the middle of a sudden silence, the captain could see the doubt returning to the peoples’ faces.
“Don’t be afraid,” said the captain, in a more serene tone. “I trust that the results will be good. We even have a contingency plan. I promise you that I will do everything possible to save our lives. We’re going to go ahead,” he said, and smiled with an incredible serenity.
It was a sight that was unheard of. A smile from the captain. Some people went back to being hopeful. They understood that the captain was doing the best job he could. Many of the officers had never even seen Captain Val smile ever. They could definitely sense his good intentions.
After what could be called an insipid speech, the people were calmer than might have been expected.
“I will inform you the minute I have news,” concluded the captain, and as alwa
ys, he turned around and left the plaza.
Immediately, everyone returned to the picture windows to carry on contemplating the planet. The lack of features on C0-UN1’s face prevented anyone from perceiving the admiration with which he looked at that beautiful world. Qein came up to him, to share his excitement with his robot friend.
“I hope it’s habitable,” he said to him, as he took his hand.
“Look, little brother. We could go and live there,” said Dani, as she joined them.
Qein hugged his sister with an enormous smile on his face, without taking his eyes off the gigantic planet.
“It’s beautiful, Dani. It’s so long since we were last on any planet. And this one’s special. Look at that... It’s green... I can’t wait. We’ll finally be leaving this cold place.”
C0-UN1 placed his hand on Qein’s shoulder with tenderness. It was clear that he now felt affection for the boy.
“Be patient, Qein,” said C0-UN1. “We will soon be there.”
The boy rewarded him with the same smile that a moment earlier he had given to Dani. They did not see him as a robot. He was a friend. In recent weeks, their mutual appreciation had grown.
The hours passed, the probe was sent, all of the data were analysed. Nobody else, apart from Captain Val, Senlar, and an officer specialised in the subject, studied the probe data, so as to avoid undesired leaks within the station. They did not want anybody jumping to conclusions before they could decide whether or not it was prudent to travel down onto the planet surface. Besides, they hoped to give themselves some time to think about what to tell the station’s passengers in the event that the information from the probe was unfavourable.
After taking all of the data, and revising all of the information, Captain Val, Senlar, and the specialised officer, deliberated for hours; so much so that the people on the station went to sleep without hearing any news. When they awoke, it was still the same. After a few more hours of tension, the captain was finally ready to share the results with everyone else. The same as always, he announced for everyone to go to the centre of the plaza.
Highly anxious, they gathered as quickly as they could in order to listen to the awaited news. The captain was very serious as always, some even thought that C0-UN1 was demonstrating a more expressive facial expression.
Nobody dared to try and guess whether it was good news or bad news. The eternal reserve in the captain’s face left little room for it. Even Denn shared the same anxieties as the rest. He was as much in the dark as they were. He was on the verge of finding out if it was possible that the people he had put in danger would have any opportunity to be saved.
“We have the results,” said the captain as soon as everybody had finished congregating in front of him. “The planet is habitable. We will begin the preparations for the journey as soon as possible.”
The cries of jubilation were instantaneous. The people jumped for joy and delight. It seemed as if the danger had passed; at last, they would be safe. Between hugs, they celebrated the excellent news.
The captain stopped them. There was no reason to lose even a second more; everything had to be ready right away. They would be going immediately. Val ordered his men to prepare the evacuation ship for descent onto the planet. Denn and C0-UN1 helped at every moment. The robot’s strength was of special help for loading the different machines and objects they would be taking down to the planet. A fusion reactor for providing them with energy; machines for research, and various materials for construction; some turrets that they would use in the control of disturbances; and a medical capsule, in addition to ten guard drones. Things that would possibly make a difference in their endeavour to survive.
“Will we need these weapons?” the robot asked Denn, as they loaded everything into the ship.
“We don’t know what could be down there, C0. We need these weapons to defend ourselves.”
“What is this?” asked the robot, showing Denn a protective vest.
“It protects people from weak gunshots and impacts.”
“And this?” he asked, and held up a small sphere in his hand.
“Careful!” Denn told him, taking the device off him immediately. “That’s an electro-magnetic shock grenade which temporarily disables electronic systems.”
“Could it damage the station?”
“The station uses a system which counteracts its effects. I was more worried about you and the door systems.”
“Could they damage me?”
“At the very least they’d make you feel groggy for a moment. Although the damage is temporary, they wreak havoc on any electronic system; that’s why it’s illegal to have them. Only in the army and its sub-organisations is their use permitted. They’re used especially for disabling the weapons that run on energy. We can leave that,” he said, and returned it to the box from which the robot had taken it. “We won’t need it.”
“How do they work?”
“You just press the button, and the device deactivates any vulnerable system within a fifty metre radius. You wouldn’t even hear it. It doesn’t produce any sound, which means it’s almost impossible to know where it came from.”
“Are you sure we won’t need it?”
“The only weapons down there will be our own, we don’t want them to be deactivated, even if it is only temporary.”
“Understood.”
Everybody continued with their tasks until they finished loading the ship. They did not forget to bring the few items of food still left. Everything appeared to be ready for departure. The jump-gate station would remain orbiting the planet. Its positioning systems were functioning well, and the energy reactors that powered it would be able to keep them in working order for decades, even longer after the deactivation of the rest of the systems that were not going to be necessary now that they were going to leave it.
The oxygen production systems would continue working throughout a series of corridors, so that they could return later, if they needed anything else that was still on board the station.
They deployed a few satellites that would orbit the planet; with them, they would be able to follow the station’s movement at all times, in addition to creating a network that would connect the devices on their bodies, so as to be able to communicate on the planet at all times.
Since Val decided that it was risky to leave people on the station, without food, and without knowing when they would be able to return, everybody boarded the evacuation ship.
The ship’s interior was like any aeroplane used in commercial journeys. They were seated in rows, with windows to the sides. Some were very nervous; others were excited. Denn was looking reflective. He was travelling in the evacuation ship’s control cabin, next to the captain, in addition to Senlar, who would be piloting the ship, and Neil.
Once everything was ready, the ship left the jump-gate station hangar, and an enormous door closed. Senlar directed the ship towards the planet, and began the choppy entry into its atmosphere.
The turbulence worried many of the people. Others were pleased by the familiar sensation of a spacecraft entering a planet. Finally, after so long, they would be touching down on firm ground.
When they left behind the jerky movements and were finally inside the planet’s atmosphere, everyone was able to witness the beauty of the place. It was a lovely planet, filled with vegetation. From above, they could see rivers, and in the distance a vast ocean. Senlar could not contain his joy.
“We’re saved,” he said, and, bursting out laughing, looked happily at the captain. He was not the only one. Everybody felt that the danger had passed. Once more, the people united amongst cries of joy and admiration. They would be able to survive here. There were fruits to eat. Water to drink. And many different animal species.
Suddenly, one of these beasts, enormous, and with large wings, flew in the direction of the ship. It was going to crash into it. By the time Senlar saw it, it was already too late. He tried to evade it, but it was too close.
The anim
al collided directly with the ship. A small explosion, accompanied by a violent movement, heralded the beginning of their inevitable fall. The cries of happiness turned into cries of desperation and terror. Denn gazed upon the situation with a sense of powerlessness. We’re here because of me, he thought.
The ship tilted into free-fall, against Senlar’s futile efforts to keep it in flight. Now they were swiftly plunging towards the green planet, and there was nothing that could stop it.
Chapter IV
A Legendary Man
The Danduri System, less than one hundred and forty light-years away from the Solar System, was one of the first planetary systems to be visited by humans. At that time, one of the planets orbiting the star was already inhabited. They were an intelligent species, with moderately advanced technology.
Before even approaching, the humans initiated contact with the intention of earning the trust of the unknown species. It was feared that they might be a hostile race, but all of their concerns turned out to be unfounded. Converting them into allies had not been difficult.
After offering them technological help, the relationship between their species, (who refer to themselves as Zahavians), and the humans continued to grow. It was no coincidence that twenty years after the first contact, in 2160, when The Galactic Union was founded, the Danduri System officially became one of its members.
Their planet, Zaha, was not exactly the sort of place a human would choose to live. The high temperature, due to the proximity to its star, along with the strong gravity, placed it virtually on the limit of habitability for human beings, even after the many modifications to their DNA.
Enduring the seventy degrees Centigrade temperature on the planet Zaha was possible for the human race, but the sensation was, at the very least, uncomfortable.
A human originating from the Planet Earth, Voill Conner, was not feeling enthusiastic about having to visit Zaha, but his post as the right-hand man of the Supreme Leader, and head of the High Council of The Galactic Union, obligated him to deal with important issues with leaders of various member systems. Now he needed to meet with the leader of the Danduri System in order to discuss minor trade issues.
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