Author's Note

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Chapter III: Der Raum

DIE RAUM

It is March 14, 2033, three days have passed since the press conference in Berlin, as the current location of the Freiheit 8 crew is the Otto Von Bismarck Space Center, back at the Halmahera Island.

They are in one of the buildings inside the space centre, having breakfast at 5:00 am, steak and eggs with ham on it, as orange juice and coffee were also being served. Peter is concentrated eating his food, Agustine is reading the newspaper, and James Schneider is looking through the window at the dark skies.

"Hmph, looks like Iranians are hot with everyone at this point, "Agustine remarks, reading the newspaper out loud, "I want to see them fight lonely versus the Russian, Colombian, American, Egyptian, and our armies combined"

"Hopefully a war doesn't break out, especially in moments like this that the world must be united under one cause " James answers him.

He sniffs, "hopefully not"

Peter only cares to finish his food, eating slowly while thinking about the words that his crew member just tiudid.

"Gentlemen," their attention is changed towards the entrance of the room.

"It’s time," a man says waiting in the entrance, prompting Peter to quickly finish the remaining of his food, and standing up, Agustine and James doing the same thing and following him.

The doors of the van are opened, revealing the enormous Herkules rocket beside them. They quickly rise up to its side on the high-speed elevator with Harry Quill besides them.

Going higher, they can’t help but notice the flock of press vans below, and the number of reporters and spectators, all watching them from far away on the principal buildings, it almost seems like if a stadium would be watching them, maybe bigger than a stadium if I may add.

"Guess we have a couple of fans," James says jokingly into the comms, with a trace of amazement.

For James and Augustine, they just find it staggering, but for Peter it’s deeply unsetting, looking away, his eyes focused on the tactile screen on his wrist, with several indicators like his oxygen level, his supply levels, and checklists for the flight.

The three men are already in their full white space suits, with golden visors covering their faces with the purpose of trying to stop radiation of the flight. The elevator comes into a halt, the electrical door swings automatically opens, they've reached swing arm 20, which leads to the white room and the command module. Peter grabs his oxygen tank with the other two doing the same thing, walking forward, eyes on the capsule, techs scurry, chatter on the comms can be heard, but it’s faint, by the eerie hiss of oxygen and Peter's intense focus on the task ahead.

Peter barely notices the tech that walks up to help him with his oxygen tank, he hands his tank to the tech, who helps him to enter the command module, leaving him secure with his seatbelt while other technicians did the same thing with the other two astronauts that are accompanying him. The lights on the console flash on. Peter’s with Augustine and James beside him.

Augustine announces into the comms, tension is felt within the command module, being conscious that they are going to go in some on a rocket with 8x times more powerful than the Tsar bomb, combined with plasma engines, they are driving the most powerful bomb in the world.

The techs move to close the hatch but Harry leans in.

“Give me a second, ” Harry says to the technician, looking at Peter with an expression of mercy in his eyes.

<....We thought about a pill but we realized that if the landing goes south and you get stranded you can just.....> Harry begins into the comms, using a headset on his ear with a cable microphone going down to the front of his mouth.

Peter responds utterly, even though, he thinks it through, not fazed for the of the danger of the mission, but his statement caused Harry to react surprisingly emotional. He grabs Peter’s gloved hand, leaving the Iron Cross award, the highest given to both civilian and military.

Harry finishes his discourse, looking at him with apologetic brown eyes, Harry exits, as the techs move in to close the hatch, covering the front window with a protective iron shield, and then closing it, leaving the three men in the tight, claustrophobic cabin.

An odd quiet, by the comms Peter can only hear the heavy breathing of his other two crew members. That silence is interrupted by an eerie sound.

one of the controllers suddenly says by the comms, sounding like if you were talking in a radio.

Peter states into the comms, seemingly oblivious to the stifling atmosphere, starts into checks with the others, as other several eerie sounds begin to be heard for the constant movement of hands flipping through the flight plan and the mission rules, as well as flicking switches, pressing buttons, and tapping on the console’s screens.

James says while moving his hands across the console, flicking various switches.

Peter announces also into the comms.

Augustine declares out loud.

Peter says.

The final buttons are pushed, and the switches are flipped on, the only thing that now the astronauts need to do is wait for the launch, as the control and the RRK make the final check-ups on the rocket and the mission.

the launch director announces through comms, beginning the final pre-launch sequence.

the craft test conductor says to the comms.

the test supervision of the aircraft states.

the launch operations declares.

At each go on the control room, the three astronauts begin to tense up, Peter could fill a drop of sweat falling through his cheek, the heavy breaths are still heard in part of the other two astronauts, in similar states, everyone knows their purpose, their mission, being the first humans to go to walk on an exoplanet.

the launch director announces.

Peter puts his hand on the abort lever, knowing that he can pull it if something goes wrong with the rocket on its launch, Peter begins to meditate calmly, inhaling and exhaling.

"60 seconds and counting," the launch director proclaims, the nerves can be felt on the chest of the three astronauts, you can compare with going to the airport when you were a kid or not going to sleep for one night because the next day you are going to a place for vacations that you really wanted to go for a long time. All is still go, propellant tanks pressurized, oxidizer tanks are also pressurized, the plasma engines are beginning to heat up, and the thermonuclear engines can be felt from up to the command module, vibration is felt on the astronauts back.

the voice says again, a flood of emotions through the whole world is happening, every single television and computer is on the live stream of the launch, from the Americas to Asia, a world is watching with emotion something that could be the biggest step on human history since the first walk on the moon by humans, led by the American astronaut Neil Armstrong.

<20 seconds...> the director talks again.

<3rd stage tanks pressurized, readings indicate we are go> the director says, communicating with the astronauts through comms.

<2nd stage tanks pressurized, guidance is now internal...>

another man begins counting, the final lapse, the final time, time to make history for a nation that has been strong to still standing today, from fighting British and French in WWI, to fighting the French Commune and the Union of Britain in WWII, defeating the syndicalist menace off the face of Earth.

A loud rumble is heard from far below as the capsule begins to shake, the astronauts hold their breath at the moment they are currently living.

<6, 5, 4...>

The noise gets louder... the roar of thermonuclear and plasma thrust slams into the ground, sending a shockwave just like if an atomic bomb would have fallen, it drowns out the countdown...

The capsule bucks violently, with force it slams the astronauts back to their seat, feeling how the rocket tilts a little bit forward, even though, that is not something to worry cause that normally happens when the rocket is about to initiate.

It's far worse than any mission or simulator they have been, making the three astronauts startled by the huge power of the world's most powerful rocket, Peter tries to maintain his focus on the console as the roar goes on, the cockpit continues to shake very violently.

Music is optional.

Peter glances to his right... Agustine looks tense, and James looks disconcerted... no sense of whether they've lifted off... can this possibly be what it's supposed to feel like? the immense power makes it hard for any class of communications to be heard, the only thing that can be be seen at this moment is how the rocket propels them out of the atmosphere, the small square of blue seen through the window is a relief... but James smile fades as the blue sky rapidly turns into black, faster than any mission the astronauts have been before. Peter stares at it for three seconds, remembering the G-X3 accident a couple of years ago, even though it is terrifying to see how the sky is turning into black in such a short time.

Peter’s eyes look down to the screen on his wrist, giving a checklist with a timer for every movement withing the spacecraft, one rolls to 15 seconds, he looks the clock and gets into action with a manoeuvre, the gravitational forces are so intense that all three men turn dizzy, but Peter pushes through, his eyes glued to the instruments as, at last, the roar fades and, faintly, they can all hear comms.

the comms says in faintly, making Peter nod at Augustine, as he presses a switch and the roar quiets.

Augustine says into comms, but couldn't finish for the superpower of the thrust, BOOM! the men are slammed back into their seats... but the shaking quickly fades to an unsettling quietness as the second stage propels them out of the Earth's range, it suddenly becomes surprisingly serene until BANG! Peter hits a button and the escape rocket is released from the rocket.

James Schneider declares into the comms.

The view of the window has no light, the command module is in complete darkness, the only source of light comes from the led lights coming from the console, the place is really tense.

Augustine speaks into comms, glancing at Peter who is getting ready for the ignition, 4 breakers in, switches up, and Augustine presses a ready button... gets no response the first time, which causes him to raise an eyebrow, making him hit the button a few more times… until it finally flicks on.

<5, 4, 3, 2, 1... igniti-> Augustine couldn't finish from the thrust as they pressed backs in their seats again, the power is felt even more.

Peter says, communicating to Germany.

The place is shaking, and even more, the dizziness on the astronauts increases with the power thrust which the spacecraft is going with, as in just a few seconds, Peter hits the stick and pop! they’re hurled against their harnesses into microgravity, the halt of the spacecraft is motioned hardly.

Peter states into the comms.

The three men catch their breath and pull off their helmets.

Peter begins to take readings from each panel. Augustine’s helmet floats across and hits the spacecraft window, something that called the attention of the three astronauts, that turn their view to see the surface of the moon, they are orbiting the moon.

James says into the comms, trying to communicate again with the Earth.

After some short moments of tension, they responded, which caused a sigh in the three astronauts who were tensed up for the temporal disconnection from Halmahera.

Peter, James, and Augustine paused, troubled, watching the lunar surface, there's no escaping of what is transpired, and there's no turning back.

the flight director announces into the comms.

The three-snap themselves from their thoughts, ready to manoeuvre.

Peter says, flicking some switches.

James announces also into the comms.

Augustine also replies.

Peter hits the beins, causing a loud crack of the bein explosion, starling the crew. From afar the explosion rips off five panels connecting the Command Service Module (CSM) to Herkules third stage, It’s quite beautiful as the CSM, knowing that what’s left. The moon is being left behind at this point, already heading into what is beyond Earth.

The CSM jets fire in four directions, and in a thrilling movement, the CSM slowly rotates 180 degrees, nosing towards what's left of the Herkules rocket and the Lander Module (LM).

"We need a 5 degree right, James, " Augustine says, not communicating by the comms this time.

It’s a stunning space ballet, a space odyssey, the CSM shifting, inching forward towards the LM.

"Capture probe, extend/release, " Peter says, not using the comms as well.

A small probe extends from the CSM’s nose, scrapping the LM, James is fully concentrated as he is the one who is piloting the CSM, classic music is the sound of the imaginations inside the astronauts, and with full delicacy... the LM’s and the CSM hatch, shaking both crafts.

James says into comms.

Peter announces, using the comms channel again.

The CSM gently pulls the LM free of the Herkules, the modern lander looks like the original Artemis mission landers, only with more technology and a more futuristic look, as its silver plates shimmer with the sunlight, like Keanu Reeve would say, it's breathtaking.

James announces into the comms, and slowly, the combined craft, called Bavaria, starts rotating, speeding towards the next planet, which is mars.

The moon is barely visible, from the distance where they are currently located it looks like a grey marble floating in space. James looks to the moon, he is still feeling nerves in his chest, they are already very far from the Earth's range, so far that it can't be seen at that point of the mission

"It's humbling and frightening, " James says in a happy tone, still staring deeply at that grey marble in the far distance.

"Wish I’d thought to bring music, " Augustine states, looking at his surroundings with a grin, but at that statement, Peter reaches into the hold, and pulls out an iPod and a speaker, sending the iPod floating to Augustine, which surprised, grabs the device, and hits play. Peter grabs a sextant and begins to check for the alignment, Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin starts playing, the purposeful, optimistic opening giving way to a new calm tone on the CSM, making Augustine to momentarily stop working, catching sight of the receding moon in the window, making both he and James to stare at it, struck by how small it looks at this point, smaller than a marble.

James glances at Peter, taking readings, checking calculations, not taking even a moment to note the majesty or the grandeur.

The spacecraft moves through time and space, the moon is getting smaller in the window, to the size of sunflower seed from that distance, Peter glimpses at the moon getting away, leaving a sigh and getting back to work.

the mission director said to the comms.

It was dark, the only two light sources that are present come from the engines which emit a blue right through the window.

A lamp illuminates the interior of the CSM Bavaria, the speaker emitting another song. The moon is no longer visible, six hours have already passed since being on the side of the moon. The astronauts are making several checks before going to sleep for the next five months of their long journey. When the first two months pass, the engines are going to activate their maximum speed for one week, 70% of the light velocity is the maximum speed of the spacecraft. Giving a better description of the CSM, the central pressure vessel of the command module is the sole habitable compartment. It houses the main control panels, crew seats, guidance and navigation systems, food and equipment lockers, the waste management system, and the docking tunnel, dominating the forward section of the cabin was the crescent-shaped main display panel, as it is arranged into three panels, each emphasizing the duties of each crew member. The mission commander's panel (left side) included the indicators, the primary flight controls, the altitude, velocity, and memory of the spacecraft.

The astronauts finish, each one of them places a mask on their faces, it looks like a WWI type mask, only imagine it a bit more futuristic and advanced. In the mouth section of the mask, a long tube connected itself to the input above the area of the seats, doing the work of making the astronauts go to sleep. James activates a switch below his chair, ”see ya boys in 5 months”

After that, the mask releases a gas that makes him go directly into the realm of dreams, the gas stops also all metabolic functions in your body, making you sleep with a maximum of 2 years without ageing.

<James is already in dreamland, Halmahera, ” Augustine announces humorously.

the controller similarly responds to them.

Before Augustine actives his sleeping state, he glances at Peter, ”you know, I wanted to say you thank you, Peter”

Peter raised an eyebrow behind his mask as Augustine continues, ”thank you for choosing me for this man, you gave me the opportunity of doing history”

Peter stares at him without saying a thing. Moving his hand and taking something out of one of the suit’s pocket, throwing the small metal towards Augustine who catches it, opening his hand he sees the Iron Cross award.

”They gave it to me on the case of us…. you know, ” Peter states seriously.

Augustine watches it with attention behind his mask, nodding, he stops the music on the iPod, and activates the switch below his seat, sending him as well to the sleeping world.

After seeing that Augustine is in a complete sleeping stage, Peter looks out of the window, already seeing a very very tiny dot far beyond, that being Mars. One of the dreams that he wanted to accomplish was walking on that planet someday, but he got something even better, walking on an exoplanet, thousands of light-years far from Earth. When the astronomers discovered Janus b, it became the major talk of everyone, because at our understanding we anciently believed that Alpha Centauri b was our closest star system, well, this being was replaced by Janus b.

”God... please don't let us fail in this daring mission, ” Peter mumbles, activating again his comms.

Peter finishes, quickly activating his mask. Gas pours inside of his mask, his eyes felt sleepy in milliseconds, his body becomes more relaxed until.... he enters the complete state of being asleep.

The journey will lead them to bee frontiers, the new frontiers of the universe, and the new frontiers of mankind

3 months later...

A newspaper is slammed against the table, with a big title in the front ’Alrahul Alsharil is death’ an American airstrike on an Iranian camp on Egyptian territory ended up with the life of the famous Iranian General, leader of the Persian Land Troops, and as a response, the leader of Iran declares vengeance against the Americans and Germans if they don't retreat their troops from Egyptian territory in the next 4 weeks…...

"3 months and they already forgot about the landing huh, " Chiang Lee, an RRK engineer working on the mission control room of Freiheit 8 says with the newspaper in his right hand, showing it to Elias Sydney, a computer operations controller also in the Freiheit 8 mission control.

"Yeah, man, you know, " Elias began looking at his eyes, "war never changes, for some reason the eternal wars in the Middle East only looks to get worst every single moment"

The flight director enters other people following him from behind, as he claps his hands dramatically in a form of calling the attention of everyone in the Control Room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, time for the third stage," the mission director states, using an ear microphone, and wearing a formal shirt with little drawings of coconut palms, and a pant made of grey silk. Today is the day that the Freiheit 8 CSM will make its jump into the other planetary system, going around 70% per cent of the light speed, which has an estimated time of 1 month at that velocity, almost at the speed of light.

The control room is full of people, many of them are drinking coffee or smoking like chimneys, telephones are heard, and everywhere voices begin to chat after the announcement of the director.

Each station handles a specific, related group of functions, some watch over the spacecraft's hardware, or its software, or its position in space, or over the crew itself. The front of the room is dominated by five large rear-projection displays, which are topped by nine smaller displays showing chronographic information, the large centre display nicknamed the God's Eye, which is primarily used to display the spacecraft's position and the status during the current phase of the mission, using a complex system of physical slides overlaid on plots or columns of numbers, as well as a more simplistic by a map of each localization in the solar system, showing how the rockets go through the map, which by the reading on the display it is already near Uranus. The side screens display the same channels as individual console screens.

"Okay, ready for the general reviews," the director says while staring at the screens with full attention.

"Thermal controllers is go for jump, " the captain of that operation announces.

"Operations is go for jump"

"Engines is go for jump," another voice states loudly, which are the three principal operations that are going to be needed when reaching the full speed of the spacecraft.

Everyone is sweating bullets in the control room, they need to get the perfect timing for activating the super propulsors, it is a hard job, the life of the three astronauts is upon their hands, the national pride of the German Empire as well.

Everybody is getting ready, as the God's Eye shows a time, appearing T-minus 30 for going into the maximum speed for the CSM.

"T-minus 30 and counting, " the director says, and everyone steels themselves. The place is divided between the ones that are biting their nails and the others that are relatively calm, but still with a sense of hurry and fear.

"T-minus 10, 9,8....." the counting begins, the engines behind the CSM Bavaria begin to heat up, and the blue colour appears showing the force that the spacecraft will use to be sent to another planetary system, crossing the frontiers of our solar system into a new one.

"3...2...1... IGNITION!" the counting ends, making the spacecraft to jump almost into light speed, an explosion is heard.

Various satellites around the whole solar system captivate the explosion, billions of protons exploiting, the force of more than 5 billion thermonuclear missiles, the CSM and the attached LM begin to shake heavily, as for the sleeping astronauts they are immediately thrown into their sits with pressure and force, as for the surrounding of Bavaria everything enters into a hyperspace manner, lights flashing in the front of the spacecraft, making it send a signal towards Earth, causing a massive celebration on the control room, people are hugging and clapping, the ship successfully entered its full speed, and it will maintain like that for one month, travelling towards a new planetary system.

"WE DID BABY!!!" now it is only a matter of time, as in the back of the room various generals and militants were watching the scene, also clapping and cheering for the successful status of the mission, even though, only one of them wasn't doing all of this, he simply took his telephone and called a number.

"Deutschland Reichstag, I'm Fredrick, I need to talk with the prime minister, " the German colonel says in the telephone to a secretary, which after a couple of seconds responds.

"One moment sir, he will attend you shortly in a private line," music begins to plat, as he waited to talk with the prime minister of the nation.

"How did it go?" the minister begins in a secular voice.

"It seems like they have already passed the most difficult part already, I believe, " the colonel responded to the Prime Minister of the German Empire, who is curious and in a precipitated emotion of rage.

"Remember Frederick, if something happens to any of those three astronauts, I want you to begin project F-2, " the minister says darkly.

The colonel stared at the mission director with a frown from behind.

His name is Frederick Lutheran, one of the colonels of the Sicherheitsabteilung, in English, the Security Administrative Department, the Intelligence office of the German Empire, something like the CIA of the United States or the DAS of Colombia.

"Copy that," the colonel responds, waiting for the cheering to drop off.

2 months later....

A loud BEEP sound, the masks on the astronauts face dropping automatically into Bavaria's ground, being followed by the astronauts opening their eyes and breathing heavily, spilling water from their mouths, that being various fluids, from saliva to gastrointestinal ones.

After some few moments, James takes a paper bag from one of the containers below his seat and begins to vomit, the ship is moving still rapidly as it is rotating as well, causing an artificial gravity on the interior. Peter in a swift manner takes a communicator and puts it on his ear.

Peter finishes and after some seconds someone by the comms responds him down in the Control Center on Earth.

the controller says happily, they already crossed the interstellar sea into the new planet.

"Guys, you gotta see this, " Augustine says, pointing at something outside of the window, prompting James and Peter to look.

The new planet, Naples……. it looks a lot like Earth, but at the same time has huge differences, like at the bare sight from that distance purple and yellow stripes can be seen, in a way that you could only recognize as clouds moving.

A large body water is seen, as well a continent with the bare colours of light green and other ones combined. They were getting closer and closer to it, already half the way, the atmosphere is beginning to be clearer, even though, the astronauts are obligated to tape the window for the brightness of one of their moons, this being Nova, it is bright, almost like the sun, it could blind a person if you look directly at it, even though it is from a long distance. The estimate of the distances between Nova and Naples is the same distances of Earth with Mars, making the orbit of this planet by far the longest in the universe. The craft is now on close to the planet’s atmosphere. Peter and Augustine get ready to land on it. The cabin lights are dim, everyone goes into different working positions around the CSM.

A Naples landing site is taped to the ceiling by Augustine, being studied by Peter closely with a pencil in his mouth, thinking deeply about the way of the mission.

the comms voice announces, prompting Augustine to work on that job. Peter takes two cigarette packs and puts them on his spacesuit pocket, and preps to enter the LM.

"All this food and stuff up going to take it with you? gum, you want any of that?" James says in a tenuous way, almost getting to the level of concern in his expression.

Peter in a formal tone denies the offer, and James in a sweaty, way wrestles a storage bin.

"This is a damn three-ring circus. I got a fuel cell purge in progress, I gotta watch an AUTO manoeuvre and --" the storage bin pops open, various tools and film rolls float in all directions.

"Christ! you son of a bitch, you!-" James says trying to catch the floating equipment, before being interrupted by Peter.

"James, " Peter simply says calmly, looking him with apologetic eyes, James tries to settle down, clearly nervous about being left alone orbiting a foreign planet light-years from Earth.

"Come back, will you?" James finishes nervously, almost in an imploring tone being both serious and nervous at the same time.

Peter nods, grabs his iPod and his audiphones that were floating because of James, and floats to the open hatch at the top of Bavaria CSM, entering the LM, Augustine is standing upside down in the Landing Module named Libertad.

Peter blinks away the Vertigo, going down to the two seats in the claustrophobic cabin. Peter glances at James looking up, as he follows then to close the hatch.

Augustine asks into the comms.

James responds at his companion's question. Peter is calmly stowing his gear.

Augustine says, prompting Peter to look at him nervously, knowing that the RRK lied about the odds.