Adrift
The worst part wasn’t the silence. It was the in-between; the groans and moans of rapidly-freezing metal, pushed to the limit.
It was in human nature to want to explore, to press the boundaries of the known world. First it was with the westward explorers, searching for the edge of the known world. So it was with the astronauts of the mid 20th century — searching for an ever expanding horizon, stepping foot on first the moon and then reaching for greater heights.
The solar system was no longer the final frontier — there was an even greater universe to explore. Far off planets, new and strange, lit by foreign suns. Man had conquered the solar system, had conquered the planets — surely outside the safety net of the sun’s gravity was the next step?
Another metallic moan, the sound reverberating in the dark, escaping into the vacuum outside the thin walls.
But mankind was ever held back by hubris.
“The first mission beyond the confines of the solar system!” it was billed as, a dream come true for Caleb, a man who had always dreamed of the stars. It wasn’t his first mission, but his first outside the system; his first captaincy on a historic venture. “Exploration like never before!” they promised. Imagine the wonders he would see! Imagine the new worlds he would explore!
