Past the Gas Giant
The Commander was off, racing through the void towards Karat. He launched from MC-13, also known as “Georgia”, the 13th colony humanity had erected on Mars. The colony was known for its massive launching pads, and was able to handle multiple cargo launches a day. This alone made it crucial to Mars’ economy, but there was something else about MC-13.
MC-13 is not only the most import “port” for the colonies of Mars, it also serves as the FSAA’s secret testing facility. The FSAA believes that sometimes, immoral things must be done to push the boundaries of humanities capabilities. On Earth, this would be impossible to get away with, but far away on the Red Planet they could do what they wished. For Science. For Humanity.
The Commander was closing in on the Asteroid Belt, and went to take control of Black North. Since the launch, Black North had been set in autopilot, but now with the Asteroid Belt upon him, the Commander was allowed to take the wheel. He was only allowed this time by the FSAA so he could get a feel for the ship before he reached Karat. After he was through, however, he would have to relinquish his control. The slingshot maneuver around Jupiter would have to be perfect if they wished for Black North to reach its top speed.
Black North reacted smoothly to every command it was given. At the controls, the Commander felt as if he was becoming one with the ship. Its technology was centuries ahead of its time. “Only God knows what the FSAA did to accomplish these feats”, thought the Commander. It accelerated swiftly, and danced nimbly in and out of the rocky asteroids. He remembered his first mission, and thought of how far humanity had come in relatively little time. Back then there was no controlling, every step of the way was planned, and calculated by the scientists back home. The real work didn’t begin until they arrived in orbit around their destination, and either took notes from there, or began their descent to the surface. The Commander was coming quickly upon the edge of the Asteroid Belt. He did not wish for his joyride to be over quite yet, and began to turn the ship around. Something drew him to a small asteroid, maybe even smaller than Black North itself. He brought the ship to a halt just above the asteroid, and made his way to the airlock. On his first mission past Mars, he came and danced among these asteroids. He thought it fitting to come, and do it once more on what might be his last. Nostalgia reached out to his heart like strings, and joined past and present, but woven in the threads was darkness.
He stepped foot on the small asteroid, and thought how nice it was without gravity weighing him down. He bounced around freely for awhile, until something caught his eye. Out among the gray rocks of the asteroid, there was a single point of blackness. Like a pixel going out in your computer screen. Without gravity, he was able to reach the point in a few leaps and bounds. The black point was only a pebble, but when the Commander went to pick it up, it was incredibly heavy. The Commander had to use all of his strength to pick up the pebble, and lug it back to the landing pod. “So much for not being weighed down anymore”, thought the Commander.
Aboard Black North, the Commander heaved the black pebble to the lab. There he would be able to examine the mysterious pebble, and hopefully determine its nature. It was a tiny thing, maybe the width of a dime, and almost as slim. However, now that it was under normal gravity, it weighed over 300 kilograms! The Commander knew from experience how heavy the damned thing was, but he would never have guessed so high. Further examination revealed nothing to the Commander, but almost confirmed his suspicions. The rock was of the same material Karat is, and might have came from there. He could not be sure yet, so he put the pebble somewhere safe for now, and sent the data he gathered back to the FSAA. With the pebble stored away, the Commander set course for the edge of the Asteroid Belt.
The Commander was out of the Asteroid Belt in no time. Black North truly was a remarkable machine, and giving up control of her saddened the Commander. Flying was what he loved, but, alas, he knew setting the ship to autopilot, and trusting the bright, twisted minds at the FSAA was the right course of action. He strapped in, and waited.
Unnoticeable at first, Black North was accelerating at a great speed. Its engine was on full power, and humanities miniature stars burned bright. As it came upon the Gas Giant, Black North began to feel the effects of the planets immense gravitational pull. It pulled her along, faster and faster, as the Commander was thrust back into his seat. Black North curved a full circle around Jupiter, putting the Commander on the brink of passing out, and as it came around the other side its boosters kicked back in, and shot the ship away. The maneuver was a success! Black North was now at top speed, flying towards Karat.
He would arrive at his destination on time, and with no problems, but the Commanders thoughts weighed heavily on his shoulders. He could not shake the feeling something was amiss with that pebble he found on the asteroid. At first he believed it to be his own nostalgic thoughts drawing him down to the asteroid, but now a more sinister thought crept into his mind. What if the pebble itself was calling him? He considered this for a long time, but in the end, he decided it best not to worry. The Commander fell fast asleep as he, and the pebble, awaited Black Norths arrival at Karat.
