Destination Unknown
Year 2853. Many would like to think we're now living in bliss, a technological saviour to our dying world. The reality you ask? The planet is still dying, we just don't feel the effects. Or so the government would like to think. In a world now where the atmosphere is synthetic and the poorer get poorer while the rich get rich, everything is far from 'Revolutionised'.
My parents sacrificed a lot to bring me into the world. They gave every penny they had, their own sweat and blood to make sure I had the better life. My father came from a wealthy background, Japanese and a CEO of one of the leading companies producing what is now the womb of most children born in the modern day. GenerationTech are the main leading company producing the synthetic womb. A couple will splash out generous amounts of money to have the casual childbirth with no effect to the mother. The father. With no risk of birth defects and even the odd tweek in the system, you gain the child you've always desired. This is of course how I was created. My father is infertile, thus my biological makeup needed to be altered in order to produce healthy offspring, however unforeseen complications came into effect and I too developed his infertility.
My mother came from a lesser background, born and raised in Scotland with the one in a lifetime opportunity to travel to Japan and learn about this revolutionising development in the future of the human race. I doubt it was love at first sight, but they became inseparable. They put all of their money into my birth, and more so into my education and upbringing. Eventually turning to street crime and other illegal actions to gain money for my benefit. They lived in the slums, scum of the earth. They faced starvation, disease, violence and rape while I was being raised in a high class boarding school with no knowledge of this. By the time I reached the age of 10 I was notified my parents had been murdered in a riot that had occurred in the slum area. Can't miss what you've never had, eh? I wish I maintained that view now, 15 years later.
Even in the age in which we live, space travel is still something that hasn't reached it's full potential, till now.
Using the same false atmospheric technology we were able to set up small research colonies on Mars, and discovered long desolate alien technology we believe is to be used to make a jump through space. Probes were sent to confirm our ideas and now a fully functioning star ship is ready to leave Earth and travel through this 'Relay' as we call it, and travel further into the galaxy in search of a new planet that may be able to sustain our race. Like I said, The planet is dying, it's resources depleted. Inside the artificial atmosphere you may live and even have an enjoyable life time, however outside these pods of life lay nothing but derelict land. All life died long ago as our own earths atmosphere became toxic to those at its mercy. Even the luxury of pod life will be at risk in the near future.
I come into this as the first starships lead engineer. If we encounter any problems while out there, My team and I are the entire crews best hope of surviving and continuing on our Journey. Our target is a planet one of our probes picked up on, it showed life signs and an atmosphere similar to that of earths before the year 2000. We believe these life signs to be non-humanoid, however we have no proof of this. If an alien race did exist, scientists believe they would have come to us before now. Made themselves known. Myself and many others on the other hand believe there may be life out there, watching us, perhaps even researching us.
"Jackson, time to get suited, booted and meet back at the ship. You have ten minutes" Captain Shirakah informs me, leaning in the door of my quarters before disappearing out of the corridor. I let out a stressed sigh as I close my holopad, my possible last memoirs disappearing as I do so. Everything we need is on the ship, minus ourselves. Flexible suits built to sustain all atmospheric encounters and oxygen masks for exploration, if we get to the planet. I give myself a hasty glance in the mirror to make sure I look the part for the camera crews here to document our departure. My black hair is slicked to the side, those curls relentlessly making themselves known, my mother's green eyes staring out at me. Freshly shaven and clean, dressed in military best I make my way out of my quarters towards the ship bay.
As our superiors give speeches and call the captain to the stands in front of several cameras and reporters, the rest of the crew stand along the ships side, some seated to give a full view of the 200+ deckhands. The SR3 Isotope is an almighty vessel, built with state of the art technology and an engine that is every engineer's dream to work on. "Ready for this?" My co-engineer asks in his well known Boston accent, keeping a stern face forward for the cameras. "I suppose we don't really have a choice in the matter, do we now?" I retort with a quick glance at him, as if we had the chance to opt out a mere 30 minutes before departure. Some people have told me my thick Scottish accent can be harsh at times, and this would be one of those times, I guess by the way he look at me in return, as if wounded by my words.
Once the cameras have been shood and the captain returns we get set up for departure, Strapped in with Oxygen masks on we wait for clearance and proceed. It's not long till we're in the air, and before long out of sight.
Once we're out in space the systems are fully operating, Oxygen pumping through the ship means there are no need for masks and we can move freely, getting about our business without restriction. A broadcast from the pilot comes across the intercoms, informing us we are approximately an hour's distance from the Relay. Now the fun starts