Have you ever stopped to realise how small our lives truly are? How little do we seem to matter in the vast expanse of the universe? How lasting or fleeting the impact of our actions might be in the grand sche of things?
Standing still, gazing at the sheer enormity of Mother Earth, you can't help but feel captivated by her divinity, her boundless majesty rendering our existence both insignificant and extraordinary.
Two years ago, I boarded a space shuttle to join DebrisX, a private company specializing in space debris managent. My assignnt was at their grand space station, a marvel of engineering that revolved in the low Earth orbit ring.
It was the first ti I laid eyes on her — not from the ground, but from space. Our massive blue world unfolded before in all her glory. A peculiar sense of euphoria erupted within my chest, shifting my very perception. She was breathtaking, her vast greenery intertwined with shimring blue oceans, glowing under the gentle caress of sunlight.
Soone once told that astronauts often feel an overwhelming wave of elation upon ascending into space for the first ti. They weren't lying.
Yet, as I marvelled at her beauty, a sudden wave of bitterness washed over . It struck how utterly insignificant we, the so-called master races — humans, elves, wildrens, and animori — truly were when compared to her imnse, unyielding scale.
***
"Co in! Co in! This is Redrooster, Section 11 Command Centre!" A sudden, static-laden voice crackled from the comm speaker in Jack's cockpit. The blue glow of the holographic HUD screen flickered to life in front of him, illuminating the face of a man in his early 40s.
Deep indentations lined his gaunt cheeks, and the wrinkles etched across his forehead seed even more pronounced under the dim light. His dull eyes, tinged with a faint red hue, hinted at a brilliance that once burned brightly, perhaps twenty years ago. Short silver hair floated listlessly in the zero-gravity environnt, giving him an almost ghostly appearance.
He was clad in an orange full-body jumpsuit made from heat-resistant composite fabric. The material clung tightly to his malnourished, tall fra, accentuating his frailty. His skin, pale as a ghostly sheet, added to his overall unassuming look. If judged by modern standards, Jack knew he wouldn't be called 'handso.' On a good day, maybe a six — if the person rating him had a drink or two first.
Instinctively reaching his hand to press the comm button on top of the compartnt, "This is Jack speaking! Jack Squire, employee number 0423..." He replied after a green light flashed once. His voice was deep and sowhat mysterious, according to what his wife told him and she loved to listen to him rambling on and on.
Awaiting the reply from the centre command, his eyes lazily drifted to a locket with a picture of his son in it. The digital locket illustrated a handso boy, aged 10, who shared all of his genetics, with the sa eye and hair colour, smiling like he was the happiest boy in the whole galaxy. Jack found himself grinning as he watched the locket swimming weightlessly. He knew what he had to do and once he completed the orbital mission, he could return ho to family, to his lovely wife and son.
Actually, this was his last mission before he descended to earth and enjoyed his retirent with his family. As he gazed absentmindedly at Germund from his cockpit's sight port of a puny bot, a cylindrical-shape and compact robot with two of 6 dinsional axis arms for debris handling. They called them Petite Node Interface Bot or P.N.I. in short.
Glancing at that green and blue canvas of Germund now, he wondered what his family was doing at this ti. Was she doing fine, raising his son on her own? Had she and his son been eating well? No matter, they would be set for life next week when he returned to them with his pockets loaded with the wealth of a lifeti. Just imagined it, he could even taste her ho-cooked als in his mouth.
It wouldn't be long now, suddenly the voice cracked out of static noises, "Yo, Jack! This is David McDonald, speaking! Do you read ?!" A hologram image of an overweight man in his 50s bead up in the left corner of the HUD. Despite his weathered complexion, his smile never once faltered.
"Hey! David, I read you loud and clear," Jack answered with a smirk, seeing a friendly face in his final mission, switching up on stand-by mode with a click of the button. One after another, his puny bots' thrusters ca to life as they dissipated rippling blue heat.
"Terrific! It's good to assist you today, my friend!" David exclaid with delight and then let out a roaring laugh.
"The sentint is mutual!"
"System checking... 1... 2... 3... and... we're all green!..." David inford thodically, as he comnced the system start-up protocol.
David monitored the readiness of each puny bot in Jack's fleet, abruptly his thick brows furrowed, "Fifteen?!" He yelled in disbelief, raising one of his brows.
"Well, I don't have much choice~," Jack said but David cut him off.
"Don't you get it!? This is a life-threatening condition! What if you ended up with brain damage?!" his big friend scolded, his voice heavy with genuine concern. "Most people can barely handle six of these — six! Even an Armatus knight would be pushing it to manage ten, at most!"
The weight of his concern bore down, his frustration evident in every word.
Jack took a long minute to examine the coordinator, "Don't be such a worrywart, my good friend! I've done this countless tis in the simulation..."
The fat friend exhaled deeply in defeat before uttering matter-of-factly, "Simulation is not exactly accurate to gauge your ntal load, I don't want you to fire your brain over this, we still need~"
Jack interrupted respectfully, "I'm resigning after this mission..."
"What?!"
"I'm going back to earth after this mission, David. So... pretty please?"Jack added, using what he did best; persuasive skills accompanied by his deep, charming voice.
"Okay... You gotta be shitting like those magicians of Osten!"
"Pfft! You just called the arcanists 'magicians'?!" Almost couldn't contain his laughter at the absurdity of David's claim.
Jack asked amusedly, "Like juggling bottles around, pulling a hare out of the hat? That type of magician?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers