Weightless. A numb sensation crawled over my body and into my head. My eyes stared at the lights blinking in my view as I forgot to breathe, only to be reminded by the burning sensation within my lungs. My arms and legs hung in weightless motion as my body hurtled towards an uncertain future. My radio crackled and buzzed.

"........David..........an you hear us.....ding a ship......Hopefully you'll be able t-...home...."

The last word hung in my head. "Home" The thought of returning home was so far away from me. So out of reach and distant. Like a mirage in the desert as I pulled myself along the vacant wasteland. It sounded like they were mounting a rescue. They should've known it was too late. Idiots. Hopeful idiots, but idiots nonetheless.

Slowly, I lifted my arm and saw the big red number on the screen. Four hours. That was how long I had to live. That was how long they had to mount a rescue operation. A rescue for one man, in the endless expanse of nothingness. A void. A void the curiosity of humanity forced us to explore. A void that held so many unknowns and so many dangers that were unique and different.

I'm going to die. The radio crackles in protest, with the voices of people I know, people who hoped I would make it back home. They tell me I'm going to be fine. They tell me I'm going to live and come home. They tell me I'll live. Some even beg for me to believe them. I do not. I am going to die and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Not now, not ever.

The infinity around me has begun to play games with my mind. Dragging me along like how a little girl drags her favorite teddy bear behind her. So careful yet so careless. Dragging me away to a place I cannot even begin to conceive. To a corner of the universe that we could only see and hope to touch.

I can no longer see my home. In the last moments, it seemed so small. The place where I grew up , the place where all my heroes came from. All the people I knew, all the things I saw, and all the things I learned. Gone in a second. Disappearing in the massive expanse we found our home in.

We are so small. We are so small compared to the world we are surrounded by. For so long, we looked down at our feet and discovered the wonders beneath them, but we could only ever look up at the heavens in wonder. To look up at the stars and wonder what they could be. And only in my life have we just begun to reach out and try to touch them. We are so tiny. Occupying a sliver of color on the endless painting that is our universe. I am nothing but a part of that.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Curiosity. It is the only reason we ever looked towards anything and wonder what it could be or where it even came from. I am only a product of that curiosity. The mission, the men and women I was with, the ship, and my inevitable demise, all a product of the collective curiosity of so few but also so many.

Who knows what could be out here? What vast wealth of knowledge that the stars could hold. The worlds we could discover, the places we could see, the beings we could meet. The cultures and traditions. Their laws and sciences. Their way of daily life compared to ours. Such a massive wealth of knowledge and a collective drive to fulfill it. I am a casualty of that cause and I wouldn't have it any other way. My sacrifice can ensure that another one does not happen. My sacrifice could make space that little bit safer. My sacrifice could provide just that much information. I am a product and a casualty of a cause that has enthralled me since I was a little boy. The thought that pushed me to strive for more and to push myself further than I ever would've otherwise. It is my reason for being. My purpose in life. Something that not many seem to have.

The stars have begun to fade out of my view. I have simply seen them too many times. But I wish to see more. I am further than any human has ever been before. I have become an unwilling pioneer on a new frontier. Like the ones that came before me. The brave explorers and pioneers who pushed past the known borders to pursue the possibility of something more or something greater. I hope at least some of them were not compelled by greed. I cannot say the same for this new frontier.

My head has begun to spin. The oxygen levels have dropped below critical. I am going to die and nobody can save me, no matter how hard everyone else tries. There are so many people on Earth who will hate me for not trying harder, but I hope they'll see what I see one day. This is greater than Ime. This is greater than so many of us. My sacrifice will only be overshadowed by more tragedies and triumphs to come. My name will disappear into a long list of people from all corners of the globe. The team that dies, the team that breaks the barriers set in place by previous teams. All in the name of exploration.

"I am going to die. I'm going to die for a cause that I am a part of, a cause that is greater than Ime. And you know what? I wouldn't want it any other way..."