ONE EVENING AFTER ANOTHER FRUITLESS DAY of exploration, a majority of Olivia’s crew gathered in the ship's mess hall. The holographic star map hovered above the center of the room, displaying all the systems they had visited and charted thus far. It was Olivia’s way of trying to remind the crew of all the great work they had accomplished, but other members took it as a reminder of how long it’s been since they found a damn thing out there. Despite that defeatist attitude, Olivia preferred to look at her glass as half full rather than half empty. She used this opportunity to address the crew as a chance to remind them that being out there in space was a privilege that not many citizens were lucky enough to get. There were less than fifty thousand active members of the USC that were lucky enough to get assigned a mission in space. When you compare that to the enormous population of Earth that was well over eleven billion and still steadily rising, these lucky few were fortunate enough to leave the atmosphere in service of their fellow man and travel amongst the stars. Even if they were sometimes too depressed to realize it, Olivia went out of her way to remind them.
"We all knew what we were getting into when we came aboard.” Olivia said, standing at a podium before her people. “We knew this mission wouldn’t be easy an easy one. Our enemy doesn’t come in the form of an opposing battle cruiser but lies in our ability to stay sharp and ready in the face of a task that is often mundane. We need to stay at our best, because we never know what or who might be waiting for us in the next system. Please remember that as we venture forward and try to enjoy the fact that we are all astronauts in far reaches of space. We live amongst the very stars that every back home child looks up to at every night, wishing they could be here instead of us. Never forget that we used to be that child, and where we happen to be today. Thank you.”
The crew applauded as Olivia left the stage, not only because she gave a decent speech but likely also to celebrate that it was over, and they could now get to the feast and mingle with their fellow crew. Whenever she made a speech to boost the ego of her people, Olivia tried not to make it too long as even she knew why many of them were putting up with it in the first place. As she walked towards the other side of the mess to get something to eat, one of the few kids that resided her ship walked up to speak with her.
“Hello, Captain Howard.” The young girl said, smiling at her.
“Hello, Johanna,” Olivia started, “How did you find the speech?”
“It was alright,” Johanna replied, “I have a much pressing question for you!”
“Alright, let’s have it.” Olivia said, considering she owed the child that much for putting up with her pep-talk to begin with.
“Why is this ship called the Conestoga?” Johanna asked.
“That’s a very good question,” Olivia replied, “Follow me and I’ll answer it while we’re in line for supper.”
“Alright,” Johanna said, taking the Captain’s hand as they got in line for food.
“The Conestoga is named after a type of wagon that was used in the eighteenth century,” Olivia started to explain to the young child, “A Conestoga wagon was a very heavy wagon that used to transport people and all their belongings from the eastern parts of the United States and Canada westward into the unknown territories of what was considered the new world. The Conestoga wagon was used by many pilgrims that explored these unknown parts and protected them from the dangers that awaited.”
“What kind of dangers?” The young girl asked, eager to know more.
“Too man to mention,” Olivia answered, “But it was the Conestoga wagons that protected them from those elements and wildlife, aiding the pilgrims to their eventual destination which in turn gave them the chance to create something new for themselves and their families.”
“How did these wagons get across the land?” Johanna asked, “What kind of engines did they have?”
“No engines,” Olivia explained, “During these times none of them had been invented yet. Boats were carried only by the wind, and the wagons all had to be pulled westward by horses, mules, or even oxen. Since most of these wagons weighed close to five tons each, so that walk was quite slow. It took years for them to travel to where they were going.”
“Years?” Johanna repeated, “How did they manage to eat during all that time?”
“Hunting and gathering,” Olivia explained, “Back then there were no machines to replicate their foods, which mean they had to go out there and get it as they traveled across the continent.”
“Wow,” Johanna said, as her mind was clearly blown. “How did they survive?”
“Many of them didn’t,” Olivia informed her, “Our ancestors were the lucky ones.”
“That’s what we’re doing now, isn’t it?” Johanna asked, “Exploring unknown lands like the pilgrims did back then?”
“Yes, we are,” Olivia confirmed, “And that is why our ship is called the Conestoga, because this is our wagon marching forth into the great unknown.”
“I like that name,” the young girl acknowledged, “It’s fitting.”
“I agree,” Olivia said, as she noticed they were at the and of the line. “Tell the cooks what you’d like to have today.”
After getting their food, Johanna darted off to dine with her parents and left the captain on her own. Olivia didn’t mind as she noticed that Doctor Chen was already seated and eating already so she strolled over and sat down across from him. He had a smile on her face as she did so.
“What is it?” She asked him.
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“I saw you talking to Johanna,” Chen answered, “You are very good with children, Olivia. It’s surprising that you haven’t tried to mother one or two of your own.”
“So, that’s where we’re going today,” Olivia said, as she found the subject Chen preferred to start with rather fascinating. “I hate to break it to you, Doctor, but I have no intention of putting myself through the ordeal of a space birth. If I’m going to start a family, it will be back on Earth or maybe on one of the newer colonies.”
“Space births are not that traumatic,” Doctor Chen protested, “I’ve delivered many babies in space and the one’s I’ve taken care of have grown up to be wonderful little bundles of joy, like Johanna. I happen to think adding to our crew would also be good for morale, as they bring joy into our lives.”
“Your recommendations are duly noted,” Olivia said, “And promptly dismissed.”
“I see,” Chen replied, “And for what reason am I being dismissed?”
“Parenthood is nothing something anyone should take lightly,” Olivia explained, “And it needs to be done for the right reasons, and not just for the benefit and enjoyment of others. They are a commitment and a high calling, not something to amuse others to pass the time.”
“The biggest reason for taking that calling is no longer relevant,” Chen argued, “Earth is overpopulated and is practically bursting at the seams. That is why there is a two-child limit imposed by most governments.”
“And that is why I am not going to rush into motherhood,” Olivia added, “I’m not going to use up my two chances with just anyone. When I chose to have a child, it will be with someone I love and want to share that experience with.”
“What about your ex-husband?” Chen inquired, “Didn’t you love him enough to want to start a family with him while you were hitched?”
Olivia responded to that question with a bellowing laugh.
“I didn’t love that ignorant lug enough,” Olivia answered, amused by the question. “He was aware and accepted it.”
“Then why did you marry him in the first place?” Chen asked.
“I did it for the ability to join the USC” Olivia replied, “Only specific citizens were allowed to apply for the Confederacy, so I married someone who was a citizen of a nation that qualified. Being married to a civilian also granted the new spouse the same citizenship, and this was how I was able to join the Confederacy.”
“I knew you were committed to your mission,” Chen started, “But marrying someone just to qualify for space travel is a commitment even I didn’t think someone was capable of doing for the right to explore the stars.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Olivia countered, “He was a willing participant and got something out of our union as well. We both benefited from it.”
While Olivia was more than willing to discuss her old commitments to her ex-husband, but she noticed that a member of her crew was being more grumpy and even hostile than usual. She left her food and walked over to the table where Lt. Ramirez was eating but being quite vocal about something. Given the passion in her voice, it didn’t take much for the Captain to understand what was being discussed as strolled over there to chip into this particular debate.
“I can hear you mope all the way from over there, Lieutenant,” Olivia said, as she took a seat at the table Ramirez and her friends were occupying.
“I’m sorry Captain,” Ramirez said, trying to make her tone more respectful. “It’s just been so long, so many months since we found anything of significance. Not even a hint of a habitable planet. It’s just getting on my last nerve."
Olivia looked at each crew member that was sitting with Ramirez, silently acknowledging their frustration.
"I understand how you feeling," Olivia answered, “Trust me Lieutenant; I have not forgotten why we’re all out here. Our purpose is to learn and expand how we all understand of the universe. Even if we don't find what we expect, every discovery, big or small, has value and could help our people in the near future."
The people at Ramirez’s table sat there and contemplated their captain's words. She was right, of course. The very essence of exploration was to face the unknown, to venture into uncharted territories without knowing what lay ahead. As she stood up from the table, Olivia had something important she wanted to share with Ramirez and the people she was sitting with.
“Well, I have some good news,” Olivia started to inform them. “I wasn’t supposed to share this, but we have a secret mission from USC Command. There is a mystery that has emerged from the system that is next in line.”
“What kind of mystery?” Ramirez asked, she was already hooked.
“Something has happened to the sun,” Olivia answered, “This particular system had a bright star that was easy to find, but many years ago the light from that sun just disappeared.”
“How can a star just disappear?” Ramirez asked.
“That’s the mystery,” Olivia continued, “If the sun had gone nova, it would have been spotted by our scopes and duly noted. That never happened and the light just vanished, as if someone was drawing a curtain. When we make it to the next system, we’ll get a chance to see for ourselves what happened to it.”
“That’s awesome!” Ramirez said, sounding very excited.
“Try to keep this on the down low,” Olivia asked the people at the table, “The USC preferred I had kept this to myself. Okay?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Ramirez said, but Olivia could tell that she was already thinking of doing a ton of research after supper about what could have caused a sun to just stop giving off light. The other people at her table started to converse with one another, getting into vigorous debates over what was going on with that sun. Olivia had a smile on her face as she returned to her table where Doctor Chen was waiting.
“What was that all about?” Chen asked, as he didn’t look amused. “Do you think it’s right to lie to our crew about a secret mission from command?”
“What makes you think it’s a lie?” Olivia replied, smiling as she resumed eating.
“If this really is a secret mission,” Chen continued, “Do you think it was wise to just tell a whole table of people while dozens of others were listening as you told them? Half the ship is going to know this by the end of the night.”
“Maybe that was the point,” Olivia countered, “To give them something to look forward to going into the next system. Hope is needed if we’re going to make it to the end of our mission.”
“You're right, Captain.” Chen concurred, “We can't lose hope. Who knows what we might find next? This mystery in space may hide secrets we could never have imagined. I’m rather curious about the phenomenon myself.”
“I’ve been looking into it with a few science officers,” Olivia explained, “And there are a lot of reasons why this sun could have stopped shining. They’ve been taking precautions in case it’s something serious, like a singularity.”
“A singularity?” Chen repeated, “You mean like a black hole?”
“We’re going to enter the system with extreme caution,” Olivia added, “We’re even going to jump in sooner just to make sure we’re a safe distance in case that happens to be the cause of this sun’s missing light.”
“I am intrigued, Captain.” Chen said, “Tell me more about what your science officers think that happened to this sun?”
Olivia smiled when the doctor asked her that question, because she had been dying to let the crew in one this secret for quite some time. If she had told them all too soon, their patience would have wanned while waiting for the system to approach. By keeping it to herself, she bared the wait all on her own and that might have been the reason she wasn’t getting a lot of sleep lately. The closer her ship got to the system, the more excited she was getting about the mystery that awaited them. Once they had done the basic survey of the current system, Olivia was going to make the command to jump towards the next system, and the adventure that lied before them.