2167 – May

With dark brown eyes ablaze with excitement and an olive face lit with anticipation, Dr. Juna Manning took a moment from her work to just look out the window. That was a normal thing to do, right? Didn’t most employees take mental breaks throughout their workday?

Yes, on both accounts. Except Juna wasn’t a normal employee and she wasn’t looking out of an ordinary window. She didn’t even work in a regular office building.

Juna was an astronaut for H-NASA, a humanitarian subsidiary of NASA. The window she looked out of today was attached to the oblong-shaped space shuttle that she and her husband, Dr. Elexander Manning, had been traveling in for months now.

Juna’s eagerness stemmed from the fact that they were finally going to enter the Andromeda Galaxy or M31 as it was scientifically called. They would enter that zone sometime in the next thirty minutes, though it had taken them nearly six months to get there.

Six long months!

Yet Juna suspected that the waiting would be so worth it. It had to be.

“My, it really is beautiful out here, isn’t it?” Juna said, admiring the dark wonders of the cosmos from her seat on the flight deck. She could barely sit still and it had nothing at all to do with the lack of gravity in the shuttle.

At his wife’s verbal prompt, Elexander looked up from the controls of his workstation and nodded. The dark backdrop with its millions of heavenly lights was beautiful. Unfortunately, it also had a tendency to make him feel very small in the universe, very insignificant.

The fully-loaded, yet very compact space shuttle they traveled in didn’t help matters. Elexander still felt like a gnat flying over the ocean. Less than a gnat in space.

I am significant. I do have a purpose, Elexander mused, telling himself the same things he’d recited since they left Earth’s atmosphere. The fact that he and his wife of ten years had seemed almost handpicked for this very important humanitarian mission was further proof that they both had a destiny to fulfill.[i]

The Mannings were on a two-year mission to a newly discovered planet just outside of Earth’s solar system in the Andromeda Galaxy. The well-trained scientists/astronauts were going to see firsthand if this planet (named Nico-1 after the man that discovered it - Nico Paneh) was as inhabitable as earlier studies had shown it to be.

From space, Nico-1 had some of the same distinguishing features as Earth. In astronaut lingo, the water (seas) and the dirt (land) were very similar. There were vivid blues to indicate the existence of viable water sources, browns and greens to indicate huge land masses, and enough clouds in all textures and shades of white to suggest that there was sufficient atmosphere to support life.

The reason for this trip was one of extreme necessity. Due to the curing of many major diseases, people on Earth were living longer. Subsequently, they were also having more babies, which caused the population to expand at an alarming rate. As a result, worldwide food shortages were being experienced on a regular basis due to the decrease in farmland.

Unless more habitable land was found in the next twenty years, there might be worldwide famine. Famine that might take decades to recover from. The people at H-NASA hoped that Nico-1 proved to be just what the people of Earth needed.

“You’re mighty quiet today. In fact, you’ve been getting increasingly quieter ever since we left Earth’s atmosphere,” Juna noted, turning from the window to look at her silent mate.

Suddenly the prospect of entering the spiral Andromeda Galaxy very soon wasn’t quite as important. Only the man that she’d fallen in love with at first sight mattered now.

Elexander glanced briefly at his wife, before returning his attention to the lighted controls in front of him. He was always double-checking, or rather triple-checking everything like most competent astronauts did.

“I guess I’m quieter than usual because the gravity of what we’re doing has been weighing on me slowly but surely over the last few months. A lot of people are depending on us in this mission, Juna. Not just in our country, but all over the world,” Elexander replied, still keeping his eyes on the controls. He didn’t want Juna to see what was in his ebony pools. He didn’t want his current insecurity to taint her cheerful disposition.   

Picking up on her husband’s melancholy anyway, an insightful Juna reached over and grabbed one of his hands in comfort. “I know a lot of people are depending on us, baby. I also know that you and I are going to do everything in our collective power to see that we don’t let them down.” 

Elexander frowned, causing his caramel forehead to wrinkle, his thick black brows to furrow together. Then he took a deep breath, swallowed his pride, and turned to face his wife again, ready to reveal his greatest fear to the only person he could ever tell it to. Not even his best friend Badru (BAH-droo) Karson knew this secret.

“But what’s going to happen if our best still isn’t good enough? What if we let them down anyway?” Elexander asked, deep concern written all over his Greek features.

Juna squeezed his large hand with her much smaller one. “A person’s best is all he or she can ever really give anyone. In my opinion, we’ve already done so much for our planet that I would not entertain even an ounce of guilt if we fail on this mission.”

“Not even an ounce?”

“Not even an ounce. Less than a gram,” Juna replied with a tender smile.

Though the semblance of a smile tugged at the corners of Elexander’s mouth, he still didn’t look convinced. Therefore, Juna began to remind him of some of the things they had accomplished during their ten-year marriage. “Not meaning to brag, but let’s do a quick review of what we’ve already done for Earth.” She released his hand and prepared to count on her fingers as she usually did when about to make a convincing argument.

Elexander’s left brow rose higher than the other in amusement as he looked at Juna’s expressive hands. Thanks to his optimistic wife, he could feel his gloomy mood changing already. A full smile was upon his lips now.

“Are you preparing to go on a roll, my dear?” Elexander teased.

Juna smirked playfully at him and nodded. “Sure am, honey pie,” she replied, using a thick southern accent as the warmth of Elexander’s smile permeated deep within her pores. Juna liked that he wasn’t committed to just one attitude, to just one way of thinking or feeling. That he could be very flexible when he needed to be.

Good husband, Juna mused, loving him all the more.

“Then roll on, baby,” Elexander urged. Giving her his full attention, he folded his muscular arms comfortably across his chest, blocking out the red, white, and blue H-NASA logo on his shirt.

That was all the consent Juna needed as she began to count on her fingers. “Number one, we found safer and faster ways to grow produce, huge produce, thereby making the most of the farmland we still have. Number two, our research has made intergalactic travel better and faster. Number three, we are now traveling in a space shuttle made from the prototype that we submitted to H-NASA. A shuttle that is not only safer, but more equipped to handle long range space travel.” Having made her case, Juna leaned closer to her husband and asked, “Now doesn’t that make you feel lighter inside?”

“Much lighter,” Elexander replied, blessing her with a grin now. He appreciated Juna for reminding him of their previous accomplishments. He often forgot to review past victories due to his engrossment with improving the future.

Although Elexander did feel considerably more lighthearted from Juna’s pep talk, it did not take away all of his anxiety. He’d feel much better about things once they actually made it safely into Andromeda and landed on Nico-1, which was located in the northeast corner of that solar system.

However, since Juna’s pep talk had also reminded him of the need to enjoy the present, Elexander decided to do his best to savor this moment. After all, they would be the first human beings to ever enter this particular part of the universe. Even the people back at the command center wouldn’t get to experience this moment with them via shuttle communications.

The Mannings had gone beyond the scope of the communication portal a month ago. Therefore, those at H-NASA would witness this months later through a satellite that Juna would send on Earth’s path right after they crossed over into Andromeda.

“How about we use autopilot for the next twenty minutes or so and enjoy M31’s vivid imagery,” Elexander suggested. He was already programming the shuttle’s computer now.

“Oh, can we?” Juna practically squealed, clapping her hands with delight. Her previous excitement returned with full force. Ever since they started this mission, she’d been waiting to see the colorful spiral arms of Andromeda up-close and personal. Oh to be an eyewitness to M31’s dust lanes, red nebulae and slightly bluish star clouds was almost like a slice of heaven to her.

“Yes, we can,” Elexander replied, hitting the last button to complete the sequence he’d been working on.

In no time, Juna had unbuckled herself from the red canvas and leather chair. Even if there had been gravity in the shuttle, she probably would have still floated over to her husband just from the elation of the moment alone.

Meanwhile, Elexander made room for Juna in his larger blue chair as he often did when they wanted to cuddle at the helm. “I was thinking, what if Nico-1 ends up being like the Garden of Eden[ii] to us. Wouldn’t that be great?” he said, making an even greater effort to look on the bright side of things as he drew his floating wife down into his arms.

“Yes, it would. But anywhere you are, is like the Garden of Eden to me, Elexander.” Juna maneuvered her athletic frame next to her husband’s.   

At those heartfelt words, Elexander bent to tenderly kiss her forehead. “I love you, baby,” he said in a fervent whisper, allowing his warm breath to caress her face.

“I love you, too,” Juna replied as happy tingles cascaded up and down her spine.

“I guess we’re just two little lovebirds flying around in space, huh?” Elexander chuckled and reached over to buckle them both in. This was a precaution just in case the ride into M31 was a bumpy one and also to keep them from floating all over the place now.

“That’s right.” Juna laughed, resting her head upon his strong shoulder now that they were all comfy and settled. She loved that Elexander kept his body fit, despite the fact that he spent a lot of time in a lab. As a result of him making time for physical exercise, Juna was encouraged to do the same. Now they both were healthier than they’d ever been in their lives.  

Suddenly, Juna’s mind was snatched from the wonders of her husband’s muscular physique as the whole shuttle jerked violently forward. Then before either scientist could respond in any way, the spacecraft was pulled headfirst with vacuum-like force through Andromeda’s northeast portal.

“Whee!” was Juna’s wide-eyed response.

[i]  Romans 8:28

[ii]  Genesis 2:8-15