Chance
Title Chance
Word Count: 3,324
Fandom/pairing Sunshine (2007); Gen.
Note: Written for musidora for yuletide 2012). This takes place before the movie.
January 2053
“We received data from Captain Pinbacker up until June, which is around their last communications burst before they reached the dead zone by Mercury,” Harvey said, as he read from a large file.
There were several other astronauts, scientists, and government officials sitting at the debriefing table, listening intently.
“We also received psychological reports from Dr. Pallard up to that point. Everything appeared to be within normal condition, as much as one can know about the psychological effect of long-term space travel. However, there is mention of crew spending less time together and a tense relationship between the doctor and the captain,” Searle added.
“We’re still running through the diagnostics,” Mace said, “but nothing indicated anything wrong with the physical ship itself.”
“The oxygen readings indicated production was greater than consumption, so they should have been fine in terms of air. The last captured photos showed a plentiful crop in their vegetable garden, which should cover their basic survival needs,” Corazon added.
“What about the payload?” an Air Force general asked.
All eyes turned to Capa, who had been scribbling notes down. He looked around when the room turned quiet. “Uh, it shouldn’t affect the operations of the ship. It was working fine based on Dr. Barrow’s last test run."
“All things considered, we have very little knowledge of what went wrong out there. But if we are to embark on this next mission, we must learn from them as much as we can,” Kaneda stated.
Mrs. Bowden, the Administrator of NASA, nodded and addressed the crew, “You have been preparing for this mission for several years and we continue to ask too much from you. I understand if you have to take some time to decide to continue on this road, not knowing what has happened to the Icarus I, but if you are willing, NASA would like to put you on active duty now.”
The group looked at each other and silently nodded their consent. This wasn’t exactly what they signed up for when they joined the project, but they also knew there was a possibility they would be called upon to do the very thing they were helping the crew of Icarus I to do. They were now the most qualified individuals on the planet, and one could even say, mankind’s last hope.
It was August 2052 when the United States government and the people at NASA and CERN gave up hope that their spacecraft, Icarus, was not making a return journey from flying towards the sun to reignite it. The first sign there was trouble was when it was still 50 degrees in July in Florida. A new team was compiled, the crew of Icarus II, now in one of the basement meeting rooms at the Kennedy Space Center, which was reopened as the headquarters for the Icarus Project.
As everyone left the briefing room, Cassie walked alongside Capa and nudged him in the shoulders. “So, this is it.”
“Yes it is,” he replied dryly.
“You’re getting the chance to personally deliver your bomb.”
Capa cringed. “I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this.”
Cassie didn't say anything in return, having mixed emotions about the situation herself. While it was a chance of a lifetime to pilot a spacecraft to the sun (and back) for three years (maybe), there was always the alternative of it seriously ending badly, ending entirely.
“Considering how many years and natural resources it will take to make another stellar bomb," Capa's words broke Cassie from her thoughts, "my one hope is that we make it there and it works.”
“It will work,” she said, determination in her voice.
Capa wasn’t about to regale her of the theoretical gamble they were playing with the universe. No, he was going to go back to his office to prepare the calculations and dimensions needed to develop another stellar bomb that would rebirth their sun. He pinched the bridge of his nose, sensing a headache coming on.
He took a left at the corner, heading for the stairway rather than the elevator where everyone else was. Cassie followed behind. "You can't dodge them forever."
He didn't respond, simply climbing the three flights of stairs two steps at a time. "I'll catch up with you later, okay?" He didn't want to shut her out completely, but he needed to collect some of his work before the others bombarded him with questions.
As he reached the side exit, he braced himself for the afternoon cold.
---
“I think we need a stronger secondary shield,” Trey said as he looked at the construction blueprints of Icarus II. “We can still copy and paste the exact design of Icarus I, but extra protection wouldn’t hurt.”
The workmen looked at him and back at the blueprints, shaking their heads.
“He’s got a point,” Mace added, dropping by from where he was working in the large hangar, “Once we drop the bomb into the sun, the intensity of the rays are going to be substantially stronger than when we faced it with the main shield.”
The workmen scribbled down some drawings and continued with their work.
“Thanks for backing me up,” Trey said.
“No problem, just looking out for all of us,” Mace replied with a smile.
Just then, Searle walked over with some papers in hand.
“What’s up?” Trey asked.
“I wanted to see if they could expand the Earth room a little. I was going through the psych reports and the feedback seemed to be that it would be better if it was less restrictive. Rather than a small cubical space large enough to sit, perhaps the size of a small room. Makes sense, right?” Searle asked.
“I didn't try out the Earth Room before, but yeah, it seems like the right move to make it bigger.”
“All right, I'll pass the specs onto you then,” Searle said before heading down the hall.
---
“Hand me the salt, will you?” Corazon asked Cassie, while handling the large wok in one hand. It was the lady’s turn to cook tonight at their on-grounds quarters. They started living together as a part of their team-building exercises, and even if they didn’t have to stay all the time, it just became easier to stay in these dorms when they worked into the late nights.
“Mmm, stir fry,” Mace commented, “Can’t mess that up, right, Cory?”
The older woman gave him a wry look and continued cooking. “I am sorry I was never house wife material. I spent most of my hours growing and researching vegetation rather than cooking it.”
Searle laughed, “I believe it’s your turn to cook this weekend, Mace, what’ve you got planned for us?”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be great,” Kaneda interjected before the conversation could go any further. Even on land, Captain was already trying to keep peace among the crew members, though a little humor was always welcomed.
“So, I added a few things to the Earth Room database, have any of you checked it out yet?” Searle asked.
“Can we not talk business right now?” was Harvey’s answer.
“What can we talk about?” Trey asked. The mission was at the forefront of everyone's mind and everything else in their life had been pushed aside; what else could they really talk about? It would be like asking everyone to ignore the pink elephant in the room.
Ignoring Harvey’s comment, Corazon answered from the kitchen island, “I think the forest scenery is particularly relaxing. Maybe adding a few places we’ve been to would be beneficial as well? Maybe seeing familiar places from home might make some people feel more home-sick, but I would like to look at it once in awhile.”
Searle nodded, “Yeah, that is something to consider. Thanks for the input, Corazon.”
Capa walked in at this point and took a seat next to the captain.
“How is it going?” Kaneda asked, a hint of concern in his voice. Their lead physicist had been holing himself up in his office with little contact with the rest of the crew except for meal and meeting times. While he knew that was originally a part of Capa's personality, he didn't like that he seemed so distant from everyone.
"Better than expected. We should be done gathering materials and start constructing soon."
"Dinner's ready!" Cassie declared and everyone waited as they passed the dishes of food around.
For a group assembled from all over the world for a perilous mission to save it, when the food hit the table, it felt oddly like any family dinner on any ordinary night.
"Ok," Harvey started, "if no one else is going to say it, I might as well bring it up."
Everyone looked up from their plates expectantly.
"What if it was Icarus who sabotaged the mission? You know how in movies, the AI turns on the humans?"
"You mean it developed its own personality and decided to not fly into the sun?" Trey asked.
“So, she works for basically one and a half years only to go AWOL just when they're about to make it? That doesn't make sense," Mace argued.
“Hmm,” Searle considered, “It is a possibility.”
Mace gave him a wry look, “Even if there was a glitch in the system--"
“Murphy’s Law,” Capa simply said, interrupting Mace's thought.
Mace stared at him briefly, as if saying “really, did you just go there?” but quickly turned back to his food, his fork noticeably pushing harder against the plate. “I’m not going to continue this conversation with you guys. Icarus was fine; something else went wrong that we just can’t see.”
“You’re right. We're flying in blind,” Trey added quietly.
“I don’t care, as long as we’re still flying,” Cassie added.
"Stop everyone. We've already considered this and we're going to be prepared as much as we can," Kaneda stated, ending that line of conversation.
So yes, dinner was nice when they had it together, but sometimes, a table full of intelligent, conflicting personalities, was trouble.
Despite having already spent four years together, including the time they spent prepping and helping Icarus I, it still took time to develop their relationships. It used to be all about work, and it may still be, but now they had to work on it as a crew. They were only going to have each other out there.
They dropped formalities, stopped calling each other by their titles long ago, but they were all strangers when they first met. They were the best of the best, but human nonetheless. And humans had feelings, insecurities, and were inherently flawed. No matter how intelligent they were, there were those unexplained, uncontrolled, emotions. Especially the feelings of trust, fear, apprehension. Having Searle as a part of the team really lightened them up, because he would bring up those unspoken words, and after the initial shock, everyone bonded over frustrations and accomplishments.
July 2054 - Earth-orbit Training
The Icarus II team were not only helping with preparations with the ship, but also continually practicing their skills as astronauts. They first trained in simulators, then in underwater tanks, and finally in the real thing. This was easier for some more than others.
“I have never seen an astronaut be so apathetic about working in space,” Cassie commented.
“I am a physicist; I was never an astronaut to begin with,” Capa said in defense.
“But we all have to learn how to do these routine checks and repairs.”
“I know, but that doesn’t make it less nerve-wracking.”
“You know what’s nerve-wracking? Walking into that massive bomb of yours. I don’t know how you spend so many hours cooped up in there.”
“It’s peaceful, quiet,” Capa replied, a tone of appreciation in his voice.
“It’s weird how you seem to have a soft spot for a bomb,” Mace said in passing.
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to him.”
Capa continued putting his suit on and sighed. “It’s all about systematic desensitization; just have to get used to the feel of floating free. And potentially breaking loose from the cords,” he muttered under his breath.
Cassie chuckled, “That only happens in movies. You control your movements with jetpacks. Besides, I love that feeling of zero gravity; it’s like when you hit the right speed and altitude in flight. Your body becomes weightless.”
Capa chuckled. “To each their own.”
December 2055
Five years ago, the Icarus I team had undergone some intense preparation for their mission, physically, emotionally, and psychologically -particularly involving being deprived of natural light for a week. They basically lived in the skeleton of the Icarus I ship, going through their routines as if they were already in space. The psychological team had requested this crew go through the same exercise. Only one year left before the projected launch date. 365 days, give or take a few, and it was fast approaching.
"Cory, do you ever talk to your plants?" Mace asked as he watched her tend to her oxygen and vegetable garden on the ship. He sat on a steel table, touching the smooth surface of the plant leaf beside him.
She turned around, carrots in hand, and laughed. "Of course I do! They are alive and like us, they require care."
He nodded. "It's crazy how these tiny little machines inside produce oxygen for us." He was about to add more, but noticed Capa walking down the clear hallway and stopped.
"Hey," Capa greeted.
Mace nodded in return.
He took a seat by Mace, and picked up some papers off the table to examine.
The room fell into an awkward silence, except for the sound of Corazon clipping and snipping some greens.
"Anything interesting?" Mace asked, trying to make conversation.
"Hmm, just checking how much oxygen we would be making per hour," he said.
"Okay..." Mace thought he was going to elaborate, but that was it.
Corazon noticed this and asked, "Hey Capa, why don't you come help me water these flowers. And Mace, you can help me sort out these seeds for planting."
The guys looked at each other and back at the older woman. "Well, come on, no time to waste. If you're going to stay here, you might as well be productive. Even the plants are working right now," she joked.
This made Mace laugh and Capa couldn't help but smile at her humor.
As they went to work in the soil, all other thoughts went away. It was comfortable, doing seemingly tedious or menial tasks, yet it was productive. It was amazing how this one small seed produced what they needed to live. Sometimes the smaller things are what makes the difference. Mace and Capa's relationship was similar to that in a sense. It was interesting how they would often meet, by chance, or otherwise, in the oxygen room. Perhaps it was the greenery, but perhaps it was their way of slowly getting to know each other, even when no words were exchanged. Both were intelligent men, one excelling in theoretical physics, in the abstract more so than the other, who excelled in practical applications and tangible items. However, both were straight forward and stubborn. They thought things through and stuck by their decisions, even if it was difficult to convey those feelings at times. They were still working on that.
June 2056
Capa spent a lot of time in the payload. It was eerily silent and didn't quite echo, but sometimes, he would scream and let it bounce off its metallic walls. That cliff at the far edge of the payload was like the abyss. If one stared long enough at it, it felt as if it stared back. That darkness and emptiness below oddly grounded him -he was no longer in space, simply in a large cube. Equations ran involuntarily through his mind, projected like neon lights across the darkened background, thousands upon thousands of numbers and quantum physics etched into his brain -every step in the cube reminded him of humanity’s last hope. There were moments where he was breathless, knocked off his feet, because what was standing beneath him felt nothing but hard steel and rock, and yet, given the right spark, could ignite a new sun.
A ding from the computer notified Capa someone was approaching. "Capa, let me in, it's me," Cassie spoke into the intercom.
"What are you doing here?" He asked as he approached the entrance and opened it manually. "Doesn't this place give you the creeps?"
“No, no. Systematic desensitization, I’ll get used to it,” Cassie insisted, putting her hand up and then placing it back on the door handle heading into the payload. She may have been an air force pilot, quick-witted and smart, but she knew enough to admit that she was afraid of the things she did not understand, and she did not understand Capa’s bomb. It wasn’t just the payload to her, it was a part of Capa himself.
All crew members had to learn about the payload to an extent, but Capa was the leading expert. It took a few weeks for Cassie to grow used to the giant structure of the payload and to be able to walk around without holding her breath, as if it would somehow spark and ignite the bomb and blow them all to pieces.
No, that would wait, until the last crucial moment. They would want to witness the miracle that would birth a new star.
January 2057
T minus eight days until they, the crew of the Icarus II, were going to launch their mission towards the sun.
Everyone was given the rest of the week off to do whatever it is that they wanted. It was the least NASA could do; it could be the last time they would see Earth for a few years, if at all. It was unfortunate that it couldn't be any longer, but for some crew members, there was not much left in the world that mattered as much as this mission. Though the reason they would risk their lives is for those very people they were leaving behind, whether it was a sister, a nephew, or perhaps their children and spouse.
“So, what is everyone doing?” Mace asked as they left the complex, a duffle bag slung over his shoulders.
“My family’s in town,” Harvey answered.
“Yea, mine too.” Trey seconded.
“Captain?” Corazon asked.
“I’m going home.” Kaneda answered shortly. "What about you?"
"I'm going to visit my parents," she answered and Kaneda knew she meant that she would be visiting their graves. He placed a hand on her back gently and smiled. "Me too." Being the two eldest members of the crew meant they had more chances to experience loss.
“I’m going out on the town. Care to join me, Mace?” Searled asked.
Mace chuckled. "Thanks, but I've got plans of my own."
"Capa? Cassie?"
"I am going to travel to a few bases that I've been stationed at, see my old buddies, collect a few books for the trip."
"I've got a few last minute things to finish, but thanks," Capa answered. He ventured back to Icarus II, oddly empty and quiet. He walked into the Earth Room, thinking how ironic it was that he would be spending time in this projected fake-Earth, even when he was still on it. He ran through scenario after scenario of how the payload could reach the sun's south polar cap, as Icarus responded in that soft tone of hers.
“Payload successfully detached. Payload no longer detected. Delivery assumed. Mission complete."
"For some reason, that just doesn't sound right," Capa said to himself. "When we're that close to the sun, all we know of quantum physics will cease to exist, and you know that."
"Yes, Capa."
"But," he sighed and sat on the floor of the white room, looking at the yellow and orange triangles that symbolized the sun's surface. "There is a chance."
"How much, Capa?"
"Enough."
Word Count: 3,324
Fandom/pairing Sunshine (2007); Gen.
Note: Written for musidora for yuletide 2012). This takes place before the movie.
January 2053
“We received data from Captain Pinbacker up until June, which is around their last communications burst before they reached the dead zone by Mercury,” Harvey said, as he read from a large file.
There were several other astronauts, scientists, and government officials sitting at the debriefing table, listening intently.
“We also received psychological reports from Dr. Pallard up to that point. Everything appeared to be within normal condition, as much as one can know about the psychological effect of long-term space travel. However, there is mention of crew spending less time together and a tense relationship between the doctor and the captain,” Searle added.
“We’re still running through the diagnostics,” Mace said, “but nothing indicated anything wrong with the physical ship itself.”
“The oxygen readings indicated production was greater than consumption, so they should have been fine in terms of air. The last captured photos showed a plentiful crop in their vegetable garden, which should cover their basic survival needs,” Corazon added.
“What about the payload?” an Air Force general asked.
All eyes turned to Capa, who had been scribbling notes down. He looked around when the room turned quiet. “Uh, it shouldn’t affect the operations of the ship. It was working fine based on Dr. Barrow’s last test run."
“All things considered, we have very little knowledge of what went wrong out there. But if we are to embark on this next mission, we must learn from them as much as we can,” Kaneda stated.
Mrs. Bowden, the Administrator of NASA, nodded and addressed the crew, “You have been preparing for this mission for several years and we continue to ask too much from you. I understand if you have to take some time to decide to continue on this road, not knowing what has happened to the Icarus I, but if you are willing, NASA would like to put you on active duty now.”
The group looked at each other and silently nodded their consent. This wasn’t exactly what they signed up for when they joined the project, but they also knew there was a possibility they would be called upon to do the very thing they were helping the crew of Icarus I to do. They were now the most qualified individuals on the planet, and one could even say, mankind’s last hope.
It was August 2052 when the United States government and the people at NASA and CERN gave up hope that their spacecraft, Icarus, was not making a return journey from flying towards the sun to reignite it. The first sign there was trouble was when it was still 50 degrees in July in Florida. A new team was compiled, the crew of Icarus II, now in one of the basement meeting rooms at the Kennedy Space Center, which was reopened as the headquarters for the Icarus Project.
As everyone left the briefing room, Cassie walked alongside Capa and nudged him in the shoulders. “So, this is it.”
“Yes it is,” he replied dryly.
“You’re getting the chance to personally deliver your bomb.”
Capa cringed. “I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this.”
Cassie didn't say anything in return, having mixed emotions about the situation herself. While it was a chance of a lifetime to pilot a spacecraft to the sun (and back) for three years (maybe), there was always the alternative of it seriously ending badly, ending entirely.
“Considering how many years and natural resources it will take to make another stellar bomb," Capa's words broke Cassie from her thoughts, "my one hope is that we make it there and it works.”
“It will work,” she said, determination in her voice.
Capa wasn’t about to regale her of the theoretical gamble they were playing with the universe. No, he was going to go back to his office to prepare the calculations and dimensions needed to develop another stellar bomb that would rebirth their sun. He pinched the bridge of his nose, sensing a headache coming on.
He took a left at the corner, heading for the stairway rather than the elevator where everyone else was. Cassie followed behind. "You can't dodge them forever."
He didn't respond, simply climbing the three flights of stairs two steps at a time. "I'll catch up with you later, okay?" He didn't want to shut her out completely, but he needed to collect some of his work before the others bombarded him with questions.
As he reached the side exit, he braced himself for the afternoon cold.
---
“I think we need a stronger secondary shield,” Trey said as he looked at the construction blueprints of Icarus II. “We can still copy and paste the exact design of Icarus I, but extra protection wouldn’t hurt.”
The workmen looked at him and back at the blueprints, shaking their heads.
“He’s got a point,” Mace added, dropping by from where he was working in the large hangar, “Once we drop the bomb into the sun, the intensity of the rays are going to be substantially stronger than when we faced it with the main shield.”
The workmen scribbled down some drawings and continued with their work.
“Thanks for backing me up,” Trey said.
“No problem, just looking out for all of us,” Mace replied with a smile.
Just then, Searle walked over with some papers in hand.
“What’s up?” Trey asked.
“I wanted to see if they could expand the Earth room a little. I was going through the psych reports and the feedback seemed to be that it would be better if it was less restrictive. Rather than a small cubical space large enough to sit, perhaps the size of a small room. Makes sense, right?” Searle asked.
“I didn't try out the Earth Room before, but yeah, it seems like the right move to make it bigger.”
“All right, I'll pass the specs onto you then,” Searle said before heading down the hall.
---
“Hand me the salt, will you?” Corazon asked Cassie, while handling the large wok in one hand. It was the lady’s turn to cook tonight at their on-grounds quarters. They started living together as a part of their team-building exercises, and even if they didn’t have to stay all the time, it just became easier to stay in these dorms when they worked into the late nights.
“Mmm, stir fry,” Mace commented, “Can’t mess that up, right, Cory?”
The older woman gave him a wry look and continued cooking. “I am sorry I was never house wife material. I spent most of my hours growing and researching vegetation rather than cooking it.”
Searle laughed, “I believe it’s your turn to cook this weekend, Mace, what’ve you got planned for us?”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be great,” Kaneda interjected before the conversation could go any further. Even on land, Captain was already trying to keep peace among the crew members, though a little humor was always welcomed.
“So, I added a few things to the Earth Room database, have any of you checked it out yet?” Searle asked.
“Can we not talk business right now?” was Harvey’s answer.
“What can we talk about?” Trey asked. The mission was at the forefront of everyone's mind and everything else in their life had been pushed aside; what else could they really talk about? It would be like asking everyone to ignore the pink elephant in the room.
Ignoring Harvey’s comment, Corazon answered from the kitchen island, “I think the forest scenery is particularly relaxing. Maybe adding a few places we’ve been to would be beneficial as well? Maybe seeing familiar places from home might make some people feel more home-sick, but I would like to look at it once in awhile.”
Searle nodded, “Yeah, that is something to consider. Thanks for the input, Corazon.”
Capa walked in at this point and took a seat next to the captain.
“How is it going?” Kaneda asked, a hint of concern in his voice. Their lead physicist had been holing himself up in his office with little contact with the rest of the crew except for meal and meeting times. While he knew that was originally a part of Capa's personality, he didn't like that he seemed so distant from everyone.
"Better than expected. We should be done gathering materials and start constructing soon."
"Dinner's ready!" Cassie declared and everyone waited as they passed the dishes of food around.
For a group assembled from all over the world for a perilous mission to save it, when the food hit the table, it felt oddly like any family dinner on any ordinary night.
"Ok," Harvey started, "if no one else is going to say it, I might as well bring it up."
Everyone looked up from their plates expectantly.
"What if it was Icarus who sabotaged the mission? You know how in movies, the AI turns on the humans?"
"You mean it developed its own personality and decided to not fly into the sun?" Trey asked.
“So, she works for basically one and a half years only to go AWOL just when they're about to make it? That doesn't make sense," Mace argued.
“Hmm,” Searle considered, “It is a possibility.”
Mace gave him a wry look, “Even if there was a glitch in the system--"
“Murphy’s Law,” Capa simply said, interrupting Mace's thought.
Mace stared at him briefly, as if saying “really, did you just go there?” but quickly turned back to his food, his fork noticeably pushing harder against the plate. “I’m not going to continue this conversation with you guys. Icarus was fine; something else went wrong that we just can’t see.”
“You’re right. We're flying in blind,” Trey added quietly.
“I don’t care, as long as we’re still flying,” Cassie added.
"Stop everyone. We've already considered this and we're going to be prepared as much as we can," Kaneda stated, ending that line of conversation.
So yes, dinner was nice when they had it together, but sometimes, a table full of intelligent, conflicting personalities, was trouble.
Despite having already spent four years together, including the time they spent prepping and helping Icarus I, it still took time to develop their relationships. It used to be all about work, and it may still be, but now they had to work on it as a crew. They were only going to have each other out there.
They dropped formalities, stopped calling each other by their titles long ago, but they were all strangers when they first met. They were the best of the best, but human nonetheless. And humans had feelings, insecurities, and were inherently flawed. No matter how intelligent they were, there were those unexplained, uncontrolled, emotions. Especially the feelings of trust, fear, apprehension. Having Searle as a part of the team really lightened them up, because he would bring up those unspoken words, and after the initial shock, everyone bonded over frustrations and accomplishments.
July 2054 - Earth-orbit Training
The Icarus II team were not only helping with preparations with the ship, but also continually practicing their skills as astronauts. They first trained in simulators, then in underwater tanks, and finally in the real thing. This was easier for some more than others.
“I have never seen an astronaut be so apathetic about working in space,” Cassie commented.
“I am a physicist; I was never an astronaut to begin with,” Capa said in defense.
“But we all have to learn how to do these routine checks and repairs.”
“I know, but that doesn’t make it less nerve-wracking.”
“You know what’s nerve-wracking? Walking into that massive bomb of yours. I don’t know how you spend so many hours cooped up in there.”
“It’s peaceful, quiet,” Capa replied, a tone of appreciation in his voice.
“It’s weird how you seem to have a soft spot for a bomb,” Mace said in passing.
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to him.”
Capa continued putting his suit on and sighed. “It’s all about systematic desensitization; just have to get used to the feel of floating free. And potentially breaking loose from the cords,” he muttered under his breath.
Cassie chuckled, “That only happens in movies. You control your movements with jetpacks. Besides, I love that feeling of zero gravity; it’s like when you hit the right speed and altitude in flight. Your body becomes weightless.”
Capa chuckled. “To each their own.”
December 2055
Five years ago, the Icarus I team had undergone some intense preparation for their mission, physically, emotionally, and psychologically -particularly involving being deprived of natural light for a week. They basically lived in the skeleton of the Icarus I ship, going through their routines as if they were already in space. The psychological team had requested this crew go through the same exercise. Only one year left before the projected launch date. 365 days, give or take a few, and it was fast approaching.
"Cory, do you ever talk to your plants?" Mace asked as he watched her tend to her oxygen and vegetable garden on the ship. He sat on a steel table, touching the smooth surface of the plant leaf beside him.
She turned around, carrots in hand, and laughed. "Of course I do! They are alive and like us, they require care."
He nodded. "It's crazy how these tiny little machines inside produce oxygen for us." He was about to add more, but noticed Capa walking down the clear hallway and stopped.
"Hey," Capa greeted.
Mace nodded in return.
He took a seat by Mace, and picked up some papers off the table to examine.
The room fell into an awkward silence, except for the sound of Corazon clipping and snipping some greens.
"Anything interesting?" Mace asked, trying to make conversation.
"Hmm, just checking how much oxygen we would be making per hour," he said.
"Okay..." Mace thought he was going to elaborate, but that was it.
Corazon noticed this and asked, "Hey Capa, why don't you come help me water these flowers. And Mace, you can help me sort out these seeds for planting."
The guys looked at each other and back at the older woman. "Well, come on, no time to waste. If you're going to stay here, you might as well be productive. Even the plants are working right now," she joked.
This made Mace laugh and Capa couldn't help but smile at her humor.
As they went to work in the soil, all other thoughts went away. It was comfortable, doing seemingly tedious or menial tasks, yet it was productive. It was amazing how this one small seed produced what they needed to live. Sometimes the smaller things are what makes the difference. Mace and Capa's relationship was similar to that in a sense. It was interesting how they would often meet, by chance, or otherwise, in the oxygen room. Perhaps it was the greenery, but perhaps it was their way of slowly getting to know each other, even when no words were exchanged. Both were intelligent men, one excelling in theoretical physics, in the abstract more so than the other, who excelled in practical applications and tangible items. However, both were straight forward and stubborn. They thought things through and stuck by their decisions, even if it was difficult to convey those feelings at times. They were still working on that.
June 2056
Capa spent a lot of time in the payload. It was eerily silent and didn't quite echo, but sometimes, he would scream and let it bounce off its metallic walls. That cliff at the far edge of the payload was like the abyss. If one stared long enough at it, it felt as if it stared back. That darkness and emptiness below oddly grounded him -he was no longer in space, simply in a large cube. Equations ran involuntarily through his mind, projected like neon lights across the darkened background, thousands upon thousands of numbers and quantum physics etched into his brain -every step in the cube reminded him of humanity’s last hope. There were moments where he was breathless, knocked off his feet, because what was standing beneath him felt nothing but hard steel and rock, and yet, given the right spark, could ignite a new sun.
A ding from the computer notified Capa someone was approaching. "Capa, let me in, it's me," Cassie spoke into the intercom.
"What are you doing here?" He asked as he approached the entrance and opened it manually. "Doesn't this place give you the creeps?"
“No, no. Systematic desensitization, I’ll get used to it,” Cassie insisted, putting her hand up and then placing it back on the door handle heading into the payload. She may have been an air force pilot, quick-witted and smart, but she knew enough to admit that she was afraid of the things she did not understand, and she did not understand Capa’s bomb. It wasn’t just the payload to her, it was a part of Capa himself.
All crew members had to learn about the payload to an extent, but Capa was the leading expert. It took a few weeks for Cassie to grow used to the giant structure of the payload and to be able to walk around without holding her breath, as if it would somehow spark and ignite the bomb and blow them all to pieces.
No, that would wait, until the last crucial moment. They would want to witness the miracle that would birth a new star.
January 2057
T minus eight days until they, the crew of the Icarus II, were going to launch their mission towards the sun.
Everyone was given the rest of the week off to do whatever it is that they wanted. It was the least NASA could do; it could be the last time they would see Earth for a few years, if at all. It was unfortunate that it couldn't be any longer, but for some crew members, there was not much left in the world that mattered as much as this mission. Though the reason they would risk their lives is for those very people they were leaving behind, whether it was a sister, a nephew, or perhaps their children and spouse.
“So, what is everyone doing?” Mace asked as they left the complex, a duffle bag slung over his shoulders.
“My family’s in town,” Harvey answered.
“Yea, mine too.” Trey seconded.
“Captain?” Corazon asked.
“I’m going home.” Kaneda answered shortly. "What about you?"
"I'm going to visit my parents," she answered and Kaneda knew she meant that she would be visiting their graves. He placed a hand on her back gently and smiled. "Me too." Being the two eldest members of the crew meant they had more chances to experience loss.
“I’m going out on the town. Care to join me, Mace?” Searled asked.
Mace chuckled. "Thanks, but I've got plans of my own."
"Capa? Cassie?"
"I am going to travel to a few bases that I've been stationed at, see my old buddies, collect a few books for the trip."
"I've got a few last minute things to finish, but thanks," Capa answered. He ventured back to Icarus II, oddly empty and quiet. He walked into the Earth Room, thinking how ironic it was that he would be spending time in this projected fake-Earth, even when he was still on it. He ran through scenario after scenario of how the payload could reach the sun's south polar cap, as Icarus responded in that soft tone of hers.
“Payload successfully detached. Payload no longer detected. Delivery assumed. Mission complete."
"For some reason, that just doesn't sound right," Capa said to himself. "When we're that close to the sun, all we know of quantum physics will cease to exist, and you know that."
"Yes, Capa."
"But," he sighed and sat on the floor of the white room, looking at the yellow and orange triangles that symbolized the sun's surface. "There is a chance."
"How much, Capa?"
"Enough."