"Five… four… three…"
Mila's fingers dug into the armrest. Through the small viewport, she could see the floodlights glaring off the launch platform, the darkening sky above.
"Two… one…"
The world held its breath.
Boom. The launch was successful. The E-Flash Z719 thundered into the sky, leaving a blazing trail across the horizon.
'Woah, yeah!' Cheers erupted across Earth. Cities, towns, and homes echoed with voices as the entire world watched the ship rise, a silver arrow piercing the clouds.
Inside the cabin, the five astronauts sat strapped into their seats. The vibrations shook through their bones, but their eyes were bright. Mila's seat was beside the window, and when the ship broke free of the atmosphere, she tilted her head to look down.
There it was: Earth. A glowing curve of blue and white.
Her heart ached. It's happening. This is the beginning… butwill I ever see it again?
A voice broke through her thoughts. "Alright, everyone. Ready?"
The speaker was Janet, the mission leader, her voice firm but calm. She looked to be in her thirties, her dark hair tied neatly back. "The ship will take a course through Saturn and Uranus before pushing past the Kuiper Belt. After that, we activate light mode. We'll be going slow for now, so you can enjoy the view. Take a good look—it's not every day you get to see this."
Everyone smiled. Even though each of them had been to space before, this was different. This wasn't orbit, or the Moon, or Mars. This was the edge of everything.
They passed Mars first, a red wound against the dark. Then Jupiter, its great storm swirling like an endless eye. Saturn followed, its golden rings catching the sunlight like a crown. Uranus. Neptune. Even Pluto, a lonely dot of ice in the black sea.
"It's like watching history drift by," Mila whispered.
"Hey—look!" Janet leaned forward, pointing. "Titan. That's the moon I landed on."
Through the viewport, Saturn's largest moon hung like a pale jewel.
"Woah…" Mila breathed, awe softening her voice.
An hour later, the stars grew sharper, clearer. The Sun was shrinking behind them. They had crossed the edge.
The robotic voice filled the cabin:
"Activating light mode in twenty minutes. Prepare for deep sleep sequence."
Everyone's heartbeat quickened. The moment was real now.
"I guess it's time," James said from the seat beside Mila.
She turned to him, trying to smile. "Yeah."
James hesitated, then chuckled softly. "You know… fifteen years ago, when I was just a kid, I'd stare up at the night sky and think, someday, I'll go there. And now here we are. I just want you to know, Mila… I've never been happier than I am right now."
Her chest warmed at his words. She smiled gently and replied, "Me too."
"Alright, guys," Janet called out, her tone sharp again. "We're activating light mode soon. Time to get into deep sleep."
"Wait—how long is this deep sleep exactly?" another voice spoke up. It was David, one of the younger astronauts.
Janet blinked at him. "Wait, you don't know?"
David frowned. "They said on TV it'd take approximately one year. That's what I heard."
Janet gave a small sigh, then explained, "Not for us. The journey will feel very different aboard this ship. For us, the deep sleep will last exactly one year, ten months, and four days. That's just the trip there. Once we explore and return, we're looking at around three years and a half, from our perspective."
David tilted his head, clearly confused. "But… you're saying Earth will only experience a year?"
James cut in, nodding. "Exactly. Because we'll be traveling faster than light, time won't move the same way for us as it does back home. Relativity."
"So wait—" David blinked, eyes wide, "—does that mean time moves slower for us compared to Earth?"
"Correct," Janet confirmed. "Three and a half years for us, about one year for them."
David muttered, sinking back into his seat. "They really didn't tell me that part…"
James smirked, shaking his head. "Guess someone skipped the orientation."
A ripple of laughter broke the tension. But when the chuckles faded, silence lingered—everyone was quietly thinking the same thing. They weren't just leaving Earth for a year. For them, it would be much longer.
The ship slowed, its engines falling quiet as they drifted through the dark. Seatbelts unclipped, and one by one, the astronauts rose from their chairs.
At the far end of the cabin, a chamber waited — six upright pods, their surfaces smooth and gleaming, faint blue light spilling from their edges. Frost clung to the glass, whispering against the hum of the machinery.
"These are your beds," Janet said with a small smile. "For the next one year, ten months, and four days."
The pods hissed as they opened, revealing padded interiors molded to cradle the body. Inside, tiny vents lined the walls, ready to release a fine vapor — a sedative mist that would ease them into hibernation. The systems would slow their heartbeats, cool their blood, preserve their muscles, feed their bodies through nutrient infusion. Alive, but not awake.
James stepped into his pod first, exhaling deeply. "See you all on the other side."
Mila grinned faintly. "See ya… in one year, ten months, and four days," she said, half-joking.
That little spark of humor eased the tension. For a moment, it almost felt normal. James caught the curve of her smile, brighter than the cold glow of the pods. He thought about how strange it was — strangers only hours ago, now bound together for years. And yet, with that smile, Mila didn't feel like a stranger at all.
Mila soon followed into her pod, her fingers trembling as she touched the glass. She slid inside, the cushioning wrapping around her like a second skin. The pod sealed shut with a hiss, and a faint mist began to rise, cold against her face.
Her eyelids grew heavy. Her last glimpse was her reflection in the glass, blurred by frost.
The hiss softened. The hum of the ship dimmed until she could barely hear it. Her heartbeat slowed, drifting like a fading echo.
When I wake up… it'll be under a different sun.