The new
beginning
1st of May
1008
It's
getting busy in the hangar. Ships are made ready to leave. Soldiers walking
from one side to the other, carrying crates and weapons. A loud rumor echoes
through the hangar, loud noises from machinery and repairs filling the room. The
feeling of nervousness and fear for the unknown is making the air thick. In the
corner, on a pile of crates sits a young boy readying his rifle. With his brown
eyes he's watching the other soldiers walking and running from left to right. Just
behind that, through a window, the Earth starts to show himself. The planet they
once called home, destroyed and made unlivable. But today was the day that they
will return, after more than a thousand years. The young boy smiles at that
thought. They will walk the Earth again, just like a thousand years ago.
"Hey
Richard, still cleaning that thing you call a rifle?" He turns around to
hear where that came from. In the opening of the door stands a young woman,
leaning on her shoulder, arms crossed, watching him with her green eyes and
black hair. "Ximena, are you ready to leave?" He grimed at her
"or are you waiting for the last moment, then forget half of your stuff?"
She smiled while she walked towards him; "That's why I have you."
Richard stands up, throws a bag at her, she catches it without effort; "I
knew it, you're cleaning and loading guns for hours now, I knew you would do some
extra." She grabbed her sniper rifle and placed it on her shoulder.
Together they watched the other soldiers for a little while. Standing next to
each other, smiling. "I guess everybody wants to leave better sooner than
later." He spoke.
They
watched together how a big crate was transported and loaded into a carrier. "What
will be down there?" He asked. "I don't know." She responded.
"But that's why we are going, discover a brand-new world." They both
looked at the Earth, amazed but with anxiety. Richard looked at it, like seeing
an old friend. Even after seeing the Earth every day, it felt different this
time. "I think it's time." He said after a while. "I think it is."
She responded. They stood up, grabbed their bags and weapons. They walked to
the carrier, close to them. Richard took a good look at the other soldiers and
staff; it looks like an army of the old stories he heard. Everyone was walking
to their carrier. Some fast, some slow. "I wonder," Ximena asked,
while she looked around. "How many people are going?" Richard was wondering
about the same thing, but never really thought about it. "I don't know,
but by seeing this i must think like a hundred." He responded. They
entered their carrier, dropped their bags above the seats and placed their
weapons next to their seat. There was place for 18 more people on this carrier.
While everyone was getting their stuff in the carrier, one by one the seat was
filled with soldiers, scientists and other people Richard didn't know. "I
hope we can leave soon," Ximena said. "Those seats are not sitting comfort."
Richard looked at her until he heard from his other side; "you can better
sit comfy; this journey is going to take almost 2 hours." Ximena looked
annoyed at the soldier; she crossed her arms; "Two hours!"
In the
control centrum, the staff were working on their last checkups, people walking
from computer to computer, reading data and working out the plans. The door
opened and a large man stepped in, short grey hair and a beard. Gentle blue
eyes and a face that looked like he respected authority. Commander Gideon
Thorne commanded the center for the last 20 years. He was loved by most of his
staff and respected by everyone in the counsel.
He walked
to his commander's chair, turned it and sat down. His head leaned on his hand,
thinking while reading his screen. Reading the checklist for the biggest launch
in the new history of the Earth. He pressed a button on his chair and a
hologram of the Earth popped up. He turns around the sphere and pressed a circle
around Germany. "Bunker Germany speaking, how can we help you,
commander?" Thorne smiled; "Is everything ready for the
arrival?" He asked politely. "Yes commander." A new list popped
up on his screen, "As you can see, we made a list of places we would like
to scout for protentional rebuilding areas." Thorne was satisfied.
"We also have some places that maybe can be used as landing spaces for the
troops." Thorne looked at the list; "I will send this to Finch.
Together with the data we will receive from the carriers, he will determine
what will be the best plan. We will leave in 10 minutes, ATM: two hours and 40
minutes." "Understood, sir."
The
commander leans back, proud; "Over and out." The commander closed the
hologram and looked around the control centrum. He could feel the tension in
the room; the fear of failing was heavy. So many things can go wrong, so many
things can fail. The price would be too much and it's all on his shoulder. He
was the one placing a maximum use in energy, saving for this trip. All the
carriers they have built in the last 400 years. If nothing returns, they must
start all over from nothing. All precious recourses used for nothing. Thinking
about it destroyed his good mood. "We are ready to go, sir." Thorne
woke up from his bad thoughts and looked at the crewmember. A young man,
standing straight with a big smile on his face. It lighted his mood and he smiled
back. Thorne stood straight; "Nine minutes before launch, let's make it a
smooth ride," He looked out the window to the Earth. "To home."
The crew smiled; "Yes, sir!"
In the
laboratory, Professor Rosalind Voss is setting up her station while reading on
her tablet. The lab is a mess, but she likes it that way. Cleaning only cost
time and time that she can use in her resources. She was again reading heavily
that she didn't notice that her hair was loose again; she always wears it in a
knot, but now her brown, curly hair hangs around her face. She reads the
tablet, turns around and looks at a hologram of the Earth. Pressed 2 locations
and turned back to her tablet.
So busy,
she didn't even hear her assistant calling; "Professor!" Voss hears
her finally and turns, there in the opening was a young girl standing. 16 years
old, blond hair in a knot. Clear blue eyes that are looking at her without
confusion unlike everyone else who gets in her lab. You can see her father's eyes
in that of her; Maya Thorne, her best assistant, and daughter of commander
Thorne. "I'm sorry, Maya." Voss said, "I didn't hear you."
Maya looked at her with a smile; "Like always." She reacted like it
was nothing new. "I just wanted to check if everything is ready."
Maya handed over a holoscreen, "For the ground scouting." Voss
started reading; she looked at Maya; "I think it's good." She
replied, "But most important: Are you ready?" Maya had a bit of
concern in her face; "Can we ever be?" She answered, "We didn't make
a step on the surface for like a thousand years." Her concern was only
growing. "We don't know what we will find down there." Voss gave Maya
a relaxing smile; "That's why we have soldiers with us." Voss replied.
"We need to know what the surface looks like, if we ever want to start
rebuilding." Maya knew what she meant: The drones. "It's still
strange, our drones go offline when they enter the atmosphere," Maya said
while being in deep thoughts, "but our carriers and planes go through it
without any problem." Voss looked at her with a smile; "That's why i
asked the commander to look out for our drones." Voss just realists
something; "before i forget."
She walks
toward a desk, full of documents and holo-tablets. She grabbed a data-stick;
"Take this with you." She gave Maya the stick; "If you find a
drone, you can download everything on this, so we can analyze the data."
Maya looked at Voss, questioned; "We? I thought that would be a job for
the technicians?" Voss looked concerned, "Your father thinks they
will not find it; they are too proud of their own work." Maya grabbed the
data-stick; "I won't disappoint you, mis." She said with a gentle
bow, then walked away. "I know you won't." Voss said with a mile
while she looked at Maya while she walks out the lab.
Richard and Ximena are
sitting next to each other in the carrier; the pilot turns around; "Okay
folks, everyone sitting and getting their belt on? We are leaving!" The
speakers crispened and the voice of the commander was echoing though the
station; "In all great historic stories; this would be the moment of a
great speech. But today, we are starting our own new history. After a thousand
years, we are finally returning home. Breathing the air and walking on normal
ground again." The whole station cheered. "With these 12 carriers,
our people will fly home today! Starting our history again!"
With those
words, the carriers lifted, and the big doors opened slowly. One by one the
carriers left the station. Through space, to the Earth. Richard was watching
the other soldiers; some were sitting relaxed; they had entered before. A young
soldier was holding his rifle with shaking hands. Another soldier was holding a
religious necklace; he held it so tight; his knuckles turned white.
After a
while the carriers entered the atmosphere. They started to rumble. Maya, who
was sitting in front of Richard and Ximena, was holding her chair. "First
time entering?" Ximena asked her with a smile. "Yes." Maya
answered, "Is that obvious?" Richard gave her a friendly smile;
"It only takes a couple of minutes; We will be stable in a moment."
After some more rumbling, it started to be more stable. The carriers entered, the
pilot pulls the ship straight, which made the carrier more stable. The ships
opened their wings, huge wings with big propellers on each wing. The propellers
started up and the carriers became perfectly stable. The pilot sends his update
to the control centrum; "Flight 1-0-4 here. Entered the atmosphere, flying
stable. Opening Blast-doors." The blast doors in front of the windows, on
each side of the carrier, opened. The carrier was flying above the clouds.
Everyone looked outside. Only seeing the white clouds, like a field of
mountains, everywhere you looked. The carriers descended under the clouds, and
the first look of the planet became real. Everywhere green, huge trees point to
the sky. In the far distance, mountains rise above the trees. The planes flied
over the trees, descending more and more. They flied past a mountain, split in
half with a straight wall. Underneath the wall a almost perfect circle, filled
with water, a lake.
"Must
be from an impact of one of the meteorites." Maya concluded while she made
pictures of their surroundings. While flying past this mountain, a flock of
birds scared away. "Wildlife!" A soldier screamed. "I thought
nothing could survive because of the radiation?" He asked Maya. She
thought about it for a second; "It's possible their DNA changed by the
radiation, maybe they look nothing like the old animals that one's lived, we
need to take a look at the animals in the bunkers." She responded. Her
face was slowly turning darker; her thoughts were to horrified; "If they
survived and they are changed," she said slowly, while watching out the
window; "What else should we find in that forest?" Richard thought
about it, watching the forest. In the hope he could see some of the creatures
he was imagining; "Let's hope nothing we can't handle."
Commander
Thorne walks around the control center, looking at multiple screens. Checks all
the data and updates. While he walks towards his chair, he hears his flight
commander; "All ships are stabilized and open their wings, sir."
Thorne smiled; "Good." he said, Thorne turned; "Are the first
scans coming in?" He asked. "Yes, sir." A woman responded,
"Sending them to Finch as we speak." Thorne sighed by hearing that name;
he pressed a button on his chair; "Are you receiving the data,
doctor?" From the speaker he heard a crampy voice; "Yes, sir."
He said. "I'm analyzing the data now, commander, but it's a lot." "Found
a place to land?" Thorne asked quickly. "I think its better to land
in the bunker, i can't find any place to land safely."
Thorne
looked disappointed. "Thank you, doctor." He said while ending the
call. He pressed another button on his chair; "I'm terribly sorry, people."
He said, "it looks like we need to go to the bunker and start from
there." Richard, Ximena and Maya were listening on the carrier. Ximena
aggressively threw her back in the chair; "Damned it!" She said,
"I was really hoping we could camp the first day." "Relax."
Richard said with a big smile; "The more we can walk tomorrow, be glad
that there aren't any big suprises on our first day."
The ships
flied towards a group of mountains. "Return-fleet to B.Germany, premission
to land our party." The pilot waited until he heard a response;
"B.Germany here." The pilot heard. "If you call 12 ships a
party, hahaha." The pilot smiled "If we didn't knew you guys were
coming, I would say we got invaded." Between the trees, just before the
mountains, a big door on the floor opened. One by one the ships entered the
bunker. The first one docked and opened their door. People rushed to grab the crates
from the ships. Richard landed and the pilot opened their door. Richard, Ximena
and Maya stepped out; they were greeted by the counselor of the bunker; an old
woman, standing proud with a face full of wrinkles of wisdom; surrounded by
long grey hair; Counselor Hildegard von Zeller. "Guttentag" she said
with a gentle bow "Und welcome, by all the habitants of the German bunker,
I greet you." She looked with a friendly face at Maya; "Maya, last
time I saw you," she said "you were a little girl." "When I
was 7 years old, mam." Maya answered with a gentle bow.
Their
conversation was disrupted by a loud cough. Von Zeller turned and saw the
General. "General Krall, welcome back to Germany, I hope your staying will
be a resting one." The general stood there, with a stern look. He looked
old, because of the wrinkles on his face. He stood tall, black hair combed to
the left side, a mustache which covered his upper lip. "My stay will be a
short one." He said strictly, "We are leaving as soon as possible; we
have a planet to explore." He gave a nod to his soldiers, turned around,
and walked away. The soldiers followed him while leaving the hangar.