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Joseph Thomas
It's been hours and the sadness and misery does not
abandon us in the Apollo 918, sadness flooded every
corner. In the other two ships the reaction was the
same. All wept, crying. The news was leaked to
civilians and it was difficult to control. Many reacted
violently. It was understandable that in this situation,
almost by accident the ship did not spiral out of
control, it is amazing how human beings can respond
in certain circumstances. I have not been up to the
central control room. I decided to stay down and
ensure the peace and stability of the ship. As it was all
under control I went to my room, I needed to rest for
at least fifteen minutes. I removed my belt and shirt.
Sitting by my bed, when I heard the voice of Dr.
Estevez, it got me out of the lethargy in which I was.
- You have deceived you, Colonel. You lied to me as
if I were a little girl.
- No! I never lied to you. I told you what we knew so
far. Everything has been was a surprise. Nobody
expected it.
- I see you are determined to keep playing with me.
- Listen to me, and please listen carefully. I do not
have permission to give out classified information to
a civilian, two hours before going to the hospital we
knew we were back soon. The allied forces told us
they had discovered the nuclear weapons arsenal with
more than ten warheads. Ground guess was they
thought those were the weapons they were looking
for. But it was not. Somewhere in the world there was
another arsenal, and was shot in retaliation for finding
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the others. I feel bad or worse than you. - She
collapsed in my arms I said a few words. I felt my
right shoulder moistened with tears. I hugged her
body closely. I pressed her against me. I stammered
some words of encouragement trying to give the
support she needed. The smell of your skin flooded
my senses. Without letting go of my hug, she asked
- Will you do something to make sure we will all
survive here? Tell me you will do something.
The interruption of the soldier Neal did not give me
time to answer. General Pot urgently demanded my
presence in the central control office. I noticed he had
not called me on the intercom in my ear. Just this
thought made me smile a bit. The old general still
preferred the old way of giving direct orders.
*********
Get there and were several people sitting in the oval
table. I sat in a place available and prepared to hear
what was being said. A gray-haired man and a white
coat opened the meeting.
- Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm Dr. McCarty, after
the assassination of Dr. Hans, I will be in charge of
the scientific part of this mission. As you all know,
unfortunately, the planet earth has collapsed. 15
warheads exploded at different points, and I'm quite
sure that there is nothing left alive on earth at this
time. Our enemies were faster. The arsenal was
hidden at the North Pole. From there it was easy to
shoot them to five continents. The oxygen in the
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atmosphere is unbreathable. The oceans as we knew
are now boiling at over a hundred degrees Celsius. As
I said we are sure that nothing is left alive on earth. In
our ships we have oxygen and fuel reserves for at
least ninety months. But returning to the planet would
not be possible for at least fifteen years. And that is
our biggest problem at the moment.
A voice from the left wall screens a young man
interrupted the doctor. He was the chief engineer of
the Russian ship.
- These ships were designed to integrate each other if
needed. I think if we do, we can increase you ninety
months by three or four months additional. At least
for fuel.
-Excuse me- Another man in a white coat from the
European ship-added to the dialogue? Dr. McCarty,
under the conditions that the planet is under now, how
long will it take for the north and south poles to
disappear?
- Now I cannot give an exact answer without first
doing the calculations. But I'm pretty sure that in 30
days maximum all poles have disappeared. The water
temperature in the seas are very high.
The man who asked the question again to spoke:
- Each of these ships have in their hangars sixty ships
and rescue small ones. If we hurry, we can prepare
and enter the planet, collect the ice still left, break it
down and convert it into much more fuel. This is
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precisely why these ships are designed to work with
hydrogen. We can also acquire oxygen decomposition
and fill our tanks to capacity.
- This is a very good idea.-Dr. McCarty regain the
conversation. All others were silent-the world's water
source is contaminated, but not the ice.
General Pot, which until then had been just listening
in, stood up and began to give orders.
- Let us prepare to integrate the three ships within the
next two hours. Let’s make sure that engineers
prepare to enter the Planet in search of ice with a
group of small ships. Dr. McCarty, prepare the
laboratories for the necessary decomposition of the
ice. - Then turned to one of the captain of-flight, I
need you to organize the best pilots and prepare them
in two teams, one for the south pole and the other one
to the north pole. We need to bring back as much ice
as possible and store it. Then we can go on to the
process of disintegrating it takes and into our reserve
tanks. I want everything ready in 72 hours. The
group of specialists from the three ships need to work
together after the integration of the ships. Civilians
remain in their places. The tunnels between ships are
only for authorized personnel to pass thru.
All nodded. We were about to finish that meeting, but
I interrupted with a question:
- Any results in finding another planet where we can
settle?
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- So far we have nothing concrete, Colonel. - Said Dr.
McCarty - We are studying two points that we find
interesting. One is in the Magellanic Clouds. A dwarf
galaxy planet pretty close. The Large Magellanic
Cloud is classified, according to the database of extra-
galactic objects from NASA, as a barred spiral galaxy
SB ring unstructured non-regulate without bulb. The
irregular appearance of the galaxy is probably the
result of interactions with both the Milky Way and
the Small Magellanic Cloud. For a long time it was
considered that the Magellanic Cloud galaxy was flat,
like spiral galaxies and could be assumed that it was a
single galaxy away from us. However, in 1986,
Caldwell and Coulson found that Cepheids in the
northeast of the Cloud was closer to the Milky Way
Cepheids in the southwest. More recently, the tilted
geometry has been confirmed by observations of
Cepheids. These studies suggest that the LMC has a
slope of ~ 35 °, considering that 0 ° it corresponds to
a galaxy whose plane is perpendicular to us. In this
galaxy there is a young star of only 40 million years.
The TAURUS III. Depending on its composition may
have developed a kind of atmosphere similar to Earth.
Due to its proximity we mainly focus on this star.
According to our calculations through a single black
hole or worm and atomic teleportation we could get
to it fast enough. We are also studying a second. This
a little bit further. Is the Andromeda galaxy. A giant
spiral galaxy. At 2.5 million years. The Andromeda
Galaxy is a spiral Sb-type supergiant with a
luminosity that is, apparently, somewhat larger than
our galaxy. He turned towards us so that its principal
plane is a 15-degree angle with the line of sight, that
is, almost edge. The angular dimensions of the
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Andromeda galaxy Hubble measures are at a distance
of 460 kiloparsecs of 20 for 5 kiloparsecs. However, I
must say that the concept of dimensions of the galaxy,
are not fully determined, since galaxies do not have
sharp boundaries. Within this galaxy we have found
the CENTAURUS VIII a planet similar in size and
composition to ours. We do not have the results of the
gases that make up its atmosphere. But the density of
it is quite similar to that of the planet earth. So we
believe that it can contain high percentages of
oxygen. To reach it we would have cross three black
holes or worms, which makes it harder to travel and
even higher risk. We would take nearly two months
with our transportation to get to the system. But if
nothing else is found, we would have no alternative.
To embark on an adventure or journey of this kind
with three ships is crazy. Then the best thing to do
would be send a small ships to confirm the studies
and our results. Only after should the large ships
travel. We are working day and night. Until we have
something firm and solid, we will not inform the
military leadership of this mission.
I thanked the Dr. for his response and wished him
luck in his work and his findings. From his research
depended the fate of all human beings who were in all
three ships. Everyone left, but with a signal, general
Pot let me know to stay at my post.
The General opened his computer files and made a
comment:
- Minutes before the earth’s misfortune, agent Starry
managed to send me this file. Yesterday in Miami
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they found a decomposed body in the bottom of the
bay of Biscayne in Miami. The characteristics match
that of Jarold Hunke. However the DNA tests
performed on the body of the person who tried to kill
Miss Lindsay Hemle, does not match. This confirms
your suspicion of supplanted identities inside the ship.
This file also contains the names of all the bodies
found in the entire nation. I ordered for a specialist
you can trust to do the comparison of these files and
the ones of the civilians on the ship, you may well
find other stolen identities. It will be a good way to
catch
the
murderers
of
Dr.
Hans.
I'll call Robert, CSI agent. I will put this file in your
hands and see what we can find out from here.
- Ok. Do what’s necessary.
- I can see you are tired general, why don’t you get
some sleep?
The tone of his voice betrayed this man, it showed
pain inside. This time the answer was by a friend, a
man. Not the career military man of many years.
- My wife died three years ago. I always wanted to
rest beside her. I never thought this would happen one
day, I left behind two daughters and three
grandchildren, now they are dead. All for what I once
fought, is destroyed. I wonder if it was worth it. I’m a
man with more combat wounds medals, and finishing
a tired old man, I'm alive inside the ship. And all my
family and friends, were all killed by a madman who
could not stop. If you would have asked me or
someone had told me this would happen, I never
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would have come on board this ship. I would rather
die a thousand times with them, then feel this pain.
This uncertainty of not knowing what will happen
with the rest of us. If there is a God why did this
happened, Colonel. Whenever I went to church with
my family, I always trusted what God taught me.
Why did God punish me this way today.
Letting me live and taking everyone and everything I
ever wanted.
- Have you read the Bible, general? I asked.
- Yes. I've read it. The man answered while pulling
his old red worn up by time bible.
- I? I said as I stretched my hand trying to reach for it.
I began flipping through its pages without saying a
word. The man in front of me sat on his chair, eyes
staring at the floor. His hair seemed greyer, it seemed
older. His broad shoulders seemed reduced by the
weight of his thoughts and pain. His hands looked
thinner while he passed them through his hair. Finally
I found what I wanted and began to read:
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was
Job, and that man was perfect and upright, and
fearing God, and eschewed evil. And there were born
seven sons and three daughters. His substance also
was seven thousand sheeps, three thousand camels,
and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred
asses, and a very great household that this man was
the greatest of all the Orientals. And his sons went
and feasted in their houses, everyone his day, and sent
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and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink
with them.
And it was so, having gone on duty the day of the
banquet, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose
up in the morning and offer burnt offerings according
to the number of them all. Job said: Perhaps my
children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.
Thus did Job continually. And one day the sons of
God came to present themselves before the LORD,
between Satan also came with them. And the LORD
said unto Satan, Whence cometh thou? And Satan
answered the LORD, and said, from roaming through
the earth and walking around on it. And the LORD
said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job,
that there is none like him in the earth, a blameless
and upright, fearing God and turning aside from evil?
Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job
fear God for naught? Hast not thou made an hedge
about him, and about his house, and all that he has on
every side? The work of his hands you have blessed
and his substance is increased in the land. But the
forth hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will
curse thee to thy face.
And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he
hath is in thy hand: only do not lay your hand on him.
So Satan went forth from before the Lord.
And one day when his sons and daughters were
eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest
brother, And there came a messenger unto Job, and
said:
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The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside
them, They rushed and took, and slew the servants
with the edge of the sword: I alone have escaped to
tell thee.
While he was still speaking, another came and said:
The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the
sheep and the servants, and consumed them only for
escaped alone to tell thee.
While he was yet speaking, there came another and
said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell
upon the camels, and took, and slew the servants with
the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell
thee.
While he was yet speaking, there came another, and
said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and
drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother,
And here came a great wind from the wilderness, and
smote the four corners of the house, and fell upon the
young men, and they died, and I alone have escaped
to tell thee.
Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his
head, and fell to the earth and worshiped, and said,
Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked
shall I return there.
Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away: as the name
of the Lord be praised.
In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
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Joseph Thomas
I closed my Bible in my hands. I was silent for a
while. The man was still there. Sitting with his hands
on his head. As I stood next to the table and left the
Old Testament there, I noticed on the floor, right
under the eyes of the general a few drops, tears of
pain fell of a man whose faith had been broken.
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Joseph Thomas