Silence

Ship [EDN-01]

Video log: Lieutenant Fernandez

Time:0130

Date: 13 September 4043

Silence. There were days when I would do anything just to get a few minutes of it. I would try my best to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It was the noise I hated, pedestrians on the phone on their way to work, the sound of cars hovering by, dogs barking in the distance... I never thought I would miss those sounds so much.

Now, there is nothing but silence. There’s just you, your thoughts, and the cold emptiness that surrounds you. After a while, there is nothing to do but float in this sea of darkness and wait for death. You see, I know that soon I’ll run out of air and drift into the void, suffocated by nothing.

Any attempt at happy thoughts has gone sour. Whenever I think of you, Dianna, I’m just flooded with the thoughts of all the things I should have said when I was with you, and what I should have done to stay by your side…

For now, I will float here, just me and my memories to keep me company. I will continue these video journals to keep track of my days and the events leading to what has happened in hopes that whoever finds them won’t share the same fate.

Ship [EDN-01]

Video log: Lieutenant Fernandez

Time:0812

Date: 13 September 4043

I can’t just give up… The world is depending on this mission. My family is depending on this mission… If I gave up now… what kind of man would I be… how could I tell my son to be brave if I can’t be… I am NOT giving up. I will see you both again… For now, I will run diagnostics and see what can be done. I will upload an update with anything I find.

Ship [EDN-01]

Video log: Lieutenant Fernandez

Time:1324

Date: 16 September 4043

From what I can gather, it’s been about two years since we left Earth to explore Proxima B. Marcus and I were honored when we were chosen for the mission. The first two astronauts to travel at light speed to the Goldilocks zone and study a possible second home. It seemed like a lifetime ago when we last met up for coffee and talked about getting that call. He is… was like a brother to me, so getting to make history together seemed like a dream come true. Marcus asked if I was nervous about it, saying ten years is a long time to be away from home. Ten years… that’s ten years away from my family.

I’m sure a lot of people might think I am selfish. Leaving my pregnant fiancé for ten years to chase glory. But I couldn’t care less about the glory. I was doing this for them. For a chance at a future we could have only dreamed of in a place with endless possibilities. Nothing was going to stop us, not even that small voice telling me light speed was still too new to be used for a mission like this. Turns out I should have listened to that eerie feeling in my gut. A feeling that said, stay home. Enjoy the time you have with Dianna and the baby while you still have it…

The uh… the mission was supposed to be simple; travel 4.2 light-years covering a distance of one light year per jump. It would take about a week to charge the accelerator before we could hit light speed again. So, the trip was broken into four jumps with one week breaks in between. In that week, we would perform preventative maintenance on the interior and exterior of our ship. I loved it when it came time for spacewalks. The vastness of space is something you never quite get used to. It really has a way of opening your eyes to how small we are. Now ther… uh… now there is nothing I can find more terrifying than going out there.

Last week, Lieutenant Marcus Wilson’s tether was severed and I… excuse me, sorry I… I watched him drift off into space. It was after the second jump into light speed that we noticed some errors in our system we couldn’t seem to figure out. The screen just filled with error messages we’ve never seen before, then just a bunch of gibberish. Marcus decided to head out there and… ahem… and inspect for any damage that could be causing the problems. He noted that there seemed to be something wrong with our accelerator. Without the accelerator, we would be stranded, so he decided to see what he could fix while he was out there. As he tried to start repairs, he mentioned seeing something weird floating near the ship. I thought he was full of it. He was always messing around … Before I could respond the entire ship shook and the power cut. When the backup power kicked in, I couldn’t get ahold of ‘em. I raced to the window to signal to him and that’s uh… that’s when I saw him. Marcus… floating away from the ship. I couldn’t… I just couldn’t get to him… and… sorry that’s it for today.

Ship [EDN-01]

Video lo6: Lieutenant Fernandez

Time:0423

D4te: 20 September 4043

All my attempts so far to get the power back up and running have come up short. Yesterday I conducted the first spacewalk since Marcus… whatever collided with us did more damage than expected. I didn’t even know where to begin. A huge chunk was carved out of the ship. What was once our propulsion system is now just floating debris. I looked around to see if I could identify what could have hit us, but there was nothing around. I wasn’t able to shake this feeling when I was out there. There was this eerie feeling like I was being watched… System reports are still down but I think I’m running low on O2. Symptoms of hypoxia have begun to emerge. I’ve started hearing things, having slight hallucinations. It started with my thoughts; they suddenly became very loud, almost as if they were coming from outside of my head. Periodically, I see things right at the edge of my peripheral vision, but nothing’s there. I’m keeping this log short to preserve what O2 I have left.

Ship [EDN-01]

Video lo6: Lieutenant Fernandez

Time:0G32

D4te: ^9 September 4043

I miss her… I miss her curly hair and her green eyes. I miss the way she furrows her brow when she’s focused on anything. I can almost smell the cherry almond lotion she uses after she is out of the shower.

I’m sorry Dianna… I should have listened to you and stayed; I should have told everyone to go to hell I should have been there when Mateo was born instead of being on this damn ship! Oh God… Mateo… my little boy… I… ahem… I’m so sorry… I wouldn’t have been there for your first steps… or your first day of school… and now… I won’t be there for any of your games or recitals… I won’t be able to teach you to drive or even be there for your wedding…

But son… just know that I uh… I love you… More than life itself… Make sure you help your mom whenever she needs it… know that you can do and be… absolutely anything you put your mind to… never be afraid to take risks… and above all else… please for the love of god… listen to your mother… I love you both…

Ship [EDN5-G0n3]

?ide0 log: Li38gsant F3rn4n{e5

T;m*:2i0bn

D4te: E0 ^#$t&@B6 40+3

Marcus spoke to me again today... I hear him tapping on the glass. Tap, tap, tap, he wants to be let in. I hear him walking around out there. I think he is trying to find the entrance but… I can’t let precious resources like oxygen go. With all the noise, I can’t get any sleep, it doesn’t help that the atomic clock stopped working. This piece of garbage ship seems like it can’t get a damn thing right. I got the system reports up and it says my oxygen levels are fine but … that isn’t right... that can’t be right.

I think I’m going to take Marcus up on his offer. Apparently, the people who hit our ship are deeply sorry and want to make it up to us. Marcus thinks I should open the ship and go with them. He says if I do that, they can float me and all my problems away, too. I have to admit… that does sound amazing… I wouldn’t have to deal with this trash heap. Marcus says they have a diner just like our favorite one back home. I can picture it now. The smell of fresh coffee, a full plate with golden hash browns, and pancakes piled high. An unhealthy amount of maple syrup with scrambled eggs and crispy bacon on the side. He also says they will take me to see Dianna again… I can hold my baby in my arms again too… Ya know what Marcus... I think… I will…

[END VIDEO LOGS]

Ship [EDN-01]

Video log: Lieutenant Fernandez

Time:1930

Date: 11 October 4043