1 Sleep

Sitting in his office on the fourth story, Jack can see directly at the construction happening on the factory floor below. As Jack takes a break from going over the latest proposed itinerary, schedule, and plans for the mission he is leading to colonize the first planet outside our solar system, Jack tries to envision his life as it will be in a week.

Along with his wife and two children, Jack has been selected to travel through the newly complete wormhole generator. Technically, they won't be the first people to use it, but they will be the first to colonize a planet. This will be the most important mission that has ever taken place in space since Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon.

That is because our planet is slowly dying, not from pollution as most expected at the turn of the century, but from a lack of resources. With the construction of the Moon and Mars base, the wormhole generator, and the fleet of nuclear-powered spaceships, the planet has been tapped dry of its most important and critical resources.

In the year 2079, the first-ever wormhole was discovered beyond the edges of the solar system. After extensive research and testing, it was determined that this wormhole could send an object approximately 50 light years away. Unfortunately, it led to dead space with no solar system within a few light years.

After the discovery, scientists have been madly building a human-made wormhole device in the vacuum of space. After the initial prototype was built that could replicate the existing natural wormhole, a large version was commissioned for construction that would have control over its target location. In an attempt to mitigate potential problems, the wormhole device was constructed on the first base located on the Moon. While there were opinions to build it on Mars, ultimately the logistics and need for a speedy completion time ruled out Mars.

Previously the Moonbase was functioning as a shipyard that built and maintenance nuclear-powered spaceships. These ships are what first discovered the wormhole. With their ability to reach speeds close to the speed of light they are currently our fastest spacecraft that mankind has produced.

The construction of the generator has been a massive undertaking that has spanned twenty years and trillions of dollars. The massive size and power requirements have been a drain on the entire world. While some scientist thought the Earth had another century before most of its critical resources were expended, now they are saying that the construction of the wormhole generator has drastically shortened that time. With a global depression right around the corner, Earth's leaders are becoming desperate for a solution and have pinned all of their hopes on the success of the Wormhole Generator.

After the Wormhole Generator was finished, it was deployed to the edges of our solar system. This was because of a fear of a catastrophic failure that would result in an explosion of unimaginable proportions and the development of a massive black hole that could eradicate the solar system. Jack's understanding from the numerous meeting and information he has read is that the structure of a wormhole is much like a black hole. In fact, they are basically the same thing, except a wormhole has a singular exit while a black hope functions like a wood chipper, spitting whatever enters to a million different directions in the space.

Eventually, after the wormhole generator was deployed and set up a drone ship was sent through and the reported findings and the success astounded the world. Since then, there have been numerous drones sent looking for a habitable planet that can also help alleviate the Earth's resource epidemic.

At 6'5, Jack towers over most people and even though he has gotten a little soft around the edges, Jack maintains a relatively healthy life by working out and playing recreational sports. With his towering frame and buzzed haircut, Jack's presence can be imposing and as the Base Superintendent, with a plethora of rugged construction workers under his leadership, this presence helps Jack oversees the day-to-day operations of the Moon Base. After enlisting in the military right out of high school, Jack trained as a nuclear technician for the Navy. With a lot of encouragement from his wife and family, Jack finished his mechanical engineering degree while in the service. Then after getting out and starting as a technician, Jack was one of the first people that were brought up during the initial build of the base and has lived on the moon almost completely during this time period. Over the past thirty years, he has been a part of almost all the greatest discoveries and accomplishment of his time. From helping with the completion of a habitable base on the moon, building the first ever nuclear-powered spaceship, and lastly building and overseeing the completion of the wormhole generator. It has been a rollercoaster of a journey and now Jack will be leading a team to build an outpost on an Earth-like planet, TRAPPIST-1d.

Drones have been sent to over fifty different solar systems with hopeful Earth-like planets, but so far, this is the has been the best discovery. While not perfect, with the increasing pressure to find another habitable planet and find another source to replenish humanities' resources, it was determined by the leaders of Earth to start with TRAPPIST-1d.

After the drone came back with the data from the TRAPPIST solar system it has been a whirlwind of activity for Jack and his family. While he is already certified for deep space travel his wife and two kids are having to go through numerous test and evaluations.

As Jack continues to contemplate the future, his virtual assistant calls out to him. "Jack, your wife is calling. Would you like to answer it?"

"Yes, put her through." As he hears the sound of his call start, Jack calls out to his wife, "Hello honey. What are you up to?"

"What am I doing? I'm being beaten, prodded, and poked."

Laughing, Jack can remember when he had to go through all the test and procedures for deep space travel. It is relatively easy to travel back and forth to the Moon, but any further requires a plethora of test to validate that anyone traveling in space will be able to handle it.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" His wife scolds him.

"Well, how much more do you have to do?" Jack asks as he tries to contain his mirth.

"We only have one last exam this afternoon and the kids and I will be done. What about you, did you take care of the house?"

"Yeah, I finished it today. The money from the sale will be in our account today and the contract states that we can continue to live in the house till the day we leave for the spaceship. Also, all our stuff will be picked up that day as well and be put on the ship."

"Good. I'm ready to be done with this. Alright, I'm going to get something to eat with the kids. I'll call you later when we finish the last exam"

"Ok I love you"

"Love you too"

......…

Soon it was the day before they left to board the spaceship, sitting in his backyard Jack enjoys the view of space and the Earth. The Moon Base is a marvel of engineering. Using a type of nanotechnology, engineers were able to create a layered sky that simulates the effect of a natural atmosphere. This not only protects the base from small meteorite showers by quickly isolating any breach but also provides a stable temperature and protection against solar flares.

These layers also can also expand and contract at individual points allows for the entry of transport vessels and even allow a portion of the massive nuclear-powered spaceships to dock. The layers feel sort of like bubbles but are much more resilient and tenacious. This is how the Moon Base is able to build out these massive structures like the nuclear-powered spaceships and Wormhole Generator. These layers are also equipped on all of the large spaceships to a lesser degree. The layers on a spaceship are primarily to help in protecting them from debris in space.

Along with the layered sky, the scientists also created fields for growing agricultural produce, lakes for fish farms and recreation, and pastures for the wild and domestic game. The whole base is about 1000 square miles or about the size of the island of Maui. That might sound huge, but the majority of it is for the farmlands, lakes, and pastures. The population is only about 10000 people with only about 2000 that are permanent residents like Jack's family. Most people are either here to visit, doing contract work, or transitioning on or off a spaceship.

This constant influx of new people, but the small overall population was one of the reasons that Jack applied for permanent residence. Jack also received a relatively cheap house, beautiful scenery, and one of the most interesting jobs. As Jack relaxes and enjoys the view while sipping on a locally brewed wine, he can hear his wife and kids get home.

"Dad!" Jack's son, Manfred, but Jack and his wife call him Freddie, yells as he storms outside carrying a football. "Can you play catch with me for a minute? I want to practice my routes." At 12 years old, Freddie is a tall strapping young man. He has Jack's green eyes and his mother's curly hair. While he is a little thin compared to the other boys in his class, he is fast, athletic, and smart. Currently, he has filled his head with ideas of what he is going to do once they get to TRAPPIST-1d, but Jack doesn't know if he quite understands the implications of traveling to a new planet. Of course, maybe Jack is just being pessimistic. All Jack can think about is how the people selected for the colony will survive on the planet and how he will lead the building of the outpost, but for Freddie, the important things are going to school and eventually playing school sports.

"Sure, come line up beside me" Jack response as he reaches out to catch the football Freddie tossed to him. Freddie immediately lines up next to Jack as Jack gets into a semi-football stance to simulate hiking the ball.

"Hut" Jack signals the snap as Freddie takes off running an out route. Throwing the ball to him as he comes out of his cut, Freddie catches it before turning up to simulate the rest of the play. As Jack and Freddie continue to run routes Jack's wife and daughter walk up beside him.

Looking over at his daughter, Jasmine, she looks like a slightly smaller version of her mother. Curly hair, blue eyes, and the mannerism of a queen bee, she always makes Jack smile and wants to hug her. Unfortunately, at 15 years old, Jack can see the warning her eyes as he looks at her while smiling. Jasmine is brilliant. She has already graduated high school and is currently in her sophomore year of college. With the continuous improvements to technology, it has become the norm to study at any university from anywhere on the planet or even space. With an IQ of 160 and exemplary grades, Jasmine has been constantly recruited from various school to pursue her Ph.D. from them.

Leaning over, Jack gives his wife, Helen, a kiss. Helen is a beautiful woman with blue eyes, curly blonde hair, and she is smart as hell. Helen and Jack have been with each other through thick and thin. While at first, she was really against moving to the Moon Base, Jack was able to convince her with the giant increase in his pay and the surprising opportunities she was offered as an attorney. The limited population and the dangers of living on the Moon have drastically inflated wages, especially for someone within the legal field.

Suddenly, Jack hears his son yell "NO!" Jack has just enough time to see his wife's blue eyes widen before the football smacks him right in the back of the head. "Freddie" Jack yell as he turns to give Freddie a glare.

"I've told you before to pay attention to the person you are playing with. Don't just throw the ball like that unless you make eye contact with the person."

"Sorry," Freddie says as he leans over to pick up the ball. Holding the ball with a defeated look, Jack can't take it anymore.

"Look, Freddie, it's fine. Give me the ball we can keep playing. Just pay attention and can't you have a little more sympathy?" Jack questions his wife and daughter as they are trying, with not much success, to contain their mirth.

"So, did you guys get everything you need from the store? It will be the last time most of those things will be available until we get the outpost completely setup with regular resupplies from Earth."

"Yeah, we got everything," Helen answered.

"You should thank me, dad. I made sure Mom got you a giant box of chocolate covered peanuts."

"Thank you, Jasmine," as Jack gives her a hug that she finally grudgingly bestows upon him. "Alright, how about we watch a movie and eat some pizza and popcorn. I already had the pizza delivered and I'll zap some popcorn now."

"What were you thinking about watching?" Jack's wife asks with a smile in her eye.

"I think we should do a Star Wars..."

"NO!" both of my children scream out interrupting me.

"Fine pick something else then" Jack mumbles as he hangs his head and goes into the house.

As Jack's family settles in for the night, Jack holds his wife on the couch watching the movie with his family. He can't think of anything else he enjoys more than spending time with his family. While he knows that he doesn't always show it, Jack has spent most of his life trying to best provide for his family. This mission to build the outpost is another attempt on his part to further provide something extraordinary to his family. Sure, Jack loves what he does, but ultimately it is just a means to an end.

......…

Taking a short flight in a transporter ship, Jack and his family are finally able to board the massive colonial spaceship. These nuclear-powered spaceships can produce a significant amount of G-Forces. This can tremendously reduce the time that is required to travel in space, but because of the strain it puts on the human body, cryogenic technology is needed to handle the stress.

The cryogenic pods that Jack's family are assigned to are located beside each other in a massive holding bay for all of the colonists. Jack's family also has a suite where they will live temporarily upon reaching TRAPPIST-1d. During the initial buildup of the outpost, the ship will provide a measure of safety as the colonist construct the outpost on the planet. While it is possible to theoretically live on the planet immediately, the procedures that were put in place require additional safety measures and that includes living on the spaceship during the initial days.

After making sure all of his family has been stably induced into cryogenic sleep in their individual pods, Jack still has additional duties that need to be handled in his role as the colonization leader. Proceeding to the bridge, Jack has to go through numerous security checks from biometrics to armed security.

After making it to the bridge, a man of large stature was standing at the helm. This man looks like he was carved from granite with a weathered face and stern demeanor. Captain Bryson is a man of extraordinary accomplishments. While there haven't been any significant wars in his life there have been constant skirmishes as different forces have struggled to refute the current leaders of humanity.

In particular, are the handful of religious groups that have formed a coalition called Terrestrial. They believe that space travel is a transgression and have slowly built up a significant force that is constantly harassing the space stations, launches, and anything else that they can. Captain Bryson has personally led over 100 missions to strike back against the Terrestrial's bases and operations. These strikes usually come in the form of covert combat, but occasionally large bases will be discovered that requires a more significant force. Captain Bryson's track record in all of these is exemplary.

"Captain Bryson," Jack called out to the Captain. "I'm Jack Teague the colonization leader."

"Yes, I've read about you, Jack Teague. You have been instrumental in running the projects out of the Moon Base. It will be a pleasure to work with you. Have you gotten your family settled?"

"Yes, Captain. They are fine in their pods."

"Good, then I'm supposing you would like to see the colonization systems?"

"That's right. I want to validate everything before the ship leaves the dock."

"Ok. Lance Corporal Suhman!" The Captain barks out. "Show Mr. Teague to the colonization systems and help him get set up."

"Yes, sir!" Lance Corporal Suhman enthusiastically responds. "Sir please follow me."

"You can call me Jack if you prefer," Jack told Lance Corporal Suhman with a smile. As prior an enlisted member of the military, Jack slightly squirms inside hearing this Lance Corporal address him as a sir.

"No, sir. If the Captain heard me, he would have me cleaning the head for the next week." Suhman responds without a change in expression.

From Lance Corporal Suhman's response, I can tell that Captain Bryson runs a tight ship. Of course, that is understandable based on all of the operations that he had led. When soldiers don't follow orders people can die.

"Ok, no problem, just thought I would give you the option," Jack smiles "Please lead the way."

Bringing me to a corner in the massive bridge Lance Corporal Suhman shows me the systems that have been set up for the colonization of TRAPPIST-1d. These systems show the status of each cryogenic pod as well as allow the control of each pod. There is also a system that is specifically for the colonization mission. It gives Jack direct control over a number of transport crafts, drones, construction equipment, and light military vehicles. These will all be deployed after the outpost on TRAPPIST-1d is built. Since the Captain will be leaving after the colonists have established themselves they need to have some basic way of defending their livelihoods.

First, Jack makes sure that all of the colonists are currently secure and that they are all in cryogenic sleep. Then, he meticulously goes over the information and validates that everything is in order from their equipment to foodstuffs. This validation relieves a little of the anxiety that Jack has been feeling. While he has full confidence that everything would be on the ship that is needed based on the years of planning that have gone into this. It is nice to see the plan executed properly. For Jack's part, he has basically memorized everything that is part of the manifest for this mission.

As a designated critical member of the crew, Jack technically has two cryogenic pods. One is on the bridge and the other is in the hold with his family. While he is a critical member of the crew, Jack doesn't have any real responsibilities during the voyage and would feel much better being close to his family.

Heading back to the passenger hold for the voyage Jack makes sure to get a look at his wife and two children. They are his everything. While he enjoys his work, for Jack the only thing that he really loves is his life with them. Finally entering his pod, Jack initiates the cryogenic sleep and quickly everything fades to black.