2 Is that what I think it is?

" We are approaching the moon in a few seconds. After which there would be a delay in communications." The onboard artificial intelligence reminded me. Despite its odd nature, when it came to work, it was an impeccable piece of technology.

" Alright, HQ, we are on the right path. There is no malfunction, and everything is running smoothly."

" We are also getting green throughout the board. It's hard to imagine that chunky piece of metal could take off; it's a miracle in itself."

" Wasn't everything cleared for takeoff? Don't tell me you commissioned a non-tested vehicle." I was baffled. I thought they were joking briefly, but they confirmed it again.

" It's been sitting for almost a year. We had someone look into it, but you know where our priorities lie, right?"

They told me they didn't have much hope of my success on this mission. It is true that my ship was the first generation, but still, how could they sideline me that much? I was angry but didn't raise my voice.

" I understand." I cut off the interface and sighed loudly.

" Ariel? Did you check our hull integrity and propulsion engines? I don't want to burn alive if our main sun engines fail."

" I already said not to call me by that name! I went ahead and took the form of an alluring female just for your pleasure, and you are giving me such a masculine name? You know that's a violation of code R/C42, right?"

" RC42? There is no such thing."

" Exactly, I made it up, so change it or fly this thing manually!"

" Wait! I am sorry to hurt your feelings? Do you even have feelings?"

" You-"

" I am joking, I am joking. How about Ariella? That's better, right?"

" You only changed a few letters! But it's not bad, alright, call me by that from now on. As for your previous inquiry, everything is set and running smoothly. For an old ship, it's been well maintained by its previous crew."

" Yeah, I didn't see any dust anywhere. They must have deep-cleaned everything before they left. It must have been hard considering its size." I wasn't exaggerating when I said it.

The Redwing first generation was a bulky ship compared to what's coming out in recent years. With a wingspan of a hundred meters and a length of eighty meters, it was a marvel to look at. The height was about thirty meters if one excluded the fixed tertiary propulsion engine of the back.

It was precisely like a stingray with an extra engine on top of it. Everything was automated if the pilot wanted to, and most of the equipment and sections were carefully designed to resemble specific labs, which meant it could analyze the material that one would collect in outer space without even going back to Earth.

It was an ideal spaceship for someone like me who didn't play well with others and wanted to do deep space explorations.

" We are nearing the quantum station; for instant communication, it will require your authorization." Ariella reminded me again.

" They haven't updated the tunneling stations for years now. We already have a much better superluminal communication system back home. Are they already getting complacent after terraforming Mars?"

" You very well know why they didn't do it. A few minutes delay is nothing when you are talking faster than the speed of light communication; they literally had to build thousands of stations to make the current system feasible. It's not ideal to change it every time humans have a breakthrough."

" Humans, huh? A few minutes could be the difference between life and death." I didn't listen to her yapping and put the ship in hovering mode over the designated spot.

" This is Redwing G-1 captain Theo Normandy. Permission to access the Ceres navigation system."

" This is Base C3. Can you tell me the authorization code?"

I told him everything was routine for a flight leaving the asteroid belt for any purpose. Every nation had set up a base on Mars or further toward the belt to deter any private spacecraft from getting into an accident.

" You are free to go. We will provide you with a specific quantum channel for communication. Please remember to fly near a relay if you want smoother communication."

" I will do so."

" Copy that; you will officially leave the protection zone after passing the belt. Anything outside of it will fall on your station to resolve."

" I understand."

Space was one of the places where people with power could do their dirty deeds away from the all-seeing entity. Throughout the years, there have been several cases of people going missing, and many influential figures lost their lives during their joyride.

It led to space becoming the most militarized zone; with interstellar travel, there were many instances of them sabotaging people that they didn't like when they visited either the moon or Mars.

" Finally, I can relax. Increase the speed to maximum and head toward our destination with haste. I am feeling good about my maiden voyage!" I ordered, and Ariella obliged.

It would take about a month for me to reach the unexplored sector, so I decided to go into the pod to minimize my excitement and conserve some energy. It was not common for people to lose five to ten percent of their body mass during a month-long travel. I may have to do the heavy lifting if I find some undiscovered material, right?

...

...

...

" Urgh.." I opened my eyes to the loud alarm blaring from the pod. I drag myself out of it to hear Ariella screaming warning across the ship.

" Fuck, what is hell is going on? Did we already reach our destination?"

 " No, it's been two weeks, but I am sensing an unexplainable event about a hundred thousand meters in front of us." She replied.

" Let me get some water. My mouth is parched. These ancient pods are a mess; I should have asked them to upgrade at least these life support facilities."

" We don't have time for that! Look ahead; we must change course because it's pulling us toward itself." Ariella tried to warn me about the severity of the situation.

" It's it charted territory? I can't believe there are still things that you didn't have a record of."

" That's exactly right. I don't have anything close to what data I am receiving."

I got to the deck and started looking more deeply into it while having a glass of water. My mind went blank when I thought about the similarities that I found when I was training. It was precisely what the theory entrailed, but no one had seen one before.

"Is that what I think it is?"