Life Support

"Everything is safe and under control, Cap," said Jennie. "Foodstuffs, water supplies. Also—" she continued as she got up from her seat and headed for a thirty-two-inch screen embedded in the wall of the room.

Using only one hand, Jennie touched several bars on the screen, bringing up some data.

Captain Dharma looked at the numbers on the monitor that Jennie was showing with his hands on his waist.

"—Thousands of plant seeds," said the young woman again. "Especially, the crops that can sustain our life later—no matter which planet that is."

Silence for a moment. They pay attention to every piece of data that appears on the screen.

Everyone in the storage room knew the same. So far, no human has managed to find a planet that can support life as with Earth.

Not at all.

Research dating back hundreds of years ago—even today—is nothing more than speculation. Every planet that has been examined from the space station and tagged into the planet-like-Earth category, brings only disappointment on the faces of every scientist.

Thousands of robots and unmanned cruisers have been dispatched to each of the eligible planets, the planets are in the golden zone concerning their main star. However, the reality was too bitter to swallow. There was nothing that earlier scientists could do to change that reality.

The fact that the planets they had thought were very similar to Earth, was only a planet that could not even support the life of a mass of grass at all, not even a single type of moss.

Even so, scientists did not give up. They continue and continue to do research and search for hope for another habitable planet-like Earth. At least, with slight adjustments for the human race, some of the plants, and animals they had planned to bring.

Terraforming, for example. But that method will require a very, very fantastic cost, also not a short time.

After all, scientists' dreams are just like the dreams of billions of other humans—both, those who are still left on Earth waiting for death to come and those who have felt safe in the spaceships now, parked haphazardly in Earth's outer orbit. They hope that someday, they will find a planet that can truly support life, just like Mother Earth itself.

Or…, that's how the news spread. And that's what most people believe.

Captain Dharma let out a long sigh, and it sounded very, very unpleasant to the others.

"Amen for that," said the captain in response to Jennie's words. "There's no way we'll be in this big ship forever." Captain Dharma looked up, moving his head in such a way as to release the tension in his stiff neck. "How long?" he asked. "For how long can this food stock support all of us?"

"I've done a rough calculation, Cap," said Indra. "There are at least thirty-four people on this ship right now. Plus," he continued. "Two snow leopard cubs. So–"

Indra again did his calculations on the C-pad screen in his own hands. And then, he showed the result of his calculation to Captain Dharma.

"Five years," Captain Dharma muttered half inaudibly. "Hmm…"

"Right," Indra nodded. "Enough or not?" he said with a sad face. "Who knows! Maybe there will be a miracle—I mean before all this stock runs out or we'll starve to death in this ship floating in boundless space."

"Are you regret leaving Earth?"

Indra shook his head in response to the captain's question. "Dead in the search for life itself," he said. "It feels more alive to me. I guess. Rather than waiting in desperation for a more terrible death on Earth."

"At least," said one of his comrades. "We will pray in our search efforts."

"Yeah," the other two nodded.

Captain Dharma snorted softly, sounding so distressed. "Do you still believe that God exists?"

For a moment, the three young women there were equally silent. Likewise with Jennie and Indra.

"Well," said a young woman. "I believe there is a God."

Captain Dharma smiled faintly but was full of high hopes. The captain patted the young woman's shoulder lightly.

"All right," said the captain. "It's good I returned to the cockpit room now. And hey, just make sure everything is in good condition!" all heads nodded at the captain's orders. "After all, we will all depend on what you guys are keeping an eye on."

"Aye, Captain!"

Captain Dharma resumed his steps, leaving the storage room for which he had delegated the responsibility for this to Indra, Jennie, and their three companions.

The door separating the cockpit from the corridor opened with a loud hissing sound and closed again after Captain Dharma was inside the control room.

"How's everything, Hyker?"

Hyker spun around in his chair, "We haven't been caught yet, Cap," Hyker chuckled as he nibbled on the end of a small five-inch object.

Captain Dharma took a deep breath. Still, he thought. This one looks more relaxed than the others. It was as if the fear had completely disappeared inside of him. The safety of all passengers on the SC45 ship is in the hands of the man.

"Quin!" Captain Dharma turned to the young woman sitting in front of one large monitor flanked by two other smaller monitors on the right rear side of Hyker's position. "You found anything suspicious?"

Quinn who was acting as supervisor for the safety of the ship itself shook her head.

"As Hyker said, Cap," said the twenty-three-year-old young woman. "Spy-Drones are just passing by, they haven't found our ship yet."

"Yeah," Pical nodded in the left corner. "Our position being blocked by many Federation cargo planes is enough to hide our whereabouts, for now, Cap."

"Thanks to Hyker," said Oryza who sat on the right of Pical.

"Yea-yea-yea," Captain Dharma laughed for a moment.

Well, even though Hyker looked so relaxed, as if he thought everything was a game, however, the young man had his own estimates and judgments in order to save the SC45 plane from the spying of the Federation's accomplices.

***

On earth…

A man in old and shabby clothes was rummaging through the garbage that had piled up on the surface of the sea. The ocean waves beneath the surface of the trash as far as the eye could see didn't shake the man's feet. He just kept looking and gathering things that he could use.

Every now and then, his eyes sparkled when he found pieces of circuit boards filled with electronic components.

"Maybe this will be worth it," he muttered with a chuckle, he stuffed the five circuit boards into a waist bag as dirty as the man's body.

The man resumed his search, he flipped through some pieces of board, old boxes. His eyes sparkled again because he found a can of food that was still sealed.

He rubbed the can of food with a wide grin on his face. He laughed, but not much sound came out of his mouth as if he was showing a row of missing teeth here and there. He didn't look too old to have missing teeth, maybe it was someone's blow.

The man put the can of food into the sack he was carrying. He is getting more and more excited about picking up scattered garbage that forming new land above sea level.

TO BE CONTINUED ...