3171W3

CHAPTER 5

The stars outside the spacecraft appear to be moving at a crazy speed as the spaceship accelerates.

Hours pass, days, weeks, months, and then years. The crew is still in a state of hibernation, their bodies kept in a state of artificial sleep to conserve oxygen and food. Newton constantly monitors the ship's systems and is tasked with waking up the crew in case of emergency or if the ship is approaching its destination.

The years go by. Then suddenly, a buzzing sound reverberates throughout the ship. Frost on Captain Blackwood's capsule begins to dissipate, and indirect lights flicker on one by one throughout the vessel.

Captain Jackson Blackwood is the first to be awakened. The capsule lights up from the inside before it opens. The Captain slowly emerges from his artificial sleep and rubs his eyes. After a big yawn, he remembers his mission and looks all around him.

- Newton!

- Yes, Captain.

- Have we arrived?

- Not quite, Captain. That's why I initiated the waking procedure, just for you.

- Still, wake up Mei and Lara, please. And tell them to join me in the cockpit.

- Certainly, Captain. De-frosting procedure in progress...

The Captain rises, stretching awkwardly before leaving the hibernation chamber. Years of inactivity have caused his muscles to atrophy. As the doors of Mei and Lara's capsules begin to open, Captain Blackwood finally exits the sleep chamber.The cockpit of the Newton is dimly lit, and there's still a misty breath coming out of the Captain's mouth as he enters the room, wrapped in a blanket.

- Then Newt, where is Proxima B? I don't see anything.

And when I say I don't see anything, I mean I don't see anything; it's pitch black outside.

- Exactly! replied Newton.

- That's the reason for your awakening, Captain. We're facing a destination issue.

- What? Explain! Show me the navigation map since our departure, the Captain exclaimed, looking very concerned.

- And turn up the heat here, Newton, because I still feel like I'm in my capsule.

A giant 3D map engulfs the entire cockpit, displaying constellations and stars as far as the eye can see, along with a red dot tracing Newton's trajectory.

A date above the indicator shows the years that have passed since their departure. At that moment, Mei and Lara enter the control room, curious about the current situation.

- What's happening, Captain? Lara asks.

- I don't know, that's the thing. Everything seemed to be going well with our journey so far; according to the logs, there were no issues in the first two years. Oh, right there! Newt! What's the magnification of the point at 2 years and 4 months?

While the map zooms in, Newton responds.

- 17 days of asteroid showers, but no major damage, just the H24 antenna. It's a secondary antenna intended for underwater echoes, so I didn't bother to interrupt our journey for a minor repair.

- No, you did the right thing! And what about this? At 4 years and 2 months. I don't understand. Time is passing, but we're not moving forward anymore.

- Temporal anomaly.

- Yes, I'm inclined to believe you, but please be more specific.

- Temporal anomaly.

- What can hold a spacecraft traveling at the speed of light in place?