Recollections: A Star Wars Story

Liftoff

The world did not frequently look up to the sky, but when it did, the affair was a massive ordeal.

On June 20th, 2050, a little over a year since Konan's employment and the discovery of lightspeed travel, the world looked up to the sky once again, bidding farewell to the Lekki I and its crew—the first ship equipped with Blink Project tech, and the first humans to travel beyond our solar system.

According to the classified file that Konan had peeked at while his grandmother was at a golf course, the twenty crew members from around the world were to "see what lies beyond, record it, leave evidence that they were there, and return with as much evidence as possible. The expedition will last five months, all of which have been thoroughly accounted for in supplies. The target galaxy is yet unnamed, but will be catalogued as LG-91.44."

Since he was an employee, and the son of a Board member, he was allowed to sit front row at the Lekki's launch.

An hour before launch, the whole world was tuned in to the second history-making event in a year.

Professor Xing came to sit by her grandson, holding two huge bags of popcorn and a drink tray with two sodas.

"Here, let me get those," Konan said with a smirk. He grabbed her load and helped her sit down.

"Didn't expect me to get popcorn, eh?"

"Uh. . .no," Konan said while fidgeting with the program for the hundredth time.

"This is an astronomer's baseball game, Konan! We ought to enjoy it as such," Grandma elbowed him playfully.

Konan nodded, chuckling. He was glad to have his grandmother by his side on such an important day. His parents would most likely be watching from their separate televisions, since they no longer worked at Headquarters. He let his eyes wander around the field, over all the government suits and common people. He even saw some children with the same wide eyes he'd had as a boy.

An abrupt microphone screech made Konan snap his attention back to the platform. It was the President tapping his mic to begin.

Konan seemed to blur the events together. The Presidential speech. The band. The guest singers. The painstaking interview with each astronaut, ending with the mission commander, Captain Gregory Luc. The acknowledgement of each Director. That was the only time Konan cheered. Then, after what felt like too much pomp and circumstance, the President finally gave the okay to launch.

The astronauts waved goodbye and loaded in. Over the loudspeaker, the famous countdown began.

"This is the launch of space shuttle Lekki I. Begin preignition of plasma engines," said the voice over the loudspeaker.

The engines boomed to life, sputtering and fuming as they warmed up.

"Sixty seconds and counting."

The crowd scooted forward in their seats.

"T minus 16. . . 13. . ." the engines on the Lekki were now at a deafening roar, the platform blanketed in white smoke.

"10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2. . . and we have ignition confirmation! Liftoff of the space shuttle Lekki I! This is a day that will long be remembered!"

The crowd celebrated wildly, but the sound of the Stage One rockets were ten times as loud, maybe more.

Konan looked up with tears in his eyes, mentally betting his life on the ball of fire barreling through the atmosphere.

~~~

It had been ten minutes since Captain Luc and the rest of the Lekki I crew had escaped the Earth's atmosphere.

"Are we ready for the first jump?" the captain said.

"Yes sir!" replied his first mate.

"Taking the first wormhole in 3, 2, 1—Punch it, Lieutenant Churi!"

The first mate slammed her thumb into the button that would take them into the pre-calculated wormhole to LG-91.44.

~~~

Within the hour, they blinked into position at the edge of the vast galaxy. Captain Luc smirked, looked out at the shimmering expanse and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is where the fun begins."

~~~

The five months were finally up. On November 30th, the Lekki I reentered the atmosphere, officially ending the first phase of Project Infinity and Beyond.

A few weeks later, Konan was one of the first to see the crew, after they had recuperated from the effects of zero gravity. He heard stories of breathtaking scenery that was literally out of this world, of perilous adventures in harsh planets where some of the crew nearly died, and of surprising discoveries in chemistry—perhaps additions to the periodic table.

However, Konan saw in each of the crew members' eyes a mix of mystery, wonder, and fear; he knew they weren't telling him something.

He asked his grandmother, but she always pulled the "classified" card. Instead of pestering, Konan went back to work in a cubicle reading declassified files and choosing which information could be given to the media. He longed for the day when brass would allow him to interview the returning crew again, sans secrets, as Professor Xing had promised would one day happen.

~~~

Despite it now being February of 2051, Konan's intern title still mattered little more than filling paperwork and getting sneak peeks of a few key projects.

One day, his office boss called for him. "Hey, you! Beck!"

"Sir?" Konan got up slowly, not hiding his boredom. He peered over the cubicle.

His boss harshly waved him over.

"Kid, you're Xing's grandboy, right? The one who listens to UFO Podcasts?" his boss asked gruffly.

"Sir, I'm sorry. I'll stop doing that in the office. . .that was nonsense left over from when I was like ni—"

"The Board of Directors has officially assigned you to this job," his boss handed him a hefty file in the glossy black folder that meant "Executive Secret," a level above Classifed. The boss lowered his voice and continued, "It's about the information from Project Infinity and Beyond."

Konan couldn't believe his ears! He was too dumbfounded to speak as he was led out of the office. His boss didn't let him pack up; he simply hauled Konan by the shoulder into a completely darkened office.

"Say your name kid. The office is yours. Only people who can override are actual Board members. I'm just an escort." With those words, Konan's boss stepped out.

"Uh, okay? Konan. Beck."

Welcome, sir would you like to set a password? said the automated voice of his office assistant.

"Yeah. . . Another happy landing."

Confirmed. Shall we get to work?

How are you liking my writing style so far? I have high hopes for next chapter, pals!