A Distant Cry Coming over the Face of the Waters

Jonathan Garrett

“Aura, start a sensor sweep of the area,” Richard said once the ship had stabilized its orbit, “Then package all the data and send a compact burst back toward Earth. I’ll check on the engine and make sure its okay.”

“Hold on a moment, Commander,” Aura interrupted, “I’m detecting a fault with the primary sensor array.”

“Can you fix it from here?”

“No, Commander, the problem appears to be manual in nature.”

If it was just a bug in the system, Aura would be able to take care of it in no time. But manual…that meant EVA.

“Alright, standby to open the airlock.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Richard crawled through the cramped corridors and conduit-filled tunnels of the ship as he made his way to the airlock. The less he had to make that particular trip, the better.

Aura opened the inner door and he stepped into the airlock. There was a loud hiss as air was pulled out of the tiny room. Then, silence. The outer door slid open and Richard floated out into open space.

He grabbed a handhold on the hull and snapped a line onto it. His tool box followed him out, coaxed by a tiny, mechanical arm. With a deft hand, he caught it and attached it to his belt.

Everything looked okay, no scorch marks or punctures to indicate any signs of damage. The primary sensor array was attached to the top of the ship and was comprised of all the equipment they needed to get good readings. Without it, the trip was practically pointless.

“Can you pinpoint the exact position of the fault?”

“The damage appears wide-spread, Commander. I cannot detect any single fail-point.”

“Great.”

Most of the innards of the array had been fried, probably by an ion storm as they were coming through the tunnel. Ora did say that their path might take them close to several stars.

“It’s pretty bad.” Richard reported through the radio in his helmet, “I’ll fix as much as I can, but you’ll have to bypass some of the damaged circuits.”

“Commander, that course of action is not advisable. Bypassing damaged circuits may result in unforeseen problems later in the mission.”

“Just do it, we’ll deal with those problems when they show up.”

“Yes, Commander. Now shutting down all non-essential systems.” Aura replied, “It is advisable that you return to the airlock prior to the rebooting of the ship’s secondary systems.”

“See you on the other side, Aura.”

The lights from the ship dimmed and then faded away. All contact with Aura was effectively severed, leaving Richard alone on the hull of the ship.

He worked quickly; the longer the ship was offline the more time for something to go wrong. Richard never worried too much, though. He just faced each problem with resolve and made sure that it got fixed in its own time. That was one of the reasons he’d been picked for the mission, after all.

An hour later, the last piece snapped into place. Richard banged his fist three times on the hull. The lights on the ship blinked and came back online.

“Aura, what’s…”

The words had barely left his mouth when a concussive blast struck him square in the chest, knocking him backward. A hole gaped unevenly in the side of the ship, ejecting atmosphere into space. Richard reached the end of the tether and it instantly snapped, sending him into stomach-churning spiral.

“Commander, power rerouted through the oxygen circulators has caused one of the tanks to fail,” Aura said calmly, “We are leaking oxygen at a dangerous rate.”

“I can tell!” He yelled, panic quickly setting in. “Hurry and plot a course for intercept!”

“I’m sorry, Commander. The navigational software has not yet been powered up.”

“Power up all navigational software, priority one!”

“Very well, Commander. All navigation equipment is now coming online.”

“Plot a course for intercept!”

“I’m sorry, Commander. Intercept not possible given current distance, speed, and acceleration.” The voice was cold and emotionless, as always.

“Aura!”

“I’m sorry, Commander.”

“For God’s sake, Aura, help me!”

“I’m sorry…”

Richard reached down to his belt and hit the switch for the jets on his suits. They fired for several minutes, slowing him down considerably and stopping his spin. However, the local gravity was already increasing at an alarming rate. He managed to twist around and came face to face with that monstrous beast.

The destroyer of worlds and of galaxies. A force more powerful than any in the entire universe. All else was but a fly spec compared to that power. It ate and ate, trying to satiate an appetite that could never be filled. It had no remorse or pity for those who happened to fall prey to its black maw. It knew neither friend nor foe, only food. It was living, breathing nothingness.

His arms stretched out before him like the tails of two vast comets, impossibly long and flapping uselessly in the void that was quickly engulfing him. A great weight pressed against his chest and another great weight pulled at him from every gulf, threatening to rip his body apart. He grasped at his helmet, trying to desperately to find a way to get one last breath, not that it mattered.

Time itself was becoming twisted and distorted. Each second, an hour. The beat of his heart reverberated through his mind, counting down until the inevitable end. Each time it came slower. Each time it came louder. Each time he was one beat closer.

With one final twist, he ripped off the helmet and…saw…with his own eyes. No one had ever been that close before, no one had ever seen it like this. He was the first to truly see that dark void that pierced the very fabric of space and continued into the unknown. He was the first.

Maybe I’ll get to see what’s on the other side, he thought as his heart beat once more. Somehow…it was worth it.