The Mission of Voyager 3
[This short story I wrote was for a scholarship. Figured I'd go ahead and post it here... Originally it was just humans, but you can pretend they are any species you like :P]
"Captain, we have arrived at the planet and Vogager 3 has established synchronous orbit." The cadet in the pilot's chair informed his captain, turning in his chair to look back to her. "We are awaiting your orders." He said in his usual upbeat tone.
The captain nodded, "Understood." She moved her attention to the console next to her chair, using the touch screen interface she brought up a live camera feed of the planet. It certainly looked green and blue, but from her experience she knew you could not judge a planet from just a visual. "Lieutenant Johnson, what is your analysis on the planet?" She looked up from her screen to locate her sensor operator.
"One moment, captain." He busied himself with his console, gathering data received by the sensory equipment. He made some of his own calculations to check the findings, before he was confident enough to give her the information. "It is indeed a terran planet. Sensors detect large quantities of liquid water, methan gas, and oxygen. All indicators of life, or allowing for the presence of it." He smiled, knowing the captain would be pleased with his findings.
The captain rose from her chair in excitement, caught up in the heat of the moment, she had managed to forget about zero gravity. She blushed in embarrassment as she struggled back into her seat. She brushed her uniform off, even though it was not dirty. "Fantastic news lieutenant! The first terran planet the human race has discovered since - well, since Earth. How many systems have we gone to? How many years has it been since we launched?" Of course she knew, down to the exact amount of hours - but she wanted someone to tell her.
The pilot spoke, "Twenty-three systems... Two-hundred and thirty years..." he sighed, "Wasn't much more than a year for us though was it? Damn those stasis modules." His mind wandered as he thought again about how every one he knew on Earth had been gone centuries.
"Come now, cadet. Things might not be as bad as you think. Everyone on this ship shares the same horrid thought that everyone is gone. Have you not considered that the same technology that let us last this long might be preserving their lives as well?" The captain offered, in an effort to console him.
He nodded, "Actually yes I have, captain. I came to the conclusion that with the world population already at seven billion, that life preserving technologies like the stasis pods would be outlawed for anything but space travel."
The captain realized he was correct, with the world's population spiraling out of control, it would be logical to assume any life extending measures would be banned. "You may be correct, but that's the whole reason we are out here isn't it? To find a new world to colonize and save ourselves from over population." She realized she was having a one way conversation with the cadet, the lieutenant was silent the entire conversation. She turned to face Johnson, his face was grim. "Lieutenant?"
He looked up from his monitor, "There is pinpoints of light of the dark side of the planet, CO2 being emitted from them... Fires of a primitive life-form."
The room grew deathly quiet, the only noise coming from the whirring of the computers. The intense joy of their discovery being blotted out by one perhaps even greater. Intelligent life.
The captain slumped in her chair, her mind being overwhelmed by everything going on. She got a headache, it often happened to her crew; the long periods of no activity in stasis then intense activity when they arrived in a system took a toll on their brains. "Orders from NASA dictated... In the event another intelligent lifeform existed on a planet, that we may not take it as a colony candidate..."
The bridge remained quiet, as the crew as faced with the fact that it may take another two-hundred and thirty years to find another terran planet. After what seemed like hours of silence, it was broken by an alarm sounding at Johnson's station. He shook his head as if to throw out a daydream. He checked his moniter to see what the alert was. He looked to the captain, surprise in his eyes "Captain! Sensors have just detected a large comet, heading towards the planet."
This time she remembered not to stand up, "Does it pose a danger to us? Calculate it's trajectory as exactly as you can." She ordered.
It took Johnson a few minutes to make the calculations, it was perhaps the most intense math he has done for centuries. Finally he had a verdict, "It won't affect us. However, on it's current path it will hit the planet on the edge... Based on it's size and speed, even the indirect hit will render the planet barren."
The captain's face grew grim. This early intelligent species would be destroied if it impacted the planet. She could not allow for that to happen, but had no iea how to stop it. After a few moments of critical thinking, she knew what had to be done. "Cadet Myles. Turn off all safety procedures on our fuel reserves. Take us to the comet, and crash into the side of it."
He was about to object, but soon came to the same conclusion as the captain. "Save an entire race, or spare a small crew who's mission is already failed... I understand captain."
The child gazed up at the large, corroded piece of metal hanging from the obelisk in the center of his village. His father rested a hand on his shoulder, "You asked what this stood for. The priests say it is the sign of our god. Our god who sacrificed himself to save our entire people from destruction."
"Father... Do you think it means something else?" Asked the little boy.
He shook his head, "No... I think it stands for more. I think it represents love, courage, and the impulse to do the right thing. It stands for all the good emotions we have within us... and yes, it also stands for an extraordinary being who saved our people." He looked down to his son, "It's getting late, dinner is probably ready."
They turned and walked away from the obelisk. Away from the piece of metal, with the writing they did not understand. The writing, that when copied looks to say Voyager 3.