Heirs of Planet Life

IV - Immediate Contact

Nicholas opened his eyes and was shocked when he saw a world, he had thought possible nowhere but in Sci-Fi books and movies. He soon realized he was surrounded by extraordinary technology, composed by a vast number of tools which functions he could barely imagine. He was inside a big circular shaped lounge that seemed to be made of stainless steel and glass. He looked up and watched the silver ceiling with a blue light in the center just above his head. 3D holographic panels surrounded the lounge, showing lots of virtual graphics.

Although dazzled by so much that was going on, the boy realized he was inside a spaceship. The place presented excellent hygiene conditions, and many tiny white details could be seen on the command bridge. Nicholas touched the polished surface that covered a kind of control center of the equipment to check if all of that was real. Then, he took a deep breath and checked if there was a different smell around. He felt a scent of jasmine, recognized it, and widened his eyes searching the place for Zara, because he knew that was her fragrance. However, there was no one around. Silence was his sole company there.

Feeling cornered and confused, he took out his cell phone to try to call his mother or Sanches. But the device didn't work and he realized he was lonely.

Still feeling lost and afraid, he could only admire the ship's high technology. He recognized the Milky Way, that rotated in a slow motion in a holographic projection that came from a rounded source.

The projected image highlighted a blue sphere that spun around and floated on Orion's arm. Nick could recognize his home anywhere he saw it. That was Earth. "The most beautiful and perfect planet of the Universe", he thought while his eyes were fixed on the 3D projection. He also recognized the Andromeda Galaxy. Another globe was also highlighted in the hologram, as if it was being monitored. The boy realized there was something special about it and wanted to know its name.

"Which planet is that? How did I get here? Where's Zara? Am I dreaming?"

Many unanswered questions sprouted up in his mind.

Astonished, he kept admiring the high technology of the ship. He saw that one of the walls was made of something like glass, somewhat transparent, and allowed the crew to see what was going on outdoors. Everything there was quite intriguing. Nicholas got close enough to the glass to see planet Earth right below. Seeing it from above, he could watch its rounded surface and how tiny it seemed to be.

He saw how the blue oceans went around the brown and green parts spread all over the globe. Cities, countries, continents, and islands were in a non-stop circular movement, one of them covered by heavy clouds from which flashes of lightning came out, looking like mere sparks from a distance. He could linger there and watch that amazing show for hours.

"I've never thought I'd see such a fabulous thing in my life", the boy though, touched by it.

He turned his eyes to the walls that surrounded him. They were coated with some silver material that resembled a mirror, painted in a pale shade that reflected light all over the place. Nick couldn't identify what material they were made of. "I wonder if it's some kind of energy-saving technology."

The size of that lounge was something that intrigued him too. It seemed to measure something around 100 yards and it made him think about how big that spacecraft might be. He could not see any buttons or levers; as it seemed, everything was manipulated by holographic image. There was too much information and everything was too surrealistic even for a mind like his.

In a sudden, a door opened in the middle of the steel wall and a familiar girl showed up in a white uniform. Zara walked toward him, realized he was nervous and gave him a delicate smile.

"Nick, calm down. I know it's too much information for now, but I'm going to tell you everything I can."

The young man tried not to freak out, even though his body was trembling with the possibility that everything that was happening could be real. His eyes wandered adrift through the spaceship. He couldn't believe everything Zara had said was true. The woman stepped forward and touched his arm in support.