Project VESTA

Prologue

A mess. That is how you could see space. Infinite space, infinite stars, infinite planets, an infinite mess. Of course that isn't what humans think anyway. They see a sea of stars and otherworldly wonders. A beautiful array of lights and colour, both warming their soul and making it desolate with fear.

Mathew didn't agree with either of those though. He saw his desolate planet, far from bustling cities of solar systems. When he signed up for this project he suspected to be traveling to those cities, talking to the people who lived there. 'You wont regret it! You will go where no man has gone before.' He'd imagined that he would step on a new planet and say something famous, just like Neil Armstrong's 'A small step for man, a giant leap for mankind!' But Mathew had no idea the job meant kidnapping babies, but alas, he had only been twenty years old.

"Why, why, why?" The old man muttered to themselves, "I still don't get it. Why take a three year old with discreet mutations? They could go all their life without noticing of their difference, and live as normal citizen, no danger to the world!" 

"That power," A voice explained, through some kind of communications device, in a deep estuary English accent, "Could destroy us all." 

"The power?" The original voice squeaked in surprise, as they hadn't realised they were there. "But, sir, the power is weak. What harm could it do? The power itself is benevolent and peaceful, let alone taking in their innocence... if they grow up with the right people, they could help it, not endanger it."

"She is different. When she learns of her difference and strength... Well the harm she could do... I cannot think. But you must take her to VESTA. Your job will soon be over." 

"Over? Now? It has only been forty years years. There could be hundreds more. There could be-"

"No. Mathew" The voice interrupted. "In ten years hence, there will be no more-," The voice spat it out of their mouth."-mutants."

----------

Mathew was still disgusted by people's attitudes to humans. Mutated humans. Fine, Mutants. He believed they deserved to live in peace with humans. But I guess you could easily understand the power hungry governments of the world. An army of mutants would be a threat to their power.

He had been called to pick up a new mutant from a top secret Kiwi Airbase in the Southern Alps. Once he had stepped out of his rocket, sorry Dreadnought Convoy Class Q4, he immediately cursed to himself. He was supposed to make a... Child, a baby go to a facility in the far reaches of the solar system. Of course, he was regretting his job, so far had only been unconscious adults and teens, but a mere baby? What was this job?

He had made sure the child was secure and then started the Experimental Sequence Obilux. Sequence Obilux is an algorithm where the ship bends spacetime around speeding up the time in which the ship is in, boosting it at unparalleled speeds which even the universe could not match. Large amounts of energy and radiation are cause by this process, this energy is then absorbed by the ship and is used as fuel.

They passed Mars. He'd heard so much about the dream of humans inhabiting it, well it didn't look possible from this angle. All they could see was lava, dust and a few rocks.

They passed Jupiter, they didn't get a good look as they were avoiding the many moons...

Mathew looked down on Saturn and saw it's beautiful ring. They quickly passed the ice and water planets and landed on an orbiting asteroid that circled Pluto.

Mathew then disabled Sequence Obilux, as they landed. Mathew stared into the eyes of the child, he could see it was a little girl. "I'm going to call you...." 

"Celestial."

With the last stroke of the mop and the entire floor of Project VESTA had been cleaned. Mathew walked up to the room... cell, the child was held in. He kissed them on the forehead. Then he whispered as quiet as the sound of a pin drop, "No child deserves to be here. I will take care of you." He stepped away and miserably walked towards his room and instantly fell asleep.

*Dramatic pause* Yup that's the end of the prologue- could have been better, but still I hope it was good! Sorry for the long wait. I'm kind of slow.

(When I first wrote an published this, I made a lot of errors, so I am going back over everything and hoping to make the story itself sound better and get rid of the spelling and terminology mistakes throughout this Prologue. Still under editing.)

Signing out for now,

calexfictionalwriter