The mission

Part 3

"We are in a safe zone," the lieutenant announced after a rather long drive through the demanding gravity of the solar system.

The weather forecast, together with Arma's atmosphere, did not make it easier to take off, so the crew had to rely largely on the lieutenant's skillful flying, otherwise the mission would have been over. "Good flight. I must admit that I doubted your abilities." The captain's now more relaxed expression covered the suspicion. "Don't be fooled by my youth." The lieutenant was full of confidence, which she did not intend to keep to herself. Reyes reacted to her outburst by rolling her eyes. "I'm sick." Grim's happy smile was replaced in a second by a panicked expression. "A bag!" Reyes shouted, already preparing for the worst-case scenario: Swimming vomit in the ship's compartment. The captain also paused and allowed himself to panic, but the lieutenant replied calmly, "Right side of the seat." Everyone rushed to the spot. "Just put it over your mouth when you feel like you're going to puke." Grim regained his whole soul from how much the turbulence had disturbed the harmony in his body. When he thought he was already accustomed to such twists and turns, the acid in his stomach rose again. He will never be able to get used to it, no matter how many times he takes off. Naslov, Reyes and Stelvio did not suffer like him, to them that was completely normal.

By lifting the steering assembly onto the magnetic cushion and connecting it to the edge of the ring that controlled the ship's electronics, they established gravity and appropriate pressure in it. They adjusted the temperature and other important settings because that ship was now their temporary home.

Just an hour later everyone found their occupation thus resting their heads from the oncoming information. Lieutenant Stelvio played with artificial intelligence by asking her questions about anything and everything. If Degea had any feelings, she would say to lieutenant that she is tiring and exaggerating. Stelvio was very curious. Reyes was siting opposite of the lieutenant, she studied and checked the ship's systems, occasionally glancing at the percentage of regeneration. She heard the lieutenant's questions and even admired her persistence, but she soon became bored. It was a persistence that drained all the energy, so once more before bed she looked at the percentage of regeneration of the ship to make sure the lieutenant was not draining its energy. Grim was in a lying position recovering from an irritated stomach, and the captain was lost in another part of the ship.

"Martin Stelvio." Grim appeared behind the lieutenant, who have caught her attention very quickly. "You look a lot like him. You're the same." He continued, not noticing the lieutenant's sharp gaze. "We are not the same. I'm still alive." The cold tone the lieutenant used visibly signaled that biologist should stop. "You seem to have picked up most of it from him." The lieutenant knew that Grim knew her grandfather from a school, he worked as a professor at the Arma University, and was one of the most respected professors. The conversation was overheard by Morgan who headed to the main deck with the intention of studying the information system a little more. She didn't intend to eavesdrop, but somehow it happened. She remembered that Martin Stelvio had been her mentor in her senior year.

"All the students adored his lectures, not because of the interesting things he said but because of his good looks. They didn't stop looking at him thoughtfully." He laughed briefly, while the lieutenant just listened. "Girls didn't even want to look at us." Grim exhaled, looking at the information she was listing. "Obviously you were miserable." He raised his eyebrows, surprised that Stelvio cut him off. Then she added, "Old man looked better than you, I guess you were miserable," she explained, and he was speechless. He certainly didn't count on that she would be rude, but he didn't know that she didn't talk about such things with strangers or anyone else. The lieutenant had been studying the information until Grim interrupted her, the data she was reading seemed to have disappeared and been replaced with the irrelevant ones. She realized that it no longer made sense, so she decided to turn her thoughts to something else. Without saying goodbye, she left the deck at a brisk pace. On a way out she met Morgan, who betrayed her action with an obvious position. Stelvio raised her eyebrows in surprise, wordlessly heading for her sleeping chamber. Reyes made a series of excuses in her head but none were uttered. Not to let Grim find out, she picked herself up quickly, carrying her thoughts with her to the bedroom.

Everyone needed several hours of rest. They emptied their heads and recharged their energy, all they needed to start a discussion. The captain ordered a meeting in the main room of the ship, where it was easiest to evaluate the information. Captain Naslov stood in front of the big screen waiting for the rest to appear. Grim waited impatiently for the start, sitting as Reyes sat in the co-pilot's seat typing something. Lieutenant Stelvio had not yet appeared, which gave the others a simple conclusion: She was still asleep. The lieutenant has actually decided to do some trainning, she says it makes her think better. She came out of the ship's simulation hall panting as if being chased by beasts. In record time, she settled down and joined the crew.

Her forehead glowed with sweat and her breathing was still rapid. As soon as she entered the room, everyone could notice. "What did I miss?" She asked, ignoring the looks she was getting from others. "The time calculation suits you perfectly." The captain used a provocative tone, then made eye contact with Grimm. "We can go now," he announced.

"What do we know?" The captain pointed to a screen where Reyes tried to display information. She lined them up in order, to have a better view. "We know." "We know one big nothing," the lieutenant interrupted whoever started talking. "The system discovered a planet and that's it." She didn't act tense or angry, but wanted to point out that they needed to work much harder to solve this task. ˝Degea? Can you show me the whole system of our galaxy?" She turned to the large table with her arms crossed, expecting what was required. Degea confirmed her request and displayed a dark scope with white tiny dots, or a black area of ​​the universe with its stars in a 3D system. "Now Arma's solar system." - the image was soon reduced and simulated the solar system in which the planet Arma resides. The system looked miniature compared to the galaxy. "Here we are," she pointed to the planet Arma, paying attention to the listeners who were following her closely. In the corner she showed measures that were illegible but everyone knew it was unimaginable distances. "Degea, give me the next closest solar system from the Arma." The others wondered if she had harassed Degea for that a few hours before. "Immediately." The intelligence reacted quickly and simulated another solar system on a large table in the center of the ship's main room. The Sun, the planets, and their elliptical orbits were seen. The lieutenant took a pen and pointed to the planet, the third in a row that was blue with a touch of white. "The question is why this planet?" She began with simple questions to formulate a story. "What about the other planets in that solar system? What does the System say about them?" Reyes asked. "They didn't catch their eye as much as this one, the third in a row," Grim added. "And why?" The captain asked his crew, knowing the answer. "It's in the habitable zone because it looks like an Arma." The lieutenant repeated the general's words. ˝The unknown planet.˝ She brought it closer to her with her fingers, having a better view. The planet was blue with hints of white, which made it different from the others in that solar system.