The Alpha Centauri Expedition

6. The Dimension Gate

"What's wrong, Gaya?" Rizki asked, puzzled by her behavior. "Oh... it's nothing...," Gayatri replied, attempting to hide her true feelings. Her emotions were still mixed between the desire to stay close to Rizki or distance herself from him.

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On Thursday, June 20, 2458, the training program in the Bimasakti simulator was declared complete. Gayatri felt relieved that she could finally pass the final test in the afternoon. In the evening, she had returned to her apartment and tried to spend the night in a relaxed manner. She wanted to rest her body and mind from the heavy burden she had felt in the past few days. But most importantly for her, that night she wanted to forget about Rizki. She wanted to try to free her mind from the shadow of Rizki, who for some reason now always followed her. Gayatri couldn't imagine what it would be like if she couldn't let go of her feelings for Rizki. During the Alpha Centauri mission, she would be trapped in the Bimasakti spacecraft with Rizki for over a year! There would be no room to avoid him anymore. The only way was to discard those feelings far away.

Gayatri was taught by her mother to calm her heart by reading the Quran. She always followed what her mother taught, especially when her heart was restless. Like her habit on every Thursday night, after the night prayer, she would recite the Quran, specifically Surah Al-Kahf and Surah Yasin. Afterwards, she felt peace in her heart. Only then did she realize the feeling of hunger starting to arise. She quickly went to the replicator to prepare dinner. Within ten minutes, the food she desired was served.

That night, the air felt cool, the sky was clear, and the moon shone brightly. Gayatri opened the balcony door and sat on the balcony terrace to enjoy her dinner and the refreshing outdoor air. In front of her, she could see the beautiful view of the city park. The park was called Space Garden because it was located near the space base. Ever since she had been living there for a year, the beautiful view of Space Garden had been her source of entertainment when she was at home.

Gayatri was someone who could enjoy solitude. She was accustomed to living alone and solving her own problems. To people around her, she appeared as an independent person, but also reserved, especially towards men. However, Gayatri had grown comfortable with her life and felt that she didn't need others much. So, when she suddenly started feeling something different towards Rizki, it truly disturbed her. She had never experienced such feelings before, and she didn't want to feel them either. Now, her soul no longer felt as free as before because her mind was always haunted by Rizki's presence. She didn't want to depend on anyone, including Rizki!

Without realizing it, her thoughts drifted back to Rizki in that moment. She wondered what he was doing right now, silently asking herself. But she quickly pushed those thoughts far away. Rizki lived just four floors above her, but she tried to pretend he wasn't there. Gayatri attempted to fill her mind with other things that she deemed more important.

Six days before the departure to Alpha Centauri, on Thursday next week, Bimasakti would undergo its final test. The Bimasakti spacecraft would be flown to the Moon, land on the Moon, and return to Earth. During the flight to the Moon, all systems and capabilities of the spacecraft would be tested, including its maximum speed, deflectors, shuttles, rovers, and weaponry. The flight plan reignited Gayatri's enthusiasm. Her astronaut instincts were triggered by the anticipation of new experiences she would soon encounter when piloting Bimasakti into space.

While enjoying her meal, she gazed at the brightly shining Moon in the sky. She noticed that the Moon had passed its half-moon phase. When she and Bimasakti arrived there next week, it might be the perfect time for a full moon, she thought. Imagining that, she felt an immense excitement, and most importantly, she now knew how to cast away the shadows of Rizki from her mind. She could forget about Rizki by focusing on other things that brought joy to her heart. For the rest of the night, the shadow of Rizki no longer bothered her until drowsiness carried her into the realm of dreams.