The Alpha Centauri Expedition

14. Arjuna and Srikandi

Until that time, she had always tried to keep her distance from the AI officers, Major Srikandi and her colleague, Major Arjuna. She thought that at that moment, Srikandi was just passing through the dining area on her way to the bridge. But her assumption was off because Srikandi turned and headed towards her. Srikandi's arrival made her even more surprised, but now she couldn't avoid it and could only wonder why the android came to approach her.

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Five days after crossing Jupiter, on Saturday, July 13, 2458, Bimasakti arrived at the planet Saturn. It was Rizki and Gayatri's turn to be on duty at the bridge from 6 PM to midnight. For Gayatri, it was an exhilarating moment. It was her first time visiting Saturn and seeing it with her own eyes. The view through the front window of the bridge was even more awe-inspiring than what she had experienced in the simulator. The concentric rings of Saturn gleamed captivatingly with shades of light and dark gray, white, and yellowish-white. The sight left her in awe.

"Mashallah... It's so beautiful," she uttered, admiring the beauty of God's creation. Rizki, sitting beside her, smiled. He had been to Saturn many times before, so the view was no longer novel to him. Reactions like Gayatri's were common among all astronauts who saw Saturn for the first time. When he first saw the planet, he too was mesmerized by its beauty. Gayatri continued to gaze out of the bridge's front window, captivated by the sight. However, she couldn't savor the view for too long, as she had to bring Bimasakti into orbit around Titan to rendezvous with the Cakrawala I and Cakrawala II spacecraft.

It didn't take long for Gayatri to maneuver Bimasakti into orbit around Titan. The distinctive yellowish surface curvature of Titan now filled the bridge's front window. She could see dark patterns of hydrocarbon seas and lakes on the moon's terrain. Here and there, bright layers of methane clouds filled the atmosphere. Titan, once feared, now appeared as a beautiful place she longed to visit. However, on this flight, Bimasakti would only orbit and not land on Titan. So she had to be patient and resist the urge to descend to the surface.

"Riz, after this mission, I will request an assignment to Titan. Hopefully, the Space Force will grant it," she said to Rizki. Hearing that, Rizki turned to her.

"Don't worry, Gaya. After this mission, whatever you ask for, they will give it to you," he said with a smile. He understood Gayatri's desire to visit the place where her father fell on Titan, in Saptonium Valley.

At that moment, Mission Commander and Commander were present on the bridge to lead the encounter with the Cakrawala I and II spacecraft. Both spacecraft were already in orbit around Titan, and Gayatri had received their position coordinates. She immediately guided Bimasakti towards them. Shortly after, the two spacecraft appeared on the bridge's front window. Cakrawala I and II were nearly the same in shape and size as Bimasakti. They were built with similar technology and capabilities. Their maximum speed was also the same as Bimasakti, which was 0.5 percent of the speed of light. However, Cakrawala I and II were specifically designed to open the dimension gate. Most of their bodies were filled with saptonium oscillators and high-power transmitters. Furthermore, Cakrawala I and II were not combat spacecraft, so they didn't carry laser cannons like Bimasakti. Instead, the laser cannons were replaced by saptonium wave transmitters that could be deployed on the same positions on the sides of the spacecraft. All the crew members of Cakrawala I and II were android officers of type D, as the powerful saptonium radiation emitted by the spacecraft could be lethal to all human beings on board. Only Android crew members could withstand the intense saptonium radiation. Therefore, both spacecraft were manned only by android crew members, all holding the rank of major. Each spacecraft was manned by three AI Majors, two males and one female. In Cakrawala I, the AI Majors were Abimanyu, Cakra, and Utari, while in Cakrawala II, the AI Majors were Sanjaya, Bisma, and Drupadi.