Chapter 1

Major Jake got out of bed when his alarm went off. He is a big man, standing about six feet tall, weighing in at 185 pounds. His close cropped hair was light brown in color and his face had a four day old beard. He usually kept it short, but this new assignment hadn’t been as strict as his last one, so he let it grow out some.

He rubbed his face and then turned the entertainment device on in his one room apartment. “TV, news please.” he said out loud to the device. The internal OS on the device pulled up the news of the day and started to read it to him.

“Breakthrough in Quantum Computing Promises Unprecedented Processing Power. Mars Colony Expansion Reaches Milestone: New Habitation Module Completed. AI Ethics Debate Intensifies as Autonomous Vehicles Outperform Human Drivers. Bioengineering Breakthrough: CRISPR Technology Successfully Cures Genetic Disease in Human Trial. Solar Energy Grid Upgrade Boosts Sustainability Efforts Across Megacities. Cybersecurity Alert: New Wave of AI-Driven Hacking Threatens Global Networks. Virtual Reality Tourism Surpasses Physical Travel in Popularity Among Millennials. Space Elevator Prototype Successfully Tested, Promising Affordable Access to Orbit. Fusion Reactor Prototype Achieves Sustained Energy Generation, Offers Hope for Clean Power Future. Would you like to know more about any of these items Major?”

“No thanks. Playlist one while updating me on the status of my mission today.”

“You have received no further updates since yesterday. The mission is a ‘go’.” The TV said to him.

The music began to play in the background while he opened the door to his shower closet, stepped in, and pressed the button for the cleaning foam. Warm air was pumped into the closet then jets sprayed cleaning foam all over his body. The spray stopped so that he could rub it onto his skin and hair. Then, he pressed the water button and the jets now sprayed warm water onto his body, washing away all of the foam from his body. He wiped the water out of his eyes and left the closet. He took a towel off the rack and dried himself then tossed the towel into the laundry shoot. A new towel would be waiting for him tomorrow.

“If there is a tomorrow.” he muttered.

He put his communication gauntlet onto his forearm and opened the app.

“Hello Major Jake. How did you sleep last night?”

“Well enough.”

“I see that your vitals are good for your mission and I am clearing you for duty.” The gauntlet was his communications device that also held several other functions like medical diagnosis so that if he were injured, his gauntlet would diagnose it, release and control medical nanobots into his bloodstream and they would repair what ails the wearer. The device also linked him to his aircraft for his real job of test pilot. The craft had a builtin liferaft/lifepod that would survive most malfunctions even up to the worst catastrophic disasters so that the human inside would survive in the pod. The pod had a link to the craft and would work together to make sure that the person flying the craft wouldn’t come to harm. It was an elegant system and after hundreds of years had not allowed a human to die because of a crash or disaster.

Major Jake put his uniform on and then left his apartment to the transport that took him to the launch. As he looked out the windows of the transport, he took in the vista of his world. TechTerra was a marvel of human ingenuity and technological advancement. The cityscape was a blend of sleek, towering skyscrapers and vast, interconnected domes that housed entire communities. Each building was a testament to architectural brilliance, with shimmering surfaces that reflected the sunlight in a dazzling display of colors. Hover vehicles zipped through the air in organized lanes, their silent propulsion systems barely disturbing the calm of the early morning. Parks and green spaces were meticulously maintained, providing patches of vibrant nature amidst the urban sprawl. These areas were filled with genetically modified plants that thrived in the artificial climate, offering a touch of the natural world in an otherwise synthetic environment. The sky above was a deep, clear blue, dotted with the occasional drone or small aircraft. What truly set TechTerra apart was its revolutionary energy system. Floating high above the planet were massive orbital generators known as HelioArrays, designed to capture and convert solar energy with unprecedented efficiency. These generators collected solar radiation and transformed it into a concentrated energy beam. This beam was then transmitted to ground-based receivers scattered across the globe, known as HelioReceivers. The energy beams were invisible to the naked eye, yet they formed a vital web of power transmission that kept the entire planet running smoothly. These beams provided a constant, uninterrupted flow of energy, unaffected by the time of day or weather conditions. The receivers, towering structures with sleek, reflective surfaces, absorbed the beams and converted them into usable power, which was then distributed through an advanced smart grid to homes, businesses, and infrastructure. The transport moved smoothly along its route, passing by residential sectors where people went about their morning routines. Some buildings had transparent walls, offering glimpses of advanced home automation systems at work. Robotic assistants tended to various tasks, from preparing meals to managing household chores. Children with augmented reality devices engaged in interactive learning sessions, their eyes filled with wonder as they explored virtual worlds superimposed on their surroundings. In the distance, Major Jake could see the sprawling expanse of the launch facility, a complex of imposing structures and launch pads. The facility was a hive of activity, with personnel and robots working in unison to prepare for the day’s missions. The massive launch vehicles stood ready, their sleek forms promising journeys to distant planets and beyond. As the transport neared the facility, Jake felt a sense of pride and excitement. This was his world, a place of endless possibilities and constant innovation. And today, he was about to take part in a mission that could change the course of history.

His test craft was one of the lines of craft made to jump from one place to another through a wormhole. He didn’t even come close to understanding the science behind it, he was just supposed to fly the craft and report back what happened during the flight.

He was greeted by his commanding officer who took him to get dressed and prepped for the launch. Jake was serious, his game face was on the whole time his boss was talking. He put on his first layer of clothing that would collect his urine and feces in case that had to be released during the flight. Then he put on his pressure suit which was skin tight. When he would experience high G’s of pressure, the flight suit adjusted so that his blood didn’t pool at his feet but be kept in his brain. Then went on his outer space suit in case of atmosphere loss during the flight. This was air tight, made to heat or cool the wearer and provide air while in space. The suit wouldn’t last for a long time, maybe a week or two, but in that time, the control department would know if the person was alive or dead and have enough time to get to them for a rescue.

Once he was suited up, he walked to his pod and got in. He connected his gauntlet to the pod and watched the heads up display greet him.

“Major Jake, you are linked to the pod and all systems are green.”

“Good.”

The lid on the pod was closed and sealed. The techs outside stood at attention and saluted him. He saluted back and the pod was moved to the launch craft.

Major Jake’s pod was sent speeding down the line to the craft. The pod was rotated to the same orientation as the craft and then put into place. The craft and pod were linked together and the two systems began working together. Jake’s heads up display showed him the status of the pod and the ship then the video showed him the face of the flight controller.

“Control, this is Jake. I am green and go for launch.”

“Roger Major. We are green here as well. Countdown is at T-15 minutes.”

“Roget control. 15 minutes until launch.”

Jake busied himself with double checking the interface to the ship and pod as well as checking again, the status of the drive system he was testing. Everything was green. He adjusted the restraint holding him in his seat and tried to relax. The plan was simple: he would fly into space, just past the moon where he would engage the new drive system for a set amount of time, then shut it off and reverse course back to home. He had done the trip many times in the simulator and he knew the system he was flying like the back of his hand. If something was going to go wrong, it was not going to be because of him.

“T minus 1 minute” control said through his helmet.

He put his hands on the armrests of his chair and braced himself.

Once the rockets fired, he quickly felt the G levels rise. As they rose, his flight suit compensated and increased the pressure in his lower body to help keep the blood from pooling. Nothing unusual for him so far.

The first stage stopped, released and the second stage fired. Again, he felt the G levels rise as he was pushed away from his home toward the moon. Once the second stage turned off, he drifted for several minutes. It was easier to breathe now that he wasn’t accelerating. He opened the visor on his helmet, rubbed his face and took several deep breaths. The stress went away as the flight suit released.

“Control, I am five by five and ready for the test flight.”

“Roger Major. Please prepare for the ignition of the test engine.”

“Roger control.”

He flipped the three switches on his console that had to be turned on for the system to recognize they were ready. They were amber, then one by one turned green as his gauntlet and the ship AI ran through many thousands of checks and calculations for this flight.

As the last switch turned green, two mechanical rods moved out from the sides of the ship and locked into place. The rods started to glow as power was built up forming a wormhole between them. As the wormhole was being formed, something hit the rod and knocked it out of place.

Warning bells started to go off as lights turned from green to red.

“Major, power is being disrupted and the wormhole is becoming unstable.” his ship told him.

“Abort! Abort!” he called out as he tried to flip the switches to shut things down.

Another strike on the other control arm making the wormhole even more unstable.