There it was, the giant blue sphere known as Proxima. Headquarters for the ‘Human Preservation Movement’ and the first colony outside of the Solar System.
“Hello ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing on Proxima/ Proxima Centauri B in less then a minute. The ship will go into hyperdrive, so it is essential to strap on your seatbelts. Please do not leave your seats at this time” The captain announced
The ship suddenly thrust forward, and I grabbed the armrests of the seat. My ears felt like it was going to pop, and my head started hurting. Landing was always the worst part about interplanetary travel.
After about a minute of excruciating pressure, the ship finally slowed down and entered the atmosphere of Proxima. I peered out the window, a boundless ocean was beneath. A result from an event known as ‘The Great Failure’ 120 years ago. What was an attempt to terraform the mostly arid planet resulted in artificial heavy downpours that lasted for months. As was expected, oceans formed, but problems in the terraforming process caused an overflow of water. Majority of the colonies were destroyed, and the sea levels forced colonies to be built on high platforms or on the sea. What remained of the land, however, was lust tropical fauna and flora.
“Ship landing” The AI notified me
Finally, I could see infrastructure on the horizon. The ship landed on a floating runway, giving a loud thump followed by the sound of the ship gliding on the ground. Slowly, the ship halted and the doors opened at the front. I strapped on my briefcase and patiently waited in line to get off the plane.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I opened up my HD (Holographic Device) and called the Human Preservation Department at Proxima (HPDP).
“Hello, this is Maria. I’m currently waiting at the Central Proxima Airport. I was wondering if the HPDP is going to pick me up?”
“Sure! I believe one of the chauffeurs are waiting for you at terminal 7” The coordinator answered
Walking through the airport felt like I was walking through a museum that was designed to be a maze. There were businessmen, tourists, cooperation managers, and cryogenically visitors weaving through the lanes and sections of the airport, trying to find their way. You could tell who was who, businessmen wore suits and were always dialing cliente as per usual. Tourists were usually recording and spectating the Proxima Souvenir Shop. Cooperation managers always had escorts and wore fancy suits with their company logo on it. I found the cryogenic visitors to be the most entertaining, they were always snapping photos with old cameras and having their mouths wide open. Some just stood there too in the future, after all who could blame them? The last memories they had were ones over 100 years ago, and most people could understand that the best thing to do was to not give them weird looks or ask them too many questions.
Finally, I got to the pick up area of the 7th terminal. A car with the HPDP logo was waiting for me.
“Is this Maria Angef?” The driver asked
“Yeah” I responded as I got into the car
“From Proxima Central Airport to HPDP” The guidance system said as the driver stepped on the pedal. The car soared up into the skies, and I could see all the commotion below. It felt like I was viewing an ant farm.
After a good 20 minutes, the car finally approached the HDPD. It was truly one of the most gigantic structures I had ever seen, soaring easily above 1400 meters. It was no megastructure, but it still managed to instill awe in visitors and workers alike.
Comments (0)
See all