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Beyond the Edge of Infinity
Prologue: The Fateful Decision
I read the news with a sinking heart. The mission to ExoTerra-7, a habitable planet beyond the Kepler Belt, was going ahead. It was humanity's last hope, a desperate bid to escape a dying Earth. Climate collapse, dwindling resources, and wars had left our planet on the brink.
The risks were enormous. The journey through deep space was perilous, riddled with gravitational anomalies, the threat of quantum-drive failure, and the unpredictability of an unexplored planet. Six lives were chosen to lead this mission. Six brave souls: three women, three men. Scientists, explorers, and pioneers.
The world called them heroes, but to me, they were lambs to the slaughter.
Chapter 1: Six Souls on a Mission
In the sterile halls of Space Federation Headquarters, the crew gathered for their final briefing.
Commander Elise Navarro stood at the head of the room. With her close-cropped hair and sharp, determined eyes, she exuded authority. Years in military science and engineering had prepared her for this moment.
“Let me be clear,” she said, her voice like steel. “This mission is no glory ride. We’re not coming back unless we succeed. But if we do succeed, we’ll rewrite humanity’s future.”
The team she addressed was diverse, brilliant, and burdened with personal stakes:
• Dr. Aisha Khan, Biologist: A quiet yet resolute scientist specializing in alien ecosystems. She carried the weight of a family left behind, her daughter too young to understand why her mother had to leave.
• Michael Torres, Engineer: A former asteroid miner, hardened by years of labor in the void. His expertise in machinery was matched only by his penchant for problem-solving.
• Lena Halstrom, Navigator: A fearless space cartographer who had mapped some of the galaxy’s most...
I read the news with a sinking heart. The mission to ExoTerra-7, a habitable planet beyond the Kepler Belt, was going ahead. It was humanity's last hope, a desperate bid to escape a dying Earth. Climate collapse, dwindling resources, and wars had left our planet on the brink.
The risks were enormous. The journey through deep space was perilous, riddled with gravitational anomalies, the threat of quantum-drive failure, and the unpredictability of an unexplored planet. Six lives were chosen to lead this mission. Six brave souls: three women, three men. Scientists, explorers, and pioneers.
The world called them heroes, but to me, they were lambs to the slaughter.
Chapter 1: Six Souls on a Mission
In the sterile halls of Space Federation Headquarters, the crew gathered for their final briefing.
Commander Elise Navarro stood at the head of the room. With her close-cropped hair and sharp, determined eyes, she exuded authority. Years in military science and engineering had prepared her for this moment.
“Let me be clear,” she said, her voice like steel. “This mission is no glory ride. We’re not coming back unless we succeed. But if we do succeed, we’ll rewrite humanity’s future.”
The team she addressed was diverse, brilliant, and burdened with personal stakes:
• Dr. Aisha Khan, Biologist: A quiet yet resolute scientist specializing in alien ecosystems. She carried the weight of a family left behind, her daughter too young to understand why her mother had to leave.
• Michael Torres, Engineer: A former asteroid miner, hardened by years of labor in the void. His expertise in machinery was matched only by his penchant for problem-solving.
• Lena Halstrom, Navigator: A fearless space cartographer who had mapped some of the galaxy’s most...
