One Day before the Kerberos | Fiction | 1700 word

Universe

Solar System

One of the orbits of Pluto System

Just above the Kerberos

Galaxy Garrison’s Space Ship

Cabin

Matthew Holt is working

Takashi Shirogane finally gets spare time replying his personal email

Hey Keith,

How are you recently?

I received your email two days ago however didn’t a time to reply until now as there were heavy tasks to handle after we entered the orbits of Pluto System.

And consider the far distance between us, and the Galaxy Garrison’s communication auditing process, I could expect the time you read this email, we may already land on Kerberos’ surface, collect the ice samples, then return to our space ship. I would take some photos and even videos during the journey as well, then send to you after our return. You may receive a second email very soon, maybe even receive them together! Hope it could offset my late response for your email.

Firstly, congratulations being ranked 1^st in this semester!

I got your school report!

You finally did that! I knew you can do that! Yeah I am still very happy to know this good news. Pity that I couldn’t celebrate with you as I promised before, but still, congratulations!

Please keep this trending!

Galaxy Garrison really takes serious consideration of candidates’ academic performance when selecting pilots to explore space.

You flies so well, then a good school record would help you to win the chance more easily.

Also, being a successful astronaut require you to be very erudite. You can learn a lot from your school lessons, and more from the library. Please keep on this trending J Don’t underestimate any courses you take now, and learn more than the textbook, keep reading, keep practicing.

Remember, just like flying, Patience Yields Focus. Be patient when learning and you will benefit a lot from this, believe in me. 

Also, many thanks for caring about my body condition.

The illness has been controlled well in these months. I took require medicine and treatment daily and completed the exercise to loosen my muscle. So far everything is fine as predicted, though the exercise is a little bit heavy when I have lots of work to do in space. Yet I could still handle it.

And, as we are closer to the Kerberos, we got more chance to walk in space and handle extravehicular activities than before.

Garrison payed a lot sending us to this deep space mission, the scientists don’t want to waste the time in space and sending us lots of tasks to handle, e.g. collecting the machines’ data, making space experiments… and even plant some potatoes.

(I ate the potatoes we planted yesterday. It was delicious and very fresh. Thanks for someone who raised the idea asking us to plant potatoes in the space ship…or we would have to eat frozen food for these months…That would be very disgusting. )

Walking in space is quite good. And I would never get tired of it.

We had lots of simulators on earth, simulating the space walk in zero-gravity environment for practice. Yet I have to admit that they are quite different between walking in the simulator and walking in real space, especially in the deep space. I highly encourage you to try that in the future (Please keep on good record)

Just image, when we are in dep space, among the endless darkness, only the lights in our ship is shining. And we couldn’t hear anything from space, totally silent, all we can hear is human’s voice via the helmets. Compared with the infinity of the universe, we are just a dust of the cosmo. However it doesn’t matter, and would never be the end. Humans could never stop exploring. And I am glad that I could be one of them for exploring, and the lucky one who is breaking the records for every second.

You know, since weeks ago, after our ship flied through the furthest distance last space ship flied to, we are breaking the record of the furthest distance human reaches to in space in every movement. 

Every moment I watch to the universe, I am watching something new in human’s history. We are making history. And I am so glad that I got such chance.

Still, I remembered of your eyes shining when looking at the Calypso at first sight. It made me surprised to know how you were in love with the space exploration. Also I remembered how strong ambition I could sense from your eyes when we visited the launch base one day before the launch day.

You would get the chance finally, and maybe very quick. As in this deep space mission, one of our most important tasks is to test the possibility sending more people to deep space exploration tasks. So far the test runs so well. So I guess the Galaxy Garrison would hire more astronauts within these years soon. Then that would be your great opportunity!

Keep on your good academic record, and keep practicing your flying skill and improve your teamwork, I do believe that you will get the chance soon in next selection. Just as what Matthew Holt did in previous selection. He is very young and with great talent.  

Keeping be good, then GO GREAT. I am waiting for you in space and hope one day we can stay in one space ship together……

Okay, I am going to close this email.

As mentioned at the beginning of the email, our ship is flying in the orbits of the Pluto system, just right above the Kerberos.

Matt and I handled the extravehicular activites today. When the sun rise to the Kerberos, I were checking the space ships’ machine.

Matt reminded me to turn back, then I saw the light growing from the Kerberos’ surface. Even though Kerbero is just a very small moon of the Pluto, it is relatively large compared with us. So seeing it growing with lights is quite impressive.

I took some videos and pictures for you. This is the first sun rise I saw in Kerberos and I may see it more within next following weeks. We will fly around the Pluto system for weeks. And I don’t think I would get tired of it. Space is always beautiful, even the darkness and silence is beautiful.

I can’t wait for tomorrow when we will land on the Kerberos officially. All three of us will go, and we will pick some ice sample, leave Galaxy Garrison’s flag on the surface, then make some walking as well.

I will write another email to you when I return to our space ship.

Keith, please, the universe is quite mysterious and beautiful. Work hard and catch up with me, I am waiting for you…..

Takashi Shirogane is still typing, he doesn’t finish his email yet.

Matt is staring at him for a long time curiously. He finally finished his tasks for today and gets some time to break.

They are staying in the operator cabin now. The cabin has the best view to see the Kerberos now, with large window, great view.

Then Shiro stops. He opens his album trying to find the best photos and videos he took recently and sends to Keith.

“Hey,” Matt asks, “So are you writing email to Keith again? That young little teenager, a big fan of you?”

Matt stands up, leaning his arm to Shiro’s chair attracting his attention.

“Yes,” Shiro replies, smiling without consciousness, and is still copying the pictures and videos to the email attachment.

“Wow, so that is the reason why you spend extra time today takes additional photos?” Matt gets even more curiously.

“The chance is so rare, and luckily I just got the time to do that today.” Shiro laughs, he lets his personal device copying the images and videos then turns his face to Matt.

“Also, today’s scenery is quite unique and beautiful, I would want to share them with Keith. He will fall in love with all of them.”

“When we were in Galaxy Garrison, we watched the stars together for many times. We built that habit mainly because we met each other for lots of time in Galaxy Garrison‘s Stellar Observatory before.” Shiro smiles, throwing his thoughts to the past.

“We both loves the universe especially the stars. I have no doubt that if he comes to Kerberos, he would recognize every stars nearby just like me.” Shiro adds additional comments, and Matt frowns a little bit as he can’t do that, and he just admired Shiro’s erudition in these months’ journey.

 “He is your huge fan then.” Matt agrees.

“Yeah. Also, Keith told me that he was ranked first in this semester, with all A+ performance. I promised to him before as I may give him some gift if he did that. And I…” Shiro continues.

“Oh. Okay”

Matt stops Shiro, and makes a very comical face expression.

“I know, a gift to your biggest fan and maybe the future lover if you are courage enough!” Matt makes a conclusion, that makes Shiro blushes immediately, and trying to defense for themselves.

“Hey Matt, we are just friends who share the same interest”

He emphasizes the announcement of “friends”

“Also I never consider about Keith. We have large age gap and he regards me as his mentor, and his close brother.”

“But your words sounds like you already take a very serious consideration.”

Matt looks at Shiro and laughing, “Really, I don’t think those would be problems as you both looks so fit with each other. But I know Keith is very popular in his class since he has such a good look and has the potential to become a legend pilot as you, I would suggest you to ….”

Then a voice interrupts Matt’s conversation.

“Hey boys, do you finish your work?” The door of the cabin opens and Samuel Holt comes in.

“It is time to take a rest as tomorrow we will have lots of tasks to handle.”

Samuel requests. Time to sleep now.

“Yes”

Matt and Shiro reply together, and Shiro feels relaxed being interrupted for this topic.

He really doesn’t know what is his feeling to Keith, after the long accompany from Keith when Adam leaves him because his chasing for his own dream.

“It is close to Keith’s birthday…” Shiro thinks, then goes through his email quickly and clicks send button.

“Time to go now.” Matt asks.

“Yes.” Shiro answers, walks to the door, going to leave, then he turns his head back, watching the surface of the Kerberos again through the window.

He says to himself, softly, with great hope and enthusiasm.

“Tomorrow, we will go to the Kerberos.”

AO3 Link