Time Again

Witnessing what should not have been seen

The man looked toward the sky and his gaze was focused on a faint vapor trail where a spacecraft was just seconds ago.
His thoughts were with the single passenger aboard that craft. A passenger who drew the short straw for this one way mission into space.
The man was Jake Buck. The creator of the spacecraft that was just launched from the desert launch site where he was standing.
The passenger was Audra Reeve. She spent the last fifteen years researching warped space and time bending. A theory that was about to be proven with this historic spaceflight.
The two of them met a few years ago during an astronomical conference in Miami, Florida.
During the conference Jake sat with Audra at the same table where they began a friendship based on each other’s specialty.
Jake specialized in experimental rocketry and Audra studied mass acceleration and warped space. The two hit it off right from the start.
After the first day of the conference Jake invited Audra to dinner. He thought it would be a more relaxed way to discuss an idea that he had been working on.
The two met at a local seafood restaurant. The waiter sat them at a table close to a large aquarium.
“Thank you for accepting my invite Audra. I was hoping that you would. It seems that you and I may have the same interests.”
“At the conference, I was hoping that we could talk more. We didn't have the chance inside that stuffy auditorium. Too much hot air if you get my meaning.”
“Yes I do, totally.” Jake smiled at the woman sitting across from him.
“In fact, I was hoping for the same thing. If you are interested, I have an idea that I’d like to toss your way, get your opinion.”
Audra looked into Jake’s eyes as she gave him an approving nod. “I’d be happy to hear your idea Jake. I have read a few of your research papers and I think I may have an idea if what your idea might be.”
Jake felt honored that she had studied some of his research papers.
“I’m flattered Audra. And you understood my finding?”
“Oh yes. In fact, I think that what I have developed and what your ideas are, we may have something extraordinary to accomplish.”
The two had their desert and talked for another twenty minutes before leaving the restaurant.
As Jake paid the restaurant check, Audra leaned into him and kissed him on the cheek. Jake smiled wide.
As Jake opened the car door for Audra, he spoke. “If you don't mind, I would like to show you something that I think would combine both of our ideas into one incredible experiment. Are you game?”
“Absolutely Jake, let's go.” Jake buckled in and sped the vehicle off toward an unmarked building nestled in a dense forest
After parking the car, they both stood and saw before them a large building that looked like an old hangar for a very large aircraft.
Audra was amazed. “Jake, what on Earth do you have in there? This thing is huge.”
“I’ll show you.” Was Jake’s reply.
Leading Audra to a single side door, Jake opened it and led her inside.
The interior of the hangar was dark. Jake spoke to a box next to the door alarm which he deactivated.
“Lights. 100 percent.”
In an instant the lights inside the hangar blazed to life. For a second the brightness blinded the two before their eyes adjusted to the light.
There in the center of the hangar was a sleek silver craft. Looking more like a design from the late twentieth century than a modern twenty fifth century craft.
“My word Jake!” was all that Audra could get out.
“My word! It is…………beautiful!”
“Thank you. It is named 'Starlight One'.”
“It will be the first craft ever to go beyond time. With your research and theories, I believe this will succeed. Yes, I have studied and read all of the work that you have accomplished. Your work outweighs everyone.”
“It is I who is flattered Jake. Thank you. You must also know that I have been searching for a viable solution to my research. A craft that can achieve my theory of time displacement. This may be it.”
But suddenly Jakes smile vanished and was replaced with a matter of fact.
“Audra, you realize that whoever is going to be the first passenger in this is going to be on a one way trip. I mean, this is built to travel faster than light and is not stearable in the sense of making a return trip.”
“I understand that Jake. It is what I have expected in case someone ever built this type of craft. And I’m ready. When do I leave?”
“Whoa! Who said that you are going to be the first passenger?”
“Jake, I am the only logical one. There is no-one else on Earth that understands my time shift and warped space theories.”
Jake stared at Audra then realized that she was right.
“You are right of course. It's just that……nevermind.”
Jake thought for a minute while watching Audra look over the outside of the sleek ship.
“Audra, if you can have your calculations and data gathered in four days then I can have the craft ready in thirty days.”
“I’ll have it all completed Jake. Have no worries. Can I get excited now?”
The two laughed. Jake stood next to Audra and hugged her tight.
For the next few days, Audra worked on getting all her data ready and had every sequencing solution recorded for the instrumentation aboard the ship. She was confident that her data was correct.
Meanwhile, Jake had finished outfitting the craft with microviewers to record the flight. He had loaded a lifetime of supplies aboard the ship in pressurized form. He had calculated that a passenger would need thirty years worth of food and medical supplies. All if this fit into pressurized compact containers.
On the twenty ninth day, Jake had the craft loaded onto the heavy lift rockets that would get the first stage past Jupiter on a pulse beam.
The day had finally arrived where Audra and Jake would say their goodbyes and Audra would strap into the cockpit of Starlight One.
“We will be able to talk to each other for at least two months before you have slipped into your time field. I've made a minor adjustment to the guidance of the ship. In five years you should be back in Earth’s gravitational influence. You might be able to come home. But also if your theories are correct, the time difference here will have been ten thousand years where you will have aged only five years. Just think of me from time to time please.”
“Will always think of you Jake. No matter how long it takes, I’ll always be thinking of you.”
On day thirty, everything was ready. Jake and Audra spent the last night with each other and in the morning Audra strapped into the seat of the ship.
Jake helped her strap in then kissed her goodbye. “See you in my dreams baby. Keep your comms on so we can stay in touch for the first part of the trip.”
“I will Jake. Talk to you after the launch. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Was all that Jake could get out.
After securing the pressure hatch, Jake made his way to the control room back inside the hangar.
“Are you ready Audra?” he said into the headset.
“Ready here Jake, all systems go and in the green. First and second stage lights are green. Be seeing you, love you.”
“Love you. Countdown commencing.”
As the clock ticked down the familiar second count, Audra heard a faint clicking sound when the count reached three, two, one. She thought it nothing and braced herself for the thrust of the launch.
Jake watched as the five large rocket motors ignited and lifted the Starlight One into space. On it's journey beyond time.
“All systems are green. Liftoff feels good. Slight vibration. All data gauges running. Speed now one hundred ten thousand. Faster than we expected Jake.”
“Readings here good as well. All recorders operating nominally. As long as you are okay with the flight we are still a go.”
“All is go Jake. Feels great. Speed now one hundred eighty thousand.”
Jake walked outside the hangar to get a glance at the rocket if he could see it.
All he saw was a thin vapor trail. A tear ran down the side of his face.
Inside Starlight One, Audra was smiling as she realized that her theories of time displacement was about to come full circle.
She reported to Jake. “Jake, all readings are green and the threshold for time warp is approaching faster than expected. I have…….”
Jake listened carefully before Audras voice was suddenly silenced. He knew he should have another two weeks at least to receive her transmissions.
“Audra, Starlight One, come in………come in please……..Starlight One, do you read me?” Silence was all Jake heard.
Inside Starlight One, Audra was about to tell Jake that she had a yellow warning light on her comm panel.
Then she heard the clicking again then a loud snapping sound.
A verbal warning alarm started. 'Warning…speed damper inhibited…warning….speed damper inhibited.’
Audra looked over all the gauges and read the data for any explanation and none came.
Then she looked at the small microviewers and saw what she was hoping was not real.
On the view screen Audra watched as the starfield and planets began to change.
The starfield was shrinking and all the planets that she knew have suddenly reversed their orbits.
“My God!” Audra yelled. “I’m going backwards in time! No! No!”
She tried to reach Jake on the comm headset, then realized that at the speed she was going, Jake had not even been born yet.
She began to cry. “This can't be happening!”
“Get hold of yourself girl!” Audra said to herself.
Thinking that somehow she could repair whatever went wrong, she made sure her recorders were working. They were.
Audra looked at the viewer again. She now was looking at her home planets as no other human has. She was looking at the solar system as it was millions of years in the past.
The speed of the ship had increased beyond measurement. She knew that somehow she would be witnessing the birth of the Earth.
“I wonder. I wonder if I will see God create my home.”
She began to cry.
Searching through the ship and trying to find the cause of the ship reversing, Audra managed to locate what she thought was the reason for the loud snapping she heard.
“You have got to be kidding me! A plug! A simple plug!”
Audra came across a connector that should have been securely connected to the speed inhibitor panel.
“I will bet anything that the vibration shook it loose! Damn!”
Looking over the plug and seeing that it was in perfect condition, Audra plugged it back into the speed inhibitor panel.
Instantly Audra felt a surge which meant that the ship was slowing down, rapidly.

Looking into a supply box, she came across a roll of silver attachment tape. “This will keep that plug in place!”
After taping the plug securely Audra returned to the control console.
There she saw the speed reduce to zero then slowly move in the correct direction.
“Thank heavens!” she said with a sigh of relief.
Something in the view panel caught her eye. As she looked closer, a chill went up her spine.
She rubbed her eyes and began to cry again.
The image in the view panel was Earth as it was in the beginning. Hovering over the Earth was a bright glow. Her first thought was of a Halo. She was witnessing the creation.
Then suddenly she felt a peace fall over her. She heard a soft voice.
“Audra, I will not abandon you. Sleep.”
Audra fell into a deep sleep. A peaceful sleep.
When she awakened, she heard only silence. Rubbing her eyes she looked into a viewer. She saw the Earth and realized that the ship had stopped moving.
Suddenly she heard a familiar voice.
“Starlight One, are you there? Audra? Do you hear me?”
Audra heard Jake.
“Jake, yes, I hear you. What happened? I must have passed out.”
“Well, the ship launched and disappeared for two days then suddenly returned to orbit. Is everything okay? Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay. All I remember is the launch and then seeing Jupiter, then I thought the ship started going backwards. Then I must have passed out for I found myself on the deck near the speed inhibitor.”
“Jake, there are too many flawed variables in this, let’s bring the ship home.”
“Okay Audra, I trust your judgement. Maybe dealing with the speed required for time movement is something we should not mess with. Making adjustments for return landing. Stand by.”
Jake made adjustments and set gauges for an automatic landing of the ship.
After a successful landing, Jake and Audra enjoyed a quiet life together.
Every now and then Audra could hear a soft voice telling her that he will be with her always.
She never told Jake.
She saw what no human ever should see. The hand of God during the creation.
Jake wouldn't believe her anyway.

Reviews

[Arundass TP]

Interesting story on space craft. Good work 👍

[Cherrie Palmer]

I absolutely love your story. How you worked the details on brought it to close. One of my favorite things you've written.

[Lorry]

An excellent tale indeed. Plus, they got to live their life out together, rather than what Hollywood would have done to the movie by making one of them the victim, so the other can spend their lives rueing what could have been.
During lockdoon I started reading the golden age of Sci fi, novels, which were for the most part short stories, with the odd novella thrown in for good measure, but I think I overdone it, with over fifty volumes now available through amazon and I gave it a rest to move onto a wider fiction in general.
After reading this, I think I'm ready for round two and shall take up where I left off, which if I check my kindle, is.... Volume 28, Chester Grier.
Although I must be honest and admit I have never watched star trek and have never even seen a star wars movie from start to finish. I think I was too excitable as a kid and always wanted to be playing football or soccer if you happen to be American.
I really enjoyed the whole time reversing and I think it would be safe to say that it would have freaked me out just a tad, if I had been there, although I might have Ben looking for the pause button to watch the dinosaurs for a while! 😊
Great story, expertly told.

[emmajoygreen]

I never read tales such as the above. But time allowed and that was it: I read it aloud using language completely unknown, not techno being, me - on and on. Went into orbit, heard the exchanges between Audra and Jake, noted this and that happening. Then came a change of gear, differences, things sensitive and unusual, questionable. Came the slow, incredible eventualities.. and more. The tale continued, smoothly, building the event into something so large that..

Avoided saying too much; one because I can't comment on the space side of it, is an unknown to me. However. Two - as a piece of writing it was extraordinary and moving. Many thanks for presenting ''Time Again'' so brilliantly.