OUR QUEST
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PROLOGUE
The alarm kept buzzing, and the entire cabin flashed a bright red light continuously, creating a tense atmosphere that only seemed to worsen when a dreaded announcement boomed through the spaceship, warning its only controller of an obvious danger.
Asteroids detected. Asteroids detected.
“Goddamn, will you just shut up and let me think‽” He shouted in frustration as he pulled the yoke back and forth, making the craft go up and down to avoid getting hit by the projectiles fired by his chasers. Though his chasers had highly advanced, state-of-the-art technology, he knew that one of their biggest flaws was that their crafts lacked the ability to shoot lasers into the space above or below them, only directly in front of them.
Stupidity at its finest, he thought.
Knowing that they had their own imperfections, he was hoping that his craft’s movements would undermine the focus of his chasers, who now had to go up and down and at the same time, aim and shoot.
However, he had clearly underestimated them.
Through the quick, occasional side glances he took at the windows on both sides, he could see translucent lasers of all colours flying past, colouring the black space with images that reminded him of the awesomeness of space—the sight of a mixture of colours and shining stars to create an impression of peace and security, sometimes fear, knowing that you’re small and insignificant, and that there was still a lot to see.
Now, however, the impression he was getting was not that of peace. Rather, the impression that he needed to get out of the area and flee to isolation, which saddened him. He never wanted to leave an area of space forcefully, when he was just getting ‘intimate’ with it.
He shook his imaginations out of his mind and remembered that he was not seeing the beautiful nebulas and galaxies he once saw, but he was peering into death itself.
He attempted to calm himself down by telling himself that he has been through thick and thin. The rewards at the end were too good to pass up, and if he died, he would have died doing a humble and self-sacrificial work.
Backing down now would only result in more to lose, including his reputation, and his own pride.
I owe the people.
For a long time, he always believed that everyone, including him, owed each other a sense of civility and a display of simple moral values, such as justice and respect—
Clank, clink… weu-wew…
He snapped out of thought and got into character.
Although the craft was laser-proof, the lasers still had the ability to knock him out of trajectory—which could have deadly consequences: Catapulting him into an oncoming asteroid, or simply killing his engines so that he would die powerless and hopeless in the abyss of space.
Unless they kill me first.
A loud, annoying voice to announce something so obvious would only do so well to mix into the thunder of frustration.
Asteroids detected. Asteroids detected.
His wave of panic rushed in again. His muscles tensed and he took a firmer grip on the yoke. He bolted upright, now ready to face the oncoming danger.
The dense group of asteroids came rushing into him. As if it was prepared and decisive, a small asteroid immediately cane crashing into his window, making a small crack on the top layer of the glass. Fortunately, the crack did not block the asteroids out of sight. He could still where he was going, and where he wanted to go.
Bang! Bang! Clonk… boom!
In the midst of the nonsense he was in, there was that once voice he could not shut up.
Asteroids detected. Asteroids detected.
Knowing that there were lasers being shot to his left and right, he decided to push the yoke forward before pulling it back, making his ship go up and down.
However, he still heard clanking sounds on his spacecraft, which indicated that his craft was still getting hit by his pursuers.
Smartasses.
The clanking sounds grew louder, now reverberating and vibrating the ship. Turbulence struck, and he did not feel comfortable controlling the craft when it was shaking. He took it as a threat to the craft’s and his own safety, and thus increased his level of panic.
Clink, clink, clonk… pew-pew...
With credit to the battle sounds, he snapped out of his fears. His subconscious self reminded himself of the ‘more important’ things, motivating him to come up with a new move that could possibly unexpectedly distract his chasers.
Okay… maybe something a little different...
He pulled the yoke left and right, careful to watch out for any incoming asteroids. He hoped that his new method would further reduce the focus of his aggressive pursuers,
who now has to pull the yoke left and right, aim and shoot, as well as to make sure that they do not hit an asteroid.
Bang!... clink, clink...
Unfortunately, the new tactic had also reduced his own focus too. His confident self kept telling him that he would make it out alive, when he couldn’t even see the small asteroid that was in front of him.
Gosh darn!
His instinct took over and he pulled the yoke to the left, making his craft drift, yet being too late, his wings crashed into the rock and made a screeching sound. The craft vibrated vigorously, and he could hear an explosion.
Then he realised.
I’m going to die in my love.
He was going to die in the midst of blackness, surrounded by asteroids. No one would know and no one would care.
The thought overwhelmed him.
But he was prepared.
He felt the time slow down, now that the asteroids around him were moving slower. Although, if he were looking closer, he would realise that one of his engines had shut down.
He waited for the coldness of space to rush into the craft and cool him, thinking that the explosion opened a wide hole in his craft.
But it didn’t.
Turning his back, he saw the spacecraft’s dim interior, but no holes anywhere.
Relieved, his subconscious self told him to snap out of his imagination, to stop surrendering, and to grow up and be bold. Weirdly enough, the clanking sounds disappeared.
Now sitting upright in his chair, he reminded himself of the quest he was fulfilling, telling himself that if he was not going to do it for those who he wanted to help, he needed to do this for himself. Not only was this a quest for salvation, but rather, a soul-searching quest—to find out where he truly stood in the Universe.
Every life, a purpose, an adage he made up to make himself value others in life, as living people who each deserve a shot from, and at civility and fair play.
After a series of devastating events affecting his family and his loyal ones, he knew that there was a time he needed to stand up. If not for them, then for himself. If not for himself, then for justice itself.
For years, I have come this far. Turning back would be an act of cowardice. I’m not a coward. Nope, never will be.
He was called a coward many times in his life, by people who denied him. By people who doubted him.
Now, he would be helping those people.
And only a coward would put himself over others in times of moral crisis, when there’s a greater need.
Then again, I’m not a coward.
He took the opportunity to allow himself a smile, something he never had done in the months before.
Looking into the radar, he saw that the blue dots are missing. The blue dots represent the locations of his chasers, which had their own magnetic field that was being picked up on his radar.
Apparently, he knew what they were doing. They needed to refuel. Being in their shoes before, he knew that people of his type were confident, and expected not to use so much fuel when in an important chase.
Complacence blocks out the light of common sense.
What kind of advanced life-form go to space on a chase with low fuel?
Stupidity at its finest, he could hear himself say for the second time. It was his favorite remark to criticise.
He did not let down his guard, though.
Let the one who thinks he is standing beware he does not fall.
He pushed the throttle to maximum speed, in hopes of finding a planet to settle down on. To stay in peace, and to reflect on what he had done and what he was going to do. There was also a need for mourning, but he decided to push that out of his mind.
It’s never too late.
The truth was, he was not ready to accept anything.
He was in his own world and he was taking charge.
He saw a planet come into a view.
A planet that was coloured blue and green
Now he could see white and beige.
I need to rest... in peace.
Knowing that he did not like to sleep in a spinning spacecraft, he decided that he would make a stopover.
On a quest… one must have fun.
In most of his travels, he noted that while there can be many life-sustainable planets, only a very few of them can be inhabited.
Trusting that this one would not be inhabited, he made a decision.
He added power to his only working engine, and he sped up.
The spacecraft’s self-landing technology enabled itself to land on solid rock even when its controller is unconscious, and unresponsive.
Before burning through the atmosphere, the controller decided to sleep. He always had that thinking that if he was going to die, he should do it painlessly. Having doubts about the craft’s ability to land by itself, he drifted off in sleep.
Little did he know, that many onlookers in parts of the planet looked at the spacecraft as a shiny white light—a wishing star, praying and hoping that their wishes turn into reality as they look at the falling star.
Now, in the afternoon rain, the craft made a deafening sonic boom as it pierced through the wind, vibrating windows around the town a few hundred feet below it, cancelling the roars of the thunder.
Then it suddenly stopped.
It readjusted itself so that it becomes parallel to the ground.
Slowly, it descended into the trees.
NEW BEGINNINGS
CHAPTER 1
“What does the Universe expect of us?
What is our purpose in life?
Is there a standard that we must live up to?
These are deep questions that require deep thoughts, then deep answers. Over time, as we gain experience, through patience, we will be able to formulate responses,” a rough voice said.
“Lucky for you first-timers,” the voice continued “The deadline is the end of the year.”
Whispers flooded the room.
The sounds of thunder reverberated across the city as dark clouds consumed the blue sky. Then rain started to pour.
As the patters on the window grew louder, he could feel the lines on his blank sheet of paper impatiently pleading him to write something. The topic for the essay was out of the ordinary—about life itself.
It’s finally the right time to think, Matt.
The sixteen year old had always used to ponder over deep questions at the middle of the night. His cogitative self often interrupted his deep sleep, waking him up at three in the morning for his dark brown eyes to stare into the midnight sky outside his window, in an attempt to answer those questions.
He often found that the answers to questions of reflection on life would add meaning, and perhaps, spice, to his time on Earth.
However, he knew, and constantly told himself that the ‘middle of the night’ was no time to answer those questions.
Now’s the time to think.
But the questions just came out of thin air.
In his mind, the teacher’s words resonated through his mind, as a reminder: Over time, as we gain experience, through patience, we will be able to formulate responses.
Patience.
The deadline is at the end of the year.
The English ‘professor’, as he himself liked to address, had a fascination for reflection.
If we do not reflect on our attitude and our purpose, then we will not realise the life in us, and we will not live it, he remembered the ‘professor’ express dynamically in the midst of reprimanding one of his students for using a phone during his classes.
Eager to answer the questions, he went back to his bed and laid down, desperate for an adventure.
Little did he know that one was coming to him.
