[Excerpts from Romulus Mission Log]
Day 1096; Time 0500: This is Major Jeffrey Alan Johnson, signing in. Chip just brought me out of hypersleep so I can begin my year-long shift babysitting the ship while the other crew members sleep. He gave me crap about being a “tired old grandpa” and “asked if I could handle it.” Psh. I’m 37. He’s freaking 32. Sheesh. Kids these days. Who spent 10 years flying experimental aircraft for the Navy? That’s right, me. None of the three other crew members can say that, and I don’t care what fancy degrees they got from what prestigious colleges.
Chip claims he’s the lucky one now that his shift is ending, but I get the better end of the bargain: my shift will end with us plummeting like a missile through Proxima b’s atmosphere before rocking and rolling onto uncharted terrain. Oh, did I mention that this is the first manned space flight to a planet outside the solar system? And I get to be the Neil Armstrong of this voyage! It’s gonna be one hell of an adrenaline rush. Just have to wait 364 more days.
Day 1096; Time 0800: Just worked out, had breakfast, and showered, checked everyone’s vitals, ran diagnostics, and literally twiddled my thumbs for 20 minutes. And it’s still morning on earth. I AM BORED OUT OF MY MIND!!!! I’ll play some video games to pass the time until lunch. Yes, I’m a grown man and I play video games. I really have nothing better to do right now.
Day 1096; Time 1800: Just ate dinner. Gonna cheat and take my sleeping pills right now and go to bed early. Don’t tell mission control, ok? When I wake up, it will be a mere 363 days until atmospheric entry. I can hardly wait.
364 more days left.
Day 1097; Time 0500: Finally. A new day. Are we there yet?
363 more days left.
Day 1150; Time 1201: Asked the ship's computer on a date. She declined. I guess she doesn’t appreciate what a guy like me can provide her. Her loss.
310 days left.
Day 1151; Time 1400: I miss the gold old days of flying experimental aircraft for the Navy. The novelty of playing with new toys and the thrill of risking my life made life worth living and it got me some attention from some lovely human beings, specifically *female* human beings.
I wonder, will any of my exes will be sad if I die?
I still haven’t gotten over that rejection from yesterday.
309 days left.
Day 1200; Time 1335: Note to self: don’t send a human to do a robot’s job. The ship’s robots were scheduled to do some routine maintenance today, but I'm so damn bored I overrode the system and tried to do the maintenance manually. I suited up, went outside, twisted some wrenches, and... punctured one of the oxygen tanks. Not wanting to end up like Apollo 13, especially with me dangling out in space. I somehow managed to fix problem.
I was tempted to wake other crew members out of cryosleep, but I didn’t want to do that because once they’re taken out they can’t go back in, and there aren’t enough rations to last them all the way to the Romulus b.
I don’t like how easily the oxygen tank busted. I have a bad feeling about this.
260 days left.
Day 1250; Time 1700: Today's dinner rations were delicious! Holy cow! Why didn't they send us with more of these? A juicy prime rib, buttery corn on the cob, a gooey apple pie, topped off with an ice cold beer? Where has this been all my life? It’s better than any meal I had on earth.
210 days left
Day 1300; Time 0500: Just read the news report. What a yucky reminder of the politics back home. It drives me nuts when people say, “It’s just another space race.” Or “We already beat the Russians to the moon. We don’t need to beat them to Proxima b!” I hate feeling caught in the political crossfire. Why can’t we all just appreciate the marvel of space exploration?
I guess they’re just jealous they don’t get to make a grand appearance on a new planet on behalf of the citizens of earth. I’d be jealous if I were them. Good thing I’m me!
160 days left.
Day 1459; Time 2000 Tomorrow’s the big day! I can hardly sleep! The day I’ve been waiting for is almost here!
And to top it off, I’ll be having conversations with actual human beings again! I have so much to tell Chip and the others.
Hopefully he’ll forgive me for stealing his prime rib/corn on the cob/apple pie/beer ration. I think I earned myself a celebration. I’ll pay him back, I promise!
1 day left.
Day 1460; Time 0500 Chip, Jack, and Mary are all up from hypersleep. Time to start this rodeo!
[End of Crewmember Log Entries]
[System Updates]
Automatic system update: Heat shield punctured. Initiate emergency repair procedures.
Automatic system update: Emergency procedure failure.
Automatic system update: System temperatures critical. Initiate emergency cooling procedures.
Automatic system update: Insufficient system coolant. More system coolant needed.
Automatic system update: System coolant depleted.
Automatic system update: Guidance control malfunction.
Transcript of last transmission received from Aquila I: “Chip, I’m too young to die!”
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