By Lily Hudson
Clocking into work is the best part of my day. It may sound sad, but the Hub is the most fascinating place on this floating rock.
No, we aren’t on Earth-that-was. We depleted her resources long before my grandparents were born. I live on Ellosill, a terraformed moon nestled at the edge of the Andromeda galaxy. As the first successful space colony, our moon’s sole design is to be livable. We have no natural beauty, unlike the underground waterfalls of Fibres or the floating rainforests of Cardea. There’s not much I can do except delve into my work.
I design and develop spacecraft parts, ironic for someone who has never left Ellosill. I am proud to say I am good at what I do: no one else in my field has quite the same hunger to innovate. From a young age, my curiosity has always been stronger than my caution. When my parents lost me at a market as a child, I took it upon myself to climb into an empty vendor booth. I accidentally activated the holographic controls and sent the stall spinning towards unsuspecting shoppers, much to the distress of my parents. Luckily, nobody was hurt, but I underwent quite the scolding nonetheless. My father says I have an adventurous spirit; my mother says I’m an adrenaline junkie.
One evening, as I sat at my usual table in the Hub sipping on synthetic coffee, a holographic display in the corner of the room flickered to life, projecting a translucent image of a celestial map. The Hub didn’t typically use this feature, and it intrigued the few of us present. A soft hum filled the air as a robotic voice emanated from the projection. "Attention, inhabitants of Ellosill," it began, the words appearing in the universal language of the Andromeda galaxy. "We have identified a temporal anomaly within the vicinity of this moon, emitting peculiar energy signatures.”
The Hub buzzed with whispers and gasps of surprise. Temporal anomalies were the stuff of science fiction, rarer than alien encounters. A mixture of curiosity and apprehension danced upon the faces of my fellow colonists, an abrupt departure from our mundane existence.
The holographic projection continued, "A scientific expedition is forming to investigate this anomaly. Report to your supervisors for further details.” The room erupted in chatter. I knew immediately that this was my chance to break free from my monotonous routine and embark on an adventure.
In the days leading up to our departure, the Hub transformed into a bustling center of activity. The typical attitudes of my fellow Ellosillians were replaced by the stern expressions of determined explorers. My teammates shared my anticipation and anxiety of leaving Ellosill for the first time. Staying focused was difficult in the cavernous hangar bay as it echoed with the hum of automated loading systems packing equipment. I would like to say I was attentive for all of our training, but my mind kept wandering to what was in store for me on this adventure.
And just like that, launch day was here. As the spaceship's engines roared to life, propelling the expedition beyond the boundaries of Ellosill, I couldn't help but glance back one last time. The terraformed moon, with its barren landscapes and simple brutalist infrastructure, had always seemed a lonely place. But now, as I watched Ellosill from the vantage point of the spacecraft's window, something remarkable shifted. The pale, silvery glow of the moon, framed by the inky darkness of space, revealed a subtle beauty. The scattered settlements and artificial lights on the surface seemed to shimmer like constellations forming negative space with the stark landscapes, something I couldn’t begin to appreciate back on Ellosill.
The view faded out as we ventured closer to the temporal anomaly. I had barely begun to process what I had seen before when space transformed into a tapestry of shimmering colors and fractured dimensions. The outer edges were a swirl of electric blues and deep violets, like a psychedelic whirlpool. Within its depths, ethereal tendrils of energy extended, weaving through what I could only suspect was the fabric of time and space itself, like spectral threads connecting distant realms. As we crossed the threshold, the laws of physics that hold human reality together seemed to blur. Life itself fractured into a kaleidoscope of iridescent hues, and the spaceship, once a sturdy vessel of steel and technology, felt fragile and transient against the breathtaking spectacle of the anomaly's cosmic ballet. We had breached the boundary of the universe itself, stepping into a realm where the rules of existence are rewritten with every passing moment.
And yet, I could find a sense of peace in the chaos. I was snapped out of my awe, however, as alarms blared and warning lights made sparkles in my vision. System malfunction screens flashed in every part of the control room. My heart raced, panic welling in my stomach as I watched the thoroughly tested and once-stable controls falter. For a brief, heart-pounding moment, I grappled with the overwhelming fear of impending disaster. I was not ready to die. With a deep breath, I steeled myself, my trembling hands finding their way to the emergency panel. My training and instincts took over as I assessed the situation and began to reroute systems and override malfunctions. Our only option was to turn around: our technology was inadequate here. Faced with the dire need to restore engine power, I swiftly hotwired the ship. Ignoring the sparks and flickering screens, I bypassed damaged circuits and successfully reignited the engine. The spacecraft roared back to life, propelling us out of the anomaly.
Our crew returned to Ellosill, shaken. The once-sterile moon had been transformed in our absence, not by terraforming or artificial means, but by the newfound appreciation I carried in my heart. Ellosill now held a beauty I had never allowed myself to notice before.
Simultaneously, I itched to leave again to see what other secrets the universe had in store. The anomaly showed me beauty beyond words, and I am desperate to return. My mission is to design a ship that can withstand it so I may discover the truth behind its mystery, So, every day I clock into work.