Silent Seven
Silent Seven
The day of the launch everything changed. It was supposed to be a crowning day of glory for humanity. Voyager VII had taken 20 years to build. It was the largest space faring vessel mankind had ever assembled. Its mission was one of exploration and if needs be peaceful ambassadorship. For the chosen seven it was a one way ticket and also an undeniable honor. Being a petulant teenager I couldn’t have cared less about the honor. My father was commander of the mission and I was never going to see him again.
We had spent the previous evening as a family, my mother, brother, father and I. Heartfelt tears were shed and assurances given that everything would be ok. That everything was taken care of. And it was. It was taken care of, we were the family of a hero. We would never want for anything in this world. Except a husband, except a father. The following morning he had left before the house woke.
That morning’s home room had an electric buzz to it. Everyone was excited for the historic event as it was being piped into class rooms, newsrooms and living rooms across the planet. The camera angles of Voyager VII cycled onscreen as the crowd of onlookers, reporters and dignitaries listened to the speeches from the many delegates of federations, nations and republics. The other kids in the class held no reverence for the event as they had nothing to lose or gain except for a free period.
My fists clenched and unclenched as I watched the fanfare unfold. Streamers and confetti blew through the air as the fearless seven, led by my father approached the ramp and scaffolding via the long celebratory promenade. The towering figure of Voyager VII loomed over the minuscule command party. The boarding ramp began its slow descent. The tension mounted as they cut to a POV camera embedded in the helmet of a flight suit. My father’s camera.
I was on the verge of a meltdown when it happened. It started with a murmur of the lights. The slightest surge in electricity. Then a flash of light and thunderous boom ripped through the air resonating with every fiber of every being. A rend in the sky had opened, a literal tear in the fabric of space and time. Through it manifested an enormous dark sphere. Larger still than Voyager and all of its supporting scaffolding and outbuildings. An immense shadow crept across the launch site as the very ground rumbled. The smooth obsidian sphere folded itself over and enveloped Voyager as soundlessly and peacefully as a mother cradling a baby. It came to rest before the sprawled forms of the Astronauts. The entire class having recovered from the initial shock of the anomaly were now riveted to the screens. I felt as if I was going to be sick, consumed with nerves and fearful with anticipation. Questioning cries arose. Speculation began to run rampant. The view from my fathers on suit camera showed only the smooth dark surface.
A slit of light appeared. It grew slowly wider as the noise in the room grew to a crescendo and then…..….silence. Silence as echoes of footsteps from inside the sphere grew louder. Silence as the long slender shadows broke across the ground, lit from an unearthly glow within. Silence as the occupants were tallied to seven. Silence as my father gazed into his own face and it back at him.
