Command Decision

Chapter 2-3

Josh swallowed and looked around the futuristic dashboard. It was like something out of a movie set. His hand ran along the back of the seat as he gazed down at the sophisticated control panel. Julia stood to one side in silence.

“Is this for real?” Ash asked in a husky voice filled with awe.

“Yes,” Julia replied. “It is an exact replica of the Gliese 581 control center. I apologize that neither of you were briefed before coming here. There are a few things that have to be approved before I can discuss them in depth. Lydia and I will try to correct that error as much as we can for the moment. I hope you understand the sensitive position that I am in at the moment. I promise to be open about everything once I receive final clearance to do so. Lydia suggested that you both might be interested in seeing the Gliese 581 trainer while she pulled the team in. Some of them are at other buildings on the compound. She thought it might help give a clearer picture of what we will be going over, as well.”

Josh nodded, not missing strain in Julia’s voice or the hint that there was a lot more to tell then just a mission to space. Whatever was going on, it was larger than a top secret spacecraft. This wasn’t an orbiter. Just as Julia said, this type of technology was meant for long distance travel through deep space.

He paused in front of the console, staring through what looked like a large window at the technicians moving around outside the trainer. The interior glass pane didn’t match with what he saw outside. His gaze ran over the console in front of him and he noticed a small screen that displayed the same image.

“From below it looked like there were just small windows,” Josh commented with a frown.

“What you are seeing is an illusion,” Julia said, stepping forward and touching several icons on the console screen. “It is a new technology the Chinese have developed. This will give us a greater view of what we see and help eliminate some of the feelings of being in a small space over a long period of time. At least, that is what we hope,” she added, turning off the cameras.

Josh blinked when he saw a curved wall appear in front of him. It looked almost like a large IMAX screen without the cameras on. Leaning forward, he repeated the process that Julia had done just seconds before and a visual of the large room reappeared.

“The resolution is the best I’ve ever seen,” Josh murmured in approval. “There’s no distortion that could happen with normal windows. Can you record as well?”

“Yes,” Julia replied. “It will be necessary for this mission to document as much as possible and send it back to Earth.”

“I’m assuming the briefing will cover this mission? In a nutshell, what is it about?” Ash asked, sliding into the seat next to where Josh was standing.

Julia looked down at Ash. “To discover if we are alone in the universe or not,” she replied in a quiet voice.

Josh’s head jerked up from where he was studying the controls. In his peripheral vision, he saw Ash’s head twist around as well. His mouth tightened at her quiet statement.

“Do you think we aren’t?” Josh asked.

Julia glanced at him and nodded. “I know we aren’t. The question is, what happened to the others and where did they come from?” she responded before glancing at her watch. “It’s almost time to meet the rest of the team. I have more information that I would like to go over with you before the briefing.”