Sticking to the mathematical model of science, the human genius managed to completely change our understanding of the world along the years, and if in the past it used to be difficult to travel from one continent to another, nowadays the long-distance voyages in the Cosmos were no issue at all . . . All that was left was for us to find the most important piece of the puzzle and it could not be created through a lab experiment, nor could it be derived as a formula, no, it just had to be found . . . A research program had attempted to find a suitable host planet since it had been long believed that humans would one day populate Mars or the Moon. Even in the past there was a project for the inhabitation of Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, but it was never set in motion. The scientists considered the moon too small in size for the exodus to prove lucrative. Few would go to live there, moreover the resources required for the exodus and the planting of stations could have brought our home planet about to a mortiferous condition.t
A years of research and analysis of neighboring and not so neighboring galaxies had been needed, and precisely when hope had started wearing thin a small spot had been discovered. Not in any other galaxy, but in our own, the Milky Way! Photographed and captured by the lenses of the most powerful telescope, hidden in a stellar system as much similar as it was different than ours, there rested Menoetius. Four times the size of the Earth and 12,500 light years away from it, that massive planet spun much closer to the center of our Galaxy. The Russian scientist Professor Roman Zanev, its discoverer, named it after the great Ancient-Greek warrior and titan who was sent into exile in the Tartarus Mountain by Zeus and condemned to spend his last moments of life in disgrace.
Some say it was luck, others that it was a matter of consistency, but discovering that planet proved to be extraordinary as its system turned out to have two stars (a binary system) that defended it like two eagles protected their fledglings. The planet was huddled in an optical illusion they created due to the power of gravity that made light refract so strongly that the planet remained obscured to us almost all of the time. A white dwarf captured by the gravitational field of a much larger star, a Red giant, orbiting around it and the newly found body at a distance. The skeptics did not miss the opportunity to point out that such “co-habitation” of two stars in a planetary system was dangerous because of the strong gravity between them and that it was possible for the giant to transfer stellar matter to the white dwarf which could affect the planet resting between them. For a short time they managed to calculate that the distance was large enough so as for the two not to interact or exchange anything with each other, or least so it appeared at first glance. The dormant sun, that barely glowing body, which looked more like moonlight was situated much farther than its older comrade. No one knew where it had come from or if it had come from anywhere since it was probably made up of the remnants of some ancient sun that had been attracted by the massive star. The scientists’ assumption was based on its speed of revolution around the main sun which was much greater than that of the planet. There was no way to find out for sure, but despite the distance between them, the fundamental cosmic laws and powers were threaded into an exquisite whole. The orbits of the planet and the white cosmic body ran parallel to each other and lay in the same plane so that the planet always stood between the two stars. That was at least for the time being as the image we saw was a snapshot that had grown significantly old because of the distance.
The rotation period of the bodies around the gigantic star was the same and they were always aligned–something too odd and contradicting our understandings even about the infinite Cosmos . . . The spectral analysis confirmed a long-craved reality. The heavenly body which was visible from our solar system only for a few hours per year did offer good living conditions and 99% similarity with our home planet . . . It became clear that Menoetius could shelter us! That brought the dawn of hope . . .
Roman Zanev had been the head of the program for five years now, ever since the launching of the Seek Project. That was a research program that focused on the counting of the planets fit for life. Its beginning dated back to four years prior to the International Assembly summoned by the UN. Having graduated from the Aviation and Mechanics University in St. Petersburg, he was Russia’s pride and joy and his commitment to his work had finally started paying him off. He was about 63 years of age with sallow face, he wore glasses, kept homself always neat and tidy, with a white apron on and five pens perfectly arranged by size in his left pocket; one of his best qualities was his Swiss-clock punctuality. He spent hundreds of sleepless nights in front of dozens of screens and papers overflowing with information. And after fate had finally decided to reward the labor of his unbending soul, the scientist, filled with apparent excitement, rushed back home to share his momentum with person closest to him.
Impatient, he headed towards his home which was situated in the Berlin’s suburbs. Upon his arrival, his wife was waiting for him at the doorstep of their not so big, yet quite beautiful house. She wished to congratulate him from the bottom of her heart.
‘Well done! Here’s a well-deserved kiss from me!’ his wife said and pulled him into a hug, kissing him on the cheek. All that was missing were their two sons who worked in Japan as software engineers of medical equipment. They did not miss to call and congratulate him on the job well done. It would have been much different if the entire family could have gathered to celebrate the occasion, but that was enough for him.
‘Hello, Nina, I brought a bottle of wine to celebrate the occasion,’ he said and closed the door behind. They had a beautiful well-arranged house where peace and calm reigned. It was not the most luxurious home, but they had something a lot more than that, something more valuable . . .
They had been living in capital city for eight years now, ever since he had been offered a job by the UN. His wife was of Russian origin and nearing her 60s. The couple had met each other by chance as students in Moscow 40 years before. Nina and Roman shared a strong bond lasting for four decades that had stood the test of time. Both were calm people as were most of their peers. Even though they had a reason for throwing a grandiose party, they decided to drink a glass of red wine, sitting on the sofa with the lights out, facing the fireplace and peering into the flames. A soothing calmness that stroked their senses settled between them. Is there really anything better than a nice conversation with your loved one at dim light in the quiet of the evening after a long, emotionally-laden work day?
‘Cheers! Hopefully we have more such moments in the future,’ the Russian woman wished to her husband after pouring him a glass of the beverage.
‘Hopefully we‘ll have, although I’m already too old for such things.’
‘Old? Look at the newspapers! Who named the planet? It wasn’t just anybody but my husband,’ she said and kissed him on the cheek, then laid her head on his shoulder as the two were watching the shapes formed by the flames in the fireside. They remained silent for a while and took sips of wine.
‘You know what I’m thinking?’ Zanev turned to his wife.
‘No, there’re probably a thousand things swirling inside of your head, tell me,’ she replied curious to know.
‘I was wondering whether if I was younger and more vivacious, I would have felt greater joy? How do you think? I would be euphoric, giving joyous cries. Not that I am not euphoric now, on the contrary, but I just get this feeling that the older I get the less passionate I feel about life,’ he said and let out a deep sigh.
'You might have a point about age and the passion for life, but I think you’re wrong about joy. It’s all a matter of attitude. If you want to be happy, it’s up to you – shouldn’t you set it as a goal, no one can help you achieve it. I’ll give you an example with us, with you more specifically. Do you want to hear it?’
‘Of course, go on, why wouldn’t I?’ Roman replied.
‘Not everything in this world is a bed of roses, it could’ve always been better. Our children could have been around us along with our three grandchildre
n, but they aren’t. We see one other once in a few weeks, but that’s still something. That doesn’t mean you should remain blind to all the other beautiful things in life. And again it all boils down to a person’s choice. You can choose to be miserable because of the distance between you and your children or because of the years that roll by so quickly. But you can also choose to enjoy what you’ve achieved in your personal life and to also enjoy our wonderful, well-bred children who call us every day to check in on us, you can choose to enjoy our magnificent little grandchildren who can make us melt with one single look. So, what would you choose? Your point of view is what matters,’ she smiled and laid her head back on Roman’s shoulder as she snuggled up in his embrace.
‘You made me think about that, thank you, honey,’ he said and planted a kiss on her cheek, then they relaxed into quietness until it was time to sleep.
The next day the CEO of Helios, the German Konrad Radeberg, scheduled a meeting that was to discuss the situation–tense and charged with turmoil. On November 23 a congress of the scientists participating in the program took place, chaired by Professor Zanev. What were they to hear? Was it what they wanted to hear or what they had to hear? Little by little everything was clearing up and the guests arrived at the hall at the appointed hour. They sat down and waited for the president who happened to be one of the most influential people of the time.
Twenty minutes into the meeting the setting reminded of a controlled commotion of scientists, attempting to argue on a thousand questions regarding the scientific discovery. And there the German came in, disciplined like a robot, with a perfect look: in polished black shoes and a black suit, walked over to the rostrum, slightly nervous, visibly excited, internally exalted and euphoric, all feelings combined in one. Everyone was eagerly anticipating the beginning of his speech. His gaze swept the roomful of people sitting in front of him, then he took in a deep breath and commenced his address.
‘First of all, good day to all of you,’ he took up, polite as usual. ‘We all know why we have gathered here today. To begin with, we are here to render the people responsible for this conference their due. The people who will rewrite our history from the present moment onward. Labor that rewarded the patience of each of us. This is an especially memorable hour for the participants in the Seek Project headed by Professor Roman Zanev. You have well deserved your moment of glory and ovation,’ he pronounced every word with pride and appreciation.
Applause and encouraging cries followed. Joy was not the only feeling that had settled in the room. Hope was slowly and gradually finding its way through. As though it was a long-expected guest that had finally arrived to tell their story. Everyone expected it, even the president of the megacompany. Despite his financial resources, without Zanev’s discovery his empire would have begun to fray at the edges and eventually go under, dragging down everything in its wake.
The Professor in his turn shed a few tears; he had lived and worked all his life for such a moment and the recognition he received was more important to him than the heaps of money and all the assets and power in the world. Many were those who envied him, yet they envied him nobly. They applauded him, admiring, smiling, and when the ovation died down, Radeberg continued.
‘Something really incredible happened. An Earth-like planet was discovered two days ago. That is a discovery amazing in itself! Hope sprang where we least expected it and it appeared now, in present days, when we, humans, have long ago put behind our interracial and religious differences. In the days, months or years we are yet to spend on this planet we chose not only to trust ourselves but also to trust each other. To withstand the self-destruction of our own species. Our new beginning is in store from now on, our modern history,’ he said, finishing his speech, and the audience gave him a standing ovation. His words were very beautiful, but were they really true? Did our species deserve to hear them? Could we trust their source at all?
Seconds later he turned to a man from his entourage and whispered something to him. Hardly had a minute gone by when one of his assistants came back with a folder in his hand.
‘There is a project laid out in this file, I am entrusting it to professor Zanev. It bears the sonorous name “Probe”. We will be all taking part, but he will be the head. There is no point in asking questions now, you will learn everything you need to know and not a word more. The content will be revealed to you in two days,’ were his closing statements .
Everyone present stood up and plunged into bombarding him with questions. The video cameras kept on shooting, the camera flashlights blinked one after another, illuminating the vast hall, but the German turned around and went away without saying another word. Shortly after, it became clear that the project had to do with the exploration of the newly discovered planet. A team of six astronauts was to be sent to the planet to obtain the necessary measurements to establish if that far-away land was fit to become the new home of the human race.
The next evening Roman received an unexpected phone call.
‘Good evening! Is that Roman?’
‘Roman speaking, what can I do for you?’
‘It’s Radeberg, I wanted to clarify an important matter with you. Would it be convenient for you to meet me tonight?’
‘Of course, just name a place and an hour.’
They fixed a meeting at an expensive Berlin restaurant the same evening.
Berlin Restaurant, situated downtown, was a work of art. Comparatively new, it laid the foundations of the modern restaurant furnishing in the “modern age” style. The two men met after dark and took two of the best seats at the place that was full of members of the elite. They ordered and moved on to discuss the important matter.
‘Professor, I need your advice on something. After I have already congratulated you officially about the job well done, I will ask you for your opinion on a specific matter,’ Konrad took up.
‘Tell me, how can I be of service?’ Roman said, surprised, yet happy he could be of assistance.
‘I suppose you know that my company is providing the financing, but we have a tiny practical issue. The implementation should take place in one of the air force bases that have applied for the task. I’m facing with the dilemma of where “Probe” should be conducted. There are two possible locations where it could be carried out and I want you to help me choose one of them. Two strategic establishments are competing, offering infrastructure, because of the substantial financing. One of them is the German-American Eisenhower Air Force Base, situated in Germany, and the other one is “13th Russian Air Force Base”, one of the largest in the world. What’s your opinion?’ he presented his vacillation that was to challenge even a man like Zanev.
‘I could hardly give you an answer, I have no clue what the level of scientific research activities of my fellow countrymen is although they built one of the most modern aerodromes in the world a few years ago. They may have reached an advanced level, but I cannot say. What I can tell you, though, is that the German base is well ahead. The Americans are providing a rather solid financing and the investments are paying off. I haven’t been at the Russian base for a long time, maybe it’s been 15 years since…,’ clarified Professor Zanev.
‘All right, I will think about it seriously because I have to give my answer to the finance commission tomorrow,’ the German said. He lent the respective weight to the opinion of the Russian, although his interlocutor did not aim at that. ‘What we are left to do after choosing the location is selecting the people. Once it is clear who they are, we will send you, too, to the base where the training will take place. But before that you should be ready to help the selection committee pick the people because these are going to be your elected few,’ Radeberg clarified.
After they specified the details around the project, the two men turned to their dinner and moved on to less engaging topics.
‘So, Mr. Zanev, how are you feeling after everything that’s happened? That discovery will put your name in the history books. Your image will be painted on t
he canvas along with those of the great names of science– you will be placed right next to Einstein, Newton, Tesla, Galilei.’
‘I’m happy, I’m glad I can help all of us. I find the fact that people can place me next to personalities like these a little baffling. How can I be standing next to all those people who have laid the foundations of the contemporary physics and astronomy? I don’t think I belong there,’ said the professor ambiguously.
‘Are you saying you don’t deserve to be among them or that your place isn’t there? You could well turn out to be our savior, don’t forget that,’ highlighted Radeberg with delight.
‘You almost answered it yourself. After this event and everything else that I’m about to achieve, my place won’t be there. A new picture will be in the works and it could be called “Contemporary discoverers”; the first step was made by Robert Charles twenty years ago. Well advanced in years, he spent the last days of his life working on the legacy he left, legacy we accepted with gratitude. In 2100, in the dawn of the 22nd century he gifted us with the knowledge about the dark energy, about the wormholes[1] and the interspatial travels. He didn’t simply bequeath us with that knowledge, he showed us how to take advantage of all that. I think I belong more with him and if that is correct, I’d be extremely proud of myself. Imagine you’re sitting across from one of the greatest scientists who turned upside-down the life of humankind. Amazing, isn’t it?’ Roman said smiling, not expecting an answer as his eyes dropped to the menu.
Dawn of Hope- Exodus Page 2