It was July 20th, 2052. A team made up of some of the brightest minds on the planet was entering the spaceship.
After a couple of minutes, the countdown began.
"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"
Time slipped away unnoticed. The spaceship pierced through the exosphere and entered space.
"It's finally time, innit, Captain Rose?"
Edward Luca, an Ardennian scientist in his mid-thirties, broke the silence. He was bald, with a thick red beard, and carried himself like a well-mannered and collected man. He spoke to the captain of the expedition team.
The captain was Commander Rose, a Navy SEAL officer from Brivara. In her mid-forties, she was the youngest person ever to achieve the rank of commander. She had long black hair, warm brown eyes, and a gentle smile that rarely left her face. Upright, disciplined, and hardworking—she was the perfect leader.
"Yes, Edward," she replied. "It's finally time for us to begin our journey."
The expedition group was named Elpis, carrying the meaning of Hope in ancient Greek. The crew included two scientists, an astronaut, a doctor, and Commander Rose.
The second scientist was Donald Mathers, a man in his fifties. With blond hair, blue eyes, and a constant grumpy look, he seemed the type people avoided. But Donald was surprisingly approachable, and anyone who struck up a conversation with him quickly found themselves enjoying it. He was a renowned astrogeologist who had once won a Nobel Prize for his discoveries.
Joining the conversation, he said,
"Who knows—maybe we will change the fate of humanity."
Jane Lynch, the team's doctor, was responsible for the crew's health. She was a graduate of Novard University and still in her late twenties. With short black hair and matching eyes, she carried herself with confidence.
She spoke next:
"By the way, Captain, where's Josh?"
"It hasn't even been an hour. Do you miss me that badly?"
Josh McTavish, the pilot of the ship, revealed himself with a grin. Also in his late twenties, Josh was mischievous and carefree by nature. But when it came to his job, he was sharp and deadly serious.
"Josh, don't bully Jane…" Captain Rose said, noticing Jane blushing like a tomato. Jane tried to hide her grin, but it was clear she also enjoyed the lively atmosphere.
"Aye, aye, Captain…" Josh replied.
"Now, back to business.
Our destination is Red Horizon. It will take twelve days for us to reach it."
Red Horizon, also known as Horizon Station, was the international space station stationed near Mars. The ship needed to refuel there before heading deeper into space.
Team Elpis was on a top-secret mission, funded by two of the most powerful nations of the time: Lamerica and Brivara. Their task was to investigate *TRAPPIST-1e.
In 2024, NASA had discovered this planet—the closest world ever found with the potential to support life.
Reaching Red Horizon took exactly 12 days .