On the Wings of Hope : Prose

8056! Eight thousand fifty sixth year of our era based on Earth time! He departed from Earth into this system and it was two thousand two hundred seventy fifth year … and now … eight thousand? It’s impossible! Or… Collapser of time has been activated?

Collapser of time… distorter of time waves, which allowed to make jumps into the past… The latest development. He was one of few others who has received a right to mount this device into his vessel. He deserved it – but the task, given to him and other same free space rangers by the United Galactic Council for questions of colonization of outer worlds and resource supply of distant systems, was uneasy. But the reward was also great – the war cruiser under own command and such amount of credits that would suffice for ten normal lives.

Time jump … exploration of world in the past… collection of all information into data banks of the vessel, mining of resources… scientists hoped to solve problems of raw exhaustion of star system by transportation of cargoes in time. A grandiose and unpredictable idea at the same time. He was given only a patrol vessel – fast and maneuverable, but totally improper for any other purposes exception for research of star spaces. He had only to collect information, the thing that he has been doing until recent events…

So, the time collapse was activated without precalculations. But … but after all it was designed only to travel into the past … And … and so … in … the future? Through five thousand years? How? But … but devices shouldn’t lie … it turns out that he was carried away forward by five thousand years? He must return back! No one has ever tried to use time collapse to make jumps into thousands of years forward… This mechanism was simply not designed for this purpose… It’s necessary to test the generator.

He sat down at a control panel. Inquiry, second, third – the machine still served him well. What??? D…destroyed? H…how? He became cold…

Then, launching up from a planet, in a hurry he has forgotten to activate atmospheric, dust and asteroid shields, serving as reliable protection to ship’s hull during its space travel. Has forgotten … he has forgotten even to be fastened – that’s why he has hit a head during a take-off. A huge dent on the right side of a ship – just where the collapser is mounted … there was a collision? Bu the vessel didn’t descended from a course … didn’t … probably, onboard computer still guided a ship into an orbit … even after a crash with … what? Asteroid? Can be…

But what difference does it make now?! Now, when his unique possibility to come back home has been literally pulled out of his hands? When he has appeared to be separated from the world by a timeframe of five thousand years! One before the unknown … He … he hardly managed to get safely escape one danger – and here before him is yet another one, even more serious. Terrible for its unpredictability… No, no, no!  This is a delusion, unreality, dream!! A veil before the eyes…

Then, weakened and exhausted by recent shocks, he has fallen. Fallen to a floor of the ship and has begun crying…

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Quiet and rhythmical beating of heart. Deep calm breathing. Breath. Exhalation. Breath again. Exhalation. Breath. Exhalation.

Calm down. Only to be quite. Everything is all right. All is good. There are no desperate situations – and he will find solution for this as well. No matter how ridiculous and hopeless it might seem. Maybe, yes, probably it does seem hopeless at first sight, but only as far as that – by sight, full of fear and disbelief. The second sight will be wiser, it will become not a lamentation, but a seeking of a way out instead – a search for a solution. Now he was looking with a second sight.

The time collapse is destroyed. He cannot return to the past. Unable to travel in time at all. He got stuck in this time and the most reasonable thing for him now is to live in it. Keep living there until he finds a find of returning. Whether he can at all? – silly question. Senseless. He doesn’t know answer to it. Maybe – maybe yes, or maybe no. But the most valuable thing he do for now is to start mastering that time. Not for thing, not in vain does he bear a proud name of the pioneer – and he shall become such one in eight thousand and something year.

So, it is decided. Bridges are burned. There is no way to return back and that’s why we shall move forward. And who knows – what is awaiting him behind the horizon?

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