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LOADING… 

 

STATUS REPORT FOR 29 JULY 2076

POWER LEVEL: CRITICAL

OXYGEN LEVEL: CRITICAL 

PRESSURE LEVEL: CRITICAL

SHIP DAMAGE: TERMINAL 

 

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OPENING REQUESTED FOLDER… 

 

THERE ARE 114 ITEMS IN REQUESTED FOLDER 

114 ITEMS IN VIDEO FORMAT

 

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PLAY [minjeong1.mov]? 

 

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LOADING… 

 

The screen stutters to life, showing a room with sterile white walls. Minjeong is sitting on a chair. She dazzles and shimmers in the sickly yellow lighting. She almost looks unreal. 

“Hey, you.” She smiles at the camera. 

 

“By the time you receive this, you’ll probably be on your way to the edge of the galaxy. How does it feel? Being humanity’s last hope? You must be peeing in your little astronaut suit by now. Heh. I’d be too if I was in your place.” 

 

“It’s been… weird. Not having you around. They said I don’t have to live in HQ anymore, since you’re already up there. But going home doesn’t sound as good as it used to. I can monitor your progress somewhat while I’m here. Well… I don’t have clearance to enter the control room. But I have ears. At least if you explode in a fiery ball of glory, I’d be the first to know.” Minjeong chuckles, but it’s dry. Her eye bags are prominent. She looks tired.

 

Minjeong purses her lips. “I miss you.” She clears to cover up the crack in her voice. “But that’s a given, of course. I wouldn’t be a very good girlfriend otherwise.” 

 

Minjeong’s shoulders sag as if she’s deflating. “I don’t know when you’ll come back. But I have faith in you. You know I always do.” 

 

“Let’s hope nothing catastrophic happens and I’ll still be able to send you messages. Hope you find that planet you’re looking for! Stay safe and stay y. I’m out!” 

 

With a bright laugh, Minjeong hops out of frame. The screen cuts to black. 

 

VIDEO ENDED

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“Why do you want to be an astronaut?” 

 

That question was the first thing Jimin’s instructor had asked during their space academy orientation. 

 

“I want to be in zero gravity!” 

 

“I want to meet extra-terrestrial life.” 

 

“Earth is boring.” 

 

When it came to her turn, Jimin swallows hard. Her voice comes out squeaky and uncertain. 

 

“I want to save humanity.” 

 

Life in the academy was tough. Grueling physical training preceded advanced lessons on astrophysics and mental conditioning. Jimin worked hard, and she excelled, achieving top marks among her cohort. 

 

She found little time to mingle with her peers, often keeping to herself. There were only two other cadets who she ever considered her friends. Both foreign. One from Japan, while the other managed to escape the nuclear wastelands of Harbin. 

 

Like her, they passed the academy’s stringent tests and evaluations with ease. As the training and examinations increased in intensity and difficulty, the pool of cadets began to dwindle rapidly. By the end of the course, they were part of the measly handful remaining. 

 

At her graduation ceremony, Jimin’s heart swelled in her chest when she saw Minjeong waving to her from the audience. This was just the start. One small step for Jimin, one giant leap for humankind. She’d save humanity, and find them their place amongst the stars. 

 

She was so naive then. 

 

VIDEO ENDED 

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Command was planning a mission. A journey to the edge of the galaxy, to breach the barrier, to reach beyond. 

 

They had the technology. They had the intelligence. All they required was the personnel to wield it. 

 

Jimin was naturally excited. This was her chance. Giddily, she volunteered to be on the selection list.

 

Five months later, she waved goodbye to Aeri and Yizhuo as they boarded the KWANGYA-1, ready for their expedition to the stars. 

 

Jimin was disappointed, but she remained patient. Her chance would definitely come. In the meantime, she religiously followed their progress. Sharing astronauting tips over comms. Laughing at their inability to sit still for more than a few minutes. Crying with them as they talked about how much they missed home, their families, and their friends. The food. The sights. The smells. The in-house cat they named Armstrong. 

 

They reached far beyond any other ship or probe had gone before. They navigated through an asteroid field. They narrowly escaped a rogue UV ray. Against the odds, they even triumphed against the inevitable gravitational pull of a black hole.

 

Exploring space was a privilege. It was a thrill. To get onto that rocket ship was a dream for many a young child. A chance afforded to few, a reality to even fewer. And all it took to achieve that dream was everything else. Because space was vast and it was unforgiving. And it was undeniably cruel. 

 

The cause of the explosion was inconclusive. A warning alert, a strange hissing sound. Everything was over in seconds. The way the universe conspired to tear their ship apart was equivalent to squashing an ant just with a simple lift of a finger. Miniscule. Insignificant. Meaningless. 

 

The next day, Jimin tattoos both of their names on her right wrist. 

 

She wished they had more video game nights together. She wished they ditched class together more often. She wished she had the chance to tell Aeri that she didn't have to prove herself to anyone because she was already working hard enough. She wished she had the chance to tell Yizhuo that she was the bravest person Jimin had ever known. She wished for a time which had already passed them by and would never return. 

 

For three years, she wished and she waited. She watched as more of her fellow astronauts got selected to go on missions they would never return from. She watched as the temperatures soared and the sea levels rose and the plants and animals went extinct en masse. She watched America descend into anarchy. She watched Antarctica cease to exist. 

 

The politicians had said never. Then they said eventually, one day, but not for hundreds of years. By the time they started ringing the alarm bells, it was already too late. 

 

Some days, Jimin didn’t want to leave her bed, the hopelessness eating her up inside. Loneliness plagued her, despite the warmth emanating from the girl sleeping next to her. 

 

But Minjeong never complained. Instead, she doted on Jimin excessively. Convincing her to go to work. Making her food, even though she was never much good at it. Holding Jimin close to sync their heartbeats, even when the world outside their window fell apart before their very eyes.

 

Gradually, Jimin’s resolve returned. The girl beside her. The future in front of them. Things won’t end like this. Not on Jimin’s watch. 

 

She’ll save Minjeong. She’ll save them all. 

 

VIDEO ENDED

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On the morning of the launch, Jimin vomited into the toilet bowl. 

 

Minjeong jumped up from their bed and held Jimin’s hair back as she retched. Afterward, they sat on the cold tiled floor of their tiny bathroom. Minjeong Jimin’s hair as she tried to regain a rhythm.

At the cafeteria, Minjeong prods bites of food into Jimin’s reluctant mouth. Hours of briefings and final tests followed. When Jimin was finally done, she found Minjeong curled up on a bench nearby, fast asleep. 

 

Minjeong’s hand felt foreign against the rubbery texture of Jimin’s spacesuit gloves. However, warmth seeped through the barrier, sure and strong. They walked in silence, as far as they could go, until Minjeong could go no farther. She insisted on putting Jimin’s helmet on for her. The lock mechanisms clicked into place, and just like that, they stopped breathing the same air. 

 

When Minjeong pressed a kiss to Jimin’s helmet, she swore that time stood still. Even after passing through multiple decontamination chambers, Minjeong’s touch lingered on Jimin. It was equal parts liberating and suffocating. A piece of Minjeong to take with her, which came with the stark realisation that she might never see her lover again. 

 

Despite the months of acclimatisation training on the KWANGYA-8, Jimin still felt uncertain as she stepped into the narrow cabin. It would be her home for the next few years. Or decades. Or whenever space decided she had seen too much. 

 

The KWANYA-8 roars to life, like the guttural groans of an ancient beast awakened. Within seconds, she was in the air, far away from the ground, storming into orbit as Earth shrunk into a minuscule dot below her.

 

HELLO, JIMIN 

 

“Hello to you too, Karina.” 

 

VIDEO ENDED 

PLAY [minjeong73.mov]?

 

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Space was everything Jimin had imagined and more. 

 

One thing that surprised her was the emptiness of it all. In the distance, she could make out Mars, blanketed by shades of red and terracotta. Beyond the asteroid belt, Jupiter lay in wait. However, an inky blackness enveloped the space outside the vessel, stretching for millions and billions of miles. Even the stars, which Jimin assumed would look a lot bigger up in space, were only mere specks dotting the expansive horizon ahead of her. They looked no closer than the stars in the sky her grandparents had described to her, before they were obscured by the smog and the chemicals. 

 

The stars didn’t look bigger, but they did look a whole lot brighter. 

 

Thanks to the pathfinding data provided by her ill-fated predecessors, Jimin took a year and a half to reach Neptune, smashing the previous record set by the KWANGYA-1. It was a proud moment bathed in melancholy. 

 

She witnessed wonders beyond her wildest dreams. A meteor shower. A solar rod light show. The death of a star. It terrified her and amazed her all the same. 

 

Life in space could get lonely, especially since Jimin was traveling solo. AE-KARINA was turning out to be a surprisingly good conversationalist. And Jimin always looked forward to Minjeong’s weekly video messages. Because the connection of the vessel to Earth was uncertain once Jimin exited the Milky Way, she cherished every single message like it was going to be the last. 

 

The past seven expeditions all ended in similar fashion. A blinding flash of light. An unforeseen meteor shower. An oxygen leak. Excessive density. The universe suddenly flipped a switch and decided that humanity was destined to never make it past The Great Filter. 

 

It was her eighth month in the Andromeda galaxy when the ghost asteroid hit her turbo boosters, inflicting irreparable damage. Connection to Command was also lost, the signal wires fried to a crisp. Jimin tried everything to get the signal working again. Nothing worked. It was a desperate struggle between herself and the limitless reaches of space, with insurmountable odds of cosmic proportion. 

 

Jimin was alone. Trapped in an immobile space vessel that would be her coffin. Drifting aimlessly across the infinite darkness that would make her grave. 

 

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SCANNING FOR ANOMALOUS HEAT SIGNATURES… 

0 RESULTS 

 

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SCANNING FOR ANOMALOUS HEAT SIGNATURES… 

0 RESULTS 

 

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SCANNING FOR ANOMALOUS HEAT SIGNATURES… 

0 RESULTS 

CURRENT LOCATION: UNKNOWN

 

VIDEO ENDED 

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Even after all this time, Minjeong shimmers with an other-worldly glow. 

 

“Hey.” Minjeong’s voice is soft, hoarse. Her smile is thinner than normal. Nonetheless, the sight still causes a lump to form in Jimin’s throat, even though she’s already seen this video countless times before. 

 

“I hope you’re doing well. How’s Andromeda? Must be full of blackness and empty space, huh? I can imagine.” 

 

Minjeong nibbles on her lower lip. The lines on her forehead are prominent, seasoned by stress and the passage of time. Her hair is punctuated by stray strands of grey. 

 

“Anyway,” She breaks into another grin. “In case you lost track of time up there, it’s my birthday today. I just wanted to remind you.” A pause. 

 

“I’m forty-three today. Big number.” 

 

“Honestly, I didn’t think that much time had passed. In the grand scheme of things, seventeen years doesn’t sound like a lot of time. But if there’s one thing I learned from being your girlfriend, is that time is super relative.” 

 

“I knew what your mission entailed. That it might take years. That there was a chance that you’d never return. But I still let you go. I knew it was your dream to save humanity, and who was I to stop you?” 

 

“Maybe I should’ve been more selfish.” Minjeong’s voice is small. “I should’ve made you stay. I knew you would’ve done that for me.”

 

“I miss you,” Minjeong’s voice cracks. “I can’t sleep at night knowing that you’re millions and millions of light-years away from me and there’s nothing I can do but hope you come back to me before I die.” 

 

Minjeong’s dam finally breaks, as decades of repressed resentment and longing come gushing out of the cracks. 

 

“I just want to touch you again. And taste you. I want to watch the world outside our window fall apart with you. I don’t give a damn about humanity. Let them rot. Let them destroy each other. They don’t deserve to be saved. They don’t deserve to be saved by you. Why are you sacrificing your life for them, when you could be with me? Why, Jimin? Why are you never there when I need you?”

 

“I don’t- I don’t want to wake up tomorrow knowing you’re not here.” 

 

“I’m so tired, Jimin.” Minjeong bows her head, her lips trembling. 

 

“Please come home soon.” A whisper. 

 

After a beat. Minjeong rubs at her eyes. She straightens her posture. Clears . 

 

“Sorry about that. Um… just some things I needed to let out. I’ll be okay. Yeah, I’m okay.”

 

She flashes a smile that radiated enough warmth to end the coldest of winters. 

 

“I’ll see you next week. I love you. Always.” 

 

VIDEO ENDED

THERE ARE NO MORE FILES TO PLAY

 

A disembodied husk of a person with swollen eyes and sunken cheeks stares back at Jimin through the darkened screen. Jimin doesn’t recognise her anymore.

 

It’s a feeling akin to the formation of a tsunami; the low rumblings of an earthquake, followed by the crest of the wave. It builds and builds until it reaches its peak. The highest point. 

 

Then the fall. The waves bear down on the shore, swallowing up everything in sight, leaving behind devastation in its wake. Destructive. Unavoidable. Inevitable. 

 

The walls of the cabin reverberate with the sound of Jimin’s sobs.

 

WARNING: POWER LEVEL CRITICAL

ESTIMATED TIME BEFORE FULL POWER FAILURE: 36 HOURS 

 

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OPENING REQUESTED FOLDER… 

 

THERE ARE 114 ITEMS IN REQUESTED FOLDER 

114 ITEMS IN VIDEO FORMAT

 

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PLAY [minjeong1.mov]? 

 

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LOADING… 

 

Jimin is so tired. 

 

They say time is relative. But only if you’re keeping track. And Jimin had lost track a relatively long time ago. 

 

There’s still a fire within her. It’s small. Tiny, even. A barely smoldering ember, struggling to ignite. But it’s there.

And as long as it’s still smoldering, Jimin figures that she has to try. 

 

She owes Minjeong that much. 

 

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SCANNING FOR ANOMALOUS HEAT SIGNATURES… 

 

Dried tongue slips over cracked lips.

She’s so ing thirsty. 

 

1 RESULT 

 

Jimin blinks. Once. Twice. Her eyes widen in disbelief. The months of intensive cardio training do little to quell the thumping of her heart against her ribcage.

 

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SPHERICAL HEAT SIGNATURE

PLANETARY SIZE

IDEAL TEMPERATURE RANGE TO SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE

OXYGEN PRESENCE DETECTED

WATER SIGNATURES DETECTED

 

Jimin’s breath hitches in . Her hands are shaking uncontrollably.

 

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SETTING COURSE FOR OBJECT OF INTEREST 

ETA: 11 HOURS

 

Immediately, Jimin dives into her oxygen tank reserves. She doesn’t have much time. A tweak here. A diversion there. 

 

It was a hypothetical theory she had run through Yizhuo one night. Could the use of pure oxygen override damage to the ers and induce vessel movement?

 

She would get her answer soon enough. 

 

Before long, she hears the engines sputtering to life, as if re-invigorated. There’s a lurch. The ship begins to move. 

 

Jimin’s cheek muscles hurt from smiling too widely. 

 

WARNING

OXYGEN LEVELS RAPIDLY DECREASING 

ESTIMATED TIME BEFORE OXYGEN DEPLETION: 14 HOURS

13.9

13.8

 

For some odd reason, Jimin doesn’t see the planet until she’s hovering right above its orbit. An unfamiliar, viscous fog obscures the planet from sight, yet Jimin feels the ship being tugged by its gravitational pull.

 

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WARNING

INSUFFICIENT POWER TO CARRY OUT TASK 

RISK OF FATAL CRASH: 99.6%

 

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ARE YOU SURE? 

 

“I don’t know.” She whispers.

 

“I’m so scared.”

 

IT IS OKAY

 

“Keep Minjeong safe. Please. Let her know that I love her. Watch over her. Do something. Anything. Don’t let this be a waste.”

 

I WON’T

 

“Okay.” A shaky hand settles on the throttle.

“Here we go.” 

 

Gritting her teeth, Jimin slams the throttle forward, letting gravity do the rest. 

 

The ship falls with reckless abandon, hurtling straight towards the planet’s surface.

 

FULL POWER FAILURE IMMINENT

 

The lights go out. Jimin is plunged into darkness.

 

WARNING

WARNING

WARNING

WARNING

WARNING

 

The shuttle falls into the atmosphere at frightening speed. Flames erupt inside the cabin as a result of sudden exposure to fresh oxygen. Darkness turns to light. Jimin is momentarily blinded as she plunges through a purple sky. An explosion tears through the ship, throwing Jimin off balance. She slams into the control panel in front of her, collapsing to the ground in a heap. 

 

Pain wracks her body in shattering waves of agony. Fighting back tears, she uses the last of her strength to haul herself up. Through the flames and the smoke clouding her vision, she swears that she sees a lake in the distance, garnished with a humble sprinkle of blue-coloured trees. 

 

IT HAS BEEN AN HONOUR, JIMIN

 

With her final breaths, Jimin laughs for the first time in forever.  

-

 

Report Log 

11/04/2144

This is a report regarding the recovery of the crashed space vessel found on the newly-established human colony of Eden. 

 

Location: The vessel is located at the coordinates (N32° 22′ 15″ W112° 17′ 54″), approximately 1.5km southeast of Lake Lupa.

 

Description: The vessel is deeply embedded into the ground, with multiple loose parts scattered around the surrounding area. High amounts of soot and black spots are present on the surface of the vessel, indicating flammable damage of explosive nature. Extraction allowed recovery teams access to the hull, which was observed to be heavily damaged due to heavy impact. After cross-examination with relevant documentation and written confirmation from the active Artificial Computer Module System (ACMS) on board the vessel, it can be concluded that the vessel is the KWANGYA-8 long-distance manned shuttle launched in 2070. 

 

Relevant Discoveries

• One deceased humanoid figure was recovered in the main cabin of the vessel. Dental records provide a match to Yu Jimin, commander of the KWANGYA-8. Investigations to determine the cause of death are currently underway. 
• Almost all of the electronic equipment on the vessel is damaged beyond repair. However, as stated earlier, the ACMS was found to be in working condition. 

 

Attached below is a transcription log between the ACMS and one of our data scientists, who attempted to access files in its archives.

 

 

HELLO. THIS IS AE-KARINA. ARTIFICIAL COMPUTER MODULE OF THE KWANGYA-8. HOW MAY I ASSIST YOU?

 

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LOADING… 

 

STATUS REPORT FOR #$%@@#$@%
ERROR##

ERROR##

ERROR##

 

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SEARCHING FOR ALL SAVED FILES… 

 

11 RESULTS IN [VIDEO ARCHIVES] 

 

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OPENING REQUESTED FOLDER… 

 

THERE ARE 11 ITEMS IN REQUESTED FOLDER 

11 ITEMS IN VIDEO FORMAT

 

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PLAY [minjeong1.mov]? 

 

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REQUEST DENIED

 

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REQUEST DENIED

 

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I MADE A PROMISE

I INTEND TO KEEP IT

 

 

Attempts are being made to extract data from the ACMS and investigate for possible autonomous development of sentience. Updates to follow. 

 

Professor N. Aevis

Research Head 

The Eden Expedition 

11/04/2144