Deep space, there's no simple word to explain it, nor will there ever be. A voyage through a blanket of pitch darkness. Earth is dying, lying on her deathbed, slowly perishing away. How selfish she has become, no longer caring about the ones that depend on her, and why should she care? We have purposely abused her beyond repair, and there will be no more oxygen within a few years. As the global climate rose, a new disease spread rapidly throughout Earth's population, killing at will. Its name is Chronic Frutal Disease (CFD). A deadly disease that targets the lungs and poisons the human body until the person suffocates to death. A painful, torturous death indeed. Unlike lung cancer, any medical treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation only strengthens the disease.

  Following their studies, scientists blamed global warming, while political parties blamed each other as the body count rose. As a result, millions have already died, and a cure has not been found. News crews recorded all-out brawls on the Senate floor. Older men wearing suits and unable to manage their anger scratched and punched each other as the world watched.

  Multibillion-dollar oil and gas companies hid behind locked doors of corporate offices while protesters slung bricks at police officers wearing riot gear that swore to protect the wealthy. Chaos bloomed like wild weeds as corruption plagued the world and governments crumbled.

  Nevertheless, there is hope.

  Four years ago, astronomers in Sweden located a planet that could sustain human life, Keptropica, better known as Kepler 186G. Keptropica is twenty times the size of Earth. NASA's newest invention, the Kepler telescope XPX was quickly launched and able to get a closer examination of the mammoth green planet. They were astonished to discover large bodies of oceans and vast rivers of what hoped to be freshwater carving through enormous landscapes. The discovery was kept top secret, and even the president of the United States, James Walker, was uninformed.

  NASA sent two robotic rovers, Bronx and Josephina’s, to the distant planet two months later. The Bronx specialized in inland missions while Josephina explored the air and deep bodies of water. The Bronx was a robotic all-terrain vehicle that accommodated at least six people. The two rovers have spent the last six months recording data in an area the size of Alaska.

  I helped create the Bronx rover for the mission. I have a doctor's degree in Aerospace Robotic Engineering. My passion has always been to build machines that can change the future. I installed numerous components in the Bronx, giving it the best chance to survive for years without any human maintenance. The robot resembles an eight-wheel tractor. It is massive, weighing over fifty tons.

  With the help of its giant tires and thick plated exterior, Bronx can travel through almost any terrain except deep water. For deepwater explorations, I helped built Josaphina. An aerial and aquatic robot, fully capable of flying and diving in deep oceans. It was constructed to handle depths of 71,302 feet.

  Both robots had dozens of cameras that send continuous videos back to one of NASA's space stations in Conway, SC. But oddly, Josaphina's cameras faulted shortly after arriving, a delicate inspection of the vehicle was needed to collect the data stored in its hard drive. A task that I will perform personally once we successfully land on the new planet. The spaceship jolted as we ripped viciously through the atmosphere. I could literally feel the spacecraft tearing apart as I bounced uncontrollably in my seat. My hands gripped the arms of my chair as my heartbeat increased profoundly. A shadowy white mist of fog covered my face shield as my lungs swelled and deflated with every passing second. The spacecraft shifted sharply downward and then, drastically to the right.

  An unexpected maneuver.

  "Keep her steady, boys," I said.

  I tried to sound calm and collective. But my body language translated a person inflicted by panic.

  "We got this uncontrol, Luka," Noah said as he tugged on the handle with both hands.

  I sat in the backseat while Noah and Jordan attempted to control the spacecraft with all their might. Jordan was typing codes on his keyboard while Noah continued to wrestle with the throttle.

  "Reaching speeds of 237 mph. Releasing the first parachute," Jordan explained. That is the procedure to help decrease the ship's speed and prevent catastrophic damage to the spacecraft's expensive engines. From previous research, we knew that the atmosphere on Keptropica was slightly denser than Earth's atmosphere. Scientists preferred a soft entry to be more suitable.

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  I glanced down at the computer screen. It exhibited a large map of the region and the specific location in which we were targeting. Now the weather more fitting, clear skies and light winds. For two days, we waited out of orbit until a terrible rainstorm passed over the location. The weather had to be perfect before descending.

  "Weather is stable, release parachute when ready," I ordered.

  Jordan jabbed a purple button on his keyboard, and moments later, we felt the ship jerk slightly backward.

  "217 mph, and dropping quickly," Noah proclaimed.

  The cockpit grew quiet. Entering the atmosphere was the most vital part of the entire mission, one mistake, and we were all dead. I examined my computer, switching through different screens. We were on target, and within a few seconds, the spaceship became stable. I reached underneath shirt collar and pulled out a gold cross pendant that hung from my necklace and kissed it.

  “Thank you, Jesus.”

  "Deploying the second parachute," Jordan stated.

  This spaceship buckled again; this time, worst. Alarms wailed throughout the cockpit, and digital gauges fluctuated as the spacecraft bounced and shifted. Noah eased upward on the throttle.

  "Easy now," he whispered.

  I rubbed the back of my neck as I bit down on my bottom lip. Suddenly, I noticed a red flag on my computer and saw the ship was losing fuel. I gripped Jordan's shoulder, "go to the fuel monitor screen. Our Hydro Plaster tank percentage is dropping!"

  When Jordan released that second parachute, it could have damaged the sensor modules in our fuel indicators. A fuel leak was our foremost concern, and one tiny spark could cause the spaceship to explode. To prevent that, I switched over to diesel polymer gel gas. The polymer gel gas was used to maintain the ship's speed in deep space travel and was supposed to only be used during long-duration travel. Jordan and I eyed the transition carefully. The alarms stopped.

  "Close call," Noah whispered.

  Once the speed decreased to 180 mph, the parachutes automatically released from the rear of the spaceship.

  "Five minutes until we land," Noah said as he pushed the accelerator throttle forward excitedly. Relieved, I slouched back in my seat and enjoyed the view. For the most part, all I could see were trees. Huge, towering trees, thickly clustered together, forming penetrable canopies in all directions. Colorful leaves covered them.

  Some of the leaves were blue and green, others yellow and orange. The temperature of the region seemed to be tropical year-round. We had discovered planets with seasons that last more than ten years before changing. Hopefully, it wouldn't change soon. We worried about the winter season. No one knew how harsh it could be nor how long it would last.

  We rushed to the Keptropica without, in my opinion, the proper studies. There wasn't any time to be proper due to the circumstances. From the corner of my eyes, I caught a glimpse of a giant bird jetting upward from the forest.

  "Look over there, a Yolon bird!"

  We first discovered the bird through videos recorded by the Bronx. It resembled a flamingo except for a different color and massively more oversized. If I had to guess, a Yolon adult weight between three to four hundred pounds, it spread its long wings outward and elegantly soared beside us.

  "What a sight," said Noah as he slowed down the spacecraft to fly parallel with it. The Yolon bird had layers of green fur that wrapped around its long neck and trickled down its stomach, and it also had a broad flat tail that extended out at least six feet in length and was covered by a hard layer of skin. With one flap of its wings, the bird dove rapidly down into the canopy, tearing easily through large branches. It was gone.

  Up ahead, the trees began to separate, revealing a grassy open plain. Noah steered the spacecraft down into a narrow valley towards a vast structure invaded by vines and dense undergrowth.

  "Alright, guys. We have arrived at Lomina Point," he said as we flew over the structure.

  Finally, we made it, I thought.

  Lomina Point was brought to the planet along with Bronx and Josaphina by a robotic enormous spacecraft carrier called the Nomadic and dropped into position using massive robotic drones named Ginrums.

  The Nomadic was currently traveling towards the planet again bring more robotic vehicles and more personnel to join the team. It was to arrive within a few weeks. In the meantime, we would begin researching the surrounding area, staying within proximity of Lomina Point.

  Lomina Point was a two-story structure that would provide us with all the basic needs to sustain a prosperous life. Its design was to maintain superiority over the environment. The building sat firmly on tall columns, 200 feet in the air. Noah maneuvered the spacecraft around the building a few times, using an x-ray scanner to scan it for any threats.

  "Looks good."

  "Shoot a couple, hot bombs to make sure," I ordered.

  The hot bombs were not deadly, but any unwanted friends would quickly disperse. Noah targeted underneath the building and shot three bombs. The yellowish gas lingered around the massive stilts.

  While we waited for the gas to evaporate, I use my computer to interlock with the built-in server, Onmo. I searched for the helipad setting and activated it as the lingering gas disappeared. The dome shape roof opened outward, forming a helipad. Noah took his time and steadily placed the spaceship on the pad.

  Jordan removed his seat belts and stroked his hands through his curly black hair.

  "Home sweet home."