Earth To Centauri_Alien Hunt Page 19

  “Grakyss?” a voice inquired from the darkness.

  “Pu rytss Biw!” Jim answered, stating his identity. He pushed them forward as a light came on and they could see the TrueKif ship. It looked ready to go. Anara was looking for options to break free, but at the same time, she wanted to wait. She was getting the feeling that Jim was in two minds.

  “Start the ship,” Jim ordered.

  “Where is Jur?”

  “Jur gave up its life for the TrueKif. It is not coming back. And you'd better hurry if you don't want to spend your life in a human jail here on Earth.”

  That galvanized the pilot into action. It turned around rapidly and entered the ship.

  “What's your final decision, Jim?” Anara braced herself for action and hoped the pilot would be ready to follow her lead. She was however still not sure how to protect the baby. “I'll give you a choice. Take me with you. I'll be your hostage. Leave your daughter here where she will be safe.”

  Jim stood still for such long time that she wondered if he'd even heard her. Then he turned around slowly, and she was shocked to see tears in his eyes. The human in him had won.

  “Maybe you are right, Captain Anara. Maybe I am not ready to be a father. I will never forgive Lucy or you for what you have done, but I cannot allow my daughter to be hurt. Keep her with you, Anara and keep her safe. Tell her that her father tried to be good, but he failed.” He touched the baby's cheeks gently gazing at the face wet with tears. Then he turned around and walked into the ship, closing the door firmly behind him.

  The engines came to life with a roar. Anara and the pilot ran to find shelter. As they cowered behind a large pillar, the ship took off, drowning them in noise and dust.

  They rushed out of the building and stood to watch as the ship gained speed rapidly and almost immediately vanished from view among the clouds, many crafts in hot pursuit.

  Disturbed by all the noise, baby Anara woke up and started crying again. Anara saw her face and the tiny clenched fist and then looked up to the sky - Goodbye, Jim. I hope you can find some peace.

  Epilogue

  T he last few weeks had gone by in a blur. The ship's flight at the speed of light had enabled them to evade the hyperships, which had tried to intercept them. They had escaped from Earth. But Jim was sure Antariksh and Anara would pursue him.

  Jim had not spoken to anyone on board since the day they'd left Earth. He stayed in his room, weakened by whatever bacteria or virus that had invaded his body. His medication had controlled the fever but there was no cure. His body was racked with pain, and now he could taste blood in his mouth.

  The sense of failure overwhelmed him but coming to terms with the loss of his daughter preyed on his mind. He could not bear it anymore. This had to end now. There was only one way.

  He got up slowly from his bed and walked to the device. He hoped it was still working. He caressed it like it was his only friend. Then he said a single word - Brikshuv! The weapon became energised, and a control panel appeared. There was only one button. He caressed the button gently, lovingly reliving the face of his daughter. Then, without hesitating further, he pressed it.

  It is done. Goodbye Lucy! Goodbye, my baby!

  He didn't even hear the sound of the weapon exploding. He was vapourised in an instant - along with the TrueKif ship which was travelling at the speed of light. The fusion reactors on the ship also exploded simultaneously in sympathetic detonation and a huge fireball formed.

  But this was nothing compared to the explosion as the matter-antimatter tanks buckled. The colossal detonation at light speed was enough to tear a hole in the very fabric of space-time. A rupture - a naked singularity - a black hole - formed in spac,e with the power to devour everything it came in contact with.

  Nothing would escape its gravitational pull. Not planets. Not suns. Not even light.

  Dear Reader,

  If you enjoyed this book, please take a few moments to write a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Thank you!

  You can sign up for my mailing list for exclusive content and new releases at www.captainanara.com.

  Coming soon:

  Book 3 - Black Hole: Oblivion

  Earth has been saved from destruction by the heroic actions of the crew of Antariksh and the National Investigative Agency. But Jim has escaped aboard the TrueKif ship. Captain Anara is ordered to pursue the fugitive.

  But when Jim blows up the device and the ship in space while travelling at the speed of light, it has an unexpected result - a naked singularity - a black hole forms in space near Earth. Its gravitational pull threatens the very existence of the solar system and one ship is in danger of being the first to get destroyed - Antariksh.

  Glossary

  Light-years – The distance that light travels in one year. It takes eight minutes for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth.

  Faster than Light (FTL) - Nothing can theoretically travel faster than light. However, all science fiction writers assume that this barrier will be broken someday and that man will be able to reach the stars in FTL spaceships like ‘Antariksh’.

  Alpha Centauri and Proxima Centauri – This is the three star solar system, which is closest to Earth at 4.2 Light-years away. It will take us approximately 40 years to reach with current rocket ships.

  Proxima B – A planet supposed to exist in the Alpha Centauri star system, which may be suitable to support life.

  Voyager 1 – This is a space probe launched by the US’s NASA on September 5, 1977. Part of the Voyager program to study the outer Solar System.

  https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/

  Golden Disc - A 12-inch gold-plated copper disk engraved with sounds and images from Earth carried on board the Voyager to share details of life on Earth with extraterrestrials.

  https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/

  Radio Telescope – A special antenna that sends and receives radio signals from space.

  Electromagnetic Waves (EM) – Waves in electromagnetic fields like radio, microwaves, light etc.

  Goldilocks zone – A habitable zone near a star where the temperature and other conditions are suitable for life, like the Earth.

  About the author

  Kumar is a passionate tech enthusiast and social media newbie. He loves travelling and is fluent in seven Indian languages. His engineering background and love of science fiction help him bring technology alive in his books. Earth to Centauri is Kumar's first book. It is easy to read and understand and is suitable for a wide range of age groups. Earth to Centauri, as well as the second book in the series, Alien Hunt, where the action takes place in Mumbai, are both based on themes of adventure, thrill, and drama, with a positive outlook at what the future may hold for humanity.

  A third book in the series, Black Hole: Oblivion is currently in the research stage.

  He can be reached on Twitter @Captain_Anara, on www.facebook.com/AntarikshAnara and on Instagram as KumarLAuthor.