There I was, evaluating maps and routes, as the Autana was feeding off this new star I just had jumped to. A mandatory 12 hours break was long overdue, as per Universal Cartographic Regulations for Explorers requires, to ensure its contractors get proper rest and do not miss any findings while out in the deep space. I was too concerned in getting as close as possible to our destination before resting, and didn't notice when the System Wide Scanning Signal returned with findings. Sure, I heard the deafening noise of the scanner's waves beings sent, but I had grew numb to it after having "blowing that horn" so many times during the previous days that I didn't bother to check another system report full of findings of small icy and rocky worlds. At the end of the day, I was going to hyperspace out to the next system as soon as the Autana was done with the fuel scooping.
A flickering in the systems. A sudden power blackout. The Autana shuts off completely. Auxiliary alarms go off. The ship is now drifting, totally powerless. With no life support in place, my bio helmet deploys and the count down to 15 minutes oxygen starts. I look out the window to notice the star that I had, up to know, completely ignored. I see it combusting furiously, sending flares in all directions but there are no signs of my ship being hit.
Few seconds pass by. I can feel the heat of the star on my face. I'm trying to make sense of what the failure could be. Not many options. And as my mind is racing through the possibilities, the power restores and the Autana comes alive once again, as if nothing had ever happened, just as suddenly as it started. There was no restoring of the systems, or systems rebooting, or checking for failures. None of that. Autana's systems picked up exactly where they left before the power went down.
I request the system's scan results in hopes to find some answers there. A long ago charred planet in the first orbit, followed by a belt of asteroids of some destroyed planet. And in between the two, I saw it: a planet so bright, so red, so white that could be seen from all over 1,000 light seconds away. It was slightly smaller than Earth but considerably heavier and strikingly fascinating with those huge rings around it. With a white surface that featured vast seas of lava, the planet danced very close to the star, being heated and burned at several hundred degrees, it was also tidally locked, eternally burning the same side.
A heavy, big, right, cold hand landed gently on my left shoulder, sending shivers down my spine. I know I am alone, and no one else is traveling with me in the Autana. Sitting in the cabin as I was, my shoulder is good five and a half feet from the floor and still this hand is coming from above and yet I can't see anybody reflecting in the huge window panels of the cockpit. Just me, and no one else.
Pointing to the planet, a deep, calm, manly voice says in my head: "Go ahead and investigate. You know you want to explore it. You want to know it all there is in this vast Universe. It would be a pity to let this one pass by. Inquisitive, curious minds help science to reveal the truth. And isn't truth what you want?"
"Who are you? How did you get here?"- I replied. "I've been with you all along, and I will be here and there, and everywhere long after you are gone, as I was long before you were born."
His hand still on my shoulder, an acrid scent filling the cockpit. His presence is somehow familiar yet so alien, intimidating, fills me with terror but somehow I know I'm safe, at the same time my sense of danger is muted by the image of the planet in my screen. I need to check it out. I need to go there and yes, collect the data for fame and riches.
I browse through the navigational panel, locked it as my destination and before long, I steer the Autana towards it, full speed. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint. Don't fret, you will like what you are about to find there" he says. "I still don't know why I trust you. Who are you? What do you want from me?". An evil laugh. "I already have what I want from you. At least partially." He then paused. "But if you must know, my name is Lucifer." And with that, he stomped his foot on the floor and the next second the Autana was immediately placed in front of the planet. "Welcome to Hell, my son. I hope you enjoy your stay!"
I stood up at the immense sight of the planet, outside the window, as we are now orbiting it some few thousand kilometers away. I see the vastness of its white face, due to silicates crystals. Sulfur could be seen in the shores of the great seas of molten lava that erupted from the core. The reflection of the light from the main star was intensely bright. I could feel the heat from the star hitting from behind the Autana. Although away from it, my heat levels were close to 99%.
The sight was accompanied by a feeling of despair, anguish, pain, lust, anger, greed and suffering. All at once. I could hear in my head, all people's screams, and moans, and whimpers, and weeping from down there in the surface. "They actually come from the rings. The planet itself is for me and my devils. And of course, only for those loyal servants remarkable enough to bring them in with me" he corrected.
"But I thought this was an invention of old long gone religions to instill fear among followers? Also, I thought this was supposed to happen on Earth, below surface, as being the subsoil the supposed place for Hell to exist!"
He sighed. Even when I still couldn't see him, I could feel him in the cockpit, I could feel his frame, his feet and hands, and head, and tail. It was very weird to discover this kind of sense, where I could see without my eyes, or my head, but rather with my soul and heart.
"This is a forgotten corner in the Universe, one that allows the two dimensions coincide. For the scientific mind, this is a paradox, an artifice they can't understand. Only complete humans, that embrace heart and soul as much as their mind, can attest of this place, or that other one they call Heaven. You just jumped into this star by mere accident, but the truth of the matter, son of mine, is that Hell is anywhere and everywhere at the same time. It all depends what you make of the spiritual body that has been loaned to you. You have always been exactly one jump away from Earth, from Hell and from Heaven. All this time. It's always been a matter of decisions; poor ones, specifically, are the ones that bring you here"
The Autana -now clearly not under my control- is going around the planet, towards its dark side.
"Humans are judged by their actions and not by their thoughts. Thoughts are the executioners of their suffering, though. You think, you talk, you act. The Law of Cause and Effect provides your actions with consequences in this persistent universe of yours. Whether that effect brings light or darkness, is a matter of perspective and of fabric of your soul. For any big or small thing that ever existed, started with a quick, small, inconsequential thought."
He snapped his fingers. We are now on the surface of the planet, on the dark side. I see around me: people are running naked, crying in despair, as they are being chased by what seems to be a war tank, also made of naked people. A devil seemed to be driving it.
"Think about war. It all starts when two parties disagree over land, religion, political view, economy, you name it. Whatever you think your reasons are, the result is always the same: death. Man imparts death upon themselves based on a thought. So there it is, a death machine made by those who funded it, who imagined it, who made it possible. Chasing those who made the decision, made it into law, sold it to, pulled the trigger, or contributed in any way to promote the conflict. Let them all be victims now of their own creations, of their own thoughts, and dwell in the same pain and anguish they already caused to others"
Now I could see him laughing, entertained and amused with the infernal spectacle. He was not this elusive presence anymore, he was there, revealing himself to me, as a nine foot tall reddish creature with a long tail, formidable muscled body and a handsome, most beautiful face I've seen.
It was very, very cold. I felt chilly to the bones. I then realized I was also naked. And I felt terror in that instant that I was never going to leave that place, that I would spent many eons in that horrible planet. Anguish kicked in. And then anger for deciding to go there. I had never felt so angry before, towards me or anyone. I felt this was unfair, that I had been deceived. And then I wanted to kill someone. No, not someone, I wanted to kill them all! All of those running people as I knew they were already guilty for murder. I felt now no sympathy for their suffering, as I was now imbued in mine as well.
He then snapped his fingers again. I was now floating in space with millions and millions of rocks of metal, ice and rocks. Each rock a soul in pain. Each rock with a sin or two or more to pay. I could hear their screams and cries louder than ever. Perpetually bound to Hell, they are exposed to the star's intense heat in their apogee as they get closer to it, burning at several thousand degrees. Some of them tied to huge pieces of gold, palladium and platinum
that would burn and fry their skin when heated -"Their greed made them steal others while alive. Now they can have all the riches to themselves."
Few hours later, the rings bring the asteroids around to the planet's dark side, where they are now frozen to the most intense coldness, and into a deep feeling of solitude and hopelessness. Nine rings in total, some spinning faster than others, one for each kind of sin, from gluttony, to vanity, to lust, they were all represented there. Billions and billions of souls, marching in the emptiness of space, left exposed to the highest levels of cruelty the universe’s mechanics can ditch, for their wrongdoing towards life during life. After death they found in Hell their final resting place.
“You can go –for now- and tell what you have seen, explorer. After being skeptical towards other spiritual people, this will be your own hell: to convince the scientific community about this place and what you have seen!”
I woke up with a jolt. I was back in the Autana, scooping fuel. The system were all operative and showing the scan of the system had been completed and was ready for me to open it. The Galactic Map with the route to my final destination was in front of me. “I really need to rest!” I thought to myself, relieved to be back to the Autana and convinced the whole thing was a bad dream.
I went to the bathroom, and splashed my face with cold water. Saw myself in the mirror. Indeed very tired. “Fuel scooping completed”. I went back to the computer to set course to new destination. I decided to then open the file with the returned scan of the system. “Let’s see the true planets that are here!”
Second planet in orbit, there it was exactly as I remembered. Confused an upset I went for the history files of the Autana’s systems. “Have we had a breach in security or a power down in the last hours?” –“Negative. Systems have remained online with no interruption since departure February 15th, 3,301 at 22:17”. I went to the camera files. And there they were pictures of Hell, taken from all the spots and angles I visited: from the surface, from the rings, from afar. I searched in my mind trying to remember whether it was real or not, or when were the pictures taken. “Cannot comply request” was all Autana’s computer answered when I requested the data on the images. Then I felt ashamed I couldn’t figure it out or prove it, and that feeling was a confirmation of all the fear and curse I have left Hell with.
“Four, three, two, one…engage”. I took a final look to that system as the ship sped away into hyperspace, with the certainty that I don’t want to go back to that place. The pictures will not be proof enough to others commanders about my experience. And I can already hear them say I just was another explorer looking into the abyss for too long.
This is Commander Kancro Vantas and this is my final statement of what happened to me in the Flyua Hypa [xx-x xxx-xx] system. I submit this to the Universal Cartographic Authorities in the hopes to avoid other commanders to go there.
***Hello there! Thanks for reading! My original idea was to just showcase the pictures but then I came up with this crazy, little story the more and more I kept watching them. So, bear with me as I am not exactly a writer and English is actually my second language so feel free to correct me wherever is needed. I hope you liked the planet as much as I did! Really cool! See you in space Commanders!
***
A flickering in the systems. A sudden power blackout. The Autana shuts off completely. Auxiliary alarms go off. The ship is now drifting, totally powerless. With no life support in place, my bio helmet deploys and the count down to 15 minutes oxygen starts. I look out the window to notice the star that I had, up to know, completely ignored. I see it combusting furiously, sending flares in all directions but there are no signs of my ship being hit.
Few seconds pass by. I can feel the heat of the star on my face. I'm trying to make sense of what the failure could be. Not many options. And as my mind is racing through the possibilities, the power restores and the Autana comes alive once again, as if nothing had ever happened, just as suddenly as it started. There was no restoring of the systems, or systems rebooting, or checking for failures. None of that. Autana's systems picked up exactly where they left before the power went down.
I request the system's scan results in hopes to find some answers there. A long ago charred planet in the first orbit, followed by a belt of asteroids of some destroyed planet. And in between the two, I saw it: a planet so bright, so red, so white that could be seen from all over 1,000 light seconds away. It was slightly smaller than Earth but considerably heavier and strikingly fascinating with those huge rings around it. With a white surface that featured vast seas of lava, the planet danced very close to the star, being heated and burned at several hundred degrees, it was also tidally locked, eternally burning the same side.
A heavy, big, right, cold hand landed gently on my left shoulder, sending shivers down my spine. I know I am alone, and no one else is traveling with me in the Autana. Sitting in the cabin as I was, my shoulder is good five and a half feet from the floor and still this hand is coming from above and yet I can't see anybody reflecting in the huge window panels of the cockpit. Just me, and no one else.
Pointing to the planet, a deep, calm, manly voice says in my head: "Go ahead and investigate. You know you want to explore it. You want to know it all there is in this vast Universe. It would be a pity to let this one pass by. Inquisitive, curious minds help science to reveal the truth. And isn't truth what you want?"
"Who are you? How did you get here?"- I replied. "I've been with you all along, and I will be here and there, and everywhere long after you are gone, as I was long before you were born."
His hand still on my shoulder, an acrid scent filling the cockpit. His presence is somehow familiar yet so alien, intimidating, fills me with terror but somehow I know I'm safe, at the same time my sense of danger is muted by the image of the planet in my screen. I need to check it out. I need to go there and yes, collect the data for fame and riches.
I browse through the navigational panel, locked it as my destination and before long, I steer the Autana towards it, full speed. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint. Don't fret, you will like what you are about to find there" he says. "I still don't know why I trust you. Who are you? What do you want from me?". An evil laugh. "I already have what I want from you. At least partially." He then paused. "But if you must know, my name is Lucifer." And with that, he stomped his foot on the floor and the next second the Autana was immediately placed in front of the planet. "Welcome to Hell, my son. I hope you enjoy your stay!"
I stood up at the immense sight of the planet, outside the window, as we are now orbiting it some few thousand kilometers away. I see the vastness of its white face, due to silicates crystals. Sulfur could be seen in the shores of the great seas of molten lava that erupted from the core. The reflection of the light from the main star was intensely bright. I could feel the heat from the star hitting from behind the Autana. Although away from it, my heat levels were close to 99%.
The sight was accompanied by a feeling of despair, anguish, pain, lust, anger, greed and suffering. All at once. I could hear in my head, all people's screams, and moans, and whimpers, and weeping from down there in the surface. "They actually come from the rings. The planet itself is for me and my devils. And of course, only for those loyal servants remarkable enough to bring them in with me" he corrected.
"But I thought this was an invention of old long gone religions to instill fear among followers? Also, I thought this was supposed to happen on Earth, below surface, as being the subsoil the supposed place for Hell to exist!"
He sighed. Even when I still couldn't see him, I could feel him in the cockpit, I could feel his frame, his feet and hands, and head, and tail. It was very weird to discover this kind of sense, where I could see without my eyes, or my head, but rather with my soul and heart.
"This is a forgotten corner in the Universe, one that allows the two dimensions coincide. For the scientific mind, this is a paradox, an artifice they can't understand. Only complete humans, that embrace heart and soul as much as their mind, can attest of this place, or that other one they call Heaven. You just jumped into this star by mere accident, but the truth of the matter, son of mine, is that Hell is anywhere and everywhere at the same time. It all depends what you make of the spiritual body that has been loaned to you. You have always been exactly one jump away from Earth, from Hell and from Heaven. All this time. It's always been a matter of decisions; poor ones, specifically, are the ones that bring you here"
The Autana -now clearly not under my control- is going around the planet, towards its dark side.
"Humans are judged by their actions and not by their thoughts. Thoughts are the executioners of their suffering, though. You think, you talk, you act. The Law of Cause and Effect provides your actions with consequences in this persistent universe of yours. Whether that effect brings light or darkness, is a matter of perspective and of fabric of your soul. For any big or small thing that ever existed, started with a quick, small, inconsequential thought."
He snapped his fingers. We are now on the surface of the planet, on the dark side. I see around me: people are running naked, crying in despair, as they are being chased by what seems to be a war tank, also made of naked people. A devil seemed to be driving it.
"Think about war. It all starts when two parties disagree over land, religion, political view, economy, you name it. Whatever you think your reasons are, the result is always the same: death. Man imparts death upon themselves based on a thought. So there it is, a death machine made by those who funded it, who imagined it, who made it possible. Chasing those who made the decision, made it into law, sold it to, pulled the trigger, or contributed in any way to promote the conflict. Let them all be victims now of their own creations, of their own thoughts, and dwell in the same pain and anguish they already caused to others"
Now I could see him laughing, entertained and amused with the infernal spectacle. He was not this elusive presence anymore, he was there, revealing himself to me, as a nine foot tall reddish creature with a long tail, formidable muscled body and a handsome, most beautiful face I've seen.
It was very, very cold. I felt chilly to the bones. I then realized I was also naked. And I felt terror in that instant that I was never going to leave that place, that I would spent many eons in that horrible planet. Anguish kicked in. And then anger for deciding to go there. I had never felt so angry before, towards me or anyone. I felt this was unfair, that I had been deceived. And then I wanted to kill someone. No, not someone, I wanted to kill them all! All of those running people as I knew they were already guilty for murder. I felt now no sympathy for their suffering, as I was now imbued in mine as well.
He then snapped his fingers again. I was now floating in space with millions and millions of rocks of metal, ice and rocks. Each rock a soul in pain. Each rock with a sin or two or more to pay. I could hear their screams and cries louder than ever. Perpetually bound to Hell, they are exposed to the star's intense heat in their apogee as they get closer to it, burning at several thousand degrees. Some of them tied to huge pieces of gold, palladium and platinum
that would burn and fry their skin when heated -"Their greed made them steal others while alive. Now they can have all the riches to themselves."
Few hours later, the rings bring the asteroids around to the planet's dark side, where they are now frozen to the most intense coldness, and into a deep feeling of solitude and hopelessness. Nine rings in total, some spinning faster than others, one for each kind of sin, from gluttony, to vanity, to lust, they were all represented there. Billions and billions of souls, marching in the emptiness of space, left exposed to the highest levels of cruelty the universe’s mechanics can ditch, for their wrongdoing towards life during life. After death they found in Hell their final resting place.
“You can go –for now- and tell what you have seen, explorer. After being skeptical towards other spiritual people, this will be your own hell: to convince the scientific community about this place and what you have seen!”
I woke up with a jolt. I was back in the Autana, scooping fuel. The system were all operative and showing the scan of the system had been completed and was ready for me to open it. The Galactic Map with the route to my final destination was in front of me. “I really need to rest!” I thought to myself, relieved to be back to the Autana and convinced the whole thing was a bad dream.
I went to the bathroom, and splashed my face with cold water. Saw myself in the mirror. Indeed very tired. “Fuel scooping completed”. I went back to the computer to set course to new destination. I decided to then open the file with the returned scan of the system. “Let’s see the true planets that are here!”
Second planet in orbit, there it was exactly as I remembered. Confused an upset I went for the history files of the Autana’s systems. “Have we had a breach in security or a power down in the last hours?” –“Negative. Systems have remained online with no interruption since departure February 15th, 3,301 at 22:17”. I went to the camera files. And there they were pictures of Hell, taken from all the spots and angles I visited: from the surface, from the rings, from afar. I searched in my mind trying to remember whether it was real or not, or when were the pictures taken. “Cannot comply request” was all Autana’s computer answered when I requested the data on the images. Then I felt ashamed I couldn’t figure it out or prove it, and that feeling was a confirmation of all the fear and curse I have left Hell with.
“Four, three, two, one…engage”. I took a final look to that system as the ship sped away into hyperspace, with the certainty that I don’t want to go back to that place. The pictures will not be proof enough to others commanders about my experience. And I can already hear them say I just was another explorer looking into the abyss for too long.
This is Commander Kancro Vantas and this is my final statement of what happened to me in the Flyua Hypa [xx-x xxx-xx] system. I submit this to the Universal Cartographic Authorities in the hopes to avoid other commanders to go there.
***Hello there! Thanks for reading! My original idea was to just showcase the pictures but then I came up with this crazy, little story the more and more I kept watching them. So, bear with me as I am not exactly a writer and English is actually my second language so feel free to correct me wherever is needed. I hope you liked the planet as much as I did! Really cool! See you in space Commanders!
***