THE LAST PASSENGERS OF ANDROMEDA — PART 2 - By Yusuf Mehmet Sarışın

THE LAST PASSENGERS OF ANDROMEDA — PART 2

By Yusuf Mehmet Sarışın

THE VOICE CARRIED BY LIGHT - The signal played again and again: “If anyone can hear us… this is Earth.”

Dr. Adrian Cole confirmed that the voice had come from a human throat. Nora Kepler calculated the signal’s age. When she announced the result, no one on the bridge could speak.

“This transmission was sent about 2.5 million years ago,” Nora said. “We’re hearing Earth’s prehistoric past, not its present.”

The same truth held when looking at Earth from Andromeda. Light and radio waves traveled through intergalactic space for millions of years. Someone on Earth looking at Andromeda tonight would see the galaxy as it was in an age before humans had begun to write history.

A photon’s journey ended in the eye that saw it.

Now countless photons and radio waves had completed their journeys in Asteria’s receivers.

Sofia compared the archival records. “This message doesn’t fully match any known language from Earth. But its root structures are connected to ancient human languages. The AI has reconstructed its approximate meaning.”

More words emerged from the signal:

“We saw the great light in the sky. If anyone is inside it, we want to know that we are not alone.”

Captain Elena Voss enlarged the star map. “There were no civilizations as we know them on Earth when this message was sent. How is this possible?”

Sofia answered, “Either human history is incomplete… or the senders weren’t human.”

At that moment, the ship shuddered.

Chief Engineer Maya Chen’s voice came over the emergency channel. “Energy fluctuations in the gateway core! The halo gas is denser than expected. The main route is closing.”

Pilot Elias Renn took manual control. Asteria was being tossed about in an invisible current. The space outside looked empty, but it was not. Ionized gas, magnetic fields and the remnants of ancient stars had formed a vast storm around the ship.

The lights went out in the passenger sections. Amara Okoye guided the 480 passengers to safe areas. Victor Hale sealed the passage doors. Dr. Cole treated the injured.

Maya came back on the channel. “We have two options. We can try to return to Talassa, or we can take shelter at the abandoned Archive Station in the direction of the signal.”

“What are our chances on the Talassa route?” Joseph asked.

“Thirty-two percent.”

“The station?”

“Sixty-one percent. But it hasn’t been used in two hundred years.”

Elena looked at Joseph. The decision was about more than saving the ship. The station had been built in the region where Earth’s signal had reached Andromeda.

Joseph brought up the passenger list. Four hundred and eighty lives… A captain’s curiosity could not be worth more than their lives.

Elena knew what he was thinking.

“Going to the station isn’t a scientific choice,” she said. “Right now, it’s the safest choice.”

Joseph nodded.

“Elias, set a course for the Archive Station.”

Asteria set off in pursuit of the ancient voice that had come through the light.

TO BE CONTINUED