Exploring Titan

~14~

"Now take as deeeep of a breath as possible, make sure it really goes all the way down your diaphragm and take a biiiiig stretch forward. Really tense up and push out those muscles!"

The nice elderly blond-haired lady on the other side of my screen initiated the action that I swiftly copied.

Even though I was offered a personal trainer to keep me fit and monitor and regulate my bodily stats, I preferred watching this woman's exercise livestream and just following along.

I also didn't want these space agencies having any more influence on me or my mission.

This was MY space mission.

MINE!

I didn't want them highjacking any more control away from me than absolutely necessary. They kept trying to weasel their way into taking over my mission and claiming it as their own. But I'd managed to successfully block them at every and any opportunity I could.

Yesterday was the last straw for them.

Apparently, I'd "broken protocol" and made contact with unknown alien life and taken decisions completely of my own volition without consulting anybody.

"Now let out that breath, bring your arms and legs back in, and take another deeeep breath as you sink back down to the ground and spread your legs as wide as you can," the lady continued to instruct next.

The instructor also made sure to clarify that if you were finding difficulty sinking all the way down and spreading your legs as far apart as she could, that it was perfectly fine and alright. She stressed for you not to push yourself and only focus on doing your best.

Doing your best.

It was something I always strived to do.

Even when I make mistakes, or almost end up getting myself killed for the 10th time that week, I was always just doing my best.

I couldn't help but let some of the doubt begin to sink in after hearing some of the harsh words that the space experts back on Earth had to say.

That I was unprofessional.

A danger to humanity.

They should've shot my ship straight out of the sky the moment they realized my unauthorized take-off.

I'd just sat there like a mute mime and took it all in.

My emotionless expression and unresponsive blank physical demeanour really triggered them.

That was when the bellows and yells came through. With threats made to high heaven.

They threatened that they'd pull all the gracious resources that they'd given me. Leave me stranded and helpless. That maybe THEN I'd learn to take orders from those trying to 'help me'.

I looked them dead in the eye by staring straight down my camera lens, unfolding my arms and standing up to bring greater emphasis to my next few words.

"Then stop wasting my time and just do it already."

I'd cut the call immediately after that, as I'd seen one of the people on the call, a defence general or whatever, his vein had started to pop and bulge menacingly. And I just wasn't in the mood to deal.

They hadn't done a single thing to help me get to space and explore the stars.

So I sure as hell wasn't going to let them bully me all the way back to earth.

I'd rather die here.

Knock, knock, knock!

The soft sound of taps pulled me from my thoughts, and I'd realized that I'd held the downward split position for far longer than the instructed would have liked or I'd have expected I could even do.