The Alpha Centauri Expedition

9. Dilemma of the Heart

Until now, he had always dreamed of a wife who would wait for him at home and welcome him every time he returned to Earth. And that was something he wouldn't get from Gayatri. Because like himself, Gayatri would spend a lot of her life in outer space. Gayatri would never become the ideal wife he had dreamed of. Could he accept all of that?

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On the following morning, Monday, June 24, 2458, the entire Bimasakti crew had to gather at Hangar F to prepare for their flight to the Moon on Thursday. Gayatri was ready in her orange overall and left her apartment earlier than usual to start her duties at Hangar F. She hoped to meet Rizki in the apartment lobby, but he was nowhere to be seen. So she proceeded to the space base with some other officers she met in the lobby. She appeared cheerful that morning, as the heavy burden in her heart had disappeared.

The spacecraft's condition inspection was part of the standard procedure that had to be carried out a few days before the flight. Each crew member understood their respective tasks, including Gayatri. She was the first copilot, and her task, along with the first pilot, was to check the condition of the entire control system of the spacecraft. This made her excited because she would meet Rizki on the bridge. Her desire to see Rizki had become unstoppable. She couldn't wait to be in Bimasakti. Besides, there were no meetings in the briefing room that morning as all the crew members would be working inside Bimasakti. They would only gather again in the briefing room later in the afternoon to report all the results of the spacecraft's inspection to Commander.

Upon arriving at Hangar F, Gayatri immediately rushed towards the majestic Bimasakti spacecraft parked in the center of the hangar. It was not yet half past seven, but the hangar was already bustling with personnel working diligently. Everyone had their respective tasks, and that day, they were all occupied with preparations for the flight to the Moon on Thursday. At the entrance of Bimasakti, as usual, a fully-armed private stood guard. With a firm posture, the private saluted her as she stepped towards the spacecraft's entrance. Gayatri returned the salute and proceeded to enter the airlock compartment. Once inside, she instructed the AI to open the door.

"Bimasakti, open the airlock door," she said. The spacecraft's bioscanner recognized her immediately, and the sliding airlock door moved to the side, fully opening. She quickly stepped inside, and as soon as she was in the spacecraft's foyer, the door closed again.

"Good morning, Lieutenant Gayatri," the AI greeted her.

"Good morning, Bimasakti," she replied cheerfully. She then hurriedly climbed the stairs located in the corner of the foyer to the second level of the spacecraft, where the bridge was located. On the second level, she appeared in the rest area situated just behind the bridge. Two sergeants from the Maintenance and Repair Division were already there, inspecting the replicator and other devices.

Seeing Gayatri approach, they turned towards her to greet her and saluted.

"Good morning, Lieutenant."

"Good morning," Gayatri replied shortly, saluting in return, and then continued on her way towards the bridge door, which faced the stairs she had just climbed.

"Bimasakti, open the bridge door," she commanded the AI. Instantly, the door in front of her slid sideways and opened wide. She stepped inside the familiar room, her eyes immediately focusing on the front section, but the pilot's seat was still empty. There was a slight feeling of disappointment as she didn't find Rizki there. However, she quickly brushed off the feeling. Oh... I must have come too early, she thought.

In the room, she noticed that there was only one crew member present, Lieutenant Ridwan Gutomo, the first technician officer. He was sitting in his chair, engrossed with the console screen in front of him. On the screen, there were texts and graphics displayed in various colors. His fingers were swiftly moving across the surface of the screen.