The Alpha Centauri Expedition

15. Two Skies

Bimasakti then moved into the dimension gate. All the crew on the bridge sat tensely in their seats. Anxiety appeared on all of their faces. Their fate rested in her hands. She had to ensure Bimasakti remained right at the center of the circle. If she was even a little careless, they could all be sucked into those rainbows and thrown who knows where in the universe.

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Since the following day, Wednesday, October 9, 2458, Rizki and Gayatri had been living their days in Bimasakti with a new routine. Apart from being together on the bridge during their duties, they were rarely seen together. They no longer had lunch or exercised together. Gayatri prayed in her room and seldom went to the prayer room with Rizki. Other Bimasakti crew members who had assumed there was a special connection between Rizki and Gayatri noticed the change. However, they were unsure of what had actually happened. Only Mission Commander, Commander, Arjuna, Srikandi, and the two of them knew. As a result, many assumed that the special bond between Rizki and Gayatri had ended. Little did they know that Rizki and Gayatri spent a lot of time together through UVA. It was because they spent more time in their rooms and met through UVA. In this way, albeit virtually, Gayatri found a way to stay close to Rizki. She was content and happy with this arrangement. Rizki appeared content too and was always patient with her. No one knew that their love bond was growing stronger. It happened naturally without breaking their promise to Mission Commander.

Bimasakti and the two Cakrawala spacecraft on its sides remained in the same flight formation since their departure from Saturn and continued to travel at full speed, 0.5 percent of the speed of light, or 5.4 million kilometers per hour. Meanwhile, Rizki and Gayatri had been experiencing their days with their new routines for about a month. They were immersed in their tasks at the bridge and their enthusiasm for meetings through UVA made time pass so quickly. Unbeknownst to them, Bimasakti was nearing the location of the GD2910 dimension gate.

On Sunday, November 3, 2458, at 8 o'clock in the morning, all the crew members were gathered at the bridge. They were seated in their respective chairs, clad in their full spacesuits complete with astronaut helmets. On that day, Bimasakti arrived at the location of the GD2910 dimension gate. It was a crucial moment for the success of the Alpha Centauri mission. On that day, Cakrawala I would open the GD2910 dimension gate, and Bimasakti, along with Cakrawala II, would enter it. Since six in the morning, Rizki and Gayatri had been seated in their pilot and copilot seats, ready to carry out their duties. The entire crew at the bridge anxiously awaited the moment when the GD2910 dimension gate would open and they would enter it. At that moment, they would become the first humans to venture into a dimension gate. It would be the test to determine if humans could safely pass through the dimension gate. No one knew for sure what would happen. Despite successful experiments with drones, androids, and animals, no one could guarantee that humans would also survive. The spacesuits that tightly covered their bodies might not be enough to shield them from cosmic radiation within the dimension gate. There were too many uncertainties within the dimension gate that were yet to be understood. If they could safely pass through the GD2910 dimension gate, the door to Alpha Centauri would be open. It would be the key to the success of the Alpha Centauri mission and a historic milestone for humanity. The success of the Alpha Centauri mission was the key to reaching billions of other stars in the universe.

At eight minutes past five, Bimasakti and the two Cakrawala spacecraft had come to a complete stop and arrived at the location of the GD2910 dimension gate. The navigator, Lieutenant Hilman, had also confirmed that they were at the right location. Through the front window of the bridge, Gayatri could see Cakrawala I beginning to open the four doors of the saptonium wave transmitter antenna storage on both sides. Shortly after, the four antennas emerged from their storage compartments. Each antenna was a long rod protruding from the body of Cakrawala I, with a crystal sphere at its end that shimmered due to the reflection of lights from Cakrawala I. Once the four antennas were fully extended, Cakrawala I appeared from afar like a long cylinder with four crystal spheres floating on its sides, one on the front right, front left, rear right, and rear left of the spacecraft. A moment later, the video image of Cakrawala I's commander, AI Major Abimanyu, appeared on the console screen.