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Traveling tales the search

**Traveling Tales**
*The search*

Floating inside the escape pod, the spaceman couldn't stop thinking about the failure that had occurred in the space station. He had had to escape since her condition was so critical that he put his mission and life at risk. He had done everything possible to repair it but nothing worked. Now he had to wait for the capsule to take him to a rendezvous point near the planet that was once called Mars and that since it was terraformed, they changed its name to Aqua, since it was covered by a great ocean.

Several months passed and being on the verge of madness, some lights illuminated the escape capsule. Salvation at last, were the attracting rays of Aqua's citadel. After several years this would be the first real interaction with other humans that the spaceman would have. Even so, the spaceman was in a shadow state. He was already tired of the emptiness of space, he needed stability in his life, he didn't want to continue floating aimlessly.

  The spaceman closed his eyes as he waited to board the citadel and went back to the time when he began his first journey into space.

"Are you sure you want to go on this mission sir?" asked Zue "You will be away from the planet for many years and we still don't know what the long terms effects of being alone and without a gravitational ship in space traveling close to light speed will do to your physical and mental health."

"Well Zue, if I wasn't sure I wouldn't have gotten on this rocket, dont you think? And also, isn't a little bit late to be asking that now that we are about to fire this puppy up?" Said the space man while he was flipping some switches.

"All systems go, T-9 minutes and counting. Start automatic ground launch sequencer. Sir, everything from this point on foward is going to be handled by the artificial intelligence on board. So I wish you a safe trip. Protocol states that if you wish to have some final words before launch now its the time to do so." said Zue.

"The only thing I have to say is, let's make some noice!" said the space man laughing as the countdown sequence got closer to launch.

"Well I have something I need to tell you sir! I have fallen in love with you and I can't stand the idea of being apart from you for so long! So if you wish to stay here, with me, I would understand if you call off the mission. There I've said it." said Zue over the communicator with determination in her voice.

The spaceman went silent for a monent. He pressed a button to switch to private channel. "Zue you realize you just confessed your love to me on the main mission control channel?"

Everyone went silent. Zue blushed and hid herself under her desk. She took a deep breath as the only noices anyone could hear was of the artificial intelligence system counting down. She mustered more courage and said "I need an answer B."

"I don't feel the same way Zue...". said the space man. At that moment, many things went through both of their minds. How could it had gotten to that point? How could the space man not noticed all the signs? He was focused on his mission of course. And at this point, it didnt make sense to throw away all the hard work he had done, just to pursue something he didn't feel ready to do.

"It's ok B, I figured as much, but I might as well try one last time... Have a safe trip, and take good care of your self." said Zue holding back her tears.

The spaceman focused on finishing the sequence. "Activate launch pad sound suppression system, T-16 seconds. Activate main engine hydrogen burnoff system, T-10 seconds, nine, eight, seven, main engine start. T-6, five, four, three, take care too Zue. Solid rocket booster ignition and liftoff!"

The rocket lifted with great power, there was no turning back now, in a matter of minutes the blue sky turned pitch black, the space man was finally in space...

A faint voice was heard in the distance.

"Sir, sir! Are you alright sir?" said a paramedic from the citadel examining the spaceman.

"Yes, I hear you, get that light out of my eyes, I was just resting a bit." said the spaceman getting up from the stretcher.

"We received the message from him, sir, and we informed mission control about his situation. They told us that they would send a friend to take him home but it might take a while since the earth is on the other side of the Sun." said a command officer.

"Ah crap. Well, if I've waited this long to go back to that piece of rock, what's a bit more going to do?" said the space man streaching.

"We have to run some tests to check your motor functions and physical health, then we will do some psychological tests to evaluate your condition, based on being alone for so long, I imagine you had a rough time sir" said a nurse while writing some things on a chart.

"Yeah yeah, I'll follow the protocol. But can we get all these people out of here? is it really necessary to have them all here?" said the space man annoyed.

"Yes sir, we will let you be examined in peace. Come by my office later so we can discuss some details about your... friend from another world." said the officer commander walking out of the room alongside the other personal. The medical team started his evaluation, one that would take about three weeks.

Some time later while laying on his bed, the spaceman felt tired yet he was wide awake. He kept overthinking all the times he had been told no, and now, it felt as his only purpose had also rejected him. He felt he had failed his mission, he felt he had failed everyone. Not long ago, he had discovered the universe was filled with life, but this fact made him feel more lonely for some reason.

"In all of the universe, I guess I'm the only person who is truly alone" he said to him self noticing a blinking light coming from the citadel room window.

"He was telling the truth... The swords man was telling the truth" said the spaceman getting closer to the glass and looking at the thousand of spacial cephalopods that glowed like stars. It was the most beautiful event he had ever witnessed, a living river of light.

The space man touched his face and felt tears flowing from his eyes.

"Ah great!" said the spaceman upset. Anyone who has traveled to space knows how inconvenient crying can be in space. He quickly cleaned his tears off and continued watching the event. Now the space man began to feel sad, because he couldn't share it with anyone back in mission control as he was not permitted communication with Earth until his psychological evaluation was over.

"Oh so you couldn't fix the problem you where trying to fix as you told me back at the campfire?" asked the alien

"Yeah, as you told me later, the problem was the o-rigns that they used to build some faulty complnets" said the space man

"But at least you got to see the great migration of the cephas. It happens every hundred years and you have to time it right to catch them when they exit from warp space." said the alien

"Yeah but what is even the point K? If I dont have someone to share those amazing moments, I might as just stay in my quarters trying to sleep. Sometimes I wonder if it was a good decision to tell Zue how I felt at the time, to be so direct... to go on the stupid mission." said the space man

"Well, from what you told me, you didn't do anything wrong. You where true to your feelings and didn't play with her emotions by making her wait on a response. And you where going to space! How exciting!" said the alien.

"Yeah, I know. But maybe I should have done it differently. After that, all the things I've tried to do, all the relationships I've had have been a total faliature." said the space man

"Well, I dont think you have been a complete faliature since. You've gone to many adventures, met so many interesting people, I feel thats much more that what ive done in eons." said the alien patting the space man's back. "Things will continue to get better. And you'll find someone to share the wonders of the universe some day. Just be patient."

"Patient? Just be patient?! Thats what I've been all these years! And what has the point of it been? Im tired of having to be patient!" said the space man stopping the pod on the side of the road.

To be continued...