The twists and turns of the tunnel, its flashing colors, the bumps and the tremors, everything about the wormhole had become so familiar to Cat Xun in the past...what was it now, 20 hours? Well, however long she had been in the wormhole, it had become familiar to her. So familiar, in fact, that after twenty or so hours, she was now finally able to close her eyes, tilt her head back, and finally rest...
Then, out of nowhere, it all stopped. Cat opened her eyes, stood up, and stared out of the viewing window. No more flashing colors, no more twists down an intergalatic rabbit hole. All that was in front of Cat was open space, a purplish-black tapestry sprinkled in bright, shining stars.
Cat wasn't sure if she should feel relieved or terrified. On the one hand, she was alive, out of the wormhole. The fuel gauges were still on full, the computer system was still functioning, and the computer readings suggested that the ship hadn't sustained that much damage. On the other hand, she had just gone through a wormhole. Even though the experience felt like only 24 hours for her, she had no idea how long it had actually taken her to get out of the wormhole. It could have been only 24 hours, or it could have been 24 years, 24 thousand years, a million years. Earth might not even be the solar system anymore, obliterated by a massive asteroid or by man's own hand. How did she even know she was in the same solar system, for that matter? She could be millions of light years away and not even know it...
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she hissed at herself, gripping her head tightly. She could not think like that, not now, not after she had gone through a worm hole and lived to tell the tale. She had to go back to the mission plan.
Cat fell back into her chair, and leaned back, running her through her hair as she thought. Once I got out of our solar system, she thought, I was supposed to send out a radio signal and search for any stations or satellites that recieved it. If I picked up a signal from a station, I was to fly Eurydice to it. Cat closed her eyes and sighed. The process would take ages, but it was all she could at the moment.
Caitlin got back up, and went over to the computer. She began to punch in commands into the keyboard, until finally, the computer screen was filled with an aquamarine blue, and soothing, meditation-like music filled the command center. Cat rolled her eyes.
"Typical USF," she muttered. Suddenly, an electronic, feminine sounding voice filled the room.
"Welcome to the USF Eurydice Communications Network, the ECN," the voice said. "Please touch the green button on the screen to begin your recording." As the computer finished saying this, a green button appeared. Cat pressed it.
"Thank you," the voice said, "You may begin recording your message. Once finished, please press the red button on the screen so that ECN may transmit your message to any stations or satellites in reach. Please remember that you are the first human to contact alien life, so please avoid using any slang or obscenties in your message. Thank you, and good luck. "
A second window appeared on the screen, showing Cat and her surroundings. There must be some camera in the computer system, Cat thought to herself. Caitlin slowly took a deep breath, and began.
"Greetings. My name is Caitlin Kai Xun, a citizen of planet Earth, solar system located in the eastern most corner of the galaxy." Cat paused. "At least, that what scientists in my time said. I'm not sure where my galaxy is anymore, to be honest. Anyways, I am a member of the United Space Federation, the USF. In the year 2106, I was selected to be the sole member of the starship Eurydice 056, ordered to go past our solar system and search deep space for signs of intelligent life. My mission began on February 21, 2107. After passing Mars, I brought the ship into hyperdrive, and set out into deep space.
"But something happened. Once I got outside of our solar system, I got sucked into a wormhole. Even in 2107, most scientists dismiss those as theoretical, I never thought they actually existed. I was in there for what felt like a day, I have no idea how long it really was. I have no idea as to where my location is, or even the year. I do not expect anyone to respond to this message, and am only sending it out in the hopes that it might reach a station and bounce back, allowing me to follow the signal." And that was pretty much it. Cat paused, trying to think of a way to end the message.
"If I had an inkling of what was going to happen to me, I wouldn't have gone on this f---ing* mission. I hope no one was offended by that. End transmission." Exhaling, Cat hit the red button on the computer screen.
"Thank you for recording your message. We will now transmit your message to the nearest station or satellite. Please stand by."
Cat fell back into the chair. Chances were that it might take hours, possibly even days, for ECN to pick up the bounce back. All she could do in the mean time was sleep. Just sleep...
*In the possiblity of someone using obscenities anyways, USF computer programmers installed a censoring device into the recording software, bleeping out any swear words used. Hooray for political correctness!
