“It is the moment of your life,” the Captain stated.

  Jansen sat back against the lighthouse. He looked over the cliff at the large piece of driftwood that lay on the beach below. Jansen tossed the book on the ground. He jumped from his chair. “No!” he screamed.

  The seagulls joined his cry as his voice echoed across the water. He ran to the edge of the cliff.

  “Why now?" he called. "I’ve just achieved mankind’s’ greatest exploratory goal!”

  The Captain watched as Jansen paced back and forth on the grassy plateau, the star craft commander desperately trying to make sense of his demise.

  Jansen had always relied on science. Numbers never lied to him. He ran the calculations over and over in his head, all while the seasoned skipper listened to him mumble to himself.

  After Jansen had exhausted every possible scenario, he fell to the ground. The numbers did not lie. He knew he couldn’t have survived the crash.

  He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to discern his present surroundings. He slowly rose and stumbled back to the lighthouse. He slumped in his chair beside the old man.

  “So, is this where old ship captains go when they die? Looking at you, I would guess your ship probably went down about the time of the Titanic,” Jansen said.

  The old man chuckled and Jansen joined in. The Captain leaned forward and picked up the book. He tossed it in Jansen’s lap. The book flipped open. Jansen was asked to continue reading.

  Mick Jansen had enjoyed his youth on Moon Base Five. The log described his adventures in detail. The moon buggy races and exploring the lunar caves with his friends were all a part of his adventures. The family vacations to Earth had always been enjoyable. These getaways always involved the ocean. Young Columbus would stand on the deck of a ship with his father, and they would feel the cool mist of salt water on their faces.

  “Columbus,” his father would say. “The seas have still not given up all their mysteries. I would love for you to explore their depths.”

  Columbus insisted his journey would be to the heavens, and he wanted to go farther into space than anyone had ever done. He applied to the Star Academy. He wanted to be the best star pilot the academy had ever seen. Pride drove his ambition. He dreamed his name would be synonymous with his namesake, Christopher Columbus.

  Jansen looked up from his book.

  “These reasons for my wanting to explore don’t seem exactly accurate. I wanted to do this for all mankind. My journey into the universe has brought knowledge and understanding never before comprehended. My weekly transmissions back to earth were watched by millions of people.”

  The captain looked at Jansen with skepticism. He shook his head. “It wasn’t YOUR exploration. Thousands of engineers and scientists spent fifty years developing the technology to allow you to do what you did. You were not after knowledge. You were after fame,” he said.

  The Captain pointed to the book. Jansen took an exasperated breath and returned to the pages of his life.

  Going from Moon Base Five to the Star Academy on Earth was a dream come true. It is there that his reckless behavior began to surface. The cadets were training under water to simulate weightlessness. Cadet Jansen knew the quicker the other cadets washed out of the program, the sooner he could become a star pilot. Growing up on Moon Base Five, Mick had become used to gravity deprivation. The cadets were all tied together as they dived into the ocean. Jansen insisted on diving deep. His dive pulled the other cadets down with him. The instructors were yelling at the group to surface. Jansen kept dropping. Four men washed out that day. One cadet nearly drowned. Jansen denied any wrongdoing. The academy was astonished that he could withstand such depths.

  “I was just testing my limits,” Jansen explained to the Captain.

  “No, you were trying to get noticed by the academy. Do you remember Cadet Wilson?” the captain asked.

  “There were a lot of cadets who started that year,” Jansen said.

  The Captain reached over and touched the page. An image of Noel Wilson stared up from the book. Jansen looked away.

  “Do you remember him now?” the Captain asked.

  Jansen didn’t answer. The image on the page changed and became a picture of Noel Wilson sitting on a chair and being fed by a nurse. The lifeless stare on his face was haunting.

  “I heard he had some trouble after he left the academy,” Jansen mumbled.

  The Captain grabbed Jansen’s collar. Jansen flinched.

  “Noel Wilson had severe brain damage from a lack of oxygen to the brain. When you insisted on diving deep, Jeremy panicked. He hit the panic button and yanked off his mask. Your ego and ambition caused great pain in the lives of those around you.”

  “I was pushing the limits to make them better cadets,” he explained.

  “Tell that to Mr. Wilson’s wife and three children who had to live without him,” the Captain said.

  Jansen jumped out of his chair. The book fell to the grass.

  “Why is this any of your business? I didn’t travel all this way to be judged by you!”

  “Actually, that is exactly why you are here,” the Captain said.

  Jansen stared at the old sea captain. “I want to ask you again. Who are you?”

  “I am the best friend you have ever had.”

  Jansen looked around. “What is this place?”

  “It is not a destination. It is only a small part of your journey,” the Captain explained.

  Jansen paced the green plateau of grass between the lighthouse and the house. “All the scientific knowledge I’ve acquired has made me a skeptic. My culture strove to extend the lives of its people. We did that because we were convinced there was nothing beyond the human experience,” he said.

  “What do you think now?” the Captain asked.

  “I don’t know what to think. It seems ironic that I would land in water. My parents would be very happy,” he said.

  “Your parents are very happy,” the Captain said.

  Jansen spun around. “You’ve seen my parents?”

  The Captain nodded.

  “They have already passed through and are fulfilling their destiny,” he said.

  Twenty-Four

  Jansen thought about his loving parents. “When they died, I really wanted to believe in a place beyond earth. A heaven or afterlife would have comforted me. My scientific skepticism made that impossible,” Jansen said.

  The Captain smiled and scratched his white beard. “The yearning you felt for something bigger than yourself was given to you at birth. Spirituality is a part of all humans. The choice to embrace or deny it is yours.”

  Jansen listened carefully as the Captain continued.

  “Your scientific training, and the best efforts of all mankind, moved you from earth to a planet just next door. Decades, even centuries, brought your little craft to smash into a lake. Maybe your scientific knowledge isn’t everything you thought it was,” the Captain said.

  “How long ago did you land here?” Jansen asked.

  The Captain smiled, then said, “That question presupposes that there is time. Time only exists within the realm of earth. I have always been here. This specific place was created for your arrival. This is your transition from one realm to another. It is different for everyone.”

  “So that’s why there’s a lighthouse and an ocean. These things were always a part of my upbringing,” Jansen surmised.

  The Captain pointed toward the house.

  Jansen took a closer look at the beautifully manicured home. “That house is an exact replica of the summer cottage my parents rented in Maine. I remember it because it was the last summer vacation we spent together. They had saved and saved in order to rent such a house. That was the best summer of my life. It was also the summer I argued with my father about my future. I dismissed the ancient explorers of the oceans. I thought there was a more important frontier in the stars. It seems like my afterlife should have started in the stars,” Jansen said.

  “Your desire to reach the stars was based on selfish ambition,” the wise old sea Captain began to explain. “It never made you happy. The best summer of your life consisted of spending time with your family.”

  The Captain rose from his chair. He scooped up the Commander’s Log and handed it to Jansen. “Follow me,” he said.

  Jansen followed the old man to the cliffs. They descended the rocky wall. They arrived near the large oak driftwood that had brought him ashore. Jansen watched the old sea Captain reach out and touch the driftwood. Jansen fell backward on the sand as a beautiful wooden sailboat sprang up. His eyes widened as he surveyed the large vessel. He frowned once he saw the name painted on the side. In gold letters it read, “One Liberty.”

  Jansen pointed to the name. “Shouldn’t that be Liberty One?”

  The Captain’s face softened. “There is only one liberty. It is in seeking the truth.”

  The Captain climbed aboard and looked over the side at Jansen. “All aboard!” the Captain hollered while preparing the ship for sailing.

  Jansen laughed and climbed aboard. The Captain blew into the sails and the boat began moving out into the ocean. Jansen looked back at the tiny lighthouse in the distance. He was surprised how far they had already traveled.

  “Where are we going?” Jansen asked.

  The Captain looked back over his shoulder. “We are continuing your journey of exploration.”

  The salt-water mist on his face reminded Jansen of that last summer in Maine. He lamented the arguments he and his father had had. His parents wanted him to seek out new knowledge. The deep waters reminded him of Noel Wilson. The image of the brain-injured cadet haunted him.

  “What ever happened to Noel” Jansen asked.

  The Captain pointed to his right. Jansen saw the young man dressed in a cadet’s uniform walking across the water.

  Jansen panicked. “I don’t want to see him!”

  The waves instantly swelled. The boat rocked and crashed against the walls of water. The sky grew dark as the rain deluged the wooden deck. Jansen lost his footing, hit his head on the side of the boat, and fell overboard. He began to sink. He thrashed and spit as water filled his lungs. His gurgling screams went unanswered. He reached his hand out of the water in one final attempt to survive.

  A strong hand gripped his and pulled him to the surface. Jansen coughed and choked in air. As the waves died down, he was standing face to face with Noel Wilson on the surface of the calm sea. Jansen turned away from Cadet Wilson and attempted to run across the surface of the water.

  The sea Captain exhaled a mighty wind, which sent Jansen tumbling back to Jeremy’s feet. The handsome young cadet crouched down and brought Jansen to his feet on the surface of the water.

  Jansen found it hard to look at him but did so anyway.

  Noel said, “The Captain asked me to come and talk to you. That gasping, helpless feeling you just experienced was just a small example of how I felt that day. For the next seventy-two years, images of that horror filled my diminished mind. I ate through a straw and watched my family grow up around me. I died alone in a nursing facility covered in bed sores.”

  Commander Jansen looked at him, expecting to see hatred or rage. The young cadet only offered his love.

  Jansen’s shoulders slumped. “I’m so sorry for my actions. I wanted to prove I was the best. My drive to be the best ruined your life. Please, please forgive me, Jeremy.”

  Noel smiled. “It is not my place to forgive you. Only the Captain can forgive you. I was asked to come and tell you the effects of your actions. I have no animosity toward you. I am just sorry you had to live such a selfish existence,” he said.

  The cadet looked past Jansen and saluted the Captain. The Captain returned the salute. Jansen watched as Noel Wilson turned on his heels and walked across the water toward the shore.

  The Captain maneuvered the sailboat toward Jansen.

  Jansen sheepishly climbed aboard.

  “Well done, Columbus Michael Jansen,” the Captain said.

  The sails billowed in the wind.

  “Please continue reading,” said the Captain.

  Once they began sailing across the crystal clear waters, Jansen picked up the book.

  Young Jansen continued pushing the limits as a young cadet. A fleet of star flyers was doing maneuvers. The mission consisted of locating a hidden satellite beacon on the moon. They were to land on the lunar surface, find the beacon, and be the first to bring it back to earth. A meteor shower had made it unsafe to complete the exercise. The maneuvers were cancelled. Young Jansen ignored the cancellation. He donned his flight suit and climbed aboard one of the star flyers. The rest of the cadets watched the star flyer lift off the tarmac just as the flight tower hit the alarm. The trip to the surface of the moon through a meteor shower would have been a death sentence for anyone else but Cadet Jansen completed the mission in record time.

  The Star Academy expelled him. NASA took notice. They began looking at the reckless young cadet. The risk-taking behavior of the diving incident was among many in their files. His skills were unmatched by anyone. His grades were impeccable. The fact that he was not a team player worked into their unique plans. They had a mission. They now hoped they had their future commander.

  Houston recruited the expelled star flyer.

  Jansen looked up from his book. “I was so proud when NASA wanted to interview me.”

  The waves gently splashed against the hull of the boat, and they were moving farther and farther out to sea.

  The Captain was at the wheel. He looked over his shoulder at Jansen. “They were not your friends. They had a specific reason for picking you.”

  “Yeah. I was the most qualified!” Jansen boasted.

  The Captain shook his head. “No. I am afraid that’s not it. They picked you because they knew you were obsessed. NASA knew they couldn’t use you in a conventional capacity. You would get people killed. They picked you because you were reckless and expendable,” he said.

  “No,” Jensen countered. “I became the face of NASA. I was their headline for three years building up to the launch of Liberty One. That doesn’t sound expendable to me!”

  The Captain listened patiently. Finally, he said, “The fact is, they were not sure that mission would succeed.”

  Jansen sat stunned, listening to the Captain.

  “They implemented the Liberty One project knowing they were not ready. Their funding from Congress would be cut if there wasn’t a viable project in place. The Star Academy was their chief rival for appropriations. NASA had become a relic of the past. They needed a project. Liberty One was taken off the drawing board and sold to Washington.”

  Jansen remembered all the mechanisms aboard his ship that were constantly breaking down. The crew were always using their ingenuity to fix their mistakes. In truth, it was surprising that they made it as far as they did. The faulty landing gear . . .

  The Captain read his thoughts. “The landing gear on some of the pods were hastily assembled so they could get the project completed. You happen to pick a pod that had not been fully checked. It is a real testament to your crew that they were able to establish a base on that planet against all odds.

  “You mean I was a publicity stunt?”

  “Yes,” the Captain said. “You didn’t make it easy on the public relations department. They were trying to sell this great American hero to the press, and you kept messing that up.”

  “What do you mean?” Jansen asked.

  “I mean the more publicity you received, the more outlandish you became.”

  The Captain pointed at the book. Jansen looked at the open page with an image of a NASA press conference. Jansen began to read.

  Commander Jansen strutted into the crowded room. The hot lights and cameras were fixed on the arrogant young star pilot. Questions started coming at him the moment he took a seat. But Mick Jansen was a natural. His charming smile and quick wit made him a media darling.

  “Commander Jansen, what do you think you will find beyond our solar system?” came a question from the third row.

  Jansen puffed out his chest and smiled. “I’ll find that the farther we go into the universe, the less we will have a need for a God. This is mankind’s chance to prove once and for all that the heavens are filled with intelligent life, not intelligent design.”

  The low chatter in the room instantly silenced. The press was used to Mick’s press conferences being filled with laughter and great sound bites.

  Mick stood and grabbed the microphone off the table. “I will prove to the world that we are not alone. There are other civilizations out there. None of them are in need of a creator. We have created what we have.” He dropped the microphone and strolled out of the room.

  Twenty-Five

  Jansen looked up from the book. The Captain continued to steer the large sailboat.

  “I got a little carried away at that press conference,” he said.

  The Captain kept steering in silence.

  “I should have said I wanted to touch the face of God!” Jansen said sarcastically.

  The Captain looked over his shoulder and said, “Your beliefs in the accomplishments of man are interesting. I hope you will come to realize your quest for greatness was in vain.”

  “Nonsense!” Jansen said. “I have accomplished what NASA didn’t even think I could do. Now I am adapting to this new realm. I have done all this without the help of any God!”

  The Captain smiled and adjusted his blue cap.

  Jansen began to think about being expendable to NASA. He thought about all his friends in the academy. Upon further reflection, he began to realize that the more driven he had become, the fewer friends he had. The cadets relied on one another. No one truly trusted Mick Jansen. He was a loose cannon.

  “I just wanted to be the best I could be,” Jansen explained.

  “Being first to do something doesn’t make you the best,” the Captain said. “Without friends and family, you do not have much.”

  “My family always believed in me,” Jansen argued.

 

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