The Sentinels of the Fourth Millennium

Episode One

The lights came on and I opened my eyes. I must have come out of a very long sleep because I felt I couldn't move my arms or legs with ease. But I made an effort to slip out of my capsule and walk up to the glass screen and have a glimpse of the world outside. The sight that met me was simply irresistible. There must be billions of stars out there waiting to be explored.

Welcome to Magellan 6. Come aboard and you’ll find that this is the most sophisticated spaceship ever built on Earth and is now being used to transport us, a team of 6 to the nearest galaxy called the M31 or better known as the Andromeda. The spaceship's artificial gravity kept me on the ground and I strode effortlessly into the cockpit. Switching on the lights I sank into the pilot’s seat and leaning back, rested my feet on the dashboard. I pushed a blue button on the ship's side control and instantly the date and time appeared on a small screen above me. Back on Earth, it was the 6th of January 4007 AD, and a nearby monitor indicated that we had hibernated for close to 300 years. It wasn’t possible but it wasn’t entirely impossible either. Feeling relieved I pushed a small red button and Tchaikovsky's Symphony 4 Movement 3 began to fill the silence in the ship.

Our mission was simple. In the year 3403, the Himalayan Emerald was stolen by a bunch of maniac aliens who'd intruded into our Solar System. It is a precious semi-liquid that keeps the human race protected from any kind of extraterrestrial attack. An aging saint invented it in the year 2070 as humans were becoming more vulnerable to a newfound species on Mars. And finally we, a mix of professionals were assigned to travel to the M31 galaxy and retrieve the Himalayan Emerald back.

Moving across to the side, I accessed the ship's main computer. The digits on the screen began to scroll down. Suddenly I felt someone grab my shoulder. Turning around, I faced Madeline, a petite young girl from Sarasota, Florida. Smiling, she sat in the seat next to me and looked ahead at the approaching planet. She said, "It's beautiful." I was too busy on the computer and without taking my eyes off the screen said, "Wait until you see what's behind the deception that blinds you." "Are the others up?" I added. Shutting down the ship’s main rocket engines, she said, "They're loading the artillery. You better hurry. We might be entering the planet’s atmosphere in approximately 20 minutes."

Returning to the cockpit, clad in my spacesuit, I faced four anxious faces. They were already in their uniforms. Madeline touched my hand and said, "Brief them. One last time." They were just as confused as I was and I knew my message had to be terse. Folding my arms, I sighed. "You know the situation back home is critical. The fate of humanity depends on this mission and I want you guys to give your best shot at it. We don’t have time, but we got the weapons, let’s use them. Don't forget to use your shields because once you deactivate them, the unknown gases of the planet will gobble you up. I that pray I’m clear and wish you guys the best of luck. Alright, now let's get out there and show them who we are."

Magellan 6 entered the planet's atmosphere and began to plummet breaking through the clouds. I had a bad feeling about the something beneath the clouds that was awaiting our arrival.