Dragonfly

“Dragonfly come in, Dragonfly we read catastrophic failures in the crew deck, propulsion, life support, and guidance, do you read?” The crackly voice asks.

Mission control has lost communication only a week after leaving the lunar surface on its way to Mars. The first manned rocket with solar sails that give it the look of a Dragonfly had performed flawlessly on numerous missions, until now. Sirens blare, and warnings sound. Inside the ship, debris floats aimlessly here and there bumping into panels and a member of the crew floats motionless having become a part of the chaos. Outside the rear section containing the crew quarters has been laid open by an errant meteor, not even one of the many meteors they were tracking. The crew still belted into their bunks, exposed to the harshness of space, gone in an instant. One Science officer, Deke Lasiter was not in that section, he had drawn the short straw and had to reconfigure the guidance system. A procedural job, everyone hated, but that had to be done to ensure a proper path to the destination.

“Dragonfly come in, Dragonfly we read catastrophic failures in the crew deck, propulsion, life support, and guidance, do you read?” The crackly voice asks again.

The forward section has been badly damaged, however it is intact and could support life. He floats aimlessly bumping into panels, blood drips from a gash in his temple, pools, and floats away to paint the panels and windows around him.

“Dragonfly come in, anybody!”Dragonfly, do you read?” The crackly voice asks.”I don’t think there are any survivors...” The crackly voice states with their microphone on for all of the mission control to hear.

“Hal! Take it off speaker!” Screams Director Dan worried that the worst has been revealed.

Hushed whimpers and cries ripple through the rows of tables and monitors and reach the sparsely attended family center. Most of the family have gone back to their lives, two years without their loved ones they mistakenly thought was the only obstacle needed yet to overcome.

“Ugh.” Sounds over mission controls speakers.

“Dragonfly! Is that you?” asks Hal as he turns away from Dan pulled back from the brink of despair over a failed mission.

“Huh, what? Ouch, that hurts...”

“Dragonfly are you there, I hear you!” Excitedly Dan covers the microphone and yells for silence.

“What is Dragonfly? Who are you? What is going on?” he asks weary, beginning to regain consciousness.

Mission control erupts in applause, and cheers of joy at this glimpse of hope, a gift from God so antithetical to what is displayed on their monitors. Hope has a way of putting blinders on a person, in this case, it was thirty-five, none of whom is seeing the horrific reality unfolding on the incoming video feeds.

“This is Nasa control, is this the Mars mission Dragonfly?” Hal asks, then turns to his director to verify that it could only be them on the other end of the transmission.

“It’s direct, it has to be them...” The director explains.

“It sounds like he doesn’t know who he is?”

He regains his composure while others thousands of miles away argue in his ear as to who he is and why he is acting so strange. He floats over to a window and looks out at the glorious pattern of stars ahead, and the small red dot that seems to loom on the horizon. He gazes into the vastness of space without a clue what he is looking at, or where he is. Something around his neck floats up incessantly, tickling his nose, a bother. It touches him again, and he grabs the gold cross around his neck, turns to inspect, and is mesmerized by the only familiar object he has seen since he opened his eyes. Why does this cross fill him with so much peace, what does it mean? As he stares at it he recalls a name, the only name within the muddled mess of his mind, Jesus. With Hal begging for him to respond he fixates on the one familiar thought he has had since he opened his eyes, he is comforted to know that it is God.

“But who am I?” he asks

“You are Deke Lasiter, Astronaut and science officer of Dragonfly the mission to Mars.” The crackly voice explains.

“Who are you?” Deke asks, “Are you God?”

Hal is shocked by the question, stunned into silence, and confused as to how to answer him. A damage report is handed to the director and the news is not good. Dragonfly has no propulsion, it is off course and the forward section will only have enough oxygen for another hour. Dragonfly is dead, and the last remaining member of her crew will be soon.

The communications director, Hal Young unable to think of something to say walks up to the director, Dan Miller with a somber look on his face.

“What is it, Hal?” Dan asks.

“I think he has amnesia, he doesn’t know who or what he is.”

“What the hell do you mean?” Dan asks.

“He doesn’t know who he is, he thinks I’m God!” Hal explains.

Sitting at the back watching the saddest moment in Nasa history unfold before him Chaplain Garret feels he has to act. Normally he gives the blessing for the voyage and sticks around a couple days to comfort worried family members, and then isn’t needed anymore. But it seems that God has plans for him today, as Hal and Dan argue in front of him about how to proceed, he walks up and interrupts.

“Who is that woman in the family center?”Chaplain Garret asks.

“Who...” Dan asks turning to look before his face dropped and went blank.

“There is a woman in the family center, is that Deke’s wife, or girlfriend?” Chaplain Garret wonders.

“No...Deke’s wife Helen died over ten years ago.” Hal explained.

“Is this mission a failure?” Chaplain Garret asks bluntly, turning to the two men staring at the sullen woman.

“What Pastor?” Hal asks, lost wondering.

“Can you save him!” He exclaims getting their attention.

“No Pastor the ship is too far damaged, we couldn’t mount a rescue in time. Deke Lasiter will die in space along with the rest of his crew.” Dan explains.

“If the man gets some semblance of peace thinking you are God, let him think you are God! Let his last moments alive be peaceful.” Chaplain Garret suggests grabbing Hal by the shoulder.

“You want me to lie to him in his last moments, Pastor?”

“I want you to give the man some...”

“God? You there? Look, I don’t know what is going on, and I don’t know why I am here... I’m alone. It’s so lonely here, I don’t understand what is happening to me.” he begs for a sign.

“What do you want me to do?” Hal asks looking to Dan for guidance.

“God, please I’m scared, I need you. Please God tell me what I have done? Speak to me.” He pleads heavy with emotion.

“Dan?”

“Do it.”

Hal turns and places his hand on the button to his headset but pauses, then he turns, tears flowing down his cheeks.

“Pastor, would you do this? I don’t think I can.” Hal asks.

“Of course Hal, Give me the headset.” Chaplain Garret awkwardly puts on the headset, settles himself, and takes a breath, “You there my child?”

“Yes Lord, I am here. Can you tell me what is happening to me?” he pleads.

“You are on your way to heaven, Your name is Deke, Deke Lasiter and I have called you home to be with me, and those who love you.” Garret proclaims.

“Why don’t I remember?”

“Don’t you worry about that, prepare yourself to be in heaven with me.”

There is a long silence before he speaks again, during that time reports that the nuclear engine that powers Dragonfly is in overload and will explode at any moment.

“What is heaven like Lord?”

“Beauty beyond anything you have ever seen, peace that you have never experienced, and love so rich you will not harbor feelings like hate or greed anymore. Soon you will be here and soon I will show you the wonders of heaven.” The Chaplain explains as tears cascade down his face.

“I can feel something, Lord! An energy flowing through me.”

“That’s the energy pulsating from the engine about to blow!” Dan whispers.

“Find yourself a comfortable place my son and soon it will be over, and you will be with me.”

“Lord?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“I was frightened when I first opened my eyes, not knowing anything about who I was or where I was confused me. But you came to me, my cross touched my lips, a kiss to let me know I was not alone, so thank you,” he confesses.

“I had to get your attention somehow, didn’t I?” Garret smiles.

“Oh my God...”

The transmission from Dragonfly abruptly cuts off, and every eye in Mission Control is tearful. Chaplain Garret turns as the director confirms his fears, The engine has exploded and nothing is left.

“Do you think there is a heav...” Dan begins to ask.

“Beautiful Helen...” Sounds over the speakers in mission control.

“I thought it exploded!” Dan demands scrambling to see if they had made a mistake.

“It did...” Hal confirms scanning his monitor.

“Then what was that?” Dan asks looking up at Hal and the Chaplain.

“The answer to your question.” Chaplain Garret responds as he takes a knee to pray.

The End