May 15, 3007 11:35 a.m. U.S. Central Time
Everything checks out, power levels are normal and the reactor seems stable enough. The risk is high, nothing like this has ever been done before, the chances of it failing are reasonable enough to consider the possibility. That doesn’t matter, I have gone over the math time and time again and had my colleagues double check my calculations. Everything was set for the jump, we just needed approval. The Deutschland was a newer ship and was fitted with this new drive in hopes of allowing for faster jump speeds, there was also the possibility of trans-dimensional travel. I know that the Golden Galactic Fleet was very hesitant to let us test this new drive on their newest supercarrier. They permitted a small test, a jump to Mars and back, before the main trans-dimensional travel test. I keep reassuring the ship’s chief engineer that there will be no problems with the ships hull integrity. This is the sturdiest ship in the fleet and it has the largest energy output, which is why we chose this ship.
Captain Essen is giving the order to jump, the moment I have been waiting for. A certain feeling is telling me to make one more assessment of the reactor, but I’ve gone over it plenty enough and I’m sick of waiting. The countdown to jump was starting, there was no turning back. I have never traveled through space before and it’s actually really exciting. I just felt a sudden jolt go through me. Have we completed the jump? No, I still see the Moon near off in the distance in the same position it had been in. Where did the observing station go? It just disappeared. Captain Essen is barking out orders to the crew, something about main engine failure. That couldn’t be, my math clearly showed that the engines could handle the jump. They started turning the ship towards Earth. I think we’re attempting an ocean landing. Wait, what’s that coming towards the bridge? The point defense systems are shooting at it. The surface of the planet is coming closer. The Captain is ordering everyone to brace for impact. The object just glanced off the ship’s shields. Fire is forming around the bridge, aerodynamic heating from reentry. The ship is starting to angle up for an ocean landing. Impact.