A Hundred Billion Years Across The Universe

Across the vastness of this simple Universe a spaceship tumbles in the fabric of the matrix on its way to Alpha-B112.

"Commander, our trajectory has shifted 2' West in the last ten minutes. Shall I proceed with recovery procedure?"

The commander, a stout man ripe in age looked back at his pilot. He evoked a stern look, "Let our ship veer off its path", he said, "for it seems as if the path we have chosen was only our intended destination, but not the journey which our ship desires to pursue." 

The pilot was confused for a second. He looked back at the commander then back at the flickering buttons on his control-console. Hesitantly he moved back from the console and looked back at the commander.

"Sir, at this rate our trajectory will shift over half a million kilometres from Alpha-B112 on estimated arrival time." His perturbations bubbled up his throat as he made an effort not to look worried while speaking to his superior. "Are you certain of your decision sir?"

"I have seen many great deeds unfold before my eyes Haley", said the commander. "And I have looked deep and thought hard about all this. About the Universe we live in." The commander moved closer to the pilot and looked deep into this eyes. 

"Haley, have you ever noticed strange happenings? Have you ever been vigilant enough and witnessed atypical events transpiring in the darkness that envelopes our spaceship?". The commander now looked outside the circular window on the other side of the commanding room, behind the control-console. 

Haley followed the gaze of the commander and then moved slowly to the window. Peering outside he could see a black curtain dotted with white covering all the corners of the Universe he now looked at. To the East, Alpha-B112 appeared brighter than the neighbouring stars, but was still very far away. 

A lightning cracked to West in the darkness. Haley jerked back and the commander held him firm from his shoulder.

"Have you finally seen it?", said the commander.

"What was that William?", said the pilot, forgetting his manners towards his superior.

Commander William grinned delightfully towards Haley. "It is a glitch my friend. See, our trajectory is deviating from the assigned path and the Universe is not happy about our decision to not correct the mistake."

"But why would the Universe be unhappy about such a thing sir?", said the pilot worried.

"You see, chance had it, our journey was altered by a random event. Tell me Pilot Haley, have you been the one to veer the ship off course?" 

"Sir, I would never."

"Exactly!", snapped Commander William. "It is an act of God! A stroke of luck my friend. Have you ever asked why we always travel to already specified star systems?" The commander now stared blankly towards the middle of the ship's room. 

"Think very carefully Pilot Haley. We always follow trajectories. We have never failed to arrive where we have always intended to go. Yet, we never know why or how our paths have been chosen. We never ask, either. Now, you see, this is a freak event in the nature of our existence. Chance shaped our paths and we veered from our destiny. We are moving away from what had been chosen for us, and the Universe is not happy. I have noticed this before already."

"But sir, what was that lightning really?", asked Haley.

"It was a glitch. An error in the Universe due to our negligence to appeal to correction. It seems as if we are not supposed to keep to mistakes created by chance. We should always fix problems that occur randomly. But today we have not. Do you know what the difference is today Mr. Haley?"

Pilot Haley looked puzzled. "What sir?"

"Today it was me who took the decision."

Outside the ship, lightning started to crack across the black fabric of space. Pilot Haley rushed to the control-console and mashed three buttons in rapid succession. A whoof noise echoed through the room. The lightning spread across the window. 

"Pilot Haley!". The commander's voice was dampened by the echoing noise. "Today we shall touch the hand of God!"

As the pilot kept pressing buttons on his console, the lightning outside the window multiplied and grew in size. The stars once seen dotting the landscape now shuddered and fidgeted here and there across the Universe. A white plane suddenly appeared through the darkness, and through it Pilot Haley and Commander William could see a field of green grass and a blue sky.

"What in the world is that which I see?", asked Haley baffled. William looked deeper into the plane that now was expanding in front of them.

"That my friend, is another Universe. The door has opened for us to leave this matrix Mr. Haley."

"What about our mission?", asked the pilot in turn.

"Where one mission fails, another shall begin." Commander William pressed two buttons on the control-console and the ship took a jolt and accelerated forwards.

"There is no one reality that exist but many", said William, "The Universe we live in is a simulation. A conjecture of the Universe in which we are about to ascend."

And with those last words the spaceship in which they sailed dissipated into a white plane across a black curtain littered with lightning.

Across the vastness of this simple Universe a spaceship tumbles in the fabric of the matrix on its way to Alpha-B112.

"Commander, our trajectory's shift in direction has been accounted for and corrected.", said the Pilot.