Perderus III halts. Floating in the neverending cosmos, the huge metal ship remains suspended about a mile away from the star. Once the pictures are taken, Perderus III will retrieve them and make its way back to Earth.
Commander Samuel Feldman does a final check of his suit, adjusting the helmet and bringing down the visor. Samuel Feldman is a brave man. Samuel Feldman has always been a brave man. Samuel Feldman knows he has done countless brave things. Samuel Feldman also knows that this is the last one he will ever do. Samuel knows his fate is the same as the stars.
The hard outer shell of his suit, composed of twenty-one layers of carbon-carbon heat shield, will protect him from the star’s searing temperature. But not even a twenty-one layer carbon-carbon heat shield space suit can protect Samuel from his fate.
Samuel’s job is to set up the camera that will take the pictures. The scientists cannot risk the possible destruction of Perderus III, the ship that must make it back to Earth. So, it is Commander Samuel Feldman who must risk his life for discovery.
Samuel takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He sees his home back on Earth. He sees hot summer days with his childhood friends at the beach and smells the salty air. He sees his grandmother’s garden. He sees tulips, hyacinths, roses. He hears distant trains and birdsongs.
Then, he sees his little daughter. Her dark curls frame her rosy cheeks and radiant smile. Samuel starts to feel tears welling up in his eyes, blurring his vision. He wonders if this is a mistake, if he should just take off his space suit and head back to Earth. He still has time. He doesn’t have to do this. He thinks of his daughter again. Her future depends on whatever these pictures might reveal. With a final breath in, Samuel finds Peredus III’s exit door and pushes it open with all of his might, leaving behind any hesitations.
He jumps, drifting toward the star. Without a moment to spare, Samuel sets up the camera. Swift but careful, Samuel takes great care to avoid any mistakes that might jeopardize the mission. Waiting there, floating in a silent, perpetual universe for his inevitable death is the bravest thing Samuel Feldman has ever done.
In his final moments, Samuel lifts his visor, and looks up at the star which, even in its flickering and fading state, is brighter than any light he has ever seen. The light is painful. It burns his eyes like nothing ever has before. Yet, he cannot look away.
Samuel waits. He breathes shakily. Samuel Feldman is a brave man. Samuel Feldman has always been a brave man. Samuel Feldman is doing the last brave thing he will ever do.
Then, as the star makes a final flicker, Samuel prepares himself. He hurls the camera at the star with all the force he can muster. Within a split second, the star explodes, shooting through the universe, interrupting time and space, bleeding its colors out into the endless pool of darkness.
Commander Samuel Feldman was a brave man.
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