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The Chapel was half full when Kyla arrived.

The ceremony had already begun.

Taro stood on the platform at the front of the room.

“Every week we gather here to think about how to live in a silent universe,” he said. “This week, I would like to talk about prayer.”

The room was quiet.

“For thousands of years, humans prayed to gods. They asked for protection, forgiveness, guidance. Sometimes they prayed because they were afraid. Other times because they were grateful. But most prayed believing they already knew who was listening.”

Taro paused.

“They had a story about God. An idea of what God wanted. To them, God was certain.”

He looked across the Chapel.

“But Theogenians begin somewhere else. We know we live in a universe that has been silent. A universe that has not answered humanity yet. A universe with Four Possibilities.”

The room stayed quiet for a moment.

“So why do we pray if one of those possibilities is that no one is listening?”

Several answers came from the room.

“To remember.”

“For gratitude.”

“To become better.”

Taro nodded.

“That one. That’s the one I want to talk about.”

He looked toward the person who had answered.

“We pray because prayer does not require someone on the other side.”

He paused.

“We can pray for abundance. For strength. For the people we love. We can pray to be patient, to be compassionate, to recognize what we have and what others may be carrying.”

His voice softened.

“Prayer does not have to change the universe. Sometimes it just changes how we live within it. Ultimately, we pray to become better.”

Taro lowered his head.

“Now, let us remember the previous generations. Let us remember the people who departed before us. The people who built what we inherited and carried Helios forward so that we could be here.”

He spoke the first line of the promise.

“I will not forget you.”

The crowd answered.

“I will not forget you.”

Taro continued.

“I will honor you.”

“I will honor you,” the crowd replied.

Taro closed his eyes.

Others followed.

“I will look for you.”

“I will look for you,” the crowd answered.

For several seconds, no one moved.

Then Taro opened his eyes and raised his arms.

“Leave in peace. We know what is possible.”

People began standing and moving toward the exit.

Kyla made her way toward the front.

Taro noticed her once the crowd had thinned. His expression changed when he recognized her.

“Kyla.”

“Hi, Chaplain. Beautiful ceremony.”

He stepped down from the platform.

“Assistant Chaplain.”

“Well, you sounded very convincing up there,” Kyla said.

Taro smiled.

“You came to talk about Alex’s presentation ceremony.”

She nodded.

“We should probably stop putting it off. He’ll turn one before we know it.”

Taro gestured toward the small office beside the Chapel.

“We still have some time. Come on, let’s figure it out.”

Kyla followed him into the next room.

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“Logminter,” Kyla said. “Retrieve the entry from Alex’s presentation ceremony.”

LOG ENTRY

Action type: Log retrieval after 6 years.

Integrity check: Validated. Data accessed by authorized user.

Authorized user: Anwar Cloutier Soria, Kyla. Created at: 2788.321.2054.

> Today has been a big day.

This morning, the Navigation Arc presented several options for changing Helios’s trajectory.

They recommended the maneuver that requires the least additional fuel. That is important because we do not have much to spare.

But there is a cost: ten years.

If everything goes according to the new plan, Helios will enter a stable orbit around Ross 128 approximately ten years later than we expected.

I keep trying to understand how changing our path now can cost us an entire decade.

Navigation explained that it is not simply about moving around Ross 128-X. Changing our trajectory changes the rest of the approach. It changes how we use the magsail to continue slowing down and where Helios will be when we are ready to enter orbit.

So our expected arrival year has changed.

From approximately 2837 to 2847.

Ten years.

I suppose it sounds small after traveling for more than five hundred years.

It does not feel small when you are living them.

But that was this morning. A long Council session, a vote, and a decision that will add a decade to our journey.

The afternoon was different. It belonged to Alex.

We finally had his presentation ceremony at the Chapel.

Mom and Dad were there. Julian’s parents were there. Layna brought Alyka, who spent most of the ceremony trying to get close enough to touch Alex.

Julian and I stood at the front with Alex while Taro presented him to everyone gathered there.

Taro did a good job with the ceremony.

He spoke about the responsibility of raising a child aboard Helios. He reminded us that Alex would inherit a world he did not choose, like every child born before him.

We all inherit a world shaped by previous generations. We do not get to choose that world, but we can choose what we do with it.

He said that a child is not only presented to a family.

A child is presented to a community.

Then he asked us to promise that we would teach Alex where he came from, protect him from what we could, and prepare him for what we could not.

Julian answered first.

My “yes” followed.

Taro placed his hand on Alex’s head and welcomed him as a member of the Helios community.

Alex slept through most of it.

He woke when everyone applauded.

I kept thinking about how strange it is that Alex has no idea what any of this means yet.

He does not know what Ross 128 is.

He does not know that this morning we decided to change the path of an entire ship.

He does not know that arrival has been delayed, but he is lucky to be part of the generation that should see the mission completed.

I am not so sure about myself anymore. I may be an old woman by then, but I hope I will still be here to witness it.

Today we decided to change Helios’s course.

> And today we presented our son to the people who will help us raise him.

The cabin was quiet until the door opened.

“Hi,” Julian said as he approached Kyla’s desk. “You look busy.”

Kyla looked away from the display.

“No. I was just reading an old log entry.”

“Which one?”

“Alex’s presentation.”

Julian smiled.

“That was a good day.”

Kyla looked back at the entry.

“Yes, it was.”

She closed the log.

“Can you believe he starts school tomorrow?”

Julian sat beside her.

“Time moves too fast. My mother was right. You blink and they’re moving into their own cabin.”

“I don’t even want to think about that yet.”

Julian smiled.

“You know what is going to get worse?”

“What?”

“The questions. More questions.”

Kyla laughed.

“I can imagine. Do you know what he asked me today?”

She did not wait for Julian’s answer.

“How many children have started school aboard Helios since launch?”

“What did you tell him?” Julian said.

“That I didn’t know. Then he told me to ask Logminter.”

Julian laughed.

“Yes, that’s our Alex.”

“He also wanted to know exactly how many hours of school he’ll have this year.”

“Did you know that one?”

Kyla shook her head.

“Where is he?” Julian said.

“He went to bed early. He wanted to be ready for tomorrow.”

Julian kissed her on the forehead.

“I’m also going to bed early tonight. Let me get cleaned up first.”

“Don’t you want something to eat?”

“I’ll get something before bed. Don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

Julian walked away from the desk.

Kyla glanced back at the display.

“Logminter.”

> Ready to record entry.

“Six years ago, the Council decided to change Helios’s trajectory.”

She paused.

“The maneuver worked. Navigation says our new path will take us past Ross 128-X at a much safer distance.”

She paused again.

“Tomorrow, Alex starts school.”

“He is going to start learning more. He will learn about the world he inherited. About Helios. About Earth. About Ross 128.”

“Eventually, he will learn about Theogenics and the Four Possibilities. He will learn why we left Earth and why we are still going forward.”

Kyla smiled.

“And knowing Alex, he will probably ask for the exact distance to everything.”

She looked toward the other room.

“Six years ago, I wrote that he did not know what Ross 128 was.”

“Now he asks questions about it all the time.”

She paused.

“I guess that is what growing up is.”

“Logminter, save this to my diary. We’ll continue tomorrow.”

LOG ENTRY

Action type: Log archival.

Integrity check: Validated. Data saved by authorized user.

Authorized user: Anwar Cloutier Soria, Kyla. Created at: 2794.093.2057.

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Theogenic Universe

Kyla's Diary - Chapter 21: Maneuvering