Space X Love

The Space Between Us

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe. (Albert Einstien)

It felt like time had stopped for a while; he was floating in the vast void among the asteroids and satellites in zero gravity, hanging himself out of the space station approximately 6,000 km above the ground. His heartbeat was slower than that of a normal human. Welcome to space, readers, where everyone is equal and it does justice to everyone; you can't beat it. The commander kept calling him from the station as loudly as she could, and he was constantly losing his senses. Everyone was watching him from afar, but he was gradually closing his eyes, and his blood pressure and vitals were dropping continuously. Maybe that was the effect of outer space on people; it consumed them with its infinite voidness, and at that moment, his whole life spun around in his head, all the guilt of him resurfacing. His eyes grew heavy, as if the angel of death was approaching to tell him: that he had done his best, now was the time to say goodbye to Earth. But could he die in peace? He still had a lot to do; he wanted to sit with his family again, have the same useless fights with his brother and sister, argue with each other over trivial matters, and most importantly, make his family proud of him.

We do not realize what we have on Earth until we leave it. (Jim Lovell)

Suddenly, a hand grabbed him by the collar; it was his commander pulling him out of this voidness toward the space station. Floating in a vacuum, they kept colliding with each other and finally managed to reach the base. The commander called out loudly, "Arham! Are you awake now?" He opened his eyes lightly and said, "Am I dead, or is this heaven?" A slap on his face made him conscious. "Ouch," he said. In addition to him, three more people were aboard the space station: Joseph, Alam, and Hania. He was the youngest on the team. Joseph is an American scientist studying medicine and diseases that remain uncured, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Dementia. Alam, a Pak-UK native and botanist, studies plant diseases and their effects on atmospheric conditions. Hania, the commander and a medical scientist, is researching degenerative diseases in mice, which share 99% of their genomes with humans, making them ideal experimental subjects. Arham served as the medical doctor for the team.

We explore for the sake of discovery, and to inspire future generations. Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11)

Arham opened his eyes slowly, his vision blurry and his body heavy despite the weightlessness of zero gravity. Hania's face came into focus, her expression a mix of relief and frustration. "You’re not in heaven, Arham," she said, her voice sharp but tinged with worry. "You’re back. And don’t make me pull a stunt like that again." Arham tried to sit up, but his muscles were weak. The slap still stung on his cheek. He managed a faint smile. "Thanks for the warm welcome."

"Warm? You’re lucky I didn’t let go," she snapped, her cold behavior camouflaging the tremor in her hands. Hania turned to Joseph, who was monitoring Arham’s vitals on a portable console. "How is he?"

Joseph adjusted his glasses. "Vitals are stabilizing. Blood pressure is back to acceptable levels. You’ll live, kid."

"Arham," Hania said, drawing his attention. "What were you doing out there? You’re not an engineer."

He hesitated, guilt flickering in his eyes. "I thought… I could help secure the satellite module. I didn’t realize how unstable the tether was."

"You’re a doctor, not a technician!" she said, her voice rising. "This mission doesn’t work if you don’t stick to your role."

The more you look at the Earth from above, the more you realize how small and interconnected we all are. That connection is what binds us, no matter how far we travel. Chris Hadfield (Astronaut)

Arham looked away, ashamed. "I just wanted to prove myself." The room grew quiet, tension thick in the air. Finally, Hania sighed. "You don’t need to prove anything. Just stay alive. That’s all I ask."

Later that night, unable to sleep, Arham drifted to the observation deck. The view of Earth, a glowing blue sphere against the black void, usually brought him peace, but tonight it felt distant, unreachable. He didn’t notice Hania already there, her silhouette outlined by the soft light from the viewport.

"Couldn’t sleep either?" he asked, his voice breaking the silence.

Hania glanced at him, her face unreadable. "The silence up here... it gets to you."

Arham hesitated before floating closer. "You know, you’re allowed to take a break from being the commander."

She let out a humorless laugh. "If I do, who keeps everything from falling apart?"

"We’re a team," he said softly. "You don’t have to carry this alone."

Hania turned to face him fully, her expression softening for the first time. "And what about you? You keep trying to prove something, risking your life in the process. Why?"

He hesitated, then said, "Because I’ve spent my whole life feeling like I’m not enough. I thought coming here would change that."

Hania’s gaze lingered on him, something unspoken passing between them. "You are enough, Arham. You just don’t see it yet."

Their conversation was interrupted by the station’s alarm. The breach in the lab module still hadn’t been resolved, and now the station’s oxygen levels were fluctuating. The crew scrambled to identify the cause, and their teamwork was put to the ultimate test.

In the chaos, Arham and Hania found themselves working side by side. Their partnership became seamless, each instinctively knowing what the other needed. At one point, Hania looked at him and said, "I trust you, Arham. Don’t let me down."

Love is the one thing that we're capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space. Maybe we should trust that, even if we can't understand it. (Brand, Interstellar)

Her words fueled his determination. Together, they managed to stabilize the station, but not without cost. The breach had damaged critical systems, and repairs would take weeks. In the aftermath, as the crew gathered to assess the situation, Hania pulled Arham aside.

"You saved us," she said, her tone softer than he’d ever heard it.

"We saved us," he corrected, smiling.

Hania’s lips twitched upward, and for a moment, the weight of command seemed to lift from her shoulders. "Maybe you’re not just the medic after all."

As the days passed, their bond deepened. They shared quiet moments on the observation deck, confiding in each other about their hopes, fears, and dreams. Arham learned that Hania had lost someone she loved on a previous mission, a loss that made her push people away. And Hania saw in Arham a resilience and kindness that reminded her of what she’d been fighting for all along.

If I could magic your pain away, I would. For now just know, I'm holding you in my heart.

The mystery of the breach lingered, a shadow over their growing connection. But instead of dividing them, it brought them closer, their shared determination to uncover the truth binding them together. In the vast emptiness of space, where every moment was a reminder of their fragility, Arham and Hania found something neither had expected: hope, and the beginning of something extraordinary.

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