This brief scene is a response to the invitation by Dylonishere123 to contribute a theory for what happened to Earth. Implicit in that question is the meaning of the phrase, "We broke into heaven." If you have not read The Void Between, then this manuscript won't make much sense, and I highly recommend you hop over there and start reading. I promise you won't regret it.

Scene: Bridge of the SVN Max Planck, military salvage crew from Safeharbor, surveying a derelict around an ice giant. 

Captain (Elli): Oh, there’s the name. Pretty small for a voidcraft. Looks like someone did it with a rag on a stick. Log it as "HMS Harrier, destroyer class." Come back around and pan aft. Get a shot from under the heat sinks.

Ensign: Because twelve times’ a charm.

Captain: You got something to add, ensign, speak up.

Ensign: No ma’am.

XO (Frank): Ensign’s got a point, cap’n. This thing is cold as an Exile’s heart. Look at the radiation reading on that neutron shield.^[1] It’s indistinguishable from background. That torch drive hasn’t been lit in a very, very long time. Radiators are solid black.

Captain: It’s in pristine condition, in a geostationary orbit around an ice giant. There are habs on the dorsal spine. You saw the solar collectors. That means interior greenhouse.

XO: With all due respect, Elli, seriously. There is no EMR, no vibration of any kind. We’ve watched it for days. Let Shorty and Squid do their thing. They’ll breach and clear.

Lance Corporal (Tchook): And then we grab all that bacon. Mmmmm, mm!

Marine 1: Bacon? What does that even mean?

Lance Corporal: You don’t know bacon?

Marine 1: Nobody knows ‘bacon.” ‘Cept you. ‘Cause you’re hurt. Up here. Bad.

XO: Why are you shaking your head, Elli?

Captain: I’m looking at this, and this, and this. These external magazines.  Look at that see-wiz^[2] - 360 coverage. See those bulges along the fuselage? Those are advanced countermeasures. I’ve seen them on Eden frigates. I’m thinking we’ll have zero reaction time when this goes kinetic

XO: So we suit up, strap in, blow the vents, and Tommi keeps her finger on the trigger. Shorty and Squid can go in dope-on-a-rope.^[3] If we hear so much as a chirp on any scope, we reel ‘em back and punch out at 10 gees.^[4]

Captain: You know there won’t be time for that maneuver. See-wiz will light us up at tether range.

Frank: Oh, come on! There is never going to be a bigger, easier score! It’s a freakin’ ghost ship, Elli. Look at that tech, look at those guns. Hell, we’d be nuts not to grab everything that ain’t welded to our hull and take it over there. Let this ol' heap float here for a few hundred million years.

Captain: Wait, zoom in. What is that, ensign?

Ensign: Not sure, cap’n. Looks like some kinda banner or flag. Maybe identification. Blue and red with white dots. Nothin’ I’ve seen before. Running it through MIC-D^[5] now, but no hits yet.

Captain: No, it’s painted on. Looks familiar, though. Frank?

XO: Shit Elli, no, no idea.

Marine 2: Maybe it’s some 'bacon.'

Lance Corporal: You’re just ignorant, you know that?

Captain: Ensign, push it through the memorabilia archive.

Ensign: Cap’n?

Captain: It’s in the ship’s library. Sarah, can you link that through?

Communications Officer (Sarah): Yes, ma’am. But it’s not a classed system, ma’am. I’d have to bridge to the high side.

Captain: Stop rolling your eyes, Frank. Sarah, do it. Ensign, let me know when you’ve done a search. And recall the remote.

Ensign: Yes ma’am. Ma’am? There is a hit. Exact match.

XO: What the hell is a “pissa”? That some kinda primitive head^[6]?

Communications Officer: I think it’s pronounced “pizza” sir. It’s a food. From earth. But you can get it back on Safeharbor, too, though the earthers laugh at it. Looks like “Dominos” is some kind of purveyor, from an old Earth nation.

Lance Corporal: That’s gotta be some kinda joke, I mean, right?

Captain: Decoration.

XO: Whoa.  Is that…does that mean-

Lance Corporal: Shi-it. Earthborn. From before the... y'know. The end.

Ensign: Or someone just likes reproductions from memorabilia.

Captain: In any case, they’re probably human. XO, take the boat to level one.

XO, shipwide: All hands, duty stations. The alert level is one. Repeat: the alert level is one. Damage control, secure all seals and depressurize. Rig for high gee. Lockout power systems for engagement. Lights and comms, mission dark. XO out.

Damage Control, shipwide: The alert level is one. Controlled venting in T minus four five seconds. All hands rig for contact. Secure all bulkheads. Operators verify and report.^[7]

Captain: XO, to the CIC. COB has the conn.^[8] Boarding team to your pod.

Lance corporal: Aye, cap'n. Breachers on me.

Captain: Tommi, work us up a solution^[9] for The Harrier. Take us to weapons hot. Navigation, build a warp plan.

XO: If we spin up the warp coils, we’ll lose fire control.

Captain: I know.  It's gonna be dine-and-dash if this turns into a soup sandwich.

Tactical Officer: Danger, danger! Contact nine-zero true, closing zero-point-five c, CBDR^[10].

Captain: Shit! It’s bait! Go, go! I have the conn!

Tactical Officer: One hostile, multiple launches. Shredders in the cold.^[11] We are being lased.^[12]

Captain: Strap in! Helm, bring us about to nine-zero. Tommi, chasers up.^[13]

XO: Deploy chaff.^[14] You’re going toward them?

Captain: We have to reduce our profile.

Helm: Aye, cap’n bearing nine-zero.

Fire Control (Tommi): Bow chasers are hot, cap’n.

Damage Control: Diamonds away.

Captain: Standby whumps.^[15] Navigation, I need that warp plan! Helm, prep for five-gee burn.

XO:  Crew won't be harnessed yet.

Tactical Officer: Danger, danger! Contact minus five-five, three hours twenty.^[16] The Harrier is under thrust. I have EMR and radiation readings consistent with powerplant activation. Missile doors are open. Laser array is active.

Captain: Sonnuva...helm, all hold! Tactical, how do you make contact bearing?

Tactical Officer: Contact bearing is one-five,  diverging, on intercept with the Harrier.^[17]

Captain: Helm, match attitude with the Harrier, one dot five gee. Navigation?

Navigation: Warp plan laid in captain.

Tactical Officer: The Harrier is engaging. Multiple launches. I’m reading her shield at...two-fifty KT, pulsed.^[18]

XO: That’s impossible! Where does she get that kind of power?!

Captain: Helm, keep us out of the cross fire. Tactical, identify hostile voidcraft. Damage control, status?

Damage Control: Fifteen seconds to venting.

Captain: Let's seal it up, folks.

Tactical: No match in MIC-D, captain, but the profile looks a helluva lot like the Harrier.

Captain: Comms, hail the Harrier tightbeam. Message: Human salvage team from Safeharbor. Standing by to assist. Please advise

Communications Office: Aye, captain. Hailing.

Captain: Frank, how many shredders do you make?

XO: Thirty to forty. Three on intercept.^[19]

Tactical: The Harrier has deployed carbo-boards.^[20] Whumps in the cold. She’s burning at nine gees. Hostiles altering trajectory to intercept.

XO: Multiple detonations. Hostiles will cross the plane in fifteen seconds.^[21] They’re going to blow right by at that speed.

Captain: They're both gonna drop mines. Helm, give them space. Can we get a solution on them?

Damage Control: All seals green. Initiating vacuum.

Fire Control: Negative, captain, moving too fast across the plane. We could mine.

Captain: Negative; shredders, spread of four across their trajectory, parallel to the Harrier's bearing. Comms, any reply?

Communications Officer: Negative captain.

XO: Ten seconds. Arm failing guns.^[22]

Fire Control: Aye-aye, failing guns armed and tracking. Captain, I can’t get a solution for the shredders.

Captain: Trust your instincts, take the shot!

Fire Control: Aye, cap'n...tubes one through four...away.

XO: Deploy whumps.

Fire Control: Whumps away.

XO: Five seconds. Reserve power to forward mag shields.

Fire Control: Mags up, stable at one fifty T.^[23]

XO: Brace for impact.

(Vibrations, lights dim)

Tactical Officer: Hostiles have crossed the plane and are moving away at minus nine zero true.^[24]

Captain: Damage Control, report.

Damage Control: Port radiator at fifty percent. Hull beach at two, three, twenty-two.^[25] Casualty report pending.

XO: Tac, do we have targets?

Tactical Officer: Negative, scope is clear.

XO: What about the Harrier?

Tactical Officer: Minor venting. No major damage apparent. It's still under thrust, nine gees. We couldn't take that for more than a few seconds.

Captain: Helm, widen our orbit. Tactical, estimate time until hostiles can make another pass. Get me comms.

Helm: All hands, 60-second 3 gee burn.

XO: Open to comms.

Captain: Comms, hail the Harrier again.

Tactical Officer: Be advised, we are being lased by the Harrier.

Captain: Sarah, what've you got?

Communications Officer: Warning beacon, ma’am.

Captain: Shit. What do you think Frank? The smart play is to warp while we're still able.

XO: Dammit. I want answers, don't you? Someone on that ship is earthborn. Besides, it’s going to take some time to recharge the coil batteries. We pulled down fifty percent to power the shields.

Captain: We can power it with the fusion drive, but yeah, I do want answers. Comms, open channel to the Harrier.

Communications Officer: The channel is yours, ma'am.

Captain: This is Captain Eleanor Cho of the SVN Max Planck. We are a human salvage crew with no hostile intent. Put your weapons on hold.

Mechanically Scrambled Voice (Voice): SVN Max Planck, no assistance needed. We are leaving this system. Suggest you do the same. It is compromised for... humans.

Captain: Harrier, what is your provenance and mission?

…

Captain: Harrier, repeat: what is your provenance and mission?

Voice: Our mission is to wait patiently until it is safe.

Captain: Harrier, we can help you against your enemies. If you accompany us to Safeharbor-

Voice: Captain Cho, you are the enemy. You see how swiftly we were attacked after you discovered us. Our only safety is in silence.

Captain: I don’t know how long you’ve been drifting out here, Harrier, but humans have a home now, and we are getting stronger. We can help protect you.

Voice: Captain Cho, you would kill us on sight. You don’t even know your own protocols. Safehabor would be our graveyard.

Captain: Harrier...are you not earthborn? What is the provenance of your vessel?

Voice: We fled Earth in the ships of our hunters because we were creative and bold. We were not Chosen like your parents were. We were not supposed to survive. They did not intend us to be out here.

Captain: Harrier, please, hold your position! We just want to know what happened to you. How did you come to be here? Where is Earth?

...

Voice: The Chosen know. Break them.

Captain: The Chosen - you mean our Earthborn? Who chose them? For what? 

Voice: That's the wrong question, Captain Cho. Ask them instead what they chose.

Captain: Harrier...we've tried asking them in every way, but they won't tell us and we can't...we can't torture our own parents.   

…

Voice: Captain Cho. I cannot help you or your parents. My responsibility is to keep the last of us alive until we can emerge once more, until it is safe. We are so few.

Captain: You talk just like them! Why is everyone so cryptic? What happened? What does it mean to break into heaven?

Voice: No, we're not like them. Not like you.

Captain: Well, you’re human, aren’t you? That’s enough for me.

Voice: Yes, I’m human. I’m the first human you have ever spoken to. What’s so hard to understand about “breaking into heaven?” It means just what it says. Now ask yourself: who lives in heaven? I’ll tell you in case you haven’t guessed, Captain Eleanor Cho. The dead. The dead live in heaven. Do you honestly think the entire human race was ‘genetically modified’? People from every country, culture, and ancestry, all at once?

Do you know what the dead want, Captain Eleanor Cho?

Captain (whispering): What...what are you saying?

Voice: They want to live again.

Tactical Officer: Captain, be advised: the Harrier has gone to warp.

^[1] Dense material between the fusion drive and the ship to capture high energy neutrons that cannot be deflected by the magnetic bottle. Typically made of tungsten or tungsten carbide. A neutron shield will emit radiation for years after operation.

^[2] Pronunciation of CIWS, Close-in Weapon System

^[3] Military slang for boarding without a pod, using only a tether and a manned maneuvering unit.

^[4] An exaggeration. Conditioned humans can sustain a maximum of nine gees for a very short period of time.

^[5] Military Identification and Classification Database

^[6] Head is the military term for a water closet.

^[7] Most military vessels depressurize prior to combat to minimize the damage from a hull breach.  Crew members typically wear vacuum suits that can sustain a breathable atmosphere for up to 1,000 hours.  These are dubbed “1K-Gear.”

^[8] Chief of the Boat. The captain’s highest staff advisor. To have the conn is to be in command of the ships navigation while the captain or executive officer are otherwise occupied.

^[9] Coordinates and targeting information for a target, required for missiles and projectiles that will take a curved path to reach their target. At engagement speeds, almost all projectiles will need to alter their path to intercept.

^[10] Nine-zero true: exactly 90 degrees above the ship, traveling in a direction parallel to the planet’s axis (i.e., from north pole to south pole). Zero-point-five c: approximately 15,000 km/s. CBDR: constant bearing, decreasing range; i.e., on a collision course.

^[11] Shredders: A type of ordnance that generates shaped shrapnel clouds of depleted uranium pellets at significant speed into the path of an enemy vessel to shred its hull. “In the cold” - launched and under thrust.

^[12] Targeted with a laser.

^[13] Chasers: bow chasers, powerful railguns aligned along the voidcraft’s axis to minimize the effects of recoil on the ship’s bearing.

^[14] Reflective particles that make laser targeting more difficult. Most military grade targeting lasers can melt inferior chaff. The SVN Max Planck was outfitted with refractive carbon chaff (“diamonds”) which are more effective against such targeting lasers.

^[15] Ordnance designed to counter shrapnel clouds.  Their shaped EMR pulse detonated ahead of the ship’s trajectory, deflecting the high speed particles out of its path.

^[16] Minus five-five at three hours twenty: Negative 55 degrees from the ship’s vertical axis at 3 hours and 20 minutes arc from its current bearing. Note that the SVN Max Planck is now facing the oncoming attack ship heading toward the north pole of the ice giant. The Harrier is still in orbit, moving perpendicular to the Planck’s current trajectory.

^[17] One-five, diverging: 15 degrees off the Planck’s trajectory, and widening away.

^[18] Two-fifty KT, pulsed: 250,000 tesla, pulsing (i.e., not a constant field).

^[19] I.e., targeting the Planck.

^[20] Shaped counter charges on carbon sheeting.

^[21] The plane is the imaginary, infinite flat surface defined by the ship’s major axis. Anything “above” the plane has positive declination and anything below the plane has negative declination.

^[22] High-volume projectile guns designed to track and intercept incoming ordnance and destroy it with thousands of pellets.

^[23] Planck’s shields are a static 150 tesla.

^[24] Negative ninety degrees declination, or directly below the ship.

^[25] The areas affected by the hull breaches. These have already been sealed off from other areas as part of depressurization.