Dock 3, Dawn Star City One.
The spherical Exploration Ship [Poseidon] sat quietly in its assigned berth, waiting for orders from the Academy of Sciences.
At the very front of the Exploration Ship were two small windows.
Through the windows, two figures could just be made out.
Hope and Hansent.
The cramped cockpit was packed with precision instruments and equipment, leaving the two men little room to move.
With departure approaching, they sat silently in their seats, their expressions grave and their eyes fixed on the small windows before them.
Outside lay the familiar port of City One.
Perhaps because they were about to set off into unknown territory no human had ever entered, the atmosphere in the cockpit was exceptionally solemn.
Hope instinctively tugged at his collar and took a deep breath to ease the pressure weighing on him.
But judging by his expression, it clearly had done little to help.
"Hope."
Hansent's voice broke the dead silence in the cockpit.
Hope's Adam's apple shifted slightly as he answered in a hoarse voice, "What?"
"...Any regrets?"
Hope's expression stiffened for a moment, but he immediately shook his head without hesitation. "No. At least now I'm a member of the Human Federation Academy of Sciences."
Hansent chuckled without saying anything.
"What about you?" Hope asked after a brief silence.
"Me?" Hansent murmured in a low voice. "Do you want the truth or a lie?"
"..." Hope said nothing. He simply turned his head and quietly watched Hansent beside him.
"Honestly, I did have some regrets when I sat down in this cockpit." Hansent took a deep breath. "But then I thought about how I might be the first human in history to land on the Ice Giant, and I made my peace with it."
"When we get back, I can