Task Mission

"Task Mission" by Fox B. Holden is a science fiction story about Captain Nicholas Joel's journey to Arcturus IV, a planet abundant with the valuable mneurium-4. Joel and his crew aboard the "White Whale" meet the planet's gentle natives, leading Joel to examine the ethics of resource exploitation. Originally jaded with space travel's monotony, Joel finds himself drawn to the community and uncomplicated lifestyle of the Arcturians, especially after helping a local woman. Surrounded by the planet’s beauty and the locals’ contentment, Joel starts to question his own society’s values and the cost of endless ambition, coming to terms with the value of human connection over the pursuit of technology and wealth. He must decide if he can go back to his old life, or whether he will choose a new path that reflects the values he has discovered.