Ambition

"Ambition" by William L. Bade is a science fiction tale set in a technologically advanced future, but it’s really about the timeless human drive to explore. The story follows Robert Lee Maitland, a 20th-century engineer unexpectedly transported to the year 2634. Initially fearing interrogation, Maitland discovers he's part of a psychological study, in a time where space travel which was once a dream had lost its allure. Befriending Ingrid Ching, who likewise dreams of experiencing time travel, he finds a kindred spirit. Rather than being content as a subject in testing, Maitland utilizes opportunity to chase his long-held dream by embarking on a solo space voyage before returning back to his own time, a changed man with a mixture of longing and achievement.