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Glued to their tablet screens, we watched in awe as a team of competent scientists and engineers blasted through the cosmos. Earth celebrated. After experiencing so much strife, the entire world came together, unified toward progress.
There was hope of a better future. To infinity, eyes toward the heavens.
That was the first expedition. Our crew is the second.
We’ll meet the others on planet Avalon. We’ll drop off the supplies and start building a new tomorrow. Then, like the noble pioneers of the past, we’ll watch the future grow.
The flight is just a routine expedition, added humans to start the construction of a new planetary habitat. It requires five of us to give up our lives for the greater good. No big deal. Just a standard twenty-year round trip…
We won’t have to work again. We can retire in glory.
Surprisingly, none of us care about any of those things. The crew doesn’t want infamy. We’re all searching for something else.
I’ll admit it. The mystery turned us on. We wanted to know why our lives were so difficult. We left because we wanted something other than ourselves.
That’s not what we got. Space makes one introspective. It alters the perception of one’s life.
We circle through Avalon’s orbit. The only thing I’m wondering is why I ever signed up to do this.
It has been eight months, and the first half of our journey is finally coming to an end. We’re nearly there. But are we prepared?
The closer we get to the green planet, the more I want to understand it.
In the final weeks before leaving, NASA revealed to us something remarkable. The first expedition found life. Microbiology. Things you can’t actually see.
Nothing to worry about, they said. There are a team of scientists studying the samples.
There might be more to Avalon than meets the eye.
Leaning my head against the cold window, I stare in awe, eyes watering.
I’ve never experienced love. Not when I was younger. Not as I aged. I never gave it a second thought.
As Avalon pulls us inside, it’s the only thing on my mind.
Who knows if I’ll ever find someone who understands me? After this expedition, everything will be different. And that’s only if we make it back in one piece.
Can a planet’s atmosphere cause such an emotional disturbance in a human? No, I decide. I’ve been sleeping too much. That’s the reason.
Everything is going to be fine…
Halloway, the captain of the ship arrives at my side. He’s not a great leader, but he’s a decent man. Still, I wish he took the time to bring the crew closer together.
“The cosmos is endless,” I say.
“It won’t be long until we land,” he says. “You thinking about home again?”
“Somehow, I’m always thinking about home,” I mutter.
“Well, you don’t need to worry. Earth is the same place we left it. Doesn’t matter how far away you are from home. Life goes on,” Halloway says.
I nod. Life always finds a way.
Leaning over to look out the window, his eyes glow with wonder. “We should celebrate, right? We made it. Avalon… Look at her. Isn’t she exquisite?”
To my right, Fassbender leans near the door, his blonde hair, combed back, gel glistening. There’s a dark twinkle in his eyes, and his lips arch like horns.
“You’re wrong, you know. Life doesn’t just go on,” he says. “Avalon rests near a black hole. You’ve felt it. Depression. Madness. We have all experienced it. Unfortunately for us, time works at a faster rate out here. One hour here is years back home.”
