Leaving Eden Twelve

“Each person is allowed to have one cubed meter of belongings. I don’t care how heavy it is, but if it doesn’t fit in the box, it doesn’t go in the spaceship,” Kathryn said into the megaphone.
“We’re all going to have to make sacrifices, but that’s what you signed up for. Prioritize, and keep a positive attitude about it, because this is not optional, as we’ve explained.”
There was a grumble that settled over the crowd, but Ofelia decided that the grumble was much better than the verging on panic the crowd had been running on for the past two weeks.
Kathryn had tried to break the news gently to the colonists that Eden Twelve was not going to be their final destination, due to technical difficulties.
Ofelia had come up with the idea to compile a log of all the colonists reactions to the fact that they were the first pioneers to discover intelligent alien life. Their names were to be inscribed on a beautiful monument that would mark the spot for all eternity. Future visitors could play back the individual colonist’s reactions with the touch of a button. Ofelia failed to mention it would only exist for two years after an asteroid came crashing down on it. Fortunately the colonists were too busy thinking about their fifteen minutes of fame to think that far in advance.
Jack finally put down the pavement, and laid a large strip out to the back of the settlement that led up to the alien ship. This one was blue, Rex noted. They had already started to load the ship, and Larry, Moe, and Curly kept a low profile in The Bar. Though they had promised a ship that would carry all passengers, Captain Clovelly and Jack had soon made the decision that the evacuation would be made in two waves. Ofelia, Larissa, Mr. and Mrs. Doc Martin and Jack were scheduled to lead on the first trip. The Doctors Romanov, and Captain Clovelly would follow. First Officer Crosby volunteered to fly the ship back to Eden Twelve to pick up the second group. Jack would teach him how to fly it on the way over. Fred, via Larry was giving Jack instruction.
“Have your boxes ready to load by sunrise tomorrow. If all goes according to plan, the first group will leave at dusk.”
The first wave was larger than the first, carrying nearly 2,000. They would arrive and begin to set up the colony… that way when the second flight arrived, they would have somewhere to put the livestock, and any vegetation they thought would survive the flight.
Before Kathryn could stop her, Larissa had grabbed the megaphone. “And don’t forget to pack your toothbrush… and your deodorizer, because we’re going to be sleeping in close quarters and I don’t want to smell your bad breath and stinky pits.”
The crowd laughed, and Larissa dutifully handed the megaphone back to Kathryn.
“Relay any questions or concerns to your block leaders and we’ll get answers for you as soon as we can. Dismissed.”
The crowd turned and began to disperse. Kathryn raised a stern eyebrow at Larissa.
“Hey, I thought we needed a little levity. Things were getting too serious.” Kathryn simply shook her head and gave her attention to an approaching block leader.
Ofelia headed back to the bar. Ever since the aliens had practically taken up residence there, it had been empty. Of course everyone now was more intent on packing their bags than drinking or gambling. Rex was in his normal spot behind the bar.
“You don’t look like you’re ready to go,” Ofelia said, as she eyed Larry, Moe and Curly in the corner playing poker. Rex had taught them the game two days ago, and they’d played it nearly nonstop since then.
“The Bar’s cargo. It’s going on the second trip… at least what parts I can dismantle and fit into the hold.”
“But I’m on the first trip.” It had been hell packing all of her stuff into the little box, but when her mom offered her the leftover space in hers, Ofelia felt guilty for her frustration. With only a set of uniforms for clothes, her mom packed light. Ofelia thought it probably also had something to do with all the moving her mother had done during the war years. She didn’t let the extra space go to waste though. She offered it to Larissa and her teenage closet who gladly accepted.
“Well, it looks like we’ll have to say goodbye for now,” Rex said. His cool exterior angered Ofelia.
“It’s that easy for you? Just so long, I’ll see you in forty five days?”
“Sweetheart, life is full of little tempests, but if you’re done packing, then we could slip into the back room and have a nice long goodbye.”
“Is that all you think about?”
“If I’m not going to see you for forty five days, then yeah. You telling me it hasn’t crossed your mind?”
“Up until a minute ago, I thought we were going together.”
Rex shrugged. “By the sound of it, there won’t be much privacy anyway.” Rooms on board the space ship were going to be dorm style with single beds three high. It wasn’t going to be a pleasure cruise.
“You’re smart. I bet you would find us some privacy if you wanted it badly enough.”
“I got a room reserved right here.” Rex pointed to the back room. Ofelia was just a little too tired and peeved as his casual attitude towards the whole issue.
“Well, I’m kinda busy organizing a space flight,” Ofelia said. She gave him one of the same shrugs he was infamous for, and then turned and walked out. She half hoped that he would vault over the bar and drag her into the back room, but he didn’t… which put her into an even worse mood.
She was already packed. Everything seemed to be in order, and she had some extra time on her hands, but she’d be damned if she’d go back and beg him to make love to her one more time.
Ofelia stormed all the way to the outskirts of the settlement where the gigantic back hatch of the blue ship opened to form a ramp that was full of people loading containers and equipment. The actual passengers would be the last to load. In fact, they were going to have a take off picnic for dinner before boarding the ship. Ofelia walked up the ramp, and climbed up a ladder on the left side. Jack and Larissa had gone through and labeled everything with a permanent marker, as the alien language that covered everything looked more like Braille than an actual alphabet. The hatch at the top said, “Cockpit, authorized personnel only.” Ofelia assumed she was one of them.
“Now, I think it’s actually going to be pretty easy to fly this thing,” Ofelia heard Jack say as she climbed up into the small cockpit. “The atmospheric controls much like an old Earth airplanes. Left, right, pull is up, and push is down.” Jack pulled on the control stick to demonstrate.
“Space travel is even easier. Do you see this button right here?”
“The purple one? Larissa asked.
“Yeah, in space it will blink purple then red, purple and red. As long as it’s blinking we’re all good.”
“What’s it do?” Larissa asked.
“It’s the autopilot.”
“But what if it goes off.”
“Then you hope Fred gave me enough directions to find our new planet.”
“You want us to have faith in Fred?” Ofelia finally said, sitting on a narrow ledge behind the two pilot seats.
“Well, the red purple light shouldn’t go off. The ship apparently travels so fast, that human and aliens can’t keep up with it… so they plug their destination into the computer and let it do the work.”
“How fast does it go?”
“I haven’t quite figured that out yet, but let’s just say The Hope wouldn’t have gotten there in fifteen days. Maybe not fifteen months.”
“What are you doing here, anyway?” Larissa asked, swivel the pilot’s chair around to look at Ofelia behind her. “I would have thought you’d be elsewhere doing… other things.
“Yeah, me too,” Jack said.
“Yeah, me three,” Kathryn said, surprising Ofelia the same way she had surprised the other two. It was nearly too crowded to put four people in the cockpit, but Kathryn just barely managed. “Could I have a moment alone with my daughter?”
Jack and Larissa exchanged looks before shimmying past the other two and downt he ladder. The hatch slip closed behind them. Kathryn took one of the pilot chairs and Ofelia sat in the other.
“I just wanted to get a little time alone to apologize. I don’t want you to think that I’m deliberately sabotaging your new relationship,” Kathryn said. Ofelia was confused.
“What are you talking about?”
“By asking you to go on the first flight and Rex to go on the second flight with me.”
“You asked him to stay?”
“Yes. Larry Moe and Curly are going to still be hanging around, and without Jack, I’m going to need someone who can deal with them and not panic if there’s a miscommunication problem. They spend all their time in The Bar now anyway, I can’t imagine where they’d go if we closed and packed it up today. Rex can keep them occupied.” And win a bundle off them in poker, no doubt. It made sense. As always, the bar filled a need.
“He didn’t want to go on a different trip as you, but I reasoned with him and he understood. I’m hoping you would too.”
“Why didn’t he tell me this?”
“Probably because I asked him to keep a low profile about this. I don’t want someone like Mrs. Edwards get a hold of the information that on the first alien contact, we decided to teach them how to gamble.”
Ofelia nodded. In fact, she was getting a little mad at herself for not understanding by now, that Rex was a man who played with his hands close to his chest. He didn’t let anyone have any information that wasn’t absolutely necessary. Ofelia didn’t even know his last name. Most of the facts that she knew about Rex were basic likes and dislikes and things she’d picked up from observation. He loved peaches.
Ofelia’s mom must have noticed her distraction. “You’re wasting time,” she said simply.
Ofelia smiled sheepishly at her mom before opening the hatch and scrambling down the ladder. She practically ran to the orchard to find Viola. She must have had her thoughts plastered on her forehead, because when Ofelia asked if there were any peaches left, Viola laughed hard.
“It’s a little bruised, but I’ve got one left,” Viola said as she handed it to Ofelia who thanked her and took off again, ignoring Viola’s further laughs.
At the entrance to The Bar, Ofelia drew up short, trying to catch her breath so she would look presentable. She paused for a moment once she was breathing normally and looked at the peach. What if he was nonchalant when she went back in there? What if he turned her down for her pride earlier? What if he could care less about… Ofelia stopped herself from asking any more questions. Things were going to go exactly as she planned, like some Old Earth movie where the heroine was swept off her feet.
Ofelia swept into The Bar, and searched the room squinty eyed for the expected hero. He wasn’t there.
“Where’s Rex?” Larry, Moe and Curly just looked up at her, tentacles waving, and then went back to their poker game.
“He’s right behind you sweetheart,” Rex said from behind her. “You’re a hard person to find. I’ve been running from hell and back and I’m all out of breath.” Ofelia giggled and held out the peach.
“I brought you a present.” Rex took the peach from her hand and placed it on a nearby table.
“I think you’re the only present I need for now.” Rex pulled her close and kissed her. Relief poured through Ofelia and she melted into him… at least until a metallic hand prodded her shoulder.
“What do you want, Fred,” Rex asked, irritated.
“We want to know if this is human mating?”
“Not quite buddy, but we’re getting there,” Rex grinned.
Larry, Moe and Curly had dropped their cards for the more interesting topic. They gathered around the two. Larry prodded the peach with a tentacle.
“We would like a demonstration of human mating. Get jiggy with it. Horizontal tango. Hubba hubba.”
“If you want a demonstration of the birds and the bees, you’re going to have to find Jack.”
“Not birds and bees. Humans. Human intercourse. Hide the salami.”
“If he says jiggy one more time, I’m going to knock that pretty silver head right off his shoulders,” Rex said through his teeth.
“Humans don’t mate in public. It is a private thing. If you want to know what it looks like, I’m sure Jack can find you something to watch,” Ofelia said, though she knew she wasn’t supposed to know about the “secret” portion of the mainframe dedicated to porn.
“Jack, Jack, Jack,” Larry. Moe, and Curly said as they went bouncing out the door, tentacles wiggling with excitement.
“You don’t think that was kind of mean to do to Jack, do you?” Ofelia asked as she watched them file out.
“Oh, I think that makes us just about even for the interruption a while back. Now come on. I can think of about fifty other things I could be doing to you beside standing here.” Rex ushered her out the door, and then paused. He ran back in and returned, peach in hand. “Come on, sweetheart. We’re short on time, and we’ve got forty five days worth to fit into a few hours.”
#
“You’re going to take good care of my mom, aren’t you?” Ofelia said as she finally got dressed. They were scheduled to take off in an hour, and she’d already completely missed the picnic dinner… not that she was complaining. Rex had definitely tried to make up for lost time.
“Do you want me to send some Vid messages back with the ship?” she asked.
“Are they going to be in the “special” section of the mainframe?”
“In your dreams, buster.”
“Then maybe I will just have to be content with my dreams.”
Ofelia pulled her sweater on over her head. When she looked back at Rex, propped up in the bed with only the sheet to cover his lower body, she sighed. Rex looked under the covers.
“I might be able to manage one more time.”
“Yeah, right, Superman.”
She leaned over to kiss him and he pulled her onto the bed, straddling him. She put her hands on his shoulders and enjoyed the heat of his skin on the palms of her hands. She sighed.
“If you’re coming out to say goodbye, you’d better get dressed.”
“I don’t think I will. I want to remember you right here, like this. Just the two of us.” Rex kissed her on the nose.
“If something goes wrong-” He cut her off with another kiss. He continued her thought.
“If something goes wrong, then it was meant to go wrong. And we’ll have to live with it, and the memory of the pleasure that we two have shared.”
“Wow, that’s deep.”
“Isn’t it? Now we can’t have the captain’s daughter late, now can we?”
They got off the bed, and Rex pulled on a pair of boxers. Just as she was about to leave, he pushed her against the wall and kissed her thoroughly one last time.
“Just think of me thinking of you. And sweetheart, make sure you’ve found a nice quiet secluded private spot for day forty six.”
Rex grinned at her, kissed her on the forehead, opened the door, and swatted her on the butt and on her way.