A New Mission: Happiness is Simple

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At Heaven's Ark—It was night, and Parker Selfridge was moping around the corridors with his hands in his gray pants pockets taking in his newfound state of being awake. It was still so strange to him how everyone around him aged six years. In most ways it was subtle, but things had certainly changed, especially in day-to-day operations.

There was a present younger generation now, even early teenagers, born after the war fifteen years ago. Things had also gotten a little stricter with the use of old RDA resources that could break down. Wanted just one powdered coffee in the mess hall? You had to light a pot of water over a match-lit flame instead of using the coffee makers which were reserved for larger group meals as their electronics were getting buggy. Wanted to take a walk outside? Now you had to be extra diligent for Pandoran wasps that had become more present as the margins of the base had slowly been reclaimed by the forest, leadership not looking to clear it and disrespect anything.

Ugh, these hippies... it's just a few fricken flowers. Would the Omatikaya even notice?

Parked did his best to catch himself in such thoughts when they arose... the same types of thoughts that escalated conflict to the Battle of the Hallelujah Mountains and, eventually, the Great War. Just a few flowers... just one tree... just one patch of forest... just one hole in the ground... just one region... just one continent... just one moon.

Still though, the changes were weird to Parker. He was lucky he wasn't asleep for ten or twenty years or things might feel even stranger, though of course, letting the old Heaven's Ark pass him by was his goal when he went down. And was his goal in sneakily taking the Amrita pills before he was found out.

He knew with Miles aware of his little cryo stunt he probably couldn't get away with it again. But he was honestly a little pissed at Miles because what's it to him if he wants to sleep his sorrows away? Not like he's around to grab a beer or drive a few golf balls over the old fences every now and again. But Parker was trying to make the best of it in these last two days of being awake.

Something he couldn't get out of his head though, which confused the hell out of him was that little girl, Olive. He had placed her colorful little Banshee, err "Ikran" plushie on a bland shelf in his windowless little dorm room and it greatly brightened up the place. It was effectively the centerpiece that his eyes were drawn to every time he went to his small space.

Parker sighed as he strolled around the night-quiet base, pushing his hands further in his pockets at his complex thoughts.

He was sad at thinking about her parents being dead... Parker kept trying to actively suppress a borderline insane feeling that had been growing in him. Maybe... maybe he could take care of her? No! Parker, you idiot. You're nothing to this kid. You don't know her. You don't know how to be a father. You have nothing to offer. You're a corporate asshole with a sprinkling of moral conscience, nothing more.

But at the same time... does anyone truly know how to be a parent until they become one? Parker just wanted a purpose in his remaining years on this alien world. He wanted something or someone to care about. He felt so aimless. In the world of business administration, there was always something to be focused on. Always some hustle.

And if Miles Quaritch of all people could be a father, why couldn't he?

Doesn't matter, it's not like it was something he was going to seriously pursue. How would he even go about it? Hey, I'm a former corporate suit that everyone here hates, can I adopt this little girl I have no tether to? Jesus, this was far too much brain usage for having just been in cryo for six years. It was making his head hurt.