Terra Eterna

Day 1 - Morning Rituals

Lieutenant Bowyen Fortis: Day 1 - 1:45 am

Cain cries, calling for me. His cries wake up the household, but my love knows - this will be the last time I can go to him. The last morning she will get to sleep in till I return from the mission. She smiles in her sleep as I kiss her forehead: Remi, my gorgeous wife. Her long dark hair cascades over her shoulders and bare back. I follow each strand like a memorizing trail; her beauty will forever captivate me. How did such a warm, soft, gentle woman ever fall for a giant oaf like me? It must be a dream. One I would never trade for another known reality.

Cain cries again.

"Will you please stop staring at me and go grab your son?" Remi smiles teasingly.

"Sorry, sorry, yes. I'm going." I turn back to grab my wife and pull her close to me.

"Bow.." She sighs and smiles sweetly.

"He's fiiiine, Rem," I say, nuzzling her ear.

I kiss her neck tenderly as she turns to face me, taking my face in her hands, her fingers running through my beard. She kisses me. It feels like a goodbye, and I can taste the salt of her tears.

"I'm sorry, Bow.." she sniffles.

"Never apologize to me, my love." I hold her close, pulling her body against mine in an embrace I never want to end. We close our eyes and stay still, listening to each other breathing. I can feel her heart racing.

"This trip is only supposed to be six months max. I'll be home before Cain is crawling." 

"He'll be walking before he crawls, just like his siblings, and you know it." She looks up at me, her dark brown eyes wet like marbles.

"That's our boy." I smile, wiping her tears.

Cain cries again. "And he's up." Remi sighs.

We both roll out of bed in unison and go to grab our youngest, Cain, born last Thursday. He's already so strong. Remi and I have been blessed with four children: our eldest, Eli, now 21; our twins Oli and Iris, turning 13 soon; and now Cain, my little warrior. I will miss them every moment I am not home. I'm never ready to leave.

Dr. Zacharei Tombs: Day 1 - 5:30 AM

I'm ready. I have been for days. The fact that I know that my crew is running around frantically preparing for a long-term mission doesn't comfort me. I'm used to this. I don't have to assume, I know. The big lug Bowyen is useless until a fight breaks out. How that ogre can procreate baffles me. I hope the other half of the gene pool gives his kids a fighting chance. My crew, every member, irritates me. Amelia is a sweet girl and undoubtedly the most talented pilot on Terra. But she's still a child, and children have no place in this fleet - if I ran things, that is. To top it off, the Co-Captains are getting a divorce. Finally, Gates deserves a better partner. I respect her as Captain, and as a scientist, she's the best I've ever worked with. The other, her soon-to-be ex-husband, I don't particularly enjoy saying his name. Gates is the Captain whose ship I personally asked to be assigned to. Unfortunately, our boats don't have one Captain; we have two.

Dr. Mina Gates-Priam : Day 1 - 6:45 am

Today's the first day. I know I'll have to see him. That's the least of my worries, I mean he's hardly on my mind. We're going to be working together. Not that we haven't always worked together, we've been working together for the last 11 years, but divorce always makes things difficult. We're civil and still talk occasionally, but now we'll be working together for a prolonged away mission. It will be months, or it could be a year, if we get stuck in a wormhole. All I care about is the work to ensure we get the research done, the project finished, and then on to the next. Life goes on, no matter what personally crumbles around us. At least the job is always thriving because the work is necessary. Everyone's roles are essential for Terra. We're all born with a purpose, a given purpose, and no one is deemed useless. No one's talents are ever not utilized. It's truly a blessed existence. But still, I have divorce papers to file and a crew to assemble. Being co-captain has responsibilities, and I'm grateful for my position. I'm ecstatic for the days ahead, I tell myself. I know the influence and impact our work will have on the longevity of Terra, but these papers are going to be the death of me if I don't talk to the lawyer this morning. Before I go down to that seminar, before I board that ship, because if these lawyers don't call me before I board that ship, I'm stuck married to this man. How Archie and I  lived together for 11 years, I will never know.