Destiny Sails

A TIME FOR CHANGE

Waiting outside professor Garnett's office meant one of two things.

Either you had done something exemplary, which meant that you were there to explain your work in an easy to plagiarize way, for it was not unknown to have a paper released by the great man himself that bore an uncanny likeness to the work you had presented to him a month earlier. Work that you were initially told that, although noteworthy and innovative, it was nothing that would grab the attention of your peers nor indeed anyone within your chosen field - Unless it miraculously had the professor's name on it, that is. The other reason was, of course, that you were in trouble. The latter, for Mari, was probably the case when it came to her having a 'little talk' with the professor. Something that, in the past had usually ended up in her getting at least a week's suspension - Without pay.

The small anteroom that served as a waiting area to his office was decked out with scenes from varying points in history. Groundbreaking events such as the first harmonic explosion, the hydrogen engine and, of course, the Mars landing and subsequent colonies that had now made their homes there. This one was particularly close to her as it was her great grandmother who had been part of the original settlers. A group of scientists that had taken a one way ticket to another planet in order to 'back up the human race'. Mari herself had been born on Mars and had, despite the legal ramifications and red tape that still, after all these years, tied up such notions, considered herself a Martian. Of human origin obviously, but with no more right to be named as an Earthling than the animals that once roamed its surface. There was, of course, a stigma attached to referring to yourself in this way, as Mari had found out very quickly on her first visit to Earth and the subsequent application to the university. The form had said 'Off worlder.' Mari had, in her naivety, crossed this out and put Martian in its place - Something that had haunted her time here from that day onwards.

The door to the main office opened, the sound of which caused Mari to start from her daydream of subtle tournaments from her fellow students. Years of finding pictures of little green men drawn in her notebooks. Soap laced with food colouring that had turned her green for a couple of hours after she had showered, and of course the hilarious 'beep beep' noises behind her back.

"Ready when you are Miss Jenson." Said the professor.

And that was another thing. Her name was way too close to Jetson for anyone to let that pass. Mari smiled and made her way into his office.

"Thank you for making time to see me Miss Jenson."

"Not at all." Replied Mari with a forced confidence that had been honed in the fires of ridicule.

"How may I help you?" She asked.

Professor Garnett seated himself on the small leather sofa that was placed in front of the log fire and away from the imposing oak desk that dominated the room. He gestured towards the chair that sat opposite.

"Please." He said. "Make yourself comfortable."

On the glass coffee table that separated them was the paper Mari had submitted some three months ago. Its dogeared appearance gave the impression that it had been looked over many times, something Mari was not sure was a good thing or not. She sat on the edge of the overstuffed chair, placing her hand on her rear and sliding her hand towards her knees so as to smooth her skirt out. The professor picked up the paper and flicked through it.

"Would you consider this to be an idea, or a discovery?"

His light grey eyes stopped scanning the documents in front of him and settled on Mari with pin prick-like attention. His gaze was unnerving. Intimidating almost, and the question he asked was almost accusatory in its manner.