Children of Stardust

Simphiwe's Genesis

The blue light above the control centre was blinking. Simphiwe returned to their ebook for the moment, but they knew that they could not ignore the light for long. Soon it would start chirping and then become increasingly louder until the sound reverberated through Simphiwe's skull.

The start of the gentle, almost inaudible, sound lulled Simphiwe out of their seat. They made their way over to the control panel. Simphiwe's hand hovered over the blue button that would answer the call, considering what would happen if they answered it themself. Their heart raced for a moment. Just a moment. Then Simphiwe withdrew their hand and relief flooded through their system.

Simphiwe slid out of the room to and along the hall to the laboratory, where their mom was running an analysis on the water samples she'd collected yesterday. Grace Ndlovu looked up from her work when Simphiwe entered the room. "They're calling, umama," Simphiwe said.

Grace stiffened where she was, hunched over her work. Then she loosened her muscles, straightened her body, and made her way towards the control centre. She did not so much as glance at Simphiwe. Simphiwe followed.

Simphiwe found her standing in front of the blue light. She ran her fingers through her hair and pulled it back into a tight bun. Simphiwe couldn't do that. Their hair was curly and thick and grew out in every direction. Simphiwe liked this about their hair. It suited them.

"How long do you want me gone?" Simphiwe asked.

"Two hours should be sufficient," Simphiwe's mom said.

Simphiwe made a face, but Grace Ndlovu was already pouring over the control panel. Simphiwe practically punched the button to open the airlock. As they stepped through the door, they heard their mom speak.

"This is Dr. Grace Ndlovu reporting from observation base 523873-E."

The airlock didn't work as an airlock anymore. It would work if they needed it, but the air was breathable on Simphiwe's planet. Using the airlock was an unnecessary hassle. So the first door of the airlock stayed open.

As soon as Simphiwe was outside, they spat on the ground. 523873-E was such a stupid name. "523873" was the designation for their star, and "E" was the name of their planet, since it was the fifth from the star. Simphiwe preferred to call their star Azul and their planet Sasibhakabhaka. "That name's already taken," Grace had said when she heard this. "Some people call Earth the blue planet, you know." This made Simphiwe angry. Why should Earth get all the nice names and her planet get a crummy string of numbers and a letter? Her planet had just as much of a right to be blue as Earth did.

The name Sasibhakabhaka had stayed.

Simphiwe glanced over at the garden where they and their mom grew their fresh food. Mostly it was made up of plants that had been brought from Earth, but there was a smattering of local vegetation that Simphiwe's mom had determined safe to eat. As always, the garden was thriving. They were close enough to the equator that the change of season was subtle, almost unnoticeable. No parasites – just symbiosis. No droughts or freak storms. Simphiwe's mom called it paradise. Their own Eden.

Simphiwe's mom and dad had been raised and married in the Zion Christian Church back on Earth. Simphiwe had read the book of Genesis themself out of curiosity. They had access to the internet, and the Bible was widely available online. Overall, Simphiwe had found that the creation story resonated with them. The animals on Sasibhakabhaka did not fit perfectly into the categories of the animals on Earth. There were no mammals, or birds, fish, reptiles, or insects. But there were sea creatures, creepy-crawlies and living things that could fly. Simphiwe's mom gave them numbers. Simphiwe named them each in turn.