Gaia 3

IV. Departure

Finally, the day everyone was waiting for arrived. By now, Jaleah had filed her leave of absence forms with the university and had attended her farewell party. By the time the crew was scheduled to depart, Jaleah was feeling much more optimistic about the expedition. She had stopped having the nightmare, and had finally found a way to explain the irregularities she had found on the atmospheric maps (holes in the planet's ozone. They would have to wear extra sunscreen in those places). 

--<<>>--

The day of the departure was pleasant, if not a little warmer than Jaleah was used to. She and her colleagues were spending most of the day in the sun, fielding last minute questions from the press. A rather large crowd had come to see them off - after all, Daviron was quite the celebrity, and the press had spent a month and a half analyzing every detail of the expedition. The coverage ranged from the practical - like the kind of transportation they would use once they landed on the surface of the planet, to the completely ridiculous - like the kind of shoes they would be wearing on the trip. Daviron had been excellent at answering all these questions and provided all the necessary details (although no one, to Jaleah's knowledge, had answered the shoe question). Thanks to his transparency, the press had very few questions for them about the expedition itself - instead, they answered a dozen or so variations of 'Are you excited?'

And of course they were excited. Why wouldn't they be? Any doubts about exploring a new planet or fears of what dangers lie ahead were replaced by a growing sense of pride and enthusiasm. There was no doubt about it - this would be life-changing. And not just for the crew, no; it would be life-changing for everything the crew represented: scientific curiosity, exploration, and planetary pride. 

--<<>>--

Jaleah spotted her parents at the front of the crowd. They looked the same way they did when she first went off to college; a mask of pride hiding a world of worry. She excused herself from the others; for now, they'd be able to tell the press how excited they were without her. 

Her parents welcomed her with a huge hug. 

"Mom, Dad, I'm so glad you could come see me off," she said once they finally let her go. 

"We wouldn't have missed it for the world," her mother smiled. 

"Although as a big-shot explorer, you could have bought us the shuttle tickets," her father grumbled. 

"Dane!" her mother exclaimed, rolling her eyes. 

"Obviously I'm kidding, Marie," her father replied, "We're really proud of you, kiddo. Terrified, too, but very proud." 

"Really, it's a proud-scared combo," her mother agreed. 

"Guys, I'll be fine!" Jaleah reassured them, "This isn't the old days. These missions are standard now." 

"We know," her mother sighed, "But we're your parents. It's our job to worry about you." 

"Especially since this is your first time to a planet outside our system." 

Jaleah hugged her parents again. 
"You guys are amazing," she said, "But seriously, try not to worry too much about me. We're going to be in constant communication with the Union base, and I'll be back in eight months." 

"I thought there was a problem with communications, though," her father pointed out, "I heard about it on the news last night." 

Jaleah sighed. 
"Okay, it's true that there's about a two-week lag in communications," she admitted, "But considering that I'm going to be living on a planet three systems away for eight months, that's pretty good." 

"Fine," her mother huffed, "Just promise you'll send messages as often as you can, okay?" 

"I promise, Mom," Jaleah smiled, rolling her eyes. 

"Jaleah!" 

Jaleah looked over her shoulder. The crew was done with the press conference, and they were ready to board. 

"Well, it looks like it's about time for me to get going," she said, trying her best not to cry, "I love you guys." 

"We love you too, J," her father said, hugging her. 

"We really do. And we're very proud of you," her mother continued, joining the hug. They stayed that way for a few seconds before Jaleah broke off. 

"Well, you don't want to miss your flight, kiddo," her father smiled, looking like he too was about to start crying. 

"Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad," Jaleah waved. Then she walked off to join her colleagues. 

--<<>>--

Daviron stopped her before she could enter the ship and steered her back to the stage, where she was joined by the rest of the crew. For a second, Jaleah was puzzled, but then she realized that Daviron was about to make a speech. 

The crowd must have realized this as well because slowly, an eager silence swept over it. Finally, after the last of the voices had ceased, Daviron began. 

"We set off today on an expedition to Gaia 3, but to say it is just another expedition diminishes its true significance.

We set off today on a journey through the stars, not for glory, nor for fame, nor for fortune, but because there is new knowledge to be gained and a new world to be explored. 

We set off today in the name of scientific inquiry. What better way to learn about ourselves than to explore the universe we live in? 

We set off today because the universe presented to us a challenge, and we chose to accept it.

We set off today because the universe said, 'I dare you to uncover my secrets', and we said, 'Hell yeah'. 

We set off today not because it is easy, but because it is hard.

We set off today because it is in our nature to do so; there is no quelling our curiosity, nor quashing our sense of adventure. 

We set off today because it is our birthright to discover the wonders of the universe. 

Together, let us explore the stars." 

==<<>>==<<>>==<<>>==

I would like to note that the phrase  "New knowledge to be gained" is from President John F. Kennedy's speech 'We choose to go to the moon', as is the phrase "not because it is easy, but because it is hard". Furthermore, the phrase "Together, let us explore the stars" is from President Kennedy's 1961 inaugural address.

Also, I really hope you like it so far, and if you do, I would really appreciate it if you could vote on it. It only takes a few seconds, and it would mean so much to me!