Generations

The generation ship hung heavy in the sky. Kal watched its grey bulk sink toward the horizon. Embarkation was almost finished. Just a few more hours and its engines would fire and then it would be gone. When the sulfur wind scratched at his throat, he knew it was time to go in. He tossed another rock into the pond and waited until the black water swallowed it whole.

Krenshaw drew the blanket tighter. The empty engine silo yawned above her and the other “nonessentials.” She pulled herself close, careful not to touch any of the sleeping bodies nearby. She put her ear to the floor. There was a time, many lightyears ago, when the engine’s hum would lull her to sleep. Now, she had to make do with the guards’ footsteps. The blanket gave what comfort it could, but there was simply not enough warmth to go around.

Lights flickered up in the navigation bay. A dozen workstations huddled together under blankets of dust. Only the Corrections panel was still operational. Shan took her seat and booted up. The gas cloud had nudged the ship off-course in the night, so she plugged in the new suggested heading and sent a request to Piloting. After an hour, the day’s work was finished. She sat back and wondered what her granddaughter’s work would include, once the gas cloud was left behind. She wondered if she’d live to see that day.

Radio chatter buzzed in Lin’s helmet. Some part of him was dimly aware of the low-pressure alarm pinging its swan song. His suit was breached, his oxygen depleted, his tether torn in half. Rocks whizzed past like cannonballs in Old Earth stories. He tried to signal another mayday but his voice was lost in the tumult. The generation ship dwindled beneath him and voices bled into static.

Dropships lit up like glowflies as they burned through atmosphere. Melody watched them in a mournful silence. This planet was her birthright, but her fate lay with the vessel her ancestors had called home. She wished the colonists well and set course for the planet’s most stable lagrange point. When the last glow dimmed, she fired the retrorockets one last time.

A chill wind blew through the valley. The stars were bright tonight, but especially the Generation. Nella watched it tack across the sky. She wondered at that strange, wandering star. She wondered what kind of trail was left in its wake. She hoped she could embark the Generation and follow that trail back to its start. Maybe then, Old Earth would be young and green again. Maybe then she would welcome her people home.