Starship Helios
I know what you're thinking. 'Anika, it's the middle of exams. What even?' But inspiration doesn't have a time or place; it just strikes. Just kidding, this is something I wrote as a short story for school. Even so, it isn't too bad so I wanted to share it with those who haven't already seen it. Hope you enjoy it!
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Starship Helios
It had been twenty long, arduous years and I was eagerly waiting to land. Twenty years of travelling at lightspeed, hoping to find salvation. Hoping for another chance. A chance to begin again. My name is Alex Parker, and this is my story.
It began when humanity lost Earth. The year was 2500. We had all seen it coming; but when the last plant withered, and the last drop of water dried up, it felt like Mother Nature sighing, and breathing her last breath. The population had drastically declined to a few thousand, but even so, the Starship Helios was chockablocked with souls flickering with half hope and half melancholy. All we could do was wait for the engineers and the biotechnitions to come up with a miracle.
I had been but a child when we left. Now, I was twenty seven. So much for living out my adolescence. I was aware of how much I had lost. Family, friends, experiences. All of them were gone with our Earth.
We crowded against the window as we landed, knowing nothing could compare to the pale blue dot we had left behind. Then again, beggars can't be choosers.
At least the sky was blue. But I wasn't sure we'd get used to the two moons. The soil was curiously red and the plants were a feathery lime. It was as if someone had taken the Earth and dialed up the colour saturation and vibrancy. I sighed. All this did was make me homesick.
The atmosphere did have oxygen, so we were saved from the dilemma of finding a source and wearing masks. After a nightmare of checks and paperwork, we alighted. I was a part of the exploration group sent to the forest. It was thicker than the fabled Amazon, an twice as dangerous. A pair of eyes blinked at us every two feet.
All of a sudden, my ears pricked up, and I swerved around to find a beast loosely resembling a tiger on our heels. before my mind could figure out what was happening, muscle memory from training took over and two seconds later the tiger lay moaning on the forest floor with a bullet in its forehead.
'Alien' was a tame word for this place. As we hurried back to Helios for a conference, I wondered what humanity had gotten itself into.
As we got to the clearing, I took a place for myself. When everyone was settled, I spoke.
"My name is Alex Parker. And much is to be discussed."
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It began when humanity lost Earth. The year was 2500. We had all seen it coming; but when the last plant withered, and the last drop of water dried up, it felt like Mother Nature sighing, and breathing her last breath. The population had drastically declined to a few thousand, but even so, the Starship Helios was chockablocked with souls flickering with half hope and half melancholy. All we could do was wait for the engineers and the biotechnitions to come up with a miracle.
I had been but a child when we left. Now, I was twenty seven. So much for living out my adolescence. I was aware of how much I had lost. Family, friends, experiences. All of them were gone with our Earth.
We crowded against the window as we landed, knowing nothing could compare to the pale blue dot we had left behind. Then again, beggars can't be choosers.
At least the sky was blue. But I wasn't sure we'd get used to the two moons. The soil was curiously red and the plants were a feathery lime. It was as if someone had taken the Earth and dialed up the colour saturation and vibrancy. I sighed. All this did was make me homesick.
The atmosphere did have oxygen, so we were saved from the dilemma of finding a source and wearing masks. After a nightmare of checks and paperwork, we alighted. I was a part of the exploration group sent to the forest. It was thicker than the fabled Amazon, an twice as dangerous. A pair of eyes blinked at us every two feet.
All of a sudden, my ears pricked up, and I swerved around to find a beast loosely resembling a tiger on our heels. before my mind could figure out what was happening, muscle memory from training took over and two seconds later the tiger lay moaning on the forest floor with a bullet in its forehead.
'Alien' was a tame word for this place. As we hurried back to Helios for a conference, I wondered what humanity had gotten itself into.
As we got to the clearing, I took a place for myself. When everyone was settled, I spoke.
"My name is Alex Parker. And much is to be discussed."
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