The Landing.
by Nic (stardestiny@bigfoot.com)
January 1998
NOTES:
This one's been on my fanfic site for quite a while
(http://www.oocities.com/Area51/Vault/8356/fanfic.htm).
For some reason, I forgot to post it here until now. Thank you to
the members of the "Earth 2" mailing list who answered my questions
about the Roanoke.
I hope you all enjoy "The Landing".
DISCLAIMER:
The characters and situations contained within are the property of
Universal/Amblin Entertainment. No copyright infringement is
intended.
THE LANDING
-----------
They stared at the sky in wonderment. There it was, a small
pinpoint of light moving with near-infinite velocity. It had all
the ethereal qualities of a shooting star, yet this one would not
burn itself out as it entered a planet's atmosphere. It was
nowhere near a planet, it was still alone in the inky blackness of
space.
But it was coming closer.
And they stared at it in awe.
After so many months, endless days and nights on an eerie new
world, it was time for the landing. Devon Adair could scarcely
believe it. The colonists and their children - the future of
G889 - had almost arrived and once they did, *everything* would
change. Their hopes, their dreams, even the most fundamental of
their beliefs would be tested to limits unthinkable anywhere but
this planet.
No one knew what to expect from the Terrians for there were no
guarantees that all of the Syndrome children could be healed. This
worried Devon upon occasion but she had gradually accepted that
this, at least, was beyond her control. The loss of control had
been one of the most difficult lessons Devon Adair had learned.
Now she could recognise the change within herself and accept it as
a necessary - and good - part of existence.
The planet had changed all of them. Now the imminent arrival
of the colonists would add even more chaos to G889's mixture of
life. Devon shivered with sudden apprehension of the days that
were to come.
"Everything is about to change," she mused aloud, the first of
Eden Advance to break the eerie, expectant quiet. No one appeared
to have heard her words, so focussed on the sky were they, yet
Devon was confident her friends were listening, if only a little.
"Once the Roanoke touches down..."
"We begin a new phase of our lives," John Danziger interrupted
quietly. He was seated beside her on the blanket covering the dew-
laden grass. His closeness was a necessity rather than a contrived
circumstance; however, each had long put the prejudices of the past
behind. These days, Devon enjoyed Danziger's company more than
anyone else's. It was yet another example of the drastic
metamorphoses of their lives.
Devon managed to tear her eyes from the bright dot coming
closer in the night sky and let her gaze drift to a more natural
level. She could see the beautiful valley spread around her, the
green hues of day obliterated by the dancing shadows of the night.
Wispy moonbeams scattered in amongst the sparse groves of trees and
the occasional misty plume rose from the ground. If she looked
hard enough, Devon could even make out the river through the dark,
its water flowing slow and deep so that only the faintest rushing
sound was audible.
It was one of the most beautiful places she'd ever seen.
Devon was so glad that all of her friends had gathered in this one
spot simply to watch the arrival. Later, there would be movement
and talk - for there was so much to be done! - but for the moment
they sat and experienced the wonder of the night along with the
promise of a new dawn.
Devon's thoughts returned to the arrival and what it would
mean for all of them. "Do you think they'll be ready for it?" She
was whispering now, not wanting to disturb the tranquillity of the
scene, and only Danziger could hear her.
"Ready for what?" He answered her with a question of his own.
"Ready for life, here, on this planet. It's so different from
the world they know."
"I'm sure they'll be alright. We coped, didn't we?"
Devon smiled, her face half obscured by the moonlight so it
appeared a secretive expression. "Yes, we did cope."
"And the colonists have so much more to begin with than we
did," Danziger continued. "I'm pretty sure that the Roanoke isn't
gonna crash. The colonists won't be stranded in the middle of
nowhere without any supplies."
"But-"
"Shhh." Danziger mischievously placed a finger on her lips to
quiet her. "No more worrying. Okay?" His voice was light and
teasing yet his words were serious. Devon nodded, knowing that he
was right. There was nothing more they could do to prepare for the
arrival. They should all be content to watch, and already, Devon's
heart was pounding with excitement in anticipation of the spectacle
she knew was to shortly come.
The shining light was clearly visible in the pre-dawn sky well
before they heard the crack that indicated the breaking of the
sound barrier. It suddenly slowed, and although Devon knew that
the braking process had begun billions of kilometres from G889,
this final stage of deceleration was all the more profound.
Unlike the Advance Ship, the Roanoke would not cruise into a
gentle orbit. With its greater mass, more drastic measures were
necessary and to effectively slow down, therefore the ship was to
almost 'skip off' of the planet's atmosphere during the first pass.
It sounded frightening, but in actual fact, it was the most
effective braking measure possible, unless, of course, the Roanoke
entered a lengthy orbit around the G8 sun. Such an idea had been
vetoed long ago and instead, the ship plunged through several
layers of atmosphere before emerging once again into empty space,
turning sharply to achieve orbit.
Devon held her breath, but the spot of light above did not
waver from its course even momentarily. Sheila was truly a great
pilot. The Roanoke then disappeared from view, swinging around the
planet and preparing to enter the atmosphere for the second time.
It would continue in a slow orbit until full daylight covered the
landing site - extra insurance to make sure the descent went
perfectly.
Eden Advance sat quietly, watching the sky lighten and smiling
at the shining star that soared above them every few minutes. The
slowing wasn't noticeable for quite some time yet for some reason,
no one was bored. Even True and Uly, the youngest and therefore
the ones with the shortest attention span, did not appear to be
weary or restless.
Devon watched her son for a few minutes, wondering what
thoughts were running through his young mind. She herself had a
great many doubts and worries in her head, wondering how would he
cope with the knowledge of the arrival, and could he accept other
children being changed by the Terrians? Uly could very well lose
his unique status as a bridge between the two species.
However, Devon knew her son well enough to realise that he
wouldn't be unduly upset at the changes. The boy possessed a
wisdom that frightened Devon upon occasion, for her son also now
belonged to the planet. It had been a difficult thing for her to
accept.
There would be mothers on the arriving ship, those who might
also 'lose' their children to the metaphysical realm of the planet.
Devon fervently hoped that parents would be able to tolerate the
events as they unfolded, for G889 was ultimately a life-changing
experience.
A barely audible hum began to permeate the crisp morning air -
the Roanoke was now sufficiently close for Eden Advance to hear the
strong thrum of her engines. Next time the ship passed overhead,
Devon knew it would be low enough so that the watchers could make
out its general shape. If they were lucky enough, they might even
see some markings. Devon hoped they would.
"Did you see that, Mom?" exclaimed Uly excitedly after the
Roanoke had again disappeared over the horizon. "It's getting so
close...I bet we could nearly touch it next time!"
Smiling at her son, Devon said, "Maybe, Uly, maybe." She
didn't want to diminish his excitement. The last few months had
been long and hard with little reason for enthusiasm over something
new. Devon hoped that the landing would long remain in Uly's
memories - it was a reminder of the past and the world they had
left while bringing hope for the future.
Once again the group drifted into silence, although both Uly
and True had clambered to their feet, straining to catch the next
glimpse of the ship as it came around again. Soon, soon, it would
land.
And in those moments, Devon quietly said goodbye to the
knowledge that they were the only true colonists seeking out a new
existence away from the stations. Now there would be others who
thought like them, lived like them, and would be a source of
comfort. The great unknown would somehow be diminished by the
landing yet, Devon decided, the potential for good far outweighed
the sense of loss they all felt. It was time for the new to take
hold.
Ever so gently, the Roanoke glided to the ground, firing
powerful engines to stabilise. No more than a gentle thud was
heard as its landing pads finally touched dirt - the dirt of G889,
the first dirt for most of the colonists. It was a moment of
profound significance.
Wary travellers exited, not unlike the first cautious arrival
of Eden Advance two years earlier. They stopped to smell the air,
almost overcome by the immense range of scents unique to planet
life. The sounds - essentially a cacophony of rustling leaves
mixed with the distant surge of ocean waves and the intermittent
calling of alien birds. And the laughter of children.
"Look, Mommy! Daddy, over here!" They shouted with joy and
pointed at everything new they could see, mesmerised by the morning
sunlight across the land.
"It's more beautiful than I ever thought it would be!"
enthused the parents, tentatively following their children out of
the Roanoke and onto the crust of a planet, a feeling so foreign to
their station-bred feet. And then came the more serious words of
their leader. "We have landed on G889. I can't promise you an
easy life here, but I guarantee that we will make it."
And near-half a continent away, Devon Adair lifted her face to
the horizon where the flare of the landing lights had now
diminished, and smiled sadly. The colonists had arrived. Eden
Advance had failed.
"This wasn't your fault," Danziger said quietly, knowing
implicitly what she was thinking because every member of Eden
Advance had experienced similar feelings. "We tried our hardest to
get to New Pacifica on time, but with two winters, and everything
else we've run into on this planet, we're lucky to still be alive."
"I know." Devon idly picked up some dirt in her hand,
wondering if the new arrivals would be exclaiming over it as she
once had. If she closed her eyes, she could see the vision so
clearly. Devon had imagined the time of the landing a thousand
times, yet the actual event was far different from even her wildest
speculations. She wasn't there to greet them, or to promise that
things would work out. There wasn't a thriving colony and hospital
awaiting the colonists. They were alone.
"They're completely on their own, you know. We're out of
communications range, there's nothing we can do..."
"Don't," interrupted Danziger. "No recriminations, no
regrets. We just have to keep heading towards New Pacifica and
maybe we'll be welcome there someday."
Devon looked around. She saw her crew, thin, pale, tired from
travelling endlessly. The thousand times they'd been stopped by
weather or some other phenomena, the kilometres they'd backtracked
to round yet another natural formation, and the weeks spent to
allow herself to recover - Eden Advance was exhausted after two
years of travelling. And there was still so far to go. So far to
go...with no purpose at the end. Their quest was over.
The two remaining vehicles - dirty, old, and constantly
breaking down - caused Devon to sigh as she thought of them. The
transrover had been lost down a ravine several months earlier.
Their supplies were always low, for how could they possibly set up
a renewable food source whilst always travelling? Suddenly, it all
seemed pointless.
And then Devon looked at the flowers. The brilliant field of
flowers in the low lush valley through which a blue river ran,
sparkling in the morning sunlight. She saw her friends, seated in
the meadows, content with this day off. And she made her final
decision as leader of Eden Advance and the expedition across G889.
"Let's stay here."
And they did.
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