Page 5 of When Eden Falls

“Apparently, I’m full of them today.” She overemphasised the arch of her pristine eyebrows. “I asked Rooke if I could sedate Cora. Her excitement is doing my head in. He critically said no.”

I chuckled. “Cora’s excited. This is every geologist’s dream.”

“It should be every biologist’s dream, but this biologist is full of nauseating anxiety and dread.”

I assessed the look on Zamya’s petite face. The warm brown skin of her forehead appeared sweaty. Her usual hard expression replaced with one of worry and suspense. I tapped her arm. “It’s normal to feel anxious. Cora is just an exception.”

“A lunatic, if you ask me.”

Rooke appeared behind her. “I hope you’re not asking Eden for permission to sedate Cora.”

I rolled my eyes. “As if she would.”

“I would,” Zamya said abruptly, “if it was completely necessary.” She pointed at Rooke. “Don’t tempt me, commander.”

Rooke smirked and ushered her petite frame out of the way. “We’re ready to leave. Go belt up.”

She left while Rooke took his seat to my right. We both clicked our safety harnesses on, placed our radio earpieces over our preferred ear, covering them with our inflight helmets. The dark glass of our visors dispersed the overpowering glare of the sun and bright atmosphere below.

Once the rest of the crew were secure, Troy’s voice came through our earpieces. “De-docking sequence has been successful. You’re ready for departure.”

“Copy that,” I confirmed.

“We’ll keep you posted on our position and situation,” Rooke said to him. “I plan to be back for dinner.”

Troy chuckled. “I’ll make sure it’s ready and waiting.”

“Do you know, Troy,” Rooke chimed, “you’ll make a wonderful housewife one day.”

“Is that a proposal, sir?”

“Nah, you’re not my type. Too hairy.”

Troy laughed.

“In all seriousness, though,” Rooke continued in a more solemn tone, “if we lose contact, you know the procedure.”

“Yep. Thirty-two days.”

“And then you head home.”

There was a pause. One I felt an emotional tug towards. The responsibility to abide by that rule was a harrowing thought to anyone, let alone the twenty-two-year-old we were leaving behind.

“Yes,” Troy finally replied. “Following no contact for thirty-two days, I’ll head back to Allura without you.”

Rooke nodded pensively. I couldn’t help glancing at him. Hewasnervous, just capable of hiding it well. He snapped out of his short-lived stupor and said, looking my way, “Right. Let’s get this over and done with.”

Within thirty minutes we had made atmosphere entry and I was flying Parvos over a vast blue ocean. The sun was high in a sky of sapphire blue. The signal getting closer.

A vast fringe of land appeared on the horizon, and as it grewnearer, lush textures of green reaching into the sky came into view, spreading for miles and miles. I’d never seen green trees before. The ones we had back home were yellow or orange, with thick swirling trunks that didn’t reach anywhere as high as the ones I was viewing.

I glanced across at Rooke and said, “A barren land full of nothing, yeah?”

Rooke’s eyes were wide, analysing the glorious sight. He was speechless, shaking his head in awe.

Allura was beautiful, full of gold tinted water and cascades of orange and yellow foliage falling from hillsides and caverns, but it was a poor second to this. Here on Earth, the land was covered in vibrant colours. The sea water was continually changing from sapphire blues to turquoise. The land shone like honey gold along the coastline, transforming into a richer red further inland. The trees were a mix of emerald and lime greens, casting elongated shadows of dark jades and indigos across acres of forest and meadow. The span of both land and ocean were immense, causing a wave of insignificance to fall over me.

“This is insane,” Rooke murmured. The first sound he’d uttered since entry. “Why would anyone leave a land this beautiful?”