Fic: Out of Hibernation (Earth 2, 1/1)
Title: Out of Hibernation
Characters: Devon, Uly
Rating: General
Summary: Devon's original estimate for the transit time to New Pacifica keeps inching upward.
Words: 709
Note: Written for the 100 Situations prompt, "sunset."
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She'd been struck dumb the first time she saw a sunset on G889. It was the night after they'd crashed, before they even had had a chance to determine their position. She'd had a thousand different worries on her mind, but when she'd looked up and seen the kaleidoscope of colors, they had all fled to the back of her awareness for a few minutes.
It was the first time Devon had understood, on an emotional level, just how much had been lost as the old Earth succumbed to the destruction its children wrought. Back when Eden Project hadn't been any more than a desperate idea, she'd decided that she wouldn't allow a repeat of the environmental disasters and devastation. But it wasn't until she saw the sunset that the decision became a vow.
There had been more sunsets since then, of course. In fact, she'd found herself occasionally forgetting just how special a sunset could be. Tonight was one of the nights she had to make an effort to remember.
They might not make it in time.
She'd originally estimated nine months to New Pacifica, naively thinking that they'd be able to travel 20 kilometers every single day. That had been proven wrong within a few days of their departure, but the two extra months she'd added to the re-calculated figure still left them with well over a year to set up the colony once they arrived.
That was before the approaching winter had forced them to set up a semi-permanent camp. Yale didn't believe that the winter would last long enough to keep them from arriving at New Pacifica before the colony ship, but when she'd pressed, he'd admitted he couldn't be certain they would have enough time to set up unless they left here very soon.
Devon sighed and tried to remind herself that it was a miracle they were still here at all.
"Mom?"
She looked down to see Uly beside her, his eyes staring up from between hat and scarf. "I didn't hear you come up."
"You looked like you were a million klicks away."
She forced a laugh, for his sake. "Not quite so far. Only a few thousand."
"You're thinking about New Pacifica again, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am." She knelt down so that she would be at his eye level. "What are you doing out here? It's going to be dark soon."
"I know," he answered equably. "I just wanted to watch the sunset with you."
Her smile this time was genuine, and she put an arm around his shoulders. "Thank you. I'm glad to have someone else I can share it with."
Uly accepted her arm around his shoulders, leaning in against her. "Don't worry, Mom. We'll make it in time to set up the colony."
"I certainly hope so."
"We will. You'll see. The Terrians say it won't take that long."
She frowned a little at that statement. "The Terrians don't have the same sense of time that we do, sweetie. And we can't swim through the earth the way they can."
"I can. I bet I could go there right now if I wanted to. But even if you can't, we'll still get there. It's going to be spring soon. They're already out of hibernation, you know."
"No," she said quietly. "I didn't know."
"Well, they are. So we'll be out of hibernation again soon too." He looked at the sky. "You're missing the last of the sunset."
Above them, the reds and oranges had shaded into purples and blues. Devon put her other arm around Uly and hugged him close as full darkness fell. She hadn't really thought of Winter Camp as hibernation before, but the comparison made sense. It also made sense that the Terrians wouldn't come out of hibernation until spring was near.
As the stars came out, she smiled, realizing that his words had replaced her despair with hope.
There had been a time, not too long ago, when she'd been afraid she would never have the opportunity to watch a sunset with her son. She'd been beyond delighted when her fears had been proven wrong. This new world had pleasantly surprised her more than once. Maybe, she thought, it wasn't done doing so.
Characters: Devon, Uly
Rating: General
Summary: Devon's original estimate for the transit time to New Pacifica keeps inching upward.
Words: 709
Note: Written for the 100 Situations prompt, "sunset."
***************
She'd been struck dumb the first time she saw a sunset on G889. It was the night after they'd crashed, before they even had had a chance to determine their position. She'd had a thousand different worries on her mind, but when she'd looked up and seen the kaleidoscope of colors, they had all fled to the back of her awareness for a few minutes.
It was the first time Devon had understood, on an emotional level, just how much had been lost as the old Earth succumbed to the destruction its children wrought. Back when Eden Project hadn't been any more than a desperate idea, she'd decided that she wouldn't allow a repeat of the environmental disasters and devastation. But it wasn't until she saw the sunset that the decision became a vow.
There had been more sunsets since then, of course. In fact, she'd found herself occasionally forgetting just how special a sunset could be. Tonight was one of the nights she had to make an effort to remember.
They might not make it in time.
She'd originally estimated nine months to New Pacifica, naively thinking that they'd be able to travel 20 kilometers every single day. That had been proven wrong within a few days of their departure, but the two extra months she'd added to the re-calculated figure still left them with well over a year to set up the colony once they arrived.
That was before the approaching winter had forced them to set up a semi-permanent camp. Yale didn't believe that the winter would last long enough to keep them from arriving at New Pacifica before the colony ship, but when she'd pressed, he'd admitted he couldn't be certain they would have enough time to set up unless they left here very soon.
Devon sighed and tried to remind herself that it was a miracle they were still here at all.
"Mom?"
She looked down to see Uly beside her, his eyes staring up from between hat and scarf. "I didn't hear you come up."
"You looked like you were a million klicks away."
She forced a laugh, for his sake. "Not quite so far. Only a few thousand."
"You're thinking about New Pacifica again, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am." She knelt down so that she would be at his eye level. "What are you doing out here? It's going to be dark soon."
"I know," he answered equably. "I just wanted to watch the sunset with you."
Her smile this time was genuine, and she put an arm around his shoulders. "Thank you. I'm glad to have someone else I can share it with."
Uly accepted her arm around his shoulders, leaning in against her. "Don't worry, Mom. We'll make it in time to set up the colony."
"I certainly hope so."
"We will. You'll see. The Terrians say it won't take that long."
She frowned a little at that statement. "The Terrians don't have the same sense of time that we do, sweetie. And we can't swim through the earth the way they can."
"I can. I bet I could go there right now if I wanted to. But even if you can't, we'll still get there. It's going to be spring soon. They're already out of hibernation, you know."
"No," she said quietly. "I didn't know."
"Well, they are. So we'll be out of hibernation again soon too." He looked at the sky. "You're missing the last of the sunset."
Above them, the reds and oranges had shaded into purples and blues. Devon put her other arm around Uly and hugged him close as full darkness fell. She hadn't really thought of Winter Camp as hibernation before, but the comparison made sense. It also made sense that the Terrians wouldn't come out of hibernation until spring was near.
As the stars came out, she smiled, realizing that his words had replaced her despair with hope.
There had been a time, not too long ago, when she'd been afraid she would never have the opportunity to watch a sunset with her son. She'd been beyond delighted when her fears had been proven wrong. This new world had pleasantly surprised her more than once. Maybe, she thought, it wasn't done doing so.