Nothing was left behind.
Not a morsel of food, not a scrap of fabric from clothing, not a single hair on someone’s head. The water had frozen over a few days ago. At this rate, human lives wouldn’t survive much longer. The decision to abandon the red planet in search for a new home was not made lightly by Captain Maheux. The night before their departure, he lay in bed with his wife, unable to sleep.
What weighs on you? she would often ask, trying to understand the inner workings of her husband’s mind. But tonight, she wouldn’t say those words. She knew clearly what weighed on him. Instead she asked:
“Is everything ready for tomorrow?” Her voice was the last of the beauty left on the rugged planet which they were turning their backs on.
Maheux paused, looking past her to the window, out to the bare scarlet land that lay beyond. It was suffering, choking on its last breath, no longer willing to support human existence. The air was poison to the lungs, the water was turned to ice, the ground was seeded with toxicity now. They had pushed the red planet too far, and now it was reeling from the damage they had done.
“Yes,” Maheux finally replied, rolling over to stare at the ceiling. “We will take the first five hundred people in the morning. If they make contact, then we will send for the next five hundred a few hours after that. We will continue like that until we have everyone.”
Mrs. Maheux nodded slightly, staring at her husband, searching his face for doubt. The plan was decent. When the red planet first started showing signs of deterioration, a team was put in place to plan the exit of human civilization. Rather than trying to fix the red planet, the plan was to abandon it, taking the people with them to a new haven.
“Life can survive very extreme environments,” Mrs. Maheux said, trying her best to soothe her husband’s nerves. She ran a hand over his cheek, feeling the creases in his skin. “We will make the best from the situation on this new planet. There is no sense in fretting over what we don’t know yet.”
“I can’t guarantee the conditions on this new planet. There is a chance we were wrong about it, and that would mean the end of us all.” His words hung in the air. Maheux spoke the truth no one wanted to hear, and it was the reason he was picked for the difficult job of coordinating the mission to the new planet. He understood the stakes.
“Then it will have been no one’s fault but our own,” she replied dryly. Much like her husband, Mrs. Maheux also understood the risks, though her outlook was often more bleak than his.
Maheux turned to his wife. Her voice was soft, but behind her eyes there was fear. Veiled by attempted bravery, she tried to conceal it, but human fear has a tendency to always pierce through. Maheux closed his eyes and tried to envision the new planet they were destined for. All he could see was the faces of the people he would be letting down if he was wrong, set against the backdrop of a desolate red terrain. He shook his head and opened his eyes, trying to erase the image from his mind. Maheux stood up and walked over to his desk. The paperwork detailing the trip was strewn across the metal surface. He flicked on the desk lamp and sat down. Knowing he wasn’t going to get any sleep that night, Maheux began reading the plan again, making sure he wasn’t leaving anything important behind.
Five hundred souls boarded the space craft the next morning. The air was solemn, no one spoke, no tears were shed, and no one looked back as they left. As the long journey to the new planet began, memories of their old life already began to fade. People adapted quickly, forgetting the barren red cliffs that were once home to them. A new life awaited. As the spacecraft drew nearer to their final destination, people stared at the blue-green planet in the distance. A crew member shuffled past the crowds and timidly entered Captain Maheux’s quarters. Maheux’s back faced the door, as he too stared out to the new planet in awe.
“Sir, we’ll be approaching soon. I was sent by the cartographer on board to ask for a name for the new planet…”, the crew member trailed off.
A fresh start. A do-over. An opportunity to avoid making the same mistakes that got them here in the first place. The new substance for the human body’s survival. What do you call that? Maheux spoke without taking his eyes off the bright blue-green sphere suspended in space.
“Earth,” he said.
Wow, this was beautifully written!