The Escape

He ran, his breath coming in ragged sharp gasps. Slowing, his fingertips brushing the velvety soft tops of the lupine growing in the mountain valley, this is the spot, he thought. Settling down, he nestled his head on his backpack and turned his gaze toward his intended target. 

“Roger, engines look good, fuel’s full, ready to burn” Captain Rian said, his hand smoothly flying over the pre-launch console. “Tank and boosters are green, we’re good for liftoff Houston.” 

“Roger that Captain, standby for launch in T-minus five, four, three, two, one, engines are burning Captain launch is a go!” Replied Houston, the main command in charge of oversight of the rocket launch. 

At that specific moment, Captain Rian looked out the main window, spotting one of his most treasured sights before his launch to another planet; the fluffy, white, wildly shaped pillows of the sky. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, excitedly awaiting his reunion with those “sky pillows.” Just as he opened his eyes, his breath fully expended, he felt the lurch of the shuttle lifting off the launchpad. He simultaneously hated and loved this feeling, of being clenched into his seat, the paradox of the shuttle propelling him forward and while trying to rip him back down. The true moment of awe is when he breaks that plane into the darkness, a moment of weightlessness and euphoria, the subsequent calm of breaking into space jarring him from his dreamworld in the clouds. 

“Launch was a success, Houston, engines switched to long term thrusters. Will continue to check in on the journey out” Captain Rian informed the control room back at Houston, adding “it’s going to be one heck of a discovery landing on exoplanet EB2085C.”

“Roger, Captain. Have a safe flight, we’ll see you on the other side” Rian’s closest friend Mike, the control team leader said in response, looking at the screen in anticipation of seeing a new planet through Rian’s eyes. Mike stood there for a second, knowing that Rian would probably first lay down and check for clouds when he landed on EB2085C, the first true habitable planet within a few days of space travel. Without the new thruster and drive capacities we’d never be able to reach this planet so quickly, thought Mike. With that, the control room settled down from their cheers and congratulatory pats on the back and handshakes, turning back to their monitors and checking in on the team on the shuttle. 

It was four days later when Rian awoke, groggily running a hand over eyes that didn’t want to open. 

“Looks like the sandman visited me last night, huh Marty?” Rian asked as he patted the strange looking Mark 20 rover that would be used for digging and sample collection. “We better get buckled in and ready to initiate our landing protocol” He breathed through a yawn as he plopped down into the cockpit, fingers buzzing over several dials and buttons. 

“Hey Captain.” Mikes voice cracked through the intercom, “how was your beauty rest?” 

“It didn’t exactly make me feel any more beautiful Mike” replied Rian. 

“Well, maybe getting a dose of the 3 Suns 2085C sports will help with your…homely appearance!” Retorted Mike. 

“Not as homely as you though, right control?” The Captain laughed as he strapped in his harnesses.

“Alright, alright, enough banter, landing checks Captain?” Mike broke through on the speaker, crossing his arms and lifting his chin while looking stoic and somewhat affronted. 

“Roger, landing gear is green, thrusters on standby, ready to fire.” The Captain replied, settling into his steady, trained, and professional persona. 

“Fire thrusters for a 3 second burn, 5 second pause, 10 second burn at max power” Mike advised. “On my mark, three, two, one.”

Rian followed the precisely calculated firing pattern and burned his thrusters, at the end of the second burn he felt the soft impact of the landing gear breaking the loosely packed surface of exoplanet EB2085C. 

“Shuttle landed safely, Control. Standby for boots on the surface.” The Captain let out in a tensely moderated tone. Reaching down next to his seat, he grabbed his helmet and oxygen pack, fitting them into place on his suit. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and pressed the button marked HATCH RELEASE. The hatch, which doubled as an elevator, opened in two phases. The first door acted as a barrier, stabilizing pressure for Rian to step onto the platform, where the second would open and the platform would lower him 15 feet to the surface. 

Rian stepped onto the platform, his body tense, excitement coursing through him as the platform lowered him down. The Captain raised his eyes, scanning the horizon and a feeling of dream washed over him. He took a hesitant step out, his eyes remaining focused on the point of the horizon where he could see the most sky. Three more long strides, and Rian was clear of the underbelly of his shuttle, taking a knee he placed his hand on the ground fingers splayed. His eyes watered, a triumphant joy at the sight. 

“It’s so reminiscent” he said, his voice wavering with emotion. 

“Rian! Your camera isn’t on, check your connection.” Mike urged, his voice streaking with excitement. 

“The dirt is a reddish green hue, patched with fuzzy purple-white flowers with a wide base and a slim point at the tip.” Rian breathed out. “Can you see that? Camera should be on, Mike.”

“Yes…we see it…” Mike trailed off, a swirl of elation and joy in his voice. 

The fuzzy purple flowers and reddish green dirt flashed to a bright green-blue of the sky with small pink swirls dotting the green-blue expanse. Rian took his backpack off, setting it under something reminiscent of a pine tree. Tall with a pastel orange bark that was swirled with bright red veins of a substance Rian deemed sap. His eyes followed the orange bark up and up and up, to the top of the tree towering over him where he saw thin fine needles arranged in patterns that reminded him of a kaleidoscope. 

“Rian! Are you alright? We had a sudden change of picture…Rian!” Mike broke through on his helmet's communication device, words tripping over each other in worry. 

Rian snapped out of his reverie replying “Yes Control, I’m fine. Just laying down to watch the sky.” 

“Roger that, Captain, enjoy your first off earth cloud gazing. But don’t be too long, reports say that dusk is going to settle in rapidly.” Mike cautioned his friend, smiling as he watched pink clouds float by on the camera. 

“You got it Control, I’ll get back to our mission in a few.” The Captain replied as he shuffled his pack around trying to find the ideal resting spot for his head. Finding the perfect position Rian’s eyes moved back toward the top of the tree, but this time, they moved past it, finding an ocean of pink pillows against a green backdrop. The Captain slowly fell into a dreamlike state of mind, contentment and excitement both filling his being. 

“Rian, Rian!” A deep voice came calling, breaking Rian out of his daydream. 

“I’m over here Da!” Rian called back, smiling as he noted a cloud floating past that looked suspiciously like a shuttle. 

“Have you been exploring the outer reaches of the galaxy again Son?” Rian’s father guessed as he laid down next to his son. “Did you find anything good to tell your Ma about?”

“I was Da, I found a planet that we could live on, it was beautiful Da!” Rian blurted out excitedly, rolling to look at his father. “Mike and I landed on it and I was watching the clouds, like I like to do here. They were so different, pink and swirling but still just as nice to watch.” 

Rian paused, hesitant to ask his next question, fearing his Da would be saddened by it. 

“Da?” He asked, waiting for his grunt that meant he was listening. “Do you think Ma would have liked to lay out here with us?” Rian paused again, choking on the lump in his throat at the thought. “You know, from before she couldn’t leave the hospital?”

Da rolled over putting a strong scarred hand on his son's shoulder. His voice soft and tremulous, battling the telltale pain behind his eyes, the lump in his throat, he said “Your Ma and I loved to lay under this same tree when we were your age son. She could’ve told you all about the distant lands we used to see in the clouds.”

Rian smiled, putting his hand around his Da, a single wet streak falling down his cheek. “I’m glad we still have a few more days with her Da, I want her to hear of the places we thought up.” 

“She’s having a good day son, let’s go tell her what you found today.” Da said, picking Rian up and settling him on his shoulders, they walked through the field, Rian excitedly sharing his adventures with his Da and Da listened enraptured in his sons imagination.