Paradise Lost

"Captain, I think you should take a look at this."

"As long as we've been out here, I wouldn't mind you calling me Anthony. What is it Evelyn?"

"I'm a creature of habit, Captain. Helps me stay sane out here, I suppose"

"Captain it is then, let's see what you got."

"Might be something interesting. Forward recon shows some promising areas in the upcoming solar system. Possibly habitable planets."

"What system are we scheduled for next?"

"Looks like.... the Nahas system."

"Nahas? Interesting name. Alright, let's make sure the scanners weren't damaged from our last run. Everything needs to be ready to go upon entry to the system"

"Yes, Captain. Already on it. The Paradise will arrive in Nahas ready to dance."

"Outstanding. I need to check in with command. When I get back, we can start."

Captain Anthony Barak unstraps himself from his seat and begins to drift upward. After decades in space the zero-g feels normal to him. A kick off the back of his chair sends his body cruising down one of the tube-like corridors that connects the ships modules together. The small, ball like capsule at the end is the communication module. He catches his drifting body softly with an outstretched arm. A keycode is required to open the hatch to capsule. One that only Anthony, as the captain, possesses. Once inside, he seals the door behind him and removes a headset from the wall.

"Command, this is Paradise. Am I received?"

A long pause fills the millions of miles between them.

"Captain Barak, you are received. Are you still following your assigned flightpath?"

"Yes, Command. We have not deviated. We will be entering Nahas momentarily. Our forward recon drones show some encouraging news."

"News? Elaborate."

"Well, they show the upcoming solar system may provide ecosystems necessary to sustain life. Of course we won't know for sure until we start throwing data sets at the algorithm. Nevertheless, we remain hopeful."

The pause returns, longer than the last.

"Command, did I loose you?"

"Captain, how is Ensign Evelyn Corbin?"

"Sir, the Ensign is in good health. Performing admirable, as always."

"Good to hear Captain, you were both selected meticulously as a team for the Paradise mission. The stability of your relationship is an important mission parameter. Please inform us of any... anomalies."

"Anomalies? No sir, none to report."

"Good. Captain, collect your data sets on Nahas and report back. I trust you understand that you are not to deviate from the designated flight path. Command, out."

Air whooshes as Anthony seals the communication module hatch and kicks off the wall, back to command. The first few planets of Nahas should be coming into view now. One thing the Paradise never disappoints on was the view. The command viewport is small but the things they have seen through it are worth the inconvenience. Anthony dreams to one day look out and see the surface of a planet, instead of viewing them from space, beautiful as they are.

"Data sets coming back marginal so far, Captain. Oxygen present on a few, some even have water. Life probability algorithms aren't liking it though. All coming back unlikely."

"Well the party is just getting started, Evelyn. More data gives us more accurate outputs. Lets keep the music going."

"I like your style, sir. I'll do what I can. You know how command is with the flight path though."

"Yeah, yeah. We won't drag our feet. Thank you Evelyn, great work as always."

"Thank you, sir."

There are too many planets in Nahas. This is the largest system they have seen in years. Anthony sits staring through the viewport. Gorgeous. All of them. One of them has to have life. He ponders what it would be like to walk on a terrestrial surface. He sighs, disconnects from his chair, floats back to the communication module, and slips the headset back on.

"Command, this is Paradise, are we received."

"Paradise, you are received. How are you, Captain?"

"I am fine, Command. Scans are currently in process. We may need more time to collect a larger data set for the algorithm's accuracy. This system is larger than we anticipated."

Silence.

"Captain... this... this is not an acceptable course of action. Please collect the data set you can in the allotted amount of time, per the flight path, and continue mission."

"Command, this is our mission. Find life. I must insist we have additional time slot allowed in this case."

"Captain, your request is denied. Continue flight path."

"Sir... Understood, Command. Paradise out."

He clicks the headset off and seals the hatch before he embarks on his long drift back. 

"Evelyn, wrap up those scans and let's get moving."

"Sir, this is the most promising system we have seen in years. We need more time."

"I know... Command doesn't want us stalling any longer than needed."

"I would hardly call this stalling Captain, we are doing our job. Why does Command insist on tying our hands like this?"

"I... I'm not sure Evelyn. Finish the scans. I just want to leave."

"Anth... I... Yes, sir"

Anthony spends the remainder of his evening drifting around the Paradise. The ship is truly a marvel of engineering. Protein paste recyclers insure they will never need food. Water synthesizers pull water from hydrogen that fills the void of space in the absence of oxygen. Everything has been thought out. Command had always provided for them. Why now do they seem to be hiding something?

"Evelyn, I am calling in final report, then I'm hittin' the bunks. Are you good here?"

"Yes sir, algorithmic scans complete. Chance of life in the Nahas system, two percent. Pretty limited data set to pull from though. I'm gonna get us back on course and bunk out."

"Sounds good. Thanks, Evelyn. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Captain."

Anthony looks back at Evelyn before sealing the communication hatch between them.

"Command this is Paradise, are we received?"

"Good evening, Captain, you are received."

"Scans show less than ten percent life in the Nahas system, we scrubbed scanners and are continuing along predetermined flight path."

"Good to hear, Captain. Any updates on Ensign Corbin?"

"I'm sorry, Command, is there anything specific you're looking for in this regard?"

"Captain, Evelyn Corbin was specifically picked for this mission to complement you and your ship perfectly. We are looking for feedback to ensure we made the right decision. This helps us determine if our selection process is effective for future missions."

"She preforms her duties at an above satisfactory level, if you're after some kind of employee review."

"That is great to hear, Captain. We would like more detail, however. Has she expressed any animosity towards you? Questioned or disobeyed any of your orders?"

"Well... not exactly. She doesn't like that we don't spend enough time in one system to properly scan it. I can't say I blame her about that."

"Oh? Can you expand this thought?"

"I think she has a valid argument. We were sent here to find life. Sometimes it feels like we are not meant to find it."

"Captain, you do not have a history of questioning orders."

"I am not. We are continuing the mission. I merely said she has a point."

"Understood, Captain. Please keep us updated on any more of this behavior from the Ensign. Perhaps you need to be reminded of the importance of sticking to the flight plan?"

"No, Command, I do not."

"Have a good night, Captain."

"Will do, Command. Paradise out."

Anthony straps himself into his zero gravity bunk pondering his latest conversation. Why do they want us to take such hasty scans? No way they think that yields usable data. Are we just supposed to float around space forever, just the two of us? What is their persistent interest in Evelyn about? She has never done anything wrong.

"Good morning, Evelyn."

"Good morning, Anthony."

"What happened to only calling me Captain?"

"You know, you were right. Its just us two up here. There is no reason not to be friendly. If that is ok with you."

"Absolutely, I don't mind it at all."

"Great, Anthony from here on out then."

Evelyn smiles back at Anthony.

"Where are we headed to today?"

"The Gala system. Another system that looks like it may bear some fruit."

"Better get started scanning ASAP then, before Command chases us out."

"I hear that, sir. Everything is primed and ready to go on arrival."

"Well then, what are we waiting for, Evelyn?"

The Gala system begins to revel herself through the viewport. Beautiful, green, lush land masses appear in front of them, leaving both crew members speechless.

"It's incredible... scan everything!"

"Already on it. Do you think this could really be it?"

A red beacon flashes above them.

"Looks like Command wants to have a chat with you."

"I think Command can wait. Look at all these planets. It's even more than Nahas!"

Evelyn grins, the Captain's act of rebellion oddly satisfies her.

"Captain, we could spend years exploring this system alone."

"Absolutely... Command won't allow it."

"Why though? Have you ever tried asking them? Why not deep dive into these systems? How are we supposed to find life by drifting past all these planets? It doesn't make sense."

"I have asked them. They don't like when I do that. They get suspicious."

"Suspicious of what? That we won't stick to their silly flight plan? Why does that take priority over exploration?"

"I... I don't know why, Evelyn. I'm just as confused as you. It's just their orders."

"Anthony. They aren't out here. This is our mission, just you and I. Not them."

She lays her hand on Anthony's shoulder.

"It's the right decision. I know you feel that."

The red light flashes, as if to remind them of its existence.

"I'll talk to them. Keep those scans going."

Evelyn smiles at Anthony.

"Thank you."

The hatch seals.

"Captain, this is Command. Did we lose you for a minute there? Our last few COMMS did not receive a reply."

"Command, this is Paradise, you are received. I was preoccupied. We are processing a lot of data at the moment. Gala has proven to be a wealth of planets."

"I see... you ignored COMMS... was this by any chance, a suggestion of Ensign Corbin?"

"What? No, this is my ship, Command. I take responsibility for overlooking COMMS. Did you not hear what I said? We are sitting on a gold mine of life potential here. I formally request more time be allotted to the flight plan to study the Gala system."

"Denied."

"Command, this is absurd! On what grounds am I denied? We should not overlook this system. What is the point of blowing through these systems?!"

"Captain... your request has been denied. Your delay in the Nahas system has already put you behind schedule. Because of this, your timeframe in Gala has been reduced. Please wrap up scans and proceed to the Eden system."

"Command...."

"Captain, you have your orders. I advise you not deviate from them. No matter what your Ensign suggests."

"Evelyn is not a problem, Command!"

"The Paradise is scheduled to leave Gala by the end of this earth day cycle. Make sure this happens, Captain. Command out."

Anthony kicks the airlock hatch hard to close it as he floats back to the command module. Why would they be doing this? Nothing here makes sense.

"Evelyn, Command wants us moving out of Gala and into Eden by the end of the day."

"That is ridiculous! You can't possibly be seriously thinking about doing that."

"Evelyn, it's our orders."

"To hell with orders then. Anthony, c'mon. Look at these scans. We have only been here a few hours and this is highest probability of life we have ever seen. It's got to be here!"

"I understand that, Evelyn. I don't think Command wants us finding anything."

"Anthony, why are we here then? They won't even know if we don't report it. Let's just stay awhile and be sure."

He looks hard into her eyes and sees something. Hope. She truly believes in this. In them. Anthony decides to stop pretending he doesn't.

"You and me, Evelyn. Like you said. Halt our current flight path and continue scans."

Evelyn unstraps herself and floats over to Anthony, wrapping him in a hug.

"You won't regret this."

Planets appear non-stop on scans for the rest of the day. All of them primed for life. Data flows in faster than a hull breach sucks out air. The life probability matrix keeps resetting itself to keep up with the inflow of new data.

"Evelyn, I think I'm gonna bunk out."

"No final report?"

"No... I don't think so. I already know what they want."

"Captain... Anthony... thank you. For trusting me."

"Of course, Evelyn. I... I'm glad they gave me you. I could have been paired with anyone. I'm glad it's you."

Evelyn smiles. Dim light emitting from the control panels highlight the dimples of her cheeks. Hues of blue and green shimmer though the viewport. Her face glistens with the colors of the cosmos. She is gorgeous. Anthony sits wondering why he hasn't noticed before.

"I'm glad it's me too."

Anthony unstraps himself, sending his body adrift around the command module. Floating closer to Evelyn. He could stop himself with a simple nudge. He doesn't. As he drifts one hundred eighty degrees above Evelyn, strapped to her chair, he stops himself. Surrounded by the life of thousands of unknown planets, he reaches out and feels her lips touch his.

"Goodnight, Evelyn."

"Goodnight, Anthony."

Anthony wakes to red lights flashing.

"How many times has Command tried COMMS?"

"Forget about that! Come look at this!"

He unstraps himself from the bunk and floats down the corridor.

"Anthony! We did it! We really did!"

"What does it say?"

"100% chance of life in the Gala. Multiple planets nearby listed as high likelihood."

"I can't believe it... Evelyn."

"We did it! What the heck does Command know! It's us, Anthony! You and me. We did this, not them."

"Command... shit. I'll be right back."

"Paradise, are you in danger? We have been COMMS dark for hours."

"Command! We found life! I repeat, we found life!"

"You found life.... where exactly?

"The Gala system. Algorithm shows 100% chance of life. We will begin touchdown on the nearest possible planet immediately."

"Captain, you are not authorized to be in the Gala system at this time. Planned flight path shows you in the Eden system since last cycle."

"We are not on the planned flightpath, Command. Do you receive me? We found life!"

"Captain, if you are not on the planned flightpath, we have no way of tracking you. You are risking catastrophic consequences for the mission."

"Command, we completed our mission! We found life!"

"Captain, we need you to return to the flightpath and continue in the next system. Please update us when you have arrived at our last planned location. Command out."

The headset went silent and clicked off before Anthony has a chance to respond.

"Evelyn, plot a course to the nearest habitable planet. We are going to land the Paradise."

"Did Command give the green light on this?"

"Hell with them. We are going to do this. Why do we need someone millions of miles away. All I need is you."

Evelyn blushes at the response.

"Plotting a course, initiating landing protocol for the Paradise."

A planet quickly came into view. Green continents and blue oceans appeared closer than ever through the glass viewport. Anthony reaches over and grasps Evelyn's hand.

"Thank you, for showing me the truth."

She squeezes back gently in reply.

The ship broke atmosphere violently. Gravity is an old friend with a grudge to The Paradise. Decades in deep space has worn down, corroded and weakened the ship in a multitude of ways. Warning lights dance across the control panels, flashing and beeping all at once. An overwhelming display of terror in every color and sound. The Paradise is landing... hard.

Anthony wakes up strapped to his chair. Evelyn is just coming to in the chair next to him. Everything seems... heavy. Gravity... that will take some getting used to. His attention turns to his control panel. Hull breach, ATMO system down, protein supplement system damaged, water synth system damaged. A flashing warning light catches his eye. COMM SYSTEM: UNRESPONSIVE.

"Evelyn, are you ok?"

"Uh... Yeah... yeah I think I'm good. You?"

"I'm alright. Better condition than Paradise anyways."

"Once we broke atmosphere, she dropped like a rock. Controls gave out completely. I'm sorry, Anthony. I couldn't stop her."

"You're alive and that's all that matters. We will figure the rest out."

A quick survey confirms what Anthony has suspected. Paradise will not be flying again. Her walls have all been bent and buckled, hull integrity is certain to be completely compromised. Consoles are all damaged or blinking endlessly. Anthony glances back towards the communication corridor. His eyes meet a gapping hole, half filled in with dark, thick mud. The other half opens up to the jungle world that they have crashed in. Most likely broke off with the force of re-entry. Best case scenario, the module is in a smoldering crater half way across this planet. Their link to Command is severed.

"Evelyn, COMMS are gone."

"So... Guess that means we aren't getting a ride back out of here."

"Command ordered us to rendezvous at the projected flightpath in Eden. They have no idea where we went instead. We are lost."

In the distance massive mountains can be seen. Dense, green, jungle blanket the peaks. Towering waterfalls pour down from the summits of the mountainside. Their colossal height turns water into harmless mist by the time it reaches the ground. Terrestrial landscapes are more beautiful than Anthony could have imagined in a thousand years flying through the heavens.

"Well... If there isn't life on this planet, there will be now."