Yves Giraud - Kahnu

As ARC 2 slowly disappeared beyond the slope, Sabrina turned to Vera in the monitoring room of the Martian outpost. She had just switch off the audio.

“What was that all about?”

“What, those voices? Never seen Star Trek? Never mind. You’re too young,” answered Vera to the clueless brunette.

“Do you ever miss it?”

“What?”

“Earth.”

He looked up at a bright dot in the dark reddish sky. It was so familiar by now, yet, it was still so strange…

“Not really. You?”

“Sometimes…” replied Sabrina thoughtful.

François was seated next to her on the back of the rover, looking at the small white spot out in the distance. The sky was not that different from Earth’s on clear nights, and one could easily see the blue planet, even if it only appeared as big as a bright star. But it took a trained eye to spot it on a night like this. Of course, all four of them were pretty good at it by now.

“It’s strange but I don’t think I do. I mean, it would be nice to have water, walk on the beach, feel the wind on my face, but I don’t miss the traffic, or the noise. I feel at home here, more than I ever did on Earth, I think.”

She turned to face him.

“Don’t you miss your family? Your friends?”

“Not really. I’ve never related well to my folks anyway, you know that. I love them, but I don’t think they ever got me. We are too different. My dad has always done things by the book. He’s honest and loving, but too set in his ways for me. There wasn’t much room for socializing when I was young. Having friends at home was never easy, and he was capable of losing his temper at any time, for just about any reason. Screams and verbal abuse were common. I know he loved me but growing up in that house was really not comfortable. I guess I was scared of him when I was young. He could get quite obsessed about things. I left home as soon as I got the chance. My mom is kind and very pampering, but over the top. She worries way too much about anything. It can get suffocating. I mean, I love them both, but I never felt I belonged there anyway, you know? I just wish I could’ve helped my brother experience life more. I wish he had left too, moved to another town, at least, or traveled the world. He still lives with my folks. Never left my parent’s house, never got married… He spends his time between his work and home. I don’t even think he has many friends; at least not friends he hangs out with. It’s the life he chose. Of course, he’ll tell you he had no choice. He won’t admit it, but it’s fear of the unknown that keeps him from making a change. Like so many others out there. They are scared they’ll fail. We talked about that many times. I try to make him see that there is always a choice. It’s just not always an easy one, and most times, it’s quite nerve racking. But it can be very rewarding… It’s too bad. I’m afraid we don’t understand each other either…”

He paused for a moment, looking out at the giant features of Valles Marineris. The bare ridges reminded him of the rocky formations on his occasional drives to Nevada, when he still lived in L.A. Back then, it didn’t take much persuasion to get him and his friends to jump in the car and go. Life was fun, and the world was big. His mind wandered around the fond memories for a while. The vague memory of an old flame crossed his mind. “ What was the name of that girl ?” He could almost see her. She had reminded him of Elaine Benes, one of the characters in Seinfeld, an old American TV sitcom. “ That’s right. Celina. And what was that place we used to go to all the time? Ah, yes, the ‘Fame Café’. That’s it. Strange, it seems so long ago …” He turned his attention back on her.

“What about you?”

“I miss Sofia. Today would have been her 28 thbirthday…”

She turned back her attention to the amazing view of the distant cliffs.

“I’m sure she would have been very proud of her older sister.”

“I hope so… It was hard leaving her. I was always there, you know? I know mom was doing the best she could for her, but she was so busy with work… And she had Paulo to worry about. He’s a real jerk. Sometimes I hate him. He can be violent with my mom, and I wish she would leave him. I don’t know why she stays… But I love my mom. She’s always believed in me. Although, I’m not sure she understands why I’m here. Yesterday, in her transmission, she said she was sorry I felt the need to leave, and if I ever wanted to come back, there would always be a bed waiting for me at home. I don’t know how to take that. It makes me feel lonely. It’s so strange sometimes when I think of all this… All this space, this entire planet, and just the four of us. We are more alone than any human has ever been in a way, and yet, I feel at home here, you know what I mean? And I don’t think she gets that.”

“I don’t know that too many people do. We’ve chosen to do something that most people consider weird, if not crazy. You’ve got to admit, we’re a bit nuts,” he giggled.

“Yes, I know… I guess there are some things I don’t miss, though. Politicians, lawyers, murderers… Wars, religious fanatics, rapists, you name it. It’s a long list. Nope, I’m not missing them… This is my home now, with you guys. And I like it like that. Some days, it’s almost hard to believe we used to live back on Earth, doesn’t it? It seems like ages ago when I think of the day I applied for Mars First. Do you remember when we landed? That’s when it really hit me. We were finally on Mars. We were really here and there was no going back…”

A sudden draft blew sand up the slopes below, and a quick cloud of dust flew past them.

“Does that scare you?” she asked.

“What?”

“Never going back.”

“Honestly, no. I never felt like I belonged there. I know it’s a bit extreme to say this, but I don’t really liked people, generally speaking. I mostly find them loud and obnoxious. Even back in school, I was never the popular guy. I was a bit weird, actually.”

“You, weird?” she said with a teasing smile.

“Yeah, I know. I was an introvert, though.”

She looked quite surprised. “You? An introvert? Yeah, right!”

“Oh yeah, big time. I was shy and quiet. The kid who doesn’t say much in the back of the class room. I think I feared people, in a way. That’s probably why I got into music, actually. It was my way of trying to overcome that fear of crowds. I also had to prove to myself I could do something big with my life.”

“Well, I think all of us here have had the same drive. Either way, we’re on this planet for good. This is our home now, and I’m glad I have you with me, François.” She looked into his eyes with love.

The dark patches of mineral-filled rocks down in the valley below were slowly shifting from their usual black-gray volcano look to the charcoal-blue texture they had come to love. A spectacle that was like nothing anyone had ever seen on Earth, a true treat when the sun reflected on them in this season. A thin wall of dust flew close by again, pushed along the cliff wall from winds blowing upward along the face of the steep slopes below. A couple of small dust tornadoes appeared and disappeared just as quickly. Far away, the other end of the gigantic canyon was barely discernible against the background, due to its considerable distance, giving the illusion they were covered by a hazy veil of pale orange. Further out to the left, the sun had almost finished its descent behind the plateau. Within the next few minutes, millions of stars would begin to glow in the dark skies. And before the cold reached temperatures unheard of on Earth, the small group of humans would soon close the door latch behind them, settling for the night inside their Martian outpost. Yes, Mars was home.