Do You Dream of Terra-Two?

‘Where is she?’ Juno asked. ‘This is the third time she’s missed dinner this week.’

‘I’d bet you a grand she’s sleeping,’ Harry said.

‘Everyone has to eat dinner together,’ Juno said. ‘That’s the rule. We weren’t allowed to stay in bed at Dalton.’

‘We weren’t eating slime every day at Dalton,’ Harry muttered.

‘Every fifth meal,’ Eliot corrected quietly.

‘This mission is not the same as school,’ Commander Sheppard said, moving to the head of the table. ‘You are all adults now, professionals, and you have more freedom.’

‘But,’ Juno said, ‘eating together is an important part of team-building and morale. We’re a family now. It’s important for us to spend regular recreational time together.’

‘All right; cool it, Juma.’ Harry put the last glass down on the table. ‘You sound like you’re reading straight from a psych manual. She says she’s ill.’

‘She’s not,’ Juno said. ‘Eliot was actually ill. For two weeks, with spacesickness, and yet he cleaned and cooked and came to tutorials just like everyone else.’

Eliot winced at the memory of those interminable days of nausea. His head still spun like a fishbowl if he stood up too quickly, his body hungover and heavy in the mornings.

‘Poppy’s been suffering with migraines,’ Dr Golinsky said gently. ‘That’s real.’

‘But the thing is…’ Juno continued, ‘someone has to do her chores.’

‘Yeah, us,’ Harry said, folding his arms. ‘Apparently.’

‘Look what I found.’ Astrid held up two tin cans. ‘Extra rations of peaches. We can have them for dessert. That’ll make a nice change.’ They sat in their usual positions around the table, the senior crew on one side and the four Betas on the other. Eliot was on the corner of the table. He stirred his broth. Their meals were carefully calculated to keep them at an optimum weight and contained the right balance of ingredients to suit their particular nutritional needs.

As Juno passed around a bowl of bread, Eliot’s eyes drifted towards the window, where he thought that, for just a second, his reflection had changed.

‘Who are the New Creationists?’ Astrid asked over the clinking of cutlery as everyone began to eat.

‘I actually thought you might know a little about them,’ said Commander Sheppard.

‘Why?’ Astrid asked.

‘Because they’re some weird Christian sect,’ Harry said.

‘They claim they’re Christians,’ Juno said, leaning forwards and making dramatic air-quotes, ‘but they’re some kind of doomsday cult.’

‘Sounds like the same thing to me,’ Cai said. He smiled. Juno did not.

The short moment of tension was diffused by the rush of feet up the hall, and they all turned as Jesse burst into the room, his eyes wide as if he was expecting a slap. He looked quickly at Juno, then said, ‘I’m sorry I’m late.’

‘Only by a few minutes,’ Dr Golinsky said, and gestured towards his bowl. He wavered for a moment and then came to sit between Eliot and Juno, still breathing hard.

‘Where have you been?’ Sheppard asked.

‘The greenhouse. I lost track of time.’

‘Cai tells me you’ve been doing great work up there.’

‘Does that mean we’ll be having something other than canned food and macronutrient broth soon?’ Harry asked.

‘In a few weeks,’ Cai replied.

‘Why are they a cult?’ Astrid asked.

‘What are you talking about?’ Jesse looked up at her.

‘Apparently a group called the New Creationists stole the statue of Tessa Dalton from the quad back at school.’

‘The New Creationists?’ Jesse repeated. ‘Even their name sounds like a cult. Like a group of Bible-thumping Americans who burn copies of On the Origin Of Species.’

‘They are American,’ Fae said, ‘and they have a point. I’m sure you’d agree, Commander. They talk about the holes being torn in the ozone layer, ice caps melting, all the bees disappearing and the extreme weather we’ve been having. That bit is true, you know. Climate change is taking place before our eyes and about twenty years ago was the time to do something about it. They believe it’s not a coincidence that Terra-Two appeared right now, right in this century when we need it. And sometimes I’m inclined to agree.’

‘Hmm.’ Commander Sheppard put his spoon down. ‘They do have a point, but I don’t approve of their ways of getting their message out there. Stealing the statue is an act of vandalism.’

‘No.’ Juno shook her head. ‘They don’t think that Terra-Two is a second chance. They think that it’s the new Eden. Like the Garden of Eden. Like in the Bible. They think that only a few chosen people are destined to go there.’

‘I suppose that’s quite a whimsical comparison…’ Fae said. ‘One could see it that way. It’s untouched. Fresh water and clean air. No war. No history. And in a way, we have been chosen.’