Renewed Hope: Project Restoration

Renee tucked away the final t-shirt into the small carry on case she’d be bringing with her to the shuttle. She couldn’t believe that the day was finally almost here. In the morning she’d be boarding the SL Restoration for a 10 year mission to a little piece of rock light years away from Earth, in search of oil reserves that the Earth could use to shore up its dwindling supply. She’d trained for this almost round the clock for the last year and now that she was finally eighteen, she’d been cleared for lift off.

She had been just a kid, at the tender age of twelve when the nukes had gone off. She barely remembered what it had been like at the time, other than the terror they’d all felt, but it had reshaped the face of life on Earth; and the day would certainly echo down the halls of history until the end of time itself. The United States (where Renee lived) and it’s allies had been at war with China and its own, with each side determined to hold on for the win, when Russia had gotten ahead of the whole matter and launched a nuke into the heart of England. Absolute chaos followed, with each side retaliating in turn, until the globe was riddled with scorch marks that had wiped out entire countries and decimated food production and crucial supplies. The United States had suffered a catastrophic loss when China had targeted California, unleashing a bomb large enough to send it off to the bottom of the sea, fulfilling the prophecies of countless generations of astrologers.

Nestled in a little town in the Carolinas, Renee had been lucky enough to survive the blast unscathed, but the cascading effects that the unthinkable event had had on everyday life were incalculable. The fallout alone had traveled inland from the decimated coast and had sickened nearly everything left alive on the Western coast. The blast itself had destroyed infrastructure, crops, technology hubs, you name it. The United States, along with the rest of the world, had initially turned inward, tightening security lines and frantically trying to tend to its wounded social structure and economy.

After about a year, the lack of free global trade began to send just about everyone into a panic. Big businessmen who had escaped the worst of the damage began to make deals with the less developed countries such as Africa and South America, transforming those virgin areas into newly minted tech and business hubs and fertile ground for the mass farming of resources. Although Africa and the others began to prosper like never before and the world began to stabilize somewhat, it didn’t take long to realize that the world was at a huge loss for resources now and that simply shifting supply lines around wouldn’t provide the peace and stability that the world needed long term. The Arab countries had devolved into endless battles amongst themselves after Dubai had been nearly taken off the map by a barrage of well positioned home grown missiles; and while the U.S. was continuing to provide for now, the world at large was hurting for oil.

The remaining super powers had decided to take preemptive action, and the second year after the blast marked the beginning of the race to space. A thousand small businesses were formed and hundreds of large, established ones all began to implement plans to reach for the stars in search of their collective salvation. The U.S., China, Japan, and a handful of smaller countries all developed the capabilities to reach far into space; and while their collective attempt at Earth’s restoration was the common driver,the constant underlying fear of another war caused many to hope for a shot at a possible escape route from the beloved planet and its tenuous grip on civilization.

At the age of seventeen, Renee had signed a contract with a U.S. based company called Starlink, who’s stated goal was to train and send as many able bodies as possible out into space; to search for usable resources, most notably oil. In the four years since the start of the frenzied race to space, the company had identified several viable possibilities among planets and had solidified plans for the technology and equipment required to see their plans through. Renee had attended Starlink’sone year training program, along with many others, and was now reasonably prepared to help set up and maintain oil drilling rigs and processing facilities; once the suitable planet was located. Each member of the team was required to sign a ten year contract, ensuring that they each would be in place long enough to identify and reach a viable planet and to put the work in, establishing the base of operations before a shift change was required.

Renee was ready, she knew she was; but she was also a bit anxious about leaving behind her home and everything she’d ever known. It was good work and noble work, but she would be nearly thirty by the time she returned to Earth, and everything that she had ever known would be changed. The people, the landscape, the way of life. It had been a hard choice to make and would be an even harder one to complete, but she believed that she was making the right choice.

***

A soft knock and the sound of muffled crying sounded at Renee’s bedroom door, startling her out of her little reverie. Bethany, she thought, as she padded across the carpeted floor towards the door and pulled it open. Sure enough, her little sister was parked in her wheelchair outside the door to Renee’s room, her tear-streaked face turned away, towards the end of the hall. Renee reached down and gently patted her small shoulder, trying not to tear up as well. The younger girl was like a mini version of herself, both having inherited their mother’s fine, dark hair, blue eyes, and porcelain skin. And since Bethany had never had the opportunity to know their mother, having lost her to childbirth even as Bethany was brought into the world, the two had been closer than even sisters often were. Renee knew that all the prospect of her leaving must be eating the girl alive. The younger girl was now only twelve years old herself, (the same tender age at which Renee had experienced the war that had changed the face of the world forever), and would have to experience a cataclysmic event of her own, albeit on a smaller scale. Their older brother Tim had already left home; as soon as the first wave of changes hit, and he was now somewhere in South America; working for a new globally sourced food initiative that was helping to provide food and clean water to the hardest hit areas who hadn’t yet been able to reestablish those things for themselves. So the youngest of the family would be left to navigate the hardest years of adolescence with only a father at home. Not to mention the fact that Bethany had been born with an inoperable foot deformity that had left her in a wheel chair and prevented the possibility of walking properly; and consequently the ability to undertake the kind of tasks that Renee and their older brother had each chosen to embark upon.

Appearing to be lost in her own version of similar thoughts, Bethany reached a small hand up to wipe angrily at the tears on one cheek and then the other; then she looked at Renee with such a heartbreaking mix of grief and anger that Renee took an involuntary step backward. Bethany used the opportunity to wheel her chair into the room and then parked it in the middle of the floor, staring up at Renee through a fringe of bangs that hid half of her face. After a tense moment, Renee gave the girl’s shoulder another little pat and then settled heavily onto the bed, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “I know you’re having a hard time with this,” Renee began, but was cut off as Bethany began to speak at the same time.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me,” Bethany wailed, another wave of tears slipping silently down her cheeks. “Tim’s already gone, and mom, and now you’re leaving too! Who’s going to help me with my math homework and talk to me about boys, andtell me not to turn my music up too loud when I’m listening in my room?” She slapped a tiny hand against the armrest of her wheelchair, emphasizing her point.

“Bethany,” Renee said softly, “All of those things will be fine while I’m gone. I know that this is hard for you, but you have to understand that it’s necessary. Things will be different, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We all have to grow up some time. And we move on.” She shifted her weight slightly and then scooted forward on the bed so that she could lay a hand gently on Bethany’s knee. Then, looking intently at her face, she said “I know that life hasn’t been easy for you, for any of us really, but for you especially. At least we had Mom here when we were growing up, and life was gentler before all this happened, not to mention-” she gestured in the general area of the wheel chair, without pointing directly at the affected foot. “Anyway, I know that it hasn’t been easy, but we all have to live the life we’re given, and this is my shot to do something good with mine. I know that you don’t really remember much about life before all this, but I do. I remember and I want to make sure that we get back to the kind of stability we had before all this fighting brought us to this point. And this is the best way I know of to do that. So I’m going to take the opportunity. You’ll have the chance to choose what you want to do with your life too, once you finish growing up a little. And one day you’ll understand.”

Renee had been mostly looking at the floor as she spoke, unable to face the anguish on her sister’s face; but now she hazarded a quick glance. She knew that she was getting through to her but she also knew how difficult it can be to look past your own circumstances in life, particularly at her sister’s age. And particularly when the stakes were this high. “Look,” Renee continued, as gently as she could, “I know we won’t be able to see each other all the time after this, but I promise you that I’ll send messages home as often as I can. I won’t forget about you! Officer Lee has promised that we’ll be able to record messages to send home at least every few months and I’ll be sure to let you know how everything is going up there.” She smiled gently as she continued, “And you can send them back to me too. It’ll be hard at first, but it’ll get better, and I think that ultimately this will be a good thing.”

Bethany sighed and tapped a finger absently against the side of the wheelchair. She looked crushed. “It is what it is and I just don’t want you to leave me alone. It’s selfish. I need you here.” Something fierce flitted across her small face and the sadness returned. Renee’s heart skipped and she took a quick intake of breath. She hadn’t realized that things had gotten this bad between them. How could you make someone understand something they didn’t want to see or even have any reference point for?

“I know that this isn’t what you’d choose if it were up to you,” Renee said, scooting forward once more and grasping each of Bethany’s hands gently with her own. “And I know you feel like we’re all abandoning you. But that isn’t the case at all. Sometimes life just takes you in a direction that’s difficult to deal with, but you have to keep moving on anyway. You’ll be fine with Dad and I promise that Tim and I both will be in touch as often as we’re able to.” She tugged gently on Bethany’s hands to get her complete attention and then looked directly at her face, remembering just how painful her own life had been at Bethany’s age. “This is important,” she said, her voice firm but her expression gentle. “We’ve made a mess of this place. I know it probably looks like it all runs smoothly to you, but if we don’t do something, and soon, we might just run this place into the ground. We’ll be back at war and the next bomb that comes down just might be the end of us all. I’m not just doing this for me, but for us. For our future. So that I’ll have a home to come back to when my time is up. And I don’t want you to ever forget how much I love you.” Her voice cracked as she continued, reaching forward to smooth the mess of bangs from Bethany’s eyes. “I’ll always be there for you, even when I’m far away.” Renee’s eyes were filled with tears, and as she smiled softly at Bethany they slowly spilled down her cheeks. She hoped that Bethany would forgive her for this one day. Surely she would realize at some point that it wasn’t personal and that she was only doing what she thought was best for them all.

Bethany attempted a smile of her own. It came off more like a grimace, but the anger had faded from her face. “Ok,” she said in a whispery voice. “I won’t hold it against you. And I’ll try not to be such a pain about it. It’s just that I’m going to miss you so much.” She sobbed a little, but then shut it down quickly, as if she had decided that she was through with such things. “I love you and I don’t know how all of this is going to work out but I guess I’ll just trust that it will.” With a determined nod she began to wheel her chair back towards the hallway, and Renee followed her to the door. She bent down and gave her sister a fierce hug and then kissed the top of her hair.

“I love you too, ‘lil sis. Take care of yourself now, and Dad too. Just wait, the time’ll go by quicker than you’d ever imagine, and then next thing you know I’ll be home again.” Bethany nodded and wheeled her chair out into the hall, not stopping to look back at her sister, who’s heart was breaking. Renee closed the door with a soft click and then laid down on the bed, fully clothed. She had to be up early tomorrow to make her departure time at Starlink, but she sobbed quietly for quite a while before she eventually fell asleep.

***

The next morning Renee completed her (slightly less) tearful goodbyes with her father and sister and then booked an Uber driver to drop her off at the Starlink headquarters. The ride went incredibly quickly and before she knew it she was pulling up at the doors to the warehouse. She thanked the driver, grabbed her small carry-on and hurried up the walkway towards the entrance.

The doors opened with a whoosh and she stepped purposefully into the great open area that sectioned off farther in, into a multitude of labyrinthine corridors, storage rooms, and offices. A sharp, metallic smell permeated the air and the room hummed with the whir and clank of machinery that was an ever present background noise here. An enormous amount of Starlink employees flitted around the room like bees in a hive, each one focused and intent on whatever task they were currently working on. There was also a steady stream of recruits just like her that formed a meandering line through the middle of the room, each one headed towards their various meeting destinations. Breathing deeply, she grinned with anticipation and angled towards the meeting room in the center of the cavernous building where her team would meet up to go over final instructions before their launch. As she rounded a corner past a long aisle of neatly piled steel beams she spotted her friend Chris, who was part of her team and would be launching along with her today. Although Starlink had strongly recommended the maintaining of professional relationships only, she had come to really like him and secretly hoped to be able to spend more time with him.

Falling into step beside Chris the angst of the previous day fell away and she practically buzzed with excitement as they neared their meeting room. It was hard, leaving behind her home and her family, but it was also thrilling to be starting on the next leg of her journey. The mission itself was incredibly important and the people she’d trained along with for the past year were all fascinating in their own way. She could hardly wait to settle into a new groove on an actual interplanetary mission to the place that would be her new home for the next ten years. Reaching the doorway, she paused and gazed around inside before entering. About thirty to forty of her teammates were already gathered inside, standing around in small groups talking excitedly together. Officer Lee stood at the far side of the room, in front of a video screen that nearly spanned the whole wall, picturing a live stream of the view of Earth from space. It was breathtaking and, giddy, she grinned up at Chris, grabbing his hand and dragging him into the room towards a group of their friends. “Let’s go make history!”