#hcg0

The slightest touch, and the archway sprung to life. She could hear the astonishment in her companion as it began to shine brilliant shades of green, moving like a galaxy in front of her fingertips.

“C...Commander?”  (Short, erratic breaths, stumbling over himself to keep calm).

Lieutenant Bug had listened to the rumours his colleagues and colony-mates sniggered behind her back, laughing at her crazy dream of seeing outside the planet - the only planet, thank you very much. Everyone knew she had some weird backstory that didn’t fit quite in with the canon history of their universe, but no-one believed it to be a word of truth. That was until the archway she’d sent him to look for weeks ago finally showed up, and started glowing and producing hypnotising patterns at the touch of her finger.

“Well, Commander, this it it.”

‘It’ happened to be a somewhat ovalesque archway, with little semi-circle feet to keep it from toppling over. Some might say it looked like the first rocket ships that flew across the galaxies. (Bright white and orange, shooting across the stars, looking for signs of life.) 

Commander Bird stood stock still in front of it. All she’d been dreaming of since she was a little girl had led to this moment. Mother, I hope you’re okay. I hope this leads me to you, or at least to what you always wanted to teach me about. 

“Well...? Is it....did I find the right thing?”

They’d inhabited this planet for as long as most of them could remember. There were bright lights everywhere, and plants that could turn you transparent. Currency was electricity and gadgets, and the leaves that fell onto the marshy floor were like little gemstones being mined away by some absent-minded dwarf from those fairy tales she only remembered fragments of.

Commander Bird had spent a long time wondering if this was all there was, all there ever was, all there ever had been. She knew not to speak of these ideas amongst her people, (rolling eyes and bitter laughter; what a stupid, stupid girl) no one believed that there had ever been anything other than Sixam.

“What does this thing do, anyway, Commander?”

She wasn’t entirely sure if she could answer his question straight out. She knew what she hoped he’d found. She knew what she hoped it’d do. And she knew exactly where she hoped it’d take her. (A warm cup of milk by a log fire, a cuddle with her favourite jumper and the smell of her mother. Her mother’s  wild ginger hair covering up her eyes until she jumped out of her arms and screamed ‘surprise!’)

“If it’s what I’m expecting, it’ll show us our people’s history. Before our colony base. Before Sixam. Where sunlight is the only light needed and airships aren’t constantly racing over our heads. A...library of sorts. An encylopaedia of our world and our ancestors.”

“Ancestors? Commander, I may be a bit nuts, but don’t you think that sounds a bit...well...”

“I know. But I’ve got to know if these dreams I’ve been having for years are more than just dreams. Humanity can’t have always resided here, surely?”

“Commander Bird? Where are you - whoa”

And just as soon as the lights had begun to shine, she was gone. Through the swirling green galaxy that existed inside the tiny little archway on their colony airship runway. Gone.

XTR IV Colony Base, Somewhere on Sixam, circa 3030 AD

“Commander! I think we’ve found it!”

Her Lieutenants’ words brought a thrill to her ears (palms clammy, heart thumping wildly). This was it. Finally, after all these years - could it be so? (She hoped desperately so, the images of their people’s world long forgotten amongst the colony, only preserved in the depths of her memory. Mother, I hope you’re proud of me.)

“It’s only a short walk. I don’t know how we didn’t see it before. It’s like it just appeared out of thin air, when no one was looking!”

Juupa: Baby hurts.

Roc: Roc help Juupa feel better.

Juupa: Baby HURTS!

She had never felt such excruciating  pain before. Something was fighting inside her, ripping its way out, clawing at her insides. She hated it, she just wanted it out. However she could, she had to get it out.