“Beats me,” I say.
Hugh keeps his head near the window. “Whatever year it is good with me, just as long as the beaches are still swimmable.”
Naomi stares in wonder.
I wonder if the crew will reconnect. After what happened, it makes sense to move on for a while. This was our tragedy. But it was a tragedy we could learn and grow from.
I feel ready. I know Naomi does too.
Our relay interceptor buzzes. “Earth Federation coming into Starship Tera-Earth 373. You are in a no-fly zone. Do you copy?”
Naomi grabs the interceptor and juggles it between her hands.
Suddenly, my own heart racing a million beats per second.
Naomi coughs. “Hello? Houston? This is Starship Tera-Earth 373. Preparing to head into orbit before landing.”
“Your ship is an ancient model, but I see no record of it in our database. Are you sure you were authorized to land at this time? You cannot orbit without proper clearance.”
This is different. They’re answering as Earth Federation. That means…
My heart sinks.
Mind scrambles.
I think of a way out of this.
“Please,” Naomi pleads. “We’re with...”
I interrupt. “We’re with Fassbender, Identification #382713,” I say.
I can hear typing. He groans, lightly. “I’m sorry, but that badge number has expired two hundred and twenty years prior,” he says. “And without any voice or visual identification, I can’t approve your landing.”
“He died,” Naomi says, raising her voice. “He was killed on a mission led by your team. We just want to get back home.”
More typing. “Please hold,” he says.
Two hundred and twenty years prior. This isn’t their home anymore. When we land, everything will be different.
We wait, slowly approaching Earth’s atmosphere. Whether they like it or not, we’re going to enter.
The voice comes back on the intercom. “Proceed to coordinates issued on your mapping systems. We’ll process you there.”
My throat t
ightens as Naomi steers the starship into Earth’s atmosphere. Before we know it, we’re headed down, flying through the air.
We’re getting closer to the ground. I see the ocean where we’re supposed to land. Small, white waves crash against the shore.
Naomi pulls up on the thrusters. We jerk forward as the back parachutes slow us down. Naomi makes a clean landing.
All of us cheer. Roy rips off his belts and jumps out of his chair, heading toward the sleeping area. When he comes back, he’s holding the last bottle of champagne.
Hugh grins. “This one is special. Don Perignon. One thousand dollars, cash. I was going to open it up when we landed on Avalon,” he says. “I know you can’t drink, but Roy and I can help finish it.”
“Customs officials are bound to give us a hard time. If you’re going to have a landing drink, now’s a good a time as any,” Naomi replies.
As Hugh pops it open, I step back from the group. I can’t stop glancing over at the entrance bay doors, wondering who will be the one to open it, and how they will treat me once they see that I am not human.