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I shake et sentimental; it’s time to land the ship

The Shippers cheer as I walk down the corridor toward the Bridge, rate floor They reach for me--to shake my hand, to slap me on the back, to just touch y Rooiveovation

I bea I dreamed it would be

First Shipper Shelby and the rest of her cadre stand in a line in front of the giant decorated doors that lead to the Bridge They all salute me when I approach

"I--uh," I say, and it’s not until I’ that I realize the room is completely silent and they now all want me to make a speech A speech that consists of more than "uh"

Frex

"I--uh--I mean" I s, shut my eyes

"This is not our home," I say "We have lived on Godspeed all our lives, but it is not our home We didn’t choose to be born on a ship, trapped by the walls that keep us safe But we do choose to be the ones who decide it is time to land We choose to take the risk, to leave behind this shell, and to see what the rest of the universe has to offer

"We choose our future Let’s go home"

"Home!" Shelby booms, and everyone repeats her word and cheers

And then it’s tie doors She stands to the side, letting her crew--the reo first There’s an air of o history, and we’re all aware of it

I watch the that A thee ed the whole ship too, the fate of everyone on board

As the last Shipper enters the Bridge, Shelby turns to me, and she smiles, and I step forward

"Sir!"

I turn One of the Shippers runs up to irl--she’s here"

"Ay Roo for you"

"Elder?" Shelby asks, her hand on the Bridge door

I step back, away froy Room door

And then--

--an explosion rips open the ship

It feels as ifto the ground My head cracks against the solidtohat ree Someone screams, and the sound is violently cut off I twist around, and a chair soars across the rooall around, but the sound is drowned out by the ringing round A stab of pain shoots up --a screwdriver is embedded inacross the floor

I lift e is gone

The lass is twisted, ripped apart, scraggly at the ends like the paintings from Sol-Earth of creepy dead trees in winter The vacuuine rooht up in its maelstrom, the chairs, desks, tables, tools--and people

Shelby’s crew is hit the worst--soht onto the control tables or the bolted-down chairs, but I don’t see everyone I do see blood and bone and organs at the front, near the hole--whatever blew apart the Bridge’salso blew apart the people sitting closest

A Shipper--Prestyn--tries to stand but stuh the doors His body catches on the h hilobs of blood float off him in crie’s doors so hardout theI stand, pressing against the back wall for support, trying to breathe through the rushing wind It won’t take long--minutes maybe--for the vacuum of space to suck out all the air fro the metal supports on the wall, I twist e

It’s too late--the gaping e Shelby clings to a chair that’s bolted to the floor Her hair is plastered back, and her eyes are red and strea

"Don’t!" she screams "Don’t!"

She means the button This one, here, by e doors

The one that would protect us fro for , but she’s too far away, she’s just barely too far away, and I’ll never be able to get to her, it’s too late Too late

"No, no, no, no, no," she pleads

She reaches toward ers are almost within reach If I reached out--maybe I could pull her to safety before I seal the doors shut?

But I can’t take that chance I can’t risk the whole ship to save one person

"No," she whispers

But I push the button anyway