“They are so far away… and they all look the same.” He fixed his eyes on Flynn. “How could you possibly distinguish yours from the others?”
Flynn lowered his head. “I can’t.”
Rolan sensed his sorrow. “Perhaps you will return to it one day.”
He almost embarked on a tirade to prove how ridiculous and impossible that statement was, but caught himself before he could. Rolan had just offered him the slightest bit of hope. While blind, it is still something to be cherished. It’s one of the few things that make life worth living during the worst of times; hoping to achieve what is most desired in the future even when all seems lost in the present. He scolded himself for nearly dissolving such a treasure.
“Yeah… hopefully.”
“Flynn,” Rolan rolled over to his side, “has your planet ever suffered before the aliens you call ‘Ravagers’ arrived?”
“Suffered? What do you mean?”
“Has something unfortunate ever happened to it?”
“Yeah.” He thought back to all of the times throughout history; whether it was the chaotic formation of the planet or the relatively recent abuse by humans, there has always been a great burden on Earth. “Seems like something bad is always happening to it. Mostly because itself or its own people.”
“Why does this happen?” He asked, clearly treading on common ground with Flynn.
“I don’t know. I can’t tell if it’s ignorance or apathy or bad luck. I like to think everything happens for a reason, but it’s hard sometimes.”
“Look over there, Flynn.” He directed his view to a landscape far off in the distance. “Do you see that?”
“No.” His eyes strained on the blurry faraway lands.
“Use your zoom.”
With a few tweaks of the HTS-500’s using some buttons conveniently placed around the edges, he was able to see a pile of broken structures hundreds of kilometers away. “Buildings? They look destroyed.” He zoomed back out to normal and looked at Rolan. “What happened?”
“It was a long time ago.” His head hung low. “I only know from what I read growing up.”
Flynn pressed tentatively. “I heard this planet wasn’t always like this, but no one wants to tell me why.”
Rolan frowned, retorting accusingly. “You speak of your planet often because you feel there is still a chance you can save it.” His voice turned sullen. “But our planet…” he gazed off towards the sandy wastes, “it is lost forever.”
“What do you mean?” Flynn prosecuted his pessimism. “You’ve built a whole city underground! You don’t even need to worry about the surface!”
“Do you fear the unknown?” Rolan asked, prepared to further his argument.
“Yeah, I guess so…” Flynn said, recalling the countless moments of intense anxiety in his life.
“Then you must understand what it is like for us. We have lived underground by choice, since the beginning. Our people can remember a time when lush forests and prodigious creatures melded with the surface and filled the atmosphere with life. Two ecosystems, underground and aboveground, were in perfect harmony… until something changed.” He paused momentarily, unsure of whether he should continue. For a few seconds, he debated the consequences of telling Flynn something he considered so important and sensitive.
“What changed?” Flynn was champing at the bit to learn more.
Rolan sighed, deciding to withhold the information. “Nevermind… Needless to say, we do not want it to happen again. So, let us focus solely on our assigned task.” He felt relieved to refocus on something that didn’t require as much thought, however he did regret holding back on Flynn.
“Hmph.” Flynn, shocked and thoroughly disappointed, grew increasingly annoyed at his denied curiosity. “So,” he changed the subject, “what’s with Overseer Vale? Why doesn’t she like Lisa and I?”
“It is not only you. She dislikes everyone.” He said matter-of-factly. “Sometimes I think she
Flynn lowered his head. “I can’t.”
Rolan sensed his sorrow. “Perhaps you will return to it one day.”
He almost embarked on a tirade to prove how ridiculous and impossible that statement was, but caught himself before he could. Rolan had just offered him the slightest bit of hope. While blind, it is still something to be cherished. It’s one of the few things that make life worth living during the worst of times; hoping to achieve what is most desired in the future even when all seems lost in the present. He scolded himself for nearly dissolving such a treasure.
“Yeah… hopefully.”
“Flynn,” Rolan rolled over to his side, “has your planet ever suffered before the aliens you call ‘Ravagers’ arrived?”
“Suffered? What do you mean?”
“Has something unfortunate ever happened to it?”
“Yeah.” He thought back to all of the times throughout history; whether it was the chaotic formation of the planet or the relatively recent abuse by humans, there has always been a great burden on Earth. “Seems like something bad is always happening to it. Mostly because itself or its own people.”
“Why does this happen?” He asked, clearly treading on common ground with Flynn.
“I don’t know. I can’t tell if it’s ignorance or apathy or bad luck. I like to think everything happens for a reason, but it’s hard sometimes.”
“Look over there, Flynn.” He directed his view to a landscape far off in the distance. “Do you see that?”
“No.” His eyes strained on the blurry faraway lands.
“Use your zoom.”
With a few tweaks of the HTS-500’s using some buttons conveniently placed around the edges, he was able to see a pile of broken structures hundreds of kilometers away. “Buildings? They look destroyed.” He zoomed back out to normal and looked at Rolan. “What happened?”
“It was a long time ago.” His head hung low. “I only know from what I read growing up.”
Flynn pressed tentatively. “I heard this planet wasn’t always like this, but no one wants to tell me why.”
Rolan frowned, retorting accusingly. “You speak of your planet often because you feel there is still a chance you can save it.” His voice turned sullen. “But our planet…” he gazed off towards the sandy wastes, “it is lost forever.”
“What do you mean?” Flynn prosecuted his pessimism. “You’ve built a whole city underground! You don’t even need to worry about the surface!”
“Do you fear the unknown?” Rolan asked, prepared to further his argument.
“Yeah, I guess so…” Flynn said, recalling the countless moments of intense anxiety in his life.
“Then you must understand what it is like for us. We have lived underground by choice, since the beginning. Our people can remember a time when lush forests and prodigious creatures melded with the surface and filled the atmosphere with life. Two ecosystems, underground and aboveground, were in perfect harmony… until something changed.” He paused momentarily, unsure of whether he should continue. For a few seconds, he debated the consequences of telling Flynn something he considered so important and sensitive.
“What changed?” Flynn was champing at the bit to learn more.
Rolan sighed, deciding to withhold the information. “Nevermind… Needless to say, we do not want it to happen again. So, let us focus solely on our assigned task.” He felt relieved to refocus on something that didn’t require as much thought, however he did regret holding back on Flynn.
“Hmph.” Flynn, shocked and thoroughly disappointed, grew increasingly annoyed at his denied curiosity. “So,” he changed the subject, “what’s with Overseer Vale? Why doesn’t she like Lisa and I?”
“It is not only you. She dislikes everyone.” He said matter-of-factly. “Sometimes I think she
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