I awoke with a splitting headache and a high pitched whine in my ears. Looking at my older brother trying to strap himself into the seat of the lifeboat. I couldn’t hear what he said but he strapped a bag to my chest and mouthed the words “HOLD ON!” to me. A flash of light and he was sucked out of the airlock. Making sure that every member of his crew made it off the ship before its jump drive overloaded and tore the ship apart. A true captain to the very end. That was the last time I saw him.
The information pertaining to this event which had later been labeled “Atlas Falling” is still a highly guarded secret. There are a number of theories as to what truly happened. The number of people who actually know what happened is a secret as well. When my brothers body was retrieved from space his neural implant was still in tact. It was removed from his head before the rescue shuttle even landed back on earth.
A monument of the ship was erected in the courtyard of the Global Aerospace Military Academy, also known as GAMA. My brothers name sat at the bottom of the monument on a plague, the only person who died in the event. His ashes buried deep below the monument for safe keeping. Recognized by the world for his act of bravery and selflessness in the event of Atlas Falling. Now the Patron Saint of space and peaceful exploration.
After my brothers death I left the fleet and wanted to live my life out in peace. I bought a farm in the rural countryside of Ohio. I’ve spent the past five years on Earth. I finally got used to being on solid ground again. Before living on my farm I had spent some time in the military as my brothers fleet commander. Just making sure all ships were in their right locations at all times. Did part of me miss it? of course, but that other part of me couldn’t bear stepping inside a spacecraft ever again. I missed my brother to much, it just wouldn’t feel the same without him.
I always had a strange passion with farming and animals. So here I am at age thirty, a retired military officer turned farmer. Who would have thought right? I love every bit of it, the ability to watch things grow as they are in nature. Never once have I considered much less thought about going back to the military. It had been far too long and I honestly wanted nothing to do with it anymore. So every year since my brothers death, on the anniversary of when it happened, I have a few drinks and sit by the fire thinking about him. Remembering all the good times we had growing up.
As my night was coming to an end and the fire started to die out, I had this funny feeling. My curiosity got the better of me with the help of a few drinks. I turned on my table top computer and logged into the Global database to see what GAMA was up to. It was the worst mistake I had ever made in these past five years. I quickly shut off the table top and walked away. Horrified at what I had seen, a rush of emotions from the day my brother died came back to haunt me. Now sober as a preacher, I grabbed my pipe and the bottle, never mind the cup. That was the end of it, I couldn’t take it anymore. I drank till the demons stopped screaming my name and passed out, then I did.
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Around the block and on the bus. 