TITLE: One Perfect Moment
AUTHOR: Matt, Feb 2003
SUMMARY: Just one perfect moment before reality must come.
DISCLAIMER: Characters do not belong to me, but the story does.
RATING: PG
NOTE: How beautiful it must be to view a planet from above. Dedicated to the memory of the crew of the shuttle Columbia.
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She hates being planetside; she hates the changing temperatures and the constant sounds and smells that permeate her senses. Having grown up in space she dislikes the feel of ground beneath her feet. The fact that a planet rotates and therefore creates differences in light means that she cannot work as and when she wants or needs to when she is on the ground. Never mind that when she goes to bed she knows that when she wakes up the view outside her window will be the same.
Then there are the harsh realities that are revealed, shattering the illusions that can be created in space. A planet can look so beautiful, so peaceful, from many miles above. It shines brightly in the distance and as you get closer, the colours of the its ecosystem – blue, green, white, yellow – swirl together creating a perfect image. But that is as far as she ever wants to get. Once you land you see the planet how it really is – with its crime, poverty, disease, pollution. In all her travels she has yet to find utopia.
She’s watching a planet now, watching it grow steadily larger before her eyes. Wishing that she didn’t have to crush another illusion in the morning and see how it really is. Hoping that perhaps there might be someone to take her place. Knowing that there is no other acting first officer and that therefore she has no choice.
The door behind her slides open and steady footsteps cross the floor. She doesn’t turn around. She knows who it is and that he will respect her unspoken request for silence. He comes up close to her back, sliding his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. Together they gaze out at the planet in the distance. Each with their own thoughts, hopes and dreams. Each with their knowledge of harsh realities. They are similar yet different, but in this perfect moment they are one. Tomorrow, they know, will come too soon so they cling onto tonight and long for it to never end. Tonight, they can pretend that everything in the galaxy is perfect.
FINIS