Colony One by E. M. Peters Page B

offered a spot on Colony One, but was still able to remain supportive of his brother. He even encouraged Niko to go. It would be the single-most amazing thing anyone in their family would have done, he would always say.
    Niko did not reject the idea of the amazing opportunity outright, though his natural skepticism made him reluctant – a fact he had not shared with his family. He put in his tentative agreement to be a part of the mission, but was careful to research every aspect.
    It was the month before launch when everything began to unravel. Niko had not been able to find any substantial record of Colony Alpha – anything that even came close to it was classified information that he did not have clearance to view. He called friends, colleagues, past associates – no one could, or would, give him the information he was looking for. Niko was not a natural risk taker, so at the first sign of doubt, he backed out.
    Luca was busily making a sandwich in the community kitchen of the public housing complex he lived in when Niko dropped by for an unexpected visit. It was late and they stood alone as Niko broke the news.
    “What do you mean you’re not going?” Luca exclaimed, abandoning the knife he was using to cut the sandwich in half. “You have to go!”
    “My place was always optional,” Niko explained. “I have not been able to substantiate the probability of success for literally any part of the mission.” He crossed his arms and leaned against a row of lower cabinets, careful to touch nothing. He didn’t enjoy making the trip to the inner city to see his brother – he preferred the illusion that his brother was not, in fact, a broke letch on society. He had offered so many times to move him into his apartment until he could get onto his feet – but Luca always refused on principle. He didn’t want to be a burden, or in truth, admit that he couldn’t make it without the support of his family. After a pause and a confused expression from his brother, Niko tried to explain it another way, “I have an unsettled feeling about it.”
    Luca shook his head with resolve and Niko wondered for a moment why he was taking it so hard. “This is so typical of you. Never willing to take a chance on something that you can’t fully predict.”
    “It would be foolish to do this now,” Niko insisted. “Why are you so upset?” he finally asked.
    “Because…!” Luca struggled with finding the words. He threw up his hands in frustration, “Because I wanted to be on the next ship out. I wanted to be there with you, making history. They’re saying the transport is full and they’re not taking anyone else. You’re giving up on a chance of a lifetime!”
    “Luca, listen to me. It’s simple – we’ll wait. If the colony is successful, we can both sign up for the next trip out.”
    “That’s not good enough.” Luca insisted. He crossed his arms and his eyebrows knit together as he stared at the floor. After a tense moment, his forehead relaxed and his eyes lit up, “I’ll take your place.” He said with excitement.
    “Brother. Absolutely not.” Niko was shocked that Luca even considered it an option. “Don’t you hear what I’m saying? I have not been able to corroborate key factors regarding trajectory, sustainability or planetary categorization.” He paused, and after seeing another flash of incomprehension, continued. “In other words, I have serious doubts about the planning and execution of this mission. I’m an astronomer – I know what I’m talking about.”
    “You have always been too cautious. They would not send an entire colony ship into space if they weren’t sure.” Luca reasoned. “And it’s about time we did something to try and save Earth from ourselves!”
    Niko sighed – Luca had always been a bleeding heart, always taking the news reports of impending catastrophe too seriously. It was one of the reasons he claimed to avoid investing in things like property and career – unsure