Eden
Posted on Sat Jan 9th, 2021 @ 10:41pm by Taryn Stephenson & Lennon Stephenson & Ensign Skylar Southgate
Edited on on Sun Jul 25th, 2021 @ 3:33pm
1,507 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Chapter III: The Hunt is On
Location: Eden (Briar Patch)
Timeline: 238702.06-238702.17
The trip had been uneventful, and now it would only be twelve hours or so before Kestrel arrived at its destination. The craft moved through the Briar Patch at a tediously low speed, however this was necessary due to the nature of the region. Sometimes, travelling between the moon and the entrance of the Briar Patch could take longer than the other half of the journey, but Taryn hoped that this was a journey she wouldn’t have to repeat for some time.
“It’s so beautiful” Lennon commented, looking out of the window.
Taryn nodded. “Yeah, it is”
“Stupid question, probably, but why here?” Lennon asked, curiously.
Taryn shrugged. “It’s out of the way and the amount of traffic you get is minimal. You’ll get a Starfleet ship checking in on the Ba’ku now and again, but they never bothered us. I’d be surprised if they even knew of our moon…planetoid…whatever exists”
“Well, whatever it is, I’m looking forward to seeing it” Lennon said, smiling and then resting her head on Taryn’s shoulder.
The descent down to the surface was now complete, and Taryn carefully navigated Kestrel over the treetops towards the hangar which it had vacated some four years ago. A minute or so later, Kestrel had safely landed inside the hangar, and the large double doors began to close again. As they closed, they were replaced by a holographic image of the hillside which it and the facility they were now in had been excavated from.
The facility had been constructed and then abandoned centuries before Atkinson arrived, however no evidence of which species built it or why they’d left had yet been found. Nevertheless, it provided a perfect place to construct his state-of-the-art laboratory and live the rest of his life in peace.
“So, what is this place called anyway? I don’t think you ever said” Lennon asked, as she collected her belongings from various locations around the craft.
Taryn replied. “Eden”
“I like it” Lennon said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.
Taryn smiled and then prepared to open the starboard access hatch, doing so once her lover had arrived.
“Taryn, are they your…?” Lennon asked.
Taryn smiled. “Yeah, they’re my siblings”
“Oh, wow. That's...amazing” Lennon replied.
Taryn nodded. “Why don’t you come and say hello?”
After Lennon had agreed, Taryn took her hand and led her up to the three synths who had gathered in the hangar after being alerted to Kestrel’s return. They all looked pleased to see Taryn, and she couldn’t wait to catch up with them again.
“Taryn, it’s good to see you again” Eric said, stepping forward and embracing her.
Although he had the appearance of a human male in his sixties, Eric was activated two years prior to Taryn. After the death of Atkinson, the group had chosen Eric as their leader.
“You too, Eric” Taryn replied, stepping back. She then shared a hug with Ian and finally Skylar.
Skylar smiled. “Who’s this you’ve brought with you?”
“This is Lennon, my partner. She’s one of us” Taryn said, taking Lennon’s hand again.
Ian too smiled. “The more the merrier, I say! Alice will be delighted you’ve returned, too. She’s taken the children to the caves to show them the geological features, but I expect they’ll be back in a couple of hours or so”
“That’s great, wait, children? There was only one last time I was here” Taryn said, watching as Ian and Skylar picked up hers and Lennon’s bags and took them to her room. Ian was the group's engineer, while Skylar was the group's scientist.
Eric nodded. “Yes. After you left, we found Dr Atkinson had built more, however we lacked the components to activate them. It took us a few years, however we activated AX4 a few weeks ago after Doctor Barrow managed to get us the components we needed. It would have been a bit earlier if we had our own ship, but there we go”
“Yeah, sorry about that. I can’t wait to meet them all. How many are there?” Taryn replied.
Eric responded. “Six in total, two boys and four girls”
After Eric had finished speaking and she’d acknowledged his answer, Taryn then turned to Lennon, who seemed rather quiet.
“Are you alright, babe?” Taryn asked.
Lennon nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. It’s just everyone’s so nice, just like you described them”
“They are, and if we decide to stay here then you’ll be a part of this family too” Taryn said, squeezing Lennon’s hand tightly.
Lennon was keen to find out more about Eden and its residents and asked Eric lots of questions as he took her and Taryn on a tour of the facility. Although Taryn had spent time here in the past, there had been a number of changes to make it feel more like a sanctuary than the military outpost they had determined it was centuries ago. As the first Atkinson-type synthetic human, it only seemed logical that Eric was chosen as the group’s leader, and this decision had been vindicated as it was obvious things had gone well after Atkinson’s death and Taryn’s departure.
“Does anyone actually know this place exists?” Lennon asked.
Eric shook his head. “Apart from us and Doctor Barrow, no”
“I guess with everything that’s happening, that’s the way it has to be” Lennon responded.
Eric nodded. “Indeed. If you don’t mind me asking, who built you?”
“Doctor Barrow. I was activated in 2375” Lennon replied.
Eric smiled. “As a fellow Barrow synth, I’m sure Alice will be delighted to meet you when she gets back later. For now though, perhaps you’d like to join me for a catch up in the observation lounge? I’m sure Ian and Skylar will be along shortly, once they’ve finished checking on whatever weird and wonderful contraption Ian’s thought of this week”
Taryn turned to Lennon, leaving the decision up to her. Although she was eager to catch up with her siblings after four years, Taryn could appreciate this was a lot for Lennon to take in and would understand if she felt she needed some time to process what she’d taken in so far.
“Yeah, I’d like that” Lennon replied.
Eric smiled and gestured for them to follow him to the observation lounge which overlooked the beautiful scenery which was visible through the panoramic glazing. An abandoned village, a forest, a lake and a mountain range were just some of the features which could be found in what Taryn still considered to be one of the most beautiful views she’d ever seen.
Some time after Taryn and Lennon had arrived at Eden, the group decided to spend an evening around a campfire in the abandoned village which was close to the facility. They passed the time by telling stories and singing songs. However as the evening went on, Lennon had not yet played her guitar as she’d promised, and as a promise was a promise, she picked up her treasured possession and started singing one of her favourite songs, which was written by the musician she was named after.
“Imagine there’s no heaven…It’s easy if you try…No hell below us…Above us only sky…Imagine all the people living for today” Lennon sang, with Taryn joining in and placing a hand on her lover’s knee.
As the song went on, those who knew the words joined in. By the end of the song, everyone was singing along.
“That was beautiful baby” Taryn whispered, resting her hand on top of Lennon’s.
Eric smiled and nodded. “Agreed, a perfect song to end the evening I think”
All of the children expressed disappointment that Eric had called an end to the evening, mainly as it had now gone dark, however they were soon cheered up after Lennon promised to sing them another song when they got back to Eden.
“If you wouldn’t mind Lennon, I’d like you to teach me how to play the guitar, when you’re able to of course, there’s no rush” Alice, Lennon’s “twin”, asked.
Lennon smiled. “Yeah, I’d love to”
“Could you teach me too, Lennon? Please?” Dessa, the eldest of the children, asked.
Lennon nodded. “Of course, I’d be happy to”
Some time later, Lennon and Taryn were sat in the observation lounge, long after everyone else had retired for the night, save for Ian who had returned to his workshop. The second Atkinson-type synthetic human was finalising the design for a new shuttle, the required resources for which had been delivered by Doctor Barrow some time ago.
“I love it here” Lennon said.
Taryn smiled, placing her hand on Lennon’s knee.
Taryn replied. “Me too, Lennon, me too”
RSS Feed