Chapter 3
THREE
The car ride to the headquarters of the Space Exploration Association was quiet, besides the soft melodies that floated through the radio.
The beats matched the easy ocean waves that Renn watched out his window for the majority of the journey.
Every once in a while, he noticed his grandmother’s hands fidgeting—knee bouncing nervously.
His suspicion grew, thinking that there was much more to those practice exams. The way she had dismissed it quickly and grandfather hardly mentioned them at all .
. . he knew something was coming. Good or bad, he still wasn’t sure.
They ventured further from the sunny beaches and into busier city streets. The modern city line soon swallowed them up with its grand sky scrapers, as they weaved through traffic of self-driving cars mixed with human drivers in a hurry to arrive at their destination.
As they pulled up to the massive main gate that wasn’t meant for public access, an officer scanned their pass and then, realizing who they were, gave them an exuberant welcome before letting them through.
“Tell Captain Anton congratulations on another successful mission. He’ll no doubt cement himself in the history books as one of the greats.
” The officer wasn’t wrong. From dangerous exploration in deep space to negotiations with human settlements on far-away worlds, Captain Elias Anton was very good at his job.
Renn couldn’t see his grandfather’s face, but heard the smile in his voice as he said, “We are very proud of him.”
His grandmother quickly added, “And we’re glad to have him home.”
The guard caught Renn’s gaze in the back seat. Renn gave him a closed-mouth smile, hoping the guard wouldn’t say anything else.
“You three are good to go. Have a nice day,” the guard thankfully said, guiding them through.
They followed the line of cars pulling up to the main building on the campus where a few officers were waiting for them as they always were.
Renn and his grandparents had done this enough times to know what to expect.
“Welcome back to SEA!” the female officer greeted as they exited the car.
“I can take that for you, Mr. Anton,” said another as Renn retrieved his bag from the trunk.
“We’ll get this to your father’s place for you,” he added.
Renn wanted to tell him there was no need to call him “Mr. Anton,” but the request was usually moot.
Every single officer and staff member he came across called him that because that was what they were trained to do. They most likely did so out of habit.
“Thank you,” was what he said instead, giving the officer a grateful smile.
“If you follow me, I will take you to the platform where we will receive the crew,” the female officer explained. Renn saw the tag on her shoulder read “Collins.”
“Thank you very much,” Charlie replied as they followed suit.
His grandparents and Officer Collins started an easy conversation to fill the silence.
His grandmother asked her about her position and what her plans were for the future.
But Renn wasn’t paying any mind as he gazed around the building, particularly at the massive mural depicting humans of Earth venturing into space.
Some were greeting other humans on planets, others seeming to venture further into the cosmos.
It was impressive to admire as they passed, no matter how many times they had done so in past visits.
It took up the entire length of the building and ever since the first time he beheld the art, Renn couldn’t unhear that voice in his mind that seemed to whisper, “It’s all waiting out here for you.
” He felt in his soul, even when he was younger than he was now, and it was still true today.
For the first time that day, he smiled—his real smile.
What was waiting for him out there? he wondered as a tinge of excitement woke up his body.
His attention was pulled away from the mural as Officer Collins laughed at something his grandfather had said and caught his grandmother watching him.
She squeezed his shoulder and winked. He expertly winked back, making her smile wide before returning to the conversation with her husband and the officer.
Renn glanced back at the mural, pondering what it would feel like the moment he was in space for the first time.
There was zero doubt in his mind that he would be there someday.
After walking for several minutes and boarding a tram to the landing platform, they finally arrived.
A large crowd had gathered—a mixture of SEA officers and officials as well as family, friends, and loved ones anxious to greet their person who had been off of Earth for over a year.
Renn recognized some of the faces—many officers of his father’s crew had been with him from the beginning of his captainship.
He got to know a few of their families—some better than others—throughout the years.
“There you are! We were wondering when you three would get here!” On cue, a man in his early forties with two young girls a couple years younger than Renn were smiling and waving to them.
“Milo! Great to see you,” his grandmother cheered, pulling him into a hug.
“You too! Hey, Charlie! Aldrenn! Look how tall you’ve gotten,” he said, giving each Renn and his grandfather a vigorous handshake.
“And your girls! They’ve grown so much!” his grandmother added as his daughters stood beside him. Elena and Ellie were twins, and though Milo claimed it usually took a moment from them to warm up to people, when it came to Renn, they weren’t afraid to show their excitement in seeing him again.
“Hi, Renn,” they said in unison.
“Hello again,” Renn replied cordially, and he knew he probably shouldn’t, but he winked, causing the girls to smile wider.
They weren’t identical, but they shared the same chocolate brown eyes and hair.
The twins were infallibly sweet, but the last time Renn had seen them, on a visit to their home over one summer, they had insisted on playing “kissing tag” and Renn wasn’t particularly fond of the game.
Renn was too polite to hurt their feelings to their face, but he asked his grandmother if they could perhaps say “no” to a visit next time.
When she asked why, she had done her best to hide her laughter, but had failed miserably.
His cheeks had reddened in embarrassment, but he was also biting back a smile, a little pleased with himself.
“Oh you, my sweet boy. I highly doubt they will be the last of the girls who want to kiss you,” she had said, teasing him even if it was absolutely true.
It wasn’t the first or last time Renn had encounters like these.
There were countless times he came home from school to tell them he was called “a crush.” He didn’t quite understand it until later, and for a short while, Camille had worried it would go to his head—getting caught up in that kind of attention.
But he never strayed from being kind to his classmates.
“This was Lauren’s last mission off world,” Milo explained to his grandparents.
“She feels like it’s time. She’s missed so much with the girls, but her service to SEA has been admirable.
I guess when you know, you know.” Milo’s wife, Lauren, had been his father’s first officer for the last five years.
Renn couldn’t stop the pain of jealousy that hit his heart.
“That’s wonderful! Of course Elias will miss her on the crew, but we are so happy for your family,” Camille said as Charlie shook Milo’s hand once again in congratulations. Then Officer Collins made her way back over to them.
“It’s nearly time. If you could move to your sections please.
” The SEA was extremely organized with events like these.
Each family got their own designated area to reunite and share a moment, as homecomings were usually exurbant.
Renn and his grandparents were always near the front, as it was organized by rank.
The groups were in a variety of sizes, some with only a couple people while others had a range of ages from children to elderly.
Renn was used to the weight of eyes on him as they were ushered to their places, sometimes overhearing phrases like “Look how handsome the son is,” to, “If only she was alive to see this.” The latter of the comments always gave him a sense of pride, grateful that people hadn’t forgotten about his mother.
While he had never met her, he was proud she had clearly made an impact, and a positive one.
“Here they come!” Elena shouted, jumping up and down from where her family stood not far off.
Everyone raised their gaze to the skies to see a large rectangular object floating its way down to solid ground, the humming of the engines becoming louder with each second.
This vessel was merely a transport—the ship itself would remain docked in Earth’s orbit.
Renn was lucky to get a tour of one of the impressive intergalactic ships a few years ago, fascinated with everything about the craft from the engine bay to the highly sophisticated communication features.
It was a marvel of what Earthlings had accomplished working together.
The shuttle gently landed before a large ramp deployed.
Everyone had begun clapping the moment it touched the earth, and when the doors slid open, the applause grew louder.
Officers began to wave excitedly to their loved ones and most moved off the ramp speedily to join their parties.
Joyous cheers of commotion broke out in all directions.
Renn gazed at the happy faces—young children being picked up in the air with screams of delight and laughter.
His father used to do the same thing to him, but things were different now, and his admiration turned nervous, suddenly unsure of what he should do when he saw his father this time.
Something was different about this time.
Perhaps it was merely that Renn wasn’t a child anymore ,or something more that he couldn’t find a name for.
The captain and first officers were usually the last to exit the shuttle, and for a crew of two-hundred plus, it took some time for his father to finally appear at the top of the ramp.
When he did, he stood in the middle, his commanding team and first officers flanking on either side.
They all wore their formal uniforms, complete with the standard peaked cap, but the captain’s adorned an extra embellishment of gold trim.
Captain Elias Anton was a large presence in stature alone, but his charisma, wit, and leadership made him the perfect example of what a star captain of the SEA should be—what one could aspire to be if they sought out such a position.
His dark hair and grey eyes were striking, and in his late thirties, it wasn’t hard to miss the stares that followed him everywhere he went.
Renn may have had similar features as his mother—the blond hair and green eyes—but he was built like father.
As Renn watched him wave to bystanders, the crowd broke into applause once again, watching the captain take his steps onto solid ground. Renn selfishly wasn’t thinking of his father as much as seeing himself in his shoes someday. It came to him easily.
When Elias neared the end of the ramp, his eyes went directly to Renn, and while their relationship was complicated, and at times his father felt more like a stranger to him, he couldn’t resist the urge and ran to meet him.
“Aldrenn.”
His son slammed into him burying his head in his chest.
“Dad,” his voice was muffled, as he held on, wrapping his arms around his father’s waist. The captain cradled his head against him for several seconds before pulling back, placing his hands on his son’s shoulders, studying him.
“Have you grown two feet since I left? You look all grown up.”
Renn smiled because it was probably true, and he was glad it pleased his father.
“I have missed you, son.” Elias grinned.
“I missed you too, Dad.” He may have been pretending he wasn’t excited earlier—maybe even convinced himself he didn’t care.
But with his father standing before him, Renn couldn’t stop smiling—joy seemed to be radiating from every inch of his body.
How strange that being in his presence changed him so quickly.
This man was a part of him—they held pieces of each other.
And Renn couldn’t bury that feeling no matter how much he sometimes wished he could.
Distance made him forgetful, but it never made it any less true.
Elias tousled his hair. “You’ve been good for your grandparents?”
“Of course. He always is,” Charlie replied. Renn turned to see them watching, his grandmother with happy tears in her eyes.
“Get over here!” Camille exclaimed, beckoning Elias, her arms open wide.
“Camille. You look lovely as always.” He squeezed her tightly.
“And you are as handsome as ever, Captain,” she replied, giving him a wink.
“Charlie.” Elias turned to him, giving him a firm handshake.
“Good to see you home, Elias.” He clapped his son-in-law on the back. “And congratulations on the mission.”
“Thank you. We are all pleased,” he replied, looking around at his crew, now mingling and some beginning to leave the platform to celebrate and spend time with those they hadn’t seen for so long.
He seemed lost in thought for a moment as he studied the crowd.
His lips were turned upward, but his eyes held a sort of sadness knowing their mission was over now that everyone was going their separate ways.
Renn examined his father’s face, a flash of resentment crawling its way back to the front of his mind.
Has he ever looked at me like that? he wondered.
“Well, they’ve prepared a luncheon for the senior officers, their families, and SEA leaders.
” Elias placed an arm around Renn’s shoulders, guiding him along, his grandparents following.
He snuck a glance over his shoulder and instead of Camille offering a sign of encouragement, this time, Renn winked at her and then turned his attention forward.
Forward to his future that was coming much sooner than he realized.