DT 2021: Merlin's Earth

Visiting the human homeworld was a profoundly personal experience. And more so to come live and work here.
The Spartan-III supersoldier Merlin-D032 observed the bright blue Earth as it rotated three hundred miles below him at a breakneck speed. He could not keep up with every detail. Hundreds of islands, maybe thousands more. Puffy clouds and dark storms. Dark brown splotches possibly the hint towards to landmasses.
From this height, the UNSC Infinity seem to idle in its geosynchronous orbit compared to the fast-moving planet at the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. To imagine, Earth had six more great oceans just like it. Ferret Team Boson’s official minder, Major Duceppe, fed the five Spartans in his care factoids about the human homeworld during their preparation training aboard the Infinity. It still amazed Merlin to hear even five hundred years ago at the start of human space travel there were people that believed the Earth was a flat plain and that space was but a tapestry of twinkling lights.
Interstellar colonization changed that reality and humanity with it. Merlin’s ancestors and many more settled many worlds like Earth and constructed a human empire that within the last generation made first contact and survived hostile contact with aliens. Merlin was no strange to different planets and alien worlds. Oceans and Earth didn’t mystify him, his own home colony of Ballast was also a water world.
But still, this was Earth. As the world all humans could trace their roots back to, that alone deserved recognition and a little awe. Merlin felt it, an unseen weight pressing down on his shoulders like gravity. Even as an augmented human, the history and ancestry held a gravitas over his young imagination. The birth-world of his mother. Rebecka Boyd – a well-traveled Russo-Alaskan. Her golden collegiate ring emblazed with the name of St. Petersburg University in Russian felt especially heavy.
Merlin Ljang-Boyd clutched the ring-and-band interlinked with his -D032 dog-tags and thought of the fuzzy face he called “Mom.” It was a distant ghostly thing, passing from memory as quickly as he reached for it.
Merlin raised his only good, right arm to the atmosphere-retention EM field separating the oxygenated and pressurized hangar from the hard vacuum outside. Just this and a lengthy hours-long fall stood between Merlin and the ground or sea below. Assuming he didn’t burn to a crisp in the planet’s atmosphere even from this low altitude for what constituted “low orbit.” Or if he suffocated in said hard vacuum.
Not that throwing himself out the airlock was a good idea ever. This wasn’t a little tike’s first space fantasy. He was much too useless to begin with, he would’ve like to put two hands to the energy field, but his left arm was in a cast along with his lower rib cage in a wrap after his extreme training incident with Lieutenant G024. Calling him Joshua still didn’t feel earned, even if the older Spartan offered first-name basis after all this. Maybe Joshua’s teammate Amy-G094 put him up to it. It was in the past regardless. Merlin was a cripple but not yet incapable. He would heal fully in a few more days.
The Spartan pressed his hand against the energy shield only to repel his touch with as much force as he put forth. He tested it again, playing with the novel experience. Earth lay before him, only this unseen force and a soft blue glow stood in his way. The electromagnetic force buzzed his hand with mild static, an equally curious sensation.
“Merl, we’re heading to ground in five. Get your stuff, the rest is loaded. The Major wants one last headcount on the gear.”
Merlin turned to Daniele-D003’s voice, the Boson team leader leaning against a Pelican transport exocraft with a pointed stare for his deputy. Despite their ranks as junior non-commissioned officers, they were still children. Child-soldiers, an unfortunate truth and curse of the Spartan-III and all other Spartan programs from the Human-Covenant War. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t hold their own as soldiers. Or as children either.
Somehow, they were what they were. Merlin embraced it, offering a sheepish look in return.
“Sorry, Danny. I was lost in thought.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to do that later when we’re groundside,” Daniele remarked but a soft smile graced his dark face all the same. Of the five Spartans in Team Boson, visitors to Earth were a small rarity. Daniele and Roxanne-D107 both spent time on Earth before becoming Spartan-IIIs. The rest: Merlin, Andra-D054, and Zach-D111 were newcomers, and the newfound experience was on individual display in their own little ways.
“Merlin. Try not touching the atmospheric shielding so much. They’re probably the fourth most radioactive thing on the ship after the Slipspace drive, the engines, and the coolant system. And do not make me start thinking about the sensory systems.” Major Duceppe called out, drawing the two Spartans a little straighter without calling rank as he approached with a crate labelled ‘Infinity Gift Shop’ on the side.
“Sir,” Daniele and Merlin called quickly and saluted despite the officer being the only one remotely in uniform. Merlin added, “Sorry Major. I was just curious.”
“No problem, Merlin. A few light touches won’t hurt you. Radiation shielding is part of the design.”
The major disappeared into the Pelican with his box of souvenirs.
Merlin turned to Daniele as they both relaxed a little more. “Remind me, Danny. You spent almost a year on Earth? You lived in Tijuana? Or San Diego?”
“San Diego-Tijuana actually. One city, part of the United Republic of North America. It was right on the Pacific Ocean. A lot of refugees. A lot of drowning accidents from not knowing how to swim.”
Daniele’s comfortable smile disappeared as the words left his mouth. He rarely spoke on his past in training, but they were rarely happy.
“I lost my father in that city.”
Merlin nodded in understanding, not the first time recounting the story.
“Earth isn’t a happy place for you.” Merlin summarized as his own shy smile slipped.
“Something like that. But there’s always a second chance.” Daniele offered back, his lips attempting to tug back into his rare but warm smile.
Merlin gave a forceful grin ultimately earning him one back from Daniele, doing its job. To happier times and memories, they would make together. Boson was family. Through thick or thin, this time Earth would be a new start for them all.
“Come on. Let’s go gather with the others. Andra is playing chess with the Roland AI.”
“Is she winning?”
“What do you think?”
“No.”
Daniele actually shook with the start to some poorly subdued glee.
Merlin couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought to his competitive best friend. “Of course, she isn’t.”
Daniele pushed off the Pelican hull and walked back towards the rest of Team Boson waiting around a holo-table. Merlin made to follow quickly throwing his one duffle bag over his good shoulder but stopped short. He turned back to the pale blue dot so close to him out the figurative windowpane.
He let sudden-spun words slide off his lips. “Mom. We’ve come home.”
Category:The Weekly
Category:Short stories