Ensign Aria Rice: The Day She Grew Up

Posted on 22 Jul 2012 @ 11:47am by Lieutenant Aria Rice

659 words; about a 3 minute read

[ON]

Location:Selene City, Luna The Rice Recidence
Date: November 5th, 2374


It was a day like any other. With the environmental terraforming controls of Selene City, every day was the same. Sun. Comfortable warmth. In a world built of glass and domes and artificial green, Luna could seem like an utopia of perfection. A place where the people should, if there was any justice in the world, feel safe and protected. Yet when she had woken up, Aria Rice had known it was not a day of sunshine, but of darkness. It lingered on her skin, on her mind, like a dark cloud.

It was a day off school, a day for her to spend with her mother. Like always, a tense day. Aria frowned as she pushed her brown hair from her face, her eyes on the window. She sipped her tea, kicking her legs, the padds before her forgotten. Her eyes were instead focused on the men walking. Marines. Officers. A colonel and a Captain. She closed her eyes tight, her hands trembling. It only meant one thing nowadays. Officers on Luna were here for one reason and one reason only.

"Please. Please walk on. Please walk on. Please walk on, do not stop, please walk on..." her voice breathed the words over and over, becoming a mantra as she kept her eyes screwed shut.

"Aria! The door!" her mother's voice cut through, sharp and stern. Aria's eyes flew open and she looked at her mother with fear. But her mother was distracted, never noticing the fear. Instead, she shook her head. "Get the door."

Aria pushed herself to stand, taking a deeper breath as she looked down. She glanced at the photograph of her father, her eyes studying it before she crossed herself, quickly, something she saw as superstition rather than anything else. But she moved to the door, letting it slide open. The Colonel and the Captain both watched her with grave features and she shook her head. "No. No, it's...no. No..."

"Is your mother here?" the Colonel spoke, looking past her before taking a breath, holding the padd closer. Her eyes went to it, to the padd held in white gloves, then to the uniform again. Her eyes widened as she stumbled back.

"What's this?" her mother came behind her, gripping her shoulder tight, her eyes suddenly alert.

"Mrs Rice..." the Colonel started and Aria tuned it out. It was an urban legend around now, because of the war. For Marines, the officers coming to the homes of people...telling them that their husband, father, wife, mother, daughter, son...were dead. Gone.

She felt her mother behind her, heard the cry, felt her sink down behind her. Aria looked up, studying the men for a long moment before frowning, her hand going to her mother's, to hold it. Inside, she knew it. Her father. Dead. Gone. Killed in action, details currently unknown, confirmed dead...condolences, sacrifice, for the Federation. She toned all of the words out and held her hand out for the padd, almost on autopilot. "Thank you," she said, holding it close to her chest. "I...good day..." she stepped back, letting the door close in front of them. She felt her mother sobbing behind her, felt how she clung to her.

And while she wanted to scream, to rage, to...do something...she couldn't. Not today. She swallowed as she pulled away from her mother, putting the padd down. "I'll..." she looked over at her, her own eyes wide. "I'll get Tracey over. I...can't..." she let out a shaky breath and moved to the comsystem. She knew who to contact. And she knew what needed to be done.

She would cling to it, for now. And tomorrow...tomorrow, she could deal with it. But her mother was a mess, and her mind was blank. Tomorrow. She could deal with it tomorrow.

[OFF]

Ensign Aria Rice
Security Officer
USS Galileo

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