Outreach

By Liam Latz

A knock at the door woke Whitney. The TV was still on; a news host and a microbiologist were going over the recent discoveries on Iapetus. 

She pulled herself upright, shoved aside a chip packet, and waved at the TV to turn it off.

Another knock.  

Whitney wiped the sleep from her eyes, and looked out the window. It was dark. The lights in her house slowly blinked to life as she trudged to the door. 

She looked through the peephole, and froze.

The door swung open a few seconds later. A man, Whitney’s age, dressed in business casual with a jacket around his arm, was standing on the pavement outside her house. He turned to face her as she took a step outside.

“Arlen?”

He smiled. “Hey Whitney.”

His expression changed. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

Whitney noticed her attire. “Oh, shit.” She wiped a few chip crumbs off her shirt. “Do I look that bad?”

“Oh, no, that’s not —”

“Sorry,” she said. “I fell asleep watching the news. There’s a whole lot going on nowadays. It’s hard to keep up.”

“... Yeah…”

Whitney scratched the back of her neck.

“Uh, do you want to come in? I can… make you tea. Do you still drink tea?”

“I do.”

She motioned him inside. Arlen looked around as he entered. Silently taking in his surroundings. 

They both headed down the hall, and entered the kitchen. Whitney wished she had cleaned up.

She looked back at Arlen. He looked calm, content; mature. She turned around to grab the kettle, then spun back around.

“This is fuckin’ weird,” Whitney said. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“God, how long has it been?”

“Eight years.”

“Why now?” Whitney asked. “Did you move to the Moon?”

Arlen sat down at the table between them. Whitney quickly put on the kettle, then did the same. Arlen took a breath before speaking.

“I’ve signed up for the Outreach Program.”

Whitney blinked. “... Oh.”

She looked down, and ran her fingers along the edge of the table.

“When are you leaving?”

“Any day now,” Arlen said. “We’re headed to Teegarden’s star.”

“I haven’t heard of that one…”

“It’s twelve-and-a-half light years away; has two promising exoplanets.”

Whitney looked around the kitchen in silence.

Arlen cleared his throat. “How’s your mum? Is she still…?”

“Oh… No,” said Whitney. “She passed a few years after we moved.”

“... I’m sorry.”

“The lower gravity helped, and the Lunar healthcare was good… But it wasn’t enough.”

Whitney got up to grab the tea.

“But you like it here?” Arlen asked. “I mean, you stayed.”

“Yeah, I do,” Whitney said. “It’s a different way of living; the nights, the gravity. But you get used to it.”

 She pulled two bags out, and grabbed the kettle.

“Outreach…” Whitney said to herself as she dipped the tea. She turned around. “Why? You’re not married? Kids?”

Arlen shook his head.

Whitney handed him his cup, and sat back down. “What about your parents?”

“... They died,” Arlen said. “Two months ago.”

“Oh my God,” she said. “What happened?”

He said nothing for a moment. “You know the latest microbes they found? The ones on Iapetus?”

Whitney nodded.

“I guess we still don’t really know how they work. They must have slipped out of containment somehow.”

He wrapped his hands around the cup. “They both got sick. They didn’t last very long.”

“I… That must’ve been horrible... Did you get to see them?”

“It’s a two year trip out to Saturn,” he said. “At light speed it’s over an hour; I couldn’t even call them.”

“I’m sorry,” Whitney said. “That was a stupid question.”

Arlen shook his head. “No. It’s okay.”

“... Is that why you signed up? To the Outreach Program?”

“... Partly.”

Whitney shifted in her seat. “You don’t think that’s a little fast?”

Arlen looked up at her. “Do you think I’m making a mistake?”

“I... don’t think I can answer that.”

“You’ve known me since we were twelve,” Arlen said.

“I haven’t seen you since we were twenty-three.”

“Whitney, you know me.”

“Do I?”

A heavy silence. Whitney broke eye contact, and took a sip of her tea. She waited a long moment before saying anything.

“I can’t answer that for you,” she said. “But... If that’s what you decided, then… I think you should.”

“My parents were brave enough to travel two years out into the solar system for the chance to change things,” Arlen said. “I don’t want to sit at home on Earth for the rest of my life.”

He stared at the table. “The universe used to be so empty, but now life’s popping up all over. It’s not that it’s new, it’s that we’re finally able to go find them.”

He paused for a second.

“I want to be a part of that.” 

“... Is that worth leaving behind everything you’ve ever known?”

Arlen sipped at his tea. “Well I’m not leaving much now.”

“You’d be leaving me.”

“Eight years we hadn’t seen each other,” Arlen said. “I could have left without you ever knowing.”

“But you didn’t.”

Their eyes met. Arlen looked away first.

After a moment, there was a knock at the front door.

Arlen looked at Whitney. Her face told him she wasn’t expecting anyone.

He answered the door for her. A young man stood out the front, dressed similarly to Arlen. He took a second to catch his breath.

“Arlen. We’ve been trying to reach you,” the man said.

“What is it?”

“There’s been some… complications,” the man said. “The entire Outreach Program’s been put on hold.” 

“What? For how long?”

The man shook his head. “I don’t know. Could be anywhere from a month to, I guess… Forever.”

He gave Arlen a letter, and they shared a few words. 

Whitney watched him from the end of the hall.

Eventually the man left. Whitney’s heart was pounding.

“Arlen!” she called out.

He turned around. She was staring straight into his eyes; a glimmer in hers. 

“I changed my mind.”

“... About what?”

She took a single step towards him.

“I don’t want you to go,” she said. “Not now.”

 

About the Author

Liam Latz is a writer, artist, and programmer from the Blue Mountains, Australia. 

He combines these passions to create stories across many mediums, such as short fiction, comics, and video games.

His interests in modern history and space inspire stories of many genres, including  science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction.

His other works are available via his website <liamlatz.com>.