Fine Line

Chapter Two

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

Confucius

The refectory of the space station was full with the newcomers. Two hundreds had been rescued from the rocket. Van didn't know how many had remained inside, lifeless bodies in space suit, nameless people reaching the afterlife with only strangers to cry them.

Welcoming the two hundreds, there were ten women and men wearing white lab coat. Van, remembering his History lesson about the beginning of the space research, wasn't sure if the NOVA space station they apparently were in was the same as the one that had been build few centuries ago. If he remembered well, it had been dedicated to research of extraterrestrial life and space travel. Although, the space station was supposed to have been decommissioned at least fifty years ago. Obviously, it hadn't been the case.

Leo and Vince, the two who had come through the hatch to end their long wait in the scrambled rocket, were among the ten. They looked young, probably in their mid-thirties. For some reasons, Van always thought of scientists as old, white-bearded men. Visibly, it wasn't the case here.

The welcoming party translated in a rushed presentation of the place and assignation of quarters to the visitors. No one wanted really to think about the future. It all seemed bleak. After all, what would they be able to do from here? They were stranded in a supposedly decommissioned station with no mean to go back to Europa and hope to join in the generation ship expedition to Tau Ceti.

Once all had been given direction to their living space, an extra set of clothes and the schedule for the meals, the room emptied. Van and Gauguin stayed a bit longer, they wanted to explore everything in their new home.

"Nice tat!" Leo approached the two friends, pointing his finger to the dark lines covering the face and the arms of the young men. "Does it mean anything?"

They looked up, as lost in each other's thoughts. The lines covered their full body. It had meanings, though the two tattooed men were not sure if they knew all of them.

"It is our history. Our people." Gauguin tried to explain the reason for the lines on their skin. As they were the last of their tribe, the only two leaving Earth and attempting the journey to the stars, they had to carry their past, their culture and their people with them, so they wouldn't be forgotten.

"Turtle, cross, sun... all have a meaning and represent our beliefs, our way of life." He showed the Enata, the symbol for the people. It was for the one they left back home, but also for them, the two travelers, and their future children. The Enata was surrounded by the sun, a double meaning. It showed leadership, as the two friends would lead the future generations, though the sun would also lead their people to the afterlife, not as a symbol of death but of rebirth. In a sense, as they wore the sun, Van and Gauguin would bring with them the future, thus keeping their memories alive in the eternal cycle.

The tattoos on their body was a testimony to a past culture and a prayer for the future. The Turtle would grant them longevity, wellness and peace. The Marquesan cross, help them live in harmony. Finally, the Ocean was their destiny. Their people lived by the Ocean and returned to the Ocean once they fulfilled their lives. Van and Gauguin had to find their new Ocean in the stars. Many other lines and drawing with various meaning covered their full body. It retold past glory, remembered dear friends and family and wished for them a brighter future.

Leo and Vince listened to the two friends talking about their people and their traditions, about their need to leave Earth. What they didn't understand was the reason for the rush, the leave, and why no other of the young one's family had followed.