Never Alien to One Another (Abandoned)

Of All Creatures That Breathe

November 12th, 2317. Watney Terran Center, New York, New York. The United States of America, Terra.

The Council smiled down at me as the President presented me with my new badge. "Now, it is with great honor, that I name Miss Sang Servilia the new Terran Interstellar Ambassador, effective immediately," Artemesia Caesar declared, pinning the new silver badge onto my navy blue blazer. "Make us proud, Sang," she whispered in my ear, her eyes bright.

"Will do, Mrs. President," I murmured, my face nearly splitting with the grin on my face. The room erupted in cheers and clapping, the flashing of the holograms nearly blinding me as I posed next to the President.

I spotted my best friends Karen Heia and Wil Vibius, and if I concentrated hard enough, I could pinpoint their loud screams over the rest. I blew them a kiss, and Karen pretended to catch it, Wil fake swooning besides her.

I grinned at their antics, turning my attention back to the Council. The leader of the Council, nicknamed the Empress, Trivia Desticius of Russia called the room back to attention. The room started to quiet as she raised a hand, her green eyes dark. "Ambassador Servilia," she boomed, her accent thick. "You set off for the Irisian galaxy in a fortnight, on a mission to establish diplomacy and spread peace and friendship beyond our galaxy. You will meet new people, who will hopefully turn into new friends, old friends, who will hopefully continue being trusted friends, and hopefully discover new things about yourself."

The Empress nodded towards President Caesar who stepped back up to the podium, her bright auburn hair contrasting with the silver of Trivia's. "Ambassador, you are to depart at eleven hundred hours tomorrow morning to Terra's embassy in Titan, before beginning your real mission. You will meet the team that will accompany you on your journey two hours before your ship lifts off," the President passed, the room so silent you could the quiet snapping of the nano-cameras. "Sang Servilia, on behalf of the American Republic, and the planet of Terra, I would like to say we are proud of you, and we wish you luck. You are dismissed to the banquet."

The room erupted into thunderous applause as I made my way out of the Council room, my head held high as the anthem of Terra played behind me. I could hear Karen and Will belting out the national anthem instead, and I fought to keep the grin off of my face. 

I walked to the banquet hall, the silence of the room a sudden juxtaposition to the cacophony of the Council. "If only for a while," I mumbled under my breath, finding my way to my seat at the right hand of the head of the table. Pausing, I listened for the telltale buzz of nano-cameras and nano-vids, but heard none. I let out a sigh of relief as I sunk down into my chair, the weight of today's events hitting me suddenly. 

 It's not like I didn't want the position of Ambassador, I had waited for this moment my whole, god-damn miserable life, I just couldn't believe it happened. I couldn't believe I was proving my hateful mother wrong who told me I would never amount to anything, who told me why would anyone want me, who told me I would be dead before my eighteenth birthday, who told me the planets and people they spoke of on the screens were a lie... I couldn't believe I made it. 

"Sang?" someone called, and I immediately straightened, my hands wiping if tears I didn't realize were flowing. President Caesar stood in the doorway, and as I tried to get out of my seat to greet her, she waved her hand. "No need for that today, dear one," she said, smiling at me. 

Artemisia and I have a close relationship. Her daughter was, is, one of my closest friends, and I became like a surrogate daughter to her after Diana de Luna left for an outpost in the Gamma Quadrant. 

"I just came to warn you the circus is not far away," she said, and although her tone was teasing, I could detect the concerned undertones. Are you okay? her blue eyes seemed to say as they searched mine, the color like a clear lake.