Planken Point

He stumbled and steadied himself. The wind was howling in his ears, threatening to knock him off his feet. Wincing, he shaded his eyes with his right arm, as the purple glow from the binary pulsar blazed brilliantly in his eyes. The faint acrid smell of ammonia singed his nostrils, as he stared out into the abyss. This was perhaps the only place on the alien planet that felt like home. His mind raced back to before the pre-academy days, to the house on the cliff, the sheer rock face hurtling down five hundred feet to the crashing waves below.
It has been two years since he visited this place, the Planken Point as Captain Zikashu called it. Zan had been a novice then, and he looked upto Zikashu like an elder brother, who insisted on being called by his name. Together they went on missions, exploring the alien land, despite their differences in age and status. Zikashu saw potential in the young Zan, pushing him on relentlessly. And it bore fruit, as Zan rose up the ranks faster than anyone before him. They had five years to complete the mission of terraforming the globe before the Settlers arrived, and things were going perfectly.
Three years passed by in a flash. They were standing at Planken Point, looking across the vast rock plains overlooking the cliff face, glistening a deep pink in the twilight. Zikashu put his arm around the young man’s shoulder, and said the words that would be etched in Zan’s memories forever.
“Zan, you are the one who will succeed me. You have two years. Two years to prove your worth. To be something only you can be. And i’ll pass on the baton to you. I want the Settlers to meet Captain Zan.”
Zan proceeded to take frontal charge of the mission,
determined to make the cut. It was tough, switching from helping the man in charge, to being the man in charge. But Zikashu pushed him on. Until…
Two months left to Settlement, Zikashu succumbed to a fatal exposure to the Quattrium radiation, leaving behind a scarred Zan at the helm. The other team members helped him on his feet again. But this time there was no Zikashu. Zan struggled, and cried in the dark. But his Captain’s words kept him alive.
Two hours till the Settlers arrive. And Zan was up at Planken Point, reminiscing. As the ships appeared in the distant horizon, Zan whispered, “Captain I think I’m ready now. Thank you.”

© Auro_13032016