Early in the afternoon in Quitman, Georgia, about half of the entire town huddled around the lone, black-and-white television set of Sheriff Calliope Mori in the sheriff's office. People were packed inside the room like sardines, but many more gathered outside the windows, clamoring to take a peek.
However, the television screen displayed a cracked image wrought by static. The sound from the speakers was, likewise, incomprehensible.
Sheriff Calli fiddled around with the television antennas, moving the prongs inch by inch for better reception. That sea of middle-aged men and women and gray or graying hairs grumbled anxiously and impatiently, but it was the young, green-haired town doctor, Fauna Ceres, who said what was on everyone's mind.
"Sheriff, hurry up!" Dr. Ceres urged, yelling like a rabid sports fan on the couch, "We're gonna miss the program!"
"Don't rush me, doc. This ain't Atlanta. We don't have those new-fangled color TV's you did in the city." Calli shushed, doing her best to remain civil in the face of her neighbors and townsfolk, "Reception's bad enough as it is - but I had to move the box and all…"
While Calli was talking, the picture on the screen stabilized. The entire room erupted with cheer! Calli took off her sheriff's hat and bowed, basking in the applause of her audience like a magician who pulled off an awesome trick.
Dr. Ceres snorted and folded her arms.
Then, she scooted over and made space for Calli on the couch.
"Thanks, doc." Calli said graciously, even though it was her couch in her house.
Fauna, however, crossed her legs and frowned.
"Something's been on my mind lately, Sheriff." Fauna started, "That mighty tall guest you had here a month ago… Remember her? She never came back to me for her follow-up checkup." She started rubbing her chin, "With a case as unusual as hers… I would have thought she'd need special treatment."
Calli opened her mouth but stopped herself halfway. Instead, she let Dr. Ceres ramble on about medical and scientific jargon that flew over the sheriff's head and rail against the big hospitals in Atlanta for ' rejecting someone of her caliber '. But then, Dr. Ceres faced Calli again with a question.
"Do you know where she went, sheriff? This elusive patient of mine?" Fauna asked.
"She left town with her partner, just like most rebellious whippersnapper kids do. Who knows what they're up to." Calli leaned back into the sofa and smiled knowingly. Her eyes turned to the black-and-white television showing Cape Kennedy's Launch Complex 39 and the rocket being prepared for launch there, "Perhaps they're soul-searching or reaching for the stars in their own way." She smirked and teased the doctor, "And even if I did, I wouldn't just tell anyone. You, as a doctor, would know about that, right? Confidentiality. "
Fauna glanced at Calli again with suspicion, but the sheriff didn't flinch. The doctor heaved a defeated sigh.
It was at that time that Calli's silver-haired deputy squeezed through the crowd wearing an apron over his uniform and wielding a soup ladle instead of a baton.
"Sheriff!" Vesper hissed, whispering to Calli. His face was as sour as a lemon. He smelled like a lemon too, among many other aromatic things.
"What's up, Ves?" Calli asked.
"I prepared enough chili for a dozen people…" Vesper looked around the room and glanced through the window, "I wasn't prepared for dozens , plural!"
"Word spreads fast in this town. Maybe a little too fast. That's what we get for having the only television set in town." Calli laughed uncomfortably, "Do you need me to swing by the greengrocer…?"
Vesper shook his head, "We have more than enough ingredients. I just need help in the kitchen." The deputy glanced at the television screen and mused, "I sort of missed having Miss Ninomae and Miss Tsukumo helping me."
When Vesper mentioned those names, Calli glanced at the television again. The camera panned to a NASA bus wherein Director Watson and Ina'nis Ninomae, the Ground Control assigned for that mission, were seen talking.
As expected, Sana Tsukumo never once appeared on screen.
"Ina and Sana, huh…" Calli hummed fondly. She took a deep breath and rose up from her seat, "I'll help you out then, Ves. We've got a lot of mouths to feed, including our city-slicker doctor here. We ought to show her some southern hospitality."
Fauna pouted at the remark. The doctor rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and stood up too.
"Uuuu~ I'm not as helpless as you think, Sheriff." Fauna offered as well, "I'll help make some chili, but there'd better be a vegetarian pot for me."
"Sure thing, doc." Calli grinned, patting Fauna's shoulder, "Now let's get cracking. That chili ain't gonna cook itself!"
Vesper, Calli and Fauna disappeared into the kitchen and the special-coverage news program continued. The camera shifted to the top of LC 39 where the Apollo 2 capsule sat.
…
…
…
Even though the eyes of the world, through the gaggles of international news crews and hovering passes of news helicopters, focused on the Apollo 2 capsule at LC 39, none of them could peer inside the cockpit. There, the space alien Sana Tsukumo sat quietly on a seat and closed her eyes. In that state, she listened to the myriad of broadcasts happening simultaneously - speculations, hopes and anxieties - outside the capsule and smiled.
For a moment, she felt like she was back in her old formless state listening in from a distance - something that she would experience again soon enough. Until then, Sana brought out her canister of stellar pills and regarded its contents.
Four last pills remained.
Sana took them all.
Holding the empty canister in her hands, she heaved a sigh.
"There's no turning back now." Sana mused.
While Sana started feeling sentimental, she noticed the approach of a familiar consciousness - one whose form Sana had grown accustomed to in her brief, months-long stay on the terrestrial world. The lightness of this consciousness' footsteps and the unique, irreplaceable cadence of its heart were imprinted in Sana's own heart and mind. These steps and heartbeats painted the gentle face of a beautiful woman with long, purple hair and a bright smile.
So, when the capsule hatch opened, Sana saw that consciousness take form and reveal herself.
Ina'nis Ninomae.
Her beloved.
"Ina, you're here." Sana spoke, smiling at her unexpected guest, "Aren't you supposed to be at Ground Control?"
"I decided to take a pitstop here." Ina smiled back. She closed the capsule hatch, sat beside Sana and held the alien's large, warm hand, "This is gonna be the last time we see each other, so I…"
Sana's heart throbbed.
She pulled Ina towards her and hugged her closely, holding her almost as if she didn't ever want to let go. But both she and Ina knew that that dream was one that simply could not come true. Still, with fingers interlocked, Ina and Sana stared into each other's eyes and shared their last, tender kiss and rested the tips of their noses on each other's - adding one more memory to the ones they would keep with them forever.
Moments later, the capsule hatch opened yet again.
This time, NASA Director for the KSC, Dr. Amelia H. Watson, appeared behind the threshold, clad in the new Apollo-series space suit from neck to toe. She leaned mildly to her right, still limping slightly from her old injuries, but her posture and poise held a candle to the other active-duty NASA astronauts.
That space suit-clad Ame saw Ina and Sana holding hands in the cockpit of the Apollo 2 and she raised a suspicious brow.
"I'm… not interrupting anything here, am I?" Ame asked.
"A-Ame…!" Ina blushed, falling into a panic, "Sana and I were just…"
Sana, on the other hand, was completely unfazed.
"Not at all, Director Watson!" Sana beamed at Ame, "I knew you were coming the moment you boarded the heavy-duty lift to LC39 with the vibrations and all, so Ina and I…"
"S-stop!" Ina yelped. She covered Sana's mouth before she said anything else. Then, she faced Ame with a forced smile, "I was actually about to head to Ground Control soon, Ame!"
"You'd better get going then." Ame urged, "I tried to stall the media as long as I can, but they're looking for you. Get moving before the start making rumors that this is a two-woman flight."
"Right." Ina nodded dutifully.
She stood up from her seat and moved towards the hatch. However…
"Wait!" Sana urged, grabbing Ina's coattails.
"Sana…" Ina stopped in her tracks.
Sana reached under her seat and brought out two, round, machine-stitched patches. She showed them to Ina and Ame and beamed proudly.
Ame, however, raised her brow again.
"Mission patches?" Ame hummed, "Where'd you have these made?"
"I made them myself!" Sana announced happily, "I snuck into the Workshop and used the sewing machines there in the Materials Engineering lab. Kaela let me do it~!"
Ame's lips twisted wryly, "That Kaela…"
"I know this is a secret mission and all, but I wanted to make something that won't disappear when I do. Proof that I… no, we, existed." Sana offered the patches to Ina and Ame. She paused and sniffled before she urged, "It's not meant to see the light of day - it's gonna be for your eyes only. So please… take these. Keep them safe."
Ina took her patch and looked at it.
At the center, there was a thread-stitched image of Ina's hidden, sandy nook of the Cape Kennedy beach with a brand new Saturn V rocket flying over the Atlantic Ocean. Around that scene, four names were stitched on the round borders: ' Watson ', ' Gura ', ' Ninomae ' and ' Tsukumo ', along with the stenciled name of the capsule.
' Apollo 2 '
Then, tears started to fall on Ina's patch.
"Ina…" Sana whispered.
Sana rose up from her chair to try and wipe Ina's tears, but Ina wiped them herself. Ina then gave Sana a tearful smile and held the mission patch close to her heart.
"I'll treasure this forever. We're gonna... we're gonna make this mission succeed, I swear!" Ina croaked, "Until we meet again, Sana."
…
Ina stepped out of the Apollo 2 capsule and onto the top platform of LC39. There, Kaela and her small army of NASA Technicians greeted her.
"My boys and girls will take it from here." Kaela smiled at Ina, "Let's go to Ground Control, Ina."
"Yeah." Ina nodded.
She hid the secret mission patch in the pocket of her NASA coat and walked with Kaela towards the heavy lift of LC39. On their way there, though, a gentle gust of sea breeze blew in from the Atlantic Ocean.
Ina shielded her eyes and squinted. When she did, for a brief moment, she caught a glimpse of what looked like a smoky figure ahead of her, marching towards the Apollo 2 capsule. That figure was short in stature and half burned, and yet… Ina recognized her.
"Gura…?" Ina gasped.
The smoky figure of Gura looked up to Ina and smiled. It's mouth formed words that Ina interpreted.
' Thank you, Inya. '
Gura's spirit then carried on towards the capsule. With every step she took, the burns on her body healed and her entire presence became radiant. Ina whirled around and saw Gura's spirit climb aboard the Apollo 2. Then, the Workshop staff closed the triple-layered plug door hatch with a loud, dull thud.
"Did you say something just now, Ina?" Kaela curiously asked.
Ina shook her head and smiled. She dug her hand into her coat pocket and held the secret mission patch firmly.
"It's nothing." Ina insisted, "Let's go, Kaela."
…
Close Encounters
…
The End
