"Oi, Eva!"
The purple-haired lieutenant paused in the middle of the hallway. She didn't have to turn around know who had called out her name. They had been working together for some time now. "Can I help you, Shamsel?"
He sighed, "I told you: you don't have to be so formal around us. Well, I suppose it is an improvement..."
"Did you need something?"
"Oh yea. You going to that Ground Forces meeting in the main conference room?"
She shook her head, "I won't be able to attend. I'll be heading off-world for most of the day."
"A mission?" he asked curiously. Usually they were all at least notified about the missions, regardless of being solo or not. Not to mention a solo off-world mission was a bit unusual.
"It's not a mission. I have something I need to take care of."
"Ah, alright then. Guess we'll see you when you get back then."
With a wave, he headed off to the meeting. Evangeline watched him disappear around the corner before resuming her trek to meet up with the TSAB ship she was going to be catching a ride on. All personnel were able to benefit from the constant coming and going of the TSAB's inter-dimensional ships. If they ever needed to head to another world for personnel business they could travel on a ship that was heading there, once they get it cleared with their superiors of course. It just happened that a ship was heading over to Administered Planet 58 today for equipment delivery and would be returning back in the evening. A check of her watch showed it to be almost 9 in the morning which left her about a half-hour until the ship departed. As she made her way down the empty halls, her mind wandered for a bit, diving into some old memories.
An hour of travel later, she set foot back on her home world. Not much had changed from what she could tell. Then again she hadn't been away for all that long. A cab was hailed to bring her close to her final destination since she didn't want to use anymore TSAB resources for her personal time.
Towering skyscrapers zipped by the cab. She couldn't help but lean against the window and stare up at them. They had seemed impossibly tall when she was young. Their imposing height and bright evening lights fascinated her at one point. She had dreamed of one day coming to live in them, high into the sky. What she had never considered was that she would first have to live beneath them and between them for so many years.
The voice of the cab driver snapped her out of her trance, signaling they had reached her stated destination. As typical of the cabbies, he sped off back to the city after receiving payment for the ride. The rest of the way would have to be taken on foot. Not many services from the city ran this far out. For her, it was a nice change of pace, if it was for only a short time. The only sounds came from the russeling leaves in the wind and the occasional birds that flew above the treetops. It was very different from the modern cities she had been in for all these years.
An old road was still visible through all the overgrowth. The lack of maintenance had given nature the opportunity to slowly reclaim once was once hers. Even so, it provided the lieutenant a guide through the forest. Sometimes she wished that she knew more about flight magic. It would make the trek a lot easier than having to walk along the uneven surface in her uniform. A quick glance around at her surroundings informed her that she was almost at her destination. Even though it had been some time since she was last here, she could still remember her way.
A small hill up ahead indicated the end of her journey. The hill wasn't overly steep, allowing her to scale it with relative ease. As she came to the peak, she paused and gazed out at the scene before her. She rested her hand on a nearby tree and almost forgot how to breath for a moment. It was just as she remembered it from the last time she was here and the time before that. The large, black crater still stood out in the clearing. Debris lay scattered around its rim. Some remains of houses still stood amongst the crumbling foundations where other houses once stood.
In all these years, it had not changed much. The ravages of time had seemed to leave this place alone. Sometimes she wished that it would stop passing over this place. The blackened crater, the scattered debris, the broken homes...all that remained of a once peaceful village from a time long ago. All that remained of her home.
A tear fell from her reddening eyes as she stared out over her village. Then another...and another...
"I'm back...everyone..."