Hope and Fear Mean Nothing

Hope and Fear Mean Nothing

If she thought the Orpheus III stood a chance against the Cloud, Norma would set course for the ship at once, but something in her gut told her that she was still missing some piece of the puzzle. Perhaps the true history of the Cloud was unknowable. However it didn’t matter.

Most troubling of all was the thought that the reality of space exploration proved that there were mysteries out there that were never going to be solved. And as these dispiriting thoughts raced through her mind, Norma saw that she had never felt so alone in her entire life. For all she had loved or hated, there was something comforting in the knowledge that in the end, she was surrounded by the crowd. Norma realized suddenly that had she not accepted the command, she might have lost the chance forever to discover the truth about her own elusive past. Was that chance really all that had brought her to this moment, and much more important, was it worth it?

Hope, fear, regret, doubt – they meant nothing. Illustration:© Megan Jorgensen (Elena)

All that mattered was her determination to do right by her people, and the greater good here was learning how to save the planet. Hope, fear, regret, doubt – they meant nothing.

(Extract from The Rain, the famous SF novel by Elena and George)