Paradise Found

Another static burst, then, "This is... (static) ...we're approx... (static) ...from your... ...heading, one two se..." The rest of the message dissolved into whistles and distorted crackles.

"Hello... hello... repeat last message!" Blake checked the comm clip and cursed when he saw the power indicator on it was at 'zero'. Katinov fumbled for her comm pin, but he stopped her, "Forget it, Katinov. Their comm system can't be tuned to the same frequency as mine is to yours; they won't hear you." She started to cry again, but Blake held her close and said, "Don't worry, they're alive... somewhere on this world; maybe we can find them."

Blake turned to see the spear of the engine nacelle still smoldering and starting to catch the surrounding foliage on fire, "We can't stay here anymore. The ship's destroyed and the area will be burned away in hours; we have to leave."

"East," said Katinov, wiping her face of tears. She knelt down and grabbed some of the vegetables still intact, stuffing them into her pack to save the seeds. Blake did the same by pulling a handful of the grain stalks out of the ground.

"Good idea," he said, filling his pack, "We'll plant the seeds and grow more if we have to, because it looks like we're staying for good this time."

"Others," said Katinov, a hopeful look in her eye.

"There's no way of knowing where they are, let alone if their shuttles are still intact. Hell, they could've used escape pods; they'll never get those back into space. And even if we do find them and could leave this planet... where would we go?"

Katinov only understood part of what Blake was saying, but the gist of it sunk in: their own world was dead; where else could they go?

"Must stay... home."

"Yes," he said, touching her cheek, "this is home, now."

Some bushes off to their side started to crackle with flames, and Blake grabbed Katinov's hand, saying, "We have to go; it's not safe here anymore."

Katinov snapped on her porta-scanner and displayed the map, "Floent... east."

"Right, we'll follow the river and head for the other oasis in the east just like we planned."

The naked duo hurried away from the flaming brush and debris, following the river northeast once they reached the bank and leaving behind the paradise they were now exiled from.

An hour later, they found themselves in an open area of short grasses and rock strewn dirt patches, and just ahead were the gold and browns of the desert with a sparse collection of boulders and a tree here and there along the river's edge.

"Now that's a lot of dirt to cover," said Blake upon seeing the desert terrain. He saw Katinov looking at him with a question in her eye and, knowing what she was asking about, bent down and scooped up a handful of soil, "Dirt."

"Earth," she countered.

Blake considered it, then, "Alright, it can be 'earth' if you want, but I'm still calling it dirt."

He was relieved when she smiled, knowing she was feeling a little better about their situation. He scanned the area and said, "There's not much here, is there."

"Nodda," Katinov agreed, seeing nothing but stone and sand covering the landscape with very little in the way of plant growth.

Blake chuckled, "Great, the land of Nodda." Then he looked around and asked, "So, since this place is ours now, what do we call this planet?"

"Earth," Katinov snickered.

"Cute," he smirked back, "I was thinking we could call it... 'Terra'; not our original home world, but close to it. What do you think?"

Katinov pointed to herself and said with a grin, "Me, 'Earth'; you, 'Terra'."

Blake laughed, "Okay, you call it 'Earth' and I'll call it 'Terra'," and stuck his tongue out at her, making her giggle.

They walked through the wilderness, dodging stones and outcroppings of rock, when suddenly Blake had a thought pop into his head.

"Hey, I just realized something," he said as Katinov reached into her pack and pulled out two pieces of fruit, "After all that's happened between us, after talking and naming things and working together... I don't even know your name."

"Katinov," she replied with a confused look.

Blake stopped and took her into his arms, "No... I mean your name; your given name."

She thought for a second, then realized what he was asking and answered, "Eve."

"'Eve'," he repeated, grinning. Then he pointed to himself and said, "Adam... Adam Blake."

She smiled and offered one of the apples from her pack, "'Adam'."

He took the fruit, then leaned in to kiss her lovingly, "'Eve'... well, we better get going; we've got a lot of walking to do."

Blake took a determined bite out of his apple, then he and Katinov continued their trek across the wilds of their new home, hand in hand leaving behind one beautiful garden in search of another. They didn't know what they would find beyond their next destination or what the future held for them, but they were sure of one thing: they would find out... together.