Lando sighed as he stood upright from his former position where he had been bent over weeding out plants from the middle of his crops.
He looked around him with satisfaction at his handiwork. Waking up at the crack of dawn to get things done on his farm was worth it as he had been able to complete his day's work.
He wiped the sweat off his brow as he watched the sun begin to set.
Seeing that he was done for the day, he removed his straw hat and made for his small house at the corner of the large expanse of land.
On getting to the porch, he turned back once more to get a good view of his lands.
The house was on the corner left of the land at the back while the farm was ahead of the house. There was a little barn next to the house with a wooden fence around it where he had some farm animals to care for while he was less busy and at the moment, they were freely walking around within the barnyard fence.
There were various trees like orange trees, apples, mangoes and a lot of others that provided adequate fresh fruits to feed himself. However, the only tree that he found pleasure relaxing under was an almond, situated toward the left of the center of the compound, it was practically right in front of the house. When he was done with dinner, it was his tradition to sit under the tree watching the rest of his animals walk around their compound and relaxing back on his chair with just a wifebeater and shorts.
While he looked back at the farm, his eyes drifted to the tree and he felt drawn to sit underneath feeling the brush against him as he rested. His whole body ached slightly and he wanted to rest.
Rushing into the house, he almost tripped on his self-cleaning vacuum cleaner before he regained his balance. He looked towards the clock to check the time. 5:35 and the temperature was beginning to drop. He decided that he would have his dinner before going there since the sun was beginning to set.
After making dinner, he did make his way there and sighed deeply, closing his eyes in relief as he rested back on his chair and felt the breeze massage every part of his body.
He felt his hair tousled in the breeze and before long, his breath was getting heavier, a sign that he was soon going to take a nap.
As much as this period was for his relaxation, he also spent it reminiscing about the old days when he was well-known and respected for his contributions to the medical industry as a military doctor.
The memories came whether he liked it or not and today, while he was drifting into a nap, those memories came rushing him.
He was back in his office when his subordinate, Jairo, rushed into his office informing him of the update in their latest experimentation.
"The commander wants to start with the testing immediately," Jairo said almost immediately after he had rushed into his office.
Lando jerked his head upwards from the paperwork he had been dealing with on his desk.
"What? Are you sure you informed him of the issues we had the last time and how we are still working on it?"
The former nodded a shine on his brow that seemed to be sweat.
The last time they had taken a ship to test interplanetary travels with a planet they had discovered, the ship had encountered some issues and they had put a hold on other expeditions to resolve the issue and prevent it from reoccurring on others. What Jairo had just come telling him was going to be a suicide mission even if they did attempt at the moment.
He internally boiled with anger but he knew that it wasn't his subordinate's fault. If it was easy to convince the commander, he wouldn't have come to him for help.
He instead, dropped his pen, switched off his processing system and stood from his seat.
"Don't bother, I think I'll just talk to him myself," Lando said.
Jairo nodded and speed walked out of the office without a word while Lando picked up his lab coat.
Before he left the room, he put his hand under a small dispenser near his door and a blob of thick sanitizer liquid dropped into his hand.
On getting to the door, he waved his hand before the sensor and began rubbing his hands together to spread the sanitizer while the door opened automatically to let him out.
The noise that met his ears in the lab was a contrast to the serenity in his office.
Nobody was standing for more than five seconds and shouts of commands could be heard as soldiers were also mixed in the chaos.
Lando took a deep breath as he got to the transparent tempered glass door that led to the lab and mentally prepared himself for a talk down with the commander.
He swiped his card and the door slid open. He briefly looked around before catching sight of the commander on the top platform of the lab where high-level officials usually sat to view exhibitions. He made his way up and greeted the commander.
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The commander returned his greeting curtly.
"I have asked for the next experiment to take place as soon as possible," he said and Lando nodded.
"So, I heard, sir. However, I don't think it would be safe to embark on another expedition at this time as I'm sure the issue we were after has not been completely taken care of," Lando explained tentatively, not wanting to get on his nerves.
"Why? After all this time? The most time I can allow is until tomorrow at dawn. No more excuses after that."
Lando nodded with a small sigh, not loud enough for him to hear.
It was enough time for them to get to the last part that would rectify the issue once and for all.
"I'll be going now. Expect me and the other officials tomorrow to watch the expedition take place. I repeat, no excuses," he said with a warning index finger in the air.
Lando nodded and stood aside to let him, and his guards passed by. Once they had left, he sighed and fell back to one of the seats behind him. Looking down, he caught sight of Jairo who had been watching from below with an expectant look in his eye.
Now that the commander was gone, his eyes seemed to be asking Lando if he was able to get some more time out of the commander and Lando smiled and gave him a thumbs up in return.
He watched as Jairo and the other scientists cheered before continuing their work at a slower pace now that they were no longer under pressure.
Even though Lando didn't have too much experience with the technical aspect of the expeditions, his job there was to help the military determine if the planets they were travelling to, could keep people alive and if there were any health-related issues with interplanetary travels.
The last time the expedition took place, it was not just the ship that had problems. The people on the ship had been exposed to some harmful gaseous materials during the travels that would have been prevented if the ship was secure enough against them and now, they were reinforcing the abilities of the ship so such wouldn't happen again.
True to Lando's prediction, they had been able to sort out the ship before the next morning and the expedition was set to take place. This time, Lando had volunteered to be part of the ship's crew and thanks to his efforts and that of the other scientists, it was a success.
They had come back safe with no exposure to dangerous materials. They had been able to monitor the response of the ship and had also taken note of things that would make the next expedition even better.
Lando could still hear the cheers of his fellow workers and he could practically feel the slaps on the back that he had received from the soldiers. The happy memory faded into one that made his heart race. It was the transmission from the cockpit of the ship during the next expedition.
"Engine collapsed. Emergency... Engine collapsed." The robotic voice of the ship's operating system echoed in the situation room.
The scientists were running around giving instructions to the pilot on the ship but it turned out that the ship had been hit by an unknown weapon from an enemy ship on the new planet they had gone to. The disruption in the situation room came to a standstill when they lost connection with the pilot and all they could hear was the sound of the ship crashing in an unknown location. The ship had gone off the radar and they didn't know where to start their investigation.
He would always remember the way his colleagues had looked when they realized that they had lost their comrades.
When he extracted himself from the memory, a cool breeze made him shiver slightly before he opened his eyes slowly and found himself back on his relaxing chair under the tree.
He might miss his work but the operations he had led as a military doctor was not one he would go back to. He had had enough of the death of people under the guise of expeditions, and he didn't think he could take anymore. Even though he wasn't blamed for the deaths, he didn't feel comfortable working in the filed anymore.
When his time for retirement was drawing nearer, he remembered how he had been getting questioned by Co-workers and friends about what he planned to do next with his life after service.
He didn't have any immediate family he could take care of so the few close friends he had were worried about him when he said he told them he didn't know. Of course, he knew he wanted to stay far away from the town and the cities and live secluded, but he didn't say so to them. After all, what good would it be if he wanted to live a secluded life and told them his plans?
Lando was well known in his line of work that even before his retirement, he had been getting offers from private companies and hospitals to recruit him. Even when he rejected every one of them without remorse, offers to give workshops and speeches were still rolling in after months of his retirement.
Jairo had also come to visit him in his house before he left the city and he had only told him he was leaving the town. He had also come bearing an offer that would give Lando one of the most sought-after jobs in the industry but Lando had simply read through the letter on his tablet before he deleted it and handed it back to him with a smile on his face.
"Why won't you take it? Isn't it better than travelling alone? You could go further in your career and become one of the best out there if you choose to. I don't understand why you choose to waste away," Jairo spat out. Lando knew he was only concerned and he also knew that there was a high chance that he might have done and said the same if he was in his shoes.
"You might call it wasting away but I say it's me spending more time reflecting on myself and living the way I want to live. Besides, nothing better than getting your hands dirty and building a closer relationship with mother nature, right?" Lando said as he laughed. He dropped a hint of his plans to farm but he knew Jairo wouldn't understand. Not unless he told him explicitly.
Jairo had looked at him like he couldn't recognize who he was speaking to and Lando didn't blame him. If he had also been told 10 years before that he would be on a farm on the edge of town with his closest neighbor living almost ten miles away, he wouldn't have believed it.
He only went to the town for supplies as he had gone out of touch with those who knew him. He was trying to live like he didn't exist. The sun had already gone down and he decided to find his way into his home to retire for the night. He made his way to the animal yard and closed up the barn to keep the animals enclosed before he proceeded to rub his eyes and head to his home and into the comfort of his bed.
He was asleep as soon as he touched his head to his pillow and he was already snoring softly by the time a bright light in the sky glinted in the sky far ahead through his open window that let in the night breeze. As it got closer, the light grew brighter. If he had been awake, he would have known that a ship was about to land in his cornfield, he would have also known that given the uncontrollable speed and angle with which the ship flew, it was most likely going to crash into his crops.
However, he smiled in his sleep enjoying his sleepy encounter with his first love in the only place where he was able to meet her once again. His dreams.