The Gold Paladin

Day Forty-Seven

It was late at night, the moon rising over the green plains setting it all aglow with a soft white light. Though many on the planet were fast asleep to rest for the next day, there were a couple of souls that weren't roused by sleep.

They ran tiptoed through the halls of their home, careful not to wake anyone else in the house.

"Shh..." One of the silent voices hushed the next, "We're not supposed to be up this late."

"So why are you whispering?" The second voice asked just as quietly.

They continued to sneak around until finally they made it to their secret room. It was a small white door underneath the main staircase of their house, and when they opened it, it lead to a beautiful room with fairy lights and glowed softly. On the floor were several soft and fluffy pillows with blankets and even a small snack table with all of their favorite treats laid out for them to eat.

However, towards the back wall of the room was a small crystal that hung from a small chain on the roof. It glittered with the soft fairy lights, making the room seem all the more magical.

The owner of the first voice closed the door behind them while the owner of the second voice cuddled up in the mountain of pillows and blankets.

"Come on, come on." They excitedly said, "I wanna see it, I wanna see it!"

"Okay, okay, just give me a minute, sis." The first voice said and went over to the back wall before reaching into their pocket, pulling out a small data chip. They placed the chip against the crystal, to which the crystal absorbed it easily. The stranger smiled and cuddled up in the blankets with his sister.

"Don't forget the lights." The sister smiled. The brother chuckled and snapped his fingers, the fairy lights went dark and the light from the crystal projected itself on the wall in front of them.

On the wall, began playing a secret little video that not many could see easily. But considering their connections, they were able to sneak it in for a little late night movie.

Just then, the video started...

The video was black for a moment, but something beeped and something else shuffled in the darkness. Then there was finally a picture. It was Kinkade from the Atlas crew, smiling at the camera as it shifted into focus.

"Hello. This is Lieutenant Ryan Kinkade, MFE pilot." He said, "The time is 0600 hours. It's day forty-seven. And this is a glimpse at day-to-day life aboard the IGF Atlas."

The scene changed to show the inside of a medicine cabinet, but Kinkade closed it to show himself brushing his teeth in the mirror.

"Last night, I unpacked my video gear and decided to document the crew." He said, bending down and spitting out his toothpaste, "It know it seems strange, but before Earth was attacked, I didn't go anywhere without my camera."

The scene changed again with Kinkade running on a treadmill.

"Back home, people asked me why I liked recording things. They also asked me why I didn't talk that much. To both of those things, I'd always say..."

The scene changed again, Kinkade now working out with two people standing in the background.

"...28, 29, 30." He counted his pull-ups, just as Romelle walked into the frame.

"You're recording? Why?" She asked.

"Kinkade has always been, uh... an individual who's most comfortable observing and reflecting on life." Another guy said in the background, "Being a fighter pilot was actually his backup plan."

The two watching the video smiled seeing this, a glimpse into past history, and a younger Kinkade at that.

"I didn't think that Mr. Kinkade had short hair like that." The girl said.