[color=a187be][center][h1]Maeve Katz[/h1][/center][/color]

[color=a187be][center][h3]A silent song[/h3][/center][/color]

Maeve knew that it would happen. In truth, she always knew that something like that could happen without a second warning, after all, the Devastators were always there, always just waiting. But unlike other times, this time it wasn't just a story. It was really happening... Her parents... All her friends in the Martian Military that loved to hear her sing or the ones she saved with her medical skills... Most of them were left behind. She would not attempt to fool herself or to try to sugar coat it, she knew what would happen with them... There was only one possible outcome for all those who were left behind... They were going to die, so the human race could continue to live... It was a price that needed to be paid for the survival of the human race. She knew that very well, but that knowledge didn't change her feelings or the fact that for her, all that was so incredibly unfair...

As the engines began to power up, shaking the entire ship, their sounds mixed together with orders being shouted by soldiers and engineers only made it even clearer that Maeve had nothing to do there. Admiral William Locke was still in the middle of his speech when Maeve stopped paying attention and simply began walking idly through the Hub. Just as Locke said, the Devastators would soon get on Mars' orbit and Maeve simply didn't wanted to think about that. It wasn't something to get surprised over. Everyone knew that it would happen sooner or later. Maybe a stroll through the Hub while everything was still getting prepared to the departure would prove to be a bit more enjoyable to just stand there doing nothing.

Surprisingly enough, the Ark was bigger than Maeve previously thought and only when walking through the Hub that she really realized that. It was really a city inside a ship. Nightclubs, restaurants, movie theaters... It was really... similar to a normal city. But again... That was expected, since nobody knew for how much time they would stay inside the Arks... People would certainly need that in order to try and have a normal life, to try and gather what's left from themselves and get the strength to get up and continue walking towards the future. Maybe that was one of the reasons why Maeve was selected and not another medic or surgeon... Her voice certainly would be able to help some but right now, it most certainly wasn't the case. She truly enjoyed singing, but she simply couldn't sing with an cold and indifferent expression like that. She knew that very well...

Lost in her own thoughts, Maeve didn't realize that before, but now that she was getting closer to the center of the Hub, she saw something that escaped her attention a while ago... Right in the middle of the Hub, there was a very peculiar location. Just like the name suggested, it looked almost like a little piece of the paradise. The green color that filled the Eden contrasted with the rest of the Hub. Grass, trees... Even looking at it from the outside, Maeve could see the leaves moving, almost like if there was real wind and weather inside. It looked incredibly peaceful and tranquil... Silently observing the gentle sway of the leaves, Maeve wondered how that wind would feel on her skin...

[b]"Umm... Miss...?"[/b] A member of the staff interrupted her thoughts, looking at her with a confused expression. He was probably one of the guards that would take care of the Eden.
[b]"You should be going to your quarters. We will soon start the takeoff procedures. May I ask your name so I can direct you towards your designated area?"[/b] The man asked, still looking to Maeve.

[color=a187be]"I'm sorry... I got a bit distracted. My name is Maeve, Maeve Katz. I'm a surgeon and a doctor. You don't need to go all the way there just to escort me, I know where I should go... I was just... Thinking a little bit. That's all."[/color] Maeve said, finally stopping looking at the garden and looking at the man, with a sad smile.

[b]"Wait... Are you... [i]the[/i] Maeve Katz? I heard a lot about you from my friends back in the Martian Military!"[/b] The man said, with a surprised expression as he looked to Maeve again with increased curiosity.

[b]"You... helped a lot of people back there... Both physically and mentally. My... My brother always said that he owes you his life."[/b] he said, with a distant look on his face.

Hearing that, Maeve's only reaction was to look down and away from him. She didn't feel like she deserved such recognition and praise at that moment... And above that, she didn't want him to see her with that face...

[color=a187be]"No..."[/color] Maeve said, still looking down.
[color=a187be]"We all owe him and everyone who stood behind our lives. They sacrificed themselves so we could live. So..."[/color] Maeve continued, rubbing her face with her hands and lightly slapping her cheeks before looking at the man again with a tranquil smile on her face.

[color=a187be]"We should all be grateful and enjoy the chance they gave us to keep living. If it's too painful to remember, you should forget. There is no shame in forgetting the past and looking to the future. We will honor their sacrifices not by making their memories an anchor to weight us down, but as wings to free ourselves from our past and carry us to a better future."[/color] Maeve said, before realizing that she was again looking to the gentle movement of the leaves on the wind inside the Eden.

[color=a187be]"I'm sorry... I'm just a bit emotional today. I know where to go... Thanks."[/color] She said, with a discreet smile before walking away without even giving him the chance to say anything.

"So man your duty stations, Civilians report to your designated areas for takeoff. Locke, out." Admiral William Locke's voice continued being broadcasted through the ship. While she was walking through the Hub and observing the Eden, she had really forgotten that the Admiral was talking, but this time, Maeve paid a little bit of attention on what he was saying. Apparently, it was already time... Time to leave everything behind, forget about everything and start anew in search for survival and a brighter future...

[color=a187be]"Forget everything..."[/color] Maeve said to herself, looking up. It would be hard, but not impossible. Her parents, the guys at the Martian Military who were left behind to fight...

[color=a187be]"Not an anchor... but wings to carry us to our future..."[/color] She continued, repeating what she said a few minutes ago to the man near the Eden almost like if those weren't her own words.

[color=a187be]"I can't believe that those words came out of my mouth... I guess I really AM a bit emotional today..."[/color] She continued, with a snicker. She usually wasn't that emotional, so it was only natural that she was feeling a bit weird and not herself...

[color=a187be]"I guess that there is no problem in being a bit weird today..."[/color] She muttered to herself as she finally arrived on her personal quarters.

Opening the door, she found the few possessions she choose to bring with her. A bookshelf filled with all sorts of books, her notebook, decorated with black and velvet stickers, her VR kit and the thin daggers laying gently right on the middle of the table.
Throwing herself on the bed, she simply laid there, looking at the ceiling with distant eyes. She needed to forget about the past so she could start a new future...

Just as the engines started, shaking the entire ship, Maeve started to hum to herself the same tune her mother used to hum when putting her to sleep. That music had no lyrics, nor it was a famous or a classic song... In fact, it was just something her mother came up on her own. She used to hum that when putting Maeve to sleep or even when distracted with her books... As she continued humming to herself, tears started to gently roll down her face. If she was on public, she would be very embarrassed, but she was alone right now. That was her private moment... At least that day, she could afford being a bit sad.

[color=a187be]"Good bye, mother. Good bye, father."[/color] she thought to herself, remembering the smile on their faces when she got out of home for the first time when she was called to serve the military... It was the same genuine smile that they gave to her when she told them that she was selected to go aboard one of the Arks. There was no fear or regret on their faces. Just a pure and genuine happiness that their little child was going to survive...

[color=a187be]"Thanks for everything that you ever did to me. Rest in peace."[/color] She said, closing her eyes as she continued humming.