“Good morning, gentlemen,” the clatter of voices at the humongous conference table came to a sudden hush as Harry’s deep voice rang through the room. “And ladies,” Harry tipped his hat at Martha, the only other female scientist left at NASA and Harry’s love interest for four years.

“I’m glad that we all can witness this day together. I hope you’ve all come prepared. This day is not to be taken lightly.” 

All heads nodded in affirmative, no one in this room had ever been unprepared a day in their lives anyway. 

“The team we choose today will decide the future of the generations to come. Or at least we hope that it will.” It wasn’t that Harry couldn’t acknowledge the gravity of our situation or was blissfully unaware of the miserable failure of at least one other expedition carried out right beneath his nose, but choosing to look at the bright side is something he preferred. “Personal choices,” he would say. “Why should I look at the darkness where there is nothing to see, why not look at the brightness even if there’s just a flicker of it. Sometimes that’s all it takes to make a difference, a flicker of light.” 

As Harry took his seat as the Chair, I settled into mine, eyes still fixated on him. Harry was an old man now, much older for his age actually. You probably couldn’t see it at first, for he looked just like any forty year old, brown eyed with tiny wrinkles around them and smile lines cutting deep into his face and despite his very ordinary features, strangely beautiful. But past that face, his eyes gave it all away, the baggage of all those years of dreamless sleeps and sleepless nights and the burden of a task next to impossible had all aged him. 

Today was the Choosing day, the unceremonious appointment of a space team that would be deemed fit to embark on to the Great Expedition. 

“We will be deciding 13 names today that in turn will decide the fate of entire mankind. As per consensus of our space Generals, Captain Adrian has been decided as the Commander of this mission. Which leaves behind 12 names for us to decide.”

As Harry continued, tiny envelopes started circulating among the fifty officials settled in black leather chairs around the glass table. 

“Enclosed in these you’ll find a list of volunteers for each post. Except our latest volunteer, Sandra.” Harry finally made eye contact with me as Martha audibly gasped. 

“And now, one by one, we shall vote.”

                                                                                            * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

The voting lasted much longer than I had anticipated, with two tea breaks and a couple of heated up quarrels in between. 

“It is foolish to send young and naïve scientists and engineers into space. Are we to meet the same fate as the previous expeditions?” Ahuja asked the white headed officials in particular.

“I’m sorry to interrupt but experience has got nothing to do with age. I personally do not believe that any of our scientists are naïve. Young, yes. And their youth will drive them. Their youth will keep them sane.” 

And so, after a long and tedious voting process, the team was finalized, the team for the expedition to Mars.

“Sandra,” I turned around as Martha wrapped her arms around me. We both stood in that embrace for what seemed like years, with her muffled sniffles breaking the silence intermittently. What do you say, I often used to wonder as a child, to a man who knows he is about to die? What do you say to make it better? Do you say a prayer, or do you give them hope, or do you tell them that they’re going to a better place? And that is when you choose silence, because some words are never meant to be said in the first place.

As Martha pulled away, she gave me one of her brightest smiles, the smile that reaches all the way to her eyes, lighting them up like the brightest fireworks on Christmas eve, making you believe that this, right here, is the happiest moment of your life. Except the damp cloth over my shoulders said otherwise.