Cherry Blossom Snow

A Long Overdue Reunion

Nathan had just concluded a meeting with the leaders of the Commonwealth of the Outer Solar System Territories concerning the possibility of joining the Confederation. Now on a mission to Venus, a neutral world, his green eyes stared wishfully at the small blue planet known as Earth while passing it by. He had high hopes for the planet, but his job as Secretary-General of the United Galactic Confederation officially prevented him from getting involved. Nathan's cat-like tail swished back and forth and his ears twitched as he listened to his children, Ja, Io, and Ur, arguing. What they were arguing about, he did not know, and in all likelihood, neither did they.

The ship made a controlled entry into the Venusian atmosphere and a gentle landing on the planet. Once a crushing, burning hellscape, Venus had been transformed into a refuge for Earth's wildlife and had a dynamic range of artificially maintained environments to accommodate them. Due to the exceptionally long day and lack of seasons, there were complex systems in place to adjust weather and lighting to simulate Earth conditions.

"Are we there yet?" asked Io.

"Yes," replied Nathan.

"Are we done yet?"

"Almost."

"I'm already bored."

"Be patient," said Ja. "Just enjoy the moment. This is a beautiful place. I rather like it here. It's a shame that our visit shall be brief."

"It's already been too long."

"I just enjoy family trips," said Ur.

"All we have to do is go to the management office and take their official report," said Nathan. "Then, we interview the directors briefly about their work. After that, we fly around for a quick look to make sure things are in order. This is just a basic evaluation. If there are any problems, those will be dealt with in the near future."

"Stop boring me," said Io.

"Never. I'm going now. You are all free to do as you wish while I conduct business. However, I'd like you to be back at the ship when I'm ready to leave."

"I'd like to go with you," said Ur.

"Thank you."

"I want to make sure you get things done right."

"Oh. Anyone else? Ja, Io, would you like to help out?"

"I don't like you," said Ja. "Why would I help you with anything?"

"Well, you didn't have to put it like that."

"If you only do what is necessary, you miss out on most of what there is to be done."

"Well said," Ur commented.

"What about you, Io?" asked Nathan.

"You're boring me as we speak," said Io.

"What's gotten into you lately?"

"Ixora installed new software when he made repairs. I was thinking of connecting to the ship's computer to make a few modifications as needed."

"That's very strange," said Ja. "Normally, you'd be contacting Ixora to have him do that for you."

"You're right, but for some reason, I just don't feel like it. All the more reason for me to make the necessary adjustments."

"So, you feel compelled to make modifications to your programming in order to make yourself want to make Ixora make modifications for you?" asked Ur.

"Yes."

"But you don't feel compelled to save yourself some effort and just have him make the modifications that you know he will do if you just ask, no matter how much it inconveniences him?"