Summer Camp week 5
Different Celebrations
Fireworks were forbidden on the Colonies. In an enclosed atmosphere too many fireworks set off could be a catastrophe, not to mention what might happen if something was set off too close to the oxygen vents or if something flew high enough to reach the inner hull. During the first days of colonisation, some space shuttles flew formation outside the colony with colour and light streaming in their wake, in order to simulate the effect of fireworks, but the custom soon fell out of fashion.
Earth, however, still used fireworks for celebrations. Heero found it deeply ironic that fireworks were used on this day - Colony day - the annual marking of the opening of the first space colony. In the Colonies, the day was marked by everyone getting a day off from work or school (unless you ran a grocery store or was in charge of organising an event or something), and a large parade of all sorts of organisations, clubs, schools, that sort of thing. In a show of patriotism, there was also usually a market with locally-produced products, which meant that a lot of people from the technology-inclined L1 cluster liked to sneak away to the L3 cluster, where most of the agricultural colonies were located.
This year, Heero was down on Earth, watching fireworks (and trying not to wince at all the bangs and booms and bright lights going up around him), eating something very greasy stuffed in a sort of pastry. There were at least three different types of meat in it. It never ceased to amaze him how Earthlings, who had access to all sorts of greens, tended to stick to a meat-based diet - at least here in Northern/Middle Europe. Colonists were usually near-vegetarian for practical purposes - it took a lot less space in the few agricultural colonies to grow a crop of carrots than it took to feed a cow.
Why had he thought it was a good idea to move to Earth again?
“Having fun?” came Relena’s voice from behind him. She walked up and put her arms around his waist, leaning against his back. Heero felt tension he didn’t know was there leave his body.
“Not really,” he replied honestly. “I don’t see the point of the fireworks, the food is growing in my mouth, and it’s entirely too many people here.”
Relena moved away far enough to spin him around to face her. “Aww, that’s too bad. How about we go home and I can show you some fireworks that you can make sense of?”
Heero blinked in confusion. Relena rolled her eyes, muttered something about how pointless it was to use innuendo with completely oblivious people, leaned over and kissed him firmly. When she finally broke away, one particular light show exploded in the sky, leaving her with flashing lights illuminating her from behind, yet not outshining the sparkling in her eyes.
Oh.
Heero had just remembered why he’d decided to move to Earth.
Fireworks were forbidden on the Colonies. In an enclosed atmosphere too many fireworks set off could be a catastrophe, not to mention what might happen if something was set off too close to the oxygen vents or if something flew high enough to reach the inner hull. During the first days of colonisation, some space shuttles flew formation outside the colony with colour and light streaming in their wake, in order to simulate the effect of fireworks, but the custom soon fell out of fashion.
Earth, however, still used fireworks for celebrations. Heero found it deeply ironic that fireworks were used on this day - Colony day - the annual marking of the opening of the first space colony. In the Colonies, the day was marked by everyone getting a day off from work or school (unless you ran a grocery store or was in charge of organising an event or something), and a large parade of all sorts of organisations, clubs, schools, that sort of thing. In a show of patriotism, there was also usually a market with locally-produced products, which meant that a lot of people from the technology-inclined L1 cluster liked to sneak away to the L3 cluster, where most of the agricultural colonies were located.
This year, Heero was down on Earth, watching fireworks (and trying not to wince at all the bangs and booms and bright lights going up around him), eating something very greasy stuffed in a sort of pastry. There were at least three different types of meat in it. It never ceased to amaze him how Earthlings, who had access to all sorts of greens, tended to stick to a meat-based diet - at least here in Northern/Middle Europe. Colonists were usually near-vegetarian for practical purposes - it took a lot less space in the few agricultural colonies to grow a crop of carrots than it took to feed a cow.
Why had he thought it was a good idea to move to Earth again?
“Having fun?” came Relena’s voice from behind him. She walked up and put her arms around his waist, leaning against his back. Heero felt tension he didn’t know was there leave his body.
“Not really,” he replied honestly. “I don’t see the point of the fireworks, the food is growing in my mouth, and it’s entirely too many people here.”
Relena moved away far enough to spin him around to face her. “Aww, that’s too bad. How about we go home and I can show you some fireworks that you can make sense of?”
Heero blinked in confusion. Relena rolled her eyes, muttered something about how pointless it was to use innuendo with completely oblivious people, leaned over and kissed him firmly. When she finally broke away, one particular light show exploded in the sky, leaving her with flashing lights illuminating her from behind, yet not outshining the sparkling in her eyes.
Oh.
Heero had just remembered why he’d decided to move to Earth.