The Eternal Voyage

You've kept your immortality secret for thousands of years. Thats going to be a lot harder now that your on a generation ship on a 2000 year voyage.

"Well, are you going to get on the damn ship or what?", I was so graciously greeted by one of the deckhands.

"Yes, my good man, I am just taking in the view" I said I as I peered over the ship.

When you get to be as old as I am, patience truly becomes a mastered virtue. As I step onto the ship, I begin to reflect on my adventure of being one of Human kind's greatest anomalies. Being immortal doesn't have many perks; on the contrary, it's quite a curse, but I've learned to cope. I've dedicated my life to furthering man kind behind the scenes, and life has been all about business. Personal relationships seem a little foolhardy when you know you will just bury that person in a blink of an eye.

I've ran away from the feelings of love and intimacy after I became a centurion. My first and only wife, my children, and my best of friends were all put into the ground by my shovel, by my sweat. After I put my last grandchild in the ground, I vowed I would never bury amother human on this big blue planet again. For the next 1000 years, I wandered and worked on the human cause; a roaming doctor, so to speak. A fulfilling journey so far, but very lonely.

These next 2000 years, I will go through a psychological transformation that I don't understand. I've known about this voyage for nearly 25 years, and I've spent every year writing my theoretical psychoanalysis on how I think I will cope with all of this. I will love people on this ship, possibly fall in love with them, and nothing can be ruled out. I've covered nearly every possible social scenario, from the good to the bad, and I am still not ready. Being immortal simply means losing your humanity; forgetting how beautiful death can make living . It makes love stronger, it makes food taste better, and it makes adventure the ultimate rush. On an intimate level, I will need to deal with all of these emotions from the outside looking in. Can i really do this?

I walk towards the front of the ship and look outward toward the stars where we will soon be embarking upon. I smile gently and take a deep breathe to ready myself. As I exhale, my peripherals see a woman with crystal blue eyes and long rustic blond hair slowly approach me.

"Infinity is a beautiful thing. I'm going to give it all I have". She says, her eyes gazing deep into the black abyss.

I can't say anything; totally smitten by her introduction. I stumble all over myself

"H-Hi, my name is Justinian and I cannot die".

Her eyes widen and her perfectly symmetrical face looks a bit shocked, then she giggles. "Nice to meet you Justinian, I am Jules".

We stand quietly, both unaware of what's coming. I am a damn fool sometimes...