[ WP ] `` To explore the universe , we had to sacrifice our humanity . And we did . ''

`` Do you miss him, Belka?'' 
 
 She sat facing the window, or as close to one as we could get. Glass, even the old ceramic glass they used to use on the space shuttles, did n't fare too well in faster-than-light travel. It was just an LED screen, fed by retractable cameras, but most of the time you could n't tell the difference. The frame rate was a little low, in the older models; we would n't be able to finish replacing them until we got to Alpha Centauri and entered a dock with the recon team there. So the earth flickered as it shrunk, like a stop-motion picture. 
 
 I'd seen it a hundred times, as we trained in orbit. But this would be the last. 
 
 She did n't look away as she spoke, her eyes fixed on the shining blue-and-green sphere. `` I thought you were navigating, Veterok.'' 
 
 `` Bah. It's four light years. Ugo can handle it, even if he could n't find his own ass in a bucket. The autopilot can handle it, anyway. It's not like he'll ram us into a star.'' 
 
 `` I see.'' 
 
 Her shoulders hunched. She half-turned her head towards me, before looking back at the screen. 
 
 `` And you just happened to walk all the way down to Engineering, hm?'' 
 
 I took a few steps forward, sat down beside her. She smelled like oil and metal; an occupational hazard. 
 
 I smiled. `` Where else would I go? The best of the bunch is down here.'' 
 
 `` Always the flatterer, hm? How many ladies have you seduced this week,'rok?'' 
 
 `` One half. Lisa stood me up.'' I winked. `` Got a couple boys in the gym, though.'' 
 
 Belka giggled. `` Any hole in a storm, huh?'' 
 
 I shrugged. `` We're going to be together until... well, for the rest of our lives, probably. Does n't hurt to get to know everyone a little better.'' 
 
 `` Even Ugo?'' 
 
 I rolled my eyes. `` Maybe if he'd take a *bath* once in a while...'' 
 
 She turned towards me for the first time. There was a flicker of light on her cheek, a hint of liquid. Her eyes were red, nose wet, but a smile played on her lips. `` Shh. Do n't say that. You know it upsets him.'' 
 
 `` We all have to grow up sometime, Bel.'' 
 
 She flinched. Her eyes flickered to the blue dot on the screen, the last glimmer of home. The last time we'd ever see it in person. 
 
 Her voice dropped, low and husky. `` Why could n't he come,'rok? We have room. We need people. This place- it was n't even built for us, was it? We were the backup plan.'' 
 
 I leaned towards her, pressed my cheek against hers. Her face was warm, soft. 
 
 `` They're not like us, Bel. They're aggressive. Scheming. You put a ship full of them together for life, half of them would probably be dead before they got past Sirius.'' 
 
 `` I know, I know, but- not Thomas. He was n't like that. He was nice.'' She sniffled. `` When I was little, he was always the one who snuck food out of the kitchen. He was always the one who stayed with me, when nobody else had time.'' 
 
 `` I miss mine too, Bel. My human.'' I licked her cheek, gently. `` But you know they ca n't come with us. You need a more social species, a more loving species. You need someone who can trust, and be trusted.'' 
 
 Her tail curled. Her ears flattened against her head. `` I still miss him,'rok. I ca n't help it.'' 
 
 I paused. I lifted a paw, scratched behind my ear. `` It's like your heart's missing. Like you left the most important thing you'll ever have behind. I know, Bel. I miss mine too.'' 
 
 She leaned her head on my shoulder. `` Why did you agree,'rok? Why not just stay?'' 
 
 I closed my eyes. `` Someone has to do it. Dogs were the first ones in space, anyway. We always have been. Someone's got to watch out for them. Someone has to be the explorers, the guardians.'' 
 
 The last pixel of the blue dot faded. The screen showed a marbled turquoise orb, a faint set of rings around it, flickering in and out. 
 
 An image flashed through my head, of my human, the one who raised me. The smell of chamomile tea, the feeling of an afternoon in the sunlight, of fresh, raw beef. Things we would n't have again. 
 
 I smiled. And I wagged my tail. `` And it's worth the sacrifice. For them.'' 
 
 She lifted her head, looked at the space where earth had been. She took a deep breath, and smiled. `` For them. For Thomas.'' 
 
 `` For them.''
