The First Tree on Titan

Theo’s dad was an engineering inspector for the Saturn Moon District. This meant he went around making sure none of the Saturnian colonies blew themselves up doing something stupid like mixing up fusion and fission. But what this really meant is that the two of them moved around – a lot. And since Saturn has more moons than the rest of the solar system combined (the latest count being 189 moons as of the year 2346), it was hard to make anywhere feel like home. Their next stop would be the largest of Saturn’s moons and the second-biggest moon in the entire solar system: Titan.

On their descent towards Titan Central Station, Theo’s dad noticed that Theo seemed a little glum. “You know one of the reasons Titan is so special, don’t you?” he asked.

Theo wasn’t particularly interested and didn’t look up. “It’s big, I guess. But it probably looks normal from the ground. Like the rest of all the other places we’ve been.”

“Yeah, it might look similar at first,” said Theo’s dad. “But here’s the thing. It’s so big that it has just enough gravity for large plants to grow. Even trees.”

Theo finally looked away from the simulator he was playing with. “Trees? Like real Earth trees?”

Theo’s dad nodded his head. “I heard they’ve started growing the first one ever on Titan at their terraform research station. What do you think about checking that out after we land?”

Theo had never seen a real living tree before. Of course he had seen them in simulations, everyone had done that, but there was just something special about seeing a thing with your naked eyes without the help of any digital device or artificial aid.

“Yeah. Let’s go see the tree,” Theo said. The thought of actually seeing a living tree – a lifeform that might even be taller than himself yet isn’t just another human – filled him with wonder. To Theo, it would be like making first contact with an alien species. Once the ship landed and its portal doors depressurized, Theo was the first person to disembark. He would have immediately gotten himself good and lost in the middle of the bustling Titan Central Station if not for his dad grabbing ahold of him.

“Hold on, buddy. We’re going to need to suit up to get to where it is. Plus we need to settle in first, ok?” It was the most excited he could remember Theo being about almost anything.

After unloading their personal gear in their new living quarters and suiting up to withstand the harshness of the surface environment, both father and son set off together to go marvel at the first tree on Titan.