--Point of View: Katie--

“Katie, has the scouting team returned yet? They should have been back by now.” Came a commanding voice from behind.

Turning to face them, I was met by my platoon captain Robert. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man that liked the sound of his own voice. Despite that fact though, he was honestly very good at his job and did not order us around too much. If anything, he treated us all like equals. We were not seen as pawns to achieve a goal, but as comrades all working together to accomplish something far greater in the end. I wish the rest of the higher ups were more like him.

“No sir, but I expect they should be arriving back soon. It’s been about an hour.” I replied, standing at attention, and raising one hand to my head in salute.

“Stand down Katie. No reason to be so formal when it is just us. The higher ups may like all that showmanship and tradition but to me, it is just a waste of time in my book. Let me know if they found anything when they get back. I will be down in the cargo hold.” Captain Robert said, giving a small nod of his head in respect before turning on his heel and disappearing down the hall.

We had just arrived on this planet half a day ago. The RCP, resource collection spike, was launched from the main ship only a few hours ago with all of us on board. The landing was a little shaky, as per usual, but now that we were on the ground, things were starting to get busy. Scan the planet, gather anything of use, and then return to the main fleet. That was our mission, and we would work every day until it was completed.

There was never time for rest unless you managed to weasel your way into a comfortable position like a researcher or any high-ranking officer. Robert would always call them chair fillers. In his opinion, if you did not see field work, you were just dead weight. Regardless, we all envied them on occasion. I will admit though, scavenging and scouting sure beat my old job in the warehouses. At least I got to see some sunlight unlike the pour souls sorting crates back on the main ship. Miserable work. I have Robert to thank for pulling me out of there. He told me anybody with half a brain did not need to be down there pushing boxes. I was flattered.

Once I had completed all the required training, which was a surprisingly lackluster amount considering the dangers I faced on a daily basis, I was made part of one of the many scouting parties the Alliance deployed to far off planets. We were sent out to scout old remains for any lost resources the Aliance may be able to utilize. Times were tough and coming across materials was becoming harder and harder as more planets were picked dry. There was never enough. Thankfully, military jobs, while shitty pay, took care of your room and board on top of keeping you fed. It was a lot more than could be said for other jobs back at the stations. I wondered how my family was doing. They were still back with the main fleet.

A buzzer rang, bringing me back to the present and declaring the arrival of the scouting crew. They had left in one of our few ships that could still manage to fly around in an atmosphere. It was the easiest way to quickly spot any potential areas for picking. Personally, I am not sure why it was needed considering a quick glance out the window revealed an absolutely massive city. Even before we fired the spike down, this ruined mess was easily seen from space. The sheer scale of it was unheard of which I think is what brought us here in the first place. Rumors travel fast and while they tell you not to believe gossip, where is the fun in that?

The large double doors just ahead of me opened with a hiss as air rushed out to equalize the two rooms. Inside the airlock stood two familiar figures, both in full flight suits that shone bright orange against the dreary steel interior. They both reached for their helmets and gave them a small twist before lifting the glass domes straight up and off their heads. Two smiles greeted me as they stepped out into the main room, each raising their hand to greet me.

“So, what did you see? Anything good?” I asked quickly, hurriedly walking up to them, always eager to learn something.

“Its good to see you too Katie,” remarked Tom, “Nice to know you survived standing around in the base while we were out their working.”

“Sorry, sorry. I’m just excited is all. I am glad you two made it back safely.” I sputtered, forgetting my manners for a moment.

“You will not believe how big that bloody city is. We flew for damn near an hour and still did not reach the end of it. If we cannot find something here than I will hang up my hat and go home.” Replied Chris, smiling to himself.

“Chris is right, for once. With a place this big we are sure to find something useful. Hopefully something that will shut the big wigs up for a while.” Commented Tom as he ran a hand through his messy hair.

“That is good and all but have you two heard the rumors. Surely you have. Chris, you are usually the one who tells me first.” I whispered, leaning in a little closer so nobody would overhear.

A smile spread across Tom’s face. “Well, we did get a level five radiation reading which matches up with the last old one settlement that was found a decade ago. Plus, the size of the city and the fact we changed course suddenly.” Said Tom, leaning closer as well.

“You know, I’ve heard talk of them before but everybody gets quiet whenever I ask about them. Will one of you spill the beans?” questioned Chris, slightly annoyed he was left out of the loop.

I looked around for a moment, glancing down the hall at a few passersby. While not strictly against code, I did not want to discuss such things here. Talk of the old ones tended to spook the older folk and mentioning it around the younger staff riled them up. It would be best to find someplace a bit more private.

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“Let’s grab something to eat. Robert is going to want to deploy as soon as he knows you are back so we better hurry. We can talk in the dorm. Everybody should be out working by now.” I said, motioning the two of them to follow along.

A short trek down the hall and we were at the cafeteria. There was not much of a selection, but food was not the end goal right now. We just needed an excuse to return to the dorms and talk. After scooping up whatever concoction the cooks had dreamed up today onto our plates, we all walked single file down the corridors to our dorm. Four to a room, us three and the captain. We had been together for about a year now and thankfully we all got along pretty well. When all of us had stepped inside, a swift click on the door control panel brought it sliding down and a refreshing silence washed over us.

“You know this actually looks kind of good.” Commented Tom, hefting a fork with what looked like pasta before depositing it into his mouth. “On second thought, looks can be deceiving.”

“Yeah, I know the food is crap. Now about the old ones. Fill me in.” begged Chris, setting his meal tray on the bed, not interested in eating.

We both sighed as Tom and I followed suit, setting our meal trays aside. I was in fact a little hungry, but it could wait until afterwards.

“Okay, so the old ones. I will give you a quick run down because it is a little complicated and I do not want to start rambling on for hours. The people we call the old ones refers to humans that existed about two thousand years ago, give a take a century or so. They lived in huge, super advanced cities and had technology you and me could never even dream up. All the tech we are using now originates from them and we did a piss poor job at replicating it. We would not be standing on this planet without them.” I explained, trying to keep everything as simple as possible. This subject was one I was enamored with and did quite a bit of reading in my spare time.

“So like, they were just like us but smarter?” asked Chris, doing his best to follow along. “And we copied their stuff?”

“Essentially, yes.” Answered Tom, stepping in to cover this part. “It was maybe three hundred years ago when we first discovered them. On earth. Buried deep underground. At some point they crashed into the planet and the remains of that ship is what fueled our accession into space. Ever since, we have been searching for more remains of their civilization on remote planets. With each new discovery, we rocketed ahead decades or even centuries in terms of science and innovation.”

“Precisely and even then, we still do not know the extent of how far they stretched into the galaxy. We have only up until recently decoded enough of their language to decipher some of the remains we found, after much trial and error.” I added, reaching into my bed trunk to pull out a book I had been reading.

“Well shit. I feel kind of stupid for not knowing all that. Did they not teach that in school?” asked Chris, making a good point.

I looked over at Tom who was looking right back at me. We were both thinking the same thing. While most of the stuff we found from the old ones was incredibly beneficial, it was not without its issues.

“No, they do not teach about them in school. At least, not anymore. Not after the incident that occurred ten years ago during our last discovery. Chris, you know how we are required to perform a radiation reading for every site before we go out to scavenge, right?” I inquired, biting my lower lip.

“Yeah, what of it?” answered Chris quickly, not feeling the mood in the room.

“Level five radiation as we have deemed it, has only existed for ten years. The entire crew that explored the ruins they found on that day, all one hundred fifty-four of them, died from radiation poisoning even though they were wearing suits at the time. Nobody could have guessed how bad it was that day. There are a few pictures which I deplore you not going looking for if you do not want to scrub your eyes later. It was horrible thing.”

“That cannot be, why would…” Chris tried to ask, but Tom cut him off.

“Why would they try to hide the fact? Well, that is easy. Would you want to go scouting or researching in a place where people died? That is lethal beyond anything we would encounter just about anywhere else?”

“Well, no I guess.” Chris said, dejected.

“And that is why people do not like to talk about the old ones. It brings up bad memories and makes everyone a little nervous. Thankfully, we now know what must be done to stay safe. Our suits are rated far higher than required to be on the safe side and are even tear and puncture resistant. I reckon these suits could stop a bullet.” I finished off, patting Chris on the shoulder.

Chris wore a mixture of terror and awe on his face. I started to wonder if maybe we should have left out that last part but realized he would have learned about it eventually anyway. It was better to hear it from a friend than a stranger. Looking over to Tom, I saw he was unphased and was returning to his meal. I did the same, not wanting it to go to waste.

“Do not let it worry you too much Chris We do this together to be safe. Plus, it’s not like ole Robert would let you escape work regardless.” Tom chimed in.

“Indeed, I would not.” Came a voice from outside the dorm door, it sliding open just moments later to reveal Robert standing in the doorway, not amused.

“Oh good, there you are Robert. Tom and Chris made it back.” I said with a smile, knowing I was going to get an earful later.

“Right. I’m just going to pretend that is the case for now and beckon you all to follow me down to the transport so we can get moving. We only have half a day at best until it gets dark and you know the rules.” Declared Robert, a stern look on his face that commanded we follow immediately.

“Of course!” We all called out together, rising from our bunks to follow behind Robert, marching in single file. Tom opted to continuing eating his pasta as they walked.

It was a ten-minute walk at the quick pace we were going. Robert was hurrying us along, obviously annoyed that he was running behind schedule. His own schedule, but a schedule, nonetheless. At the end of the hall, we all packed into a large cargo elevator and rode it down to the base of the pod where the cargo bay resided. Storage crates, supplies, and a variety of land vehicles were stored and prepped here. Workers were running around like ants, unpacking materials and ushering them outside to help with the quickly expanding base. Near the front of all the commotion was our Humvee, already fully loaded and ready to disembark.

“Everyone pile inside. I’m driving today.” Shouted Robert over all the hustle and bustle, his words nearly drowned out.

I hopped into the passenger seat after a quick round of rock, paper, scissors, and fastened my seat belt. Chris and Tom took seats in the next row. A standard transport could carry six troops comfortably with a bit of cargo, or four if you had a lot to carry like we did. Geiger counters, ground radar, air samplers, and a lot more stuff I did not even know the names for, were loaded into crates and backpacks before being tossed into the rear of the Humvee.

“Alright, you all buckled up? It is going to be a bumpy ride by the looks of it.” Asked Robert as he turned the key, the engine roaring to life.

“Aye Captain!” cried all of us in unison before the vehicle lurched forward and sped off out the large cargo bay doors.