"Who knows," Vargo responded. "Their chances aren't good. Our ships are designed for short trips into orbit. Long journeys are impossible." He stared at the empty spot where the hikers had vanished. "And it's getting colder by the hour. We have to act now or it's game over."

"What do you mean 'game over'?"

"Our engines are already running hot," Vargo explained. "Once the heat sinks reach critical levels, we'll have to shut down all non-essential systems. That means we won't be able to travel anymore, even in space."

"Then what's the point of sending me down there?" I protested. "There's no way for me to get back!"

"You'll be fine," Vargo assured me. "It's just a matter of time before you freeze to death anyway. You might as well document the last moments of your life."

"No, please," I begged. "Don't let me go. I want to stay here with you."

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Vargo smiled. "You're not going anywhere," he said soothingly. "You'll be perfectly safe. Just remember my orders." He pulled me close to him. His strong arms wrapped around me tightly. He hugged me so tight I could barely breathe. "Now go to sleep," he whispered in my ear.

***

The next morning I woke up with a pounding headache. I lay in bed for some time before I realized it wasn't normal. I looked at the clock: 7 a.m., still early for most people, but definitely too late to be waking up like this. I rubbed the back of my head and tried unsuccessfully to block out the pain.

"Good morning, Mr. Smith," Captain Vargo greeted me cheerfully as I entered the bridge. He was sitting at the captain's chair, busily working at the controls. "You slept in a bit, didn't you? I hope you're rested now." He glanced at his watch and pointed at the main screen showing Earth's surface. "We're approaching the coordinates you sent in yesterday. We should arrive in two hours. I've given instructions to prepare the ship for landing in case something goes wrong." He turned around and gave me an encouraging smile. "I'm counting on you now."

I nodded and tried to force a reassuring expression onto my face. The captain was right; it was now or never. If this didn't work, I'd never find out how they survived out there and would probably spend the rest of my days wondering about their fate. My only chance was to take pictures and get out fast. If they were all frozen solid or needed special gases