~Had I not the memories I have now, I know I’d find myself wondering what humanity imagined to find in the stars. When we left Earth, that was virtually all I knew; we were under attack and fleeing. I don’t know how many little boys dreamed of tasting the cheese of the moon, nor how many little girls dreamed of beautiful, unearthly flowers and songs of amazing colors and sounds. I had no idea how many adults dreamed of encounters with the unknown, from the adventurous to the deviant. I had no idea how many of my fellow humans there once were.
I know now that the Grodurns shattered an illusion of superiority; an illusion that stated humankind was the most advanced and likely ONLY sentient life in the universe. Of course, we all know better now, but the day before the Grodurns arrived, those who believed there was other sentient life that we’d someday meet were in the VAST minority, including of those reaching for the stars.
What the commissioning of and deployment of the Tactical Exploration and Assault Unit showed us was a new and humbling lesson. Sentient life is NOT as hard to find as we imagined. Our deep-seated naïveté of the universe overlooked one fact obvious in hindsight; many of the ingredients to life, -and by extension, sentient life- are the same necessities we needed to find. The more we found in one place, the more likely an encounter was…~
Five moderately armed starliners and the mobile drydock Providence. The completed starliner has all of its own Grodurn-inspired, integrated equipment, such as artificial gravity, a jump drive, and beta cannons.
There was one hitch, though. Construction wrapped up three days late. Three days late AFTER the grace time granted from the jump. The best part is, it was Mr. Right’s own fault. He got so far ahead of himself in pride and preemptive celebration thinking he completed a week early, he completely forgot to have the water systems properly purged, filled, and pressurized, as well as to charge and unlock the reactor startup and buffer capacitor banks. As soon as they jettisoned drydock power, the ship shutdown instantly. Both tasks took days each to perform, as well as the reactor startup.
So, even in spite of Captain Murdock’s best subtle efforts, Mr. Right ended up costing himself the bet. His prized and priceless supercar is now Captain Long’s. The eccentric businessman has been uncharacteristically scarce since the final commissioning, having yet to turn over the keys to the car.
Long doesn’t really care right now. He IS a good organizer, but she’s content with him being quiet. More important than the car is getting everyone divided out to be sent to the new ship; crew, civilians, and resources alike. MOST of the self-sustaining equipment is up and running at full capacity, but some of it still requires workers. Then comes the new ration calculations and construction setup for the next ship. This one, dubbed the Gaia, after the spirit of the Earth, will certainly be an ease on the burden, but is still far from ‘enough’.
More important even than the crewing of the Gaia, though, is the mission about to launch. The fleet is in orbit over a planet with moderately high radiation readings compared to Earth, but still within acceptable mission limits. Its climate appears to be close to desert climate, though there are distinct climate zones like Earth, or should be. Scans and images from orbit suggest much of the planet’s surface is desolate, in spite of distinctly different temperature, humidity, and precipitation areas.
The planet is of interest for a few reasons. There is an abundance of water, especially in aquifers below the surface, scans are picking up a lot of iron, nickel, and chromium, and there appears to be some form of plant life in or around the aquifers. Most importantly, though, at least one of the aquifers appears to be a nitrogen vent. Nitrogen is almost as crucial as oxygen for humans for many reasons, not least of which is diluting oxygen to a nice, safe ~21% zone to prevent spontaneous fires and explosions.
With as much nitrogen as is coming out of the vent, it’s possible that the specific plant life there generates nitrogen somehow, or there is a subterranean pocket of gaseous or in-solution nitrogen that is slowly venting. Whatever the case, the fleet is very interested in obtaining this nitrogen.
Other than that, though, the planet is useless long-term. Its ground-level atmosphere is highly toxic, containing high levels of xenon, fourine, and helium, and moderate levels of oxygen, nitrogen, and silicone-oxide vapor. The fluorine, existing in several stable gaseous compounds, should be tolerable for equipment to work in, but the crew is being cautious.
Captain Long makes her way to the hangar. There, the TEAU teams, consisting of Grey and Tachibana’s team as ‘A’ team, and a team being led by newly-promoted Chief Marvoni as ‘B’ team. ‘C’ team, standing by on the ship, is being led by Lieutenant Kane, and their job is emergency at-all-costs evacuation of teams ‘A’ and ‘B’.
Ensign Hancock says goodbye to his girlfriend, Kenzie, as Little Bird helps Jessica suit up –with close supervision from Grey-. Grey notices Captain Long first, starting, “A-…”
“At ease!” calls out Long quickly. She says warmly, “Focus on preps. Where are you at?”
Grey replies, “Craw’s inside, talking the pilots through entry. We’ve got ‘standard’ gear; hybrid ‘mass accelerator cyclers’, courtesy of our egg-heads, for everyone, two multi-grenade launchers, two SMAWS with vacuum-ready rockets, gas and LEL analyzers, one anti-tank rifle, one Grodurn blaster, and a Grodurn sword, because Fisher thought it was shiny.”
Captain Long giggles. “I see. You sound quite well-prepared.”
“Hoping so, Cap. Oh! And, I’m lending Spaceman Long here my trusty shotgun.”
Jessica smiles up and nods at Angelica, saying warmly, “Captain.”
Angelica crosses her arms with a smirk, asking softly, “Any way I can talk you out of going?”
Jessica replies respectfully, “You can order me, Captain, but, don’t expect me to speak to you ever again.”
“When I wanted you to join, this isn’t…”
“I know,” interrupts the younger sister. “But, this is my calling. This is my way to make a difference. You and Chief Grey…” She smiles at each of them. “You’re letting me stand on my own and walk my own path. I can’t possibly express how much that means.”
Grey retorts gruffly, “Don’t look at me. All I do is yell at fool rookies ‘till they survive enough times to stop being rookies. Ain’t that right, Rookie?” Grey smirks at Hancock.
The young ensign replies casually, “You still owe me twenty bucks, Chief.”
Grey starts laughing.
Captain Long turns to Tachibana, asking, “Chief? Strategy?”
Tachibana replies politely, “Same as the iceball, Captain. We’ll go in, set some scanners, identify any lifeforms –if any-; hopefully not… and, then, we’ll scan the vent. If entry is possible and safe, we’ll explore the vent with Bravo team holding at the entrance. We’ve all got scoring stones for mapping the cave walls, flares for marking intersections, and intrinsically safe lanterns if flammable gas is too high. And, if all else fails, we call in Lieutenant Kane’s team who can hopefully dig straight down and extract us. Goal is surveying and mapping, but we’ll stay alert for life. Any hiccups, we regroup at the entrance and reassess.”
Long nods. “Stay in communication with each other. We currently only have long range communication ability with the drop ship.”
Hancock jokes, “It’s number seven hundred and nine on Lopez’s list. She’s getting there.”
Long smirks, replying, “Yes, well I HOPE I have more than one scientist working on these things.”
Mina states as she approaches, “Captain, Chief and I agree, our warning still stands. If something tries to eat our faces, we’re fighting someone.”
“I give you permission to fight Yarjen Jor. I think he’d enjoy the exercise.”
There’s a pause. Mina then suddenly declares, “Yep. Whatever it is can just eat my face.”
Everyone chuckles, and the auburn-haired captain replies warmly, “I thought you might agree.” She then adds, “And, if any of you are so possessed to name anything down there, keep it a LITTLE professional, please.”
The marines chuckle again, and reply together, “Yes, Captain.”
Long smiles and adds warmly, “Good luck and be safe.”
The marines cheer, “Oo-rah!”
The Captain returns to the bridge. She’s done all she can really do for this mission; encourage the troops and make sure they have a home to come back to. It’s up to them to find out what’s on this planet’s surface.
***
Ensign Hancock holds firmly to his seat’s harness. The ship is one of the Grodurn shuttles, so entry isn’t necessarily the concern, but it’s been heavily modified to suit the much smaller humans. This is always the hardest part for a marine; the ride in. At least, so Chief Grey says. Their lives are in the hands of the pilots, as well as the winds pushing incoming fire off target. Hopefully, only the former is a factor on this trip.
Hancock is simply nervous. He didn’t get much time in flight, having been stationed at the elevator on Earth. And, unlike Earth, this world is full of completely new unknowns. He is happy to still have Chief Grey though. Even if Hancock outranks Grey in title, they are both content with Chiefs Grey and Tachibana running the show. The two combined have decades of widespread knowledge and experience. Grey may be rougher around the edges, but Tachibana has her fair share of war stories prior to the invasion. She’s as icy-calm as Grey, though the latter is heckling their remote piloting tutor.
Helmdravv Khla, the friendly female Grodurn cooperating with the fleet, has gained a lot in speaking English, having spent every day working with spacers and marines. Her voice is still deeper and more rumbly than most mens’, but she is much easier to understand. Her voice says as gently as she can muster as the shuttle approaches the planet. “Atmosphere intry about adapt. Ionization detectors till if hull too hot. Gyro till if drifting in roll or pitch. All easy if done slow and attentioned.”
Grey scoffs, retorting, “If it’s so easy, why not autopilot it with a computer?”
Khla replies politely, “Computers still have trouble weeth judgement. Even Grodurn computers. Compensate when pilot would simply stay on course.”
“Easy to say from the spectator’s seat.”
Tachibana says quietly, “Leave her alone, Chief. She’s just helping.”
Grey scoffs. He grumbles, “Fine…”
Rena asks curiously, “Craw, how many planetary landings have you done?”
There’s a pause, and Khla finally answers, “I trained for years on simulated intry, but… Earth was my only practical.”
Grey laughs, and Tachibana sighs. Rena, still politely curious, asks, “So, you’re fairly young, then, right? I mean, compared to the others.”
Khla replies quietly, “Yes… I was one of the last hatchleengs. If… my number correct, I am twenty seven human years in age. I am still hatchling in many eyes. Very young for position. My Hulm-… urr, father provide wonderful opportunities, but ensure I earn. I… do wish I was on ship with one of teams…”
Fisher retorts warmly, “Don’t worry about it. We appreciate the remote help. So, how long do Grodurns live normally?”
Khla answers uneasily, “Now is not best time…”
Tachibana replies, “She’s right. Craw, focus on the pilots, please. We’ll remain respectfully quiet. Right marines?”
The marines reply, “Yes Chief…”
Hancock is quietly disappointed. The banter was distracting him from his nerves. He tries to listen to Khla instruct the pilots, but very little of it makes sense to him. He tries to lay his head back to relax.
The young officer is jolted awake by Spaceman Long nudging his shoulder. She’s standing in front of him, geared up. Grey asks over the radio, “You okay, Rookie?”
Hancock nods, fumbling to climb out of his seat, “Yes, Chief.”
Tachibana warns, “Stand up slowly, sir. Gravity’s higher here. Craw says it’s about double Earth by the numbers on the instruments. So, everything’s twice as heavy.”
Hancock can feel it already. He does as instructed, rising slowly from his seat with Long’s help. Grey adds, “No parkour today, marines. Slow and steady. If you need a break, say so. No shame in getting winded going down stairs on a world like this.”
The marines chuckle, gearing up carefully. Anything dropped is twice as likely to break. Any slips or falls are twice as likely to be lethal. And, any bend at the waist is going to be exhausting.
The marines take turns relieving themselves in the small cramped lavatory on the ship. Due to the size of the vent, they will attempt to pilot the ship inside if the marines deem it safe, and they’ll camp on the ship. But, until then, restroom breaks won’t be an option. The marines then open the door.
HM1 Brown’s Geiger counter chatters as he reads the radiation levels. He says calmly, “A little higher than expected, but mostly alpha and beta radiation. Our suits shield us from that. About… one point two rads of gamma and netron, looks like. Should be about an even one Rem/hour after our suits.”
Tachibana asks, “Safe to proceed?”
“Yes Chief. Shouldn’t have to say we shouldn’t live here, of course.”
She scoffs, “Noted.”
Dumas adds, “Assuming this flammability sorcery-mabob works, nothing at explosive levels. Open flame might get hot though. A few flammables present, but minimal oxygen.”
Tachibana nods, “Good. Monitor those closely. Any noticeable changes, let us know.”
Both reply, “Yes ma’am.”
Tachibana then says, “Moody, take point, Grodurn blaster. Thing Four, you’re in middle with the rifle. Everyone else fall in as you go.”
“Yes Chief!”
The marines disembark the shuttle carefully. Hancock steps down behind Long with her help, and he turns to aid Mina down. EVERYTHING is heavy. Footfalls crunch in the sharp and loose gravel littering the ground. The distant blue star casts an eerie light on everything. And, the air feels heavy as it presses in on his suit.
It’s about a kilometer to the edge of the vent, and the marines scan carefully as they walk. Rena remarks, “Weird the gravel is so sharp, isn’t it? Must not be a lot of wind here.”
“That, or dust storms are less common,” replies Fisher. “Too heavy to lift the dust with a normal wind.”
“Makes sense.”
Given how heavy their gear is, the marines are making decent time. Hancock looks at the vast, craggy surface extending out as far as the eye can see. Distant mountains carve a horizon in the eerie purple sky, and plumes of fog or smoke rise out of the vents. The world feels almost primordial, except it’s less swampy than Hancock would think. It’s like a dull, grey-brown gravelly desert.
He BARELY stops in time, ramming into Spaceman Long but managing to catch her. She halted without warning. Hancock quickly says, “H-Hold up! Long? You okay?”
She squeaks, “Y-Yes sir. Sorry. I just…” She points at the ground. “Look…”
Hancock looks down. At first, he sees rocks, rocks, and a few rocks, and…
How she spotted it on the move, he’ll never know. But, what Long is pointing at is a thin brownish-black line sticking up out of the gravel. An even shorter, curved nub is sticking off of the side about halfway up its shaft.
It doesn’t perfectly resemble anything from Earth, but the tiny little thing certainly looks a lot like a dried out plant stem.
Grey asks as he approaches, “Whatcha got, Marines?”
Long points, saying, “It looks like a plant, Chief.”
Grey looks where she’s pointing. Without hesitation, he kneels down, and his armored knee thuds the gravel. He plucks the stem, pulling it up with ease. He grunts as he tries to stand back up, and Long and Hancock both quickly help him up. Grey inspects the tiny stem, indeed including yellowed and sickly roots. He states, “Jar.”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Mina presents a jar, already open. She grins through her helmet, saying glibly, “I gotcha covered, Chief. Please praise me.”
Grey chuckles, “You are praised.” He drops the stem in, and Fisher states, “Doesn’t look alive.”
Grey retorts, “How could you say that? With all this abundance of lively foliage around us.”
Fredericks asks curiously, “If there were plants up here, I wonder what killed them all.”
Grey instantly taunts, “Geez, Freddy! Fine! Climate change is real! Happy now? It goes around annihilating everything! Earth, this world, the Grodurns…”
Fredericks retorts dryly, “Woke off, Chief.”
Dumas jokes, “We didn’t land on Earth, did we?”
The marines chuckle, and Tachibana replies, “I think the lack of our moon and an orange sun exclude that.”
“Hahaha, fair point, Chief.”
She adds, “Let’s keep moving. The mysteries of the surface can come later. We have to secure a hole in the ground.”
The marines fall back in, and Mina hands Long the jar, saying warmly, “Congratulations, Long! You get to name the first space weed.”
Long giggles, “Thank you.” Mina winks and falls back to the rear where she was, alongside Chief Grey.
Moody announces, “We’re here. Squad halt.”
The marines come to a stop, investigating the edge of the vent. It shares some traits with a sinkhole, with steep edges most of the way around and a heavy fog slowly rising out. But, it’s also got a deep overhang on the far side from them, like a cave that goes much further than just straight down.
A sloped path leads in from the left, where a ravine or trench has formed. The marines make their way to the trench as Fredericks places seismic sensors to map the ground and determine if the Bravo team shuttle can land.
The trench has fairly easy-sloping walls and a glisten flickers in its bed. The glisten is quickly determined to to be water or liquid, trickling in a steady stream into the cavernous vent, forming the slope.
Rena jokes, “Anyone thirsty?”
Mina whines, “Awe! I left my swimsuit at home.”
Grey states gruffly, “Shut up and climb down. Mind the gravel. Fisher, anchor a rope.”
Fisher nods, “On it, Chief.” He does as instructed as Moody carefully leads down the slope of the bank. The liquid isn’t deep, and it trickles like a simple, babbling brook. Brown steps up and probes the water with the radiac, measuring radiation levels. He states, “About the same as atmospheric.”
Tachibana nods. She states, “Take a sample, Mina. Monitor for reaction before stowing it.”
Mina steps up, affirming, “Aye Chief!” She takes a sample of the liquid in a test tube, studying it for a moment before stowing it in a shock-resistant case. The marines then continue toward the vent. Fisher jokes as they walk, “Watch this be a nitroglycerine creek.”
Mina replies, “Sounds like a blast to me.”
Rena instantly retorts, “Boo! Nerd!” Even as everyone else chuckles.
The marines follow the creek, descending deep into the large vent. Brown reports, “Huh, radiation’s a bit lower down here.”
Fisher replies, “Huh, with a radioactive creek dumping all this liquid down here, you’d think it’d be concentrated, higher.”
Brown answers, “Well, I’m no expert on radioactivity, but maybe my sensor was picking up background radiation in the liquid. Maybe the creek’s not radioactive after all.”
Moody says calmly, “That’d be a nice twist. Especially if it’s water.”
Tachibana says, “H-M-One, take another probe down here.”
“Just thinking the same thing, Chief,” he replies, as he carefully kneels to probe the liquid. After a moment, he reports, “Not zero, but pretty low. Interesting.”
Hancock remarks, “So, that should mean the surface itself isn’t radioactive gravel, but some other source exists, right?”
Dumas teases, “You’re the science officer, sir. Shouldn’t YOU know?”
“Funny, Dumas. But, I’m cut off from my brain right now.”
Fisher jokes, “Oof. I bet she’s lonely up there without you.”
Grey, surprisingly, interrupts, “Knock it off, morons. Rookie’s probably right. If the surface radiation isn’t part of the environment itself, it must either be airborne or a massive source further away, or we’d see more of it in the water. Dumas, how we looking on gases?” Dumas studies his device for a moment.
The marine replies, “Almost nothing flammable, looks like. Oxygen is a little higher, but still too low for us. Sixteen percent. LOT of nitrogen.”
“Anything toxic?” asks Tachibana.
“Hard to say for sure, Chief. Dr. Caldaren said it’s not a full spectrograph, so it can’t identify everything. But, compared to the readings up top, I’d wager you’d die of too little oxygen first.”
Brown remarks, “Sixteen percent isn’t bad. Lethargy and headache would probably be the worst. Heck, submarines were allowed as low as eighteen percent and still considered safe.”
Dumas replies, “Either way, probably best to keep our helmets on. Gas content doesn’t account for any viruses, bacterias, molds, or fungi down here.”
Moody suddenly holds a fist up, saying, “Hold up.” The squad comes to a halt. Moody clicks his light on.
Moody’s light illuminates a strange sight ahead of them. True, everything on this world can be considered strange, but this seems especially out of place, given what they’ve seen so far. Amid a bank of alien moss-like plant material lies a suit of armor.
Moody whispers instinctively, even though their helmets contain their voices, “Possible contact. Please advise.”
Chief Grey orders, “All marines, turn on night vision. Heads on a swivel. Spread out.”
Tachibana adds, “Moody, Brown, Dumas, with me. The rest of you, cover us from here. I’ll take point.”
Tachibana stalks towards the suit, weapon glued on it as the three ordered follow her. Long asks softly, “Chief Grey? What are we looking for, specifically?”
Grey replies, “Bodies, eyes, or metal. Anything that stands out and looks like it isn’t part of the landscape. This is homefield for somebody. Any of us take a hit, you fire the way it came and fall back.”
Fredericks grumbles, “Frickin caves. That better not be an armored bat. All I’m sayin’.”
Tachibana states, “It’s dead. Move up carefully.”
The squad regroups around what is actually an armored body, dead for quite some time. It’s ALMOST bipedal, in that it stands upright like a human, but the wearer of the armor has four legs instead of two, a thorax, and many other features associated with insects. Its head is uncovered, and it shares features with a lady bug in the big black eyes, wide mandibles, and a reddish hue to its chitinous plates. Its armor is matte, and seems to be colored using some kind of metal dyeing process, making it appear semi-reflective, but not really. A hole is pierced through its chest, stopping only at its back armor plate. Greenish brown liquid is splattered from the wound, indicating its blood is not red like a human’s or Grodurn’s. There’s no trace of the weapon that killed it though.
HM1 Brown inspects the body, carefully. He summarizes, “Chest wound looks like it killed it, though it’s impossible to know for sure without a full autopsy. Insectoid. Armor is separate, definitely indicates sentience. Body’s stiff, plant life growth around it. Hard to say, obviously, but probably been dead a minimum of a few years. Brittleness in its limbs suggests longterm insectoid decay.”
Rena grimaces, saying drearily, “You mean, this is a five foot tall cockroach… one that could try to flush US down the toilet?”
Brown chuckles and stands up. “Appears that way. Better question is, what killed him?” Brown jerks with a start, saying, “Moody! Your light!”
Moody looks where his flashlight is pointed. The alien moss is shriveling and smoking a little. He quickly turns his light off. “Just space moss.”
Brown replies, “This is an ecosystem. And, one with seemingly sentient life. Best not to disrupt it too badly. For all we know, that space moss is making the nitrogen.”
Mina says warmly, “Aaannnd, sampled!” She seals the sample box and tucks it back into her backpack. Grey remarks, “Good call. Hate to say it, but if Roachie here was abandoned for years, we may want to take him back too. See what we learn.”
Tachibana replies, “Agreed. But, first, we have to secure this area and make sure the surface zone we marked can support Bravo team’s shuttle. Let’s look around and make sure this body is alone.”
“Aye Chief.” The squad spreads out, carefully scanning the large chamber they’re in.
The cave is beautiful by any stretch of the word. The surfaces are smooth and shimmery, like marbled granite, and a vast aquifer extends out under the overhang. Narrow strips of solid ground weave across the aquifer at varying heights, and it’s clear the cave goes very deep underground, especially via the water.
Moss isn’t the only plant life, either. Broad-leafed plants grow out of cracks in the walls, and a strange, stringy plant dangles from the stalactites to very near the water’s surface. There is even some kind of fruit-bearing plant similar to a cross between a strawberry, a carrot, and a tomato. The fruit is roughly the size of a forearm, but surprisingly light, considering the increased gravity. Mina collects samples of what she can, joking, “Is it me, or do these things look yummy?”
Fisher replies, “I’ll try it if you do.”
“Deal!”
“NO,” growls Tachibana definitively, earning giggles. Satisfied with the area, Tachibana asks, “Bravo team, Alpha team, do you copy?”
“Copy Alpha team. Go ahead.”
“Bravo team, marked landing zone is secure. Can hold weight. Free to land.”
“Free to land, aye, Chief. On our way.”
Tachibana orders the squad, “Alpha squad, radar the ground on this level. We’ll attempt to bring our shuttle in.”
Fredericks places more probes as Brown and Dumas survey the hazard qualities of the air and water. Grey continues to inspect the armored body, while Long and Hancock stand with him.
Hancock asks, “Think they live under ground, Chief?”
Grey gently touches tab-like notches around the neck of the armor. He mumbles, “I’m not sure.”
“What are you looking for?” asks Long curiously.
Grey looks up, replying, “Either way we slice it, SOMETHING that is or was in this cave killed him. And, I don’t think it was a stalagmite.”
Long corrects, “Stalactite, Chief. Stalagmites stick up.”
Grey retorts, “Maybe I was assuming he tripped and fell on a stalagmite, Marine. Think of that?”
She looks down, squeaking, “No… Chief…”
Grey stands up, saying, “Wound reminds me of a spear or arrow. Sharp cuts, and a lot of force behind it.”
Hancock asks, “Does that tell us anything?”
Grey chuckles and puts his hand on Hancock’s shoulder. He says warmly, “YOU’RE the officer, Rookie. You’re supposed to make up an answer to sound smart.”
The young ensign sighs, and Grey adds more sincerely, “It tells us not to get shot by these arrows. They punch through armor.” Grey walks towards the water, and the two younger squad members follow. The chief petty officer studies the ceiling, which is littered with dangling plants and water condensation.
Hancock asks, “Do you think it’s a resource war, Chief? How come we’re not seeing more bodies, or vehicles, or…”
Grey cuts him off, “I don’t know, Rookie. I’m new to this new worlds crap, same as you. But, I do know this; see everything to be seen. It’ll make sense later.”
“What if later is too late?”
Grey chuckles, replying, “Welcome to being a marine, Rookie.”
Hancock groans, retorting, “When are you gonna stop calling me ‘Rookie’, Chief? Long’s newer than I am.”
Grey looks at Long, and then back at Hancock. He replies plainly, “You were Rookie first. If I call her ‘Rookie’, too, how will you know who I’m talking to?”
“Right, so just call HER Rookie then, and me Hancock.”
“Now you’re just being RIDICULOUS, Rookie. One does not simply cease to be the Rookie. C’mon. I’m gonna throw rocks in the water. Watch for movement you two.”
Grey tosses a rock, and it splashes with a deep ‘bloop!’, but doesn’t splash very high. Someone barks, “Contact-!” “Stand down!” calls out Grey. “That was me.”
Tachibana scolds, “A little warning next time, Chief.”
“Everyone was quiet, so I figured you heard.” He asks, “You two see anything happen?”
Long and Hancock both respond, “No Chief.”
“A place to start. Brown, Dumas, anything of note?”
Brown replies, “Deeper in seems cleaner, Chief. The water ahead of you is clear of radioactivity.”
“Temperature?”
“Uh? Cold, Chief? About fifty Fahrenheit, I think.”
Rena teases, “Thinking about a dip, Chief? I’m wearing MY swimsuit. Wink!” She giggles.
Grey scoffs, “Yeah, I’ll race you to the bottom.”
Fisher jokes, “You never know. The higher gravity might make us MORE buoyant.”
Tachibana cuts them off once more, saying, “Can we worry more about the shuttle, please. Where are we at?”
Fredericks replies, “Ground’s solid below us. Center of that area should be perfect.”
Tachibana nods, saying, “Twins, Moody, Fisher, and Fredericks, form a perimeter to guide them down. Alpha shuttle, Alpha team. We’re ready for approach.”
The pilot replies, “On our way, Chief. Stand by.”
Tachibana adds, “Keep external light to a minimum. The environment is highly reactive to light.”
“Aye, Chief.”
The marines guide the shuttle in to ease down onto the cave floor. The surface fogs up somewhat on the shuttle, but the pilots are able to land safely.
Tachibana states, “Alright. Break time, marines. We’ll refresh, refill, and rest for a few hours on the shuttle.”
The marines cheer. They load the alien corpse and a few more fruits first and then board the shuttle. Once safely decontaminated and airlocked into the shuttle, the marines shed much of their gear to breathe as their suits recharge the air recyclers. Tachibana states, “We’re vulnerable, marines, so eyes glued on the outside. We’ll take short naps in shifts. Shuttle gravity is compensating, so be careful. Your movements are lighter now.”
Marines sprawl out where they can. Mina and Rena lay down under some of the seats, while Moody sits down to journal the events. Brown and Grey divvy out snacks, and Long and Hancock take seats against the airlock door on the floor. Fisher and Dumas nap in chairs, and Fredericks quietly listens to music.
Grey hands Long and Hancock ration bars, saying softly, “Get some rest, you two. We’ll be trekking longer tomorrow.”
Long nods, “Yes, Chief.” He takes a seat beside them, saying, “You did good today. Good questions. Keep your mind thinking. It’ll save your life.”
She squeaks, “Thank you, Chief.”
He nods, laying his head back. He murmurs, “Let’s pray whatever killed Roachie is long dead too.”
Hancock replies, “Amen, Chief.”
Long nods as she eats, “Mm-hmm.”
Hancock lays his head back as well, eating as he rests his eyes. The ration is bland and chewy, but well appreciated after the heavy trek they just took. Hopefully, the next part will be easy, too.
***
“God, grant me the serenity to accept my sister’s goals in life, and please protect her and watch over her as she explores the unknowns laid before us in your infinite wisdom and grace. I ask that you give us a chance to make this endeavor work and that Jessica will be safe and happy to see it. In your blessed name, I pray, Amen.”
Captain Long looks up to the window looking out over the hangar bay. The observation room is usually empty, and it brings her peace to be here. In the reflection of the window, she sees Kane standing behind her. She turns, “Lieutenant. Need something?”
Kane smiles gently, replying, “No Captain. Sorry to intrude. I just noticed you up here again.”
She nods and turns back to the window. She says calmly, “Just… Doing my best to give Jessica her space. It’s strange, you know? I left home, not a penny to my name, and struck out without a single thought. I was alone in the world, and it made me who I am. And, I’m proud of that. I should be encouraging her to do the same. Instead, every impulse in my body screams to protect her. To baby her. And, so, when I do let her do… this, I stir in silent panic. Will she be okay? Will she do what’s needed of her to keep everyone alive? Will she kill anyone? How…”
“Captain?” interrupts Kane gently. She halts and sighs. She says, “Thank you. I’m just worried.”
Kane chuckles, replying, “I get that. And, for what it’s worth, you’re doing the right thing. Independence goes a long way. Just a warm welcome home does, too.”
She smiles and nods. After a moment, the auburn-haired captain asks, “Do you get scared? Everything you’ve done so far… I was terrified every day until we made this last jump.”
Kane chuckles, “Could’ve fooled everyone forever, if you wanted. But, no. I wish I felt fear. But, I don’t. It feels like… like I trust everyone, if that makes sense. Even in battle, I just KNEW something would work out. And, I trust the ground team most of all. I don’t think they’ll live forever, but I’m fairly confident they won’t die today.”
Long smirks. “I wish I had that confidence. I trust them too, but… the death of one terrifies me.”
There’s a pause, and Kane says softly, “Say the word, and I’ll retrieve her, Captain. Right now.”
She looks at him, surprised. His expression is calm and sincere. He’s being serious.
But…
Captain Long smiles. She replies softly, “I can’t… I won’t take this away from her. She deserves to forge her own path.”
Kane’s voice is warmer when he says, “I agree, Captain.”
Before he leaves, Kane reports, “Alpha team is currently resting. First part of the mission is successful. They’ve collected some souvenirs.”
“Souvenirs?” asks Long curiously.
Kane nods, “Not sure what in total, yet. But, this planet was a good stop.”
“Well, we can thank Craw for slowing down the Grodurn ship following us. She says there are ways to track a ship across space without the pulse, but it’s slow. She’s also more confident they’ll go that route. They KNOW we’re listening for them.”
“Have you talked to Jor anymore? He seems to respond well to you.”
The captain scoffs. “I’ve been nervous. I delayed him long enough during the boarding, but… He’s going to ask about the promise I made, and it’s too early. The lab only JUST took some blood and tissue samples from Craw and the female refusing to give us a name.”
“So? It seems, if ANYONE can talk to him and tell him the truth, it’s you.”
“I know. I just… didn’t want him to know how slow we are. It’s a priority, but… so is everything right now.”
“I won’t pressure you, Captain. YOU’RE the Captain. If you’d like me to tell him, I can after the survey is complete.”
Long sighs, “I’ll go talk to him. Truth is, I like talking to him. His culture is interesting, if stoic and a little too socialist for my tastes. You believe they have to have permission from the government just to have kids?”
Kane chuckles, remarking, “No easier way to control that than have the only fertile female of the species in government. That’s a socialism’s wet dream. They can filter traits, race, culture, politics, all by who can have children and who can’t.”
“Ugh. Disgusting. I thought our government was bad with the whole globalism b.s.” Long adds, “And, you know the worst part? The Grodurns seem content. Like it was a true priviledge to… oh god…”
“What?” asks Kane, worried.
“I just realized… One Saurmynnyka at a time… ughhh…” She leans against the window sill, a little nauseus.
Kane says calmly, “They don’t view things as we do, Captain. Their culture is like a beehive, in a sense.”
“But… Egh… Don’t they… have to worry about… genes or anything?”
“Maybe, maybe not. In any case, it’s worked for them for thousands of years.”
She sighs, putting her head on the cool glass for comfort. “Ugh… I know you’re right, I just… NOW I’m worried about Craw.”
Kane replies, “That she’ll be ‘the one’?”
“Yes…”
“Someday, if we succeed, we’ll need to confront how far we want to go to interfere in Grodurn affairs. Their society is otherwise stable. Should we disrupt that for what we perceive as in-born rights?”
“I don’t know…”
“The consequences of our actions can ripple for hundreds of years to them. I think reversing the sterility is the right move, but I believe in the same inherent rights as you. But, even many humans are happy to give up rights to government control. It may do more harm than good trying to impose our values on the Grodurns.”
“I guess I can see that. I’ll try to see what our guests think. AND ensure Craw understands what’s probably in store for her.”
Kane nods, “I think that’s the best thing to do for now.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. Once again, you’ve helped me clarify perspective.”
Kane smiles, “Repayment, Captain. A small token of appreciation for your outstanding judgment getting us this far. Stay strong. Spaceman Long will be fine.” He salutes, adding, “I should get back. Alpha team will be mobilizing again soon.”
Captain Long salutes, saying, “Carry on, Lieutenant. Thank you.”
He nods and exits. Captain Long looks at the third shuttle, a human-designed prototype. It, like many other things, represents months of tireless work from hundreds of people. Humanity may be on the virtual brink of extinction, but they won’t go quietly.
And, neither will Jessica.
***