The red soil cracked under her feet as she slowly moved toward the column of light.

She had tried to move faster, but there was too much friction. From the wind, but also the heaviness of the air. Except it wasn’t technically air—not of the oxygen type. Here it had more nitrogen in it with a heavy dose of carbon dioxide, along with traces of another element the ship could not identify.

As she came closer to the ruins, Sarisa grew increasingly anxious. The column was much larger than she had thought—at least five hundred feet in diameter. It was surrounded by broken and crumbling walls made of red and green rocks. These were of all shapes and sizes, and it was difficult to ascertain whether they had all been part of a single building. That had been her first impression, but she was no longer sure, considering the gigantic size of the structure.

When she reached the edge of the nearest wall, she realized how thick and high it was and wondered what might have destroyed it.

She ran along the length, looking for an opening. There were cracks here and there, though they were too narrow for her to fit in. Just when she thought she’d have to climb over, she finally found a fissure wide and high enough to let her through. She had to squeeze her way in, but managed to cross to the other side.

There, she froze and stared at the sight before her.

Just a few feet from her, the ground was gone, replaced by a pit of total darkness. She moved closer to the edge and peered over it. The beam shot down as far as she could see. And while it cast a lot of light, it was not enough to reach the sides of the pit.

Sarisa grabbed a rock and threw it down.

For a while, she could follow its descent, but it soon vanished in the shadows. She waited a long time but never heard a thing.

“Damn,” she muttered to herself. “That must be a really deep pit. Either that or the air here doesn’t carry sound.”

She looked around and spotted a distant protuberance. It seemed to jut out far enough to reach the column. Maybe she could use it as a bridge to get a closer look.

It took her ten minutes to reach it, careful not to get too close to the edge. The rock there was more brittle, so she wasn’t taking any chances.

She paused at the foot of the strange rock formation. It was hard to tell if it went all the way to the column, but it seemed likely. What she didn’t love, however, was how narrow it was. And was it even sturdy enough to take her weight?

With a grunt, she pulled out a cylinder from her pocket and pressed on its side surface. Both ends expanded. It was the main pole for her tent, but it also doubled nicely as a weapon. Now it would also serve as a testing device.

Grabbing it with both hands, Sarisa poked gently at the jutting rock. It held. She hit it harder. Still it did not budge. After a few more thrusts, she put the pole away. Satisfied, she took a few tentative steps onto the improvised bridge.

All was going well, so with a deep breath, she started walking toward the beam. It was not easy, as she had to keep her eyes down to watch where she was stepping. This was too narrow for her taste and she would much rather not slip—it wouldn’t be pretty if she did.

Are they all down there? she suddenly wondered. The world’s surface was obviously lifeless, but perhaps her sensors had picked up signs from the depths of Anethra. Had the survivors of this species built underground cities? If so, there’d be no way for her to explore them.

She glanced at the column.

Unless, of course, this thing is some sort of transportation device that will take me down there? Could that be what this is?

Something cracked and she froze, staring hard at the rock surface in front and behind her, but it all seemed sound. She could feel sweat pearling on her forehead as she took another step and was frustrated she couldn’t wipe it off through the suit. If anything, it made her hotter because of the pressure it exerted on her skin.

As she got nearer, she realized this was no bridge at all. She could see the tip of the protuberance now, and it was too far from the column. All this for nothing. She cursed as she slowly turned to head back. Maybe she could find another passage that went far enough to touch that thing. Then again, she wasn’t sure if she would dare to go in.

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A distant wailing echoed from inside the pit, sending chills down her spine. At the same time, she felt a vibration in the rock under her feet.

“Oh no! No, no, no, no...”

In her panic, Sarisa quickened her pace. Her right foot slapped a smooth and slippery surface... and slipped off the edge.

Her eyes went wide as she felt her body pitch to the side and drop into the void. She scrambled to grab the edge as she fell, but she only caught brittle rocks that crumbled under her fingers.

How did I think this was a good idea? I can’t die like this!

But it was too late. There was nothing she could do but scream.

And so she screamed.

Despair gripped her as she realized this would likely be a very long fall.

Then a glimpse of hope. Perhaps there was no end to this hole? If so, she wouldn’t hit the ground. If so, she wouldn’t die.

Despair returned with a vengeance. Would falling forever be any better? Of course not!

Besides, there was no such thing as a bottomless hole. There had to be a bottom. And when she’d hit it—and hit it she would, eventually—her bones would be crushed and her body turned to pulp.

At least her death would be quick—unlike the fall.

Her throat was getting sore from all the screaming. She tried to stop, but her voice would not listen to reason. Her mind laughed. What reason? There was no reason here. Only stupidity and despair.

Was this madness?

Would she go insane before she died?

With a start, she realized she was closer to the beam now. As if the column was drawing her to it. She felt a wash of hope and her brain finally managed to shut down her screams.

Her feet touched the light first, and she felt a tingling sensation run up her legs. Quickly, her whole body was sucked in. She no longer was falling but floating. In a new vacuum, but this one made of bright white. So bright it was blinding.

She closed her eyes, and little spots of color danced against her eyelids. They twirled and merged, taking shape, forming a humanoid figure.

No, it spoke inside her brain. Did not open yet. Stay.

She had been about to open her eyes to see if this thing was real, but restrained herself.

“What are you? Where am I? And wait... are you actually speaking my language?”

No, it said again. Brain speech. Not us. We Riizsch. We dead.

“Huh? Dead? What are you talking about?”

Don’t tell me I’m seeing ghosts now, she thought to herself. Or maybe I’m dead. Oh, I don’t like this at all.

You no. Us yes. Maybe. Not. Come. Saw.

Did it just read my mind? Then again, she realized, if she could hear it, why wouldn’t it be able to hear her in return?

The featureless silhouette pulsated, its form growing and shrinking, until it dimmed, slowly fading.

Open now. Eyes.

Sarisa opened her eyes.

The surrounding light was gone, replaced by greenish surfaces that looked like nothing she had ever seen before—smooth, veined, streaked with yellow smears that seemed almost organic.

She looked down and saw her feet were on solid ground. Though ‘solid’ was perhaps not the most appropriate term. She could feel the material vibrating ever so lightly, and it felt squishy in places.

It struck her that she was alone.

Startled, she spun around but saw no one.

It was a small room—if you could even call it that. She saw no furniture, only these strange walls that quivered and oozed a purplish substance.

Safe. Now.

She jumped when the voice returned inside her head.

“Where are you? I don’t see you... Where am I?”

Here. Elsewhere. Everywhere. Waiting. Maybe.

This poor attempt at communication was frustrating.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying! Could you just speak in your own language? I think I would understand you better that way.”

How?

Sarisa sensed confusion in the voice.

“Just trust me, okay? I mean, I might not get everything you say right away, but I’ll get it eventually. Call it a gift I have. And where are you, anyway?”

She glanced around again but couldn’t even spot a window, a door, or any sort of opening. Was she in a cell? Were they keeping her as a prisoner?

No. We—

“Please! No more. Speak with your own words.”

There was silence for a long time, and she wondered if she had somehow offended the creature.

But then the voice returned. No longer in her head but all around her, filling the space. It was a flow of alien sounds that sounded fluid, almost musical to her ear. They bathed her, lulled her, comforted her. She felt at peace with the world, with the universe, with everything.

Soon she began to pick up on patterns. Similar sounds that returned in logical spots. She sensed the connection between those sounds. Inferred meaning from placement, tone, pitch. What struck her instantly was that this was nothing like the language she had read on the tablet or in all the ruins of A36Z. This was something else entirely. It felt more profound, more complex, more ancient. This was the type of language that could only have evolved through millennia of refining. There was nothing random here, nothing accidental or haphazardly patched together. It all was exquisitely deliberate.

Everything started clicking together, the pieces of the puzzle fitting in nicely as the meaning behind the words surfaced.

It was reciting a poem in its language. Somehow, it had understood that she would need more than just a few sentences to learn the language, and it had gifted her this treasure.

“It’s beautiful,” she muttered.

The voice stopped.

She had spoken in the alien’s language without even realizing it.

“You understand.”

“I do. I... What... I don’t even know how to express my feelings right now.”

“You are far from home.”

Her mind reeled at the thought, and a pit opened in her stomach.

Why would it even say that?

“Sleep,” the voice said softly. “There is time. Always was, always is, always will be.”

As soon as the words faded, she knew she was alone.

She lay down on the floor, suddenly conscious of just how tired she was.

Within seconds, she was asleep.