Deicide

Chapter Four

It was a dream come true, and not just for Sarah. For 40 years, the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life was a known fact. However, it had also been 40 years since even a shred of evidence had been discovered. The entire scientific community throughout the galaxy was chomping at the bit as soon as the news broke. Had administration not kept the location a secret, the sites would have already been inundated with millions. Everybody from respected scientists, to journalists, to tourists, thrill-seekers, and conspiracy nutjobs. Everybody and their mother wanted to be part of this story.

Sarah was glad to be one of a handful of scientists to be trusted to head an expedition, but she was also starting to feel overwhelmed by the pressure that was suddenly on her shoulders. After the initial public briefing, Sarah was pulled into a smaller conference, where she was briefed on the atmospheric and environmental conditions.

The structure was one of several on the planet in a vast desert band that covered all land within 60 degrees of the equator. There was little trace of biological life within that band, but the poles were thick jungles of pitch-black flora. There were oceans as well, covering nearly 40 percent of the planets surface. The water appeared black as well, possibly due to a large quantity of algae or bacteria.

The atmosphere did contain a breathable level of oxygen, but all expeditions were still required to wear environment suits until an extensive microbial survey could be completed, and any necessary inoculations could be developed and administered.

Sarah paid extra attention to the safety briefing. All groups were going to be accompanied by a pair of highly trained, mechanically augmented personnel. It was standard fare for any planetside expeditions for years now, but there were still scattered grumbles from scientists that opposed the measure. Sarah had some reservations about including military on scientific expeditions, but she was also part of the reason why the measure was created in the first place.

Also assigned to her team were a xenobiologist and an exogeologist, neither of whom Sarah recognized, though she was happy to see that they were both young doctors with impressive CV's, even if the geologist did have Persephone as their alma mater. After all of the briefings were completed and the itinerary written, Sarah still had a few hours left to gather anything she felt that she needed. Once she arrived at her domicile, she began pacing her home nervously. She grabbed a dusty travel bag from her closet and began packing things.

"I don't think you'll really need those." Hugo said as Sarah grabbed a few pairs of pants. Sarah looked at him, then put the pants back in their drawer. She moved into the bathroom and started collecting toiletries. "I don't believe you'll be able to use those in your suit." Hugo said. Sarah put the items back in a huff. She was starting to get annoyed. "To be honest, I don't think you'll need to bring anything more than your daily items."

Sarah was restless but didn't know what to do. She sat down on her bed and crossed her arms. Hugo knew the body language. He was designed to identify it and do what he could to help. He sat on the mattress next to her and placed a hand on her back.

"You still have a few hours before the transport leaves. Why don't you lay back and relax for a little while?" Hugo's words were followed by a tensioned sigh from Sarah. She followed his instruction and pulled herself to comfortably lay on the bed. Hugo laid next to her, wrapping an arm over her belly. "What's got you so stressed? Isn't this something you've been looking forward to?" Hugo asked.

"It is... I just... haven't been on an expedition for a while." Sarah weaved her fingers in with Hugo's.

"It will be like riding a bike, for sure."

"I'm not so sure..." Thoughts were running through Sarah's head.

It didn't seem like she was going to sleep, so Hugo decided to try another method of stress relief. Sarah felt his fingers pop and extend, then start to slither around and slip under her garments. Sarah, surprisingly, slapped his hand away and jumped out of bed away from him.