Astray Among The Stars

Chapter 12: Shadow of a Man Pt. III

"Prill, where Roger?"

The Nevran scanned the horizon as they waited outside the shuttle. "I do not know, Tevra."

The girl sat down on a large beige rock, exhaling an anxious shaky sigh. Roger and Holloway were supposed to be back by now. They were not.

The Nevran glanced over at her. Tevra had contacted the boy nearly every minute, but he answered none of her communicator calls. All of her attempts were in vain.

She sighed again, her hands combing her hair as she looked to the ground, her face filled to the brim with worriment. No reply meant he was either out of range or could not answer. She feared it was the latter.

The Valmirian stood up with anticipation as the search party approached the shuttle, their footsteps audible in the calm desert. Tevra's eyes briefly scanned the group. Her guts churned as she followed them into the shuttle. The boy was not with them.

"Captain, where Roger?"

"We're not sure."

"Not sure? Why not—"

"We searched everywhere. We couldn't find anything."

"Not understand. How not find him? Roger not vanish. Not disappear. Must be somewhere! Must go and look!"

"Calm down, Tevra. I'm sure Roger can handle himself. If he's with Holloway, I know my corporal can protect him."

The girl worringly glanced out the shuttle window, the beige terrain taunting her as the the rest of the crew boarded the craft, preparing to take off. The captain rested her hand on the Valmirian's shoulder as the shuttle lifted itself and retreated to the ship. "Don't worry, Tevra. I'm sure we'll find him."

* * *

Marlin stroked his stubble-marked chin, staring through the messhall window at the barren desert planet below. He turned to his wife standing next to him.

"We need to head back."

"I say we wait until the next morning when it gets warmer."

"Did you not see Tevra? She was worried sick."

"So am I. Everyone is, but that doesn't mean Roger and Holloway are in immediate danger."

"For all we know they could be lost in the desert, or even captured by Sloan or criminals. They might not have enough time. We should go back now before daylight runs out."

"It could be dangerous. We are the aliens in this situation. We would stand out to the townsfolk, and Sloan."

"For the crew, yes. . . but not all of us."

* * *

Prill gently landed the shuttle down at the outskirts of the settlement, exhaling a long sigh. He stood up as the Valmirian bolted out the door, shortly joining her outside. The Nevran stood next to her as she waited, scanning the settlement with his binoculars.

The captain ordered both of them to search the town after everyone else made it back to the ship. The aliens did not stand out from the Kotarin crowd as much as their human counterparts so perhaps they would have better luck finding the man and the two missing crew members.

Prill narrowed his eyes. None of the search party spotted the castaway, odd considering he stood out from the Kotarin town. Perhaps he had something to do with Roger's and Holloway's disappearance.

"Go to town please?"

Prill set the binoculars down. "It will be dark in a few hours, Tevra. The temperature will drop. Maybe we should—"