Traveler in the Dark

5

It was too bright, too raw. Rebecca lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the massiveness of the landing zone. She turned to negotiate the first step. Titov was crouched near the base of the ladder. She could hear him retching. Dr. Cardiff patted his back.

"Listen, you trained for this. Nothing bad is happening."

Titov pushed the doctor away. "I'm fine," he growled. "I know what's at stake, I don't need to be reminded."

Rebecca took a hesitant step onto the ground. Something crunched underneath her boot and she jerked back. Dr. Cardiff looked up at her.

"Dirt, remember? We practiced on the agri deck."

Rebecca nodded and gave the doctor a weak smile. She put her boot back down, teeth grinding at the crunch. And then the other boot.

"Good job, Emery," said the doctor, glancing over at her as she helped Titov back into the ship, despite his protests. Rebecca felt vaguely juvenile at the praise. It's only a ladder, she thought, but changed her mind as she stopped to look around herself. This was more than a ladder. More than the same crowded decks that met her every day.

The landing zone was a rocky valley between hills. Nothing complex, just a semi-flat expanse of stone and dust. But even without plants or water or movement, it still overwhelmed her. Rebecca knelt to touch the jagged rocks at her feet. The vinyl of her gloves didn't let much sensation through, but the solid realness of what she touched was a comfort for now. The feel of uneven ground beneath her boots was something new after a lifetime of smooth decking. She stared at the horizon. She could walk here. One foot in front of another for days without seeing the same sights again. Without looping back over the same cramped hallways. Walk for the rest of her life if she wanted and still never see it all. A sudden wave of dizziness hit her at the thought. She looked back down at her knees, laughing at herself. One thing at a time, she thought.

"Well?" asked Alice, her helmet poking out of the open airlock.

"Well," said Rebecca, "I haven't been eaten by a wild animal yet."

"Ha, ha. Okay, I'm coming down."

"Go slow Alice, there's extra gravity. Everything is slower, heavy."

She helped her friend down the ladder and bit her lip at the sound of Alice's boots hitting the dirt. "Everything is so— far," gasped Oxwell, looking around them.

"I don't like it. Air's too thin. Nothing to hold it in," Rebecca sucked a quick breath, her lungs felt sticky and flat. She sucked in another. Her chest throbbed painfully and her throat seemed pinched. She clutched at her helmet.

"Whoa," said Dr. Cardiff, scrambling back down to them. She grabbed Rebecca's arm. "Calm down, Emery. You aren't breathing the air outside, remember? You're breathing your suit air, it's the same as always. Slow down. Deep breaths."

Rebecca tried to take a deeper breath and coughed. The cough seemed to snap her free. "I'm okay," she said.

"Go slow. Until a few days ago you never even left the Keseburg and now you are exploring an entire planet. It's going to take some time to get used to just being out in the open like this. You too, Oxwell."

Alice nodded. "Why are you okay with all this?" she asked.

Dr. Cardiff shrugged and a shrill, nervous laugh leaked out of her. "I think I'm too busy right now to be scared by this yet. Give me a minute and you'll have to remind me not to hyperventilate too." There was a groan from Titov above and the doctor left them with a good-luck pat to Rebecca's arm. Spixworth was next down the ladder, carrying cases of lab equipment.