Traveler in the Dark

12

Liu sat on the dusty ground beside the communications panel.

"No, it isn't that one. We're getting closer, I got a burst from the Hardcoop but nothing clear. Try the next," said Al Jahi over the feed.

Liu toggled a button and the array hummed as it began to twist.

"Slow!" snapped Al Jahi.

He turned it off. "Sorry. I don't think it will go any slower unless I get up there and move it by hand."

"We may have to."

"Okay, give me a minute." He closed the panel and stood up, brushing his suit off.

"Thanks for doing this so early, Gang. I know you could be sleeping."

"Nah," he said, climbing up the handholds on the hull, "my sleep schedule is going to take a few days to catch up. It's almost noon on the Keseburg, isn't it?"

"Yeah, Noura would be done with morning session about now."

He reached the top of the ship. "Apologize to Titov for me, I think I'm about to stomp over his bunk." He shuffled over to the array, kneeling near the small crank. A gleam of rosy light caught the curve of his helmet and he turned his face toward the horizon. "Oh..." he breathed. "Chione, come out here. You've got to see this."

"Is something wrong?" asked Al Jahi.

"No— no, it's the sun. Is anyone else awake?"

"I'm still up. Barely. Oxwell's here too." said Spixworth. There was a pause and then a low whistle over the feed. "Now that— that's worth the trip."

Liu sank down onto the metal hull and sat to watch. The sliver of light intensified, the redness softening to a bright copper as more of it inched over the horizon.

"The clouds—" gasped Alice. "Like the edge of a nebula, but so close."

The airlock hissed and Liu heard Al Jahi on the ladder. He rose to help her up the side. "You ever see this on your other flights?" asked Spixworth.

"No," he said reaching down to haul Al Jahi up. "We were near asteroids. Either a nearby sun was always visible or we were too far and it was barely a glow. It looked like it does on the Keseburg. Not like this."

Al Jahi stood beside him staring at the rounded hump of the sun pushing its way into the sky. The dark fled, paling from purple to rose to an orange-gray. The others had fallen silent, but the planet around them began to wake. Small shadows darted over the dusty ground around the Wolfinger, night animals caught by the light.

Spixworth laughed. "You can't hear this, but Spike started— chirping. I can hear others in the field too."

"There are things moving over here too," said Al Jahi. "It isn't bright enough to see them yet, but this world— there's so much alive here."

"I thought it would be peaceful. That's what you see in the old movies. All that silence, like the world is holding its breath," said Oxwell, "but it's loud and busy."

The sun was lifting itself over the crest of the land, its lower rim coming into view. A deeper shadow passed over him and Liu looked up, startled. Something large, larger than him buzzed overhead and sped off.

"Did you see that?" He turned to Al Jahi.

"What was it?"

"I don't know. Bird? It was big. And it's headed your direction, Spixworth."

"A bird? We haven't seen a single one— nothing avian at all."

"Nick— maybe we shouldn't—" said Alice.

Liu flicked on the video feed and watched as Spixworth exited the field lab and turned his face toward the sky. "It's okay, Alice, I just want to get some video. How big is this thing, Liu?"

"Bigger than me. Like— Hardcoop size maybe? You aren't going to miss it if it gets close."

"Is it the Hardcoop?"

"No," said Al Jahi. "Liu and I have been tracking the Hardcoop all morning. That's what we were working on. It's in a low orbit right now, but nowhere near that low."

A sharp glint flickered over the video feed. "There, Spixworth— that's it!"

"Earth's holy ocean, would you look at that?" The glint grew to a shine and then a shape, long and thin with massive wings. There was a mechanical buzz as it zipped past and plunged just beyond the river. "It's landed! Come on Alice, let's go!"

"Are you crazy?" shouted Alice. "We aren't going anywhere except back to the Wolfinger to get the Captain."

"But it could be gone if we don't—"

"Yeah, or it could eat us or stomp us or something."

"It looked metal," said Liu. "I didn't get a great look, it was going too fast, but it looked artificial. Kind of sounded that way too."

"Maybe we should wake up Emery too," said Al Jahi.

"Where's your sense of adventure?" protested Spixworth.

"Firmly seated in my need for logical functioning," snapped Alice. "If that thing really is metal, then that means something built it. This is a level 3 incident at least, if not four. We'll be lucky not to join Hackford in quarantine, even with our suits. We aren't getting closer until we check with the Captain. We're going back."

Spixworth hesitated, his feed still broadcasting a scene of the river. "Now, Nick."

"Okay, okay," he said and turned to secure the lab.

"We'll get the crew up," said Al Jahi. "I think this will probably be a full meeting."

Liu helped her climb down, noticing her hand was shaking slightly. He wondered if she were excited or frightened. He wondered which one he was, too.