The Empty and the Unknown

9 - Desert

The airlock doors scraped against the metal as Titus closed them behind us. The blinding light outside was quickly dimmed by the protective glass of the helmet. Wherever we had landed was nothing short of a sea of sand. Before taking even a step away from the ship, I scanned the horizon, only to find more and more rolling hills of sand, with only a few rock formations speckled throughout. I looked up at the sky, which was noticeably tinted yellow, and filled with clouds that were a dark blend of grey and yellow. I looked around for a moment before spotting the star which it orbited around. It was barely a speck in the distance, however, the planet was incredibly hot. 

"Hey, can you tell me a bit more about this planet?" I asked, continuing to peer around the desert, looking for any sign of the creatures which inhabited it. "You know, before we go miles away from the nearest source of food and water, I'd like to be at least a little aware of what's going on." 

His voice crackled as the comms came to life. "Uh," He chuckled and looked up from the holopad, which he had pulled out after closing the door. "Sure. What do you want to know?"

"Why's it so hot? The star's much farther away than it was on the FSS, but it's like a furnace." I took a look at the environmental reader, a screen on the wrist of the durosuit, which gave an astounding temperature of around 200 degrees Celsius. The durosuits could withstand much higher than that, but the idea that I could be cooked were I to not have this on, was a tad unsettling. 

 "This planet has no rotation." He paused for a moment, looking at the holopad. "Well, very little at least. It leaves one spot exposed to the star for a very long time. It's actually the reason the silicon life forms are even possible." 

"Speaking of them, where are they?" I hadn't seen any even in the furthest distances, and the fact that there wasn't one in sight, was both fantastic and terrifying. 

"That, I'm not so sure about. Maybe that one really just peeled away from the pack." He peered up at the sky, which was getting darker every passing minute, "Whether or not that is the case, we need to find shelter. These suits can withstand almost anything, but burning hot sulfuric acid isn't one of those." 

"Ah, yeah." 

He put his holopad up and we walked together due west of the Falcon, which disappeared behind the mountains of sand in almost no time at all. Our first hour of the journey was taken in general silence, as I took in the sights. It was something you could see on almost any planet, but it's been years since I stepped foot anywhere outside of the FSS, so seeing something that wasn't the inside of the ship was almost unbelievable. We walked for miles and miles, passing nothing but sand, sand, and more sand. We kept occupied by pointing out some interesting mirages that formed occasionally. Once we hit what would've been about five thirty earth-time, we took a break to eat, using one of the portable shields for shelter. 

"What do you think of this planet?" I asked him, taking off my helmet after the toxic gas had been cycled through and replaced with breathable air. 

"I think it's definitely not where we're supposed to be." He sighed, slinging off his backpack and sabers. "I don't know about you, but I would much rather be exploring an oasis, not a dead, malevolent rock." 

"Well, we can agree on that one." I slung off my backpack, dusting off some of the sand that had collected in its crevices before unzipping it. There were a few dozen canteens full of water, and a good portion of MREs, which I had chosen over meals from the fabricator to save space. "What do you think we should have?" I lifted a couple beige packets out of the bag, "Cardboard flavored chicken or a steak with just enough bounce to make you think you're eating rubber."

He pulled out one at random, "You know, I'll just try not to think about it too much." 

We tore them open and prepared them, though most of the items were either packaged or canned and could be eaten already. I tore through my meal, as did Titus, the hours of traveling making us ravenous. After the quick dinner, we drank some water, then buried the what was left of the biodegradable packets. I snapped on my helmet once again, then we picked up our bags and weapons, let down the shield, and continued our journey. With every passing second, the clouds overhead grew darker. 

We walked with a steady pace, however, the search for shelter became much more urgent as the crack of thunder sounded from behind us. 

"That's... not good," Titus commented.

"Huh, you think?" I replied with a heavy amount of sarcasm. 

Several cracks followed soon after and all playfulness vanished. We began to sprint across the desert, the storm growing ever closer. 

"Over there!" Titus pointed to the mouth of a cave, and we ran towards it.

Moments before lightning exploded right behind us, we were safe within the shelter of the cave. I slouched against the wall, sighing in relief. My heart throbbed from both the anxiety and the cardio. 

"Good... catch," I said between labored breaths. 

"Yeah, lucky us. We could've been fried if we were out there any longer."

Next came the sound of droplets which quickly became a torrential downpour of sulfuric acid rained above us.

"And if the lightning didn't get us, that surely would have," I said, standing up and stretching out my weary limbs, watching the acid bubble as it touched the ground. 

Titus didn't respond, instead simply pointed down the cave. His silence drew my attention, and I followed his gaze towards a glowing blue light in the distance, which pulsed slowly.  

"What is that?" I asked.

"One of the only non-threatening things on this planet." He stood up with a grunt and walked down the smooth floor of the cave. 

He led me to the source of it; a large light-blue crystalline structure that jutted out of the wall. 

"It's kind of like a living rock, I mentioned it before. They're bioluminescent and just feed off the minerals in the rock they attach too. It actually defines their colors, too. Here," He shined a light on the creature, which was attached to a wide vein of greenish-blue ore that traveled up the side of the cave. "It's copper."

"Can I touch it?" 

"Sure, go right ahead."

I stuck my hand out towards the crystal, which squished under my fingertips. It was surprisingly soft and didn't react to my touch, pulsing with light all the same. 

"Wow. Can it feel that?"

"Nah, it's not sentient. It's just there. They're practically immortal, too," He yawned and stretched his arms above his head, nearly hitting the ceiling, "I'm gonna turn in, see you on the flipside." He set his pack on the ground and lied against the wall opposite of the pulsing rock. He fell asleep almost immediately, and I muted the comms when his snores began. 

My sore limbs let me know that it was time for me to sleep as well. I set my backpack and rifle against the wall, then curled up underneath the organism. It's calm blue light made the lightning strikes easier to ignore and before long, I fell into a restless slumber.