The Alien and I

Sand Planet

Zoe dragged the carcass of the Scarab to the vehicle. As the majority of the creatures found in Zertran's, these beetles developed a reinforced silicate-based chitin shell, insects essentially made of sand, the greatest abundant substance on the planet. However, all form of life holds at least a minimum number of nutrients, such as protein and water. Therefore, she brings any form of life into the laboratory for the extraction of these resources for her survival.

Send a message to the Demether station to notify that a bio-container would be released in a couple of hours. Even knowing that there was no one else there to receive the message, Zoe was a creature of habits and liked to follow the protocols. At the station the container was unloaded into the bio-processor to remove the impurities, practically all material collected was discarded, less than 2% of the whole amount was usable.

At her lab, hopeless looking for some breakthrough discovery that would reverse the planet's advanced desertification process. It was tedious work to do. Science had already developed a way to control the loss of telomeres in DNA, no human would die of old age no more. Yet starvation or dehydration was still deadly such as an injury or disease.

Unable to bear the loneliness and the feeling of being the only human on the planet. Zoe takes a break and went to Philotes station where she kept in an artificial environment a native creature of Zertran, the last of its kind and the only being which made Zoe believe she was not alone on the planet. Zap was a humanoid being with almost a primitive intellect. Too aggressive to be free, also too unique to allow its extirpation. Sometimes when she was alone, Zoe sat beside the large glass window that separated them and talking to the thing as if he could understand.

− When I signed up to become a terraforming agent, I was not alone as I am today.

− You would not understand but when my fellows and I arrived here long before was not yet this wasteland. Back there, others like you subdued all other species. A similar thing occurred on my planet with us humans.

Zap from inside her damp fresh bubble did not seem to understand, but still, it paid attention to every word and movement of Zoe.

− With the degradation of the atmosphere of Zertran, the odds of success of terraforming dropped too much, so my people fled in their stations for a better planet. But after all these centuries here I would not be able to leave Zertran nor you.

− A wise friend from Earth told me that humans were not meant to live forever Zap. I tried to give you the best life possible under the present circumstances.

− I'm sorry, I couldn't do better.

Zap sit at her side looking to her from the glass window, till Zertran, Zoe and it was no more.