Proxima

by Chase Hildenbrand

  “Damn, a probe? I would’ve loved to throw on a suit and walk around down there. Remember when we had to infiltrate the Khufu pyramid after the Battle of the Nile? It was like walking into a different time. I imagine this would’ve been like that—much colder, though.”

  “And do you remember what was waiting for us deep in the pyramid? A squadron of Egyptian soldiers guarding a water tank. We had to fight our way back out.”

  “What a fight it was. I saved your ass in there when some Egyptian son of a bitch almost stabbed you in the back.”

  “And I thanked you by shooting the guy behind you right between the eyes.”

  Percy clapped him on the back. “You sure did.”

  The two men spent the next several minutes discussing the mysterious settlement—what uses it could have had, if its placement was a strategic location in the solar system or not, and why was it built near geological activity? All good questions they hoped the probe may shed light on.

  Captain Jameson and Debra lay together in her bed, her beside him with her arm draped over his chest. Debra was trying to process what he told her. It was all so much.

  “To be clear, just so I’m understanding—Liam Donovan found a long gone settlement below us on a moon. And you want me to let you go alone and explore it like some kid on an adventure?”

  “We need eyes on the ground. I told Donovan and the others I was going to send a probe, but I realize there’s too much at stake. If this did belong to them and there is clear evidence of it, we’ll need a real person there. It may affect our decision about going back to Earth.”

  “It’s dangerous, Landon. Anything could go wrong.”

  “That’s why it has to be me. I wouldn’t ask this of anyone else. And I’ll be fine. I’ll have the suit on and you’ll be in my ear the whole time.”

  “Let me at least fly you down there. I’ll stay in the Z48.”

  The captain considered this. On one hand he knew she would feel much better about him going if she flew him down, and if something actually did go wrong a witness might not be the worst thing. However, if anyone was going to witness something bad happen to him, he’d rather it be anyone else.

  “If you don’t, I’ll follow you down there anyway,” she said firmly.

  That settled it. He knew she’d always get her way.

  “You win. Let’s go.”

  Jameson messaged Liam to gather the others and meet on the bridge in twenty minutes. After that was done they got dressed and minutes later were out of the airlock on board Debra’s Z48.

  Surrounded by a ring of asteroids, Neptune floated sentinel over them like a sleeping giant—the blue swirls in the gassy atmosphere beautiful and mesmerizing. With one turn of the Z48 the planet was behind them and Triton filled their window. The moon's icy features were stunningly impressive. Debra plugged in the coordinates Liam left with Jameson in his quarters.

  Triton’s geological features took her breath away. Craters littered the surface along with numerous sharp mountain tops. The ice lit up with the reflection from the sun. Soon, the volcano hiding the settlement came into view.

  “I need to call the ship,” Jameson said.

  While Debra found a landing spot inside the ring surrounding the settlement, he video called Liam who answered on his cell.

  “Captain, is it ti— Where are you?”

  “I apologize for this, Donovan, but I am not on The Hawking.”

  “Then where are you? What about the probe?”

  “I decided after you left that a mission like this required human hands. Get Crouch, Rednour, and Alveraz and go into my office.”

  He watched a disgruntled Liam do as he was asked and take the others, who had been standing just out of visual range, into his office.

  “We’re here. What’s the meaning of this? Are you on a Z48?” Liam asked.

  “I am currently landing on Triton. I’ll be wearing a suit and going for a walk on the ice.”

  None of them on the other side of the call looked happy about this.

  “I thought that was too dangerous? That’s what you told me,” Liam said.

  “I did say that. I won’t put anyone at unnecessary risk besides myself. I think in order to understand what this place is, we need someone here on the surface not a flying camera. And don’t worry, Debra is with me.” He turned the camera to show her lowering the ship on the ground.

  “Sir, let us take a shuttle and we can be down there in no time,” Stacy said.

  “No. This is a direct order. You are all to stay put. Now, for the formalities. I’m not naive. I know that this could be dangerous, and while I fully expect to be joining you all back on board soon, I do need to do this one thing. Liam. You’ve been a pain in my ass at times. And I’m sure you feel the same way about me. But I trust your leadership, intelligence, and bravery. I’m naming you acting captain in my stead. Nobody knows this ship better than you.”

  The surprise on Liam’s face was one for the books. “Sir. I’m not qualified to captain this ship. You have plenty on your bridge crew who—”

  “Who trusts you. You’ve been with this ship longer than they have. They know you. They saw how you, albeit recklessly, commandeered an alien spacecraft and saved their lives.”

  “Thank you, Captain. I mean it.”

  “Don’t get used to it. The job is still mine when I return. Now, I need to change. I’ll call in directly to the bridge and you all can monitor my progress on the bodycam.”

  “Good luck, sir,” Percy said. He lifted his hand in a salute. Jameson returned the gesture and ended the call.

  Debra finished her landing and killed the engines. “Liam?”

  “I know, I know. He’s a good leader. But he’ll probably take this to his bald head and feed his ego.”

  “At least you didn’t name Percy acting captain.”

  “You’re still upset about his promotion?”

  “He’s a traitor,” she said simply.

  “I understand. I also don’t punish people for past mistakes. I reward their successes. Yes, his mistakes were terrible. But he’s living with them every day inside his head and he’ll continue to do so forever. Nothing we can do but forgive and forget.”

  “Much easier said than done. Come on, let’s get you changed.”

  In the back of the Z48 Jameson pulled out one of the spacesuits. It was white with a light orange trim and at the joints were pads embedded in the material. The suit itself was designed to withstand an incredible range of temperatures even colder than on Triton. The suit was a one piece that covered him from his feet up to his arms and hands. It curved downward in a V shape into his upper chest from the neckline where the glass helmet would attach. The helmet locked into the neckline and surrounded his head for an unobstructed view.

  He turned left and right while moving his arms and legs in circles to test the suit’s maneuverability. In Triton’s gravity it was fairly lightweight at only twenty pounds so he found it much easier to move around in than when he tried one on back on Earth where it weighed three times as much. The last thing he put on was the boots which featured cleat spikes that would extend out the sole when a button was pressed on the side. A clever addition that would come in handy on Triton’s icy surface.

  At the very back of the Z48 was an airlock exit. Jameson stood in front of it while Debra did one more check for any holes or weak spots on the suit.

  “Listen, Debra. I know we’ve been seeing each other for a while and I know it’s never been that serious, but when I get back—”

  She cut him off mid-sentence. “Tell me when you get back then. You’re good to go. I’ll be keeping an eye on you from the cockpit. After you exit the airlock make a right and swing around to the front of the craft. The largest building Liam blasted is fifty feet ahead. Can’t miss it. It’s the one that doesn’t look like it should be on a fucking moon in the middle of space.”

  He wanted to pull her in for a hug, but the suit made it impossible so he placed his hand on the
side of her cheek. “Back soon.”

  She leaned into his touch and opened the airlock using the control panel on her left. He turned and entered the compact room.

  “Hey Landon. Your ass looks good in that suit,” she said while shutting the door behind him.

  Ten seconds was all it took for the airlock light to turn green signaling him it was okay to open the door. On the other side lay Triton. In the immediate view he saw six smaller structures with the ring pipe five hundred feet behind them. The ice on the structures was so thick he only knew they were buildings based on their shape—too rectangular to be naturally made.

  As he walked along the side of the craft, he marveled at the rocky volcano spewing frozen gas from its crater. Fortunately it was falling in the opposite direction of the settlement. He could feel the vibration from it underneath his feet. The edge of a crater lay a mile or so away beyond the volcano. It must’ve been deep because it disappeared into darkness in the center. Everything else seemed calm and peaceful on the frozen moon.

  Debra’s voice called out to him on the suit’s intercom. “Hey spaceman. I’m connecting your bodycam to the bridge on The Hawking. You’re live.”

  “Hello from Hoth ladies and gentlemen.”

  His destination came into view in front of the Z48. He put the building at approximately eight or nine stories high and maybe two hundred feet wide. The hole that Liam blasted into its front was clearly visible and only a few feet off the ground so he would be able to climb in easily. Icicles already began to reform over the hole.

  He tried to look inside, but there was only blackness. He reached out and touched the edge of the hole stroking the ice. Through the gloves on his suit he felt the cold and promptly withdrew his hand. He turned around and saw Debra in the cockpit. She looked so small in the window of the large Z48, smiling at him as they waved at one another. Turning back to the entrance he reached up to turn on the light attachment on his shoulder and stepped inside.

  “Good morning,” Ann said. She took her seat on a fold out chair joining Blaire and Adam as they warmed their breakfast over an electric heater.

  “Morning,” Blaire replied.

  “Sleep well?” Adam asked.

  “It was weird. I’ve slept outdoors too many times to count, but never like this. New animal sounds kept me up for a while—not to mention the suns never setting.”

  “Agreed,” Blaire said. “I think I only got a couple of hours.”

  “Here, eat this,” Adam said. He passed her a plate with one pile of green mush and another of orange.

  “I’m afraid to ask,” Ann said in disgust.

  “Then don’t. Just eat. We have a long day.”

  She took a bite and grimaced, but got it to stay down. “Have either of you been in contact with the ship this morning?”

  “Not yet, why?” Blaire asked.

  “Wondering if The Hawking showed up yet.”

  “Oh...right.” Blaire said. It was always awkward for her whenever Ann brought up the missing ship. She thought they were most likely dead, but she had enough tact to keep her opinion to herself. Still, she felt for Ann whose loss was personal, whereas she didn’t know anyone on The Hawking to miss.

  “Sorry, it’s hard not to think about it,” Ann said.

  “We hear you. It’s fine, really.” Adam smiled reassuringly at her. “You’re bound to get your mind off it today, though—we have much to do.”

  After breakfast, Ann and Blaire prepared for the exploratory mission beyond the electric perimeter. They each packed an MRE along with two bottles of water and a first aid kit. Blaire offered Ann their singular emergency flare gun, but she refused having never been one for shooting. Blaire shrugged and packed it in her pack. They covered themselves in insect repellent not knowing if it would work against the planet’s tiniest creatures, but figured it’d be better to have it than not.

  Both wore GPS monitors on their wrists that would track and map their individual routes to a computer back at the lab. They could pinpoint certain locations on the GPS system where they found something interesting to come back to later.

  Before mid-morning arrived, they said their goodbyes to Adam who was elbow deep in lab equipment connecting twisted cables to power supplies and only gave them a courtesy wave while he cursed at the tangled mess.

  Ann keyed in the code to shut down the electricity to the perimeter gate while Blaire opened it. Once through, Ann keyed in the same code on the other side to restore power and then they were out of the safety of the camp and into the wilderness. They first headed east, stepping past the tree line with the lake to their backs before being swallowed by the jungle, engulfed in near darkness. The purple leaves failed to let through much sunlight. Flashlights beaming, they continued deeper into the jungle until the camp was gone from their view.

  Ann and Blaire slowed as their work increased. They were taking pictures and documenting every species of plant they found, which was more than they could fathom. Ann counted fifteen species of ferns on the ground level while Blaire noted twenty species of trees. Other weed-like plants covered the jungle floor. They couldn’t walk without stepping on something new.

  Hours went by as they slowly trekked through the jungle. By lunch they’d documented around a hundred species while taking dozens of samples to bring back to the lab, not to mention they tagged twenty locations to revisit in the future. The GPS showed they were a half mile from camp.

  A tree tempted them while they ate by dangling a blue fruit over their heads. Blaire wanted to try a piece, but Ann stopped her by pointing out they had no idea if it was poisonous or not. With reluctance, Blaire picked the fruit and placed it in her pack to examine back at the camp.

  At mid-afternoon, while tagging the location of a lovely tree with leaves that hung all the way to the ground, they heard running water to the north. A thin shallow creek cut a path through the jungle. The water was clear and a school of small fish were making their way upstream.

  A family of the six-legged deer-like species with long tails drank the cool water from the creek further down. Ann wondered if one of them was the same she saw at the camp the day before. The largest one had a singular horn three inches long growing out of the back of its head curling slightly upward. The smallest walked into the creek and splashed around spinning happily. Its parents paid no notice and continued drinking.

  “Beautiful,” Ann said.

  “Delicious,” Blaire added. “Should we go hunting?”

  Not sure if she was joking, Ann answered, “No. Leave them alone, they’re happy.”

  The young animal in its play kicked up mud from beneath the creek revealing something shiny that was previously buried. The light danced on the object drawing Blaire’s attention.

  “What is that?” Blaire asked.

  “No idea,” Ann answered.

  They started walking in its direction, spooking the animal family into running back inside the jungle. When they got to it Ann reached down and picked it up out of the mud. Blaire leaned in to examine it.

  “I don’t know what this is,” Ann said.

  “I know what it looks like,” Blaire said, taking the object from Ann and turning it over in her hands. “It’s metal.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  “It’s not. This was made. Its shape is clearly defined.”

  The object fit perfectly in the palm of her hand—no longer than four inches. It was thickest in the middle then thinned outwards before rounding out in nubs on the two ends.

  “It can’t be made. I have no idea what it is, but who would’ve made it? No one else is here but us.”

  “Someone did. And it looks old. What’s not still silver has been rusted over.”

  “We’ll take it back with us and have a look when we’re in better light.”

  Blaire considered. She looked around the creek for any dangers lurking behind the trees. “You take it. It’s getting late. I’m going to follow the creek for a little bit. Maybe there’s more to
find. If there is then we need to know about it.”

  Ann checked her watch. It was 4:00 p.m. Earth Standard. “I’ll go with you.”

  “No, just go. We told Adam we’d be back by five. I won’t be long. I have the GPS, too.”

  “Alright. You won’t find anything, though.”

  “Maybe not. But why not see?”

  “Be careful, alright? You have enough battery on your GPS?”

  Blaire checked to be sure and said yes. There was more than enough for her to go on a short hike and make it back. Then she left to follow the creek. Watching her go, Ann questioned herself if leaving Blaire to walk alone was a smart move. The creek eventually banked away to the left and Blaire disappeared along with it.

  What was that object? It certainly didn’t seem naturally made, but it also couldn’t have been from one of the STS ships. Unless someone dropped it off a Z48 and it landed in the creek. But the object looked old and rusty so that theory didn’t hold much ground. Ann turned it over again in her hands taking it in—feeling its weight. It felt like metal. She tried to bend it. Unyielding.

  She marked the spot on her GPS before heading back to camp. The hike back took only forty-five minutes since she wasn’t stopping to take pictures of every plant she saw. After letting herself back in through the perimeter gate she found Adam working diligently in the mobile lab.

  “Welcome back. Successful day?”

  “Very. The variety out there is crazy. Trees, ferns, moss, new things I don’t even have a name for. We saw one fruit-bearing tree. Blaire will be bringing back a sample.”

  “Will be? She’s not with you?”

  “We found this buried in a creek.” Ann handed Adam the object. “Blaire thinks it's some type of metal. She went for a walk along the creek to see if she could spot more items.”

  “Metal? It looks the part, but where could it have come from?”

  “That’s what I said. I have a friend who’s an archaeologist. I’ll call him up to get his thoughts before she comes back. How’s it going in here?”

  “I got a lot done today. We’re ready to start looking at samples you brought back first thing in the morning.”