Journal of Aber Crombie 1

CHAPTER ONE

I still have not come to grasps with the giant sun in the red sky. Herbert says the sky is red because the sun is a red dwarf. And the sun is huge because the habitable zone around a red dwarf is much closer to the sun than what I am used to. That's what Herbert tells me anyway. And that's the reason it is so much colder here than I am used to. There are a lot of things here I am not used to.

Herbert says it is good for us to keep a routine. So, we went to the greenhouse this morning. Like every morning. The automation control for the microbe system can get off schedule, and we have to adjust it manually sometime. I'm glad Herbert is smart and knows all this stuff. He reminds me of my dad. But as long as the system works all the plants seem to do fine. I think Herbert just likes to walk around in there. The green plants are a nice contrast to the dry cracked ground outside. And as much as I would hate to admit it to Herbert, it is nice to have some sort of routine. I used to think it would be great to have no responsibilities, nothing that had to be done. But after having nothing that has to be done all day for 23 days, I need some sort of routine, or I think I might go mad.

After breakfast in the green house, we pick a direction on the compass, one we have not used before, and start walking in that direction. We're looking for new things. A type of rock we have not seen before, a soil anomaly, signs of a creature. We have seen no signs of creatures at all. Not even with the microbe detector. Of course, the literature all says there is no life on this planet other than what the transport company has brought to the way station, but Herbert says people that believe everything a company tells them will never discover anything new. And honestly, the people at the company were the ones that told us we would only be here for two days before the next ship arrived. So, we go looking for new things.

We only walk for 8 kilometer before we turn to go back. The days are short here, and you don't want to be outside when the red sun sets. I complain about the cold a lot. I grew up near an equator. I like it warm. Herbert promises the next stop will be warmer. It has a yellow sun. He says it has beaches like the ones on my home too. And people. He suspects I won't complain if we get stuck there for a month or two. I have never been to Earth, but he makes it sound nice. Though I am starting to wonder if we will ever get there. Herbert still talks as if the ship is on the way, but I am starting to think there may not be anymore ships.

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Another part of our routine is that Herbert tries three times a day to contact someone on the travelers' kiosk. The kiosk is where we should get updates on arrival and departures, buy tickets, check weather at destinations, and if you can locate the link on the screen, contact customer service. He applies the same compass direction technique to the kiosk. He tries at three different times of day that he has not tried before. I understand the logic. He says the machine may work better at different times because of cosmic interference, or maybe the call centers have odd hours. But I don't have the same optimism that it will work. The day the transport didn't show up, I checked that the communication system was set up correctly. That's the one thing I know more about that Herbert. That's what I do. I've been installing interplanetary communication systems for two years now. I don't get all the science behind them, but I know how to trouble shoot them. I suspect we are not getting an answer because there is no one there to answer. The company is gone. Out of business. Destroyed in a storm. A war. I try not to let my imagination get too dark, but that's where it goes at times.

I don't know why they wouldn't contact us, but it is not because the system here is not working. I will remain hopeful however that someone will contact us eventually. That someone somewhere remembers we got off at this station. That someone somewhere will come looking for us. Someone from the company I work for maybe. You would think they noticed when I didn't show up for work for 23 days. Herbert talks about his friends and family a lot, but I am not sure they will be looking for him. He never said that, but I have noticed he always refers to them in past tense. He never talks about anyone that might be waiting for him. But then, I don't either.