1: I Did Too

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space… or so they say.

The gentlest click begins a chain reaction. Static fazes outward and lights by the many emit a luminous glow. On the desk, a gleaming microphone releases a soft, metallic ring as the monitor behind it creates a stark silhouette. In her seat, she adjusts herself and stares into the screen. With a slow exhale, she presses a button and begins to record.

“This is Xora Omega checking in, log entry number ninety-three. Today's date is March nineteenth, year 4025. I am an assigned astronomer, mission specialist, and one of eight crew members comprising the Epidorma Unit and Shuttle, a sector of the Galagas International space station. Today marks day number one-hundred and twenty-eight for our crew as we continue through the newly discovered Sacros star system.

“Our currently classified mission, Operation Incurias, is our assignment in which we explore and document findings of this new system including any stars, nebulae, belts, and celestial bodies.

“So far, we have documented three new stars, one belt, and one celestial body approximately one-hundred and fifty-seven thousand miles from the beginning of the newly discovered Murus Belt. As agreed upon in previous correspondences with NASA following the discovery, this new planet has been identified formally as Poseidas. In addition to our new extended contact with and exploration of the surface, we have also launched many probes and satellites that have been measuring and monitoring the planet for the last two months. Here are our new findings thus far.

“Our general consensus is that this planet has multiple conditions that make it sustainable for life. We have confirmed that this planet has no moons in its orbit. Its body is approximately two-thousand miles or approximately thirty-two hundred kilometers in diameter. The core is solid, measuring at roughly ten-thousand degrees Fahrenheit, or fifty-five hundred degrees Celsius. The average surface temperature ranges from to seventy degrees to eighty degrees Fahrenheit or twenty-one to twenty-six degrees Celsius. Its atmosphere consists of three layers, the lowest stretching approximately five kilometers or three miles upward. The lowest layer is composed of nitrogen and other gasses whose properties we have yet to identify.

“Poseidas contains a surface that is nearly eighty percent water. All land appears to be composed of archipelagos, many containing hundreds of islands and stretching from one to three hundred miles or one and half to four-hundred and eighty kilometers. After our probes further examined the surface, we have discovered several species of extraterrestrial life, both vertebrate and invertebrate. Data on appearance, behaviors, and other information have been documented, stored, and sent to command.

“One unusual finding discovered during our exploration of Poseidas, is many instances of remains from an unknown species. Hundreds of partially and fully decomposed organisms, appearing from the same race, are scattered across land and in the water. It's inconclusive whether this species is extinct, but it appears that a significant amount of its population has been affected. Based on size, dexterity, and other physical properties from the analysis of collected remains, it seems to be, by far, the superior species on this planet. That begs the question what occurred to wipe out so many of them…”

“This is James Miller checking in! Just wanted to apologize ahead of time for the boring lecture that will continue to ensue from this broadcast! Before Ms. Omega continues, make sure you grab yourself some popcorn and a drink because this will be a doozy.”

“Please disregard the previous remark at the end of this log, entry number ninety-three. Team mechanic and mission specialist James Miller is not authorized to handle these broadcasts, therefore his input can and will be nullified. We will be in touch with additional findings as our team continues to examine biological samples and artifacts collected from the planet of Poseidas. This is Xora Omega signing off.”

Turning off the terminal’s recorder, she turns to James and scowls. He looks at her confused as he shrugs his shoulders and asks,

“What? What did I do?”

“That is part of a collection of official documentation and property to NASA; it is not meant for tomfoolery and shenanigans.”

“Lighten up, will you? Come on, we need to have a little fun, especially since we’ve been out here for months.”

“We’re not out here to have fun; we’re out here to conduct research, examine extraterrestrial samples, document natural phenomena…”

“Yeah yeah yeah, you’ve given me this spiel before.”

“And yet here we are because I have to give it again.”

“I don’t understand why you have to be so stiff.”

“I’m not being stiff; I’m doing my job. Maybe if you gave that a try, Captain Dawson wouldn’t be keeping you on such a short leash.”

“Ouch… that was unnecessary.”

“Do you want to know what’s really unnecessary? The amount of equipment and machinery that has been in limbo for the last several days because Ethan can’t keep up with the Epidorma shuttle by himself.”

“I think you need to relax a little.”

“And I think you need to focus on our mission.”

“Fine, go back to your mundane diary. I’ll go talk to some of our other crewmates… ones that haven’t had the soul sucked out of them.”

“As long as you don’t distract them while they’re fulfilling their own duties; it’s bad enough you don’t complete your own.”

“Okay, Mom. Knock yourself out with your work… please; that would give the rest of us the break we need.”

Turning around, James exits the room and Xora rolls her eyes before returning to examine documents on the monitor in front of her.

Punching a code into a keypad, James waits as the large, circular doorway in front of him opens. Walking through, he takes a left into a spacious room. At an examination table, a man removes small samples of tissues and bone from a corpse. Smirking, James walks over and says,

“Hello, Mr. Armani Pierce. Hey after you’re done collecting a snack for yourself, can you save me some for later?”

Armani can’t help but grin, and he replies,

“You’re sick, man.”

“What, you don’t have alien morsels? Extraterrestrial blood drizzled over an out of this world carcass?”

“That’s fucking gross… Nah, I think I would rather use the cafeteria and have some pizza like normal crewmates.”

“Suit yourself; more for me.”

“I know you have a stomach made of lead, but geez… you’re really out here ready to help us produce a guide on what not to eat.”

“They give out Nobel Prizes for that, right?”

“Won’t do you much good if you’re posthumous.”

“Pretty soon we’ll be able to harvest brains and I can be an award-winning robot.”

“A James Miller Robot… now that is worthy of a prize.”

“Now you’re speaking my language.”

“Hey, shouldn’t you be helping Mr. Ledger with the routine checks of all the shuttle equipment?”

“I told Ethan I was taking five.”

“Dude… he came in ten minutes ago asking where you were.”

“Has it been ten minutes already?”

All of a sudden from behind, someone says,

“How is it that, even with a world timer with every single time zone and clocks in every hallway, that you still seem to struggle with time?”

James sees Sidney Powers at another examination table. She meticulously removes samples from a similar corpse, placing them in saucers and on slides. He grins at her,

“Why, do you know what time it is?”

“In the United States on the eastern seaboard, it’s currently quarter past ten in the morning.”

“How do you know that? It looks like you’ve been making pop art with that guy’s remains.”

“I have this groundbreaking device called a watch. Maybe you should consider investing in one.”

Unable to hold his laugh, Armani stands there as James crosses his arms. Sidney walks over with a large silver tray. On top of it sits a large sliver of tissue. She brings it over and states,

“Armani, take a look at this sample. I removed it from the left lateral side of the sample’s torso. These lacerations are deep and extensive… We have yet to find any organisms from Poseidas that could do this kind of damage.”

Armani closely examines samples, paying close attention to every single slice. Bewildered, he asks,

“Is it… have we found any weapons from the Poseidans themselves? Is it possible these injuries were inflicted by a member of the same species?”

“These cuts indicate they were injured by a serrated blade. But as of now, there are no signs of evidence showing any of the artifacts we have collected during any of our trips have characteristics that match these wounds.”

“We will put this with the other samples and conduct more tests once we have finished examining these two specimens.”

With an exaggerated yawn, James says,

“I can see you two are VERY busy; I wouldn’t want to interrupt you two. I’m just going to head out and leave you two to continue with your astounding research.”

Sydney replies,

“Interrupt… astounding… wow, look at you use those multisyllabic words so well. Maybe we’re finally rubbing off on you.”

“Screw you too. Enjoy your science project.”

James makes a face before heading out of the rooms and taking a turn down the hallway.

Armani chuckles, but then returns to the sample.

“This is very strange… we definitely have to examine this more at some point.”

Exiting the room, Xora heads toward the library. Inside a man sits at a table, entranced by multiple graphs spread out on a table before him. Taking a seat at the opposite end, Xora looks at him as he continues to read.

“Hey Collymore, what do you think of these reports we’ve compiled? Do you see any abnormalities?”

Adjusting his glasses, Marco replies,

“Based on the data we have collected, there doesn’t seem to be anything striking about water or seismic activity on Poseidas. What happened to that specific species aside, I cannot find any indications of disruptions in the ecosystems.”

“With that in mind… what’s the next step?”

“I’m very curious to see what conclusions Armani and Sydney can gather from those samples. What we’ve discovered is so strange… their external injuries don’t match anything possible on Poseidas. Something has to add up.”

“In the meantime, we can continue to survey for any other possible celestial bodies in this system.”

Peeking around the corner James scans the hallway.

Behind him someone asks,

“How was your five minute break, dickhead?”

James turns around and nervously smiles.

“Ethan, buddy! How’s it going? Say, you must’ve been doing pretty good with the inspections and maintenance.”

“A lot more than you have, man.”

“Hey I’m sorry. I had to go take a leak and I got lost.”

“I would’ve believed you if we were back on our second day on the Galagas in our solar system… but it’s not… so I don’t.”

“Okay man, I’m sorry. I was shooting shit because I wanted to walk away from work for a bit.”

“Oh I know; I waited for you to come back. I haven’t done a thing since you decided to wander off.”

“Wait, are you serious?”

“Well I inspected everything in this wing, but nothing more. You’re a lazy bum, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you get away with it.”

Ethan smiles and jokingly gives him a nudge.

“Wait, James… a lazy bum? No, there’s no way.”

The two of them turn around, and there stands Evelyn. James tries to ignore her chucking and replies,

“Oh yeah, well why are you just standing around, Solace? Doesn’t Zach need you on the flight deck?”

“Mr. Dawson requested me to check in with our researchers on the progress made with what has been examined so far. Pretty soon our unit is expected to file a report to Galagas regarding our first expedition on Poseidas.”

“Why, are you his lackey? Are you playing messenger now because NASA’s email won’t work?”

“No, and I’m not a slacker either.”

“Why is everyone picking on me today?”

Ethan laughs before answering,

“Because you make it easy, man.”

Evelyn smiles before saying,

“I would love to stay and chat, but I really need to go see everyone in the research wing and touch base.”

Walking away, she looks back at them and smiles before continuing into the next hallway. James looks at Ethan, who is in a trance; he is staring out into space. He grins and asks,

“So Ethan, what else are you fixing around here?”

Breaking out of his spell, he looks at James and replies,

“This is why everyone is making fun of you today.”

“Oh come on, man! You make it way too obvious! I swear the little alien guys from Poseidas could see it from here.”

Ethan sighs and picks up his equipment. James crouches down before continuing to speak.

“Look … I’m being serious. I know you like her, and really you should say something. You won’t know until you try.”

“I don’t know…”

“Well, at least consider it. I can’t promise another guy here or over at Galagas won’t give it a shot… keep that in mind. But I promise I won’t snatch her up from you.”

He smiles at James.

“Thanks man.”

“No problem. Okay, so which wing should we do next?”

“Any of them but this one, because this is literally the only one that has been inspected today.”

“Are you kidding me?! Man… why did we stop using robots for all of our maintenance?”

“Because back in 3085 when we had the global Robotics Crisis, their artificial intelligence advanced to the point they tried to enslave the human race… and they almost succeeded?”

“Oh yeah… I forgot that from history class.”

“Dude, you NEVER went to history class.”

They both laugh as they head toward the next wing.

Before her the bifold doors open, and Evelyn sees four crew members all huddled around one of the specimens. Walking toward the table with the rest of them, she asks,

“Status report on progress with the examination of these organisms that we collected?”

Armani steps in and replies,

“We have determined that the Poseidans were a semi aquatic species. Based on the remains we have examined, we believe these facial tentacles served as sensors to navigate their environment. It’s possible that this was to aid them in exploring land, indicating their habitats were sea level. While it is currently inconclusive, it’s possible they spent a majority of their lives in the water because exposure to too much sunlight wasn’t suitable for them.”

Sydney nods and continues,

“That narrative fits other findings we discovered, such as the structures we found underwater. They were a very advanced species, having deep understandings and applications of architecture, agriculture, technology, and weaponry. While we have yet to see what is at the depths of Poseidas, it’s evident this race thrived in the planet’s waters.”

Walking around the specimen, Xora looks closely,

“But Armani and Sydney told me and Marco something that is very peculiar… and we saw it in some of the samples.”

Marco nods and adds,

“Here on the sides of their bodies, there are cuts that run into their deep tissue. Several of their organs have superficial injuries, and many veins and arteries ruptured. As we discussed before you came here, these are very unusual injuries that don’t indicate these were inflicted by members of their species… or any other species that was discovered on the planet.”

Evelyn looks at the entire group.

“So what does this all insinuate?”

Sydney looks down at the table.

“That’s just it… we don’t know yet.”

Armani sighed before adding,

“There could be a number of reasons for this. Perhaps there was a civil war among members of the species and we simply have yet to find the weapons used. Perhaps there was another species that lives in the depths of their oceans that did this. Then there’s always the chances they faced invaders.”

Marco looked at his papers again.

“It just doesn’t add up; nothing unusual appeared in any signatures, measurements, or other data collected, so to say it was the planet’s environment or climate would be nonsense.”

Xora looks down at the samples again.

“Whatever it was… we best be careful. While we have the best technology and science at our disposal, we’re exploring uncharted territory. We’ve discovered a lot during this expedition so far… but there is a lot that’s unknown… we don’t know for sure what else is out there waiting for us.”

The doors leading to the flight deck open, and from his seat Zach smiles. Spinning around to face the door, he turns and says,

“Hello, Evelyn. What did our researchers… say.”

James stands several feet away from the cockpit, only able to return a large grin. Zach sighs before saying,

“Hello, boys. Well since you’re here, what have you two completed in today’s maintenance log for the Epidorma so far? Was there anything of particular interest or alarm that we should know about?”

Poking his head from around the corner, Ethan answers,

“Nope, we have yet to find anything abnormal today.”

“How much of the shuttle have you covered so far?”

“… a lot.”

“Someone with advanced skills in mathematics should be able to provide me with a better estimate.”

“We have cleared… one wing.”

“Ethan, my dear friend who I deeply cherish… you’re short ten wings… and the cafeteria… and the sleeping quarters… and the emergency exits… so that, by definition, is a lot.”

James shrugs his shoulders.

“Sorry boss; we’ll kick it up into high gear.”

“James, you two told me that yesterday… and the day before… and the day before that.”

“Okay, so we have to work better on keeping promises.”

“And actually getting your assigned duties done.”

Looking a little embarrassed, Ethan and James look down at the floor. Zach sets the shuttle to auto pilot before walking toward the two of them.

“Guys… I know this has been a very long journey… and frankly there is a lot we still have to cover in the Sacros System before we can report back and that’s frustrating to hear… but you’re both super intelligent men with a lot to offer to this team, and you have proven it through all of your work.

“As long as we stick together and fulfill our duties as needed, we will continue to inch closer to going home. You guys got this. Remember to tell yourselves that too.”

They both return genuine smiles. James says,

“I’m sorry I’ve been slacking off. We’ll get back to the things we have to do"

Zach chuckles and replies,

“No worries. Just get back to your duties so that you can have everything done by later today. Then we’ll all be able to sit together for dinner. Are we good?”

James and Ethan nod, and Zach smiles back.

“Alright, I’ll see you two later.”

The two exit the flight deck and leave Zach, who continues to examine large projections of planets and systems.

Back in the research room, Armani continues to unfold layers of the deceased organism. The decaying tissue slowly peels back, revealing hundreds of extinct vessels. He examines every single fragment of skin, confused.

“What happened to you to cause all of this?”

Walking over, Sydney leans in and asks,

“Have you found anything else with this sample?”

He sighs and places down his instruments.

“Not a single thing, at least not yet. Aside from those external injuries and the deeper tissue wounds, I haven't discovered any other indications of trauma or illness.

“I also thoroughly examined the final artifact we collected, and there were still no signs of anything that would indicate it was caused by the natives themselves.”

“That means it was possibly a result of an invasion.”

“Exactly.”

“But that isn’t very unusual. We’ve learned of many extraterrestrial invasions throughout history. Come to think of it, we’ve been unfortunate to have several attempts with both our planet and the Galagas. So what are you suggesting based on what we have discovered?”

“If such a physically and intellectually advanced race suffered a potential, and brutal, genocide, who or what caused it?”

Sydney paused… thinking. Finally she replied,

“I hope another expedition on Poseidas provides us some answers on what really happened.”

Armani looks around the lab room before asking,

“I know Evelyn was returning back to the flight deck to speak to Zach, but can you recall where Xora and Marco went?”

“I believe they mentioned returning to the archives. If you ask, I think those two are working way too much. Yes we’re on a serious mission, but they’re going to run themselves into the ground at the rate they’re going, I hope they take some time to relax and stop crunching numbers.”

“Who knows, maybe they’re taking it easy now.”

Zach closes a projection and returns to navigating the ship, steering around random space debris. The door behind him opens, and he replies,

“Ethan, is that you? Please don’t tell me James broke something again in the cafeteria.”

Evelyn laughs and replies,

“Please Captain, do tell me more about this; I’m invested.”

Switching to autopilot, Zach spins around in his chair and grins before replying,

“I’d be happy to tell you about that. But before I do, what did the group say regarding the samples and artifacts we collected? Is there a consensus?”

“Well… yes and no. All members of the team were in agreement that the Poseidans are a pretty remarkable species and their habitats provide many indications of it. But they’re also in agreement that what happened to them… doesn’t add up.

“Examining the two organisms we brought back, our astrobiologists Sydney and Armani have found something perplexing. These Poseidans suffered great external injuries that don’t indicate they did this to themselves or were caused by other species indigenous to the planet.

“Their best guess is this was due to a species on Poseidas we have yet to discover or a possible invasion from another planet, but both of these remain inconclusive.”

Zach spins the chair back around to look into the void of space. He sighs before saying,

“Over four months… and we still have yet to figure out what happened to this species. You know they’re waiting for a report from us back on Earth. The entire space program has been on the edge of their seats waiting for answers. I also feel terrible, because now I’m seeing a change in the morale of our crew. They’ve been working so hard… they deserve to go home.”

Walking over, Evelyn, places her hand on his shoulder and gently rubs it before replying,

“I know this has been difficult… This has been quite an expedition for all of us. Fortunately we’ve already mapped out large portions of the Sacros Star System during our mission, and NASA has been very pleased.”

“That’s true. I just hope we can be done with this soon. I hope I can continue to do what I can for our team… including you. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to go home.”

“Me too. I love being out here on our adventures, but I’m looking forward to seeing my family again.”

“I hear you there. Hey, I’m sorry I’ve been using you as a messenger girl for the last few hours, especially when you’re usually up here helping me man the ship. I could’ve used one of our communication terminals to speak with the rest of the group from the lab room.

“But the main setup here in the cockpit is in need of repairs, and the mobile units still need to be inspected. I know Ethan and James mean no harm, but I hope they can continue to stay focused on their duties during the remainder of our mission.”

Evelyn smiles as she takes a seat in the copilot chair.

“Speaking of which, I have to hear more about what James did. What exactly happened in the cafeteria?”

He laughs and spins around in his chair.

“Oh I know he can be a bit of a slacker sometimes, but the guy is a riot. Okay, let me tell you what happened. I’m sure you’ll get a kick out of it.”

Standing beside a large window, Xora examines the cosmos before her. In every direction appear stars, nebulae, and in the distance even glimpses of other galaxies. Nearby Marco approaches, standing beside her before stating,

“It’s truly beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It’s… one of the reasons why I wanted to become an astronomer. When I was a child, I was so inquisitive; finding answers to mysteries of the universe was a must for me. Every birthday I looked forward to gifts like a telescope, abacus, or lab kit; it gave me more opportunities to learn.

“As I excelled in math and science, my parents believed I was destined for greatness. They saw me proving impossible equations, answering some of the universe’s biggest questions, and having a huge impact on our world and beyond. Why did you become an astronomer?”

Marco looks back out into space.

“For many of the same reasons as you. I loved learning, and I wanted to see what the universe had to offer. Sometimes it does scare me though; you never know what you’ll discover.”

“I noticed that during our first visit to Poseidas. There is nothing offensive meant with the observation, but you were quite skittish. At every corner you were ready to get jumped.”

“No offense taken; I was scared out of my mind. Does it scare you to think of what’s out there?”

“Sometimes I worry that we’ll stumble upon something we shouldn’t have or it would have been better never to have found it in the first place. But the way I see it, that’s one of the risks we take as scientists and the reward we reap is much greater. Some of the discoveries we make could have profound impacts on not just our world, but the universe too.”

Looking at her, he smiles.

Suddenly, a large crash echoes through the adjacent hallway before it reaches them, and they both jump. There isn’t another sound… but the silence that remains is deafening. Xora looks in the direction of the sound.

“Marco… am I crazy? Did I hear a loud noise?”

“No, you’re not crazy… and yes… I did too.”