"What the fuck," Devin mutters. He rakes his hand through his hair, shaking his head. "But . . . how?"

"Shit." Lou walks out ahead of the rest of us. He takes a few careful steps down the slope into the valley.

"Woah, hold up, Lou," America says. "What are you doing?"

Lou pauses where he's standing on the side of the ledge. "We came to check this out, didn't we?" he calls up to us. He flashes a wide grin, revealing teeth that are chemically whitened. They look out of place against his leathery skin. "It isn't getting any lighter out. Let's move."

"Maybe we should come back tomorrow." Star's teeth chatter as she glances back in the direction we came from. She shields her face as a cold gasp of wind blows past us, kicking up pink dust from the dry ground. "It's almost dark, and it's getting cold. It will still be here in the morning."

Between the distance and the dwindling light, the outline of the Starship Scarborough at our home base is barely visible anymore. Above, stars twinkle to life in the deep indigo. With no light pollution, they light the sky like a milky soup. I wonder if the bright and unfamiliar one among the Cassiopeia constellation is our sun, the heart and soul of the galaxy.

"She's right," America says. "We don't want to go poking around that thing at night. Let's go back and get some rest. We can come back in the morning."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Lou throws his hands in the air. "We've been sleeping for the past thirty-two years, and you want to get some rest? What are you worried is going to happen if we just take a quick look?"

"We just don't know, Lou," America says. "We have no idea where it came from. This is outside what we expected—"

"It's covered in whatever nasty mold this is and years of dust," Lou interrupts him, kicking at the algae on one of the rocks. It sticks to his boot, and he grimaces as he unsuccessfully attempts to fling it off. "Clearly no one's been there in ages."

We're all quiet.

Lou lets out an exasperated sigh. "Fuck this. I'm going by myself then."

He takes a few more steps, stumbling as the decline steepens. "Have fun collecting samples of mold and napping back at the base."

"Dammit," America mutters under his breath. "Wait, Lou. You're not going alone." After putting on his helmet and clicking on the headlamp, he follows him down the ledge.

With a shrug, Devin clicks on his own helmet.

"Are you going with them?" I ask.

"I'm not letting them go alone," he says as he tests his foot on one of the rocks. "This planet is a fucking desert. That starship is the only interesting thing here." He continues down the side of the ledge, not even giving us a second look.

Star glances at Elias and me and lets out a non-indicative sigh. "Someone's got to look after them, I guess." Then, she puts her helmet on and joins the rest of them in their descent.

After one last glance at home base, I do the same.

Dirt and tiny stones tumble down the ledge, my feet knocking them loose as I climb. Despite the traction of my space boots, the mold coating the larger rocks is slick and gooey. I remember exploring the beach as a kid—walking out across algae-covered rocks on the jetty with Lucy at low tide and trying not to slip as I searched for crabs in the small caverns and crevices.

My foot skids across a dark stone, like slipping on black ice. My heart skips a beat as I regain my balance. It's like slipping on black ice. Legs shaking, I lower myself so I can grip the ground. The mucus-like mold stains my light grey gloves with a sickening brownish pink. I can feel the dampness soaking in through the fabric.

I swallow a lump in my throat and look back up to Elias. "Doing okay?" I ask. My headlamp illuminates his precarious perch on the ledge a few yards up from where I am.

He nods, but then on his next step a rock tumbles out from under his foot. With a small shout, he falls to his ass, skidding the rest of the way down in a miniature landslide. He grabs at stones and rocks as he tumbles, finally directing himself so he is at least going feet first. His speed picks up until he finally slides to the bottom.

I wince as he bangs to a stop against a large rock.

"Okay?" I call.

"Fine," he says.

Star jogs over to him and gives him her hand, helping him to his feet.

He brushes off the seat of his space suit. "Just thought I'd take the shortcut." He looks up to me. "You should try it, Shawn."

"I think I'll pass." After a few more precarious steps, I reach the part of the ledge where the slope decreases and hop the last few steps to the ground.

As everyone recollects themselves, I glance back at the cliff. The gnarled rocks carve into the side of the planet, revealing gaps and crevices like caves. I imagine thousands of years of rain and wind have worn them into the surface, or maybe this valley was once a riverbed or a lake. The beam from my headlamp casts dark shadows against the rocks, making it impossible to tell how deep into the planet the caves have been carved.

Again, I'm reminded of the jetties I walked out on as a kid. Lucy was never afraid to reach her hand into the gaps between the rocks in hopes of finding a tiny crab, but I was hesitant. I never knew what could be lurking in the areas I couldn't see.

Who knows what lies within the gaps between the rocks on this planet? So far, we've only found mold and dirt, but we've also only explored a tiny sector of this world. If an alien traveling to Earth landed in the middle of Death Valley, what would they think of our planet? Blistering heat and miles of dunes and sand—that would be all they'd know.

This planet is nearly the same size as Earth. Who know what else could be lurking on its surface?

A wave of static rushes through my headset, startling me from my thoughts.

"West Team to Base," America calls into the radio. He glances back at the rest of ours group before continuing. "Come in, over."

We receive nothing but a wave of static back. With no satellites, the only method of communication we have is our short-range radios and the one long transmission broadcaster back on the starship.

"West Team to Base," America repeats himself. "Do you copy?"

"Maybe they've taken their headsets off," Devin suggests.

"They were supposed to leave them on," America mutters.

"Let's just get moving again." I give the cliff behind us one last look. Even though I know it's just a trick of my mind, the longer I look at it, the more I feel like the shadows are moving. "Lou is right. It's not getting any lighter out."

The group nods. Devin, Lou, and America go out ahead, leaving Star and I to keep Elias company at the back as he walks off his bruised ass and injured pride.

My heart pounds in my temples as we get closer and closer to the starship. Bands of mold and algae stretch out across the foreign surface in fine fibers, covering it so we can't make out more than just the general shape of the structure. It's large, but not any bigger than our own ship.

"Where do you think it came from?" Star asks in a hushed whisper only Elias and I can hear.

"I have no idea," I reply. A shiver runs down my spine.

"Do you think maybe there is another planet or star system nearby?" she continues, glancing up at the sky for a second like she might be able to see it out up there. "One with intelligent life?"

I shake my head. "It doesn't make sense. If there is, how have we not found it yet?"

A civilization capable of making a starship would be broadcasting signals, just like Earth. Isn't it something inherent to all living things—seeking out others in this lonely sector of the galaxy? Looking to the stars for companionship. The idea that there would be a starship here, one that landed who knows how long ago, chills me to the bone. How did it get here? Where did it come from, and why?

"What if it came from further away?" Star suggests. "Could there be technology that would allow travel like that?"

"Like wormholes?" I ask.

Star nods, her dark eyes flicking over to meet mine. "Yeah."

"Theorized, but never proved to exist." Elias shakes his head. His whisky white hair waves over his head beneath his helmet. "It could be possible, though. If they do exist, a civilization far more advanced than us could somehow use them to leap great distances across the galaxy—or further. The theoretical shortcuts of the universe."

"Like the shortcut you took down that ledge?" Star leans in and punches him lightly in the side of the arm.

He rubs the side of his arm and chuckles. "Actually, yes. Almost exactly like that. Like falling through a hole, and immediately being spit out somewhere else."

I lean my head back as we walk, thinking. "So, this starship . . . it could have come from anywhere. But where?" I repeat Star's original question, avoiding the other question burning at the back of my mind.

"Maybe the more important question, Shawn," Elias looks at me out of the corners of his eyes, "is where did whoever came here on it go?"

I bite down on my lower lip, pulling at the chapped skin with my teeth. A shiver rushes through me. "I don't know if I want to know that."

We are silent for a few seconds.

"West Team to Base," America tries the radio again, his voice hinting at his frustration. "Come in, over."

Again, we hear nothing in response, and I swallow a lump in my throat. Elias's question repeats itself in my head. Where did they go? Where did they go?

"West Team, this is Base," a man's voice finally cracks through the static. "We hear you."

I release a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"When we call, answer the first time," America snaps. "Over."

"You're breaking up," the guy on the other end of the radio says. "We didn't read you the first time. What's up?"

"We've identified the object that was spotted," America says, his tone cooling to assertive but calm. "Lou was right about it being metallic—"

"Hold on one second," the man on the other end interrupts him. A wave of static, and then voices in the distance.

"What do you mean?"

"What the . . . shit!"

"What the fuck is that thing?"

"Base, what's going on?" America calls into the radio. "Base!"

The radio clicks a few times, and then an electromagnetic screech like a microphone in an input-output feedback loop shrieks through all of our headsets. Forgetting I'm wearing my helmet, I slam my hands onto the sides of the glass in an instinctual attempt to cover my ears.

Finally, the sound cuts out. The radio is silent for a second as the six of us exchange wide-eyed glances.

"What the—" Lou begins to say, but he is cut off when the radio cuts back in.

Another shriek of static, and then voices in the background.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!"

"Where are they coming from?"

Screaming.

Then there is a crunch, and the radio cuts out completely.