Missed

by jinnis

"Mission failed. Abort procedure?"

Iven cursed under his breath and pressed the blue button. Blue for exit—he was out of simulator time and would have to wait for his next slot to continue the training. He booked a few more slots just to be on the safe side and checked the time—he was running late for his rendezvous with Dina. With a sigh, he entangled himself from the sensory harness and clambered out of the capsule. He still had a long way to go if he wanted to be accepted into the x-tra crew, but he was determined to get there, if only to impress Dina.

~ ~ ~

"Mission phase one complete. Running environmental scans."

Dave cursed under his breath as he studied the screen. From low orbit, the planetoid beneath his scout ship looked like a blasted rock, as unworthy of a visit as they came. Why had HQ sent him here of all the desolate places the galaxy offered? He leaned back in his cushioned seat and closed his eyes. Let the ship do its job and check the place. Perhaps that dust ball held a surprise somewhere. With his luck, though, it probably didn't. 

Joining the space exploration program had sounded like a cool way to impress Rita on their first date. But out here, alone with the emotionless mind of the ship's AI, it felt like the mistake of his life. Plus, he couldn't get rid of the thought that Rita made out with another tanned surfer dude while he was away.

~ ~ ~

Two weeks after his first date with Dina, Iven succeeded with the simulator—to his utter surprise. True, he had spent every free minute in the chamber, rerunning the procedure in all variations. In the long run, he had gotten the hang of the clumsy motions in the suit. The tunnels never bothered him, but the simulation of the outside had gotten to him every single time—until he had done it often enough to go through the routine with closed eyes, and presto!

"Congratulations. You achieved the status of x-tra team member. Please await further instructions."

He didn't have to wait long. The next day, he received the call for duty.

~ ~ ~

Two weeks after his arrival in orbit, Dave was as bored as a spacer could get while on a first contact mission. Not that anyone ever made contact. In the meantime, most believed humanity was alone amongst the stars. Dave had given up hope long ago. As for the mission, he had scanned every square inch of the planet twice or more, had listened to potential radio traffic, and sent several reports to HQ.

"Stand by," had been their answer. So he stood by. When the message came, he thought it was a poor joke at first.

"Land on designated coordinates of target planet to establish contact with potential inhabitants."

"Are you kidding? This is a ball of rock and dust if ever I have seen one. What should be alive down there?" He hit the main computer unit hard with his fist.

The AI wasn't impressed by his outburst. "Mission Control confirms this planet as the source of potential radio signals. Mission objective: establish contact."

Dave ran another scan, but the results remained the same. "Alright, let's get this done so we can go back to a place with a decent bar and a real-water shower."

~ ~ ~

The x-o suit was even less comfortable than Iven had imagined, but he knew he needed protection against cosmic rays or whatever he would encounter in the tunnels and on the surface. So he squeezed his limbs into the insulated garment and let Maca, his new team lead, adjust his helmet.

"Everything alright with you? Can you breathe?" The older woman patted his shoulder.

"Yes, I'm fine. What is our mission?" Excitement made Iven's voice sound timid. Or then it was the radio connection of the helmet. He tried to compensate with a confident smile.

Maca chuckled. "Nervous before the first mission? Don't worry, it's just a routine inspection. You'll be fine." She checked his record and smiled. "You spent some serious time in that simulator. You'll see, the real thing is just as easy."

~ ~ ~

The space suit was even less comfortable than Dave remembered. He hadn't worn the clumsy thing since his survival training back on Sol Station, and he'd hated it then as much as he did now. The AI ran an integrity test as he snapped the seal of the helmet.

"All systems operational. Please take your seat for the landing procedure."

While he was formally the captain, the ship didn't need his instructions to find a suitable landing place and set down on a flat slab of rock.

"Landing completed. Prepare for ground mission."

"I am prepared. What exactly do you want me to find out there?"

"Our data suggests this area as the most likely source of the radio signal."

Dave shook his head inside his helmet. "Right, I got it. I'll go looking for little green aliens."

"There is no reason to believe the creators of the signal are small or green."

He didn't bother to answer.

~ ~ ~

Iven climbed through the ancient tunnels in the wake of Maca. She moved with an enviable ease gained from lifelong experience. As she had announced, this was a routine inspection of the systems sustaining their little inhabitable paradise. On their tour, Maca explained about the engineers who created this technical wonder.

"They chose a suitable asteroid for the project. It was already mostly hollow, and they perfected and insulated the natural cavity to build the habitat. It was easier than building a ship from scraps, and much faster. In the end, they evacuated a considerable portion of our home world's population before its destruction."

Iven ran a gloved finger over the rock wall of the tunnel. He knew the story, but this was what he had trained for—the possibility of exploring their world first hand. His eyes widened when they reached a larger cavity filled with angular machinery behind a massive, transparent barrier. Maca stopped in front of the glass wall and pointed out a console with scores of blinking lights.

"This is the main life support system. It's been sealed and running for longer than anyone can remember."

"What if it breaks down?" Iven was surprised by his own question. The systems never failed, they just were.

Maca shrugged. "It never breaks down. We don't have the knowledge the engineers had. I doubt we could fix it. I think that's why they sealed it, so no one can tamper with it and it will go on running into eternity."

Iven nodded, but he didn't feel reassured. What if the system was faulty, anyway?

Maca seemed to read his thoughts. "Ah, I was a doubter like you, but believe me, it doesn't fail, it never did. Come, I want to show you the rest."

Only half-assured, he followed her into the last tunnel, the one that would bring them to the surface.

~ ~ ~

Dave climbed out of the hatch and down the extended ladder to the planet's surface. It was so small he thought he could see the curvature of the horizon. The atmosphere was almost inexistent and gravity lower than he had expected. Each step carried him several metres before he landed two-footed in a small dust cloud. The voice of the AI guided him away from the ship to a nearby ridge.

"Now you should be close to the source of the signal."

Dave turned his head left and right, but the only thing he saw was a crater. "Are you sure? This looks like a normal meteor impact site."

He grumbled when the AI made him check the site, but he couldn't find anything suspicious. "Do you receive any signal right now?"

"Negative. Last transmission was recorded six standard months ago."

Great, HQ had sent him on a wild goose chase after a radio source that had gone silent before he even left base. "Look, if there were aliens here, they left. But to be honest, this sounds more like it's been a hoax. I'm back in to write my report."

With a last glance at the ominous crater, he returned to the ship.

~ ~ ~

Maca led him through the complicated hatch system. "You must wait in each chamber until the seal clears. Never force things."

Iven's blood roared in his ears. Despite his training, the tightness of the lock chambers got to him. He was close to screaming when the last hatch swung open and he saw the stars.

The sheer vastness, the emptiness of space drowned all his feelings.

The older woman took his hand and led him out of the hatch. He forgot to breathe, his eyes fixed on the monstrous sky. When his guide stepped away in a long, bouncing stride, he followed—and shrieked when he feared he would float off the surface.

A laugh lightened Maca's green features. "Isn't it liberating? To know there is so much glorious space out here while we live our tiny life encapsulated in our little hollow sphere."

Iven didn't answer. He was too busy shivering and sweating in his insulated suit, fighting nausea and staring at the ground. There, his eyes fell on two regular, oval imprints in the dust. "Maca, do you know what this is?"

She joined him with a graceful movement and studied the unusual shapes three times the size of her own boots. Dust crumbled from their still-sharp edges.

"No idea, another anomaly of the space weather, I guess. Perhaps in connection with the impact that destroyed the ancient beacon tower over there." She pointed to the left, where a crater marred the surface of a low ridge. "But we better get back in before you throw up. Your face looks blue with horizon sickness. Don't worry, you'll get used to it in no time."

Iven stared at the odd imprints and shrugged. "If you say so." 

On the way back through the tunnels, he wondered if he should have trained for central maintenance instead. At least he wouldn't have to deal with horizon sickness while cleaning the lenses of the agricultural lighting system. It might be less popular with the girls, but at least he wouldn't have to face the vastness of space anymore, void of all life except their small community.