[Ben]

A small prefabricated cabin at the base of a massive glacier would serve as our base of operations. The narrow beds with thin mattresses were comfortable enough. Kie chose the one as far away from me as she could. I'm fairly sure she was still upset with me, although the chocolate worked wonders to temper her mood. It looked like she had some sort of a chocolate-orgasm when she ate it. I still have some more for the next time she gets mad at me.

A small kitchen area, a solid built-in table, and a few chairs took up most of the remaining space in the cabin. Just about everything was made of a dull grey plastic composite. A makeshift scribbled sign left by a previous occupant and mounted over the chiller said 'clean up your own mess'.  Roof-mounted solar cells provided limited power, which we used to recharge the flyer power cells.

I opened a hard black plastic case on the table. Kie wrinkled her forehead. "What is that?"

"Bob."

"Bob?"

"Yeah, my Dad's survey drone."

"He named it Bob?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he is practically part of the family. I am going to send him out to scout the area while we have breakfast."

While I took Bob outside to begin his task, Kie rummaged around in one of the boxes containing our food supply for the next two weeks. I heard her groan. The ration packs and meal bars were nutritious and easy to pack, but I think she was expecting something tastier. She was probably regretting the decision to let me be in charge of the food. She slid a couple of the packs marked only with the words 'breakfast - serve hot' into the warmer.

As she gave me one of the heated ration packs, I asked. "Which food is this?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Breakfast. You packed them."

After tearing open the crinkly plastic wrap, we still didn't know what they were. Some spices and condiments found in a cabinet made them taste better.

Placing my viewer between us, we watched the streaming video from Bob. After swallowing a bite, I said, "Let's go do some exploring on foot. We can take a picnic lunch. I think Bob found a perfect place for it." Bob's footage of the extensive glaciers and rocky mountainridges  looked amazingly beautiful and the weather was pleasant.

She nodded. "Okay. But no daredevil stunts."

I gave her a 'who me?' look and lifted my hands as if surrendering. "I promise to check with you first before risking our lives."

*****

We set off mid-morning, walking west along the face of a massive glacial cliff that straddled the valley between two rocky ridges. The wall of ice was not at all smooth. Deep blue creases separated huge spires of white that sparkled in the sunshine. Periodic sharp cracks echoed through the valley - warnings not to come too close. Even I was not crazy enough to explore the ice caves at its base during summer months.

It was a cool breezy day, enough so that we required jackets. We splashed across a swift turquoise-clouded stream that emerged from under the glacier. At one point I wrapped my arm around her waist as the water threatened to sweep her feet out from under her. She flashed me a smile of thanks.

I think she mumbled curses as we stumbled through the tumbled boulders in the moraine. She accepted my hand for support. Finally, we reached firmer footing.

Two hours later we arrived nearly breathless on top of the ridge. Wow! The view was definitely worth the long climb. The ridge overlooked twisting valleys of blue-white ice framed with snow-capped peaks. The glacier seemed to go on forever. A few rocky pyramidal crags poked through the river of ice against its relentless flow. Short grasses, alpine plants, and small bright wildflowers carpeted the ridge top. The only sounds came from a chilly breeze, a few buzzing insects, and the chirp of a pika on a nearby rock pile who didn't seem to want us around. 

I spread my arms.  "Not bad, huh?"

"Absolutely beautiful, Ben. I'll give you this one."

We perched on a couple of rounded grey rocks and spread a towel between us on the ground. I reached into my pack. "Not to spoil the mood, but here is lunch." Kie sighed as she accepted one of the tasteless meal bars.

I held up a finger. "But I did bring you something else tastier."

She seemed intrigued, especially after the chocolate yesterday. She opened the container. "Strawberries!" Immediately, a berry went into her mouth. "Mmm. Did your mother grow these too?"

"Yeah."

She tossed another berry into her mouth. "I may ask her to adopt me." I took one myself, savoring the sweet tartness and fruity fragrance. She shook her head at me with a bit of a smile. "First chocolate, now strawberries. What's next, flowers?"

I reached down to pick a purple columbine flower and presented it to her. "For you, my fair lady."

She accepted it. Her eyes held mine for a moment and her lips parted. In that moment, she seemed so sincere, even vulnerable. I was getting through her shell... and she didn't like that. Her eyes turned down and her lips tightened. "What are you after?"

I waved my hand back and forth around the flower. "See? No strings attached. I am just an extremely nice guy."

Kie smirked. "Uh-huh, not to mention humble."

I let out a laugh. "Oh, yes. Humbleness is my best feature. Which is amazing, considering how awesome I am."

She laughed too, then tucked the delicate flower into her hair behind an ear. Interesting...

We continued our hike, following along the ridge, then descending toward another finger of the glacier. A yawning cavern carved into the rock met us before we reached the ice. The dark mysteries it might hold were too tempting to ignore. To me, anyway.

"Let's explore this! We might be the first humans to see inside."

Kie stepped back and shook her head. "No, it's not safe."

"It looks structurally sound. But anyway, we can just stand in the entrance and look inside."

She nodded. I took her hand as we scrambled up the boulders to the entrance.  A damp cold breath spilled out through jagged grey rocks that reminded me of teeth. If the ridge was a beast, this would be its mouth.

Her eyes widened again as she stopped suddenly, pulling back on my hand. "What if there is something inside? Large predators were introduced in this region, you know."

"As there should be to keep the herbivores in check. But it is unlikely we would meet any. Besides, I have a stunner in my pack just in case." I bowed to her with a flourish. "Fear not, my lady. I shall protect your life and honor."

That brought a smile to her face. She spoke with an old accent. "You, my scandalous knight? Protecting a lady's honor? I think a lady doth be on her own."

I put a hand over my heart. "Lady Kie, my heart be wounded by such baseless accusation. Surely, my intentions be noble."

She snickered. Not that I could blame her for that.

I took her hand and led her into the mouth of the ridge. We ducked slightly to avoid a rock tooth but soon stood fully upright within. We stood in a large room, a sort of basalt cathedral with fallen square-edged boulders making up the pews. The back of the cavern narrowed and extended far beyond the light.

Kie grasped my arm and whispered, "I think we have gone far enough."

"Okay." My word bounced around the cavern. "Wow. Amazing acoustics in here." I clapped my hands and marveled at the natural reverb.

Kie sang a single note. Her rich tone bounced off the walls and wrapped around us like a warm breeze.

I whispered to her. "My dear Lady Kie, the silence of the cathedral begs for you. Would you sing for Paradise?"

Sing she did. Her angelic voice caressed me from all sides and lifted my heart. She sang in an ancient language an old prayer of praise and intercession. Truly a song for Paradise. I scarcely breathed, afraid that even the air from my lungs might spoil the perfection of it. When she finished we stood in silence long after the last echo faded away. After such a beautiful appeal to the divine, it felt like nothing would ever trouble our Paradise.

I took hold of her hands. "Kie, that was absolutely amazing. I am at a loss of words..."

She touched her head against my shoulder. "Thank you, Ben."

https://youtu.be/dZfkxpTa5Co

We decided to circle around on the relatively flat ground below the ridge, going past one of the areas randomly selected for our bio survey. Our boots kicked up small clouds of dust that were swept along by the cool breeze. Despite the tough conditions, life persisted. Tufts of grass, small flowering plants, and buzzing insects tried to make the most of the short and generally dry summer. Stunted willows and alders took foothold in pockets where there was more water. A few scurrying rodents caught our eyes and small songbirds our ears as we hiked on. I think my mom would be pleased with how well the terraforming took hold here. 

Clouds of steam billowed ahead near the river. There was some geothermal activity in the area. I directed Kie towards them. Several hot springs gushed scalding water into pools, overflowing into the cold glacial stream below. Even with the cool breeze, the bright sun and the exertion of the hike had made me sweat. The dust that seemed to get everywhere then stuck to my body. The water beckoned me in. We walked down to the stream edge.

I turned to Kie, who likely felt just as dirty. "Care for a warm soak?"

She gazed at the flowing water. "Yes, but I don't want to get my clothes wet."

I grinned. "I know a way to soak without getting any of our clothing wet."

It took a moment for the realization to hit. Her eyes went full open. "You don't expect me to..."

"It's up to you, but I'm getting in." I dropped my backpack and began to disrobe. Kie stood frozen in place like a statue, her eyes wide.

Once I shed the last bit of clothing I stepped into the stream. The key to this was to find a spot where the hot water mixes with the cold such that the temperature was just right. I turned to her. She looked up into my eyes and bit her lower lip. I could tell she fought the urge to look down, so I stood there and waited. There she goes! Her eyes dipped down then back up and a bit of color came to her cheeks. I smiled as I sat down into the warm water.

"It really feels nice. Come on in. I will be a gentleman."

"Okay. You promise not to look?"

I shook my head. "No. I will look. But I promise not to stare, leer, ogle, or gawk. I shall be your noble knight, my Lady Kie."

She nervously disrobed on the rocks, nearly falling over as she pulled off her pants. An arm concealed her breasts and a hand her crotch as she stepped to the water. The rouge deepened on her cheeks. I admired her willowy feminine form for only a moment, holding to my promise. I rose and offered a hand. "The rocks may be slippery."

With a deep breath, the naked woman before me dropped her arms and took my hand.  I led her into the warm water where she settled in beside me.

I lifted one of her hands and placed a kiss on it. "I shall tell you this just once, my dear Lady. You have a beautiful body."

Even more color came to her cheeks. "Umm, thank you."

She relaxed as the warm water and the scenery did their magic. We had a grand view of the glacier and snow-capped mountains in the distance. Oh, it felt so good. The time seemed to pass slowly.

Looking up, Kie dropped her jaw. "What..."

A large oval-shaped object streaked across the sky, leaving a trail of fire and smoke. Although it was never that close, we both felt the urge to duck as it passed overhead, shooting toward the glacier. It was close enough, though, that we heard the roar of its passing.

She turned toward me, her eyes wide. "Was that a meteor?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so. Actually, it looked like some sort of vessel, but nothing I recognized. We'd better call this in."

I splashed out of the water and took up my viewer. "No signal. Both primary and secondary satellite connections are down. Strange." I turned back to Kie as she came on to the shore. "Check your viewer."

She did, shaking her head. "Nothing." She looked up at me. "Should we check for a crash site?"

"Yes, but not today. It would be dark before we could. We'll go tomorrow at first light." I cast my eyes toward the glacier, mentally tracing the path of the unknown object. "I have a bad feeling about this."