The Hunt for Rare Specimens
17 Nov 2024Gregory Pyke
Sand, rocks, and an eerie green haze stretched out before me as I stepped out of my ship onto the surface of B3, the latest stop on my journey through the Swoilz ZV-C d82 system. My name is Yui Liang, and I'm a young exo-biologist, which is just a fancy way of saying that I'm obsessed with discovering new and rare lifeforms wherever my ship takes me.I trudged through the fine, silty sand, my boots crunching against bits of metal and stone. The sky was a sickly shade of green, like someone had mixed all the wrong chemicals together in an experiment gone wrong. I had to squint just to see more than a few feet in front of me. But that's why I was here - to explore this strange, hostile world and see what kind of life could possibly exist in a place like this.
As I scanned my surroundings for any signs of activity, my brushes swept against something hard and metallic protruding from the ground. Curious, I started scooping away the dirt and sand with my gloved hands. It took a few minutes, but soon I revealed the twisted remains of a small spacecraft. The words "Escape Pod" were emblazoned on the side in faded lettering.
My heart sank as I realized this must have been a recent crash. I carefully made my way around to the other side of the wreckage and stopped dead in my tracks. There, half-buried in the sand, was the decomposing body of a man. His features were indistinguishable, but one of his arms was still clutching a small, cracked picture frame.
I knelt down and gently pried the frame loose from the corpse's grasp. As I brushed away the grime, I saw a photo of a man, a woman, and two young children - a boy and a girl. They had their arms around each other, smiling brightly for the camera. I could see the love and happiness radiating from them.
But now, the man in the picture was dead, his body left to rot on this lonely planet, light years from his family. A pang of sorrow washed over me. What must his last moments have been like? Scrambling to send a distress signal, but never heard by anyone? Crashing down to this unforgiving surface, knowing he would never see his loved ones again?
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, blurring my vision. I wished I could do something, anything, to help him. But he was gone. All I could do was make sure his death wasn't in vain.
I carefully placed the picture in my pack and stood up, resolute. I would continue my mission on B3, but now there was an added urgency. I needed to document everything I found, not just for the sake of science, but to prove that this man's death had meant something. That maybe one day, his family would learn what happened to him, and know that he was mourning him even in the depths of space.
I took a deep breath of the acrid air and marched off into the rust-red terrain, my scanner at the ready. There had to be something of value on this godforsaken planet. I just had to find it. For the man and his family. For myself. For the sake of discovery that drives us all to venture out into the great unknown.
As I trekked deeper into the barren wasteland, I couldn't shake the image of that family photo from my mind. I knew, deep down, that I would find something here. Because in a universe this vast, this cruel, there had to be some meaning, some flicker of light in the darkness. And I was going to find it, no matter what it took. No matter the cost.
Thus began my true mission on B3. A mission of discovery, of purpose. A mission to prove that a life lost out here in the expanse was not a life lost in vain. That we are all, in some way, connected - from the lowest frilly worm to the most advanced being the cosmos has yet to produce.
Little did I know, as I set off across that desolate landscape, that the greatest discovery of all lay waiting for me. Just over the next rise of dunes. Right there, plain as day, for anyone to see.
But for now, I could only press on. One step at a time. Scanning. Seeking. Searching. For the truth that binds us all.