The marooned crew sat in a circle with their eyes fixed on Cheryl as she told the tale of her experience with the aliens who inhabited the inner depths of Planet Zero. Their eyes reflected the light of a small fire they encircled for warmth and light. Each one of them we transfixed upon the storyteller as she unraveled the mystery of her experience.
“The inhabitants call this world Kl’vayne. It’s closest meaning in our tongue would be chasm or cave. The surface of the planet is beautiful and alluring with its pink and blue variations, but it is only a mask of the beauty it once held. The inner caves of this planet were once filled with immense amounts of valuable gems and a substance equivalent to our gold. Years of ruthless mining depleted the planet of its riches, and over time, the inhabitants began to notice a decay in the surface of their planet. The precious minerals they were excavating below the surface were vital for the ecosystem above. Their greed blinded their eyes from seeing what was happening until it was almost too late.
“They eventually built spacecraft in hopes of finding other civilizations to trade with, but their ships could not reach the next solar system. They poured fortunes into these ships and all but depleted the planet of its wealth. What wealth they had left after so many failed attempts was rounded up and poured into the structure that entrapped the Redemption. It is also the source of the signal we received on our last mission.”
Johnson asked, “When did they move underground?”
“They had always lived inside the caves because of an ancient superstition surrounding terrifying monsters on the surface. That’s why that massive structure was created. To allow them a peak at the stars and, eventually, to lure other races to themselves. They have no means to explore the stars, so they implemented an alternative method.”
“Fascinating,” said Gates, “Are they working on new ships now?”
“No.” Cheryl responded, “They have been focusing their efforts and resources on the structure we interacted with upon making orbit of this planet.”
“So, this is the location of the signal we received previously! The one that sent Redemption and its crew on this mission!” said Fox, excitedly. “At least now we know for sure.”
“There’s more,” said Cheryl, “Much more.”
Burton shifted around uncomfortably on the rock he was using as a seat and said, “A lot of good that does us now. We’re marooned. Our ship is destroyed. The rest of our crew is gone. How can knowing that help?”
Cheryl looked at Burton and the rest of her friends with great sympathy. “All is not lost, my friends. There are good people here who are ready to embrace you as their friends and…”
“What is it, Cheryl?” asked Commander Gates.
Cheryl’s eyes glistened with a cute and mischievous sparkle. “We are working on a way to send another signal towards Earth. This signal would let them know that there is indeed life on Kl’vayne. We could add a message about our contact with this world and ask for another ship to be sent, only this time the mission would be rescue and second contact.”
“It would take almost a year for them to reach us,” said Wright.
“A year,” said Montgomery in a desperate realization of their situation.
Johnson asked, “Do they even have a ship ready and capable of reaching us? Redemption was a monumental undertaking.”
Gates nodded, “They have been working on retrofitting an early test ship similar to Redemption. Upgrades and structural modifications were also being made to make it as robust and sturdy as our ship. I have no idea how close to being finished the project is, though.”
Fox added, “They were also working on a new propulsion system that could enable them to get here in half the time.”
Everyone stopped and looked at the chief engineer, stunned by this revelation. He looked back at everyone, shrugged his shoulders, and said, “I helped design the bloody thing.”
Adeena responded, “So, we’re looking at about six months from when they receive the signal, assuming they are ready to launch.”
“Cheryl,” said Gates, “Just how friendly are your new friends? Do we have a real chance of surviving on this planet for that amount of time?”
“I believe so, Commander. But there may be some things you’ll have to do to assure your survival.”
Gates raised his eyebrows, spread his arms apart, palms up, and asked, “Like what?”
Cheryl smiled and said, “First, there’s more you need to know about this planet and its inhabitants. It’s complicated and we don’t have much time before I need to get back. These beings are particularly terrified of the night on this planet.”
Montgomery broke in, “Monsters.”
Cheryl looked at Montgomery and said, “Exactly.”
“Have you seen one of these monsters?” asked Adeena.
“Only pictures drawn by the inhabitants from their imaginations.”
Burton gasped, “You mean no one has ever seen one of these things? How do they know they exist?”
Cheryl was all of a sudden very somber in her demeanor, “Because of the missing people. While they were mining the planet of its riches, they were still venturing to the surface of the planet. Many of those ventures resulted in the loss of life by the dozens. The surface of the planet would be disturbed as if a massive struggle had occurred. However, no blood, no body parts…nothing. The legend grew with each incident until, finally, they abandoned the surface altogether, and retreated to the depths of the planet’s caves.”
Gates asked the most important question he could, “Is it possible to survive on the surface of this planet?”
Cheryl looked deeply into the eyes of her commander and said, “For a short time, perhaps, if you have the right supplies.”
“I sense a big ‘but’ associated with that answer,” replied Adeena.
What Cheryl said next left them all speechless.