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TEARS WELLED IN SILHOUETTE’S EYES when she exited the tunnels and looked up to see stars in the sky for the first time in what felt like ages. Yellow flakes erupted from the cave at her back, more somehow fell from the cloudless sky above, and the air had cooled.
The outdoors revitalized her spirit, giving her a second wind of energy. All she wanted to do was dance, but her leg was in rough shape. Darn thing.
Dominski and Kapoor were relieved as well, but they hadn’t been down there for as long as Silhouette, hadn’t seen what she had seen.
“That was hell,” said Silhouette.
“Sounds like it,” said Dominski. “But I’d like to see it for myself. I’ll want to view your Ocu’s files when we get back to the Krajova.”
Silhouette said nothing. Ocular enhancements weren’t uncommon, but the vast majority were limited to standard vision correction and media access. He had assumed a lot with that statement. Dominski knew how dark it was in those caverns, and he knew that Silhouette didn’t carry any everlights.
“Look,” he said. “It’s the only way you could possibly navigate down there. You’ve got to have an augmented one, especially if you’re an agent for Senator Folami. I’m sure you get away with plenty of illegal stuff. That’s high-tech, though. Hope I can get my hands on one someday.”
Silhouette sighed. “Sorry, Dominski. My recordings are for the Presider’s eyes only, her orders. You’re out of luck, but trust me, you don’t want to go down there and find it for yourself.”
“Such bullshit,” said Kapoor.
“Kapoor,” said Dominski, cutting her off before she could continue. “Contact Kapral Yost and find out if the situation has changed.”
“What situation?” asked Silhouette.
“None of your damn business,” said Kapoor.
“It’s Kapral Jordan,” said Dominski. “He’s locked himself in the Krajova and won’t respond to anyone’s comms.”
“Is that why Yost decided to stay behind and not come to your aid with Kapoor?”
“Jeden, she doesn’t need to know about Krajova Team’s business.”
“Like hell she doesn’t. Get it through your head that she is a member of our crew for the duration of this mission. Another word out of line from you, Kapoor, and I will strip you of your weapons.” Dominski led the trio as they walked their way back to the nearby bio-dome where they could grab their rover and return to the facility.
“No response from Yost, Jeden.”
“Keep trying,” said Dominski. “We must not be in range yet. Something ain’t right about this planet. Those scientists went nuts, and now Jordan is acting crazy. That plant monster must’ve destroyed the domes with its massive vines, but how the hell is it making everyone so paranoid?”
“My guess is the pollen,” said Silhouette. “Your crew has been breathing it in ever since we landed on this planet, and the scientists were exposed to it for weeks before we arrived.”
“Shit, why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
“Only occurred to me when I saw that creature in the caverns. It was spewing out the stuff like crazy.”
“And you didn’t feel obligated to share?”
“Wouldn’t have mattered. If it is the source of the insanity, then it’s too late for you guys to do anything about it, and you don’t have any breathing masks with you anyway. I went through your pack earlier.”
“This is fucked,” said Dominski. “The mission is a failure. We can’t restore the facility under these conditions.”
“I agree,” said Silhouette. “Thuun is too dangerous. That ancient, nasty creature doesn’t want us here— we’re like a parasite that it’s trying to get rid of. We were wrong in assuming Thuun was a planet. It might not be a planet at all, not anymore, at least. I think we’ve found a gaia.”
“What the hell is she on about now?” said Kapoor.
“That’s impossible,” said Dominski. “Gaia are a Jjask myth, a campfire story.” He turned to Kapoor. “They’re monsters that consume planets. The Jjask stories say that they can travel through the vacuum of space, floating aimlessly for millennia until they can find a living world to feed upon. They burrow into the planet and consume its resources from within.”
“That’s horrific,” said Kapoor. “Sounds like a giant space hermit crab or something.”
“Yeah,” said Dominski. “I mean, everyone knows its silly stuff. The Jjask shared their literature with us years back when Archon Pewts hosted those culture-sharing seminars on Erde.”
“The thing I saw,” said Silhouette, “it fits the description. Maybe we mistakenly interpreted the Jjask stories as fiction when they were actually trying to warn us. It sounds like you know it pretty well, Dominski— doesn’t the legend say that a gaia will turn the world mad? Something about bewitching the inhabitants, poisoning the world?”
“Yeah, but...”
“Jeden,” said Kapoor. “I’ve gotta hold of Kapral Nguyen on channel two. She’s in a panic.”
Dominski switched over his comm to the correct channel and static crackled from its speaker. “Nguyen, move to a better channel. I can barely hear you.”
“I’ve been trying to reach you f-for hours,” said Nguyen. Her voice was distant, difficult to hear over the white noise. “Jeden, we need you here, now.”
Dominski cranked the volume to its maximum setting. “We’re on our way. What’s the problem, Kapral?”
“It’s Yost, s-sir. He’s...not right.”
“Don’t be dramatic, Nguyen. What is it? Get to the point.”
“He’s k-killed all of the facility’s scientists, sir.” Nguyen sniffled as she spoke. “All of them. He was screaming something about aliens, like he thought they were going to attack h-him.” She tried to clear her throat. “Dr. Carter hit him over the head with a pipe and we’ve locked him in the infirmary adjacent to the c-command center. He’s unconscious now, s-sir.”
“Holy shit,” said Kapoor.
“Are you all right?” asked Dominski.
“Yes,” said Nguyen. “But I’m scared. I don’t know what to do, and Kapral Jordan still won’t respond to any of my m-messages. It’s just me and the two doctors.”
“Remain calm, Kapral. We’ll be back soon. Until we return you are in command of the facility. Tell Bourdain and Carter to prepare for evacuation. The facility is a lost cause at this point.”
“But the ship,” said Nguyen. “Jordan has it locked down. We can’t get in.”
“I’ll take care of that, Kapral. Keep Yost confined and make sure the others stay safe.” Dominski looked over to Silhouette. He couldn’t see her facial expression, but he could read her body language, and that posture clearly said ‘Now do you believe me?’.
“Nguyen,” continued Dominski, “find respirator masks for yourself and the doctors. We think the pollen might have something to do with this.”
“Yessir. There are some in—” The channel cut to dead silence. Not even the static remained. Dominski and Kapoor switched through the other channels, but it was more of the same. Their link had been severed.
“Jordan,” cursed Dominski.
“The Krajova’s comm relay?” asked Kapoor.
“He disabled it— must’ve been listening in and decided to shut down the link. Why would...what is going on with my crew?”
“Thuun,” said Silhouette. “The gaia. It’s destroying their minds.”