Page 4 of Alien on the Moon

With a last wave, Elena stepped onto the spacecraft. Even after the time she’d spent in space and traveling around the galaxy, the tech inside still made her heart race and her eyes grow wide. She spared a thought to her academic nemesis back at college.Eat your heart out, Nick Powell.

Chapter 2

Rylan

“Here are the samples you asked for, boss.”

Rylan looked up from the incubation chamber, his hands covered in gloves deep inside the cube. He blinked a few times to adjust his sight, his eyes having been narrowed to his work for what felt like hours.

“Thank you. Place them in the transfer pod, please.” Triim carefully navigated the tubes into the smaller adjacent chamber, sealing it and pressing the vacuum button. A slight hiss emanated from the mechanism as it pulled out the air and replaced it with a gaseous mixture aligned with Kheros’s atmosphere.

Rylan reached out to grab the samples, a slight cramp in his hand making him wince. He glanced up at the clock on the wall.Shit. It really has been hours, he thought. With a sigh, he pulled his hands out and stretched.

“I’ll get back to these later,” he said, mostly to himself.

Triim smiled tightly from where he was clearing his station.

Rylan left the lab, rubbing one side of his neck where a crick had formed. He wished he could attribute it purely to staying in one position for too long, but he knew the build-up of stress over the past few weeks was likely the main culprit.

The common room was still packed when he entered. The smell of rehydrated food packs filled the small area, making his mouth water despite the slightly sterile smell of it. Though he dreaded Stiya’s update from Arccoo, he was looking forward to the fresh produce she’d be bringing from Thryal.

If only they could be self-sufficient, but that was the crux of the matter.

“Hey, boss! Are you joining us, or are you too good for us lowly scientists?” Jaku called from across the room. Kyn punched his arm, though she was hiding a smile.

Rylan rolled his eyes. “Get over it, Jaku,” he said with a smirk. The jokester would never let him forget his place at the top of the hierarchy in the base. Ironic, since Jaku outranked him back home. Rylan quickly punched in his order and carried his tray over to the table.

“How are the baby brals coming along?” Kyn asked, and the table grew quiet.

Rylan sighed. “They’re touch and go. One minute it seems like they’re taking, and then there’s discoloration or they just outright wilt.”

“Might be all that negative energy you’re carrying around, boss,” Jaku joked, sufficiently breaking the tension.

Rylan kicked him under the table, a small smile forming on his lips. Jaku yelped.

“Yes, yes, I know, future of the planet and all. We’ll get there, we just need more time,” Jaku said, uncharacteristically serious.

Around the table, “yes” and “we got this” echoed from his coworkers. Rylan nodded to show his appreciation for the support.

His mind raced as he finished his meal. The chatter of the common room faded into the background. The food, usually flavorful, tasted ashy in his mouth. He barely said goodbye to his colleagues, his mind already back in the incubation cube.

“If we changed the atmosphere, made it more like Thryal… but first we need plants to grow and oxygenate. Damn!” His mutters were mostly ignored by the scientists and auxiliary staff in the corridors, with everyone stationed here used to it by now. Even if what came out of his mouth was rubbish, for some reason, it helped straighten things out in his head.

Usually.

Hours later, Kyn found him carefully measuring out compounds in the lab. She apologized for the interruption, a grimace on her face.

Rylan groaned. “What is it now? Please don’t tell me the soil samples have already run out,” Rylan said, rubbing his face.

Kyn sighed. “They have, but that’s not why I’m here. We’ve received a comm from the mainland.” She shuffled on her feet, and Rylan held back his impatience on a thin tether.

“From Stiya? Has she spoken with the prince?”

“Not from Stiya. The prince himself. He’s… well, here, read it yourself.” She handed her holo-blet to him. Rylan’s breath caught in his throat. The fear of the project being shut downgripped him. Slowly, he took the device from Kyn and read the missive from the crown prince.

“He’s sending his sister-in-law? What?”

Kyn shrugged. “It doesn’t say much. Just that she’s a ‘brilliant mind’ and he believes she could bring a fresh perspective.” She paused, an eyebrow raised. “Isn’t she from Earth? Not to be rude, but… what could she possibly contribute that we haven’t?”

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