They Call the Wind Muryah

By Gregory Marshall Smith

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Gregory Marshall Smith
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They Call the Wind Muryah
Copyright © 2010 by Gregory Marshall Smith

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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There are a few people I’d like to thank.  
My mother, Gail, for encouraging me to actually stop writing and start publishing. Bechetta Jackson, for her support these past 12 years. C.J., Wendy, Supriya and Steve, for helping me by inviting me to join . And to the Writing.com family for the great reviews and gift points. 

They Call the Wind Muryah

Devin Calloway grunted loudly as he reached between two high-voltage electrical conduits to replace a circuit board in one of the deep space shuttle Humboldt’s back-up monitoring systems. He could feel the electrical charge lightly tickle the back of his hand and was glad the safety matting was in place around the tubing. If regulations didn’t require him to perform maintenance checks on systems almost totally controlled by robots and artificial intelligence, he wouldn’t have to worry about being electrocuted at all, he muttered to himself.
He stood up and backed away a few steps. He reached over to an electronic clipboard hanging on the bulkhead next to the hatch and pushed a couple of buttons to signify that he had performed the required maintenance. He had to do maintenance checks on all systems once a month, by no means an easy task because there were so many computer and engineering systems aboard. The repair robots and artificial intelligence program did the same job, but ISEA required him to double check because of some previous and fatal shuttle errors that had occurred when the AI had inexplicably failed.
Calloway wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead, then grabbed the ladder rung and climbed back up to the flight deck. The entire deck was empty and Calloway scowled under his breath. As usual, the rest of the crew must have been outside enjoying the wonderful sights of Planet D-505. He sighed heavily. It seemed like he was the only one who cared about taking care of his responsibilities.
He walked over to the nearest monitoring stations and pressed a green switch. Images appeared on each of the five overhead monitor screens. Each showed one of the other five members of the crew via the miniature cameras attached to their jumpsuits. 
Calloway sat down in the console chair and took stock of each screen. The first screen in the upper left-hand corner showed the shuttle captain, Marie Penski. She was up in the cockpit, taking instrument measurements. This brought a measure of satisfaction to Calloway, who was glad Penski was still being professional about the mission. 
The crew had been together since the first training camp for the long-range mission almost three years ago. It should have been long enough, but Calloway still couldn’t get used to taking orders from Penski. She was five years younger than he was and almost egotistical because she was a prodigy within the ranks of the ISEA - being one of the youngest long-range mission commanders ever chosen. Also, she was a mere 4 feet, 11 inches tall, though, with her physical training regimen, she could easily stand her ground against Calloway, who had her by 15 inches in height and 100 pounds in weight.
Calloway closed his eyes and tried to remember what he had read about her in her psyche file. She was an only child of a respected mother and father who had made it clearly known they had wanted more than one child. Thus, Penski had found herself working twice as hard to meet the expectations of both of her parents. In that, she more than excelled, earning two advanced degrees in electronics and computers while garnering promotions and praise in the ISEA.
Calloway had found it awkward to work with her. He had been in the service for most of his adult life, first with the Merchant Marine space freighter line, then the Navy and finally the ISEA. He had weathered the long-distance outpost assignments where solo engineers maintained the outposts at the edge of the galaxy that serviced shuttles entering and leaving the system. That had earned him the right to be engineer aboard the long-range shuttle missions that spent two years out from Earth trying to find habitable planets to be colonized. Technically, he was junior in rank to Penski, but his duties made him the most important member of the crew.
He still wasn’t sure about Penski. She had spent so much time trying to please her parents that she really hadn’t taken time for a social life. Not that his social life was anything to write home about, he mused. But, at least he had experience interacting in close environments with the opposite sex. Penski had really only done it in simulation.
The reason for this was that the long-range missions required the crew to spend almost ninety percent of the flight in suspended animation. The only member awake most of the time was the ship’s engineer. Calloway had had to maintain a regular work and sleep cycle so he could be on call in the event of an emergency - with the unknown dangers of long-range missions, it was felt any potential problem would somehow involve engineering. Penski hadn’t even taken over command of the mission until the shuttle was almost in orbit around D-505.
Calloway opened his eyes and focused back on the screens. The upper middle screen showed Janice Boronova, one of the mission specialists. She was in charge of testing the planet’s plant life. She was almost as tall as he was, but was very slender. She was also only a year or so younger than him, but she was reserved, very quiet. She sometimes laughed when he hit her with his offbeat sense of humor, but she didn’t talk much and Calloway couldn’t help but wonder what inner demons she hid.
At that moment, Boronova was standing at the bottom of the ramp that extended down from the cargo bay. She was just staring straight ahead. Calloway became concerned because she had been in that same position when he had started the calibration check on the last engineering system, almost half an hour earlier. He stood up and moved towards the cargo bay.
She was still at the bottom of the ramp when Calloway came upon her. She didn’t move, as if she was oblivious approach. But, as usual, she knew he was there. She made a slight movement with her head to look at him before returning her gaze straight ahead.
``Everything okay, Janice?’’ Calloway inquired, looking to see what she was seeing, which looked to be the seemingly endless forest that began about a quarter mile beyond the clearing where the shuttle had landed.
``Beautiful, isn’t it?’’ she said simply.
``Yeah,’’ Calloway agreed. ``Lots of trees.’’
Janice let a slight smirk creep across her face. She playfully elbowed him in the side.
``Don’t mess with me, man,’’ she said, almost in a whisper. ``You know what I mean. I’ve never seen such green forests before. I’ve always dreamed of it. That’s why I signed up for this mission.’’
Calloway recalled Boronova’s personnel file. She had grown up the eldest of five children. Her parents had died when she was not yet a teenager, forcing her to raise her siblings. Where once she dreamed of becoming a naturalist and exploring the last vestiges of the Congo and Amazon jungles, she had, instead, taken a job in the concrete jungle of Prague to make ends meet for her family.
Her job had led to a promotion to the supply department of a contractor that worked with ISEA. She had spent 10 years with the company until her youngest sibling had graduated high school. That was when ISEA had come calling, looking for civilians to help out on the long-range missions. Her supervisor, who had known of her almost fervent night studies to earn degrees in ecology and biology, had recommended Janice. No doubt seeing the laser screenings of D-505’s lush environments from previous missions had piqued her curiosity enough to sign up, Calloway surmised.
``Have you seen Harrigan, Martine or Lee?’’ he asked, changing the subject abruptly. ``I need to calibrate the ATV’s.’’
Janice shrugged her shoulders. Finally, she shot him a slight grin, then walked off the ramp and headed for the rear of the shuttle. Calloway smirked. One day, he told himself, he would get her to open up. He sensed some deep fires smoldering beneath her shell. Of course, he knew the others could say the same thing about the - in their words - “overuse” of his offbeat humor.
He glanced around quickly, looking for signs of Max Harrigan, Veronica Martine and Nguyen Lee, the mission’s other specialists. He could see clearly to the forest and saw nothing. To the west, he spied the massive mountain range, capped by the snow-covered peak that rivaled Mount Everest in height. Harrigan, an avid mountain climber when he wasn’t being a zoologist, had vowed to climb it before the shuttle left for Earth. 
Humboldt looked northward and scanned the long sloping horizon from where the mountain range tapered down to a broad plain. When the shuttle had set down, Calloway had scanned the plain and had discovered the vast Earth-like ocean just over the horizon.
Martine, a Brazilian who had grown up in both the Amazon basin and Rio de Janeiro and had developed a love of water, would probably spend all her time at D-505’s ocean if it weren’t so far away. Calloway guessed Martine might be in the forest this time around, if only because of the small streams flowing through the lush foliage.
Calloway glanced at his chronometer and cursed mildly. He turned around and strode swiftly up the ramp. Penski was still in the cockpit when Calloway arrived. To his consternation, he saw that she had finished her readings and was sitting in her command chair with her feet propped up on the console, humming to herself. Calloway had to politely clear his throat, but even that only caused her to glance around at him.
``Finished with your engineering checks?’’ she asked, nonchalantly.
Calloway held his anger in check. He was seriously beginning to regret signing onboard the Humboldt. He had guessed military discipline would suffer with a mostly civilian crew and with the shuttle being so far away from home. But, if he couldn’t get the captain to shape up, he’d have very little success with the rest of the crew.
``Of course not, otherwise I’d have my feet kicked up on my console,’’ Calloway retorted, in his usual sarcastic tone.
Penski’s smile disappeared as she caught Calloway’s remark. But, to her credit, she let it slip by. She inquired about the status of the day’s workload.
``We’re even further behind than yesterday,’’ Calloway shot back, leaning against the nearest bulkhead. ``Not that it matters. We’ve been here for five days and haven’t done a damn thing for the mission. This is the first manned mission since the Tomahawk ten years ago and the fifth mission overall. We’re supposed to make final tests and preparations. We’ve got a ship full of colonists following three weeks behind us ready to set up a habitat.’’
Penski pulled her feet off the console and took a deep breath. She was trying hard to contain herself because of Calloway’s attitude. In all her years of hard work, she had encountered few personalities as exasperating as that of her chief engineer, more pointedly because, off-duty he could be quite engaging. But, she knew it would be a true test of her leadership to deal with his less-than-admirable on-duty persona in a professional manner.
``Well, Mr. Calloway, it does matter,’’ she said, finally. ``We’ve got a fine crew and we’ve been given a window in which to do our tests. As long as those tests get done, we’re all right.’’
``Doesn’t it bother you that none of these civilians take this mission seriously?’’ Calloway sniped.
Penski spun around in her chair and stood up. Despite being much shorter than Calloway, she took on a demeanor that told him he had slipped up and gone too far with her. He straightened up, but tried to pretend he wasn’t bothered.
``No,’’ she replied, matter-of-factly. ``What bothers me is that I have an engineer officer who thinks his rank of commander will let him talk anyway he pleases to someone with the rank of captain. I don’t care if you’re older than I am. I don’t care if you have more service experience. I am in command and I will run this mission. Get it?’’
Calloway didn’t show it, but the captain’s dressing down had stung him. He had disrespected her. Normally one to use humor to avoid confrontations, he had lost his cool. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why this mission was getting to him. But, Penski was still standing before him, a stern look on her face, waiting for him to act.
``Yes, ma’am,’’ Calloway finally blurted out. ``I get it. Is that all?’’
``No, that’s not all,’’ Penski snapped, perhaps harsher than she should have. ``Ever since we landed you have yet to go more than 50 feet beyond the ship. I want you to get out and explore the planet. I’m sure you’ve noticed the therapeutic effect it’s had on the others, even after their long hibernation. I don’t want you keeling over from overwork.’’
``Yes, ma’am,’’ Calloway replied, politely, before turning and strolling out of the cockpit.
Penski watched him leave, then went back to her command console. She punched in a couple of commands and watched one of her monitor screens come alive. She saw a lot of foliage, then a small stream of clear water. Beside the stream, Nguyen Lee and Max Harrigan took samples, her view of them coming from Martine’s camera.
``Yes, captain,’’ Martine’s disembodied voice stated, off-camera.
``How are your tests going?’’ Penski asked. ``Mr. Calloway is concerned about the timetable.’’
On screen, Harrigan, a brusque, well-built man with a full beard and a thick Scottish brogue, stood up and turned towards the camera. Harrigan, who had a reputation on Earth as a man used to getting his own way, as well as speaking his mind, gave the camera a shrug of his shoulders. Penski knew how much respect -- or lack thereof -- Harrigan had for military people, with the exception of herself.
``Aye, well, I’m sure you know where Mr. Calloway can put his timetable, Captain,’’ Harrison remarked. ``The man never leaves the damn ship. What does he know of what we’re doing out here?’’
``Well, I’ve ordered him off the ship tomorrow,’’ Penski replied, trying to suppress a grin.  ``I’d like him to go with you and Janice to the mountains.’’
Harrigan’s eyes went wide in alarm. Behind him, Lee stood up, laughing. Harrigan took a half-hearted swipe at the man, but Lee easily dodged it.
``Och, one day with Calloway and Harrigan will be passing over the new,’’ Lee quipped in his best imitation of the Scotsman.
``Calloway maybe, but not me,’’ Harrigan shot back, obviously not amused. ``Why can’t he go with Veronica?’’
``Oh, no, he’s not going with me,’’ Martine objected, off-screen. ``You heard the captain. Maybe she wants him to see an avalanche up close and personal.’’
``Okay, guys,’’ Penski said. ``Let’s be serious. What is your status?’’
``Well, I’ve found a lot of flora and fauna in this forest,’’ Martine’s voiced replied, in a more serious tone. ``This place is amazing. I can’t imagine the colonists not succeeding here. The water is basically potable. It’s like Earth before we screwed it up.’’
Penski liked what she heard. Her crew - with the possible exception of Calloway - was happy. They were doing their jobs with enthusiasm. She knew her mission would be completed on time and she would have another feather in her cap, which was good. Maybe then she could take that well-deserved vacation and take some time for herself. Lord knew she really needed it. As captain, she had responsibilities that not even her few hours planetside could make disappear, not that Calloway would let them disappear.
``Sounds good,’’ Penski finally replied. ``It’s getting late, so let’s wrap it up and go over what we’ve learned today. I have to send up a report probe tonight on our progress.’’
On screen, Martine acknowledged the order. Penski then switched the screen off, stood up and headed towards the cargo bay. She wanted to get outside and soak up some of the planet’s therapeutic aura before the twin suns went down.

* * * * *

Nguyen Lee was first up the next morning. He did his daily tai chi exercises, before moving on to 30 minutes of calisthenics and another 30 minutes with the gravimetric weight machines. He followed up with a sonic shower to shake off the sweat and then put on a fresh jumpsuit.
The others were still asleep, but Lee decided to wait for them before eating breakfast. Instead, he went into the computer library and called up some history. He put on one of the headsets and gave a set of verbal commands. Instantly, the history of the Tomahawk appeared. He scanned the information at an almost ridiculous speed.  Lee had always preferred speed-reading to a surgically-implanted computer interface chip.
From what he read, he knew the Tomahawk had been the first manned mission to D-505. The crew of three men and one woman had made the initial discoveries that D-505 had closely resembled Earth and could be colonized. Lee scrolled through the crew list - Muryah Abernathy, mission specialist; Captain Michael Corvac, mission commander; Ang Wu, mission specialist; Commander Turkoman Hedu, engineer.
Lee scrolled further and read where Tomahawk had made its final probe launch to send information back to Earth ahead of the shuttle. The shuttle had taken off, but had never made it home. It was determined - guessed was more like it - that the ship had met a grisly fate in a collision with a meteor, despite the guidance system’s multi-layered sensor suite. That all the systems could fail simultaneously was nearly impossible, but so was just about every other explanation Lee could think of.
Since Tomahawk, three more missions had visited D-505. All were unmanned shuttles that showered the planet with sensor probes to determine factors such as environment, animal life, soil content, water content and weather patterns. The last part was very important. The planet had unique weather patterns, including a rainy season that made Asia’s monsoon season seem like drizzle by comparison. 
What Lee was more interested in was Ang Wu. Like Lee, Wu was from China. He had come from the most populous country on Earth. The country’s economy had challenged those of Europe, America and Japan for decades, even after the final fall of Communism. Now, the country was becoming stagnant. China’s best and brightest had been called up to reach out to the stars, to find new sources of economic wealth and to find new homes for its expanding populace.
Lee had always admired Wu. Like Lee, Wu was of mixed heritage - English and Chinese. He had survived - and, indeed, thrived - in a society that looked down at foreigners. Lee was half-Vietnamese, a culture that had been at odds with China for hundreds of years. Wu’s perseverance had helped Lee with his own racial struggles. He had striven to make it through the Chinese Space Agency academy and to forge a career as both an astronaut and a meteorologist. Like Wu, he carried the hopes and wishes of two nations on his shoulders.
Lee had the screen cursor highlight Wu. He then commanded the computer to pull up Wu’s oral history. He then closed his eyes and let Wu’s own voice inspire him to complete the mission.
Unbeknownst to Lee, Veronica Martine was watching the meteorologist as he listened to the library computer. She marveled at how much mileage he could get out of one audio file. It certainly couldn’t be as much fun as exploring the depths of the ocean, she thought to herself.
Martine hoped she could take out one of the ATV’s and finally get to D-505’s ocean. She hadn’t been able to do more than dangle her feet in the forest stream since they had arrived almost a week earlier. She longed to explore the depths of that ocean, although she knew it would have to be behind the protection of Calloway’s modified ATV for her safety.
She had grown up in some of the worst slums of Rio de Janeiro where life was traded and thrown away with such alarming ease and appalling regularity, even in the 22nd century. She had escaped the travails and tribulations of those times by going to the ocean. While her friends were content to go topless along with the rest of the female beach-goers, Veronica had explored the water. She was fascinated by the sea life, by the many seashells that had lined the shores.
    Her uncle Nestor had further enhanced her love of water. He had owned a tourism company that took foreigners on tours of the parts of the Amazon that had survived being stripped wholesale by the government in the 21st century. Being with him allowed her to explore all the smaller rivers of the interior.
She sighed heavily when memories of the pollution arose in her mind. A worldwide depression had caused many nations to reverse decades of water clean up and preservation in favor of heavy commerce. Veronica had almost cried seeing the ocean and the rivers choked up with pollution, litter and oil from spills. Thus, when ISEA had come along, seeking explorers for its long-range missions, she had eagerly signed up. She had hoped to find oceans as yet untouched by Man. At this last thought, she felt a pang of guilt, knowing that her actions here might lead to the same pollution if the colony was successful.
Martine took her own turn in the workout room. As the most muscular and toned of the crew, she needed the most intense workout to keep her shape. Being a bodybuilder had its advantages. As a child, it kept boys from trying to have their way with her. As an adult, it helped build up her endurance for the rigors of scuba diving and deep-sea diving. With space travel, it kept her body and mind sharp. It had even helped her overpower Harrigan on several occasions when he had challenged her to the old-fashioned sport of arm-wrestling.
Max Harrigan wasn’t one to let on, but he really admired Martine. That admission was something he found very difficult to say out loud. The men in his family had always taken the stance of being in control of everything, especially women. Max had been no different, whether it was with his three ex-wives or with female colleagues at the University of Edinburgh where he had been head of the zoology department. He remembered all too well the severe clash of egos he had created with various members of the ISEA when he joined the organization’s extraterrestrial biology department. 
But, Harrigan had been around long enough to know everything in life was gray. In the past, his use of women might have brought a clamor from women’s rights groups. But, in the 22nd century, men and women shared virtually equal footing in everything. Women used him as much as he did them. It was all in perception, for the soothing of egos that men and women tried to act like they were in charge.
Harrigan headed for the cargo bay to check his mountain climbing equipment. He wished Martine would come along. He admired her physicality and definitely would not have minded seeing her muscular curves move in sync under the skintight thermal jumpsuit required for work in cold-weather environments.
Calloway was already there. Harrigan wondered if the man ever slept. Calloway, he knew, was the only regular professional in the crew. The engineer was quite fond of intimating that fact, too. Harrigan hated men like that, if only because it challenged his own desire to dominate every environment. He had had enough trouble giving respect to 
Captain Penski and he really didn’t have time for the shallow antics or offbeat and somewhat sarcastic humor of Calloway.
``Good morning, Harrigan,’’ Calloway said, good-naturedly, looking up from one of the larger all-terrain vehicles. 
This one was equipped with three transaxles instead of the usual two to ensure better traction of rocky ground. Unlike the deep-sea ATV, the mountain ATV’s enclosed interior was strengthened against wind and seismic shocks like avalanches and rockslides. Harrigan liked that it was well heated and comfortable. Growing up in the Firth of Forth where the sun hardly ever shined and a hot summer to Scotsmen was a mild spring to the rest of the world had made him keep all of his abodes and work spaces as warm as possible. That fact alone made him stand out because of his penchant for mountain climbing in the coldest of climes, but there was no explaining the human psyche.
``Got yer gear, Mr. Calloway?’’ Harrigan inquired, trying to be as polite as possible. ``It’ll be mighty cold up on that mountain. Of course, I won’t expect you to climb. You can monitor the server robots as I make my ascent and I’m sure Miss Boronova could use a hand finding the plant life underneath all the snow.’’
``Contrary to popular belief, Harrigan,’’ Calloway started, ``I don’t spend all my time in engineering. I’ve done some climbing, believe it or not. On Mars and Jupiter.’’
Harrigan raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn’t known that. Mountain climbing on Jupiter was extremely hazardous because of the intense gravity, the bizarre weather patterns and the thick cloud cover that hung low over almost the entire surface of the various floating continents within the planet’s atmosphere. Probes had yet to penetrate the intense gas clouds to see if Jupiter had any actually land mass. Maybe the man can be useful after all, Harrigan thought to himself.
``Well, what made you crazy enough to scale a mountain on Jupiter?’’ Harrigan inquired.
``Rescue mission,’’ Calloway replied, while checking the interior of the ATV. ``Couple of idiot kids went sightseeing and ran right into the side of Jupiter Kilimanjaro, one of the highest peaks on the planet. They quickly formed a rescue mission and just grabbed whoever was around. I was coming back from a remote post past Pluto and they snagged me.
``I can tell you I was scared spitless, but I went up. I mean, we had the server robots hovering alongside in case we fell. But, one guy slipped and, before they caught him, he broke his jaw against a rock and cracked six ribs. One or two inches to the right and his temple could have hit the rock instead and he could have died.
``So, I’ll keep on eye on you, Harrigan, but if you get in trouble, expect to see the server robots before you see me, okay?’’
``Aye, man, I’ll be careful,’’ Harrigan answered, with an unexpected smile. ``Besides, I’m not really climbing it. I’m just hitting some predetermined points to set up some of Lee’s meteorological equipment. Maybe when the mission’s over, I’ll have time to really scale that peak, all the way to the top.’’
They heard footsteps behind them and turned around. Janice walked up and bid them a curt hello before moving around to the passenger side of the ATV. Both men noticed that she carried several old-fashioned books with her, presumably to read during the trip to the mountain. She set the books down inside the ATV. She smiled briefly at them and then walked back up towards the cafeteria.
``Och, this is going to be a quiet trip,’’ Harrigan quipped. “Let’s get some breakfast.”
Penski was the last to arrive at the cafeteria for breakfast. She clicked on the wall monitor before she sat down so the crew had a constantly changing view of the exterior of the ship. A server robot flitted up and the small automaton, which was only about the size of a small dog, hovered over the table long enough to place a tray of food before her before heading off.
``Good morning ladies and gentlemen,’’ she greeted. ``I hope you all slept well because we have a full day ahead of us. Of course, all work and no play makes Humboldt a dull shuttle. So, Martine, you and Lee get to go the ocean. Harrigan, you, Janice and Calloway will test the mountain. I will suffer all by myself back here at the ship. 
``I do want to stress, however, that we are behind schedule somewhat and we need to get as much work done as we can in the next few days. The equipment we’re setting up needs a two-week window for total completion and allowance of delays.’’
If Calloway had felt any vindication, he didn’t show it to Penski. She had been hesitant to admit that he’d been right yesterday because she didn’t want to feed his ego. When she had compiled the data for the probe she later sent into orbit, she had seen that her mission was behind schedule.
That factored into the assignments, but was not the most important one. She knew how Harrigan and Martine seemed to admire each other. She also had seen Boronova and Lee exchange enough brief smiles to know something might have been smoldering between the two. She couldn’t let those embers flare up into a forest fire.
Thus, to keep their minds on their work, she had made sure the potential couples worked apart. Lee hated heights, so Penski knew he would be very keen on concentrating on his work with Martine. Calloway’s brusque nature would surely keep even the timid Boronova from seeing anything more than the need to work, she thought.
``Looks like a stiff breeze is picking up out there,’’ Lee commented, out of the blue.
On screen, the camera was on the forest. They could see the tops of the trees swaying heavily. Fortunately, it wasn’t monsoon season and Lee’s forecast hadn’t predicted any rain for several more days.
``It’s funny,’’ Martine said. ``But, it was almost like that yesterday. In the forest, the wind, it was almost like it was whispering to me. I know it sounds strange, but it was soothing and it actually made the day go by a lot smoother.’’
``Hey, Harrigan,’’ Calloway called out. ``Your friends are back.’’
Harrigan looked up from his eggs and spied the screen. Sure enough, about 50 yards from the ship, four creatures that closely resembled deer grazed on grass. Harrigan watched them for awhile, but made no move to get up. It was useless trying to go outside to observe them up close for they ran at the first footstep they heard.
``Calloway, you’re the engineer,’’ Harrigan said, finally. ``Can’t you rig up some kind of trap, maybe stun them so I can get some up close time with them?’’
Everyone got a good laugh out of that. Everyone except Calloway. Penski started to ask him if he was okay with being the butt of the joke, but she noticed he wasn’t even looking at her. He was looking past her, at the monitor screen. He had a look of shock on his face and she quickly spun around. Somebody dropped a fork on a plate, but she was too busy gasping to notice who had done it.
On the screen, the deer-like creatures had gone away. Instead, the camera had focused in on something else. It was about 100 yards away, coming out of the forest, moving steadily towards the shuttle. 
It was a woman!

* * * * *

The woman was almost to the ship by the time the crew got the cargo bay ramp down. Calloway was the first one out, but Penski quickly got ahead of him. She had seen him prime his laser-guided pistol before holstering it and she didn’t want him starting off any conversation with the stranger on a bad note.
Upon seeing them, the woman stopped. She eyed them with a big smile on her face, while the crew of the Humboldt gave her the once-over. She looked incredibly fit. Her hair looked as if it had been professionally cut on a regular basis. She wore a one-piece jumpsuit and boots, which Calloway recognized as an ISEA uniform that had been in use 10 years earlier. Calloway looked at the name sewn into the uniform’s left breast pocket and saw that it had faded away. But, he had seen the woman’s photo enough to recognize her for she looked as if she had not aged a day.
``Muryah Abernathy,’’ he said, incredulously.
Muryah smiled even wider at the mention of her name.
``Wow, how’d you guess that?’’ she giggled.

* * * * *

Five hours later, Muryah was still in the infirmary being tested by Boronova and Martine. Outside the compartment, Calloway leaned against a bulkhead. Penski walked up. She stopped when she noticed that Calloway still carried his holstered pistol.
``I don’t think you’ll need that,’’ she said. ``If she hasn’t done anything by now, I doubt she’ll try anything. She doesn’t seem like a threat to me.’’
``Just following regulations,’’ Calloway replied. ``Sort of. Normally, I would be in the infirmary with them.’’
``You really need to lighten up, Calloway,’’ Penski said. ``We’re a little far from ISEA to be bothered by all these damn regulations. Who’s going to know?’’
Penski had her back turned and didn’t see the alarm on Calloway’s face. He couldn’t believe she had just said that. He knew he had a reputation for sometimes being anal-retentive about regulations, but Penski had risen so quickly through the ranks by sticking to regulations. She was used to modifying those regulations to create a comfortable working atmosphere, but she had never totally ignored them, especially the ones concerning security.
``I wish I could ignore it,’’ Calloway lied. ``But, this situation isn’t exactly one you’d find in the books. According to our records, Muryah Abernathy and her crew were lost 10 years ago. I’m not a psychic and maybe she did survive on this planet for 10 years. There are certainly enough sources of edible plant life, meat and water. But, look at her. Her uniform is almost immaculate, her face looks as if she hasn’t aged a day and she looks like she just walked out of a professional hair salon. What the hell is up with that?’’
Penski said nothing. Though she was loath to admit it for the second time in one day, she knew her engineer was on the mark again. So far, early medical tests had determined that Muryah Abernathy was who she said she was. Penski also had little doubt that the DNA tests would back her up on that point. But, something extraordinary had to have happened to the woman to have survived so well for so long on a desolate planet.
The door to the infirmary slid open before Penski could continue her conversation with Calloway. Martine stepped out and gave a long, solemn look at her commander. Penski could read her face, but Martine stated the obvious anyway.
``She is Muryah Abernathy,’’ Martine confirmed. ``Our equipment is practically light years ahead of what it was just 10 years ago. It’s almost impossible to fool the biometrics scan.’’
Muryah and Boronova stepped out of the infirmary. Since it was getting crowded in the passageway, Penski suggested they all move to the cafeteria. Once there, Muryah was given the center seat normally reserved for Penski. Penski took a seat across from her while Calloway stood by the door. The others took seats around the table.
``I know you’re all shocked by my appearance,’’ Muryah blurted out, breaking the uneasy silence. ``To be honest, I don’t blame you. I was just as surprised to see you. The last three shuttles that landed seemed to be unmanned.’’
``If I may, Captain,’’ Calloway said, mindful to show respect to his captain in front of a stranger. ``I’m guessing that, somehow, your crewmembers on the Tomahawk left the planet without you. Why was that?’’
``I don’t know why,’’ Muryah replied, her cheerful voice losing some of its luster. ``I will admit the mission had not been going well. I, for one, loved the planet. I wished we could have stayed longer. But, the other crew became apprehensive. We started fighting a lot. No one wanted to follow regulations. They wanted to do their own thing.’’
Penski listened intently. She could almost feel Calloway’s eyes burning into her back. She made up her mind to prevent the same fate from befalling her crew.
``I was in the forest taking more tests when the ship left the planet,’’ Muryah continued. ``I couldn’t believe it. The captain had threatened to cut the mission short and take us back to Earth, but we really didn’t think he would leave anyone behind. I had no way of calling the ship. My radio couldn’t penetrate the atmosphere. But, I know they never made it back to Earth.’’
``How could you know that?’’ Boronova asked, surprising her crewmates who thought she’d stay quiet throughout the interrogation. ``Why wouldn’t you think the three unmanned missions you saw weren’t search and rescue missions?’’
``I watched those missions and I only saw them collecting information,’’ Muryah replied. ``They were not conducting any searches.’’
``Be that as it may,’’ Calloway interjected. ``You still could have approached any of those shuttles. In fact, it’s standard operating procedure in an emergency. So, why didn’t you do it?’’
``Because I didn’t want to be rescued,’’ Muryah blurted out, with a big smile.
All eyes went wide at that remark. The crewmembers of the Humboldt looked at each other in astonishment. Penski had to raise her voice three times to bring order back to the proceedings. Over her shoulder, she could see Calloway’s hands edging towards his holster, but she thought she had the same idea he did. Maybe there was a reason Muryah Abernathy did not want to be rescued - a potentially criminal reason. A reason that might, somehow, be connected to the final fate of the Tomahawk.
``What exactly do you mean by that?’’ she queried. 
``Oh, come on, ma’am,’’ Muryah replied, nonchalantly. ``Haven’t you felt it? Haven’t you felt the euphoria that this planet provides? I’ve been watching you all for the past few days. I’ve seen how Miss Martine reacts around the streams, how calm she seems, how happy she feels. I’ve seen how Mister Harrigan and Mister Lee react to the environment, how Mister Harrigan reacts when he sees the magnificent mountains this planet has to offer. 
``I hope I don’t get you into trouble, Mister Lee, but I saw how you reacted the other day when you got caught in the brief rainstorm. You stood out in the rain and let it wash over you. Even you, Captain Penski. I have seen you outside several times, sitting in the wonderful fields, smelling the flowers, listening to the wind. You know how invigorating it is. Who wouldn’t want to remain here instead of sleeping in suspended animation for almost a year, missing all the wonders the universe has to offer.’’
Calloway started to reply since Muryah had conveniently left him out of her assessment. But, he stopped when he saw the faces of his colleagues. They actually seemed to be buying her spiel. He could feel some sympathy towards Muryah Abernathy, but he knew there was a time for play and a time for work. 
He started wondering if this was why the crew of the Tomahawk had departed D-505 without her. Had she corrupted the crew, caused them to argue amongst themselves? He had already seen how laxity had begun slipping into the work ethics of his own crewmates. He damned sure didn’t want Muryah corrupting them.
``And may I ask just how you survived so well?’’ Calloway inquired. ``You look pretty fit. Where did you live? What did you eat? Who gave you all this stuff?’’
Muryah gave Calloway a long look. She was still smiling and Calloway got the feeling she had something special planned for him. She caught him off-guard by winking at him the moment his crewmates looked away from her and at him, as if he had done or said something wrong.
``The planet provided for me, of course,’’ Muryah replied.
``The planet?’’ Harrigan piped up. ``We’ve scanned this entire planet three times before we landed. We detected no civilization whatsoever. No artificial intelligence. No computers. No industry. No technology.’’
``Like I said. Haven’t you felt it? Haven’t you felt the planet speaking to you?’’ Muryah replied. ``The wind in the trees. The sound of the ocean surf. The babbling of the streams. This planet is in harmony with all of its life forms. It provides them with food, with shelter, with protection. 
``When the Tomahawk departed without me, I thought I was doomed. But the planet provided. When I was thirsty, a voice in my head led me to the streams. When I was hungry, I somehow knew which plants to eat and which to avoid. When I needed shelter, I was led to a large cave filled with strange luminescent rocks that kept me warm and dry. Whatever I needed somehow appeared. Sharp flint-like rocks to trim my hair. Smooth polished stone to use as a mirror. Plant sap that totally cleaned and preserved my clothing and retarded age and wear and tear. Plants that gave me all the nutrition I needed, kept my skin smooth, to keep my hair nice. Plants that kept me healthy, clean-smelling and even worked better than our hygienic deodorant injections.’’
``I would love to have a look at those plants,’’ Boronova said. ``I’ve always advocated a organic vegetarian lifestyle and this might be the final evidence to prove it.’’
``And I would love to see some of your ocean life,’’ Martine added. ``You must be very familiar with it.’’
Muryah smiled at both of them. Harrigan mentioned that he wanted to know about the mountains, while Lee chimed in about the weather. Muryah seemed to have an answer for all of them. She even promised to give Penski a personal guided walking tour of the planet if the captain could spare the time. Penski had to restrain herself from jumping at the chance to shrug off some of her redundant and meticulous duties.
Again, only Calloway wasn’t mentioned. But Muryah gave him a big smile and another wink of her left eye. Calloway couldn’t help but feel as if he was the only one not in the secret that Muryah Abernathy was keeping.
``It’s a very interesting story, Muryah,’’ Penski stated, pushing herself away from the table and standing up to stretch. ``My crew and I have a lot to contemplate and think over. But, much as I would like to continue this fascinating conversation, we are behind schedule. 
``I would like you all to continue with your pre-planned activities. With one exception, however. I think I need to take Muryah up on her guided tour so I can get a full report for the mission report probe tonight. Mr. Calloway, I’d like you to stay aboard and monitor things while I’m gone.’’
An hour later, both ATV’s had departed the ship. Penski was still getting ready for her foot tour. Calloway had grabbed some snacks and beverages and had sought refuge in his engineering station. From here, he could monitor everyone as thoroughly as if he had been on the bridge. After putting his snacks aside, he dialed up his computer and brought up the file on the Tomahawk again.
``You don’t feel it, do you?’’
Calloway nearly jumped out of his chair. Startled, he looked around and saw that Muryah had somehow entered the cubicle without making a sound. He had no idea how long she had been standing there, but he figured she must have seen him bring up the file on her ship and crew.
``You don’t trust me, do you?’’
Calloway sat back down in his chair and pulled himself back up to his console. He hit a button and made the onscreen file disappear. He then turned to face his guest.
``I wouldn’t blame you, you know,’’ Muryah continued without waiting for his answer. ``You’re in charge of security. I can see you’re a veteran and you don’t like someone like me disrupting your ship. But, it doesn’t have to be that way, you know. Your crewmates can see that I am not a threat. They just want to see the wonders that I’ve seen. Surely, there’s nothing wrong with that?’’
``There is if you have to ask,’’ Calloway retorted.
Without another word, Muryah lowered her eyes, turned and left the cubicle. Calloway caught her on one of his monitors leaving the ship with Captain Penski. As soon as they were gone, he brought the Tomahawk file back up. Then, as a precaution, he stationed a server robot by the cargo bay ramp to alert him of anyone approaching.

* * * * *

``Sounds like a regular garden of Eden, doesn’t it?’’
Harrigan looked up from the controls of the ATV and turned towards Boronova. She had put her book down and had her eyes closed. Harrigan had no doubt that she was referring to Muryah’s description of D-505. Yes, it was like a paradise. A paradise with some of the best mountains he had ever seen.
“Hopefully we can get enough time to enjoy this Eden,’’ Harrigan remarked. ``I’d even be willing to come out by myself.’’
``And I’m sure Calloway’d like to see you climb without a partner, too,’’ Boronova said with a slight giggle. ``You and Veronica are two of a kind. She’d go scuba diving alone if she could.’’
Harrigan nodded. He agreed with her completely. It was strange how much better he now felt, better than he had felt in his entire life. He didn’t even notice that Boronova was a lot more talkative than usual.
“Well, let’s get started,” he said. “The faster we get this done, the more time we have to ‘admire’ the scenery.”

* * * * *

Nguyen Lee sat on the hood of the ATV and stared out at the ocean. He watched Martine standing knee-deep in the surf, as the waves crashed over her thighs. Although tests had proven the ocean to be almost the same as the water on Earth, Lee had still persuaded her (barely) from doffing her jumpsuit to experience the feel of the ocean on her skin.
Still, Lee could see why she liked the water so much. There was so much water out there, unexplored, waiting to be used. Waiting to be experienced. He could almost see the water evaporating and being sucked up into the sky to collect and fall back down again as rain. The ocean had a profound effect on the weather patterns on most planets and it fascinated him to no end.
``Isn’t it beautiful, Nguyen?’’ Martine asked, walking out of the surf and across the sand. ``Sure you don’t want to join me for a swim?’’
Tempting as it was to see Martine’s well-built body in her underwear, Lee still felt a twinge of duty calling to him. Being cooped up with Calloway had rubbed off on him a little. He shook his head and Martine frowned.
``You’re no fun, you know that,’’ Martine said, as she walked around to the driver’s side of the ATV. ``You need to live it up while we’re here.’’
``It’s funny,’’ Lee said. ``I went to the beach a lot when I was in China, but I never really saw it like this.’’
``What do you mean?’’
``Well, you know my country is the most populous on the planet,’’ Lee replied, turning to look over his shoulder at Martine. ``There were always so many people at the beach that I could barely see the sand. It was like that in Japan, the Philippines, Korea. I think the whole Asian continent was a sea of people instead of water. It was never like this, being the only people for miles and miles around.’’
Martine laughed as she sat in the vehicle. A moment later, Lee climbed off the hood and got inside the ATV. He strapped himself in, then lowered the lid until it sealed airtight.
``Not just Asia, my friend, ‘’ Martine said as she started the ATV motor. ``In Rio, the beaches were always crowded. The women still go topless and the men flock there like bees to honey. That’s why I love diving. There’s a whole new world under the surface that’s not filled with screaming kids and fat old men or women trying to show off their bodies. Prepare yourself, my friend.’’
Lee stared straight ahead after feeling the ATV move forward. The vehicle hit the surf and inches forward. The vehicle stopped momentarily then continued as the suspension adjusted itself for the ocean’s sandy bottom. Soon, the ATV was completely submerged.

* * * * *

The sunlight filtered through the overhead tree branches like light through the seams of a canopy. Penski shielded her eyes as she stared up into the branches. She walked alongside Muryah through the forest Martine had explored earlier. She had marveled at all the plant life, at the small animals that drank water or nibbled on plants, completely oblivious to her approach.
``It really is wonderful here,’’ Penski said, admiringly. ``I can see why you wouldn’t want to leave.’’
They stopped at a smooth-flowing stream. A large rock with a flat top rested next to the stream, about two feet above the shiny surface. Muryah leaned against the rock while Penski sat on top of it.
``As a kid, I used to sneak out of the house and dangle my feet in a brook,’’ Penski blurted out before realizing she had gotten a little too personal with someone who was still essentially a stranger.
``Why would you have to sneak out of your house?’’ Muryah inquired, innocently.
At first Penski didn’t reply. But, Muryah kept looking at her, inquisitively. With each passing moment, she felt more and more comfortable until she finally gave in.
``Well, my parents always wanted another child,’’ she said, feeling embarrassed. ``I ended up having to try to live up to two sets of expectations. I was always studying or training or working. There…there just never seemed to be time for me.’’
``Well, there’s time now,’’ Muryah replied.
Penski gave Muryah a quizzical look.
``You mean dangle my feet now?’’ she asked. ``I can’t do that. I’m the captain.’’
``You’re also a woman who obviously needs a break,’’ Muryah answered, simply.
Penski only thought about it for a moment. She giggled like a schoolgirl, then reached up to the uniform and pressed a button. She took off her boots and lowered her feet into the water. Surprisingly, the water was cool. She’d expected it to be icy cold because it seemed to flow down from the direction of the mountains. She looked over at Muryah and smiled widely for the first time in many years.
Back on the ship, Calloway heard most of the conversation between Calloway and Muryah. Then, his monitor went blank and he sighed. The others had disabled their uniform cameras as well. Their bio monitors - the devices that monitored their life functions - still worked, so Calloway could at least see if they were in any sort of distress. But, it was troubling that all five of his crewmates had broken regulations almost simultaneously. He made a mental note to mention the breach of conduct when they all returned to the ship. He then wiped it away, knowing he was outnumbered and Penski was still in charge.
He had been reading the personnel files of the crew of the Tomahawk for most of the day. All the crewmembers had seemed like fine, solid ISEA astronauts. He couldn’t find a reason why they had become hateful enough to leave one of their own behind. It left him with another empty feeling. 
Deciding he had no choice, he called up the probe program. He took all the information that had transpired with Muryah and downloaded it into one of the remote-controlled probes. The probe would be launched into orbit and would transmit its information to the nearest ISEA outpost. The sheer distance between D-505 and the nearest outpost made it clear that no answer would be forthcoming for at least two days, even with the new laser technology. Still, Calloway knew it was something he could control.
He finished downloading. He pushed more buttons and prepared for launch. Normally, engineers like him would have used the speaker headset and verbally commanded the ship’s artificial intelligence to do the procedure. But Calloway loved doing it manually as a way to stay up-to-date and be alert for emergencies. He pressed the launch code.
Atop the ship, a hatch slid open and circular platform rose up about a foot. Atop the platform was an oval cylinder, standing on end. With almost no noise, the cylinder launched itself, using magnetic waves to push away from the platform. 
Down below, Calloway watched it gain altitude. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning ripped down from the sky and the cylinder disintegrated. The bolt kept coming, however, and struck the platform. 
Calloway watched in astonishment as the incredible energy from the lighting bolt surged through the ship. He knew the ship would disperse the power, but something was wrong. It was as if the energy had a mind of its own and was following its own path. 
Right towards him!
His entire console exploded in his face. He barely got his hands up in time. A split second later, the microchips and nanobyte chips melted and ignited as a brief but powerful blast. Calloway was flung away from the console and tossed hard against the opposite bulkhead. Mercifully, he slid into unconsciousness. 

* * * * *

Penski charged up the cargo bay ramp, Muryah right behind her. She turned left and headed aft for the engineering station. The door was already open by the time she got there. She stopped suddenly, then breathed a sigh of relief.
Calloway looked up at her, but turned away without saying a word. He had the cover of his console lifted up and Penski could see the fused wires and microchips beneath it. A server robot floated to Calloway’s left. A wire stretched from its central panel to a small black box along the edge of the interior. The ship’s artificial intelligence had determined what needed to be repaired and was transferring the information to the server robot.
``I’m okay, thanks for asking,’’ Calloway snapped. 
Penski noticed for the first time that Calloway’s hands were bandaged with several wrappings of chryurylene -- standard medical compound used to speed up the healing of burns. She looked at Calloway a little closer and saw that he had some smudge marks on his face that appeared to be first-degree burns.
``What happened?’’ she asked, incredulously.
Calloway related the events right up until the explosion of the console in his face. Penski took it all in, then asked about repair time. She finally turned to look at Muryah and asked if lightning bolts were as common and dangerous as what Calloway had experienced.
``We did see several incidents like this when the Tomahawk was here,’’ she replied, nonchalantly. ``But, I haven’t seen any like this then, until now, I guess.’’
``If the AI and the server robots can fix this, I suggest you go to your quarters and get some rest,’’ Penski said to Calloway. ``When the others return, I’ll inform them of what happened.’’
Calloway didn’t answer. He walked past Penski and didn’t even bother to look at Muryah. He could feel her staring after him, but he kept on walking.
Once inside his quarters, he locked the door behind him. Then, it a fit of rage, he removed his cap and threw it against a bulkhead, cursing loudly as he did so. He collapsed on his bunk and fumed. His eyes zeroed in on the chronometer above his bed.
Six hours!
It had taken six hours for Penski to return to the ship. In six hours, the others should have been back as well. But, Penski was only a short distance away, in the forest. What had taken her so long to respond? He’d had enough time to get his hands and head treated, then go back to his station and begin repair assessments with the AI.
He began to go over things in his mind. The crew had taken a real shine to Muryah. They had listened to her words like school children to a teacher. They had all turned off the uniform visual devices. They had all been so wrapped up in their work that they hadn’t noticed his life function monitor going haywire. 
No, he thought to himself. That wasn’t it. If they had been working, they would have paid attention to the life function monitor. They must have been playing. He had seen their faces as Muryah had told each of them about their specialties - mountains, the ocean, the weather, the plant life. His crewmates had become so absorbed in their own pleasures that they had failed to come to his aid.
And it all seemed to be centered on an ill wind they called Muryah.

* * * * *

Calloway said very little that night, save for brief responses to queries about his health. Muryah was not aboard, gone back to whatever cave she called home. The others were too busy talking about all the wonders they had seen. Martine had shown Lee the beauty of the oceans. Harrigan had documented close to 100 different types of animals around the mountains. Even Boronova could not stop talking, about all the plant life she had found. Penski was sitting at the head of the cafeteria table, taking it all in with a big grin on her face. 
``I think we need to take off.’’
At that, everyone stopped talking all at once and turned to look at Calloway.
``You want to leave?’’ Penski said, genuinely startled. ``Is something wrong?’’
Calloway said nothing at first. He looked down at his bandaged hands, then stopped himself from feeling the generous bruise beneath his left eye. The swelling had gone down considerably, but he could still feel it.
``Well, according to regulations, we have to launch an information probe every three days,’’ he said, finally. ``In case you’ve forgotten, there is a ship with about a thousand colonists coming here in three weeks. They need to know what’s going on. But, the lightning strike has seriously damaged the launching platform. Even the AI says it will take another week to fix, unless…’’
``Unless we take off and leave orbit,’’ Penski finished. ``Then we don’t have to worry about launching through an atmosphere.’’
``I’m against it,’’ Harrigan stated. ``We’re already behind schedule. Ye said so yourself, Mr. Calloway. Why waste more time? Or is there another reason?’’
``Hey, don’t make me out to be the villain,’’ Calloway shot back, pushing his tray of food away. ``I’m just following regulat-‘’
``Screw your freakin’ regulations!’’ Boronova suddenly screamed, pounding the table with her fist in a display of emotion that shocked even her. ``I don’t care about your regulations. We all have jobs to do and we want to do them. If you want to stick to regulations, fine. But, I signed on to do research, not be a military puppet like you.’’
At that, she became embarrassed and sat back in her seat. The others were still shocked by her outburst. Calloway was practically glaring at her, but more so for being yelled at and humiliated by her in front of the rest of the crew. 
Calloway pushed himself away from the table and left the cafeteria. There was still enough military discipline left in him to not light into her for insubordination. Even though Boronova and the others were civilians, they, like Penski and Calloway, were members of ISEA. They had signed agreements to be bound by the regulations of ISEA. They all had their share of responsibilities, not only to themselves and their fields of study, but also to the ISEA and mankind as a whole. Their current mission was much too important to be jeopardized like this.
Penski caught up with him out in the passageway. At first, he walked away from her. She then caught him by an arm and forcefully turned him around to face her.
``I’ve been seriously thinking how important you are to the success of this mission,’’ she said, sharply. ``I’m of the opinion that you are a serious impediment to all of us.’’
``What?” Calloway spat, incredulously, stunned by what he was hearing. ``I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m not slacking off like the rest of you.’’
Penski shook with anger. Calloway’s last remark hurt, even if it might have been true. Penski was in command and her engineer’s arrogance was undermining her own effectiveness as captain.
``Mr. Calloway, you are relieved of all but your most essential duties,’’ she said, coldly. ``You may confine yourself to your quarters and to the engineering spaces.’’
``Hold it a second,’’ Calloway snapped. ``What the hell have I done? Boronova’s the one who snapped at me. All I suggested was taking off to launch an information probe.’’
``Yes and proper procedure should have made you discuss it with me first,’’ Penski replied, curtly. ``Not bring it up before the whole crew. That tells them you don’t trust my judgment.’’
``No offense, Captain, but you haven’t been yourself lately, Calloway said and immediately knew he’d made things worse. 
“It was against my better judgment to have you on as engineer,’’ she said, shaking her head in disgust. ``I read your psyche file before the mission. Haven’t been too successful in the social life department, right? Maybe you don’t like being bossed around by a woman? Or being shouted at by a woman. Or maybe you think Muryah is undermining your authority somehow. It seems amazing in this day and age, but there are still a few chauvinist dinosaurs like you around.’’
Calloway started to reply, but decided against it. Some of her words had hit too close to home. He hadn’t been successful in his social life, but he had never let it affect his job. The two had always been separate. But, he had seen a part of Penski he had never seen before and he didn’t like it. She had dealt a low blow. Hoping to keep at least a shred of his dignity, he turned and walked away from her.

* * * * *

Muryah returned the next day and it was like she had never left. The only reminder of the previous night was Calloway and he had locked himself away in the engineering spaces. Muryah made time to talk to each crewmember, but could never get close to Calloway. When she showed the crew her cave (according to Harrigan, it was more like a comfortable fortress), Calloway stayed aboard. When Muryah stayed on board several days, Calloway remained in his quarters. He didn’t even talk to anyone.
A day after Muryah’s last visit, Calloway was forced to come up to the cafeteria for more food. The ship was empty. They hadn’t even bothered to alert him that they were leaving. He only found a three-dimensional holographic video message from Penski telling him the team had gone out individually to make final tests and check their equipment. She expected everyone to be back within a few days’ time. Despite the captain’s orders and his own anger, he knew he had to man his repaired console station to keep an eye on his crewmates.
Once again, he discovered that the uniform cameras had been turned off. He plopped into his chair and looked up at the life function monitors…
…and blanched.
Harrigan’s monitor was blinking yellow - a warning light. Calloway cursed himself for being so self-absorbed that he hadn’t checked the systems earlier, no matter what Penski had ordered. He activated the radio and tried to call the rest of the crew. He got no response.
Cursing, he rushed out of his station and went to the cargo bay. In less than five minutes, he had loaded emergency medical supplies into the medical ATV. He put two server robots into the rear, then roared out of the ship. He ordered the AI to raise the ramp and seal the ship after him. He also ordered the AI to try raising the rest of the crew and vector them towards Harrigan’s last known position.
During the drive, Calloway looked up and noticed a slew of ominously dark clouds looming. It looked a thunderstorm was gathering. But, according to Lee, the skies should have been clear for the next three weeks.
It took Calloway about an hour to realize what Harrigan must have done. His position was much further than Calloway had anticipated. Calloway came upon Harrigan’s empty ATV two hours later at the base of the mountain. During the trip, the monitor for Harrigan had begun blinking red, indicating a potentially life-threatening injury. It was still red, but it had stopped blinking.
Calloway sat in the ATV for a few minutes and hung his head. All sorts of emotions ran through his mind. He finally opened the ATV canopy and climbed out. Although it was a foregone conclusion, he opened the rear hatch and released the server robots while fishing out a small case of medical supplies.
He dug around in the interior of this ATV and pulled out a portable life function monitor. This one allowed him to home in on the exact location of Harrigan. Slowly, he began to follow the signal. He took his time. There was no longer a need to rush.
He found Harrigan 30 minutes later. On his hands and knees, he peered over the ledge to the valley below. The mountain rose impossibly high from the base of the valley and Calloway wondered how high Harrigan had climbed before falling all the way to the bottom.
Even from a distance, he could tell Harrigan was dead. Overhead, the clouds continued to gather and the sky rumbled ominously. Calloway had to send the robots down to the body. He couldn’t even be there to bury the body. Normally, he would have taken the body back to the ship, but he felt Harrigan would have preferred to be buried beneath the mountain he had longed to climb.
The trip back to the ship was long and agonizing. Calloway wished he had gotten to know the Scotsman a little better. Being by himself for the trip, he had nothing to do but think about what had happened. His calls back to the ship to see if the AI had made contact with the others had proved fruitless. At least the weather had improved, he mused, looking up at clear skies.
Suddenly, he turned the ATV and headed in a new direction. He had just had a horrifying thought. He keyed in on another life monitor. He cursed himself again, this time for not picking up on something he had noticed the day Martine and Lee had gone to the ocean. He only hoped he would be in time.
He wasn’t.
It had taken 10 minutes to override the controls of the ocean ATV. As it rolled out of the surf, Calloway stayed in his own vehicle at the edge of the beach. When the ocean ATV finally stopped, Calloway got out of his ATV and approached from the driver’s side.
The canopy had been shattered and the ATV was empty. Calloway peered inside and saw a spear gun jammed between the seats. It had been fired but he saw no evidence of what Martine might have been shooting at. Then, spying something, he reached down and picked an object off the floor. He examined it and saw that it was massive, white and triangular, very sharp along its edges, as well.
He shuddered when he realized what it was. It looked like a shark’s tooth, but the thing must have been huge. Something like the ancient megalodon, a man-eater that predated great white sharks by tens of millions of years and was rumored to be three to five times as large. Subconsciously, he reached down to his holster and thumbed the safety switch off the miniature pistol he’d taken from the medical kit. He felt it wholly inadequate as it only carried a few shots and was meant for self-defense. .
Calloway spotted something else inside. He reached in between the seats and pulled on the spear gun. It seemed to be jammed, so he tugged a little harder and it came free. It was then that he noticed two things around the base of the gun. Each thing was attached to something longer that hung down before stopping abruptly. Calloway gasped, dropped the spear gun and spun around, sickened. 
They were Martine’s hands and forearms!
Now he knew Martine was dead. He wondered, at first, how he could not have known of her imminent danger -- the life function monitor should have shown an increased heart rate.  Then, he remembered and mentally berated himself. He had forgotten how the elements of the ocean had interfered with the monitors of Martine and Lee when they had been underwater. He had gotten all sorts of false readings. 
Calloway deduced that, though she should have known better, Martine had gone out by herself to scuba dive. She had probably fled back to the ATV when the shark-creature had chased her. But, the sheer size of the thing had made the ATV no kind of protection, Calloway surmised. He prayed that her death had been quick, not like Harrigan’s.
Martine and Harrigan were more alike than they had realized. They each were headstrong enough to do whatever they wanted, regardless of the consequences. One had, more than likely, heard the other plot to do something dangerous. The other had used it as an excuse to do something equally dangerous thing.
A drop of moisture hit Calloway’s shoulder. He looked up. He had been so preoccupied that he hadn’t noticed that the rain clouds had gathered directly overhead, just like they had back at the mountain. He headed back to his own ATV.

* * * * *

The cargo bay ramp was down when Calloway finally returned. Two hover cycles sat in a far corner and he could tell they had been used. No one ever returned any of the vehicles to their proper spots. If he hadn’t been so remorseful, he would have been angry.
After putting the ATV back into its proper slot, he programmed the server robots to service the vehicle. He then climbed out and made his way slowly to the cafeteria. He wasn’t surprised at all that no one had met him in the cargo bay upon his return. In fact, nothing at all surprised him anymore regarding their actions.
Along the way, he stopped by the ship’s armory. He typed in his command code so he could retrieve a regular pistol. Sadly, he felt he needed protection for himself, from his own crewmates. There was no telling what they might do to him.
Strangely, the door wouldn’t open. He keyed his code in again, but the door still wouldn’t open. He had been denied access. Fuming, he could figure on one reason - Penski. Maybe she’d finally found out what had happened to Harrigan and Martine and had feared his reaction.
He strode purposefully towards the cafeteria. Sure enough, the rest of the crew was there, sitting quietly at the table. Muryah was also there. She didn’t even bother to look up at him when he entered. He just stood in the doorway, glaring at the people he thought were his crewmates.
When someone finally spoke, it wasn’t Penski, but Muryah.
``Let me say how sorry I am at the loss of your crewmates,’’ she said, mournfully.
Calloway said nothing, but he was perplexed. He could see her knowing about Harrigan, but not about Martine. He had only found out about her on a wild guess. There was no way they could have known if she was dead.
``This planet speaks to me,’’ she continued, as if she sensed his questioning. ``I…I felt their deaths. I am mourning for them.’’
Calloway understood then. It explained the strange storm clouds that had mysteriously appeared over both of the death sites. Muryah was in tune with the planet, incredible as it sounded. But, hadn’t she made the place sound like a paradise? Hadn’t she said the planet provided for its life forms?
Then, it dawned on Calloway that Muryah, in a way, had been right. Earth had long been considered a paradise. But, death was as much a part of nature as life. Even Adam and Eve had needed nourishment in the Garden of Eden. 
Just then, a peculiar thought came to Calloway. Was Muryah the Eve of this paradise called D-505? Or was she the serpent?
``Thank you,’’ Calloway said, for Muryah’s words of sorrow, but his voice lacked sincerity. ``Captain, we need to report this, but the AI tells me the probe launch is still down. I suggest we take off immediately and put into orbit, at least.’’
“I’ve already brought it up with the crew,’’ Penski replied, her head still propped upon her fists. ``We’ve decided to complete the mission.’’
``Continue the mission?’’ he almost exploded. ``Are you nuts? Two of our people our dead, Captain. Doesn’t that mean anything? It’s our responsibility…’’
``I know what my responsibilities are, Mister Calloway,’’ Penski shot back, as she rose up quickly out of her chair. ``My whole life has been about nothing but responsibilities. So, don’t lecture me, Commander.’’
``I agree with the captain.’’
Calloway suddenly realized Lee was in the room. The man had been almost invisible the past week, less talkative than even Boronova, who had lately become the chatterbox. Calloway turned to look at the meteorologist.
``I think we should stay a little longer,’’ Lee said. ``Maybe even after the colonists arrive. What Muryah has told us has prurient scientific value that must be explored. I want to explore them.
``And, please, no more of your damned lectures on regulations and responsibilities. I am carrying the hopes and dreams of more than a billion people on my shoulders. I know far more about responsibilities than you ever could, sir. My responsibilities can’t be found in some handbook from the engineering academy. I vote that we stay.’’
For the first time, Calloway suddenly noticed how tired Lee had looked. But, now that the meteorologist had gotten the words out of his system, he looked happier, relieved. As if some great burden had been lifted off his shoulder - a burden heavier than the dreams of a billion people. Calloway realized now how little he really knew about his crewmates.
Right on cue, Boronova let Calloway have it.
``I guess that’s it, Commander,’’ she said. ``Democracy in action. Funny, I think this is the first time I’ve actually had a say in anything in my life. My parents died when I was young, so I had to take on the responsibility of raising my siblings. Everything I did was for them. Even when I had time to myself, I used it for them.
``Now, I have that opportunity. I can still do what I love and have some free time all to myself. Commander, you don’t realize how great it is to just be able to sit down all by yourself and do what you want, without someone asking for something or demanding something like it’s his or her birthright. I also vote that we stay.’’
Calloway looked daggers at Muryah. He had no doubt that she had been talking with all them. She had had long conversations with Martine and Harrigan and now they were dead because of something foolish.
``Captain, may I have word with you outside?’’ Calloway asked, simply.
He and Penski moved to the passageway and waited for the door to the cafeteria to slide shut. Penski eyed her engineer coolly. She had no doubt he was going to try to use some military authority to get his way. But, she was prepared to stand her ground.
``Captain, the mission is over,’’ Calloway started. ``Martine and Harrigan -- one-third of the crew -- are dead. Everybody’s acting crazy, shirking responsibilities and look where it’s gotten us. Martine went diving alone, which is a cardinal sin for someone that experienced. Same for Harrigan, climbing without even server robots.’’
``Those were accidents,’’ Penski replied, coolly. ``It’s tragic, but there have been tragedies on previous space missions. We can deal with them and still do our jobs. We are professionals, remember?’’
Calloway couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It sounded as if nothing that had happened so far had fazed his captain. She seemed to be in her own world and she wasn’t going to let anything intrude upon it.
``Have you lost your mind, Captain?’’ he snapped, immediately regretting his words. ``We have to leave and leave now.’’
``Don’t tell me what to do!’’ Penski shouted, catching Calloway off-guard. ``I’m not your little girl anymore!’’
As she whirled and walked away, Calloway said nothing. He was too stunned to say anything.

* * * * *

Calloway sat in his engineering station and punched at a myriad of buttons, while trying to issue voice commands through his headset. He kept making faces to show his consternation. Penski had shut him out of virtually every command function. He couldn’t even launch the ship in an emergency.
Suddenly, the door to his station opened. He knew right away that it was Muryah. He didn’t bother to say hello even when she was right at his elbow.
``What’s wrong?’’ she asked in her same pleasant, unaffected voice. ``Why is it so hard for you to accept the beauty of this planet and all it has to offer?’’
``Because your planet killed two of my crewmates,’’ he replied, curtly but sharply.
``Was the captain right?’’ Muryah continued, unfazed. ``Did someone hurt you? What’s your story?’’
Calloway said nothing at first. He was shocked. Penski had mentioned private items from his psyche file to Muryah. He had been hurt several times in romance. He had joked about past relationships many times. Still, that gave Penski no right to reveal his file to strangers.
``Look, my personal life is none of your business,’’ Calloway said, coldly. ``You can leave now.’’
But, Muryah didn’t leave. Instead, she moved around Calloway and took the empty chair next to his. He tried not to look at her, but she pulled at him and forced him to look at her.
``They said you were the glue that holds this ship together,’’ Muryah stated. ``Always quick with a joke, making everyone laugh to lighten up a serious situation. I haven’t heard that laughter. You’ve changed, like the others. But, your friends, they’ve changed for the better. 
``You heard them up there in the cafeteria. They had been holding things inside and it was hurting them. Now that they’ve gotten those things out, you can see how much better they are. But, not you. You’ve lost your sense of humor. You seem angry all the time. Why not let it out. Tell me what’s hurting you?’’
Calloway tried not to listen to her words. But, there she was, looking at him with those beautiful eyes. It had been much too long since he had been able to talk to anyone, he thought. Suddenly, before he knew it, her lips were on his and he didn’t resist. It was as if a floodgate had opened. Years of personal and social frustration poured out into one kiss, a kiss that had even a gentle soul like Muryah gasping.
``It can always be like this, Devin,’’ she said, using his first name for the first time. ``I don’t know what it is, but I’ve felt something for you since I first saw you. And I think you feel it, too. Let me show you what this planet truly has to offer you. To offer us. Let me show you what you’ve been missing.’’
For some reason, Calloway appeared been ready to go with her, until those last words from Muryah. Then, he seemed to wake up out of a daze. She sensed this and kissed him again, but he didn’t respond and she stepped back, perplexed.
``Do you really know what’s going on with me, Muryah?’’ he asked, point blank. ``Or is it the planet talking through you? Don’t you think I’ve seen things that make me wonder, fill me with awe? I couldn’t hibernate like the rest of the crew during the trip here. I got to see the stars and planets, thousands and thousands of them. I saw novas, maybe even the start of a black hole. Have you ever seen one, Muryah? I didn’t think so. But, you know what? I saw all those wondrous things and I still did my job. I took care of responsibilities.’’
``You don’t have to be angry anymore, Devin,’’ Muryah almost pleaded. ``You shouldn’t have to have any responsibilities. The planet can take care of that for us.’’
``But, we’re adults, Muryah,’’ Calloway blurted. ``And, as adults, we have responsibilities. And just like me, this planet has its responsibilities.’’
``Wh-what do you mean?’’ Muryah asked, confused. 
``You’re just like a child and you don’t want to remember anything bad,’’ Calloway explained. ``You remember how your crewmates acted and you shut that out. But, this planet doesn’t. It should have occurred to me long before now, but this planet has to take care of its own. Animals have to eat, Muryah. That’s why Martine is dead now. Death is as much a part of life as we are, which is why the planet didn’t keep Harrigan from falling to his death. Don’t you get it?’’
If she got it, she didn’t let on. Instead, Muryah, looking as if she wanted to cry, turned and left the workstation. Calloway followed her. Angry shouts in the cargo bay brought Calloway’s attention back to the present, just as Muryah entered the bay. What Calloway saw startled him.
Penski and Boronova were holding pistols on one another. Boronova stood at the top of the ramp while Penski was by the wrecked ocean ATV. Lee was almost between them. If one or the other fired, he surely would be hit, if not killed.
``What the hell is going on here?’’ Calloway demanded, wary that either woman could turn the pistol on him. 
``She started it,’’ Boronova spat. ``Lee and I were going to leave the ship but she tried to stop us.’’
``No, it was her,’’ Penski shot back. ``She’s the one who wanted to be by herself. But, she wants Lee all to herself. Can’t you see?’’
Calloway couldn’t help but feel as if he were watching children arguing over something trivial. But, the situation wasn’t trivial. He had known Lee and Boronova to have something between them, even if Boronova’s reserved nature didn’t show it. He never paid heed to it.
Penski was different. While Martine and Harrigan had a lot in common, Penski, as an officer, really couldn’t interact intimately with her crew. But, she and Calloway didn’t see eye to eye, so she had no one to turn to for comfort. ISEA had come a long way in its training for mixed gender crews, but the astronauts were all still human and sex was as healthy a need for humans as food and water.
``Muryah, is this your idea of a paradise?’’ Calloway asked, sternly. ``People pointing guns at each other? Putting friendships in danger, not to mention lives?’’
Muryah was shaking her head. She, too, seemed stunned by the turn of events. She had spent 10 years on this planet, but she had spent them alone. Maybe she had no way of really knowing human nature. Maybe she was just trying to help them all, but with just the limited knowledge she had.
“Marie, Janice, please put down the guns and let’s talk about this,’’ Calloway reasoned. 
Both women lowered their weapons slightly. They seemed startled, but Calloway felt it to be more of a reaction to him using their first names for the first time since they had left Earth. Then, their demeanor returned to the previous situation and the guns went back up. Lee, meanwhile, acted like a jerk, telling both women there was enough of him to go around.
``Lee, shut up,’’ Calloway snapped.
Sensing that things were coming to a head, Calloway knew he had to act. He slowly moved his hand to his waist. He still wore his holster although the captain had locked him out of the armory. He pushed something on his belt and a klaxon sounded, almost deafening all of them. 
Cursing loudly, but barely enough to be heard, Penski turned her pistol towards Calloway. Boronova was swinging her gun his way, too. Behind him, Calloway sensed Muryah screaming, then falling to her knees to bury her head in her hands.
Just then, the ship shook violently. Penski and the others stumbled and she accidentally pulled the trigger. The gun barked once as she fell to the deck. The klaxon stopped and only then did everyone hear the extremely loud claps of thunder and the pounding of rain against the hull.
Boronova rolled over and sat up. Trying to clear her head, she looked down the ramp and saw that it had grown pitch black outside, save for the intense lightning that lit up the skies. By the dim light trickling down from the cargo bay, she could see the fierce winds driving the rain sideways across the ramp.
Lee saw it, too, and it frightened him. He had studied the weather patterns carefully for this world and knew something was not right with this storm. But, he put the matter aside and pulled Boronova to her feet. Knowing they couldn’t take the hover cycles, he led her to remaining ATV. Moments later, they had left the ship, chancing that the ATV could survive this unprecedented storm.
Penski just watched them leave. She could have cared less. She had been stupid and it had cost her - her dignity, her pride, her self-respect. Finally, she pulled herself to her feet and saw…
…Calloway laying flat on the deck. A small wisp of smoke rose from his chest. Penski gasped and cried out. She had shot her engineer. He had taken a lethal blast from her pistol. Muryah leaned over him, sobbing hysterically.
``What have I done?’’ Penski murmured, shaking her head vigorously as if she could shake the memory away. ``What have I done?’’
She dropped the gun to the deck. She then turned and fled into the interior of the ship. Behind her, Muryah continued to sob. Outside, the storm seemed to intensify.

* * * * *

Muryah stumbled into the engineering station and took Calloway’s seat. She tried to dry her cheeks, but it was of little use. The tears were still flowing freely, much like they had that day long ago. She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to erase that terrible memory.
It was then that she noticed the item on the computer screen. It was a likeness of her. She looked closer and gasped when she saw that it was her personnel profile. But, it was different than the one her captain on the Tomahawk had access to. This one showed everything, even her other name of…
``Penland.’’
Muryah jumped and half-screamed, turning to look at the figure in the doorway. 
It was Calloway!
He stepped inside, moving slowly. He seemed to be moving rather stiffly and Muryah could see the excruciating look of pain on his face as he made his way towards her. Finally, he stopped, then moved around her and collapsed into the alternate seat. Muryah turned to face him, as if she were watching a ghost.
``It took me a...while to figure it out, you know,’’ Calloway gasped. ``Well, actually about...about five minutes to put it all together. The captain may have locked me out of most of the systems on this ship, but I’m...still the engineer. I have a few backdoors in the system. Like accessing your entire...personnel file.’’
``You…you were dead,’’ Muryah murmured. ``I saw you die.’’
``Oh, don't get me wrong, I still feel like I'm dead,’’ Calloway replied, with a pained grimace. ``That button I pushed on my belt? That alarm that went off? Those were fail-safes. On one of the first long-range expeditions, there was a mutiny. Some guys went space happy, shot up the ship. Now, the ship’s AI, by command, can put a damper field up to tamp down weapon discharges. That’s why I’m...not dead.’’
Muryah still looked confused, but Calloway couldn’t blame her. It would take more than a little magic to solve her problem and his. He slouched a little more in his seat.
``So, what’s your story, Muryah?’’ he grunted, as he tried to find a more comfortable sitting position to ease his pain and make it easier to breathe. ``Or should I say `Miss Penland’?’’
Muryah had a wild look on her face. She started to stand, but the ship shook again violently and tossed her back into her seat. Calloway glanced up briefly at the sound of the thunder getting louder. The wind buffeted the ship even more, so much so that, with great difficulty, he had to strap himself into his seat. He did the same for Muryah.
``You changed your name a few years before joining ISEA, Muryah,’’ Calloway continued. ``Why? You got all of us to speak out about what was hurting us, but we...we know nothing about you? What kind of pain were you in that would make you want to abandon Earth and...stay here? You have family back home? What about them?’’
Muryah refused to answer; just kept shaking her head. She fumbled at the lock of the seatbelt, but couldn’t get it undone quickly. She stopped, then tried again, but stopped when Calloway reached forward and put his hands over hers. She looked up, mouth agape and stared directly into his eyes.
And she let it all out.
``Oh, God, I am so sorry,’’ she sobbed.
The ship shook even more violently and Calloway heard something break up in the cargo bay. He ignored it, knowing the AI and the server robots would contain any damage. Instead, he leaned forward and lifted Muryah’s head with one hand. He had never been particularly successful with women, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t show care and concern for someone who needed it.
``I…I got someone killed,’’ she whispered. ``I…I was my father’s favorite. I used to…tease all the boys. My father remarried and I had some stepbrothers. But, I liked to lead...lead them on. Make them fight over me. I hated my stepmother and wanted to make my stepbrothers do something that would make my stepmother leave.
``But, I went too far. I got them all into a fight with some of the local boys and…and…one of my stepbrothers died. He was my stepmother’s first-born. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I told my father that, but he…he couldn’t see. My stepmother had him. Don’t you see? Under her thumb. He blamed me for everything. They all did.
``They…they disowned me. My own father. My own siblings. I had nothing. I had to leave. I…I ran and ran, but I couldn’t get away. I tried to make it up. I tried, but they wouldn’t let me forget. So…I tried helping other people. I thought maybe if I did that God would forgive me, help me go back home. But, it never helped.
``That’s why I signed up for the mission. I wanted to leave it all behind. Then, when I found this paradise, I thought I could finally be free. Do what I wanted. Not have the nightmares anymore. But, the crew, they started fighting with each other. It was like with my family all over again. When the ship took off, I was glad.’’
Calloway breathed deeply. God, he thought his problems had been bad. But, they were nothing compared to the anguish Muryah had been holding back.
``When your crewmates died, I started believing I was causing it all over again. I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t me. But, then when you got shot, it all came back. I had caused someone to die again. Oh, God, I am so sorry. It’s all my fault. All this wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for me.’’
Calloway leaned forward again and released Muryah’s seatbelt. He drew her into his arms and held her, let her cry on his shoulder. She cried for a long time. When she stopped, Calloway let her go. Then, he forgave her and told her it wasn’t her fault.
``Not my fault?’’ she questioned. ``Wh-what do you mean?’’
``Listen.’’
Muryah stopped and listened. It was quiet. She realized the storm had stopped. 
``It was you, Muryah,’’ Calloway said. ``You were right about the planet. It does provide for its life forms. It takes care of its life forms and it responds to them as well.
``When you hurt, the planet hurts. When you were hurting, it reacted with the storms. But, it’s like this with all of us. With Martine and her love of the ocean. With Harrigan and the mountains. Janice and the desire to have time by herself without being needed by everyone else. By Lee, who didn’t want to carry the weight of so many people. By even the captain, who had worked so hard to please her parents that she never had time for herself.
``We’re each reacting differently to our emotions,’’ Calloway continued, pausing briefly to grimace through a spasm of pain. ``But, as adults, we’re supposed to control our emotions. Emotions can be dangerous. As dangerous as climbing a mountain alone or diving in the ocean alone. As dangerous as alienating one’s crewmates or keeping a secret hidden until it threatens to tear you apart inside.’’
``Wh-what do we do now?’’ Muryah asked, innocently.’’
``I have to go,’’ he answered, matter-of-factly. ``I have to warn the colonists not to come here. Can you imagine three thousand souls affected by this planet? It would be a disaster. I have to get this ship off the ground and you have to help me.’’
``How can I help?’’ Muryah queried. ``What about your crewmates?’’
``The planet reacts to your emotions, Muryah,’’ Calloway replied. ``You probably thought I’d launch a probe and the planet zapped the probe and launching system. When you were confused and angry and emotional, the planet responded with the thunderstorm. When you sensed the deaths of Martine and Harrigan, the planet reacted with storm clouds over the mountains and the ocean. If you accept that I need to leave, then the planet won’t stop me from lifting off.’’
Muryah stayed silent for a long time. She was trying to take in Calloway’s words, but some were hitting too close to home. Calloway looked at her all the while, hoping she’d come around.
``I can circle around and pick up the others,’’ he finally said. ``If they want me to.’’
``I-I’ll help you,’’ Muryah agreed.
``Okay, then,’’ he said. ``Let’s take off. But, give me some time. I’ve got to override the captain’s lockout. Then, we can get to Janice, Nguyen and the captain. I thought she was still aboard, but it looks like she’s gone. We may have ignored Martine and Harrigan when they were in trouble, but we’re not going to make the same mistake twice.’’
Despite there being only Calloway to handle the ship, the Humboldt took off, though it was rough going. ISEA regulations provided that he should be able to run the ship by himself in an emergency, but they had never promised anything close to a smooth trip. 
Fortunately, Calloway’s radio call had reached Boronova. She was waiting as the ship landed briefly in a field. She was dry and warm as she had been inside the ATV during the storm. But, she still wanted to be alone and nothing Calloway said could convince her otherwise. She still wanted to stay. He didn’t see Lee anywhere and he didn’t bother to ask. It was confusing, but so were human emotions.
Calloway never found Lee. Lee had separated from Janice during the storm, setting out on foot when she had told him she didn’t want him around every waking moment. He had shouted that he was heading back to the ship, telling her that Penski would take him. Maybe he stopped to enjoy the rainstorm, Calloway hoped.
That just left Captain Penski and Calloway knew she would be the toughest case of all. She and Calloway had clashed fiercely and some things were more difficult to forgive than others were. Calloway eventually located her near the mouth of Muryah’s cave. He brought the ship down almost to the ground, but couldn’t land because of the rocky surface.
``Captain, I’m taking the ship up to warn the colonists,’’ Calloway said into the radio. ``I’d appreciate your expertise in handling this ship. It’s difficult with just me.’’
``I’m sorry, Devin,’’ Penski declined. ``I can’t go back. Not now. Not after the way I’ve acted. It was definitely not conduct becoming an officer.’’
``Hey, Captain, I can let bygones be bygones,’’ Calloway said, as a couple of hard coughs racked his body. 
``Thank you, Commander, but I’d still know,’’ Penski replied. ``I need time to work my issues out. I need to relive the time I’ve missed out on. I-I’m staying.’’
In the cockpit, Calloway let his head hang heavily. Though he’d argued with Penski, he had to admire her. She stuck by her convictions, even if he thought those convictions to be not worth staying behind for.
``I guess I’m staying, too, Devin,’’ Muryah blurted, getting up from the co-pilot’s seat.
Calloway sighed. Had he really expected Muryah to ditch 10 years of living on the planet to go back to an Earth that didn’t want her? 
``I want to thank you, Devin,’’ Muryah said as she headed for the door. 
``For what?’’
``For reminding me of my own responsibilities,’’ she said.
``What responsibilities?’’
``I’m responsible for them now,’’ she replied, with a smile. ``For Lee and Janice. I have to show them how to live in harmony with the planet, how to survive like I did. When you finish with your responsibilities of warning the colonists, will you come back?’’
``I'd like to, but I-I don’t think so, Muryah,’’ Calloway answered, with a pain-wracked voice. 
``I understand,’’ she said, slowly. ``I want to thank you for helping me, though. And you’re always welcome here. Goodbye.’’
Calloway looked up at the monitors and watched Muryah navigate the long corridors until she got to the cargo bay. He then pressed a button to lower the cargo ramp. He watched her walk down the ramp and step across to the flat surface of the rock formation above her cave. Penski gave her a hand to keep her steady. 
“And now, let me help you, Captain,” Muryah said.
“Why?” Marie asked, curiously. “I said I can’t go back.”
“You have to, Captain,” Muryah replied. “You can always come back, but you do have a job to finish.”
“To hell with the…”
“Didn’t you say you hated your parents for trying to make you live up to two sets of responsibilities?” Muryah interjected. “What about theirs? Couldn’t they have just said no to raising you? No, because they were responsible for you, just like you’re ultimately responsible for telling those colonists about this planet. 
“And, besides, Devin may talk tough, but he’s really hurting. He needs help and, somehow, I don’t think either of you would mind getting a second chance to make a first impression. Underneath, he’s a really great guy. Once you get to know him, I suspect.”
Marie gasped at Muryah’s words, but then sheepishly turned away and blushed. She had to admit that Muryah was right. She wanted to just throw away all of her cares, but that wasn’t how life worked. And, she noted, she did have the option of returning.
“There’s a time and a place for everything, Marie,” Muryah added. “And think someone really needs to remind Devin of that.”

* * * * *

Calloway made sure no life signs were near the ship. Satisfied, he closed the ramp and slowly moved the ship away. Just then, he heard the cockpit door open and, stunned, he whipped around to see Penski walk in. He started to unbuckle his harness and get up, but she stopped him. He watched her settle into her captain’s chair and strap herself in.
“Uhm, Captain, I thought you were staying?” he asked, obviously confused.
“I was, but I’ve got some things to do first,” Penski replied. “Some things to answer for.”
“Well, you did what you thought was best,” Calloway said. “And we can always blame Janice and Lee.”
Penski laughed and then checked her console.
“A mutual friend said that we still have some responsibilities,” Penski added. “Yours is to remind me of mine. And mine is to get you to forget yours.”
“No, I think mine is to make sure we don’t say the ‘R’ word again for the rest of this trip,” Calloway quipped. 
“I guess this planet really does have an effect,” Penski noted. “Even you’ve changed.”
A puzzled look fell over Calloway’s face. He wanted to say something, but his console beeped. He looked down to see that the engines were fully prepped for launch. He turned around to face forward.
He saw Muryah waving as Penski floated the ship away to a safe distance, before hitting the retro jets. The ship lifted higher into the sky where Penski leveled it off. Then, on cue from her, Calloway engaged the afterburners and left a trail of vapor as he took the ship through the atmosphere towards the stars.
When the ship had completely escaped the atmosphere, slumped back in his seat. He knew it would be a long trip home and he found himself thinking of Muryah and her soft eyes. He silently cursed his responsibilities, but, deep down, he knew he had made the right choice. Part of being an adult was making hard choices.
“Okay, Devin.”
He looked up to see his captain standing next to him, her right hand extended. Caught off-guard, he stared at her for a moment. Then, he reached out, took her hand and briefly shook it.
“Captain Marie Penski,” she said. “Welcome aboard, Mr. Calloway. Hopefully, we’ll really get to know each on this trip. But, first things first. You’re hurt. Off to bed with you. Captain’s orders.”
Perplexed, yet happy with the change in not only his captain’s demeanor, but his own, he wearily undid his harness and pushed himself to his feet. He felt Penski’s hands helping him up and he realized, for the first time, how caring and gentle they were. He thanked her and then moved toward the door.
At the door, he stopped, turned and glanced up at a monitor, watching the planet fall farther away from the ship. Tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. He wiped them away and continued on, as Penki ordered the Humboldt’s AI to set an interception course for the colonists’ ship. 

###

Thank you for taking time out to read this work of fiction. I hope you enjoyed it and will check out my other works:
  -- a collection of short stories that explores the darker side of science fiction
  -- a collection of short stories that explores Man’s darker nature

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