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  Kindra could never place her finger on what it was about the dropship that stopped her. It was a sleek design, a tapered nose expanding to the body and smooth wings of the ship. One night, after a few too many drinks, she had tried to explain to a friend how she felt about the Vigilant. It was beautiful, yes, but there was a hint of menace to it as well, the ship as dark as night. It was well armed, but one would never guess just by looking at it. It was an implied danger, like a gorgeous man with just a hint of aggression in his bearing. Kindra had been embarrassed the next day, but it was still the best description she could muster.

  Kindra shook her head. At the end of the day, it was just another dropship, no matter how she felt about it. It was the newest Fleet design, but it was still ten years old, and Fleet had at least four others she knew of.

  The first person Kindra ran into was entirely unique within Fleet. Kenan was a monster of a man, at least fifteen centimeters taller than Kindra. Kindra had heard once that he had grown up in a low-gravity hab, but apart from his height you’d never guess it. Everything about Kenan screamed raw power. He joked that his muscles had muscles, and although Kindra’s scientific sensibilities bristled at the inaccuracy, she had to give him credit. He was the strongest man she had ever met. As she approached, he easily slung a container over his shoulder that probably weighed twice as much as she did.

  Unfortunately, his muscles weren’t paired with an equal intelligence. He had once told Kindra he’d joined Fleet so he could shoot at things all over the galaxy. Kindra had actually rolled her eyes, the first time she remembered doing so since she had been a girl. His greeting this morning wasn’t any more enlightened. “Hey, babe! Glad to see you could join us on this one.”

  Kindra didn't give Kenan the pleasure of her response. He thrived on any attention, negative or otherwise. The two of them had never gotten along, and more than once Kindra had wondered what Derreck saw in him. She knew the two of them had a deep history, but neither of them talked about it very often. All she knew was that they had served together during the Rebellion conflicts. Although she didn’t like Kenan, his respect for Derreck was obvious, and he would follow whatever order his captain gave.

  Kindra walked past Kenan and almost ran into Eleta, who was hiding by the lift gate for the dropship. Her head was buried in some panel Kindra never knew existed. The two of them got along well, even though their minds worked in very different ways. Eleta was the engineer and mechanic on the ship, and was one of the most logical people Kindra had ever met. She was the type of person who believed everything had its place, and once it was there, you didn’t dare mess with it. Despite their very different personalities, they enjoyed each other’s company, and were united by a shared love of exploration.

  Once on board the dropship, she passed Alston, their geologist. Kindra said hello, but there was no response from him. She suspected he had turned off all his inputs so he could focus on whatever task was at hand. Alston was, like Kenan, unique. He was driven by the pursuit of science, and couldn’t care much about anything else. If they interacted more, she might not like him, but he was notoriously introverted. She figured the reason he was a geologist was because he understood rocks much better than he understood people.

  Kindra dropped her small bundle of goods on her bunk and decided to say hi to Derreck. They’d be taking off soon, and although she was certain he knew she was aboard, she still wanted to check in.

  She found him right where she expected him to be, sitting in the captain's chair on the small bridge. Derreck was the reason she stayed in Fleet, years after her initial tour of duty was over. When she had joined, she had been certain she’d only do a single tour; but serving under Derreck had been one of the best experiences of her life. She wasn't convinced she would become a lifer yet, but she was continually surprised to find that she was willing to consider it.

  Derreck was one of the genuinely best men she had ever met. He was honest, hard-working, dedicated to his job, fun to be around, and attractive to boot. He was one of Fleet’s stars, although there were some rumors he had intentionally passed up a handful of promotions to keep his current rank of captain. Kindra had never found the courage to ask him about it, but she could understand. Derreck was quiet about his past, but there was one thing that was obvious to anyone who met him. This was a man who loved space. He loved leading expeditions, and Kindra had never met anyone better at it. Sometimes, in her more cynical moments, she thought Derreck had the air of someone trying to escape something, but that was unfair to him. She didn’t know what drove him, she just knew she would follow him anywhere in the galaxy.

  Kindra walked in and overheard the last snippets of conversation. “Yes, captain. All our crew are on board," Derreck glanced at Kindra as he spoke, giving her a short wink. “We’re just finishing getting our final supplies on board now. We should be off in about five minutes."

  There was a burst of chatter on the other end of the line that Kindra didn’t catch. Derreck shut down the channel. “They’re disorganized even by Fleet standards.”

  Derreck turned around and looked at her. He didn’t give her any snide remarks or demand to know where she'd been. Derreck knew each of his crew far better than they knew him, and there was no use hiding anything from him. It was another reason why Kindra admired his leadership. His look said it all, just as it always did. Derreck was generally a by-the-book sort of guy, and he didn't understand Kindra's little rebellions, but they had come to an unspoken agreement when he realized her small indiscretions were a reasonable price to pay for her expertise on missions. He may have disapproved, but he wouldn’t take any action.

  "Are you ready for this?”

  Kindra nodded. Everyone knew there was something unusual about this mission, but only Kindra and Derreck had any real idea just how strange their mission would be. She knew he wasn’t just asking a general question. He was wondering if they were up to the task before them. Kindra smiled. “We can do this.”

  Derreck returned the smile and leaned back in his captain’s chair. “I certainly hope you’re right.”

  The briefing was held in the galley of the Vigilance. Although the dropship was fairly large, most of its spaces were reserved for scientific inquiry, leaving little room for the crew’s day-to-day activities. Like the galley, most spaces fulfilled more than one purpose.

  Derreck entered last, no doubt having waited to make sure everyone was there before he started the meeting. He dimmed the lights and pulled up a hologram for all of them to study. The image wasn't perfect, and if Kindra squinted, she could still see the pixelation of the hologram. Apparently they still hadn't received the most recent survey data.

  Kindra’s mind wandered for a moment. Fleet had sent a survey probe far ahead of them, but the probe had never sent back any data. It was unusual, but Fleet wasn’t working with the newest equipment, and malfunctions happened. They had sent a second probe once they’d jumped in-system, but from what Kindra could see, they hadn’t gotten much information from that probe back yet. Even with all their technology, it took a long time to scan an entire planet.

  "Listen up, everyone," said Derreck. “I know y'all have had quite a few questions about this mission, and the answers haven’t been as forthcoming as you all would like. I can certainly understand if you’re feeling a little bit left out of the loop, but this mission has a higher clearance level than our typical expeditions."

  Alston looked over at Kenan. “Fleet has clearance levels now?”

  Kenan shrugged, unconcerned.

  Derreck looked over at Kindra. "Take it away."

  Kindra did. "In front of you is our destination, a planet with a Fleet designation I won't even bother trying to remember. As y'all know, we’re a long ways from home. There have been expeditions that have gone farther, but not many. On one hand, our mission here is the same as it usually is. We drop down to explore the planet, take samples, and report everything to Fleet."

  Kindra took a big breath before continuing. “Ho
wever, this planet is not typical. First, you need to know that a strong electromagnetic signal was observed coming from this planet about nine months ago. We detected it for about two months and then it disappeared. We weren’t able to decipher anything useful about the signal, but it wasn’t natural.”

  “In addition, preliminary scans of the planet made at range indicate this planet has an atmosphere and environment suitable for carbon-based life. I don't know a lot more than you do right now, but I’m hoping the situation will change as soon as I get the most recent information from the survey probe. What I can tell you is that from our initial scan, it appears the planet has a diverse range of flora."

  Kindra let the information set in. Besides Kenan, everyone in the briefing was smart enough to put the pieces together. It was Alston who asked the question everyone was wondering.

  “Are there any indications of intelligent life?”

  Kindra shook her head. “That’s what we’re here to find out. This planet has as good a chance of harboring intelligent life as we’ve ever seen.”

  She paused and took a breath. “We’re dropping into the heart of a mystery. Those signals would have originated almost a thousand years ago. Who knows what’s happened since then? We haven’t picked up anything, not even since we’ve been in-system. But we have to know.”

  Derreck took control of the briefing. "So, now you understand all the secrecy. Our mission is the same, but the stakes are higher than we’ve ever had. We’re one of the best crews out here, which is why we drew this mission. We’re burning hard for atmo and should make landfall in about twenty-eight hours. Use that time to prepare. I want everyone on top of their game.”

  Kenan spoke up. "So what happens if we make first contact?"

  Derreck shrugged. “Fleet says discretion is in our hands. We don’t have any idea what we might encounter, but Admiral Marshall told me he trusted our judgment. I’d prefer not to start an interstellar war, if we can avoid it.” The smile on his face gave his joke away.

  Eleta spoke up next. “Speaking of this mission, if what you’re saying is true, why did the Destiny jump out? I was surprised to learn that. We’re a long damn ways from charted space. If we’re so far away and this planet is all that, why isn’t the jumper staying in-system?”

  Derreck appeared to debate with himself for a moment before he said, “This is supposed to be a secret, but you all deserve the truth. I can’t give out many details, and frankly, I don’t know all that much more than you. But there’s another planet nearby which also indicated signs of life. It’s about a forty light year jump, and Fleet decided to check them both out at the same time. Believe it or not, the other planet is even more likely to have intelligent life. I don’t know what evidence Fleet is basing that decision on, but that’s what I’ve been told. The Destiny will need to recharge before it can jump any further, so it will be at least three weeks before we can get any help from her. She is scheduled to rendezvous with us again in four weeks. But, we do have a jumping beacon if worse comes to worst. In that case, rescue will be a lot longer than four weeks; but it will come, and the Vigilance is stocked for a long mission.”

  Everyone looked around. A jumping beacon was a very expensive piece of equipment, and Fleet didn’t have too many of them. Whatever happened to them, Fleet wanted to know about it.

  Derreck looked around the room for any more questions, but there were none. Kindra was surprised. But then she realized, it wasn’t that they didn’t have questions, it was that all the answers they sought were down on the planet below them. A planet they would be on tomorrow.

  Once Tev caught his breath, he said a short prayer of thanks to Lys for the boar, both for the fight it had given him and the food it would provide his clan. His ritual complete, he had one final problem to solve. In his eagerness to kill the boar, he hadn't considered how he would get it back to camp. The beast was much larger than he could carry, especially with the gash in his leg. With a sigh of resignation, he went to work building a makeshift litter out of downed branches and leather straps from his pack. He could get the boar back to camp, but the journey would be a difficult one.

  The sun was well past its midpoint when Tev finally found his way back to the camp he had left early that morning. He collapsed to his knees in relief when the hunters watching the perimeter found him. His legs and arms ached from the sustained burden of the hike. His injured leg wanted nothing but rest. The hunters who found him picked up his burden, leaving Tev to walk into camp on his own.

  He returned to mixed reactions. Some hunters looked grateful for a day of rest. The injured hunters seemed especially grateful. Others gave him glares that would have broken bones if they could. Some were angry that he had put himself at risk. Others were angry he had stolen the honor of the kill. Tev met every look, accepting the unspoken opinion of each of his peers. Angry or delighted, there would be no lies, no pretense between them.

  They decided to return home. With everyone taking turns carrying the boar and assisting the injured, they figured they could make it home before the sun set tomorrow. Tev didn’t relish the idea of walking farther, but he accepted it as punishment for leaving his brothers and sisters behind. At least he didn’t have to carry the boar on his own.

  The party made it back just as the sun was setting the next day. Tev thought there was nothing more beautiful than the sight of cooking fires after a long journey. Their arrival had been expected, and the smell of cooking meat drove them all home as fast as their feet could carry them. The clan had been running low on food, but the boar would sustain them until the next hunting party returned.

  Despite his kill, Tev was not given a place of honor at the feast. A part of him was angered by the slight, but it quickly diminished. He had fed the clan, and that was all that mattered; being popular was far less important to him. He took a place among the rest of the hunters, enjoying the meat and the company. Several of the injured hunters passed him skins of drink, and Tev drank freely.

  The drums were brought out, and Tev, a little dizzy from drink, joined in. The beat started simply, and it was easy for him to keep pace. His musical skills lagged far behind his hunting skills, but he played enthusiastically.

  When he couldn’t keep the beat anymore, he passed the drum on and began to dance. He wasn’t skillful at making music, but he prided himself on his dancing. As the beats grew louder and more complex, the outside world slipped away. His whole existence became nothing but the rhythm, the pulsing heart of the world he lived in. The harder he danced, the more his thoughts disappeared, until he lost all sense of self and there was only the beat.

  In time, the music faded, the beats becoming less complicated and more subdued. Tev came out of his trance, exhausted but elated. He left the ring and went to find something else to drink. When he did, he sat down on a log and watched as the younger boys continued to dance. Their energy seemed inexhaustible, even though he was only a few years older than them.

  The shadows stirred, and Shet came and sat down next to Tev. "There are many stories about you on this hunt.”

  It was a statement, but also a question. Tev didn’t want to have this conversation now.

  “I did what I thought needed to be done.”

  “And why did you believe you needed to hunt that boar by yourself?”

  Tev held his tongue. At the time, his intention had been clear, his path laid out before him so clearly there could be no question. But now, separated by time and distance, he wasn't so sure. "I didn't want anyone else to get hurt."

  The older man nodded. “And did you not count yourself when you thought about this? Was your life meaningless to you?”

  This time Tev didn’t think. “It’s better to risk one than many. I didn’t want to say the words of remembrance over another friend. And besides, I was certain I could kill it.”

  Shet’s eyes bored into Tev, and Tev couldn’t help but feel as though the elder saw into him, saw how he believed he was guided by Lys.

  “Yo
ur intent was good, but your decision was foolish.”

  Tev’s anger got the best of his control. “And what would you have done?”

  “Trust. I would have trusted the rest of us. Trusted our traditions.”

  Tev wasn't sure what to say to that. His decision had seemed so right, and it still did. The boar was dead, and the clan was fed. Who was Shet to say he had been wrong? If not for his respect for the elder, he would have said as much.

  "I didn't come here to criticize you. What is done is done. You are skilled, and one day, people will look to you for guidance. When that time comes, I want to make sure you are ready. Please, think about what I have said. If you hope to lead, you must think about us all, but you must trust us all as well."

  Tev closed his fist and brought it to his chest to indicate his respect for the elder’s words. Shet nodded, stood up, and walked off into the night. Tev looked up at the stars, wondering if he'd been right or wrong.

  He lost all track of time as he watched the stars above. The sky spun lazily overhead. The Deer had already set, and Lys was not far behind. Those pinpricks of light gave him comfort. Every day the Hunter chased the Deer, and no matter what happened from day to day, Lys would continue to hunt. Just as Tev would keep chasing his prey.

  Neera found him with his eyes half closed, enjoying the quiet serenity that came from being just far enough away from the celebration. He could hear the laughter and the joy, but he remained alone with his thoughts. She sat down next to him, and he allowed his gaze to wander over.