Chapter 1

What's that saying—one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind? I think I finally understood it.

I clutched the lightweight tablet to my chest and took a deep breath, trying to calm my overzealous emotions. It took all of my focus not to cry in front of my friends.

"Promise me you're going to be careful. We have absolutely no idea what to expect down there," the dark-skinned woman standing before me admonished. Despite her firm words, she couldn't keep the soft smile from her lips.

"I promise, Maya," I replied. I had already promised her the same thing a hundred times. Maya was often quiet, but once she warmed up to you, she was protective. I doubted she'd ever tell me outright that she was worried, but I recognized her actions for what they were.

"She's going to be fine! It'll be an adventure," the red-headed woman standing beside Maya laughed, nudging Maya playfully. Ariana beamed at me for a moment, even though her smile faltered. "But yeah… make sure you stay with the group. Don't get lost down there, okay?"

Within moments, we were embracing, holding each other tight. No one wanted to admit the reality of the situation. It was a monumental day for all of us and one that could potentially lead to my death. Dangerous was an understatement.

I pulled back, breaking the group hug and blinking back tears. I couldn't let them see me so weak; otherwise, I might lose this opportunity. Already several male coworkers watched from nearby, waiting to jump at the chance not to have a woman accompany them.

"Has anyone seen Stacy?" I had to clear my throat just to talk. I did my best to disguise it with a cough. Given how both my friends watched me with knowing eyes, I doubted I was successful at hiding my emotions.

Ariana nodded. "She already comm'd me. She's doing some work for the development team. Don't worry, she'll be along soon enough."

I bit my lip, my nerves creeping higher. I didn't want to leave before seeing Stacy one last time. But if she didn't hurry along, we might miss the opportunity. The shuttle wouldn't wait for anyone, especially someone not allocated a seat.

We all glanced across the room at the shouts of a young woman. Sure enough, a blonde was pushing her way through the crowd, waving her arm frantically, not caring that she attracted too much attention from our peers for her raucous behavior.

* * *

I could only hope I didn't look as terrified as I felt as the shuttle door closed. Every single person inside the shuttle was quiet, not one of us willing to break the silence. The sound of the motors firing up, and the gentle purr of the engine, seemed overly loud. My fingers curled around the handrest as the subtle effects of weightlessness and gravity restored themselves.

Across the row from me, Commander Davis let out a weak chuckle as we all thumped back into our seats. "This is it, team. It's time for us to make history."

The Commander pulled his tablet out of his jacket pocket. For one moment, he looked older than he normally did; the gray hair at his temples and the wrinkles around his eyes were more noticeable than before.

"Mr. James Lewis, you are being reassigned to zone four." I jerked, looking at the Commander with wide eyes. That was my zone! Would they force me to work with James? The people on my exploration team were nice. James was the one exception. He was highly competitive, trying to make a name for himself. Anything anyone achieved, he wanted to one-up them. And sometimes his pride and ambition took him too far, starting fights.

I didn't want to be stuck with James for weeks at a time.

The Commander's eyes caught mine, his lips twitching. The man never smiled, but I'd spent so much time with him to recognize that twitch as the closest he had to a smile. "Eve Languis. You are being transferred to outer-zone one."

I hurriedly pulled out my tablet to confirm the details. It felt like it took forever for it to turn on and activate, the screen flashing with the all too familiar symbol of the Earth government.

"Wait a moment. You're switching my zone with Eve?" James leaned forward in his seat, a mixture of disbelief and anger washing over his face.

I quickly glanced back down at my tablet, not wanting to get involved. Everyone in the shuttle looked uncomfortable, a few bodies shifting restlessly. You didn't question the Commander. Ever. It was that unspoken rule that we all had. No one knew what happened if you disrespected him, and no one wanted to find out. You didn't upset war vets, especially high-ranking ones, like Commander Davis.

"We all know that outer-zone one was likely to be our ticket-winner." The Commander stated with conviction, as if his response explained everything. It did not, but I was not about to ask.

Our goal was to find somewhere suitable to build a new town. A place where humans could live. A new home.

"I requested her help, not a transfer to a different zone," James persisted.

"So you could throw all your work at her, Mr. Lewis?" Commander Davis snapped.

"You approached me. You were concerned the work would be too much. So I've found someone to fill your shoes. Someone qualified. Eve proved herself on board the ship when she voluntarily took on the strategic analysis of each zone. She did all the work for every one of you." Commander Davis stated firmly, looking around the small room at each of my co-workers.

Around the cramped room, heads nodded. I had spent hours upon hours going over every little detail on the topographic maps. I had planned out walking routes, where our team would need to take samples, where it would be safe to camp, and so much more.

"Then send me back to the outer-zone. I'm far more capable than she is," James snapped at the Commander. "We don't know what danger the outer-zones hold. We should leave her at base camp, where she's safe."

Further down the row, just beyond the Commander, the blonde head of James Lewis cast a dirty look my way. He leaned forward in his seat, his expression just begging for someone to share his complaints. Instead, several members of our team looked rather uncomfortable, caught between our boss and a member of the team being insubordinate.

"That's enough!" Everyone in the room flinched as Commander Davis's voice boomed throughout the vehicle. He was a soft-spoken man most of the time, making it easy to forget that he had earned the title of commander.

Commander Davis's eyes flicked between mine and James's. "Miss Languis will work outer zone one until otherwise instructed. The rest of you will work your assigned locations, and I won't hear a single word of complaint about it."

My eyes met James's from a distance. Nothing good would come from this.

* * *

Our shuttle landed on the surface of planet Atraxis with a bump. Everyone let out a sigh. Shoulders slumped with relief.

Commander Davis chuckled as he stood, the earlier tension dissipating. "Everyone, you know your tasks to set up a home base. Get to it. You can leave for your respective zones after checking in with me."

I heard the clanks and hisses of panels being released, machinery being navigated into place. Then the outside door unlatched and swung open.

En masse, everyone filed out of the shuttle. I joined the line, trying to look past the backs of my co-workers to get my first view of the outside world.

First, the chill of the air hit me like a solid wall, making me hiss at the unexpected impact. It was such a sudden shock to my system that I was left reeling for a moment. I paused at the exit out of the shuttle, taking in the planet stretching out before us.

Bushes and trees ranged from pastel blues right through to midnight-blues. I could see trees in the distance that looked similar to Earth pines, with darker foliage and sharp-looking leaves. Two suns were overhead. I had been prepared for this visual, having studied the suns from the starship's viewports. But seeing them in person, feeling the warmth of the rays on my skin, was both disconcerting and enjoyable.

Each sun emitted weaker light than Earth's sun, but together they could produce a sweltering heat. From our drones and initial test data about the planet, we knew that temperatures could be chilling without the sun's rays. Feeling how cold it was now at the start of spring, I didn't look forward to experiencing winter on this planet. Or the sweltering summers.

"Evelyn Languis." Commander Davis approached me, rubbing his hands together and blowing on them. Behind him, several members of our team were already running flexible pipes down to the river's edge. Getting drinkable water was one of our highest priorities, and no one was messing around until it was secured. "You're further out than everyone else, and should leave now if you have any hope of establishing camp before sunset."

I nodded to the Commander and moved to collect my supplies. James was struggling with his piping as I walked past. I was tempted to offer help, but the man turned and glared daggers at me. So I focused on pulling out my backpack and stuffing it full of the extra rations I would need since I'd be living in the outer-zones for the near future. Enough dehydrated food to last me close to a month, along with several hydro-cubes of condensed drinking liquid.

The Commander stepped up beside me, though he kept a studious eye on the team members laying out the pipes.

"Keep your wits about you, Miss Languis. Keep your weapon on hand at all times. The studies suggest that large creatures may be roaming about. We don't know what temperament they have. I don't want to lose my best team member to an avoidable accident."

I nodded at the older man, patting my small stun gun at my hip. "Of course, Sir. You've trained us for months now. I won't fail you."

The Commander stepped closer, lowering his voice. Not once did he stop watching the rest of the team. "You are familiar with all the details of your contract, correct?"

I flinched. There was no way I wasn't familiar with it. It had been made quite clear to me before leaving Earth. Planet Atraxis represented the hope and future of humanity. Passage didn't come cheap. I had been hired because I had the engineering qualifications to help identify suitable land to build on. But it hadn't been enough.

"I'm to get married," I replied. It wasn't fair. Not a single male on board the spaceship was being forced to get married, let alone to be treated like a brood-mare. But I didn't have a choice if I wanted to leave Earth. It had been a take it or leave it kind of deal. And life on Earth had been getting worse by the day. At least for women.

Commander Davis gave me a commiserating glance and a slight shrug. There wasn't much either of us could do about it.

"While you are free to marry whomever you wish, I am to ensure that you do. I thought it wise to warn you that someone had approached me with a request. It was James Lewis."

My head snapped so fast in the Commander's direction that I winced, pulling a muscle. "He asked to marry me? What the hell? He doesn't like me!"

The Commander shook his head. "It's impossible not to like you, Eve. I may be an old man, but it doesn't mean I'm blind. If I could see you, then so could others. You are a talented young woman. Mr. Lewis would be a fool not to notice you, and he's no fool. The point is, once we declare outer-zone one as habitable, you will need to get married. I've suggested it to several of the other team members, but so far none have gotten back to me. You and I both know that Mr. Lewis is not ideal husband material. I thought it best to warn you while I still could."

Breathing deeply, I tried to repress the rising panic. It was bad enough I had to get married… but to him? Some people, like James, would never believe that women were just as capable as men. I did my best to avoid him, focusing on my work rather than getting involved in his dramas. This resulted in me climbing the ranks faster than most of our team, becoming recognized as being both knowledgeable and skilled. James resented me for it. It was a blessing that I didn't have to interact with him as much as the others in my team. But why did he want to marry me?

"I know my contract, sir. I'll do my job." What else could I say? There was nothing that I could do.

I gathered my belongings, grunting as I heaved the heavy weight onto my back. I was glad that Commander Davis had made us all train in the ship's gym to get used to carrying the weight of our supplies. Thankfully, I only needed to do this for one day before establishing a small home away from home.

"Eve."

I turned back to him, not wanting to see the pity on his face. "Be careful out there. Don't take any unnecessary risks."

My heart warmed toward the older man. The Commander had always looked out for me, even during our long trip to the planet. He reminded me that I wasn't alone on this alien planet.

"Thank you, sir," I mumbled behind a clogged throat.

Commander Davis wrapped an arm around me, bringing me close for a stiff, awkward hug. It was like he had forgotten how to be a person, how to relax, and he was repeating the motions from a vague memory rather than practice. Still, it felt nice.

"Be careful out there, Eve," his eyes softened as he looked down at me. "You are the closest thing to a daughter I've ever had, so watch out for yourself. If in doubt, come straight home. We'll figure something out."

The old man hesitated for a moment before patting me on the back several times. When I pulled away, he was blushing and what I suspected were tears were gathering in his eyes. Before I could say anything, he spun on his heel and walked away.

Hours after I had walked away from home-base and the rest of my team, I reflected on Commander Davis' words about the marriage contract. That was a problem I could handle another day.

* * *

Thick forests surrounded the landing zone, only broken up by the various cliffs and ridges that practically sprouted out of the ground like weeds. Climbing the steep rises and hills of the mountainside left me breathless, but I refused to stop. I didn't think I had ever pushed myself so hard. The entire journey was uphill. I was forced to cling to the walls of cliffs as I scaled the edges and dragged myself up the sides.

Time passed as I walked, admiring the scenery as much as I worried about reaching my destination. Only once the forest opened up in front of me, revealing an area of blue grass, did I pause. I glanced around at the surrounding locations, calculating my position.

I made it. If I wasn't so exhausted, I would be celebrating. Unfortunately, my day didn't end here. I still had to set up camp.

I wiped my sweaty forehead. My hand came away so drenched in sweat that I screwed up my nose at it, flicking away the droplets of my filth.

I thanked God and whoever had assigned us the more expensive model of tents. They were semi-automatic. I unzipped the packaging. The flexible metal rods twisted into position and expanded. All I had to do was stand back and watch my tent expand into a small white dome shape.

I dumped my backpack inside and took a well-deserved stretch. Now that I was done, I could get a good look around my campsite.

The first sun had disappeared, and the second sun was just breaking the horizon and fading from view. The sky was on fire with vivid reds, oranges, and purples. Unfortunately, the world around me was awash in a reddish tinge that gave everything a very horror-themed vibe. Long shadows were cast by the nearby pine-like trees, and their dark limbs reached towards me like fingers. I curled my arms around my waist as my body was wracked with shivers that weren't at all due to the cold.

Why did I have to spend my last night on board the starship watching horror vids with my friends? Why did I think that was a good idea?

It was nearly impossible to be alone in the starship. I had spent so long with people almost constantly around me that I was feeling rather lonely. And vulnerable. I wanted someone to talk to, just to have the reassurance of a person nearby. Maybe even James would be better than this loneliness. On second thought—no, no, he wouldn't be. If he was here right now, he would be trying to get extra benefits. I snorted as I thought of the man.

My gaze snapped to the tree line when I saw something move. I stood frozen for a moment, squinting into the increasing gloom. Was that a person? It looked humanoid. My blood ran cold. It could have been an animal, a monster, that was the size of a freaking person. Nope! Not going there.

I raced back to my tent and scrambled with the zipper before diving inside. I rushed for my stun blaster, berating myself for leaving it in my bag.

My little solar-powered lantern hung outside against the tent entrance. I didn't know if I should reach out and lower it, hiding myself from view, or if I should brighten it so that I could see further around me. One option announced my presence and said ‘come get me,' while the other left me blind in the dark.

Decisions, decisions.

I didn't know how long I huddled inside, jumping at every little noise. When nothing happened, the adrenaline feeling began to wear off. I was left feeling a bit stupid at my over-reaction. I was just getting paranoid about being alone for the first time in ages, my mind jumping to conclusions and seeing things that didn't exist.

With this thought, I tucked myself into my bed covers and closed my eyes. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and I needed to sleep. Weariness took hold fast and within moments, I drifted off into a restless slumber.