RECON

Planet:  P I C A H

Mining Resource Reconnaissance
Sol Mining Company
Employees: 1
Engineer Tucker Kane
Mission Time: 1126 Days
Expedition No. 576
The landscape was jagged shards of green rock piercing through the earth, grass rustled with the breeze as the man walked between the rocks his grip was tight on the assault rifle he was holding, the man was Tucker Kane an engineer and mining specialist for the SMC which was the Sol Mining Company, the company had been contacted by the Government that they had found the coordinates for a planet found outside of the solar system and wanted a one man mission to Picah to see if the planet was viable to allow colonist to set up and mine the minerals and ores.

“Concorde are you hearing me?” Kane spoke on the radio; it was a phrase that he had repeated all day every day for 1126 days but there was never an answer although that didn’t stop him from talking to them, Concorde was an interstellar relay that was supposed to receive Kane’s transmissions and send them back to Earth and vice versa, Kane looked to the sky that alien pale green sky with the hint of cloud slowly gliding in the air “Just another day in paradise, scouting the land until you come and get me…if you come and get me, do you hear me Concorde?” he carried on walking his feet ached slightly from walking in the thick boots, the whole suit was bulky but it was the best thing to help Kane manage the atmosphere and the terrain, the recon frigate was in the short distance so he sighed with relief that the day was over, he reached the outer airlock and tapped at the pin pad then the door clunked open Kane stepped into the pressure lock a red light flashing a warning until the door closed behind him, the room hissed filling it with air to allow Kane to breathe he unclipped the helmet and slid it off revealing the sweat covered tatty dirt blonde hair he took a massive inhale of the air as he began to remove the suit, after hanging it up Kane was left in a white t-shirt and white boxers despite passing physicals and training exercise Kane had always been bigger in weight but here on Picah his weight had gotten bigger but it was largely to the planet’s gravitational force having some effect on his metabolism, at least this is what he told himself but despite the weight he still maintained a good routine to keep up his strength and fitness to perform his job well, the pressure and oxygen levels equalised and the door opened giving access to the ship, Kane stepped out of the pressure lock and the lights activated and a voice come over the speaker system “Welcome back Tucker” Kane smiled as he walked down the corridor “Thank you AHA how’s the homestead been since I’ve been gone” AHA spoke again “All functions and system are running at optimal performance” Kane replied “Oof AHA say optimal performance again you know it gets me hot” AHA remained silent Kane laughed “When they built you they should have added a sense of humour” AHA responded “I’m only programmed to inform of ship wide functions” Kane climbed up the ladder which led to the bridge “Hey keep talking about wide functions AHA I’m already semi as it is” Kane smirked but didn’t continue taunting AHA seeing as it went silent not trying to engage in the conversation anymore, AHA was a computer programme designed to interact with Kane as a sort of companion hence the initials which stood for Automated Hospitality Assistant but most of the time it spoke to tell Kane about what was wrong with the ship or any information updates so he found himself still alone on the ship, the door opened to the bridge which was narrow and filled with monitors and dials but it was only designed to fit one person Kane walked inside and sat down on the pilots chair and started typing away at the computer writing out his report “Expedition 576, location rocky barren wasteland, Engineer Kane’s observations “Rocks were fucking everywhere” after 1126 days no contact and believing that no one was reading the reports he sent Kane didn’t care what he put down in his observations anymore one time he even put down how Martians had probed him, he did a final click on the keyboard which sent the report off back home Kane sighed as he did the video log “So Concorde I’ve sent Expedition report for the 576^th time but I’m guessing you’re not hearing this right? Stay tuned for report 577^th it might be a good one who knows” he turned off the camera and slumped back into the chair stroking the beard hair on his face and sighed once more he noticed his grey work cap which had the company logo stitched on the front was lying next to the monitor Kane picked it up and put it on whilst looking at of the main view window to the landscape outside the jagged peaks looking like crooked teeth of some dead beast, Kane sat in silence looking just knowing that it would be the same thing tomorrow “AHA set the course for the next search grid” AHA replied back “Course set, ship will be fully charge in five hours then will depart and arrive at search grid in six hours, so eleven hours in total” Kane got up from the chair “I think it’s time to get something to eat” he proceeded out of the bridge.

The mess hall was more of a room which had two tables each had six chairs around them, Kane couldn’t understand why send a man on a mission to another planet alone and give him two tables he wondered if they thought one table would make him lonely despite being alone on lonely barren planet…alone, the synthesiser hummed and buzzed as it produced Kane’s meal starting on the molecular level and eventually forming a full meal as he waited for it to finish he made himself a drink when AHA spoke to him “Tucker sensors show that the synthesiser is processing a meal that is high in fat and calories” Kane took a sip from the cup “uh I’ve have no idea what you mean AHA” AHA replied “Bacon cheeseburger and fries is not part of your dietary regime” Kane nodded “Ah but AHA it has protein, fibre and carbohydrates so that’s three of my dailies” AHA gave a retort “What about the fries?” Kane pursed his lips think of an excuse “That’s one of my five veg a day two if you include the tomato ketchup on the burger” AHA went silent again Kane smirked “You’ve gotta learn to not give up so easily” the synthesiser beeped Kane pushed the button on the panel and the slot door opened he took hold of the tray and sat down at the closest table and started to eat he sighed with delight enjoying the flavour “Fuck that’s good” as he kept chewing he looked over to the table for a moment “Maybe I’ll swap tables tomorrow” Kane sat eating alone in the mess hall.

The water from the shower head was warm and delightful already Kane felt the grime of the work day was washing away; he just let the water roll over him and swirl down the drain whilst Shine by Years & Years blasted from Kane’s tablet he always enjoyed a good classic, Kane turned off the water and stepped out of the shower cubicle then grabbed the towel from the heated rack and began to dry himself after getting himself dressed into engineers trousers he threw on a navy blue t-shirt which was followed by his cap, Kane took hold of the tablet and tapped at the screen which sent the audio to the ship’s speaker system he left the bathroom and made his way towards the lab. In the laboratory were a couple of microscopes, centrifuges and spectrometers a whole variety of testing equipment to test the rock samples that Kane gathers on some of his expeditions, he put on some rubber gloves then sat done at the table which had some rock samples in a tray, the samples had already put through quarantine and decontamination now Kane had to do some test for minerals and ores their viability and even working out how old the samples are, Kane put on safety goggles and picked up the hand held rock cutter then began to chip away at rock it tiny pieces then crushed them into powder then divided the powder into a tray and added saline solution and added a PH indicator “Hmm high acidity levels” he wrote down the PH levels on a pad of paper, AHA spoke out “Attention Tucker” Kane kept his eyes on his samples “How can I help you AHA?” AHA replied “Ship panels are charged and we are ready to depart” Kane looked up “Excellent well lets hoist the anchor and get going” AHA responded “Affirmative Tucker, engines will be firing now” the ship began to rumble, the engines erupted into a fiery life kicking dust out from underneath ship which began to lift into the air rising high over the landscape, the thrusters tilted causing the ship to move towards the horizon and to its next destination point.

Kane entered his quarters he took of the cap and tossed it onto the bed then he pulled off his t-shirt which was just casually dropped onto the floor, Kane sat down at his desk and tapped at the holo-screen which was Kane’s personal computer he tapped on the glowing symbols and pulled up the vidlogs from his husband Evan he tapped on the last one which was a message for Kane before his departure:

Vidlog Entry - Code A/2.95

From: Evan Kane

To: Tucker Kane

Evans face appeared on the screen he had a slightly round face with a hint of stubble and dark hair which he kept short on top and shaved on the sides, he waved with a beaming smile “Hi honey bear, I know it will be a while before you read this, if the calendar is right you should by Saturn now so I hope you read this before you take the trip to Picah. I know three years is an awfully long time and you were hesitant to go, but I know this is an amazing opportunity and especially at the chance to see a planet beyond our solar system not many can say that.” Evan paused looking away for a moment and he fixed the position of his glasses, he looked back and smiled “I couldn’t be more proud of you Tucker and even though I’m going to miss you like crazy I know that after three years you are going come back to me” Evan blew a kiss to the screen “I love you Tucker”.

VIDEO END

Tucker blew a kiss back “I love you too” he sat silently thinking about leaving Evan behind, three years that was the time frame one year to travel there, one year to survey the planet then a deep space cruiser was meant to come and pick him up since the frigate he was piloting was only capable of traversing the planet, that should have happened over a year ago but nothing no word from Earth or even from the Concorde relay station which was close enough to hear his messages, he kept thinking about the possibility of a malfunction but relays like Concorde are under constant maintenance the awful thought lingered in the back of his mind that they were not coming for him but the company wouldn’t do that, would they? Would they actually leave him on a far off planet? Kane shook the thought away and selected another one of the vidlogs.

The next was one of Kane’s favourites he tapped for it to play; this one Kane had filmed himself it was back at home the day before he left for the journey he walked into the bedroom where Evan lay naked on the bed he rolled over to look at Kane walking in “Seriously why are you filming this?” Kane smiled “Because this is going to be my going away present something to watch when I’m thinking of you” he knelt down on the bed next to Evan and gently caressed a hand over Evan’s stomach moving up feeling the smoothness of the hairs on his chest, Kane leant down placed a hand on Evan’s cheek and kissed his husband stroking the check with his thumb Kane pulled back and gazed at Evan’s face “How did I get so lucky to have you in my life?” Evan got up onto his knees pressing up against the large bear of a man who took him firmly in his arms as they embraced Evan replied “I asked myself that same question” he always enjoyed being held by Kane feeling his husband around him made it feel like this was the safest place in the universe, the moment felt like an hour just the two of them feeling the warmth of each other. After a while longer Evan pushed Kane back a bit and pulled off his husband’s shirt then lay back down on the bed “Right hubby bear, you leaving for three years tomorrow so pants off and recorder down and let’s give you a proper send-off” Kane began unbuckling his pants and smirked at Evan “Yes sir” the recording ended.

Kane couldn’t help it the tears were already rolling down his face, he wiped them away but fresh ones fell AHA came over the speakers “Tucker are you alright?” Kane wiped the tears away again “AHA you know I have privacy in my quarters” AHA replied “I know Tucker but under distress you privacy is overturned by my programming” Kane got up from the chair “Thank you for being concerned AHA, but I’m not distressed just a bit upset” AHA questioned him “Is it about Evan Kane?” Tucker nodded “Yeah I’m just missing him, I should be home by now like I promised him” Kane paced the room “The company will be coming for you Tucker we must take in to account of any delays that may have occured, you just have to be patient” Kane sat on the bed “They are coming to get me right?” AHA was mute for a moment then replied “Of course they are Tucker” Kane knew that AHA was a computer programme and not capable of human dishonesty but why did he feel that that answer was lie, AHA quickly retorted “To help with your distress I could administer a movie? I can have the synthesisers prepare some popcorn for you unsalted of course” Kane couldn’t help but smile and AHA’s attempt at trying to make him feel better “Any recommendations?” AHA replied “Archive has a selection of your favourite ‘B-Movies’ from the 1950’s” Kane pondered for a moment “You know what AHA surprise me” Kane left the room, in the lounge room Kane was on a couch eating AHA’s unsalted popcorn whilst watching the B-Movie classic of The Thing From Another World.

The dawn light had revealed the new location to search, Kane was sat in the pilot’s seat with his feet up on the console eating a bowl of cereal, the new region was a ridge of mountainous peaks made from some black stone spanning for several miles and at the foot of them was a lake with the green sky and the black stone the scene was beautiful in a surreal way like some sort of dream like escape Kane crunched on the wheat flakes “Here we go again” he got up from his chair “AHA I’m going out, don’t wait up for me” AHA responded “I do not sleep Tucker” Kane shook his shook head “AHA we really need to download you a sense of humour” he gave a slight chuckle and  made his way to the air lock to suit up, just like yesterday and the other days to come.

Day 1127

Expedition 577

He walked along the edge of the lake watching the breeze ripple the water, Kane knelt down and slid the sample bag off his shoulder and placed it on the ground taking out three of the sample bottles and filled each one with the water from the lake then sealed them before placing them inside the bag.

Kane stood upright slinging the bag over his shoulder he wandered into the trees that formed a small forest next to the lake, waltzing through the trees Kane was admiring the trees which looked like four large trunks but spiralling around each other, as Kane got close to one he noticed something crawling on the bark was some sort of insect red and orange in colour with a long body it reminded Kane of a stick insect back at home he couldn’t help but smile “Well not so lifeless after all eh?” the insect jumped from the tree into flight causing many others to fly and swirl around Kane who glanced around in wonder.

After collecting more samples from the forest including a few photos of the species of insect he found Kane was back on the edge of the lake he saw how calm the water looked and picked up a flat stone he tossed it in his palms a few times and then with a strong flick of the wrist threw the stone at the surface of the water the stone skimmed across the water bouncing several times before plunging beneath Kane boasted to himself “Eight skims not bad” he smirked with a sense of pride when something caught his eye on the far side of the lake was a figure but too far to make anything out “What the hell?” a faint buzzing rang in his ears Kane turned away to shake it off when he looked back at the figure it had gone along with the buzzing “You’re starting to see things Tucker, let’s call it a day” he gathered the rest of his things and made his way back to the ship “Boys, bots and bugs…sounds like the title of a shit porno movie” he barked out a laugh and continued onwards.

Day 1132

Expedition 578

The desert plain on this part of the planet was vast, Kane struggled to get any kind of visual from the strong winds and sand sweeping in every direction around him luckily his suit gave him some protection, he looked at the hand held device which monitored the details of the storm “AHA wind speeds are approaching 110mph anymore and this suit won’t keep me grounded for much longer” AHA responded “You still have under half a mile to reach the ship, do you samples of the silica?” Kane braced against a heavy wind he stopped for a moment looking to his left through the chaos of the sandstorm and for a fleeting instant Kane was sure he could see someone stand some distance away similar to that time at the lake, when he looked again there was nothing so he decided to carry on “If you mean have I collected the sand then yes AHA I have many samples in jars, in every joint of this suit and despite the suit being air tight I’m pretty sure there is sand gathered in the crack of my ass” AHA replied “Tucker that isn’t an appropriate method of sample storage” Kane shook his “A joke AHA it was a joke!” AHA gave a pause “I see” Kane marched on “Again we really REALLY need to work on your sense of humour when I get back”.

Day 1147

Kane stood atop of a large rocky ridge that looked over a large expanse of land, he set up one of the deck chairs from the ship but before sitting down he stood on the very edge of the ridge holding his arms out wide and bellowed loudly “I’M TAKING A FEW DAYS OFF, BECAUSE WHO’S GOING TO FUCKING STOP ME?!!!” he sat down on the chair slouching in comfort and looked out to the wilderness “What a lovely day”.

Day 1151

Kane stood on a ridge with the tug drone standing several yards away, Kane looked over the rifle that he was holding when AHA spoke out “Tucker what is it that you are doing?” Kane replied “Staving away the madness white rabbit before I tumbled down to Wonderland” AHA paused but commented back “I’m unclear about what you have said” Kane smiled as he stood near the edge of the ridge and looked to the tug drone which had the cable launcher loaded with numerous objects “Don’t worry about it AHA…PULL!” the tug drone launched one of the items high into the air Kane raised the rifle and followed the items path as it cleared the ridge he pulled the trigger firing a shot which shattered the target, AHA interjected “Tucker is this really a functioning use of resources?” Kane nodded “I like to think so, I’m stuck an alien planet thinking that I’ll never see my husband and that I will eventually die alone in a maddening induced rage when I will most like walk out on the surface of this fucking planet without a pressure suit, so yes AHA I like to think that doing this will help with keeping me in a pleasant attitude” there seemed to be an awkward silence as if what Kane had said stumped AHA completely “Thank you AHA” Kane nodded to the tug drone “PULL!” the drone flung another piece of junk into the air and he fired his rifle again.

Day 1162

Kane wandered through the ships corridors writing out notes on a digital tablet humming to himself whilst he walked, AHA spoke over the speakers “Tucker I know you are working but I have a question to ask” Kane carried on with his work and replied back “You know you can ask me anything AHA” AHA retorted “My question is…why are you naked?” Kane stopped and looked at one of the speakers, he was completely naked he looked down at himself the back up to AHA “Because I was feeling warm and the breeze feels good on my danglies” AHA replied “I can adjust the temperature if you so wish Tucker” Kane shook his head and kept on walking “My dear AHA now were would be the fun in that” he raised his arms up and smiled “Keep it loose AHA just let it aaaaallll hang out” Kane strode off down the corridor to finish his duties.

Day 1170

Kane sat looking at the notes he had taken from the many expeditions he had done over the years then looked into the camera for a video log “583…583 expeditions to go out onto the surface of this empty planet to gather resource information for the company…and you know what Concorde? Fuck…fuck it all” he tossed the notes into the air and in a plume of papers he smiled and watched them fall to the ground “No more work, no more duties I’m going to explore this world for my own self-gratification” he nodded to himself “Yep fuck work I’m not doing it any more…Tucker Kane out” he reached the computer screen and switched off the recording.

Day 1178

The ship had brought Kane to the ruins of a large city, it had been a while since Kane had seen one it was about eleven months ago, sadly the inhabitants of the planet were long dead but Kane enjoyed exploring the cities in hopes of trying to figure the previous tenants of Picah. Wandering through the city Kane wandered up a set of steps that led to a courtyard that was placed between three large skyscrapers, the courtyard was filled with several large red leafed trees and the ground covered with moss and dead leaves. Kane noticed a large opening in one of the buildings it looked like it was once a large glass window, he stepped inside the room was full of tables and chairs with a counter at the far side, Kane crouched down to look at one of the chairs they were similar to those back on earth except they were much wider with wide gap in the back rest leading down from the top down to the bottom, Kane tried to assess the type of being that would use such a chair “Hmm, width would seem to indicate  something of a much larger size, but the gap…is that for a tail maybe?” he glanced over at the counter and saw several machines on the back wall he stood up and wandered over to them. The machines were covered in pipes and dials Kane turned one of them but nothing happened, he noticed a tube like pipe at one end of the machine and he came to an odd conclusion he looked around at the room “Was this a coffee shop?” he laughed at the thought but it looked very familiar to the ones back home “Interstellar Starbucks” he looked around “Don’t suppose there’s any milk left for a latte?” Kane left the building and proceeded down the steps when he suddenly stopped mid-way when the buzzing in his head reappeared. To his left at one of the crossroads was the figure but this time it was close enough to make out who it was it looked like Evan but he was not wearing any form of any protective gear, Kane couldn’t believe it “Evan?” the figure turned and walked away Kane yelled out “EVAN?!” he charged down the steps and ran after the mystery man “Wait! Who are you?!” when he reached the bottom of the street the figure had disappeared, Kane looked around in all directions but the man was nowhere to be seen “What the fuck is happening to you Tucker?!” the buzzing continued making Kane become slightly disorientated he sat down on the curb side of the road clutching to his helmet “Stop it…stop, stop, stop…ARGH FUCKING STOP IT!!!” the buzzing faded away and AHA spoke over the radio “Tucker I’ve detected a high heart are you alright?” Kane was breathing rapidly as the pain from the buzzing faded away; he calmed himself down “Yeah…I’m fine AHA just suffering from a head ache” AHA replied “I will prepare a medical scan and treatment to alleviate any symptoms when you return” Kane looked down the street but there was still no figure “Ok, I’m on my way back now” he clambered to his feet and headed back to the ship.

Day 1180

The video log came on Kane was sat in the pilot’s chair looking off into the distance, his expression was stern absent from the present moment “What is the figure I keep seeing? A life form or in my abject loneliness from everything has my mind finally snapped” he had taken a bullet from the emergency revolver and was spinning it on the counter, spinning it once, twice and then a third time eventually he picked up the bullet and just continued to look at it whilst rolling it around between his finger and thumb “If I put this bullet in my skull…would you come for me Concorde?” he stared at the screen for a long time then he reached over and stopped the recording.

Day 1187

Whilst walking through the streets of the city Kane decided to send a transmission “Concorde, can you hear me? Of course you can fucking hear me, you’ve always been able too but clearly you dick munchers are just ignoring all these transmissions I’m sending…that’s it isn’t?” Kane looked up the massive skyscrapers that loomed over him “Just letting me waste my god damn time! If this was a malfunction of any kind this would have been fixed a long time ago!” Visions haunted his mind of the people back on Earth mainly his husband Evan he wanted nothing more than to see him to hold him but over time Kane knew the truth “After 1187 days I should have realised sooner…no one is coming to get me, you fuckers have left me here” Kane stopped in the middle of the street and looked up to the sky “ANSWER MEEEEEEE!!!!” suddenly the buzzing returned and Kane turned to see the figure of Evan in the distance, Kane walked towards it keeping tight hold of his rifle as he got closer the figure pointed towards one of the nearby buildings then walked inside, Kane was cautious this could be a trap but then why wait so long to do it he had been on the planet for years, but there apart from wildlife the planet was lifeless surely if anything remained it would have responded to his presence, he took a deep breath and proceeded inside the building.

Down in the darkness Kane activated a light orb which hovered next to him illuminating rubble and dust, before him was a large doorway he slowly swept his across the stone work and pushed hard moving the door slowly with deep grating noise from the door scraping along the ground, Kane stepped inside in what was a massive empty room however in the very centre of the room was a large hole in the ground, Kane felt the buzzing in his head grew more intense as he stepped closer to the edge of the pit he looked down into the black the whispers were still inaudible, he didn’t know how he knew but something in the back of his mind was telling him what needed to be done, he held his arms out wide and fell into the darkness.

The black was enveloping and eternal nothing could be seen all light was gone, although dark it wasn’t cold Kane could feel warmth all around him, when he looked down he realised that he was completely naked his suit was gone and so was his rifle he looked around but couldn’t see anything “There is no cause for alarm I’m not going to harm you” the voice a soft but sounded as if coming from all direction Kane still couldn’t see anything “What…what are you?” the voice came from Kane’s right he looked to Evan approaching him “I am a being without one form, I can be many forms it why I have taken this one to ease you fear” Kane looked at the form of his husband “Actually seeing him makes this harder…what form would you choose?” there was a pause then Evan faded away and with a flash of light before Kane was a large octahedron with smaller geometric shapes rotating around it. The entity spoke “I find this form pleasant, there is beauty in symmetry” Kane admired the intense shapes “But what exactly are you?” the shapes continued their synchronised dance “I am without a name, a being that does not required a physical form to exist” Kane looked on curiously “So everything I’ve been seeing and the buzzing I’ve heard that was you?” “Yes it was” Kane frowned slightly “Why? Why now? Why did you wait so long to get in contact?” the entity spoke “I had to be sure of your intention, whether or not if I could trust you” Kane retorted “Trust me? I don’t understand what you mean, for years I thought I was alone on this planet yet you’ve been hear all this time, you could’ve reached out I’m no threat” the entity was silent Kane spoke again with a slight hint of sincerity “Honestly I am not here to hurt you either”. The entity felt what Kane had said “I sense your honesty but although you may not be a threat, those you work for are” Kane became confused “The Sol Mining Company? What do you mean?” the entity replied “my being is intertwined with time and space and I possess the ability to bend reality with mere thought, those humans you speak of wish to obtain my ability” Kane paced a couple of steps taking in the information “They wish to obtain it…you mean that you’ve encountered my kind before?” “Yes I have” Kane paused for a moment “Have there been other humans to come here?” there was other long pause “No not this planet but several others, there have been eight others that have come before you” Kane couldn’t speak he struggled to believe that there were others like him.

Kane turned from the octahedron looking out into the black, the entity could sense his unease “I apologise if this troubles you Tucker, but I will answer any questions that you may want to ask” Kane looked down at his feet then to the wedding ring on his finger “Tell me everything” the shapes flipped and spun around “Upon my arrival to this part of the galaxy I have visited many worlds but to jump from planet to planet it requires a lot of energy releasing a pulse across the milky way, this energy pulse was detected by what you have referred as Sol Mining Company many years ago they sent a couple or even of their researchers to investigate the pulse, when they arrived they were stranded like you and then they found me” Kane turned back to face the entity “And then what happened?” “I couldn’t let them die here so I used my power to return them home; they must have gone back to their superiors and explained of my existence because then they kept sending more, one after the other to every planet I’d come across” Kane wondered about something then looked up to the entity “Did you send all of them home?” “No some never discovered my location” “And what happened to them?” “I’m afraid that…they were left behind Tucker” Kane shook his head “No…no, do you mean that the company never came back for them?!” the entity was hesitant to respond “That is correct, I could hear their transmissions home but all of them were ignored” Kane began to pace on the spot “They couldn’t just leave them there, they can’t just leave me on this planet they said that they would come!” “I’m sorry but when you are no longer of use the company won’t risk the expense of sending a rescue party for one person so far out into the galaxy, I heard your transmissions too why do you think they won’t respond” Kane continued to pace back and forth “It’s possible that there is a malfunction at the Concorde relay” the entity responded “They haven’t responded because you haven’t given them what they want, they’ve already assumed your mission to be a lost cause, your computer system AHA was programmed to inform them of success” Kane stopped pacing “What did you say?” “Your ship’s computer I accessed the data memory of the system and upon my discovery it would automatically transmit my location and then they would come” Kane shook his head again “I can’t believe this, then why have you brought me here if you want to escape them when not just leave to another planet or even alter reality so that they don’t know of your existence?” the entity then spoke with a great sense of concern in its voice “Because my powers to alter reality are restricted I can’t change the course of history also I’m tired of running , I just want peace which is why I’m making this planet my new home but I can’t leave you to die here on this planet…I’m going to send you home” his heart skipped a beat but Kane eventually spoke “Send me home…back to Earth?” “Yes Tucker I am” Kane went silent.

Returning home was something Kane had dreamed about for a long time especially at the thought of returning to Evan, but then something crossed his mind “I’ve wanted this for a long time, I’ve always thought about what I would do when I got home and saw my husband again, I would give anything to hold him in my arms again” the entity spoke out “So you wish to return home” Kane took a deep breath and gave the entity his reply “I do…but you’re not going to send me back” the entity sounded confused “What do you mean no? this is your chance to return to your life on Earth” Kane nodded “I know, but if I go back and the company finds out I’ve returned then they will know you’re here and will come for you and if you decide to flee then they will just send another person and this cycle will just begin all over again”. Kane looked at the entity and stepped closer towards it “I can’t risk the life of any being for the sake of greed” the shapes rotated slowly “But what of Evan if you choose to remain then you will never see him again” Kane’s eyes began to tear up “I know that he would understand the choices that I have made” the entity made a suggestion “I could bring him to this planet then you can be together” Kane sobbed slightly “No I wouldn’t wish for him to be stranded here too, he’s got a life back home to live even if I’m not there anymore” he turned away from the swirling mass of geometric shapes as the tears fell down his cheeks “You said you can intercept radio frequencies, can you send a message as well?” the entity replied “Yes I can, but why?” Kane responded back “Because we need to make sure that they never come looking for you again” the was a pause then the entity spoke “Transmission to Earth is ready Tucker” Kane cleared his throat “HQ, this is Tucker Kane of the mining resource reconnaissance mission on Picah, this is my report I have appeared to have discovered the location of some kind of living ethereal being under the planet’s surface however I couldn’t gather much information on the entity before the unknown being expired, I repeat the entity is dead Tucker Kane out.” Kane looked back to the entity “That should do it right” “Tucker Kane I wish to thank you for aiding me at the expense of you have had to sacrifice” Kane smiled “Just call it being a friendly neighbour” “I’m sure there will a way to repay you for this kindness, but I shall say this…we shall not meet again after this but thank you again”. Suddenly the mass expanse of black became engulfed in a blinding light Kane shielded his eye then he passed out.

The water was still; reflective like a mirror, Kane was lying flat on his back still in his suit and the helmet secured Kane opened his eyes and saw the pale green sky clouds creeping slowly across the sky he lifted his head from the water ripples expanded outwards across the surface, Kane sat upright and looked around to his right it looked like the water stretched for miles with a long mountain range in the distance looking to the left he saw the crumbling city where he entered the void and spoke to the ethereal force “Wait was that all real?” clambering onto his feet Kane stood on the water he stared at his reflection after a long moment he slowly made his way toward the city. As he wandered through the ruins a million thoughts ran through his mind what had just happened? What was that thing? Where did it go? Was it all a hallucination? The only thing he knew was to prevent the entity from being taken he chose to make the hard decision to remain stranded on Picah, the entity gave him the choice but Tucker would never have forgiven himself if the company found out where to find it even though he would never see Evan again “I’m sorry Evan but you know…you know that I will always love you” his eyes welled up tears he gritted his teeth to hold back crying but anger overwhelmed him for a moment he grabbed a rock and threw it hard into a nearby wall and roared tearfully “FUUUUCK!!!” he fell to his knees trying desperately not to lose himself to the sadness that was twisting his gut making him feel sick he shook his head “No…no I made the right choice…I made…the right choice” finally composing himself Kane heaved himself back onto his feet and continued through the city.

After a couple of miles Kane reached the edge of the city he stopped for a moment looking at the ship sitting silently on the hill, this was it now this ship flying across the landscape of this empty planet was going to be his life until the day he would die “Well no one is coming for me…maybe I could find a nice area to just settle down would be a fun adventure” he smiled slightly “Silver linings Tucker, that’s what you need silver linings” he continued making his way to the ship, he opened and entered the airlock and waited for the decompression to finish it’s cycles, he removed the suit and put on his vest and work pants followed by his cap as the door into the ship opened AHA spoke over the speakers “Welcome back Tucker” Kane nodded as he walked down the corridor but he heart still felt heavy “Yeah…good to be back AHA” AHA spoke again “Tucker sensors are detecting high heart rate and anxiety levels, are you alright? What happened out there” Tucker waved it off “Later AHA I’ll explain it later…right now I want to be alone” he made his way towards the bridge, he climbed up the steps and the door hissed and slid open Kane’s heart stopped and his stomach lurched suddenly that he nearly fainted, Evan turned in the pilot’s chair and smiled “Hey saw you returning so I thought I would put in the co-ordinates for the next grid reference, I know I’m qualified but I’ve seen you do it a hundred times so…” Evan saw Kane’s face of shock and confused “Tucker, are you ok?” he got up from the chair and walked over to him Kane couldn’t understand it “You’re here?” Evan looked at him curiously “Of course I’m here” he put a hand on Kane’s cheek Kane felt the warmth that familiar warmth his heart fluttered with life Evan spoke again “Tucker what is it?” Kane snapped back to reality “Oh…it’s just…I’m just tired from the expedition” Evan smiled “See anything interesting?” Kane shook his head “No…just the same lifeless planet, although I think I did find the ruins of an alien shopping mall” “Seriously?” Evan replied “Anything still there?” he questioned but Kane nodded again “Nope the shoe pairs came in threes” Evan laughed “Ok I can sense your bullshitting me, right after a long day how about you grab a shower and then we can get something to eat?” Kane smiled “Sure thing” Evan placed a hand on Kane’s chest and leaned in closely “How about I join you in the shower?” Kane replied “Now that would be much better” Evan kissed him on the cheek “Ok I will go get it ready for finish the ships launch and I will see you in a second” Evan left the bridge leaving Kane alone, Kane couldn’t hold back the tears “What the fuck” he wiped away the tears from his eyes “AHA do you know who that man is?” AHA replied “Of course Tucker, its Evan Kane the ship’s medical officer, your husband” Kane shook his head he couldn’t believe it “How long has he been on board?” AHA came back with another reply “Tucker you and Evan have been on this mission since leaving Earth three years ago” Kane still couldn’t believe it but then he remembered about the ethereal entity about how it claimed that it could bend space and time and can change reality only once before it would leave, even though Kane said no to bringing Evan to Picah and condemning him to this life trapped on another planet, but the entity must have took upon itself that if Kane couldn’t return home to Evan then it would bring Evan to him, Kane let out an exhale of excitement and happiness placing a hand over his mouth as his sat in the chair taking it all in, AHA noticed his behaviour “Tucker is everything alright?” Kane leaned back in the chair “Everything is just perfect AHA, can you start the launch without me I’ve got plans with my husband” AHA replied “Of course” Kane got up and left the bridge and rushed to the shower room.

As the door opened music was playing and Evan was switching on the shower as Kane walked over to him and took him in his arms “Well hey there big guy” Kane smiled “Hey, I just wanted to let you know how happy I am that you came on this journey with me, even though it looks like with no communication that we are stuck on this planet” Evan smiled back and caressed Kane’s cheek “Even so I have you, you are all I need” Kane began to cry slightly “I love you so much” “I love you too Tucker” the two kissed and Kane felt that loneliness he had felt for three years just melt away now his future was brighter having the man he loved being there alongside with him, nothing would take that feeling away from him.

END