Master System displayed what had tripped the alarm. A river from below had a chunk of ice fall into it, setting off the alarm.
He sighed. At least that’s all it was.
This time.
He looked out toward the horizon. They were out there. He knew it. He would have to be vigilant until they could get off Sol-1.
The sky had darkened, and the gas giant loomed in the air and filled up a good portion of the sky.
And it would, for the next few days.
He hoped this cave would keep them secure while they waited for the eclipse to pass.
He turned and headed back, withdrawing the blasters back into the gauntlets.
“So things go back into it just like they come out,” Bianca said.
He glanced at her, and she was sitting up, out of the covers. Watching him.
“It is all made of lysteel. It all functions together.”
She shifted and patted her space next to her on the pallet. “Now, do you want to tell me what is going on?”
He didn’t sit. Instead, he stayed standing. “I set up a security alarm to let me know if someone was closing in our position.”
“What is our position, anyway?” She pushed herself off the pallet, her robes floating around her like blankets. “This place seems a bit primitive for your people. Or mine, for that matter.”
“The caves were here when we settled. We used them as temporary bases when we set up our mining operations.” He gestured to the fire pit. “The fire pit is connected to a venting network throughout the mountain that moves and keeps the interior warmer. Also, if one approached from a distance, the exhaust would not give anyone in the caves away.”
“Wow, whoever built this did quite the job.” Her long dress swooshed around her as she took a few steps toward the fire, her hands out. “So why are we here?”
“You headed to this moon when I suggested not to.”
“No, I mean, why are we here, in this cave, rather than at your base?”
“Too dangerous,” he said.
She blinked. “Pardon?”
“You have been asleep for several hours, Lady Bianca. Many things have happened.”
She seated herself on the rock ring by the fire and crossed her legs. “Then please, tell me everything, so I can understand what is going on.”
He wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell her everything. There was more than what she might be able to handle.
“We are stuck here for at least the next couple of days.”
“Why?”
“The eclipse blocks any transmissions between the moons for the next few days. Moving between them is dangerous because our sensors will be faulty.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand. Just because the sensors are faulty, we’re going to be stuck here? Freezing?”
“We will be fine for a few days. That is not the concern.”
“Then what is?”
“The Terrans.”
