Alex.J.Cobalt

“Hello?”

The radio crackled in response. Gaeia pushed her knuckles into her forehead, trying not to cry.

This was day forty one. Forty one days of no response from the base down below.

“Anything?” Hua asked behind her, floating upside down outside the cockpit door. He liked to do that, showing off his gravity genetics.

“Nothing,” Gaeia replied, putting the radio back into the holder. Out of the window she could see the grey-yellow clouds of home swirling in the sky. They had been there for forty one days too, appearing overnight following the solar storm.

“It’ll be alright,” Hua replied. He reached out, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. He had as much as Gaeia to lose if they couldn’t get back in contact – a young family, their homes, their livelihoods.

Without contact, no one would come and pick them up from their orbital craft. If they stayed out of contact for fifty days, they would be declared dead.

“The storm is too strong for the signal to break through, if we power up the signal-”

“We lose more oxygen,” Hua said.

Gaeia sighed. They had tried that on day ten, to no avail. The oxygen sickness had put Gaeia on bedrest for a week.

“Okay, we wait for another day,” Gaeia said, “then we try the signal booster again. If it fails…”

She let the silence do the talking. If they didn’t make contact before day fifty, they would be left here until they died of starvation.

“It will work,” Hua said, “it has to work.”

Gaeia nodded, wishing she could believe him.

• We’re not going that way
  “Why not?” “Why not?!” Favian’s voice rose another octave, “because I don’t want to die, Renglat. I like all my limbs on me, not in the mouth of some gods forsaken … More We’re not going that way
• Do you recognise this song?
  “Do you recognise this song?” The words were raspy and barely formed. Marlie moved her head slowly on the bed towards Ranlen, looking up at him through gauzes and bandages. “Do … More Do you recognise this song?
• March of the Valentas
  Ashayra was taller than Miaken expected. He knew that she was from the South, and like all Southeners was always going to be tall, but he did expect her to have … More March of the Valentas
• You can’t re-write history
  “Stop this!” Vashna screamed, pulling at the ropes around his wrists, “for the sake of yourself, Maynie, you need to stop!” Maynie looked up from the alter, hair askew and magic … More You can’t re-write history
• No way I’m eating that
  “There is no way on this side of the eleven circles of afterlife I am eating that,” Tanker scrunched his nose up at the proffered sandwich. “Oh come on,” Flanks said … More No way I’m eating that
• No One of Importance
  “Who are you exactly?” Ratve’s voice broke through the silence around the campfire. He asked what they were all thinking but he was the only one brave enough to actually ask … More No One of Importance