Crystalization

The gravity cycle had taken far, far too long by Dustin’s internal measurement of time. Sitting with nothing to do but watching a bar slowly trickle down as the shuttle’s grav systems reduced to a fraction of Earth’s gravity was painfully dull. As soon as it was done however he climbed out of the rear door of the shuttle. Sola had dropped the gravity out here almost the instant they’d docked, and while there was a moments discomfort as he crossed the threshold out of the hold it quickly passed as he clambered out of the grav suit. “I really, really hate that thing” he muttered to himself, shoving the suit onto an automated rail that retracted it into a locker for cleaning. “It is useful to ensure you are not harmed by gravitational changes, Captain.” The AI chirped to him even as he pulled open another locker containing his vacuum suit.

“I know Sola. It’s just uncomfortable” Dustin muttered, pulling on the far more comfortably fitting but also thermally sealed suit. This was going to be an entirely different form of discomfort - while the grav suit chafed in weird ways, space suits were comfortable but also could get very hot depending on what you were doing. He opted to not put on his helmet yet, instead double checking the hoses for the back-mounted re-breather tanks were secure and the tanks were full. Sola ensured they were of course, but he’d spent two months on earth getting yelled at to double check the lines by a very animated colonel who had views on AI and it was drilled into him now.

Stepping back out into the docking bay a short while later with the helmet in one hand, Dustin saw Meli stood by the shuttle, her jump suit hugging her figure and reminding him of her earlier remarks. He wasn’t sure what kind of things she was expecting of him, but the sooner this mission was done the better. Walking over, he gestured to the shuttle. “We good for the drop-off?” Meli nodded as she replied “we’ll be in range in another minute or two. If you are OK returning to the shuttle’s hold captain, I will prepare for launch.”

Locking his helmet firmly in place over his head and clipping back into the transit harness, Dustin glanced over at the grav-sled containing it’s precious cargo. As his private oxygen supply hissed to life with a taste of stale metal, he noticed that in the low light of the shuttle he could make out a display on the side of the containers that he hadn’t seen on the planet’s surface. It looked like a slowly depleting bar - as he watched, a notch slowly faded. A counter until the containment failed, he guessed - as it was still well over three quarters full he decided not to worry and took a firm grip on his harness as Meli announced their departure.

The shuttle’s descent to the moon’s surface was far less eventful than the flight to the planet had been. Large as the moon might be by lunar standards, it was still tiny compared to the home world of the Ressth - or the gas giant that the moon gracefully orbited. “External pressure and temperature are as expected captain. We have arrived, you are clear to depart.” Meli’s voice over the intercom made Dustin jump - he’d not been expecting it, so soft had the flight been. Hastily unfastening his harness and uncoupling the sled from the ship’s power, he turned and began to slowly move it out and down the shuttle’s ramp.

As he reached the ground level, his headset speakers crackled again. “We’ve had a call from the Ressth captain. They apologize, but they forgot to state the exact target zone requested. Can you see a large star painted on the ground? It should have a circular plinth in the middle.” Dustin surveyed the view in front of him. The main thing he saw of course was the vast orange bulk of the gas giant, filling a huge amount of the sky. Next, large piles of resources dotted the crater they had landed in along with the remains of a few remotely controlled drones - how the limited landing pad that the shuttle was now resting on had been constructed he guessed. Finally, turning slowly he spotted the area Meli had told him to look for. “Found it” he said, turning and redirecting the sled in the appropriate direction.

“OK, Captain. When you reach it, place the sled over the plinth. It should automatically dock. Once it has done so, please return to the ship and our mission will be done.” Dustin nodded to himself as he covered the last of the distance and slid the sled into place. Nothing happened. “Err…” he began, turning the sled in case it was an alignment issue “nothing seems to be happening.” There was a moment’s pause before Meli replied. “I’ve checked with them - as far as the translator can tell they are panicking. That locking is required to ensure the seedlings transfer to the regolith smoothly. If they germinate on the sled instead, they might fly away and die.”

Dustin looked at the sled, then at the cannisters on the top which he knew contained the precious cargo. Bending down, he looked at the bottom of the cannisters and noted large spikes protruding from the base. “Ask them two questions - one, how long will the cannisters hold if removed from containment, and two does the placement matter as long as the spikes at the bottom are stuck into the regolith.” Meli’s reply took even longer this time, and Dustin paced around the sled nervously before starting at the sudden noise of her voice.

“They say the cannisters should last for around five to ten minutes maximum - but there is no guarantee of even that long after transit through space. The placement is fine anywhere, the spikes are auto drivers so if they are just pushed into the regolith they’ll burrow in. They seem very upset however, and said that they are mourning the seedlings as the risk of being close to when crystallization occurs is too high for biologicals. Perhaps if we return to the ship we will be able to …” Dustin cut her off, his eyes staring now at the six cannisters softly glowing in the starlight. “Chief science officer. If we leave these seedlings, the likely outcome is they will die, correct?” Meli’s replied briefly to confirm, her voice monotone as she did so - he guessed she didn’t want to risk conveying the wrong emotion.

Dustin took hold of one of the cannisters and tested it’s weight slightly. There was a tiny amount of play before it started to leave containment - and it told him all he needed to know. The weight was high - but in the moon’s gravity it was quite manageable even if he would have to move slowly due to the vacuum suit. “Meli, prepare for immediate high-speed launch as soon as I give the order.” From the pad, he saw the dim glow of the engines spool up even as the Velca replied. “Dustin, I don’t want you to get hurt. Please return to the shi…” Dustin cut the comms. He needed to work fast, focus, and then run like hell.

The first two cannisters slid smoothly into the regolith, their spikes already drilling in. As he pulled the third from it’s chamber on the sled, he noted the slowly accelerating red pulses coming from the first seedling he’d planted. Pushing the cylinder down hard, he used the **** to bounce himself back up onto the plinth. The pulses sped up further, and he pulled the fourth and fifth cannisters out at the same time, struggling slightly with the weight as he jumped down. Into the ground with them, one, then two. His internal thoughts were focused entirely on what he needed to do next, and he turned and pulled himself up to the sixth cannister. Stuck. “No!” Dustin thought then grimaced, braced one foot under the sled and heaved. The sled’s engines whined against the **** he was exerting, and he felt his vision start to swim - but at last the cannister slid clear.

With no resistance left and the heavy weight moving in the opposite direction he tipped backwards. In the low gravity he just about managed to turn it into a flip, pushing the last seedling’s vessel into the moon’s surface as he landed. The first cannister’s pulses were almost a solid light at this point - and as he turned to flee he saw the bottom edge of the canister begin to crumple inward. Dustin ran; behind him the regolith seemed to be both exploding and imploding all at once as freed from their captivity the Ressth seedlings began absorbing what they could from their surroundings to further their growth.

Up the ramp, the engines on the shuttle now glowing white-hot with suppressed power, Dustin threw himself into the nearest harness point; as he snapped the first clip on he yelled into his mic. “GO!” Almost instantly he was thrown towards the open door, only his hands gripping the harness and a straining clip preventing him from flying out into the destruction that now engulfed the landing pad as the shuttle soared upwards. “Close the hatch!” He gasped between breaths as he fought against the acceleration to lock another clip to his suit. A moment later, the door slid shut and the shuttle’s gravity field kicked in, dropping him to the floor with a bump. For a few moments he just lay there listening to Meli’s monotone rant about how careless he had been the instant he toggled his communicator back on fully.

Finally, there was a pause and the woman’s voice came through with a tender tone. “I am hoping this sounds caring. You have done a good thing; I have contacted the Ressth and they are shocked by your actions - you exceeded their expectations of biologicals. They will be adding their signature to our mission along with a commendation to the council - I’m not sure if you know this, but risking yourself for non-organic life isn’t a particularly common trait amongst sapient organic species. Pick yourself up, and come through to the cabin - it will be more comfortable in here. While I am cross with you for scaring me so, I am also sufficiently over my concerns for your wellbeing as the shuttle is reporting your vital signs are all within their normal range to continue our discussion from earlier if you wish.”