“Is that even possible? Are there humans that could be out here with that level of technology? Forget the tech, it’s got to be taking a massive amount of power to project that beam. If that’s not a sure sign of human life, I don’t know what is.” Marcus appeared behind us. A crowd had gathered now. People pointed and stared, no doubt having the same conversation we were having right now.
“It’s late. We should get to bed.” Eliza’s voice took on the tone it used to when we were trying to convince Marcus to go to sleep. “Maybe this is all a potato-induced hallucination and we’ll wake up to discover there’s no light.” For a moment I was tempted to agree with her, but my gut told me otherwise. The beam of light was real, and it meant that we weren’t alone.
The next morning, the camp was invaded. Every rodent and small animal for miles had discovered the scraps of our tuber rich feast. Varicolored fur could be seen everywhere you looked. People were quick to take advantage of the unexpected boon, grabbing knives, shovels, and even using their feet to slaughter as many critters as they could get their hands on. Too distracted by their starch-filled feast, most of the creatures didn’t noticed they were being hunted down until it was too late. When all was said and done the camp was littered with furry bodies. Folks raced to grab what they could, stuffing the carcasses into sacks, tying them up with rope, and even pocketing them when nothing else would do. Between the two of us, Eliza and I managed to snag about ten corpses. More than enough for a couple meals, and we could dry and salt the rest to preserve it. I had a feeling that our food choices would be slimming down again soon.
Cleaning the animals was complicated. Plenty of survival guides where available on our personal tablets, but I lacked the skill to precisely trim the flesh from the rodent without my hand shaking. I finally surrendered my duties to Eliza who was all too happy to slice off cuts of glistening meat. Intellectually I knew the precious protein provided us with life-giving nutrients, cutting pieces from cute little animals was too far beyond my comfort zone. The light shone in the distance, as bright as it had been the night before. If I stared at it long enough, it appeared to shine a pulsating blue. Even in the light of day I couldn’t help but rub my eyes. Such a thing was the stuff of myth. We were no more advanced than our ancestors thousands of years ago, witnessing flashes of lighting arc across the sky.
The tantalizing prospect of other humans was too great. After the colonists filled their bellies with meat, it was like pulling teeth to get anyone to get to their duties. Rumors about the source of the beam flew through the camp. It had to be addressed.
“We have no idea what’s out there.” A woman emerged from the crowd to address the group as we ate our evening meal. “Things aren’t perfect here, but we’re in no shape to leave this place!”
“What if there are other people out there? What if the light is some kind of signal to us that it’s safe to approach? There could be housing there—hell, there could be hot water.” A flurry of happy sighs sounded. We did have limited hot water on the surface; as soon as your shower passed the ten minute mark it was ice cold. The majority of the supply had to go toward printing the houses. I was starting to dream about spending hours under steam.
In ideal conditions it would be a simple matter to send a team to explore the source of the beam. With the potato blight, spending the excess energy on any kind of non-essential activity was risky at best. I was confident in my ability to solve the food problem but we weren’t in a position to dismiss any concerns yet. Eliza sat on the ground, her hand covering her mouth as she took in the endless opinions.
“We could split the difference.” I touched Eliza’s shoulder and she looked up at me. “We could send a group out to see what’s going on with the beam and keep the rest of the people here. That way we can continue working on fixing the problems here. If there are people out there, they’ll have supplies. Aid. It’ll be worth it, beloved.” Her stormy eyes cleared as she worked through the pros and cons of the idea.
“We’ll take a hundred.” My wife addressed the crowd in the clearest voice, the low din of the crowd subsiding quickly. “One hundred volunteers can come forward. I’ll be taking names for the remainder of the day. Those who choose to remain behind, you can help speed this process along by putting together supplies. Each person will need at least two weeks’ worth of rations. Water, food, medication, and shelter. The faster this task is accomplished, the faster we can find out what’s going on.”
The possibilities of what lay beyond the beam lent fresh energy to the colonists. People eagerly surrendered their supplies and even their own possessions if it meant that the group could set off faster. The volunteers were comprised of the young, the intelligent, and the exceptionally foolish. Marcus was among them, naturally, but Dad was more hesitant. All right, that was an understatement. His paranoia had escalated. It was subtle to anyone who hadn’t spent half a lifetime watching his behavior. Little things like the way his eyes darted around when we started up the machinery for the day, or how he was momentarily hesitant to use his tablet. Things that could be waved away in the moment but added up over time. When he heard of Eliza’s plan, his jaw clenched so hard I swore that I heard his teeth click from ten
