On the D-day, our jumpers were ditched and we were each given a box of clothing for space. As usual, it had our name tags but there was no differentiating individual color.

  We had all made it, except Khalid. On that morning, we had our breakfast, got a little briefing, and we were strapped into a vertical vehicle on the take off field. Aunty Petti was the field engineer in charge. She was a petite woman with lush dark hair that was cut into a Bob. She was with her copilot who also doubled as her fiancé. He was Chris, a tall redhead with beefy hands and a certain calm about him. We were all strapped in when Aunty Petri began to panic. It was not dramatic or conspicuous. But I was observant and I could spit it, no matter how covert she tried to make it seem. I saw Chris put a reassuring hand on her shoulders.

  Aunty Petri took a deep breath, and soon, the countdown began. When it got to 5, Austin turned back to look at me.

  "You okay?" He whispered.

  I nodded and he gave me a thumbs up.

  As we escape the Earth's gravitational pull, I feel my body getting lighter. There is a floating sensation that makes me feel heady and like a balloon or kite filled with helium, rushing single mindedly towards the sky. Soon, Aunty Petti announces that we will initiate sonic speed as soon as the spaceship reaches Mars's orbit. We have to brace ourselves for it.

  Mars had been colonized in 2055, and soon the survival rate on that planet exceeded expectations. The dreams the people before us had carried, all the apocalyptic and dystopian ideas all came to pass, but without the total anarchy they claimed would play a key role in exterminating the human species. To prevent the repetition of what humans had done with earth, the rules in Mars were a bit stricter and more choke-neck. For a brief moment, I imagined what it would feel like to visit my aunts and cousins over there. When I had mentioned it to mum, she had only smiled and kept mum. I contemplate what it would feel like if I could jump out of the ship and fling myself into mass, against the floating trajectory of space. Although we are strapped to our seats, the seats can hover towards the window planes. I push the buttons that make mine float silently. It takes me a while and a little experimentation. We had only learnt the seat navigation in theory. Eventually, I got it right and I knew I had to go towards the windows. We had already passed Mars, but I was drawn to the beauty that was rushing past us by the window. It was too beautiful to ignore.

  Risking a capital punishment from the Major, I makes my way towards the nearest window to gaze out. Austin silently sneaks behind me, drawing a few looks of disapproval from Akio. Austin smiled and signaled to him to come look too. I could see as he struggled internally with such a decision. Akio wanted to respect the authority just as he loved to do, just as he was raised to do. But another part of him also wanted the thrill of this adventure, the chance to appreciate the beauty of this place from a vantage point. I felt it was absolutely necessary because we did not know what would happen to us over there. Eventually, Akio gives in and floats towards us. Austin gives thumbs up while I smile at him through my shield.

  We are mesmerized by the twinkling of orbital satellites in space all heading towards the humongous space station over the earth's equator. The dark outside seems like something I can reach out and touch. We are all like impurities suspended in ice, only that we are in motion and not concentrated at a corner. Or I would say, impurities suspended in a gelatinous, highly viscous fluid. But it is beautiful, scary, all at the same time. If people begin to think too much of themselves, all they need is a little space travel to show them how small and inconsequential they are in the grand scheme of things.

  "Is this how you have been trained to behave?" A voice says from behind us. I gasp.

  It was major Santorez with his characteristic mean look. He stood, arms akimbo, staring us down with disappointment.

  "If you three do not conduct yourselves in a proper manner, then I may have no choice but to keep you all in the space station until our return from the mission. This is not an empty threat. I was hoping you would know that discipline is most paramount in this journey."

  He turned away from us and marched towards a compartment. Suddenly, the plane lights are turned off and the Major commands the passengers to rest before the draining sonic travel to the next galaxy.

  "You need to recharge," He said. "We have a lot work to do ahead. Get your rest." He glanced at us through his side eyes. "You will be glad you listened to this instruction."

  I am unable to sleep, as I stares out towards the vast loneliness of space. I feel small, so small, it is almost miserable. My feelings undulate between awe, adoration, surprise, fear, and shock. I feel diminutive, as though I could fall off this ship and into nothingness and be lost forever. A part of me wants to cower and shrink into my sit. Laying down quietly gives me time to think and think and dig up scenarios. The people who had made the first space travels in the 20thcentury, how did they feel when they were eventually launched into space? Did they finally see the vastness, appreciate it, and wonder if their curiosity could lead to their eventual deaths?

  I turned thoughts and questions around and around in my mind, before I finally succumbed to a restless sleep.

  ***

  I am awoken sharply by a loud bang. It rattles the entire spaceship and we are thrown from one aide of it to another.

  Because the plane lights were turned off, we are all grasping at each other while Aunty Petti yells for everyone to calm down. But there is a turbulence, a loud, rocking, movement and a scary roar coming from where our engine uses to be.

  Suddenly, the lights come on. I am steadying myself, concentrating on my breathing, and looking out to see if I can find Austin and Akio. Zuri and Alyonna were far back. I hear someone whimpering and shaking beside me.

  "What is happening?!" Someone yells. It is Jason.

  Aunty Petti takes an audible deep breath. She is still trying to steady the ship which is whirling out of control at this point. " We have been hit by a random space rubble. The impact was forceful, and made even more dangerous because of the velocity of the rock or whatever it was. Damages are unknown. But I am certain that the fuel compartment was damaged, since the fuel is gradually draining. I can see it."

  Everyone goes silent.

  "Are we going to all die?" Someone says softly.

  "No." Major Santorez barks. "No one is going to die. Pilot? Make an emergency landing on the nearest plant. We'll take it from there."

  "But Major," Aunty Petti began, "What if we..."

  "There are no What ifs, pilot. Take our chance at survival. A hostile planetary body is better than littering space with our ashes."

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  Aunty Petti swallowed. Her fiancé again latter her back and together, they prepared for landing.

  The AI announces, "Emergency Landing to Galsong-7 has been initiation. Please prepare for impact."

  "Galsong-7!" I whisper to myself in amazement. All I have learned about this planet through Xavier comes rushing into my head. It was a planet that had its own independent moons and light. The ground was made of about 200 types of soil, and scientists were unsure about the components of each. They never got past identifying the first three. The species in Galsong-7 had not been adequately recognized too. There were still a lot to be undiscovered. It was a planet that kept its secrets to itself, and now we were plunging directly into the heart of it.

  When we began to fall through its first spheric layers, we were all blinded by a hot white light. The temperatures reached an unbearable elevation and I thought we were all going to be charred before we got there. It was searing, painful, and I felt my blood boil.

  "Have we mistakenly gone into the sun?!" someone screamed just before my eyes were clouded over with blank ink and I fell unconscious.

  ***

  "Emma?" A voice called.

  "Emma, wake up. We need you here. Please."

  I cracked my eyes open slightly. The light streaming in from the window was blinding so I closed them back. I had a migraine. Austin was working furiously at unstrapping me from my sit. He too had a gash on his forehead that was covered with a band aid.

  When he succeeded in unstrapping me, I fell limply into his arms. Aunty Petti was by my side, stirring up a gauze and bandage. That was when I looked at my hands. I was bleeding terribly on my upper arm. As though a switch had been turned on, I began to feel the pain after I looked at it. I also hadn't imagined that I felt so dizzy because I was losing so much blood.

  "Relax now. I'll stich this up really quickly." Aunty Petti said.

  "What is going on?" I asked Austin.

  "Well, we crash landed. Luckily, the entire ship didn't explode as the fuel had already drained totally. Also, the ship's metal did not spark up a fire. But we do have some casualties. The impact was really, you know, like a crash impact. There are no serious injuries and no one is dead."

  I nod. "What about Major Santorez?"

  Aunty Petti laughed. "Major Santorez is built like a rock. He has several cuts and a little toe hairline fracture. But he is outside, fixing up the medic tent so that all casualties can be moved in before night fall. He is efficient, that man. Here, I'm done."

  I glanced at my hands again. It was neatly bandaged and steady.

  "Thank you." I whispered and squeezed her hand with my good arm. She waved it off. "Don't mention it. I may be a pilot but it's also my position to take care of you guys. I contributed to the crash too."

  "No! You saved our lives. We are grateful for that." Austin said.

  "Are you hurt?" I asked her.

  She smoked stiffly. "I'm good, kid. Don't worry about me."

  As she walked away, I noticed she had began to walk with a slight limp. I wondered how much pain she was sucking up and ignoring, just to be strong for us. Austin too had a gash on his forehead, but he was here for me. I made a resolve to help too, no matter how I felt. We were all sharing ourselves, helping others whose pain was greater than ours. I was inspired.

  "You okay?" Austin asked. He was peering into my eyes. "You got lost for a moment."

  "I'm good. Let's go outside."

  When we go out, I am stunned by the look and feel of this place. The ground is made of coarse sand, but it bounces and is papery, like soft snow. It is Burgundy in color. Major Santorez is now installing a makeshift sleeping pod next to the medic tent.

  I see a group of people evacuating casualties and I join them. I see Zuri, sitting in front of the smoking ship, and I reach for her. Her ankle had been dislocated and she had a few cuts. I slung her arm over my shoulder and moved her to the tent. When I came back out, I was confronted by Austin and Major Santorez.

  "Emma Mckinny." Major Santorez called, and I blinked.

  "She's getting lost." Austin chipped.

  "What?" I asked, looking at both of them.

  Austin pointed to my arm. "Youre bleeding again." Sure enough, the bandage Aunty Petti had put on was covered in fresh blood.

  "You have to rest." Major Santorez commanded. "You can't take care of the casualties if you are not in a good place, Emma. We don't want anyone dying here."

  He sauntered away and Austin led me to the medic tent where I had just been taking people a few moments ago. Austin retrieved my backpack and everything I took with me from the wrecked ship. I could not thank him enough. When I opened the bag, the first thing I looked out for was Xavier. She was still shit down but there was no damage done. I placed my hands around her sleek frame and held it to my chest.

  "We survived, Xavier." I whispered. "We survived."

  By nightfall, the sleeping pod is sealed shut for everyone even though there is a good density of oxygen outside. The medic tent would be too. Major Santorez feared an attack and a number of people from the security team would take turns watching. We were not all going to sleep at once in this camp.

  Before retiring, everyone gathered in little groups with lamps between them, discussing the next move as they snacked on energy bars and the regulated food reserve we had.

  Aunty Petti had brought me food earlier. It was toast and coffee. I don't know how it was made because I was slipping in and out of a shallow sleep. The coffee was hot, and the toast was pleasantly warm. I was proud of how quickly we were making progress, improvising and building even in the midst of this Arid place and having survived a crash. Our training had not been for nothing.

  I remembered I had a granola bar in my bag and I took it out and ate. I wondered if this place was messing with my appetite. A part of me wanted to save it for later, but I felt like I had to eat it immediately or something terrible would happen.

  Finally, the chatter died down. It seemed everyone had gone to sleep to prepare for the day ahead, and the night was still and silent. My bed at the medic tent was close to a makeshift plastic window too. I gazed out of it at the moons, confirming what Xavier had taught me. There were three moons hanging low in the thick night sky. There were never at the same phase. One would be at a full moon, the other half, and the other, new. There was a phenomenon where the three moons would be full, but it occurred once in every century.

  I am still thinking when Austin cokes up to me.

  "How are you feeling?" he asked.

  I turned to look at him. He looked tired and it was apparent he was trying to hold up despite it. There were fine creases on his forehead that weren't there. It came from wearing the helmet too long. His eyes shimmered under the light of the three moons.

  "I'm great. You look stressed."

  He ran his hands through his hair. "Yea, it's nothing. Taken your meds?"

  "Some Aspirin Aunty Petti gave me."

  He nodded.

  "What were you all doing outside? I heard some people talking about what could happen here."

  Austin sighed. "Well, it doesn't matter what we propose. Major Santorez doesn't listen to suggestions, you know? He has his own plan."

  I sucked my teeth. And drew my makeshift pillow closer. It was a duffel bag pumped full of clothes." And what's his grand plan?"

  "He intends to take over the heart of the planet. He says there have always been signs of life, and we would search for it. We can't build a new ship with what we have here. So I guess it's valid. No one opposed his idea."

  I looked out of the window. "That sounds dangerous."

  "Does it?" Austin asked.

  "Yes."

  "Why?"

  "Imagine being on earth, safe in your home, only to have someone attack and take over your resources because they had some incident? Not even asking politely?"

  Austin shrugged. "Yes, I can imagine. Because it happened and threw my family into penury."

  My face fell. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to remind you of that."

  "It's fine. I guess the aliens weren't from Galsong-7. I understand how this would seem unfair."

  I do not say anything. We sit in silence for a while and stare at the moons.

  "You know, they have this famed specie. They are transparent bodied and their blood flows through them in the color of rainbow. Their eyes are white, hard rock white, and plants sprout out of their bodies in place of their heads. They are merely about 3 feet tall. The tallest discovered was 4 feet 2. Almost like little children." I paused.

  "That sounds beautiful." Austin said flatly.

  "Yes! It's fascinating, isn't it?" I don't wait for a reply. "Imagine if I got to meet one of them?"

  Austin turned sharply. "They could be dangerous."

  "They aren't. I've read all about them."

  "Have you interacted with any? No? Emma, these creatures are very hostile to foreigners, a good percentage of them."

  I fold my hands and stare out the window. I hate that Austin has taken it upon himself to dampen my enthusiasm.

  He placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him.

  "Emma, promise me you won't go wandering, promise me you won't do anything drastic?"

  I glare at him. "I'm not a child, Austin. Maybe you all can stop treating me like one."

  I laid down back and drew the sheets over my body, turned my face and closed my eyes. It was his cue to leave.

  "Goodnight, Emma." He said softly. I purse my lips and do not reply.