“Solve the problem. Move on.” Heaven Langley.

Private Thrush sat prim and proper at his station. The cabin air was cool and bracing as he began his shift. Readings were just coming in from asteroid HP954. It was the largest asteroid in the belt between the first and second planets. Strangely, HP954 had an atmosphere.

Private Lurei sat at the navigation monitor beside Private Thrush. Thrush glanced sidelong at his station mate. Lurei’s dark skin made his eyes shine. He had missed his chance to accidentally bump into the new man at breakfast. Thrush quickly returned his eyes to the monitor. Information on the asteroid continued to scroll down the screen.

Brigadier Xander Alarie commanded the bridge. He sat like an ancient Greek statue in the Captain’s chair, watching the bridge view with narrowed eyes. HP954 shone brightly below his ship, a large asteroid with an atmosphere. In a treaty agreement with the King of Pendragon, the Orlainese had allowed mineral surveys of a backwater property. Xander had been chosen by the Consortium. His mission was clear; get in and get out. No side trips.

Lurei announced, “Synchronous orbit locked.”

The Brigadier called out with a voice like solid iron. “Thrush. Some information if you please.”

Thrush sat tall and gave his report. “Aye, Captain. Readings of nickel and iron. There is a singular radioactive hotspot directly below.”

Xander replied, “That should please the Judges. Let’s have the twins suit up.”

Thrush added curtly, “There are also life signs; flora and fauna.”

Xander replied, “Issue weapons.”

“Sir,” said Thrush, turning to look at the Brigadier.

The hesitancy in the Private’s voice brought Xander forward in his seat. His eyes narrowed on the young man. “Just say it, Private.”

Thrush took a breath. The readings made no sense, but he must report. “Sir, I’m picking up a human signature.”

Xander sat back in his seat. “Well, well,” he said to himself.

Corporal Langley hailed the Brigadier from the Envoy’s seat in the back wall. “Sir, shall I have the decontamination unit set up?”

Xander turned in his chair to view the latest noncom. “Please,” he answered. “Have the Sergeant ready his team.”

Langley answered, “Aye, Sir.” She stood from her station and walked from the bridge. Action bells were sounding softly. Crewmen ran through the narrow halls. Human life on a radioactive asteroid? She had to know.

Affe Berg tossed the shirt into his locker and pulled a hand through his short blond hair. Aggi, his sister, stood with her legs in the hazmat suit. She pulled the cotton liner over her head and snapped it in place. Affe and Aggi had joined together. They had trained in toxic waste disposal and radioactive emergency procedures. They were the best in their field, and Aggi believed they would surely see the promotions they deserved.

“Lose the look,” Aggi said to her brother. “Just let me do the thinking.”

Affe turned with a smile for his obnoxious sister. He pulled on his cotton liners and took a suit from the wall. He studied his sister’s self-indulgent smile and sighed. Except for her cropped blond hair, the crew could not tell them apart.

“I heard that Private Johnson has something he wants to give you,” said Affe to his sister.

She answered with a straight face, “I’ll rip it off and feed it to  him.”

Corporal Langley stepped into the room and set two long rifles against the wall. “Let’s double-check those suits,” she said with a smile.

Satisfied with the inspection, she handed the twins a helmet each. She turned and opened the air pack cabinet. She checked the charge, withdrew two full packs, and locked the cabinet. As she turned, Aggi spoke.

“Our instruments are off point,” she said.

Langley answered, “I’ll have them calibrated before you leave.”

Affe asked, “You really think there’s someone down there?”

Langley answered, “Set your instruments, take some samples, and be careful. We have no idea what you’ll find. I’ll bring your instruments to the shuttle dock.”

In concert, Affe and Aggi made their stock reply. “Yes, Corporal.”

Aggi set the shuttle down in the desert near a lake. Affe was already by the hatch. She took a moment to view the scenery. The distant sun was just rising. The lake shone brightly, and the dunes cast shadows. She switched the engine off and turned in her seat.

Affe called to her, “We going or what?”

Aggi answered, “I was just waiting for you to move the instruments.”

“As usual,” Affe replied.

The sand was hard and shiny, like shards of glass. The alien sky was dusty orange. A strange catlike creature hopped away through the weed-infested dunes. Affe placed a charge in the sand and put his weight on it. He felt the release of energy as the probe was driven deep beneath the surface. He adjusted the rifle on the elastic belt that circled his suit. He could pull the rifle to his side and shoot in one fluid movement. He was ready should something jump out at him.

He called through his helmet comm, “First probe set. Aggi is gathering plant life and water samples.”

Langley answered over the comm, “Keep an eye out. There are signs of animal life in your area.”

Affe answered, “Yeah, something like a rabbit.”

Aggi’s voice cut across the comm, “Proceeding to gather rock and soil samples.”

The twins walked through the stunted trees on the valley side of the lake. A large hill protruded from the sand on the opposite side. Aggi picked a reddish berry from a tree and dropped it into her sample pouch. As they rounded the narrow end of the lake, Affe, ahead of Aggi, held up his free hand. Aggi stopped and looked ahead through the trees.

A creature somewhat like a dog barred their path. It had a flat muzzle, broad ears, a shaggy mane, and its coat of short hair was gray with black stripes. Aggi whispered through the comm.

“Thornburg, we have what seems to be a predacious animal barring our path.”

“Explain,” replied Langley.

“Well,” said Affe, “it’s like a dog. About the size of a Pit Bull.”

The Brigadier’s voice cut through the comm. “Does it pose a threat?”

Aggi answered, “It’s just sitting, looking at us. Should we tranq and capture?”

“Wait,” said Affe. “I have movement in the trees.”

A thin, emaciated man stepped up beside the dog and reached down to pat its head. He wore Royal Issue combat boots, a black military vest, and tattered combat trousers. His hair was long and white, tucked beneath a conical cap of old shiny pelts. A long white beard was tucked beneath his vest.

“Speak!” commanded the Brigadier. “What is it?”

Affe replied in a stammer of awe. “It’s a wizard, Sir.”

Aggi added, “In combat boots.”

Besh studied the two orange-clad figures. He knew what a hazmat suit was. They never changed. He saw they carried rifles with their equipment, but he did not feel threatened. Was it a rescue? Had they come all this way just for him? He stepped toward the strangers. They tensed but did not retreat.

Besh smiled and said, “There goes the neighborhood.” The strangers turned to look at one another then turned back. Besh continued. “A word of advice. Don’t drink the water.”

Xander’s voice boomed impatiently through the comm. “Speak to me, Berg.”

Startled, Affe said, “Well, Sir, it’s a really old man. He is in his late nineties, at a guess, or his early centenarian years.”

Aggi said, “He speaks our language.”

Langley spoke. “Check for contamination and prep for retrieval.”

“Aye,” said the twins in unison.

Affe stepped forward and activated the external comm. He asked slowly, “Sir, how long have you been here?”

Besh scratched behind one ear as he thought. “Oh,” he said. “A long time. I guess.”

Aggi stood beside her brother and asked, “Would you like to leave?”

Besh grinned at the two strangers in the hazmat suits. “I thought you’d never ask,” he said. “Just let me pack my bags.”

Besh turned and walked toward the cave. The strangers called after him. Sir? Sir? Aggi turned to Affe and spread her hands in defeated confusion. Each picked up their instrument case and followed after the curious old man. On the way up the hilly path, Aggi took quick samples of the local rock and ore. Affe set another two probes and readied his portable detector.

They stepped around the quiet dog-like creature and stooped to enter the cave. A simple mat of skins lay in a dark corner. A fire of embers commanded the center of the cave. They saw plastic buckets and stacked wood along the wall, and in another corner could be seen a pile of rocks.

“We can leave the buckets,” said Besh, standing with a hammer and chisel in his hands. “I just need these,” he said, tucking them into his vest pockets. “Oh! and lunch.” He bent to retrieve cooked fish from the spent fire, hurriedly shoved them into pockets, and wiped his hands on his pants. His smile was broad and happy.

Affe stepped forward and used the wand on the old man. The needle jumped into the red, and the device squealed loudly. Affe turned to his sister with a knowing glance. The old man was red-hot. He shouldn’t even be alive. Yet, there he stood, as spry a centenarian as either of them had ever seen.

Besh nodded toward the device in Affe’s hand. “Needs oil,” he said happily. He indicated the entrance with an outstretched hand. “Shall we?”

Aggi switched to internal communication and hailed the ship. “Thornburg, ETA thirty minutes.”