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    © 2004 Andrew Dormeier
"You know the answer to that, Artemus. Don't lose your sense of purpose. For every ship we stop and every Denten soldier we kill, billions of people are able to live one more day, one more year safe from harm. If we are able to stop them for long enough, entire lives will be lived without the Denten crashing down the front door. As you said yourself, this is a war, and not one that can be won anytime soon. Our goal should be holding ground and wining each skirmish we encounter, even if those skirmishes are intergalactic wars themselves."
"It's so much bigger than us." "Precisely. Do not worry yourself about the ins and outs of the eternal plan of the Creator. Those will be revealed in time. Instead, act as a soldier should: following his standing orders to the best of his ability, improving himself to become a better tool, and holding himself to the highest standards." "It just gets so tiring, and I haven't even been at it that long. But I suppose you are right: it is our honor to play this small part in the plan. Beating myself up and worrying isn't going to help fight the Darkness." "I'm glad you see that. Now, while you were sleeping I was able to determine the location of the planet. It should be rising any minute now as we traverse the orbital tunnel. Ah yes, there it is. I'll enhance the view. I orientated us so that the tunnel curves upward from our dorsal side." "To be able to make sharper turns at high velocities?" "Yes." The viewscreen showed a horizontal line separating lighter orange on the top from the darker orange on the bottom. Suddenly a grey sliver showed itself, as if falling out of the lighter gases. The sliver grew and its slight curvature could be seen. Two minutes later the full globe finally separated from the tunnel wall. It was almost all grey, composed of many different shades. There were no oceans, at least none that could be immediately recognized. It looked dead, and old. Very old. Falinor briefly checked his scanners, "The planet has 0.84 standard gravity, 2% surface water, and surprisingly enough a breathable atmosphere. A little rough on the throat, but breathable. Pressure is an average of 0.92 standard pressures. No signs of life or of any current civilization." "A planet with a breathable atmosphere, in the middle of a nebula. This is most strange. Fortuitous as well, considering we can make repairs to the outer hull and engine assembly down there. How is the temperature?" "Temperature is almost uniform across the planet. It is heated from all directions by radiation from the nebula gases. Its rotational axis gives it a "night" and "day" with respect to the protostar, but the difference in lighting and temperature is negligible. Planetary temperatures average 275 degrees." "Chilly then, but amazingly survivable." "Warm enough to support small amounts of liquid water. If the planet had more water it would retain more heat." |
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