Commander Daniel Hayes's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Hayes counted the last three ration bars in his pack and set them aside. He was a NASA commander, far from Earth, and he wanted to earn a place here — not just survive it. His stomach had been tight for two days. His friend with the gold markings watched him quietly from the doorway, gold eyes blinking sideways. The Carpathian led him outside to a wide tray balanced on a pale, spotted mushroom stem. Orange berries spilled around a small red fish with three eyes. Hayes knelt. He sniffed. He did not yet trust his body to a world he was still learning. His friend lifted a berry and ate it first. Then another. Then he held one out. Hayes took it. The taste was sharp and sweet. He ate the fish next, slowly, then more berries, until his hands were stained orange and his hunger eased. That evening they walked him to a tall lodge of red stone, where a fire burned at the center and others waited with bowls. Past it stood a glass dome glowing blue and gold, rows of young Earth seedlings already pushing through alien soil. Hayes understood. They had been preparing for him before he knew to ask.