Epilogue

- Sophia -

We walk all day long in a direction that's almost directly away from where Jax'zan's village is located. The terrain is different here, more hilly and with more grassland and less jungle. We pass clear streams, little lakes and even swamps that Jax'zan walks large arcs around. “Bad things in swamps,” is all he will say about it, as far as I can tell. I understand most of the words, and the rest are pretty obvious.

I'm happy. It's the weirdest thing! I'm stranded on an alien planet and things really aren't looking that good for us, even with Jax'zan to help. But to me, he's more than just a warrior and hunter who will make it easier for us to survive. He's my husband now. And he's a much better husband than I ever dreamed I'd find. A real man. A gentle giant who has come close to dying for me a whole bunch of times now. He's beyond anything I ever thought a man could be, and my mind reels every time I look at him.

That's my husband.

My brain has trouble processing it. That – is my husband!

I find myself grinning happily at random times. With Jax'zan beside me, everything seems possible.

We keep walking in silence. The tuna can is the only thing that connects us to space and to the kidnappers and to the only way home to Earth, and now we've left it. We're all very conscious of it. This is pretty irreversible. We've accepted that we're stuck here. Stranded on a jurassic planet. The hope of rescue is gone, and now we have to make the most of it.

I realize that I accepted that a good while ago. When I struck out on my own to find Jax'zan and his village, that was part of the reason. I knew we were stranded. For good. Of course, the other reason was that I longed for him to the point where I became reckless.

Well, it worked out. So far.

Finally we climb up onto a rocky hill and Jax'zan points to the opening to the caves. At first we can't see it at all. We have to go all the way up to it to see that there's an opening and not just a sheer cliff covered with clinging vines.

“That's good,” I state. “If it's hard for us to see, it'll be hard for our enemies to find, too.”

Caroline smiles tiredly. “You're thinking like a native to this planet. We should probably get used to that.”

It's a fertile area, and I hear the tinkling of running water nearby. The trees are heavy with colorful fruits and the bushes bear nuts and berries. I think food and water will not be a problem anymore. That's a big help.

We walk up to the opening in the rock, then stop and look at each other. We're reluctant to check out the cave. I think we're all afraid of what we'll find. It might not be everything we want or need it to be.

“So this is home now,” Aurora says. “It's not bad. We haven't seen any dactyls, at least.”

We look back at Bune, the place we came from. It's miles away, but it's the tallest mountain here, so it's easy to see.

I wipe sweat off my forehead. “Well, I won't miss the tuna can. Or the dactyls or that damn river that we couldn't drink from. Good riddance.”

The girls nod and mumble agreement. We're all tired and the others are downbeat. I'm newly married, and I've decided to feel great today, no matter what. There will be many opportunities to feel bad, but I'll cherish my wedding day forever. That's an easy decision to make.

We pass the canteen around and drink the rest of the juice.

Caroline is still staring back at Bune, towards the mountain where the tuna can is. She's got a frown on her face.

“Sophia,” she says, and her voice has a strange tremble to it. “If you look at the top of that mountain ... and you squint a little ... doesn't that look like something else?”

The sun is low behind the trees and I shield my eyes with one hand. From this angle, a part of the mountain near the top is rounded and strangely symmetric. Unnaturally so. And it has a sharp edge that seems perfectly circular. There's green vegetation all over it, so I can't see any specific details. But the color is different than the rest of the mountain below, lighter and somehow more even.

My hand flies unbidden to my mouth. I've seen my share of sci-fi movies and then some. I recognize a rocket engine nozzle when I see one. And I'm looking at one right now.

No, two.

No, six. At least. There's a whole cluster of giant rocket engines pointing towards us from Bune. They're totally overgrown and must have been there for eons. But they're still unmistakable.

And beyond them ...

Oh my stars. It's enormous. We've been living right on top of it for weeks without recognizing it for what it is.

I swallow in a throat that has suddenly gone dry.

“Yeah,” I say, struggling to keep my voice from shaking. “That's a spaceship.”

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© Calista Skye 2017

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