Page 4 of Honor Bound

The sheer scale of it made her head spin. Squinting, she spotted additional clusters of floating islands suspended like fragments of a broken world, their bases hidden in dense, swirling mist.

Her breath hitched as another moth-like creature darted past, its wings shimmering with iridescent hues that reflected the sunlight like fractured rainbows. This time she was able to get a better look at the creature. Her scientific mind warred with her instincts. Her awe overwhelming her fear again as she tried to process what she was seeing. What kind of ecosystem could sustain this? What atmospheric conditions were needed to create a floating world?

The commlink in the capsule buzzed, shattering her thoughts.

“Ah, Julia,”Kent’s voice crackled, filled with an unsettling mixture of humor and urgency.“I hope you’re in this one, because the computer’s about to pop the top.”

Her pulse quickened, but she forced her voice to remain steady. “Computer, override capsule lid release, protocol Julia Marie Marksdale, Project Gliese 581g Mission Specialist 050899,” she commanded, her tone clipped and precise.

“Override accepted,”the computer replied in its calm monotone.

Julia pressed her back against the padded interior and squeezed her eyes shut as she steadied her breathing. Panic would waste what little air remained. Her hands trembled as she mentally cataloged the capsule’s contents: a survival pack with essentials—clothing, rations, medical supplies, and tools for shelter. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

The pod jolted again, bouncing once before being carried upward on an unseen current. The glass fogged with her breath as it passed through a cloud, rotating in a slow, dreamlike circle. Julia leaned forward, her lips parting in an involuntary gasp.

Below her, the floating islands came into sharper focus, connected by an intricate network of natural bridges formed from twisted vines and rock. The structures seemed impossibly fragile, yet they held firm, defying every principle of physics she knew. Her eyes widened as the capsule’s trajectory swung her around, revealing the heart of the largest island.

Rising from its center was a massive black tower, its surface smooth and polished like obsidian. Statues flanked its base, their forms alien yet regal, their visages frozen in expressions of silent watchfulness. The sheer scale of the structure made her stomach churn. It was undeniable: she was about to make first contact.

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, torn between the thrill of discovery and the weight of uncertainty. What species had built this?What will they make of me?

The capsule swayed again, the reality of her situation pulling her back to the present. Julia pressed her hands against the viewport in the top of the capsule as she whispered, “I hope you are right about the air, Kent… and I hope Daddy was right about his hope that if there were advanced alien life, that they would be curious, not hostile.”

* * *

“Kent, what is my current oxygen status?” Julia murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

She leaned her head forward and rested her forehead against the cold transparent window of her pod. Her breath created more trails of condensation as she momentarily focused on the creature holding the lines of the parachute. It circled, its massive wings stirring the mist like ripples in a pond before descending toward the surface below.

“At current levels, life-sustaining oxygen is five minutes,”Kent responded, his voice tinged with its usual nonchalance.

Five minutes.The words settled in Julia’s chest becoming a lead weight. Her heart began to race, each beat a reminder of the countdown ticking against her. In less than five minutes, she’d be stepping onto an alien world—a world she didn’t know was habitable beyond Kent’s calculated guess. Could she breathe their atmosphere? Would she survive?

The creature could be breathing a different oxygen makeup than what the human body required. Would it be too thick? Too light? Her mind calculated the chances of it being in the Goldilocks zone for human survival and it wasn’t good.

Her mind reeled with questions, each more unnerving than the last.What would they do to me? Are they peaceful or territorial? Will they see me as a guest… or a threat?

The pod jolted as it made landfall, the thud jarring through her body. Julia braced herself, her fingers digging into the frame of the port. She exhaled shakily as the motion ceased, but her view was obscured as the silvery fabric of the parachute drifted down, shrouding the pod in shadows.

She dropped her hands to her side, clenching them against her thighs. Her nails pressed into her palms as she fought to steady her breathing.Breathe, Julia. Just breathe.She repeated the silent mantra, forcing herself to focus. Her pulse thundered in her ears, her body trembling from more than just the aftereffects of stasis.

It was a fragile calm, one that teetered dangerously close to breaking. Her chest tightened as the reality of her situation loomed larger: she was stranded on an alien world, alone, vulnerable, and uncertain of what—or who—awaited her outside the pod.

It could be worse,she reminded herself.You could have woken in the void of space, drifting with no chance of survival.

The thought grounded her, if only slightly. Her breathing slowed as a new possibility struck her:If I survived… maybe the others did too.The idea planted a fragile seed of hope.

They could be here. I might not be alone.

“Oxygen level at critical level. One minute and counting,”the computer announced, its monotone voice snapping her back to the present.

“Computer… open escape pod,” Julia ordered, her voice thin and raspy as she fought to conserve the last bit of oxygen.

The click of the locking mechanism and the soft hiss of escaping pressure filled the enclosed space. Her heart pounded as the lid opened, the sound amplified by her heightened senses. The silver fabric shifted, caught by a breeze, and fell away like a curtain being drawn back from a stage.

A shadow moved beyond the fabric. Julia’s breath caught as two piercing brown eyes locked onto hers—ancient, unblinking, intelligent. A figure emerged, tall and elegant yet utterly alien. Its features were sharp and angular, yet undeniably regal, and its skin exhibited a faint shimmer in the light. A long spear, tipped with a crystal that glowed faintly, rested easily in one hand.

For a moment, Julia froze, the weight of her awe and fear rendering her immobile. She pressed her hands against the edge of the pod’s lid, her fingers trembling as she pushed it open. The cool, humid air washed over her, carrying with it the scent of moss, earth, and an undercurrent of something floral.

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