The Rogue Planet
1325 Words
Discovery Among the Stars
The command deck of the Solemn Horizon hummed with low voices and the constant thrumming of the ship’s systems. Elara Voss stood at the center console, her sharp eyes scanning the holographic display that dominated the room. Amid the swirling stars and marked pathways of their journey, a rogue planet glimmered faintly. It wasn’t on their charts.
Dr. Zhou’s voice cut through the low chatter. “I’ve confirmed preliminary scans of the object,” he announced, his tone clipped but undeniably intrigued. “Planetary mass equivalent to Earth. Surface temperature averages negative seventy degrees Celsius, consistent with a frozen crust. But…” He paused for effect, ensuring the room’s attention was fully on him. “Beneath the ice, there are significant geothermal anomalies. Liquid water. A vast subsurface ocean.”
A murmur swept through the deck.
“Geothermal?” Elara asked, her tone cautious. She leaned closer to the hologram, the icy white sphere now rendered in detailed overlays. “How stable?”
“For now, stable,” Zhou replied. “Enough to sustain microbial life—potentially more.”
The phrase hung in the air like a tangible weight: microbial life. Evidence of life beyond Earth, even in the bleakest environments, carried profound implications. But here and now, its value was more practical than philosophical. Life meant resources. It meant oxygen production, water for the ship, perhaps even nutrients.
Jonas Kane approached Elara, his steps slow and deliberate. His gaze moved from the hologram to her face. “What’s your gut telling you, Captain?”
She crossed her arms, weighing the options in her mind. “It’s a detour we can’t afford if it doesn’t pay off. But if it does…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes fixed on the faint glow of the rogue planet.
Jonas nodded slowly, his tone measured. “If it’s what Zhou says it is, it could buy us time. But if something goes wrong—”
“It could cost us everything,” Elara finished.
The room fell silent again, the glow of the hologram casting stark shadows on the faces of the gathered crew.
The Debate
The main briefing room was packed with awake crew members. The rogue planet, now officially designated RP-113, loomed large on the projection. Its icy surface was veined with cracks that glowed faintly, evidence of geothermal heat rising from the planet’s core.
Elara stood at the head of the room, her arms braced against the console. “Here’s what we know: RP-113 has liquid water beneath its surface and an active geothermal core. It could provide resources to restock the ship and stabilize our reserves. But this planet is a rogue. No sun, no orbit, no natural cycles. Whatever we take, it’s temporary.”
Dr. Zhou stepped forward, his expression grim but determined. “It’s more than just water or heat. This planet could hold critical resources—minerals, microbial lifeforms, perhaps even compounds we haven’t encountered before. We should consider staying longer to harvest its potential.”
Jonas leaned back in his seat, his posture calm but his voice firm. “We don’t have the luxury of experimenting with our future. This ship was built to reach Antares, not stop for every anomaly we come across. The risks of wasting time here outweigh the benefits.”
Lila Wen, seated near the middle of the room, raised her hand. “What if we compromise? Send a small team to collect samples and assess viability while the rest of the ship continues running as planned? We could at least gather enough water and minerals to make the trip to Antares less desperate.”
Ace Morrow, sprawled in his chair with his usual air of nonchalance, smirked. “Sure, let’s send a team down. And when they get eaten by some frozen alien squid, we can say we learned something valuable.”
A ripple of laughter passed through the room, but Elara’s sharp look silenced it.
“This isn’t a joke,” she said, her tone cutting. “We’re deciding whether to gamble time, resources, and lives on something we don’t fully understand. And make no mistake—this is a gamble.”
The room fell into tense silence as Elara swept her gaze over the gathered crew. “I’ll review the full data with the Council and make the final call. Dismissed.”
Ghosts of Earth
Elara lingered on the observation deck long after the meeting. The rogue planet was visible through the massive viewport, a faint and distant glow against the endless black of space.
Jonas entered quietly, his steps soft against the metal floor. “Can’t sleep either, huh?”
Elara didn’t turn to face him. “Something about that planet reminds me of Earth. The cold, the emptiness.” Her voice was quiet, tinged with a rare vulnerability.
Jonas stepped closer, standing beside her. “I thought about Earth a lot when I first got here,” he said. “How we managed to turn something so vibrant into a graveyard.” He paused, his gaze steady. “But this isn’t Earth, Elara. And we’re not the people who destroyed it.”
She turned to him, her eyes sharp. “Aren’t we? We’re the ones who left. The ones who decided to run instead of fixing what we broke.”
Jonas held her gaze, his expression unreadable. “Maybe. But running doesn’t mean giving up. It means we’re still fighting for something. For someone.”
His words lingered between them, heavy with unspoken meaning. For a moment, the hum of the ship was the only sound.
The Descent
The shuttle shook violently as it entered RP-113’s thin atmosphere, buffeted by winds that howled across the icy wasteland below. Ace Morrow sat strapped into his seat, a cocky grin plastered across his face despite the turbulence.
“You sure this thing isn’t going to come apart?” he called to Lila, who was seated across from him, her hands gripping the straps of her harness.
“If it does,” she replied, her tone dry, “I’ll make sure your next of kin gets a lovely hydroponic tomato in your honor.”
The two other crew members aboard the shuttle—Kara, a geologist, and Ben, a pilot—exchanged amused glances before focusing on the mission ahead.
The surface of RP-113 was an endless expanse of ice and rock, punctuated by glowing fissures that snaked across the landscape like veins of fire. Steam rose from the cracks, mingling with the frigid air to create an otherworldly mist.
“This place looks like a bad VR simulation,” Ace muttered as they exited the shuttle, their boots crunching against the frozen ground.
“Focus,” Lila said, scanning the area with her equipment. “We’re here to work, not sightsee.”
As they approached one of the larger fissures, Lila knelt to collect a sample of the liquid trickling from the icy walls. Her breath caught as she observed the faint bioluminescence in the water.
“Ace,” she said quietly, “look at this.”
He crouched beside her, his smirk fading as he peered into the glowing liquid. “What is it?”
“Life,” she replied, her voice tinged with awe. “Microbial, maybe more. This is… incredible.”
Ace blinked, his usual bravado replaced by genuine amazement. “Well, I guess this trip wasn’t a total waste after all.”
A Risky Choice
Back aboard the Solemn Horizon, the findings sparked fierce debate. The presence of microbial life was a breakthrough, but the planet’s instability posed significant risks. Elara ultimately decided to use RP-113 as a temporary waypoint, harvesting geothermal energy and water to replenish the ship’s reserves before continuing the journey.
As the Solemn Horizon departed the rogue planet, its icy surface receded into the distance, a silent reminder of humanity’s resilience—and its fragility.
- Writer
