Re: Destination: Foreven
"Okay, so the Dreadful was out patrolling the system, more like an exercise," Arlo continues to whisper, "when the captain decided we needed to practice refueling at one of the gas giants."
"Personally, if you ask me, I think he was just bored. Wanted to see some action. Thinks he's regular Hornblower. He's not, but he takes it out on his crew."
"So, we're doing the refueling and he was testing everyone by having us perform odds and ends. Me, I had to do a space walk to polish the name on the hull. No biggie, you know? But, see, while I'm out there, just as I finish up the polishing... better than even what the captain wanted, if I say so myself, I turn to head back to the airlock. I pause for a moment just to take a look at the gas giant and one of the moons coming around the curve of the planet. I got kind of caught up on the moment, you know?"
"So I see this feature on the moon. It was like a canyon or a big crevasse... whatever. And I spot this... building. It was built right into the side of the canyon, like those old cliff dwellers."
"When I get back inside, I check the sensors to see if I was imagining it. And it don't show up on the sensors! So, I think, yeah, just my imagination playing tricks with the shadows. I couldn't shake the image, though, so I wait for it to come around again and there it is again! And it still don't show up on sensors! It's only visible from a narrow angle."
"Didn't think to take a picture then. I would have the next time it came around, but we'd finished refueling and we hauled ass out of them... one of the captain's emergency procedure drills."
"We kept busy around the system for about a month and then came back to station. I've been waiting for a ship to dock that I felt had some potential... partners."
He pauses then to see what everyone's response is.