"My name is Anne Hudson, and I am a student of Doctor Kynes, in his class
on Mars. He selected me and eight other students to come with him on this
dig. We came here, set up to start work, and they sent me back, in case
something went wrong and they had to be rescued, and they stayed here with
the other ship."
"Why did they send you?" Pris asked, "I mean, you were having trouble with the ship and all."
Anne looked embarresed for a second, and then said, "Indeed, but I didn't want to stay here, guess I got cold feet. The weather was better when I made my trip back down, and I was hoping they wouldn't need to call me for help. But, as you know..."
Lennier looked at Pris, who said nothing. She kept looking over to the effigy, which still hadn't moved or done anything threatening. She had declined to speak about the dream, claiming it to be indescribable, which on one level it was.
He asked Anne, "When did you start getting calls for help?"
"A few days ago, one of my classmates sent out a message that they needed help, and after that, there was nothing. It took me awhile to find anyone who would come out and help me get to them. There's talk in the colony of the wastelands being haunted or something."
Pris looked back at her quickly, "Really?"
Anne shrugged, "I only heard about it when I was looking for pilots, I assumed it was because they would not admit they didn't want to travel through rough weather."
"What did the message asking for help say?" Lennier asked.
"It wasn't very clear, only that they were afraid for their lives, and needed to get out of here. He didn't say why, and then there was nothing."
"And that's all you know?" Pris asked.
Anne nodded, "I'm sorry I had to lie to you, but Doctor Kynes told me not to tell anyone what was really going on up here."
"I understand," Pris said with a nod. When Lennier looked at her, she shrugged, it wasn't all that unusual.
"It seems," Lennier said with a sigh, "that the diary is the only clue we have. What did you find in it?"
Pris had been staring at the effigy again, and turned slowly to him, "Not much, didn't get very far into it."
She went over and picked it up, and then hesitated over the table, continueing to stare at the effigy. It's jeweled eyes seemed to stare in her, through her, into her very soul. She lost all awareness of time and space around her, the world washed away and all there was were those eyes.
Then, she heard it again, whispering, like a million people all trying to talk at once, like a breeze rushing past her ears, until finally, one voice became distinct among the hubbub.
It was deep and seemed to growl in her mind "Gahs na imp flagn, hagn pli nag flagn turok."
She felt a rush of warmth fill her, and she felt safe, and loved and oddly content. The eyes drew her in and embraced her.
A hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her reverie and back to reality. Lennier was standing behind her, looking concerned.
"Pris?" he asked, "are you alright?"
She blinked, "Yeah, I'm ok," she said quickly, "What's the problem?"
Lennier looked like he was going to ask her what was wrong, but then decided not to.
"We think it would be best if we were to leave this place, go back to the colony and tell the authorities what happened."
She nodded, slowly, and then looked back at the effigy.
"What about this thing?"
Anne spoke up, "I am taking it back to Mars, the university can study it there."
Pris nodded, and looked back at it, her mind was made up.
"Why did they send you?" Pris asked, "I mean, you were having trouble with the ship and all."
Anne looked embarresed for a second, and then said, "Indeed, but I didn't want to stay here, guess I got cold feet. The weather was better when I made my trip back down, and I was hoping they wouldn't need to call me for help. But, as you know..."
Lennier looked at Pris, who said nothing. She kept looking over to the effigy, which still hadn't moved or done anything threatening. She had declined to speak about the dream, claiming it to be indescribable, which on one level it was.
He asked Anne, "When did you start getting calls for help?"
"A few days ago, one of my classmates sent out a message that they needed help, and after that, there was nothing. It took me awhile to find anyone who would come out and help me get to them. There's talk in the colony of the wastelands being haunted or something."
Pris looked back at her quickly, "Really?"
Anne shrugged, "I only heard about it when I was looking for pilots, I assumed it was because they would not admit they didn't want to travel through rough weather."
"What did the message asking for help say?" Lennier asked.
"It wasn't very clear, only that they were afraid for their lives, and needed to get out of here. He didn't say why, and then there was nothing."
"And that's all you know?" Pris asked.
Anne nodded, "I'm sorry I had to lie to you, but Doctor Kynes told me not to tell anyone what was really going on up here."
"I understand," Pris said with a nod. When Lennier looked at her, she shrugged, it wasn't all that unusual.
"It seems," Lennier said with a sigh, "that the diary is the only clue we have. What did you find in it?"
Pris had been staring at the effigy again, and turned slowly to him, "Not much, didn't get very far into it."
She went over and picked it up, and then hesitated over the table, continueing to stare at the effigy. It's jeweled eyes seemed to stare in her, through her, into her very soul. She lost all awareness of time and space around her, the world washed away and all there was were those eyes.
Then, she heard it again, whispering, like a million people all trying to talk at once, like a breeze rushing past her ears, until finally, one voice became distinct among the hubbub.
It was deep and seemed to growl in her mind "Gahs na imp flagn, hagn pli nag flagn turok."
She felt a rush of warmth fill her, and she felt safe, and loved and oddly content. The eyes drew her in and embraced her.
A hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her reverie and back to reality. Lennier was standing behind her, looking concerned.
"Pris?" he asked, "are you alright?"
She blinked, "Yeah, I'm ok," she said quickly, "What's the problem?"
Lennier looked like he was going to ask her what was wrong, but then decided not to.
"We think it would be best if we were to leave this place, go back to the colony and tell the authorities what happened."
She nodded, slowly, and then looked back at the effigy.
"What about this thing?"
Anne spoke up, "I am taking it back to Mars, the university can study it there."
Pris nodded, and looked back at it, her mind was made up.