Primus technology is rarer on Titan than on other worlds; there’s evidence the aliens settled here, but their statues, and anything else they left behind on this planet, are buried deep beneath the ice. When someone goes through the trouble of digging it up, it’s usually some type of weapon. Dangerous, volatile, better left untouched. The Isolationists embrace it despite the danger, insisting it is one of Titan’s natural resources left for us. But my people, the Interplanetists, are more wary, insisting alien technology is too unpredictable, and we are better off trading with other planets than digging up ancient history we know too little about. Their fear borders on superstition in my opinion, but generally I agree with the sentiment.

“Get inside and be ready to move out,” I say. “I’ll contact the general.”

While my team gears up, I sit in the briefing room on the basement floor of the building. Pressing a hand to the control screen calls up a holographic image of the surrounding landscape. I spend a few minutes scrutinizing it, searching for anything I might have overlooked, but find no hints of whatever we saw.

Altair answers my call almost immediately, his video image coming to life on a wide screen mounted on the wall.

“The old bear,” as Magda loves to call him behind his back, is as pristine as always. His gray-shot hair and beard are neatly trimmed, his medal-decorated uniform perfectly immaculate. I’d place his age somewhere in the fifties, which is not so old at all on any other planet, but here marks him as a survivor.

“General,” I say, pressing my fingers to my heart. The man is a war hero, a tactical genius, and my own personal mentor during training. I owe him my station, and much more.

“Sergeant Kaiser.” He returns the salute. “I’m glad to finally receive a call from you. I take this to mean you have an answer for me?”

My tongue sticks in my mouth. I hadn’t considered that he might expect that.

“I still have another week to consider, sir,” I say, and pretend the flicker of disappointment on his face doesn’t feel like a needle to my heart.

“I understand it’s a difficult decision,” he says. “But I hope you understand it’s an offer I didn’t make lightly.”

“I am truly honored, sir. That’s not why I’m contacting you today, though.” He inclines his head, and I clear my throat and continue. “Something has happened nearby. A landslide uncovered an unidentified object, close enough to be visible to the naked eye from our position.” I slide a hand across the touchscreen, sending a snapshot of our map to him, and wait for him to receive the transmission. “However, we’re getting nothing on our radars. Would you have us evacuate the outpost?”