It wasn’t long before the base camp domes were white splinters on the horizon. The Trail Ranger was purring along at fifty kilometers an hour, with the occasional lurch as we rolled over a ridge. Sutton and Bee were following a line of marker posts that the original science rover had dropped every four kilometers to mark the route, their scarlet strobes flashing bright against the sullen rock.

The stewards came around again, taking drink orders. I asked for a hot chocolate. Most of the others had something alcoholic.

“Right,” Alik said. “We’re out of range from base camp, and I can’t access solnet. What the fuck is out there?”

I glanced at Yuri, who nodded. “I can give you the initial team’s report,” I said, ordering Sandjay to release the files for them.

Everyone sat down, closing their eyes to survey the data.

“A spaceship?” Callum blurted in astonishment. “You’re taking the piss.”

“I wish we were,” Yuri said. “It’s a spaceship, all right.”

“How long has it been here?” Alik asked.

“Preliminary estimate: thirty-two years.”

“And it’s intact?”

“Reasonably. It didn’t crash, though there is some hard-landing damage.”

“I’m surprised by the size,” Eldlund said. “I’d expect a starship to be bigger.”

“The drive—if that’s what it is—doesn’t use reaction mass. We believe it has exotic matter components.”

“A wormhole generator?” Callum asked sharply.

“Currently unknown. Hopefully, the science team will have some results for us when we arrive. They’ve had a week’s lead on us.”

“And there’s no sign of whoever built it?” Kandara said thoughtfully.

Yuri and I exchanged a glance.

“No,” I said. “However, some of the…cargo is intact. Well, preserved, anyway.”

“Cargo?” She frowned. “What’s the file number?”

“There’s no file on the cargo,” Yuri said. “Alpha Defense ruled that we absolutely cannot afford a security breach on that one.”

“Something worse than an alien starship?” Callum said. “This should be good.”

“So…?” Kandara narrowed her eyes.

I took a breath. “There are several biomechanical units on board which can only be classed as hibernation chambers, or modules that…ah fuck it, you’ll see. Whatever: They contained humans.”

“You are shitting me,” Alik growled.

“Again, no,” Yuri said. “Somebody took humans from Earth thirty-two years ago and flew them out here. The implications are not good.”

I smiled at Kandara. “Still think we’re paranoid?”

She glared back at me.

“How many humans?” Eldlund asked; sie sounded badly shaken.

“Seventeen,” I told hir.

“Are they alive?” Jessika asked quickly.

“The hibernation chamber machinery appears to be functional,” I said diplomatically. “Half of the science team we sent out are medical personnel. We’ll be given a more definitive answer when we arrive.”