what else is out there?”
“I didn’t say I’d never go back, just not yet,” he said, crinkling his eyes.
“Why? Is it too far?”
“No, we are waiting until we resolve a previous incident. We don’t fully understand how it works. There is a risk of being unable to return. The last one of our ships to venture through has yet to come back. They executed their plan to explore the area a little deeper. Where they turned up is anybody’s guess. We sent in a homing probe to study the region further to help us discover what happened to them, but it isn’t due back for another twenty-one years. So, for now, we wait.”
“That’s awful. What if they need help or if they’re lost?” I cried.
Gaelan crinkled his forehead in distress. “It goes with the territory,” he said in an unemotional tone.
His calmness about Space travel reminded me of how his boldness put mine to shame.
“I don’t understand. Can’t you ask someone here to help? There has to be a way to go in and get them. You have to—”
“No. It would be rash. And it doesn’t work that way. There are plenty of groups here I would never put my faith in. They hold different values, and it could expose our vulnerabilities.” He raised his voice in frustration. “You worry me. You sound overly confident in our abilities,” he said with a wince before pausing to take in a deep breath. “Wait … that came out wrong. What I mean to say is that everything we do is carefully calculated and executed with extreme precision. There are still too many unknown variables with the port. A haphazard strategy is the best way to get yourself killed. It is prudent to wait until we are better prepared. We need far more data on the region before we revisit it.”
I thought about his words. He sounded upset. I realized that he was probably trying to cover up his true emotions. The fact that the ship never returned did bother him. He seemed devastated by the loss. I was grateful to hear the scientific method behind his motives. It was also good to hear him admit that he wasn’t immortal or infallible. I knew his actions stemmed from experience, and knowing their advances in longevity, Gaelan had every reason to believe he would have the opportunity to explore it again one day. He was healthy, only seventy-one years old, and looked to be half his age.
“And seriously, Sami,” Gaelan said in a more upbeat tone, “look around you. Do you really need to know where some of these goofs come from? Come on, that guy over there has antlers for goodness sakes?”
I let out a tiny laugh.
Gaelan put his hand on my lower back. “Now you see why Earth is our most remarkable find. We don’t share the same commonalities with the visitors here as we do with you. You’re the discovery of a lifetime—invaluable,” he said with a smile, giving me the impression his words held a much stronger meaning.
I nodded while my mind raced through every possible theory to explain the Black Port’s existence and mode of operation.
“You’re suddenly quiet. Why?” Gaelan asked with a raised brow.
“I was just thinking.”
“I hope I didn’t scare you. We do know what we are doing. We have traveled extensively and remarkably well, I might add. And I would never take you anywhere I didn’t feel was safe,” he said adamantly.
“I know. But I like knowing this side of you. It’s good to hear you don’t have all the answers. It makes me feel more on your level.”
He huffed, which could have been interpreted as a laugh. “Yes, our level and yours are still a bit off. Let’s not compare. The amount of failures we had to endure to get where we are, are nothing to look forward to.” His voice took on a somber tone.
“No doubt,” I agreed. I loved that he wasn’t cocky about his intelligence. He was probably one of the smartest men I’d ever known, yet also the humblest. What a turn on!
I thought about our own astronauts’ recent missions to the moon. Each year, a
“I didn’t say I’d never go back, just not yet,” he said, crinkling his eyes.
“Why? Is it too far?”
“No, we are waiting until we resolve a previous incident. We don’t fully understand how it works. There is a risk of being unable to return. The last one of our ships to venture through has yet to come back. They executed their plan to explore the area a little deeper. Where they turned up is anybody’s guess. We sent in a homing probe to study the region further to help us discover what happened to them, but it isn’t due back for another twenty-one years. So, for now, we wait.”
“That’s awful. What if they need help or if they’re lost?” I cried.
Gaelan crinkled his forehead in distress. “It goes with the territory,” he said in an unemotional tone.
His calmness about Space travel reminded me of how his boldness put mine to shame.
“I don’t understand. Can’t you ask someone here to help? There has to be a way to go in and get them. You have to—”
“No. It would be rash. And it doesn’t work that way. There are plenty of groups here I would never put my faith in. They hold different values, and it could expose our vulnerabilities.” He raised his voice in frustration. “You worry me. You sound overly confident in our abilities,” he said with a wince before pausing to take in a deep breath. “Wait … that came out wrong. What I mean to say is that everything we do is carefully calculated and executed with extreme precision. There are still too many unknown variables with the port. A haphazard strategy is the best way to get yourself killed. It is prudent to wait until we are better prepared. We need far more data on the region before we revisit it.”
I thought about his words. He sounded upset. I realized that he was probably trying to cover up his true emotions. The fact that the ship never returned did bother him. He seemed devastated by the loss. I was grateful to hear the scientific method behind his motives. It was also good to hear him admit that he wasn’t immortal or infallible. I knew his actions stemmed from experience, and knowing their advances in longevity, Gaelan had every reason to believe he would have the opportunity to explore it again one day. He was healthy, only seventy-one years old, and looked to be half his age.
“And seriously, Sami,” Gaelan said in a more upbeat tone, “look around you. Do you really need to know where some of these goofs come from? Come on, that guy over there has antlers for goodness sakes?”
I let out a tiny laugh.
Gaelan put his hand on my lower back. “Now you see why Earth is our most remarkable find. We don’t share the same commonalities with the visitors here as we do with you. You’re the discovery of a lifetime—invaluable,” he said with a smile, giving me the impression his words held a much stronger meaning.
I nodded while my mind raced through every possible theory to explain the Black Port’s existence and mode of operation.
“You’re suddenly quiet. Why?” Gaelan asked with a raised brow.
“I was just thinking.”
“I hope I didn’t scare you. We do know what we are doing. We have traveled extensively and remarkably well, I might add. And I would never take you anywhere I didn’t feel was safe,” he said adamantly.
“I know. But I like knowing this side of you. It’s good to hear you don’t have all the answers. It makes me feel more on your level.”
He huffed, which could have been interpreted as a laugh. “Yes, our level and yours are still a bit off. Let’s not compare. The amount of failures we had to endure to get where we are, are nothing to look forward to.” His voice took on a somber tone.
“No doubt,” I agreed. I loved that he wasn’t cocky about his intelligence. He was probably one of the smartest men I’d ever known, yet also the humblest. What a turn on!
I thought about our own astronauts’ recent missions to the moon. Each year, a
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