Blindy was already yawning from boredom.
Z-P-N-E-S 2.0 hovered thousands of feet above Zeros—
high enough to stay hidden in Erebus’ dense atmosphere,
and still remain within rapid extraction range.
Blindy shifted in place, staring at the empty holographic display:
“Fuuuck… I’m bored outta my mind…”
He leaned back, stretching a bit.
“Maybe I should just head down there too…?”
Phoenix cut him off instantly:
“Not recommended.”
Blindy frowned:
“An’ why—why’s that, Rusty?”
Phoenix answered immediately, voice flat and cold:
“Zeros does not breathe.
Methane for him is… how to put this in terms you understand…
Imagine being next to yourself.
Tolerable.
You can live with it.”
He paused briefly, letting Blindy process.
Phoenix continued:
“For you,
it would be like standing in a restroom after a hundred unwashed Mold’pony mercenaries.
Even your stone-grade organism might not survive.”
Blindy’s eyes went wide like he’d seen a ghost.
“Oh holy deGrasse…
wait… hold on—”
He leaned forward, pointing down like he could see through the planet.
“So that means…
down there…”
His face twisted. His voice dropped into horrified realization:
“—You—you’re ridin’ inside a damn fart?!”
He immediately crossed himself, fast and messy.
“Oh hell no—nope—
nah, I’m good—”
He stepped back from the display like it might contaminate him.
“Enjoy that… you twisted psycho…
whatever the hell that is—”
He crossed himself, just in case.
“I’ll stay right here.
Safe. Clean.
Breathin’ like a civilized man.”
Below, as Zeros tore through the absolute darkness—
Phoenix said calmly:
“Zeros. Stop. We’ve arrived.”
The Iron Wraith dropped speed instantly—
so sharply that a living brain
would’ve leaked out through the nose.
The wheels cut into the ground, throwing a frozen spray of dirt forward.
A wall of dirt rose, twisting around the bike,
swallowing the glow of its emitters.
And as the cloud began to settle—breaking into drifting fragments…
…the sky lit up from below.
Out of the darkness, dozens of shapes rose—
ghostlike, translucent,
floating in the thick air as if water itself was rising upward.
They resembled Terran jellyfish—
but stretched, elongated,
with long semi-transparent tendrils,
glowing with a cold blue light.
Each one pulsed in its own rhythm—
some soft and smooth,
others flickering in trembling bursts,
like whispers made of light.
Their bodies shimmered like liquid glass—
completely transparent—
only the lines of their bioluminescent organs visible,
pulsing like heartbeats.
Zeros’ red eyes reflected the blue flashes—
and for a moment, it felt like two colors—cold and blood—
were arguing in silence inside the dark.
The creatures surrounded him.
Not approaching.
But watching.
Swaying in the air, like they were breathing.
Silent.
Alien.
Ancient.
Erebus finally showed—
it was not empty.
It was alive.
Zeros stepped off the bike and moved forward toward the glowing cluster.
Blindy, watching through the holographic terminal, immediately lost his mind:
“ZEROS—! DON’T YOU FUCKIN’ CLAP, OKAY?!
Don’t—don’t even THINK about it—!”
He pointed at the display like Zeros could feel it.
“Do that other thing instead—
the—uh—hand thing—”
His fingers tried to copy it mid-air and failed instantly.
“You raise your hand—yeah—then you—
you straighten ’em—
then split the middle ones—like a V—no—wait—like this—”
He squinted at his own hand, struggling.
“—ah, shit, you know what I mean!”
A breath, then rushed:
“And you say it real calm—like—like you mean it—
‘Live long and prosper’—yeah, that—!”
He froze for a fraction of a second, realization hitting him late.
“I saw it in a movie—just—JUST DO IT!”
Phoenix replied calmly:
“These entities are non-verbal. They communicate via bioluminescence.
I doubt they understand Vulcan—or any other language.
They do not even possess ears, captain.”
At that moment, Z-P-N-E-S 2.0 descended slightly, becoming visible through the haze—
its hull lighting up in soft, shifting iridescent colors.
Blindy whistled, eyes widening as the colors shifted across the hull.
“Goddamn… that—
that—
THAT’S beautiful…”
Phoenix continued, cold, with a hint of dry sarcasm:
“I see you enjoy pop-culture nonsense.
So I will explain this in terms you understand.
We will proceed as in another film—’Close Encounters of the—the—whatever.’
With light thingy.”
Blindy lit up instantly, like someone just handed him purpose.
“OH SHIT—OH SHIT—that’s COOL as hell—!”
He snapped his fingers like he was about to unlock something genius.
“Wait—Rusty—
you got a piano or somethin’?!”
He leaned in, already halfway into the idea.
“We about to do that thing—
that—uh—
re-mi—do—no—wait—”
His hands started moving like he was playing invisible keys.
“—doo-doo—doo—DOO—
you know what I mean—!”
He nodded hard, fully convinced this was the plan.
“Yeah—yeah—like the movie—
we talk to ’em with music—
they gonna LOVE that—”
Phoenix instantly regretted engaging and cut him off:
“Captain, do not be an idiot.
I already stated—they have NO ears.
Now be silent and observe.”
He switched frequencies, addressing Zeros:
“Zeros, we are synchronized.
Think what you want to say—
I will translate it into their format.
And their… signals—
I will translate for you. Advice:
Do not appear threatening.
Do not look aggressive.”