Page 50 of Mazorium Buys a Human

The more I spoke, the more the fear I’d refused to acknowledge filled me.

He paused for a moment, as if taking in all my fears, then responded. “There could be earthquakes, but it’s highly unlikely any will be severe enough to be a problem. The spot I picked is reinforced by a tree, so that makes it unlikely that the ground will open up to swallow us. We call that frozen water snow or ice, and the planet isn’t cold enough for it. There is rain, but it’s unlikely to gather in any significant amount in the spot I’ve chosen.”

As he said some words, I remembered them: snow, ice, and rain. They were words I never used because they didn’t happen on space stations or ships. Occasionally there was fog or frost because environmental systems weren’t working correctly. Those could be difficult to correct, but nothing to panic over.

I didn’t know how to process the idea of being surrounded by things that weren’t made to be bent to my will with a simple recalibration.

Maz must’ve realized I was still spiraling because he touched my leg. “Please don’t be afraid. I’d never take you into a dangerous situation. If anything bad happens, we’ll simply power up and take off.”

That was what I needed to hear!

“Yes, we can leave at any time,” I agreed, feeling much better about all the nature we were about to be surrounded by.

“I need to go back to the control chair and oversee the landing,” he said, squeezing my leg. Even that little contact meant a lot after so many days of nothing. “If you become frightened again, please call out. We have plenty of time to land and secure the ship. I can pause our descent to comfort you. It isn’t an issue and won't cause any problems later.”

It struck me that this was his job but he was more than willing to ignore his normal procedures because I was acting like a frightened child.

I resolved to be better. Lots of individuals lived on planets surrounded by plants and animals. It wasn’t a big deal.

“I’m okay now,” I said, mostly telling the truth.

He sounded a last purr before letting go of my leg and returning to the command chair. I focused on keeping Nadia from getting upset. It was amazing how good a distraction a baby could be. Especially one as adorable as Nadia.

Although I was probably biased.

I was so distracted by making faces and silly sounds with Nadia that I barely noticed the slight shifts in the ship. There was a strong bump that finally got my attention. When I looked up, Maz was standing up and stretching.

“We’ve arrived. Would you like to see our new home?”

That last jolt must’ve been us landing. I shifted Nadia around and stood up.

Maz held out his arms. “I can hold Nadia, if you need a rest.”

It was good that his sudden dislike of touching didn’t extend to Nadia, but it made me feel worse. What had I done that had disgusted him so much?

I was tempted to keep Nadia from him but let go of that impulse. Maz had gone through something pretty traumatic, both physically and mentally. I needed to be patient with him, just like he was patient when I was recuperating.

“What does planet air smell like?” I asked as I handed her over to him. “There’s no filtration system to pull out impurities, so it’s probably pretty bad, right?”

He tucked her close to his chest, purring. “Most planets have a natural filtration system using plants, wind, and water. Their ecosystems are vast, so it can often take a massive impact to change the air quality for any substantial amount of time.”

“What could cause it?” I asked. He sounded a questioning rumble so I clarified my question. “What is big enough to change the air quality of a planet?”

“An asteroid impact, volcanic eruption, or an unchecked wildfire," he said.

Suddenly I didn't feel so serene. “Asteroids? Volcanoes? Fire! Fire happens in nature? There aren’t any types of suppression systems?”

We were at the ship’s outside hatch, and my shrill voice echoed in the hall around us. “The fire would need to be extensive to cause the type of atmospheric issue we’re talking about,” he said. “Fires down here are not necessarily as deadly as they are out in space. There are times societies have let fires continue to burn because it was a natural cycle of an area.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I’d grown up with the idea that fire was one of the worst evils possible. There were somany safety protocols on ships and stations to keep fire from happening or to put it out as soon as possible. The concept of letting a fire happen was so foreign it was hard for me to comprehend.

“I didn’t know there were so many other things to be worried about," I said, feeling myself starting to spiral into a fearful place again. I wasn’t too afraid of asteroids, there were all kinds of ways to keep a planet safe from them. But now I had a multitude of new concerns, including fire and whatever a volcano was.

“We’re all going to die.”

I didn’t realize I’d whispered that out loud until Maz let out a loud rumble of amusement.

“I’ve surveyed many planets, and this is one of the most stable of them. Storms are rare, this place is too wet for fire to be an issue, I couldn’t find evidence of a single active volcanic spot, and the magnetic field is larger than most planets this size so solar radiation isn’t an issue. This place is almost as safe as any station.”