Of Men and Spiders

Scott lay on the grassy hill, looking up at the stars through the weird liquid "sky" overhead. It added an ethereal feel to stargazing, making this place feel all the more alien yet beautiful. It was almost enough to make him forget about how sore his muscles were after a long day of prepping the fields and planting his new crops, but he was really thankful that after this, he could go take a hot shower and sleep in an actual bed rather than a pallet of sticks with some leaves thrown on top for "cushioning."

However, Scott's view was suddenly obstructed when Charlotte walked in front of him, blocking the starry night sky from view. She looked down at Scott with what he suspected was concern. "Why are you lying down there, Scott. Have you been injured? Do you require rest? Should I fetch Alice?"

Scott laughed and shook his head. "No, just taking it all in." Then, after a moment's hesitation, he focused his attention on Charlotte. "Have you ever just laid back and stared up at the night sky, wondering at your place in the universe?"

Charlotte looked up at the sky and mused for a moment. "The stars are useful as navigation devices, so I don't have to wonder. If we form an axis extending from the galaxy's center along three planes using..."

Scott held out his hands, laughing. "That's not exactly what I meant. I wasn't referring to our physical location so much as a metaphorical purpose. I was speaking existentialy!"

Charlotte tilted her head and examined Scott from a different angle, something he was coming to associate with her seeking to understand a confusing idea. "I am unfamiliar with the word 'existential.' What does it mean?"

That was a complicated question. While the word's definition was simple enough, Scott doubted that Charlotte would grasp its impact on humans. Instead, he motioned to an open spot next to him on the hill. "Why don't you sit beside me and look at the sky? I'll see if I can explain what I'm saying."

It was somewhat involved for Charlotte to sit down. All those extra limbs complicated the process, but eventually, she looked up at the night sky with him. She was silent, so Scott prodded. "Now, what do you see?"

Charlotte didn't hesitate. "I am observing various stars, emitting gravitational forces on each other, forming the galaxy through which we travel."

Scott nodded approvingly. "Well, that was a bit more outside the box than I expected, but let's see if we can't kick it up a notch. Those stars you're looking at are massive in scope and power, exerting forces that are hard to truly comprehend. They were ancient long before the first human, or She, existed and will be there long after everyone we know has faded into obscurity. And yet, they are totally unaware of all the power they wield and all the time they've existed through. They do as the universe dictates, with no choice of where or how to do it." He paused. "Now, take humans, or even the She. You might live longer than us, but compared with a star, both of our people's existence has been so brief that even if they were capable of conscious thought, we would have been completely beneath their notice, and yet, despite our small scale and short lives, we have something that even these great celestial bodies will never have, consciousness. We can think, make decisions, and even change our patterns. If we went extinct tomorrow, no star would miss us, yet the universe would be missing something beautiful and unique. Something that may never exist again, at least not in the same way..."

After a few moments of silence, Scott turned to Charlotte. "That kind of thinking is called existential thinking. It's contemplating our relationship with existence. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Charlotte turned to Scott and nodded. "Yes, I believe I understand." Watching Charlotte get back on her her feet was funny, but once she had her feet back under her, she added, "You humans are all insane." But before she left, she added one last thought. "But that insanity is part of what makes you so interesting." She then walked away, leaving Scott to his musing.

Scott chuckled to himself. He suspected she understood more than she was letting on. Charlotte was developing a pretty dry sense of humor, dry enough that it was sometimes hard to discern her jokes from her real thoughts, but somehow, that was what made her Charlotte.

As he turned his attention skyward again, Scott frowned. He didn't want to bring it up, but he was also feeling a little melancholy. Somehow, working the fields here on this asteroid ship wasn't as fulfilling as it had been back on the planet. Maybe it was because it was now more of a luxury rather than a necessity. Or maybe because he was doing this mostly for himself now that Alice didn't require this kind of sustenance. Or maybe it was because he was sitting back and wasting time playing in the dirt while his mom was risking her life and fighting pirates.

Of course, the moment Scott thought about pirates, his mind flashed back to the moment he hesitated, the moment that had nearly cost Alice everything. Once again, he was staring down his father. The man he'd worshiped. The man who'd come to sell him and his sister out to some stranger Scott had never even met. His father's eyes were unfocused, and his face projected hate and rage that made him look almost more like a demon than the man Scott had known and loved. Scott mentally screamed at himself to pull the trigger now, before it happened, before... And then it was too late. His father struck, and Alice was in Charlotte's arms, bleeding and broken. Scott finally pulled the trigger, and in the moment, his heart and mind tore each other apart, but it was wasted; he'd acted too late... Even as the vision faded, he could hear his mom screaming over the repeated bangs as he pulled the trigger again and again.

When his eyes focused again, he was staring into his sister's face. Scott smiled faintly. It wasn't so bad as that memory made everything feel. Alice was alive and well and even seemed to accept and enjoy her new body in the way only someone so young could.

However, then he realized Alice was looking unusually apprehensive. Scott was about to ask what was up, but she spoke first. "Um, Scott? I think someone's out there, and they're trying to contact us..."