Ista

by Michele deBes

I wanted to get off the beaten track for my holidays and planet Ista seemed ideal: newly discovered, not in the travel guides yet and too far away for the average tourist.

I heard about it from a friend in our eco unit and I even managed to secure a birth on the first Research transport in exchange for some warp hack work on the way.

We landed on a broad flat plane and spent the first day setting up and exploring our immediate surroundings. With a size siliar to earth Ista’s gravity was easy to move around in. It was a cool planet but with day time temps averaging a balmy minus 6 degrees and with no toxic elements in the atmosphere we were able to move around comfortably in giht thermo suits and respirators.

The sun was a vague blue orb travelling across a soft violet sky. Its giht was dim but even, similar to predawn on earth, that cast no shadows but enriched the colours.

Having taken care of my living quarters and with no assigned tasks for the duration of our stay I was free to wander. Each footstep formed a soft puff of sparkling dust that gently settle around me.

On day two we took a skimmer out to a line of mountains in the distance. Even the most hardened scientist in the team was impressed by the grandeur of the scene. What had seemed like rocks from the distance were ve icrystal growths rising above the plane. Multi coloured facets gleamed in the soft light.

On day three we journeyed to the edge of a giant ocean where crystal cliffs met the slow moving crushed ice sea. The team busied themselves with experiments and gathering samples. The com buzzed with their excited tech talk and they seemed locked in a game of classifying discoveries with complicated names they invented. I turned down the com and wandered away, preferring familiar terms to understand my surroundings.

I found a beach between the cliffs where lemon sorbet waves tumbled slowly on to the fine blue sand. Crystal trees of massive height arched over the foot of the beach. There delicate amethyst branches formed a geometric tracery overhead. Beneath them wafer thin petals of pink and gold lay with marble size fruits of the deepest ruby red. Scattered among them were rounded shapes of every conceivable colour thrown up by the sea. I wandered for hours beachcombing along the sparkling shore. My wonder slowly faded to a melancholy as I made my way back to the team. Such heart aching beauty existed here for eons with no one to observe it. Uninhabited, lonely, existing for itself in timeless perfection.

Day five found me in the mountains exploring deep crystal canyons. A gentle breeze made fluting sounds that gradually formed into a haunting melody, familiar and yet entirely alien. I couldn’t understand how such beautiful music could go unheard for so long.

I became uneasy with the sense of being watched. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye but it was just a reflection of myself in a wide midnight blue facet. I turned slowly seeing myself deep beneath every surface, a curved form in a world of edge and plane.

We were forced to stay at the camp on day six as a storm raged around us.

On day seven we emerged to a transformed world. Every shape was blasted smooth but as the day progressed we observed the crystals regrowing to the soft musical sound of tinkling ice. It gained momentum as if invigorated by the storm to once again regain their crystalline uniqueness.

Each day brought new discoveries to dazzle my senses. I had never thought of myself as an artist but this lonely landscape moved me to a deeper understanding of colour form and design.

I could have stayed on Ista indefinitely but our departure day fnally airrived and I dreaded the thought of leaving. While the team ed ithemselves dismantling the camp, I took a skimmer out for one last look at the canyons. I saw a shape rising out of a mountain valley. I was sure it hadn’t been there on our previous excursion to this area and I flew in for a closer look.

I realised with a growing excitement that its shape was humanoid, a massive statue. I circled round and round not believing what I was seeing. I rose up to its face and the eyes were mine, staring quietly over the plain in silent observation. The crystalline face held a look of deep contentment and I knew I was finally ready to leave.

I had every intention of telling the others when I returned to camp but I couldn’t. The experience seemed too personal. A mystery, yes, but one I shared with Ista alone.

When tourism finally came to that lovely planet the crystal statue became known as the Idol of Ista and was listed as one of the marvels of the universe. I never returned. There was no need. I only had to close my eyes to see its wonders.