Planetshine
Posted on November 18th, 2010 by Ian Blackthorne

Ian Blackthorne crouched next to the fallen part of the weathered stone pillar, one hand resting on the cool surface as the weight of history seemed to impart itself through the touch. He studied the writings, but more in awe than any attempts at comprehension; Commander Harper was far better at that, and presently engaged in poring over every etching she could find. Still, Ian didn’t need to understand what was written on the pillar to be enthralled by evidence of a twenty thousand year old advanced civilization. Everything they had discovered so far on this moon was amazing, from the expansive ruins to the moon itself and its staggeringly beautiful environment.

Ian looked up from the pillar, leaving his hand in place, to regard the gas giant that dominated the sky in a majestic panorama of purple and orange. The light reflected from the planet cast spectacular colors over everything on the surface, and Ian briefly wondered if the star, impotently perched just above the horizon, was frustrated at being upstaged in the celestial theater.

T’Kirr suddenly drew his eyes away from the sky, not because of anything she had done, but from a glint of light reflected off something in her direction. She was engrossed in her work and had yet to notice him watching, but the planetshine was particularly flattering in the way it lit her at that fleeting moment. Ian withdrew his hand from the pillar and draped it over a folded knee, the splendor of the place momentarily forgotten as he could only see her, and a single thought ran all the others out of his mind.

“Damn, she’s beautiful.”