Nyx (Complete✅)

Chapter 42

Beth watched the woods. Even after several days, Kelbar had neglected to return, and Beth was starting to get worried about him. She knew perfectly well that he could take care of himself, but it was very unlike him to simply vanish without a trace. He hadn't even left a single clue as to where he might have gone.

The colony was getting on fine without him, especially with so many extra helping hands now that the biggest tasks were taken care of. They had enough people to do every task, and there were still many people that spent half the days doing nothing.

The animals were responding well to being fed native Viscordian plants, and the crops were growing with no problems. There were hundreds of houses set up in the ever-increasing clearing, with the large bulk of the out-of-commission ship taking up one side.

But Kelbar was their guide. He knew everything about the planet, like what water was best to drink or use for farming, and where to find certain plants and animals. Of course, he couldn't know everything, but he knew a good deal more than everyone else—and that's why they needed him.

Every morning she would check the perimeter of the settlement for any signs of him, but then she had to get back to her regular packed schedule. Language lessons in the morning and afternoon, and scientific expeditions in between. She hardly had any time to spend with Liam, much less wasting precious effort on looking for Kelbar, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

She took a deep breath, tearing her gaze away from the woods. Kelbar would have to wait until she was done with her work. If he was in trouble, then she would never forgive herself, but at the moment, she couldn't just up and leave the settlement.

She began on the very familiar path that led to the research department main building, which people had simply started calling "The Lab."

They had stripped some of the walls inside the ship of their materials, so they still had the same sanitary standards and safety measures, but it was more easily accessed than any of the labs already on the ship. It was the hub for pretty much all of the remaining work that the colony was doing, which was the exploration and discovery of the surrounding flora, fauna, and territory. There were smaller buildings located nearby that would one day serve as a hospital and experimentation and other things of the like, but at the moment the captain was more focused on building a strong foundation and being ready for anything.

She entered through the door, because this was one of the only buildings that they'd had the time or need to make a door for, and she walked in, but as soon as she did she was hit with a blast of confusion.

There was a team starting to leave without her, but she was usually part of most—if not all teams, and this one looked like it wasn't even planning on waiting for her.

She walked up to the person who looked to be the leader—a young woman whose name seemed to slip Beth's mind. She was competent, but Beth didn't understand why she was being replaced.

"What's going on? I was supposed to lead the team today..." Beth said, her brow scrunched up in confusion.

"Yes, but we got orders to let you have some time off. You're going to work yourself into the ground at this rate." She smiled gently, laying a friendly hand on Beth's shoulder.

She nodded, still confused. Orders? Whose orders? She watched as the team left the building, leaving her with no idea what she was supposed to do. She had been working constantly since landing, and now that she was free, she felt like she was a kite whose string had suddenly been cut and now she was drifting freely away.

Perhaps she could gather a small team of people who weren't doing anything in particular, and they could all search for Kelbar?

No... it just didn't feel right to be doing something that didn't directly benefit the colony. She decided she would try and find out who had ordered her to get some rest, and her first thought was Miss Woods, but she had no idea where to find her, so she decided to take the matter directly to the captain. She didn't want to defy direct orders, but she also didn't want to sit around doing nothing. Maybe she could resolve the issue easily. Maybe it was all just a misunderstanding.