The next day, Bear was watching with the rest of the planet when her ship launched heading to the newest lunar colony. He watched with the rest of them in horror as a small micro-meteor shower ripped through the engines and part of the hull as it was beginning its descent. They all saw firsthand that the enhanced gravity was operational as the ship's emergency thrusters weren't enough to stop the inevitable crash. A huge cloud of dust was raised at the impact, obscuring the view of the site. The live streaming vid was cut short, and an apology for the technical difficulties flashed across the screens. He could hardly breathe, the tightness in his chest was suffocating him. She had to be alright. She had to.
It was an agonizing two hours before there was news. The Chairman informed the people of Callan Prime of what the Corporation had been able to learn. He extended his condolences to the families of the crew, who, sadly, did not survive the wreck. He was quick to add that they had died heroes, saving the precious cargo they carried by ejecting Kyree Bennett, contest winner and planet darling, in an escape pod moments before the crash. They had located the pod. It had, per its programming, landed on the moon its occupant was initially meant to land on. Diagnostics showed the pod was slightly damaged and not fit for re-entry to the planet, but her bioreadings were strong. Emergency protocols had been initiated, and Miss Bennett was currently in stasis as she had landed too far from the domes of the colony to be able to safely make her way there. They were assured that the Corporation was working hard to find a viable way to retrieve her.
Months went by, and nothing came of those initial promises. The plants cleaning the air planetside were breaking down. The Corporation just didn't have the resources at the present time to spend on such an unsure venture. It was too dangerous, they said, and they couldn't be sure they wouldn't lose more ships, more men, in a futile attempt to save one girl. The meteors, micro and otherwise, had increased in frequency.
Bear burned hotter with every vidcast. Every excuse. Every lie. The bastards were using her to distract from the difficulties they were having on the surface. They broadcast every near-miss. No one even used her name anymore. She was just the Girl on the Moon. To everyone but her family. And to him.
He'd been watching their private spaceport. He knew they were sending ships back and forth day and night. They could have brought her back by now. But the air-scrubbing plants were slowly failing, and there wasn't room in the colony for everyone. And their control was so tight, any messages to their nearest neighbors were intercepted. They would not show weakness to the outside and violate their directive of isolationism from the rest of the sector.
With every passing day, the pain in his heart increased, and he knew that someone had to do something. He had to do something... before he drove himself crazy wondering if it was truly possible to have such a large hole in his soul, to be so incredibly lonely for someone he'd never even met. And, he told himself, before it was too late for her.
