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«I’ve been looking for you everywhere. We found something down there.» I know what he means by down there. It’s the slang around here for the mine.

«What?»

«You just have to see for yourself. Meet me in your lab in a few?»

I throw the rest of my lunch in the garbage and rush to the geological lab. It’s not like Bill to get worked up. He’s usually such a calm guy. So I know this isn’t just one of their ghost stories.

A couple minutes later, he saunters into my lab. The place is a mess, with maps and schematics printed onto plastic sheets covering every surface, including my computer keyboard. 3D printed models of the mining shaft are covered with bits of rock and raw metals. But I’m past caring about how my organized chaos appears to other people.

«Good day so far, dear?»

«Be better if I knew what you needed from me.» Usually technicians only came to this part of the site when something had gone wrong. I brace myself for the bad news. As part of my duties here, I’m in charge of my crew's safety.

«It's this.» He hands me a large chunk of rock. It's almost round, and about the size of a basketball, with striations of nickel and cobalt ore running through it. It looks like millions of other rocks found on the surface of the asteroid and pulled up from its depths.

«Yeah, so?» I take the stone as he hands it to me. I start to turn it over in my hands and he watches silently, as if waiting for something. I look up at him, waiting for an explanation. But just as I do, something catches my eye.

«What is that?»

«That's why I'm here.»

There's a pattern of dots and fine lines that cover one side of the rock completely. The pattern is linear and precise.

«The thing came away from the wall as a chunk," explains Bill. «We found none of it on either side.»

As I look at it, I realize that it is too meticulous, too perfect to be natural. «If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was deliberate.»

Bill shrugs.

«But that’s impossible. This asteroid is millions of years old, and we’re the first people to ever mine it. No one could have left it there. Are you sure this isn’t some sort of prank?»

«No way, Will. I saw come off the mine wall myself. It was there all along.»

«I'll take care of this," I assure him. As he leaves the lab, I realize what to do.

* * *

I walk into Stephan’s lab, with its blue glow of multiple computer screens and the constant hum of their exhaust fans.

«Got something for you,” I say. He looks up from a computer screen and seems disheartened to see that it’s me.

Before I hand the rock over to him, I decide to have it out. «Can’t we talk about this?»

«About what?»

«Us. It was so comfortable, so easy. But you didn’t come to lunch today. Has something changed?»

«I just…I feel like I’ve used you somehow, you know?»

I laugh.

«No, really,” he continues. «You were getting over someone. You were vulnerable. And I took advantage of that.»

«Well, then, I guess we took advantage of each other, since you were getting over someone as well.»

«I guess.» He sees the rock in my hands. «What’s that?»

«Oh, yeah. This is what I came to talk to you about. Look at it.» I show him the striations. «If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was…»

«A language.»

«What do you think we should do?»

«Give a couple hours to look at it. I’ll get back to you.»

* * *

«You really think I'd give him the only copy?» Stephan asks me as we walk back to my lab. «Come on, you know me better than that.»

I’m surprised at him, and raise my eyebrows. He always seems so by the book.

«We should decode it, shouldn't we?» He asks when I say nothing.

The truth is, I'm not sure what we should do. I don't think doing exactly the opposite of what our boss just told us to do is going to help my career.

A few hours after I gave the rock to Stephan, he came back to my lab. «Come on,” he called as he passed the door. «We’re going to Grayson.»

When we arrive at Grayson’s office, Stephan takes over explaining the situation. Grayson looks at us with skepticism. He’s not much older than me, maybe 35, with a shock of black hair that reminds me too much of Anders. He never talks with any of us outside work. He barely even leaves his office and quarters.

«Look, I’m not sure what it is, but it seems to mean something, you know?»

Grayson forces a smiles. «Another of the miners’ ghost stories, is it?»

«No, but --» Stephan starts.

«Look, Stephan, Willow, I’m glad you brought this to my attention. But don’t worry about it. I’ll file a report with the company. I just need you to leave this be. Understand?» I nod vigorously, fully prepared to do what he says.

«But it’s weird, isn’t it?» I ask Stephan. He’s the only person on the station I can trust, but when he asks if we can decode it, I hesitate.

«Aren’t you curious about what it says?» He asks.

«Sure, but — “

«Well, whether you come to help or not, I’m going to find out.»

* * *