The wind farm on Titan’s methane sea had been silent for days. Engineer Cas Dhomé drifted between the turbines in his pressure suit, his drone flickering weak signals. Power fluctuations had shut down Colony Theta’s oxygen recyclers. If he failed, they’d suffocate.
He reached the primary relay tower, its control panel blinking erratic data. Something moved on the scaffold—too smooth, too deliberate. Cas froze. The drone scanned: an unfamiliar shape, metallic but fluid, intertwined with the circuits. Not a machine failure. A presence.
He extended a gloved hand, but the thing recoiled, then hesitated. The colony’s lights dimmed further. No time. Cas traced the broken connections and motioned to the creature. It watched—then, astonishingly, shifted, realigning the wires with unearthly precision. The grid surged back. Colony Theta would breathe.
As it dissolved into the turbine’s metal, Cas whispered, “Thank you.” The wind howled, but he felt no longer alone.
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