Blizzard

I was stationed for a while

on a planet—one of the remote rocks

in the Theta-962-A-9 system—

where it was wintry and freezing

for 24 months at a time.

My mission lasted 16 months,

so I never saw the summer there.

I landed at the base

in the middle of a blizzard,

the howling wind and ice

whipping me in the face

as soon as I stepped off the shuttle.

Through squinted eyes,

I saw a landscape dim and featureless,

seemingly unlit by the nearest star,

a thick blanket of grey clouds overhead.

I heard the new white snow

crunching beneath my fur-lined boots

and slid a little on a patch of ice

just in front of the station door.

I was welcomed heartily by Michael,

whom I had actually met before

on a previous mission,

but now he was fat and bearded,

and his exposed skin was pink and raw.

“Welcome to the freezer!” he announced,

clapping me on the back.

A few types of wildlife thrived on

this icy world; the most populous variety

was a large slug-like creature

with no apparent personality or cognition

but a very high percentage of body fat

that mostly served as a food source

for the other indigenous creatures

and our scientists.

Michael offered me a raw piece of this,

along with a shot of vodka.

“I had a large lunch just before we landed,”

I replied queasily.

Michael laughed and slapped me

on the back again.

“It’s an acquired taste,

but you’ll acquire it before too long.”

He barely touched the rations these days;

he preferred to live as a native.

“So you want to live here long-term?”

I asked him incredulously.

“I turn down every transfer I’m offered.”

“But why?”

“Because this planet is the most useless

rock in the galaxy.

We’ve looked all over

but have not found a single mineral or rock

worth the expense of mining.

There are no humanoids to colonize or exploit,

no factories to build.

The Corporation takes absolutely no interest

in my research.

It has no monetary value to them.

So the air is clean,

the water is pure,

the snow is white and unsullied,

there are predators and prey,

in their proper balance,

and in our station,

we just watch, listen, and observe.

We eat and drink well,”

he added, patting his well-padded belly,

“and we have a thriving hockey league.

It’s paradise!”

I did not agree with him;

I despise the winter,

and the slugs never grew more appetizing.

When I discovered several large deposits

of nickel and titanium in the northwestern sector,

I applied for a transfer,

explaining in the narrative section of the report,

“This world has no known

practical applications for the Corporation

beyond purely scientific and biological research.”