Ice Dragons

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. Except for the cries of the Ice Dragons. They can be heard from hundreds of miles away, their shrieks to low rumbles, always reminding us of their presence. I learned from an old Earth biologist that the whales of the small blue planet had the same ability. Anyone who comes into contact with the Ice Dragons never lives to tell the tale. Of course that meant I had to find them. To uncover their secrets as to how they managed to survive in such an inhospitable environment.

We all know that bacteria and microbes had managed to live in space for thousands of years and had posed a constant threat to living organisms. However, something as large as the Ice Dragons existing in space went against every single scientific theorem posited by the most brilliant physicists of the past two hundred years made this impossible. Most living creatures require nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide for basic life. However, these elements are so finite in space, except around stars where helium and nitrogen were in abundance.

My personal theory as to how we could hear the Ice Dragons, even when the screams of people were silenced by space, was they were composed largely of the gas that created stars. They used the gas to construct their physical bodies, becoming large and fearsome. Other scientists and biologists scoffed at my thesis, saying they had no ability to choose their size, just as people and other aliens could not choose their appearance. My reply: evolution. How were we to know just how long the Ice Dragons had been around and simply evolved to exist in space from the same microbes that survived?

It was my curiosity about the Ice Dragons that drove me to request funding from the Intergalactic Research Station. Of course it was denied, my fellow scientists writing me off as a fool. I was expecting as much. Fortunately I had saved enough and stockpiled enough supplies I could survive for several years in search of the elusive creatures, and had found a co-pilot just as “crazy” as I was.

I turned to Carlotta as we boarded our little craft.

“This is your last chance to back out,” I warned and she merely smiled serenely at me and I grinned at her. It was finally time.

We settled into our respective seats, and I flipped the comms and started the turbines which purred to life perfectly.

“Sly Fox requesting permission for take off,” I spoke into the comms and there was a crackle before the response.

“Seriously, Fox? You’re actually planning on doing this?” came the voice in disbelief.

“It’s just a short expeditionary trip,” I replied coolly, “If we have not returned in six months, do not send a search party out for us. We will most likely be dead.”

Carlotta snorted and I grinned at her. No use in pretending this was a long shot.

“Very well, Fox,” the voice said, now sounding tired, “Permission granted.”

There was no farewell or good luck, just a simple acceptance of our plans. They had been fighting our scheme for so long they finally just gave up and reluctantly approved. Even if it risked losing two of their best scientists. Carlotta had already set the course for the Hydra Galaxy, the area where the most recordings of the Ice Dragons came from and I guided the Sly Fox out of the station and into the vastness of space. Once we had cleared enough distance from the Intergalactic Research Station I hit the hyper speed control and we were off.

With the distance to the Hydra Galaxy and the speed of the Sly Fox we would most likely make it to the suspected home of the Ice Dragons within four to five weeks, giving us time to explore the galaxy. For now Carlotta and I settled in for a long journey hoping the time in endless space with no one to talk to but each other wouldn’t send us into madness.