low orbit

the transmission arrived in her own voice, dated six months from now. she was telling herself not to open the airlock.

marin read the message twice and then erased it, the way you fold a note you do not want anyone to find on your body.

the next message was from cal, and cal had been dead since launch.

the audio was timestamped twenty minutes from now. she still had time to answer him.

she pressed her palm flat against the airlock glass. on the other side, the same palm pressed back.

the station's orbit had not decayed in nine months. nothing they sent up could explain that.

What could explain it? Could it be aliens or higher intelligence?