Contact
"Planetary system ahead, captain." The navigator, Tara Lambert, was top of her field. "The sensors indicate a planet in the habitable zone." "Ewan, what do you detect?" Ewan Kemp, the science officer, took a closer look at the readings from the sensors. "Strange, captain. The planet in the habitable zone seems to be entirely made of metal. I am detecting energy usage consistent with life, however, and at a fairly sophisticated level, despite the absence of rock." Katy Lozano sat back in her captain's chair. Life in the absence of oxygen, sure. Life in the absence of water? Methane will do, in a pinch. Sophisticated life was found on rocky planets and moons, however. Sure, there are some lifeforms in the atmospheres of a few gas giants, relying on buoyancy and simple, waxy hydrocarbons. But a metallic planet? How does it not oxidize, especially in the presence of life? Countless reactions should happen between almost any metal hard enough to ...