[ WP ] We 've explored space and found life , though it does n't `` live '' in a way we 've expected .

Roger Derringer had performed Extra Vehicular Activity before on the Moon, Phobos, and Enceladus, but the experience of performing an EVA on Moirae was something else entirely. 
 From its distant orbit in the Kuiper Belt, Moirae barely got any sunlight. The sun itself was little more than an especially bright star some 46 AU away, and in the daytime this was only slightly less bright than the inside of the inflatable habitation module his team had brought with them. 
 
 What no one on Earth had expected about the place was the network of crystal spires that covered much of the planet. Everything from soaring towers of green olivine to knee—high sapphires caught the light of the stars and reflected it back to the explorers with the bizarre wonder of a kaleidoscope. 
 
 “ EVA-2 to base, more of the same out this way, ” Derringer reported. “ I think that I ’ m seeing more pinkish-red crystals as I go along. Could be quartz, could be something else. ” 
 
 His helmet radio bleeped once, then the team geologist, Lucy Delany replied, “ EVA-4 to EVA-2, can you give me a spectrometer reading on that, Roger? ” 
 
 “ EVA-2 to EVA-4, Andrei has my spectrometer because his was broken. Sorry Lucy. ” 
 
 His radio added the termination beep automatically. He had sent the request for the 3D AutoCAD file to NASA and Roscosmos seven hours ago…and at their current distance the signal wouldn ’ t reach earth for another two. 
 “ EVA-4 to EVA-2, understood. You ’ ve got a working sample hammer, right? ” 
 
 “ EVA-2, EVA-4, sure do Lucy. ” 
 
 Roger approached one of the reddish crystals with what was, according to the folks at JPL, ‘ The single most expensive pickaxe ever built by man ’ and took a swing. 
 
 To the astronaut ’ s surprise, the strike produced a tone, a high E #, not unlike a wind chime. *That ’ s impossible. * He thought. *There ’ s no atmosphere here. * 
 
 He dropped the pick, took a few steps forward, and placed a hand on the crystal that he ’ d hit. 
 To his surprise, the smooth, ruby-red facet was vibrating, strongly enough that he could feel it through his glove. “ EVA-4 to all, ” Roger said. “ I ’ ve got a wildly resonating crystal here. One of the red ones, can you tell me if— ” 
 
 But he wasn ’ t just feeling the vibration through his hand anymore. He could feel it through his feet too. On the ground, tiny multicolored grains, no larger than bits of sand on the beach, were starting to shift and bounce. 
 “ EVA-2 to EVA-4, ” Lucy said over his communication set. “ Say again? Resonating crystals? ” 
 
 It had to be an earthquake, or some kind of geological disturbance. “ EVA-4 to all, ” Roger stated, “ I ’ m bugging out. ” 
 He turned to head back to base, and could not believe what he saw. 
 
 The resonating crystal dust had lumped together into a small hill that condensed upon itself, then telescoped into a tube-like projection which rose until it was eye-level with him. It was a thing at once dead and alive, full of motion but constructed of billions of shuddering crystals shards that couldn ’ t, simply *couldn ’ t* be alive. 
 
 “ Base! ” Roger cried, “ Base! My God, you ’ ve got to see this thing! It ’ s beautif— ” 
 
 The tube descended, swallowing Roger whole. 

