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That is, I tentatively assumed they were transportation devices because although they had seats, they did not have any wheels. Instead, they rested on large, slightly convex discs. There were three vehicles, one largish four-seat vehicle and two smaller two-seat models. They were open topped, which meant that they were not pressurized and could only be used with space suits in atmospheres not hospitable for air-breathing life-forms, much as our buggies were. I walked across the cabin to one of the two-seat models and shoved it to see if it moved. It didn’t. Which meant that it was either extremely heavy or it was fixed to the deck in some way that I couldn’t detect. The latter explanation made more sense to me because I was certain I would have found the vehicles piled up on each other against the starboard wall thanks to the force of the crash if they had not been firmly fixed to the deck.

I decided to ponder this question later and continue exploring after I noticed a rather large double door set into the semicircular inner bulkhead. I examined the walls on either side of the doors as I approached and found buttons mounted in the wall to the right of the doors. I removed my hand from my eagle, pushed the upper button, and returned my hand to rest once more on the butt of the gun as the door panels separated and slid open with a very faint hum. They revealed a chamber roughly two meters by two meters with another set of double door panels on the other side.

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I tried to look in all directions at once, but as my helmet was fixed firmly to my suit, I found myself spinning like a top on one leg while supplying circular drive power with my other leg. After completing the tenth spin I had realized three things: First, there were no visible threats in my immediate surroundings; second, I would’ve looked incredibly silly to any observers (if there had been any); and third, I felt quite dizzy.

I walked forward into the flight deck area and did a quick scan (this time without any spinning). Then I walked down the corridor toward the stern of the ship to see what I could find back there. I had passed the airlock compartment and continued down the passage for about twenty-five meters when I encountered a wall barring my passage down the corridor. I searched the wall and found two buttons mounted vertically in the wall to my left. I reached forward and pressed the top one, and a hatch slid open. I warily looked inside to find what looked like another airlock compartment, but the door on the other side was open, allowing me to see into the room beyond. I cautiously slipped through the airlock chamber and entered the room before pausing to look around.

I found myself standing in a large room similar in size and shape to the flight deck/living quarters cabin. Most of the wall area was fitted with banks of built-in drawers interspersed with a few computer keyboards and monitor stations as well. Parked in roughly the center of the room were what I tentatively assumed to be transportation devices.

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Intrigued, I retraced my steps around the bow of the craft and stopped in front of the hatch. With my right hand still resting on the butt of my Eagle, I used my left hand to reach out and touch the glowing circle alongside the hatch. I heard an electric hum and a hissing noise and then jumped back when the hatch slid open.

I peered carefully through the hatch and saw a small compartment, roughly two meters by two meters, which I deduced to be an airlock. I tentatively moved forward and stepped through the hatch into the airlock and then looked for a button similar to the one outside to close the outer hatch and activate the airlock cycle. I pressed the only button I could find in the compartment and assumed it was the right one when the outer hatch slid closed and oxygen started hissing into the compartment. The inner hatch slid open when the hissing stopped, and I warily stepped into the alien craft.

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As I passed the suspected hatch I had discovered earlier, I noticed that there was a glowing circle about five inches in diameter in the hull close to the left side of the hatch. I made a mental note to have a closer look at that later as I continued on to the bow of the spacecraft. When I reached the flight deck windows, I looked through them into the ship. It damn near took my breath away—well, actually it made me breathe faster and heavier than normal, almost overcoming the mechanical efficiency of, and therefore jamming my oxygen supply valve (not really, I'm exaggerating a little bit).

But after all, I was looking into the interior of a crashed alien spaceship on Mars, something which I would never have imagined I might find myself doing…right up until the time that I now found myself doing it.

I judged that the cabin I was looking into would have filled about a third of the ship and appeared to be a combination flight deck/ living quarters for the crew. I saw no living creatures moving around in there, nor did I see any bodies, which was the part that surprised me the most.

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It was then that I decided it was necessary to go and investigate this strange phenomenon, while at the same time deciding that it was not necessary to wake any of the crew, as it would take too long, especially since I would have to get dressed first. So I padded as quietly as possible down the corridor to the cargo hold, put on my EVA suit, and after operating the airlock walked down the ramp, did an about-face, and headed through the darkness toward the beacon of light that was the alien ship. As I neared it, I angled toward the bow while I subconsciously released the flap of my holster, lifted it, and rested my hand on the butt of the Eagle that nestled within. Even through my thick glove I found the physical contact comforting.

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Located on the lower level of the Albatross, directly below the flight deck, the windows of the cafeteria looked forward from the bow of the ship as did the flight deck windows above.

Therefore, there was only one possible source of the light from the Martian landscape that was shining through the cafeteria windows, and that would be from the wrecked alien craft that lay before the Albatross. I slowly crossed the cafeteria toward the windows until I could glance out and down at the shipwreck. The light was indeed emanating from the wreck, through its flight deck windows as well as the portholes arrayed along the port side of the hull. It was not overly strong or bright, but it was enough for me to see into the part of the flight deck visible through the alien ship’s windows from my angle of sight. I could see a part of the flight-control consoles below the windows and part of the starboard bulkhead beside them. As I stared into the ship, I thought I saw a shadow pass across the starboard wall. It was the faintest outline of a shadow, but it was enough to give me the impression that it was the shape of a humanoid head. I continued to stare but saw no more shadows, moving or otherwise.

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I awoke very early the following morning and really needed to go to the head. I didn’t bother to turn on any lights as I navigated down the corridor; after more than six months of pretty regular repetition, I subconsciously knew the route exactly, even in the pitch black darkness of night. Thanks to the glow of the nightlight in the toilet, I could see what I was doing in there without the need to switch on the overheads, so my night vision was still reasonably acute when I was returning to my cabin, and therefore I easily saw the glow of light coming from the cafeteria at the forward end of the corridor.

Mindful of my attire (I wasn’t wearing anything), I padded as quietly as possible down the corridor and poked only my head through the door as I looked around. There was more than enough light for me to see that the cafeteria was fortunately empty of crew and also that the light was not coming from inside the cafeteria but through the windows…from outside the ship.