The nobles are coming

An archaeologist stranded on Mars takes refuge in a cave and meets a wary prospector; their conversation reveals local terrors: towering, stately alien beings known as Nobles whose presence is linked to gruesome vanishings and peeled victims, and vast migrations of ostrich-like nightrunners. The men speculate about the creatures' nature and motives while the narrative balances scientific detail—references to exploration and a secret interstellar ship aimed at the creatures' possible home—and mounting dread, using suggestion and atmosphere to blend hard science fiction elements with pure horror.