by Tom Chattle
Her eyes snapped up at a sound at the entry. Bauer stooped through and straightened in the tent.
"You doing okay, Auri?" Bauer asked, her gray eyes inscrutable in observing Chen.
Chen gave a wan smile. "I've been better, but I'll manage. If I can get through wilderness survival training at Lunar camp, I can get through anything, right?"
Her attempt to lighten the mood fell flat. Bauer just nodded, detached her helmet, and slid it off. The Marine shook out her hair, gathered it, and pulled it back, fixing it into her normal neat ponytail. She laid her rifle beside the second cot and motioned to her torso. "Help me get out of this?"
Chen pushed herself up and moved behind Bauer to assist. "Of course."
"Thanks." Bauer lifted her arms as Chen disengaged the locking buckles above her hips. "Sort of hard to sleep in this gear."
"Guess that means you're staying the night with me?" Chen tried to keep her voice casual, focusing on removing the armor.
Bauer shimmied her way out of the torso section of her exo-suit, and Chen placed it carefully on the floor. The damn thing was heavy. Even with the fiber-muscle bundles that gave it enhanced strength, Chen wouldn't want to wear it for an extended mission like this.
"Well, someone's got to keep an eye on you."
What before would have been a teasing statement now felt like it carried a loaded meaning. Chen bit her lip, not sure of the best response. "Look, Alex—"
"No, Auri, you don't have to say anything." Bauer pulled away and bent to remove the lower half of her exo-suit.
A frustrated sigh escaped Chen's lips. "I was an ass, okay? I was flippant, dismissive, and ignored your recommendations." She closed her eyes, and her tone lowered. "I'm sorry."
"Well," Bauer finished removing her suit, stepped out of it, and met Chen's eyes. "You are an ass."
Chen shrugged. "Call it a major character flaw."
Bauer snorted, then grunted with pain, a hand shooting to her neck. "Must have pulled a damn muscle going into that mountain."
"Here, let me help." Chen moved Bauer's ponytail aside to work on the obvious knots in her neck gently.
Bauer let out a small sigh, relaxing her shoulders. "Thanks, that's helping."
"Just pretend that this isn't my best attempt at an apology, and I'm actually a lot better at these things." Chen worked on a particularly stubborn knot.
Her mother had never been openly emotional with her growing up, and she'd spent her teenage and Academy years drinking and partying to avoid the ever-present pressure that came from growing up in the spotlight. Although her relationships had mostly been short-lived, her last boyfriend had been the exception, lasting for a couple of years at the Academy. The problem with him, like all her other romantic partners, was that she had felt almost nothing for him. Son of another important diplomat, Chen had been pressured into the relationship purely for political reasons. To serve no other purpose than to elevate her mother's standing. The fact she'd not been entirely faithful to him during those alcohol-fueled Academy parties should have been the sign to call it off sooner, but Chen had just been so tired of the constant haranguing from her mother.
Though her relationship with Bauer had started the same as most of hers before—boredom and sexual frustration—Chen now realized she actually enjoyed being with the Marine lieutenant beyond that. She even had a desire to seek Bauer's approval and upsetting her had ended up leaving a gnawing discomfort inside Chen's chest throughout the mission.
Chen cleared her throat. "Maybe we should talk about, well...us."
"Us?" Bauer turned around to meet her eyes, pale skin so close Chen could see every pore. "I seem to remember you being quite clear that first night this was a casual situation."
"Things can change," Chen replied, the anxiety that grew within her as alien as the planet they were on.
"Auri, I like you, I really do, and I enjoy our time together." Bauer smiled. "But maybe we should have the discussion at a later date?"
"You mean when we're not surrounded by unseen, hostile monsters in a dark, dangerous city?" Chen joked, her smile weak. Part of her was relieved, but a small voice in her head wondered if Bauer was delaying because she didn't feel the same way Chen did?
"Exactly." Bauer chuckled. "I'm glad you want this conversation, truly. I've given it some thought myself. I just can't get distracted down here. Lives are on the line, and it's not fair to any of the people here."
Nodding, Chen wrapped her arms around the Marine's neck. "Okay. One last thing before we sleep, though." She pulled Bauer in. Their lips met, and their bodies melted into the kiss.
Holding the kiss, Chen's heart quickened, and her hand started to roam across Bauer's back, but a harsh voice from the entry to the tent made them both start.
"What the hell, Lieutenant?"
Bauer pulled away instantly, spinning to face the source of the question. "Sergeant, do you regularly burst in on officers?"
"Usually they're not having a slumber party and making out with their Earther girlfriends," Kaufman spat, his tone laced with disgust as he eyed the pair in front of him.
Chen felt an uncontrollable urge to punch the man, her fists balling, but Bauer put a hand across her chest to stop her from advancing.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that, Kaufman, and instead you're going to tell me what the hell you want," Bauer snarled, eyes steely.
Kaufman met her stare for a long moment, probably deciding how far he could go, then he nodded curtly. "We're picking up a lot of strange noises outside the perimeter. Doesn't sound like before."
"Go wake up the rest of the squad. I'll be out in a moment."
Kaufman spun and exited, head shaking angrily.
Bauer moved quickly back to her exo-suit. "Help me in?"
Chen reached over to the armor. "Is Kaufman going to be a problem?"
"Kaufman is a huge pain in my ass, but he's still a Marine." Bauer sighed. "It wasn't so bad when we were on a normal deployment, but with everything happening, as well as Tanner's death, I'm starting to wonder if he's suitable for a fireteam lead."
It only took a minute for Chen to get Bauer strapped back up in her gear. She hefted up her rifle and checked the status panel on the side, then she gave an apologetic smile to Chen. "You should stay here. It's probably nothing, but we can't be too careful."
Before Chen could reply, Bauer ducked out of the tent into the darkness.
With nothing to do, Chen settled on the narrow cot, trying to calm her racing heart. At least the conversation with Bauer had gone well, all things considered. Until Sergeant "Asshole" Kaufman had interrupted things. That man seemed nothing but trouble. From all his snide comments since the mission had begun, Kaufman certainly seemed to embody the worst elements of the lingering Earth/Mars divide. The defeat of Mars at the end of the last war was too long ago for Chen to care what planet someone came from, but there were holdouts on both sides that made their unhappiness with planetary unification clear at every opportunity.
Smoothing her hair, Chen laid back, kicking her boots off as she propped a thin pillow behind her. Either way, she'd have to keep an eye on him. Bauer was from Mars, maybe she could explain some of the resentment. Biting her lip, she reached up to dim the single, harsh light at the top of the domed tent. Despite Bauer's assurances, the thought of something out there stalking them in the dark had Chen on edge. She adjusted her position and closed her eyes, resolving to fight through the exhaustion and wait for Bauer to get back so they could talk more.
- 24 -
2208.02.20 // 02:12
Overnight camp, Arcturus b
Chen jolted up on the thin bed, her mind fuzzy. She sat in the dark for a moment, trying to determine what woke her. She wiped her eyes and grunted in annoyance. She hadn't intended to fall asleep. Alex hadn't yet returned, but it must have been a while since she left—the campfire casting shadows across the tent walls now barely flickered.
She wasn't able to figure out why she'd awoken so suddenl
y and almost thought she was imagining things when a deafening burst of gunfire erupted nearby, and a man screamed in pain. Adrenaline surging through her system, Chen leaped off the cot and stabilized herself in the center of the tent. Another burst of fire sent her scrabbling for the sidearm she had laid by the cot. She slapped the arming button and had the presence of mind to check to the ammo levels before running to the entrance of the tent and unsealing it.
Chen pushed the flap open. Frigid air blasted her, and she shivered. She peered into the darkness outside, about to turn and grab her jacket and boots when bright flashes of weapons fire assaulted her eyes. Frantic cries were drowned out by a loud screeching roar that echoed off the surrounding towers. The staccato whine of rail-rifles was broken up by the deeper thudding of one of the heavier support weapons each fireteam carried. More Marines spilled out of their tents, rushing into the fray to lend their firepower to the existing barrage.
It wasn't obvious what they were shooting at; shadows moved in the gloom, but Chen couldn't make out what they were, holding her pistol at the ready as she tried to identify the threat. A Marine dashed in front of her, rifle raised and firing a thundering stream of rounds into the night. The glare lit up the woman's target, and Chen's blood froze at the sight.
Looming before them was a huge figure, a towering armored giant hefting a large, glowing cannon. Its broad head titled back and fang-filled jaw opened, unleashing guttural roar. It raised its weapon and sent a pulsing violet beam straight into the chest of the charging Marine. She flew back and landed in the frozen dust in front of Chen's tent, her breastplate a blackened, smoking ruin, eyes glazed and lifeless behind her cracked visor. With surprising swiftness for something as massive as it was, the alien creature darted back into the night, leaving Chen staring at the dead Marine with wide eyes.
What the hell had shot her? From the brief glimpse Chen had gotten, it looked just like the statues they had passed on their initial entry into the city. She recalled that there had seemed to be fewer than they remembered on the way back out. Chen shook her head. Surely it wasn't possible that the statues themselves had been dormant aliens?
Chen was broken from her trance by a skittering noise in between the loud bursts of gunfire. A screech rasped out from behind her, and she snapped her head around. Before Chen could identify the source, a blurred shape impacted hard into her side, and she hurtled backward into the tent. Grunting in pain, she rolled across the floor and held an arm up in defense from the two bony scythes that slashed down at her, one of them slicing clean across her cheek. Chen cried out at the searing cut and managed a sharp kick with her feet that sent her attacker rolling backward. Scrambling up, she saw what she assumed was one of the alien dog-creatures that Wilde had described. She felt for her weapon, but it must have been knocked from her grip at the sudden impact of the beast.
Hunkering down across the tent from her, the creature's armor-shielded head bowed forward, and the twin-bladed arms that protruded from its back slashed the air in front of it. The alien hound lowered its stance, let out a piercing screech, and charged Chen again. She dodged to one side but got caught on one of the cots. The beast was instantly on top of her, snapping and snarling. Instinctively punching at its head, Chen yelled as her fist hit solid bone.
It slashed razor-edged blades at her again, but Chen pushed off from the cot and slid further under the beast, the scythes embedding in the floor directly above her head. Stuck, the creature gnashed at her with the small, tooth-filled jaw underneath its armored head, struggling to free its primary weapons. Holding it back with one hand, Chen searched around for a weapon. Her eyes locked on the pistol that was lying next to the cot.
Chen did her best to keep the razor-sharp teeth away from her face and stretched for the weapon. Her fingers scrabbled for the gun as the beast pulled its scythes free. It raised them high and screeched in Chen's face, a spray of noxious spittle coating her skin an instant before her fingers finally found the weapon they'd been searching for. She pushed the muzzle under the alien's jaw and fired three quick blasts of glowing energy into its head moments before it brought its blades down for the killing blow. It went limp and collapsed on top of her with a low whine, sticky blue blood gushing across Chen's neck and chest.
Breathing heavily, Chen lay still for a moment, hot, alien blood pooling around her on the tent floor. With a grunt, she heaved the heavy corpse off her and sat up. If there were more of these things out there, she needed to group up with the others. She pushed herself up and gingerly felt the throbbing gash on her cheek. Wiping it with the back of her hand, she moved to the exit. She readied her sidearm and ducked back out into the night.
Chaos still echoed around the camp, thundering blasts of the Marine's weapons fire being met by the bellows and screeches of the alien warriors. Crouching, Chen dashed the short distance to Moreau and Wilde's tent, but it was empty, the entry flap swinging open in the breeze. Chen searched around frantically for any sign of the two, or perhaps Bauer.
Several tents were on fire, screams of pain and fear clutching at Chen's heart. The Marines could handle themselves, but she had an obligation to keep both Moreau and Wilde safe. She ducked around a tent that had a horrifying arterial spray of blood splashed across the side, and a flash of fire revealed Bauer standing at the far side of the camp, rifle in hand, bellowing commands that Chen couldn't hear over the steady, howling wind. Chen rose from her crouch and prepared to spring the short distance across the center of the camp to meet up with her, but she flinched at the deafening roar to her side and spun on the spot to face the shadows in the corner of her vision. The large weapon of a huge, alien warrior swung out of the dark toward her, and Chen crumpled to the ground, a muffled groan escaping her lips.
- 25 -
2208.02.20 // 03:48
Unknown location, Arcturus b
Chen's eyes snapped open, and she sucked in a deep breath. The cold, humid air burned her lungs. A dull pain pounded through her left temple, and it took great effort to keep heavy eyelids open. Dim purple lighting illuminated little of her surroundings.
She tried to move a hand to wipe the remaining blur from her eyes, but she grunted in surprise when it refused to obey her command. Only then did she feel the hard restraints that bound her. Heart-rate quickening, Chen tried each limb in turn, none of them responding fully to her commands. Something else felt strange, but she couldn't pin it down in her disorientation.
How had she gotten here? The last she remembered, the huge alien troops had them pinned down at the camp, the biggest brute charging them. She must have been injured and blacked out, but in that case, what had happened to the rest of the landing party? Wiggling her fingers some more, she determined there was no way she could remove herself from whatever was keeping her bound; her arms were pulled behind the small of her back and her knees were bent, ankles clamped behind her thighs. The fact she could feel her heels pressing firmly into her legs implied whatever had bound her had been more intent on the result rather than her comfort. As her vision faded back in, a quick glance down, as well as the cool air flowing across her skin, confirmed that her uniform fatigues were ripped, the arms and legs mostly gone. Chen tried to focus on what was in front of her, and she realized she was hanging in mid-air, spinning slowly in place. Angled slightly backward, she faced the shadowy hints of a cavern ceiling above. Chen squinted but could see no identifiable means of support holding her in place. Certainly, nothing felt like it was supporting her from below, only adding to her confusion.
The foreboding silence of the room made Chen's pulse roar in her ears. She ran her tongue over cracked lips and cleared her throat. Someone—or something—must have brought her here. Exactly where was the next question, though based on what she could see, it must have been somewhere in the mountain.
"Hello?" Her voice sounded small, the oppressive atmosphere absorbing any echo and deadening the sound. When she was met with no response, Chen tried again. "Hello? Where am I?"
Her q
uestion hung in the thick, humid air for several long seconds. Her awkward restraints meant that cramps were spreading through her calves, and she longed to massage the pain out. Chen had almost given up on a reply when a faint dry rustle from behind grabbed her attention. She craned her neck around, but she could see nothing but darkness in her restricted field of view. Twisting as best she could, Chen thought she saw a flash of movement out the corner of her eyes, but then nothing more.
She tried to examine where she thought she'd seen movement but gave up and straightened back forward. A yell of surprise escaped her lips at the sight of the demonic creature barely an arm's length before her face.
When her sudden cry didn't move the beast, Chen forced her breathing to calm and examined it. While it superficially resembled the bulky warriors that had attacked them earlier, this creature was much taller, its body lithe and sinewy instead of hulking and heavily built. The smooth, shiny carapace covering its head was narrow and long, arcing back into the shadows. Just like the warriors, it had no visible eyes or other sensory mechanisms but, despite that, Chen couldn't help the feeling that it was staring deep into her soul.
"Who are you?" she ventured, doing her best to keep her voice level.
The creature's head didn't move, but a single, bony arm unfolded from the center of its chest, long, spindly fingers tracing their way up Chen's body. Her breathing quickened as it reached her face. One finger pressed under her chin to lift it. Hard and sharp, the touch left cold, numb patches wherever it landed.
~What are you?~
Chen flinched as the question cut into her mind. Her ears detected nothing, but the hissing, cracked voice echoed through her head, coming from all around her. "What...what do you mean?"
~Your species, what is it?~
The second question was just as jarring as the first, and Chen fought to clear her mind. "How are you speaking to me? How do you know our language?"