Hungry Planet

by Michelle Marquis

  He walked over to his trench coat hanging on some old equipment. The morning was getting colder and he felt it right in the marrow of his bones. “I don't need them, Beth. You're welcome to pilot the ship yourself if you want. I'll give you a nice big gun."

  She moved to intercept him and he stopped in front of her, staring down into her deep green eyes. There was a time on Earth when a woman like this could have made him do anything. It was funny how life and death changed things. Her hard, determined stare made him smile. She was exhausted and ragged and yet refused to give up. He knew how she felt; he too had never given in to the despair this place burned into him. The truth of it was, he didn't know what he'd do without her to fight with.

  "I'll tell you what,” he said, hardening his features to let her know he meant it. “We'll take her for a test flight around the clinic. If she keeps going and doesn't stall, we'll take a shot at your crashed freighter."

  Beth broke into an unexpected smile that made her look angelic. “Thanks, Magnus."

  He snorted and tossed his jacket back on its makeshift hanger. “You won't be thanking me for long."

  * * * *

  Much to his displeasure, the test flight went off without a hitch. Fucking piece of shit. Beth, of course, had been delighted. They packed some food and water and headed out just before midday.

  Magnus obsessively checked the controls as they progressed. Nothing made him more edgy than when everything went smoothly. Beth, in contrast, was surprisingly sunny, hopeful of the medicines they would find. She also had some funny ideas about luxurious extras he knew wouldn't be on board. But he didn't say anything. Why ruin one of the only good moods I haveever seen her in?

  Just as he closed his eyes, he heard it. The sensors chirped a warning of a radar contact and he sat up abruptly. Beth was at his side in a minute.

  "What is it?” she said.

  Magnus stared down at the screen and scowled at the trouble they were in. “It's a Kerillian slave ship,” he said. That was the last thing they needed.

  Beth chewed her lip and stared at the screen. “Can we outrun them?"

  "I really doubt it, but we can try.” He buckled into his pilot harness and watched her do the same.

  She gave him a sober look. “Good luck."

  Visual of the slaver came from their right. It was a huge cigar-shaped cruiser and was battle scared from its many encounters. Not many people surrendered to slavers. The ship's aft engines fired as it accelerated toward them. Magnus waited until the last minute and banked a hard left. The slavers’ pilot was too experienced for the maneuver and stuck close to them, sending a prerecorded message to surrender over their communication system.

  Magnus unhooked his harness and opened his side window. The cold wind rushed in, causing him to momentarily hold his breath. “Steer,” he tossed back at Beth, who was scrambling to take the wheel as he hung out the window.

  The slaver moved in close. It fired a warning shot near their main thrusters and Beth banked the ship in the opposite direction.

  "I have no idea how to pilot this thing,” she protested.

  Magnus ignored her and unhooked the pulse rifle he'd stashed just behind the pilot's seat. The ship made a hard right and Magnus glanced out the window. He watched as they passed close over the slaver. “You seem to be doing fine to me,” he retorted, half-joking. Beth gave him an acid look.

  Undoing the safety, Magnus aimed the rifle out the window and took a few shots at the slavers’ pilot. The slave ship dove away, coming dangerously close to crashing. It corrected suddenly and rose up in their path, coming within inches of clipping their port wing. Beth swore under her breath.

  Magnus scrambled over her in an attempt to get a clear shot at the pilot. He fired off a few wild shots and Beth shuddered from the closeness of the sound. The slaver turned and came around for another pass, firing a magnetic pulse to try and stall their ship. Magnus reached over Beth's shoulder and twisted the steering column to a hard right.

  The engines immediately stalled.

  "Shit!” Magnus growled, pushing Beth out of the chair with his butt.

  Beth's hands were trembling as she sat watching the ground rising to meet them. Then, she suddenly scrambled into action, climbing into her seat and pulling her harness on with haste. Magnus struggled with his, trying to steer the ship and get back into his belts at the same time. Beth reached over and helped him, her hands trembling.

  The impact was hard and bumpy but luckily it was a good belly landing. They slid for about a mile and finally stopped. Magnus unbuckled his harness and hung half out the window looking to see where the slaver was. It landed just behind them.

  Magnus grabbed the rifle and tossed Beth one of his pistols. He heard her lock the doors as he hung out the window, trying to get a clear shot at someone, anyone. A bolt from a Kimble blaster almost took his head off and he ducked back into the cockpit, steadying his nerves. Make every shot count. Steeling his nerves, he leaned out and caught sight of the pilot talking to someone just behind him, getting armored up for an attack. Magnus exhaled slowly and aimed at the man's head.

  The shot exploded inside the Kerillian ship, sending blood everywhere. Magnus immediately ducked back, as several response shots peppered the window, breaking it into a million tiny shards.

  Magnus rushed to the doors and hit the open button. Beth protested but he ignored her, and took out each Kerillian warrior rushing toward them. Silence filled the air. A faint smell of blood and gunpowder filled Magnus’ nose. Inching toward the open door, he strained to hear any noise at all. Beth stayed close by his side, her chest heaving.

  Slipping out of the ship, he spotted a few men still inside the Kerillian slaver. Probably trying to come up with a strategy. Creeping toward the ship, he spotted a shadow move at him from his left. The shot thundered in his ear and he grimaced, thinking he'd been hit. Glancing at the ground, he saw the fallen Kerillian. He looked back at Beth; her gun was smoking. She gave him a pencil thin grin and shrugged. He nodded to her and kept moving.

  One of the Kerillians had his blaster pointed out the window to return fire. Magnus took him out quickly.

  It took them close to an hour to explore the Kerillian ship and make sure all aboard were dead. Beth collapsed on the ground and rested her gun between her legs. She thumped her head back on the hull of the slave ship.

  "Now what the hell are we going to do?” She sounded defeated.

  "Now,” Magnus said, walking around the ship to examine it. “We figure out how to drive this thing."

  Chapter 21

  The Kerillian ship looked like it was way past its prime. A cold wind pelted the sides with sand, making the inside echo with an eerie hiss. A short tour of it revealed that there was little to salvage except the ship itself. There were some dried food provisions, but it was impossible to tell what they were, being all the labels were in Kerillian. Magnus had eaten some of the dried meat, finding it rather tasteless. Beth, however, wouldn't touch a bite.

  She sat on a bench inside the ship and let her shoulders slump forward. “What the hell are we going to do now?"

  Magnus looked over the ship's controls, trying to decipher what each of the symbols might mean. He thought he might be able to fly it. What the hell? It was worth a try. Better than trying to make it back on foot. “We're going to fly this thing."

  She got up and moved over to where he was studying the controls. He sank into the pilot's seat and she rested her arm against the chair back. “Do you know Kerillian?"

  "Not a word."

  "So you're just planning to wing it."

  He turned to look at her. She was thinner than he remembered from yesterday. “You need to eat some of the rations on board, Beth."

  "I'm fine,” she protested.

  "No, baby, you're not fine. If you don't eat something soon, you're gonna get sick."

  Beth moved away from him and disappeared into the back of the ship. When she returned, she had one of the Kerillian packages with he
r. She sank into the copilot's chair and carefully tore the wrapping. Glancing at him, she took a small bite from the dried meat and chewed as if it might explode in her mouth.

  "Better?” she said sarcastically.

  "Much.” He turned his attention back to the control panel and frowned at the writing. “I'm going to try a few buttons; why don't you strap yourself in?"

  Still chewing her bite of meat, Beth pulled the harnesses on and nestled back into the seat.

  Magnus punched the largest of the panel buttons and the ship made a loud, mechanical groaning sound then fell silent again. He swore under his breath and hit a few more buttons. The yellow one was the ignition, and the ship roared to life.

  Beth stared at him and exhaled slowly but remained silent.

  After almost an hour of testing each lever and control, Magnus decide to try and take the ship off the ground. The first attempt was jerky, the nose lifting before the aft end, until he set her back down again. He was vaguely aware of Beth gripping her seat in panic.

  "Is it really too far to walk?” Beth's voice was breathy and strained.

  Magnus just glanced at her and grinned. It was the fear talking and he knew how she felt. Cannibals or shuttle crashes, neither was a happy option when choosing how to die. “It's going to be dark soon. We'll take a break and try again in the morning. Besides I think you could use some sleep.” Getting up from the chair, he led her to the back of the ship where a few narrow beds were. “Why don't you rest and I'll keep watch and make us something nice for dinner."

  "I was fine until you mentioned that part about dinner."

  Magnus gave her a menacing laugh. “I hope you like Kerillian."

  Chapter 22

  When Beth woke up, she was unsure where she was. The inside of the ship was quiet and dark and, for a few fleeting moments, she thought she was home in her old house on Earth. The she remembered and fought off the suffocating sorrow that filled her.

  She climbed out of the cot and made her way outside where Magnus was roasting some meat over a fire. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared into the flames. The cooking meat smelled good but was offset by its somewhat unusual odor.

  Beth looked over at Magnus eating some off a stick. “How is it?"

  He tossed the stick and licked his fingers. “It's food,” he said with a shrug. Magnus watched her intently. “You need to eat."

  She leaned forward and plucked one of the sticks off the fire. Blowing on it, she pulled a piece of meat off and chewed. Beth smiled at him as if to assure him it was fine. He got up and ran a flashlight over the ship, disappearing around the far side for an inspection.

  Despite her revulsion, Beth let her hunger take over, and before she knew it she had eaten all of the meat he'd left for her. Magnus reappeared as she cleaned off the last stick and tossed it on the pile.

  He came over and took a seat on the ground next to her. Handing her a canteen, he said, “You seem to be adapting."

  She sipped the cool water, swishing some around in her mouth before swallowing. “I guess so."

  He studied the darkness as if he could see just beyond its borders. His hard profile was strong and rugged—a man used to making his way through harsh conditions.

  "I'm surprised we haven't encountered any cannibals,” she said.

  He let out a dangerous laugh. “They're out there. Probably just some scouts watching us right now, but they're watching. We're just not a priority."

  Beth lay back, relishing the feel of being full for the first time in days. She didn't want to think about cannibals anymore so she changed the subject. “What was life like for you back on Earth?"

  He lay next to her with his hands behind his head, staring at the sky. “Lots of sex; lots of crime."

  "Certainly there was more to it than that."

  "My family and I were close. We used to do all kinds of things together until my older brother went corporate and I turned to a life of crime."

  "If you were a criminal on Earth, why did they let you be a marshal here?” Beth shifted on her side and studied Magnus.

  "Because I was a very good criminal and I guess that's what they thought was needed here."

  Beth stared into those grey eyes and lost herself in their ferocity. He leaned forward, gently nuzzling the side of her face. She closed her eyes and he kissed her. A mixture of strange feelings filled her soul. The kiss was warm, filled with unexpected affection and she surrendered to it.

  He leaned into her, his lips pressing harder as his tongue explored her mouth. Beth relaxed and let him kiss her. Is he truly what I want? She explored her feelings and found that she had never wanted anyone so much.

  He laid her back on the ground, burying his face in her neck. Hot kisses ran down her throat and Beth let out a soft moan. She wrapped her arms around him. In another life, so long ago, she would have never allowed a man like this to touch her. Now she couldn't imagine being in this awful place without him. With that thought in mind, she surrendered to him and let him take her in a scorching lusty night.

  Chapter 23

  After a rough few hours, Magnus finally stabilized the Kerillian ship enough to make it to the medical freighter. The morning was cool and clear, one that suggested nothing terrible could happen on such a beautiful day. Beth watched the wreckage from her window. Much of the supplies were strewn over at least three miles. That would make it very hard to collect them all. It was going to be hard enough to get Magnus to land for any length of time.

  This was the fifth time they had circled the area, and she knew he thought this was a trap. “I think if they wanted to raid the crash, they would have already,” she said, over the noise of the engine.

  He squinted at the ground below and gave a slight shake of his head. “No, they'd hang around waiting for someone like us to show up. The question is not are there some cannibals waiting down there, but where are they hiding?"

  "Well, we can't just circle all day."

  Magnus studied her, his grey eyes dark and gloomy. Lowering the controls, he steered the ship and decided on a landing site near the tail of the wreck. It was a good spot. From here, he could see in all directions. The medical freighter had a gaping hole in the aft end where the tail assembly had torn off.

  They crept out of the ship, Magnus in the lead watching for any sign of movement. It didn't take long for Beth to smell the stench of the dead. Two men were scattered around the main wreckage, their clothes cut off and chunks of flesh cut from them. She tried to look away but the carnage was everywhere. How could people do this to each other?

  A ripple of sorrow moved through her gut. “I wonder if anyone survived only to be killed later."

  Magnus ignored her question and crept into the open belly of the ship. Luckily there were far too many heavy boxes in the cargo hold for any one band to make off with. A lot of supplies still remained to be claimed.

  Beth sidestepped Magnus and cut one of the boxes open. Her breath caught in her throat as she pulled out vials of antibiotics. She turned and looked at Magnus who was still conducting his search. “We've got to get this to the ship right away. There's some ammunition too."

  "Great, can you get the stuff to the ship by yourself?” He was still edgy, cautious, and his apprehension was dampening her mood.

  "Yes. I'll be fine.” Beth turned her attention back to the supplies and ammunition. To her amazement, there were also some dry rations in one of the other boxes. Beth tore one of the packages open and ravenously dug in. A normally marginal meal tasted like the finest delicacy on earth. I'd better hurry up.

  Beth set to the difficult task of prioritizing and loading the Kerillian cruiser. She was so intent upon her task that the first gunshot didn't register in her mind as a danger sign.

  "Magnus?” she shouted as loudly as she dared.

  Climbing up onto the top of the medical ship, she squinted along the horizon. There, spilling out from some underground shelters, was a massive cannibal band. Their faces painted in blood, th
ey screamed and shouted as they charged the freighter. Oh shit!

  "Magnus!” she shouted, jumping down and scrambling toward the ship. God, Beth raced toward the ship's open door, I hope he can hear me.

  * * * *

  Beth rushed over to the boxes she'd been stacking by the ship's loading doors and started trying to get as many as she could in. Through the hole in the ship, she could see the cannibals drawing closer. She had only minutes before they'd reach her. Besides, she needed to give Magnus enough time to reach the ship, that was, if he was still alive. Oh my God, what if they've killed him? No, he's a hard man to kill. He can handle himself.

  Dragging the last box over, she paused to shout his name. He was there in an instant. Racing up to the ship's entrance and grabbing her by the arm to follow him in.

  "No, I can't,” she breathed. “I have to get this last box inside."

  "Leave it, Beth. We don't have time."

  She pulled back from him and struggled with the box. Gunshots whizzed past her ears, peppering the hull of the ship behind her. “Damn it!” she screamed.

  He seized her by the upper arm and shoved her toward the ship. “Leave it,” Magnus growled.

  Beth released the box and stumbled into the ship, swearing. Once inside, he turned and stabbed the locking control on the door. It seemed to take an eternity to close. Magnus scrambled to the ship's controls and started it up. Beth heard the thumping of bodies slamming themselves against the ship's door.

  "Beth!” he shouted, and she raced over and strapped herself in. A moment later, they were lifting off amid the sounds of screaming cannibals falling off the wings.

  Chapter 24

  The constant hum of the ship's engines was the only thing that seemed normal on this strange, alien vessel. Beth sat next to Magnus, drifting in and out of sleep, and he envied her. She trusted him, and for some reason that disturbed him. I have to tell her the truth. Shifting in his seat Magnus turned his attention to her, studying the clean shade of her skin and hair. If he closed his eyes, he could smell her. The soft sweetness of the skin cream she used to compensate for not being able to bath regularly.