Jewel of The Stars - Season 1 Episode 1 - Earth's Remnant

by Adam David Collings

  Chapter Sixteen

  “What sort of life form?” Haylee’s mouth went dry.

  “If I knew that I wouldn’t have called it a life form.” The crackle of the radio in the space suits enhanced the harshness of Braxton’s voice.

  “So what do we do?”

  “We proceed with the original plan. You head towards the cannon. The security team will go with you to keep you safe. I’m scrapping all secondary objectives. We’ll have to find food and supplies at another time. It’s too dangerous to split the security team up with a hostile on board. In the meantime, I’m going hunting.”

  “At least take Maaka with you,” Jaylen said.

  Braxton shook his head. “No. The highest priority is keeping the engineers safe. I want both of you doing that. Besides, neither of you are soldiers. This is a military situation.”

  “It won’t do the engineers any good if you get killed,” Jaylen said.

  “Then I’ll make sure I don’t get killed. Those are your orders. Get moving.”

  Haylee sucked in quick sharp breaths as Braxton drew his pistol and headed towards the nearest intact stairwell.

  “You heard the man. Let’s move,” Jaylen said.

  “But … but,” Haylee said. It was all she could get out.

  “We’re wasting precious time, Haylee. You know the way, so lead on.”

  “Yeah okay.” Haylee took a deep breath and moved as quickly as the EVA suit would allow her. The hallways were all so generic.

  “It would be easy to get lost in here.”

  “You’re telling me. I thought you specialised in military ships,” Jaylen said.

  “I specialise in military hardware, but I’ve not spent a lot of time on actual warships. Most of my work is done in a safe office back on Earth, designing schematics and developing new technologies.”

  “There’s nothing like putting theory into practice.”

  It seemed everything was made of metal. Every square centimetre of the ship was used wisely. It was cramped and dark, a completely different world from the cruise ship.

  Haylee’s chest pounded. The ship seemed to spin around her. There was an alien on board that probably wanted to kill them. It had already killed the crew of this ship. What would it look like? Would there be evil in its eyes? Haylee stopped. Wetness. Her bladder had just failed her.

  “What’s the problem?” Jaylen asked.

  “I … I can’t do this.”

  “You have to.”

  “No. I thought I had what it takes but I don’t. I’m scared.”

  “We’re all scared. I’m terrified, but we can’t afford to think about that now.”

  Haylee shook her head. “Don’t you get it? You’re a trained security officer. I’m an engineer. I just peed myself for goodness sake. Literally peed in my suit.”

  “The suit’s designed for that. Don’t sweat it.”

  “That’s not the point. I’m so afraid that I lost control of my own bladder. I’m not cut out for this.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably true Haylee. You’re not. But let me tell you a little home truth. None of us are. I work security on a cruise ship. A cruise ship. I’m out of my depth every bit as much as you are, but every man, woman and child on this ship is gonna have to step up and become something more. Right now, we need you. You’re the hero Haylee. We need that cannon, and you’re the only one who can dismantle it. All our lives are in your hands.”

  “That supposed to make me feel better?” Haylee gave an ironic laugh. “I can do without that kind of pressure.”

  “I find pressure motivates me.”

  “Yeah? Well, it makes me clam up.”

  “Then you want to give up and let everyone on the ship die? Let your family die?”

  Ronald, Elsie, and Austen’s faces swam before her. She couldn’t let them down. She clenched her fists as much as her gloves allowed.

  “No. I can’t let them down.”

  “Then shove your fear deep down and let it drive you.”

  Haylee took a breath. Jaylen was right. It was time to grow up. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  #

  Braxton gripped the Colt pistol as he floated down a hallway. The crisp cool metal in his hand was noticeably absent due to the gloves. This gun was commonly used in law-enforcement. It wasn’t military grade.

  He checked the magazine. It was loaded with spaceys. They’d tear through organic matter but deform when they hit something hard like a space-ship’s hull. Less stopping power, but relatively safe to shoot on board a ship. Braxton replaced the magazine. Terrestrial rounds would have been better. The ship was already exposed to hard vacuum, after all.

  Another hand hold was coming within range. Braxton reached out and pulled hard on it, propelling himself forward. He floated past body after body. The crew of this ship had put up a brave fight but in the end they’d all succumbed to lack of oxygen or to the alien. Marbles of floating blood hovered around some bodies.

  The internal sensors had showed the life form moving about on deck five. The heat signature alone suggested something much larger than a human. It would probably be strong. Would the colt be enough to take it out? Probably not. He needed an automatic rifle with real ammunition.

  Where were the armouries located on this ship? There was one on deck five, but the alien was hanging out down there. He’d have to evade the creature long enough to arm himself, which would be tough.

  The other option was gaining access to the armoury, which shouldn’t be too hard. All the biometric security would be offline. At most he’d need a key, which he could get off the body of any ranked officer. A grisly thought, but he didn’t have a lot of options.

  Braxton floated towards a body wearing the appropriate uniform and found the key. Now all he had to do was reach the armoury. There were access stairs to deck five ahead. He peered over the edge, down the stair well. No observable movement. He propelled himself down and stole a look around the corner. The corridor was clear.

  The back of Braxton’s neck prickled. He spun around. Nothing. That was odd. He almost felt a presence, like something breathing on his face. This was no time to get jumpy.

  Braxton pushed off. He had to round several corners to reach his destination. Two rights, then a left. It was tempting to creep around slowly but that would only delay him. Best to be cautious, yes, but not waste any time.

  Braxton sniffed. Was that cinnamon? Yes. But that was impossible. The whole ship was in vacuum, and he was wearing a spacesuit. He sniffed again. The distinct smell must be in his mind.

  A wave of strong emotion washed over Braxton. His gut went rock-hard. Fear. His heart pounded. This was unnatural. Was the alien nearby? There was still no sign of intruders. Just one more corner. He pulled himself around.

  Hate-filled eyes stared down at him.

  #

  The cannon was a sight to behold. Haylee was intimately familiar with this particular model, but had never seen it like this, installed in a warship. Sure, there were photos in the company’s promotional material, but there was nothing like standing next to it to get a sense of scale.

  Her pulse had slowed and the clamminess in her palms dried as she took in the sight of this magnificent piece of technology. Something she had helped to design.

  What was this? The housing was more complex than expected.

  “Okay, Haylee, you’re the boss. How do we proceed?” Jaylen attempted to cross his arms in the EVA suit. It didn’t work. Haylee smirked behind her helmet.

  “Yes, right. I need to dismantle the housing that keeps the cannon in place. The plan was for you guys to start cutting a hole in the hull for the reactor, but we might come back to that later. Instead, can you start detaching the cannon from its housing?”

  The engineers nodded in unison.

  “Good,” Jaylen said. “I think it’ll be easier to keep you all safe if we stick close.”

  Haylee knelt at the base of the cannon housing and pulled out the tools Sarah McLaughlan had give
n her. She made a quick survey of the components. Something was out of place. She screwed up her face.

  “Problem?” Jaylen asked.

  “Maybe.” She took another look. “Yeah, they haven’t installed this correctly. They’ve got this whole piece here which isn’t necessary. I guess they felt they needed it for extra strength, but if they’d installed those cross braces over there in the right configuration it would have been sufficient. Damn contractors. They never follow instructions properly.”

  “Does this present a problem?”

  Haylee bit her lip. “No. It’s fine. I can still get it all disconnected. It’s just going to take longer.”

  “Work quickly. The sooner your job is done, the sooner I can get you out of danger. I don’t think the captain would have allowed you to come if he’d known there was a hostile on board.”

  Haylee nodded. Neither would Ronald.

  #

  Braxton’s heart raced, but a flood of adrenaline centred him. He took a step backward. The alien would have stood at least three metres tall, if there had been gravity … and if the corridor has been higher. As it was, the creature hunched well-muscled legs to fit inside the corridor.

  The creature wore a translucent helmet around its head but no spacesuit protected the rest of its body. Braxton could see hard, textured navy skin. Two sets of arms protruded from the torso. The lower pair ended with gripping hands, like human hands, while the upper pair ended with sharp claws. The elongated head sported dinner plate sized compound eyes and an almost human mouth at the end of a snout.

  The alien stared him down. An image flashed through Braxton’s mind, an image of the creature ripping his limbs off, tearing him to pieces. Braxton shook the image off.

  The cinnamon smell was back.

  The alien shuffled towards Braxton, using its legs and two upper arms to pull itself along the wall. There was no need for it to hurry. It had him trapped. They both knew it.

  Braxton raised his pistol and squeezed the trigger. The recoil pushed him backward, increasing the distance between them. The bullet clanged off the roof above the creature. Idiot! He’d not accounted for the lack of gravity. The bullet wouldn’t arc downward.

  The alien increased its pace.

  Braxton corrected his aim and fired another three shots. This time they clanged off the creature’s skin, the spacey bullets unable to penetrate. An exoskeleton?

  The alien was still coming.

  Braxton’s hands were now slick in his gloves. His back hit a bulkhead, and he saw the corridor turn to his right. He yanked himself off a handrail and sailed down the hallway. Should he fire the thrusters in his suit? No. It would be too difficult to control in the confines of the ship. He’d ram himself into the walls. That could do more damage than the alien.

  The armoury was a lost cause now. There was no way he was getting past that alien. The only hope was to escape and hide. Then he could formulate a new plan.

  Another image entered Braxton’s mind. Captain Stokes frowning.

  “I’m very disappointed in you, Braxton. You’ve let us all down. I’m afraid your military career is over.”

  No. That wasn’t how it had happened. The image morphed into Dalia Spring, smirking. She held his Navy contract. She made a show of lifting it up and tearing it in two.

  This must be the alien. In his head. Braxton shook. He had to ignore the images.

  The alien rounded the corner and glared. Braxton fired off two more shots to gain more speed as he floated away from the monster.

  He looked behind him. He was nearing the end of this corridor, and it was a dead end! Braxton darted his head about to look for options. There were two doors, but they might be locked. Above him was an access hatch. The alien wouldn’t be able to follow him there, but could he get it open in time?

  He detached the thruster pack from his suit—he’d never fit through with that on—and pushed off from the deck, floating to the ceiling. He pulled at the clamps to open the cover.

  The alien opened its mouth in what looked like a roar. It used all six limbs to propel itself through the air.

  It would be on him in seconds. He wasn’t going to make it.

  One clamp popped open but the other was still in place. Braxton aimed his pistol and shot at the creature’s head as one clawed arm swiped at his leg. The alien jerked away, covering its face with its lower hands.

  It would take a second for it to realise Braxton’s bullets couldn’t penetrate the visor of its helmet but a second was all he needed.

  He managed to turn the second clamp and it popped open. Braxton yanked the access hatch cover off and thrust it towards the alien like an oversized discus, then pulled himself into the cavity above the corridor. He pulled his lower leg towards the hatch. Pain burned down his calf. He yanked his leg out of the reach of the clawed hand but the damage was already done. Globules of blood floated about. The suit was shredded. His heart seized.

  An alarm sounded in his helmet. Then a computerised voice spoke. “Suit integrity compromised.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Haylee worked at the housing. She’d never been great with her hands. She usually just designed the technology, and sometimes inspected it. She didn’t mind getting her hands dirty— She’d changed enough diapers to cure her of that—but she lacked the dexterity to be good at this kind of thing.

  Her helmet beeped. Her eye lenses overlaid an icon in the top-left of her field of vision. An incoming call from Captain Miller.

  She tapped her wristband to accept the call. Miller’s face appeared, floating in front of her.

  “What is it, Captain? I’m busy.”

  “I’m checking how you’re coming along, Mrs Scott.”

  “Making slow but steady progress.”

  “Every minute you spend over there puts not only yourself in danger, but everyone on this ship.”

  “Yep.”

  “Time is of—”

  “Shut up, Captain!”

  Miller’s eyes went wide. He stared open-mouthed. That was probably insubordination. At least, it would be if she were a member of his crew.

  She wasn’t.

  “I’m working as efficiently as I can. You putting pressure on me is going to stress me out and make me slower. Now get out of my face and let me do my job.”

  Miller bit his lip. “Very good.” The image faded.

  Had she been too harsh? Probably not. After all, there were lives as stake.

  #

  The alien’s clawed arm thrust up through the hatch a couple of times but it couldn’t reach him. After about thirty seconds the arm pulled out. Was the alien still down there? Had it given up and left? Braxton didn’t dare move close enough to the hole to peer down and find out.

  His helmet was still beeping. He shifted to survey the damage to his leg. The cut itself was little more than a scratch. It would be fine as long as the bloody alien didn’t have venom in its claws. The real problem was damage to his suit. He was losing oxygen through the shredded fabric.

  Braxton’s heart clenched. He’d be dead in minutes unless he could fix it.

  The beeping changed pitch and stopped. Then the suit spoke again.

  “Sealing at nearest intact joint.”

  His trousers clamped hard around his thigh. It was the blood pressure cuff from hell. The stream of air stopped. He was safe for the short term, but his leg was now exposed to hard vacuum and the coldness of space. What would that do to his physiology? He wasn’t sure.

  He looked around for something to tie around his leg. There was a strap hanging off the wall—a brace point, probably. Braxton disconnected it and tied it around his calf, pulling the tattered remains of his suit together. It wouldn’t have been enough to create an airtight seal, but at least he was offered some measure of protection from the cold. He needed to get back into a fully pressurised environment soon, but right now he had a mission to complete.

  This crawl space wasn’t big. He could hide here, but he couldn’t get any
where. There was another access hatch above his head. That must lead to the floor of deck six. He could go up there and try to double back to the armoury. There were two spaceys left in the clip. One thing was sure. He’d not be able to kill or even hurt the alien without terrestrial rounds in his gun.

  He reached up and undid the cover. If nothing else, he could lead the alien on a game of cat and mouse long enough to let Haylee do her work. At this point, he was expendable. The engineering team was not.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Braxton rose from the floor into a graveyard. In fact, it was a small mess hall, but human bodies floated through it. There had to be about thirty of them, some of them in spacesuits. They must have died after the hull was breached. Bile rose up his throat, and he choked it back. Globes of blood floated everywhere.

  Why had the aliens left this ship here rather than fully destroying it? Was there something special about this ship? And why had they left one of their own behind? Had the alien been looking for something?

  Many of the floating bodies here were armed. Braxton yanked a pistol out of the frozen hand of the nearest body. He checked the ammo. More spaceys. Most of the weapons would be loaded with them. There’d usually be no reason to carry a gun with terrestrial bullets on board. The armoury was still his best bet.

  Time to figure out the direction he should take. He was improvising at this point. That was okay. He loved improvising. Mentally he tracked his movements from the armoury door to the access hatch, then turned to the forward port corner. The armoury should be in that direction. The door in that corner would take him to the stairwell he’d used before. It was still the easiest way to get down to deck five.

  He pushed off and sailed across the room, through the doorway, and into the corridor. His fingers found a handhold and he propelled himself onward.