“Nebulae!” She dropped the disruptor, and pulled out the plasma blaster, but she was too late; the being was upon her. She backed up quickly toward the back wall of the kitchen and scanned for anything she could use to defend herself while she unholstered her blaster. Skye grabbed a pan that had been left on the stove top. Gripping it by the handle with one hand and tugging at her blaster with the other, Skye flung the pan at the creature as it readied its forearm to slice at her. The creature cut through the pan with surgical precision and continued toward her. She was running out of space, and unfortunately, the creature had maneuvered so that she was backed into a corner with only a bank of viewing portals. Skye feinted to the side, and the creature took the bait. Skye aimed with the plasma blaster and squeezed the trigger while the creature’s forearm slammed through the portal behind where Skye had just been. Skye tracked the plasma bolt as it left her blaster and hit her attacker. The impact knocked the creature off of its feet and ripped a large hole in the viewing portal. Small ripples of vaporized air sizzled off of the creature’s shoulder, but it wasn’t enough. The creature rolled back to its feet and stood up.
“That’s why they modified their plasma blasters,” Skye said. “The exoskeletons are too thick for them to do any damage on a normal setting.”
Skye rushed toward the door but was met with an angry slurry of clicks from another alien entering the room.
“That door’s out,” Skye said in a panic.
“Skye,” Mal said urgently. “The viewing portal. It’s our only escape. But you’ll have to run right past one you shot!”
“I don’t have time to argue,” she replied. “Hopefully this won’t hurt too much.”
“It’s only the second floor,” Mal reasoned.
“Okay, here we go,” Skye said as she poured every bit of her strength to kick her legs into a full sprint. As she neared the portal sill, she launched herself into a dive. She felt a sharp pain in her foot and she was jerked out of her dive position and bounced hard against the side of the building.
“What happened?” Skye cried out.
“It appears the creature has pierced through your suit’s landing stabilizers in your right ankle,” Mal replied. Skye kicked wildly as she tried to get loose. Hanging in the air, Skye swung like a fly trapped in a spider’s web.
“Mal! What do we do?”
“Use the utility knife?”
“I’ll damage the suit.”
“Poker?”
“What?”
“Play for time.”
“I don’t think it knows how to play, Mal.”
“Sorry. Welding tool?”
“Brilliant! High heat!” Skye pulled her welding tool out of her utility belt. It was tube-shaped, with a hard plastic handle and on-switch, and a long, perforated metal tube where it lit. Skye turned it on by pressing the on-switch. It blazed with a white hot flame at the end, crackling and sizzling.
Skye reached up with it, slamming the end with the flame into the thin, strong forearm of the creature. It hissed, and made a rapid volley of clicks as it recoiled from the pain. Skye twisted it, trying to burn its arm off, but it dropped her, and she fell.
Chapter Three
“We’re loose!” Mal yelled as they fell two stories.
Skye yelled in pain as she landed hard on her feet and kicked into an off balance roll. Her right ankle ached from absorbing the blow of the landing. Looking back up at the viewing portal, the creatures were gone.
“That was too close,” she said. “How did the suit fare, Mal?”
“All systems are still up and running, but your right stabilizer is out, if you couldn’t tell,” Mal said. “Your right ankle has a very small fracture as well, but it’s not bad enough to hinder your movement. Energy capacity is at ninety-eight percent.”
“Yeah, my ankle’s a little stiff, but I’ll manage,” Skye said. “I think we should move on to the next structure before that thing decides to pay us another visit.”
“Agreed,” Mal answered. Skye’s HUD illuminated a path. “According to the topographic survey on file, there’s another structure 400 meters in this direction.”
Skye took quiet, measured steps and checked over her shoulder. She wasn’t going to let another one of those creatures catch her by surprise if she could help it.
“The next structure should be just over this ridge,” Mal said.
As she topped the ridge, Skye couldn’t help but be awe-struck at the sight of the gas giant, Celaeno IV illuminated by the red star of the Celaeno system. Violent storms in hues of blue and white raged on the surface, and a mix of red and blue from the mixing light reflected off of the pools of the polyatomic ion all the way across the rocky horizon.
“That’s quite a view,” Mal remarked.
“You sure got that right,” Skye said. “One of the only perks of this job.”
“Hey!” Mal cried. “You’re forgetting the best perk.”
“And what might that be?” Skye asked. She made sure to lift her eyebrow so that she was sure Mal could detect it.
“Me, of course!” Mal said. “You have to admit, it’s nice having me around.”
“The jury is still out on that one,” Skye said dryly.
“Bah, you love me.”
“We’ll have to—” Skye’s retort was interrupted when the ground underneath her foot gave way. “Mal! The ground’s caving away!”
What began as a small crack quickly grew into an opening large enough to swallow Skye whole. She reached fruitlessly for purchase on the crumbling edges before falling down into pitch black. She landed with a dull thud on hard stone several meters down.
“That’s going to leave a mark,” Skye moaned. “What’s my status?”
“Wow, that was quite a fall,” Mal started. “Your gravimetric regulators are shot, your enviro-casing along your right thigh and left shoulder is compromised, and your left stabilizer is damaged. At least now you have a matching pair.”
“Very funny,” Skye said. She stood up slowly and rubbed her shoulder. The hole she fell through seemed like a small pinprick of light in a canvas of darkness. “Activate my nightvision, will you?”
“Certainly.” Skye’s HUD lit up, covering everything with a greenish glow. There were rock formations, like teeth growing from the ceiling and the floor. It appeared that she was in a tunnel, stretching a good way in either direction.
“Do you think this is where the attacking Celaenans came from?” she asked Mal.
“Celaenans?”
“Those insect-things— like Happy up there.”
“Oh, a new word for our dictionary! Very good,” Mal said. “Celaenans. Insect-like beings from the moon of Celaenon IV. Long, upright bodies with six legs—”
“Mal,” Skye said, cutting Mal’s definition off short. “Tell the Council that there has been no sighting of living colonists, and please mention the part about our little encounter with the unfriendly lifeforms.”
“Very good,” Mal said. “Oh dear. It appears that we’re out of range for communication with the Council.”
“Just wonderful,” Skye said. “Let’s get moving and you let me know if we get back in range.”
“Where are we going?”
“Down this tunnel,” Skye replied.
“Why?”
“Well, it doesn’t appear that we will be getting out the way we came in.”
“You do have a point, but might I suggest we go the other direction?”
“Why is that?”
“There is a large natural deposit of the polyatomic ion in the northern direction of this tunnel,” Mal said. “It is where the Fori inhabitants first encountered the Celaenans approximately one week ago. It is likely that they would have gone in that direction, as it is a natural resource of yet unknown usage.” Skye nodded, and began to walk in the opposite direction, her HUD recording the tunnel for future reference.
As they went, they passed a brown chitinous material strewn across the ground. Kneeling down and
picking up a piece, Skye realized that she was holding the impression of a carapace. She held up other pieces—she could see where they had been shed.
“Make a note that the Celaenans are able to shed their skin.” Skye said.
“Ugh,” Mal grunted in disgust. “I shudder to think about what is under that skin.” Skye stood up, brushing her hands. Moving on, she noted that the tunnels became less natural and smoother—carved intelligently, with purpose, space, and direction. The tunnel began to square, and there were tributaries that cut off from the main tunnel in different directions. A vein-like network of black tubes appeared to run along the walls, and they emitted a light humming noise. Her HUD registered a power signature being emitted from them, albeit a low one. Skye reached up to touch them, registering a light heat.
“What is it, Mal?”
“Power…communication…it seems to contain the polyatomic ion.”
Gradually, she noticed that there was a strong light source up ahead—a strange red glow. Taking out her nearly useless plasma blaster, Skye inched forward slowly, trying to lessen the sounds made by her feet. When she neared it, she realized that one of the walls of the tunnel gave way, as though a large hole had been broken into the wall. The black tubes along the wall had been torn when the hole was created. Celaenium Matter oozed from the pipes, causing a large puddle of the ion.
Skye put her back up against the wall, slowly inching forward until she could peer around the side. Skye inhaled sharply in awe. Before her stretched a city—it was made of organic-looking formations, like termite hills in earth’s deserts, towering buildings made of shaped earth. It stretched on as far as Skye could see; she could not detect the other wall of the chasm, stretching on for kilometers. The buildings were all the same taupe color as the surface of the moon, the material was shiny, though, and it glittered in the light created by many red light sources that lit the vast underground chasm.
“I must say,” Mal said in awe, “this is one of the more spectacular views that we have ever experienced.”
“Without a doubt,” Skye replied. “I wonder why they would choose to live underground?”
“Security, perhaps?”
“From what?”
“Us,” Mal answered. Skye thought about this for a moment.
“That makes sense,” she replied. “Humans do tend to destroy the universe that they conquer…although neither one of us is human.”
“Speak for yourself,” Mal replied evenly. “I am the nearest thing to a living human that your current incarnation has ever encountered.”
“I remember seeing some,” she said.
“That was the experience of a different you.”
“Don’t ‘Ship of Theseus’ me,” Skye said with a smile.
Far off, Skye watched a small crowd of the Celaenans. They moved slowly, seemingly mindlessly, in different directions. Others simply stood immobile, staring emptily. There weren’t the hordes that would be necessary to populate a city of that size. But more than that, the city had an unused feeling to it—structures had fallen down or into disrepair. It was as though only recently, the inhabitants had returned home after decades of being gone.
Skye got down onto her stomach, crossing the seven foot gap in the tunnel wall in a commando crawl so as not to be seen. It seemed to take an age. She slid through the shallow pool of the ion that had been created on the ground.
“Careful!” Mal warned. “It is highly corrosive!”
“You couldn’t have said something before the front of my suit was soaking in it?”
“My apologies.” Skye moved faster, propelling herself forward using her arms and legs in order to get out of the Celaenium Matter as quickly as possible. She got to her feet at the other side, rushing forward. She pulled out a cloth from her utility belt, and wiped off the liquid. It had left deep scores in the fabric, but had not eaten through. The tunnel continued as before, well-constructed, with the black tubes humming beside her with their low pulse of electricity.
Chapter Four
Skye stopped her brisk walk and leaned against the cave wall. She had been in the tunnel for several hours now, and had begun to grow worried.
“Mal?”
“Yes, Skye?”
“I’m beginning to think we need a new plan. This city is enormous and the survivors, if there are any, could be anywhere,” Skye said breathily. “There’s no way that I’ll be able to perform that kind of search before this body expires.”
“This is a valid fact.”
“I just…I don’t know how we can achieve our mission.”
“Let’s collect some data on these tunnels, then. When we report back to the Council, we can send them a map, and our other findings so the rescue crews that they are sending have a bit of a leg up, so to speak.”
“Good point. When should we turn around?”
“Let’s try to find the entry way into the city.”
“Perfect. That’s all they will need to get started.”
The tunnel made an abrupt turn to the right, curving drastically as it began to slope downward. Skye followed it, picking up speed as she went down the incline.
“This body is sure getting its workout,” she said, her breath labored.
“You are still at seventy-five percent in your battery-cells,” Mal replied. “Still good to go.”
“Good to know,” Skye replied. Just then, they came to a flat section of the tunnel. Here, there were several huge rock formations. There was a wall in front of Skye, and three huge doorways hewn into the rock of the wall. Each doorway led to another hallway which branched off into a different direction. Skye paused, placing her hands on her hips and trying to catch her breath.
“Okay, Mal,” she said. “Which way?”
“Well, the one to the left heads toward the large reservoir of Celaenium Matter near where the first sighting of the aliens occurred. The one in the middle appears to head straight downward, and the one on the right appears to be leading toward the city.”
“We are heading toward—” Skye began, but was interrupted by the sound of skittering echoing from up ahead.
“Quick! Hide behind that rock formation!” Mal suggested. Skye dove behind the oddly shaped rocks, curling into fetal position and covering her helmeted head with her arms. The march of the Celaenans sounded like the first drops of rain on dry soil. They came from the tunnel which had been on her left when she was facing the wall. They were in a disorganized mob of nine or ten, crawling over each other as much as they were moving forward.
“Look at how large of a group that is,” Mal said in Skye’s ear. “Think they’re headed to Fori?”
“Or looking for us,” Skye whispered. “The one that we left behind must have sent a message somehow.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“What do we do now?”
“Nothing to do but wait.” Skye curled up tighter behind the rock formation. It was similar to the rock formations that she had seen strewn across the outer landscape of the moon. Made of enormous dark-colored boulders, it looked to have been piled on purpose, to clear the hallway. Skye could see the unwieldy group of Celaenans climbing through the spaces between the stacked boulders. One of the Celaenans that had been with the group paused. Skye’s stomach lurched in fear.
“It’s spotted us! Oh dear,” Mal said. Skye didn’t reply; she wasn’t yet sure that they’d been seen. The creature cocked its head to the side, and it ran a tiny hand over one of the boulders. It began to tap on it. Suddenly, another Celaenan stopped, and the two began communicating in a series of clicks. Skye’s heart was pounding uncontrollably in her chest. She had often faced creatures before; she had been killed so many times. But this mission was different—what would happen if she died this time? She was well-beyond the range of her ship. If something happened to her, would she die for good?
The second Celaenan reached out one of its longer arms, and from it, a stream of the viscous metallic ion shot toward the boulder. The boulder fell out of the for
mation, causing it to shift dangerously. Skye tried to make herself smaller, hoping it wouldn’t fall on her and crush her. There was a loud cracking and ripping noise as a Celaenan broke its way out of the boulder.
“It’s a chrysalis,” Mal said. “How remarkable!”
“Now’s not the time,” Skye whispered so lightly she was barely speaking.
“Apologies,” Mal said in a strained whisper, even though he was only audible to Skye. The Celaenans were rubbing arms, and making excited clicking noises, as though greeting each other. They then turned, and joined the rest of the Celanan horde in their relentless scampering toward what was left of the Fori Research Colony.
***
It seemed like ages as they passed, but it was only about twenty minutes. Skye counted silently to sixty before crawling out from behind the pile of chrysalises. She found herself again faced with the question of the three tunnels. Crossing her arms, she bit her lip as she thought.
“Okay, left tunnel is out of the question,” she mused.
“I suggest the right,” Mal said.
“The center one goes down, though,” Skye reasoned.
“We need to head toward the city.”
“Okay.” Skye plunged without hesitation into the right-hand tunnel. The walls were still covered in the vein-like tubing, and the workmanship on the floor and walls was still of the same quality as most of the tunnel that she’d been traveling.
The tunnel ended abruptly, with the little black tubes feeding into the wall. There was a large, round door in the wall, with deep marks scored into its metal, as though someone had been trying to break in. Skye placed a finger on one of the score marks. It had the hint of a burn, like someone had tried to use a flame to melt the seal on the door. Beside the door was a panel, and Skye pressed on it with a finger. The panel lifted to show a familiar port.
“Mal,” she said. “Doesn’t that look like a modification for an ITP?”
The Engineer's Escape: The Swallowtail Voyages, Book 1 Page 3