by Luna Hunter
“We have the readings, it’s safe to breathe,” he says. “Come.”
He pulls the suit from my hands and throws it back in the locker. He grabs my hand and lifts me off my feet, pulling me outside and into the unknown.
I know I volunteered for this mission, but now that I’m a single step away from setting foot on this alien world, I have to admit I feel a slight sense of trepidation.
In other words, I’m scared shitless.
“Open your eyes.”
Koryn places me on the ground, which feels soft under my feet. I feel leaves, grass, moss. Twigs break under my weight, and I sink into the high grass with every step. The air is heavy with pollen and more different scents than I can place, each one more alluring than the last.
I take a deep, long breath, letting the air flow through my lungs. I don’t think I’ve ever had air this clean before. I feel it in every pore in my body.
The trees that surround us on all sides are immense; so thick I think Koryn would struggle to wrap his arms around them, and their branches reach so high I have to crane my neck all the way up to see. Down here it’s not as dark as I thought. My eyes quickly get used to seeing in the dimly lit forest.
It’s not bad here; nothing threatening yet, anyway. But there is something unsettling about this planet, something that takes me a moment to put my finger on. And when I finally do, I can’t ignore it.
It’s the silence. I expected to hear insects rustling in the leaves, birds chirping in the trees, wildlife scampering through the high grass. But the only thing I hear is our own breathing.
Did our incursion scare everyone off, or is there something else going on?
The planet’s teeming with plants, so other forms of life can’t be far off. Koryn doesn’t seem disturbed, though.
“Time to get the scanner going,” he says as he unloads several crates. He opens them to reveal a multitude of drones.
“Will those help us find the cave formations?” I ask. Evides is only located in water that is deep underground, and short of starting a massive excavation, a cave would be perfect for me to run my tests on.
“Exactly,” Koryn answers. He hits a button on his remote and the drones spring to life, hovering obediently in the air a few feet above us. A second later they whir away, each one of them going a different direction.
It still surprises me how they can navigate through the dense woods at such high speeds without bumping into any trees. I know it’s nothing special – after all, we just crossed half the galaxy in a few days – but sometimes it’s the little things that can astound you the most.
“How long will this take?”
Koryn shrugs. “Depends. A few hours. A few days. Want to get us something to eat?”
“Sure thing.”
I head inside and order the food dispenser to whip us up a nice, hearty meal. I’m not too crazy about Zoran cooking in general, and this robot’s food in particular, but the convenience of it all beats slaving away over a stove. Not that the ship has one to begin with.
I’m already looking forward to one of Jillian’s home-cooked meals.
A minute later I head outside carrying two plates of steaming hot meat stew. Koryn told me it’s his favorite and, seeing as he got us here safely, I think he deserves a nice meal.
He’s standing in a beam of light, one foot resting on a tree trunk, as he stares off into the woods. The glittering light makes his purple skin take on a violet-red tone. I don’t call for him yet – I want to enjoy the sight for just a second longer.
Maybe cuddling up next to a fire with him wouldn’t be so bad after all.
6
Koryn
“Thank you,” I say as I accept the plate.
Kelly sits across from me on a tree stump, her legs crossed as she picks at her food.
“Is it not to your liking?”
“It’s okay,” she says. “Could be worse.”
I glance at my com, but the drones haven’t found anything worthwhile yet. With the immense size of this planet, our mission could take days, weeks, even months if we’re incredibly unlucky. Fortunately we have everything we need to survive right here on our ship.
Darkness falls, and without the sun shining down on us, the temperature drops rapidly. Kelly shivers and rubs her arms. “Do you mind if we go inside?”
“Of course not.”
We continue our meal inside, in silence but for the ship’s systems humming silently in the background. I turn the thermostat up a notch for Kelly’s benefit, as I know how easily humans get cold.
“How did you meet Vinz?” she asks.
I lean back in my chair, stretching my arms above my head. “That’s a long story.”
“It seems we have the time.”
“That we do. Very well.” I pause for a second. How do you tell someone a lifetime’s history in the span of a few minutes?
“I’ve known Vinz since we were recruits, back on Minkel V. That’s where the Zoran military trains their men.”
“What was he like when he was young?” Kelly asks as she takes a sip of kuia. I think she’s starting to take a liking to the hot stuff.
“Brash. Reckless. Cocky.”
Kelly raises her eyebrow at me. “That doesn’t sound like the Vinz I know.”
“That’s because some things happened. Things that can change a man.”
“Is that how you got your scar?”
Unconsciously, my fingers were tracing the outline of my scar. It runs straight down my face, from my scalp to my chin, across the right side of my face.
“I’m sorry,” Kelly says when she sees the look that must have been on my face. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “You’re right. Do you want to hear that story?”
She nods.
“If we’re going to swap tales, we’ll need a proper drink as well.”
I walk up to the food dispenser and grab two cups of cuhla, the Zoran alcoholic drink of choice. I hand one cup to Kelly and she takes a whiff. Instantly she shoots back, her face contorted.
“Oh my god,” she says. “I can feel it burning in my nose! What the hell is this?”
“Cuhla,” I say with a laugh. “A soldier’s best friend.”
“You can’t seriously drink this, right?”
I put the cup to my lips and take a small sip of the spicy, jet-black liquid. It heats my throat, and I can feel it sliding down, warming me from the inside. A pleasant buzz courses through my veins.
“Take a sip,” I tell her. “You’ll like it.”
Kelly takes a deep breath, gathering all her courage. “One sip. No more.”
I nod. “Go on.”
She brings the cup close, but backs away when the smell hits her nostrils. Keeping her nose pinched shut, she throws the cup back, downing it like a shot, and instantly moans regretfully. Her face is scrunched up and she waves her hands around, as if she’s fanning the flames inside her mouth.
“It’s so awful,” she groans. “It tastes like a muddy leather shoe!”
Meanwhile, I can’t stop laughing.
“It’s like molten glue,” she complains. “Oh god. Stop laughing!”
Her hands clutch her stomach. “It’s like a war is taking place in my stomach now.”
I wipe the tears from my eyes. This has been suitable payback for her little ruse earlier.
“Nice, isn’t it?”
Kelly groans. “It’s the most awful thing I’ve ever tasted.” Her cheeks are flushed bright red: the alcohol doing its work.
“It’s an acquired taste,” I say. “You’ll learn to love it.”
I grab her a cup of kuia, so she can get the taste out of her mouth. “Drink this, it’ll help,” I say. Kelly gratefully accepts, knocking the entire drink back in one go.
“How do you feel?”
Kelly burps, her face turning even redder, this time out of embarrassment. “I feel like I’m floating.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, trying to k
eep from smiling. “I couldn’t resist.”
“How strong is this stuff anyway?”
“Pretty strong.”
“How strong is that?”
“Strong enough to knock a Zoran off his feet, if he’s not careful.”
She looks at me, her blue eyes filled with disbelief.
“You’ll be fine,” I say. “You earned your story. You handle your drink like a true warrior.”
Except that Zoran warriors don’t look quite so cute with their faces all scrunched up.
“Hoorah,” she says, her hands still rubbing her stomach.
I get her another cup of kuia as I go over the details in my mind. Every time I see myself, I’m reminded of that fateful day when I saved Vinz’s life – and nearly paid with my own.
“It happened on Cotonia VI.”
I take another sip of cuhla, swirling it around my mouth, the spicy blend making all the synapses in my brain fire. I realize I’ve never actually talked about this day to anyone before. Vinz and I have an unspoken agreement, and no Zoran ever asked about my prominent scar.
Sharing is not the Zoran way.
“It was our first combat mission. The Ygg had invaded, without warning; without reason. They indiscriminately murdered thousands of Zoran. We underestimated those bugs… and thousands paid the price. You ever seen one?”
Kelly shakes her head.
“No, of course not. If you did, you wouldn’t be around. No offense. They’re tough bastards. Come in all shapes and sizes. Some of those insects are as small as a dog, and some as big as an elephant. Covered in armor plating, all jaws and fangs. Their mandibles can crush a man in two, and they can shoot acid that’ll melt through damn near everything. The winged ones are the worst – they can drop in at any moment.”
Kelly’s eyes grow wide, and I realize I’m scaring her. Good. She ought to be terrified of them.
“They seem to have a hive-mind intelligence. We dismissed them as mere bugs when Zorans first encountered them, but they somehow evolved the ability to travel through space itself. Life’s cruel joke.”
Kelly watches me talk breathlessly. It feels good to get this all off my chest. I’ve had to keep it all stored away inside, and getting it all out there feels… relieving.
“Vinz led our squad into battle. He was our captain. We were all anxious to give those bugs some payback for what they did. A lot of us had family on Cotonia VI.”
I pause for another sip. I don’t feel comfortable sharing how I lost my mother quite yet. Maybe someday… but for right now, sharing one war story is more than enough.
“However, we were outgunned. Outmatched. Our weapons couldn’t pierce their armor. Meanwhile, they cut through us like a knife through butter. It wasn’t a battle. It was a slaughter. Retreat was the only option, but Vinz was reckless. Overeager. Desperate to prove himself worthy of command. He pushed on, and we followed.
“Soon, it was just the two us left. Our squad had been torn apart in front of our eyes. We were surrounded on all sides. It was hopeless. I tackled Vinz and dove into a cave formation. We fell into the darkness, tumbling down for what felt like miles. I hit my head and lost consciousness.”
I stare straight ahead, looking right through Kelly. I feel like I’m back in that cave. I can feel the cold on my skin, smell the fungi in the air.
“When I opened my eyes, I saw the largest Ygg I had ever seen had Vinz pinned down to the ground. It was the size of an elephant. It looked different from any other beast I’d seen before. Its armor glowed bright green, and its great stinger was pointed straight at his heart.
“I didn’t think. I just charged forwards as the stinger came down, and I arrived just in time. The stinger came down across my face, hence the scar. Blinded, I staggered forwards, and in a final, desperate attempt, I pulled out a dagger and stabbed the giant beast.
“By a stroke of luck, I hit the beast’s soft belly, and cut open a main artery. A foul green liquid burst out, dousing us both, and it collapsed. Turns out that beast was a Ygg Queen. Having lost their leader, the Ygg disbanded and retreated instantly.”
I take another sip of my cuhla. Silence envelopes the room, the soft, gentle whirr of the ship’s life-support systems the only thing making any sound.
“Vinz owes you his life,” Kelly says.
I nod. “Yes. This is not the story I told the generals. Vinz would have lost his command. Instead, I told them that Vinz had heroically saved my life. He was promoted, and I’ve served by his side ever since.
“Never tell anyone a word of this,” I say after a short pause. “I’ve never told anyone before.”
Kelly nods, holding her cup tightly as she listens to my story. “My lips are sealed,” she promises. “Thank you for sharing.”
I shrug. “Thank you for asking. It felt good.”
I unclench my fist, letting my body relax. Unconsciously, my entire body had tensed up as I relived that disastrous battle.
“If you ever want to talk, I’m here,” Kelly says, reaching out and touching my arm. I look down at her small hand. Her touch is soft; feminine, but firm.
The beeping of the scanners interrupts the moment. I get up to check, and I’m delighted to see that one of the drones has found a suitable cave. It’s a day’s march west of here.
“Good news,” I tell Kelly, and I show her the data. “We’ve got ourselves our first cave. We should head to bed, as we’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
“What do you mean? Can’t we take the ship?”
I shake my head. “I want to preserve our fuel, and there’s no guarantee we’ll find a suitable landing spot near there. We’ll have to walk. Don’t worry, it’s only twenty miles.”
Her widening eyes tell me Kelly doesn’t consider that a brisk walk at all.
I close and lock the ship’s hatch, doing a routine check of every system on board, just to be safe. I’m positive we’re alone on this planet, but you can never be too safe. Once I’m satisfied, I turn off all the lights.
Tomorrow, we’re getting to the bottom of this planet.
7
Kelly
The forest is still eerily quiet.
The only things I hear are twigs snapping underneath my feet, and my own labored breathing.
“Are you alright?” Koryn asks. “Want me to carry something?”
“I’m fine,” I puff, for the tenth time. I can carry my own supplies, you purple alien.
We set out at the crack of dawn. The high grass is still wet with dew, making my clothes damp. We’re in for quite a march – seven hours or so, by Koryn’s estimate. I’m sure he could do it in half that, as I have to take two steps to match one of his, but he adjusts to my tempo without complaint.
I bet he could easily carry me on his back if he wanted to, but I won’t let that happen. I’d be a sorry excuse for an explorer if I did that.
I was hoping for a change of scenery, but Zenus is seemingly covered by a sea of identical-looking trees, as far as the eye can see. I’m glad Koryn has a tracker on his com, or I’d be helplessly lost. Down here, you can’t even use the sky to navigate, because the thick foliage obstructs the view.
The lack of animals makes me uncomfortable, and I decide to fill the void with conversation.
“What do you want to talk about?” I ask. “We’ve got six or so more hours to kill.”
“Trees,” Koryn says dryly.
“Err, anything but trees, please,” I say as I crouch to avoid another low-hanging branch.
Koryn shrugs. I have to struggle to move through the high grass, but he glides through the woods, taking big, confident steps, making me feel like I’m a hobbit. Sometimes I forget just how damn big, strong, and fast the Zorans really are.
“How did you and Jillian meet?” he asks after a pause. “You two are so different, yet good friends.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I say, trying to get a rise out of him, but he just shrugs again.
He’s not wrong, though. Jill and I
are as different as can be, and maybe that’s why we work so perfectly together.
“We met at university,” I say as I comb my fingers through my hair, removing some leaves, dirt, and other woodland paraphernalia. I can’t believe I spent over thirty minutes this morning on doing my hair… what a waste of time that has turned out to be!
“We were in the same class. We actually hated each other at first, if you can believe that.”
Koryn snorted. “I didn’t think either of you was capable of hate,” he says.
“Hey, we can be fierce, jealous bitches, too!” I protest. “I mean, we’re not, of course. But we could be. Theoretically.”
The purple alien pauses. “What does that mean?”
I wave him away. “Forget I said that. Back to the story. We were in the same class at university, and we couldn’t get along, at all. Jillian thought I was a ditzy bimbo, and I thought she was a stuck-up snob.”
“Why?” Koryn asks, as if the idea of competitive rivalry is lost on him.
“Because we were both used to being the best, and now, neither of us were. It wasn’t until we were both assigned to a project together that we got to know each other and realized that, despite our differences, we also shared a lot of common ground.
“Jillian’s not a snob at all: she worked her way out of the slums, and she only dressed like a librarian because she didn’t want anyone to know. And I don’t blame her. So many snooty people in college, it’s unbelievable. It’s like… yes, we know your dad’s rich, you know?”
“What about you?” Koryn asks me. “Where do you come from?”
“All over the place,” I answer. “My father was a Federation marine, and I spent my childhood moving from one base to another. When you spend so little time in any place, you learn how to make friends real quick… and learn to let those friendships go just as fast.”
Koryn nods. He pulls a particularly low-hanging heavy branch out of the way so I can move past it.
“Is your father still in the military?”
“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “My father abandoned my mother and me when I was a teenager, after we sacrificed our entire lives for him. I haven’t seen him since.”