Through the Never

by J. A. Culican

  The wild flooded to the fallen shuttle, slashing at the metal. The rail gun suddenly blenched to life, cutting down a few of the Chroin. As quickly as it cut them down, though, others crowded in to take their place.

  We have to get down there. I urged Kuna’s limbs into action, sprinting down the side of the ship. Someone is still alive in there.

  We pushed away from the ship, launching into the air. The ground quickly rose up to meet us, and for a moment, I thought we would smash into the ground and break every bone in our collective bodies.

  Instead, Kuna rolled across the dirt and quickly regained his footing. I could feel our hearts racing in synchrony as we sprinted toward the downed shuttle. The rail gun hadn’t fallen silent yet, but the wild were swarming over it.

  With a snarl, we launched ourselves into the fray, slamming into one of the wild. Suddenly, the world around us was a blur of teeth, claws, and spear-like tails. The wild were everywhere. Their claws and teeth were too many to dodge.

  Claws raked down our face, blood dripping into our eyes and blurring our vision. We furiously wiped at the blood, trying to clear our vision.

  Teeth latched on to the frill that covered Kuna’s neck as the wild shook us. We let out a feral shriek, slashing at the wild’s exposed underbelly. The creature howled in pain, releasing us as it rolled to the ground.

  With that, we launched ourselves at the wild, snapping and ripping. Our tail whipped out, stabbing a wild in the haunches as our claws slashed another’s chest.

  Our jaws locked around a wild’s neck and we shook it viciously, only releasing the creature when it went limp. Kuna let out another savage roar. The remaining wild cowered to the ground, slowly backing away.

  We screamed out another roar, taking a step forward and clawing the ground. The wild scattered.

  Our breath was coming in big heaving gasps as we took a few steps back from the shuttle. It lay on its side, the mounted rail gun pointing to the sky. The windshield was broken out and one of the fans had snapped off.

  The rail gun was quiet now. Had we come too late?

  A hand reached up over the edge of the door. Cern hauled himself up to sit on the edge. He reached back down into the shuttle to help someone else out. There were four others. I breathed a sigh of relief as Elsy, Lero, and Jastin climbed out. There was one man with them that I didn’t recognize. With a pang of hurt, I realized he had been added to our team to replace me.

  Cern jumped down to the ground and looked up to us. “Laure?”

  I nodded back, Kuna’s head moving with mine.

  Cern just nodded and turned to help the others down. Lero’s leg was badly twisted. The others would have to carry him back to the Endurance. I glanced toward the ship. Five hundred meters of fighting with a wounded man.

  I looked back to the crew. My crew. My teammates. The rest looked banged up but relatively fine. The new man watched us intently. It wasn’t the open stares of hatred we had been receiving since we had come back. It was almost…admiration. I dipped our head a bit to him, grateful that someone seemed to appreciate us. The man smiled and nodded back.

  As we took a few steps forward, my teammates stepped backward warily. Despite the fact that we had saved them, they were still afraid of us. We stopped. We didn’t want to frighten them, but they had to come with us.

  What do we do if they won’t follow us? Kuna asked, casting a glance back at the ship and the battles that lay between us and it.

  I thought. They seemed to recognize the human gestures through Kuna’s body.

  We nodded our head toward the ship, signaling them to follow. At first no one moved. Then the new man ran up, walking along side us. Gently, we nudge him in front of us. The man began to walk, while we followed closely in his shadow. The others finally ran forward, not wanting to be left behind on a battlefield without weapons.

  Our head swiveled from side to side, watchful for any wild that might take notice of our small, slow-moving group.

  A wild suddenly broke from its sprint as it passed us. The creature turned and lunged for the team. We lashed out, our razor-sharp tail striking the creature’s side. A growl rose in our throat as we scored the wild with our claws, pushing it farther back. The creature’s teeth peeled back from its lips as it snapped at us. We roared, the bellow ringing out across the plain. The wild shrank away, retreating from us as it cowered to the ground.

  A shuttle swooped low over our heads and we tensed. A spotlight shone down on the humans jogging ahead of us. The rail gun whirred to life, and any second I expected to feel the bullets piercing our skin.

  Then a cry echoed out to our right. A wild tumbled to the ground in a heap, holes riddling its body. As I looked around, I could see more of the wild taking notice of our group. We picked up the pace forcing the others to break into a run.

  The spotter in the shuttle kept us in a halo of light as we ran. The rail guns whirred to life, cutting down the wild that tried to attack.

  The bay doors were already cracked open as we made the final sprint. The survivors running with everything they had as we easily loped behind them. As we reached the ship, we spun, looking for more of the wild, but the prairie was quiet. Though a few of the wild still lingered, most were retreating across the fields. The shuttles were still circling in the air, dutifully watching for more of the wild.

  Is this another faint? I asked, unable to even hope that it was over.

  I don’t think so. Kuna shook his head. I think we gave them a reason to run.

  I think I should go back inside. You should probably leave too. I sighed wearily.

  I could feel Kuna’s reluctance, but he didn’t protest. Instead, the odd sense of vertigo that I had come to associate with detachment overtook me.

  When I open my eyes, I found dozens of people staring at me. Their guns were raised, aimed at either me or Kuna. I was met with looks of disgust, disbelief, and fear.

  “Put those down,” I demanded, my fists clenching and unclenching. No one responded to me. No one even acknowledged me. “I said put those down. Now.”

  I could feel the rage bubbling up inside of me. Kuna and I had risked our lives for these people and it made no difference. But I wasn’t just mad at them; I was mad at myself. Mad for thinking that I could change their minds. Mad for believing that they might be able to see me as more than an alien.

  As I looked over the crowd, I saw Cern standing at the back. While he didn’t hold a gun against me, he wasn’t moving to defend me either. My jaw clenched painfully as I fought the urge to scream.

  “Stop!” The single word jolted through me. It was so sudden and desperate, as if it had come from my own throat, but it hadn’t. “What are you doing?” I could see someone pushing through the crowd.

  A man emerged. He was the new addition to my team, my replacement. He looked around wildly at the crowd.

  “What are you doing? Put your guns down!” He threw his hands up in frustration. “This woman and her…” He turned toward me.

  “Kuna,” I supplied.

  “The woman and Kuna saved us. We would have died in that shuttle if they hadn’t chased off the creatures. They guarded us as we got back to the ship. Lero was wounded. We never could have carried him back without them to keep us safe! And now you’re pointing guns at them? That’s a shitty way to say thank you.” He stared down the crowd, defying anyone to speak out against him.

  “We should praise her. We should thank her.” A few of the guns lowered, people looking at the ground in shame. The man turned to me, approaching without fear. “My name is Brinden.”

  “Laure.” I extended my hand to him.

  Instead of taking my hand, he swept me up in a big, crushing hug. “Thank you.” His words were no more than a whisper. He set me back down and backed away a few steps. I could see the faint glimmer of moisture on his cheeks. His voice was stronger when he continued speaking. “I didn’t travel halfway across the galaxy just to die the first time we set foot on a new planet.”


  He turned back to the crowd. “If we are going to stay here, and I don’t think we have much of a choice in that anymore, and if we are going to survive, then we need more people like her. More people who are willing to step up and do what needs to be done. If that means working with aliens, then so be it. I’ll volunteer.

  I could feel tears welling up in my own eyes. Someone was on my side. Even if it was only one person, someone would stand with me. Maybe, just maybe, his words would reach the others.

  Heartened, I cleared my throat and Brinden motioned for me to speak.

  “I want to help,” I said. “We have been through so much. We have…lost so much. But we are alive and we are realizing the dream of those who came before us. We have a planet. We have a home. If we all work together, we can do more than just survive. We can actually live.”

  I saw a few colonists nodding with me. Some even smiled.

  Across the crowd, I caught Cern’s gaze again. I had saved him just like this other man. Kuna and I had defended him as we crossed the plain to the Endurance. We had been wounded for him. He had meant everything to me. Been my shoulder to lean on. My best friend. The person who cared most for me and who I cared most about.

  And yet, he sat silently with the others. Watching me. Afraid of me. He had abandoned me. He gave me a slight smile across the crowd, but I just glowered back at him.

  “We need her.” I hadn’t heard the last part of the man’s speech, but he was winding down. “I will be forever grateful that she was there when I needed her, and I think the rest of you should be too.”

  The crowd was silent. People shifted uncomfortably as they looked to the ground, the sky, off in the distance. Anywhere but at me. At the human that wasn’t. They might begrudgingly accept me as part of their lives, but they would never see me as one of them again. At least most of them never would.

  “Come on, people!” one of the commanders bellowed. “We all still have work to do in the morning. The guards will keep an eye out for any sign of the creatures.”

  The crowd immediately began to disperse, eager to retreat to the safe world of the Endurance. The commander walked over to me, careful to keep his distance as he approached. Brinden sidled up, planting himself firmly next to me in a show of solidarity.

  “I’m sure you are tired.” The commander fumbled for words. “You and your creature—”

  “Kuna,” I cut in.

  “Right.” He nodded. “You put up a good fight and we are…grateful for your help.”

  “Thank you,” I said, accepting his reluctant gratitude.

  The commander nodded in turn. “If you would come see me and the other commanders tomorrow, we would like to discuss plans for the future.”

  “We already talked about what I know,” I said curtly, “but I will discuss the future with you.”

  “Thank you.” The commander gave a dismissive nod and hurried away.

  I turned to the man beside me. “Thank you for your kind words.” My eyes darted back and forth as I searched for what to say. “They mean more than you know right now.”

  Brinden looked down at the ground. “I’ve heard what’s being said around the ship,” he admitted, a scowl crossing his face. He looked back up to me. “You deserved every bit of praise. Both you and Kuna.” He gestured to Kuna, who lounged a few yards away, more relaxed now that the crowd was gone. “I meant what I said. I stand behind you. I think we could use more pairs like you. If the commanders authorize it, I’ll be right alongside you. Just say the word.”

  With that, he clapped me on the shoulder and turned to leave. Cern stood a dozen feet away, seemingly very interested in a rock on the ground as he let us finish our conversion. As Brinden turned to leave, Cern looked up, smiling at me with the same smile that had always made my heart flutter.

  “What?” I didn’t return his smile as I crossed my arms across my chest.

  His smile faded. “You fought really well out there.”

  “Is that what you wanted to tell me?”

  Cern sighed. “No, I wanted to say thank you for saving us earlier.”

  “Don’t put yourself out too much. I was just doing what any decent human being would do,” I said coldly.

  Cern’s head snapped up. “You aren’t even human anymore,” he hissed.

  I smiled, small and thin. “I will always be human. No matter how much you or anyone else denies it.”

  “You may have convinced a few people, but we know what you are. We won’t forget that. You aren’t human. You’re an alien plague. We won’t stand for you,” Cern sneered.

  I took a few steps closer, closing the gap between Cern and me. I could never admit that I relished the way he flinched under my gaze. “I am the only hope you’ve got for survival.” I locked eyes with him, knowing that my black-eyed stare was disconcerting. “The rules have changed. It’s time to adapt or die. Are you willing to risk the rest of our species for your own insecurities?”

  “My species.”

  I looked him up and down. “Are you willing to risk the fate of your species?” I asked again.

  Cern just glowered back at me.

  “Laure.” My head snapped around to the voice. Brinden stood some ways away, waving to me. “You alright?” I smiled and waved back at my new friend.

  I looked back to Cern. “Well?” Cern growled and spun on his heel, marching away from me.

  “I didn’t think so.”

  The End

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  About the Author

  http://rlblalock.com/

  R. L. Blalock’s love of reading started young, but her love of zombies started later in life. In 2008, when R. L. Blalock first watched the remake of Dawn of the Dead she instantly fell in love with the genre. Born and raised in Sacramento, California, R. L. Blalock now lives in St. Louis, Missouri with her loving husband, precocious three-year-old daughter, two dogs, and a bird.

  Across the Starlight Blue

  Debbie Cassidy and Richard Amos

  Across the Starlight Blue © 2017 Debbie Cassidy and Richard Amos

  * * *

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Across the Starlight Blue

  On the other side of the universe, hope is all they have.

  After sixty years in a cryogenic sleep, Becca Rivers awakes, ready for a new life beyond the stars. One of the skeleton crew aboard a ship undertaking humanity’s most important mission, she is more than ready to feel Earth 2 beneath her feet, and deliver their precious cargo. But even the best laid plans can come undone, and what the crew finds will change humanity forever.

  Chapter 1

  The expanse of space stretched out before her, an infinite blue-black blanket. It made Becca feel infinitesimal, like they were sailing inside the belly of a boundless beast with only the hydrogen and helium balls of gases to guide them. Twinkle, twinkle, little star. Not so little anymore.

  “How far away is it, mum?” She looked up at the woman beside her, the commanding presence instantly soothing.

  “I’m no
t sure. You’ll have to ask BEK,” Captain Rivers said.

  Becca’s body still tingled from Cryosleep, and her mind was a mass of memories struggling to realign themselves—the many events that had brought her to this point. She was the daughter of the captain of one of two cargo ships carrying the most precious load. A strange sensation bubbled up in her stomach, and after a perplexed moment, her brain kicked into gear telling her she was hungry.

  “I think I need to eat.” She rubbed her stomach and shot her mother an apologetic look.

  Her mother smiled. “Don’t look so sheepish. You’ve been in stasis for almost sixty years. I think a meal is in order. Now, where is the mess hall? My brain is still realigning. BEK?”

  “Good morning, Captain Rivers.” The spaceship operating system’s voice seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere. “Good to see you up and about. How can I be of assistance?”

  “Directions to the mess hall would be great right now, BEK. My head’s a little fuzzy, and I have a hungry teenager to feed.”

  “Perfectly understandable, Captain. It’s been a long flight.”

  The sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor behind her, and Becca turned to see BEK in his android form striding toward them. The machine, which looked way too much like a man, still gave her the creeps.

  “You look well,” he said to her mother. “That colour suits you.” His gaze travelled to Becca. “It suits you too.”

  She glanced down at her mud-brown scrubs. “Um, thanks?”

  Oh, boy. He was one of those. After complaints about the mechanical nature of the earlier androids, the company had gone to great lengths to develop an AI which mimicked human behaviour and interaction to a T, except they really hadn’t succeeded. BEK looked like one of the crew—a slender, handsome man with a dimpled smile—but his behaviour and comments gave away his synthetic nature. They’d gone to great lengths with the aesthetics, but failed on the social interaction front. Becca had done her research, and this particular model was even equipped with several pleasure modes. Sarah, Dr Lloyd’s daughter, had been all up for giving those modes a try the first couple of weeks on board, but Becca’s mother had found out about the kid’s plan and had Reynolds deactivate the modes. Apparently, BEK’s job was to interface with the ship. In effect he was the ship, or so mum had said.