by Jack Halls
“Don’t forget we blew up their ship, too,” he said. “They probably weren’t expecting that we’d put up much of a fight, but now they’re stranded here with us. At least, I think they are.”
Takomi nodded. “I still don’t see a way out of this.”
“Let’s focus on finding the others for now,” said Gideon. “We’ll worry about the aliens after that.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Friendlies
THE REST OF the night went by without incident. Takomi woke Gideon before sunrise, and he stretched his aching muscles. Before now, sleeping in the meadows of the biosphere was the closest thing to camping he had ever experienced. The real thing was less comfortable.
They took a moment to appreciate their first Valkyrian sunrise. Golden rays danced through fingers of fog rising from the forest, making the trees glow. The low sun reflected pink light off the distant snow-capped peaks, and the chorus of animals added a haunting backdrop. For a moment, they forgot their dire situation.
Once the sun was above the horizon they descended into the valley. The gruffles had all cleared out, leaving behind large patches of flattened grass. The forest below was alive with the voices of alien wildlife.
“Gruffles?” said Takomi as they passed by the charred remains of the starfighter. “That’s the best name you could come up with?”
Gideon laughed. “I knew you’d make fun of me for that. It’s hard coming up with a name out of thin air. Besides, I was tired and it sounded better last night.”
Takomi laughed. “How about you let me name the next few animals?”
“Be my guest. I’ll be sure to be super supportive of whatever inspiring name you come up with.”
Even with her behind him, Gideon knew she had just rolled her eyes. Once they reached the top of the opposite hill, they found the beacon exactly where they had left it. Gideon climbed up on top of a boulder to look around while Takomi tried to reach someone over the common band. He was scanning the horizon when something hit him between his shoulder blades. He turned, seeing nothing at first, and then something small and black came flying at him. He narrowly dodged it, losing his balance in the process, and tumbled down to crash in the dirt.
A Spanish accent came over the radio. “And thus was the fall of the mighty Gideon Killdeer, slain by an old man and a pebble.” Gideon’s helmet com was filled with the sound of several voices laughing, including Takomi’s.
“Padre!” Gideon leapt to his feet, looking for his friend. The small priest materialized out of the forest, clad in his Sentinel Armor and followed by a giant that could only be Vincent Uritumbo. A third person followed them, also wearing armor with the visor down. Takomi ran forward and threw her arms around Padre, who warmly returned the embrace. She let go of him and immediately moved to hug Vincent.
Gideon shook Padre’s hand and they slapped each other’s backs. He turned to greet Vincent, pausing as Takomi gasped. She stared at the third man, and her hand came up to her mouth. Gideon moved a little closer to see who it was, then let out a sigh. “Oh no,” he breathed.
Connor Hallows looked back and forth at the two teenagers with a perplexed expression. “I didn’t realize I was such an eyesore,” he said with a crooked smile.
“Oh, Connor,” said Takomi, and she ran forward to hug him too. She buried her face in his chest. “I’m so sorry.”
Connor hugged her back, looking at the others with one eyebrow raised. “It’s okay,” he said. “I didn’t expect you to shout for joy when you saw me or anything.”
Takomi looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. “It’s not that. It’s....” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
“It’s Veronica,” said Gideon. “She... she didn’t make it.”
Connor went rigid, then the color drained from his face. He swallowed hard and let go of Takomi. For what seemed an eternity, he stared at Gideon with an inscrutable face. Gideon tried to meet his gaze, but eventually his eyes fell to the ground. Unable to bare the silence, he continued. “Her SF crashed on the other side of this hill. We found her and Sanjay Patel.”
He looked up to find Connor was still staring at him with the same expression. He glanced at Takomi, who looked as white as Connor. He looked down again and continued. “We found the transponder and some supplies, but the SF was already burning. It was pretty obvious that they had crashed hard and were killed on impact. It would have been quick, no pain.” His voice warbled as he said it. When they had first found Sanjay and Veronica, Gideon had felt no sorrow, but now, seeing how it effected Connor, the grief overtook him.
Padre stepped forward and grasped Connor’s shoulders. “I’m so sorry, my friend. She was a wonderful person, and I know she and Sanjay are in God’s hands now.”
That pushed Connor over the edge, and he fell into Padre’s arms, sobbing. Connor fell to his knees, and Padre knelt down beside him. The group stood there for some time, surrounding Connor and Padre. Takomi and Gideon cried along with him, unable to hold it back. Even Vincent had a tear rolling down his cheek.
Connor let go of Padre and collapsed to the ground. He stayed there a moment while Padre sat next to him, gripping his hand. After a while, Connor sat up. “I’m sorry,” he said, wiping his face. “I’m sorry.”
Padre shook his head as he grasped Connor’s shoulder. “Nonsense,” he said. “Don’t apologize to us.”
Connor nodded, then stood. Padre stood as well. “Would it be all right if I go down there alone for a minute?” asked Connor.
“Of course,” said Padre. “Take as much time as you need. We’ll be here.”
Connor nodded again, then shakily walked down the hill toward the crash sight. The rest of them watched him disappear over the edge of the hill. Padre turned toward Gideon and Takomi. “I’m afraid that poor fellow will not be the last to grieve,” he said, then gave them a smile that did not reach his eyes. “But I am so relieved to find you two are all right.”
Padre looked down the hill in the direction Connor had gone. “Now,” he said as he stepped closer and placed a hand on Gideon’s shoulder. “What really happened to Veronica and Sanjay? You didn’t tell Connor everything, did you?”
Gideon let out a sigh. “Do you think Connor knows?”
Padre shook his head. “I only know because I could see Takomi’s face as you told the story. He may put the pieces together one day, but for now, he’s too overcome with grief to think about it.”
Gideon nodded. “It wasn’t too far from the truth, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him the worst of it.”
Gideon related the story of their discovery of the SF and the battle with the rasp, then showed them the footage Pauline had saved.
“That thing looks vicious,” said Vincent after they had finished replaying the footage. “It was no match for your Sentinel Armor, but I’m worried about the crew members who are wearing the old evac suits.”
“And that’s exactly why we have to find them as soon as possible,” said Padre.
He went on to tell Takomi and Gideon their own story. Padre and Connor had landed close to Vincent’s SF. Vincent’s son Joseph was with them, and the four of them managed to find six more crew members in the first few hours. One of them, Gavin McLeod, had possibly broken his leg, so Joseph and the others dug in and stayed behind while Vincent, Padre, and Connor went out in their Sentinel Armor to look for others. They had picked up on the transponder signal and reached it a couple hours before dawn.
“I’m glad to hear more people made it,” said Gideon as he leaned against a boulder. “When we found Veronica and Sanjay, I started to worry we were the only ones left.”
Padre took a sip from his canteen. “I’m hoping what happened to them was a freak accident, and the rest of the crew faired better. With any luck, the majority of them landed close together.”
Vincent was scanning the trees surrounding them with his rifle in his hands. “The terrain seems to flatten out to the northeast,” he said without looking at them. “Should
be easier to navigate.”
“I’m mostly worried about the kinds of animals the others’ll run into,” said Padre. “We haven’t seen anything too ferocious yet, at least nothing like the monster you two found.”
“There’s the aliens too,” said Takomi. “I mean, the ones that attacked the Luzariai. Somehow, I don’t think they’re friendly.”
Padre smiled wryly and nodded. “We’ve stumbled into something serious, that’s for sure. If we could somehow contact the Luzariai ship, maybe they could help us.”
“Only if the other guys didn’t blow them to bits first,” said Vincent. “They seemed pretty dead set on destroying the Luzariai.”
“I wish we knew what was going on,” said Padre. “That alien ship didn’t think twice before it attacked us. I wonder if they know we’re allied with the Luzariai.”
Connor came back up the hill before anyone could respond. His eyes were red and puffy, but his face was set in a determined look. When he reached Gideon, he put his hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you for taking care of Veronica,” said Connor. “I saw the tracks from whatever creature you scared away and could see you poured fuel over the cockpit.”
Gideon looked stunned as he opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. “It’s okay,” said Conner. “I understand what you were trying to do, but I’d like to know the whole story.”
Gideon nodded. He took several minutes to relate the events of the previous evening. Connor listened intently, nodding and occasionally looking away until Gideon finished.
“I’m sorry you two had to do that,” said Connor. “Thank you for making sure her remains were taken care of, and Sanjay’s too.”
Gideon had wondered if they had done the right thing when they burned the bodies. Knowing that Connor appreciated it made him feel better.
“We’d better get going,” said Vincent. “I suggest we climb that hill over there and see if we can’t pick up more signals.”
“Good idea,” said Padre. “But first, I’d like to say a few words for Sanjay and Veronica, if that’s all right with everyone else.” They all nodded their approval, and they walked to the top of the hill and looked down at the smoldering Starfighter that now acted as Sanjay and Veronica’s tomb.
Gideon barely heard the words Padre said, but he could feel them. Oddly enough, the words did not bring sorrow, or peace, but a feeling of purpose. He knew he was lucky to have survived, and with his Sentinel Armor he could help others survive as well. By doing so, he could find relief from the overwhelming sense of loss and despair that threatened to drown him.
When Padre finished his eulogy, he pulled a plasma knife from his belt and walked over to a large stone protruding from the top of the hill. He wrote Sanjay and Veronica’s names, along with their birthdates and the date they died. Then he walked over to the center of the hill where Gideon and Takomi had left the transponder.
“We’ll leave this transponder on with a message telling anyone who finds it where we went,” said Padre. “When we get to the next hill, we’ll create some sort of marker and leave another message. Anyone who finds it can follow the breadcrumbs to our position. Connor, are you all right to travel again?”
Connor nodded. “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I can save my grieving for later.”
Padre cast a worried glance at Connor, but only smiled. “You’re a good man, Connor. All right, let’s move out. I suggest we move at top speed and rest when we’re back with the others. Vincent, lead the way.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Survivors
IT ONLY TOOK an hour to reach the hill. Gideon figured that without their armor, it would have taken half a day. Connor climbed the highest tree around, and after a moment, his voice came over their intercoms. “I’ve picked something up. There’s a faint signal about ten kilometers from here.”
Padre tapped on his virtual console. “So far it looks like all our starfighters went down in a fairly straight line running from southwest to northeast. Let’s get the others and head toward the next signal.”
Everyone agreed. Connor jumped out of the tree and landed squarely on his feet. The five of them piled stones into a one-meter-tall cairn, then Padre took the plasma blade from his belt and etched a message into a flat rock.
“All right, let’s get going,” said Padre.
Vincent led the way through the forest until they came to a crude shelter of logs and pieces of the nearby SFs. Something up in the trees yelled, and they looked up to see Joseph scrambling down a tree trunk to greet them. The big teenager embraced his father and then wrapped up both Takomi and Gideon in a huge bear hug.
“Good to see you, Joseph,” said Gideon. “How are you holding up?”
“We’re okay here. Gavin McLeod messed up his leg, but the rest of us are fine.”
“Who else is with you?” asked Takomi.
“David Adams, Tony Díaz, and Sophia Salvioli. They’re on lookout around the shelter.”
Tony and Sophia approached from their guard posts to greet Gideon and Takomi, and they went into the shelter together. David Adams roused from a nap and stood up. Gavin smiled up at them from where he lay bandaged on the ground. “I’m glad to see we’ve got a few more Sentinels in camp,” he said in his Scottish accent. “Have you managed to find anyone else?”
Gideon and the others looked at Connor before they could stop themselves. He gave them a sad smile. “Takomi and Gideon found my wife and Sanjay Patel, but they had been killed in the crash. We burned the bodies.”
“Oh, Connor,” said Sophia as she rushed forward to embrace him. Gideon didn’t know her personally, but he knew she was related to Connor somehow.
The others expressed their condolences. “I’ll be okay for now, we have other things to worry about.” He cleared his throat. “We found another signal to the northeast. Based on the landing patterns we’ve seen so far, it looks like the starfighters came down in a straight line. If we follow that line, we should find more survivors.”
That last word gave Gideon a chill. He hadn’t thought of himself as one of the survivors yet. The word seemed to suggest that surviving was the exception here.
Padre spoke up. “I think the best thing to do now is stick together. This area is too exposed. We can make a stretcher for Gavin and take turns carrying him.”
“Make me a crutch and I can walk,” said Gavin. “It’ll hurt like hell, but it will be better than being bounced around on a stretcher.”
“No,” said Padre. “We’ll move faster if we carry you. With this Sentinel Armor, you’ll be light as a feather.”
“I’d rather not be carried about like a wee baby,” said Gavin.
“Then you shouldn’t have hurt your leg,” said Vincent.
“I don’t think we should move him at all,” said David, moving into the middle of the group. David was another Voidborn, a few generations older than Gideon. He was tall and athletic, much like Connor, but without the younger man’s picture-perfect face. “We’ve been fine here for the last twenty-four hours. You can find the others and come back for us. That would be better than carrying a wounded man on a wild goose chase through an alien forest.”
“We should stick together,” said Padre. “Gideon and Takomi have already encountered several dangerous creatures here. They were able to stay alive because of their Sentinel Armor, but none of you have that. And chances are, when we do find other groups of survivors, some of them will be in even worse shape. Gavin’s hurt, but he’ll be all right to travel. Others might not be able to move.”
“I still don’t like it,” said David. “We’ve done fine so far. Why change things now?”
Sophia rested a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow. “That’s a pretty shortsighted view, David. How long do you think we’ll last out here alone? Padre’s right. There’s strength in numbers.”
“Who’s to say there are any other survivors?” said David, throwing his hands in the air. “We might be the only ones left.”
&
nbsp; Pushing her way forward, Takomi walked up to David and got right in his face. David backed up and tripped over a makeshift bench. “They’re out there,” she said, leaning into him. “If you’re too scared to go look for them, then you can stay here and rot.”
Padre reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s all right, Takomi. No one is saying we should abandon hope. We’ll find them.”
Tony Díaz raised a tattooed arm. His easy smile belied the fact that he was the toughest infantry instructor Gideon had ever dealt with. “I think we should go with Padre’s plan,” he said. “I’m sick of sitting around and waiting.”
“Me too,” said Sophia. “I want to find the others.”
“I’ll be fine,” said Gavin as he tried to get up. “Lead the way, Padre.”
“Well, it looks like I don’t have a choice,” said David.
Padre smiled at him. “You always have a choice, David.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Footprints
THE NEXT MORNING, Gideon was roused from his sleep by a foot in his ribs. Were it not for his armor, it might have actually hurt. He blinked to see Connor looking down at him in the light of dawn.
“Come with me,” said Connor, walking away and motioning for Gideon to follow. Gideon stretched and pulled himself to his feet. He followed Connor out to the perimeter of the camp. They hadn’t gone far the day before, now that they had to wait for the others who didn’t have the advantage of Sentinel Armor. The night had passed without incident, and Gideon had rested a little better with the added numbers keeping watch at night.
Connor pointed to a spot on the ground, and Gideon immediately recognized the clawed footprints of a large animal. “What do you think left these?”
Gideon shook his head. “No idea. I don’t know anything about tracking.”