Through the Ghost

He awoke in his room. His head ached just enough to be annoying as he sat up. Slowly the throbbing faded, allowing him to adjust to the light and sounds nearby. A digital clock glowed brightly from his desk on the other side of the room. His armor and clothes were scattered across his floor.

“Thanks Allie,” he mumbled as the Artificial Companion dimmed the surrounding lights.

A tightness along his side served as a reminder of the night’s activities. In the location where the beast had gouged him was a fresh set of scars about four inches in length. Achingly, he reached for the shirt hung on a nearby chair.

“What happened?” he inquired.

Would you like the long version or the short one? Allie replies.

“Short,” he grunted as he pulls in over his head.

You were thirsty.

“And the long?”

You deemed it necessary to pour yourself into an alcoholic stupor in order to ignore feeling pain.

“I’m really regretting that,” he growled.

He crossed the room, his headache subsiding slowly as Allie supplied her nanite countermeasures. His goal was to reach the kitchen down the hall in the hope that a large glass of water and painkillers would ease the throbbing.

The sound of voices in conversation however quickly redirected his attention in the direction of the loading bay. From the top of the stairs he spotted Jaya, Anna, and two other figures. The sight of unfamiliar faces immediately set him on edge. He reached for his gun, only to come away with air.

The locals have offered their help, Allie informed him.

After a deep, calming breath, he moved to join the four people on his ship.

“How’re you feeling?” Jaya inquired upon his joining the group.

“Been better. What’s going on?” he asked.

Anna and the strangers ceased their conversation to focus on the newcomer.

“The creature, a Sabear?” Jaya looked at their guests for confirmation. They nodded their heads in response. “They were part of a hunting party tasked with tracking it.”

Judging by their height, the glow of their eyes, and distinctly long limbs he realized that the two women standing before him were Souri.

The more weathered looking of the two had bright yellow eyes and frost white hair. While the other sported a more youthful complexion, with purple eyes and hair the color of autumn leaves that’d been shaved on the left side. Their skin was shockingly pale to the point where if they’d been human he might have feared they’d lost blood.

“It did quite a number on The Amaryllis, we’re going to need to get her fixed. Luckily, the Souri are willing to help,” Anna announced.

“In exchange for?” Tal questioned suspiciously.

“That’s what we were just discussing,” Jaya replied.

The Souri with the longer, grey hair, spoke up. Her voice had a musical tone, like the sound of wind chimes in a light breeze.

“We don’t require any material goods, we have shipments that come every couple of days carrying food, medicine, and weapons. The Sabear wounded most of our scouts that were supposed to pick it up, thus we’d like you to help retrieve them for us and bring it back to our community. In the meantime, a crew will be out here making repairs for the next few days, feel free to make yourselves comfortable at our home while you wait.”

Jaya, probably sensing his hesitation, spoke up. “I’ll stay and wait for the repair team. You and Anna go pick up the supplies.”

The two siblings exchanged concerned glances.

“I’ve got this,” Jaya reassured him.

“Okay, let’s go,” Tal said grabbing a rifle, and descending down the ramp.

Parked a short distance from the ship was a white four passenger transport. There was an open bed in the back with several magnetic locks for transporting crates. Once they reached the vehicle, the two operatives sat in the back, while the Souri hunters sat in the front. There was a rumble and roar as the vehicle started up. Tal felt a moment of unease as the thrusters lifted it a foot off the ground. Within moments the terrain began whisking by in a white blur.

“I don’t think I got your names,” Tal said once they’d been on the road for a while.

The younger Souri turned back to look at them. “I’m Shyara and this is Beirn. What brings you to Theron? If you don’t mind,” she asks with a similarly musical tone to her voice.

“She did,” he answered with a nod towards Anna. “Know anything about a mercenary base out here?”

“They’re relatively new, only arrived a few weeks ago.”

“They ever give you trouble?” Tal asked.

Shyara laughed. “No, we’ve be fortunate. I think they came by once, but otherwise they’ve kept to themselves. I’m guessing they won’t be making a return trip?”

“Highly unlikely,” he replied.

Shyara turned her attention back to the front of the car. Tal looked at Anna gazing wistfully out the window. Her eyes constantly glanced at the bracer on her left arm.

“You okay?” he inquired.

“Hm? Yeah, just impatient to get this done with.”

He made a note to keep a closer eye on her. “Yeah, I know what you mean,” he replied, watching the pure white landscape.

They soon arrived at the designated drop off point, a few of the boxes had been cracked open.

“Detect anything?” Tal asked Allie as they exited the vehicle.

There does not appear to be any other lifeforms besides ourselves.

“Great, let me know if that changes.”

He bent down to retrieve one of the least damaged of the wooden crates. Being a bit heavier than he expected, he initially struggled to get a good grasp of the box but he soon managed to lift it into the back of the vehicle. Anna and the two Souri followed suit and placed their crates alongside his. No sooner had they completed their task than a faint cracking sound could be heard. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Anna tense up as well, signaling her senses hadn’t diminished as much as he’d thought since leaving the program. The Souri stopped at the front of the vehicle, their doors ajar.

Get in the car now, Allie’s voice warned him.

He remained still as he curiously tried to locate the source of the sound.

TAL! MOVE! Allie ordered, snapping him from his stupor and leaving him with a ringing headache.

They rushed to the car just as the ice erupted beneath them. Several creatures burst forth from below. Short, blubberous beasts with smooth grey skin crawled towards them with webbed paws. Black beaks snapped hungrily at the air. Anna climbed into the vehicle first, with Tal shortly behind her. As soon as he slammed the door one of the creatures threw itself at the transport. The black beak clanged against the glass, cracks instantly spread out from the impact point.

“Drive!” he shouted at the two Souri. When there was no response he noticed one of the creatures had already burrowed through the front windshield. It anxiously chomped its jaws at the two Souri that were haphazardly kicking at it with their boots while simultaneously trying to reach for their weapons.

There are more incoming, you really need to get moving, Allie notified him.

One of the creatures launched itself at his door, causing more cracks to reach out towards the corners of the window.

Without hesitating he drew his rifle and fired a shot at the creature stuck in the windshield. The projectiles freed the creature from the front of the vehicle. Beirn instantly gunned the gas. Glass shattered off to Tal’s right. He instantly rounded his aim on the beast, eliciting a screeching howl from its beaked mouth. Through the damaged window, he could see a whole pack of the short grotesque creatures scooting across the icy surface. Screeching howls of hunger called out on the winds. He readied his weapon to fight off the creatures. Another crash of glass, followed by the sound of gunfire signaled the beasts had attempted to get in through Anna’s side of the vehicle.

Suddenly, the transport roared to life and the stout carnivores were quickly specks of grey on the white horizon. Tal instantly let out a relieved sigh. He wanted nothing more than to put as much distance between himself and this hellhole of a planet as possible.

Shyara laughed. “Don’t get too comfortable, we still have three more stops to make.”