Fresh Blood

by Jessica Hicks

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Afterword

  Other Communities

  Author Bio

  Sample

  Fresh Blood

  Survival World Book 1

  Jessica Hicks

  Copyright © year 2019

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 9781089560111

  There’s so many people I would like to thank, and without whom this book would not exist. Thanks first and foremost to my family- both to my husband and child who have to put up with my cranky author antics, and to the rest of you all who supported me along the way.

  Thanks to friends both in person (Emily, Foleen and Shae) and the Discord communities that I’ve found (looking at you GameLit Society, Typie, and RedditSerials). Thanks to my mentors and editors: Dawn, White, Nick, Kae and Jami. The book is better for your patience and advice.

  Last but far from least, thanks to my Patrons: Foleen, White, Hoax and Gloria. You guys helped get this thing edited, and got a lot of cool art along the way.

  And of course, while this book is possible due to all the kind folks above, all remaining mistakes or errors are mind alone.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Power loss.

  There were a lot of ways to meet one's end in space. Power loss, if extended, could be just as sure as any of them. Lack of power meant not just no lighting, but no environmentals, and, as Felix lost contact with his bed and floated above it, no gravity.

  He flailed for a handhold to pull himself down, but he was already too far. Felix saw the tablet that had been in his lap float off; the quarterly sales report still open on the screen. Out of reflex, he reached for it. Even as he grasped for it, he realized his mistake and swore. His hasty grab set him into a spin.

  Felix racked his brain for the half-remembered emergency procedures. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The closed eyes steadied his mind from the panic that came with unplanned zero-G; the breath steadied his stomach. It was less than pleased with his antics.

  Centered, both figuratively and literally, in his small room aboard The Raven, Felix tried to stop his spin. It didn’t work, or at least not completely, but he did slow himself moderately.

  He looked around, trying to find the nearest hold, or even a place to push himself off of. If he could just get back to his bed, he could strap himself in. He eyed the bed, but that wasn’t an option; he was drifting in the opposite direction, and toward the sanitary equipment. That was almost within reach. In a few moments, he’d be able to use that.

  His stack of carefully secured cases was in range already, but that wouldn’t do. What kind of salesman would he be if he arrived in Ublao with broken samples? The kind that didn’t meet his quotas, that’s what.

  Just before Felix could attempt any constructive corrections, red emergency lights came on, and he dropped. He struck his right arm on the edge of the sink and grunted as he smacked against the floor. The impact knocked the breath out of him and he lay still.

  He listened with relief to the returned hum of a working ship while he probed his arm. It ached, but everything moved as it should. After a few moments and no further changes, he picked himself off the floor.

  He rechecked his luggage straps; he hadn't seen anything shift, but he had been busy taking care of himself. If the power went out once, it could go out again, and if his time on the job had taught him anything, it was that when circumstances permitted, it was best to be sure. He tugged on the straps to ensure everything was still taut and steady.

  Once satisfied, he laid back on his bed and strapped himself in. While those emergency lights were on, he wouldn't be caught off guard again. He settled in to wait.

  The captain's voice came out of the communication panel by the door. “Attention passengers, as you may have noticed, we temporarily lost power. A solar pulse overloaded our shielding, and knocked our generators offline, but there is nothing to worry about.

  “Our emergency systems are now on-line. We expect our main systems to be functioning in a few hours. In the meantime, please strap yourself in, if you have not done so already. As I said, there is no need to worry, this is a standard safety precaution.

  “If you were injured during the power outage, please don't leave your stateroom. Let the crew know via your room's terminal and then strap yourself in. We'll come to you. Thank you, Captain Howley, out.”

  Despite the captain's words, Felix toyed around with the idea of offering his services to the crew. He wasn't an engineer, but he did take a few classes before Node Enterprises recruited him, and he knew all about the tools. Surely some of his samples could help speed things along. The quicker things were fixed, the sooner they were on their way again.

  In the end, he stayed where he was. The crew probably had the outage well in hand. They had seemed competent during his few interactions with them. Also, if pressed, he would have to admit he had little hands-on experience with systems. He knew all the specifications and uses of the tools but that was as far as his knowledge went.

  A siren blared, and the loudspeaker crackled to life again. “Brace for impact!”

  Felix pulled the straps as tight as he could stand and held on. The ship rocked and shimmied.

  The captain's voice rang out once more, “We've been struck by debris and are venting atmosphere. All passengers report to the dining room if able. If you cannot for any reason, let the crew know via your terminal. While moving, avoid the forward portions of the ship and stay out of the crew's way.” Her voice was barely audible over the alarm.

  Felix unstrapped himself with haste, but, instead of leaving, set upon his luggage. He had something that could help, he was sure. He had something for any situation. The trick was to figure out which he would run into.

  He glanced inside a bag; it was a welders kit. Nice set, and he would sell them by the pallet on Ublao, but not what he needed now. He set it aside.

  Felix opened the next case. It was the newest in the line of vacuum-rated multimeters from Vantage Electronics. Highly anticipated, expensive, and completely useless to him for the situation at hand. That case went next to the last.

  The third case was more useful; it was full of EVA-related samples. Felix smiled and stuffed his pockets. Just what he needed: a travel-size hull patch kit and a portable atmosphere sensor. A tinge in his arm made him grab one more thing- magnetic boot clips. He wouldn’t go floating again
, that's for sure.

  He exited the room and looked down the passageway. The corridor didn't look different than it had that afternoon. It was the small, cramped hallway of a hybrid hauler; flexible in its ability to carry either passengers, cargo, or a mix of both. Gear and supplies were strapped to the walls. He could identify a first aid box and some full-sized patch kits, but most of the equipment was foreign to Felix. Standard shipboard equipment wasn't his wheelhouse.

  Everything looked undisturbed to him. He took that as a good sign. Whatever had happened, it hadn't happened near here.

  Felix hurried to his left, towards the aft portion of the ship, and the dining room. It didn't take long before he saw another passenger headed to the dining room. It was the Lisnoir, one of four other passengers, besides himself, aboard and the only non-human.

  He, at least Felix thought it was a he, had the typical Lisnoiri build. He was tall by human standards, standing at an easy seven feet. Lisnoir were reptilian, with pebbled looking scales and short snouts. They didn't have hair, but often had a small feathered crest atop their heads. This particular Lisnoir was a deep jade with a brilliant orange crest.

  He couldn't remember the Lisnoir's name. Felix hadn't talked with him much at all, as he either couldn't, or wouldn't, speak Standard. Felix had taken a few semesters of Lisnoirian before he dropped out, but he had forgotten most of it and was embarrassingly poor at the fragments that remained.

  Shortly, they arrived at the dining room, though “dining room” was perhaps a pretentious title for the space. It was a small area with a few tables and chairs bolted to the floor. The room could just hold the dozen or so people, between passengers and crew, that would gather at mealtimes. Tucked behind the tables was a small coffee mess and not much else. It was in decent condition and clean, but no one booked The Raven for its luxury accommodations or stellar cuisine.

  At the head of the room was a crewmember named Kayla. In front of her stood two of the passengers, a couple. Felix couldn't make out their words over the din of the alarm, but it was clear they were not happy. It was also clear that the crew member was trying to calm them down and get them seated so she could do whatever she needed to do.

  Felix walked up to the couple, a concerned smile on his face and gestured to the chairs at the other end of the room. If he couldn't help directly, perhaps he could at least free up Kayla so she could do her job.

  He put on his best salesman smile. “I can see you are having some difficulties," he said, "But perhaps it might be best if we sat down and continued this after the crisis?” He knew they couldn't hear him, but he hoped that his demeanor would convey his meaning. It did. Unfortunately.

  The husband of the pair was a large man. He was not tall, so much as very broad, and very solid. Not much of that mass was fat. He slowly turned to Felix, his eyes tracking like a machine until he, at last, fixed his gaze on the interloper. The red emergency lights gave him a harsh aspect.

  Felix smiled weakly, arm still outstretched and gesturing towards the nearby tables. Perhaps 'salesman' was not the best approach to this situation. Too late now.

  As the man strode closer, Felix imagined he could hear the deck plates ring with each pace. The man was so near, he would have sworn he could smell the man’s breath if only he had not forgotten to breathe. The man visibly tensed and Felix resigned himself to the incoming pain.

  Felix concentrated on not flinching away. If he came out with bruises but into port on time, he would consider that a fair trade. He could tell his clients he got it defending a woman from a passenger who was attempting to take advantage of the chaos. It would even be true. Mostly. Kayla was a woman and if not for the emergency, would not have been there to accost.

  He was hanging on to the last tattered threads of willpower. He was just about to close his eyes and wait, when the man looked up above Felix's head.

  The man stood there for a moment before his wife tugged on his arm and guided them to a table. She was less than pleased, and Felix could see why. He'd be disappointed in someone backing down to him, too.

  Felix tried not to show any relief on his face as he turned to take a seat himself. He collided with a mass of flesh.

  The Lisnoir stood right behind him, glaring at the burly man. He nodded and took a chair between Felix and the man. Felix flashed a smile at the Lisnoir. “Thanks. I know you can't hear me and if you could, you probably can't understand me, but regardless, thanks. I got in a bit over my head there.”

  The passengers all waited there for an indeterminate amount of time. Kayla had made her escape after his conflict with the burly man. He hoped she could fix whatever the problem was.

  They sat, not in silence- the alarms continued without mercy- but at least without interaction between themselves. The near brush with violence kept Felix uneasy. His sort of disagreement usually consisted angry messages from clients and late payments, and firmly did not involve threats to his person.

  He put on the mag clips, as much to have something to do as from worry about the gravity generation. Felix also took the atmosphere sensor out and laid it on the table. The readings fluctuated wildly as he fiddled and fussed with the settings. He watched it intently; there was nothing more productive he could do, and if there was a problem, he wanted to know about it as soon as possible.

  Felix mulled over the choices that led him here. To get from his previous gig to Ublao, one had to make a choice; safe, fast, or cheap- pick any two. To that end he had picked fast and cheap. That route went through the Karlyke system. The system did have a higher than average rate of mishaps than other, similar systems, true, but one was still statistically more likely to have a fatal accident on one's own commute planetside.

  It seemed the statistics were not on his side now.

  As time drew on, no word from the crew or the captain came. Felix began to second guess his decision not to offer help. Perhaps they could use a hand afterall and being able to read power distribution diagrams would be enough, or he could be a superb tools go-fer. Maybe he should get up and find someone.

  Part of his restlessness was due to concern about, and a growing hatred of, the ongoing alarm. Part of it was boredom; he had never been good at sitting still while things were happening. A last, but far from an insignificant part was due to worry that this event might delay them and other vendors would beat him to Ublao and all the good contracts.

  Felix was halfway out of his seat when the ship shuddered, throwing him to the floor. The air screamed. Felix froze; he knew that sound. Everyone who spent much time in space did. That was air leaving at a rapid rate.

  They'd been holed again, and nearby. Felix clambered to his feet and grabbed his patch kit off the bench where it had fallen. If the hole wasn't patched quick, they'd have to evac. His commissions would be toast and forget that luxury trip to Edais.

  In hindsight, it was a good thing he didn't leave to help the crew any sooner. No one else seemed ready or able to help.

  The burly man was looking around wildly for the source of the sound. He was half on his feet and prepared to bolt. His wife was trying to calm him, but between the alarm and the breach, she wasn't making much headway.

  By the time Felix got to the passageway, the Lisnoir was trailing Felix. Good, he might need the help.

  Around the corner, Felix found the jagged hole quick enough. A chunk of rock had torn through the hull and lodged halfway through the next bulkhead. Anything that was not secured was flying towards the new exit. Including Felix.

  He slammed his feet to the hull to activate the mag clips. The sudden stop would have caused him to fall forward, if his feet weren’t locked on tight. As it was, he wrenched his knee. Air rushed past his face, making it difficult to breathe. There was enough for now, but he’d have to hurry.

  Once stationary, he was able to get a good look at the damage the impact had caused. It was far too large for his little kit. With careful steps, he looked up and down the passageway for the regular equipment.

  He
found it. Or rather, he found where it should have been. Kayla must have taken it with her when she left. There had to be another. There was always another.

  When Felix turned to check the passage behind him, the alien had rounded the corner. Unfortunately, he lacked the magnetic clips Felix had, and his claws scrabbled against the deck as he slid towards the breach. He clung to the bulkhead.

  The alien pointed to the hole and then to the travel patch Felix still carried. Felix shook his head. He would have used it if he could have, but he knew the max spread; that was one of the compromises needed to make a portable version. There was no way it would cover the area, even in optimal conditions. This was far from optimal.

  Felix pointed at the kit and shook his head. He then gestured to the hole and pantomimed a slowly expanding hole. Finally, he pointed at where the full-size gear should have been. He wished he spoke Lisnoiri. Frustration built inside him, everything was taking too long.

  The howling of the atmosphere exiting quieted. That was bad. Less air inside. Felix felt dizzy and his heart raced. On the bright side, there was also less pull towards the hull, and the Lisnoir was able to walk on his own.

  They needed to leave now, while they still could. Felix raced back to the dining room, pulling the Lisnoir behind him. His knee pounded with every step and his arm ached. The couple was right where he had seen them last. If possible, the man looked even more alarmed by both the sound and Felix’s rushed movements. That was fine, running is what he needed the man to do just now.

  Felix gestured toward the evac pod. The woman, at least, heeded his pleas and pulled her husband toward the exit. Felix caught the Lisnoir's attention and gestured for him to follow. The Lisnoir did, and they trailed after the troublesome couple.

  While waiting for everyone to vacate, Felix remembered to grab his sensor. It was still lying on the table where he had left it. A strobing light indicated low oxygen. Felix rolled his eyes as he pocketed it.

  The couple got to the airlock first, and the man slammed the hatch closed. Through the viewport, Felix could see the man frantically searching. He hit the jettison button, and a moment later, the pod was floating away into the distance.