Far Space

by Jason Kent

  Are you here, Jennifer?

  “Sir, I’ve got something else,” Ghost said.

  Ian leaned over Ghost’s seat to look at his display board. “A signal? Is it coming from the packing crates?”

  Ghost shook his head. “No sir, from that way.” He took control of an exterior camera and panned it to the far end of the beach.

  Unseen from the sky, a small opening in the rock was just visible at the end of the rocky shelf above the beach.

  “It’s a military grade transponder,” Robin said checking the signal. “It’s meant for CSAR.” All personnel on military missions had specialized survival equipment designed to help them get through an emergency. The survival vest often proved to be a pilots’ best friend if he found himself down behind enemy lines. One of the key items was the radio; to be used to help guide the nearest Combat Search and Rescue team to your exact location. Getting shot down over enemy territory was not too likely in space, but still, old habits were hard to break. For security purposes, military transponders only were active when the user turned it on, usually for limited periods of time. Otherwise they were set to ‘dead man mode.’ In this mode, the person in need of rescue might be incapacitated and unable to activate the transponder. That, or he was in a state for which the mode was named. In such a case, the transponder could be remotely activated by an interrogation signal.

  “Why didn’t we pick it up earlier?” Ian asked.

  “I didn’t think to send a CSAR ping until after we were down,” Ghost admitted. “Sorry, sir.”

  Robin was shaking her head. “Wouldn’t have done you any good, sir. Look at the signal strength. The only reason were getting anything now is because our antenna is looking down the throat of the cave.”

  “Alright,” Ian said, straightening up. “Robin, I need you to keep the engines warm. I don’t want any surprises. If you get pinged and we’re not back, get to safety and circle back later. Ghost and I will take enough rations for a week.”

  Robin nodded.

  Ian looked at Ghost, “You don’t by any chance speak Soosuri, do you?”

  “It’s been a while since high school, so I’m a little rusty.”

  “Okay, we’ll avoid the aliens and stick to finding humans,” Ian said. He just hoped one of them was Jennifer.

  Arm hurts.

  Shoulder burns.

  Throbbing head.

  Chest tight.

  Cave wall.

  Glimpse of one of the soosuri.

  Close by.

  Soo. Yes, Jennifer thought, the Soo have me.

  The memory of Sue formed slowly in Jennifer’s mind.

  “Not a dream,” Jennifer muttered. “Sue…”

  Jennifer nearly succumbed to the crushing sorrow threatening to drown her.

  “Focus, Jennifer, focus…wait…I know this place.”

  The colorful coral coating an outcropping they passed was familiar. They were near the cave where the humans had taken shelter.

  Jennifer snapped into full lucidity. Her eyes popped wide open behind her mask.

  “No,” she managed weakly. “No, not back there…”

  Her translator picked up her words. Jennifer felt their speed drop off as Rosh, Myrna and several other of the Soo began to argue amongst themselves. The conversation was too much for the translator and Jennifer was too exhausted to try and sort it out herself.

  Finally, Rosh spoke, slowly to ensure the translation worked. “We think the va’a we saw was a human craft. The va’a has come for you, Jennifer. If you are not with your people, the ship will leave. You will not be able to return to your home in the stars.”

  Myrna laid a tentacled hand gently on Jennifer’s arm and indicated her bound wound with another of her arms. “You need help Soosuri cannot give.”

  Jennifer started to shake her head but stopped when it inflicted severe pain in her neck and shoulder. Taking a deep breath to still the pain, Jennifer managed to say, “Rosh, Myrna, if you take me, the…Tom and Quade – my human sharks…makaro, will kill me.” She meet both of the Soo’s gazes. “I will join Sue.”

  Rosh and Myrna exchanged whistles and clicks.

  Myrna, moved close to Jennifer. “We will protect you until the humans from the ship come.”

  “They will not harm you,” Rosh promised.

  Jennifer stared first into Rosh’s and then into Myrna’s big eyes. “I believe you.” When the translation made it to the Soo, Jennifer felt several of them gentle grasp her with their tentacles and arms. They held her steady as they took her through the underwater caves toward danger. And just maybe salvation.

  The conversation proved to be too much for Jennifer. She felt her concentration slipping and did not have the energy to keep the blackness at the edge of her vision from closing in.

  Her final thoughts were of Sue again. “Sue…”

  Ian reached the edge of the cave and held up a data pad. “The signal is definitely coming from in here.”

  Ghost shined a powerful flashlight into the darkness in the depths of the cave. He grabbed his commander’s arm as Ian started inside. “Sir, okay, this sounds really paranoid, like maybe I’ve seen too many horror movies, but what if the aliens have one of those transponders because they ate the crew. You know, all we’re gonna find is a pile of busted up gear and…”

  “Got it, Ghost,” Ian said as held held up his hand. “I saw those same movies, but thanks anyway for the awful mental image.” He pushed forward then stopped. Ian turned to face Ghost again. “As I remember, the one thing that always happens is the guy bringing up the rear usually gets it first. The aliens sneak up behind him and, well, that’s usually when I closed my eyes.”

  Ian strode off down the tunnel. It was a few moments before he heard the crunch of Ghost’s boot on the rocky ground.

  “Thanks for the reminder, sir.”

  “No problem,” Ian said. “I just hope we find a heck of a lot more than a pile of rusting gear.” Jennifer, please still be alive, he prayed. Just be alive.

  Ian led the way for a few minutes before they started hitting caves which were half filled with water. He double-checked the data pad. “Signal’s definitely stronger. I’m getting a good bearing and distance reading.”

  Ghost came up beside Ian to look at the device. “Twenty meters? They should be right around the corner.” He pointed his light across the water-filled cavern. “There’s another cavern.”

  Ian watched as Ghost sloshed across the shallow water. “Be careful, there might be…”

  Ghosts head disappeared under the water. He bobbed to the surface a few seconds later, thrashing his arms.

  Careful with his footing, Ian stepped over and helped the pilot back up to firm rock.

  “Drops off there pretty good,” Ghost managed after catching his breath.

  “Yeah, sorry, thought of it three seconds too late,” Ian said. Pointing his light at the half meter deep clear water, Ian carefully made his way to the next cave entrance. He checked the readings again. “Five meters.”

  Ghost and Ian leaned into the cave. They had heard no other sounds besides those they made.

  The image Ghost had painted crept into Ian’s mind. Maybe there really was no one to find.

  No. Ian pushed the negative thoughts from his mind. There had to be someone alive to bring the equipment this far into the cave. Someone, Jennifer perhaps, had survived the crash and they decided to take refuge in here. At most, they had been here less than two weeks. It was possible to survive for that long.

  Unless you were stranded on a distant world populated by fanatic aliens.

  Shut up, Ian.

  Shaking his head, Ian pushed ahead. “Whatever’s down here we’ll know in about ten steps.”

  “Don’t worry,” Ghost said. “I’ve still got your back.”

  Ian laughed, silently counting his steps. He only reached three before coming to a sharp curve and spotting the glow of lights.

  Ghost spotted it also. “Lights are on, but is anyone
home?”

  Ian hurried down the final stretch of narrow, winding cave. He turned a corner and found himself in a large chamber. The dry rocky area he stood in was filled with equipment, obviously salvaged from the packing crates he had seen out on the beach. The other half of the chamber was taken over by a dark pool.

  The five people in the cavern turned as one to look at Ian and Ghost.

  Jennifer was not with them.

  Ian looked around again, taking in each dark crevice. It was not until he focused on the five men standing near the pool that he noticed the guns.

  Three of the men had guns pointed, more or less, at two weaponless men. He held up his left hand and made sure his external speakers were on. “Captain Langdon. Hi. We were sent to find out what happened to you guys,” Ian lied smoothly. He was not sure what was going on and needed to find out who was on whose side. “We’re here to help.”

  Actually it would really help to find out why they might be taking sides in the first place, Ian thought.

  They would know what happened to Jennifer. But, something dangerous was going on. Ian needed to get through the next few minutes alive to find out Jennifer’s fate.

  The older man and the short burly man, the two with no guns had their backs to a stack of small crates. “Firing squad,” Ian breathed to Ghost over their private link.

  “Yeah,” Ghost replied quietly.

  Ian looked over the men with weapons. The young guy seemed scared and lost. He was along for whatever the ride was. Ian focused on the last two. The larger man with red hair and two weeks worth of red beard was glaring at Ian. The other man with dark swarthy skin and wet black hair stood by, an odd grin on his face. Both the red head and the swarthy man were wearing wetsuits. No one had a full environmental suit on or even simple face masks.

  Ian took a step forward but stopped when Red and Swarthy flinched and pointed their weapons at his chest.

  “Whoa fellas! We’re the cavalry!” Ian said and held both hands up. He gestured with only his fingers at himself and Ghost. “Not sure what’s going on, maybe we can talk about it. Let’s start with what happened to your ship.”

  “Got blown up,” Red said. “Those squids jumped us while we were on the beach.”

  Ian sensed Ghost drifting to his left side where he would be able to pull the gun from his right side without being seen. Ian hoped Ghost got the idea Red was the one to worry about first.

  “Are there any other survivors?” Ian asked, focusing on Red. He chanced a quick look at swarthy who was fingering a spear gun.

  The older man blurted out, “Tom, this…”

  “Can it Mason,” Red, aka Tom, shouted. He turned to Ian again. “Just who are you and your friend and where’s your ship?”

  “In orbit, I guess,” Ian said. “They dropped us off to look around and went to check the other islands.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Tom said, leveling his rifle.

  Ghost stepped out, and aimed his service pistol at Tom’s chest.

  Ian did his best impersonation of a quick draw and brought his gun to bear on Swarthy only to find a wicked spear gun pointed at his own chest. Thankfully, Young Guy was hanging back. Ian had read him right.

  His eyes locked with Swarthy’s, Ian said. “Ghost here is Special Forces. I’m pretty sure he could get off two rounds to your one.”

  Swarthy did not twitch. The man scared Ian to death.

  A splash came from the pool.

  Ian dared not look for fear Swarthy would take the slightest distraction to shoot a spear through his heart.

  “Jennifer!” Mason yelled and started to move toward the pool.

  “Don’t move!” Tom shouted, still staring down Ghost. “Mason, Rider, I swear if you move I will kill you as soon as I’m done with these guys.”

  Tom took a step back. Quade did the same.

  Tom took another step back until he could see the edge of the pool in his peripheral vision. “Kalil, put her out of her misery. She’s injured bad.”

  “But they have a ship!” Kalil shouted. “There’s probably a doctor on board!” Kalil stepped in front of Tom, looking at Ian. “Do you have a doctor?”

  A single shot echoed through the chamber.

  Kalil stumbled backward then fell to the ground in a heap.

  “Who needs a doctor now?” Tom sneered. Holding the assault rifle steady on Ghost, Tom drew a pistol from his waist band and aimed off to the side. “Now, you can lower your guns or I start taking shots at the young lady.”

  Ian cursed himself for rushing in to the rescue. He had crashed headlong into something he knew nothing about. And now Jennifer could die because of it.

  “Okay, don’t shoot,” Ian breathed. He raised his gun above his head.

  At his side, Ghost cursed, but followed Ian’s example.

  “Now that’s more like it,” Tom said. He motioned with his head to Quade.

  Quade stepped forward and took both men’s weapons, careful to stay as far from Ghost as possible.

  Tom pointed his rifle first at Ghost than to Ian. “Take us to your ship and maybe I’ll just leave you here instead of shooting you. Course, after a few weeks on this rock, you might wish I’d just killed you.”

  “No!” Jennifer gasped.

  Ian looked over. Jennifer was trying to raise herself up on her arm near the edge of the pool. Ian was dying to run over to her, but he dared not let these maniacs know he knew her. He just hoped Jennifer kept her mouth shut for a few minutes. Ian locked eyes with Tom again. “There are twelve special forces troops on board, what do expect to do, shoot them all?”

  Tom smiled crookedly. “We’ll see about that when I get there.” He looked over at Quade and said, “Kill Mason. Maybe it’ll convince the young Captain to get us out of here.”

  Quade had traded his spear gun for Ian’s pistol. He turned without hesitation and pointed his weapon at the old man. Quade shrugged and said, “Nothing personal, Professor.”

  “Of course not, Mr. Pierce,” Mason answered dryly.

  Quade started to pull the trigger.

  Something long and fast sliced through the air and tore into Quade’s arm with a wet ripping sound.

  The pistol discharged but the shot went wild.

  With the roar of the gun still filling the air, Ian looked toward the pool. Something had just gone back under water.

  The Soosuri.

  This is crazy, Ian thought. Humans shooting humans, Soosuri shooting humans, Jennifer seems to have either been attacked by the Soosuri or saved by them, he could not tell heads from tails or tentacles right now.

  Quade was yelling and cursing as he cradled his wounded arm. The alien projectile had torn a wicked gash in the man’s forearm.

  Mason looked on the change of fate with wide eyes.

  Thuros muttered, “Will you look at that.”

  Tom twisted to look past Jennifer’s prone form into the pool.

  Ian and Ghost moved for Quade’s dropped gun at once. This proved fortunate as a half dozen Soosuri spears shot through the chamber. Ian dropped to his stomach and hoped the aliens somehow realized he and Ghost were not with Tom and his buddy.

  Tom managed to avoid the first volley, squeezing off two, three-round bursts from his rifle into the pool. As he lined up another shot at one end of the pool, a Soosuri broke the surface from the opposite side and launched a spear with his well-muscled arms.

  The barbed shaft easily sliced through Tom’s wetsuit and buried itself deep into the man’s thigh. Screaming, Tom dropped gun and staggered to the side until he hit a pile of packing crates. The crates scattered and Tom hit the ground.

  Ian let Ghost have the pistol Quade had dropped and scuttled over to Tom. Ian grabbed Tom’s gun and brought to bear on the redhead while he was still struggling to get up.

  Tom managed to pull himself up against the wall. He paused when he found Ian pointing a gun in his face.

  Ian was shocked momentarily when Tom launched himself from the wall straight a
t him. Ian stepped aside and clocked the man in the head with a vicious jab from his elbow.

  Tom fell to the ground, landing on the spear shaft embedded in his leg. He screamed as the shaft bent then broke near the entry wound on his thigh.

  Ian lowered his weapon. Ghost had Quade covered. He was not sure what made him pause, would never know. But he watched silently as Tom pulled himself up again and staggered toward a side cave. Quade followed him.

  Ghost covered their exit every step of the way. “Sir…”

  “There’s another pool…” Jennifer breathed.

  Ian forgot about the two fleeing men and hurried to kneel beside Jennifer. As he pulled her face mask off, Ian heard two splashes.

  Mason and Thuros rushed after the renegades.

  “They got the spare rebreathers!” Mason shouted back.

  Ian really didn’t care. Jennifer was alive.

  Tears filled his eyes as he drank in the details of Jennifer’s face. He choked, “Jennifer. Thank you, God, thank you…”

  Distantly, he heard Ghost calling back to the Reaper, “Robin, we got a couple nut jobs running around, seal the hatches and don’t let anyone on board unless the Captain or I are with them.”

  Robin’s response was cut off as Ian pulled off his faceplate and hood. If the air here was good enough for Jennifer, it was good enough for him.

  Jennifer looked up into Ian’s eyes and smiled. “Am I dead?”

  “Nope,” Ian said, returning the smile as he smoothed her damp hair.

  “You must be a hallucination then.”

  “Not the last time I checked,” Ian said. He bent down and proved it by kissing his wife gently on the forehead.

  Jennifer coughed violently and curled up as much as the pain in her side would allow.

  Ian pulled her close and held her as tight as he dared given her obvious injuries. He looked down at her bandages. He had no idea what to do.

  Ghost interrupted Ian’s First Aid and Buddy Care memory freeze. “Sir, should I go after them?”

  “Will not get far.”

  The voice had come from the pool.

  Ian looked up, surprised to find several Soosuri with their heads above the water. The one closest to him had spoken. He realized a moment later the words had come from a water-proof data pad.