by Jake Macklem
She looked down to the ground below. Just over sixty centimeters tall and almost as wide, a creature was using its tusks to gouge up chunks of dense soil. It hopped up and brought its front legs down onto the clumps to crumble them, then rooted through the loose soil with its snout, puffs of dirt billowing around its face as it snorted and snuffled.
I don’t know what you are, but I hope you taste better than you look.
Gripping the twisted piece of metal tightly in her hands, Ace shifted her position in the tree. C’mon Porky, just a little closer. Her focus locked in, she swallowed and leaped from the tree. Base of the skull. Quick and clean.
As she hit, her knees slammed into her chest, crushing the air from her lungs. She convulsed and fought to regain her wind. C’mon Ace, breathe! Finally, she managed to gasp, then again. Feeling her hands covered in something warm and sticky, she rolled over, unable to stop herself from crying out as the tearing pain in her ribs engulfed her entire torso. The carcass lay on the ground next to her, a pool of dark viscous liquid growing under the strange animal. She smiled and whispered, “Dinner is served.”
Filtered through the swaying tree branches, intense light danced across the ground. She moved and winced, her ribs refusing to let her forget they were broken. I hate broken ribs. They just hurt so much more than other broken bones. Her stomach rumbled. Taking a steadying breath, she pushed herself to her feet.
The alien was a unique specimen. No eyes she could find, but it had long, thin tendrils protruding off its trunk and all four legs. It must feel vibrations. Why it never reacted to me. Pulling the twisted piece of metal from the creature, Ace started field dressing her kill. The bile that spilled over her hands was different than the blood she was used to; it felt like oil and smelled like rotting metal. Or rusting meat. She carefully removed what she hoped were the liver and heart. High in nutritional value in most creatures, Ace hoped the pattern would hold on this moon. I can’t count on anything for sure. She looked up at the green gas giant the moon revolved around. What did Smith call that planet? She did not think about it long; it hurt too much.
After she hung the creature over a branch, she gathered debris she could use to make a fire. Ace could not stop staring at the red leaves of the plants, yet another stark reminder this was not home. The trees were not nearly as strong as the wood on Earth—here they were a more fibrous material—but they were still flammable. Breaking up a smaller branch into twigs for tinder, she wondered why the plants were reds and purples instead of greens. I learned how to break someone’s arm in twenty-seven different ways, but why plants might not be green? Wasn’t covered in basic.
As the fire bloomed, Ace added larger limbs until the flame was steady. The smell of the fire was sharper, more acrid than with normal wood, like an electrical fire.
With the twisted piece of metal, she had dug two holes in the ground and connected them with a small tunnel. The fire burned in one hole and the beast would cook in the other, reducing the amount of smoke that would be drifting up. Less chance of drawing attention.
After finishing her prep work, Ace placed a chunk of the creature in the ground oven, wrapped in a piece of her uniform she had cut off,. She looked over the rest of the carcass. If she could preserve the meat it could sustain her for weeks. No telling when or if Command will come looking. Need to eat and keep up my strength. Give myself a chance.
Holding her side, Ace sat and leaned against a tree. The pain was getting hard to ignore. Three days on this rock and no one’s come looking yet. I should go to the crash site, see if I can get the beacon to broadcast. See if I can’t find some more supplies. Maybe a nanoshot or at least some painkillers. Dinner was going to take a few hours to cook. Get to the site and back before it’s finished. Ace prepared herself mentally for the pain before standing. She knew this was going to be a hard push.
In her mind’s eye, a hard and grizzled face loomed out of the darkness. A square jaw and thick chin, with dark eyes hidden deep in shadow. His silvered temples contrasted with his dark hair. His brown skin had a leathery quality. “What are you gonna do, Ace? Sit there and die?” Narrowing his eyes, Mick added, “What is pain?”
Ace answered, “A sign that you’re still alive.” She stood up. Using the tree to steady herself, she scooped up her backpack. Her only tool, the twisted piece of metal, tucked at her waist. Her eyes settled on the remaining meat hanging in the trees. Ace hadn’t seen many organisms bigger than the one she killed. But if animals like Porky live here, animals big enough to hunt them probably live here too.
She inspected the branches she had gathered. She hoped to attach the twisted metal on the end of one to make a spear, but none of the sticks were strong enough to withstand any real impact. Most of the trees here were short, twisted, and flexible. The ones that were straighter and taller splintered into shards under even modest pressure. I might get one good thrust in. But if it broke and didn’t kill the target I could lose the metal point. She tossed the stick down. Better to keep the weapon, even if it means I have to get close.
Ace left camp heading north. Moving slowly and carefully, she never stopped. The pain felt like heated metal being poured on top of her bones—impossible to ignore. She focused on the ground. Just one more step. Pain. Step. Just one more step. Pain. Step. Just one more step.
&
“C’mon Hart! Just quit so we can all go back to the barracks!” Commander Diaz shouted. She stood next to the pool. Behind her gathered three dozen shivering young ladies. “The other cadets want to get warm. Isn’t that right, ladies?”
In unison, the squad answered, “Hoo-Ra.”
In the cold water, Ace treaded in place, her lips blue and her skin pale. Staring straight ahead, eyes locked on the setting sun, she was the only cadet still in the pool. All of the women had made the mandatory hour, and the promise of a weekend pass on Earth had tempted everyone, but only a handful tried to go for the second hour. The frigid water and exertion of staying afloat wrecked normal body functions. Ace’s teeth were chattering so hard they ached. She knew she was exhausted, but the chill in the water leeched away even the burning in her straining muscles.
One by one, the few other cadets who tried to make had it dropped out. The entire class now clumped together, most standing, but a few slumped to the ground. The sun was close to set and they were all freezing in place, waiting for Ace to give up. Waiting for her to fail. She felt their stares on her but she refused to look at them. They weren’t strong enough. I am.
Another candidate fell, her head cracking against the tiles with a hollow thunk. The young woman next to her instinctively reacted, moving to help.
“Let her lay, cadet! Like the others. They will receive attention when Hart has decided she doesn’t need our admiration anymore. What do you think Cadet Hart? Are you ready to give up this selfish chase for a weekend pass so your fellow cadets can get warm and receive medical attention?”
Ace paddled on. After a moment, Commander Diaz shouted, “You will answer me, Hart!”
“Eight minutes, thirty seconds. Any STAR should be able to handle that, ma’am,” Ace shouted back.
“Hear that, ladies? Hart is ready to stay in the water and risk the lives of her fellow cadets. Cadet Smith, what do you think of Hart's decision?”
Over two meters tall, the blond with bright blue eyes had been the next to last to exit the pool. Water still dripped around her feet. “She is a STAR cadet. Mission success is her only goal. She will step on the bodies of her fallen sisters to succeed. And with our dying breath, we will push her forward, ma’am.”
Commander Diaz’s lips curved into a slight smile no one but Ace could see. “If that is how you feel, Cadet Smith, get in the pool and finish the last eight minutes with Cadet Hart!”
Without hesitation, Smith took a step forward and jumped into the water. Breaking the surface, she locked eyes with Ace, teeth chattering.
“How much longer are you going to punish your fellow cadets, Hart?” Commander Diaz asked.
&
nbsp; “I do this for my fellow cadets, ma’am. My success is their success,” Ace shouted, gaining strength from Smith's presence as they endured together.
“We will see about that, Cadet.” Commander Diaz walked to the closest fallen woman. Grabbing her hair, Diaz dragged her to the side of the pool then used her boot to unceremoniously shove the girl into the water. Her eyes shot open and she weakly flailed to stay afloat.
Ace’s eyes went wide as Smith moved to help their sinking comrade.
“Hold, Smith! You either both save her or you both watch her drown,” the commander shouted.
Smith’s eyes pleaded with Ace, but she watched the clock and refused to look at Smith or the other girl.
“C’mon, Ace, we have to save her.”
Watching the seconds tick away, Ace saw the numbers switch to two minutes but she focused and repeated the same thing she had for the last fifty-eight minutes. Just one more minute. Just one more minute.
&
Just one more step. Ace saw metal on the ground. Bent and burned chunks of it. Looking up, she realized she had reached the crash site.
3: Ace
The trench dug by her crashing ship was at least a half-mile long. Just around three or four meters deep and twice as wide, it was a dark gouge in the ground. The violence of the impact had sent a cascade of red soil away from the site. The deeper dirt had not yet been bleached by the sun, creating a stark contrast between the valley floor and the bottom of the trench. Fortunately, the valley was wide and open where she hit. None of the purple and red trees, just lots of reddish-pink grass. A couple of miles in any direction put you at the base of the mountains, strangely steep and smooth. About a quarter of the way up the slopes the tree line began, sparse at first but becoming thicker as the elevation rose.
Only nine meters long, with a tip-to-tip wingspan of twelve meters, the Warthog fighter was not a great ship. But it did get her off the pirate’s moon. What a cluster-shank. Ace quickly shook the thought. Stay focused, stay alive.
The rear stabilizers were heavily damaged. Dozens of charred holes pocked the hull, and portions of the control surfaces were missing. One of the stabilizing fins had been shorn clean off.
Ace looked over the collection she salvaged from the ship. It could be worse. A solar blanket, a medkit, a laser pistol with no charge, a few sheets of metal she hoped to turn into a smoke hut, some cable she could use as rope, the parachute from the ejection system, and the small explosive devices used to blow the cockpit hatch. The detonators are shot but the materials are hopefully still good.
The Warthog’s engine and battery were completely dead without the faintest hint of response when she tried to fire them up. Without power, the beacon, her dataport, and Gate-Link were useless. Command doesn’t know where I am and I can’t send an SOS to tell them.
Exhausted and in pain, she wiped the sweat from her forehead. The medkit did not have a nanoshot but did have some painkillers and a compression wrap that would help her torso and ribs heal—getting it into place and activating it was going to be excruciating. I want to be fed and settled for that. She had not taken any painkillers yet because she could not afford to dull her wits until she was in a safer position.
I’ve spent too much time here. I’m moving too slow. She had hoped to make the trip in a few hours but it had taken her too long to scavenge the ship. And she still had to walk back. Dinner’s gonna be dried out.
Loading the last of her things onto the sled she rigged, she picked up the straps and slipped them over her shoulder with a wince. Her ribs screamed at her, but she began dragging the sled.
The smell of cooking meat filled Ace with a renewed sense of purpose. Each step still hurt, but each step was also closer to a full belly. Her mouth salivated in anticipation and she considered leaving the sled where it was, and coming back for it later—but in the back of her mind she heard a rough, graveled voice say, “Do it right the first time, so you don’t have to do it twice.” With a barbaric yell, she pushed on.
When she finally reached the small grove and took the harness off, she was well past any limits she thought she had. The pain she was in should have sent her into shock. Her hunger and low blood sugar should have made her faint. Her fear should have driven her mad and shut her down. But I am more than that.
She looked over her camp and a thunderclap of dread rocked her to her core; the carcass was gone. The tree that held it was snapped in two, the top lying on the ground. She reached for the piece of metal at her waist. Whatever did that must be huge. And it likes meat.
Nothing moved. Her oven had been disturbed but not destroyed. Cautiously, she moved toward it. The ground had been scored by large claws, but the oven was still covered, the cooked meat still inside. The heated ground must have scared it. Wincing as she crouched down, she was surprised at how hot and far the heat extended from the fire. The red dirt must be high in iron and holding the heat.
Using a broken branch, she dug the oven open and pulled up the wrapped meat. Peeling back the pieces of cloth she had cut from her flight suit, she swallowed hard. It smells so good! She looked around the edges of the camp and still saw nothing moving, nothing unusual. Burning her fingers, she tore a piece of meat off the roast, blew on it, and put it in her mouth. She chewed and the flavors spread across her tongue. Metallic chicken.
She kept a vigilant watch as she ate. Looking over the campsite, she realized the claws on whatever had come through the camp were over a foot long. Four-legged, but capable of standing on its rear legs. Tail for balance. Powerful enough to knock over trees. She shook her head. “So much for safe sleep in the trees.”
After she finished eating, Ace grabbed the medkit and the compression wrap and nestled herself under the fallen tree. It wasn’t an ideal position, either for safety or comfort, but it was the best she could do right now, and the sooner she got started the sooner it would be over.
She blinked away tears while she struggled to remove her gear and peel off her uniform. Each movement sent lances of pain through her side. Once that was over, she picked up the compression wrap. It reminded her of an oversized rubber band the size of a halter top, white and stamped with a medical red cross and the flag of the United Sol system. How did they get military supplies? It stretched as she pulled it onto her arms, but not much. She took a deep breath and swore under her breath as she fought the wrap over her head and down around her torso.
Breathing heavily, she reached for the medigel−an antibiotic, antiviral painkiller developed by the Quidle Military. She pressed the slender cylinder against her neck and tapped the button. The chemicals entered Ace’s bloodstream and the effects were immediate. Her vision softened and her body relaxed. She was still aware of the pain but it felt distant… or maybe not hers.
Do it. She reached up and gripped the thin white string attached to the compression wrap. You’re either going to wake up or not. She chuckled and yanked the string. The wrap expanded outward in both directions; when it reached her armpits and hips it started to shrink, form-fitting her figure and pushing every bone back into place. Ace screamed in pain and passed out.
4: Ace
A thunderous rumble roared through the core of the moon. Branches snapped and the trees twisted and spun in all directions, some splintering and collapsing to the ground. Huge cracking sounds reverberated off the mountains, and the echoes roiled with ominous rumbles. Ace felt the ground shaking and vibrating, lifting her off the ground. Pain ripped through her body with each bounce.
Not dead. Opening her eyes, it was hard to comprehend what she saw. Squeezing her ribs, she sobbed against the pain. She had experienced earthquakes on Earth when tectonic plates shifted, but this was different, deeper. It lasted over a minute, and when it stopped, nothing moved. She rolled to her knees and stood up; it took her a moment to get her balance. She then climbed the closest tree that was still standing and looked over the chaos of her campsite.
I just can’t get a break. The little cove of trees that had of
fered protection the last five days of her life was no more. Only half a dozen trees remained where once a small forest had stood.
Fallen trees lay crisscrossed everywhere, completely surrounding her. There was no easy exit. This is gonna blow. Climbing back down into the fallen grove, she knew she would never be able to pull the sled through the fallen trees. She began filling the backpack with as much of the gear from the sled as she could, then broke down the sled itself.
When that was done, she sat on a downed tree, looking at the four pieces of metal she had dragged here on the sled. She had no meat to smoke, but she knew the metal was still useful. Useful but heavy. Using some of the branches and her cable, Ace rigged up a handle for the smallest and least-heavy piece so she could carry it. Looks like a knight’s shield.
She then used more of her cable to attach her metal point to a longer piece of mostly straight metal. When she finished she had a six-foot spear.
The red morning sky slowly changed from orange to pink. Not too long before the white light. The sun flooded the landscape with a merciless, bright light, that bleached the colors of the terrain. It was the only part of the day when the sky lacked the pale green haze reflected from its home planet.
The hottest part of the day, it made physical exertion dangerous. Rest and eat what’s left of the meat, maybe do a little prep work, then get out of here. Crawling under the branches of the fallen trees, the shade was instantly cooler. Ace took her time and tried to enjoy her break before her next big push. Yep, metallic chicken.
The sky continued to darken from the bright white to a light pink, she headed out of the woods. A jumbled pile of fractured logs and bent branches obstructed every path, and she was often forced to toss the shield across the debris before scampering over to retrieve it. It was slow going and painful.
No idea how far she had traveled, Ace had lost count of how many times she climbed over an obstacle when she realized the sky began to fade to red. It’s gonna be dark soon. This is ridiculous. She leaned against a tree. The wrap was helping but the pain was still there. Wanting to keep her wits and not waste the medigel, she had pushed through the day without chemical relief.
