Chapter 2: 01 – The End of a Journey

When you’re out exploring new worlds, sometimes you’ll come across an alien environment so dazzling, it’ll take your breath away. This planet was one such example. A binary star system was drifting towards the horizon, dyeing everything in a beautiful orange glow. Oversized fronds rustled as a gentle breeze rushed past, carrying the faint scent of salty seaspray. In moments like these, it was easy to stand still and let the experience wash over you until you felt at one with the universe.

Unless you were too preoccupied with running for your life, of course.

“Hey, Kethe! Mind picking up the pace a little?”

“I’m… working on it,” I managed to wheeze back. “You know… this might be easier… if you weren’t constantly yelling at me… just a thought, Micken.”

“I only got time to yak ‘cause I have to slow down to match your pace. If you’ve got the energy to flap those gums, maybe you should move that bum instead.”

I grunted in protest, but Micken was probably right. It took all my energy and focus just to keep up with the other two. Run from giant bugs first. Censure Micken later.

“Captain!” I heard Brunow call out to me from up ahead. “We’re in range of the landing site.”

Those were the words I’d been dying to hear. I slowed down and caught my breath. Up ahead, Micken and Brunow were standing near the edge of the jungle. Past the trees I could make out a stretch of rock that abruptly fell away, revealing the ocean beyond it. If memory served, that cliff was our evac point.

I trotted up to the other two. “Let’s set up defenses here, a little ways from the cliff. If those bugs are still following us, we might have to make a stand until the lander arrives. I’ll contact Alesha while you two set up a barrier. Give me a holler if anything happens.”

They nodded and got to work immediately. Brunow dropped his knapsack and pulled out a chunk of steel that unfolded into a thin but durable palisade. With Micken’s help, he quickly locked it into position and began hammering it into the ground.

I decided to give them some space and walked over to the treeline. I tapped the communicator in my ear to make sure it was working and opened up a line to the bridge.

“Hey Alesha! We’re at the rendezvous point. Where’s the lander?”

A burst of angry static filled my ears before I heard the voice of my longtime deputy. “It’s still en route, Captain. About fifteen minutes out.”

“Hrm.” I scratched my chin. “If those bugs are still on our trail, this could get ugly. I really don’t want to fight them.”

“If I could switch with you, I would,” said Alesha. “It’s been ages since I’ve had a good fight.” 

“Yeah, well, you’re stuck on the bridge and I’m stuck down here. Is there any support you can give us from there? Maybe a drone?”

“We lost our last drone on the previous planet, if you recall. You flew it straight into a thunderstorm.”

“Right, my bad. At least it wasn’t for nothing. That chunk of hail was huge. Real lucky to have caught it on camera.”

“...This is why we always run out of drones in the middle of an expedition.” Alesha sighed. “One of these days your recklessness will get you killed.”

“Wait, hold up, you’re telling me off for being reckless? 

“Unlike you, I can hold my own in a scrap.”

There was nothing I could say to this. She had lightning-fast reflexes and surprising strength despite her small frame. That, paired with her quick thinking, had saved my life on more than one occasion.

Taking my silence as an admission of defeat, Alesha returned to the problem at hand. “I could launch a crash pod from orbit, but it wouldn’t arrive any earlier than the lander. Besides, I’m not sure how much it would help.”

I gazed out at the water. Far below the edge of the cliff, out of view, I could hear waves crash against the rocks below. “I guess we’ll just have to hold the fort here until then.”

“Roger. I’ll stay on this line and keep you updated, Captain.”

I made my way back over to the others. They’d expanded the palisade and reinforced it with branches and fronds from the jungle and were standing alert behind it, peering into the jungle.

“The lander is still on its way. We’ll have to hold out for fifteen minutes or so.”

“That’s doable!” said Micken, ever hopeful. “Haven’t seen any of those insect things since we skipped out from the hive. Maybe we lost them?”

Brunow stared into the depths of the jungle. “For some reason, I do not think that is the case.”

I followed his gaze. At first glance I couldn’t see anything, and I wondered if Micken’s optimism was on the mark for once. But it wasn’t long before I noticed signs of movement in the trees and underbrush.

I gripped my rifle tighter and took a deep, steady breath in, then exhaled slowly. “Here they come.”

All at once, a swarm of ant-like insects emerged from the trees and skittered towards us. They were smaller than the ones we saw at the hive, but still big—about the size of a head. The analogy conjured an image of one of those things wrapped around my face, which I promptly expunged from my memory.

“Might be scouts,” I judged, leveling my sights. Without waiting for a response, I opened fire. The others wasted no time following suit.

Though scary, the bugs didn’t put up much of a fight. They marched directly toward us in tightly clustered groups, making them easy targets. Even at its lowest setting, the plasma rifles were capable of carving scorching holes through their exoskeletons. At first, I wondered if we overreacted when fleeing from the hive, but then I saw some of the scouts retreating.

“Shoot the ones fleeing!" I barked. "They’re heading back for reinforcements!”

The idea was sound, but there were simply too many of them. They slipped back into the undergrowth and disappeared in the direction of the hive. I thought we at least might get a short reprieve, but another group of scouts emerged from a different part of the jungle.

“They. Just. Keep. Coming,” complained Micken in between the rapid fire pulses from his rifle.

“Sounds like you guys are having fun down there,” Alesha chimed in over the radio. “I’m feeling a little left out.”

“This again?” I rolled my eyes in exasperation in between shots. “Look, if I had known, I would have let you lead the ground team instead. Believe me, I regret it as much as you.”

She chuckled. “You only have a few minutes before evac arrives, so enjoy the action while it lasts.”

“I’ll try, thanks.”

Brunow looked over at me surreptitiously. “I’ve been thinking this for a while, but… your second-in-command, she has a strange sense of humor.”

Micken ejected his heat sink and pulled a replacement from his belt. “That ain’t humor, she’s serious.”

I cut in between the two. “Heads up! Main force is inbound.”

Another wave of bugs burst out of the undergrowth, shredding through everything in their way. Compared to the scouts, they were larger, faster, and meaner. They charged straight at us, razor-sharp mandibles clacking in anticipation.

“Those look like the ones from the hive,” Brunow commented as he shifted his focus to the new arrivals.

“I’d wager they’re the warriors. They were probably patrolling when we—shit!” I raised my arm just in time to block a jet of fluid aimed at my face.

“Kethe, you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I ducked down behind the barrier and examined my arm. The carapace covering the outside of my arm was unaffected, but some of the liquid had splashed onto the inside. I felt a mild prickling sensation consistent with a chemical irritant. “I think it’s a weak corrosive—probably formic acid, though I’m not sure. Just try to avoid getting it in your eyes and you’ll be fine.”

“Easier said than done.” Micken and Brunow were ducking behind the barrier frequently, probably because of all the acid being sprayed their way. “Mind helping us out a little, Kethe?”

“Yeah yeah, I’m on it.” I grabbed a plasma grenade from my utility belt, primed it, and lobbed it over the barrier. “Grenade out!”

A few seconds later, a flash of light and a large blast came from the other side. I felt the shockwave in my bones as I watched the forest shake from the impact.

“By the ancestors, Kethe.” I poked my head back over the barrier as Micken surveyed the carnage. A large swath of the underbrush had been incinerated, and a few trees had caught fire. “Whatever happened to ‘not disturbing the beautiful ecology’?”

“I make exceptions for things trying to kill me,” I shot back.

“Yeah, well it’s not just you they’re after, in case you haven’t noticed.” Micken readied his rifle again as another wave of alien insects advanced. “These damn things don’t quit, I’ll give ‘em that much.”

The three of us kept shooting, ducking, and reloading, but there were simply too many of them. Warriors climbed over the corpses of their brethren, while the scouts started to flank from the right and left.

“You wouldn’t happen to have another of those grenades on you, would you Kethe?” Micken’s voice was controlled, but grim.

“Sorry Micken, that was my last one.”

“Captain, I’ve got too many incoming on this side!” called out Brunow in a panic. “We’re being overrun!”

“Alesha, where’s the lander? We can’t wait any longer for evac!”

She started to reply before I finished. “I was just about to inform you—the lander should be arriving in a few seconds. The aft loading ramp is lowered and ready for immediate extraction.”

“You heard her! Get to the cliff, now!”

My order was unnecessary, as Micken and Brunow were already heading for the treeline. I ran after them, but the gap between us steadily widened as I fell behind. Through the trees, I saw the lander swoop down and hover at the edge of the cliff with its ramp open. Brunow was first aboard, with Micken joining soon after.

“C’mon Kethe!”

Desperate to eke out whatever speed I could, I threw my rifle to the side. With that literal weight off my shoulders, I lowered my head and pumped my arms up and down, willing every muscle in my body to strain itself for one final push. Behind me, demonic arthropods spewed acid and lunged at my heels. Jets of plasma scorched the ground around me as Micken and Brunow gave fire support from the cargo hold. With their help I broke through the treeline, raced across the rocky clifftop, and launched myself up the ramp.

“Close it!”

Alesha must have heard my command, since the ramp started to raise. Brunow steadied me as the lander began to move. A few of the bugs launched themselves off the cliff in pursuit, only to plummet into the waves below. I got one last glimpse of the swarm—furious, I imagined—as the ramp closed.

All three of us breathed a sigh of relief.

“How many times has it been now? You really know how to flirt with death.” Micken laughed, but his eyes were darting around instead of focusing on me. He might be capable of hiding his anxiety from Brunow, but I knew him better than anyone.

Alesha chimed in over the radio. “Yet another close call, I take it?”

“Too close,” I grumbled, breathing heavily. “I’m... ready to get off this planet. Alesha, have you dropped the chain yet?”

“The tether is already deployed, Captain.”

“Perfect. Micken, head to the cockpit and take manual control. Get us to cruising, but don’t gun it until we get closer. I’ll copilot, I just… need to catch my breath for a few minutes here. Brunow can handle it for now, if that’s alright. Oh, and… thanks.”

They both nodded. Micken patted me on the shoulder, then the two of them left. A little while later I felt the gravity shift as the lander gradually climbed into the upper atmosphere. Rather than getting up, I sprawled out and surveyed the stains on the ceiling, feeling the vibrations of the engine through the floor. As my adrenaline subsided, the aches and pains I had been ignoring came into focus.

Every muscle in my body was sore, there was acid all over my shell, and my rifle was lying in a bush somewhere. I felt miserable. All that effort, and I could barely keep up. Even as a child I was always last in the rankings. The slowest, the weakest, the dumbest. I despised it, always. I hated how I had to work twice as hard to even keep up. It was unfair. These things that came naturally to Micken, Alesha, and the others… they were impossible for me. Compared to them, I was useless.

“No… You know better, Kethe,” I whispered to myself. “You know that’s not true.”

I closed my eyes and breathed in. Sure, Micken was an ace pilot and gifted engineer. But I knew him before he was either of those things, and I was there to witness every ounce of effort that got him to where he is today. And Alesha… well, she was just a freak of nature. But even so, she sparred with others daily and never let up on her training. Being jealous of them and ignoring their effort—that was unfair.

Besides, it’s not like my effort didn’t pay off; here I was, flying above an alien planet, living the life of adventure and discovery I’d always dreamed of. I breathed out slowly and opened my eyes.

“Enough of the pity party. Let’s finish this.”

With that, I pulled myself up, wiped most of the acid off of my shell, and made my way to the cockpit.

***

“Nice to see you didn’t end up in stasis back there,” said Micken when he heard my approach.

Brunow had already moved back, so I sat down in the copilot seat. “Don’t tempt me,” was my eventual reply.

Micken laughed. “Alesha and I were just, uh, discussing how you threw away your plasma rifle at the end there. Great choice. Looked hilarious.”

“I expect that to come out of your personal expenses,” added Alesha.

“Seriously?” I groaned. “You know how much those things cost, right?”

“All the more reason not to throw one away.”

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“It was either that or my life. I think it was a pretty good trade.”

“I agree,” said Alesha, and for a brief moment I felt vindicated. Then she continued. “Still, none of this would have happened if you hadn’t stumbled blindly into an alien hive in the first place.”

“It looked kinda like Progenitor architecture!”

“Everything looks like Progenitor architecture to you, buddy.” 

I shot Micken a glare even as I admitted, internally, that he had a point.

“It’s a reasonable cost to incur for jeopardizing the mission and the lives of your crewmates, no?”

There was no arguing with Alesha, so I mumbled my assent. In truth, I had long since come to terms with shouldering the cost myself. I just wanted to put up some resistance. Maybe convince someone, anyone, that Alesha wasn’t the one actually in charge of this whole operation.

No one else had anything to add, so I turned my attention to the locket hanging around my neck. Tucked safely inside was a small antique compass—a relic from the distant past. I pulled it out and watched the needle steadily track north. In space it would usually point in arbitrary directions due to nearby equipment, so it was rare to see it functional like this.

“Still lugging around that old compass everywhere?”

I looked over at Micken, who had glanced over at my locket, and eyed the large medallion resting on his torso. “I’d rather wear this than that garish thing hanging around your neck.”

“You’re just jealous.” Micken caressed his medallion. “Not that I blame you. Digital storage encased in a pure tungsten shell, lovingly engraved with my name and details. Form and function, forever together.”

I shook my head in disdain. “Ugh, you’re so in love with that damn thing.”

“You’re one to talk,” he fired back at me. “Why don’t you put down the trinket and write a diary entry for once?”

“What, you want me to obsess over my diary like you?”

“Can't be obsessed with something you don't have.” Micken turned and looked at me. “Do you even realize how weird that makes you? Two hundred-odd years, and I’ve never seen you write or record a single entry. Instead of keeping a diary like a normal person, you tote around some obsolete piece of history.”

We’d had this exact argument more times than I could recall. Perhaps we were lucky, because Alesha interrupted over the radio before we could continue.

“We’ll be coming in range pretty soon, Captain. Make sure to grab on, since I won’t be coming around for another go if you miss.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” I put away my compass. “Besides, Micken’s the pilot. If we miss the tether it’s his fault.”

Micken brought the nose of the lander up as we started to climb and grinned. “I’ll consider it. Nothing like a little light mutiny to liven things up, eh Cap?”

I feigned offense and scoffed. “Everywhere I go, I’m surrounded by insubordination.”

“I’d say that speaks more of your leadership than anything else,” came his instant response. Over the comms, I could hear someone laughing—probably Alesha, although it could have been Primm. Or both.

“I swear Micken, if you weren’t my best friend you’d be absolutely insufferable.”

“You’d also have no friends.”

“By the ancestors, you’ve always got something to say. It’s like a disease.” Despite my complaint, I couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“Oh, how’d you hear? I only got diagnosed by Elija the other day. Yep, proper medical disorder. I have to have the last word, otherwise I’ll start aging again. It’s contagious too, so one-up me at your own peril.”

I just shook my head in response. There was no winning against him.

“You two are... very relaxed considering we almost died.”

I glanced back at Brunow, who’d been silent until now. Although his remark wasn’t pointed, from the way he was clutching his pendant, he was still clearly on edge from the previous fight. 

“Well, fly long enough with Kethe here and you get used to it.” Micken patted my arm as he said this, although he kept his eyes on the instruments. “Besides, situations like these call for levity. Laughter helps you relax.”

“You have my respect for looking at it like that. And it does help, a little. Even so…” Brunow trailed off. It seemed like he was carefully searching for the right words. “I think I may not be suited for this life. If I choose not to renew the contract… I hope it will not cause offense.”

I glanced at Micken, but didn’t hesitate to respond. “It’s not an issue at all.”

“Good. I don’t want to sound like I am being critical of you. I think you guys are exactly what Seekers should be. I just…” Brunow paused again before continuing. “I did not truly understand what an expedition would be like when I signed up.”

“That’s perfectly normal.”

“Yeah, no harm, no foul,” added Micken. “Plenty of people quit after their first expedition. The ones that stick around tend to be weirdos like Alesha and Kethe here.”

“Guilty as charged,” said Alesha.

“Look, I’m just very dedicated to the search, alright?" I protested. "And I hope you’re including yourself in that group.”

“You know it. Point is, you shouldn’t feel bad about quitting. You’ve got a long life ahead of you and don’t want to lose it. Congratulations, you’re sane.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

Brunow relaxed a little as the conversation ended. For a while, the three of us sat there in silence. I gazed out the window and stared at the ocean. We were high up enough now that I could make out the curvature of the planet on the horizon. Finally, Alesha broke the silence through the radio.

“Tether is about thirty seconds out. Everything look good on your end, Micken?”

“Yeah, I can see it coming up behind us. We’ll be in position to catch it.”

“Roger. Engaging retrothrusters,” replied Alesha.

I watched Micken at the controls as he deftly maneuvered the craft into position. It was hard to explain, but at times like these it almost seemed like he became one with the machine. His orange carapace melted into the glow of sunset streaming through the window behind him, amplifying the sense that something otherworldly was taking place. I only snapped out of my reverie when the lander lurched forward abruptly.

“Tether secure,” called out Micken. Sure enough, I felt it gradually begin to pull the lander up and out of the atmosphere.

“Roger," confirmed Alesha, "I’m handing over control to Second Officer Raynor. He’ll take you up the rest of the way and handle docking.”

“We’ll see you in the hangar then,” I said.

“I’ll be waiting.”

***

An hour later, the Lodestar came into view. Once we detached from the tether, I was able to get a clear look up at it from the cockpit of the lander. It was a boxy old freighter that I’d gradually retrofitted for interstellar exploration over the past couple of centuries. 

After installing a decent FTL drive, I dedicated most of my resources towards assembling an impressive suite of surveying instruments. Near the bow of the ship I could see the cluster of scanning devices used to analyze planets from orbit, including radar and laser altimeters, microwave radiometers, and spectrometers. I still felt giddy whenever I caught a glimpse of them.

The interior of the ship remained largely unchanged, requiring only a few changes to suffice as a Seeker vessel. The Lodestar’s former cargo hold now served as a vast hangar, capable of storing a few satellites, a telescope, two landers, and a handful of drones and crash pods. It was mostly empty right now; two of the satellites were still in orbit, and our last drone had been… rendered inoperable via unforeseen circumstances. (At least drones were relatively cheap to replace.)

The hangar door was open and waiting for us when we arrived. Micken steered the lander inside, bringing it close enough for the automated system to take over and set us down on the hangar floor.

“Lander-1 aboard. Thanks for checking my work, Raynor.”

“Hmph. Just doing my job.”

Micken wasn’t bothered by Raynor’s gruff reply—like most of the long-serving crew, he knew that was just how Raynor spoke. Despite being quite levelheaded and approachable, people meeting him for the first time often assumed he was a callous brute. Being Alesha’s right hand probably contributed to the impression, and his large build, sanguine shell, and numerous scars didn’t help.

After gathering all of our equipment (we were conspicuously short a single plasma rifle), we stepped out into the hangar. Kolle was clearly on cleaning duty, as he was already wiping down the exterior of the lander. Standing nearby was Alesha, her arms crossed in a casual pose. 

“I may have heard, but how was the trip?”

“Uh, let’s see… I fell headfirst into an alien hive, was chased clear across the jungle, used up a plasma grenade and lost a rifle, and have nothing to show for it.” I shrugged. “Aside from that, it was fine.”

“Nothing?” Alesha looked at me skeptically. Maybe it was just my imagination, but the spikes and serrated edges on her shell felt sharper than usual. “You did get the samples we needed, right?”

“Well, okay, I suppose I’ve got these lousy samples.” I walked over to the equipment bench and set my utility belt down. ”I collected them before the whole fiasco with the hive.”

“These ‘lousy samples’ are worth millions of quarnas.” Alesha examined the various soil, water, and vegetation samples I’d brought back. “This should be enough to complete the contract.”

“Expedition's a sweep, then, right Kethe?” Micken let out a whoop and clapped my back. “You and me, we should drink something tonight. Just relax. Really let loose.”

Alesha cut in before I could respond. “Don’t get too comfortable, Micken. Sothas told me to have you visit the engine room when you got back.”

Micken groaned. “Not another lecture. We’ve been working together for nearly a century. He should know by now that I know my way around a drive core.”

I gave him a cautiously optimistic look. “You never know, it might be something else.”

“Well, whatever it is, I better not keep him waiting.” Micken dropped off his equipment and made his way towards the exit. At the door, he turned around and shouted, “I’ll check in later Kethe—we’ll find a way to celebrate!” before disappearing from sight.

“I’ll be heading back to my room too, unless there is anything you need from me Captain,” said Brunow.

I glanced at Alesha, who shook her head. “No, I think we’re done here. Go ahead and get some rest; you deserve it.”

Brunow nodded at me and followed after Micken, leaving just Alesha and me by the bench. The two of us watched Kolle work in silence for a moment before I spoke up.

“Well, that’s one more person we’re gonna have to replace when we get back to Navas.”

“Brunow?” Alesha looked back at the exit in surprise. “I thought he was handling it pretty well.”

“He’s certainly skilled enough for it. I think it’s just, you know…”

“The whole risk-aversion thing?” Alesha asked.

“It’s baked into our species, I swear. I mean, I get it. Stay out of trouble, and you've got a couple thousand years ahead of you. Most people shy away from hazardous occupations like these, knowing what they have to lose. We’re the few exceptions.”

“Like what Micken was saying earlier?”

“Yeah. Hopefully that helped Brunow feel better about it. Although I admit, calling all of us ‘weirdos’ is not how I would have gone about it.” I leaned back against the wall and exhaled deeply. “This cycle is going to hurt. Between all the repairs, restocking, and hiring new crew, we’ll be lucky to break even.”

“We completed every contract and no one died. I’d call that a win.”

“Didn’t find a single clue about the Progenitors or Origin, though,” I grumbled. “But you’re right. All things considered, this expedition went well. Maybe I’ll take Micken up on that offer after all. Care to join?”

Alesha shook her head. “I’ve still got a few scans to run through before we can leave. I don’t want to push all the work onto Raynor. We’ll have another chance during the trip back.”

“That’s true. Either way, the three of us can go out to eat once we get back to Navas. It’s practically tradition at this point.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Alesha smiled—a genuine one, not a wry one like I usually saw on her. “Glad you made it back alright, Kethe.”

“All thanks to your support. And some sharp shooting from the guys.” I scratched my chin. “Come to think of it, maybe I should take Brunow out to lunch sometime. Even if he’s quitting, he did save my life.”

“If that’s the case, you’ll have to buy meals for most of the crew.”

“Maybe I should. Wait, hang on, aren’t I already doing that?”

Alesha’s laughter echoed throughout the hangar as we left.

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