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BRANCHES CUT GASHES into their arms and legs, blood dribbled down their skin as they ran through the jungle—Inizio still a mile away. Five Proximian hunters trailed behind, moving slower than they normally would to keep pace with their human counterparts. They had to warn the camp—an attack was imminent.
While the villagers may not have known of the STS fleet’s arrival due to living below tree canopies and not venturing out beyond their normal hunting grounds, they assured Ann and the other three that the nightsiders already knew the locations of Inizio, and how many they’d be facing. Raider scouts were quiet and effective—likely watching them since their captain took the first steps on the planet’s surface. Communication was scant between the individual tribes of the Proximian Land, but the villagers had recently heard rumors of the raiders preparing a large scale assault, though at the time the villagers weren’t sure who the target was.
Now they knew.
“Look!” Salena shouted. She came to a sudden stop and pointed through a gap in the trees revealing a fiery red trail of a flare rocketing into the sky.
“Oh, God. We’re too late, aren’t we? Come on!” Ann took off in the direction of the flare leaving the rest temporarily behind.
“Should we be running to the danger?” Ray yelled as he picked up the pace behind Ann.
“They need all of us!”
Distant screaming and gunfire somehow urged them to move faster despite the sweat and blood. The haunting noises grew louder the further they ran, but also more sporadic. Then a new sound raised goosebumps on their flesh. An electric whirl somewhere up ahead. Their five escorts raced forward easily passing Ann. One of the escorts turned around to face them and signaled to stop and get down to the ground—hide.
Ann went with Ross, his PL-6 rifle charged and ready, and took cover behind a cluster of ferns. Ray and Salena hid low behind one of the giant tree trunks. Their five escorts unsheathed ragged blades as they crouched low, their tall frames ready to pounce at any possible threat.
The unmistakable sound of an electric motor drew nearer. A flash of light bouncing off dull bronze glimmered from the far end of the jungle for half a second. The electric whirl reverberated off the thousands of plants and trees making it difficult to pinpoint its exact location; only that it was coming closer. Ross laid flat on the ground, his rifle propped on a dirt mound, eyes scanning, searching for another flash of light through the dense foliage. There—a glint of light, the bronze of the vehicle reflecting its position. Ross followed it as it made an arch to the west. He aimed through the scope ready to fire, but Ann placed her hand on his arm. “Wait,” she whispered.
Whoever operated that vehicle, weaving between the trees with ease, didn’t know their party was hiding nearby and Ann wasn’t about to let Ross give away their position. The hovering electric vehicle, now close enough to glimpse for longer periods in between gaps in the trees, veered left and right, looking for stragglers that may have run away from Inizio. It was long and slender running ten to fifteen feet deep, but only two or three feet across and moved at a speed of roughly twenty-five miles per hour. Whoever was piloting possessed great skill not to crash into the side of a tree, Ann thought.
Minutes ticked by—no one in their group dared to speak. To Ray’s disgust a bizarre insect with antennae longer than its six-inch body crawled up his leg. He flicked it off, and to his horror it sprouted wings and flew by his face in protest.
At long last, they heard chatter in the Proximian language coming from the bronze craft and watched as it made a left turn and ventured away from them and Inizio. When they could no longer hear the electric motor they cautiously stood back up. The Proximian hunters spread out wide scanning the trees. When the hunters confirmed the coast was clear, they continued on to Inizio conscious of the fact that the distant screams and weapons fire ceased entirely while they lay hidden on the ground.
Vigilantly, they set a slower pace for the final half mile. Two hunters stayed in the front, the other three took the rear. Ross’s PL-6 rifle was still charged and ready to fire at a moment’s notice.
Salena remembered the animals that followed them from the treetops earlier that morning, or was it the day before? At this point they’d been awake for so long it was hard to tell. Now, the jungle was eerily quiet—the only sound was the crunching of dried leaves underfoot as they walked.
“Do you guys smell that?” Ann asked.
Ray sniffed the air. “Smoke.”
Caution be damned, they picked up the pace the rest of the way. The smoke grew thicker making them cough, but they kept going. Finally, they reached a clearing where the perimeter enclosing the ecologist camps was located. Earlier that morning it was one of the happiest places in Inizio filled with creatures and those who already loved them. It was gone now. Nothing left but smoking ruin and charred remains.
The electric perimeter was destroyed so they walked past it looking for any survivors, but found none. Camp after camp told the same story: burnt tents, equipment reduced to ash, and hundreds of dead bodies littering the ground, both human and Proximian, though the dead aliens dressed differently than the hunters who escorted them from the village.
“Are they all gone?” Salena asked through tears.
Ann wasn’t sure if she meant their friends being dead or if the raiders had gone back to the nightside. Either way, she felt the answer was yes and nodded.
The sixth camp they reached was Ann’s. Ray helped her sift through the aftermath as she desperately searched for her friends and colleagues, Blaire and Adam, while Ross and the hunters kept an eye out. Salena stayed back, crying and too upset to contribute. Nobody blamed her.
Under the primary lab tent they found Adam’s body. He wasn’t burnt too badly, but he did have a gaping wound on his back, likely from a weapon of some kind. Ann covered him up with a blanket she found from their supply chest that had remained untouched.
There was no sign of Blaire.
Before they could continue searching, the sound of ten descending Z48s drew their gaze overhead. The four humans waved their arms to grab the attention of the pilots while the five hunters found cover to hide behind. One of the Z48s deviated off its flight path and found a place to land next to the lake—a peaceful contrast to the carnage that surrounded it.
Ann, Ray, and Salena approached the Z48 as its engines shut off. The captain of The Christensen, James Morris stepped out from the cargo door looking grim. He was followed by a heavy security detail armed with plasma rifles that fanned out covering the area.
“Captain Morris,” Ann said.
“We came as soon as we could. But it looks like we’re too late. What the hell happened down here?”
Ross interjected. “Before we answer that you need to know there are five friendlies with us. Aliens on our side. They’re out there hiding, and we cannot harm them. That would only make matters worse.”
“You heard him. Do not fire unless fired upon,” Morris said to his security team. “Call up your friendlies.”
Ann yelled in the direction they hid and motioned for them to come out. “It’s okay!”
Diffidently they appeared from behind the tree line. Ann motioned for them to raise their hands in the air and they mimicked her actions appropriately. The security team took measured steps backwards, guns still in their hands, but not raised.
“My God,” Morris said. “They’re primitive. How did they cause all this devastation?”
“Their people chose to live a simpler life. Others on the planet went a different path. It’s the others we have to worry about. They came from an underground city on the nightside of the planet. They’re smart, too. They have access to technology. The villagers,” Ann gestured to the five hunters, “call them raiders. They’ve been building up their numbers after a great war between themselves and the tribes of the land by kidnapping the tribes’ members. Sir, they’ve been assembling an army over hundreds of years in order to defeat us when we finally arrived.”
The captain looked surprised. “Us? They knew we were coming?”
“Their species was watching us a millennium ago. They’ve been waiting on us.”
“Of course they were. So that was them, then? The three ships that came to Earth?”
“Yes and no. It was a different faction.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Hours ago we were found by one of them in the jungle and taken to one of their villages. In the village there is a, well, I’m not sure if it’s a man or woman, but there’s a Proximian who has been deemed a record keeper. It even knew our language, though they can’t speak it.”
“We have a linguist on board. I’ll send for her once we know it’s safe. Why do you think they want to attack us?”
“I’m not sure. Once it told us we were being watched, we left trying to get back and warn them in time. We didn’t make it. We tried calling first, but the forest blocked our signal.”
“Have you found any survivors?”
“None yet, but many are missing. A lot of people are dead here, but not as much as there should be. I think they took some of us hostage.”
“Interesting. Ross, come here. You’re one of our top security officers. What do you think their motives are?”
“Sir, I can’t even guess,” Ross said, walking over to join them. “They have to know we can over power them with the tools at our disposal. Our Z56s can fly out there and lay waste to the caves they crawled out of.”
“Hence the hostages,” Ann said.
“We need to re-secure the area while we determine what’s salvageable,” Morris said.
“What about a rescue plan?” Ann asked.
“In time. We need to regroup and I need to speak with the other three captains.”
“We can’t just leave them! We need to gather everyone who can fight and find the city’s entrance on the nightside,” Ann asserted. She thought of Liam for a brief, painful moment and knew he would lead the campaign if he were there.
“Now is not the time Miss—”
“Ann Caldwell.”
“Miss Caldwell, we need time to gather information. We don’t even know where they live.”
He was right, she knew. They had to gain intel on their adversary if they hoped to extricate their people and win this war they inadvertently found themselves fighting. They didn’t even know how many were missing yet. A body count needed to be conducted. Terrible, but necessary business.
“You’re right. What do you want to do?”
The captain considered. Their next move would be vital if they hoped to continue living on the planet. He was about to speak when the emergency tone beeped from the cockpit of the Z48.
“Captain Morris! Something is wrong up here. We’ve lost control of the ship. I repeat. We’ve lost control of the ship! What are your or—”
The signal cut out.
“What the hell?”
A red blur streaked through the air from the jungle and in an instant the captain collapsed with a fresh, smoldering hole in his heart. Ann instinctively ducked down and scrambled to find a hiding spot, but there was nowhere to go. Another shot, this one missed her head by inches—the heat of whatever was being fired burned her skin as it went by her, hitting the side of the Z48 burning a hole straight through it. She darted for the craft anyway, the only thing nearby large enough to cover her.
Shouting behind her coming from the security team as they discharged their PL-6 rifles at the unseen enemy was joined by the battle cry of the Proximian hunters who ran into the jungle seeking their prey. She slid behind the Z48 as the craft was pelted with fire, fresh holes appeared above her as she lay flat on the ground.
“Ray!”
Ann heard Salena shouting from somewhere in the chaos. She peeked around the edge trying to find her friends. Four dead already on the ground including the captain. “Salena! Ray!” she yelled.
From behind a crumpled half-burnt tent she found one of them. “Salena, over here!” Her friend frantically looked around until finding her. Ann waved her over, but Salena shook her head. “You have to!”
A shot hit the remains of the tent Salena was using for cover causing a fresh fire to erupt.
“Now!”
Salena put her hands over her head and ran full sprint toward the cover of the Z48. Halfway to Ann, another shot hit the ground near her feet launching her sideways. She was slow to stand back up—too slow.
Ann cursed and took off into the field of battle. As she ran she frantically looked around for Ray, but couldn’t find him. The remaining security team was holding their ground firing away, but she knew their plasma charge would be running out soon. She came to a slide at her friend and tried to help her up, shots narrowly missed them.
“Get up, Salena!”
“I’m trying!” she grunted.
Together they struggled to their feet and ran for it back to the Z48—Salena limping the whole way.
“Where’s Ray?” Salena asked while attempting to catch her breath.
“No idea. Just get down.”
Far away Ann heard the sounds of similar battles taking place where the other Z48s had landed around Inizio. She peered around the corner scanning the scene for Ray and calling out for him. One after the next, the security team ran out of charge in their rifles. She yelled for them to get behind the Z48 with her. They tried to retreat, but they were too far away and each was shot in the back in their attempt.
Their line of defense, gone.
Where was Ray? Or the Proximian hunters?
Ann stole another look through one of the holes in the side of the craft. For a moment, all was calm. Then she saw them.
Raiders.
Out of the jungle they walked, fifteen raiders donning bulky bronze armor to beef out their tall, slender frames. Each carried a type of gun she had never seen before. They were most reminiscent of pistols, but sported lengthier barrels with a pulsing red orb attached to the top. Their heavy boots clanked with each step.
The hunters must’ve been killed, Ann assumed, for these raiders to be walking out of the jungle so freely. The one in the middle, whose armor featured a series of diagonal multi-colored stripes, spoke loud in its native tongue and raised its arms in the air as if asking if anyone was left to challenge it.
Overhead, a Z48 retreated back into the sky. The lead raider aimed its weapon and fired at it. The pulsing orb grew brighter before the discharge. A red streak emanated out of the weapon and landed a direct hit on the Z48. The craft wobbled briefly before losing power and plummeted back down to the ground disappearing behind the tops of the trees only to be replaced a second later by a rising fireball.
“What do we do?” Salena whispered.
Still with one eye watching through the hole she said, “I don’t know.”
Then she saw their only hope. Inside the Z48 was a PL-6 rifle still in the weapons locker. But how could she get to it without alerting the raiders of their presence? She needed a distraction.
“Do you hear that?” Salena asked.
Ann strained her ears and heard a rumbling noise deriving from the jungle. The rumble grew in intensity and she felt the ground begin to vibrate beneath her. With a thunderous roar her distraction presented itself.
Bursting out of the tree line came one of the mammoth creatures with the ring of horns around its face. One of the hunters rode atop the beast steering it using reins while Ross followed behind firing his PL-6 at the line of soldiers. With a sweep of its head, the horns impaled two of the raiders’ armor and knocked two others to the ground. The hunter charged the creature with impunity. Some of the raiders managed to fire off shots at the creature, but its hide was too thick to cause much damage. It groaned in pain, but continued its reign of terror as the raiders had no choice but to spread out, though they did not run away.
“Be right back,” she told a trembling Salena.
Ann took advantage of the chaos and raced around the Z48 and through the cargo door. She found the weapons locker in the back and said a silent prayer it was unlocked.
Jackpot.
She grabbed the lone PL-6 and it hummed to life as she depressed the charge button. On her way back out the cargo door she saw a familiar body thirty feet out lying motionless on the ground. Ray’s body.
No.
She started to run to him, but as she stepped out the hefty beast, having taken one too many shots from the onslaught of weapons fire against it, fell at last. Its horns dug into the ground causing a shower of dirt as it slid to a grinding halt. The hunter tumbled off its back and was immediately disposed of by the surviving raiders. At some point while she was getting her rifle, Ross must have fallen as well because he was nowhere to be seen.
Nothing left now to lose, she raised her rifle and took aim at the lead raider. She fired—her shot went a touch wide and only nicked the breastplate of its armor causing the alien to whip around, but not fall. When it turned to face her, it grimaced into a frightening snarl.
Seven of the raiders remained and each now faced her.
“What’s going on?” Salena asked from outside the craft.
“Stay down and be quiet.”
Salena must have obeyed because she said nothing further.
The lead raider said something to the one on its left, who then raised its pistol and fired at Ann hitting her PL-6. She quickly dropped it before it overheated and burned her hand. Then they were on her. Four ran to her and shoved her down to her knees. She tried to fight them off, but it was in vain. They held her down as the lead raider casually walked to face her. For the second time recently she found herself in a lower position than a Proximian with authority who had to lean down to study her.
Its vertical eyes gazed into her own. It was so close she could smell its awful breath, nearly making her gag, but she remained stoic. It reached out with its hairy gray hand and scratched her cheek with its sharp thumbnail, enraptured by the blood that leaked down her face.
It grunted and gave another command to the others. They lifted her up and held her elevated in the air. The other raider who was standing nearby then came to her with something in its hands. A needle. She was terrified, but ready to die if it gave Salena a chance to live. The Proximian injected the needle deep into her neck. Seconds later, consciousness slipped away as she closed her eyes, head falling to her chest.
Salena waited longer than what was likely necessary to come out of hiding. She considered it a miracle to have not been discovered, but was near a state of panic about being the only survivor. She spied through one of the holes on the side of the Z48 and watched the raiders carry Ann into the jungle followed by the harrowing electric whirl of their vehicle taking her away.
The loneliness was eerie and she had no idea if anyone else lived from the other Z48s that landed earlier. And what was with the emergency radio call before the attack? She heard them say they lost control of the ship. What did that mean? Was help coming?
It took all her strength to remain standing. The physical and emotional toll of the day was a weighty burden threatening to bring her to her knees and crush her. Never had she felt so empty.
With each heartrending step she limped through the bloodshed. Already the smell of death lingered in the air. The fires had all burnt themselves out by now, but black smoke still filled the sky above.
Ray. His body lay flat on his stomach just ahead. She wanted to run to him, but couldn’t find the energy. Tearfully she walked until she stood next to him then knelt down to his level. She placed a hand on his back and cried.
As she grieved her attention was drawn to her hand resting on Ray’s back. She wiped her tears and watched her hand subtly rise and fall. He was breathing. He was alive!
“Ray!”
Carefully, she rolled him over onto his back. He had a grisly wound on his left shoulder that would require immediate attention. She forced herself to sprint to the Z48 and find the first aid kit—knowing there must be one on board. After sufficiently ransacking it, she found the kit stashed in the back under the rear seat. Brilliant place for it, she thought.
She cleaned Ray’s wound the best she could then she laid on the ground next to him, holding his hand, and wept.