Futuristic Into the Dark

[Lenchan]

The horrible sounds of a woman crying out in agony, her words grasping – clinging to the life slipping away from her – pierced Joshua’s ears like daggers. He couldn’t really place the reason, but it reminded him of a certain woman he knew back on Earth. The golden necklace hanging loose around his neck snatched up what light it could catch through the canopy. Another set of screams – this time a man’s, calling out words he could barely understand; he head was being so cloudy with overwhelming sensation. Too much information to process; too many streams to follow. He felt his heart tear a bit as panic began to finally set in. His eyes flashed and narrowed as he tried to get a glimpse through the treeline, but the opening he’d fled from had long disappeared from sight. Was this far enough? Would this woman be safe if he left her here? Could she make it the rest of the way and hide near the rover? …Could he make it back in time to save her; to save Teal – that army brat? A sick smile spread across his face as he confidence waned. This is definitely not what I’d imagined my heroic venture would be like… His sprint reduced to a jog when they reached a bushy patch near in the trees. Quickly he lowered Caitlyn and rested his hands on her shoulders.





“Listen-to-me, doll,” he enunciated every word, in attempts to strengthen both of their tenacity. “As contradictory as this is going to sound, I would never abandon a woman! Which is why I’ve got to leave you here…” He laughed at his own joke, somberly. “I’ve got to go back on help the others. But I will be back for you. That means you’re responsible for keeping yourself alive. Got it?” He looked around them, assessing the effectiveness of this hiding spot. It wasn’t the best – if anything were really scowering she could be easily found – but it would have to do. He took the handgun from her hands and loaded a fresh clip of bullets, and then pressed it and a spare clip into her hands. “Use this wisely, but protective yourself, clear?” He stood up from her and faced back towards the crash site, focusing. He’d laid eyes on the clearest path back, gripping the strap of the rifle and looking back at Caitlyn one last time. A kiss for good luck? Ah, perhaps just a name…”Don’t let me efforts to save you go to waste!” With that Joshua took off back into the treeline. Motivation – I’ll be sure to ask later, so wait for me, beauty!





*************


His feet bore hard into the ground, stumbling and tripping and cursing the harsh environment for being so adept at stalling his return. Please, just hang on, damnit! He pushed himself harder, panting loudly as his beating heart raced him. Damn these flimsy legs. If I had a craft this rescue mission would’ve been eons easier. He sucked in through his teeth in a hiss, silently cursing another woman under his breath as he tore back into the grounds. Пожалуйста….Пожалуйста!! Finally, he broke the treeline in a dramatic leap, landing and stumbling forward before looking around frantically, pulling the gun from his shoulder in preparation. His eyes scanned wildly in the direction he’d last seen the soldier and he found her there, under massive timber, with their murderous friend all but pinning her down. He was skeptical of the man before, but now? Now there was hell to pay.


Joshua gritted his teeth hard and sprinted, calling out to the woman “Держаться!!” in hopes that he’d be able to do something. Upon reaching Arthur and Teal he knelt and assessed Teal’s leg: an open break. Even the reconstructor would take some time to heal that. He gave a quick glance around, remembering the beast, and then looked down to teal, doing his best to console her with a smile. “Не волнуйся, я вытащу тебя оттуда. Ты не умрёшь. Hе сегодня.”





He cut Arthur a cold, hard glare and noticed Alex's heap nearby for the first time. The entire core of the group had been crippled in mere minutes. He just hoped most of the others had scattered to the forest. How eager to recollect the group would these two be? That's when a chord struck within in, pulling his gaze back to Arthur. SALLY!! the word rang so loud in his memory it startled him, somehow pristine and plain, like he'd been right next to the man when he'd screamed. The sugary sweetheart he'd been clutching tightly to was no where to be found. He looked to teal and squeezed her shoulder. "Мне жаль, что так вышло..." Definitely not the hero in this one...He ripped one of the tattered sleeves of his blouse and made a tourniquet around Teal's leg to at least slow the bleeding. ”Wait here, and remain calm..." Joshua rose up from between the two and stepped over the log, heading over to check Alex for life. The man looked in the grave for sure.... He called back to Arthur "Don't just wallow in your own filth, jackass! Watch her!"


@Kayzo @TealFyre @Ironrot @Floodwater31

Spoiler

"Please...Please!!"


"Hang on!"


"Don't worry, I'll get you out of there. You're not going to die. Not today."


"I'm really sorry about this..."

 

[Maki]

Caitlyn noticed that Joshua had been slowing down as they got farther away. Maybe he's going to listen to me, and put me down. She thought, and was correct. As she was placed down in the bushes, her consciousness was fading in and out. She was so tired and weak from blood loss, she barley heard what Josh was saying. Leaving, coming back, go to waste? That was all she managed to pick out from his words. Suddenly a pistol was placed in her hands, and Joshua was off on his way. "Be careful!" She called to him, her voice quiet , throat feeling like hell. As much as Caitkyn wanted to pass out right then and there, she couldn't. There was so much going on, so many horrible things that she couldn't.


The bleeding in her leg and slowed down tremendously, but still hurt very much. Somehow she needed to wrap it, though the gauze was left back there. Remembering back in school, pants or shorts work just as well. But once again, she didn't have the knife to cut it. Maybe a stick could work? Grabbing a nearbye, sturdy stick, she broke part of it off and attempted to pierce it right above her kneecap. With much luck and a few minutes, she managed to rip a hole in the fabric. Sticking her fingers in, Caitlyn pulled away and made a bigger rip, and a bigger on, and it kept growing until she was able to take it off completely. Propping her leg up, she placed it on top of the wound and wrapped it around, applying enough pressure to stabilize it. With that out of the way, all Caitlyn had to do now was stay awake, alive, and wait for Josh to come back.

 

[Floodwater31]

Alex, or should I say S.A.M IX2978, was currently driving a troop transport through territory that was obviously under Icon control. There logo slapped on everything made that quite clear. He was mostly focused on going eighty miles an hour without crashing, so he didn't listen to Mueller berating him on how they would be caught. Mueller was a natural born, and as such he wasn't exactly ecstatic when his command when turned out to be all artificials. To compensate for his natural assholiness, his troops resolved never to call him by his rank (to be honest, S.A.M. IX2978 had forgotten it). Feminine screams came from behind him, god, MK I, you sound more like a woman everyday. "Drive faster you fucking paperclip! If I get caught it's all over! Don't just wallow in your filth, jackass! I can have you replaced like that! Help me lift this thing off of her! Are you the Sam that drives? Is that fucker in the back? I swear-", good old Mueller with the moral like always.


The company 78 (the full name gets tiring) was driving, consisted of an officer (Mueller), three S.A.M.s, a M.A.R.K. I and II, and two J.A.C.K.s. No one could tell the Jacks apart. A guest in the transport was one Sandra Evens, niece of one Curtis Evens, an Icon board members. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she had been taken hostage. Or that MK I was bleeding out, but they where less than a minute from Star territory and about five from a medical tent, of course Mueller will insist on dropping the hostage off first, but that fatass had anoth- A blur heading directly at 78 caught his attention. Suddenly the transport decided it wanted to be a gymnast and tried to do a flip, unfortunately it's acrobatics carrier ended early as it landed painfully on it's side.


As 78 came too he noticed the engine was still on. He pull the keys, well key, there was only one key on this key ring, from the ignition, if this fucker blows up after I survived, I'm going to flip. It was about then he realized he was hanging from his side, he looked at Mueller and regretted it, the big chunk of his head missing was pretty disturbing.


When 78 made his way to the back of the transport he found only three survivors, Mk1, who wouldn't survive much longer, Jack, who refused to disclose which one he was, and S.A.M. IX4064, who was clutching the remains of his left arm, the rest of the bodies where full of holes, no sign of Ms. Evens. When the two Sams had made it to the medical tent, 78 was taken aside for debriefing. Afterwards the officer who had handled the procedure handed 78 back the key ring with the single key, "Keep it, it'll be more important to you than it is to Star".


Alex woke up with a start, coughing. Where am I? Teals here, when did she ge- shit. She's not walking for awhile.

 

[Ironrot]

It took time for Joshua's words to pierce Arthur's mind. He was spiralling downwards, thinking about his lost child. Definitely lost. Possibly Dead. Probably Dead. The last trace of his family was gone and he didn't even know how.


As Joshua's instruction finally landed, Arthur walked to Teal. Every action was slow and accompanied by a pained groan. Kneeling over her, Arthur took his torch out of his pocket. He wiped the tears out of his eyes.


"Look at the light" He said, moving it side to side. He watched Teals eyes. "No Concussion" He spoke to her quietly. Next he checked Joshua's makeshift tourniquet. It looked fine, Arthur doubted he could do any better.


"Soldier, When you're better" Arthur leant over Teal, "I want you to help me to kill that thing. Now, What do you need?"

 

[Lenchan]

Joshua laughed and patted the man on the back “Well, get a look at that, friend. You’re alive. And what a spectacle!” Josh looked over to Arthur and Teal, feeling a bit of remorse for the harshness of his words, but it was overshadowed by their effectiveness and so he dismissed his thoughts of apologizing. He wanted to find the others quickly and get the fuck out of the area. Turning his gaze back to Alex, he started mentally laying out the plan and what needed to be executed. If they could make it to the Elitnaya there’d be at least a bit of reprieve from the crazed beast. “Friend,” had the man mentioned his name? He must’ve. Oh well, I’m sure it’ll come up eventually. “Make an assessment of yourself. Are you seriously injured?” He imagined the answer would be yes, having watched the man split the air at break neck speed before landing in a sloppy heap on the ground where he’d just sprung up from.Joshua took the rifle off his shoulder and looked back towards the ship. Acquire the rover, get them and whoever else they could find loaded, leave a message for the rest – hopefully that radio is working. Damn, I’m not sure it is… - and then get the hell out of here. Both Teal and Caitlyn could be treated by the time they made it back to the ship. Then there’d be plenty of room for recovery and recollecting. How was the fuel situation here, though? Could they salvage any of the cells? They’d only be able to afford so many trips back to look for other survivors before it became impossible. Again his eyes rested on Arthur. Poor fuck. Believe that she’s still alive, at least.





@Floodwater31 @Ironrot

 

[wizard nibblers]

“Spaghetti time? Some fell on my head while I was hanging out... uh, wherever I was.” she replied, digging around in her pocket, “And I haven’t been eating garbage, just some discarded food that, while past the expiration date, was still quite good.” she pulled out her tube of mayonnaise and offered it, “Want some?” She continued, “And I’ll have you know, Frank has been teaching me classical piano. He’s made the ride much more interesting. Did you know he once cured the mysterious sickness of an entire tribe in Bora Bora? He’s a true inspiration.” Frank’s glossy exterior seemed to warm in her pocket.


“We should check on them, I guess. What if they’re the only other humans on this planet? I only have a bit of mayo left, and if they all die, I we’re gonna need it if we have to eat each other to live. I have a feeling you’re gonna be gamey.” She craned her neck and jumped in place, trying to get a glimpse of the action, with no luck. Puffing out her cheeks, she marched with confidence down the roots, motioning for Tau to join her.


She stopped dead in her tracks with a jump as a human arm landed at her feet. The source, a very large looking...uh, thing, leapt into the trees with such speed that Rule couldn’t exactly tell what it was. She certainly hoped there weren’t more on this planet, or worse, the dominant species. She was gonna need a lot more mayo to eat one of those. She then began to notice the rest of the carnage she’d happened upon and her stomach only sank further. Whatever human survivors escaped with them on the ship may all already be dead here. From what she could see, whoever wasn’t in pieces (They’rejustcoveredinketchupthey’rejustcoveredinketchupdon’tfreakout) wasn’t moving either. Fuck, this is some heavy shit, man. You really shouldn’t be saying bad words like that, Rule. Oh, I’m sorry. Forgive my potty mouth, Strange Brain Voice. Well, that voice was new, but there were more pressing matters.

 

[Pretzel Heart]

τ

"Right...You'll have to tell me all about that later."


Tau wasn't really sure how to respond to her friend's assertions about Frank. She wasn't even quite sure what the Hell Frank was, though it did sound vaguely familiar, like something she probably should remember.


With thoughts of cannibalism on mind, Tau filed after Rule as they crept closer to the direction the sounds had been coming from. As she was a little ways behind her friend, she didn't have the joy of seeing the flying human flesh, nor the strange creature jumping deeper into the trees.


What she could see was a site of mass carnage. Running a bit ahead of Rule who seemed to be stuttered by the sight of the corpses, Tau stopped in the midst of it.





"Hellooooo? Anyone not dead yet? Preferably someone with cooking abilities..."


She had at least agreed with Alphy on one thing; if they were reduced to eating each others' remains, better to have someone who knew what they were doing handle it.





"Hmmm..."


Getting no immediate response, Tau knelt by one of the bodies. Due to the screaming and gunshots, she was pretty sure that their deaths hadn't just been caused by the crash. What had been the cause, she really couldn't say. It was possible that, in the midst of confusion and panic, someone had gotten hold of a gun and the situation had escalated from there. But somehow that didn't seem right.





"Well, at least there's no carnivorous plant. Here, at least. Let's hope that whoever survived isn't off killing each other Golding style."





We can't be the only survivors, right?

<

@wizard nibblers >
​

 

[Mystik]

Tango Down.

The soldier that had suddenly been swarmed by people pants weakly. Her blood had been spilling for far too long now. The air around her blew softly as the planet seemed to mourn those who had sustained injury. The trees drooped slightly. A spectacle to behold for sure, as it seems evident that the consciousness that Sebby mentioned earlier was confirmed. Her mouth remained zipped closed even as Joshua wove words of encouragement in her native tongue. She squirmed and writhed in pain as he barely touched his gentle fingers to her thigh. The tip of her bone showed through the flesh of her thigh. Bandaging it will certainly not be enough. Though she assumed that Joshua didn't have much else of an option if he only did such a menial repair.


Only when Arthur got close to her did she snap out of her state of adrenaline. The Marine tried her best to focus on his words, though her ears rang from the multiple unprotected gunshots and the pure state of panic that she was in. It's clear she doesn't have a concussion, though that certainly doesn't mean she's able to function properly right now. "My.. Leg..." She says heavily when he asks what she needs. After these words her vision blurs, she falling to an unconscious state in the glowing green grass painted with her blood.


@Ironrot @Lenchan @Floodwater31

 

[Jarkov Malachai]

What else I might have been... What else I might have done...

A creature leapt through the upper canopy with such speed and grace that for all intents and purposes it might as well have been flying save for the urgency of which it carried about it. Four arms wrapped tightly around its chest, securing its most precious cargo safely as it blazed a trail through the tree tops. Green, orange, red, foliage pulsating around it, flying by in a kaleidoscope of colors as the local fauna fled before the strange monster, for their instincts told them to avoid the Huntress in her current state.


Pain clouded its rational mind, shrouded reason, why did it take this little one from its nest? What purpose did she serve? It could deal with pain, but confusion was unacceptable, it led to mistakes and that of which led only to death.


A young creature would have to be protected in unfamiliar territory as such, even more so when its guardian was all the more unfamiliar. True, the young ones were oh so much more adaptable hosts, much more receptive for augmentation and alteration. But still, tis did no justify its actions in a way that it made sense even to it. Its eye throbbed, the loss of sight created blind spots previously non-existant in its expansive field of vision. Throwing it off balance from the lack of sight so t’was no surprise when its back leg hit the branch of a slippery type bark or skin of a tree, that the creature could not regain its balance in time for it had landed at an off angle, and both it and the package it carried fell to the ground.


The ‘Monster’ curled up into a ball and once again, played pinball with the underlying brush.


The two hit the ground with the creature taking the brunt force, the landing knocking all the wind out of the Dredge’s extensive lungs in a great “Whumphf!” As it lay there, the loamy soil having cushioned its fall fairly and the Little Terran female shaking from Terror, exhilaration, exhaustion, or all three, head nestled underneath its breast, one couldn’t help but breach a subject of which pushed it to pursue this course of action. Another memory of its time kept in a steel cage, a time of which it wished to be forgotten yet was inexplicably seared into the very makings of that which would shape it… Her for the rest of time, until she stopped breathing.


The Dredge’s five grey eyes snapped open and it let its four arms fall to the ground from the girl, releasing its prison like grip. Those eyes just stared upwards, for the moment lost in thought.

 

[Lenchan]

<


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>

Islia’s eyes tracked up from the water to the forearm she clung to with all the willpower she could muster. The young man attached just hung, lifeless and useless, damnit! The woman winced and dared a glance upward; her dislocated shoulder was failing her, the chokehold on the branch keeping them alive was loosening, weakening, and sealing fate. Die or die trying, it seems. She looked down again to Sebastian and called out to him hoarsely, not daring to shift her weight any to jar him. No response. Fuck, Sebastian… “Please!” But still the man gave no reply. She gave one last calculating glance to the river below and closed her eyes, regretting how pathetic she sounded and how useless she felt in the end. She’d never imagined a blaze of glory, but she never would’ve guessed hanging off the side of a cliff on a planet she knew nothing about, the only other person around to mourn her not here at all, potentially lost to the world, himself.
​

So what? She felt her anger boil and fizzle out, pitifully. Whatever energy she had needed to be focused into her muscles. Her body wasn't interested in much else, especially the construct of being cool and collected in the face of death. Besides, did any of it matter? There was no one to witness her perish - no witness to place a purpose for her need to hold to an idea of who she was. No place to attribute reason for pondering who she could be. She’d been living in the darkness of her heart for her entire life; always careful to coat another layer of glass on to the cool, calculating, antisocial two-way mirror of a personality she’d encased herself in. All in the name of protecting herself but she’d just managed to hollow out all that she wanted to be, all that she truly was. Was there any motivation to hold on to that shell, now? She could just let it go and be free. And so she did...





And they both plunged down into the depths of the violent dark below.

**************





<
​

>


Fright. The most direct description of this feeling she’d ever felt. There was no beast to fend off, no ship to crash, no bodies to bury, no scars to heal; there was nothing in the way to distract her senses from dedicating to the full range of experiencing complete and utter loss of control. Islia gasped for air only to have a mouthful of infested water greet her lungs over and over again - burning the burn of death; melting her from the inside. No running. No fighting. No reprieve. Her body thrashed and sought desperately for purchase – anything to help her cling to the life slipping away from her body; slipping through the space between her fingers, the fibers of her clothing, the strands of her hair. She searched and found nothing but the howling, bubbling rage of rapids, dancing and wrapping tendrils around her, cutting off all senses of the external world and folding her down into their depths with strength she couldn’t possibly match. Singing her to eternal sleep. Her vision blurred and darkened. The woman was completely overcome. There was just she and the deep: loud and silent; violent and calm.


Her heart panicked beneath her ribs and as the burn soaked into the fibers of every muscle, flowing freely through her bloodstream and spreading throughout her like the roots of a tree, firm and secure. So acute, so poignant she was sure it would never end. But fuck, did she want it to. And so, her writhing ceased - slowly at first, but then her body went completely still, finding its rhythmic flow amongst the river, no longer creating a series of discords but a beautiful, melodic resonance. It was as if she was always meant to be here; sown into the seams of the stream - borne out from the darkness of the waves. Her lids fluttered the last beats of her slowing heart…


Then flared open again in a violent burst, a fresh wave of pain shooting through her burnt body. Sebastian! Sebastian! She struggled once more, reaching out to the lifeless form being tossed around in the waves past her. His body had blocked out the light – from above? – for just a brief moment, but long enough to pull her back into her consciousness. She tried in vain to reach out to him. And tried harder. And harder, still. Please, Sebast... Wai… Her arm floated gently back towards her body, unmoved by her dying wish. A body of blue hair and weathered skin swirled and danced in tandem with the waves, completely taken into the cadence of the waltz. Beautiful.


Islia Bulvardo was coming to an end and the world continued on in the way it does, unaffected by the failing of a single life.

 

[Floodwater31]

Joshua is talking to me, check yourself? Something like that. And if by thinking about it, a switch was flicked which allowed Alex to feel every little bruise and cut. A slight wince made it to his face before he caught it. "I'm fine, thanks", it's not like anything can be done, besides other people need the attention more. "How's... Teal?", a quick glance confirmed it was indeed her. Alex began to rise to his feet, everything became blurry and his center of balance disappeared, what felt like minutes was in reality less than two seconds. Everything was back to normal when he made it all the way up, well, normal being intense pain mainly coming from one's left leg. Where the fudge is my crutch... did I just censor myself? Now that he was standing, Alex had a much better view of Teal, the bone was, as he thought, very broken, everyone watch out, Samson M.D. coming through with official terminology. Come on! Do something useful! Maybe Arthur has medical training? Or Joshua? "Do either of you know how to set a bone? I could make a crude stretcher...". Where the hell is our medical staff? Did they all go hurl themselves of a cliff or something? Sebastian would be a lifesaver right now, or anyone... Out of the people here, Teal is the most likely to have medical training, I mean I can apply bandages and tourniquets, and someone beat me there... I hope she didn't like that leg.

 

[Ironrot]

Sally crawled out from the arms of the creature, on the outside relatively unscaved. She didn't know why it had taken her. Maybe it wanted to eat her later. She ran behind the nearest tree and knelt down to hide. She peered over a large, exposed root to see the beast.


The Dredge lay on its back, unmoving. It looked hurt to Sally. She thought it might be dead until it shifted a little. Sally screamed and run into the forest, stumbling on the uneven ground.


-


Arthur leant back a little to allow Alex to see Teals injury. It wasn't great. Arthur turned his head back to speak to Alex.


"Alex. Have you seen Caitlyn?" He asked. Arthur looked back at Teal. Her eyes were closing. "Woah, Woah. Stay Awake." He tapped her on the side of the face, afraid to hit her with any real force. "Don't fall asleep."


He knew it was likely just exhaustion but there was always the chance that she had a head injury. Arthur lightly lifted the back of her head, feeling for any sign of a heavy impact. "I can't find an injury" He reported to Alex. "She's not waking up." At this point he was stating the obvious. "We need Caitlyn." He said, Standing and cupping his hands over his mouth. "CAITLYN!"

 

[Maki]

Unfortunately for the other group, Caitlyn wasn't in very good shape. The amount of blood she lost had taken a lot out of her, and all the stressful events made her worse. She sat still in the bushes holding her makeshift pant bandaid around her wound. Her eyes were in slits and her breathing soft. Caitlyn wasn't about to die, but she was very close to passing out. But she needed to stay awake, not wanting Joshua to come back thinking that she died. Suddenly she heard the faint sound of someone calling her name. Am I imagining that? She tried o call back, but the words couldn't escape her mouth. She needed water.

 

[Lenchan]

As soon as he’d confirmed Alex wasn’t in any mortal danger, Joshua began stepping back over the timber that had crushed Teal’s resolve along with her leg. He sighed heavily and ran his fingers roughly through his head, shaking and nodding absently to himself as he organized his volition. “Arthur- I know where Caitlyn is. I need to go back for her now that I know the threat here has diminished. I’m going to grab the rover and bring it ‘round. You and Alex load Teal, then one of you stay there with her. Keep her awake. Decide that amongst yourselves.” Joshua took the rifle and pressed it into Alex’s chest with a stern expression on his face that could only be read as “Don’t fuck it up.” Before Alex could’ve protested, he was already in a half-jog, tossing the end of his comment over his shoulder as his legs began to pump out in a full sprint. Normally there’d be some joke here about the incompatibility of Joshua Elric Storstandssen and strenuous activity, but the man was a pilot and it did entail some level of physical fitness. Bet your ass the most prominent demonstration of said fitness would be in interest of saving his own skin. And Joshua was very interested in the preservation of his skin and all its constituents: eyes, ears, organs, the like. When it came to self-preservation, he was his own greatest hero. And so no jokes here about the nature of Josh and sprinting. In this moment, for the moment, the two components aligned just fine.


In his jog, Joshua caught glimpse of two young and unfamiliar faces peering back at him – presumably others from the ship. For the time, he’d decided to place all humans in the category: 'temporarily trustworthy' – they could sort out the other business later after, again, they got as far the fuck away from this travesty of a landing field as possible.


“Hey, you two! Come with me. We’re all getting out of here, now.” He waved the boy and girl along as he jogged past them, catching the smell of something most foul. Foul enough to cause a backward glance over his shoulder. Perhaps the corpses? Perhaps something else. The rover was coming into full view on the other side of the large hunk of metal that was once home to these category: 'temporarily not-quack jobs' people. Josh leaped and bounded over several of the debris, picking up and tossing others aside every 10 or so yards; making room for the vehicle to make it’s way through. Upon coming across a larger heap splitting the dirt and sinking further than he could manage on his own, he looked back to make sure Rule and Tau had indeed followed, starting “Both of you give me a hand with this thing.”





@TealFyre @Floodwater31 @Pretzel Heart @wizard nibblers

 

[wizard nibblers]

“Right. You, me, and whatever survivors escaped... whatever just jumped into the forest. I didn’t just imagine that, right?” She made a note to check the expiration date again on that mayonnaise later. Still shaken, she thought perhaps going into the forest after the thing wasn’t wise but, maybe it was following something? Something that was more human? Something that may or may not be a survivor? The thing seemed pretty fast, so as long as they went quietly and didn’t smell like delicious human meat (a disadvantage Rule didn’t have to worry about), they should be okay. There were spatterings of blood (Rule still didn’t want to think that was real human blood) along the plants leading in the direction of the thing’s escape path. She stepped over a boy who looked not too much younger than herself, sans a chunk ripped out of his right side (she began to regret the cannibalism joke).


The voice of another person shook her from her thoughts, a man ran past her and into the wreckage. Partway through his digging, he called them over and Rule went happily, always ready to dig through useless junk.


“I have my mayonnaise at the ready,” she replied to Tau.


Her short attention span overrode her shock as she bounced back over to the debris. The pieces were heavy, and she worked rather slowly, looking a bit like a fire ant carrying breadcrumbs. How unfortunate it was that none of this could fit in her pocket.

 

[Pretzel Heart]

τ

"Whatever jumped into the forest...?"


Maybe Alphy had eaten a bit too much mayonnaise. Tau knew first hand what eating the same not-exactly-delicious thing day after day could do to someone's psyche. If there ever came a time in her life when she was being held for interrogation, nothing would ever made her reveal her newfound weakness to spaghetti. It would take months, possibly even years before she could stomach the cold, lifeless noodles again without an involuntary reflex.


Noticing that she had gotten distracted by thoughts of food, she blinked back to reality to notice her friend wandering deeper into the woods, her feet trailing alongside an ominous pattern of dripping blood.


"Hey, Alphy? Mind telling me what you're hoping to accomplish there?"


The quiet forest that had seemed so peaceful earlier now filled Tau with a strange sense of foreboding. Indeed, her darker thoughts from earlier came streaming back. They had no idea what they would find on this planet. Of course it looked beautiful enough, and she was surviving without having to wear some bulky spacesuit, another bonus. But they could have landed on the Planet of the Apes or Prometheus for all they knew. And there was no going back, so whatever they had landed amidst they were going to have to deal with.


Just as she was going to chase after her grubby friend, a jarringly loud noise of something crashing through the undergrowth that Tau hadn't noticed before suddenly seemed to be getting uncomfortably closer.


"Did whatever you saw go into the forest look like a pretty boy?"


Tau pointed her violin bow at lean-looking young man who came whizzing into view. He wasn't armed, so hopefully that meant he wasn't the one who had started the Lord of the Flies reenactment, but something about him still put Tau on edge. It was the well-oiled way with which he ran, motioning for herself and Alphy to follow him as if someone used to giving orders and, more importantly, having those orders followed.





“Hey, you two! Come with me. We’re all getting out of here, now.”


Ah...I know what it is.


The thing that had immediately put Tau on edge.


This man.


He reeked of the military.


Still, now was no time to get butt hurt about past follies. They had a decision to make, and with the presence of an unknown soldier, Tau suddenly felt herself becoming more protective of Alphy. The girl may be garbage but she was her garbage. And if their only other survivor was a soldier...well...Tau was going to work double to make sure she continued to have contact with the one person she could somewhat relate to.


The man was already running towards a pile that Tau had just noticed in the rubble. It looked like some sort of transportation vehicle.





If it's military-issue, I could probably hack its programming...


Instinctively her arms closed in on her laptop, hidden safely within her jacket. The battery life wasn't great, but it would be just enough for her to pull off a few more feats of greatness in a pinch---


Tau mentally slapped herself for getting overly defensive. Put the old life behind. Otherwise she was going to end up no better than Jack Merridew. Logically speaking, with so few (three, in fact, confirmed) human survivors in a potentially inhospitable planet, all of their minds were going to be focused on one thing: Staying alive. Especially if they were going to have to repopulate the human race and raise good human chefs, at least one of the girls would be needed. And as long as she and Alphy at least appeared to be harmless, they shouldn't have to worry about being betrayed. Alphy would naturally have that covered. As for Tau, well, she was good at acting.





"Come on, Alph. Let's go see what this guy's deal is. If nothing else we can try and cook him later." Tau brought her friend back from the brink of the forest. If she had been looking for confirmation on whether or not they should trust the newcomer with his sparkling blonde hair, Tau had just handed it to the both of them.





"So what's your story, Prince Charming? Happen to know what killed these people off?" Tau asked, walking up to where the soldier was trying to dig his whatever out, but calmly making no real effort to help. He seemed to have the physical labor thing covered already, anyways, and in her own garbage-digging way, Rule seemed to be doing enough helpful contribution for the both of them.

<

@wizard nibblers , @Lenchan >
​

 

[Floodwater31]

"No, I haven't seen anyon-", before he had finished Arthur had moved on, first by reporting back, then by screaming for Caitlyn. Shit, she fell unconscious... No injury, if it's not a concussion then it's most likely shock... Joshua chose that moment to announce he knew the location of one nurse, god Joshua, how the hell do you know where she is? Before he could voice these opinions however a rifle found it's way into his hands and Joshua began to give orders. He would have said something like, who the hell made you leader, but the hard stare he gave him made him think along the lines of, yes sir, to which he was annoyed. To be honest, Alex preferred a longer barreled gun over a handheld one, the extra stabi- and he's gone. Alex pulled the clip from the rifle just to be sure, real and fully loaded, good. It was then he realized Arthur and Teal where still there, fuck, I had something I needed to say... concus- Shock! "Arthur, I think it's shock, help me find something to prop up her legs- I mean leg".

 

[Anaxial]

<


​

>

Islia’s eyes tracked up from the water to the forearm she clung to with all the willpower she could muster. The young man attached just hung, lifeless and useless, damnit! The woman winced and dared a glance upward; her dislocated shoulder was failing her, the chokehold on the branch keeping them alive was loosening, weakening, and sealing fate. Die or die trying, it seems. She looked down again to Sebastian and called out to him hoarsely, not daring to shift her weight any to jar him. No response. Fuck, Sebastian… “Please!” But still the man gave no reply. She gave one last calculating glance to the river below and closed her eyes, regretting how pathetic she sounded and how useless she felt in the end. She’d never imagined a blaze of glory, but she never would’ve guessed hanging off the side of a cliff on a planet she knew nothing about, the only other person around to mourn her not here at all, potentially lost to the world, himself.
​

So what? She felt her anger boil and fizzle out, pitifully. Whatever energy she had needed to be focused into her muscles. Her body wasn't interested in much else, especially the construct of being cool and collected in the face of death. Besides, did any of it matter? There was no one to witness her perish - no witness to place a purpose for her need to hold to an idea of who she was. No place to attribute reason for pondering who she could be. She’d been living in the darkness of her heart for her entire life; always careful to coat another layer of glass on to the cool, calculating, antisocial two-way mirror of a personality she’d encased herself in. All in the name of protecting herself but she’d just managed to hollow out all that she wanted to be, all that she truly was. Was there any motivation to hold on to that shell, now? She could just let it go and be free. And so she did...





And they both plunged down into the depths of the violent dark below.

**************





<
​

>


Fright. The most direct description of this feeling she’d ever felt. There was no beast to fend off, no ship to crash, no bodies to bury, no scars to heal; there was nothing in the way to distract her senses from dedicating to the full range of experiencing complete and utter loss of control. Islia gasped for air only to have a mouthful of infested water greet her lungs over and over again - burning the burn of death; melting her from the inside. No running. No fighting. No reprieve. Her body thrashed and sought desperately for purchase – anything to help her cling to the life slipping away from her body; slipping through the space between her fingers, the fibers of her clothing, the strands of her hair. She searched and found nothing but the howling, bubbling rage of rapids, dancing and wrapping tendrils around her, cutting off all senses of the external world and folding her down into their depths with strength she couldn’t possibly match. Singing her to eternal sleep. Her vision blurred and darkened. The woman was completely overcome. There was just she and the deep: loud and silent; violent and calm.


Her heart panicked beneath her ribs and as the burn soaked into the fibers of every muscle, flowing freely through her bloodstream and spreading throughout her like the roots of a tree, firm and secure. So acute, so poignant she was sure it would never end. But fuck, did she want it to. And so, her writhing ceased - slowly at first, but then her body went completely still, finding its rhythmic flow amongst the river, no longer creating a series of discords but a beautiful, melodic resonance. It was as if she was always meant to be here; sown into the seams of the stream - borne out from the darkness of the waves. Her lids fluttered the last beats of her slowing heart…


Then flared open again in a violent burst, a fresh wave of pain shooting through her burnt body. Sebastian! Sebastian! She struggled once more, reaching out to the lifeless form being tossed around in the waves past her. His body had blocked out the light – from above? – for just a brief moment, but long enough to pull her back into her consciousness. She tried in vain to reach out to him. And tried harder. And harder, still. Please, Sebast... Wai… Her arm floated gently back towards her body, unmoved by her dying wish. A body of blue hair and weathered skin swirled and danced in tandem with the waves, completely taken into the cadence of the waltz. Beautiful.


Islia Bulvardo was coming to an end and the world continued on in the way it does, unaffected by the failing of a single life.

Consciousness had failed him the moment the ship collided with the ground, running through the Hangar as the ship crashed, Arden was thrown about like a ragdoll in the open area his flailing limbs serving no purpose as he crashed into the bulkhead of ship and immediately his vision went black. Who knew how long he was there? Hours? Probably. Days? It felt like it. Arden's awakening was a slow and agonizing process, it began with a simple finger twitch, following by the balling of a fist and a low, guttural groan. Involuntary, his body was desperate for oxygen and he was awake. Red and yellow came to him, reaching out to him as his eyes slowly cracked open under the helmet of the flightsuit. When his eyes were open he immediately cringed and jammed them shut, the light was bright as the fires of hell and for a moment, Arden feared he was there.


Slow to adjust to their new setting, the man's eyes ached and burned yet he forced them open, he wouldn't be beaten by some minor pain, as it would dwarf what was to come. When his eyes had finally come to terms with the light. he saw green, lots and lots of green. He heard the chirps and cheers of insects and birds, the flow of rushing water some distance away. A smile crept up on his face, he was alive and while he wasn't sure for how long; for now he enjoyed the peacefulness of the canopy. He lay there for some time, for most of it he couldn't even feel his limbs, when the sensation began to return to his body, it returned with a hateful punch. A powerful, sharp, burning pain quickly grew from his leg and flashed over his body in waves. When it hit him, Arden gritted his teeth and dug his hands into the dirt, fearful of what he might see he continued to stare at the canopy, pained tears welling in his eyes. Occasionally a muffled curse or a quick yelp would escape from his mouth but for the most part, his pain was expressed in agonized writhing and profuse sweating.


When he had endured the pain for some hours, Arden worked the courage to look down at himself, laying on his back he was able to pretty easily scan over his person. Piercing his left leg was a large jagged segment of the destroyed ship. The shrapnel went straight through his leg and pinned him to the ground. Arden steeled himself and sat up, gripping the shard and groaned as he lay back down. He now realized where he was; he was laying on the destroyed deck of the Hangar bay, straight above him the overhead had been ripped off and it was hardly recognizable as a hangar anymore, several corpses lay nearby torn and ragged beyond identification, it better resembling a graveyard of fresh bodies and clean metal. Looking back at the shrapnel Arden was faced with multiple scenarios; bleeding out if this shard wasn't removed and his leg bandaged, dying of dehydration should he lay here forever, or attracting some sort of alien critter and being eaten alive. None of them were prefered. So began the agonizing process of removing the shard.


He was military, he may be trained in CPR and maybe some basic wound care, he certainly wasn't trained to remove a piece of shrapnel from his leg. The good news was; from what he could tell it missed the bone entirely only carving through his flesh and even seemed to be sealing the wound as well so bleeding out wouldn't be as big of a deal as he initially thought. He started by digging around the shard, trying to get his leg free of the ground before he did anything else. It proved an easy task and within minutes of digging he could lay on his side and crawl. So crawl he did, a desperate and scrambling crawl towards the bodies of the dead where he tore apart their clothes and began fashioning bandages.


The metal was sharp and jagged, the only way he was getting this out was by pushing it the rest of the way through. Arden took off his helmet, exposing his sweat covered skin to the air outside and balled up some rags biting down hard as he pulled his leg up to a slight bend and gripped the metal. Hands trembling he pushed the shard through the flesh and immediately his vision went red, his body convulsed and went limp as he didn't even have time to scream, pain knocked him out quickly. He awoke later, in a pool of his own blood his vision blurred and very close to death. Now was the time to be worried about bleeding out. Weakly, Arden grabbed at the shard, his fingers failing to get a hole of the shard in his weak state. He arched his back, leaned to one side and in a fast movement, yanking the rest of the jagged shard through. He let out a soft grunt and collapsed back onto his back, his hands began to tingle, his eyelids grew heavy and his arms felt as though they weighed a ton. Somehow, in this ragged state Arden managed to bandage his leg and recovery began.


It took then entire day to recover enough to move, Arden luckily had access to water from his canteen and drank it sparingly, he had taken off all his flight suit and sat in nothing but a black t-shirt and some boxer briefs. He sat in the shade and tended to his leg, the thought of other survivors crossed his mind but until he could walk he was stuck here. On the morning of the second day Arden ran out of water and he was forced to move. He painfully slipped back into his flight suit and began fashioning a splint for his leg out of the metal and rags he had gathered. When on his feet, he could hardly move but... he could move. Taking inventory of what he had, Arden holstered the Solaris pistol, the charge in the green, he pocketed his purification tablets and hooked the canteen on his belt. With his helmet under his arm he took the shard that had previously been lodged in his leg and tightly wrapped the last of the rags around the thin base of one end, making a short, makeshift machete with the shrapnel.


He limped towards the sound of running water, slow to move until he heard a voice, someone was shouting something and immediately his heart raced. Another person! He was no longer alone. He rushed to the flowing river and saw what appeared to be two figures plummeting from a waterfall into the river below. Arden watched in shock as they fell and cursed out loud as they crashed into the waters below. He waited a moment, one of them still seemed to be moving and shouting something that could hardly be heard over the rush of the water. Arden limped to an thick root that stretched out and over the rushing waters below. His leg throbbed with every quickened heartbeat yet the man pursued, tossing his helmet aside he climbed out onto the root and wrapped his good leg around it. He saw them coming... Two of them... One just went under while the other floated motionlessly on the surface of the water. Arden reached out and grabbed the motionless figure with both hands, pulling him up onto the root and laying him on his stomach to keep him from falling back in.


Quickly, Arden reached back down into the water and grabbed for the outstretched hand of the second person. His flight glove gripped tight despite the water and with a strainful cry Arden pulled up the second person high enough before grabbing their shoulder and hauling them onto the root as well. The vegetation had reached it's limit however and the fibers began to tear at the sides. With a good grip on the second person, Arden flopped their body onto the ground that the root was jutting from. The first person was hung over the branch like a drying towel and so as Arden tried to heave the figure up onto the shore as well, he couldn't get a grip good enough on his body and when the root finally snapped the first figure plummeted into the waters again, almost pulling Arden with him. Luckily, Arden flew backwards when the first body was suddenly dropped into the water and he scrambled to grip the edge of the shore, hauling himself to dry land before he tried to crawl a few feet away. He collapsed instantly however and gripped his wounded leg, blood had began pumping out his body once again and he tried his best to replace the rags that he had tried clotting the wound with.


"Shit... You better be alive.." he barely could speak, as his chest rose and fell rapidly and he fell onto his back, wiping at the sweat that was slowly flowing into his eyes.

 

[Lenchan]

Joshua looked over to the young boy who’d simply followed, making no moves to attempt to assist. Seriously, this crew was the worst excuse for cohesive human beings he’d even encountered. The prospect of them living with him for the rest of their days was less and less appealing. Well, at least most of them. He’d started down the perverted train of thoughts of Teal’s strikingly beautiful features behind a nice rugged layer of army brat and of Caitlyn’s- fuck, man - immediately his mind fixated back to the task at hand, pulling harder at the debris and managing to break it free. Using the momentum, he twisted his body and launched it over to the side. Already, it felt like so much time had gone by. “This is good enough. I will explain in the rover, kid, but my name’s Joshua. Lives are at stake so let’s go!”





Joshua rested his eyes on Tau momentarily again, getting a better look: sharp features, inquisitive eyes, guarded, uninterested stance. The young man looked like a troublemarker and in any other situation he may’ve prodded and joked a bit with this character, interesting afterall, but it would have to wait till later. The cool introduction already lost, he turned on his heels dismissing relations till after they were safely on the road away from this hell hole. He’d definitely want to know about the violin the man was wielding. Later, he urged. Before he could get his jog back up to pace, he’d come across the medkit he’d left behind, bending and packing the constructor away with a rushed carelessness he would probably regret later. He pointed to the backpack he’d ditched next to it and looked to Rule who at least seemed more than happy to be useful. "Toots, would you grab that backpack? It’s got water and a few protein bars in in so once we’re in the clear, feel free to open it.”





The rover sat with the door still propped open in the way he’d left it. A quick scan of the inside showed no unwelcomed guests had gotten curious enough to explore the front cabin. He climbed in a hoisted the medkit into the back seat, slamming his door and placing the middle and ring finger of his left hand on the scanner left of the steering wheel. The scanner flashed to life, evaluating the input and then turning an electric green, before pinging and roaring the engine to life.





“Status confirmed. Welcome Joshua. Do you have a destination in mind?” The soothing, yet formal voice of the female A.I. asserted herself through the speakers, awakening the tablet on the center dash from its sleep and displaying a crude blueprinted map of the area with plotted points. Joshua pressed one of them instantly and swiped away from the screen, pulling up a menu of other commands, erring to do everything manually to avoid verbalizing any important information about the Elita’s system to these complete strangers he still hadn’t moved from the “temporarily not-quacks” category. “Defenses online. Shall I contact the ship for reinforcement?”


“No, Luna, just get us the shortest, tamest route back to the Elita.” There was no point in contacting the ship. There was no one else there to receive the signal. Absently, Joshua recalled the woman who’d been missing, status unknown, for at least seven months now. Had she managed to survive? He’d hoped so but couldn’t be bothered with remorse now. Once the other two were in the rover, he slammed on the gas, sending them forward in a jolt, and swerved the wheel to follow the path he and Rule had cleared for the vehicle. In a manner of seconds he was slamming on the breaks and pulling up dust a short distance from Arthur, Alex and Teal. Joshua swung open the door and leaped from the vehicle, the system switching over to idle. He leaned back in and pressed his fingers on the scanning tablet “Luna, guest mode now. We’ve got plenty company and they need to be able to move freely and access the medical station.”


“Confirming systems guest mode. Security clearance is down, Joshua. Welcome board everyone, I am Luna, the intelligence system of the Elita 7X4 StarCruiser. Please feel free to inquire assistance.” As Luna projected her greeting throughout the vehicle, Joshua grabbed another handgun and a bar from the center console before exiting the rover for good.


“Alright,” he stood before Alex and Arthur, who were doing their best to keep Teal awake. “Get her into the back and explain the situation to Luna, the AI. She’s fully capable of responding to whatever string you input and you shouldn’t have any issues with security.” He looked down to Teal and offered what he hoped would give her a bit of fighting strength. “Ты и нечерезтакое проходила,ты и не такое видала. Без труда́ не вы́тащишь и ры́бку из пруда́. Не волнуйся,мы почти прикехали.” He looked from Arthur to Alex. “I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m going back for Caitlyn.”





With that, Joshua was tearing back into the woods, leaping and bounding with swift precision over the forest’s obstacles. Using his acute memory to pick out the obscure landmarks he’d logged to guide his way, he made his way back to the collection of bushes in record time. “Caitlyn.” He called out ahead to alert the woman. He just realized he’d now known her name; so much for his valiant ‘wait for me, beauty!’. “It’s Joshua!” He torn through the bushes and came across the woman, who had managed to do what she could to nurse her own wounds. Now that’s a woman right there. He flashed his playboy smile at her. “I told you I’d come back for you, though usually I wouldn’t take this long. I am a gentleman.” He gently placed his hands at leg leg, looking it over with tender execution, careful not to cause her anymore pain than necessary. “How are you doing love? Are you ready to get the hell out of here?”





@TealFyre @Kayzo

Spoiler

"You've been through worse, you've seen worse. No pain, no gain, they say. Don't worry we're almost home."

 

[Maki]

Caitlyn looked up at Joshua, who came back at the perfect time. "Thank god you came back." She said, her voice quiet and distant. She was extremely tired, and couldn't go on much longer awake. Despite the fact that she was in pain, and barely conscious, she flashed a small smile up at him. "And yes, please get me out of here. I don't know how much longer I can stay in this bush." She laughed a little, trying to stay positive through all of this.


(Short post, having some authors block.)

 

[Lenchan]

Joshua’s heart sang a bit to see the woman smiling and joking despite her weakness. Truly a trooper, this one. He opened up one of the protein bars and handed it over to her. “It’s specifically formulated to promote plasma production and clotting. It will help you get your strength back and aid in stopping the bleeding. Quite delicious, too, surprisingly. Eat it while we head back.” With that Joshua cupped his arms under her thighs and around her back, lifting her up from the tree with a grunt. Her body felt as frail as it looked and he hoped she’d fair alright. “Im going to walk up the the clearing ahead then have you get on my back. It will make transporting you much swifter.” He nodded towards the bar she was clutching between her fingers. “Eat up, love. Gain your strength.” Joshua started out back in the direction of the crash, his eyes trained at the ground in front of them, desperately trying to keep his feet prepared to dodge any uneven ground or lifted roots. Once he made it to the clearing, Joshua set Caitlyn’s legs down gently then immediately kneeled in front of her, cupping his arms for her slip her legs through and seat herself. “Up you go, miss. Let’s get you home safe.”





@Kayzo

 

[Mystik]

Yunevich




Teal's mind became flooded with memory in her seemingly unconscious state. The truth was, she'd passed out from blood loss at this point. Shock hadn't set in - yet. Her body was resilient, though she wasn't made of the same chitin that kept the Dredge invulnerable.

We who have seen war

never stop seeing it.

Her limp and seemingly lifeless proved rather easily to move around, the muscles in her body entirely relaxed and proven useless. Her breath was shallow. Her eyes shut tightly. Her blood spurting rapidly. The bone that now clearly showed through her skin pierced it like a knife through butter. Just as she was set upon the surgery table within Joshua's medical bay her eyes spiked open. Adrenaline began rushing through her system as if she'd been shot with an overdose of it. Her eyes were wild and flickered to each individual light within the room that surrounded her. The machine would be able to monitor her vital signs by now. 'Luna' would be alerted that her patient had entered a state of severe and possibly life-threatening shock. Her heart-rate spiked high on the monitor.


****


The Marine was forced onto her back by the sudden wave of panic and recollection of memories that she'd tried to force from her consciousness for so long. She'd remembered the last Drop she'd made. It was just over Traverese Baye. The town had erupted into chaos and rebellion. The Platoon she was a part of, at least what was left of it, had been deployed by the very few remaining government officials. The Generals and Politicians had lost sight of the reality that they were throwing their 'toy soldiers' into. Their was no way that the tiny group of just six soldiers could have brought order to the Port Town that had fallen to pieces. Alas, there wasn't a choice for these soldiers. In Teal's mind, it was the option to die in combat, or die in an execution. She knew her Comrades had felt the same. The very small Platoon was resting inside of a Cargo plane that had been re purposed into a drop-ship for them. Each soldier sat in a kneel just in front of the bay door that would release them into their demise. But who would know it would come so soon.

Just as the soldiers began falling from the sky with trails of red smoke erupting from a flare attached to each of their ankles they were quickly met with rebellious Anti-air fire. Just behind them the ship erupted into flame. Debris flew everywhere, impaling at least one or two of the crew that was now being picked off from the sky like practice skeet. Teal had been one of the few that had even made it close to the tops of the many skyscrapers that were assembled within the heart of the City. Despite the blood and gore that erupted around her the Russian girl had stayed extremely concentrated on her goal. Shots flew past her head, which was encased within a dark helmet. The visor on said helm was shattered, bits of glass slamming into Teal's fair complexion. Though panic did finally break through to the girl as her parachute utterly refused to deploy. She was now flying toward a high skyscraper without any possibility of slowing her fall. Soon her body met the glass roof, shattering it easily. She fell about two stories before, thanks be to whatever god there is, she fell into a fountain that rested within a higher floor in the building. What? Teal had remembered sinking into the fountain. She'd remembered the feeling refreshing feeling of Artificial liquid surrounding her. It felt like she'd reentered her mothers womb and this had all been a terrible, infantile nightmare. But alas, this was far from the truth.


****


Throughout her recollection of this tale, the girl remained shaking and gasping on the surgery table. If something were to be done, it should be done now. And quickly.




@Lenchan @Floodwater31 @Ironrot

 

[Maki]

Caitlyn looked down at the protein bar that Joshua had so graciously given her. It wasn't until now that she realized how hungry she actually was, having not eaten a single thing the entire day. She feebly ripped open the package and threw the wrapper onto the ground behind her. Bringing the bar up to her mouth, she slipped a part of it in and took a bite. Surprisingly not bad. She thought to herself, and took a few more bites, finishing the bar before they reached the clearing. "Heh, that was the first thing I've eaten in a long time that wasn't spaghetti." She said with a grin, much preferring to be in space right now.


As they reached the clearing, Caitlyn felt herself get put down, and Joshua's hands around her legs. Instinctively she proper herself up and gently wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. "Let's get out of here." She mumbled, closing her eyes.


@Lenchan

 

[Pretzel Heart]

τ

So much for 'Prince Charming.'


As much as the next person, Tau didn't particularly like being ignored. Especially not when the question at hand was about a body count. Still, it wasn't as if she had been particularly attached to any of the corpses. Hell they could have been puppy murderers for all she knew. So she decided not to press it. Additionally, it was the last part of Prince Charming's phrase that interested her: 'Lives are at stake.'


That meant more survivors. For the present, at least. And at least one of them could be an accomplished chef...according to Shrödinger, anyways. Thus Tau decided to play along and hopped onboard after Joshua and Rule. A good plan, seeing as she was almost immediately rewarded with water, reminding her that she probably hadn't had anything to drink in quite some time, and her body was getting dehydrated, and the equally soothing voice of a computer AI.


“Status confirmed. Welcome Joshua. Do you have a destination in mind?”


Well, hellooo there, sweet stuff.


An actual functioning AI. That was certainly going to be useful. At first opportunity she was going to have to make an excuse to get some alone time with the program. That would give her all the information she'd need about this 'Joshua' character and his 'Elite,' presumably the name of another ship.


So Prince Charming wasn't with us on the Dawn...


The odds of two refugees ending up on the same planet seemed statistically slim in the vastness of space, but it did boost the likelihood that this planet wasn't going to unleash acidic rain and flesh-craving monsters upon them like the seven plagues of Egypt. Especially if the Elite's crew had been here longterm, Prince Charming might hold some useful info after all. Particularly about this planet's most delectable cuisine...


Said prince's next words snapped Tau to attention with another surprise.


"Luna, guest mode now. We’ve got plenty company---"


"What...?"





Tau wasn't prepared for 'plenty company,' but before she could get a question in edgewise Joshua slammed the vehicle to a stop and threw the doors open wide.


“Confirming systems guest mode. Security clearance is down, Joshua. Welcome board everyone, I am Luna, the intelligence system of the Elita 7X4 StarCruiser. Please feel free to inquire assistance.”


And that's my cue.


Seeing that the military man had left the poor defenseless AI all on her lonesome, Tau took the opportunity to slip into the driver's seat.


"Luna...nice name for my new best friend. No offense, Alphy."





Before she could start playing around, however, before mentioned 'plenty company' streamed onboard: Two men with a pretty-under-the-weather girl in tow. It seemed that she was needing medical assistance and the matter seemed to be pressing, so Tau decided to leave off introductions. Besides, she didn't have much experience with running medical programs, and Prince Charming had said that Luna could handle it, so she supposed that she didn't have any reason to interfere.


"So, Luna, think you can perform a life-saving operation procedure while helping a brother out? I've got some questions for you."





The model name that the AI had identified earlier wasn't familiar to Tau, but it sure didn't sound like military issue. Intriguing. She briefly wondered how Charming had got ahold of it, whether it was through brutal plunder or an accessory of wealth. That put an even worse taste in her mouth. Military and potential corporate? But she had determined to set all judgement aside. She wasn't willing to whip out her computer just yet, particularly with so many people around, so she knew that whatever conversation she held with Luna wasn't going to be private...meaning that Charming could look back at it any time.


"If you could feed me some information about the ship's layout, prior flight pattern, and crew, that'd be great..." she mumbled quietly, letting her deft fingers fly over the keyboard while her violin was neatly propped up beside her. If the AI was connected to the main ship, that didn't seem like it would be stretching much of Luna's power to grab such simple info, leaving her plenty of juice to save the other girl.


"Also, if you happen to know about food stores...just don't mention spaghetti."

< @Lenchan , @Floodwater31 , @TealFyre >

​

 

[Floodwater31]

The rover was approaching just as Alex and Arthur had finished carefully repositioning Teal onto their makeshift stretcher. The stretcher was constructed from by running two poles through the sleeves of two shirts, Arthur had been somewhat confused when Alex had asked for his shirt, but had obliged once he had explained the stretcher. When the rover came to a rather quick stop, Joshua jumped out, and quickly instructed Alex and Arthur to move Teal to the back, then took off for the woods. When Alex and Arthur where moving Teal onto the operating table, Alex had two thoughts at the same time, Damn this is one hightech piece of metal, the other had been on repeat for awhile now, Fuck my leg! Unused to dealing with A.I.s Alex began with, "Uh, Luna, female subject Teal has broken her leg and has suffered heavy blood loss", formal was best, that is what Alex had decided as he tossed Arthur back his shirt. Is that a- fuck it is, Alex quickly looked away from the fully functional stretcher as he put his shirt back on. While his shirt was over his head a muffled response pierced the the fabric, that better not have been important... Luckily a slightly cartoony picture of someone giving someone else a shot appeared on a screen which was positioned so that everyone in the room but the patient could see the instructions, convenient design. A hypodermic needle rose from an indention in the wall, filled with a clear liquid. "Arthur, hold her arms", whether this is anesthesia or painkiller, I'd rather she not get punchy. Alex assumed that after the shot he'd reinsert the needle and it would be washed and filled with the next dose, assuming another one was needed.