𝕊𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕟 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕟, 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕘𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕘𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕩𝕪 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕦𝕥𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖.
Captain Desree Pepin's one job was to get the crew of the Halcyon to Mars and settle down, but she...
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March 26th, 2826
The Haven Tru, 23rd moon of Persyth, Unknown Space
Rowan's head spun. She felt like her body and brain were disconnected and she was in the middle of a limbo of sorts. A limbo between her thoughts and reality. The tumbling and rolling was over and they were motionless.
It was pitch black. Rowan couldn't tell if it was because there was no light source at all or if she was shutting her eyes. She couldn't get herself to move. She was too afraid that if she did, her body wouldn't respond. Or she'd realize she was dead. But when pain and panic started to settle into her system, Rowan knew the latter wasn't the case.
"Is it over?" a timid voice whispered, reeling Rowan from her thoughts. It was Beck. She couldn't see him but she definitely heard him. At least he was okay as far as she could tell.
"It has to be," Rowan replied, her fingers trembling as she struggled to unbuckle her seat belt. Luckily, the belt had held her in place, but Rowan was sure she would have some sort of whiplash as a pain in her neck. Literally.
Rowan slowly rose to her feet, noticing a slight slant to the floor. She held on to the arm of her chair, careful not to place her feet on too slippery a slope. "Beck, can you turn on your helmet's flashlight?"
Beck's answer was evident in the result of a beam of light flashing directly in her eyes. Rowan blinked, using her hand to cover the light as she examined what in the darkness was revealed. The light slowly went over the different crew members, making them cover their eyes.
"Is anyone hurt?" Trent asked, blinking from the sudden light before turning on his own. "I have a basic kit with me, though if worst comes to worst I can treat you back on the Halcyon." A series of mostly positive responses echoed through the dark room.
Beck groaned as he unbuckled, rotating his shoulder with a grimace."Alright, let's look at the damage."
The crew trekked over the precarious slope of the room, almost sliding towards the door if they misplaced a single foot. Beck was soon at the panel by the airlock, punching in a few codes before it opened both airlocks at the same time.
Exiting the ship, Rowan noted they were in a different location. They seemed to be deeper in the bog area and had landed in water. Rowan looked around hoping to find a familiar landmark, like the eagle rock or the contrail. But she couldn't see them from the door.
Jumping down into the water, Rowan waded through the waist-deep bog filth, making her way around the ship. Scouring the horizon, Rowan finally spotted the eagle rock she had noted as a landmark before the storm. It was further away than before, but at least they'd have a direction to shoot for.
Rowan turned to look at the Haven, or rather what was left of it. It resembled a crumpled piece of paper more than an exploratory shuttle. Her stomach dropped as swirling thoughts entered her mind. How would they get back to Desree now?
"The contrail's gone." Burton sniffed, making his way through the water to Rowan's side. "What're we to—"
"It's all under control, sir." Rowan pushed up her glasses, scouring her mind for possible interruptions they could face on the journey if they trekked it on foot. "We know which direction Desree is and once we are within range, we can use our tracking program to locate more specific coordinates."
Trent trudged over, tapping his helmet. "How much longer 'til the next helmet swap?" Trent asked, looking at Rowan with an intense gaze. Rowan almost forgot she didn't have a helmet on.
Rowan glanced at her watch before replying, "I have another 21 minutes..." She paused squinting her eyes as she realized that she had misread it. "No, 12 minutes... I must've read it wrong." Rowan blinked a few times to readjust her eyes. Maybe this atmosphere was starting to get to her head.
"Okay, Ro, you're gonna be needing this." Trent disconnected his helmet to place it in Rowan's hands.
"No, Trent—"
"Don't make me force it onto your head, Dr. Elliot," Trent stated, raising a brow at Rowan as if daring her to retaliate.
"Alright," Rowan said, connecting the helmet to her suit. She sighed, the air feeling much clearer to breathe in. Rowan clicked a button on her wrist to restart the timer. "Now, we must get moving, I think. I don't want to know what happens in this area after dark."
『ν』
With their few pieces of equipment and belongings tied down to their backs, the crew of the Halcyon set forth through the bogs of the moon. Rowan trudged up ahead with her paper-heavy satchel and analyzer weighing at her side.
"Dr. Elliot, is it safe to go through these waters?" Silas Burton asked, wading to her side, splashing the mud on her helmet, obscuring her view.
Rowan wiped the smudge, streaking it across the glass. She sighed. "Is it safe to wait at the ship?"
Silas took a deep breath. "Well..."
"Don't answer that," Rowan blurted, scrunching her nose to push up her glasses. She knew that they'd at least have shelter in the Haven from weather and creatures and whatever else was out there on the moon. "I am just trying to get us all united again," Rowan admitted, shoulders slumping in defeat. Once they were back together with Desree, they'd figure out how to get through this.
Silas slowed his pace, touching Rowan's arm. "Dr. Elliot, there's... there's a chance that the captain didn't survive."
Rowan ripped her arm away from him. "Desree survived." She paused, shaking her head. She felt it in her gut. "I know she's alive."
Silas pursed his lips, stepping back as they continued their pace. "For a scientist, you have a slim grasp on reality."
"I don't want to hear this," Rowan replied, averting her gaze from him.
"I'm just stating the facts—"
Rowan stopped in her tracks to look the man in the eyes. "Desree is smart; that is a fact. She is resourceful; that is a fact. She won't just die from a crash. We didn't die so there is hope for her."
Silas remained silent as he clenched his jaw, popping a vein on his temple. "I was just trying to warn you."
"Thank you for trying, but I don't want to receive it." Rowan adjusted her grip on her analyzer to keep it from dragging in the water as they waded into a slightly deeper part of the bog. "We'll deal with the possibility of Desree being dead when we get there."
"Not if we die first," Silas muttered, a disgruntled look etched across his face.
Rowan turned to him, opening her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a sound, there was a bone-chilling screech and the sound of splashing water made its way to her ears. Turning quickly, Rowan spotted a large, long limb appear from the water a quarter mile back, crashing into the Haven.
"The hills!" Rowan cried, trying to lift her legs faster in the thick, muddy water. "Get to the hills!"
As quickly and silently as they could, the team scrambled forward towards the hills in the horizon. The crunching of the ship behind them still echoed in Rowan's mind as they trudged faster through the water. She only caught a glimpse of the limb of whatever lurked in the bogs, but she knew she didn't want to see the rest of it. There was an alien. An alien monster destroying their ship—their only familiar comfort left besides the Halcyon. What were they going to do?
Rowan cast a glance behind her as her friends rushed ahead, spotting the Haven sink into the bog within the hold of the tentacled being. Try not to get eaten. That was the plan.
