Worlds Beyond

Entry 1: Anomaly 1

Screams tore through the comms…flashes of light, blinding even behind my closed eyes…quick visions of hopes and dreams that would all be dashed to bits. This was my end, I was certain. Screeching sounded as metal tore. An explosion rocked the ship, then impact threw me into darkness.

I don’t know how long I was out, but when I came to, somehow I’d survived.

Our ship, the Kagutsuchi, was partially on her side. A hunk of structural steel pierced through the floor in front of me. One foot closer and it would have taken my life.

The unpleasant smell of smoke and metal threatened to flood my mind with panic, but I gritted my teeth and shook it off.

Still alive. Come on, Jared. Move.

My hands found the belt release and I slid out of the chair, bracing as I hit the side of the ship with a thud. Still groggy, slow, but no time for pain. The grinding of metal pierced my ears, then a flash of sparks as the hardened doors to my office that were supposed to be impregnable were being pried open.

With a clang, the doors flew open and the ship shuddered. A silhouette of a woman appeared. In stepped the slim and not too tall Captain Kat, a former Federation military woman who often wore a smile that could thaw the ice-caps off a planet. At that moment though, her jaw was set hard and firm.

“Jared!” She coughed through the smoke that billowed in from the corridor. “You’re tougher than you look!”

“Where the hell are we?” I put a hand to my head, trying to stop everything from spinning.

“Hell if I know. You’re going to be all right, I got you.”

“If you say so… My head feels like it’s being slammed repeatedly with a sledgehammer. My money’s on it spontaneously combusting any second now.”

“I’ll take that bet–ain’t nothing the Crimson Wolves can’t handle.”

One minute we’d been with a fleet of other space pirates fighting to get to Mimir, the next… here. People had talked about wormholes, and at the moment, that’s the only explanation that made sense. But if we had actually gone through a wormhole, I was going to lose my shit.

She guided me out into the hallway where a few battered crew members were helping each other off the ship. Mostly men and women I didn’t interact with, bloody rags on heads, a few arms around shoulders for support.

We all made it outside, where Kat had us gather in a half circle to take stock of our situation. After she’d done a head check, she turned to the hard-as-nails killer named Hung, glaring at the hitman as if he wasn’t the scariest person on board. Hung did his killing up close and hated tech, and at the moment was cleaning one of his knives.

“Hung, gimme a sitrep,” Kat commanded.

“Most are here.” Hung didn’t even look up, his voice devoid of emotion. “Others, might be in the direction of those flames, or the smoke that way.”

I sat up, eyeing the two directions he referenced. One way I heard high pitched howls and the other, guttural clicking. Alien wildlife, most likely–what else? A glance back at the horror of twisted, reinforced metal and the ship’s gouged-out internals reminded me we were in hell.

“We’re missing most of our crew,” Kat noted. “Our best bet of getting out of here is Salazar, but he’s worthless outside of engineering. Best bet of surviving until then, Brin–gotta have a doc, after all.”

Our first step would be to get out there and find our missing crew, with special attention toward bringing Salazar and Brin back alive. Without either of them, we would be in trouble.

Those who were able to walk only included Captain Kat, Hung, and myself. The idea was to split up and cover more ground. As they started off, I had to choose–go with Hung, the badass who could handle himself if we ran into trouble, or Kat, the leader who I trusted to make smart decisions.

Then again, maybe the smart choice was to head off on my own, covering more ground in case any of the crew had been thrown aside during the crash.

Captain Kat looked over her shoulder at me. “Jared, who’re you going with?”

The results are here!

Choice: Me and you, Captain

- 23.02% Hung, all the way

- 57.06% Me and you, Captain

- 19.92% I can cover more ground alone

"Me and you, Captain,” I said as Kat prepped the others in case we didn’t make it back. She told me once about how to survive crashes. You had to be calm and decisive, and she had both of those qualities in spades.

She motioned for me to follow and started off towards the flames. “If anyone’s still alive in there, we need to be quick and avoid the heat best we can. Let’s move.”

Entry 2: Anomaly 2

I followed Captain Kat toward the flames not so far off, confident I’d made the right choice. Always best to go with the leader, especially someone you can trust.

She glanced my way and confirmed my thoughts by saying, “He’s a brute, you know? Hung… As likely to throw you to the wolves as slit your throat.”

“But you keep him around.”

“He’s a hell of a weapon….”

For the tenth time since we departed, she tried the comms to connect with anyone other than Hung or those we’d left back at the crashed ship.

When no reply came, she used the holo-display on her forearm to scan for signs of life. “Something is interfering with the readings. I can’t make sense of it. Keep your eyes open.”

She wasted neither steps nor time, sticking to the widest paths through the fire and scattered hunks of wreckage.

“Such a damn waste,” she said in her matter-of-fact tone. “Many of the crew wanted to tell Montez to shove his plans up his high, noble asshole. But here I am, picking my way through the gutted remains of my own ship, searching for survivors.” She looked back and considered me for a moment. “You and I need to stick together.”

“Captain?”

“I know how committed you are to the Crimson Wolves, we all do.” She continued, “When a wolf is raised by the pack, he is hard pressed to bite the alpha...”

A wild, high-pitched whine lengthened into a broken chain of half-second-long screams somewhere off in the distance. Not far enough for my liking.

The forest floor was vibrant with purples and blues but darkened by streaks of blood that told us more than one person had been dragged away, bleeding out as they went. She glanced down, regarding the red lines and pools where something might have fed. Her eyes scanned our surroundings.

“Where are the bodies?” Activating comms, she added, “Hung, come in. Give me a Sit-rep.”

“Corpses,” he replied, voice crackling. “None intact. No sign of Brin or Salazar.”

“We have blood, and a lot of it…but no bodies.”

Hung was silent for a moment. “With all these strange animal sounds I’m hearing, gotta say…you’d better be armed.”

Kat exhaled slowly. “I’m covered. Anything else?”

“Came upon a large ravine too deep and wide to cross. Something’s moving in the tree line. Not human. Not sure if it sees me. Think I’ll head your direction.”

“Find me a survivor. This time, look harder.” With that, she disconnected.

She checked her sidearm and pulled it from the standard flat gray Federation holster before reaching for the smaller one strapped around her ankle — a small kinetic-based silver pistol, full retro with the barrels vertically parallel to each other.

I checked myself and clenched my jaw, annoyed that I hadn’t come armed. A booming howl came from Kagutsuchi’s direction, adding to my frustration and making me feel very naked.

The Captain’s pace had noticeably quickened. She stopped at a small clearing and held up a fist. More forest stood ahead of us, trees broken and smoldering. It looked like we would soon reach the tail end of the debris trail from the crash.

“Before we go any further, let me be straight with you,” Kat said. “Captaining pirates requires a lot of trust and a lot of trust in lies. I don’t care what lies are told amongst the crew as long as they keep everything running smoothly, but there’s no lying to me.”

“I completely agree.”

She stepped close enough that I could feel the heat coming off her body. “You don’t understand. I need to know you. The true you.” She held the silver pistol out to me but then hesitated. “Even if we find Brin and Salazar, there can’t be any friction between us if we are going to have the best chance at surviving.”

“Captain?”

“Not everyone on the crew supported turning against Montez. But you…did you support the mutiny?”

The results are here!

Choice: We needed new leadership

- 50.12% We needed new leadership

- 25.66% It’s all above my pay grade

- 24.22% Montez is my pirate lord

"I didn’t need to think about it before replying, “Far as I could tell, he wasn’t a wolf anymore. He’s just an old dog who needed to be put out of his misery.””

Entry 3: Anomaly 3

Captain Kat eyed me, waiting for a response. Where did I stand on the topic of Captain Montez?

I didn’t need to think about it before replying, “Far as I could tell, he wasn’t a wolf anymore. He’s just an old dog who needed to be put out of his misery.”

She considered me for a moment with one eyebrow raised, then handed me the pistol. Her fingers touched mine in the process, lingering there before pulling the gun back.

“Glad you and I are on the same side,” she said. “But this is just for show. Wouldn’t hand you a live gun before hearing you out.” She slipped it back into its ankle holster and pulled out a modern pistol from a holster at her back. “Here. Be ready or you’ll end up just another streak of red on the grass.”

I took the gun firmly in my hand.

“Accounting for bounty was your old life. Out here, every wolf needs to bare their fangs, for themselves and the pack.”

“Copy that.”

“You do know how to handle it, I hope?”

“I was born into the pirates, not the opera.” I chuckled. “I knew how to shoot a gun before I could count bullets.”

“Didn’t think ship Legerists had the slightest clue about–”

A scream cut her off.

“Hung?” I asked.

Another scream sounded, followed by erratic gun fire.

“Not likely.” She gave me a weighing glance. “Go ahead and take point.”

I gladly accepted her trust and led the way. Not three steps later and an explosion went off nearby, sending shrapnel and flames my way. My left arm stung, and I looked down to see a chunk of metal in my tricep, flames on my leg. A quick drop and roll sent pain shooting through my arm but put out the flames. The metal would have to wait.

“You good?” Kat asked, brushing away debris from her suit.

“I’ll manage.”

Kat helped me up and we continued to find heavy weaponry scattered about. Our first mate lay pinned between a burning tree and twisted metal from the ship, wild-eyed and caked in blood.

“Cap…Captain, is that you?”

“Kensuke!” Kat exclaimed.

“You…you didn’t see it? Hear it?! Oh fuck, you’re gonna bring them back. They’re gonna come back because of you!”

“What’s coming back?”

“Corpses everywhere. A body was pulled by…something. A huge shadow…on all fours. Then more. They came through the flames, devouring everyone.”

“Help me get this damned tree off of him,” Kat commanded.

I leaned into the smoldering wood, wincing at the metal still in my arm. The tree budged slightly, causing Kensuke to growl in pain.

Multiple shrieks came from behind us, none of them human.

In a sing-song voice, Kensuke belted out, “They’re coming,” while clawing at the ground.

“Leave him!” Kat was already moving away. “The crash, the creatures, the explosion. He’s fucking lost it.”

I shifted, instead trying to grab him and pull him free. I shouted, “I could get him out of there if he’d just calm the hell down!”

“He’d get us killed.” She glared at me, eyes cold as ice. “Time to prove yourself. Put one in his head. End his suffering.”

Was this a test? If I was telling the truth about being on her side, pulling the trigger would convince her of that. However, under Montez we had lived by a code, fighting as a team that meant never turning on one of our own. If we could find Brin to heal this man, didn’t I owe that to him? To myself?

A glance at Kat’s furious, challenging eyes told me I needed to make my move, and fast. The man had at least stopped screaming, glaring at us as we determined his fate… but the sounds from nearby monsters set my heart pounding.

It didn’t help that he suddenly leaned forward, lowering his voice and looking sane as he said, “She’s the fucking traitor here, boy. Kill her. You and I, we’re survivors.”

Dammit, I needed to act, and fast.

The results are here!

Choice: Give my all to save the guy

- 47.61% Give my all to save the guy

- 23.91% Shoot her instead

- 28.48% Put him out of his misery

"I wasn’t about to let this guy die! Charging in without any care for my own wellbeing, I was determined to get him out of there no matter the cost.””

Entry 4: Anomaly 4

Mutiny or not, a real Crimson Wolf does not kill their own.

Kat scanned the burning forest in the direction of the creatures’ screams as she waited for me to follow orders, her back to us.

With her attention diverted, I darted over to Kensuke and reassessed the situation. Holstering my pistol, I ducked down between a large rock and the fallen tree that had crushed Kensuke’s leg.

His eyes narrowed. “We’re Crimson Wolves…brother,” he whispered, preparing to push with me. “Montez or not…Kat betrayed us all.”

I put a finger up to my mouth for silence. His hand groped out and found a branch that he shoved between his teeth.

With a glance to confirm that Kat was still looking away, I pushed with all my strength – feet against the tree, back to the rock. His leg made a sickening, cracking sound when it came free. The pain ripped past his clenched teeth as the branch fell with his scream.

Kat wheeled around on us both. “The fuck?!”

I was back on my feet when she pulled her piece and whipped me across the jaw. Next, she pressed her pistol to my forehead while yellow and purple stars clouded my vision.

“I don’t stutter when I give a kill order,” she said.

Before she could think about the shot, Kensuke managed to throw himself at her legs and knock her to the ground. On instinct, I kicked the pistol from her hand.

She snarled and slammed her elbow down onto Kensuke’s head then scrambled for her pistol. Knowing I couldn’t let her reach it, I kicked her in the side and sent her rolling away.

“Captain, we should be fighting whatever’s out there!” I shouted.

Her hand shot up and an arc of dirt and rocks that landed in my eyes, temporarily blinding me. A crack sounded, pain shooting through my head as something must have hit me. I stumbled, then fell to the ground. After rubbing away the blood and grit, I saw her standing over Kensuke with her pistol pointed at his head.

“I don’t know what’s coming, but you do.” She leaned in close. “Think about your Captain’s mercy when they tear you to shreds.” As she turned and walked past me, she added, “This shit is on you now. You should’ve obeyed.”

Without another glance back, she ran toward someone coming our way, rifle in hand.

It hit me then that the shrieking monsters had gone silent.

My head swiveled back to see creatures emerging from the burning tree line, bulky shoulders covered in obsidian scales that absorbed the firelight without reflection. The closest of them stood on its hind quarters, three meters tall at least, jagged maw wide open and salivating.

Kensuke struggled against the pain. “She…she never planned on mutiny. Her and Salazar, they—”

A bullet sung right over Kensuke’s head, pinging off of the lead creature’s chest. Its massive frame lowered to the ground, revealing additional full rows of teeth. It let out a low growl that reverberated through the forest floor.

I spun to see a man next to Kat lining up for another shot. It was Salazar!

Kensuke writhed in pain at my side, “We might have a chance… Grenades and armor…there.” He pointed to a metal footlocker the size of a man. It must’ve been hidden under the fallen tree.

More shots came from Salazar, but the creatures didn’t seem fazed as they advanced. When he had stopped firing, I turned to see Salazar and Kat retreating. Shit, they were leaving us as food to buy them time for their escape.

If I ran, maybe I could join them, but would they let me? What if Kat told Salazar to put a bullet in my head? Plus, the thought of leaving Kensuke to a horrific death sent a chill up my spine.

What about the grenades and body armor? Kensuke and I could make a stand, but even if we survived, Kensuke would need medical treatment. Hell, I wasn’t even sure the weapons would hurt the damned things.

My attention returned to the footlocker. It had survived the crash landing and explosion. Perhaps I could hide inside until the danger passed.

Time was running out.

The results are here!

Choice: Armor up for a beast battle

- 35.29% Escape with Kat and Salazar

- 52.94% Armor up for a beast battle

- 11.76% Hope to survive in the footlocker

"Kensuke bit back the pain. “You know what’s more…dangerous than a cornered wolf?” I gave him a wry smile. “Two wolves?” He tilted his hard-set jaw up at me, eyes on fire for the fight ahead. “No, boy. Two wolves armed to the fangs with a fuck ton’a grenades…””

Entry 5: Anomaly 5

Anomaly 5, Part 1

Kensuke bit back the pain. “You know what’s more dangerous than a cornered wolf?”

I gave him a wry smile. “Two wolves?”

He tilted his hard-set jaw up at me, eyes on fire for the fight ahead. “No, boy. Two wolves armed to the fangs with a fuck ton’a grenades. Bring me to ’em.”

Grabbing Kensuke under his shoulders, I dragged him over to the footlocker in spite of the pain tearing through my arm from shrapnel.

I knelt, using my good arm to sift through the stash. “We’ve got standard issue flash-bangs and belted frags… one grav-grenade, shoulder and chest plate armor…” I paused, eyes wide at the grenade encased in its own translucent cage, honeycombed in carbon-nano alloy. “Damn, a Quantum-core grenade. This would take us all out.”

Kensuke’s face lost color. “A QCG is a good last resort.” His head swiveled back to the monsters. “Get that armor on. You’re gonna need it.”

A glance up showed that one of the monsters was damn close. I pulled the armor from the footlocker and found a standard-issue assault rifle beneath. The armor slipped over my head easily. Moving quickly, I grabbed one grenade belt and handed the other to Kensuke.

“Hold…” He took one grenade, but eyed the rifle. “That boomstick won’t do much against them. Aim for the eyes or sack, and maybe you’ll do some damage.”

“Check.”

The nearest monster had started to circle us. My nerves were rattled, blood pounding so much that I swore I could hear my own heartbeat. Strange whispers sounded in the wind, seemingly telling me to run. Was I going mad? At least my adrenaline helped the pain subside.

“Look away,” Kensuke hissed, and he flung his arm forward, releasing a flashbang.

I turned away as light lit up the sky, then back to see the creature staggering amongst the clearing smoke.

I took aim with the rifle, but it was charging at us. My shots pinged off of it. The creature slid in, maw wide and biting into Kensuke’s shoulder. He screamed as it pulled him away from me. I swung my gun on the beast and aimed for the head, but again, no good.

Kensuke grabbed a sliver of twisted metal from the dirt and jammed it into the eye socket of the beast, and that did it. The monster dropped him and backed away, pawing at its own face.

I wheeled back but it was too late, another one slammed into me, knocking the rifle from my hand and pinning me to the ground. My hand groped, reaching for my weapon.

The beast reeled back its powerful arm and swiped down at my chest, connecting with the body armor with such pressure that it knocked the air out of me. Claws screeched as they ripped into my defensive plating. One more swipe like that, and my armor would certainly give.

My hand found the butt of the rifle and I pulled it to me as the beast roared up on its hind legs to deliver its killing blow. Swinging the rifle over, the tip was nearly point blank when I squeezed the trigger. A splatter of alien animal nuts followed, then squeals louder than I’d ever heard as the animal fell back, squirmed, and then retreated.

“Ken, Ken!” I scrambled up and cringed, looking down to see that the shrapnel was gone from my arm, blood flowing harder now and dripping from my fingers.

“Over here,” Kensuke muttered, then tossed out two more grenades to our left and right. I stumbled to his side, then pulled the frags from my chest and lobbed them in the same pattern.

Dirt and smoldering wood flew up around us. I popped back up to see if we’d done any damage, but no, the creatures were still incoming.

Again I tried the rifle, my shots pinging off of the closest creature’s head. The weapon slipped from my bloodied hand.

Anomaly 5, Part 2

The closest monster dipped its head and stopped charging, while the rest all screamed and rallied to their alpha’s defense. It stood on its hind legs and let out an ear-splitting shriek that sent shivers through my limbs.

My hands shook over my ears, doing little to stop my brain from vibrating to a near-crippling level.

Kensuke shouted my way, trying to be heard over the blood-curdling screams.

“Take the shot!”

My rifle was almost useless at that point, so I took a frag grenade with my right arm, released the pin, and then let it roll. Not too hard, so that it landed in the exact right spot – directly between its damned legs.

Scrambled eggs, mother fucker.

The explosion ripped through the beast so that it collapsed and shuttered, then rolled in the dirt, squealing and snarling.

Others scattered from the alpha, all pivoting to face us.

I grabbed the matte-black triangular shape of the grav-grenade and sent it sailing over my shoulder to land in the midst of the enraged beasts. It exploded and the blast enveloped them in an energy field that expanded out, pulsed once, then collapsed in on itself, stunning them and pulling them together. The result was a pile of writhing shrieking limbs, claws flailing into the ground and into their own pack members.

“More of those!” Kensuke shouted. “Fuck yeah!”

I reached, but… that was the last one. Damn!

The alpha managed to push itself up to its feet again, unhinged and screaming from the other side of the mass of bodies. Its blood cascaded from between its legs as it charged us again. I emptied my magazine into his thick skull and managed to explode one of its eyes, but this time it didn’t stop.

I turned to Kensuke as he held the primed QCG in his hand. “Better than a bullet in the head any day.”

Shit, this was it. We were both going to die, but at least we’d take these fuckers with us, and maybe that one act would save the remaining crew in the process.

Except, a blast sounded and I spun to see the tail end of a thick beam of blue-white light hit the alpha in its midsection. The shot seared its arm clean off! The beast lost its balance, staggered, then struggled to back away from us. Panic took the creature, feet sliding and kicking at the ground as it attempted to flee. The second shot opened a hole in its chest that dropped the beast to the forest floor.

The effects of the grav-grenade faded at the same moment, unleashing a wave of claws and gnashing teeth right at us.

More shots flew in from a second source, both up and to our right, blowing off a limb here, sending another rolling into the beasts closest to it there. Every one of them that got hit thrashed about as they tried to reclaim their footing.

“Grab Kensuke and get your ass to us, now!” Hung’s voice boomed through my comms piece.

“Hung!” I yelled out in excitement.

Kensuke replied, “Can’t go on livin’ without me…can ya!”

I dropped my rifle, leaned over, and threw Kensuke’s arm over my shoulder. Pushing myself up with him at my side, we made our retreat.

The streaks of energy continued to pound down on the creatures, but the shots weren’t rapid fire any longer. For every two steps we took, a bolt of white ripped into another creature, scattering the ones near it long enough for those firing from ahead to get the next shot off.

Then it stopped, and a guttural snarl sounded from the combined remaining monsters.

“Eyes forward,” Kensuke said, voice strained. “They’re… regrouping.”

Anomaly 5, Part 3

I pushed on, but nearly jumped out of my skin when something dashed out at me from the trees to my left. Then I saw her–a tall and lean, red-headed woman in her twenties by the name of Xerina. I knew her well. She had pinned me every time we sparred, always busting my balls for staying at my desk all day. She could pin near everyone on board, but not Hung.

“Xerina!” Kensuke exclaimed. “That really you?”

“In the flesh,” she replied, pausing to check on him. She scanned the way we had come. Having ensured we were clear, the battle-hardened former Imperial warrior slipped under Kensuke’s other arm to help as we made our way to Hung.

A snarl sounded from behind, closer than I expected. Scales clanked.

We reached the tree where Hung was firing from, only visible as a silhouette at the moment. Xerina slipped out from under Kensuke’s arm, yanked up her energy rifle, and let loose a pre-charge shot. It caught the closest of the beasts straight in an already opened wound and blew its innards out all over the ground in front of us. I helped Kensuke to lean against the tree, glad to see another shot rain down from Hung. Xerina pulled the other energy rifle from her shoulders and handed it to me.

It was time for karma and we unleashed it.

Every second, a beam of alien-scale-melting death ripped into whatever beast we targeted. Scrambling and falling over themselves, they turned tail and bolted back into the forest.

Xerina took one last shot as they disappeared, then laughed. “That’s what an apex predator unaccustomed to retreat looks like.”

Hung emerged, energy rifle slung resting on his shoulder. He looked like hell, with his armor beat to shit and blood running from a cut along his cheek.

“What took you so long?” Kensuke asked, dropping his gun and wincing in pain.

“Found this one on the way here,” Hung replied with a nod toward Xerina. He strolled over to check on the first mate. “And some of our own drama. I’ll fill you in later.” He placed a firm hand on Kensuke’s shoulder. “The leg will need to go, but first we gotta stop the bleeding.”

Kensuke simply nodded.

“Shit, you aren’t looking so good yourself,” Xerina said. She moved my chest plate aside, cut off part of my shirt, then used it to wrap around my wound. Pulling it tight, she gave me a nod. “For now, that’ll do. We need to get some distance between us and this area, now. Maybe head back for the ship?”

Hung waved her off and turned to me. “Where the fuck is Captain Kat? She hasn’t answered me on comms.”

“She’s with Salazar,” I replied.

“Lead the way.”

Kensuke’s head swiveled so he could eye Hung. “She ordered me killed, and…” He cringed, eyes starting to look distant, like he was on the verge of passing out. “And… she’s a traitor. I say…go in guns blazing.”

Xerina scoffed at him. “Against the captain? The Quantum around here must have leached into your mind. I served with Salazar and he likes me. I can talk to him.”

Hung narrowed his brow. “Fuck if I know about any of that, but one thing’s clear–we’re going to need Doc Brin’s help if Ken here’s going to stand a chance.”

Considering that none of them seemed to be able to agree, I scanned our surroundings as I racked my mind for what made the most sense. It was true that we would need Salazar’s help, but would we be better off taking Kat out of the picture, or trying to reason with her? Ken wouldn’t survive long without medical attention, but if we went in search of Brin first, Kat and Salazar might get back to the rest of the crew and put them against us, or go off on their own.

It basically came down to a choice between going after Salazar and figuring out how to get his help, or focusing on ensuring Kensuke lived long enough to figure out an alternative plan of action. My mind spun, but it was time to choose.

The results are here!

Choice: Find Doc Brin, stat!

- 29.4% Kill Kat, then appeal to Salazar

- 25.69% Try to appeal to Salazar, ignoring Kat

- 44.91% Find Doc Brin, stat!

"Ken’s tenacious grit in battle and rock-steady commitment to the Wolves proved my decision to save him was right, but without Brin, the die was cast. Finding her was now priority number one, if we found her…”

Entry 6: Anomaly 6

“Without Brin, Ken dies,” I said.

Hung helped me lift the man to his feet as Xerina grunted her acknowledgment and turned to her holo-screen.

“No signs of the creatures anywhere,” she said, “but I’m picking up two blips that I assume are Kat and Salazar heading toward the Kagutsuchi. I can get to them before they–”

“Brin is priority,” Hung interrupted.

Xerina pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “Understood.”

Turning to scan in the opposite direction, she paused. “I wondered about this section here. Distorted, like…”

“Quantum interference?” I suggested.

“Exactly.”

Following her lead, we picked our way through woods and more crash debris. Caves lined the cliffs to our left, and Xerina finally paused at the start of a ravine.

“It’s worse here,” Xerina noted. “Careful.”

We lowered Kensuke to the ground and readied our weapons. I advanced, ignoring any risk to myself. Some movement caught my attention. A flash of blue cloth. “Down there!”

Xerina was already moving forward, eyes laser-focused down the sights of her energy rifle. She paused at the edge. “Brin’s alive!”

Hung made it down before me, and together we managed to get Brin out of the ravine and sit her at Kensuke’s side. Brin’s normally well-kept blonde hair was stuck to her forehead, matted with dirt and streaks of dark red. Her hands were slick with blood from her abdomen.

“Salazar…” Brin trembled. “He shot me…left me here.”

“Do you have any med-packs?” Xerina asked.

Brin shook her head, then pointed. “My kit…”

I scurried over to a cluster of rocks and debris, where I found her pack of medical supplies and then returned it to Xerina. Not a med-pack, but with her skills, it was better than nothing.

Brin swallowed against the pain. “Do as I say…Stim first.”

Xerina primed a shot, slipped the needle into Brin’s exposed flesh, applied a clear healing gel to her wound, then waited. The life in Brin’s eyes came rushing back to her. With a gasp, she was back.

Her attention turned to Kensuke, running her hand over his bloodied leg.

“Comminuted fracture of the femur. Blunt force trauma. Considerable blood loss. Minimal patellar damage though…What happened to him?”

“He was crushed by a tree,” I said. “Then chewed on and dragged around by some large and very unfriendly fauna.”

“While putting up a hell of a fight,” Hung added proudly.

“Reckless as ever,” Brin said, brushing the hair from Ken’s eyes and then jabbing him in the arm. “This will help with the pain.”

“I’d rather have a stim-shot, Doc,” Kensuke muttered, grinning weakly. “Getting old, ya know.”

Brin rolled her eyes and went to work, applying the same gel mixture and slipping a thick needle into his thigh.

Hung stood, checking his energy rifle. “How long till he can walk?” His attention turned to the growing darkness.

“Hard to say,” Brin replied. “Hour at the earliest, maybe longer.”

Hung pursed his lips and motioned to Xerina and me. “Pick him up and we’ll head back toward those caves for cover.”

We helped Kensuke up again and headed to the caves. Entering the closest one, we laid Kensuke next to Brin, then lit a small, thermal lamp and let them rest while Hung and Xerina watched the cave entrance.

I sat alone against a slight bend in the cave wall, checking my wounded arm. A clanking of rock startled me, and I looked up to see Xerina lowering herself to my side.

“I’ll be honest,” she said, after an awkward silence. “I never thought someone as easy to pin as you would have that much fight in them. Very impressive.”

“You…wrapped my arm up nicely back there. Thanks.”

She slid closer to me. “Ya know, all this crash landing and surviving, nearly being eaten by local wildlife, it really puts things into perspective.”

“Totally,” I said. “So, Hung found you. Kensuke is alive. Brin is alive. We are healing up. We’ve been fortunate, but who knows what’s next. Regardless, I’m all in.”

“See, you have no quit in you. An admirable quality.” She put her hand on mine. “I’m happy you’re on my side.”

She was almost too close. How could I respond?

The results are here!

Choice: All in, I went for a kiss.

- 27.4% “This isn’t the place or time for that.”

- 31.24% I put my hand on hers. “How happy?”

- 41.36% All in, I went for a kiss.

"Knowing our next move could be our last, I threw caution to the wind, leaned in, and closed my eyes. Not even death could take this moment from me. Her embrace soothed my soul and her lips tasted like heaven.”

Entry 7: Anomaly 7

Knowing our next move could be our last, I threw caution to the wind, leaned in, and closed my eyes. Not even death could take this moment from me. Xerina’s embrace soothed my soul and her lips tasted like heaven.

We were in the same boat, thrust onto this planet and forced to fight and survive together. The bond was fresh forged and white hot. I let the heat take me…

A faint voice drifted in from the cave entrance.

“Did you hear that?” I asked.

“Hear what?” Xerina answered, wiping her mouth.

“I think Hung is on comms. Who—"

She pressed in closer, returning my attention to the moment we both wished wouldn’t end…Until Hung’s voice cut through it all with one phrase–“…you want me to kill them both?”

Xerina was on me again, muffling the last bit of Hung’s conversation. He came walking into the cave, checking one of his knives.

“You two need time to finish?” he asked.

Xerina pulled away and glared at him. “What if we do?”

Hung shrugged. “Might not get another chance. Kat wants him dead.” He pointed the blade at me, then slipped it back into its sheath. “Kensuke, too.”

“What are you going to do?” Xerina asked, taking my hand in hers, standing as I did.

“She had a very different version of what went down back there,” Hung said. “Heading back is going to be–”

“Don’t tell me you believe her?” I said. “Kensuke told you himself, she ordered me to kill him but I refused, then she left us to be eaten alive by those…creatures.”

“She ain’t no wolf, and I can prove it,” Kensuke yelled from the back of the cave. “I already told you, Kat and Salazar aren’t who you think they are.”

We all went to him to see what he had to say. His leg was opaque and glossy with healing gel in the thermal lamp light. Brin lay next to him, listening.

“Tell me,” Hung insisted.

“Salazar is an Imperial mole for House Etruscus,” Kensuke said, voice strained. “He was planted to keep track of Montez’s location and the movements of the Wolves as a whole.”

“How can you know this?” Xerina’s hands were trembling, disbelief washing over her face. “We grew up together. He’s like a brother to me…He would never put us at risk.”

Kensuke considered her for a moment, then looked her straight in the eyes. “Everyone knows I’m former Federation, but I wasn’t a foot soldier or even a pilot. I was with intel.”

Hung crossed his arms. “The Nexus, you mean?”

Kensuke nodded. “Nothing glamorous though. I didn’t dive, but I did learn about opposing factions’ communications networks and protocols. As first mate, it was my duty to keep the captain informed.”

“She knew?” I asked.

Kensuke kept his eyes fixed on Xerina. “She knew. But here is why that matters. You can be anti-Montez and still be pro-Wolves. But when she chose to support Salazar, she betrayed both.”

“The end of pirate life as we know it!” I seethed.

“Yes,” Kensuke agreed.

“You’re lying!” Xerina insisted, tears of rage and disbelief welling in her eyes.

“Maybe not,” Hung said in his trademark cold, flat tone. “If he is a mole, declaring mutiny would give him cover and a ship to escape in. This crew has never been the model of loyalty, so…”

“Exactly,” agreed Kensuke. “Add on top of that the Captain I would’ve gone to battle with and died for betraying everything for ‘love.’ Salazar struck the mother fucking Quantum load with the Kagutsuchi.”

Xerina backed away from us. “So, what now? We fight Salazar and Captain Kat? Maybe kill the one man in my life who has always been there for me? I’ll go to him, figure this out…” She stared into my eyes as she pointed her rifle at me. “I… have to.”

She was at a turning point and looking to me. Could we risk letting her go to Salazar? Siding with her could make me just another infatuated fool like Captain Kat. Would Xerina actually shoot me if I tried to stand in her way? Decisions.

The results are here!

Choice: “We all go back and figure this out.”

- 48.66% “We all go back and figure this out.”

- 32.78% I drew my pistol. “You’re staying.”

- 18.56% “I will not stand in your way.”

"“We all go back and figure this out,” I said, hand reaching out to her, motioning to lower the energy rifle. Xerina’s trembling hands steadied. “Together?” she asked. “Together.” Hung moved to her, carefully placed his hand on the barrel of the rifle and pushed it away then looked back at me. “She wants blood. Ken and Brin want blood…This isn’t going to end well.””

Entry 8: Anomaly 8

“We all go back and figure this out,” I said, hand reaching out to her, motioning to lower the energy rifle.

Xerina’s trembling hands steadied. “Together?” she asked.

“Together.”

Hung moved to her, carefully placed his hand on the barrel of the rifle, pushed it away, then looked back at me. “Kat wants blood. Kensuke and Brin want blood…This isn’t going to end well.”

Xerina pulled the weapon away from Hung’s hand. “It’ll end just fine if you let me speak my mind to Salazar.” Her eyes swiveled my way. “Kissing me doesn’t make you my captain, by the way. I still think I should go ahead alone.”

“I would never think that,” I said.

Kensuke grunted as he sat up. “I can’t walk yet, but when we get to that ship, you all give me a clean line of sight. I’ll put both those backstabbers into the dirt. Piss on Kat’s grave.” His eyes squinted against the pain of his injuries, but there was something strange in his look. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the reason for its wildness, aside from Kensuke being Kensuke.

Hung eyed Xerina and turned to us. “Before he defiles anyone or Xerina wastes time seeing if they’re still good friends, I want a moment alone with Salazar.” He grabbed the sheath of his blade and adjusted it on his belt. “Get the truth of it all.”

“I’m not letting you take a knife to his throat!" Xerina declared, then pointed at Kensuke. "And I’ll kick this poor excuse for a man’s teeth in if he takes a shot at Salazar before I speak with him!”

Kensuke dug his fingers into the dirt and rock of the cave floor. “I’ll hang ‘em by their fuckin toes, screaming!” he exploded.

Brin’s hand rested on Kensuke’s shoulder. “Ken…” Her voice soft, like silk to the touch, took the hard edge out of his eyes. “Are you feeling ok?”

Xerina scoffed. “Can’t you just put him to sleep?”

“Just one shot,” Kensuke insisted. “Give me an energy rifle. I’ll turn ‘em both into shit vapors ‘n ash.”

“You sure as hell won’t walk again if you do,” Xerina pushed back.

“When are you gonna wake the hell up?” Kensuke erupted again, pointing at Brin. “See her? Shot and left for dead and you don’t believe her? She’s the most trustworthy human on the whole damned crew.”

Xerina clenched her fists but turned her eyes to the ground.

“All rules are off,” I said, “Whoever you thought they were, they aren’t anymore. If we can’t get our shit together on that front, we might as well stay in this cave.”

“He’s right,” Hung said as he lowered himself down in the warm glow of the thermal lamp.

“At least let me sit down if I have to listen to this,” Xerina said, wiping her eyes dry. She took a seat between Hung and Brin, motioning me to sit next to her.

“We all got history on this ship,” Hung continued, looking at each of us, “and now we got history on this planet. I respected Kat. Now I don’t. Salazar was our pirate brother, now he ain’t. Kensuke’s got no love for him either. Brin—”

“He shot me in the stomach and left me to die, end of story,” Brin cut in. “I have no interest in how nice he was to Xerina. He needs to be behind bars.”

“Xerina has her history with Salazar, but she can see with her own eyes he ain’t right,” Hung nodded to Xerina.

She returned eye contact, but no nod.

Hung looked at me. “That leaves you. You refused to follow Kat’s order to kill Kensuke. Why? You never struck me as having any backbone, but here you are. What’s your story?”

I had a chance to tell them who I was and where I came from. But what story about myself could I tell them and how could that sway their opinions?

The results are here!

Choice: “I was raised by Wolves.”

- 33.97% “Every Wolf has a first kill.”

- 35.73% “I was raised by Wolves.”

- 30.3% “A Wolf saved my life.”

"“My parents left their factions, just like all of you. Then they had me, an anomaly in the factional galactic order. This life is in my DNA. If the Crimson wolves die, I die with them.””

Entry 9: Anomaly 9

“Like all of you, my parents left their factions. Then they had me, an anomaly in the galactic order. This life is in my DNA. If the Crimson wolves die, I die with them. Like my mother, I’m loyal to a fault. She was exceptionally good with numbers and signed on as a Ledgerist before pledging me to Montez’s service at ten.”

“Montez hates kids,” Kensuke grumbled.

“I was already competent with numbers by then, thanks to my mom. So, I was…tolerated. They taught me that the pack looks after its own. It became my code, my way of life. Eventually, I came to find huge chunks of assets being falsely duplicated and kept off the Crimson Wolf cryptomap by my mentor, Yari. I went to Montez, ready to be kicked out of the Wolves for accusing a senior Wolf.”

“I’ll give Montez this, he’s a swift judge of character.” Hung slid the dirt out from beneath his fingernails with the tip of his blade. “Not always the best judge.”

“But she found me on the way, nearly cut me from neck to sack…" I slid my shirt back to reveal the tip of a long scar. "That’s how I got this."

"You fought her off?" Xerina asked.

"The pack saved me. Montez put her out the airlock himself. After, he assigned me to keep track of accounts for ships and crews who had failed to provide an acceptable bounty to the cause, as was the case with the Kagutsuchi.”

Hung shot me a look and tightened the grip on his knife. “Exactly what amount of bounty counts as ‘failing to provide to the cause?’”

I swallowed hard against his stare. “Pocketing a bit off the top of a raid isn’t something I look for.”

Hung held my gaze for a moment, then went back to grooming.

“What about the Kagutsuchi?” Xerina asked, voice trembling.

“Whoever was stealing assets here knew what they were doing. Thing is, they were all funneled to Empire space…to Chysme.”

Xerina let out a heavy breath. “Salazar always mentioned money being a way around the rules of the Empire hierarchy, even after being with the Wolves for some time. He’d say, ‘I’ll buy my way into a House and live out my days as Lord to a Lady.’ He promised he’d send for me when that day came.”

Hung placed his scarred hand on his knee and leaned forward. “Every pirate I know talks about retiring free.”

Xerina met his piercing stare, punched the cave floor, then reached to pull me close. “You’re sure about what you found?”

“A cryptomap asset trail can be hidden, but once found, it doesn’t lie…Ever.”

Xerina let go of me “We need to rest. Gather our strength.”

Hung scoffed. “For what?”

“For the slow-burn torture I’m gonna carve into that lying bastard’s soul. You all can have what’s left.”

Hung grinned as he stood. “I’ll take first watch.”

Xerina and I nodded in agreement and I lay down to sleep off the insanity of the day. To my surprise, a moment later Xerina was at my side, an arm draped over me. Dreams took me back to our kiss, and beyond.

I awoke to a strong shaking of my shoulder and the shock of seeing Hung kneeling at my side in a ghillie suit he must have fashioned.

“Wake her up, quietly,” he said.

At first, I’d forgotten Xerina was there but felt her arm around my midsection and her warm body pressed against my back.

“It’s time,” I whispered, giving her arm a squeeze.

“Fuck…” She sat up, then a groggy smile formed. "Almost neck to sack, huh?"

Ignoring that, Hung said, “A patrol, close by. Couldn’t get a good look.”

"Try this," Brin offered, holding out a one-eyed, green optic display. It would certainly do the job.

Xerina was watching, so I took the device and said, "Count on me."

With a nod of respect, Hung handed over his new ghillie suit. "The pack looks after its own."

I donned both, then went to the mouth of the cave. Focusing on the three shapes moving in the darkness, I recognized all three but knew I had to play this smart. What to do…?

The results are here!

Choice: Sneak up and ambush them”

- 50.37% Sneak up and ambush them”

- 23.94% Call out to talk”

- 25.7% Fire a warning shot”

"“They were just within optics range. Display showed two submachine guns and a pistol each, but their intentions were unknown. Better to ask questions from a leveraged position. I slipped into the night, energy rifle drawn and ready.””

Entry 10: Anomaly 10

I slipped into the night, energy rifle drawn and ready. One foot in front of the other, I kept my distance while shifting from tree to bush to tree, staying low.

It took me a moment to recognize the three through the trees as Bozer, Talon, and Seth. Among the crew, these three were the worst, and not in an awesome pirate "worst" way. Rumors spoke of men and women left behind, more than one slit throat over arguments as stupid as who gets the last beer, and more than one version of how a pirate friend of mine had ended up decapitated.

“We find the little shit, I say we gouge out his eyes and piss into his skull,” Talon snapped, her patience painfully razor thin. “Kat wants him alive… but didn’t say anything about having eyes.”

"You’re seriously gone in the head," Bozer said with a chuckle.

"Speaking of piss…" Seth stumbled toward me, stopping on the opposite side of the nearby bush.

When I was sure the others weren’t looking, I rose up and slammed the butt of the rifle into his head, knocking him to the ground in his puddle of urine.

Ghillie suit doing its job, next I moved for cover to my left, aimed in, and took a shot. With a white hot burst, Bozer was missing a chunk of thigh. That didn’t stop him from turning his rifle on me and opening fire. Talon joined in, wood shards exploding past my head as I moved for cover behind a tree. They had my position, so I ducked and rolled. Coming up to take a shot, I squeezed the trigger and dreamed of sweet revenge… but missed as a jolt in the ground caused my shot to go wide.

Again, the earth shuddered, followed by two distinct clicks.

The ground next to Bozer exploded and a bug-eyed, subterranean terror, with two gnarly tusks jutting awkwardly from its mouth, cut Bozer’s legs out from under him. Moonlight glistened from the layered, metallic-looking body as it bristled and bore into Bozer’s chest before dragging him into the hole it had come from.

Talon froze in place, staring into the earth where Bozer disappeared. She muttered a curse, then ran.

Before I could react, all breath left my body as Seth slammed me into the ground. He reeked of piss and had blood running down his face. His hand rose up to strike, but his eyes went wide and he tried to push off. Too late. A hole opened next to me and we both started to fall. Grabbing his leg I pulled myself to the edge, then managed to grasp a tree root as he screamed and went falling in behind me.

Hung now stood in his place with a bloodied knife. He must’ve pushed Seth in!

“I always hated that one,” Hung said, lifting me out of the hole.

The ground shuddered again, and this time didn’t stop.

Screams and then gunfire from the caves caught our attention. Brin exited with Kensuke hobbling as fast as he could, a bloody gash down her right arm.

“More inside!” Kensuke yelled. "RUN!"

We sprinted as holes exploded open all around, dirt and rock showering down on us.

“There!” Hung yelled, indicating a raised ledge that might provide a way to survive.

He darted over with Brin in tow, pushed her up, then used his height to leverage his way after her. Quickly spinning, he pulled me to his side. As soon as I was up, he rolled and started providing suppressive fire at three more beasts pursuing our friends. Brin was behind me, on one knee and shaking her head, woozy from the blood loss.

She wouldn’t be of any use at the moment, which sucked, because I needed help. Both Xerina and Kensuke had reached the base of the cliff, with only a split-second to spare. Behind them, one of those creatures was closing in fast. Time seemed to slow. I’d have to pull one of them up and leave the other to fend for themselves, and even that was presuming a lot. Chances were if I tried to save either of them, I was as likely to die from that creature as they were.

I had to act, and act now.

The results are here!

Choice: Save Xerina”

- 44.9% Save Xerina”

- 23.59% Save Kensuke”

- 31.51% Save myself”

"“Xerina, take my hand!” I yelled, reaching to grasp her calloused warrior’s hand and pull her to safety. The creature with its thick black claws and metallic, armored muscle shrugged off Kensuke’s last shots. A thick, blackened tendril slid from under its skin, whipping wildly in my direction.””

Entry 11: Anomaly 11

“Xerina, take my hand!” I yelled as a thick tail whipped wildly in my direction.

I jerked my head instinctively. The strike missed my neck and opened up a gash on my arm. Hand in mine, Xerina pulled herself up.

Kensuke's face contorted with terror. A split second later, one of the creatures pulled him to the ground. Others swarmed the ledge so that he was lost from sight.

"Too many!" Hung yelled, abandoning his assault on the growing number of creatures with their writhing tails at the ledge. “Run!”

We moved quickly, Kensuke’s screams growing fainter behind us until there was silence.

Brin fell to the ground. “I need…to catch my breath… Dammit, Ken…”

I went to my knees and punched the ground until my knuckles bled. Brin eyed my injured fist and arm, but I waved her off.

Xerina had a horror in her eyes that seemed to say, "Why me?"

We picked ourselves up and continued for the ship, my thoughts on Kensuke. Silence covered us like a suffocating blanket.

More tremors rumbled off in the distance.

“Monsters… tracking us,” Xerina whispered. “The same obsidian-scaled creatures from before.”

“All the more reason to get the rest of the crew on our side,” Hung said as we broke from the forest. Ahead was the Kagutsuchi with a defensive perimeter of wreckage.

The watch spotted us with mixed reactions as we drew close. One smiled. The other hurriedly reporting on comms as he ran back to the ship.

We walked into the middle of the perimeter to see five other pirates assembled, most of them people I'd once considered friends. Kat emerged from the ship behind them, the well-built Salazar at her side. His engineer’s goggles were pushed up into his jet-black hair. He smiled at Xerina, hand held out to her, but must have seen the scorn in her eyes, as he frowned and lowered that hand.

Kat spoke first. “I can always count on you, Hung. You’ve brought me Jared…and Doc Brin.” She motioned to me. “Why is this traitor not dead?”

Hung spat. “Because Jared here is more of a Crimson Wolf than you’ll ever be.”

Brin stepped forward, pointing at Salazar. “That rat-bastard stole from me, shot me, and left me for dead. Jared saved my life!”

“Don't forget the little part about Salazar being a fucking Imperial spy,” Xerina added. “Not to mention a prick.”

Salazar stared at her in shock, then contempt took hold. "You always were an ignorant shit stain on my skivvies." He turned to address the crowd. “Lies… but I wonder how everyone will feel when they know the real truth.”

Behind him, Talon came into view. She had survived! And crazier still, floating next to her on a gurney was the bloody and blasted body of Kensuke, unconscious yet still drawing breath.

"No…" Hung muttered.

Bile rose up in my mouth and my head spun.

“I wonder,” ruminated Salazar, “what else you’ve said is total bullshit?”

The five pirates between us were a mix of uncertainty, eyes darting between Kat and me. Kat must've seen their loyalty teetering, because she proclaimed, "I'm the captain, and those monsters are almost on us! So let's be fair–one answer from Jared, and you'll see he's full of shit. Jared, choose wisely." She crossed her arms, glaring. “Me first. Why did you disobey a direct order from your captain and instead, assault me, ignore the priority of our search for Salazar, and go off on your own?” With a nod from her, Salazar turned a wicked grin in my direction. “You told Kat you were pro-mutiny, but I happen to know you admired Montez greatly. Explain that, right here and now." Talon checked her weapon and pushed Kensuke’s gurney out of her way. “Bozer and Seth are dead because of you. Why did you attack your own crewmates, unprovoked?”

I had to think fast, considering the growls of monsters behind us and the loyalty of the pirates hanging on a thread. There had to be a way to answer with a counterpoint and win as many of the crew over to our side as possible.

The results are here!

Choice: Counterpoint re: the ambush decision to Talon”

- 43.59% Counterpoint re: the ambush decision to Talon”

- 29.95% Counterpoint re: the support of mutiny to Salazar”

- 26.46% Counterpoint re: the disobedience to Kat”

"“I locked eyes with Talon. “We can all smell Wolf blood on your hands.””

Entry 12: Anomaly 12

Part 1

I locked eyes with Talon. “We can all smell Wolf blood on your hands.”

Xerina touched the small of my back and brushed her lips against my ear, whispering, “If anyone makes a move on you, they’ll be dead before they know it.”

I nodded and stepped towards Talon. "You stood by and watched your men vanish down those holes.”

Talon shook her head, “I would never—”

"Never what? Run? How’d you recover Kensuke’s body if you didn’t come back after fleeing? Not to mention, nearly every time you and those murderers went on a raid with others from the crew, you left someone behind. The Crimson Wolves take all kinds, but I'd wager you’ve been taking the lives of Wolves since I’ve been on board, and didn’t even have enough steel in your back to fight for either Bozer or Seth.”

“That ain’t me!” she exploded, slipping a knife from the side of her thigh. Growls from the nearby creatures reminded us they were drawing close. She rose up tall, knife glinting. "I'm a fucking survivor! A leader among whimpering dogs, and the best damn Crimson Wolf to eve–"

“No! You’re a lot of things, but a Wolf ain’t one.”

Reaching her boiling point, Talon charged, knife gripped beneath white knuckles. She hadn’t taken her third step when a shot hit the ground at her feet. She froze, head swiveling to see the rest of the crew with weapons aimed at her. They had chosen their side.

"It ends here," a stumpy one named Drudge said. "We're with Jared."

"The hell you are!" Kat shouted, but before she could make a move, half of those weapons were turned on her.

"If what they say about this Imperial Mole bullshit is true…" The large woman next to Drudge said, her name escaping me. "You'll be getting a lot worse."

“Drop the blade,” Xerina said.

“One on one, I could carve through the lot of you fucking sheep,” Talon replied, letting the blade fall from her hands. It landed point first in the ground.

"You cowards," Kat said, fuming, "this is mutiny!"

Drudge laughed. "Would you expect anything less from this crew?"

Hung pointed to Kat and Salazar. “If they move, shoot first, ask questions later.”

I walked to Kensuke, where Brin was already checking his vitals, his uniform shredded and slick with blood. He had been trampled, stung, and… more. When she gave me a subtle shake of her head, I wasn't surprised.

"Ken, can you hear us?" she said.

He coughed up blood, eyes opening a slit but looking lost, distant. “Brin…The others?"

Brin’s hand brushed back his graying charcoal hair, lip quivering as she tried to answer.

“We’re all here,” Hung said.

Kensuke managed a slight grin that revealed the crimson caked between his teeth. “Jared…?”

“I…I'm sorry I couldn't save you both,” I said.

“No, don't. I…won’t be…comin back this time…Make sure they…pay…Rat-fuckin’ bastards…”

I grabbed his hand in mine. “You can count on it.”

The strength left his hand as his stare went blank. Howls and skin-raising screeches exploded from all around us.

Part 2

“Perimeter! Incoming!!” Everyone rushed for positions as the obsidian creatures skulked from the darkness towards us. There were twice as many as last time and three alphas.

“Energy weapons only!” I yelled.

Kat and Salazar didn’t move for a moment, but as the wreckage that separated us from the creatures was lifted overhead and tossed aside, Salazar took off for the inside of the ship followed by Talon. Kat lingered a moment, keeping her eyes on me before turning to follow the two in.

“Leave them to me,” Xerina yelled and ran off in pursuit.

We took up positions around the entrance to the ship, creating distance between us and the wreckage that marked the perimeter around the Kagutsuchi.

“Fully charged shots, no wasted chances!” Hung barked out to the rest of us. The attack came all at once and we unleashed coordinated and well-armed hell on the beasts.

One minute, they were a foreboding line of approaching death, the next, melting black scales, squeals, gnashing teeth, and blood curdling roars as they either died or retreated back into the forest they creeped out of. A final few managed to get close from our blind side, led by an alpha.

“To our seven!” Hung yelled out.

We tightened our semi-circle, pivoted our fire toward them, and in a single wave of white-hot fire, melted the alpha and his betas down to ash. As the crew sent more shots into the darkness and set up perimeters to see if there were more, I turned and took off after Xerina.

I entered to find her with Kat and Salazar on the ground, Talon raising her pistol to shoot Xerina in the back of the head. Acting on instinct, I shot first, an energy blast tearing through Talon's neck to send her head rolling. The corpse plopped to the ground with a sickening thud. Xerina nodded my way, her energy rifle on the other two.

At my glance toward Salazar’s blood-covered face, Xerina said, “He had worse coming.”

“Don’t let me get on your bad sad,” I replied.

"You're one to talk." She eyed Talon's head with interest, then turned to our captives. "Up and out, skum."

"Try anything and…well, you get it," I added, almost hoping for the excuse.

Once we were back out and with the crew, Xerina slammed her foot into the back of Salazar’s leg. “On your knees,” she commanded.

Hung nodded. “A guard posted with each. We need a full report on what he has and how long we can expect to survive.”

“On it, sir,” responded another of the crew.

Salazar scoffed. “You think you'll survive? If you're not even thinking of getting off this rock, you’re all stupider than I thought.”

“What’s your plan?” Xerina shot back. “End it all because there’s no way back to your precious Empire?” She spit on the ground. “Coward.”

“Better than being a lost little girl running after the next man to save you.”

She swung the barrel up to his temple, then squeezed the trigger to let off a shot that would have blown his head clean off if not for Hung kicking him to the ground.

“He wants you to do it,” Hung said to Xerina, with a stern compassion only Hung could pull off. She let Hung take the rifle from her but didn't stop her boot from connecting with the Salazar’s face, sending blood and teeth flying.

The look on Kat’s face was one of recognition and disgust, as for the first time she finally saw what a snake the man at her feet was.

Part 3

“Take them away,” Hung ordered.

Kat pulled back from her guard. “Wait, Jared…I’m…sorry. Sorry for all of it.”

"Tell that to Kensuke," I said.

“You should know,” she added, “There’s another ship…”

“After all you’ve done, you expect me to believe that?”

She considered me for a moment longer but said nothing. Her words were both unnerving, and full of hope. We had a chance, but possibly more assholes to fight.

Hung led her away, but only after tearing off her captain's shoulder emblem. I had to wonder who that would go to, now that Kat was out of the picture. As they went, Xerina came to me and threw her arms around my neck, catching me off balance. I stumbled backward and expected to stop myself, but my knee buckled and we fell to the ground, nausea welling up inside of my gut. Everything was spinning.

Brin sounded distant as she said, “Get him to sick bay…”

Darkness took me. I don’t know how long I was out for, but after visions of Kensuke at my side through it all, I awoke to bright lights shining down on me, the night sky beyond.

“Good, you’re awake.” Brin said, smiling. “I was able to bring you back to stasis and slow the rate of the poison progressing through your system.”

“Poison?” I asked, my head pounding as I tried to sit up.

“You still need to rest,” she said. “Your arm. The tails of those underground creatures must be poisonous.”

“How long do I have?” I asked.

She shook her head, “There's a chance you'll pull through, but… I don't know.”

Hung and Xerina entered. Xerina took my hand in hers. “I’m glad to see you aren't purple in the face anymore,” she said, smiling but worried.

Hung shot a concerned look at Brin, then said, “Got some news. Salazar’s guards were found dead. He’s gone and likely headed for that other ship Kat mentioned.”

“Shit. And Kat?”

“Where we put her."

My groggy mind struggled to race through all of the implications of what he was saying. If Salazar got to that crew first, it could be bad for us. He could repair their ship and we might be screwed. They could leave us here! Even so, how the fuck would they get home?

“We have to get to them first,” I said.

“We are stocked and ready to roll, in full force.”

I sat up on my makeshift med-bay bed and saw the whole crew looking at me, outfitted and ready to rock. Hung helped me stand, then motioned for Brin, who handed him a bundle. He opened it to reveal the captain's shoulder emblem, a red wolf that held together a half-cape.

When you're ready," he added, putting it on me, "your pack is ready to go on the hunt, Captain."