Note: My first crossover. Had this idea for a while and figured it would be a good opportunity to work on my horror writing. Sorry if this first chapter is mostly just a recap of the game's beginning, but the plot should become more original as it goes on. I'm open for any suggestions. Thanks for reading.

Tyson Rios silently drummed his gloved fingers over the armrest of the ship's rear passenger seat, looking stultified at the almost hypnotic waves of light and interstellar clouds flashing across the wide cockpit's windshield as the craft moved at warp speed. Every so often, his view became momentarily blocked when Salem anxiously paced back and forth across the ship's interior. Rios took note of the way he shakily sighed, and rolled his armor plated shoulders bearing the SSC logo, knowing how this off-planet voyage filled him with nervous tension. The young man was neither a fan of cramped spaces, or outer space, but the large pay that came with this particular job proved to be enough of an incentive.

"Man, sit down already. You're gonna wear a whole in the floor."

"Fuck you," Salem snapped. "I'll sit when we port safely at the Ishimura. And for fuck's sake, will you turn that shit off?"

The quiet engineer seated to Rios' left peered up from the rectangular holographic display that glowed an eery blue in front of his face.

"I'm sorry about everything," the blonde woman on the screen, who Rios assumed was the man's girlfriend, said, her voice laced with static. The engineer, Isaac as the woman called him, had been playing the message on repeat for nearly the whole trip. "I just wish I could-"

Her voice cut off as Isaac powered down the holographic display, and meekly apologized.

"How many times you watch that thing?" the woman standing next to the ship's pilot asked teasingly. "Guess you really miss her. Don't worry, we're almost there."

"About fuckin' time," Salem muttered.

The woman, their computer specialist Kendra Daniels, shot Salem a transient glare, then looked back to Isaac. "You'll be able to look her up once we're on bored. Sounds like you two have a lot of catching up to do."

The ship shuddered slightly as it slowed, and entered into the debris field of the Aegis system. Rios couldn't help but stare in awe of the massive asteroids that drifted tranquilly around the planet, which was dimly lit by the slightly eclipsed, neighboring star burning brilliantly behind it.

"Alright everyone, we're here. Syncing our orbit now," a dark-skinned man standing rigidly at the front announced. Rios recalled his name from the files he studied days before beginning the job: Zach Hammond, employee of CEC and chief security officer of the USG Kellion, the ship they currently boarded. Rios found it a bit strange an organization like the Concordance Extraction Corporation, the largest mining and extraction company in the Earth Colonies, would find the need for hired guns for a simple planet-cracker repair, and couldn't shake the feeling their clients were hiding something. But with all their weapons and gear, he figured he and Salem would be able to handle anything unexpected.

"All this trouble over that chunk of rock," Salem said, slowly ambling up toward the front for a better view.

"Deep space mining is a lucrative business, Mr. Salem," Hammond replied, his tone haughty. "Aegis 7 is a gold mine according to prospectors' reports. Cobalt, silicon, osmium. Now, where is she? Ah, there she is. We have visual contact."

Slowly emerging from behind a lazily floating piece of rock, a stationary, mammoth craft came into view, it's metal exterior gleaming in the starlight.

"So that's Ishimura," Daniels said, putting her hand on her hip. "Impressive."

"The USG Ishimura," Hammond corrected. "Biggest planet-cracker in her class. And it looks like they already popped the cork."

"Why's it all dark?" she asked. "I don't see any running lights."

"Corporal," Hammond addressed the pilot. "Take us in closer and hail them. And stay clear of that debris field. We're here to fix their ship, not the other way around."

Rios' RIG notified him to an incoming call, and he powered up the holographic display on his wrist. A pixilated image of Alice lit up in front of him, and the woman grinned slightly in greeting.

"Hey guys," she said. "What's the status?"

"We're close to boarding now," Rios answered.

She chuckled slightly. "Bet Elliot's relieved about that."

"This job better be worth thirty thousand units," Salem snapped, leaning over Rios' shoulder from behind the seat.

"If it's just a repair job, yeah it will be," Alice said. "Planet-crackers like these have a lot of valuable resources. Since the power seems to be down, it's your guy's job to make sure the cargo and crew remain safe. It should he smooth sailing from here."

The ship hitched suddenly, and a burst of sparks flew from the top right of the cockpit. The unseated crew members stubbled, grabbing hold of whatever was in reach to regain their footing. Daniels cursed, and checked the craft's readings, while Hammond barked orders and questions at the pilot.

Salem gulped, and scurried to strap himself into his seat. "Smooth sailing my ass."

"What's happening out there?" Alice snapped.

"I think something's wrong with the auto-dock," Rios shouted over the rumble of the rickety, speedily descending ship. To his right, Salem clawed his gloves into the arm rests, his eyes clenched shut.

"We're off track, sir!" the pilot yelled. "We're gonna hit the hole!"

"Hit the blast shields!" Hammond ordered. "This tether's damaged, switch to manual!"

"Inside the magnetic field?!" Daniels exclaimed. "Are you insane?! Abort!"

"No!" Hammond growled. "We can make it in time. Corporal, I gave you an order."

The pilot swallowed thickly, then reached up and yanked down the lever overhead. The blast shields encompassed the cockpit's windshield, and the crew braced themselves as the ship violently rocked and shuddered. Rios' heart leaped to his throat when the lights shut off, leaving them in total darkness, and he barely heard Salem's terrified swears over the roar of the straining engine, and the warning sirens that screams in their ears. The craft slammed to a halt, and as the lights slowly flickered back to life, the engine steadily whined down.

"Is everyone okay?" Hammond asked.

"What-," Daniels huffed. "What the hell were you thinking?! Were you trying to get us killed?!"

"I just saved our asses, Miss Daniels. If we hadn't boarded at that speed and distance, we'd a smashed right into the side of the Ishimura. Now settle down. Let's get to work. Corporal, report."

Rios looked over at Salem, who was breathing heavily as he glared in the big man's direction.

"What?" Rios barked. "We're alive, aren't we? Little bit of a rough landing, get over it."

"Thirty thousand units," Salem grumbled, unbuckling himself from the seat. Rios rolled his eyes, then followed suit, and approached the rest of the crew, his partner begrudgingly in tow. Again, his RIG bleeped, signaling a call, and he opened the hologram.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked, her voice filled with concern.

"All in one piece," Rios answered.

"Elliot too?"

"No," Salem answered.

Rios elbowed him back out of the picture. "Besides being a little bitch about the landing, yeah he's fine."

Alice sighed, and chuckled in relief. "Just keep reminding him what he's here for, and I think he'll be fine. Good luck, boys."

After the call cut off, Rios flicked a small switch on the back of the metal collar of his suit. Small mechanical clicks and whirs sounded in his ears, and he stilled as his protective mask formed around his bald head. The RIG's system flickered to life inside the helmet, making blue digits and figures began to appear before his eyes. He noted the GPS was operational by the way Salem's initials and a small blue triangle formed in front of the man's chest. He watched as Salem, too, flicked the switch behind his neck, and the flame-painted helmet folded over his face. Blue lights came to life in the bulletproof glass over his eye sockets.

In front of them, Daniels worked to sync the crew's RIGs with the ship. One by one, bars of light ascended up their spines, showing the health management systems were still online. "Okay, we're done. Clean bill of health for everyone," she said.

"Alright, we've still got a job to do," Hammond insisted. "We're moving out."

After doing last minute checks on gear and equipment, the team filed out of the craft and onto the Ishimura, with Salem and Rios taking the rear, pulse rifles in hand as their eyes wandered around the vast docking station. A large monitor overhanging the dock's exit played an informational video on loop, flashing pictures of smiling crew members while a crisp, feminine voice echoed on the metallic interior, and spouted facts about the massive planet cracker to the new arrivals. The USG Kellion continued to throw sparks from the crumpled parts of its hull, and smoke plumed across the metal deck beneath their feet, dimming the blinking yellow emergency lights lining the aisle. Salem sighed, hoping that the Ishimura's crew could either repare or replace their ship, and do it soon.

Daniels stopped to inspect the Kellion, shaking her head in frustration. "You didn't lose power to the port booster. You lost the port booster."

Rios nudged Salem in his side, and nodded for him follow the others into the next room. "Relax, we're halfway done."

"This place gives me the creeps," Salem muttered, tapping one of the numerous boxes strewn around the dim room. Luggage bags and papers littered the vacant waiting benches. A woman's purse sat abandoned on a counter, an ID card laid in two shards on the floor, spare clothing spilled out of an unzipped carry-on. To Salem, the whole room seemed like a giant lost-and-found. "Where the hell is everybody?"

"Looks like everyone was trying to pack in a hurry," Daniels added.

Hammond hummed thoughtfully, thinking. "There should be a security detail in here."

"Yeah, well there's not," Daniels snapped. "There's nobody here. I can't pick up any broadcasts."

"That security console is still live," Hammond said, pointing to the flickering screen on the other side of a wide glass window. "Isaac, log in and see what you can find. Kendra, get that data back online."

Isaac nodded, and began heading for the terminal's exit to examine the console. Kendra would not so easily comply.

"The power's dead," she argued. "I can't!"

"Then reroute the damn power!" Hammond scolded.

The group stilled, startled by the sudden outburst. Isaac froze in place, his hand reaching for the door controls. Behind his mask, Rios cocked an eyebrow, and Salem whistled, somewhat amused by the tension, earning him a scowl from Daniels.

Huffing, Hammond rubbed the back of his neck, then spoke again in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. "Look, if we all cooperate, we can figure this out a lot sooner. Just get that computer display up, Isaac. And you two, scout out ahead. See if you can find anyone. There might be crew members that need assistance."

"Yes sir," Rios said before heading for one of the exits.

Salem flicked Hammond a small salute, then followed behind his partner through the steel double doors as they slid open. "And people say we don't get along."