Chapter 1
The NASA space station was a flurry of people moving about as they finished preparing for the shuttle launch that was happening in 15 minutes. The scientists and engineers were making sure everything was set for the launch. A woman appeared as she looked over the schematics of the shuttle. She moved her grey hair (bold highlights make the color) as it blocked her vision from her right eye. She sighed before closing the schematics of the vehicle. She shook her head before going to get ready for the mission. It was a simple mission in hindsight. One of the space stations orbiting Earth had a malfunction. She was going with partner to fix it.
"Don't mess up, Kris," a fellow astronaut teased. "No need to have the same accident repeated, right?"
The young woman hissed as she heard those words. It wasn't as if the accident was her fault. She didn't know the shuttle had a flaw in it. But, the woman was responsible for making sure everything walked correct. She rubbed the bridge of her nose before taking a deep breath. She made a noise as an arm was flung over her shoulder. She was pressed to a familiar body shape and smell. The woman smiled as she nuzzled her partner.
"Ryan," she hummed.
"Lay off Krystal," Ryan spoke. "The accident wasn't her fault, and you know it." He started to move down the hall with Krystal attached to him. "She's the smartest space scientist I've ever met, and you won't ever see me doubting her."
"Aw," said Krystal. "You're the smartest astronaut I've ever met too." She leaned up to kiss his cheek. "That's what I love about you."
"Really? I thought you loved my dorkiness."
Krystal laughed, "I love a lot of things about you, Ryan. When we come back from this mission, we'll be married. I can't wait."
She stared at her engagement ring before smiling at it. Ryan had proposed to her over a year ago. They had everything planned, but the mission had thrown a wrench into that plan. They had to postpone their wedding. She frowned a bit before shaking her head. No need to think selfish thoughts. She knew getting the space station up and running was important.
"I can't wait," she muttered. "I want to say 'I do' as soon as possible, Ryan."
Her fiance smiled at her, "Me too, Kris. Me too."
They looked at the intercom as it was announced for them to get ready pronto. It was almost time to launch. Krystal kissed Ryan before heading to get fitted into her spacesuit. She would be seeing him in a few minutes.
"I love you."
The launch had gone smooth. Krystal heard the control room cheering in her headset as they always had when a shuttle had a successful launch. She hummed before turning off her headset. The engineer let out a breath before leaning in her seat to relax. It would take a few hours until they reached the space station. Her eyes flickered open as she saw a bright flash of light from behind her eyelids.
"Hmm? Ryan?"
The alarms had her sit straight in her chair. She stared at the dashboard as it lit up from - something. She moved to start troubleshooting before staring at her future husband. He was trying to keep the shuttle steady. She didn't know what had happened, and it was starting to scare her. What had hit them in space to cause the out of control movement of the shuttle?
"R-Ryan?" his name stuttered over her teeth.
"Brace!" he shouted as another wave of light shot out at them.
Krystal made a noise as she covered her face with her arms. The light hit them as it rocketed the shuttle to its side. She slammed her head against the dashboard before the world went black. The last thing she heard was the sound of the alarms blaring from the space shuttle.
"R-Ryan," was her whisper before she lost full consciousness.
Blue eyes fluttered as a groan imagined from the creature sprawled on the ground. The smoke of a crashed space shuttle flew above her as she sat up. Her eyes closed tight as she threw up from sitting up to fast. She placed a hand on her head as she let the world stabilize itself in front of her vision. Krystal was feeling the impact of the crash of the shuttle.
"Shuttle c-cras … RYAN!" was her shout as she remembered her fiance. "Ryan, hey, talk to me!"
Krystal crawled over the wreckage as she tried to find her fiance. She moved scraps of metal and plating as she looked through where she could reach. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. She couldn't find him. Where did he go? Why had she survived the crash, but her fiance did not? Had she overlooked something once again? The young woman pressed her aching back against a piece of metal as she curled her legs toward her chest.
"Breathe, Krystal," she muttered. "Breathe. They'll know that the shuttle went down. Somebody will come to find …"
She stared at the scenery in front of her. She didn't recognize the scenery, and she knew a lot of places on Earth. The astronaut moved to stand. Her legs gave way as she yelped before diving head first into a river. She breached the water with a gasp. It was cold. She saw her hands before making a noise. Her hands - her hands - why were they like this? They looked animal-like. She swam to the edge of the river before staring into the water.
"Why do I look like some kind of human-esque hedgehog?" she said with a high squeak in her voice. "Stay calm, Kris. There is a perfectly good explanation for thi - that light!"
It had to be the light Ryan and she had encountered in space. She bit her lip, regretted it due to some sharp fangs then sat at the edge of the river soaked. She didn't know what to do at the moment. Ryan hadn't been with her in the crash. She didn't know where she was - she didn't know about this strange planet. Her eyes shut to rest before a noise had her ears perk. It sounded metallic and clangy. Her eyes opened before she yelled in fear. Robots were staring at her from all directions.
"Intruders are to be eliminated," one of them spoke. "Eliminate."
"N-No," Krystal said before she found the strength to move. The Hedgehog started into the forest as she tried to outrun the robots. She yelped as lasers fired past her head. She may have been glad these robots seemed like lousy shots. "Please, leave me alone! I didn't mean to intrude, but I don't even know where I am."
"Intruders are to be eliminated. Dispose of target on sight."
Krystal made a noise as a laser pierced her side. She stumbled before managing to get back on her feet. She held her side to keep pressure on it to not bleed out. She had to get away from here and find help. The young woman paused as she found herself at the edge of a cliff.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no," she panicked. "What do I do now?"
Her side hurt from the wound, and she knew she was getting weaker from all the bleeding. She turned to face the robots before staring at the cliff. Which way was a better way to go?
"Intruders shall be eliminated."
A laser fired at her causing the Hedgehog to fall off the cliff. She yelled in terror as she watched the cliff get smaller and smaller in her field of vision. She closed her eyes. Krystal didn't see the robots going up in smoke. She didn't see the blur of black and red that had jumped off the cliff after her. She was starting to lose consciousness again. She needed to stop doing that.
"Chaos Control!" filled her ears before nothing became her friend.
