I want to give special thanks to RubyWings91 for betaing this story. Give her a big round of applause everyone, she's helping me improve this story and helping it be the best it can be. For example, the first part you're about to read below was her idea.

Speaking of RubyWings91, she has a message for all of you.

First, I'd like to thank EndlessPossibilities57 for not only employing some of my suggestions so well and also mentioning me but giving me the opportunity to write this note. That said, I've enjoyed simply reading through this as much as I have being a beta for it. I hope you like this chapter too. I'm excited to see what comes next.

HERE WE GO AGAIN!

It was black, pitch black. An endless, featureless void that stretched on around me to seeming infinity. I found myself struggling to breathe, the crushing depths compressing my lungs to the point where I could only take short, conservative breaths before the water that surrounded me squeezed it back out.

The water chilled me to the bone. A temperature so freezing that it began to hinder my movements, making my limbs and body feel slow and sluggish as I floated there, feeling cold and lifeless as my body lost heat faster than it could retain it.

My heart was pounding in my chest, crashing against my ribs so hard that it was sure to get bruised. I was terrified beyond rational thought, my mind incapable of making sense of all this. how had I gotten here? What happened to the expedition? How were we separated?

And how was I supposed to find them again?

I desperately cast my gaze all around me; up, down, side to side. Hoping to spot anything that would help tell me where I was! Such as the rocky seabed, or plant life that reached for the surface; as it stood, I had no idea which way was up, and vice versa.

As I searched for these things, I also started to notice the prevalent lack of sea life; no fish swimming in schools to ward off predators, no playful Peepers or Boomerangs, filtering carelessly through the water, no massive Reefbacks whose booming songs echoed under the waves. There wasn't even the presence of the simple, yet annoying, Bleeder. There were none of those things, the water was completely empty with no sign of life. There was only silence, just dead, silence.

And, honestly, that's even scarier, because then...at least you know you're not alone and have some idea of what could be in the water with you.

ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR.

A low, bellowing roar rippled through the liquid surrounding me, a deep, ominous sound that I had never before heard from anything I had encountered. A roar so deep and filled with dread, that any Reaper or Sea Dragon leviathan would swim away in terror.

A cold chill ran down my spine, making all the hairs on my body stand on edge as that blood-curdling sound tore its way through me. I began to frantically tread the water around me, looking in all directions in a desperate attempt to find what had made such a terrifying noise; in order to make a roar that deep and loud, the creature would have to be massive...and I wasn't too keen on meeting it.

My mind wandered back to the lost river, where the remains of a giant beast littered the brine covered floors; was it possible that species weren't extinct? and that they were still swimming around out there in the void?

As I desperately searched for its source, every part of my being. The most primal, lizard part of my brain, my base survival instincts, screamed at me to get away as fast as possible, to leave this spot immediately, and flee to the safety of my base.

But for some reason...I couldn't.

I was rooted in place, unable to move an inch in any direction, petrified in fear. I was breathing heavily, my lungs working overtime as my heartbeat erratically. Somehow, I had to take control of myself and try to calm down; it wouldn't do me any good to start panicking, especially in a situation like this where I had a finite supply of air. I had to take control of the situation.

I tried to get myself to relax, I inhaled deeply through my nose then out again, performing breathing exercises to help calm down my terrified heart. I tuned out the world around me as best I could, screwing my eyes shut and ignoring all sounds I heard; dead silence, or otherwise. I retreated into my happy place, which was far away from this watery hell, and was noticeably monster free. I was in a dire predicament right now. One that needed to be dealt with by having a level head, not by getting so panicked that I couldn't think straight.

After composing myself and letting my emotions settle, I once again began to try to locate the thing that made that noise and hopefully discern whether or not it knew if I was here.

I prayed to myself that it didn't know of my presence.

I kept on hearing that deep roar all around me, echoing through the water and causing vibrations that I felt through my suit. I looked everywhere as the roars continued non-stop; angry wails of some hungry, monstrous predator searching for its next meal. I anxiously searched the water in silence. The same roars continued, constantly fluctuating and shifting, moving from one place to another, making it almost impossible to find where it was coming from.

I heard the sound again off to my right. Looking in its direction, I squinted my eyes and thought I could just barely make out the form of some colossal beast gliding through the water, using its large paws, flippers, or whatever it had to propel itself through the liquid. I tried to make out its shape, but it was shrouded in darkness and before I knew it...it was gone once more.

I was both amazed and horrified at what I saw. As I watched it swim from view, I began racking my brain, trying to process what it was I just witnessed. while I couldn't see much because of the darkness, I thought I might've been able to make out some tentacles? It also seemed like it was fairly bulky, as I saw what I made out to be a well-built frame; and while I wasn't sure on its exact size, from where I saw it, I'd estimate that it was at least as big as a Sea Dragon or an Emperor. After a few moments of ruminating on my discovery, I was ready to get back to finding this thing...but...it was only after escaping my thoughts that I came to a terrifying realization-I couldn't hear the roaring anymore.

Upon making this startling discovery, my heart rate started to increase once more. Why had it stopped? had it left? did it swim away and strand me all alone in the empty, open ocean...or was something else going on?

I hastily got back to searching for the monster, swinging my head in every direction in a desperate attempt to find it again. I checked everywhere, but my efforts were in vain, for I could no longer see any sign of the monster or hear it's deathly roars-and I was unsure whether that was good or bad.

I silently trod the water around me, my entire being on edge as I warily paid close attention to my surroundings, fearing that something was about to lunge out at me like a snake.

I held vigilance as long as possible, on high alert as I waited for something; a movement, a sound... to maintain my composure as possible, I refused to succumb to the fear that was welling up within my heart.

However, after a few more minutes of silence and zero motion, I began to lull myself into a sense of security, letting my guard down as it seemed as if the danger had passed.

And then, I heard that same deep growl directly, behind me.

I immediately felt a cold dread wash over me, as if my heart and lungs stopped working, a pit forming within my gut.

Slowly, I forced myself to turn around, my breath hitching as I hesitantly turned to face the spot from which the sound originated.

At first, I could see nothing in front of me, it was still empty and dark as far as I could tell, with no sign that any kind of creature that could make such a sound was present.

Utter confusion washed over me, what was going on? It sounded as if something was right behind me, but then I turn around and...nothing? This didn't make any sense!

As I tried to wrap my head around what was going on, I started to subconsciously move closer to where I thought it was that I heard the noise - why I thought that was a good idea, I may never know! As I slowly started to inch my way closer and closer, I began to notice something odd about the area in front of me, it was a strange discrepancy, a spot in the water where something stood out in the gloom, like some kind of form resting among the darkness surrounding me.

My mind began racking itself over what it could be I was seeing, was it an underwater mountain ridge that I hadn't seen maybe? Or perhaps some kind of giant fungal growth like the mushroom forests?

I stared hard at the object in front of me, trying to figure out what it was.

And unfortunately, it was that moment when I realized that the thing had been staring right back me the whole time!

I suddenly found myself face to face with a giant monstrous pair of eyes, deep glowing green orbs with amber slits, each the size of a sea moth, looking down at me angrily.

Fear began to well up within me once more, unmatched terror threatening to overwhelm me as I took in the imposing creature before me - I found it challenging to control my fear as I faced down this giant monster.

A challenge that I was loosing.

The thing opened up its cavernous maw, filled with razor-sharp teeth as tall as me, and that same green glow emanating from the back of its throat. It let out another low bellowing roar, setting its gaze down on me like it was sizing me up as easy prey - which I unfortunately was.

I immediately tried to swim away from this beast, beating the water around me as I attempted to put as much space between us as possible - while my odds weren't the greatest, I wasn't prepared to keel over and give up just yet. Making a beeline away from the monster, I swam as fast as I could in the direction I hoped was up. But the creature cut me off, effortlessly gliding into my path as it blocked my escape. In response, I turned and swam in a different direction, but it continued to prevent me from fleeing, stopping me every time I tried to getaway-never once letting me escape its angry, hungry gaze.

Whenever I tried to get, it would simply continue to cut me off, constantly dashing my hopes. Was it toying with me!? I wondered.

It got to the point where I could no longer keep it up, no matter what I did, the monster wouldn't let me get away, trying to escape was pointless. I stopped moving, figuring it best to conserve my energy in case I need it. Instead, I opted to track the creature with my eyes as it swam around me in circles, like a tiger stalking its prey, waiting for the right moment to strike.

I watched it in bated breath, anxiously awaiting the moment where it would lunge at me for the kill.

Gradually, it began to slow itself down as it came to a stop. It turned to face me, staring at me with angry eyes and a deadly, toothy smile.

We both hovered there quietly in the water, neither of us taking our eyes off the other. I watched the creature as it just sat there, floating ominously in the water, unmoving, towering tall over me like an angel of death.

My heart crashed against my chest, my lungs working like crazy as they fought to pump the heavy amounts of oxygen I was taking in, my brain working overtime, trying to figure a way out of this mess as I floated there, having a staring contest with doom.

Finally, the monster made its move.

It let out one last bone-shakeing, bellowing roar that outmatched all the others it had made before charging right at me. I watched in terror as it barreled right for me like an angry bull, with its mouth wide open to engulf me.

I wanted to escape, to get out of its way, and stay out of its toothy maw...but I once again found myself unable to move, stuck in place as it came closer and closer. There was nothing I could do, I was completely frozen, an unmoving target, a sitting duck - and I couldn't do anything about it.

The monster was upon me in an instant, its razor-sharp teeth ready to tear me apart, its tongue quivering and its pulsating throat ready to swallow me down. And I watched in horror, as its powerful, massive jaws closed shut around me, sealing my doom.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I shot up screaming, sweat caking my brow as I panted heavily, my heart thrashing violently in my chest from that traumatic experience.

The freezing cold of the dark ocean was quickly replaced with a feeling of encompassing warmth. It was a pleasant, comforting sensation that left my entire body swaddled in its heat. I took stock of the situation, casting my panicked eyes around me; I was still in my quarters, safe in my bed, the blankets felling warm and relaxing after that ordeal.

Taking a deep sigh, I plopped back down on the bed with a sense of reprieve, my previous worries melting away. "It was just another nightmare," I spoke softly, my voice but a whisper.

I laid there completely still, giving my body a chance to calm down, and allowing my heart rate to slow and return to normal.

After a few minutes, I sat up, the soft and cozy covers sliding off my body as I changed position as the mattress, and sheets shifted under my weight. Throwing the covers off, I swung my feet off the warm bed and onto the cold metal floor.

Groggily, I stood up and did my best to rub the sleep from my eyes. Oh, how simple it would be just to lay back down and sleep some more; to get back in bed, pull the covers up to my neck, and return to dreamland and let all my worries slip away. I wanted that so badly, and if it were any other day, I just might be inclined to do it...but, unfortunately, I can't have that luxury right now.

Todays the big day.

Starting tomorrow, the first leg of our mission would be over, and we'd be at our destination. While I know that our reason for coming here is critical and I'm going to be needed there - I can't say that I'm too thrilled to be coming back here, after almost dying multiple times on that planet I had hoped I'd never see it again - but desperate times call for despite measures.

Doing my best to shake off the drowsiness that was plaguing me, I made my way over to my bathroom. The door automatically slid open for me with a whirr, having sensed me as I approached it. Passing through the door, I entered the bathroom and turned on the lights. The door automatically closing behind me.

I walked over to the sink and turned on the water to its coldest temperature, sticking my hand into the icy liquid, I cupped my palm and splashed my face with it a couple of time's in order to wake myself up.

By this point, my face was now covered in freezing water. Looking up in the mirror, I watched as cold, tiny droplets of water beaded their way down my cheeks and forehead, before splattering down in the sink below.

Since I was looking in the mirror, I cast my gaze to my hair. It was a disheveled, tangled mess that looked like it had been in a roadhouse brawl. Setting to right this tragedy and fixing my unruly locks, I got my hands wet once more and began to tame it down. I brought my wet hands down upon my stringy mop, letting my fingers glide through it and hitting the occasional snag as I sought to straighten out my hair.

My fingers came down upon the spot where I had used to dye it blue. I halted for a second, holding that wet clump of hair in my hands, thinking back to my past. I was younger back then and had kept my hair like that for the longest time, but after I came back from the Aroura incident, I gradually began to grow up. Once I got back home, I started spending much more time with my family and friends than I did before I left; as when I was stranded on 4546B I was sure that I would never see any of them again.

I had also been a tiny bit skittish before the incident, often shying away from conversations with other people that I didn't know that well. I had also never been one for conflict if I wound up getting into trouble with someone, whether it be a family member or someone from work, I would always stick my head between my legs and wait for it to pass.

For all the pain and torment that planet dealt me, there was one good thing that came out of it - it taught me to not be afraid, to face my fears, and be brave, to defend myself. I never would have been able to get off that world alive had I not been able to face the darkness, and what lurked in it.

I went from that scared kid who got stranded on an alien planet all alone, with no-one but a friendly little fish and a giant Kraken to speak with, to a confident and mature adult who took his life by the reigns.

And, to mark the completion of my transformation, I washed the dye from my hair, signaling the birth of the new me.

Breaking away from those past memories, I shook my head, sending droplets of oily water flying as I did so. I had no time to be reminiscing about the past; I had somewhere to be right now.

Moving quickly, I began to freshen up. After brushing my teeth and removing that nasty morning breath, I went over to the toilet in order to relieve myself. I decided to skip taking a shower right now as I needed to get out there so soon as possible. So instead, I opted to use some spray-on deodorant to freshen up my smell, its aerosol-based substance pelting my skin and eliminating any odors.

I made my way back out of the bathroom and into my living quarters. Flipping the light switch, I headed over to the small closet beside my bed and it automatic slid open, revealing a whole set of matching work uniforms. I pulled one of the outfits off of the hanger rack and examined it.

It was a one-piece suit, the whole thing was colored light gray, save for a couple of white bars on the inside of the arms and legs. These outfits were the standard wear for people working for the Mongolian Independent States; the ones who were leading this mission. The one I have in possession is the most basic of designs, given to people of the lowest rank; each one gaining different colors reflective of the increase in rank.

Peeling off my sleepwear, I slipped into the uniform and zipped it up before grabbing my shoes from the foot of the bed and putting those on as well.

I straightened out my suit, making sure it was on properly before heading to the door so I could report to the bridge.

The living area I had been using for the past few months wasn't exactly what you'd call luxurious, it was a bit on the small side- -almost to the point of being cramped- - and it was underwhelmingly plain, with the only things occupying it is the bed, the closet, and a chair- -I know this isn't a deep space cruise and that we're on a critical mission and all but would it have killed them to have added a plant or a painting to liven the place up a bit? At least I can take solace in the fact that almost everyone on this ship is living in a similar condition.

I swiped my hand over a sensor on the door and it opened right up, allowing me to pass out into the corridor beyond.

The halls were brightly lit, making it seem as if the sun was shining down on them, filling them with warmth despite being in the soul-sucking endless void of space. The Mongolians used a special type of bulb that put off actual heat, as opposed to the standard LEDs, their purpose to simulate natural sunlight in order to ease the burden on employees who would often go months at a time without even stepping foot on the surface of a planet.

I made my way down the hall and in the direction of the bridge, my shoes creating metallic thumps as they came into contact with the floor.

I passed by a few other people in the halls, going about their own business as we prepared to make a milestone in our mission- -all of whom I greeted by name.

This expedition consisted of five ships and two hundred and fifty individuals. With each vessel carrying fifty people, it was inevitable that you would get to know some of, if not all, of the faces you were sharing a ship with. And when you're stuck on a ship in the middle of space for months on end, you will appreciate decent human interaction- -especially if you got stranded on an alien world all by yourself for months on end with no other humans in sight.

I began a slow jog up a stairwell, my hand clasped firmly on the railing as I made my way up the steps. As I steadily rose up the levels of the ships, I began seeing more and more people; a sign that I was no longer on the residential decks and was now entering the busier parts of the ship.

As I made my way to the bridge, I decided to deviate from my route and make a quick pitstop and started down an adjacent hallway. After about a minute, I came up to the end of the hall, where a door could be found wide open. Bright white lights filtering out from the room on the other side.

I rapped my knuckles on the door frame as I let myself in, alerting all within the room of my presence.

I entered a sterile environment, a place so clean that you would be hard-pressed to find even a speck of dust.

This was the room where the scientists on this mission had set up shop. Counters and cabinets were set up all along the walls, as well as some additional islands scattered about the room. They were filled with an assortment of instruments, such as Petri dishes, vials, and microscopes, that would be used to study the local flora and fauna when we made planetfall.

Sitting at the other side of the lab, garbed in a lab coat, was the head scientist on our ship, Kevin. He was hunched over a microscope, peering down at a piece of space rock, a sense of childlike wonder emanating off of him.

He was one of my closest friends that I had made since starting this mission. I bumped into him one day in the mess hall and he invited me to sit down, an offer to which I accepted. As we ate, he bombarded me with question after question about 4546B; stuff about what kind of creatures I found and all the different biomes I came across, ravenously eating up everything I told him. He seemed to be very very excited about going there - something that stretched my suspension of disbelief...to each their own, I guess.

We started to hang out regularly after that, either between swapping stories or just sharing a good laugh. His cheery personality made for great company in this isolated environment; between his upbeat demeanor and joyous attitude, he was a blast to be around - his presence made this mission a lot more tolerable

Kevin greeted me as I approached, an excited smile on his freckled face.

"Ahh, hello Ryley, are you as excited for today as I am?" He asked me enthusiastically.

I adopted an awkward expression. "Uhh...I not sure that's the word I'd use. anxious would be more appropriate," I replied earnestly.

"aww, that's a shame!" He said, saddened, his happy demeanor diminishing a bit. "You're the ninth person to say something like that, I had thought more people would be excited about today, I mean, just imagine all the fascinating discoveries we'll make when we set down on the planet; imagine all the amazing animals and plants that we'll find!"

"Well, I don't really need to imagine what we'll find, in fact, I kind of have a good idea of the kinds of things that await us down there," I noted contemplatively.

A look of understanding crossed the man's face, his eyes lighting up in realization. "Oh yeah, that's right. You probably wouldn't be too thrilled to return to that planet after having got stuck there for a while." His shoulders drooped a bit. "I just thought that more people would show interest in all this, it's not every day that someone gets to be part of an expedition that's exploring an alien world, an underwater alien world for that matter- -and no-one seems to care." He finished in a tone that was devoid of emotion, his voice sounding down and depressed.

"It's not that they don't care, Kevin, it's just that we have a bigger issue on our plate," I said supportively, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Everyone else, their main focus is getting the cure, not worrying about all the little fish we may find, we just have bigger priorities."

Taking my hand back off of his shoulder, I watched him as he solemnly nodded his head in understanding. "You're right, we do have bigger things to worry about, I shouldn't be getting all obsessed over-"

"-BUT!" I held up my index finger, interrupting him from saying anything else. "That doesn't mean that you can't enjoy it, yes our main reason for coming to this planet is to get Enzyme 42, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't study any other forms of life that we find."

Kevin began to perk up a bit when I said that, his enthusiasm from before starting to return. "Well, in that case, I'll enjoy it for everyone!" He said with determination.

"You do that," I said, giving the man a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks."

"So, what're you looking at there, exactly?" I asked curiously, gesturing to the small piece of rock.

"This is a specimen I managed to pick up when we passed through that asteroid field a few light-years back!" He replied, answering my question with an undeniable fervor. "I've been studying it for a while and I've discovered fascinating things. I measured the Rubidium and Strontium levels in it and it turns out that this tiny chunk of space debris is older than Earth's entire solar system! Isn't that amazing?!"

"Sounds amazing," I said, nodding my head in approval.

Looking back at the open door, I figured it was time for me to get back on my way; I have somewhere to be after all. "Uhh, listen Kevin." I began an apologetic tone to my voice. "I have to report to the bridge now," I told him, jerking my thumb at the door.

"Ok, see ya." He said as he turned his attention back to his space rock.

After saying goodbye to my friend, I headed back down the hallway to where I last was. From there, I took the other path and continued on my way to my destination.

As I started on my way to the bridge, the reason why we were here couldn't help but start to worm its way into my mind, our objective is to find and secure Enzyme 42 and use it to combat the Kharaa before it wipes us out.

It all started a while back, about a year and a half ago. This disaster began when a new colony was bringing set up on a newly discovered planet. A couple of months after setting down, and building up a settlement, reports of a strange illness began sweeping over the colony; one whose victims slowly developed glowing, sickly green pustules, and increasingly aggressive behavior.

The colony did their best to fight this new disease by quarantining those infected and prohibiting all vessels from coming to or leaving the planet; however, despite the settlements best efforts, reports of this virus began to pop up in other nearby parts of space, and it could only be assumed that the virus must have been transmitted to someone on a ship before they were aware of it.

Now, one might think 'wouldn't there be some sort of system in place to make sure this doesn't happen. I mean their settling on a new planet, who knows what kinds of diseases they have - it would only be logical to ban off-world travel until they found that it was safe to live on?' And in most cases, they would be right, but guess who was in charge of the whole thing...Alterra.

Thanks to them and their disregard for safety protocol, they let an unstoppable super disease lose on the entire human race! Not only did they cause loads of trouble for me when I escaped that world but wouldn't you know it, they wound up screwing over all of humanity.

For the next several months after the Kharaa made itself known. Governments, independent colonies and states, as well as trans-gov companies like the Mongolians, scrambled to stop the sickness and keep it from spreading. Unfortunately, their efforts bore little fruit, hardly impeding its progress.

As the Kharaa spread like wildfire over all human-occupied space, it became harder and harder to avoid it; it eventually got to the point where there was not one planet, moon, asteroid or space station that didn't have a case. People, families and entire communities went into self-isolation in an effort to stay healthy, which was a daunting task in these times.

As more and more people got sick, hospitals all around the interstellar community became crowded to the point where they began to push max capacity as more victims came in. As more people died to the Kharaa every day - the bodies starting to pile up drastically - doctors did everything they could do help its victims, but all they could manage to do was slow the sickness down a bit.

Humanity is in a dark time, fear and terror grip the hearts of everyone, worrying that the Kharaa may swoop in and claim their lives. Families huddle in their homes, desperately hoping to weather this storm and live to see the dawn of a new day. Riots breaking out all over, as people become hysterical and unruly, blaming governments for what's happening and for not taking action, regardless of whether or not it's true. Looters taking to the streets, smashing storefronts and breaking into homes, grabbing whatever they can get their mitts on.

Scientists all over colonized space struggled and failed to find a cure to the Kharaa multiple times over, but no matter what they tried, they could not find a way to stop it. Eventually, as a last-ditch effort, a proposal was put forth, to assemble an expedition and head to 4546B in search of the only known substance in the universe that could stop it, Enzyme 42.

It took a while to put this expedition together; they had to find and recruit people that they would need, such as scientists, soldiers and guides, which is why I'm here. Since I'm one of the few people that have been on that planet and managed to get off alive, so my experience with it will be a necessity. And on top of that, everyone that became part of the expedition had to go through a lengthy quarantine process, in order to make sure that they weren't sick with the Kharaa and would not jeopardize the mission.

And they also had to find someone to support and lead the expedition, to which the Mongolians eventually volunteered. Partly because they didn't want Alterra to do so, thinking they'd find some way to profit off of it. Not to mention that they're the cause of this whole mess.

By the time we finally managed to set off on our voyage, about forty percent of the entire human race was infected with the Kharaa. And that number will only continue to rise unless our mission is a success. The hopes and dreams of all of humanity, resting on our shoulders.

And that leads us back to where we are now.

The hall I was walking down began to change as I neared my destination; the dull grey walls changed to a pristine white, while the cold metal floor transitioned into a soft, red velvet carpet. A ramp led up to a pair of big double doors, where I could see a woman leaning back against the doorframe.

Her hair was done up in a bun and her sharp facial features stoic as she stood there quietly, a stern air wafting off her. She had a well-built body, with nicely defined muscles that would make someone rethink messing with her. She'd probably be able to take me down in two seconds flat.

She seemed to be waiting for someone, her eyes scanning the hall for anybody that came by, looking for someone specific. And when her eyes locked on me, I began to suspect I was who she was looking for.

As I came closer, the woman stood up straight and folded her arms, her steely gaze never wavering. "Mr. Robinson, the captain has been expecting you," she told me in a stern voice as I approached.

"Hello, Lidia, sorry I'm late, I decided to stop by the lab real quick," I told her, pointing back to where I came from. Lidia was a soldier, trained in hand to hand combat and was a god when eyeing down the scope of a rifle. She and her platoon had been assigned to this mission to help fend off any hostile creatures they may encounter.

Lidia followed my finger with her eyes before giving me a silent nod. "Well then, I suggest that we don't let him wait for us any longer." She told me, holding her hand out as she guided me onto the bridge.

The large double doors automatically opened up for us, revealing a large, half-oval room. Blinking control terminals covered every square inch of the place, serving various purposes such as navigation and steering. Crew members sat and stood at said terminals, overseeing the ship's main functions and making sure everything ran smoothly.

Resting in the middle of the bridge, like a centerpiece on a dinner table, was a large raised podium with a set of steps leading up to it. This was where Captain Hill and Commander Abigail ran the vessel from.

The captain stood proudly atop the pedestal, a respected figure of authority shining like a beacon in the dark. He wore a single piece suit like the rest of us, but his outfit was much more extravagant. His grey suit was emblazed with gold trimming and bars, signaling his high rank, and he also had several bells and whistles that made him stand out even more, such as epaulets on his shoulders with little tassels hanging off them; and various medals stuck to his shirt, describing his accomplishments and feats as a leader. On top of his head, he wore a light grey cap with gold trimming in a fashion that was reminiscent of what seafaring Captains of old used to wear.

The second in command stood next to him at his side, the trimming on her suit silver instead of gold and without the tassels and medals.

With Lidia following in my wake, I made my way over to where the captain stood, walking past terminals and around the crew. Stepping up to the foot of the podium, I called out to the captain, earning his attention.

He turned his wrinkly old face down in my direction, his eyes lighting up in realization upon seeing me. "Ryley! I see you're finally up," He noted.

I nodded my head respectfully." yes I am, I'm sorry if I kept you waiting."

The captain just simply waved off my apology, not having any of it. "You have nothing to be sorry for, you did nothing wrong. I was merely anticipating your arrival. Now that you're here, come come! I want you to see this!" He said, insisting I join him up on the pedestal so I could look at something.

Hesitantly I agreed, moving up the steps as he energetically ushered me atop. Once up, I was greeted with an amazing sight that threatened to take my breath away, looking through the massive window that separated us from the cold vacuum of space, I saw an object that shimmered beautifully within the vast expanse of darkness, the light from the nearby star glinting off its surface. And the two moons hanging splendidly in its orbit.

I also saw a place that terrified me.

A place that brought back bad memories that I had tried to bury.

One that I previously stated I thought I would never have to see again.

4546B.

A planet covered almost entirely in water, with the only spots of land being tiny islands spaced randomly across its surface.

Captain Hill pointed out at the planet in front of us, his voice filled with awe. "Tell me, Ryley, what do you see?"

"A Nightmare world. A place of horror. A dominion of death. All of the above." I stated bluntly.

Shrugging off my answer like it was nothing, he ignored what I said and continued to speak. "well there's that...but also..." He paused in his words, a pregnant silence filling the area around us. "...Hope! When I look at that planet, I see hope for us. I see hope, that because of our actions in the coming days, humanity will live to see a new dawn."

"Yeah, there's that too," I admitted.

"Now pretty soon the five ships are going to break formation and go and search the planet for any trace on an Emperor." He began, reiterating what we had known was going to happen for a while. "But before they do that." He turned to me, a concerned expression on his face. "Is there any chance that they'll have trouble getting the Enzyme if they run into a Sea Emperor, will it give them the cure, will it turn hostile? I know that the precursors tried the same thing we are, but never got it. I wanna know what we're getting into here, I wanna make sure that I'm not sending those under my command into certain death."

"No, the Sea Emperors are benevolent. I should know; I met one and helped hatch her children, and neither the mother nor the juveniles ever tried to harm me," I told him, trying to help ease his worries. "Yes, the precursors did come here to get Enzyme 42 like we are but the difference is they tried to take it by force, they never tried to ask the Emperors for their help and for that reason is why they never got it; we're not gonna make that same mistake!" My words seemed to help clear a few things up, cause now he looked a lot less concerned.

With that out of the way, I stared out the viewport at the water planet before us, its blue surface shining like a jewel in the never-ending expanse. it hung in the dark void quietly, just waiting for us to come and plunge into its depths once more. "How long till we breach the atmosphere?" I asked the captain, not once taking my eyes off 4546B- -still can't believe I'm back here.

Captain Hill made a clicking sound with his mouth, thinking my question over. "At our current speed, I'd say uh...just a few minutes?"

I silently acknowledge him, watching as the shining blue orb that was 4546B, inch steadily closer.

"-Wait, what is that?-" I heard one of the crew members speak aloud as they looked over something on the radar. Phil, I believed his name was, we didn't interact much.

As Phil ogled over something on the screen, a few of his buddies joined him, each expressing alarm at what they were seeing.

"-Why didn't we see this?-"

"-It's coming right for us!-"

They seemed to be worried about something, judging by their words and tones- -what was wrong.

"Umm, captain, Sir!" Phil spoke up, raising his voice over everyone else to be sure he was heard. "We have an issue!"

The captain raised an eye. "An issue? What kind of-" His words were cut off as he watched something beyond the ship, his eyes tracking it with horror as it approached the starboard side of the vessel they were on.

"EVERYBODY BRACE FOR IMPACT!" The captain bellowed out as fast as he could.

But before anyone had time to react, a large solar flare hit the ship, causing it to lurch violently to the side, and rumble and shake like crazy, like a seafaring vessel in a hurricane. Every light, terminal, and source of electricity began to spark and short-circuit as the solar flare fried systems all over the ship, effectively plunging us into darkness.

Everyone in the bridge was sent hurtling off their feet, with Captain Hill, the Commander and I sent flying off the podium. The three of us landed in a heap of limbs, the pain from the impact dazing us and impeding our recovery.

I witnessed a woman get tossed clear from where she was standing at a control terminal in the back, to ultimately smashing her head upon the wall opposite her. Resulting in a sickly crack coming from her neck as she fell limply to the floor. I felt a sense of dread well up within me as I stared at the woman, her head and neck bent at an unnatural angle.

As I struggled to remove myself from the pile of bodies I was in, I could see Lidia across the way. She had been flung all the way across the bridge, into the wall and was currently trying to get up.

Mirroring her movements, I began to shakily get to my feet, the trauma from the impact still plaguing my memory and body.

I looked over to the window to see that the flare had subsided just as quickly as it had come, with the only evidence that it had been here being a wrecked ship.

I gazed around at the carnage. It was a bit tricky thanks to the bridge now being cast in shadow but I could still make out what was happening around me. The wounded people trying to recover and the shot systems that were now only dead pieces of tech, broken husks of their former selves.

Once I had recovered, I started helping various crew members get to their feet, each one of them just as discombobulated as I am. Looking over to the captain, I could see him helping the commander up, his cap was knocked off revealing the matted grey hair underneath.

"Damage report!" The captain called out to one of the crew, urgency in his voice.

Lidia walked up beside us. Unlike everyone else, she seemed to have recovered and shaken off the blast fairly quickly.

Being the first to answer the Captain's request, Phil informed us of the ship's current state. "The flare knocked out most of our electronics but the backup generator should be kicking in any minute now! Luckily, the gravity generator and the life support systems seemed to have remained operational. But, we suffered a casualty!" He Grimly noted, gesturing his head at the unfortunate woman.

True to his word, the power began to come back in limited supply. Bringing a couple of surviving terminals back to life. While also turning on some emergency lights, casting the bridge in a blood-red glow.

With the power back, Phil rushed over to a lit-up terminal and brought up the diagnostics of the ship, after a few moments of checking over the state of the vessel, he let out a short, alarming gasp. "Oh my! This is not good! This is not good!" He started to tap the screen violently as if whatever he was seeing was wrong, but when it didn't seem to work, he began to lose himself, breathing heavily as he started to freak out. "No, no. This is not good. THIS IS NOT GOOD!"

We all looked on worriedly at the way he was behaving, concern about our current situation rising as he panicked at what he saw, not one of us daring to move. I gazed at the other people in the room as they watched this ordeal, Phil's freakout proving to be contagious as others started to panic

The captain stepped forward and approached the crewman, with the clear intention of calming the man down before a full riot could begin. Taking him by the shoulders, he started shaking him to snap him out of his panicking state. Once the man had calmed down a bit, the captain looked him dead in the eyes and, in a deathly serious tone, spoke to him.

"Look at me, LOOK AT ME!" He shouted, his voice booming with power, causing many of us to flinch. "What's wrong! What is the state of my ship?"

Phil took a deep breath to steady himself, sweat caked on his brow and he shakily spoke. "The Engines are down, the navigation is shot, we have no steering and very little power...we're dead in the void!" He managed out finally.

The captain gave this new - frankly alarming - information deep regard, taking it all in and taking on a reasonable expression. "Well, you can fix it, right?" He asked.

Phil began to explain. "Yeah, we can fix it, but-"

"And how long would that take?" The captain interjected

"Only a couple days, BUT THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM!" He shouted out suddenly, preventing himself from being interrupted again.

This sudden outburst caught Captain Hill off guard, making him falter for a second. Looking the man in the eye once more, he hesitantly spoke. "What is the problem?" He asked worriedly.

"The problem," He began, "Is that we aren't going to get a chance to fix it!"

The captain was about to speak but was beaten to the punch. "We are about to be pulled down to the planet below; we're caught in its gravitational pull and are now being dragged down by it!" He cried out, hopelessness in his voice.

The faces of the captain and everyone else paled at those words, all of us struggling to come to terms with their implications; and the implications, it felt like the universe decided to play a cruel joke on us.

"We're gonna crash!" I said, deathly serious.

The captain took his hands off the crewman and slowly turned to look out the window, his eyes becoming glassy as he stared out at the planet that was slowly getting closer. "Everybody strap in!" He ordered us, his voice and facial expression conveying a sense of urgency. "We have to pray that we survive this!"

Standing there, I watched people starting to rush about in a panic, trying to find a place where they could strap themselves in, or running off to other parts of the ship to tell them to do the same.

All of the sudden, Lidia snaked her hand around my wrist and began to run towards a set of seats at the back of the bridge, dragging me behind her the whole way. She pulled me up to one of the seats and forcibly shoved me down into one. "Strap in, NOW! We don't have much time!" She commanded as she sat down in another seat next to me and pulled a harness over her body and fastened it tightly.

As this was happening, I could begin to feel the ship start to rumble as it entered the planet's atmosphere. Deciding not to wait, I immediately mirrored Lidia and fastened the harness over my body so tight that it nearly cut off circulation.

NOT AGAIN!

I panicked to myself. This couldn't be happening to me again, first the Aroura, now this?

The ship began to shake harder and harder as we fell to the planet, some people scrambled about, still trying to find a seat; and those who couldn't find one held on for dear life. I saw a woman with her arms and legs wrapped around a control terminal that was busted, holding onto it so hard her knuckles and skin turned white as she tucked her head in, hoping to live through this.

NOT AGAIN!

My heart began to beat faster and faster, harder, and harder, as past memories flooded my mind.

Through the window, I saw as the hull of the ship began to heat up upon entry, tongues of fire lashing the vessel as the outside of the ship started turning a bright cherry red.

NOT AGAIN!, NOT AGAIN!

I started squeezing the straps of my harness so hard I began to lose feeling in them, wishing so badly that this was all just a dream. That I would wake up and find that I wasn't here, that Kharaa wasn't here.

Outside, I watched in horror as two of the five ships in our fleet collided with one another, both exploding upon impact and turning into two fireballs hurtling down to the planet below.

NOT AGAIN!, NOT AGAIN!

Why was this happening to us? we were here to get Enzyme 42 so we could save humanity! why was the universe so cruel?

The violent shaking began to subside just a bit as we breached the atmosphere, layers of clouds beating against the ship as we shot through the sky, down towards the choppy water.

NOT AGAIN!, NOT AGAIN!, NOT AGAIN!

I didn't want to go through this again, it wasn't fair, I'd already survived once on this planet, I don't want to have to do that again.

I watched in horror as the water, the deep open water, began to rapidly approach us, laughing at us as we fell uncontrollably down to its depths.

NOT AGAIN!, NOT AGAIN!, "NOT AGAIN!"

I yelled out in terror, suffering flashbacks of my time here as I watched the water come closer and closer, my breath hitching in my throat as the distance between us shrank to nothing.

As I watched the water inch steadily towards us, my last thought was that this was all for nothing.

And then everything went black.

SURVIVOR COUNT: 149

DEATH TOLL: 101

Here you go, everyone, your first meaty look at the story, hopefully, you like what you've seen so far, and if you have, be sure to leave a review, and don't forget to follow and favorite, that way you can keep track of this story as it gets updated.

In the event that below zero releases in the foreseeable future, as I'm on ps4 and I don't want to spoil the game by looking stuff up or watching videos. I'm going to be leaving this story open so that I can easily incorporate elements from it into this story.

Until next time-EndlessPossibilities57, signing out.