By Stith
"Stith! Sti…th.come..i…." Was the last thing I ever heard from the Valkyrie before we lost radio contact almost four hours ago. I can't get off this God forsaken planet, and believe me, I've been searching for a way. This could very well be my last mission ever if the Valkyrie doesn't arrive soon. I felt my deep wounds I had received from battle, they hurt like hell. I kept myself locked in a storage room, it sounds like a sorry way of fighting these……things, but I had to do what I had to do to keep alive. I don't really know what happened to the crew, but they still hadn't returned any comm. message I've sent. I've tried S.O.S 's, but again, no one would respond. I laid my head up against the wall as I bandaged my wounds. The dim room had very little light produced by a flashlight, and the room was very lightly equipped with things for a storage room. I picked up the distant screams of the enemy as the memories of the dead passed through my mind. Blood painting the walls, lifeless bodies laid on the ground, the screams…..dear God, the screams. They just never seemed to stop coming.
I pulled myself off the ground and checked the ammo in my laser rifle that had saved my ass in many tight situations today, but unfortunately, I was low on ammo. 25 % left, it read. I stopped all movement of my body as I heard on of those monsters scurry down the hall, they can pick up on the slightest of movements when they're close. As the thing passed, I let out a breath of relief and looked around the room. I know that I can't stay in here forever. "Ugh….how did I ever get in this mess…" I whispered to myself. I flashed back to how this all went down.
Akima, Cale, Korso, Preed and myself walked into the office of the New Earth military advisor's office. This seemed to be a important mission, since they called for us directly to handle whatever they wanted us to do. We all sat down on a couch, I took up quite a portion of it, due to my size. There were two men standing in full uniform, showcasing their many medals and such. One came forward a little bit towards us.
"Hello, I'm general Tyler Mills and this is my assistant Lieutenant Kevin Fincher, we require your services on a very important mission as you probably figured." He said.
Korso nodded "We're at your services." He replied. The general nodded and looked at the assistant. He dimmed the lights and turned on a holo-projector. A planet came into view "This is planet Com-Alpha. We have a colony down there that has just recently went off-line about almost twenty-four hours ago. We need you, Korso, and your crew to find out what happened on that colony." The general replied. I was a little suspicious of this. A whole colony going down for over twenty-four hours is not very common place.
"Is there any information we need to know about the planet itself?" I asked. The general nodded "Yes. The planet is a barren wasteland, so that makes breather masks a must. The planet's sunrise/sunset is about a two hour time period, so enjoy the sun if you want, but after those two hours it's a dark and cold planet for thirty six hours. A space station orbiting several hundred miles away from the planet can give you some supplies if you need it." He finished.
The assistant stepped up "We also think you should listen to this, we received this just before the colony went off-line." He said as he pressed a button on the control console, enabling a reply of the last known message sent by the colony.
"S.O.S Col….460, we…..und….ck…expe….Nightrai…eywire…hundreds…..ad in amatt……urs….ple….help! Send he…….." the voice said, then crackled and shut off as the message ended. I studied the message closely despite the shortness of it.
"What are the mission parameters?" Korso asked the two. The general spoke up "Get there, and find out what happened to that colony. Return to us with a full report, and we'll clean up from there." He said with a reassuring smile, the type that gives you a good feeling inside. It didn't phase me.
"Stith, what can you interpret from that S.O.S?" Korso asked as all eyes turned toward me. I was now the nice warm center of the room. Preed had a smile on his face "Well, captain, I think that since it's an S.O.S, something bad has happened." I smart assidly replied "und… might mean under attack or under a firestorm or something, the others I can't really decipher." I told them. Korso nodded and thought it over. "Okay, we'll take the mission." He said. That's when everything began going wrong for us.
I stood up and winced as I held the wound on my arm. Thank God for at least some medical supplies in here. Maybe I shouldn't be thanking God, He's probably the reason I'm in here. If their was any hope for me of getting out of here, I would have to get this place running again. That meant turning on the power to the station. That also meant going halfway across the station. I could have always just put the laser rifle in my beak barrel first and shoot my way out of here, but I couldn't. My friends are probably killing themselves right now for leaving me here. It's a good thing these things can't smell, or else half of these things would have tracked me here by now, due to the blood.
I haven't slept in 32 hours. I've tried. All I hear is the screaming of the enemy. Blaring loudly, and echoing endlessly…it was enough to drive a person mad. I worked my way to the door and looked at it as if I expected it to do something. I was building my courage to go out there again. After a few deep breaths, I opened the door and shined the flashlight. Nothing was there waiting. Just a dead body. Decapitated. I had grown accustomed to such grizzly images in my time here. Compared to me, these people were lucky. After I walked out of the doorway and turned to the right, I walked down the hallway, laser rifle ready. A good thing about these creatures, stealth wasn't their best ability. I checked my surroundings, then leaned up against a wall. Placing the flashlight in my beak, I aimed it towards my wrist and shined the light on my wrist comm/computer. After pressing a button, the screen came to life, showing the screen I had been looking at when I turned it off. The map of the colony. I punched up the power supply screen and showed two rooms. One room was to the right, not a lot of distance to go, while the other was quite a walk away. I decided to head to the one closest to me. The screams echoed down the hall. My eyes darted open quickly as I took the flashlight from my beak and shined it in every possible direction. There it was, directly ahead of me, one of those screaming monstrosities. I took aim to it, then it quickly darted away. Small little clacking sounds began heading towards me, it screamed again . I backed up ad shined the light where I thought it was and found it. It also found me. It bounded into the air as I let of a few rounds, catching it straight in the head as parts sent scattering across the hall. Then it hit the ground and slid until it stopped. I wasn't a weapons expert for nothing. I looked back at it, then moved towards my goal quicker. I knew more would come real soon.
"Stith, I've got something I need to tell you" Akima told Stith in her room on the Valkyrie. She'd came by to talk like they always did, but it was something important. Stith finished polishing her gun "What is it, Akima?" she asked. Akima walked over and sat next to Stith, her hands were in her lap as she looked to the ground.
"I'm pregnant." She told her mantrin friend. Stith dropped the gun, safety on, and looked at Akima with a happy expression "Why, that's wonderful Akima! Congratulations." She said. Akima gave a small smirk and looked to Stith "Thanks.." she said in a low tone. The mantrin's ears drooped "What's wrong? I'd figure you'd be happy about this."
Akima nodded "I am, I am. Its just….this mission's got me creeped out. I don't feel like I want to endanger myself or the child inside me."
Stith knew what she was getting at "Have you told Cale yet?" she asked
"No…" Akima replied, then looked into the mantrin's eyes "Can you do me a favor? Can you take my place for me down there?"
Stith was originally assigned to stay aboard the ship, to keep watch in case something attacked from outside. She looked straight ahead to the wall of her room, then back to Akima. She gave a reassuring smile and put an arm around Akima's shoulders "Sure thing, what are friends for?"
What are friends for, any ways. Five of my closest friends left me in this God forsaken hellhole. Thirty three hours, not one rescue mission at all. So boys and girls, this tells you something about friends. Either they've gone back to New Earth to report their findings and put my name in the obituary, or their waiting for something. My money's on the first option. Most logical choice, any ways.
I finally reached the power room, the screaming echoed down the halls from where I used to be. I closed the door and locked it, then turned around to view the room. It was pitch black except from the light from the flashlight. I walked over to the main power console and looked it over. Trashed. I looked at the power generator, trashed as well. Something targeted it for destruction. But why? Then that's when I heard the screaming. Not from the outside, but from inside. Then I felt a bulky thing clamp onto my shoulder tightly and stabbed into it. I couldn't help but to scream in pain. I ran backwards as fast as I could and rammed into the wall. The machine crunched and cracked, but driving the spike that pierced my shoulder deeper, causing more mind numbing pain. It screamed a dying wail, just like they all did. The sound pierced my ear, then left a slight ringing in it. I backed up slightly and let the monster fall to the ground, but a piece of him was still in me. The spike. The room was a total mess, there was no way I could get it up and running again. I'm a weapons expert, not a mechanic. I looked at the wrist comm/computer layout, this was the main power generator. The back up was a long walk aways. Son of a bitch. I quickly left the room to be greeted by the mechanical screaming again. It got closer and closer, obviously alerted by its buddy that I dispatched earlier. These things are beginning to get to me.
"Come in." Korso said as he filled out some paperwork at his desk in the Captain's living quarters. Stith opened the metal door and walked in. Korso turned in his swivel chair and looked to her "Ah, Stith, what brings you here?"
"Captain, I'm here to take Akima's place in the upcoming mission, sir." She replied, standing upright. Korso raised an eyebrow and stood up from his seat "Take her place? What in the devil do you mean? You are needed to keep cover from outside, end of story."
Stith knew she couldn't let her friend from going "Sir, I'm sorry, but I want to go, plus I think it would be better if we kept a pilot on stand-by in case we need an emergency evac." She replied.
Korso walked over and looked her in the eyes "Why would we need an emergency evac?"
"You never know, best to be prepared?" she said unsurely.
Korso was silent for a little, but nodded "Fine, consider it done, but do not ask me for another favor again."
Stith smiled slightly "Yes captain, I understand." And with that, she left.
Never liked the captain anyway. This incident just proves my theory. He hates me too. Oh well, never was that much of a social girl anyways. I had shot that damn machine that came toward me when I exited the room. I ran past it and towards my goal, the back up power supply room. Then an awful stench filled my nostrils. The room I just ran past was where it was coming from, I guessed. I turned around and went inside. The mess hall. The name fitted the room to a T. Corpses of workers laid everywhere, blood coated the walls, rotten food spread across the floor at places. If a normal person came into this room as of now, whatever they had for lunch would have joined the mess on the floor. It's a real good thing I have a stronger stomach then that. Speaking of stomach, I was dying of hunger. I never really noticed it until I saw the food. After a little bit of searching, I finally found a few rations. I seated myself next to some poor guy that had one of those monster's spikes driven through his skull. A look of terror was etched on his face. Lucky bastard. I ate the rations as fast as I could. I was hungry, after all. And I wanted to get out of this death-filled room. As much as it sickened me, deep down there was a part of me that…liked it.
"Preed, you're going after a girl in a totally different league than your own, so don't even try it." Stith said as she was keeping the maintenance on the turrets of the Valkyrie.
Preed sighed and paced around her as she worked "But can't you see that you mean more to me than other girls? You're special to me Stith." He said.
Stith looked up from her work at Preed "That's nice to know. Too bad I don't feel the same for you." She said coldly, then went back to work.
Preed walked over to Stith and put an arm around her shoulder "But Stith, my dear, how can you say that?"
Stith turned her head to look at him "Preed, you almost killed me, not to mention half the crew with your antics. And get your arm off of me."
"Stith, that was a long time ago.."
"Maybe, but I haven't forgotten it. Now, get your damn arm off of me."
Preed put his lips near Stith's ears and whispered "I love you.." afterwards, putting a kiss on her cheek and walked away. Stith looked at Preed with a glare and wiped off the kiss with her hand.
From then until now, I always wondered if Preed really meant that. I love you is such a strong trio of words. But now, I highly doubt he meant it like he said he did. Probably just looking to get laid…or maybe he did mean it….either way, it doesn't forgive himself for almost killing me that time at the Titan. After that, any kind of feelings, whether friendly or more than friendly, was totally shut out. Now that I'm stuck here, he's probably set his focus on Akima, and he knows she's a married woman. I hate that akrennian.
After finishing up the delectable dinner of vacuumed packed ration shit, I got up and walked towards the door. I put an arm on the doorframe and looked back at the mess hall. It was a shame, really.
I walked out and readied my gun for any of those mechanical bastards that might try to take me down. I'm at least half way there, by the look on the map. I walked towards the back up power room. I heard them again. The screams. I looked behind me, in front, every which way. No sign of them…none at all. I continued walking, thinking nothing of it, but staying on alert at all times. But the screaming never stopped, it just got louder and louder. I tried to stay concentrated on the room ahead, but I couldn't take it anymore. I dropped the gun and the flashlight as I collapsed on the ground. The gun popped off a round and it fired down the hall, the light bounced harmlessly on the ground, then rolled to a rest near my foot. I crawled into a small ball and clenched my ears tightly. The screams kept getting louder and louder, and I couldn't take it anymore. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!!!" I yelled out at them, hoping they heard me. I waited there for my untimely death to appear and end my suffering. Closing my eyes, I felt a sensation I haven't felt in awhile. Slumber. The screams, toning down. Quieting. Then nothing.
"Stith? Stith? Wake up, Stith." Came a small voice. She fluttered her eyes open and looked at the little creature. It was Gune.
Stith moaned "Ooooh….what do you want?" she asked. Gune grabbed her hand and shook it "You must wake, time for mission!" he said.
She popped her eyes open and sat up "Oh shit, thanks little buddy." She said, patting him on the head before getting up and walking towards the door. Gune gave a small giggle and followed close behind.
Stith finally arrived to the hatch the connected to the colony. Korso, Preed, and Cale were going along on the mission. Korso looked at Stith "Nice of you to join us." He mentioned and tossed a rifle to her.
She grabbed it, and made sure it was loaded "Sorry captain, just getting some beauty sleep is all." Cale and Preed chuckled slightly.
Akima came up behind Stith and tapped on her shoulder. She turned around to look at her friend "Please, make sure you protect Cale." She said. Stith smiled and put a reassuring hand on Akima's shoulder "Don't worry, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about over there, and if there is, he will come back to you." She said. Akima smiled and gave her a hug "Thank you."
Thank you…thank you…You're welcome Akima. After all, I do have to endure this hell for your beloved husband. It could have been you, or him, that has to take this. No. It should have been you or him. Then you might know what its like down here instead of on your comfortable ship…what am I saying? I'm blaming other people for this. I could have easily rejected this and let Akima do this, But I didn't. I chose to help out a friend in need. But those friends have also turned their backs on me. They could have easily come back to rescue me by now. No. They chose not to. Bastards.
Stith, Preed, Cale, and Korso ventured into the colony. The lights were totally out, pitch black. They activated their flashlights and delved deeper "Captain, I don't think this is such a hot idea." Preed said as he looked around, slight fear present in his facial features.
Korso turned to look at his first mate "We have to find out what happened here, no matter what you think is a 'hot idea'" he said.
Cale nodded "I agree with Preed, this place doesn't look like its in the best of conditions."
Korso shook his head "Just follow me, people."
The four-person party turned the corner. Stith watched their backs as they ventured down the hallway. Preed sniffed the air "What's that smell?"
Stith shined the light down the hallway, a figure was sitting on the ground, body propped against the wall "Captain, I've found someone!" she yelled, then running down the hall towards the human-like figure on the ground.
The three others turned to look at her "Stith, wait!" Korso said before following her down the hall. The two others followed close behind.
Stith managed to get to the human. His face was bloody, body was limp, and his eyelids closed slightly. She looked at him straight in the face "Hey, you alive?" she asked, waving her hand in front him and snapping her fingers.
The three others finally arrived to Stith and the down human "Is he alive, Stith?" Cale asked. She shook her head "Doesn't look like it." She replied.
Cale bent down and checked the human's pulse by applying pressure to his wrist with his pointer and middle finger "He's alive…but the pulse is very faint."
Korso got on the comm. "Akima, ready the med bay, we've got a live person here.." the human suddenly jumped to life and grabbed Stith's shirt by the collar "They're everywhere! They're everywhere! They're everywhere!" he chanted, spitting some blood in Stith's face, then letting go to get up and running down the hall.
"Stop! We're trying to help!" Stith yelled, then giving chase to him. A scream echoed down the hall, then the human's chanting began again "They're everywhere! They're everywhere!" he said running towards Stith. She brought her rifle up, aimed at the obviously crazed human. Something then jumped and clamped onto his head. The human screamed "They're every…" before he finished, a metal spike drove though his skull, killing him instantly. Stith froze at what she just saw as they human tumbled to the ground. Korso, Preed, and Cale got over to Stith and watched as the mechanical monstrosity dug into the human's skull, cracking bone and spraying blood to the walls a bit. Stith backed up, aimed, and fired. The shot rang in the air and pierced though the thing's light metal armor, shattering its internal systems, then exiting into the human.
Korso got onto the comm. "Akima, prep the ship for launch, we're leaving now!" he said, then looked to the crew. Screams, not one, but what sounded like ten rang throughout the hall. The crew began to run back to the ship.
Stith immediately took aim at the metallic enemies and fired. They were quick, dodging even laser shots. About three chased the crew down the pitch black hallway. Stith took aim and fired, catching one in the chest "Not too fast for me." She said.
Korso and Cale got onto the ship "Come on! Lets go!" yelled Korso. Stith and Preed turned to face the ship and ran towards it. A sudden clamp on Stith's arm made her stop, the spike drove though it, causing her to scream in pain. Preed ran onto the ship "Stith!" he began to run for her, but the door closed, locked tight. Stith aimed her gun at the creature and fired, blowing it away. She then ran to the door as the airlock door closed, separating the ship from the colony. The Valkyrie pulled away and drove skyward. Leaving Stith behind on the colony. Alone.
I woke up sometime later, don't really know how long I was out. The dream was still there in my mind. She looked over her body. It was the same as it was when she passed out. I figured I was done for, hearing those screams, but nothing came. Were they in my head? Nothing but a figment of my imagination? I quickly got up and picked up my things, heading towards my goal. As I did, I though about that dream. They did leave me here to die. Some friends they are. I finally arrived to the back-up power room. The place looked like it hadn't been touched at all. I went over to the console and pressed a button. The screen lit up to life. I pressed the button that said, "Run back-up power". As I did that, the room lit up to life. Lights began to turn on. I went outside and looked, lights began to turn on. Damn I'm good. I looked to my wrist comm/computer, I had to find the communications center of this place if I ever hoped to talk to my 'friends' again. Good thing, its not too far away. I walked out of the room, then I heard the screaming again. I looked around, one of those mechanical creatures was writhing on the ground, screaming. It went around in circles. Kinda funny when you think about it. It didn't take a second thought for me to aim down and shoot at it. After I dispatched the creature, I walked to the communications center. I saw a few more exactly like the creature, writhing on the ground. Maybe it was the lights. The lights must have done something to them.
I quickly arrived at the Comm. Room. The lights and systems were active and lit up. I walked over to the main comm. unit and activated it "This is Stith on planet Com-Alpha requesting immediate pick up, any ship, please respond." She said. It took awhile, but someone finally answered "This is scout class ship Aries. We've received your signal for immediate pick up. We will be there very shortly." A woman responded.
Stith sighed "Oh, thank you, I'll be waiting in the communications room. Out" She replied. She wondered if the Valkyrie got the message as well. Probably not. Then, slowly rising, the screams began to echo throughout the halls. They rang in my ears. I covered my ears quickly and knelt to the ground "Stop it!!" she pleaded. The sound continued to ring in my ears until I fell unconscious. Near dead to the world.
Instead of a normal dream of previous events…all I saw was death. The mess hall, the decimated amounts of people, those metal monsters. They all flashed through my mind in a slide show of death and carnage. The screaming in the background, dear God the screaming, A mixture of the horrible mechanical scream from those monsters, to actual human screams. People pleading for their lives as those things mercilessly cut them down. How anyone could keep their sanity there, I'll never know. I know I didn't.
I woke up in the medical bay of the Aries. My head hurt a lot, I didn't know what from, but it hurt. I looked around the room, a doctor was present, a female human one. She was cleaning off her med tools when she looked at me "Ah, you're awake I see, that's a good thing." She said.
She walked over and placed the tools on a tray, then looked at me as I sat up in the small bed "How long was I out?" I asked. She laughed slightly "Since we got there. You were out like a light when we arrived in the comm. room." She said. I looked at the tools "Did you get a look around?" I asked.
The med officer went silent for a few seconds, then spoke "Ye-yes..it was horrible…. I don't know how you stood your ground there." She said, then turning her back to me. I stood up and palmed one of the tools on the tray "I'll tell you how I did." I told her. The girl turned around and looked at me "How?"
I looked into her eyes and smirked "I didn't."
I grasped her arm with one hand, while the other hand with the tool I palmed, a scalpel, proceeded to stab her in the stomach. The look on her face when she felt the sharp blade enter, oh, it was priceless. Her mouth agape, eyes wide open, look of fear and shock in them. Beautiful. So I did it again, over and over, must have been a good minute or so that I've been thrusting the scalpel into her stomach and chest. She cried while she bled, making the kill twice as sweet. After I finished stabbing her, I let her lifeless body drop to the ground. I looked at it for a minute. She was quite beautiful for a human, I almost pity her death. I knelt down and held her head while her body continued to bleed slowly "Don't blame me.." I whispered into her ear "..blame Cale. Blame Korso, blame Preed, blame the crew of the Valkyrie…they did this to me, they forced me to do this." I told her.
The Stith I once knew died on that colony. She didn't die from wounds, bleeding, or the mechanical monsters. She died from a broken heart. The loneliness during her traumatic stay on the colony, and not to mention her friends abandoning her, caused her to die. But from her death, I was born. To get redemption for Stith's soul. To get revenge for her. Those screams she heard before she collapsed wasn't from a man-made machine, they were her own. Her dying wail. It must've took a good fifteen minutes before I dispatched the entire ten member crew of the scout ship Aries. Each body reminded me of those left on the colony. Each scream of horror and pain reminded me of those who did this to Stith. Who forced this upon me. Each murder was redemption for Stith. When I find the Valkyrie, her crew's deaths shall be my revenge, and Stith's redemption as well…
When I close my eyes, I still see the death. The carnage. The blood. Even the Aries crew. I still hear the screams. I'm not bothered by them now. Instead, the screams are like a lullaby, sung especially to my liking. She needs redemption. Both of us need revenge. Your life will not be in vain, Stith. I will kill those who caused this upon you. Upon us.
I will kill the crew of the Valkyrie.
For us.