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Untold Stories

There was hot milk today, that much of Chef's hopes had already come true. He stood leaning over his old makeshift stove, watching the milk slowly heat up. Larisa had milked the muffalo, frowning all the way, and had gone back to sleep. Everyone else was still in 'bed', but he didn't mind. Even if it was just boiling muffalo milk, at least he was cooking. He looked back at the fields and saw that the bright green stalks Larisa had sown the first day had grown even more. It wouldn't be long until they could harvest. Good, because the nutritional paste wouldn't last for more than a day or two, and a meat-only diet was anything but healthy. Perhaps Larisa or Cassie could go out and gather some roots or wild vegetables today. Although, while Cassie was an absolute rock, he didn't trust her judgment when it came to edible plants. This Odile character seemed to know a lot about edible flora at least. Maybe if Chef took him along, they could make informed guesses as to which plants were edible on this planet. Just because it looked like something they'd known back on Terra, didn't mean it was equally safe to eat.

Squires came to join him a bit later, hugging himself against the early morning chill. "Mornin'."

"Good morning."

"Last time you'll be boiling milk outside, huh? Today I'm finishing your kitchen, and maybe the refectory too. You can help if you want, but I'm thinking I can do most of it on my own."

"If you need a hand, sure. But if I can, I'd like to go gathering. Take one of our plant people with me. We can't eat just meat forever, and it'll be a while 'til the harvest is ready."

Squires nodded, looking out at the horizon. "Good thinking. I wouldn't mind a nice complete meal." He sighed. "Braised venison. Al dente young green peas in the pod. Salted, grilled jacket potatoes with garlic butter."

Chef's stomach growled furiously. "Knock it off, you're just making it worse."

"I know. The futility of wishing."

"Mental masturbation," Cassie's voice came from behind them. She came to stand at the stove and explained, "It feels good for a short moment, but it doesn't really achieve anything." Noah trotted beside her, munching on some of the meat leftovers.

Others also joined them, one at a time, until everyone but sleepyhead Larisa was assembled at the stove, drinking warm milk, most with their eyes closed in enjoyment.

"Hey Odile?" Chef asked after everyone had savoured the initial milky bliss, sitting in a circle, each of them on a big rock of his or her own.

"Mm?"

"Want to join me in gathering some wild plants today? Stuff that looks edible. I think, between us, we can make a pretty safe guess as to what we can throw in a cooking pot."

"Oh. Sure, yeah, I think Larisa can carry on without me today. It only takes a little explanation to turn a fine gardener into a fine farmer."

"Alright, when you're ready?"

"Let me just finish my milk and we're off."

Cassie nodded and said, "I'll see if I can score us some fresh meat too. Imagine, we might be able to have a balanced meal this evening."

"And we'll be having it in a finished refectory," Squires promised. "I'm finishing construction tonight," he pointed his fingers at his friends and said, in a smooth used car salesman voice, "and you can take that to the bank."

"Can I help anyone with anything?" the new girl with the missing hand asked. "I mean, if I can be useful…?"

"Mm," Cassie said. "Best if you stick around for now. The bigger our little campsite gets, the more it'll be noticed. We might get wild animals coming in, hoping for an easy meal, or raiders. We now know there's others living out there, and they don't mean well. Having someone with a gun here at all times is probably wisest at this point."

Larisa also came to sit by them. The girl really was a lazy sleeper.

"Alright, if that's what you prefer. I'll take a look at those schematics then, in the survival book. See what I can come up with."

"Think they'll be useful?" Squires asked. There was a good chance some of it would help with construction, so it was natural for him to be the most interested.

The girl smiled, her sleepy eyes gentle as always. It was hard to believe this as the same person that had given Larisa a whooping. It remained to be seen if she was trustworthy. "I took a quick look yesterday, and there's lots and lots of things to learn," she said. "Too much to take in at once, but I think I saw blueprints for some kind of power generators, a metal smelter, even a brewing installation. And those were just the simple things. There's a wealth of information there, it's just a matter of deciphering it all. Some of the stuff at the end is so complex I don't even know what it's for. Advanced alloys, uranium enrichment, superconductor technology… crazy stuff."

"Power generator… you mean, electrical power?" Cassie asked, her eyes wide.

"M-hm. And it seems that when we can build generators, we could also build coolers or heaters. I need to be careful, I don't want to promise things that I might not be able to deliver, but there's a chance we could have decent heating if the winter comes, not just campfires. And a way to keep our food cold." She looked at the others and gave a contented sigh. "I think losing my hand was a small price to pay for being able to be a part of this little community. Thanks again for all your kindness. Words can't express."

"That's fine," Chef said. "Seems you'll be able to give back as well. I don't think any one of us had ever dared to hope we might even be able to dream of electrical power."

"I'll do everything I can to make up for my previous stupidity."

"Pft," Cassie blew. "It's long forgotten."

Chef could see in the eyes of the others that she was only speaking for herself. Larisa especially looked mistrustful. And if he was honest with himself, Chef wasn't entirely convinced either. Her gentle kindness could be an act for all they knew. Then again, why would she? Right now there was no way to tell. There was no point going over and over it in his head, time would tell.

"I can tell that's not the case for everyone," the girl said in her soft, amiable voice. "And that's alright. You shouldn't just accept me, I'm fine with having to work to earn your trust." She always seemed to know what to say. Perhaps she was simply a naturally sociable and kind-hearted person, but there was something off about it. Or maybe Chef was just imagining things.

He felt a piece of paper being pushed in his hand, out of sight of the others. When he looked next to him, he saw Larisa quickly meeting his gaze, then averting her eyes again.

"Well," Squires announced, slapping the dust off the seat of his pants. "Off to work I go. Miss Procene here isn't the only one who has to earn your trust. I swear on the blood of my ancestors, by day's end, a refectory shall stand on this battlefield."

"Godspeed, young lion," Cassie said, and without any embarrassment, she tilted her butt to one side and let out a modest pweep of wind as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Then she drained her milk and rose. "Come on, Noah. Time to score us some meat." With a click of her tongue, the dog fell in line beside her and they walked off.

"I'm ready too," Odile told Chef, scooping the last droplets of milk out of his tin with his finger.

"Just a sec. I uh, need to take care of some nature business," he said, and got up, the paper hidden in his fist. He walked towards a nearby tree, uncrumpled the note, and read.

I can tell you're thinking the same thing

creepy isn't it

always knows what to say

not okay with giving her a gun

something's off about her

too pretty

too friendly

too agreeable

too acquiescent

Chef couldn't say he disagreed. When he walked back, Larisa stood waiting for him halfway, her eyes probing.

"I don't know," he told her quietly. "I'm also not a hundred percent comfortable with her just yet, but there's no real indication that she's dishonest apart from our hunches."

She snorted impatiently and scratched a few words on paper.

two kinds of people who always know exactly what to say

silver tongues

and psychopaths

which one is she?

It was a fair question, and one he also asked himself. "I don't know. No way to tell yet. We'll have to keep a close eye on her."

More scrawling.

Cass is definitely falling for it

Thought she was supposed to be sceptical of people

I don't like this

"Neither do I," Chef said. "But all we have right now is a nagging feeling. We might be completely wrong. I mean, for the same price, we're being all suspicious and leery for no reason. Until we know more, all we can do is watch her closely. And if she wants to kill us, well… Cassie'll be gone for the day, so we'll know right away."

Larisa's face looked unconvinced, but she did nod, her face intense. She looked back at the one-handed girl, her eyes narrowing, then abruptly turned and walked back to the others.

Chef decided not to waste more energy on pointless speculation and mistrust, and joined Odile to begin the search for food.

God damnit. This was the second one already. Cassie had hoped the animals on this planet would bolt less quickly as they weren't used to humans and their myriad imaginative ways of ending lives, but no luck. First some hooved quadruped had given her the slip, and now a hare-like creature had evaded her long enough to reach its lair. It'd be idle hope to think Noah would turn out to be a rabbit-hunting dog all along. And indeed, the pooch gave no indication of sticking its head in the rodent's lair.

Dubiously glad that at least no one was around to bear witness to her embarrassing failure, Cass once again set out to shoot some animal, any animal. Really, anything that had meat on it would do. Even a rat would be sufficient. It was late afternoon already and she still hadn't shot anything apart from her own self-esteem.

As she wandered the grassy plains, her mind did the same. She had a good feeling about the new arrivals. Squires had more than proven he was harmless, and this Odile guy seemed like he couldn't hurt a fly, except maybe by petting it too hard. Procene, too, seemed like a useful addition to the group. She seemed like the kind of person you couldn't help but like, and Cass thought that given time, maybe she'd turn out to be someone the rest of the group looked up to. A leader-figure. They needed one, to be honest. She fancied herself good with people, and possessing some skills that made her a valuable addition to any survivors' community, but she wasn't a leader. She could keep a small group together, but as soon as someone better presented him- or herself, they were welcome to the job. And this Procene-girl might well be that person. She'd have to settle in, gain the others' trust for a while, but Cass recognized charisma when she saw it.

And she also recognized a god damn free lunch when she saw one. Oh man, this must be her lucky day. A big, fat, feathered gobbler waddled between two bushes, only fifty or so metres away.

"Noah," she announced quietly, "It might not be thanksgiving, but Chef's going to have a turkey to stuff tonight." She raised her rifle, lined up the iron sights, and without much effort, shot the ugly fat bird stone dead. "Haha," she whooped, skipping over to the dead animal, her prize for the day. This would be a meal long remembered. She scooped it up by the legs and held it aloft, making sure it was dead and not needlessly suffering. Satisfied that the ugly thing's candle was well and truly snuffed, she tied its legs together and slung it over her shoulder. "Noah, sweetie, our group is going to love us even more than they already do!"

The dog bounced and barked happily.

A wide smile on her face, Cassie began the hike back, but as she did, she noticed something in the sky. A long, gray stripe of smoke, making an arc against the clouds. Noah yapped nervously as a sound, distant at first, came closer and swelled to a massive roar. The fiery object rocketed down at an incredible speed, whooshing over her head and disappearing behind the nearby trees as the sound became so deafening it hurt her ears. The next moment, the ground gave a single shake and the noise stopped with a hard, hollow thud.

For a moment, Cassie and Noah looked at each other stupidly, and then Cassie realized that whatever it was, she'd have to go check.

She ran towards the rising plume of smoke, a few hundred metres away, rushing through the trees and emerging into a clearing where the object lay, smack in the middle.

It was instantly recognizable. A steel sarcophagus, warped and bent from the heat, its red-hot glow slowly fading. It was another longsleeper. And that meant someone was inside it. Maybe someone dangerous, maybe not, but most likely someone who needed help. She didn't know much about longsleeper crashes, but this one clearly hadn't hit the ground as gracefully as theirs had. Whoever was in there, if they survived at all, would be seriously injured.

Her legs propelled her forward, and she reached the sarcophagus, slamming her hand down on the release-button. The residual heat stabbed into her hand, but that didn't matter now. With a stifled hissing sound, the door slid upward, opening partly but getting stuck at the halfway point. A head of blonde hair and two pale arms spilled out, red streaks of blood coating them.

"Hey!" Cassie called. "Hey, are you alright?" She didn't even realize how stupid her question was, and it didn't matter.

A bloodied face turned to her, hanging upside-down, and two bright blue eyes opened, rolling in their sockets before settling on her. "H… help."

"It's alright," Cass rapped. "I'm going to get you out. Just stay calm, we'll get you out of there." She was stuck halfway, the longsleeper door clamping down on her lower ribcage.

"I… hurt. Pain. So much. Legs. Can't feel."

"I know," Cass breathed, "you crashed insanely hard. Sit tight, I'll get you out."

"Bleeding. Leaking."

"Easy, easy."

There was nothing she could do apart from grabbing the young, naked, bloodied girl under her shoulders and pulling. As soon as she did, the longsleeper's occupant let out a shriek, the arms clawing wildly at her saviour. Startled, Cass let go and the young woman's body flopped back down against the warm steel exterior of the longsleeper, dangling with its head downwards.

"I can't, I can't feel, I can't feel my legs," the girl bleated, the blood on her face mixing with panicked tears. "I can't feel my legs oh God oh God."

"It's alright, you're probably just numb from the crash," Cass tried to reassure her before grabbing her under the arms again. "I'm going to pull you out. I have to, there's no other way. It's gonna hurt, but you need to get out of that sarcophagus."

"N-no! Please! It hurts! Just get me – "

Cass had no other choice. She hooked her fingers around the girl's arms again and pulled as hard as she could. There was a wet ripping sound as the skin on the occupant's shoulder got caught on a sharp, hooked piece of metal, but Cass didn't even notice it, nor the shrieks of pain from her thrashing victim. Clenching her teeth and closing her eyes, she pulled as hard as she could, and suddenly the hatch opened its maw and the body came free, letting loose so abruptly that Cass staggered backward and fell on her behind, still holding the other person. Her eyes snapped open but they couldn't comprehend what they were seeing right away. The pale skin of the girl in her arms just stopped at her lower back… and there was nothing beyond that.

She was only holding half a person.

She scrambled backwards, reflexively, but then she saw the girl's hand moving. As if someone else was in control of her body, she turned the bisected body on its back and looked into a living face, eyes wide with pain and panic. "I th… I think my back's broken," the girl managed to utter, her voice no more than a breath.

Cass' eyes unwillingly looked down at the victim's body. It had been wrenched in two below the waist, the skin below her navel torn off, blackened from where the superheated steel, twisting in the crash, had crushed her body in two. Her insides bulged out of her abdominal cavity into the grass. Vomit pushed itself upwards, a sour, rancid fist trying to break through into her mouth.

"I can't… I can't…" the girl whispered, her face slowly turning blue as her eyes tried to focus but failed.

There was nothing Cass could do. Nothing at all. She just held the dying girl's hand, fighting back tears, and said, "It's okay. You're not alone. It's okay. You're not alone." Over and over again.

The skin between her fingers grew cold, the grip weaker.

"It's okay. You're not alone."

"E… E… E…"

"Wh… what's that?"

The girl's movements became more laboured, her cold hand losing its little remaining strength. "E… E… Emi. M… My n… name. Emi."

Somehow, Cass wished she hadn't told her that.

"I w… was… I d… don't… deserve th… I was… going to… m… mean s… so… something…"

The girl's mouth opened and closed a few more times, and it was over.

Cass held her hand for a little longer, then wiped her tears and set about burying the girl with the blonde ponytail… or what was left of her. A few things had spilled out of her longsleeper along with her. There was a first aid pack, another welder-cutter, some synthread clothes, several nutri-paste packets, a small jewel box, and a thick envelope. Hoping she wasn't violating the girl's privacy to a horrible degree, she opened it and looked inside. Three magazines slid out, but she only needed to see one of them to realize why this girl had brought them. On the cover stood a beautiful blonde, dressed in a sensual but classy combination of short red skirt, and dark blue jacket. A black bra peeked out from between the cleavage made by the jacket, only partially covered by a loosely-tied, polka-dotted necktie. The ensemble was completed by a bunny hairpin on one side of her head, and a big red-white bow tie on the other. Tall boots enveloped long fair-skinned legs. In bold letters, the magazine cover announced,

EMI, THE ULTIMATE FASHIONISTA

SEE THE FULL SHOOT INSIDE

This had been her when she was alive. And here she was now. Bloody. Naked. Torn in half. Dead. The smooth legs on the magazine cover now crushed and broken, left behind unseen in a warped mass of red-hot steel, forever.

Cass had to sit down for a minute, Noah nuzzling the back of her hand. The girl's last words sitting like a stone in her stomach. "I was going to mean something." She could have been a part of the colony, a part of the story. What would she have been like? How would things have gone if she'd survived? She might have had so many wonderful things to give. She might have made so many great moments happen. No one would ever know. She was just a slab of meat now. Crashed into this planet only to die. What if this had been her? A footnote. A throw-away bit of nothing. No one would ever have known her, like no one would ever know this girl. If things had gone different, Cass had been lying here with her guts stinking in the dirt and maybe this girl, this Emi, this supermodel and whatever else she'd been, had been the one who'd lived and who'd meant something.

The poor thing had been right. She hadn't deserved this.

How many others had there been? Their bodies destroyed by fire, ripped apart by screaming metal, crushed between collapsing hull plates, frozen in the cold, uncaring black of space, smashed apart on the planet surface, along with their malfunctioning longsleepers. All of them nameless, their stories forever untold.

She didn't have the strength to start burying the poor thing just yet. As happy as she was to be alive, to have friends, to not be alone, she still felt the crushing grief of all the lost lives press down on her in this moment, and she let it. After a few minutes of pointless crying, she wiped her eyes, got up and began her heartbreaking task, digging a hole with a blade of twisted metal ripped off the longsleeper when it crashed. Then she dragged the girl's remains to it and let them roll in, placing the jewel box inside with her. After shovelling the earth back over her and placing the magazines on top, held down with a stone, she said a few words that no one needed to hear but the buried girl and herself.

After giving Noah a long, loving hug, she took the welder-cutter, the paste packets and the clothes this girl no longer needed, and began the walk back home, Noah dancing in circles around her as she walked. Back to the sunlight, to friendship, to love, to life.