Star-Crossed - Chapter 22 (Patreon)

As the escape pod crashed through the trees, viciously shaking everything and everyone inside, Blake gripped her seat with both hands and gritted her teeth against the pain.  Every bump felt like someone stabbing her in the chest while simultaneously hitting her head with a hammer, and that was before the pod hit the ground with a jolt that slammed her against the seat restraints.

The jarring stop put stars in her eyes and made her suddenly feel like throwing up.  Worried she might do just that, she closed her eyes and took small, shallow breaths while wishing the screaming of her ribs and the throbbing in her head away.  Her ribs must be broken, and she probably had a concussion, but she couldn’t rest yet.  She wasn’t safe yet.

Once the pain retreated ever so slightly, she opened her eyes and looked around.  The pod’s emergency lights had kicked on, bathing the interior in a low red glow.  A beeping noise came from somewhere, making her wince with each high-pitched warning.  Outside, the world was so dark that she could only determine that it was night time.

Careful not to move too fast, she slowly looked around the cabin and found a light flashing with every beep.  Probably an emergency beacon of some sort, so she released her white-knuckled grip on the seat and gingerly leaned forward to switch it off.

When the noise mercifully stopped, she sighed and unclipped herself from the seat.  The Inferno might have logged her location already, but she could hope that they weren’t paying attention and missed it.  In the more probable scenario where they hadn’t missed it, she needed to put as much distance between herself and the escape pod as possible.

Adam couldn’t let her return to ISA with the location of the mines, meaning the squads or the entire Inferno could be right on her heels.  So, even though she wanted to wait here and hope ISA found her first, she couldn’t risk it.

Grabbing the nearest handhold, she pulled herself to her feet and closed her eyes when a wave of vertigo crashed over her.  The nausea was already slowing her down, but she waited for the feeling to pass before taking a small breath, opening her eyes, and moving towards the exit.

Since the pod had lodged into the ground at an angle, she had to pull herself up an incline to reach the exit.  The level of effort was just within her current physical limits, but she took her time and slowly made it to the window that had separated her from Yang moments prior.  Looking through the glass now, she saw nothing but the vague outlines of trees amongst so much darkness.

From what she’d seen on the way down, the planet of Gautov was covered in forests that would make Drideter jealous.  Save for some sporadic clearings, the trees were so impenetrably thick that overhead surveillance would have an impossible time mapping the surface underneath.  The perfect spot for hiding a data center...unless the person looking for it already knew where it was.

If ISA built a database here, hopefully they stationed troops on a nearby star.  After what Blake just went through, however, she couldn’t rely on hopes anymore.

Peering into the darkness, she searched for movement, but the reflection of the interior lights in the glass made it impossible to see anything; she had to risk it.  Pulling the release for the door latch, which had switched into emergency mode after the pod landed, she heard the lock slide out of place.  Now that it was unlocked, she had to push the door up enough that it fell away from the pod.  Easier said than done when the floor was slanted at an angle.

Holding onto the handle to keep herself in place, she jammed her toes into two small footholds and tested her weight on them.  When they didn’t budge, she repositioned herself to balance on her feet and put her shoulder to the door.  From there, she could use her legs to push up and her shoulder to force the door free.

First, she took a breath to prepare herself.  Then she ignored the protest of her ribs and shoved upward with all her might.  The effort tilted the door just enough that gravity did the rest, and it fell to the ground with a heavy clunk.

Loud flutters and rustles followed the noise, making her quickly duck into the pod and wait for the sounds to stop.  Without vision, she strained her ears to pick out as many details as possible.  Winged creatures of some kind?  Or just a coincidental gust of wind moving through the treetops?

Whatever it was, it settled into silence before too long - silence broken only by small breezes moving through the trees above.  Hoping that the coast was clear, she lifted herself back up and peeked out of the pod.  Her eyes adjusted to the darkness after several seconds, but nowhere near enough for her to make out many details of the world around her.  Tree trunks and overgrown shrubs took up most of her view, but beyond her immediate perimeter was nothing but a wall of black.

ISA would find her faster if she wasn’t surrounded by such dense cover, so she had to get to one of those clearings.  But first, she had to get down.

After pulling herself up and sitting on the edge of the pod, she made sure her landing was clear before hopping down.  A gasp slipped through her lips as soon as she hit the ground, the pain dropping her to one knee before she gritted her teeth and pushed herself back to her feet.  Her injuries protested every movement - loudly - but she couldn’t give in to them just yet.  She did, however, remain slightly hunched over to ease the strain on her ribs while venturing into the wilderness.

Based on the number of broken branches littering the forest floor, the pod must have made a horrible ruckus on the way down.  The obstacles threatened to trip her with every step, but she did her best to avoid or climb over them while also keeping her eyes and ears peeled for danger.  The trees made an eerie creaking sound above her, but her main concern right now was wildlife.  She didn’t know what creatures lurked in the darkness, waiting for her to walk into their path.  She didn’t know what sentient beings lived nearby, if they were friendly, or if she would even sense their presence.

Several minutes later, she realized her greatest concern was actually her stamina, as she hadn’t made it far before leaning against a tree trunk to catch her breath.  Her head throbbed and her mind felt slower than usual, but her ribs would be her undoing.  Breathing was challenging, especially when she exerted herself.  Moving quickly was impossible without crippling pain.  If she stumbled into a situation where she had to run...she didn’t like her odds.

It didn’t take a survival expert to deduce that she wasn’t making it out of this without help.  Her only source of help, unfortunately, had yet to respond.

Deciding to rest a little longer, she pulled out her communication device and radioed Command again.

“This is Lieutenant Belladonna,” she whispered, though even that was too loud in the wilderness.  “I’ve reached the surface and am heading…”  After searching for a reference point and finding nothing but trees, she shook her head and winced.   “I’m heading...downhill away from the pod.  I hope there’s a clearing nearby...I’ll try to find one and radio again.”

After waiting several seconds for a response, and several more seconds to rest, she sighed and put the device away.  Hopefully, ISA was receiving her messages.  Hopefully, she found a clearing or settlement soon.  Hopefully, she didn’t get eaten by a rocknook or chaiter or another rabid beast before then.

Hopefully, Yang was ok.

Blake’s heart clenched at that thought while she pushed away from the tree and continued her trek through the thick vegetation.  Even though she wanted to sit down and cry, she couldn’t.  She couldn’t stop, she couldn’t grieve, she couldn’t think about Yang right now, because doing so would only get her killed.

Her sole focus right now had to be survival.  Otherwise...everything Yang did was for naught, and she refused to let Yang’s sacrifice be in vain.

Hearing a rumble up above, she looked up but couldn’t see anything through the canopy.  Using her ears instead, she picked out what sounded like a large shuttle flying overhead.  Its speed suggested it was searching for something and, without being able to confirm who it belonged to, she had to assume the worst.

Gritting her teeth through the pain, she doubled her pace with hardly a thought of where she was headed except forward.  Picking her way through the forest grew easier as the broken branches dwindled, letting her gain more certainty with every step.  Unfortunately, she had no idea how far she had to go.  For all she knew, it could be days before she stumbled across a usable landmark.

That fear disappeared the instant she heard voices.  Freezing in her tracks, she used her ears to search for the direction of the sound - up ahead and to her left.

Whoever it was, their swift approach left little time for her to find a place to hide.  Using the tree foliage seemed like the best option, but she couldn’t possibly climb in her condition.  Opting for the second-best option, she ducked behind a nearby bush and stayed as motionless as possible.  They should pass nearby and, assuming they didn’t hear her thundering heart, shouldn’t notice her.

As the voices grew louder, she picked out two distinct speakers using a language she didn’t recognize.  From their hushed conversation, they sounded like locals, so they probably weren’t searching for her.  More likely, they were checking on the pod that just dropped from the sky.

When they drew closer, she realized that they were actually above her, moving amongst the trees as easily as she would walk on land.  She wanted to peek from behind her cover and see who or what they were, but she didn’t dare.  The return of that fluttering, rustling sound only further convinced her to stay put, and she slowed her breathing as much as possible while listening to them pass overhead.

The voices continued by without issue, but she waited until she couldn’t hear them anymore before hurrying onward.  If the locals had already reached her, a settlement must be nearby.  While that gave her a small amount of hope, now she knew that she couldn’t communicate with them unless they spoke another language.  In a remote location like this...the chances of that were slim to none.

Still, she pressed on in hopes of making it out of the trees.  The longer she remained beneath the blanket of leaves, the more oppressive the forest felt.  The wind moving through the treetops didn’t help, as it made a living, breathing sound unlike anything she’d ever heard.  But whenever she looked up, she found nothing but darkness.

Darkness should symbolize nothing, but she couldn’t escape the feeling that something or someone was watching her.  Had the sources of those voices actually spotted her when they passed overhead?  Were they following her?

The forest was playing tricks on her.  That was the only answer she could think of while making her way around tree trunks as large around as vehicles.  Undeterred, she continued her slow, sloping path and focused on what was right in front of her rather than what was overhead.  Every so often, her ears picked up that rustling sound - her mind convinced her more and more that it was wings - but the noises disappeared just as quickly as they appeared.

Fortunately, getting out of there finally felt like a possibility when the forest began to thin.  At first, she thought it was only her imagination, but then the trees grew sparser and, with the lack of canopy above, starlight filtered down to her.

Increased vision alone was enough to ease her fear, but she held onto a great deal of apprehension while sneaking towards the edge of the forest.  Now that she could see more than ten feet in front of her, she spotted a small settlement in the clearing up ahead.  The wooden buildings were nothing extraordinary, but they were evidence of life.  As were the torches placed around the periphery of the clearing.

Rather than rush over, she crouched by a tree at the edge of the forest and came up with a plan.  Not knowing who these people were or how to communicate with them was concerning, but she didn’t need to interact with them right away.  The better plan would be to stay hidden and wait for ISA to arrive.  The settlement would serve as a guidepost, not a lifeline.  At least, not yet.

Before she communicated her new position to Command, however, her ears turned towards a snap in the forest behind her.  Spinning around, she searched the blackness for movement only to hear a loud whooshing noise from above.

She just barely caught sight of the large, black shape flying overtop of her before a humanoid shape landed on the forest floor in front of her.

“Serghood nek!” he immediately shouted while jabbing at her with a spear-like weapon.

Quickly drawing her phaser and backing towards the clearing, she watched in awe as more black shapes swooped out of the forest with speed and grace she couldn’t even fathom.  In the dim light, they looked like giant bats with huge, leathery wings that rustled as they swept through the trees.  Each one dove towards the ground and dropped off its rider before disappearing into the night with nothing more than a soft flutter.

“Shit...” she muttered while counting the figures - eight in front of her.  “I don’t mean you any harm,” she called out to them as they fanned out into a semicircle that forced her further into the clearing.

“Serghood nek!” the one in front repeated.

Spotting movement out of the corner of her eye, she risked a glance over her shoulder and saw more armed citizens rushing from the settlement.  They would surround her in no time, but she had nowhere to run, especially when the guards in front of her lowered their spears and all but dared her to try to escape.  The new arrivals repeated the phrase amongst themselves, and she gathered from their tones and expressions that it was a bad thing.

“I don’t know what you mean…” she said slowly, taking another cautious step back that they followed.

“Serghood nek,” another said while pointing at her.  More specifically, at her armor.

“I’m not a Blackguard,” she quickly said, though her outfit suggested otherwise.  “I’m not a...serghood nek,” she repeated, shaking her head before spinning towards the man creeping closer to her.  Her phaser convinced him to back off, but this situation was getting worse.

“I’m not one of them.”

She was wearing the armor though - that was all they knew.  And, in the absence of the ability to communicate, she couldn’t explain the circumstances leading her here.  Of all the languages she knew...it figured she didn’t know the one that would save her life.

“I’m not a Blackguard,” she tried in Rivorian, a widely-used language, to no effect.  “I’m not a Blackguard,” she attempted in Candan with the same result.

“Nav tarra ko?” someone asked the man standing in front, who must be in charge.  He then stared at Blake long and hard, and she felt the judgment coming from him.  She was dressed like a Blackguard, and she was armed; she would probably make the same decision if she was in his shoes.

“Parvvo kan.”

She didn’t need to speak the language to understand the verdict.  The spears lowered and crept closer, and she pointed her weapon towards the nearest wielder while searching for a way out of the encroaching crowd.

“Stay back,” she commanded the one she had her weapon trained on.  They glanced towards the person on their other side, who crept forward and drew her aim next.  “Stay back!” she repeated, raising her voice in hopes the threat kept them at bay.

“Sey vo nok…” someone whispered, and she spun towards them only to feel the others move closer.

She didn’t want to shoot anyone, but she had to protect herself.  And with every step they took, they cut off her option of a violence-free escape.

“I don’t want to hurt you…” she added in a calm, steady voice while her heart pounded in her ears.

Even if they didn’t understand her words, hopefully they could interpret her tone.  And, to make her intention clearer, she removed her finger from the trigger and slowly lowered the weapon.  When one of the men reacted by moving two steps closer, she snapped the weapon back into place and aimed at him.

“Ok, not friendly…” she muttered while recalculating her options.  One versus fifteen - not great odds, especially when they had her surrounded.  If she took out the leader first, maybe the rest would panic.  Or maybe they would react with anger.

Killing someone was the last thing she wanted to do, but it didn’t look like she had another option.  She had to make it out of this.  She had to get back to ISA...and stop the Blackguards.

“Last chance.”  Tightly clutching the phaser, she turned towards the person closest to her and took aim at their head.  “Back - off.”

“Parvvo kan!” the leader shouted, and her muscles tensed in anticipation.

But, before they rushed her, a cracking sound shattered the air.  The noise was quickly followed by another, and another, and the group started speaking in fast, worried voices.

They searched for the source just like she did but, as soon as they saw a flare shot through the canopy of the trees, started running.  Soft clicks of their tongues brought the bat-like creatures flying over to gather their riders and whisk them off into the night, leaving Blake to face this new horror alone.

She heard it now - another disturbance in the forest.  She had no idea who or what it was, but the reactions of the locals didn’t bode well.

Armed with just a phaser, she raised it towards the treeline and waited for whatever came next.  She could run, but she couldn’t outrun whoever was racing through the trees towards her.  She could hear them now...their long, strong strides marking well-trained soldiers.

The Blackguards.  They found her.

Even the locals knew who it was, and were smart enough to scatter before getting caught in Adam’s wrath.  Left behind, she had no choice but to stand and fight.  She would fight - she always would - but the end felt nearer than it ever had.

With the phaser shaking in her hands, she waited for the soldiers to reach her.  As soon as they broke through the trees, however, she dropped her arms to her sides and felt any desire to fight leave her.  Their weapons were drawn and ready, yet hers hit the ground as they rushed towards her.  One of them sprinted ahead of the group, pulled off their helmet and tossed it aside.

The moment she saw Sun, tears welled in her eyes.

“Blake, thank god -”

By the time he got the words out, she was already throwing her arms around his neck.

“It’s ok,” he said while returning the hug, which hurt her ribs like hell but she didn’t care.  “We got you.  You’re safe now.  You’re safe.”

Even though she heard his words, she found it hard to believe them.

She was safe.  She survived, somehow.  ISA found her.  They would take her home.

But Sun’s reassurances only reminded her that she was safe because someone else was not.  That her survival hinged on someone else’s sacrifice.  That she shouldn’t be here - that she wouldn’t be here - if Yang hadn’t given up everything for her.

The thought was too much for her to bear right now.  Everything felt like too much for her to bear right now.  So, while the rest of the Alliance squad secured the perimeter and prepared for extraction, she buried her face in Sun’s shoulder and cried.