The Planetsider Trilogy Read online

  Maria let go of the wallet and Kurren took it. He looked at it briefly and then tossed it to the floor, where it landed, next to the discarded injector. It was open on the photo of Shaun David Fields, his smug eyes staring timelessly into the room. Kurren reflected on the fact that this man’s loss – his death – was their gain. Considering the epic scale of the event and the unimaginable numbers involved, it was easy to forget about individual lives. Maria was right, this ‘suit’, as she had called him, was just one among billions who had died, or worse, become like the creatures they had faced earlier. When the numbers get so big that you can’t even picture in your mind the scale of the loss, it becomes impossible to relate to. One million here... ten million there... fifty million in this city alone. It was easy to distance oneself from the reality of what had happened, easy to disconnect. But this one person; this was easy to understand, easy to feel. How strangely the human mind worked, Kurren thought. If people could feel the loss of millions as keenly as the loss of one, maybe this all wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

  “Yes, boss,” he said softly to Maria.

  The silence was broken by a noise from outside, perhaps a door being opened. Soft footsteps, different to before; more careful, more considered. Kurren and Maria looked each other in the eyes, and there was instant understanding between then. Both drew their weapons and reloaded, as quietly as possible. Kurren moved silently to the far side of the hangar, and stood beside the door. Maria moved cautiously into the shuttle, resting on the hatchway, using it to steady her aim, which was still impaired given her drugged-up condition and bruised arm. Just holding the weapon upright was difficult and painful, but she bore it with gritty determination.

  Muffled voices were heard outside, and more footsteps, then it was silent for a time. Shortly afterwards came the sound of a panel flipping upwards outside.

  Damn it! thought Maria. They are going to open the door! Maria considered that whoever was on the other side must be in a much earlier stage of the disease in order to comprehend the door mechanism. More self-aware. She disabled the safety on her weapon and aimed at the hangar door, close to where she had heard the sound. Through the cockpit glass, she could see Kurren. He had shifted position, probably with the same idea. Whatever came through would be dead in seconds.

  The door mechanism engaged and the motor whirred, lifting the dense slab of metal upwards. Maria tensed, her finger on the trigger, squeezing softly so that just a fraction more pressure would fire the round. The door opened half-way – enough for someone to duck underneath – then the mechanism shut off, but nothing appeared. Maria exhaled, fought back the pain, breathed in and held her breath to steady her aim. A shadow of someone standing to the side of the door spread into the room. It must be daylight outside. It was a huge tactical error, because now both Maria and Kurren knew exactly where they were. Maria aimed fractionally to the left of the door. Her sidearm was powerful enough to breach the wall and, if her aim was accurate, hit whatever was standing outside. She was about to fire, but then a voice caused her to pause.

  “Hello? Is anyone in here?” It was a male voice and he sounded normal. Confused, Maria lifted her finger off the trigger, but maintained her aim. Again the voice. “Hello?”

  And then Kurren spoke. Loud, clear, confident. “Step inside the door and then stand with your arms raised above you heads,” he commanded. “Make no sudden movements or we will kill you.”

  Silence. No movement from inside or outside the hangar.

  Kurren repeated his command. “Last chance. Step inside the doorway now!”

  Then the shadow moved, and a figure ducked under and stood, arms raised, in the center of the door arch. It was followed by a second figure with hands also raised, but only about half-way.

  “We’re no threat,” the male voice from the doorway said, calmly. And then he moved into the light. Maria studied him. He was quite young from what she could tell, and tall with an athletic build. His hair was dark, rough and cut short. Good looking, she thought.

  The second figure stepped forward now. It was a woman, also athletic, strong and determined-looking, with fiery red hair and intense but pretty eyes.

  The male spoke. “We tracked you here from a crashed object,” he said. “Something that fell from the sky, back outside the city limits. Was that you? Who are you?”

  Kurren moved out from his position, weapon still raised towards them. Maria remained inside the transport, but shifted her position so that she was more clearly visible to the two people standing in front of Kurren. “That was us,” Kurren said. “What are you? Are you... like them?” Kurren gestured to the dead bodies that still littered the deck outside.

  “If we were like them, you wouldn’t be talking to us now,” the male voice said. “It’s not safe here. We must leave.”

  “Leave to go where?” Maria replied curtly. Her interjection caused the female to fix her gaze on her. She looked Maria over, obviously sizing her up. Maria felt uncomfortable and threatened. The figures both stepped forward again, now more fully into the light of the hangar. Kurren stepped back, still aiming his weapon.

  “No so fast, stay where you are!” he demanded.

  The male replied again. “My name is Ethan,” he said. “We are no threat to you,” he reiterated, this time more firmly. He really was handsome, Maria thought, distractedly, and then chastised herself for letting her mind wander, blaming the drugs for her lapses of concentration. “We are from a settlement, about two days travel away,” Ethan continued. “We saw something crash from the sky. We came to find out what it was, and it led us here, to you. We must go; the roamers will be back soon.”

  Kurren lowered his weapon. “Roamers? Do you mean... those things?”

  “Yes,” Ethan replied calmly. “I see you’ve met some already. We’ve already lost one member of our party getting here. The longer we wait, the more we risk they will return.”

  Kurren thought for a moment and then said, “What’s your name again?”

  “I’m Ethan, and this is my companion and friend, Summer.” Summer just glared at Kurren and then fixed her gaze back on Maria.

  Kurren holstered his weapon and stepped closer, signaling a gesture of trust. “We came here looking for you, or people like you,” said Kurren. “We need your help.”

  Ethan stepped closer, eager to hear more. Kurren flinched but stayed composed. Ethan sensed that the man was still a little edgy and held back from advancing any further. “Came from where?” Ethan asked eagerly, failing to contain his obvious curiosity. “From the sky?”

  “Yes. Sort of…” said Kurren, not really knowing how to explain. He was also concerned that their situation was very precarious, and so didn’t want to get into the details now. “Look, we’ll tell you everything you want to know, but, as you said, this may not be the best place to do it.”

  Ethan went to speak again, but Summer stepped between them and exerted control. “Save the questions for later,” she said, assertively, directing the comment to no-one in particular, though Ethan felt it was aimed at him. “Grab whatever gear you have and follow us. We’ll take you back to our settlement, and then you can tell us what the hell you’re doing here.”

  The invitation did not sound particularly welcoming to Kurren, but then he had no reason to expect anything more. After all, they were strangers and he had started out by threatening to kill them.

  Summer suddenly stepped in towards Kurren with such intensity that he thought she was about to hit him, and it took all his self-control to stop from raising his guard. He was glad that he didn’t though, as he didn’t want to appear intimidated by this stranger, no matter how formidable she appeared.

  “You look like you might be useful in a fight,” Summer said, gesturing casually towards Kurren, “so you pick up the rear. I’m guessing whatever that is in your side pocket there is a weapon, so be ready to use it.” Summer turned away, but then hesitated, and turned back. “Ready to use it on roamers, I mean, not us.” It wa
sn’t said or meant as a joke. Kurren felt a chill go down his spine. He was impressed with Summer’s intensity and control, and her awareness. She was clearly no-one to be trifled with. “Hey, you over there hiding in that... thing,” Summer shouted. She was referring to Maria in the transport shuttle. “Are you coming too, or are you just going to hang around in there?”

  Maria bristled. She did not like this woman’s tone. “I’m not hiding,” said Maria, through gritted teeth. “And yes, I’m coming.” She stepped out from the shuttle and winced in pain. Circumstances had distracted her from her injuries, but the pain was a sharp reminder. She grabbed the door panel of the shuttle to steady herself.

  Ethan looked at Maria. Her hair was a dirty blonde, or perhaps just blonde but dirty (it was hard to determine, either way) and tied back tightly into a short ponytail at the rear. She had intense blue eyes, and a soft skin color that reminded him of the pale honey cookies his sister baked. She was striking, and Ethan found himself staring, something that did not go unnoticed by Summer.

  “Are you coming or not?” Summer repeated, this time more curtly.

  Maria’s scowl deepened. She had taken an instant dislike to this woman, a feeling that was clearly mutual. She took a few steps away from the ship but felt suddenly dizzy. Her vision blurred again and the room began to spin.

  “Maria!” she heard a voice shout. It sounded like Kurren, but she wasn’t sure. Everything went into slow motion. She could feel herself falling. Her body hit the ground, but her head struck something soft. She tried to focus her eyes, tried to stay conscious, but searing pain blinded her. Through the fog she could make out a face set against the stark strip lights in the ceiling. A kind, reassuring face. It was the man she had just met and, she realized, he was holding her head. The man was speaking, but the words made no sense. She watched his lips move until she could no longer focus on them. She felt herself moving, being carried perhaps, but to where she did not know.

  Chapter 11

  Maria opened her eyes and squinted. The room was dimly lit, quiet and warm, but still the light hurt her eyes and caused a throbbing sensation in her temples. After a few moments, the pain subsided enough to get a better look at her surroundings. She noticed that the ceiling above her now appeared to be made from wood, and as she moved her hands to rub her aching head, she discovered she was in a bed. Wherever this was, it wasn’t the hangar in the spaceport. She tried to push herself upright.

  “Hey, take it easy,” said a vaguely familiar voice from behind her, “you’ve had a rough night.” Then she felt hands on her back and shoulder, helping her to sit up. She looked behind her to see the man from the spaceport. He had been sitting in a chair to the side of the bed.

  “There you go,” he said, comfortingly. “How do you feel?”

  Maria felt awkward and oddly anxious. Waking up in a strange house in someone else’s bed was not how she had imagined meeting the natives. She slowly moved her head and neck and felt the bruises on her leg and side. The meds had worked well, and though she still felt pretty rough, for some reason she didn’t want to show any weakness to this stranger. Then she realized he still had his hands on her back, and she tensed up.

  “I feel great,” she said curtly. “Now, do you mind getting your damn hands off me?” Ethan instantly stepped back, surprised by the woman’s abruptness, but he also felt embarrassed. Maria sensed his discomfort and pressed her advantage. “Where the hell am I?” she asked, looking straight at him, “And where’s Kurren?”

  The man looked awkward and a little red-faced, but he was not scared. Seeing him closer, Maria was reminded of how attractive he was, and she felt instantly ridiculous for thinking this. Now it was her turn to feel awkward and embarrassed, and she looked away.

  Ethan crossed his arms in an effort to look more assertive and then answered Maria’s question. He attempted to sound commanding and impressive, but actually came across as a little petulant. “If by ‘Kurren’ you mean your companion,” Ethan said, testily, “he’s fine. He’s over in the council chambers talking to the settlement administrator, and a couple of other administrators from nearby settlements.” Then he added, with a slight sneer, “I suppose they are trying to figure out what to do with you.” Ethan hadn’t intended to be so passive-aggressive. He wanted to be friendly and normal, but for some reason he found himself trying to impress her, and this made him feel a little foolish.

  Maria raised her eyebrows at the veiled threat. So he has a bit of fight in him, she thought. Aloud, she said “Well, that sounds important. I’d better get over there.” She flung back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. It was at that moment she realized she wasn’t wearing any pants, and in fact was simply in her underwear. Ethan’s mouth fell open. He couldn’t help but look. After all, there was a mysterious, beautiful, semi-naked woman in his bed. It was like a dream, literally. He attempted to compose himself, and tried to explain and apologize in the same sentence, and ended up just spouting gibberish. He also wanted to make it absolutely clear that he hadn’t been the one to personally undress her, but nothing came out as intended, and in the end he just stood there looking stupefied, with his mouth gaping.

  “Where the hell are my clothes?!” Maria yelled, scrambling to pull the sheet back over her bare legs. Her face had flushed a hot red.

  Ethan scrambled over to a nearby desk and clumsily gathered up Maria’s clothes. “Sorry, sorry!” he stammered, returning back to the bed with a fresh bundle of clothes from the ranger’s stores. He was trying to look away, painfully conscious of the awkwardness of the situation, but this only served to impede his efforts, and he unhelpfully dangled the bundle of clothes just out of her reach. Maria stretched forward, trying to grab them, while also trying to keep the sheet tight over her chest, but she only succeeded in sliding off the bed onto her knees, dropping the bed sheet and again exposing her semi-naked body. She let out a gasp.

  There was an awkward pause that felt like an eternity. Ethan decided to drop the clothes and try to recover the bed sheet in a noble attempt to shield the woman’s modesty. Maria, unfortunately, concluded also that recovering the bed sheet was the best course of action, and as they both reached frantically for the sheet, they inevitably collided, Maria head-butting Ethan solidly in the midriff. There was a muffled grunt and he dropped to the floor like a felled tree. Maria became tangled in the sheet, lost her balance and made a last, desperate, and ultimately futile attempt to avoid Ethan as she fell. The sheet slid under Ethan, and Maria landed heavily on top of him, her breasts squashed up against his face.

  And then Kurren walked in.

  “Oh! Oh! Oh, damn, oh sorry!” he jabbered, looking at them and then looking away, and then looking at them again, and then away, trying to figure out what to do.

  Ethan grappled with Maria, trying to free himself. “I was just helping her to get dressed!” he blurted out, finally succeeding in rolling Maria unceremoniously into a heap on one side. She landed with a thump, becoming entangled in the sheet and the clothes, which had been scattered on the floor.

  Kurren, now regaining some of his characteristic composure, naturally found the situation hilarious. “You planetsiders sure do work fast!” he said to Ethan, finding it impossible to stifle a chuckle.

  From beneath the sheet and pile of clothes, they both heard a fabric-muffled cry of, “Shoot him!”

  “What?” Ethan exclaimed.

  Kurren laughed out loud. “Now, Sal, I know you’ve not always had the best taste in guys, but don’t you think that’s a little drastic!?”

  “Get out!” was the only reply, though it was more of a shriek.

  Ethan scrambled to his feet and vanished through the door and into the dusk. Kurren had never seen a man move so fast and, laughing hard, blurted out, “I hope he was worth it, Sal!”

  Maria emerged from the pile of clothing. She held the mass of fabric to her chest, which succeeded in partly covering her modesty, albeit rather crudely. She looked half woman, half laund
ry heap. She was breathing heavily, her blood laced with adrenaline, her face red. When she spoke, Kurren was actually quite scared. “Christopher Kurren, you have exactly five seconds to leave this room, or the next thing you’ll see, is my fist in your face.”

  Kurren knew when he was beat. He backed off, hands held up towards the wooden ceiling. “Okay, Sal, okay… I’ll see you outside.” He began edging back through the doorway, still holding up his hands as if Maria was about to shoot him. But just before the door shut fully behind him, he stopped and called out, “I’ll tell your boyfriend that you said hi...”

  As the door closed, Kurren, grinning broadly, held an ear to the door and heard her scream.

  Chapter 12

  Maria was escorted out into the main settlement square by two men who had knocked on the door of the house about fifteen minutes after Kurren had left. It had taken her a solid ten minutes to fully calm down after getting dressed, which she had done at breakneck speed as soon as Kurren had vacated the room. The men had simply asked that Maria follow them to the council chambers, where she would be reunited with Kurren and introduced to the settlement’s chief administrator. Maria hadn’t seen any reason to refuse the request, and was in no mood to ask any questions, as she was still feeling sheepish about the escapade earlier on.

  Her flight suit was missing from the room where she had woken up, so she had dressed in the clothing left out for her, which was similar to that worn by the two planetsiders she had met, and the two men escorting her. She hadn’t noticed at the time, for obvious reasons, but Kurren had also been dressed in similar clothing. Using a heavy, thick woven fabric, the garments were well-made and warm, and they fitted surprisingly well. She guessed they had been hand-made for a woman of similar build, and she wondered idly whether they had belonged to the red-haired woman who had raised her hackles back in the hangar.