Large flakes of snow drifted lazily down onto the quiet mountain settlement on HDV-502. A thin layer of it gathered up everywhere, but melted quickly along the heated roads and rooftops. Their warmth ensured none gathered too quickly, at least to a certain degree.
Any further than a simple flurry, and the cold would have overwhelmed the settlement’s surface heating systems.
All other places though, in corners and alleyways and secluded zones, snow and ice from previous cycles piled up nearly a meter high. These areas never enjoyed such leisures. Almost all colonies couldn’t enjoy unlimited energy like the Sol system - only the richest solar systems in Federation space were able to employ Dyson Spheres to get power.
Small settlements such as this one had to rely on traditional fusion generators for power,
Hooray! Space zombies! Also: extra meaty chapters this week. Enjoy!
Planet Dro’ren, Fusil System, Federal Colonial TerritoriesEva’s tall mud boots sank into the soft ground with a wet SQUISH. In fact, all their boots did the same as they traversed the water-logged wetlands that Dro’ren was known for. The ground was so soft that their feet sank down to their ankles with each step.The Ravens all wore their rugged exploration outfits, each with C-ranked light ballistic armor over top of them. And also the mud boots. Without them, their feet would have been soaked in water long ago.“Remind me again why we’re here?” asked Eva.“Not a bad question,” said Max. “Allow me to add to it… Why am I here? It’s not like I’m getting paid like the rest of you are.”
Eva quickly drew her Handcannon and aimed it squarely at the swamptoad’s head, specifically right below the armored ridge between its bulbous eyes. She presumed that was roughly where its brain was.“Wait!” cried Amal. “Don’t shoot it!”“What? Why the hell not?” asked Eva.“‘Coz you might end up damaging its poison sac, wherever it is. With all that moss on it, it’s impossible to tell!”“Doubt it’d be right next to its brain.”“And you know where its brain is, yeah?”“Fine, so what do-”Before Eva could finish her sen
Back at the settlement, deep inside the clinic, past the foyer, and beyond the welcome desk. Past the general prognosis station, and past the patient recovery rooms. Upstairs, inside of the special care unit, a young man slept on a medical pad. A rebreather was attached to his mouth and nostrils, and it ensured that his chest rose and fell with regularity.Even as he slept with a face scrunched up in pain.His clammy and pale skin was accentuated by dark and highly visible veins just underneath. Anyone who looked closely could see his blood pumping weakly inside them.He looked like a corpse on the brink of being alive.Around him were a handful of other beds, all filled with children roughly his age. All just as poisoned as he was. Each of them seemed to be
Eva sat in front of the terminal aboard the Spirit of Amelia and chatted with her grandparents. Everyone else left her alone for privacy, or had contracts they needed to fulfil, or simply kept their distance. Regardless, they were all far beyond earshot.“You two are looking great!” she told her grandparents.“Oh Evie,” said her Grandma, “you’ve always been such an awful liar.”Eva choked down her sadness and forced a smile as she looked at them through the screen. They looked worse every time they got into a call, and it had gotten to a point where it became unbearable for her.Sticking out of her Grandma’s nose were tubes that lead to a portable oxygen tank just off to the side, almost out of view. And when she moved, her
Eva sniffled as she laid in her bunk and stared at the wall next to her. Her eyes were red and damp from constant tears.On her DI was her last conversation with Mack, about her grandparents. Even though it was painful for her to see, she couldn’t help but read it over and over again.—Mack: your grandma passed last night… im so sorryMack: and i had to check your granddad into the hospital tooMack: he just kinda shut down and stopped doing stuff - eating, drinking, sleepingMack: i think he just gave up… stopped talking to everyone, even meMack: i get it thoMa
The moment Amal, Miko, and Claire stepped out the Spirit of Amelia, they were immediately hit by strong winds and icy rain. The frigid weather pelted their environmental suits and helmets, which Claire imagined they would have been frozen on the spot if they were without them.“Okay, now I’m kinda envying Freya,” said Claire. “At least, the part where she doesn’t have to deal with all this.”They walked down the ramp onto the landing pad below, which had cracked ice all over its surface.Miko tsk’d as she slipped a little bit, then waved her baton at the landing pad itself. She saw that it was heated, but poorly. It simply couldn’t keep up with the weather all around it. So she waved at it again and went into its operating intelligence.
Miko watched as the shopkeep wiped down the exact same spot on his counter with unerring precision. His hands and arms moved to the exact millimeter as he cleaned it. And once he had performed exactly three revolutions, he moved exactly 20 centimeters to one side and began again.It was the same thing with the person who scraped up ice. His arms moved to the exact millimeter each and every time. And everytime he moved up the street, it was in the exact same increments.Miko found their robotic nature curious, puzzling, and troubling all at once. She wanted to equate these people to drones, but even those had a semblance of chaotic movement in them. At least they were programmed to have variance in their behavior. This made them simply appear more natural.To her, it seemed like all these people were stripped of thei
Amal walked forward as she rubbed her sore cheek. She looked at Callie, at how deranged she appeared to be. And most importantly, how she looked nothing like the other colonists. Her skin was rosy and spotless in comparison.Callie exuded waves of anger and disgust when she focused her attention on Amal or Claire, but the exact opposite when she looked at Max. Amal felt her admiration and lust for him.And she felt her companions’ fear even as they stood by her side.It seems they all had stepped into some sort of landmine, and there didn’t seem to be a way out of their predicament. Not that she had the time to think of a way out. All she could think about were the dead-eyed colonists and their pallid grey complexions.“Did you do that to all thos