Witness [A First Contact Romance]

20. The Desolation (Part 1)

Lumiea

Year -20 (L.D.)

Rain had darkened the soil, glistening over grass, and set a chill in the air. Aeryn and the rest of her squad walked quietly in formation down the cracked pavement of the decades-old remnants of an old world neighborhood. Most of the damage from the Liberation was left to history books with most war zones long since rebuilt and now thriving. In desolate areas, however, where resistance had not surrendered and the fighting continued, the scars of the war their planet faced lived on.

Sensors had detected body heat in this area overnight. What the war had not destroyed of the dilapidated and unkempt apartment buildings and homes, time finished off. Time and rebel forces who could find use of just about anything it seemed. There wasn't a sliver of glass to be seen in any window. Aeryn had heard they collected and used the glass for shrapnel bombs. She imagined much of the debris could be used this way.

Considering that this zone was strictly off-limits, they assumed that any trespassers were rebel forces. And so here they were, on their first patrol, seeking out any life in the desolate area.

Their analyst, Trin, peered through the glasses that assisted her in taking measurements and data. "Nothing. The drones probably scared them away."

"What do they do here, anyway?" Nikka peered through the scope of her gun to study a roofline. "There's nothing here."

"They're just on the run, I think," Jace said. "Sometimes they'll return to ground they lost once we don't have so many troops patrolling."

"I can't wait until we get to go do real work." Alix rolled his shoulders. "They don't need us for this. Drones can handle it."

"Good practice," Trin said. "Hang on. There's fingerprints on the door over there. Let's check out this apartment."

As the bioengineer, Aeryn always walked in the center of the group, flanked by two combat soldiers and behind another. She carried weapons as well, but her focus was not on identifying and neutralizing enemies. It was her job to monitor everyone's equipment and health and to constantly assess the environment for any resources she could use in the event of an emergency. Helping to patrol was a secondary objective. She'd never seen so few resources as here. The soil had even been dug up in some places, likely mined for minerals.

When they entered the apartment, she remained by the door with Trin as the combat soldiers searched each room. It was hard to imagine that this was once a home. Anything of value had been taken long ago. The rooms were caked with dust and debris. She expected to see old furniture abandoned here, but there was nothing. Rebels must have taken the wood and fabric of the furniture over the years until it was all gone.

Splatters of dark, old blood stained the hallway ahead. People had died here, hadn't they? Long ago before she was born. Had Aeryn ever truly imagined what it was like to live through the liberation?