The Empty and the Unknown

8 - A Plan

I sat on the cold kitchen counter in silence, contemplating our next move while I ate a small meal of berries and nuts. The acid hadn't ceased its bubbling on the melting edges of the hole in the middle of the floor. My mind was swimming and I continued to eat, though my appetite was not very large. Gage, Titus, and Aurora spoke in hushed tones over their lunches, which was just steak and mashed potatoes from the fabricator. They were all steering clear of the small puddles of acid that were dotted around the floor. It seemed the gravity of the situation had gotten to them as well, their general quietness proving this.

As I ate, I was thinking about our next move. We had been trained for many situations, but given the dire circumstances, applying logic and what we had been taught at the station just wasn't enough. 

I had to rely on my gut feeling, which told me, "We need to explore the planet." The group had been startled when I spoke up. They turned their attention to me.

"Why? It's safer to stay here. Who knows what'll happen if we leave. Our ship could get attacked by those monsters at any moment," Gage reasoned, "Not to mention the fact that the FSS crew will most definitely be searching for us after they realize they haven't gotten word from us." Titus and Aurora murmured their agreements.

"While that may be true, we don't know when or even if help is coming, which is why two of us will venture out, and two of us will stay behind. Searching the planet is a necessity if we are going to guarantee our survival. This is my idea, so I'm going. However, I need one of you to come with me."

"I'll go." Titus chimed in, "I've already got experience with the environment."

"No way! I'm sneakier, those freaks won't even notice us." Aurora argued, stepping towards me defensively.

"Titus is right. It would be a big advantage to have someone who already knows the land. Sorry, Aurora."

Aurora tsked and backed off, while Gage continued to happily eat his lunch, somehow unbothered by the thought of not having to go out into the great unknown.

"We're going to be gone for several weeks, so be ready. It's not going to be easy." I looked to Titus, who was listening intently. "Immediately after lunch, we'll prepare a couple bags, and then head off " He nodded understandingly and leaned against the wall, finishing his lunch.

The rest of our limited time together was spent in a solemn silence, the knowledge of the hardships that we were destined to face weighing heavy on us all. Nonetheless, time ran its course and our imminent departure came all too quickly. We headed to the lower level, shouldering woven paracord bags filled to the brim with water, food, as well as knives and other tools we may need. Titus and I wandered into the cargo bay's second quadrant, where the durosuits we would wear were hung up. It was obvious which one Titus had been wearing, as it was covered in yellow soot.

Aurora and Gage came behind us a few minutes later after they had finished their meals. The pair were talking about attempting some reparations on the ship, though I was engulfed in my own world and heard little of what they said. I set down my rifle and threw on the smaller durosuit, pulling on the helmet and locking it into place with a turn. My stomach tightened into knots as the suit whirred to life, cycling the air from the oxygen generators hooked up to the suit. It was surprisingly light for how bulky it originally seemed, only weighing a few pounds in its entirety.

Titus put a large, gloved hand on my shoulder, "It's going to be fine, we'll be off this planet in no time."

I turned to see him smiling comfortingly through the darkened glass of his over-sized helmet, "It's very hard to take you seriously when you look like a walking tin can." I chuckled.

"Are you saying this makes me look fat?" He put a hand to his chest, a hurt look on his face.

I bent over in laughter, momentarily relieved of the anxiety. Aurora came up to us, her outstretched hands each holding a holopad, and I looked up at her questioningly.

"These are for communication. If you ever get lost from each other, just use these and you can track each other's location, as well as speak back and forth." She answered.

"Ah, thank you," I replied.

Titus and I grabbed one and slid them in a small cylindrical shaped pouch on the side of the pack.

"You should get going now. The data from the bio-scanner says there'll be heavy rains soon, so you need to seek shelter fast." She said.

I nodded before we all made a tight group hug.

"You two be safe, okay?" Gage said, a hint of worry in his voice.

I smiled reassuringly to him, "We will."

I grabbed my rifle and clipped it to the side of my suit. Titus rummaged through a pile of lazily put away weapons for a moment before grabbing two long sabers. He slung the sheathed weapons around his shoulders, making a criss-cross. We walked out of the cargo bay and down to the end of the hall, where the doorway to the airlock was. It was dysfunctional, much like the rest of the ship, so Titus had to manually pry the two sliding doors apart. We stepped inside, then he closed the doors behind us. Through a small glass window, I could see Aurora and Gage waving in the middle of the hallway.

Titus pried the door open, and light flooded in. I waved back at them, before turning towards the light. I clutched the straps of my pack, before stepping onto the sands of a new world.