Children Of Gaia

Chapter 7

Those lucky few who escaped the mutiny, fled from the Hyperion and headed South. They covered the vast expanse of destitute grasslands as fast as they could manage. After a few days at top speed they came upon the fringe of a forest and entered hoping to find sanctuary in the cover. Soon the trees would be too dense for the vehicles to navigate and they decided to rest, confident they now had enough distance between them and the Hyperion. Weary and burdened by the thought of complete isolation in a place so alien to Gaia, the travellers would now have to survive on their own for a time if there was any chance to retake the ship to come.

Maddison and Carl had swapped seats so she and Felix could console one another. Though one was a hero and the other a traitor, two life-long friends had been lost to them in merely an instant.

With three days of travelling and little sleep between them, the entire group was exhausted. They harboured up the vehicles and organised a roster for sentries to man the turrets whilst the remainder tried desperately to get some rest. They continued like this another week as their supplies started to run low while their concerns mounted.

A meeting was called, and all were free to weigh in but most of the Troopers sat back waiting to hear what Niezen had to say. There was a second Officer in their midst, Lieutenant 1st Class Charles Fletcher. Luckily for Fletcher, Yamada had noticed him as he rushed past and ordered him to the Cargo bay. Fletcher had no qualms whatsoever about Niezen assuming command, two days out from the mutiny Fletcher was still shaking and hadn't so much as said a word.

"I'm thinking it might be time to re-take the ship," announced Niezen but his words offered little comfort to his companions and were met with silence and wandering eyes. "We're as strong now as we're going to be, the longer we put it off the more our rat-packs will diminish," Niezen explained. Sergeant Baxter stood at his side nodding incessantly in support.

"And what if the weapons are back up? We'd be wiped out before we could even reach an air-lock," protested a voice from within the group. A few murmurs followed until they were hushed by Niezen raising his right hand.

"Captain Yamada assured me they cannot be reactivated, with the Colonel gone his authorisation code died with him," responded Niezen. With the majority of the crowd looking slightly less concerned he continued, "when the time comes, we will dispatch drones to assess their capabilities, I have no intention of marching you to your deaths." The group's murmurs continued at a higher volume with less of an anxious undertone. Their confidence was growing, in both their Commander and their chances of survival.

Felix was biting the inside of his cheek, he felt less convinced and finally he spoke up. "What about survivors? There must be others trapped on board with that maniac and his goons."

Both Niezen and Baxter looked at Felix with the same grim expression. Felix quickly realised what they were going to say but remained silent as all present still needed to hear it.

"The fact of the matter guys, is that everyone we knew on that ship is either dead or now a traitor," Baxter's words hushed the entire group. His pause allowed the chorus of unknown insects to prevail in the background. "I want you, all of you, to look around, look at the faces of those who made it, those lucky enough to escape. If we fail to re-take that ship, then these are the only people you will know and care for. I want you all to learn each others names, our best chance of survival is to work as a coherent group."

Carl lifted his hands to applaud the Sergeant's humble words but was nudged in his side by Maddison's elbow, he turned to her confused but her face warned him well to drop it.

Niezen thanked his Sergeant for his wise words then moved back in to readdress the group. "Once we're done here I want all military personnel to report to me for a revision to the sentry roster. I will need to send some of you to find water, our condensers can't keep up with demand this high. All non-military personnel are to report to Sergeant Baxter. I need you all to be proficient with weapons and basic combat skills and I want everyone familiar with the Behemoth's systems. Are there any questions?"