The Notrium Saga: The Survivor

Chapter 1: The Crew-

“You can’t do this, I know how much you think this is your big chance of proving yourself but it's too dangerous.

You can stay here, you don't need to go a distant pla-"

"If I stay here I am nothing more than a runt. Don't you see? I would rather die than to lead a life of ridicule and shame among my own kind!" She growled.

"Nobody expects anything of you. You have nothing you need to prove to them."

"Exactly! They treat me with such little respect as to expect nothing from me. They think I am useless!"

Seeing that she could not be swayed, he gave in.

"Fine, I'll let you go on one condition: That you let me come with you. It's too dangerous for you alone."

She snorted in disgust, but was left no choice. "Besides," she thought, "I could get rid of him if he gets in my way."

"The ship’s about to leave. Come on!" The two aliens left their hiding spot and rushed into the cargo bay. Seconds later the blast door closed, leaving them enshrouded in darkness.

The android heard something run into the cargo crates. With his new audio sensors, every small wave of sound was clear. He thought about reporting the intrusion to the captain of the ship, but then he would have to explain how he heard them in the first place. No, it was better not to bring attention the already curious new capabilities he had most recently. Certainly the medic would reveal his actions to the captain, and he would be decommissioned immediately. Yes, it was better to go unnoticed for another day.

BANG! The clamor echoed in the hallway. "Aahhhhh! Let me go! Ahrrgh!" the crewman yelled in agony as an invisible force pressed him against the wall. The captain rushed into the room to find the medic and the pinned crewman.

"Stand down!" he yelled, but the medic paid him no attention, only pushing harder with his mind.

"That's an order!" Finally, the medic relaxed his composure and the crewman fell onto the ground, dazed. The captain rushed over and helped him up. The crewman looked up at the medic in fear and hastened to leave the room.

"What was that?!" The captain demanded. "You nearly killed that man!"

The medic did what passed as a shrug among his kind. "I was having a nightmare, and that man made a jest at me. I simply was not in the mood for it."

"Listen, I know you've been getting fidgety ever since we set a course for the Hive, especially in the last few days, but smacking a guy around for making a crack at you is not acceptable."

The medic's large eyes blinked a few times. Then he nodded.

"I understand. It won't happen again."

"Good." The captain made a move to leave but changed his mind. "What is it about these dreams that bother you so much anyway?" The medic's eyes looked up at the captain, a deep sadness inside them.

"Have you ever looked at me and wondered where I come from? Surely you have never seen another who looks like me."

The captain shook his head.

"Neither have I. Whatever this Hive sector is, it is something incredibly meaningful for me. I both fear our arrival to it, and long for it. Don't worry; my loyalty is to you as always, which is more than I can say for others among us."

"You are too suspicious. The 'others' have the same opinion about you. I would prefer not to take sides. Good night.”

With that, he left the medic before he started accusing more crew members. The medic had a strange dislike for Sterns, the engineer, and many others. The captain wasn't entirely trustful of his crew either, but to let them know that would be disastrous.

He walked out of the room, took a deep breath and looked around at his crew, busy doing their assigned duties on the bridge. The first mate, Jack Sterns, was giving orders to the others. He was one of the few humans on the Var' Equinallin. With the low number of humans ever since the destruction of Sol, aliens on human vessels were quite common. This was especially true for a low-priority exploration expedition such as this. Among the haphazard mix of aliens working on the bridge, there were none that seemed to care for the ship's cause. To them, this was simply another job. All that mattered was the money, excitement, or recognition. Indeed, the Var' Equinallin appeared to be a ship doomed to failure, although her captain was convinced otherwise.

The star chart said they were 56 hours away from their destination, the Hive. The captain chuckled to himself,

"Not likely," he thought, “In that time frame, the warp engineer is bound to come up with at least a dozen ways to increase warp efficiency." The captain walked over to his quarters and entered the spacious room. He turned on his log and said to it,

"Aboard the Var' Equinallin, en route to the Hive, ETA 48 hours..."

Chapter 2: Ambush-

Footsteps resounded in the darkness but they faded as quickly as they came. The captain stopped and turned his gaze toward the direction he heard them in. This was the cargo bay, why would anyone be here at this hour? He shifted uneasily and was about to leave when he heard the footsteps again. This time, the captain immediately pulled his pistol out and aimed at the source of the noises. He walked closer slowly, and saw a shadow, furtively ducking behind crates. Suddenly, the shadow disappeared and its owner leapt out at him. The captain barely had time to react as the pistol was knocked out of his hand. He tried to push back but was knocked onto the floor. His attacker was a strange alien and possessed enormous strength.

"Oh no you don't!" The captain screamed as the alien tried to lock its jaws onto his throat. The struggle went on for a long minute that seemed like hours. The alien was not tiring at all yet the captain was reaching the limits of his endurance. Out of pure desperation, the captain kicked the alien with all of his remaining strength. One of his kicks connected with the alien's vulnerable abdomen and it reeled back in pain. Taking the opportunity, the captain rolled sideways and grabbed the pistol. He aimed at the alien's torso and emptied his clip into it. Its chest was soon riddled with holes. The alien stumbled for a bit and then, emitting a weak growl, it collapsed.

Gasping for breath, the captain got back up and wiped the green blood off of his cheek. The security squad arrived and surveyed the scene.

"What happened sir?" asked the squad leader.

"Well men, there was quite a show, and you just missed it."

The captain and his team left, leaving the body for the cleanup crew to take care of. If they had paid closer attention to it, they would've found it was still faintly breathing. The nearly dead creature noticed a second alien approaching it and released its last breath when a sharp claw beheaded the fallen hunter, snuffling out what little life was left in it. The second alien could hardly contain its glee. A whole week living off of barely edible ship rations had made her forget what real meat was like. As she bit into her decapitated comrade's body, she licked every drop of blood and chewed on every bone, leaving nothing behind. She savored the last morsels slowly and then retreated back into hiding. The cleanup crew's job was already done.

Chapter 3: A Not-So-Dead Planet-

The planet was unlike anything he had ever seen before. The atmosphere was a hazy green that almost completely hid the wilderness below. One could spend hours gazing in awe at this planet. It seemed completely impossible that something like this could develop naturally.

"What is this planet called again?" asked the captain.

“I can’t say for sure.” The navigator scratched his chin in confusion. “There are many folk tales and myths surrounding this planet. The most common name would be: Notrium.”

“Notrium.” the captain whispered. It was a strange name. The planet would probably be stranger.

"In depth analysis shows that in most areas there are signs of alien life. They're all over the planet. There’s a huge variety of ecosystems and climates on the surface, so life would be varied, too. (That’s only an assumption though) Another thing is that the poles aren't cold at all, in fact, both of them seem to have warm climates."

The captain walked over to the scanner station and looked over the planet analysis himself. A few red dots glowed on the map. The captain's eyes widened.

"Those electronic signals. Crashed ships, Ra'keesh?"

"Yes Captain and quite a few of them too."

"What could possibly cause all of those ships to crash?" The captain asked but his question was shortly answered by small blips on the radar display.

"Missiles!" yelled the weapons operator, "They’re coming in fast!"

The captain sprang backwards and yelled, "Get the shields online! Turn the ship around! Turn it around!"

The ship shook violently, its shields failing the instant they flickered on.

"Hull integrity failing." beeped the computer. "Engine detonation imminent."

A stray missile hit the bridge, creating a rupture in the floor. Most of the crew in front were gone, the rest hung tightly on to something. The artificial gravity was worse than gone, it was fluctuating rapidly. Soon it might’ve slammed them repeatedly against the ceiling.

A few managed to crawl into the hallways. The captain and first mate both reached safety before explosions engulfed the bridge completely.

"We have to hurry!" the captain urged after helping Sterns back up.

The two fought past smoldering gas pipes and leaking coolant until they reached the port side of the ship.

The captain opened the door and the two of them rushed in and pressed the launch button. In their haste they neglected to fasten their seat belts. The captain and the first mate both got flung into the back wall by the force of the launch. The escape pod started hurtling into the planet's atmosphere with its heat shield flaring brightly.

The captain looked out the small window to see that many of his crew had not made it in time. The few that did make it were almost instantly destroyed by the continuous volley of missiles. He braced himself as the pod pounded right into the planet's surface, going from 800 mph to 0 in a millisecond.

After recovering from the thundering impact, the captain looked around and quickly assessed the situation. The escape pod's fire control system put out the fires but the emergency lights were shattered, making the inside of the pod almost pitch black.

"Sterns, are you okay?" The captain asked, feeling his way around the pod for his first mate.

When he got no reply, the captain started to search the floor. His foot grazed against what felt like the first mate's head, and he instinctively got to his knees and felt Stern’s pulse and breath. He was alive, but unconscious. The captain, got up, grabbed the escape pod latch and wrenched it with all his might. No good. Then he remembered that there was a welding torch in the emergency survival kit and grabbed it. He started to carve his way around the latch. When he was satisfied it was weak enough, he gave a swift kick to the center of it, sending the latch outward. Light streamed into the cramped pod and for the first time, the captain looked out at the planet of Notrium.

The pod had landed in what seemed to be a jungle or forest. Grabbing the survival kit and his first mate by the leg, he hauled them both out of the escape pod and looked at Sterns. His injuries were severe. Blood trickled from the back of his bald head and he was suffering from a concussion. The captain grabbed the first aid kit, hoping that there was no permanent brain damage. As he was emptying the contents of the first aid kit, he heard a rustle in the underbrush. A few seconds later dozens of small blue aliens came rushing out, apparently attracted by the scent of blood. The captain groaned, this was going to be a long day.

Chapter 4: The Aliens and the Dream-

The aliens started running on their clawed feet, jumping and snarling as they went. The captain reached for his pistol but remembered that his holster had been lost during the escape from the Var' Equinallin. He immediately grabbed the welding torch and turned it on. It wouldn't be enough for an entire pack of aliens but maybe it would scare the rest off if he could kill a few. He immediately turned toward the closest alien and charged at it. He bashed the aliens head in with the rear of the welding torch and then lit it on fire. He then grabbed another alien and burned its head from its wiry neck. With two of the aliens dead, the captain wondered why all of the others were still continuing their attack. He was outnumbered, the aliens didn't bother to flank him or catch him unaware; they just attacked relentlessly. One of them leapt four feet into the air and sank its claws into the captain's back.

The captain screamed in pain and whirled around while more aliens grabbed onto him. He swung around wildly, throwing a few off, then he smashed the welding torch onto the ground with all his might, breaking the fuel container and sending flames roaring up. The captain rolled onto the ground with a couple aliens still trying to hang on. The fire set the aliens aflame and they started to writhe in agony. The captain quickly rolled away from the fire and started to breathe heavily. "So this how they welcome me." The captain muttered, wincing at the cut wounds the aliens tore into his back. Blood streamed onto the strange vegetation that grew on the forest floor. The captain grew lightheaded, and felt strangely weak.

“You’re nothing but a scummy, low-life pirate. Just deal with it. When you were faced with dying for the good of mankind, and saving your own thieving derriere, you chose the second option. Made a hefty profit in it too.”

Unaffected by the teasing, the captain replied calmly,

“I did what was best for the crew and for you, Joe. I gave them a chance to survive. Those alien bullies only took the rich aristocrats and powerful captains. If it weren’t for me, they would be burnt in the sun like all those other poor idiots.”

At this, Joe raised an eyebrow. “Those idiots also happened to include your family, your friends, and most of the human species. But that don’t matter don’t it? Honestly, I’m not too patriotic either, but it’s something to think about. When does survival of the fittest stop working for you? A man’s got to have his loyalties you know.”

“Loyalties are what kill you if you don’t let go of them when you need to. Sure my crew is loyal, but only because they depend on me. Why else would they risk their neck for a scummy, low-life pirate?”

Both men chuckled heartily and knocked their cups of whiskey against each other.

Without warning, Joe’s face contorted with rage and he bellowed in a fearsome voice.

“They’re suffering right now.”

“What?”

“You let them be captured, tortured, and humiliated.”

“Joe? What’s wrong?”

“And the worse part is, you’re not going to do a thing about it aren’t you? You know that the aliens captured humans to be sent off to the Zoo system. They’re slaves of the enemy.”

The captain jumped up as if his first mate was suddenly a terrible disease.

Joe’s body began fading away.

“I’m at the Zoo system. Waiting, waiting for you.”

“No, don’t go. I didn’t let you go. I can’t have!”

A now infuriated captain grabbed at Joe but felt nothing but air. He realized now that he was in a dream. Joe had been gone for 10 years. It had been 10 years since he was on this pirate ship.

“I swear to you, I’ll kill those who destroyed Sol. I won’t rest until I make them scream for mercy the same way they made us. I promise you. I promise!”

Then he was on Notrium.

Chapter 5: A Prototype Enviro-Suit-

Awakening. He looked around and tried to get up, but his whole body ached. He could hear growls from a distance. "Where am I?" He thought to himself, "What happened?"

Then it all rushed back to him in a flood of memories. He was on Notrium, nearly killed by the planet's strange inhabitants. He remembered that he had suffered severe back injuries and burns. But when he passed his hand over them, he found that they had disappeared. Was it all just part of a dream?

He rose to his feet with some difficulty due to his stiff joints, and was surprised to see that the leafy plant that he had been sleeping on had oozed out liquid all over his body. The liquid had magically healed every one of his wounds, leaving not even a scar behind. If the circumstances were different, the captain might've been utterly astounded by this discovery, but he simply made a mental note of the plant in case he might need to heal himself in the future. Walking over to the escape pod, he could see that Sterns was still there, unconscious and breathing shallowly.

It occurred to him that if he could barely keep himself alive, then he couldn’t care for another person. For a moment he thought of leaving Sterns but it went against everything he had been taught. Survival is your main concern, urged a little voice in his head, but another shouted, Sterns would do the same for you. He stood there for a while, thinking. Then the voice of reason won out, and the captain decided to leave his fellow crewman here. He could not survive unless he kept moving, so caring for Sterns was out of the question.

He grabbed the survival kit and carefully inspected its contents. A few packets of rations, enough for a day, a traditional lighter, a flask of water, a medical kit, a flashlight, and a large unmarked box. The captain examined this last item carefully and opened the seal. Inside was a folded up green metallic suit labeled: Infantry Standard Issue Prototype Enviro-suit. It had an airtight inner mesh and the headpiece had vision enhancing goggles built in. He grabbed the suit and slipped it over his burnt clothing. He then took the helmet and put it over his head. A little bit of tinkering revealed that the helmet was not upgraded with night vision. He would have to use the flashlight for now.