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CHAPTER ONE

Dani

The ship shook, causing the orange lights along the walls to flicker. Dani didn’t so much as flinch or gasp at the turbulence or tighten her hands around the handles of her seat like she used to on her first dozen trips. Instead, she took the moment to examine her crew.

Six in total. Most had their heads bowed or tilted back, eyes closed, waiting to feel the ship slow as it reached the ground. Only Morse and Phen had their eyes open. Morse stared down at the ground with his teeth bared as if trying not to get sick, and Phen stared up at the twinkling lights like they were the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen.

Myrell cursed softly beside them, her hand plunging into her suit pocket as she gripped something within. Tom smirked next to her, humming softly. Sheek—barely fitting in her seat—hardly stirred, while Lex snored with their head on Sheek’s arm.

Dani watched them, pushing down her anxiety. She took a deep breath, shifting her eyes over to the cockpit, beyond the faceless scibot pilots to the dark windowpane. She couldn’t see the ground yet, but she knew what to expect. A dreary world. With the ruins of some city built by a company that had decommissioned and abandoned it some time ago.

Just like the many others she’d gone to, down to collect the remnants of these lost cities—machines, energy resources, expensive tech, sometimes even weapons. Things that were left behind but later wanted back, either for spare parts or to recycle or to sell. The cities were built to mine resources and make products until something made them stop, leaving everything behind.

Usually, it was funding. Sometimes it was because of an unknown disaster. The report for planet X110 didn’t make it fully clear, just that it had been abandoned some years ago.

Dani straightened in her seat as the ship began to slow down. It didn’t matter, really. A job needed to be done, and she’d get it done, so help her.

And when you do, you’ll be wearing the blue suit in no time, she said silently to herself.

She glanced down at her orange one, making her and the others look like they were wearing prison uniforms, only more durable with belts and several pockets. On her right wrist was her garometer. It reported life on this world, so she could collect more than the artifacts they were assigned to find. That excited her at least.

Yes, they’d get back in record time, she’d collect some samples along with the artifacts, and then…

She closed her eyes and took another slow breath.

Then she’d be moving up to the science sector. Nadine promised. The heads agreed.

“You’ve done good work, Dani,” Nadine had said several days ago, smirking at her from the opposite side of the conference room table where they sat. Around her had been five other company heads in their sleek black uniforms. Those who managed over the lower ranks. They had nodded in agreement. “You proved yourself on that last run, despite the unfortunate events.”

By unfortunate events, Nadine meant the death of their collection leader. He’d mistakenly opened a vault door inside a lab which had been pressurized from inside by lethal gas. As soon as he opened it, the blast took down half the building, taking their collection leader out with it. They said his body shattered into a thousand pieces like glass. His blood vaporized.

Thankfully, she and her crew hadn’t been inside. Because their collection leader thought he could make a quick run in despite the risk.

This wasn’t anything new for the collectors. Danger was part of the job. Out of all the sectors, it was the most lethal, with more deaths than any other in their company. Even with the drones and a security team, accidents happened. A lot.

Once their collection leader was gone, she knew someone had to step up for the remainder of the mission. Without hesitating, she started directing the others, grabbing what they could find and getting out of there before anyone could panic.

Showing that kind of leadership in a stressful situation was a straight ticket to meeting with the heads at the top. And getting a chance at promotion. When asked where, Dani had one answer.

“The science sector would welcome you,” Nadine said. “And you’d be given rank as junior officer to start. But we still need a little more from you. This was just one incident, after all. We are going to assign you and your team to a new mission and give you the reins.” With the tap of her finger, the table lit up, showing planet X110. “We were just contracted by Marityne Industries. They want us to go to one of their company cities near the Iron Belts. A little off the radar for a resource world like this, and it’s been abandoned for some time. There are several materials they want us to retrieve, including cryo-batteries, a datachip, and storage capsules among other things. Complete this run and we’ll give you a spot on the science team.”

Finally. Where she should have been placed. Just like her mother, a head scientist many years ago. The one place where she could really prove her skills. Prove her father and siblings wrong. Prove to the others what she was made of. Prove to the organization that she was as dedicated as anyone could be.

She opened her eyes and stared up at the slogan along the ship’s wall.

NEXACOR. REBUILDING WORLDS.

Nexacor went to these decommissioned worlds in hopes of repairing them. They’d collect data and materials companies wanted to recover before scraping the rest and working on cleaning it and making it new. Even re-terraforming. They could make farming worlds instead, or reserves. Turn these metal and stone graveyards into something tangible.

Most had potential to be rebuilt. Only some had to be left to rot. Usually, a demolition team came down to destroy the cities after collectors scraped what they could.

“It’s always for the best,” her mother had said once. “A clean, better world, without all the toxic, ugly things.”

“Be careful on this world, though, Dani,” Nadine said after the meeting. “We don’t want another incident like before.”

No, definitely not.

She glanced around at her crew and saw Morse’s drool starting to slide off his chin onto the floor. The poor drogin really should be with the mechanics on the main ship. Even with his canine-like face, she could see how pained he was, his nose scrunched, dark wolfish eyes staring angrily at the ground.

She heard a low chuckle to her right and turned her gaze toward the back of the ship where four soldiers sat, dressed in armored gear, guns on their laps.

The security team was to patrol and nothing more. One thing that came about with collecting, even in a dead city, was the risk of infestation—bugs mostly, and rodents, some growing as large as a child. But other things tended to find their way in the cities too, usually from tradeships.

It was always a fifty-fifty on how bad. Sometimes the infestations were sparse, and other times it was like a plague.

Shifting in her seat, she studied the soldiers talking softly to one another. They wore the Nexacor insignia on their breast plates, a sunrise with four stars above. One soldier, grinning ear to ear, pointed his hand like a gun and pretended to shoot something. He made a crazed face, his eyes rolling back, his body shaking, as if reenacting someone or something dying by electric shock. The others laughed.

Dani looked away, gaze returning to the sign on the wall.

Don’t think about any of the dozen worst case scenarios you’ve heard of or witnessed, she thought. Everyone is going to be fine. You got this.

The ship made one last jolt as the rockets underneath ignited. Dust and smoke blanketed the windows.

When the ship finally grounded, it let out a slow hiss of decompressed air followed by a dull thud. A soft bell rang overhead as the main lights flashed on. That was everyone’s cue to unlatch from their seats.

Rising from her seat, Dani looked at the time on her garometer, set to the cruiser’s standards. 6:00 AM.

They had twelve hours by shiptime to complete their task. As the dust settled and she looked out the window, she could see it was nighttime where they’d landed. X110, from what she learned, had an eighteen-hour cycle—or day by the old Earthen clock.

Confusing to be sure for those not used to being off the ship and working on different worlds constantly. But she’d grown accustomed to it.

“Fucking hell,” Myrell grumbled as she slowly got up from her seat. Even Dani heard her bones cracking in her knees and back. “I need my skeleton replaced stat.”

“You’re in luck,” Tom said as he readjusted the collar of his suit. “Marityne Industries used to make synthetic limbs and body parts for amputees and soldiers. Really good cybernetic enhancements using special metal alloy they mined here from the—”

“Save the speech, Tom.” Myrell sighed as she stretched, wagging her head as her graying silver hair got in her face. “I don’t want to hear it this early.”

Tom shrugged, his baby-blue eyes much more awake and excited than the rest. “Just thought you’d like to know. You might just find a spare cybernetic skeleton somewhere. I’d be happy to look for you.”

She snorted. “Sure. Thanks, Tom.”

Close to them, Sheek elbowed Lex to wake up. Lex’s snore turned into a snort and then a groan as Sheek attempted to place them upright before standing. Phen had finally focused away from the lights to pat Morse gently on the back as he hurled in a metal box found under his seat. Poor guy forgot to take his motion sickness meds again.

The soldiers at the back took up their helmets and guns and filed out toward the stairs to ground level. One caught her eye and winked before disappearing.

Dani cleared her throat and brought up her wrist, tapping on her garometer. They had already been debriefed on X110 about its atmosphere, weather patterns, and environment. But her garometer kept readings in real time in case of any changes.

Oxygen levels were stable, but there was a rolling smog that tended to come through every so often from some unknown source. And then there were the dust storms. Best to gear up.

Dani took a deep breath. All right, time to get this show going.

Taking out a pillbox from one pocket, she plucked out a little yellow pill. She waited for Morse to stop puking before handing him the pill along with his canteen which she slipped from his belt. Morse took them and popped the pill, chugging the water. She patted him on the back before turning to the others.

“Everyone else okay?” she asked.

“Yes,” most of them replied.

Lex was still snoring, now sitting upright with their head back, mouth wide open. Dani went over and shook them gently, then pinched them when they didn’t respond.

“Ow!” They jumped awake with a start.

“Time to go, Lex.”

“All right, all right.” They rubbed their head of short black hair.

The crew made their way down to storage and started preparing. The soldiers were already outside, scoping the area. A couple shots were heard, and a few of the group flinched as they were putting on their helmets.

Either the soldiers were target practicing or they found something already. That was enough to put them more on edge.

While the team geared up, Dani stared at herself in the small mirror stuck to her locker, helmet in her hands. Two dark-brown locks fell in waves on either side of her face while the rest was pinned up tight against her head. Honey-colored eyes stared back as she willed herself not to see the tension in them, only the determination. On her left breast was Alveraz, her mother’s last name, not her father’s, even if he was a captain and everyone knew that she was his daughter.

Some might have wondered why she was placed with the orange suits instead of black. Why she wasn’t up in the ranks with her siblings. But those who knew understood.

A bastard child didn’t get the blessing of nepotism within Nexacor. Especially when one of the VPs was her father’s resentful wife.

Dani inhaled slowly. The science sector was the second highest rank. It was good enough for her. At least she could make it on her own unlike her half brothers and sister.

She slipped on the helmet and locked it into place. Little lights along the sides turned on, and fresh air seeped in from the small tanks connected to her suit.

Dani slipped her stunner gun in the holster at her belt then clipped on a few necessary tools around the other side.

She waited for the others to be ready. Lex and Phen took their time—Lex, because they were still trying to wake up. Phen, because something on her gloves was fascinating her, her large black eyes staring down at them as her antenna twitched. Myrell was taking generous swigs from her canteen—not filled with water, Dani knew—before putting on her helmet, while Morse grumbled over a few pieces of equipment. Tom stood ready by the door, talking to Sheek about the difference between cryo-batteries and lithium ones as Sheek struggled to lock in her helmet.

Dani went over and helped her, having to stretch up on her toes to get the helmet over the grex’s head. Sheek hissed in thanks, her reptilian face visible through the glass.

Fifteen minutes later, they were finally ready, with suits on, packs over their shoulders, and carrier drones at their sides. Before Dani opened the large bay door, she stood in front of them.

“You know the drill. If you see anything useful outside the list of artifacts, report it to me. If it’s useful, bring it back as long as it doesn’t wear you down. Tom, I’m looking at you. If you see anything interesting, record it. Let’s make this a clean run,” she said, forcing on a smile.

Lex raised their hand half-heartedly, dark eyes still filled with sleep. “Do we get a long break this time?” they asked, their voice crackling with static inside Dani’s helmet.

“If all goes well, at the halfway point.”

Tom raised his hand next. “Can I at least grab any cargo pods I see? They are very useful for storing lithium grade medical machinery and are very—”

“No.”

He dropped his hand, bowing his head.

“Anything else?” she asked.

Phen rose hers next, enthusiastically. “Can I use the flamethrower again?”

Dani was about to say, “No”, then remembered the last infestation they dealt with and how handy the thrower had been. “Maybe,” she said.

Phen’s one look of emotion was her eyes blinking. Her antenna, too hard to see under her helmet, were probably trembling. Luma weren’t known to show much more emotion than that.

When no one else spoke, Dani turned and pulled down the latch to the bay door. As it slid open, a greenish fog spilled inside and around their feet.

“Look alive, people,” Myrell spoke as they made their way outside, treading carefully.

The planet wasn’t as cold as it looked. It was, in fact, a little balmy. The star which the planet circled might be dimmer than some, but it was close enough for X110 to feel the heat. That along with the heat generators used to terraform kept it warmer. The smog which they treaded through was thick but low to the ground. Dani searched across and saw the buildings surrounding them, some towering, some split and crumpling down the sides. Others were nothing more than dark giants in the distance.

A monorail sat in its station nearby, one side bent, dark windows crushed. Wires hung from the rails and along pillars like dozens of snakes. The ship’s harsh light cast shadows across the landing area, making everything more ominous in the dark. Lights on her helmet beamed a few feet in front as she led them along the other side of the ship where security now grouped.

They were laughing again, one soldier pointing his gun at a statue several yards away in a small courtyard—a faceless stone man with four arms, two of which looked to be made of silver, reaching out to the sky. There were several bullet holes along the statue’s torso and a few across his head.

The soldier fired a few more rounds, catching the statue along the shoulder and head, blowing off a chunk of its face.

They laughed some more until their laughter died once they saw her and her team.

“Area is clear,” one soldier remarked. She couldn’t see their faces through their helmets like she could her team—their eyes were obscured by dark lenses and their mouths covered by filters. But she imagined they were smirking at her.

Dani glanced at the statue then back at them and pursed her lips. She turned to her crew. “Myrell, the map?”

Myrell took out a small tablet from a side pocket and brought up a grid of the area for them all to see.

“We start on the west side and work around,” Dani said, pointing to a cluster of buildings. “We pick up what we need in the manufacturing sector then turn north to the labs.”

“Looks like the main passage to one of the buildings is blocked,” Myrell noted.

“We’ll get around it another way. Here.” Dani traced a passage a few flights up then to a bridge.

The others didn’t argue. She turned back to security. “Can you scan the buildings?”

One soldier took out a small black orb and threw it into the air. The orb dropped a little then stopped. A red light shined along its surface. It circled a few times then flew off. The soldier checked his wristpad and tapped on the screen.

“Tristan and I will stay around the ship,” said one soldier, patting his buddy next to him. He had a red X on his helmet, while his buddy had a black star. The one who was scanning the area had a heart, and the fourth—who’d fired his gun at the statue—had a smiley face with x’s for eyes.

At least she could tell them apart if it mattered.

A slight breeze kicked up wisps of smog at their feet. With it came the smell of copper and burnt rubber. Sheek broke from the group and raised her head.

“Strange…” she hissed. “Do you smell that?”

Morse tilted his head back and grunted. “Odd thing to smell,” he mumbled.

“The copper?” Dani asked.

“Must be the burnt wires,” Tom said.

Sheek shook her head. “No. Smells like that brown liquid humans crave so much that tastes like shit, especially when burned.”

Dani frowned. “Coffee?”

“I don’t smell anything,” Lex said.

“Me neither,” said Myrell.

“You wouldn’t,” stated Tom. “Humans’ sense of smell isn’t as good as otherkin. It must be too far away for us to sense.”

“But close enough for me,” said Sheek, turning toward a set of buildings to the east.

“You’re sure that’s what you smell?” Dani searched across the dark.

“I have to smell that smell every day in the break area. I’m sure.”

“What do you think it is?” asked Lex, suddenly more alert. “A chemical or something that’s giving off a similar odor?”

“I don’t know,” Sheek said. “But it’s getting stronger.”

A sudden shrill noise sounded far off in the distance. Almost like a cry or a shrieking howl. A chill ran down Dani’s spine.

“Welp, that settles that we aren’t alone,” said Myrell.

The soldier with the X on his helmet stepped forward, aiming his gun with the light attached to the top of it toward the dark.

“Ryatt, anything?”

The soldier with the scanner shook his head. “No movement around the buildings or up top. Could be inside.”

The soldier with the smiley face cocked his gun then aimed it toward the entrance of the buildings. A burst of flame came from the pointed end of the gun, brightening the area in warm orange light.

Nothing but shadows moved along the walls.

Didn’t matter. They knew how to deal with bugs and rats. If there was anything else, surely it was nothing too threatening. Nothing they couldn’t handle.

She started off toward the west gate. “Let’s get going. We need all the time we have.”