Under a Dark Star

                –Forever locked in an orbit eclipsing the sun so daylight never is beyond a blood sky of shadows in the darkness of the void. Those that gaze upon the star’s crown, darkness falls forever. Only the night is safe, to roam about, to look, to hunt. – proverb for survival

Blaring alarms woke Talas in midair, What the, hey why am floating, wait no! The ship is falling! The sound of screeching metal being torn was added to the alarms.

“Sarah! Where are we, why are we falling?” Talas shouted competing with the screeching alarm.

The ship answered in a female voice crisp and professional, “We are in a gravity well of a local planet. I am unsure where we are. The skip-drive failed and no stars are available for triangulation.”

“What do you mean no stars? We were dead center of the spur. Edge of the empire but in the center of the sector.” Talas’s voice cracking slightly from the dryness of his throat. He had not completely recovered from his last planet drop.

“Sarah!” Talas shouted as he looked for a hand hold towards the pilot seat. A thunk and sever vibration began.

He was no longer floating in a free fall with the ship but being thrown about like a rag doll. Talas hand just about to grab hold slipped. “Argg!” A frustrated yell escaped his mouth keeping cool was no longer in the cards.

“Sarah! What was that!” The blaring alarm was replaced with screeching atmosphere escaping or getting in, Talas could not tell. Bright light, Talas throws his hands up in time to block flying shrapnel as the nose of the ship began to disintegrate.

Chaos erupted in the small ship cabin as atmosphere poured in through growing rents in the exterior walls, suddenly the keel bent.

Flying backwards the long-range patrol soldier grunted as he hit the back bulkhead.

“Emperor’s Beards!! Well to the drop suit. Well Sarah go into the void with peace.” Speakers came alive with a static for a moment, faintly a reply came back.

“Talas, good hunting.” There was nothing else as Talas fought his way through the disintegrating ship to the safety of his drop suit.

Calm surrounded Talas as he fell away from the forming fireball that was home in the coldness of the void. Into the upper atmosphere of a faraway planet forever unknown he plummeted down.

“Pia, give me rundown.”

The suit’s computer came alive showing a display HUD across Talas’s visor.

“Suit temperature nominal but rising, internal temperature in specifications, reaching planetary terminal velocity, five kilometers from surface.”

“Roll so I can see the sky.”

Talas felt the pressure and vibration as each little jet fired off rolling him so he was looking up and falling backwards.

The suit rocked from an explosion and the visor darkened to protect his eyes. “Goodbye Sarah.”

“Pia, clear visor.”

“It is Cpl. Talas.” The metallic whisper came in his ear bud.

“There are no stars, where are the stars? Pia, does this planet have a moon?” His voice starting to have a bit of concern.

“Searching loaded scans prior to termination. No, it is a moon of large planet. Currently the dayside is experiencing a full eclipse of the sun from the planet.” The cool crisp voice was of no comfort. It was pitch black up and pitch black down. No lights, no intelligent life, fortunately? Talas wondered.

“Prepare for landing” Pia, said as reto-jets started firing slowing Talas down and righting him for a rolling landing ending with him standing. That was the plan anyways.

Three jets gave out at once on his left side. “What’s going on” A flashing HUD filled his faceplate. “Out of fuel, how high up are we?”

“You will survive.” Pia answered mechanically.

“You didn’t say ho…” Talas didn’t finish, he felt the ground hit and a bone snaping vibrate to his teeth. “Medical protocols…” was the last thing he uttered as the grayness took over his mind.

Talas heard through the greyness as he fell deeper into unconsciousness, “Approaching lifeform detected.”

Across the plain, a local inhabitant followed the arc of Talas’s decent.

Hmm, food? Children are hungry. Last night hunt.  The creature looks down at a forward arm most arm. Colors pretty. Hmm if not food maybe keepsake from out there.

“ahh!” The exploding ship temporarily blinded this creature that saw in full spectrum of the electromatic spectrum. She had stood up to extend her upper torso that crudely resemble a humanoid female. Blocking the rest of the following wavelengths with her hands she rotated away from the explosion in lightning speed on the four legs she still stood on.

Shaking her head her eyesight cleared. Now to find that maybe food.