Page 4 of Kryxis

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 longas 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 buildingssurrounding 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.

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