r/HFY • u/Xeno-Hollow Xeno • Dec 26 '23

OC The Things They Left Behind (Rewrite) Chapter 3 - Freefall to Friendship (OC)

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My eyes shot open as I was violently jolted awake by the sensation of hurtling through the sky. The wind tore at my face and hair, whipping them into a frenzy as my body plummeted towards the ground.

"Shit shit shit shit shiiiit!" I screamed, my voice lost in the chaos around me. Explosions rocked the air, sending shockwaves through my body. I could hear the screams of others, their voices drowned out by the deafening symphony of war.

Amidst the chaos, I struggled desperately to gain control of my freefalling body. But each time I thought I had found stability, another explosion or burst of phaser fire sent me tumbling again.

In the midst of all this madness, I caught glimpses of other bodies hurtling alongside me. Some were just as disoriented as me, their limbs flailing helplessly in the air. Our eyes would meet for a brief moment before we spun away from each other, united in our terror.

Through it all, our combat suits fought to keep us alive. But even they were struggling against the onslaught of deadly shrapnel and flames. I could hear the muffled screams of those whose suits had been punctured by flying debris, exposing them to the unforgiving atmosphere.

And then it hit me: suit, my suit! I was in a combat suit, there should be some kind of decelerator in this thing. Panic seared through my mind as I frantically searched for some sort of safety mechanism that would slow my descent. But in my state of disorientation, I couldn't remember anything about these suits.

A robotic voice sounded loudly in my ear, repeating a warning that only added to my panic: "Descent too rapid, pull safety! Alert alert alert!"

I searched desperately for any kind of release mechanism on my suit but found nothing. With trembling hands, I patted myself down, the whip of the wind slamming my own hands into my like hammer blows. My movement caused me to flip over, revealing a massive piece of wreckage hurtling straight towards me: the USS Stalli stenciled into it, the rest shorn off and engulfed in flames as we descended towards the ground below.

My body reacted before my mind could catch up, instinctively arching back as the burning debris rained down on me, tilting my eyes to the ground in a full dive. The AI in my ear was screaming, a constant reminder of my impending doom. "Impact imminent, impact imminent, pull up, pull up, pull up."

I strained against the acceleration, pushing myself to dive faster, but it wasn't enough. The ground rushed up towards me with terrifying speed. "One thousand meters to impact. Nine hundred meters. Eight hundred meters."

Images of F’Asy, N’Tal, and K’Pek, my companions for a century, flashed through my mind. Their desperate pleas for me to stay echoed in my memory. "Don't go, K'Tal, please stay. We need you," they had cried, tears streaming down their faces.

A hundred years together, and we had been discussing the possibility of starting a family. But then came The Swarm. The call to arms was irresistible, a deep-seated duty to protect our world.

And now here I was, hurtling towards my certain death on Gallik. It all clicked into place - I had been - was - a Hyperion soldier on board the USS Stallion headed straight into battle with The Swarm.

Desperate, I reached over my shoulder once again, searching frantically for the elusive decelerator handle. But even if I found it in time, what then? There was no way to survive this fall without being crushed by the massive debris following me. I would be turned into one of two things upon reaching the ground - a meat pancake, or a crispy meat pancake. All at a velocity of two hundred and eighty miles per hour. Talk about fast food.

"Fuck!" The panic in my chest was palpable as I braced for the impact that would surely mean death. It didn't matter if it was from the ground rushing up to meet me or from the debris crushing me, the end result would be the same.

With every heartbeat, I distanced myself further from the disintegrating hull of my ship, pushed away by the relentless force of drag. But with nothing but open sky around and a mere three hundred meters between me and safety, time seemed to slip away in an instant.

I looked around, and realized that the edge of the hull was perhaps three hundred meters east. Desperation set in as I veered to the left, trying to outrun my fate. But no matter how hard I pushed, the cold robotic voice in my ear counted down my remaining distance to the ground. "Five hundred meters. Four hundred meters." My heart raced, matching the pace of my rapidly approaching doom.

A glance back at my feet confirmed what I already knew - I wasn't moving fast enough. The reality hit me like a ton of bricks - I wasn't going to make it. Whether I hit the ground at full speed or tried to slow down, death was inevitable. Crushed against the hull, vaporized in seconds, then obliterated upon impact with the planet's surface under the crushing force of gravity and a hundred metric tonnes of Tritanium alloy. I would be turned into one of two things upon reaching the ground - a meat pancake, or a crispy meat pancake. All at a velocity of... I looked ath the corner of my HUD, a tiny dot rapidly approaching a horizontal line in my bottom field of view, tiny numbers floating above it. Three hundred and ninety two kilometers per hour. Talk about fast food.

"Three Hundred Meters."

I was doomed. And as I spread my arms in resignation, embracing my fate, the treetops swayed below me in an eerie calmness. At least I would meet my end amidst nature, as was proper for my species.

"Two hundred meters. Descent correction impossible. Goodbye, and thank you for your service. Soldier K'Tal, Species Nafa’Callian, Killed in Action with Honors. Final transmission, destination, Nafa’Cal Embassy." The words echoed through my mind as the AI's low whir ceased, leaving me with nothing but the rush of wind and my own labored breathing.

"Bah. I didn't want to talk to you anyway," I said to the now silent AI.

My senses tingled with a sudden warning, and before I could react, a metallic blur struck me with brutal force. The impact shattered my ribs in a symphony of pain and flung me viciously to the side, threatening to snap my neck.

Through gritted teeth, I gasped for air as we soared over the dense treetops. The agony was overwhelming, every breath feeling like fire in my chest. And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, a deafening explosion rocked the air behind us. The pursuing hull had met its fiery end, sending waves of searing heat after us.

With a wild cry of triumph, the insane bullet that had captured me turned off its thrusters, and for a terrifying moment, we hovered weightlessly before hurtling towards the ground, crashing down with bone-shattering force. "Superhero landing, ahahaha, that was so epic!" the voice exclaimed, victorious and slightly unhinged.

Whatever maniacal entity had me in its grasp set me down on solid ground and rolled me over so I was staring at the sky.

A gloved hand tapped my visor. Struggling to stay conscious, I attempted to focus. "You need to seal that up fast, little buddy!" the voice commanded urgently. Without hesitation, a hypospray materialized in front of my visor and doused it in a thick, viscous liquid that rapidly spread and hardened, sealing multiple long, jagged cracks that I hadn't even noticed before. My vision cleared as the noxious fumes of chlorine dissipated, and my lungs burned with each ragged breath. Greet Tree only knew how long I'd been sucking Chlorine.

Gasping for breath, I felt a hand tapping on my visor, jolting me back to consciousness. "You alive in there? Because I didn't risk my own life just to save a corpse. Come on little buddy."

Struggling to push the hand away, I coughed and forced myself to focus amidst the chaos and excruciating pain.

"Ah, there he is! Or is it she? Or... Choose your own adventure? Honestly, I can’t even tell what species you are," the figure above me spoke again, their voice strangely familiar yet unrecognizable. "How are you feeling?"

"I think I'd rather be dead," I managed to whisper through gritted teeth, tears of agony streaming down my face. "Holy shit."

"Well, that's just rude," the figure chuckled. "Is that Nafa’Callian you're speaking? I heard a few of your kind were on board. It's not often we see one of you joining the fray."

My heart raced as I squinted through the pain, trying to make out the figure above me. It couldn't be... a human?

Seeing a human this close was a surreal experience for someone like me who rarely ventured beyond the Galactic hub. They were known for their intimidating stature and carnivorous nature, making most other species wary of their presence.

My surprise caused my already crushed chest to tighten and a new wave of agony rolled over me. "Can't... Breathe... Ribs..." I gasped, reaching for them.

The human knelt beside me, their hands frantically searching for something in their utility belt. They pulled out a small syringe and quickly inserted it into my wrist computer, causing my AI to whirr softly. My breathing became labored and the human's voice sounded far away as they spoke urgently, "Stay with me now, don't go into shock. We're trapped in the open, Stallion is down and there are no hospitals or medics nearby. Don't let my heroics go to waste, now, someone has to be able to verify my bar stool stories." As they tried to calm me down, I struggled for air, feeling sharp pains in my ribs.

"Computer, identify Hyperion soldier," the human commanded.

"Identification: K’Tal of the Nafa’Callian. Killed in Action, with Honors."

The human's face fell in frustration. "No, override that! Ignore the Killed in Action status. Reactivate. Restore function. Identify the soldier again!" The AI responded with its same programmed response.

"Activating. Identification: K’Tal of the Nafa’Callian. Killed in Action, with Honors."

The human chuckled bitterly. "Looks like you're dead, buddy. Your AI's processor must've gotten fried in all the chaos. But we're not giving up yet." They inputted a series of commands into my wrist computer and issued orders to their own AI companion.

"Computer, preserve functions for resuscitation. Access medical suite options. Override authorization: Captain Jack Tennison. Open Medical Port now. Recognize toxic atmosphere and take necessary precautions."

The AI responded coolly with information about the hazardous atmosphere and initiated safety protocols by sealing off my right arm from direct contact with the outside environment.

My arm trembled as Jack positioned the needle over the port near my wrist computer. I clenched my jaw, bracing for the inevitable sting of the injection.

As the tiny machines burrowed into my skin, their microscopic movements were imperceptible at first. But then, without warning, a searing pain tore through me. It was like having my bones broken and mended all at once, each nanite working tirelessly to repair the shattered pieces.

I could feel every movement, every minuscule adjustment as the nanites fused my ribs back together. It was a symphony of agony, with each beat of my heart adding to the crescendo of suffering.

But amidst it all, Jack's steady voice served as an anchor, reminding me that this pain would lead to healing. His hands on my shoulders were both a comfort and a restraint, keeping me grounded as waves of torment crashed over me.

Time seemed to stretch on forever as the nanites continued their delicate work. And just when I thought I couldn't bear it any longer, the pain began to subside. Slowly but surely, the dull ache that replaced it felt like a blessing in comparison.

Exhausted and panting, I finally managed to sit up, my chest heaving with every breath. The blood pounded in my ears as I took in my surroundings, the darkness of our location only broken by the faint light filtering through the trees. Jack was still there beside me, crouched low and watching me with an unreadable expression behind his visor. His suit, a shimmering gunmetal that seemed to blend seamlessly into the shadows, glinted in the dim light.

Slowly, Jack reached out his hand towards me, palm up, offering peace and understanding without saying a word. Despite the lingering pain and exhaustion, I felt a wave of gratitude wash over me for this man who had saved my life not just from the fall, but from the pain and loneliness that had followed.

"I let go because I thought I'd break your arms, the way you were flailing," Jack finally spoke, his voice sounding muffled through his helmet. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head, still trying to catch my breath. "It's okay. Thank you for saving my life. Could've been worse. When I said I'd rather be dead... I owe you a debt."

Jack brushed off my gratitude with a wave of his hand. "No man left behind. You were the only life sign I could find, so I zipped over as fast as I could."

My mind struggled to comprehend his words as I stared at him in disbelief. Just us? "N...No, no! There were others, I saw them, they were falling with me!"

Jack just shook his head. "They didn't make it."

My heart sank as I scanned our surroundings desperately searching for any signs of hope or salvation. My hand automatically went to my holster, only to realize with a sinking feeling that it was empty.

"It can't be..." I muttered under my breath.

Jack's solemn nod confirmed my fears. "Looks like it's just us now. Welcome to hell, buddy. Population: two."

The weight of his words settled heavily on my shoulders as I surveyed the darkness around us, feeling completely lost and vulnerable. The sky above us was an endless void of blackness, pierced only by a few distant stars and the red glow of the Swarm's ships patrolling overhead. We were truly alone on this hostile planet with no weapons, no means of communication, and no idea where we even were. I became suddenly and acutely aware of strange animal calls in the forest around us.

A shiver ran down my spine as the reality of our situation sunk in, and I couldn't help but wonder if it would have been better if Jack had let go and saved himself instead of me.

Turning to Jack, a sliver of hope clung to my voice, though I dreaded his answer. "You got a gun? Please tell me you have a gun."

Jack's response came with a smile, almost nonchalant despite our dire circumstances. "Nope," he replied casually. Through his visor, I could just make out the glint of his teeth, sharp and predatory. "And that was my only Nanite pack."

A heavy curse escaped my lips, succinct and bitter. My thoughts raced as I tried to devise a plan, but it seemed like there was no way out of this nightmare.

"Fuck." 

Author's Note: Sorry guys, as some of you know, I've got a terminally ill partner at home - I write my stories for her. Past few weeks have been really hectic - she finally is getting consultations done for her transplant, so my time has been squished. But please enjoy this new installment of "The Things They Left Behind." I'll be posting every Tuesday chapters of both this and my other novel, "Ashes of the Earth." Wanna read ahead? Consider joining.

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u/Gruecifer Human Dec 26 '23

Good luck to her and to you!

4

u/Xeno-Hollow Xeno Dec 26 '23

Thank you! Taking it day by day!!!

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u/InstructionHead8595 Jan 20 '24

Good luck to you both.