Survivor Skills

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The distinctive hum of an aircraft alerted Sergi to the fact that he wasn’t alone. He moved under the protective cover of a fallen tree trunk, and saw an alien transport soar over the trees.

A curse slipped from his lips when he realized what they might be looking for – his emergency pod. There was the possibility it had been sighted or had registered on some type of radar, but more than likely the emergency beacon was emitting a signal.

His gaze moved back toward the direction he had come. He was less than a kilometer from the capsule. Looking up at the sky again, he debated whether he should go back. With a muttered curse, he moved out from under the tree and retraced his steps.

Less than twenty minutes later, a long line of expletives was silently slipping through Sergi’s mind as he crouched behind a thick log and studied the alien walking around his abandoned capsule, apparently scanning it with a device in his right hand. The alien was thankfully humanoid: one head, two legs, two feet, two arms and hands of typically human proportions, roughly average height, and a slender build. Sergi could see the gun in the alien’s gloved left hand, but he couldn’t see the alien’s face. The person’s head was covered with a dark brown and black hat with a wide brim. Goggles and a thick scarf covered the alien’s eyes, nose, and mouth. A long, mud-splattered coat covered the alien from neck to knees. High, black boots, coated in mud, protected both feet.

Sergi quickly scanned the area, but he didn’t see an alien transport nearby. The alien stopped near the top left corner of the pod where the instrument panel and the emergency beacon were located, stashed his device in his pocket, and pulled something from a pouch at his waist. Within seconds, the alien had opened the panel and disconnected the emergency beacon. An appreciative grin curved Sergi’s lips when he saw the man expertly twirl the tool in his hand before replacing it in the pouch.

Sergi intently watched as the alien raised his wrist to his covered mouth and spoke. He was too far away for him to understand what the alien was saying, but Sergi would bet the man was calling for assistance. The alien moved his hand along the top of the pod. The sound of a loud click followed by the hatch opening made him grimace. It was going to be obvious that someone had been in the capsule and escaped.

He took advantage of the alien’s distraction to back away. In seconds, he had left the capsule and the alien behind him. He would move out at a rapid pace until there was enough distance between them, then worry about covering his tracks while he circled around and tried to determine where the alien had come from. Once Sergi knew a little more about where he was, he would plan a course of action. At the moment, his main concern was disappearing.

One thing is for sure, he thought as he broke into a steady jog, this is going to take every ounce of my training to survive.

La’Rue gripped the side of the capsule as she looked inside. A shiver ran through her, and she looked over her shoulder. There was no denying that someone had been in the capsule and whoever it had been was now gone.

She reached inside and pulled out the bulky suit. There were colorful patches on the front and one arm of the suit. Slinging it over her shoulder, she decided she would take it back with her to get a closer look at them. Her gaze swept the interior. Bending forward, she ran her fingers along the ripped material. Whoever had been in here had cut up the inside pretty good.

She pulled back a section and saw the indentations in the soft material underneath. Running her hand along the rips, she thoroughly checked each of them. One after another, she could tell that there had been items stored under the fabric. A wave of unease swept through her. She needed to get back to the freighter and grab one of the equipment skiffs she had on board. There was no way she could pull this thing through the woods without a heavy duty piece of equipment to help her.

Looking up, she saw the silver cloth tangled in the trees above. She wouldn’t have much time to retrieve the capsule. At least one scouting transport had flown over this area. Disabling the signal the capsule had been sending out would only give her a short reprieve. She was positive there would be others looking for the thing – and whoever had been inside.

She started to close the lid when a glint of silver caught her eye. She ran her hand along the seam. Her fingers tangled in a metal chain. She tugged it free and lifted the chain so she could study the metal tags. At the end of the chain were two, small rectangular metal plates with an indecipherable inscription on them.

She pocketed the chain and reached up to pull the lid down. A quick glance at her wrist showed that another transport was coming. She really hoped that her freighter’s digital paint camouflaged the ship enough for it to go unnoticed, because if not, HL-9 was going to have company. The last thing La’Rue wanted was to be stuck on this shithole of a planet with only an antiquated pistol and a rodent stunner.

“H, did you get the video feed I sent of the capsule?” La’Rue asked in a soft voice as she stepped away from the metal box.

A single light glowed on and off several times on the communicator on her wrist. The lights were HL-9’s way of telling her that the video feed transmission had been successful. La’Rue adjusted the bulky suit on her shoulder and began her return trip to the freighter. Now, if she could just get the capsule back to her ship and get off this planet before dark, she could be on her way to kissing Slate and the debt collector goodbye once and for all.