The explosion happened suddenly;
the panic less so. Her body moved to the escape pod before her mind
comprehended the situation. Muriel closed the egg-shaped hatch and pressed the
button. A display appeared in front of her as the pod detached from the ship. A
three dimensional reputation of the environment formed moments before her ship
exploded in the atmosphere.
Muriel took a deep breath and
lifted her hand toward the display. Green blood, originating from the back of
her hand rolled down violet skin. She changed the scenery to the planet below.
The natives of the planet called themselves humans and the planet Earth. Her
people called them water people. She had studied all that she needed to know
about the planet just in case she crashed landed.
Muriel tested the holographic
button on her suit. Her skin, hair and clothing changed to fit the humans. The
suit flickered and the holographic imagery disappeared. Muriel cursed. She
pressed the button again, but nothing happened. She changed the trajectory of
the escape pod to a colder climate area. The number of humans would be minimal,
and so would her chance of discovery.
When she landed, Muriel activated
the beacon. “This is Muriel Destine. Micro-meteors destroyed my ship and I am
currently trapped on the Water Planet.”Her heart dropped when she realized that
the signal strength wasn’t strong enough. ”I give up,” she said. “I will die
here and the water people will find me and dissect me.” Oil formed in the
corner of her eyes and rolled down her face. If she had listened to her father…
The signal strengthened for a moment and then disappeared.
She gathered herself and checked
the planet gravitational field. In her area, the gravitational field was in
flux, but if she moved to a ley line, she could get a signal off to her home
planet. If she survived, perhaps her father would consider her as an equal.
Precious time flew by as Muriel removed
the beacon. Once done, she checked for human life-forms. None... She did notice
other creatures, larger than humans. Perhaps more dangerous. She studied the
stats on the creatures. What were they called? Bears? Previous data showed that
they only attacked when hungry or threatened. The danger was far from the area
she needed to travel too, but she would not take any chances. She checked her
phaser. Still intact, she placed the weapon away. She wrapped her hand and
checked for any other injuries.
She found a layered cloak, placed
it on and left the escape pod.
She trudged forward in the snow,
taking measured steps. Periodically she took out her computer and checked the
area. Near her destination, a red dot appeared on her radar. Muriel studied the
radar as she moved forward. The red dot moved, closing the gap between them—faster
than any human.
Her hearts pounded, threatening to
place holes in her chest. Her father’s voice came to her ears. Female should stay at home and take care of
the elderly and the children. You lack the aggression of a male. You lack the
strength to survive in the real world.
He told her that the day of
graduation. Her mother encouraged her, but her father’s word hung over her
hearts. It was true she lacked her brothers’ aggression, but she had skills and
worked hard.
Another blip appeared as she moved
closer to her destination. This one stationary. She looked ahead, the snow
cutting visibility. Her sight sharp enough to make out the figure…the creature seemed
human-like with white fur. Muriel mentally searched through her knowledge of humans
and their cousins. None fit the stature or the incredibly large feet.
The face, close to their ape-cousin,
expressed confusion. The creature, at full height, came to Muriel’s waist. If
needed, she could engage in hand-to-hand combat—
The alarm on the beacon sounded off.
The creature jerked backwards, but
otherwise didn’t move another step. Muriel activated the beacon, while
simultaneously pulling out her phaser. She held the weapon steady as the
indicator on the beacon showed that the pre-recorded message was delivered
successfully.
She thought all would be well until
she heard a gut contorting roar. She swung her gun around and a much larger
version of the creature stood a short distance away, seemingly poised to charge
forward. This creature stood taller than any bear she had ever seen on video and
Muriel was not sure if a phaser blast would stop the creature before it killed
her.
The littlest creature mewed and the
large creature reacted, making a careful step toward the smaller one. Muriel looked back and forth between the two
of them and understanding calmed her hearts…a little. She slowly stepped away
as the creature moved toward the smaller creature.
Toward her child.
As Muriel moved farther away, the
parent moved closer to the child, eventually making a full sprint for the child
creature and embracing it.
In truth, Muriel wanted to sprint
away as well, but against a creature that fast, she would no doubt lose the
race. The parent turned to Muriel. The child’s head draped on its shoulder. The
parent snorted and ran away. Muriel breathed a sigh of relief and recalled her
mother’s words at graduation. Never mind your father. He doesn’t
understand the strength of a woman. Emotions, intuition, thoughtfulness, those
are all strengths not weaknesses. You my dear are the strongest of us all.
Moments later, Muriel saw the energy signature
of a warp-capable ship.
The End
NOTE:
You can buy my adult scifi novel Hearteless: A Journey to Second Earth @amazon or here.
Look for the origins of Team Savant in my newest Ebook, Ultimate Savant: Origins coming soon. For email updates, please click HERE and feel free to leave a message.
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