Shane’s Hunt

Shane pushed himself forward through the bright green brush, his weapon’s barrel the first to go through its leaves.

Guide Hark’s voice came through Shane’s Communications Platform to ask, “How is everything?”

Shane replied, “This suit’s horrible,” making Hark’s voice laugh through the platform.

“No, it’s just new. Once you get used to it, it’ll be the same as the last.” Shane couldn’t argue with that. He said the same thing about the Scales V.1 on another system’s desolate desert. The Flesh Z5, though, was advertised to be a much better utility suit. Shane didn’t trust the adverts, but Hark did, especially if Glin wore one. Hark hadn’t let go of that fatherly instinct, never mind the fact his son was a grown man with a greying beard. Shane had to bring his mind back to his eyes. Another mile had been walked and there were no signs of the thing.

Shane whispered through the CP, “You got anything, Glin?”

“Negative.” More and more miles would be marched, probably leaving the Preservation Crew with nothing for the day. Shane scanned to his left of the exotic jungle. Through a sea of vibrant pastel plants with their ripe fruits, Shane saw a dozen trunks of massive youthful trees. As he started turning back, he froze himself in place. At the corner of his eye, he saw the glint of a strange green. It was lighter than the rest of the leaves, and its pattern didn’t match the landscape. Shane couldn’t describe the pattern; just that it wasn’t part of the flora.

He remained motionless as he whispered, “It’s on me. Just on my right.”

Glin asked, “Can you move?”

“No, it’s only forty feet from me. It’ll reach.” A fast pace fluttered through Shane’s heart, but it wasn’t abnormal. This wasn’t the first time in his career Shane had been pressed into this situation. He knew how it would go; he just wasn’t a fan of it. Glin was no doubt sprinting towards Shane’s location. Perhaps he could get a shot from behind, avoiding any pain for the creature.

That hope vanished when Hark ordered, “Get your Comatic ready when you get there.” The orders were to take the thing alive for examination, since this was a Commissions contract. He could see in his display that Glin was closing in. A few deep breaths settled him as the eyes of the creature held a strong stare. The creature wanted an opening to pounce and it would get it.

Glin said, “In position.” Shane had to be thrashed by the Lizard for two minutes before Glin could get an angle for the Comatic. It would leave a massive bruise wherever the Lizard put its saber teeth, but nothing would be broken. A bottle of anything stiff would make it tolerable. Didn’t mean Shane had to like it.

He took another deep breath before he counted down, “Three… two… one.” At the one, Shane threw his hand into his display, activating the Z5. Soon sacs of a strange gelatinous liquid filled the suit's pores. The Saber’s teeth clamped down on Shane’s torso. Nine thousand pounds of pressure would be redistributed through the suit. Shane still screamed when it crushed down. His breath shortened as ribs suddenly blended together. The ground fell ten feet below with blurs of green flinging through Shane’s eyes, but he still had a hand on his weapon. After another twenty seconds, the pressure came undone, the trees separated again, and Shane’s ribs spread to their original state. His eyes drifted to the bright blue sky surrounded by thick treetops. Glin’s mask rushed over to Shane as he laid in the Saber Lizard’s mouth.

“You alright?” he asked.

Enough air came up from Shane’s chest to say, “Fantastic,” but it wasn’t enough to remove concern from Glin’s face. He grabbed Shane’s arm and hoisted him back up. A sharp pain shot up and down his side. He hobbled over to a nearby tree and pressed his back against it so he could carefully slide to the ground.

As he sat in the thick moss of a tree’s roots, he said, “That’s a broken rib. This is all you.”

“Damn.” Glin exclaimed. Both men then turned to the lizard. Its chest rose and fell while its tongue sprawled across the grass. Based on the moist gel coating the tips of its teeth, if Shane had been a moment slower, one of those blades would’ve punctured something. Shane looked down at the Z5 suit of armor and knocked his gauntlet against the hardened gel. It became wavy with that small amount of pressure, but once Shane tried to punch it, he felt the gauntlet hit a stone. No wonder the Lizard kept thrashing. Rock had formed around its teeth, probably felt like they were being ripped out of its skull. Shane almost felt sorry for the thing. Powerful engines roared overhead. The tree gave Shane a wonderfully shaded view of the small cargo ship hovering over the treetops. Glin finally looked up to see a cable roll down a set of mag-restraints. The four small ones shackled just above the Lizard’s claws while the large one went around its neck. The Steelen family was the first group of people to put the collar on creatures. Shane didn’t know if it was for the thing’s comfort or if it made the haul up to the ship easier, but he found he preferred it for the creature’s benefit. Most Preservation Crews were brutes about procedure, but they didn’t get paid as much as the Steelen’s. Shane watched how quickly the magnetic hauler brought the lizard up to the open deck of the ship. Once the comatose beast was locked in, Glin came over and grabbed Shane.

As Shane laid on the small medical table, his one fellow none Steelen, Fio, approached with a grin on his face.

“Shut up,” Shane said, trying to hide his own grin as a wince. Fio saw right through it, though.

“Last crew and this crew, there’s a pattern there, Shane, you can’t deny it.” Shane did, in fact, see a pattern. He had been told a while ago that he had a heavy footstep.

Unable to argue, Shane just shrugged and said, “Next crew, I’ll tell them my special skills are being bait. Everyone needs bait.” Fio chuckled.

“I suppose so.” He let some silence linger before he asked, “Seriously, you alright?” Shane took a moment to examine himself. He’d heal, yes, but without some suppressant or liquor, he’d be cranky for a bit.

Shane gave the answer, “I will be,” to calm Fio’s mind. Both men were employees of the Steelen family and the only ones. Neither Fio nor Shane had deciphered the family’s second language, but it was one that wasn’t too foreign to them. All crews had inside jokes, hand signals, and lingo unique to them. With them being a family, the lingo just seemed deeper, more entrenched. The hand signals had become instinct, and the inside jokes were extremely guarded. Fio and Shane had worked together on a previous crew, but it was such a large organization that they had never interacted, only heard reputations and stories. Shane found himself very early on trusting Fio, who hadn’t failed him yet. When Shane stood from the table, Fio went to catch him, but Stella’s resetting of the rib removed most of the pain. Instead, Shane just patted his friend on the back as he left the med bay.

He limped into the common area, which had no one inside. Shane took it as an opportunity to sit down on the nice orange couch in the center of the room. His eyes scanned and put a deep regret on Shane’s chest. The dark wood bar, with orange neon lining it, sat twenty feet away.

Luckily, when tried standing, Fio pushed him back down and asked, “Your usual?” Shane let a wide smile go across his face.

“Yes, thank you, my friend.” He then settled down and grabbed a nearby glass display and swiped so a hundred-inch piece of glass descended from the ceiling. “Perhaps there’s a race today.” He pressed the display so the entertainment complex would start. Shane immediately changed the stream to the Sports and saw two teams of three playing Tetra-Ball, a game he couldn’t care less about. “Damnit,” he sighed out.

Fio looked at the complex and raised an eyebrow as he said, “It’s Tetra-Ball. A female… game of… Tetra-Ball.” Shane looked over to Fio’s eyes, which were becoming entranced by the bodies on screen.

“It’s not even in season. Seeding games are too reserved. Nothing gets done, male or female.” He glanced back again and still saw Fio’s eyes locked on the screen. A smile crawled across Shane’s face as he brought the glass display up. He swiped and watched Fio's eyes go wide.

“Hey! What are you-” Shane laughed and looked back at the complex, becoming entranced himself. It was “Across Provinces” a series dedicated to examining ships and stations in the galaxy. The one episode in particular examined Wave Station.

“Fio, come on, look at that view.”

“I preferred the last one.” Shane grinned at the humor before falling back into the image.

Wave Station was also known as Raiken Station. The powerful Raiken family, one of many in vehicle manufacturing, built it. Their CR-11s were almost masterpieces, but way outside of Shane’s price range, hopefully not for long. To Shane, though, their greatest creation was Wave Station. It sat in the orbit of a gaseous system called Vexsis. The atmosphere of elements created a swirling mix of wintery blue, a simple grey, and an ivory white. As a child, Shane had been so obsessed with the system, he memorized every element that made those colors. His work had forced that knowledge out, leaving only his admiration.

The host of the series said with a calm luxurious tone, “The cost range of a penthouse on Raiken station starts as low as fifty million in Veerian Currency all the way to three hundred million. That three hundred million going to the crown jewel of Raiken Station: Embrace Penthouse.” Immediately, a set of doors slid opposite one another into their respective walls and showed the penthouse. Passed the dark polished wood floors and furred couches, Shane saw the thousand-kilometer-wide storm that blended the blue, grey, and white into a harmonious chaos. The windows of the penthouse were tall and wide, so there was little to no obstruction of the view.

“Fio, come on! Look at that.” Fio nodded.

“Yeah, I can’t deny that.”

“Exactly,” Shane said. He loved Vexsis, especially being so far into his career. Habitat Preservation turned lush green systems into a sight of work. A gas system meant nothing at all. No life for it to hold so nothing to preserve. Just a masterpiece of the Light for Shane to stare at. It was a wonderful thing, but the enchantment ended when Hark entered the room.

He commented, “Oh, that’s gorgeous,” then quickly transitioned, “We already got another contract. It’s an Assembly one.”

Shane slowly stood from the couch as he said, “Means someone let their ego get too big, I bet.” Hark nodded.

“I suspect the same. Wants to meet in person. Don’t do that unless you don’t want a record.”

Fio added, “Puts the leverage on our side for negotiations.” Hark smiled at the statement.

He shifted his gaze to Shane and said, “He’s getting it.”

“Yes, he is.” Shane and Fio followed Hark into the guide room. A massive table sat in the middle of the room with a glass pane sitting inside its frame. There, sitting at a desk twenty feet away, snugged inside an observation cubby, was Stella with Lora, her ten-year-old daughter. Her skin glowed as she watched Lora listen to her baby brother’s little dances.

When he entered, Lora came running up to Shane and asked, “Are you okay?”

Shane replied, “I’ll survive. Takes more than a lizard to take me down.” Lora grew a big smile on her face before she hugged him. It filled him with a joy and warmth he hadn’t felt in a while.

Lora then stepped away and asked, “Could I come with you on one?” Shane looked up and saw Stella’s face. He knew from their conversations that both Stella and Glin wanted their girl to be a girl, a safe girl. Any indulgence of adventure near a Preservation Crew meant she’d want to join one in the future. Shane didn’t understand the fear. He only ever used his intelligence, will, and reflexes on contracts. Too much currency had been put into Preservation for there to still be a need for raw strength. He even looked down at his rib and realized Z5s were quite the investment.

Shane replied, “I think that’s a question for your father,” to avoid the whole thing. Glin suddenly appeared from the common room corridor.

“Oh, glad to see the Light guided you out of that one.” Shane let a grin grow over his face as Stella stood from her desk.

“I don’t think anything went dark at any point, but yes.”

Stella waddled over with her pregnant belly and said, “You were at risk all the same.” Shane thought he saw her eyes suddenly look down at Lora, but he wasn’t sure. If Stella was trying to signal Shane to say something for Lora’s benefit, the Steelens should’ve learned a long time ago that he didn’t do such things.

Lora instead asked, “Can I go with you on another one?” to her father. Stella shot a glance at Glin.

After a few seconds of staring, Glin told his daughter, “How about the next time I set up the ground camp, you come with me? A distant observation of what we do.” Shane let another massive smile grow over his face. Lora did a quiet little dance in celebration before kissing her father’s cheek and scurrying off into the ship.

Shane saw Stella send a glare at Glin. Something that was none of his business was about to unfold, but everything had been avoided when Hark said, “Well,” bringing everyone’s attention back to the center of the room. “The Assembly wants us to meet their representative on Misan.” Fio leaned against the glass table.

“Little luxurious for a back-alley deal.” Hark simply shrugged as his son and daughter-in-law prepared the ship.

“I will say I found it strange, but so is meeting in person for a contract.” Hark suddenly threw his hand out. Both he and Fio had forgotten about the Lightway’s light jolt. Shane was already holding onto to something, of course. His chest demanded it.

Misan took half a day’s journey across the Lightway. Shane spent most of that time on the orange couch, taking the time to study his body. The ostepropellants were doing well. Shane’s rib wouldn’t be fully healed by the end of the jump, but most likely, before they started the contract. He did want to get used to the pain, though. That’s why when Hark asked for someone to come with, Shane volunteered, automatically adding Fio to the group.

“Doesn’t hurt to have extra muscle,” were Hark’s exact words. Shane threw on a thin black dress shirt and closed the magnetic seam. He checked the mirror, no blood on the fabric. The medical wrappings were done properly. With that, Shane tossed on a red leather jacket and followed Fio into the Steelan’s cargo bay.

They reversed the Carter-Dixon down and drove the vehicle into Misan’s Council Seat. The rays of the province above beamed a wonderful warmth. When Shane looked to his right, he could see Hark drove them along a coastline; one clearly manufactured. The sand looked too fine and the water glittered too much. Misan, as a system, had never been touched by a Habitat Engineering team. All of it reeked of leisure companies and appraisal firms. Families and young couples waded in the water, playing around as people do, while the other vehicles on the street were filled with shoppers about to go on a spree. The buildings caught Shane’s eye, though. Massive towers of glass had entire gardens and boutique villages some forty stories above. Glass walkways continued to shift and cascade the province’s light over the Carter Dixon driving beneath them. Shane had gone to a similar system many years ago. Some species of fluffy creature had bred so quickly that the luscious jungle the corporation made disappeared at a rate of an acre a day. Shane didn’t like how they finished that job and pushed it out of his mind. Luckily, the vehicle’s gentle stop made it easier.

“The rep says he’s on the fiftieth floor. A restaurant named Provincial Kiss,” Hark said. Shane and Fio both nodded as they stepped out of the Dixon. Shane always turned around to watch the parking complex lower the vehicle into the underground garage. He never trusted the thing was secure until he saw himself. Once Hark’s wrist display notified him of the currency charge, Shane had no choice but to follow them inside the compound. They stepped onto the polished granite floor of a wide-open space. Adverts sparkled across the building, drawing customers into their stores. Fio’s finger immediately stabbed toward the ceiling.

“They’d let you land that anywhere.” Shane followed Fio to a K.A.X. Omen-3; the perfect bachelor’s ship. Any young man with enough money could find themselves flying anywhere. And Fio was right, an Omen rarely got rejected by towers. It floated in mid-air, all eighty feet of its wingspan, suspended by a magnetic scaffolding hidden somewhere in the building’s architecture. It had a thin profile, almost like a blade, with a long tail behind its back. The cockpit sunk into the body of it, making it a streamlined craft. 

Shane said, “Sexy is a universal language, isn’t it?” putting a grin on both him and Fio. Hark called out, drawing their attention to an elevation chamber.

“How about you Hark? Planning on retiring?” Fio asked as the floors of metal and glass flashed in front of them.

Hark replied, “Yes,” then turned and pointed at the coastline view behind them, “Right there.”

Shane's eyes went wide before he said, “Thought you would have been doing this until your heart stopped.” A small, but obvious, frown went over Hark’s face.

“It hasn’t been that much fun without Pelia around.” Shane felt his own heart get heavy at the name, enough to make him forget his rib. Last time the name had put tears in Lora’s eyes. Hark’s wife had died two years before Shane joined the Steelans. He knew nothing of her, just that her death wasn’t horrid or anything along those lines. The kingdoms and A.R.M.S. all made laws that obligated Preservation Crews to give a list of all deaths during contract. The Steelans had no names appear on their data, so she must have died naturally somehow. She clearly left a hole in them all, one that Shane knew drove Fio mad. Many times, he tried to change how something was done during a contract but heard Pelia’s name in the counter. Shane wondered if that’s why Fio’s eye spotted the Omen. He suspected Fio wouldn’t be on the crew much longer.

The chamber doors opened and Hark stepped forward into another massive space. This time, luxurious vehicles sat on rotating podiums, catching the province’s rays across their driver doors. A sudden flick of movement in Shane’s peripherals helped him find the Provincial Kiss on his left. The sign above the door was a water display. An amber sphere floated in a glass frame before flicking into a sharp cursive that spelled the restaurant’s name. When Shane followed Hark inside, he noticed how much of the place was glass. Usually, Shane saw a habitat take up a whole wall with creatures swimming around or some projections on a metal wall. Instead, he only saw different kinds of prisms. It reminded him of Brodil’s engineering. The man Hark was sitting across had the province at his left side, so Shane could only see half of his face.

He seemed good looking in the average sense. The man had no chance of being a model for something, but the ring on his hand wasn’t strange for him to have at such a young age. Shane’s eyes quickly went to his attire after that. Even with custom jackets and pants, everything looked large on him. Still, he gave Hark what looked like a strong enough handshake that he wouldn’t fall over. For a man who wanted to meet on a system like Misan, he was rather pale. Shane shook his hand and sat down, close enough to adjust to the province’s light. His eyes were a dull green, with stick straight black hair. A hooked nose cast a shadow over his cleft chin. The man’s cheeks were quite defined, but Shane knew it came from his weight. 

“Mister Steelan, who are these gentlemen?”

Hark replied, “That one’s Shane, the other is Fio. Whatever the contract is, they’ll be on it.”

The man nodded and said, “Very good,” as a server placed a plate of food in front of him. “Thank you, sir.” Their mysterious representative grabbed his fork and knife. Shane took the opportunity to look at the staff. All of them had on dress attire vests with a tight high collar. They also kept a stick straight regal posture. When Shane watched the man’s server turn around, he saw the back of the collar had crawled up the man’s skull. The place was owned by someone from the Cendorian Kingdom, Shane had no doubts about that. Only the Cendorian culture forced manners into the attire and based on the almost fluid motion of the servers, they were all Cendorian as well. A place like Provincial Kiss on an Edge Kingdom’s system seemed strange, but so was meeting a man for a contract as Hark said.

The guide watched the man finish a few bites of his food before asking, “Could I ask why all the espionage, mister…”

The man quickly replied, “It’s not espionage, Mister Steelan. The Assembly wants to keep this in their hands before they have to make a public report. I can’t imagine many spymasters meet in restaurants with the province setting.” The man turned to his left, into the orange light of the province. “Look at that sight.” Shane didn’t disagree. Even though the province was nowhere near the horizon, it already bled florescent pinks and a fiery amber orange over the sky. Shane traced the rays pouring into the restaurant. Somehow, the glass architecture stored the amber glow in each table and the four corner prisms lit the whole room evenly in an amber blanket. Shane could have sat there all day, but when he turned back, he saw another detail about the man that made him ignore it all.

He had a prosthetic; one he didn’t try to hide or show off. Shane knew little about them other than the Designist debate. For such a dangerous job, Shane had managed to keep himself intact. This man’s right arm, the one that shook Shane’s, was dark steel, but very anatomical. The sheet of metal that acted as his skin was thin enough that Shane could see whatever cables that acted as tendons move in his hand as he held his knife.

“Anyway,” the man said, “Would you gentlemen like to eat or get to it?” Hark stared at the rep. “The latter. I understand.” The man reached down and drew up a black metal briefcase. “They made it clear you’re one who wants to know particulars. Context is a Habitat Engineer by the name of High Fellow Jaren Brosh was caught conducting experiments outside of his duties.”

Fio commented, “Duties. So not contracted.”

The man pointed at Fio and said, “Correct,” then clarified, “Duties for the crown of the kingdom we are sitting in now. He sent his complete customary report and sought out permission to create the Seeding Pod with the data. It was granted, but he didn’t give the regular update to the catalogue. Now, since the Assembly is simply a sentinel of reputation, not a recognized authority, they advised His Majesty and expected nothing else from it. Within thirty hours, they were granted full authority from the Crown. What they found is what you are to investigate.” Hark chuckled.

“Investigate, since when did I become Crown Guard?” The man waved his hand down, hoping to settle Hark.

“You’re right. That was a poor word choice. What they found is what you will be hunting.”

Shane finally spoke. “Shoot to kill. Not even an attempt to capture?” The man nodded.

“I’ve been told that is not possible. That’s why,” the man reached into his briefcase, which put Shane and Fio’s hands on their weapons. He waved them down and pulled out a small silver square. A quiet slide across the table placed it in Hark’s hands. “You’ll be given half now and half later.” Shane knew it was a currency marker. How much it represented, he didn’t know, he did know only men he found suspect, to say the least, used them.

“I’ll need more than a marker and a vague story.” Hark said. The man nodded and pulled out another piece of silver. An inch thick disk, a data drive most likely.

“That will have all the information the Assembly’s acquired for the hunt. I was told you’d understand the word Abnormal.” Shane knew it well. Abnormal: a status given to creatures, environments, or processes that had either gone awry or were not approved for creation by the Assembly. Not approved made up about forty percent of Abnormal statuses. Shane looked over and saw Fio’s jaw clench.

Once he made eye contact with Shane, who gave him a nod, he asked, “Did they give you a classification?” The man had stopped chewing the moment he heard the question.

He swallowed whatever sat in his mouth and replied, “Yes… D3.” Shane immediately chuckled.

“That’s some deep lizard shit mystery man.” The man shrugged.

“I’ve worked with enough fellows to know what that means. But I’ve been told you’ve faced a fair share of D3s before.” There was some silence over the table as the province continued to set. The man’s prosthetic reached through the amber rays. “If you won’t take the job, then I’ll need the marker back.” Hark sighed and then glanced at both Fio and Shane. Neither man gave a reaction, putting it all down to Hark. They sat in the amber glow, letting Hark think in silence. Shane saw his fingers twirling the marker. He had been with the Steelans long enough to know if that much thought had been given, Hark was taking the contract. The thinking went to selling it to Glin and Stella, perhaps Stella more than Glin. He finally looked up at the man and gave him a nod. Suddenly, the man’s hands were back in his briefcase as he pulled out a palm sized glass cube. He placed it on the table and made the glass glow blood red. The man swiped until two sets of blank digital documents displayed on the surface. “These are two data drafts. I’m here to serve as the transmitter of the contract between your crew and the Assembly. The background data you see in the small frame over here is a transcript of our discussion. My S.I., as you can see, is creating another contract between the Assembly and you.”

Fio stated, “Double voucher seems overkill.” The man grinned.

“The double voucher is my group’s standard policy.” A name popped into Shane’s mind.

“You work for the Solicitor General.” The man nodded. Again, Shane knew little about the Solicitor General or any of his Solicitors. He just knew that on one contract, the presence of one made his Head Guide uneasy. And that one from many years ago had the same well done black attire and clandestine behavior. Fio’s sudden lack of color in his face told Shane he knew more about them.

The man asked, “So, is everything good enough for your signature, or would you like to read over them?”

Hark replied, “I’d like to send these to a friend of mine if that’s alright. He was a former contract advocate.” The man nodded.

“Yes, the Assembly told me you would ask. He’s expecting the documents. Once both parties agree to terms, I’ll begin a signing.” That was enough for Hark to stand and shake the man’s hand again.

“We’ll be waiting. Enjoy your meal.” The man gave a nod, shook Shane's and Fio’s hands, then sat back down. As they left the restaurant, Shane made sure to take another look at the man. He had closed his eyes and basked in the light of the setting province.

Shane sat on the orange couch again, watching the glass display. His rib had fully connected, but the bone wouldn’t solidify for a while. A discussion was underway somewhere on the ship about the contract details. Since it had been over an hour of silence, Shane figured someone would come out soon. He’d stay still until they arrived and let the bone harden a little more. Eventually, Glin appeared from the nearby corridor, trying to hide some anger. Shane didn’t really care; the dynamics would be stable again within the hour. Hark followed a minute after.

“It’s all set. We’re officially on contract to hunt a D3.” Shane nodded as he stood from the couch.

“How much was the marker?” Hark tossed the cold metal to him.

As Shane held it in his palm, Hark replied, “Five million Cendorian.” Shane felt all the blood rush out of his face. ‘Half now, half later’ had reappeared in Shane’s mind. A total of ten million in Cendorian currency waited in their future. It wouldn’t get Shane on Wave Station, but it was a good start. Shane looked down at the marker again and felt his stomach drop. He knew Fio would quit the moment he got his cut of the prize. Shane wondered what he would do. Hark said, “We’ll have the briefing soon. I haven’t looked at the thing myself, so we’ll see if it’s worth all the chatter.” Shane gave a nod and watched Hark follow Glin out.

Ten minutes passed before everyone was inside the guide room. Hark got a nod from everyone and placed down the disk the Solicitor gave them. All the data burst out with the beams of a hologram. In the center of the projections stood the Abnormality; a white-skinned beast with four legs. When Shane looked closer, he saw that the skin was composed of small smooth scales. His eyes traced the creature up its long, slender neck to the head. Blood red eyes stared out, while its mouth held the same teeth of a Saber Lizard, putting a massive tooth on either side of its mouth. An eel-like frill ran down both sides of its neck. The tail sat at its end and each of its legs carried a set of three short but thick talons. Of course, short being relative to its size. Shane looked at the data scrolling around the creature and saw an image. A claw print was made in the soil. The engineers had measured it at three foot three inches. Its length was estimated to be between fourteen and twenty feet. Even on all four of its legs, the creature stood nine feet tall.

Hark explained all of its genetics. All Shane remembered was that it was a hybrid of thirty different sets of genetic fabric. No more context of Fellow Brosh’s motives was given. All that remained was where the creature was. A moon orbiting a giant gaseous system named Solon. If the system was named, then many other moons in its orbit were settled. The one selected would become such a place once the abnormality died. Lush vegetation, fertile soil, good healthy rains, it would be an agricultural system. Most likely, an agricultural system that would do most of its exporting to the orbiting Solon systems. Shane had read more barons and dukes were interested in ‘Isolated Provinces’. If the Crown had commissioned the construction of one, it must have been his own claim. That was irrelevant to the contract though. Shane just finally understood why the secrecy and ‘espionage’ as Hark put it.

The Steelan crew sent the ship towards Solon and spent three days on the Lightway before finally arriving in the province. Once the ship’s Veil pulled back, Shane found himself in another state of awe.

Solon most likely doubled the size of Vexsis. Whatever gases made it created a series of warm tans and browns along with massive streaks of grey. Its entire equator was just a band of thousands of storms raging in and out of one another. Already, with only having just entered the province, Shane could see a few dozen small specks he knew were Solon’s moons. The province of Solon, Pilix, was an orange beast that kept a steady anchor to the area. Within a minute, the Steelans were entering Solon’s orbit, putting that beast’s light in an orange ring around the system’s atmosphere. Shane felt a joy flood over him as he watched the storms move, but it was short-lived. Soon, the ship was engulfed in flame as Hark sent it through the atmosphere of the moon. Once they got through, Solon towered through the haze of a blue sky, and everyone was ordered to their gear.

Shane got on the Flesh Z5, his knife, and, since it was a hunt, he grabbed the Steelan’s HLR-M3; a rifle made by Meldor Manufacturing, specially designed for Preservation Crews. It was an energy weapon that launched the laser bolt straight at a target. One of its energy cartridges had thirty expulsions to fire. The one issue Shane had was the Abnormality had four-inch-thick skin. The M3 had been made for fauna with less bulk than that. Shane looked over at Fio and saw him grab the harpoon launcher.

“Why are you going with that?” Shane asked.

Fio planted his helmet onto his Z5 suit and said through the communications platform, “Figured I’d poison the bastard if that doesn’t work.” It was a proper strategy. The abnormality was powerful but still flesh. No matter what fabric flowed inside the creature, it wasn’t resistant to Scythe Spit. An extremely valuable thing that preservation crews often found themselves getting for free. Scythes were the most common nuisance crews had to deal with. Most Scythes were usually killed by entire industrial hunting expeditions since they either got big, or were ‘rogue’ as the Observers put it. Shane had killed at least a dozen ‘rogues’ throughout his career. And every time, the Guide willingly lost a cut in currency to harvest the spit. If done properly, a crew would walk away from a Scythe with a gallon. Whether dry or wet, Scythe Spit was toxic. Even if the gland in a Scythe itself burst, the creature died within a minute. And since the Steelans had no plans to eat the creature, there was no problem delivering the poison. Shane felt glad Fio took it upon himself to use the spit. It would feel a burn, but it would be dead before it could cry. The best they could do with such a beast.

Fio marched down the entry ramp of the cargo bay. The ship’s engines were muted by the suit but still filled the air. Shane did a light jog, then hopped down the three feet and watched as the ship took off into the sky.

Finally, Hark’s voice came through the platform, “Glin’s getting himself ready right now. You two get the data from the Seeding Pod while he sets up a camp at the thing’s last known.”

Shane chuckled as he said, “Ah, give your boy the cushy jobs.”

Hark replied, “Oh no, Lora gave him the easy job. Wouldn’t let him forget his promise. I just wasn’t willing to fight on her on it.”

“Surprising,” Fio said, which made Hark laugh. Shane, though, noticed a hint of bitterness in his saying of it. Luckily, once the ship left, there could be no communication between them since the camp hadn’t been built.

Shane took the opportunity and asked, “Are you staying with this crew after this?” as they hacked through the thick forest. Fio kept his eyes forward, looking for anything dangerous.

“I don’t know. I don’t like this dynamic, Shane. Glin isn’t part of this team because Lora wants to go on an adventure, but it’s actually because Stella doesn’t want to watch her husband get eaten so she’s fine with us hunting the D3.”

Shane countered, “Industrial crews were much different in terms of expendability.” Fio stayed ahead.

“But that one you could argue, and something would actually change. If two people were friends or more than friends and started making different calls because of it, then they were separated or one was taken off the crew. It’s an easy fix. Glin took my spot last time because he knew I was getting sick of it, but still nothing’s going to change.”

Shane let a silence linger before he asked, “Wouldn’t you feel bad leaving them? They’re decent people and the brothers aren’t coming back it seems.” Fio simply shrugged as they continued forward. It was all completely reasonable, at least to Shane. He had the same thoughts himself. Still, they were the best crew he’s been with, that made leaving for anything other than retirement a mistake. Retirement though, became a possibility in Shane’s mind with this currency. With such a high-end and exotic crew like the Steelans, Shane’s allowance had grown quite well. Ten million currency for the whole crew meant Shane was getting at least a few hundred thousand. Most of the bulk share went into the Steelans operation, which made sense of course. Shane didn’t like that their personal fees were excluded in that cut, but he never argued. After the Abnormality, both Fio and Shane would have more than a million waiting for them. The hunter realized his mind had wandered too much. He still had to finish the contract before he could see the currency.

He brought his eyes back forward and kept a diligent watch for half an hour, bending, slicing, and climbing through the forest, until the pair had reached the seeding pod. It had been a while since he had to retrieve data from one but still looked the same as the last. Since it acted as the origin of the once desolate moon’s life, a foot thick shell of vines, roots, and flowers caked the pod. Hundreds of little creatures scurried around it, mostly pollinators. The surrounding flowers were the oldest and healthiest, so it was an easy choice for the creatures. Shane had read a whole informant article about how entire hives had tripled their populations just to compete for the pod. The Z5 wouldn’t let the creatures through, so Shane drew his knife and began cutting away at the green hill in front of him. After only a few minutes and some unconventional uses of his M3, Shane got through to the metal.

The pod had begun to rust, which wasn’t an issue. In fact, Shane just punched through a patch of rust and reached for the data bay. With a light rip, Shane had the thing in his hand. It was a black metal cylinder completely untouched by the elements, except for the one slithering creature coiled at its center. After it tried and failed to bite Shane, the creature slithered into the long thick grass and disappeared among the trees. Shane handed it to Fio and scanned around the forest as a quick watch. Amongst the hundred-foot-tall trees were creatures flying, jumping, and buzzing about. Whole carpets of flowers went along the forest floor while moss saturated every trunk of every tree, but there was no threat. The Abnormality must have left a long time ago. Fio tapped Shane’s shoulder, and they were walking back to the creature’s last known location.

As they walked, Glin’s voice had come through their communications, “How are we gentleman?”

Shane quickly replied, “We have the data bay,” as they continued forward.

“Very good, very good. I’m only a hundred feet from you guys. Bring it up and I’ll go through it.”

“Seems rather pointless, doesn’t it? Assembly gave us all the data we needed on the thing.”

After some silence Glin came back through and said, “One of the small details in the contract was that the Assembly wanted Fellow Brosh’s work. Nice bonus for that.” Shane felt his stomach twist. For all the work to kill the creature like it was an abomination, the Assembly wanted its data to copy a masterpiece. Shane didn’t think along that path any further. Once his foot stepped out into a large clearing, his mind went back to the hunt. He approached and handed Glin the bay as he continued scanning the forest. That’s when he suddenly noticed Lora playing with a flower only five feet from Glin’s camp.

Shane walked over and asked, “How you doing kid?” She replied by holding up a massive pink flower.

“Look at how pretty this is!” Shane agreed. The pink of the flower was the same kind found in the deep setting of a province and spread across ten thick petals.

“Beautiful.” Shane took it from her and then popped it in her hair, just behind her ear. “But now it’s prettier.” Immediately after that, Lora gave Shane a big hug.

“You’re a good friend, Shane.” The man felt a stab in his heart. Somehow, in one moment, the man decided to stay with the Steelans for as long as he could.

“You make it easy Lora.” That put a tighter squeeze on Shane, one that he couldn’t feel at all because of the Z5. Yet it still gave him great joy. Glin came over and stood beside Lora as she let go of Shane.

“That’s beautiful, my love.” Lora immediately turned around with a big smile.

“Can we take some with us?” Glin shrugged and let a grin slip onto his face.

“I don’t see why not.” The girl did her quick little dance before she started picking more. Shane watched her skip through the fields. Glin poked the glass of his helmet, bringing him back to the task. “I’ll stay with her. You and Fio can check the bay, see if there’s anything else about the thing you can know.” Shane gave a nod and met Fio on the small metal platform with a complex on it. The other hunter stared into the complex.

“Find anything?” Shane asked.

“No not really. Big dangerous thing. I watched it get out of its egg, which means the Fellow had it for quite some time before he added it to the pod. Little thing scurried straight away into a storm and that’s all that exists in the visual archive. A few unidentified roars occurred throughout the year. Other than that, nothing. It’s definitely here though.” Shane nodded then turned back to the forest surrounding them. Lora and Glin were still playing in the flowers as the rest of the clearing sat empty. A pulse of adrenaline shot through him when he scanned the trees.

He didn’t know why until he shifted back left. Two ovals of red stood sixty yards from him, unbelievably still in the thick brush beneath the massive trees. After some time, the green that surrounded them became out of place. Bushes were suddenly cut off, a tree trunk disappeared behind a wall of green.

“Glin grab Lora and hold still,” Shane said as he slowly raised his M3 up. Fio was about to act, but Shane shot his hand out and snatched him. “Don’t move.” The man stayed staring at the display while Shane kept his eyes on the red dots. A chill shot down his spine when he stared into the color. He had locked eyes with the Abnormality.

He checked his peripherals and saw Lora and Glin holding still. The sound of sniffles were being made. Shane whispered into the communications, “Glin, she can’t start crying.” Glin slowly got low and crouched so he could hug Lora tighter. “Hark, you need to bring the ship and get this thing.”

The man replied, “I’m ten minutes out.” Shane started stepping forward, off the metal platform. In his peripheral, Fio’s harpoon laid in the grass. Slowly, Shane switched out his M3 for it and brought it up to his eye. The launcher’s sight was Hive Vision.

“Fio slowly reach for your wrist and switch this to conduction.” Shane knew from the data that the creature was cold-blooded so thermal would be useless. The thing would still create an energy field with its eel frill. After a few seconds, Shane watched the scope go from glass to a deep blue, with a massive white creature outlined, looking directly into his eyes.

Shane’s adrenaline had flooded into his blood at the sight. His heart sprinted out of his chest and sweat soaked every inch of his body. It was nothing like he felt before. He knew the harpoon well. Being sixty yards from the creature was too far. It only had a reliable range of forty. Every ounce of him wanted him to just stay still and wait for Hark, but that all changed when he watched one of the outlined legs on the conduction display take a step forward. The Abnormal wanted to charge. Shane had to get it before it tried hurting anyone. With a deep breath in and out, Shane mimicked the creature and took a step forward. As he did, he watched the thing lower its head down, its eyes trained on him. Shane’s hand crawled over to his display and swiped so the Z5 readied for the thing’s pounce. Whether it would survive was unknown to Shane. Such a creature didn’t even exist on any database when the suit was invented, but there was nothing he could change about it.

He took another step and watched a set of muscles in the creature change position. It was only a few seconds away from charging. Shane stopped, took one massive breath as he prepared himself for whatever came next, and rushed at the creature. His sprint of ten yards sent the thing into a thumping twenty-yard dash straight at him. Each step sent a shockwave into the ground that forced Shane to hold still as he lined up the harpoon. He watched it open its mouth with the pull of his trigger, then a massive pain slapped him on his right side. His roar filled the forest. The suit had been deployed, becoming a hundred pounds heavier. Shane slammed to the ground. Before he could even try to recover, another pain went across his back. A chunk of weight had fallen off his suit. After that, his whole chest collapsed as the creature clamped its jaw down on him. That loss of weight must have been a layer of the suit’s rock chipped off because the pressure of the bite was breaking Shane. He roared out in pain as the creature shifted him in its mouth, each move adding more and more pressure. Four of his ribs snapped in half. His howl grew even louder until his throat started filling with blood and drowned him out.

A big thump brought Shane and the beast down to the ground. The spit had finally stopped the creature’s heart, but Shane laid trapped in its mouth, and his breath had shortened. Fio sprinted over and ripped him out, sending flourishes of pain throughout his chest. More and more blood filled his throat as Fio ripped off the man’s helmet. Glin ran over to help, shouting for his father to land the ship.

The last thing Shane saw was Lora’s face full of tears then he shut his eyes, wondering if he’d ever open them again.