Black Rain Ch. 01

In the finale of the crash, as the Haven lost her port bow and half her passengers to a tree that had probably been around when man first contemplated the stars, the battered starship spun on her side, raising up onto the starboard pylon for a moment before spinning to a rest. The ship collapsed, a plume of dust, debris and smoke rising from the wreck. The sounds of the crash echoed though the valley, reverberating though the alien air with a deafening anger.

***

From orbit, he watched the humans fall away. It was interesting to see, the final moments of their finite lives, burning out in a blaze of confusion and fear. He could feel them, every last one of them who had died, writhing and screaming as they passed away from their mortal coils and into the depths of this world. It didn't matter what their beliefs were, any more than it would matter if he had been the one to crash. He almost had when they nearly collided in hyperspace, and only the fact of his superior piloting skills had saved him.

And, he had been alone. There was no one to have failed him, no weak link in the chain. He was one crew in and of himself. More than one would have been a liability, and he couldn't risk that. Not here.

That's how people died.

But then, he knew no one really died here. This place harbored a legendary evil, something that even his father had only whispered about. It was the black ichor of the universe, a trap for souls, an endless hunger and rage that sought only to hurt. During his time in school, he had discovered the humans had a concept similar to one his own culture held dear. They believed in a Heaven, or T'Oghrih as his people called it, and they believed in a Hell, or T'Oghrah. It seemed they all had different ideas about the fine details, but the fact remained that most of them believed. He looked sadly down at the planet, and he said a silent prayer for them as they descended into the dark place.

He did want to, but he knew he must follow.

The others would be here soon.

He took a deep breath as he prepared an entry course for the planet, and followed them in. From behind his copper stained mask and breathing apparatus, his yellow eyes closed in a silent prayer for himself as well.

***

Tishara opened her eyes to discover she that she was still in her seat, and that the windows of the bridge had held in place, despite the cracks that splintered though their surface like a crystalline spider web. To her left, she could hear the slow hissing sound of ruptured oxygen feeds. She unbuckled her harness and leaned forward, a sharp pain stabbing in her neck. As she checked herself for injury, she counted herself lucky that mild whiplash was the only physical problem she had incurred. She tied her hair back and then realized Aston was no longer beside her, nor was his seat.

"Captain?" she called out as she stood up, her balance off. The ship was tilted at a forty-five degree angle to the portside, and she grabbed onto her chair for support. She looked around the wreckage of the bridge, her heart sinking fast. An examination of the vessel was not necessary to confirm what she already knew. They would never leave the ground again in the Haven. The ship was a total loss.

"Tishara," a voice said from somewhere behind a fallen overhead support to her right. She quickly climbed over the broken equipment and consoles as sparks flashed periodically from severed lines and cables above her. The interior lighting was failing as she worked her way back into the shadows of the bridge. Finally, she reached the support beam and found Ashton behind it, still strapped in his chair. Half his face was covered in blood, but he was moving and talking.

"John," Tishara whispered as she climbed over the support and slid down to him, "Can you feel your arms and legs, John?"

"Yeah," he managed, "My head hurts."

She looked and saw a deep gash running from his left temple all the way back to the middle of his scalp. It was angry looking, the skin and hair split in an ugly wound that had started to coagulate. His face was stained with blood and soot, his eyes looking outward, wide and scared. His left eye was a bloody red, the vessels busted and hemorrhaged.

"You took a blow to the head," she told him as she grasped the release on his harness, "I'm going to unbuckle you."

"Harmon and Paisley?" he croaked.

Tishara stood up and saw Harmon, unconscious against the bulkhead by the entry hatch. Paisley was behind the navigation console, also knocked out. She seemed to be breathing. Tishara knelt by her captain and unbuckled the harness, "They're both alive from what I can see."

"How can you see anything?" Ashton asked as she helped him stand up, "It's so dark in here. I can't see anything."

Tishara looked at him, and realized his injury was more severe than she had thought. Pink alien sunlight was streaming through the forward section of the bridge now, the view ports bright and illuminated. Tishara waved her free hand in front of his face, back and forth. Ashton said nothing and made no movement, waiting for her answer. Tishara felt sick as she realized the truth.

"Tishara?"

"Captain, can you see my hand?" she held her palm right in front of his nose, not more than an inch away.

"No, I can't see anything... I-," he stopped, wincing as he touched the wound deeply wrought into his head, "I can't see..."

"I'm sorry, John."

"I can't fucking see," he repeated, his lips trembling as the gravity of it all began to hit him.

"John, we need to get you out of here," she said softly.

"This is some bad dream," he laughed incredulously as he tried to look around the bridge, "It has to be."

"John, we have to go. I don't know the status of the ship yet," she told him, her voice firm, "The coolant system for the hyper drive may have cracked. We need to be sure. We've got to evacuate the survivors."

Ashton took a deep breath, his eyes glassy and dark. "Of course."

***

From the thick foliage that covered the sides of the valley, a creature without eyes observed the commotion. The drone saw what the whole saw and nothing more. It sat quietly at the border of the jungle, the albino skin smooth and shiny in the sunlight. It could sense the humans that had survived the crash, and there were not but a few of them left. They were scared, confused and lost in the mayhem of the disaster. It smiled, revealing its perfect sharp teeth in a leer of anticipatory satisfaction. It silently sprang from its hiding place and ran on all three legs towards the wreck.

It was hungry.

...to be continued...