Onder cleared his mind as he approached the gate of Hek’s settlement. The guards bowed to him as usual, but their normal carefree facial expressions were gone.

  “Back for work?” one asked.

  The words hit his eardrums, but he needed a minute to process them. “Not really. I’m moving here…for now.”

  Both guards straightened their posture in surprise. They looked to each other with wide smiles.

  “Son of sun will contribute to the evolution?”

  “The evolution?” In all his distress, a hot orange blush still reached his cheeks. “Oh…No. I won’t be doing that, but I’ll help in other ways.”

  “Most welcome either way. Maybe cute girl will change mind,” she giggled.

  “Can I see Hek?” He got straight to the point.

  They lowered their heads. “Hek sick. Not much time.”

  “Oh…I’m sorry to hear that.” His heart fell even lower. After the years spent working for her, he unconsciously started thinking of her as a friend. “Can I say goodbye?”

  The guard shook her head. “No men allowed. Tradition.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “Hek knows you were friend. Said no more words needed.”

  Onder stayed silent for a few moments, leading the woman to speak again as she gestured towards the settlement. “Son of sun welcome to stay. Will guide to new citizen coordinator. Happy to have here.”

  Onder’s losses continued to add up. It was almost too much to bear in such a short amount of time. Hek was a friend. She could’ve helped him.

  Was I expecting Hek to comfort me? To have some master plan to steady my thoughts? She’s just an old woman now. I’ll have to get through this alone.

  He pushed thoughts of grief to the back of his mind. It was just another obstacle on the journey back to his siblings. He didn’t need Hek. She would’ve been nice to have as an ally, but his resolve was enough to push him forward. With that reality solidified in his mind, he followed the guard into the settlement. He watched Hek’s people working on their ships as they walked by.

  I hope this isn’t all for nothing. Aphmor’s people were nearly wiped out from their first dark-age even with whatever tech they brought with them. At least these people know what’s coming. Maybe that will save them.

  Onder was brought to the ship for new recruits. He saw the familiar faces of the gang members he brought over the day before. Hek’s people wasted no time trying to woo them into their beds. Onder watched what he assumed were their most attractive women chatting up the men, who were all too happy for the attention.

  Told them they wouldn’t hate it.

  It was a small victory, a sign of future success. Onder let a small smile crawl onto his face as he claimed his own corner of the room. A bed large enough for his frame was immediately taken to his space. Hek had planned for this moment to come. He couldn’t help but laugh at her brilliant foresight as he crawled in. He would never admit it to himself, but he was glad he wouldn't be spending his next years alone.

  Onder woke up to the faint smell of salt and sulfur in the air. He shot up from his bed and rushed outside. The sun serpent in the sky was starting to uncurl and vibrate, a sign of an imminent hunt. The dark age was near, and Hek’s people were running between ships and gathering everyone together.

  The town cycled through two generations during Onder’s seven-year residency there. It wasn’t nearly enough time to naturally evolve, but hybrids between Hek’s people and the recruited gang members now dominated the population.

  Seventeen years since the last one…That’s longer than I thought they’d have.

  Onder was optimistic about the town’s survival. If anything, they at least had protection from the extreme cold. Everyone could sit in a room with Onder if it came to it. He felt the few non-hybrids remaining in town would not fare well, regardless of his efforts.

  Some people are going to have to say goodbye soon. Most of Hek’s people didn’t seem very sentimental, but these hybrids are a little more emotional. I’ll have to make sure they survive the initial drop in morale.

  Onder’s thoughts were almost entirely focused on survival. He was trying to imitate Hek’s emotional detachment, insisting all he truly cared about was returning to his siblings. A gentle tug on one of his pant legs immediately pulled him out of his thoughts.

  “Mtsi?” he asked as his head snapped downward. He saw a young hybrid standing by his side. “Oh…Hi Reu.”

  “Why are you standing there? They’re calling an urgent town meeting.” She pointed at a group of people standing in the town square. “We can’t start without you!”

  He sighed and lifted the child onto his shoulders. Reu giggled softly as she towered over her friends in the crowd. The people started looking to Onder with wide eyes. If he looked closely enough, he could see them trembling.

  The eldest hybrid stood at the front of the group. A scratchy voice came out of her mouth. “You’re late, Onder.”

  “Sorry. I got a little lost in my head.”

  “We need you focused today. Several ships need to be hauled into the caves.” Her voice was firm. Not a single break or tremble could be heard in her cadence. “We are counting on you. Are you ready for the final preparations?”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Yes. I want this just as much as you do. I need you to survive,” Onder promised.

  “Very well. Report to the dig site immediately with four of our hauling groups to maximize efficiency.” She stepped down from her platform. “Everyone else will descend into the caves ahead of Onder. I want us sealed in by the evening.”

  The group saluted her. “Yes ma’am!”

  Everyone was off. Non-haulers took the lead as Onder’s teams helped him move the remaining essential ships to the dig-site. Onder continued prioritizing his own agenda, choosing to haul their best navigation ship first.

  “This should be the last ship we bring down,” one of his teammates grumbled.

  “We’re bringing this one first,” he commanded.

  Reu piped up, still on his shoulder. “We would never make it without Onder. We owe him a way off this planet.”

  Regardless of their feelings, everyone had to go along with what Onder wanted. They couldn’t haul a single ship down by themselves.

  I’ll get your med-bay and workshop down just the same. Just let me have this.

  The ship was flanked on all sides by the four teams. They all grabbed onto the steel ropes attached to the ship’s sides and moved back. Onder lifted it from the edge and slowly made his way to its center, Reu still perched on his shoulder. The hauling groups kept the ship steady as Onder did the bulk of the heavy lifting.

  They reached the dig-site and Onder could barely see the non-haulers making the hike downward. The entrance to the cave spanned a greater width than one ship, the extraordinary effort of the last seven years.

  The trip down was the real struggle. Their safe zone was located eight miles beneath the planet’s surface. A cakewalk for Onder, but his team had to take it slow to preserve their energy.

  As Onder walked down the tilted path, the ship started to wobble back and forth. His team shifted into action, pulling to their side to stabilize it. They knew Onder would never drop the ship, but slamming into the side of the cave was still possible. Unnecessary damage needed to be avoided at all costs.

  The agility of Hek’s people combined with the increased muscle mass of the recruits made the trip possible. They reached the carved out safe zone and gently lowered the ship to the ground. The hauling groups were provided with water for a quick break before the next trudge.

  Onder looked to the girl on his shoulder. “Reu, you should stay here with everyone else.”

  “You need me for moral support,” she insisted.

  He chuckled as he lowered her to the ground. She stared up at him, her mouth in a perfectly neutral position.

  “You’re not kidding, huh?” She didn’t flinch. He knelt down to her level. “Look, no matter what happens out there, I’ll be fine. You would be torn to bits in seconds.”

  Her lips curled into a frown as she crossed her arms. Onder patted her on the head as the crew made its way back to the surface.

  She’s strong-willed, but still just a child. Reminds me of Helena sometimes…

  The second haul went just as well as the first one. They took the workshop down this time, ensuring they had the tools required for ship maintenance. One last haul was left, but the hauling teams were noticeably worn out after two trips under. Just as they lowered the ship to the ground, a massive roar vibrated through the caves.

  “She’s leaving. You guys won’t make another trip down.” He walked back to the end of the path. “I’ll go up and seal the hatch.”

  “What about our med bay?” one of the haulers asked. The group broke out into concerned murmurs.

  The old leader put her hand up. “Enough! The hauling groups will make no more trips.” She turned to Onder. “We allowed you to take the navigation ship, utterly useless to us, down first. I ask that you take one surgical station and fill it with as many medical supplies possible. Take that down and we will make do.”

  He gave a firm nod. “Of course, that’ll be quick enough. I’ll seal the hatch on my way back in.”

  Onder settled into a crouch at the very start of the path. The haulers stood back, giving him enough room to release his physical prowess. He threw himself up the path with a giant leap, starting his rushed journey to the surface. He continued jumping through the tunnel, clearing half of a mile at a time.

  It wasn’t long before he reached the surface. He made it in time to see the tail end of his mother leaving the sky. The clouds released hell on the planet as he stepped out. He saw giant rocks of hail hitting the ships and picked up the pace, rushing into the medical ship.

  He blindly raided every cabinet, piling everything he could over his massive arms. He shoved it into a surgical station and ripped it out of the wall. It weighed practically nothing for a man like him.

  He found his way back to the hatch where several ice rocks were leaning into the hole to the safe zone. He hooked a free foot under one of the rocks and launched it towards the others. It shot straight through, breaking all of them to bits.

  He hopped inside and placed the machine next to him. He grabbed the handle to the reinforced steel hatch and gave it one quick tug. It flipped off the ground and slowly closed over him. The satisfying pop of an airtight seal filled his ears. He listened to the quiet humming of the surgical station as the world outside fell apart.

  After two years in the pit, the roaring sounds from outside started to quiet down. The initial spike of the dark age was settling down. Onder had to leave before the opportunity passed. After using all his free time to study the navigation ship’s manuals, he figured he could be his own pilot.

  He didn’t want his departure to be an ordeal. During the earliest hours of the day, he snuck out of his shelter and crawled under the navigation ship. Hauling it to the exit made a harsh screeching sound, but the other ships had enough noise suppression to cover it.

  He made his way up very slowly. His hauling team wasn’t there to stop the ship from banging on every wall. The sweat on his brow started to accumulate. It only got worse as time went on, but just as his breath started to falter, the merciful gleam of the metal hatch appeared after hours of hiking.

  The dark sky met his eyes for the first time in years. Onder wasn’t used to spending the dark ages underground, and even the small amount of extra light from the surface hurt his eyes. Covering them up, he set the ship down and quickly sealed the hatch once more. The wind raged on and hail still fell, but it was a drizzle compared to the giant rocks at the start.

  He commanded the ship open and walked onto the platform. Looking back at the hatch, he gave one last salute to his strange friends.

  Thank you for your help. Goodbye and good luck.

  The ship whirred to life as it started to hover. The control panel chirped with the pleasant acknowledgement of perfect maintenance over the years. He accelerated towards the stars, dodging the worst of the hail as he reached the atmosphere.

  WARNING. AUTO-SHIELDING MECHANISM HAS TAKEN CRITICAL DAMAGE.

  The words flashed red throughout the ship’s walls. Onder was about to jump to the shield controls when he noticed a small hand reach up from one of the pilot’s chairs.

  “Reu!?” he yelled.

  She turned to him with no expression on her face, giving him one thumbs up in response. Her fingers danced across the control panel for the shields, and the warning message went away. Only then did she look to him with a smile.

  “Moral support,” she affirmed.

  Onder nodded back. “Moral support.”

  Onder gave the rock one last look as they shot past the atmosphere. His first and only home. His mother’s precious prison. His father’s training grounds. He moved his chair over to Reu and took her hand. Together, they left planet Sigiba behind.

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