“Adrenaline helps. But I’m afraid it’s fading.” She scans the area. “Any idea where the closest crash site is so I can get a gun?”
“You can take mine. You need protection out here if you want to survive.”
She looks over the handgun I extend. Kelta checks the ammo like she’s familiar with it. “Thanks.”
“Used a Solcaster before?”
She waggles her head, then winces and braces it. “We salvaged from every crash site. Solcrue weapons are familiar. What’s your objective out here?”
"I just want to get you to camp, then head out to patrol and keep the Solcrue from finding any brothers below ground." I fish a warm fruit and nut bar from a pouch in my thigh and offer it to her. "Sorry, it's a bit melted. But I can tell your energy is crashing. Please eat that while you follow me. I know where we can find you some water."
She unwraps the paper, makes a stifled cry as she eats, and stays close behind me. “Real food…stars. Thank you!”
“Quick thinking back there.” I’m eager to get her to safety and return to work. It isn’t fair for Holo to be doing my job. He’s a communications unit, not a human-shaped warship.
I miss my payload, the missiles, and the auto-targeting rounds.I’m tired of always being a cannonball. Most lifeforms don’t think we feel pain, but we do.
Kelta follows me to a small river. She stops at the edge, trails her fingers through the clear liquid, then sets my gun down and climbs in.
“Kelta? What are you doing?” I scan the area as she plays like a kid, drinks heavily and washes herself.
“There’s so much water!”
“Yeah, keep your voice down. It carries a long way on a planet.”
She grimaces. “Right, sorry. It’s just been so long since I had a real bath. Limited water on my ship.”
Kelta sheds her scorched suit, washes in the creek, and climbs out in a curve-hugging pair of leggings and a uniform top with hand stitched rank.
The burn marks on her chest and side snag my attention.I really hurt her. Why hasn’t she said anything?
I reach for her then think otherwise. Water drips from her braids, catching the sunlight in a mesmerizing way. I can’t bring myself to risk contact with her again. She is of the Creators’ species, the ones who knew how to build us, who gave us Spark, a second chance after our human bodies died. I don’t remember who I was, but I touch the essence of humanity just looking at her now.
Perhaps this is what my Brothers sense when they speak of feeling human. Only Diesel remembers. He and Holo were friends as humans.
I wish I could remember.
Out here, Kelta isn’t safe. I need to focus on getting her to camp. “We really need to keep moving.”
"I know. I shouldn't have but I…" Kelta looks down at the water as if she wants to get back in.
"I meant for you to drink quickly, so we could keep going."
She chews a cheek, picks up my gun, and motions for me to lead on.
Thruster>>Drillbit: Any chance you can swallow another ship?
Drillbit>>Thruster: Already working on it. Tunnel access is one klick east of your position. Redline is there.
Kelta rolls her shoulders back. “Are we headed anywhere or just playing Chicken here?”
“Chicken?”
“Yeah, fighting for the same space until someone retreats, usually played on a collision course with someone else at extreme speeds.”
A rush of hot intrigue sweeps through me. Engines heat all over my body. I like Kelta more than I should. So I force the thoughts from my mind and direct her east, toward the tunnel access. But as we near the treeline around the rocky patch in the hills at the edge of the desert, the drone of Skysprinter engines makes me hang back.
Scanners light up with proximity alerts. I track the path of the ship. It’s headed straight for us.
