I guess Marshall made a good point. I’m a soldier first then a scientist, that’s the way I moved through life. Once a soldier, always a soldier, even if I didn’t seen any combat. I’m just a scientist who carries a gun on missions and occasionally visits the shooting range. That doesn’t make me a soldier but I suppose I’m more capable than Franklin. Still, something is sending a chill down my spine. I wish it was just the cold metal of the armor I’m putting on but there’s something more. It almost feels like evil is lurking on the surface of Romero. I know it’s just my nerves, that’s why I could never become a real soldier. I got in trouble and was forced to attend basic training. That wasn’t some choice I made. I’m not like Marshall. I don’t thrive in adrenaline fueled situations; I panic. My fight or flight response always chooses flight. I’m an okay shot, but I’m much better at hiding. I want to vomit so bad but the rest of the team is already looking at me oddly as I struggle to put on the armor. It’s not like I remember, but then again it may be. I can tell you the basic diet of the Ardo and Smilodonian species’ but I don’t which gauntlet belongs on the left or right wrist without help.

A light chime comes over the ship intercom followed by a female AI, “we have arrived in Trellis and are currently landing at the visitor’s pavilion,” she finishes her speech as signaled by the chime playing again.

I make my way to the hull of the ship with the rest of the crew where Marshall is waiting for us at the door. He inspects each of us, making sure we’ve put on our armor correctly. As he makes his way down the line I’m realizing that Marshall and I are a fair amount older than the most of the team. Lieutenant Hill is probably in her 30s or early 40s. Younger than Marshall and I, but not a wide-eyed youth either. The door of the ship opens and the exit ramp begins to slide down. We follow Marshall out of the ship in the most diplomatic way an armed squadron can.

In front of us, slowly lurching forward in the distance are what appear to be humans. Something is wrong, they’re walking odd, and they don’t great us. The sound is all too familiar, the same sound picked up by the drones. It wasn’t a malfunction, it was these, creatures. A slow gurgling drawl with no real words only growls and grunts from the vocal cords. As they draw closer I can see they almost resemble humans but with some odd growths across their bodies, but I can’t make them out clearly from this distance.

“This is Commander Marshall Randolph of The Galactic Federation,” Marshall’s voice echoes from the exterior speaker, “stand down, or I will open fire.”

The command is a bit much for my taste, but the creatures don’t seem to be slowing down. The sound only seems to make them move with more urgency. They attempt to run but it looks like they’re hindered by some kind of mutation or deformation. I can’t tell from here and especially not with my helmets visor tinting my view.

Getting closer I can start to make out some details. Marshall is ordering us to take up firing position and I get into formation but I can’t seem to focus on aiming. They’re human, or mostly human. It’s clear something has gone wrong here and whatever it is I’m staring at it down the barrel of my rifle.

“Hill, fire the first shot,” Marshall speaks with conviction.

Hill doesn’t hesitate, she fires a shot and lands direct center of the body mass of what seems to be a young woman. Exactly where you want to shoot someone. The frightening thing is the woman doesn’t go down. She’s pushed back from the impact and pauses for a moment but returns to shuffling towards us. We all wait for the next command.

They’re finally coming into view. The disfigured and mutated humans seemingly fused with some kind of parasite sporting dull and hard portions of what seem to be bone sprouting from and covering parts of their bodies. As a soldier I know I need to fire my gun and heed Marshall’s command. As a scientist I want to move closer and study what I’m seeing. But as a human, I want to do the most logical thing, run. Gun shots are doing nothing to most of them, bouncing off the hard shells, occasionally cracking them. Sometimes one will fall from a headshot but it’s hard to hit a headshot when your hands are shaking and adrenaline is pumping. I am not a soldier. I am a scientist that treasures his life. I don’t wait for Marshall to give a retreat order.

I’m the first rushing back to the ship even as the gunfire is increasing. I don’t find a place to hide, I make my way through the ship knocking things over. Our pilot Utami is taking a nap in her seat when I reach the bridge. I shake her awake causing her to shout.

“You need to get the ship ready to take off,” I shout back at her.

“What is your deal?”

“We need to go.”

“That’s Commander Randolph’s decision.”

“Have you looked outside you idiot?”

“What?”

Tired of her, I pull up the external feed of the ship. The squad has made it into the ship but so have the creatures. They’re prying the doors open. External cameras show dozens of them swarming all parts of the ship.

“Commander, should I prepare to take off,” Utami radios with fear in her voice.

“Get us high enough to shake these things off the ship,” Marshall shouts over the radio.

Utami presses some buttons and the entire cockpit begins to light up. I should be heading down to cargo so I can help get the doors closed. Instead I take cover in the research room. It’s the center of the ship but it’s got multiple exits. If they manage to break in I’ve got a few different ways to get out. I duck behind a countertop and grip my rifle. I can fill the ship lift into the air, it’s a rough takeoff. With so many of them crawling over the exterior and trying to get in I can’t imagine it would be easy.

Sirens start to blare and Utami’s voice is warped over the speakers as the sound of glass shattering echoes in the background. The ship shakes more than usual. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the ship is going down. I need to make it to one of the escape pods near the bridge. I try to gather myself, despite the sirens and pounding going on through the ship. Even forcing out the sounds of chaos my own heart beat drowns out any thoughts I can generate. Keeping my balance is hard with the ship rocking like this. It almost feels as if we’re hurdling somewhere. Outside the reception room there’s shouting and more gunshots. The gunshots are going to rupture something and send us plummeting if we aren’t already.

“Duane, help,” Franklin shouts. I turn to the left to watch as he’s cornered.

I could fire my gun to help him, but it might draw their attention and I’m not sure I can hit them in the head right now since that seems to be the only thing stopping them. I mouth an apology to Franklin as he screams. My legs don’t move as he shouts his final words cursing me or this ship. I don’t know for sure, but I deserve all of the curses. I spend a few seconds horrified, watching as he chokes on his own blood while they tear at portions of his flesh. I turn my back on him and keep making it towards the escape pods.

Looking forward to the bridge I witness Utami suffering the same fate as Franklin. Her ability to speak is long gone, but she’s still fighting. Still reaching out towards me for help. Even if I could rescue her, she wouldn’t make it. Despite the ship clearly out of control, another creature seems to be crawling through the shattered glass.

I enter into one of the escape pods and close the door before initiating the launch. The seat straps me and cushions my head, protecting me against any rough landing. One of the creatures slams into the glass separating the pod from the ship and I instinctively aim my gun before realizing that I’d be sentencing myself to death for firing. The pod shakes as it prepares for launch. What was once human stares at me through four misshapen oval shaped eyes pounding at the glass but unable to breakthrough without the numbers. Soon more join, and I begin to panic as the escape pod shakes, but still refuses to launch. I’m flipped upside down as the ship crashed into something large. I hear an explosion and another. I’m spinning so fast that I can’t seem to focus. I know we’re crashing, I can only hope that it doesn’t get any worse.