Chapter Text
Humans have been fascinated with space far before they had dreams of reaching it. Staring up at the abyss, flickers of light glowing into an endless depth. Scratches carved into stone of constellations and systems. Journeys planned and homes found under their swirling energy. The mystery of space expands, knowledge letting way to questions. Humans call out into a void, hoping that past the furthest starts is something more.
Humans have only been more fascinated with space once they finally managed to reach it. Metal and fire pathing the way into orbit. The solar system mapped, known and understood. Humans are curious by nature, and space seems endless.
Once humans had scoured and mapped out every corner of their own solar system, their sights extended to the space beyond. The Galactic Exploration Organisation was founded, an international group whose sole goal was to explore deep space. The brightest minds from around the world became the backbone to the GEO. Their size grew as each exploration into deep space succeeded.
The construction of the Galactic Exploration Hub became the next pivotal moment. Hitoshi was 7 when they completed it. The base of operations, humanity's first occupied location within deep space, able to sustain life for extended periods of time.
It was at this point Hitoshi became obsessed with space. When images of new planets and new discoveries that altered modern science. Hitoshi would keep note of every new fact, holding them close, excitedly telling his parents at any chance he got. When they did listen it was with slow nods and distracted humming. He would tell his dad all about the missing shuttles; the ones that were left as husks, floating in the cold abyss. The ones that went missing and never spotted again were the ones that caught his dads attention. Hitoshi's dad would scoff and say that the GEO was trying to attract alien fanatics to fund their expensive technology by selling fake news, Hitoshi remembers nodding along.
Hitoshi's fascination grew alongside him. He faced the turbulent nature of his life by watching the night sky. Tracking far off places. Space was a constant.
<><><>
He remembers the day he received a letter, his name carved on a pristine envelope. The matron had flicked it across the kitchen table towards him, already moving on towards the other boys who were hurriedly doing their homework before they had to leave to catch the morning bus. The sun had been low in the sky, morning sun cutting through the dust in the air. Hitoshi had picked up the envelope with a look of discomfort. Letters to him never were anything fun or important, and it wasn't near his birthday so it was unlikely to be a late 14th birthday card from either of his parents. He had cradled it close and opened it carefully, pulling the glue away slowly so as not to tear the pristine paper. He remembers opening it, he remembers reading it. Every word of the letter, his name printed at the top, handwritten, neat. Shinsou Hitoshi. He had stared, hard. It wasn't until tears had gathered, glistening but not falling that he had realised what he was holding, what he had read.
One of the older boys had noticed and gruffly asked who had sent him a letter.
“Its the - um - a letter from the Galactic Exploration Organisation."
“The space dudes,” He raised an eyebrow and scoffed, “right? What they writing to you about?”
“I won the lottery”
Matron looked over sharply, and bustled over to peer over his shoulder, then gasped softly as she read the letter. She clapped her hands together and held them in a loose prayer hold.
“Shinsou, congratulations. I can't believe it, you're going to go to space!” smiling down at him.
Hitoshi nodded slowly, cradling the letter. The other boys had picked up at that quickly, calling out congratulations and bereavement that they had not won themselves.
A slow breath out, “I'm going to space.”
Hitoshi had never felt so lucky. His stars finally aligning.
<><><>
The months it takes to prepare for deep space travel is a blur. The 12 worldwide winners bundled into planes and brought to the earth base for the Galactic Exploration Organisation. Surprisingly, there are a lot of public appearances, appearing on interviews and videos as they toured the base and any prototypes they had of the Deep Space Shuttles. Hitoshi was the youngest, a middle school student of 14. Most of the other winners were adults, and they seemed to leave Hitoshi to his own devices.
Hitoshi was glad he was moderately fluent in English, if only for the ease at talking to the only other teenager, Tomas. The American boy, although a few years older than Hitoshi, was only slightly taller than him, and had a warm and jovial appearance. They had spent many of the prep days at the edge of the group, giggling in giddy excitement or gazing in quiet awe. If Hitoshi was a space nerd, then Tomas was a super nerd. He would tell Hitoshi of all his alien conspiracies. The first few times Hitoshi had tried to convince Tomas that his ideas of space were crazy, but after a few times of them talking in circles about whether the pyramids were built by aliens, Hitoshi realised that Tomas was more fascinated by the conspiracies themselves rather than he actually believed them. After that they tried to out conspiracy each other.
Tomas was always quick to laugh, and had a habit of laughing while trying to drink. Hitoshi had ended up with more beverage on him in the last few months than the the rest of his life. Tomas could always tell what parts interested Hitoshi, and was quick to ask additional questions or find fun facts about it for him.
An older girl, Marianna, mid twenties Hitoshi guessed but knew better to ask, also kept an eye on them. She was sharp and her hair was always styled messy. Her English, like Hitoshi's, was heavily accented. She tended to stand near them and Hitoshi could feel her stare if they were being too loud or not paying attention to the instructors. She had a sharp tongue, and Hitoshi was not too manly to admit she scared him. But if they asked good questions or got excited by some of the equipment they were shown then she would give them a soft smile. Hitoshi thought that if he had an older sister then he'd want one like Mari. He knew she would have kicked the mean kids from back home in the ass years ago.
<><><>
On take off day, Hitoshi was constantly shaking. Excited jitters and bubbling laughter. Tomas kept nudging his elbow into Hitoshi's ribs, telling him about his terrible track record on rollercoasters. Hitoshi was debating trying to swap seats.
When they were finally strapped into their seats, rows of threes secured tightly within. The crew and central control echoing through the speakers. There were no windows within the rocket. just metal walls and blinking lights. A hand appeared in Hitoshi's peripheral. Tomas’ reaching over, palm up. Hitoshi didn't hesitate to grip it tight.
“You ready Shin? Pretty sure your gonna be the youngest in space”
Hitoshi huffed a breathless laugh, and Tomas squeezed his hand reassuringly,
“There was a girl born on that moon hub a few years ago, remember?” Hitoshi reminded him,
“Ahh of course, you were telling me ‘bout that the other day, wonder how she's doing now?” He hummed low in his throat.
“Shes in a private school in China, her mum keeps it all quiet, because people kept harassing them online.”
Tomas kept asking small questions after that, encouraging Hitoshi to explain. He knew the older boy was trying to distract him, calm his nerves before they took off.
When the final checks were completed Hitoshi's and Tomas’ hands had a thin layer of nervous sweat coating them.
Tomas's smile was wide as the rocket started shaking, "Goodbye Earth…”
“Look out space,” Hitoshi joined him in saying. Eyes tightly closed and hands now white. He held on tight as they lifted off, the journey into space begun.
Hitoshi could feel Tomas tugging his hand, but Hitoshi was holding on too tight. It wasn't until he heard a gagging next to him that he quickly let go of Tomas. He kept his eyes tight closed as he heard Tomas grabbing the emergency mess bag.
<><><>
The first few days aboard the Deep Space Exploration Hub was busy. The winners were hurried around to different specialists for tours. Hitoshi and Tomas had enjoyed looking over some of the maps of explored planets the researchers had been observing. Uma and Pullerious were both gas giants, one was a deep red and the other a bubblegum pink hue. Most of the research hadn't found out what they were composed of yet but the excited way the researchers had been explaining chemical compositions and gas pressure had Hitoshi and Tomas's attention. Mari on the other hand had soaked up the tour of the engines that powered the hub. All her questions had impressed the engineer but went so far over Hitoshi's head he considered they had given up speaking English altogether.
It was on the fifth day onboard the Space Hub that Hitoshi's group was allowed to tour one of the nearby planets. The other winners had excitedly explained their previous day's adventure and everyone basked in the nervous excitement. They were loaded into a smaller exploration vessel. The group strapped into their seats with the crew busing over the controls as they jetted towards one of the closer planets. The burgundy gas planet Uma appeared against the black backdrop and the group gasped. Once they had started rotating around its gravity they were released from their seats. People making their way into different rooms to observe the planet. Hitoshi, Tomas and Mari followed a spritely crewmember to one of the offshoot rooms, where she pulled up the screens and scanners to show them some of the readings and to take the notes of any anomalies. Hitoshi was pressed up against the glass view screen, watching the swirls of brighter red erupt from the deeper burgundy surface.
Hitoshi zoned back into the conversation as the crew member made an unsure noise. She pulled up some more information and readings, eyes scanning new text with a great focus.
“I've just got some unusual readings, so I'm going to head up to the controls to check my gears okay. Are you guys okay to stay here?”
“Of course. Is anything the issue?” Mari asked.
The crewmember laughed breathily, but quickly assured them that it was likely nothing. As she left quickly, the other looked at each other with raised eyebrows.
“It's probably nothing," Tomas said slowly. Mari hummed noncommittally.
Hitoshi looked back outside, focusing again on Uma.
Not long later there was a low chime and the Captain's voice echoed through the intercom,
“Everyone make your way to the main flight room. We are seeing some unusual readings and are planning to return to base. Our crew will focus on preflight checks as guests make their way back to flight seats. Please keep calm, we are working to resolve any issues that may arise.”
Mari's face scrunched and she made a shooing motion with her hands, “You heard the boss. Let's move out kids.”
“Dude we just got here. What's so important that we have to leave early” Tomas bemoaned,
Hitoshi followed them out of the room, “It has to be important if they're hurrying us back to base.”
“They have to take us out again to make up for it right? I mean we barely got to see the planet, and weren't we meant to fly by a nearby asteroid field?”
Hitoshi shrugged, “Something like that, maybe they'll still do that bit.”
“Could be an issue with the ship,” commented Marianna, “With all the issues their having with exploration vessels it may be a malfunction issue”
“The ship could be broken?” Tomas exclaimed,
“It could be anything, so let's hur…”
Mari was cut off when an alarm pierced the air. Hitoshi clasped his hands firmly over his ears. Eyes squeezed shut, as if to help stop the sound. When Hitoshi managed to look up he saw Mari looking wildly around. Tomas was breathing heavily and grabbed Hitoshi's arm. The sound continued screeching, and Mari had hurried to their sides to grab Tomas and she started to hurry them down the corridor.
There wasn't another moment before they were all suddenly in the air. Hitoshi crashed into a wall, sliding along the floor as the ship's automatic gravity fluctuated. His yell was lost among the still screaming alarm. He gasped into the metal floor. The ship shuddered again. He looked up to notice that the main lights had failed, leaving the corridor bathed in the eerie glow of the red emergency lights. Hitoshi blinked tears out of his eyes, and started to pull himself up.
Mari was in front of him, figure wavering in and out of focus. She was pulling herself up and he could hear the faint outline of her voice against the alarm.
There was another deep shudder within the ship and the screeching was cut off. Hitoshi could hear his ears still ringing. When he could finally focus enough and his vision wasn't still swimming, he looked up to check on the others. Mari was crouched over Tomas, who was groaning on the floor, he was holding his arm, and had some blood dripping out of his hairline. Mari's sharp gaze locked on Hitoshi as he managed to stumble over.
“You okay kid?” When Hitoshi nodded she refocued on Tomas, “Okay were gonna have to help him walk, hes probally got a concussion, maybe fucked up his arm. We're going to help him to the main room. You got that Shinsou?”
Hitoshi's breath caught but he stuttered out an affirmative and helped her heft Tomas off the floor. That's how they made their way forward: Tomas leaning heavily into Mari, as she whispered words of comfort and control; Hitoshi just tried to limit Tomas’ swaying, yet with the ship still shuddering from time to time it wasn't an easy job.
Hitoshi's hearing was starting to even out, and with the faint buzz from the alarm fading, he could hear sounds of yelling and dull thuds ahead.
Just as they were reaching the last stretch, the door ahead of them flew open. One of the crewmembers fell through the door. He had blood running over his chest and was yelling incomprehensibly. Mari pushed Tomas into Hitoshi’s side rushing ahead. The crew member managed to stagger to his feet and pointed an arm out towards the door. The gun in his hand let out a few loud bangs. Marianna froze ahead of them, Tomas mumbling and tugging Hitoshi back a few steps. Then through the door a shape started to emerge. Larger than the doorway, it ducked through the opening.
A bipedal figure of gray plating. Its arms stretched into a blade like shape, head bowed forward as its mandibles clicked against each other. It darted forward suddenly, pouncing onto the crewmember, The man screamed and flailed against the creature. Hitoshi sobbed and started tugging Tomas further back. The boy was staring, dull eyed at the blood and terror in front of them. Mari had stopped her desperate run towards the injured man, instead slowly inching away from the beast. She spun suddenly as the creature's bladelike arm sliced into the man. She grabbed at Tomas and Hitoshi and was frantically pulling them back down the way they came. In her haste she had shouldered Tomas against her and started dragging the pale boy. Hitoshi couldn't look away but at Mari's sharp call of his name he turned. The beast, now standing over blood and scales, turned at the noise. Beady eyes locked on Hitoshi.
Hitoshi ran. Sprinting after Mari and Tomas, helping the pair as they rushed away.
They made it around a corner as the creature started to follow. In the corner of Hitoshi's eye he saw another large sharp materialise out of the door the other beast had come through.
They ducked and weaved down a maze of corridors until Mari pushed open one of the side doors. Shoving Hitoshi and Tomas further in and firmly closing the door.
“Quick, grab anything that can block the door!!” Hitoshi looked around frantically. Seeing one of the moveable experiment carts and unlocking the wheels. They both pushed it in front of the door, locking it in place. Mari then spun around and started throwing anything else that wasn't melded to the floor against the cart and door.
Hitoshi was gasping loudly.
“Wh-what's happening?”
Mari released a sound that could have been a sob, “God… I don't. I don't know”
“Aliens” Tomas whispered. They both whipped their heads towards him. Sat against the wall cradling his arm. Blood was running faster now, the left side of his hair matted crimson. Mari was against his side again pulling off her jacket and pressing it to the wound on his head. Tomas moaned and tried to pull away. But even though her hands were shaking and her breathing was uneven, she maintained pressure.
“Okay yeah, probably aliens, good job Tommy. Just some stupid aliens, we can hide in here and they walk right past.”
“Dumb aliens” was Tomas' soft reply
“The dumbest. Ain't that right Shinsou?” She looked at him, almost pleading.
Hitoshi didn't know how to reply. All he could think was that it didn't matter if it was a dumb alien or not. Because, somehow it had attacked a space ship, and had done so with surprising ease. Because, Hitoshi knew that it didn't matter if the alien was stupid or not, just that it had red blood on those bladelike arms before it had even walked through the doorway. Didn't change the fact they had locked themselves in a room, knowing that there were at least two monsters behind the door.
Tomas was bleeding. Hitoshi didn't know how much blood was too much to lose, but Mari's jacket was soaking in a steady amount. His eyes were still dazed and his speech was slow and drawling.
When Hitoshi didn't answer, Mari locked her eyes on him. She seemed to evaluate him for a moment, then her face softened a bit.
“We'll figure it out, Shinsou. We can get through this. The main ship has probably noticed, so we'll get some backup. We just have to hide until then. We can protect each other." She seemed more determined as she spoke. The moment of weakness hidden again, inner conflict resolved. “I'll protect you, I promise.”
HItoshi wanted to believe her, but he kept seeing the after image of blood and grey scales, smoke from a gun trailing in the air. But he wanted to believe her, because Mari was the sharpest person he had ever met.
“Yeah, we got this. They're just dumb aliens.” He gave her a strained smile. Marianna gave him a grateful smile back.
“Okay Shinsou, you're gonna have to come over here and hold this for Tommy.” He followed her directions, delicately taking the jacket and holding it to Tomas’ head. “You gotta keep pressure on the wound, you got that Shinsou? But not too hard, his head has been knocked around enough as is.” Tomas gave a weak grunt. A weak hand landed on HItoshi's knee. Tomas’ dazed eyes focused now on Hitoshi. He patted his knee gently, and left the absent weight there.
Mari had already got up, searching around the room. Some more items made their way into the door blockage. Eventually she made a soft noise of success and brandished a metal pole the length of her forearm.
“Better than nothing I guess.” She waved it around experimentally for a moment. “How are you feeling Tommy, are you still with us?” A gentle grunt of affirmative. “Shinsou, I forgot to ask if you're okay, nothing hurts or anything?”
“No, just some bruises, my chest aches a bit but nothing too much. Are you okay?”
“Same here, nothing too bad.”
There was a clattering from behind the corridor. Mari's whole body locked in place, the metal pole held tight in her hands. Tommy whined under his breath and Hitoshi shushed him as gently as he could. The sound of claws dragging over the metal floor of the ship. A drag then a thump of sifted weight. They all waited, hoping it would pass by. But as it drew level with the door the beast slowed, a hissing and chittering sound could be heard. The handle clattered uselessly, the weight of the door held closed.
Mari gestured Hitoshi over to the door with her, pressing her weight against the blockage. Hitoshi hurried up to help. Both of them pressed against the door, listening to the scuffs and chittering. Hitoshi could hear more of them now, hissing and moving back and forth.
There was a dull thump on the other side of the door then the creatures started moving away from the door. Hitoshi raises his eyebrow at Marianna, but she is staring intently at the door. Then between one moment and the next, there is a shift in pressure. Hitoshi's arms buckle as he falls into the barricade, then he is suddenly on the floor across the room, the cart half on his left leg. He gasped as the air in the room whipped around. The cart was heavy against his leg, Hitoshi squirming under its weight.
Then Hitoshi saw movement above him and he froze. The creatures were there. One was stepping into the room, another one seeming to be guarding its back. Marianna was scrambling to her feet, swiping up the metal pole. Before it had fully made its way into the room, Mari was moving. The metal pole lands sharply against the beast, the scales denting and making a dull thump noise. It lets out a sharp hiss and Mari yells, voice breaking and desperate. Tomas is crying behind Hitoshi, his laboured breaths wet and loud. Both beasts are focused on Mari, beady eyes watching her as she prepares another swing at the creature. Hitoshi manages to slowly pry the cart off his legs and scramble towards Tomas.
Both creatures are now in the room, Mari is a wild force, swinging the pole with a frenzied power. One of her hits lands a solid blow, the first alien crumples onto the floor. The second beast swipes its bladed arm at her, slicing along the length of her arm. She stumbles back, and in between one moment and the next the beast has darted forward. It pins Mari to the wall, the dull side of the arm pressing against her throat. Her fingers rake along the armor plating. She manages to pry into the gaps of the scales, but the beast just presses harder. She is panting out breaths and her legs thump against the wall.
Hitoshi watches as her panicked struggle loses momentum. He knows that if he doesn't move now, Mari will run out of air. He stumbles up, legs weak and wobbly. He darts forward. Manages to make it half way before another beast slams into his side. They both tumble onto the floor, beast on top of Hitoshi. He pushes desperately against the scales, fingers sliding over its surface. He knows he's crying now, his vision is blurred and he sucks in sharp breaths. The beast on Hitoshi manages to flip him in his struggle, his face pressed harshly into the cold metal floor. He begs the beast, words tripping over each other, frenzied Japanese pleading for mercy. He manages to push up slightly, trying to buck the creature off him. But the beast slams him back into the floor. His head is ringing and his vision sways.
He feels a sharp prick in the back of his neck. The area turned numb quickly. Cold water runs through his blood, muscles relax and thundering heartbeat dims.
The last things Hitoshi sees are Mari, face pale and eyes bloodshot, fingers damp with her own blood, still pinned against the wall. Tomas laying on the floor, blood both dry and wet coating his face, an alien leaning over him. And a doorway that holds more of those dull grey scales.
Then everything flickers and fades.