The red atmosphere, filled with dusty winds and jagged terrain, made the journey difficult. Three figures trudged through the crimson forest, dressed in high-tech suits with filters in their helmets and rifles strapped to their backs. This alien planet was a mystery, and their mission was to gather as much data as possible.
"Captain, everything is so red... I'm going colorblind at this rate," Jose groaned.
"I can't do anything about that, Jose. We're on an unknown planet. No data, no expectations," Kai replied, glancing at his other teammate. "Izumi, how are you holding up?"
"I'm good, Captain. I could go for another few miles," she answered with a smile. The Asian-looking woman seemed unfazed.
"See? You're losing to a girl, Jose," Kai teased.
"Oh, shut up."
"What exactly are we looking for?" Izumi asked.
"Anything—rocks, plants, minerals. Keep your scanners on. We're here to collect whatever we can."
Their helmet visors, embedded with scanners, flickered with data as they walked. The forest around them was painted in shades of red: crimson leaves, dark maroon bark, and scarlet grass over deep brown soil. Even the sky filtered through the foliage in a fiery orange hue.
Suddenly, they spotted a large, dark red boulder in the middle of the forest—oddly out of place. They scan the boulder with the scanners.
"What the hell's a boulder doing out here?" Jose muttered.
Izumi stepped closer, circling it. "Captain, there's a crack here."
Kai joined her and examined it. "You're right. We'd better not touch it. We don't know what it is."
The crack suddenly widened.
"Whoa—" They stepped back instinctively.
"Hmm... It feels soft and hard at the same time?" Jose's voice came from behind the boulder.
Kai's eyes narrowed. "The hell you're doing back there, Jose?! Did you touch it?"
Jose peeked out, looking sheepish. "Was I not supposed to?"
Craaaack!
The fissure spread rapidly across the boulder. All three stepped back as the rock shattered. From within emerged... a creature. Or so they thought.
As thousands of boulder pieces fall to the ground, the creature inside stretches and wakes up. The being resembled an ostrich, but it was much larger, covered in thick dark fur. It blinked at the trio, curious—until its eyes turned a glowing red.
Shreeeek!
The creature hissed aggressively. Jose reached for his gun.
"Don't shoot!" Kai ordered.
"Are you serious?! It wants to kill us!"
"This is its planet. We're the aliens!"
"I don't give a fuck!"
As the two argued, Izumi's voice cut through.
"Guys! It's moving—RUN!"
They turned to see the creature emerging fully from the cracked shell, preparing to charge.
"RUN!!!" Kai shouted, sprinting off.
Jose and Izumi followed, the beast chasing them with terrifying speed. Its long legs devoured the distance between them.
Kai surged ahead, with Jose behind and Izumi struggling at the rear.
"How the fuck you're so fast, bastard?!" Jose shouted, panting. Kai's speed is way above his.
"Just run!" Kai snapped back, ignoring Jose's
"Guys... I can't..." Izumi's pace faltered. She panted, her legs giving in. Her pace is getting slower as she is panting heavily. Her face looks pale and sweaty.
Jose glanced back. "Mierda! You're too slow!"
He slowed, scooped her up in his arms, and sprinted with all his strength.
Even with her helmet on, Izumi was clearly blushing, flustered by the unexpected princess carry.
Up ahead, the Spinner—their flying vehicle—came into view. As they neared, both doors slid open automatically.
"Backseat! I'll drive!" Kai shouted.
He leapt into the pilot's seat. Jose followed, still carrying Izumi, and jumped into the passenger side. The doors sealed shut just as the creature lunged.
"GO!" Jose yelled.
Kai pulled up sharply. The Spinner shot into the sky, leaving the enraged creature screeching below.
Inside the cockpit, tension slowly lifted. Their hearts pounded, sweat dripped down their backs, but they were safe.
"Uhm, you can put me down now..." Izumi murmured, cheeks still pink.
"Huh?" Jose blinked, then realized he was still holding her. "Right. Sorry."
He gently set her down. She sat across from him, glancing away.
"Arigato—I mean, thank you. You saved me," she whispered.
They removed their helmets, breathing in the filtered cabin air at last.
"Take mine off, too, please," Kai said.
Izumi leaned forward, unclipping his helmet and setting it aside.
"Thanks," he exhaled.
"You're welcome."
Jose collapsed against the wall, eyes wide, mouth agape.
"Dramatic much?" Kai smirked.
"We ran a mile with that demon bird behind us! Izumi almost got eaten!" Jose grumbled, dragging himself into the co-pilot seat.
"That's normal. I used to run five miles a day in training," Kai replied nonchalantly.
"You're a freak of nature. Don't compare yourself with a normal soldier like me," Jose muttered, slapping him on the back.
Izumi giggled softly at their antics. The Spinner docked smoothly into the Odyssey's bay. Mechanics swarmed the vehicle, while a team waited to collect the data.
The trio headed to the locker room, showered, changed, and split up. Jose and Izumi returned to their rooms.
"See ya later, Captain." Jose waves as he returns to his room.
Izumi bows down a bit before following suit.
Men's and women's dorms are separated by a wall in the middle to prevent them from entering the opposite gender's dorm without permission.
Kai walked to the infirmary, where Natasha is working.
I missed her.
Inside, Natasha sat reviewing medical logs on her tablet. She looked up and smiled. Her eyes were looking at him with love and affection, glad to see her man back. The planet exploration took around six hours. Clearly, she missed him too.
"Oh, you're back, love. How's the planet?"
"It was interesting," Kai said, stepping behind her and wrapping his arms around her. "But I'll tell you tonight. Right now, I just want to be with you."
She leaned into him, her red hair smelling faintly of roses.
After everything that had happened, this quiet moment was all he needed.