Time passed, days blending into one another. By Earth's standards, just over two months had gone by, and no one had come for us, which was undeniably a relief. However, some things had changed. The daylight hours grew shorter and shorter, signaling the approach of winter. We didn’t know how harsh it would be on this planet or how long it might last, but it was already clear that rainy weather was becoming more frequent than clear skies, and edible fruits were becoming harder to find. Even though we had managed to gather decent reserves, I was worried it might not be enough.
Nevertheless, we continued to survive and adapt to this wild, uninhabited planet. I had studied all the documentation available to me inside and out, to the point where I could confidently say I was no longer a useless burden. At the very least, I could now analyze various substances and elements, knew how to activate and deactivate cryo-capsules, process data from their digital assistants, and even diagnose and fix some simple errors and malfunctions. Most excitingly, I had learned how to pilot the ship using its AI. Granted, I lacked practical experience, and some sensors were damaged, but at least in an emergency, I could attempt to take action.
Neight had recovered from his fracture. His bones had healed, and he was finally free of the cast that had long restricted his movements. Although he was still undergoing rehabilitation, he had already resumed hunting and occasionally took me along. While I mostly observed from a distance and didn’t actively participate, I was ready to back him up in case of a predator attack.
It was worth mentioning that my shooting skills had noticeably improved thanks to Neight. He had set up a small training range for me not far from our ship, carving targets into the bark of trees. At first, I constantly missed and felt like there was no progress at all, but over time, the results became apparent. Right now, I was in the middle of one of my evening training sessions.
It was the first half of the day, and although it was still light outside, the local star was hidden behind clouds, only occasionally breaking through to cast golden beams through the gaps. The air was humid and slightly cool from the frequent rains, but I enjoyed the fresh scent. With every breath, I could smell the sweet aroma of grass and tree leaves, which faintly reminded me of home. It smelled like autumn.
"What are you thinking about?"
Neight’s sudden question pulled me out of my deep thoughts and back into reality.
"Oh, sorry. I got distracted," I admitted. "I was just remembering life on Earth. I’m ready to start."
He looked at me, then tilted his head slightly to the side. Knowing Neight, I could bet that at that moment, behind his helmet, a soft, indulgent smile had appeared on his face.
"All right, you may begin," he said calmly, then added, "Just don’t rush. The trees aren’t going anywhere."
"Ha-ha, very funny," I replied sarcastically to his jab.
I focused and looked ahead at the mark, which was about seven meters away. In my hands was a pistol I had been learning to shoot with for some time. As it turned out, the heavy energy gun wasn’t the only weapon in our arsenal. The pistol felt much lighter and fired shorter, weaker energy bursts that could still hit a target but were less likely to cause fatal injuries. I suspected why Neight was teaching me to use it. If our enemies turned out to be anthropomorphic androids—or even… humans—then the pistol would be more practical.
Aiming at the mark, I fired three consecutive shots. Each shot produced a brief flash as it flew forward, hitting the tree trunk and leaving small, charred black marks on the bark. Two of them were fairly close to the center of the target, but the third one veered slightly upward. Without stopping, I took a few steps to the side and fired another series of shots at the next target, repeating this until I finished with the fifth and final one. Afterward, I exhaled and began mentally analyzing my mistakes.
Damn, I rushed too much with the first target. And on the last one, my hand wobbled. Yeah… I’ve got a lot to improve on.
"You’re definitely making progress," Neight praised me.
However I already knew that his praise was usually followed by a list of mistakes to work on. And this time, I wasn’t wrong.
"But there are still areas you need to work on," he began. "First, your stance is off. You’re spreading your legs too far apart and leaning forward too much. Second, you rushed again. You didn’t maintain the proper interval between shots, and as a result, your aim was off. I think you can see that yourself."
Stolen story; please report.
"Yes…" I said, slightly disheartened by his criticism, though deep down, I understood he was doing it to help me.
He kept pointing out the problem areas, not missing the slightest detail, as if he were analyzing each of my actions under a microscope. I just listened attentively and nodded silently. After all, all I could do was keep learning. One thing made me feel better—surprisingly, Neight was a good teacher.
"Any questions?" he asked calmly when he finished his review.
"No, everything's clear."
"Good. Then try again."
Nodding in agreement, I positioned myself in front of the first target again, raised my right arm with the pistol aimed at the mark, and supported it with my left, slightly bent at the elbow. Just as I was about to make my first shot, I heard a dissatisfied sigh. That meant I had already made a mistake somewhere.
Come on, Emma, it’s clearly the stance. What did we just talk about? The grip seems right, the left foot is in front. What’s wrong?
I had to think quickly; otherwise, Neight would jump in to correct me again, and I really didn’t want that right now. For some reason, his touch made me feel strange, causing a slight panic and loss of focus. Naturally, that didn’t help my aim, so I wanted to avoid it.
The stance… the stance… Oh, right, legs!
Realizing I was repeating the same mistake, I moved my left foot slightly closer to me and felt that I had achieved a more stable position. Carefully, I turned my head toward Neight to check his reaction and see if I was doing everything right. He nodded approvingly and gave me a thumbs-up, which made me exhale with relief and refocus on the target.
After firing another series of shots, I noticed that while the results were still not perfect, they were better than before. Pride filled me. Even though I knew there was still a long way to go, I could feel good about myself for today. The training session was definitely a success.
----------------------------------------
It was probably dark outside by now. During the second half of the day, we usually stayed on the ship, as it was safer that way. Neight would often retreat to the cockpit to work on his important tasks, only emerging for meals when it was time. Occasionally, I managed to convince him to take a break and play something like Battleship or a word game where you had to guess the answer based on leading questions. While I mostly lost, I had fun. After all, it wasn’t always about work. Even in tough situations, you need to find time for small joys. Besides, I got special satisfaction when I finally managed to beat that genius! Right now, I was particularly eager for a rematch after losing our last game a few days ago.
"Hey, Neight," I started casually, "how about taking a day off today? We could play… I don’t know... charades, for example."
I didn’t choose that game by accident. I was especially good at it, while Neight, on the other hand, was hilariously bad. I had noticed that when it came to creative thinking and imagination, he struggled. His attempt to guess when I imitated a chicken—walking in circles, arms bent at the elbows and flapping like wings—was a prime example. Neight, seeing this action, widened his eyes and looked at me as if I was crazy. At that moment I couldn’t help but laugh so hard I almost hurt my stomach. And the way he tried to act out a traffic light was too funny to even think about without giggling.
"N-not charades," Neight replied, a slight blush appearing on his face. But he quickly composed himself and continued calmly, "And actually, I’ll pass for today."
His answer didn’t sit well with me, as I was determined to play something with him and win. It was a gambler’s thrill that gripped me, refusing to let me back down, like a card player who had lost everything but was sure luck would finally turn in their favor this time. Besides, I didn’t have much else to do, and rereading documentation didn’t sound appealing.
"Oh, come on. We can pick another game. Your data isn’t going anywhere; take a break."
He looked at me warmly, a faint smile lifting the corners of his lips.
"Next time. I’ll finally finish my work completely today, and then we’ll have plenty of time."
"Really? That’s wonderful!"
Hearing this news, I unexpectedly felt an incredible surge of happiness. It was the kind of joy you feel when you celebrate someone else’s success—a friend acing an important test after weeks of preparation or your parents completing a major, long-awaited research project. For the first time, I realized that I was starting to grow attached to Neight in some way.
That’s good, right?
"Yes, it really is," Neight agreed.
I felt slightly embarrassed, as if he had responded not to my spoken words but to what I was thinking at that moment.
Meanwhile, Neight headed toward the door to leave the cabin, but he stopped just before touching the control panel. He turned to me, and I noticed his gaze was full of doubt, which alarmed me. His mood had changed abruptly. Something was clearly troubling him; he even opened his mouth, seemingly about to say something, but hesitated. Pressing lips together and lowering the brow, he quickly averted his now sorrowful gaze and hurried out of the cabin, leaving me puzzled.