Prologue

Garfield County, Colorado

April 20th, 2030

-Main POV: Deraj-

“Trajectory is off. Prepare for impact. Impact in ten minutes,” said a feminine computerized voice.

Deraj opened his eyes and took stock of his surroundings in a quick sweep. He stood in a cryostasis chamber with his back resting against the wall behind him. The walls were a pristine white and far enough apart for him to stretch and just barely touch both the walls on either side of him with his finger tips. Through the clear door in front of him he could see the command center. It consisted of a black leather high back chair that was bolted to the floor of the spacecraft with a wall of buttons and levers in front of it. The spaceship's control wheel sat in the middle of that wall, directly in front of the captain's chair.

Next, Deraj took stock of his body. He turned his head left, then right. He fisted his hands then lifted his arms. He lifted his right leg- or tried to. Lower body is still frozen.

“Impact in five minutes,"

“Increase defrost to the lower body,” he commanded. He needed to switch autopilot off and take control to have a smooth landing, but he couldn't until he could move. That was the one downside to the new ships, they still had bugs to work out- including their auto landing.

“Defrost increased,” the machine confirmed as heat blasted his legs to get the blood flowing.

Deraj had been in cryostasis since he had programmed the ship's coordinates, however long ago that was now. He was alone in the spaceship and didn't have anything to occupy his time so he'd decided to sleep for the duration of the trip.

He tried to lift his left leg. Still frozen. He rubbed his legs up and down. Come on. Come on!

“Impact in three minutes,"

He tried his right leg- nothing. He tried his left- success! He slapped his hand on the clear door in front of him and said, “Open sesame," The door slid aside and he dragged his right leg behind him like a zombie as he exited the cryo chamber.

“Impact in two minutes,"

Damnit. Damnit. Damnit. Come on, almost there. He reached the captain's chair and threw himself into it.

“Turn off autopilot,” he commanded as he reached out to grab the control wheel. Through the window in front of him he saw a two story red brick home. The front porch was right in the path that his ship was preparing to land. I hope they have homeowners insurance.

“Access denied. Code 023. Impact is imminent. Impact in one minute,"

Shit. Shit. Shit. “Code 023 override, authorization 254. Grant access to your captain.”

“Overriding. Switching off autopilot. Impact in ten seconds.”

He pulled the control wheel as far back, towards him, as it would go. The ship lurched up- right into the second story of the home.

“You have arrived at your destination,"

“You are a piece of shit, you bitch-in-a-box!” Deraj shouted.

“Command unrecognized. Repeat,"

“You. Are. A. Piece. Of. Shit.”

“Ship’s bathroom is in the back, down the stairs, and on the right. Do you require lights to guide you?”

Deraj growled as he stood and tested his right leg again. Still frozen. He zombie-walked back to the cryochamber.

“Defrost lower body. And initiate a full body scan," He didn't bother requesting a scan outside the ship. That scan, as well as a scan of the planet's technology, began automatically as soon as it landed.

“Defrost activated. Full body scan will be complete in two minutes. Would you like me to count down for you?”

“No! No more counting down for you,"

“Command recognized. Count down option turned off. Violation of code 321 sent to the commanding officer,"

“I fucking hate you. The old ships were way better! They never should have upgraded to you. You are a sickness in technology!”

“Command recognized. Preparing a blow up doll for your lonely shipman’s sickness,"

“I don't need a fucking blow up doll! I need you to work right!” he growled as heat spread through his cheeks.

“Confirmed. Ship is working correctly. Men fuck blow up dolls,"

“Shut up and give me an update on the scan!” he grumbled.

“Command not recognized. Unable to shut up and provide an update. Scanning for brain damage. According to this planet's information verifications called ‘memes’, men here are at a high risk of brain damage,"

Deraj breathed in slowly through his nose, then exhaled through his mouth just as slowly. It's just a machine. Don't kill the computer. Don't let it get to you. You're better than this. Utilize the tool, or you become a tool. “No. Give me an update on the scan,"

“Scan complete as of two minutes ago.”

Is this thing fucking with me? It can't be serious. I am SO filing a report about this! “What are the results of the scan?”

“No broken bones or internal damage detected. No brain damage. In human speak ‘you are fine, you big baby.’”

Fuck being rational! I'm going to kill it!

“The surrounding area scan is complete. One male life form is deceased. One female life form is critical. One female life form armed with a primitive weapon once called a ‘club’ but now called a ‘baseball bat’. The air is not toxic and it does not rain acid here. Although, there appears to be life forms here that ingest acid called ‘LSD’. Information conflicting, some state that it is harmful while others claim that it is ‘mind blowing’ and they say that as if it is a good thing. Shall I continue to research this L. S. D?”

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Deraj lifted his right leg. Sweet success! He walked out of the cryo chamber and stopped beside it in front of a white wall. “Not right now. I have a situation to take care of. Unlock the weapons closet,"

“Weapons closet is now unlocked,"

There was a soft hiss as the lock disengaged then a portion of the wall eased to the side to reveal the new room. Deraj walked in and viewed the rows of shelves stacked with weapons of all types and calibers. He strapped a flamethrower pistol to the left side of his chest holster and an ice crystallizer to the other side. A freeze ray to his right ankle. A blood boiler to his left ankle. A razor blade was tied onto each of the shoelaces on his combat boots. His combat boots themselves were weaponized, a blade popping out of the front of each when he tapped his heels together. He looked himself over in the mirror at the back of the weapons closet. He grabbed a jagged knife and strapped it to his waist in a holster. Good to go.

Deraj exited the closet and walked to the wall beside the command center that would open up to the outside. He pressed his hand to the wall. “Open sesame,"

A soft hiss sounded as the wall slid open. Drywall dust rained down throughout the room. Sticking out from under the spaceship was a man's bare feet and shins. Oops. There was a small, bloody, motionless body lying on a bed in the far corner of the room. Between him and the bed was the woman with the baseball bat, aimed and ready to swing at him. She was yelling in a language that sounded like gibberish. There were pieces of a dresser and clothes throughout the room along with glass shards from a mirror.

Deraj held up his finger in a one minute gesture to the angry woman. He glanced over at the ship and the hole that it had made. The Scarlet SX was made to blend into its surroundings. Currently, half of it looked like the night sky and the other half blended into the wreckage of the room. As soon as the Scarlet SX landed, it scanned the planet's current fashion to be able to transform into a compact version that would camouflage with its surroundings that way.

Deraj placed his palm to the ship and said “Abracadabra,"

The massive ship shrank and became a shiny pink backpack with a unicorn on the front pocket. He blinked at it. Seriously? That's what the ship found as “normal” for this world?!

“There are ‘ear buds’ in my pocket. Put one in your ear," The ship's voice sounded distant. He picked it up and strapped it on, retrieving the ear buds and placing one in his ear. I feel ridiculous. He looked down at the man. The bloody, broken, very dead looking man in red flannel pants. Bad spaceship.

“Ship, initiate language translator.”

“New translator app downloaded. Translating Sassy For the Classy,"

“Scarlet, what language does this species use?”

“Oh sure, it's ‘Scarlet’ when you want something.”

“Uh, what?” What the hell is wrong with this ship?

Instead of words, there was an odd sound in response to his query. What was that? It sounded like a huff. Did the ship seriously just huff at me?!

“You are in Garfield County, Colorado. The language is likely English. Obvs,"

Deraj clenched his fists. “Analyze the language for the creatures here and turn on my auto translator,"

“The HUMANS can understand you. Starting……” he heard a loud beep. “Now,"

“-if my daughter doesn't make it, I will personally introduce you to it. I will make you beg for death, you bastard! Oh God, my baby! Get your head out of your ass and do something! You alien bastard!” the woman screamed at him.

“Tell her you come in pieces. I saw it in a movie," Scarlet suggested.

Deraj took a deep breath and focused on the woman. She had long, curly blonde hair and pale green eyes. She wore gray sweatpants and a matching baggy t-shirt, both covered in her daughter's blood. “Ma'am, it's going to be okay. I'm a Nekawa. A type of alien bastard that can heal others. I just need you to put your weapon down. Okay?”

“No! I'm not stupid! I don't trust you. You are a stranger in my home. You just killed my husband and possibly my little girl!” her voice broke at the end and she wiped her tears on her shirt sleeve.

“Listen lady. Your daughter doesn't have to die. But. I. Am. NOT. Having you behind me with a weapon. Understand?”

She lowered the baseball bat but held on to it as she moved to the head of the bed so that she wouldn't be behind him.

Good enough. Deraj moved to the side of the bed where the woman had been standing and looked down at the little girl. She was about seven, with curly golden blond hair like her mother's. Her eyes were closed. She wore pink pajamas with unicorns and rainbows on them, almost an exact match for his new backpack if the clothes weren't covered in blood. A large glass shard stuck out of her chest.

He looked at the mother. “I'm going to cut her shirt off, remove the glass shard, place my hand over the wound, and heal her. The cut will close, leaving only a scar," Because of her young age. If she was older, she wouldn't scar. Probably. She is a different species after all. Shit. I hope this works.

The mother nodded her head. “Do what you have to do to save my baby. Please hurry," She shifted a glance at her deceased husband.

“I cannot save him. He's already gone," As Deraj spoke, the woman nodded and waved her hand in an impatient gesture towards her daughter for him to continue.

“I need a pair of scissors, Scarlet,"

“There are scissors in my right pocket. Be careful, they are sharp,” Scarlet replied.

Deraj reached into the pocket and retrieved the scissors as he mumbled to himself about bitchy robots and ungrateful humans. He carefully cut the girl's shirt away. He reached for the glass shard but paused before touching it. “You don't have to watch this. It might be best if you look away,"

“Shut up and get it over with. Now," Tears streamed down the woman's face as she released one hand from the death grip on the baseball bat to hold her daughter's hand.

Deraj took a deep breath, grabbed the glass shard, and slowly released his breath as he carefully removed it. Blood gushed out from her chest cavity and the little girl drew in a rattling breath. Deraj threw the shard on the floor with his left hand as he placed his right hand over the wound. His hand began to glow a soft amethyst. The little girl drew in another rattling breath. Shit. It's not working. I'm going to have to give her my blood. Shitshitshit. Please don't bond to me, child.

He removed his hand long enough to grip the scissors and cut his left wrist. He put his right hand back over the wound and it lit up again. He placed his now bleeding left wrist over the little girl's mouth.

“What the fuck are you doing?” the mother demanded.

He blinked, realizing she was right beside him reaching for his bleeding wrist. He shook his head at her.

“I'm saving her. Open her mouth or she is going to die. She needs my blood. She's too far gone for the healing hand alone to save her," Without a pause the woman shifted her focus from removing his hand to prying open her daughter's mouth. The blood poured down the little girl's throat. She coughed and sputtered but eventually she swallowed it. Deraj breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the wound mending itself.

The little girl opened her eyes and screamed. He lifted his hands in surrender as her pale green eyes took him in. Thank the Gods, they aren't amethyst. She didn't bond with me.

He breathed another sigh of relief but it got stuck in his throat as the little girl looked down at herself. Her naked, bloody chest that still had skin weaving back together. She must have seen the scissors on the bed beside her in her peripheral. She grabbed them and lunged at him. Shitshitshit. Don't kill a little girl. Especially one that you just saved.

The scissors sank into his right hand as he lowered his hands to block his throat.

“Ow. That was not nice. I just saved your life, child. A simple thank you would suffice," He grumbled as he ripped the scissors out.

“I'll take my leave now. I think enough damage has been done to all of us. Good evening ladies," He threw the scissors on the floor and walked towards the hole in the wall.

The mom pulled a shirt over the girl's head. “We must leave now, Misha. Now!”

Deraj paused to glance over at them. Why do they need to leave? He shrugged. Not my circus, not my flying monkey. He jumped out the window. Even though he jumped from two stories up the landing didn't phase him.

After ten minutes of walking, a strange buzzing sound began in his backpack. “Scarlet, what is that noise?”

He heard laughing from his backpack and stopped abruptly. Scarlet, a computerized spaceship, is laughing?! What the fuck is going on?!

“Your communication device is called a cell phone here, that is what it is disguised as. You are receiving a phone call,” Scarlet replied.

Deraj hid behind a tree, slid the backpack off, reached inside and fished around until he found the vibrating device. He pushed the green button that reminded him of a go light on his planet. Nothing happened. “Scarlet, I'm pressing the button but nothing is happening,"

“I do not understand your question. Rephrase,"

“How do I answer this device?” he gritted out.

“It is a touch screen. There are no buttons. You slide the green button.”

“Now who's being confusing? You just said there are no buttons then told me to slide the button.”

“Your caller will be disconnected in 3, 2,” she began.

He slid the green button. “Hello?”

“Deraj. It's a pleasant surprise that you aren't dead! I received an email notice of a violation of code 321 about you, from you. Yet I have not received confirmation of your arrival on the planet of Gaia. I received the email almost an hour ago. I expected to hear from you by now. It worried me. A lot is hinging on you and your discretion. I want an update. Now,” his commander stated.

“Sir, that email can be dismissed. The spaceship has been acting up and you will receive a full report on it. We, I mean I, have landed. The Scarlet SX did not wake me up in time to avoid a crash landing. We collided with a house. A man was killed by the landing. I one hundred percent blame the new spaceship, sir. You will get a full report on that as well, once I reach a safe location. I had to revive a little girl. She was also damaged in the landing. Her and her mother are the only ones who have seen me and the ship,"

“That's not good. You need to erase their memories. Or just kill them. That would be easier. But since you are the soldier in the field I will let you decide which will be best. Also, you've been in the sky for 300 years, that ship is not new anymore. What we, uh, I mean, the engineers forgot to tell you is that the spacecraft is an AI. You know, artificial intelligence. Kids and their technology these days. Anyway, it will learn everything, including emotions. Might want to be nice to it. Some owners here have been killed by theirs... Your Scarlet SX is the last one remaining, the rest were taken off the market five years after you left. And those ones didn't even go through the 300 years of isolation that yours has. We sent five men to Gaia after that because we thought your ship had killed you when you didn't respond to our messages. So expect reinforcements in a few years. And I'll expect that report by this evening.”

Oh, shit. Oh, fuck. “I cannot kill the little girl, sir. I… Well, I had to give her my blood. There was no other way-”

“You gave a foreign species, a child, your blood?! Are you out of your mind?! What if she bonds with you?”

“No worries, sir. She didn't.”

“Crazy and stupid. She's a child. You won't know until she reaches her species’ age of adulthood. Maybe even a few years after that, depending on how developed her brain is by then. Just clean up your mess. And protect that child for the next twenty or so years if you want to ensure you live. Get me that report asap. Be safe.”

“Yes, sir. Be safe," Click. Fuckfuckfuckfuck. No. She couldn't have bonded with me. She's a different species, over a thousand years younger than me. Fate wouldn't be that cruel. Hopefully. Please Fate, don't be that cruel.

Deraj shoved the phone back into the backpack then positioned it on his back. He retraced his steps back through the trees to the broken house. He jumped back up through the hole. The room was in the same state of wreckage as he left it but it was now empty of inhabitants. The entire house was quiet.

Something isn't right. He looked around the room. The man's body was gone. Did they take it with them?

He searched the rest of the house. Empty room after empty room. The rest of the house was in pristine condition, so clean and organized that it didn't look like anyone had really lived here. The other bedrooms had only a bed and a dresser. The living room had a leather couch and a TV that sat on a stand, not even plugged in. Where could they have gone so quickly? Why did they leave? Why does it look like they had only just moved in? Why didn't I even ask their names? Damn it!