“Hey worm.” Sadie froze as a leg crushed the street in front of her, so big it blocked her path. So close. She was so close to getting into the city without being stopped. She had to crane her head so far back it hurt her neck. The ursa guard was four meters high and probably four hundred kilograms of muscle and fur. It wore white security pants and boots, but its wide torso was bare. It was completely unfazed by the frozen hellscape. “What are you doing out of your hole?”

“Seeking one of my own.”

The wind howled, almost ripping her hood and words away. The ursa squinted in confusion and leaned over, causing her heart to beat even harder. The weather, the thick cloth wrapped around her face, and an ursa’s poor hearing meant she had to shout. But if her shout was perceived as an order or a threat, he might break every bone in her body. Instinct screamed for her to run.

“Seeking one of my own!” she repeated, her voice squeaking in fear as those teeth loomed closer. She could actually feel the heat coming out of his wide nostrils. Supposedly they were called ursa because of their resemblance to Earth bears. Sadie didn’t know what a bear looked like, but this ursa had royal blue fur, black beady eyes, and a head bigger than her torso. He rested a rifle larger than her in one hand, but he didn’t need it for her kind. He could crush her with one hand.

“The reservation know you’re out here?” the ursa’s voice rumbled, sounding unsure whether he wanted to pester her or find something more important to do. Sadie nodded and pulled at the cord looped over her shoulder. It was attached to a large black disc almost a half meter wide. It wasn’t made for human convenience; everything else here was bigger than them. The guard put his paw on it, thumbing a permission screen. It showed Sadie’s picture and stated she was allowed in the city until nightfall.

“Show me your face.”

He probably didn’t mean to bellow, but it sounded like a warning to her small ears. Sadie quickly tucked her hood and unwrapped her face, which took a frantic few seconds because of the multiple layers. He studied her features, looking for anything that would show her pass was a fake. It didn’t help that most of the humans on this planet looked the same. Dark skin, dark eyes, short black hair, and frighteningly skinny. Sadie’s face was gaunt with highly pronounced cheekbones. The freezing temperature might not bother an ursa, but she was shivering to her core. The falling sleet was making microscopic cuts across her now exposed face.

“Don’t shake too much, little worm. Something might eat you here.” The ursa chuckled and dropped her identifier. “The only others of your kind will be in the spaceport. Go.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled, quickly pulling the cloth back over her head and cinching her hood tight. Another dangerous gamble, staying warm while limiting her view. Not everything at the spaceport was as big as an ursa, but this was their city. One might accidentally kick her in the same way a human might stumble over a toddler scurrying through a crowd. Sadie stuck to the side of the street, which also cut down on the wind. There was a chance something might accidentally, or purposefully, shove her into the wall, but at least nobody could trip her into oncoming traffic.

The massive doors to the spaceport slid open and a rush of warmth enveloped Sadie. There was snow on the grates and she did her part to stomp the white frost off herself before proceeding. It wasn’t that it was hot in here; it just wasn’t freezing. There was a lack of wind and with the exhaust of a dozen ships and their associated shops, it could almost be considered comfortable. The air smelled acrid, but it was better than the mines. The domed building would protect the ships and their even more valuable cargo from the elements.

“Worm.”

A large hand took hold of her shoulder before Sadie went flying into the corner. She’d stayed in the entryway too long, and someone had decided to move her out of the way. It wasn’t the worst hit she’d ever taken, but it took a minute for her breath to come back. Still shaky, she limped to her feet and kept moving. She couldn’t appear to be any weaker than she already was.

Sadie had never been in the spaceport before. It was surprisingly boring. She’d heard stories of spaceports being full of color and architectural designs from a half dozen alien races merging. This was none of that. Gray cement floors and walls as far as the eye could see, with armored glass for a number of businesses. The only color came from bright blue lights which mimicked this world’s sun. Sadie always wondered if the sun was supposed to be blue or if it was just the endless storm that made it seem that way. Either way, it was dreary in here, even if it was warmer. She pulled her hood down and unwrapped the top half of her head. Now, where was her contact?

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

She spent a while wandering the many halls, looking for any other humans. Peering through the windows didn’t help because the stupid ursas blocked any human shaped sized creatures from sight. Nobody bothered her as long as she made it a point to get out of their way. There was plenty of scoffing and name calling, but nobody was breaking her for fun yet.

“Hey!” hissed a voice. A maintenance shaft she hadn’t noticed before was cracked open, and a human hand was beckoning her over. The metal hatch opened and she saw two men and a woman on the other side. “Get in here!” Sadie rushed in and they quickly locked the door behind her.

“What are you doing out there?” asked a man. “Are you trying to get broken?”

“No, I’m looking for one of ours.”

“There’s a few of us running around the spaceport, be a little more specific,” suggested the other man. “You from the reservation?”

“Yes. My grandma sent me. She said to find the Bastion fighter.” The two men whistled.

“Haven’t heard anyone talk about them in years,” said the first.

“Is there one here?” asked the second.

“If there is, I think I know where,” said the woman. “Why do you need a man like that?”

“Our reservation is in great danger. Grandma said to get him.”

“They’re dangerous, child.”

Sadie didn’t know what the woman was saying child for, she didn’t look to be too much older than her. Then again, age was a hard thing to guess these days. The type of work they did heavily influenced their looks, and these three looked like they were eating pretty well. They were probably rats; helpers who crawled into places bigger species couldn’t.

“They don’t come cheap,” said the second man. “I doubt you have anything worth their time.”

“I don’t,” she replied quickly. The last thing she needed was for the few humans here to mug her. “Grandma said she has information he’ll want.”

“Information? Could work,” said the first, rubbing his chin. “He could still kill you for inconveniencing him.”

“We don’t kill our own!” snapped the second, whacking the other upside the head. The man took it with a scowl.

“Bastion fighters aren’t us.”

“Will you help me?” urged Sadie.

“Yes.” The woman took her by the arm and led her back to the hatch. “The one you’re seeking is in a bar called Mercy’s House. It’s not far from here.”

“Oh him,” said the first. “It bothers me to think of him.”

“Why?” asked Sadie.

“You’ll see,” said the woman. She gave some quick directions and asked if Sadie understood. Sadie did. Years in the mines had made her very good at directions in areas where everything looked the same. “Good. We’d get you closer, but it’s all of our hides if you’re caught in here.”

“Clear,” whispered the first as he peered out of the maintenance hatch. They hurried Sadie out and disappeared back into the wall.

Mercy’s House wasn’t hard to find, but it was the last place she wanted to enter. There were a couple of alien races here, and as far as she could see, everyone was armed. It was probably a hangout for mercenaries. This was the type of place humans went into and never left again. Praying her fellow humans hadn’t sold her for sport, she pressed inside and tried to locate her man. The patrons looked just as surprised at her appearance, and a few shot glances toward the back. Hoping they were looking at the only other human, she moved with a purpose.

The sight of him almost made her stop next to hungry aliens. Pale skin and gold hair. She’d only heard legends that humans came in different colors. She’d heard rumors of people with these traits, but she doubted anyone in the reservation had ever seen one. He was big too; taller and stronger than any man she’d ever met. Here was a human who hadn’t grown up on rations since birth. She looked for the mark grandma had mentioned, but the only uncovered part of his body was his face. He wore a plain brown jacket, over a grey shirt with dark pants. Without thinking, she stopped at his table and bowed.

“It is good to see one of our own.”

“And to you.” He bowed his head slightly. Sadie held her breath. His eyes were green. Could human eyes be green?

“My reservation needs your help.” The man sighed and leaned forward.

“Listen, every reservation needs help. If we didn’t need help, 99% of our species wouldn’t exist on reservations.”

“We could be killed in a coming war.”

“And you think one person can help you?” No, she didn’t, but grandma had been very insistent she find him. “You should get out of here. There’s a bug already looking to eat you.”

“A bug? Here?” She trembled, but resisted the urge to turn around and look for it. She must not provoke it.

The man shrugged. “All kinds come here. It probably won’t attack you, but keep an eye out when you leave.”

“Please. We have information to trade,” pleaded Sadie.

“This one staying?” asked an ursa. This one was bringing a massive drink over to the man and looked to be the bartender. The man gave a dismissive wave.

“She’ll be leaving.”

“Come on, worm,” said the ursa, placing a surprisingly gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Your friend with the tattoo,” she said, suddenly. “Grandma said to mention your friend with the tattoo.” The ursa paused, looking down at her and then back to the man. The man’s bored composure had changed to interest.

“Get the girl something hot, please. She’ll be staying after all. And tell that bug if it keeps looking at my table it’ll be on your menu tomorrow.” The bartender nodded slowly and took his hand off Sadie. The man motioned for her to sit.

“You’d better have a good story.”