Fallen Star (TheWanderer and darkangel76)

It had been nearly a year since the ordeal, since that horrible and dark time in her life when everything she knew had suddenly changed. Never had she known such darkness, such hate. Never had she expected her people to turn on her so easily. She’d nearly become a child of Eire, the patron goddess of her mountain village of Eirys, so named for the divine lady watching over them all. It had stung deeply at how quickly they’d forgotten. How quickly they could push such notions aside. And all in the name of something she couldn’t control…

Carys heaved a heavy sigh as she looked out into the distance. The air was bitingly cold and the winds blew hard in between the Calder Mountains. Pulling her heavy cloak tighter about her slim body, she gripped her staff hard, her hands nearly hurting from doing so. Shivering just a bit, she knew she’d have to turn in soon. Dark would be upon her and with that, she could sense that a small storm would be passing her way. She’d need to find shelter in the cave or something similar, at least for the night, until the storm left the vicinity. Taking in a deep breath, she knew it would be short lived. She could smell it. Besides, Eleni had told her as much.

‘It’s a small storm, lady. Won’t last but the night.’

Eleni’s words were clear in Carys’ mind and the great bird of prey was never wrong when it came to the weather of Calder. Not ever. The great reptilian like bird was old, had seen many suns and moons in her time. It made Carys grateful to have befriended her.

Just then, Carys heard a low growl, two of them to be precise. One definitely that of a wolf, another definitely that of a cat. She turned her head to face the direction of the soft snarling sounds. In the shadows, only feet behind her, she could make out the lean and muscled silhouettes of both Luke and Orrin. Luke was the first to move, his wolf like body slinking stealthily toward the young woman. She gave him a smile as his eyes glowed a brilliant shade of blue.

“Don’t worry, Luke. It’ll be all right,” Carys whispered as she reached out a delicate hand to stroke the wolf’s back.

Luke let out a growl of approval and nuzzled against Carys’ leg. ‘It’s not the storm I worry about, Rys. There’s something… else.’

Carys quirked a brow at Luke’s odd thought.

‘The wolf is right,’ came another thought. It was Orrin. Slowly, he stalked forward, approaching Carys from the other side.

Orrin purred loudly as he rubbed his strong body against Carys’. His black fur shone sleek and silky in the moonlight. Carys then removed her hand from Luke’s back so that she could reach over and stroke the large cat affectionately. Her fingers found his scaled back first before they moved over the rest of his body, which was soft and furry and warm.

Luke and Orrin had been with Carys much longer than Eleni. The young woman hadn’t met the great bird until after she’d left her home. For good. Banished forever, never to return unless she wanted to face death. As it was, she still faced it. Every day. The rangers of her home sent out scouts nearly every week to search for her, in hopes to cleanse the mountains of her once and for all. It hurt badly that the people she once loved could act so brashly, out of anger and lack of understanding. She supposed the fear of the unknown could be rather overwhelming. But these people had known her, had loved her.

Carys heaved a heavy sigh just then, but quickly pushed her memories of the past aside. There was a storm coming and both Luke and Orrin seemed ill at ease. She needed to know why.

“Why do you say that, Orrin?” Carys asked, her one hand still gripping her staff tightly.

‘Something in the air is off. And it isn’t the snows or anything else I’ve ever smelled before,’ Orrin answered.

Luke made a gesture that could only come off as a nod. ‘I sense the same as the cat.’

“I see,” Carys answered. “I guess we best seek shelter for now then.”

Just then, Carys peered out into the distance, readying herself to take leave of the area. The clouds were thick as they rolled in beyond the horizon, turning the dark sky an odd shade of blackish gray. The two moons that circled the world of Fuin were slowly being concealed and the winds howling between the Calder Mountains were getting stronger. The storm was approaching. At that, a loud shrieking screech resounded. It was Eleni. She was circling the three companions overhead, keeping watch from above.

Suddenly, Carys’ pale eyes went wide. “Luke, Orrin,” she whispered, her breath catching as she spoke. “Are you seeing that?” Both the wolf and cat let out growls, letting her know that they were.

A bright light, much like that of a shooting star, was falling from the sky. The light was brilliant as it fell. But, there was something about it that seemed different from the other stars Carys’ had seen in her twenty-three years. Letting out a sharp exhale, her one hand found Luke’s back and she gently clutched onto his soft, gray fur.

‘I won’t leave you, Rys,’ Luke thought, moving closer to Carys.

The light streaked across the sky, getting closer and closer to the three companions. Eleni let out another shrill cry. A warning. She sensed danger as the star approached. It was going to crash onto the surface of Fuin! And from the looks of it, not all that far away! The star, or meteor, Carys couldn’t be sure now what the object was any longer, made a loud roar as it came closer. She wanted to run, to scream. But instead, she just stood there flanked by Luke and Orrin who stood protectively about her. It was clear that the two animals would never leave her side unless death took them, that they cared for and loved the woman they stood beside.

BOOM!

“Oh by the light of Eire!” Carys mumbled, her heart pounding.

The object had finally crashed into a nearby mountain, Carys couldn’t quite make out what it had been or even still was. But, she could see the shadowy silhouette of it and it piqued her curiosity greatly. Pulling at her cloak, she licked at her lips and blinked several times before she finally allowed the tension to leave her muscles.

“We’ll have to explore whatever it was that fell from the sky,” Carys added.

‘Not until morning,’ both Luke and Orrin projected to Carys. Their thoughts were stern nor were they a request. They weren’t asking the woman to stay put, but telling her.

“All right, you two. Not until morning,” Carys sighed.

With reluctance, Carys turned away from the scene and began the search for a cave. Luke and Orrin were close behind her knowing full well that she wouldn’t disobey their demands. After all, the meteor wasn’t going anywhere. Whatever it was would be there once morning came upon the mountains and the storm passed them by.

Peter Simon was a loner.

Cyro-sleep journeys meant you had to be. Your partner either had to be with you or you were a loner. While you slept and did not age through the long journeys, the rest of the Universe did. Loved ones left behind grew old and died. Hell, by the time you came out of Cyro-sleep, back home your Great Grandchildren could be adults!

Cyro-journeys took a special kind of person. You had to be tough as nails. You had to be able to leave it all behind. It attracted all sorts of peoples. Criminals. Runaways. Those with nothing left to live for. Those who wanted to live forever.

Peter had his reasons, just like everyone else.

He hated waking up from Cyro sleep though. It left him feeling frozen to the core and drowsy and weak. If there was ever a time where he was vulnerable it was when he woke from Cyro-sleep.

And that was exactly what he was experiencing now.

"ARGH!" He yelled as he stumbled out of his Cyro-tube. He dropped to his hands and feet, naked, and dry heaved for a few long moments before he was able to lift his head up and look around. The Survival Lights were on, which meant they hadn't quite reached their destination yet

Survival Light Mode through out the ship allowed for minimal usage of the ships vast resources. Just enough energy was being used to move the ship, light the passageways for the Awake Crew, and keep everyone alive. The Crew Quarters and Dining Areas had full lights - along with the Rec Room - so the Crew wouldn't go insane.

Peter checked the clock. "Right on time." He murmured. He was pulling security for the next shift. Three days worth of it. And then they'd arrive. A large crew had awoken with him this time, the skeleton crew meant to prepare the ship for arrival and the entire contingent to wake up.

Shaking his head, he moved down the hallway. He was the first to wake up it seemed. He made it to his quarters and immediately got in the hot, steaming shower that awaited him there. It was the best way to wake up and get your muscles and blood flowing again after a Cyro Sleep.

Once significantly warmed up, he slipped into his all black (with red threading) uniform that marked him as Security. Then, like he always had, he moved into the Armaments Room and checked on his Battle Suit and weapons.

It was there that, as he checked his suit, warning lights flashed and something hard rocked the ship. The automated voice warned that the ship had been struck by 'unknown' objects and that there were critical failures in a dozen areas.

"FUCK!" He shouted. That was not part of protocol. He quickly slipped into his Combat Suit. It could be fully sealed allowing him to survive in the vacuum of space if something bad happened. It would also protect him against explosions and the like. The head gear connected to his implants and gave him access to the ship.

When he brought up the schematics he did not like what he saw. He raced to the Bridge but apparently no one else had woken up. For anyone else to wake up needed an override during a crisis like this. Chances of survival were better when you were in Cyro-sleep. The chambers could be jettisoned and picked up by other ships in the worse case scenario. This was the worst case scenario.

He raced to the bridge, nearly losing his balance several times as explosions rocked the ship. He cursed again and punched in the Emergency Launch codes. Cyro-tubes were jettisoned into space. Only there was no hope of a passing ship anytime soon. Most of them would die, he knew, years down the line. The onboard lifesupport systems would fail. They'd burn up on entry or hit other space objects. But it was a better chance then staying on board a ship that was about to explode.

Peter, himself, raced to the nearest Escape Pod. He barely took time to notice that the ones closer to the bridge were more secure then those elsewhere on the ship. He strapped himself in and reluctantly plugged himself into the Cyro-stasis pod inside the Escape Pod. He had no idea where he was and using it would allow him greater survival then staying awake while traveling through uncharted space. It would also knock him out so that if he did die he wouldn't feel it coming.

He felt darkness claim him just as he felt the G's starting to pull on his body as the Pod escaped the doomed ship. He was unaware that he would be the last person off the ship and the only one to avoid crashing into the anything on his journey. The escape pod had an auto-pilot mechanism in it and guided him to the nearest planet when it realized there were no nearby ships in range. The auto pilot had no idea where it was in fact, so its protocol was to take its survivors to the nearest inhabitable planet.

That planet could sustain the life on board the pod so it made its heading to it. But there were no star-ports or runways for it to land on. Not that that would matter though. The pods sensor arrays incinerated as it entered the atmosphere, unable to retract them due to damage suffered already. It lost all sense of heading and crash landed into a frozen expanse in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet. Peter did not feel a thing.

Carys woke up and knew that the sun had not yet risen. It was dark in the cave and the embers of her small fire barely burned, only enough to create the warmth she needed to survive the bitter cold temperatures of night. For several moments, she laid there on her side, wrapped up in her cloak, which she used for a blanket of sorts. Luke was nestled close to her back while Orrin was nestled close to her chest. As she looked up, her eyes adjusting to the darkness, her mind began to wander. She was anxious to explore the meteor that had crashed nearby.

For some reason, Carys felt drawn to the meteor and she knew that both Luke and Orrin weren’t overly happy about that. The two large animals were very protective of her, their love and loyalty fierce and rivaling any sort of connection she’d ever had with anyone from her hometown.

Eirys. Carys wondered if any of the ranger scouts who were forever searching for her had seen the crash. A part of her worried that they might have and that her going to inspect and explore could place her in danger. No doubt, both Luke and Orrin worried about that as well. But she couldn’t help it. She needed to take that chance. The fallen star beckoned her and it was strong enough that she knew she couldn’t resist it. Luke and Orrin would just have to come to understand that. She knew they both would, but she also knew their guard would be up and that they’d do what was needed should she become threatened.

Carys trusted her two large companions implicitly. They’d been with her since before her exile. She’d known them both when they were small, just on the verge of growing from adolescence into adulthood. She remembered the shock they each had when they realized she could understand them, not to mention speak back. Almost instantly, there was a bond formed between them as a result and the girl would have it no other way. Even though it had meant keeping the connections a secret from those she loved and lived with. Sadly, she’d been caught conversing with Orrin one night and, from that time forward, her life had been forever altered. A change that had nearly scarred Orrin forever given the trials and tribulations their meeting had caused her.

Letting out a tiny sigh, Carys began to stir. Luke and Orrin each let out a soft growl, their large, muscled bodies shifting and moving so that she could sit up. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she then stretched and brought one hand down upon Orrin, while the other rested on Luke. She stroked and scratched the two affectionately, her love for them quite evident.

“Time to get up, sleepy heads,” Carys giggled, her voice still just barely above a whisper. “The sun will be up soon and I’d like go find that meteor that fell last night.”

Slowly, both Luke and Orrin roused themselves. Eleni was outside. The great reptilian like bird was too large for the cave. Plus, she wasn’t fond of anything that caged her or restrained her. It only served to anger and agitate her. So, she made a place for herself outside of it, waiting for her friends to rejoin her when the time was right.

‘Rys, you are placing yourself at needless risk,’ Luke growled.

Orrin growled even louder. ‘I agree with the wolf, Rys. I don’t like it.’

Carys let out a long exhale and bit down on her lower lip. Lifting a hand up to tuck a dark strand of hair over an ear she opened her mouth to speak. “I know and understand. But please, I must go to it.”

‘We know, Rys,’ Orrin thought to Carys. ‘Your happiness means the world to us. We’ll see to it that you remain so.’

Luke made a gesture that could only be a nod. ‘Yes, just be careful and should we order you to run…’

‘You best do it,’ Orrin finished the thought, his eyes flashing wildly as he did.

Carys knew that both Luke and Orrin were very serious in their orders. The two alpha males never joked when it came to her safety. “I promise,” she answered.

It wasn’t long before Carys was dressed and ready, staff in hand, and standing outside the cave. Luke and Orrin flanked her while Eleni flew overhead above them all, keeping watch for scouts or any other potential dangers. When they finally reached the meteor, she felt her heart stop suddenly. The thing didn’t look like rock or anything she’d ever seen before. It appeared… metallic? Like the material swords and other such weapons were made from, like armor.

“Curious,” Carys mused aloud, her heart racing as she circled closer to the fallen object.

‘I don’t like it,’ Orrin thought, a rumbling growl rising from his throat, the scales on his back standing up along with his silky black fur.

‘Nor do I,’ Luke added. His blue eyes glowed brightly as they narrowed. His hackles were up and he was ready for anything, fearing the worst.

“Shh…” Carys whispered as she brought a delicate finger up to her pink lips. “Let’s not jump to any conclusions just yet.”

As Carys and her two companions moved closer to the object, Eleni let out a shrill screech, her thoughts not quite urgent, but that of concern. ‘Scouts are out, but they’re far off yet.’

“All right, let’s do this quickly then, shall we?” Carys then said as she moved to touch the object. The moment her fingers found the melted metal, a loud hissing sound filled the air and what appeared to be a door of sorts sprung open.

Carys jumped, startled. While both Luke and Orrin went into crouches, ready to pounce on anything that moved. When they gathered their wits and peered into the object that had suddenly opened, they noticed a figure inside. A man?

“Oh my,” Carys whispered to herself.

‘I don’t like this, Rys. We’re leaving,’ Orrin snarled.

“No, Orrin. We can’t leave him here. We have to help him,” Carys responded.

‘No. Too risky,’ Luke interjected.

“We can’t. Please. I beg of you, show some compassion,” Carys pleaded.

With great reluctance, both Luke and Orrin gave Carys a bow indicating that they’d assist. At that, they immediately tried to wake the man who appeared to be sleeping inside the metal container.

The second they touched the metal and the door opened, so too did Peter. The Cyro chamber turned itself off, determining that the planet it had landed on had a habitat that would allow him to breath safely. In fact the readings it was picking up had determined that the planet was as close to Earth-like as any other planet that had yet to be discovered. The on board computers would have thought this was Earth if not for the coordinates and stars in the sky overhead. As the AI had been trained to do, it downloaded all of this information and the logs from the ship up until its fatal moment and stored them on board the hard-drive in Peters Battle Armor.

Peter himself was extremely groggy. He had not had time to recover from his long Cyro Sleep before being forced into another. His face was even a tinge of green as he came to though in his Armored Suit and protective helmet those who now looked upon him would not be able to see.

Part of Peter suggested that he was not on flat ground, or at least the escape pod was not on flat ground. He should be standing but was instead laying on his back. The pod was at an angle. He reached out with both hands to the sides of his chamber and pulled himself up and stood awkwardly.

The faceplate of his helmet retracted into itself, revealing his face momentarily before he threw up. He dry-heaved for a few moments before shaking his head. "Fucking gen sleep." He says, looking up, suddenly becoming aware of those who had awoken him.

Carys’ eyes widened as the metallic container began to hiss and beep. Such strange sounds she’d never heard before. She could tell it made her companions uneasy, for both Luke and Orrin growled beside her, ready to pounce on the waking man should he dare threaten her or them. Eleni then screeched from the sky overhead, causing Carys to glance upward briefly before returning her gaze to the man before them. The great reptilian like bird was circling them still, yet keeping an eye on the Eirysian scouts she’d spotted moments ago.

The tension was thick as they waited for the man to do something. It seemed like an eternity, though it was only a matter of seconds. Suddenly, he sat up and it caused Carys to back away a bit, her delicate hands gripping her staff until her knuckles went white. Breathing quickly, her chest heaving, she looked on in both wonder and fear. The man wore some kind of strange armor. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. So peculiar, so odd. Suddenly, he stood up and stepped out of the container he’d been ‘sleeping’ in. He stumbled a bit which only caused both Luke and Orrin to be more on their guard. They wouldn’t let this strange man from the stars hurt their beloved companion.

Just then, Carys noticed the armor shift and move, revealing the man’s face. “Oh by the light of Eire,” she whispered to herself.

As the armor moved, the man began to heave. Was he ill? Unsure, Carys began to reach out to him only to instantly retract the moment he threw up on the cold, hard ground. When he finished, he mumbled words unfamiliar to her ears. He truly was not from Fuin.

‘Stay back, Rys,’ Orrin thought to Carys.

“He needs help, Orrin,” Carys countered.

‘You don’t move until we tell you,’ Luke then ordered, his thoughts strong towards the woman he protected.

Carys heaved a heavy sigh. Both alpha male predators gave her a nod, knowing she’d obey. They knew she understood that they had her best interests at heart, that they were only trying to protect her.

Letting out a soft breath, Carys reluctantly stayed put. When the man stood up and glanced their way, she tilted her head and brought her free hand up in a peaceful gesture before moving it to tuck her dark hair behind an ear. “We mean you no harm, star man. From where do you hail?” Licking her lips, her heart racing, she added, “My name, sir, is Carys Ilonia.”

Both Luke and Orrin then stepped forward ever so slightly, low growls rumbling in their throats. They gave the strange man a once over and readied themselves if he dared do anything to frighten or harm the woman they loved.

The woman who confronted of him looked like she belonged in some sort of fairytale. Her dress and garb were archaic at best and he immediately noticed no signs of technology on her. Not to mention the lack of any sort of firearm. The growling brought his attention to the Wolves that stood by her. He was shocked that the beasts hadn't attack either of them yet and only slowly realized that they actually seemed to be protecting the woman. What the hell was going on here?

Still groggy and sickly feeling, he dropped to one knee and drew in some deep breaths. The air was very clean, very fresh. And cold. It certainly wasn't summer outside. It was then that he was able to look past her and see the snow covered expanse he had landed in. Not that it would effect him. His suit would certainly keep him warm and protected against the elements.

Her mouth moved and while her first words were garbled, the chip in his brain quickly translated for him. She spoke a dialect common to an older humanoid race. But he quickly pieced together what she had asked him and that her name was Carys. He offered her a weak smile as he levered himself back onto both feet, casting a glance at the beasts to either side. He could blast them both in a second if he needed too....

"Captain Peter Simon, from the Solar Federation Planet Earth." He responds. "What planet is this?"

Carys watched this man in both awe and wonder as he stood their so shaky before her. It was more than clear that he’d been traumatized some how, that his body had undergone a great deal. She felt the urge to go to him rise up from within, her instincts screaming at her to rush to his side, to help him.

‘Stay where you are, woman,’ growled Orrin, causing Carys to make an audible gasp. The cat twisted his body in such a way so as to prevent her from moving forward.

Luke growled in agreement, his blue eyes glowing brighter as he too moved to prevent Carys from going toward the strange man. ‘The cat is right, Rys. It’s not the time to make such impulsive moves. We know nothing of this man.’

Carys bit down on her lower lip, her grip on her staff making her knuckles go white. She gave both of her companions a nod and then let the fingers of her free hand reach down to gently caress the scales on Orrin’s back. The great predatory cat let out a loud purr at the gesture, but not once did his guard falter.

Luke circled around to get a better look at the strange man, his wolf-like body sleek and beautiful as he stalked and watched. He wanted to take in all that he could about this stranger. His scent, his appearance. Everything.

Staying put, Carys returned the man’s smile when he gave it. Despite his odd attire, she had to admit he was rather pleasing to look at. Especially when he smiled like that. Averting her gaze just then, she wondered from where exactly he hailed.

“Sir, may I have your name so I know what to call you?” Carys then asked. Orrin turned his gaze at her as soon as the words left her mouth. A soft rumble of a growl resonated in his throat and he moved closer to her, his stance still one of protection. “And if you please, sir. From where do you hail? You fell from the sky. Are you from the stars?”

Carys felt her stomach tighten at the thought. Could this man truly be from the heavens? Perhaps he was a fallen deity. Maybe he knew her patron goddess, Eire. Either way, she knew he was not from Fuin. That much was certainly clear. Still looking at the man, she waited for him to speak, that was, if he even could.