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USER: ASHH-V157 DATE: 48.01.0082 | LOG 104

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How long had it been since I'd seen the sun? I'd been stuck on this moon for two quarters at this point, and I didn't know when I'd be leaving. The sun had all but become a distant memory.

The splashing of oil-black water had pulled my mind from its wandering thoughts as I stepped into a shallow creek. The hot water enveloped my black dirt-covered boots. I Looked behind me, the two other comrades on my journey stared back. The face in front was covered mostly by thick cloth and plastic. The humanoid-canine behind him was covered in thick fur and only essential equipment.

My feet continued forwards, forcing long tendrils of red grass to part or bend under my boots. The only reason I could see where I was going was the faint glow from the large sphere above. I was on a moon revolving lethargically around a large, light green, gas giant. Its wonderful glow fell down to the surface of this forsaken moon.

As my boots continued on, the dimness splayed out before me. The red fields of grass continued endlessly until being hidden by fog. Black basalt boulders littered the landscape as short hills rose and washed through the land. Ponds of hot water broke the sea of red, they constantly had their own layer of steam above as the chilling winds lapped at the hot water.

[KYLNOR] : "Scribe Vist, have we reached the next point in our route?"

A muffled voice rang out in an assertive tone. I stopped, turning to look at the human.

[V157] : "We still have another kilometer to go, sir."

I had reminded him.

[KYLNOR] : "We should have been there by now."

His tone was similar to how all humans had spoken to me. Like how someone speaks to a machine that doesn't work correctly.

[V157] : "Well, if you'd like to take the lead, I'd be happy to switch places."

[KYLNOR] : "Why would I do that? If we get attacked, the first person is usually killed. I'd rather lose a hybrid than die on this moon."

[V157] : "Suit yourself, Leader"

I pulled at my backpack straps, adjusting the heavy box containing a tiny sun inside. If it weren't for its heat, I'm sure I would have frozen solid weeks ago. Although it keeps me warm, its true purpose is powering my partner. A long coilgun gripped between my paws, its strap resting over my shoulder. The metal box clipped into the bottom of the stock, held long, tungsten javelins. Around my neck hung a camera, the front currently covered to protect the fragile lens. Photography was part of my scribe duties, taking images of enemy technology or outposts. I did take more pictures than required, but I was only punished the first time.

A streak of purple light ripped through the fog, passing just to the right of me, a slight fizzle sound following it. I quickly ducked down into the grass as a volley of streaks passed overhead. The damned Jukari, they were the reason we were here. Guess the locals of this moon don't like us extracting resources. The volley of purple , the air becoming quiet and still, only my heartbeat and the subtle shift of wind could be heard. I poked my head up ever so slightly atop the grass, the fog was far too dense to see the enemy. I turned to Kylnor, the human.

[V157] : "We've gotta get out of the open, they'll just close the distance."

I whispered to the team leader with forced breath.

[KYLNOR] : "I know, we passed a boulder about 10 paces ago, start crawling."

He muttered through his thick cloth mask, motioning for the other comrade to start crawling.

Now in the rear, I dragged my body and heavy equipment through the black dirt. My heart quickened as we crawled, surely the Jukari were soon to happen upon our path of bent grass.

The first to reach the boulder was Loat, a grenadier. Kylnor was right behind him, he lifted up slightly to crouch behind a rock when a flash of purple ripped directly through his chest. He fell to the ground without a sound. Loat pull the limp human behind the boulder as he peeked out from behind the rock. A soft thump rang out as he fired a grenade casing, the distant pop of an explosion followed it.

[V157] : "Fire a flare, we'll use the time to retreat"

I called out to Loat, he nodded, loading a white colored casing into the tube. Another thud was followed by the sound of the battery recharging as the dark moon had been momentarily lit by a fake star.

[V157] : "Run, move!"

I grabbed the loop on the back of Kylnor's pack, pulling him through the grass and dirt. He was a heavy man, even without all the gear. Loat quickly turned to help, picking the limp man up and beginning to carry him as we fled.

My legs continued to move, I would have never thought they could carry me as far as they had. The group stopped at a collection of large volcanic boulders. Loat set the human down and quickly moved to watch where we had escaped from. I turned to look at Kylnor's wound, his pulse was very faint and his wound was charred and dry of blood. The hole was big enough to fit two fingers inside, and a bit of blackened bone was visible. For now, there wasn't much I could do since he wasn't bleeding and was breathing slowly. Setting Kylnor aside, I moved over to Loat.

[V157] : "Seen anything, Loat?"

I asked, placing a paw on his shoulder.

[L047] : "No, Vist. It's been quiet ever since we ran. Do you think they're still going to chase?"

He asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

[V157] : "Well, we were weighed down by Kylnor so I doubt we outpaced them. I think it's likely they didn't continue after us."

I reassured him.

[L047] : "I'll keep watch if you want to rest"

He finally turned to look at me.

I gave Loat a nod, patting him on the shoulder. For now the group would set up camp for the night between these rocks. I would switch out with Loat in about 5 centihalf-lives to let him sleep. I placed Kylnor in his sleeping blankets on his side, just in case he vomited. His pulse was still faint, I wasn't sure he'd last through the night.

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USER: ASHH-V157 DATE: 49.01.0082 | LOG 105

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I awoke 5 centihalf-lives later to relieve Loat from the watch, simply pulling a warmed ration from the hot backpack and opening it, chewing the synthetic rice and meat. The rations came with seasoning, but I hadn't cared for them after the first quarter. The dull taste and texture of the rice and fake feeling of the meat couldn't be cured by cheap seasoning. What I'd give for a proper slab of meat.

After finishing the meal, I commandeered the radio from Kylnor. He had passed away sometime during the night, so his equipment was no longer useful to him. We would probably bury it someplace as the miniature reactor was too heavy to carry and would run out of fuel long after we had left this moon. For now, my priority was updating our deployment base with the situation.

[V157] : "This is ASHH-V157 calling for Outpost 11."

[Outpost 11] : "This is Outpost 11, received ASHH-V157. State your reason for communication."

[V157] : "Situation Report."

[Outpost 11] : "Understood, continue with the report."

[V157] : "Team 172 of Assembly Charlie was ambushed approximately 5 centihalf-lives ago. Corporal Kylnor was killed in the ambush. Myself and ASHH-L047 are healthy and unharmed. Requesting permission to return to Outpost 11."

[Outpost 11] : "Wait 1 minute-half-life."

Surely the Outpost wouldn't trust ASHH to be out on mission, unattended by a human.

[Outpost 11] : "ASHH-V157, you have temporarily been promoted to Corporal. Continue on the established route of your tasking and report to Outpost 11 on the assigned date. Update us with any further changes in situation. Transmission over."

I sighed, turning the radio off and setting it aside. I'd hoped we could just return under the guise of being unattended if only to finally get a full night's rest. But it seems command had their own priorities.

The wind had picked up a bit since I had laid down to rest. Soon enough small drops of warm rain began to trickle down. For now it was only a warning of a storm and not too harsh. As the evening crawled on and the gas giant began to rise over the horizon, the rain had picked up enough to cloud your vision.

I woke Loat up and we quickly packed up the camp. There was no sign of our attackers from before, as if it was just a bad dream. So, as per requested, we continued on our mission. Kylnor was buried with his equipment, only black rocks stacked together to mark his final destination. For such a selfish and insulting man, he still deserved the respect of returning to the universe. The group of 3 was now 2, and we continued on. As was the cycle of this damn moon.

12 kilometers had passed before an odd rise in elevation could be seen through the rain and thick fog. This wasn't the same as the hilly terrain I had grown accustomed to, this one seemed to climb up until it disappeared into the fog. I'd mark it down in my notes as we continued forward. The wind licked and pulled at my fur as the warm rain pelted down from the side, like little pebbles. Slowly the long blades of vibrant red grass began to shorten and become sparser. The boulders of charcoal rock became more plentiful and much larger. As I looked up from my feet, the top of the mountain finally showed itself through the weather.

Although faint at first, a subtle thumping noise could start to be heard. I hadn't heard it until we were about a kilometer away from the summit, but it became louder with each passing moment.

[V157] : "Do you hear that?"

[L047] : "Whatever it is, sounds big."

[V157] : "Let's pick up the pace, I don't want to find its origin."

A distant flash of lightning and the reply of rumbling thunder called out in the distance. We quickened our speed as we climbed up the steep incline. The thumping turned to trembling, some metallic clanking accompanying it now. Another flash of lightning would strike closer now, illuminating a distant, 6 legged machine. It was moving towards us, its head looking around, as if searching for something.

[V157] : "Loat! Come over to me."

The soaked canine slinked over.

[V157] : "That beast of a machine is searching for us, we have to get running before it picks up our scent."

[L047] : "I doubt we can outrun it."

[V157] : "If we leave now, it might just walk past our trail."

I'd turned around, starting to slowly sneak back down the mountain. Loat followed right behind me as we made our way back down the incline. The machine lumbered on, it looked to not have noticed us yet. Its legs creating a cacophony of clanking and scraping. We picked up the pace now, at least 1200 meters from the metal monster.

It was at this point the head of the beast swung quickly to look at us. I instantly began running, full sprint, we'd been spotted. At first the machine just stared, but soon turned and began chasing us. It was hard to make out its silhouette now, only the single red eye from its head looking at us from a distance.

A streak of purple passed over me, throwing rock and dirt into the air as a wave of heat slapped my skin. We continued through the dirt and mist, it had missed by about 10 meters.

[V157] : "Loat, shoot a flare at it, we'll cut to the right and see if it loses us."

The canine face nodded, pulling the tube open and placing another flare inside. He turned slightly as he ran, a thump followed by a bright light landing just near the metal beast's feet. We abruptly turned to the right, still moving away but at an angle now. Out of the mist, another collection of boulders came into view. I put my last bit of effort into lunging just past the rocks. Loat swiftly followed, sliding behind me.

I poked my head up slightly, watching as the mechanical ant stood frozen for a moment, the white flare finally fizzling out and dimming. I couldn't see it for a moment through the rain and wind. A flash of lightning illuminated its eerie form, the red eye staring back at me. Ducking just in time, a flash of purple brightened the red grass to my sides as the rock heated considerably.

Moving my paw to grab Loat, we quickly ran from the boulders, there was nowhere to hide, we just had to find someone, something. Anyone that could free us from this demon of a machine. Another flash of purple ripped the ground and grass from its home and into the air. Black dirt rained over us as we ran. Loat fired another flare, this time high above the beast. I could see each of its six legs moving in rhythm, approaching rapidly.

Another flash of purple and I was thrown into the air. The heat felt as if my very skin was on fire, but was quickly extinguished by the hot waters of a small pond. My paw that once held Loat's wrist now only gripped the remains of his arm. I screamed, dropping it into the oily black pond, my feet pushing me to the edge of the hot water. My eyes quickly traveled back to the red- eyed machine. The flare, still high above illuminated the rounded metal and thick plates of armor. Its head mounted to the front of its body, a long cannon protruding from the front. A single red circle staring back at me. Surely, I wasn't long for this world. And for a moment, I was glad. Glad to finally leave this moon. Closing my eyes, I expected a follow up blast of vaporizing heat.

A loud sound, like the splitting of metal cut through the rain and thunder. Surprisingly, I could still feel the pelting rain drops and hot pond water. As my eyes opened, the origin of the sound was clear. The rear of the metal machine was torn off entirely, a deep billowing plume of smoke pouring out of the hole. Molten metal and shards of armor lay scattered to one side. Before I had much time to guess what had happened, the head was ripped off. Sparks and white hot metal ripped through the air. A delayed wave of air knocked me back as the machine's core died. A blue fire dancing atop its now collapsed and limp body.

Finally, my mind was able to catch up as a wave of relief washed over me. A small smile creeped its way onto my face as I began to laugh. I laughed at the chance of being this lucky and unlucky in the same moment. I laughed at the fact I was the last of my team to make it through this horror, unharmed at that. I laughed at the moon, who almost sealed my fate to become a number, a statistic sent back to the government.

My hysteria was brought to a close with the distant sound of rippling, billowing claps. The sound quickly approached before the source was visible as a twin brush of blue light loomed near. The two rockets hovered for a moment before extinguishing, the flare burning on the ground revealing the engines to belong to a small humanoid machine. Its workings seemed delicate, yet strong. Its small stature seemed weak, yet fast. Its long weapon screams accuracy and precision. Just behind the machine, was an ASHH. The machine looked more like a suit of armor than a robot.

I shifted slightly, the ears on the mechanized ASHH perking up. In an instant the long barrel of the humanoid snapped towards me. The two of us stared for a moment, the symphony of rain and accompanying drums of thunder filling the space. Finally, a grainy voice cut through the rain song.

[S374] : "Are you ASHH-V157?"

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USER: ASHH-V157 DATE: 362.04.0078 | LOG 1

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A raindrop fell into my eye as I stared into the fake sky. I had been caught, my paws bound and held by a constable. The rain was cold, tapping against my head and shoulders. The constant noise of falling rain muddled the voices and noises of the city. The concrete slabs on the floor pushed the water down the road, into drains. The gray concrete houses with their metal frames and clear glass windows that exposed a world of color within. This alien cityscape had a twinge of nostalgia, as if I had been here before. Yet, I couldn't recall any memories of such a place. Better yet any memories apart from the past hour. Most likely dementia...

[CONSTABLE DENNYL] : "Next time you try to escape your lab, I'm not so sure they'll let you stick around this place. Between you and me, I'd try and play nice. The Department of Science doesn't care much for its experiments."

[ASHH-V157] : "Honestly, I'm surprised I was able to escape this easily. Perhaps that should be the Department's main concern."

The Constable turned to look at me, staring for a moment before a grin crept across his face.

[CONSTABLE DENNYL] : "Maybe you're right. Although I wouldn't go testing their security again. A different constable might've shot you instead."

I nodded, simply leaving the conversation at that.

We arrived back at the lab I had run from, standing now at the front entrance as opposed to the upper platform I had escaped from. The Constable fiddled with the intercom for a moment before the doors slid to the sides and I was dragged inside. There, two humans stood. One was the scientist I had seen earlier, and the other seemed to be some sort of assistant. The scientist looked fairly unkempt, small stubble along his chin and messy chocolate brown hair. His eyes looked tired and cold, the same color as his hair and see-through glasses. He wore a white lab coat, underneath a tan sweater and dark brown pants. Beside him, the assistant had long auburn hair braided neatly to each side and sprawling down her front. She wore a white buttoned blouse with a long, plaid dark gray skirt.

The scientist approached us, extending a hand to the constable.

[DR. LYTHE] : "I appreciate you retrieving my creation. I trust you didn't damage it?"

[CONSTABLE DENNYL] : "No sir, I'd hate to get on the department's bad side. Especially over something as delicate as this."

He gave a soft smile to the scientist, shaking his hand.

[DR. LYTHE] : "Good good, I'll take it from here, I will make sure to send my regards to your chief. Thank you for your hard work."

[CONSTABLE DENNYL] : "My pleasure, work well."

The constable gave a soft salute to the two before making his way back outside the building. I turned to look back at the scientist; it seems his name was Dr. Lythe from the nametag on his lab coat. He looked down on me, his cold eyes being clouded with thought. For a moment, he seemed saddened by my presence, as if he knew something bad was going to befall me soon. However the look dissipated as he motioned to the women beside him.

[DR. LYTHE] : "V157, this is Theosha. She will be watching over you and helping you with anything you may need. Please behave yourself, I'm certain if you escape again, the department will surely be much harsher with your punishment."

[THEOSHA] : "I'll make sure that won't happen, Doctor."

Dr. Lythe stared at me for a moment before looking up to Theosha. He forced a small smile, nodding.

[DR. LYTHE] : "Good, please take V157 to their quarters and have them cleaned. I'll page you when I am ready for the first test."

Theosha bowed her head slightly as the doctor left the two. I couldn't discern any emotion from her face. She then turned down to look at me, an inquisitive look in her eyes. She took my bound paws in one hand and began leading me down a hallway. The two of us stepped into an elevator as we rose to the 12th floor. She then led me down a hallway of many rooms, finally stopping at a room and sliding a skinny plastic card into a slit in the wall. A small red light above the slit turned green as what sounded like 3 metal locks slid open. She then opened the door and pulled me inside, closing the door behind her.

[THEOSHA] : "Take that rag off. You smell horrible, I'll have to get you cleaned before I can spend another second near you."

She wrinkled her nose to emphasize her point. The room was made of concrete and had a single bed, desk and what looked to be a minimal bathroom separated by a thin concrete barrier. I looked back to the assistant, but she simply looked to the side, pulling a small plastic box from her hip and typing into it.

With my paws bound, I'd have trouble taking the cloth off my body. After a bit of hardship, I was finally able to have it slide off my form and onto the floor. Theosha paid me no attention as I moved to the shower. A small nozzle protruded from the ceiling and a single metal button with a water droplet stamped into it laid flush with the wall.

I pushed the button as a cold stream of water poured from the opening. This was more like a hose being poured overtop of you than a proper showerhead. The drain in the floor was quickly gulping down the dirty fur from my body, my once brown stained feet turning to their usual reddish-white. I didn't stand in the shower for any longer than required as I pushed the button again, the water trickling to a stop. Shivering a bit I stepped over to the sink. For the first time since stepping out of that thing, I finally saw my reflection. My face could best be described as an enlarged cat's face with two semi-transparent horns protruding through my light red hair. Instead of pointed cat ears, I had two rounded ears, as if on command one flicked as I looked at it. My eyes looked quite unusual, instead of a white eye with a colored iris, the white was replaced by a dark gray and my iris was a deep red. Opening my mouth, my tongue was not barbed and looked very human, but my teeth were much more pointed along with the very animal looking canines. Although my vision was a bit blurry up close, I could tell this was truly my reflection.

[THEOSHA] : "Are you finished? The doctor is waiting."

I turned away from the mirror, realizing I was quite cold and dripping wet.

[V157] : "Do you have any clothes? Or a towel to dry myself off with?"

[THEOSHA] : "They haven't arrived yet, try to dry yourself off the best you can. But make it quick."

The best I could do was shake the water from my fur and hair, but I began to get a bit dizzy so I only did it for a few minutes. I was still dripping, but not nearly as much. Theosha chuckled a bit to herself, a sly grin on her face as she watched. She motioned for me to follow her as we stepped back into the hallway. We turned down a few different hallways before stopping at a large metal door at the end of a hallway. Theosha pulled the same plastic key from her hip, sliding it into the hole in the wall as the large metal door slowly slid to one side.

[THEOSHA] : "Step inside, the Doctor is waiting for you."

I nodded, stepping into the empty room. It was lined with concrete, like the rest of the ship. It was roughly 5 meters cubed, the only thing protruding from the flat walls were a few cameras and a single speaker in the center of the ceiling. My ears perked up as the speaker crackled for a moment before the distorted voice of the Doctor could be heard.

[DR. LYTHE] : "Nice to see you cleaned up, V157. This is a testing room, today we will test your ability to photosynthesize. As such, you'll be given ample water each day, but will be given nothing else. If all goes according to plan, you will be allowed to leave in 2 weeks. Good luck."

The speaker went silent, filling the room with a void of noise. My heartbeat, the buzz of the electric lights, the extremely faint rumbling sound from the ships engines. I was left alone in this room with only myself and my thoughts.

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