Chapter Text
CWs: Death of a fish from hunting, light descriptions of gore
In the dark, on the edge of Terran space, far from home…
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“Mayday! Mayday! Can anyone hear us?”
A ship is rapidly descending towards the surface of a planet covered in water, engines sputtering and exterior hull lights flickering. The ship is clearly old, with the paint flaking or missing in several areas. Even the name of the ship was faded and worn, barely visible under layers of muck and grime.
“This is the cargo ship Hermes Delta! We are caught in the gravity well of M15-37! Please, someone, anyone!”
Static flickers in the message. Someone with a keen ear, or audio enhancement equipment, might just be able to pick up something incomprehensible…
“Ý̵̭̐͆̐̄́̾̉͋͆͝m̴̬̞̯̩̺̰͉̞̠̗̻̗̄̈́̌̒̋̈̇͐̈́͂̈́͘ͅg̶͚̯̗̠̜̠̜̞͍͌̄̄̀̍̾͘'̶̨̛̣̪̘͔͋̊͋̈́̈́͂̃͒̽̐͗̃̌́̀̿̎̍̕̚͘͜͠͝ ̵͓̲̺͙̮̪͚̱̔̄͋͛̒a̸̳̦͔̰̘̲̯̞̩̫̭̖͕̣̗̯͍͙̪̫̼̘̋͆͌͂̓̃͜ḩ̴̨͇͍̼̗̰̥̹̂͠ͅͅo̴̼̤̯̻̻̻̳̹̲̅̍̒̇̽̔̔͂͑̆͗̈́̋́͝͠r̸̡͎͔̼̣̦͈̙̉̓͆̎̅ṉ̴͇̮̀a̶͓̫̝̮̖̓̈́̃̈͐̀̐̂̍͋̚̕ ̵̡͇̫̲̼̯̟̟̭͍̖̻̲̮̯̞̼͖̦͈̘̮̞̓̐͒̍̔̑̕͜e̶̛͓̯̟̬̩͂̈́̾̿͆̃̀̄̚p̴̛̙͚͉̦̊̀g̵̢̨̢̫̫̟̰̘̩̘̟̝̗̙̮̱̣͓͉͍̣̻̳̀̂̂͂̊̂̄̈̀̿̀͊͝͝ở̴̡̦̝̣͎̗̗͇̤͓̰̱͔̬̒̂̿̓͗̈͗̍̀͂̑͒͊͛̿̈̕k̷̹͚͛̾͒̈́̑̉̌͑̒̊̅͘̕͝͠ą̵̢̫̬̤͇̪̬͈̱̳͖͓̫̩̘̖͕̬͚͎̆̔̍͘̚͝,̷̱̺̮̗̟͎̄̇̔̃́̑̓̌̓̈́͑̀͐́͗͂̒̈́̕͝ ̶̟̳͔̰̥͓̼͓͚͇̍͐̔̎̊̌̅͗̈́̚͝l̶̨̛̰͎̝̞̩̤̻̗̈́̋̊̒̄͘'̵̧̜͉̼͕̙̟̖̟͙̻̥̥͎̦̺͕͉̹͎̰̭́͛́̎͛͂̈̀̾͒͠ ̵̢̡̢̧̢̛̠͈̠̦̻͔̣̮͎̯̺͍̗̝͚͕͓͕̒͛̇̐͗̈́́͒̆̓̋̈̀̀̍͘͘͠ͅn̸͈̟̲̖̻̙͕̣͍̩̤͙͈̥̦͔̆̓̔̎̈́͌̉̌̋̓́̕ȯ̵̥̺̝̠̫͔̬̺̻̱̦͓͍̜̥̲͈̿͜͠͝͝ͅǵ̶̡̛̩̦͕̹͕̫̤̩̳̞̻̩͇̟͉̗̖͖͉͇͆͛̀̐̌̏̃̃̂́͗̌̐̃̏̃͘̕͘͝ͅ ̴̨̟̮̰̣̖̦͕͉͔̲̦͓͊͛̓̑͌̾̈́̽͒̓̈́͗̓͛̓̍͛̚͘ͅỳ̷̧̡̧̱̞̗̳̼̹̘̗̻̙̭̹̞͊̒ͅa̶̧̢̰͎̙̠̹̗̔̎̑̚͝͠ͅ,̸̡̨̻̣̣̹̱̮̳̱̖̹̇̀̔͊͒̀̋͐͂͝ ̷̢̨̭̥̠̞̼̹̠͉͇̮̻̯͉͕̜̊̉̒́̏̊̍͌a̶̧͖̭̪̜͍̖͚͖̣̲͓̤̘͚̗͗̈́͗͘ͅḩ̴̨̡̛͔̱̖͍̞͚̤̞͓̳͍̞͛̀́̇͒̒̓̔̈̏̃̋͑̐͑̄̓̚̚̕͝n̷̢̨͍͓̪̤͇̟͚͉̝̤̜̫̱̹̲̣̜̜͎̅̓̊̔̅̅̈͛̈́̀̚͝y̶̫̳̤̠͖͖̝̆̄͋͆̐͆͑̃̓̐͌̇̾̈́̊̍̿̋̓̓̈̕͠ť̴̨͔̳̤̪͎̈́͆̉̅̌͆͗͐̓͂̕͜ͅh̴̨̨̨̰̞̙͖̜̼̲̗͕̖͖̾̆͗̀̚̕ͅͅ ̵̡̢͍͖̖̱̖͎͖͕̺̼͚͙̫̙̾̽͛́̏͌́̒̾̊̄̿̌̿̉͒̋̎̀̾͝͝͝ͅy̸̡̛̭̩̳͂̀͗̒̍͗̑̐͂̔̌̔̚͝a̸̧̠͖͇̠̝͑͊̉͂̈͋̀̿̃͘͠ͅ”
In the stream of data that constituted the message as it flowed out into space, strange characters begin to appear, warping and forming a vague face that would induce horror in any who saw it.
“Please, someone, the stories are true! Bermuda is algggh-” The strangled scream is abruptly cut off as the Hermes Delta began to enter the atmosphere, heat beginning to rip at the hull of the old freight ship and cutting off the transmission.
The message flows through space, seeking any willing recipients to convey its plea for salvation, but something strange begins to occur the further it gets from the planet. The new symbols in the data begin to tear the message apart and it flickers and dies before even reaching the next astral body in the system. That final, desperate, plea for salvation snuffed out of existence before it even truly began its mission.
Sitting just beyond the planet, floating in the dark, is a small observation satellite bearing the emblem of the Terran Accord, watching planet M15-37 and everything that just occurred…
Decades Later
Perspective - Eska
Inside a cave on an outcropping of rocks not far from one of the few landmasses on Bermuda, behind a network of salvaged and jury-rigged security sensors, and sleeping fitfully was a beautiful young woman; Eska. Tall at six foot two and lean, with silver hair in a ragged haircut, she had tanned skin with patches of silver scales all over her body and gills on her neck along with webbed hands and feet, all her fingers and toes tipped with long black claws.
Eska awoke with a soft groan, the dull light of the sun filtering through her eyelids and bringing the young woman back into the land of the living, much to her annoyance. Squeezing her eyes shut she rolled over under her thin blanket and tried to get a few more minutes of sleep…
That failed when what felt like seconds later her alarm began to beep. Sitting up finally the silver-haired young woman glared at the salvaged laptop that was sitting on top of a crate and beeping at her between coughs of static. Pushing down the urge to smash it just to get the noise to stop Eska reached across and pushed the button to silence the alarm once, and then twice when the first press didn’t work, succeeding on the second attempt.
Throwing her legs over the side of her makeshift bed made of a wooden frame, a pillow too small for her now and a tattered blanket she stretched and yawned, cracking her neck before standing up and beginning her morning workout routine. After all, she needed to make sure her muscles were all awake and ready for when she went to get breakfast.
Once her routine was finished Eska moved over to her “desk” and spent a moment smiling sadly at a tattered physical photo of a blonde man, a brunette woman and a small dark-haired child who were all grinning at the camera. “Miss you…” She whispered softly, as she had done every morning for the past ten years, sadness passing through her heart like an old friend for a moment before being pushed aside.
Pressing another key on her laptop Eska keyed up an audio file. “The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle. Chapter One…” As the audiobook began Eska spoke every word in sync having practically memorised the whole thing. After all here on Bermuda, it was the closest thing she had to a conversation partner.
As chapter one came to a close she paused the book and then shut down her jury-rigged laptop before disconnecting the solar charger it was hooked up to. Moving to the entrance of the cave, she deactivated the security sensors with her unique handprint and stepped out into the mouth of her dwelling. The small red sun of Bermuda had just begun to rise in the distance and it shone down on the vast ocean that stretched out before her cave home.
Eska placed the solar charger on an outcropping of rock above where the water would rise to even the highest tide for this time of year and activated it before taking a few moments to just bask in the sun, soaking up the rays, she practically shone as it reflected off her patches of scales. Standing there naked as the day she was born, her silver eyes scanned the sky and just like every morning since she’d come to this world, they rested for several seconds on the black hole that Bermuda impossibly orbited around, visible in the sky like a gigantic open wound.
Azathoth.
The scientists of the Accord had called it some fancy scientific name as they studied the scientific anomaly but in the final two years of the colony, even they called it by the name the workers gave it. Eska didn’t know who coined the name, but just thinking it made her feel uneasy. But not as uneasy as looking at it did. It made her stomach feel like it was dropping out of her body and filled her with a visceral disquiet.
Tearing her eyes away from the horrifically hypnotic sight she returned her gaze to the ocean. She had a few hours before the mid-day darkness occurred, more than enough time to catch herself her first meal for the day.
After reactivating the sensors from the outside Eska began to wade into the water, sighing happily as it energised her and not stopping her movement until she was completely submerged. As her head sank below the water her gills flexed and she stretched out her senses, sending out a sonar ping to map out the area around her.
It was always beautiful whenever Eska entered the shallows. Sunlight filtered through the water and cast patterns on the floor, illuminating the life that managed to survive even on a hell like Bermuda. Small fish swam past her and she could clearly see a duo of crustacean-like animals walking slowly across the sand. Grinning, she kicked slowly and spent a few moments lazily swimming around the area, enjoying the sights and moving as elegantly underwater as any native aquatic animal does.
However, her rumbling stomach swiftly reminded her of her goal and she put herself back on track. With a powerful movement of her limbs, Eska shot through the water, disturbing a shoal of fish as she headed further away from the shallows. She wasn’t going near the Dark Places, she hadn’t in months, but she needed to move further into deep water to find suitable prey.
After a few minutes of swimming, she reached her usual hunting grounds and came to a halt. Sending out another sonar ping, she closed her eyes and focused on both her sense of smell and what her sonar was telling her. No blood in the water and she couldn’t see any Spike Trout yet.
Spike Trout was the name Eska had given to a species of fish that were around the same size as Terran sea trout but had a ridge of spikes running down its back. Very tasty but the spikes hurt like a motherfucker. They were her preferred prey when she could get them.
Settling into place she got ready for a waiting game. She couldn’t be in the water when the mid-day darkness occurred but she’d rather not go without eating if possible.
Luck was on her side today however as after an hour or so she picked up on something swimming slowly towards her. Opening up her eyes Eska saw a fish she’d come to call a Spicey Bass due to the capsaicin-like chemical it produced in its skin to ward off predators. Luckily for Eska, her fangs weren’t her only option for a quick and efficient kill.
She stayed as still as you possibly can when floating in the water, waiting for it to be within her range, and then… she struck. Like a bolt of lightning, she shot forward, sharp claws digging into the fish’s skull and giving the animal a quick death, just as her mum had taught her.
The instinct rose within her to bite down, to feed now, regardless of the spiciness. To devour her catch on the spot. But she pushed down those instincts, well-practised at that after all these years.
Holding her prize close she swiftly began to swim back to the safety of the shallows. The sun was still shining and she hadn’t gone into too deep water so the blood shouldn’t attract any rivals or threats but Eska could never be too careful.
Once she reached the relative safety of the area she considered her territory she slowed down and returned to her cave at a more leisurely pace, moving from swimming to walking as she reached her outcropping and began to exit the water. Sitting down just outside the entrance she placed the fish down and began a ritual she’d developed over the years to show respect to the creature that's life had been taken to sustain her own.
First, she ran her bloody index claw gently down her forehead, leaving a small line of blood between her eyebrows before washing her hands of blood, in a small water-filled crevice that was not connected directly to the sea, in silence. Once they were clean she dipped her hands into the sea and flicked sea water onto the fish’s body.
“Thank you for your sacrifice, I do not take your life lightly and will honour what you have given me. All that I do not use will be returned to the sea for you came from the sea, and to the sea you will return.”
She closed her eyes for roughly five seconds after saying this small “prayer” reverently before opening them again, gathering her prey, collecting the solar charger and entering her home after de and then re-activating her security measures. While her decade and a bit of time living like this on Bermuda had taught Eska how to use some of the limited natural resources to make meals more interesting, today she wasn’t feeling like anything complicated, and so simply cooked the fish over a fire before devouring it swiftly, fangs that can tear through muscle like a knife cuts butter making short work of her catch.
Plugging the solar charger back in before lying down on her makeshift bed, Eska saw the beginnings of darkness start to creep into being as the sun began to move behind the black hole. Even after all these years this event still sent fear thrumming through her veins and she gulped as she activated her laptop and put The Hound of the Baskervilles on at full volume to drown out the sounds that Eska knew were to come.
As the mid-day darkness fell and the few lights in her cave flickered on, Eska closed her eyes and focused on the story and her imagination to drown out what was outside. Letting her mind wander…
As the sun began to emerge from behind Azathoth she opened her eyes again and swallowed hard. Fuck… that never got easier.
The next hour or so was spent going through more of a typical day for Eska. She checked none of her tech needed repairs and that her supplies weren’t too low before heading back outside to sunbathe on top of the outcropping.
It was while she was sunbathing that she saw it. What looked like a large plant thing entered the atmosphere at a sedate pace, not crashing or being dragged down like so many ships before it, but making planetfall of its own accord. It was clearly a ship itself, but it was like no ship she’d ever seen in her life, not even in data files as a kid. Green, brown and red were its primary colours and it moved more like a living thing than an artificial construct as if someone had just plucked a plant, a vibrant and beautiful plant like from those old vid files of other worlds her parents used to show her, straight from the ground and put it in space.
Standing up she watched, eyes wide and grimacing, as it began to easily glide down towards land, looking like it was going to touch down near the shore. Whoever, or whatever, was flying that thing would soon learn the terrible mistake they’d made in coming here. Soon.
However, she couldn’t deny her curiosity. She’d never seen anything like this before.
A quick peek from the shoreline wouldn’t hurt…