The Adventures of Hachi and Araine

Thank You Hachi

I'm running down the hallway of the Corpus ship, the power is failing on every deck as the lights flicker in and out no matter which path I take. No intention or thought as to where, just instinct. The instinct to stay alive, to move as quickly away from the scratching and clawing coming from behind me.

I'm almost out of breath when I see the Atrium, the mobile labs, and then it hits me. They have their own power supplies. I could seal myself in, get a message out, and maybe survive long enough for someone to show up.

I move quickly down the stairs towards the nearest mobile lab, a sharp pain hits me in the gut and I double over falling down the stairs. Blood and puss leak out of the side of my stomach as I scream out, an intestinal-like appendage sticking out. I grab it and yank, more blood, but it's off; the infested thing wriggling on the ground. I pant and gasp, moving across the floor into the mobile lab.

The door shuts and I lay down flat on the ground, blood pouring out of me. I need to hold it in. I tear off some of my right sleeve and push it hard against my wound. I can hear the clawing and the shrieking coming from outside. They might make their way in if they're hungry enough. The infested are always hungry.

I feel the floor panels and pull them up, pulling out the cargo boxes and miscellaneous equipment from below as I crawl in. The one thing left to do is call for help. I could call the Perrin Sequence, they'd send someone. I look down, the blood flow has slowed, but then I see them; purple little tendrils sprouting from my wound. It wouldn't be long now. It wouldn't matter if the Perrin Sequence sent someone. I was already dead.

"Hey Hachi...how are you?" my voice soft and weak, trailing off to a whisper. "...I wish we had had more time."

Everything is fading in and out. The lights are out, or maybe I just can't see them anymore when I hear more screams from outside. I wonder how long it'll be, what it will be like when I take the last breath. Will I feel it when I don't breadth anymore? Maybe my brain will stop functioning before then?

I think about the first time I met the skinny girl with dark skin and glowy eyes in the shop on Cetus. I'd been looking for a Tenno, looking for a tin suit, but when I saw her it took me by surprise. Surprised they'd be so similar to us, yet so different given their origins. I was so curious about her and wanted her to be the one to help me.

How wonderful things were on our adventure. Her magical spaceship, watching her effortlessly take out Grineer, Infested, unfazed by any combat challenge, yet visibly struggled to hold even the simplest of conversations. I was curious and more curious about her with every day we spent together.

When our adventures were over I wondered what she'd do. I'd been so happy the night we finally spent together. I briefly wondered if she'd ask me to stay. I wanted to spend more time with her, but I also wanted to be someone who was worthy of spending time with. I wanted to find my place in this universe. Maybe make a name for myself like Maroo or Darvo, with a spot on a relay where patrons would come to see and trade my wares, my salvage, and my rarities from the Orokin Derelicts.

But none of that mattered now. It'd all be over soon.

Then I see Hachi's face, a friendly visage on my way out. "Hachi...it's too late."

There's darkness. Cold. Bitter cold like nothing I'd ever felt.

Sounds. Words. Are they human? I can't make them out. It's like someone keeps saying or asking me something but I don't know the language. It sounds familiar, but I can't make it out.

Something warm is near me. I think I can feel my heartbeat. Am I alive?

Pain. It radiates through my body starting in my abdomen, I want to grab myself, move, flee, anything, but I'm stuck. I'm held fast in darkness. The sound of my heartbeat, words, machines. I feel something hot in my arm, it stings and trickles into my body, spreading out instantly like wildfire.