Chapter 3: Meet and Greet.

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The Dead Forest, surface of Stoneharra One, August of 8096 AL.

Salem's eyes shot open, his entire body frozen in his seat. He could hardly see, the screen in front of him was black and the lifeboat was dark. He didn't have to look to know that his knuckles were white. He flexed his fingers slowly, breathing deeply and looking around the cabin. The door was closed, with a single green light blinking above it.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," Hyde said, his face appearing beside the screen, "I'm glad to see my meat suit is still alive and kicking."

"Glad to see you're still the same self-centered asshole you've always been," Salem groaned quietly, his entire body ached, "Well, not always. There was a time you were sane."

"I remember it clearly," the holographic skull smiled, "It was horrible; caring for others, valuing the lives of insects, respecting people. Thank goodness that's over."

"And yet," Salem smirked, "It seems you have your moments of clarity."

"Don't remind me," Hyde growled, "Get out of this tin can, we need to move."

"Five more minutes?" Salem chuckled, "Please mother? I'm so tired, and sore."

"You're going to be a lot more than sore if you're still here in five minutes; motion sensors show movement half of a klick to the north."

"Oh really?" Salem raised an eyebrow, "Any chance they're friendly?"

"Doubtful," Hyde scoffed, "The smaller signatures are only six feet tall."

"Midget welcoming party?" Salem smiled.

"Midget welcoming party with assault rifles," the AI replied, "Get going, they're moving surprisingly fast for their tiny little legs."

"They're on foot?" Salem asked, mashing his fist into the seat belt release button. His safety harness fell off him and he climbed out of his chair. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the lifeboat had remained mostly level after landing. He walked around the chair to the side door, grabbing the release lever and wrenching it to the side. The door slid with the lever, opening to reveal a blindingly bright sun shining through the forest of gray and black trunks.

Salem turned slowly, examining his surroundings. Behind the lifeboat was a clear trail where it had crashed through the trees, knocking over larger trees and simply snapping smaller ones in two. Sunlight cast through the hole in the dead foliage, illuminating the small, otherwise dark clearing where the lifeboat had landed. As it had landed, the boat had dug a deep trench, scarring the loose soil and ripping through tree roots.

The soil was gray and sandy, and seemed to cling to Salem's boots. It was more ash than dirt, he realized after kneeling and sifting through it for a moment. He wiped his hands clean on his pants and stood again, walking to the side of the lifeboat and opening one of the compartments. Inside he found a trauma kit, an Infinity, a sword, an armored breastplate, and a small backpack. Inside the backpack was a survival kit, including a smaller first aid kit, a pistol, a combat knife, and supplies for building shelter and collecting food. He pulled the breastplate on over his jacket and slid the straps of the backpack over his shoulders. He wrapped the body sling of the Infinity around his torso and looked down at the weapon. With the flick of a switch it morphed into a semiautomatic assault rifle with a bayonet and a scope. Salem worked the action, jacking a shell into the chamber and checking the compass built into the stock.

"Hyde, where did the other lifeboats land?" Salem asked out loud, looking to the north for any sign of the approaching hostiles.

"Your lifeboat landed the farthest to the east," Hyde answered, speaking to Salem in his mind, "If you head due west you will reach one of them in a few klicks."

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Aye, thank you Hyde, Salem thought back. He turned to the west and started jogging through the trees. He moved quickly, following small game trails through the dead trunks. The only underbrush was a dull gray bush with thick, brittle branches and ugly black berries. It had puny brown leaves and wiry roots that twisted across the ground, Salem had to take extra care whenever he saw one of those plants to avoid tripping.

Hyde, what sort of wildlife will I find around here? Salem asked, passing one of the many game trails that ran through the dead forest.

"Almost none," the AI replied, "Most of what you'll find is either reptilian or amphibian. There are only two avian varieties to be found, and the few mammals are predators."

Any insect life to watch out for?

"Just scorpions and termites, mostly," Hyde paused, "Although, the termites here don't eat wood."

What do they eat? Salem scrunched up his face, confused.

"Mostly rotting flesh and plant matter," Hyde almost laughed, "Don't worry though, they stay close to their mounds, and you'll know if you get too close."

I will, will I? Salem raised an eyebrow, And how exactly will I know?

"You'll know because they'll sound like a million helicopters chasing after you," Salem could almost feel his AI grinning, "Did I mention that they're about as long as you are tall?"

No, you didn't, Salem cringed; he hated bugs, more than anything, And I sincerely wish you hadn't.

Hyde chuckled, but remained silent as his host continued through the forest. There weren't any apparent changes in his gait, except for an almost unnoticeable flinch at every snap of a branch, and the way that his eyes shot towards the source of any seemingly unnatural sound.

After several minutes, the trail Salem was following widened. He slowed down, coming to the edge of a small clearing. On the opposite side of the clearing was an upside-down lifeboat and a Phantom drop ship. The drop ship had landed beside the lifeboat, probably attempting to rescue its occupants. Salem heard yelling, and a chill ran up his spine as he examined the rest of the clearing.

On the far right, close to the trail Salem was standing in, was a massive dirt mound that stood almost one hundred feet tall; at least, it did before the crashing lifeboat smashed through it. He heard the buzzing now, a regular rhythm that shook his bones and sent shivers up his back. As he watched, dozens upon dozens of dull gray insects crawled from the giant hole in their mound. Some of them moved towards the Phantom, but most seemed to home in on Salem, fixing him with beady, glistening black eyes and clicking long, thin pincers. Some had wings, though they didn't fly, just scuttled towards him with surprising speed. He raised his weapon, but never had to fire a shot; a stream of hot lead tore through the leading termites, grabbing the attention of the others as they reassessed the threat posed by the drop ship. The door gunner shouted to Salem and continued firing, leaning out of the back of the Phantom with a mounted machine gun. Empty shell casings spilled from the side of the twenty-five millimeter cannon, falling to the ground and forming a sizable pile of brass.

Salem didn't care what the gunner was saying, he understood well enough. He slung his rifle and sprinted out of the trees, his feet scraping against the loose soil and wet, slippery insect carcasses. Blood pounded in his ears, his pulse racing as he ran past the termites. One snapped at him with its pincers when he came too close, but he sidestepped to avoid the gleaming razors. The only sound he could hear over his own heartbeat were the spinning of the Phantom's rotors and the rhythmic pounding of the door gun.

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