A man in loose linen clothes was crouched low and bent over a small garden picking vegetables, pulling up others, and depositing them in to a large basket to his right. He stood, dusting his clothes off before picking up his bounty and carrying it to a home made of what appeared to be Bamboo. The cabin overlooked a valley with a small lake and an ocean shining in the distance, the systems star beginning to set along the horizon.
He brought the vegetables into a kitchen and began preparing them for dinner. He turned on the sink and began washing each item with care and set them aside on a chopping block. Once he finished, he began chopping, peeling, and cleaning all the planet materials. As he did, he put them into a small bowl. Once finished, he poured what looked like olive oil mixed with herbs into the basin and picked up the bowl, heading to his front porch. He sat and absently munched on the vegetables as he watched the star set over the horizon, the stars beginning to shine in the sky and the Mekong Nebula ominously lurking in the night sky, obscuring a region of stars along the edge of the ocean.
Ports along his arms and legs showed locations where implants were designed to connect, scars ran in between these docking ports, showing that ultra-high speed nerve bus lines connected each docking port together for quick communication between the man and his implants or armor; a constant reminder of his past--of a past that he had long since abandoned in favor of a simple life far away from the issues that others suffered up outside of the well. He took another bite of his dinner, examining his thoughts concerning his past and whether or not he cared enough to even regret leaving it behind. This was a ritual he did every night...it probably wasn't healthy, but it didn't matter. It wasn't like anyone else was here for him to discuss it with.
As he did, a streak of light illuminated distantly along the horizon. A meteorite falling with the assistance of the planets gravity. As he watched, pieces of the meteorite broke off and tumbled to the ground. As he examined the object, he noticed pieces of metal along the side. He jumped up quickly, discarding his bowl and dinner to the ground. Without a second thought, he grabbed the rifle along the front of his cabin and headed out into the wilderness, ready to kill who ever had ruined his quiet night and dinner.
He smelled the MOX fuel first, indicating that his hunch was correct. The meteorite wasn't a meteorite at all, but a crashing ship. Bringing the weapon up to the pocket in his shoulder, he aimed down the iron sight towards the wreckage, looking for movement. As he did, he saw two shadows run from the wreckage and stumble into the jungle. Two shadows: One small lithe shadow, and another even smaller one. A woman and child. He hesitated for a fraction of a second but found his resolve. He came around the corner where the shadows disappeared and levied the gun at the two subjects. A dark haired woman was checking over a small boy, concern writ on her face. The boy looked up and saw him first, crying for his mother. The woman spun and protected her child, keeping her arms out to her side.
"Please! Don't hurt us!"
The man narrowed his eyes at the two. It was the first time he'd heard another voice in ten years. He didn't drop his weapon and kept it trained on the two.
"Names." he said hoarsely, realizing he hadn't spoken in months, his voice sounding weird even to his own ears.
"M-my name is Ashlynn Schneider. This is my son, Leopold." she said, her arms still out at her sides shielding her son from the crazy man with a rifle.
"Hmph. Leopold, huh?" he said lowering his rifle. "Where are you from and what are you doing here?" he said, his voice beginning sounding normal to him again.
"It wasn't our choice." she said with an edge to her voice, she lowered her arms but kept herself between him and the boy. "We were chased here."
"By?" he said, his eyes narrowing further.
"How the hell should I know?!"
"Didn't you have scanners on that wreck?" he asked, pointing his thumb at the burning wreck behind him.
"I was a bit busy trying to survive. Sorry I couldn't give you more reliable information, sir." she said punctuating the sir with a hint of sarcasm.
He chuckled a little, he couldn't help it. She reminded him of someone else named Schneider that he'd once known. With that thought, his sour mood returned as quickly as it had left.
"I'm guessing you'll be calling for rescue?"
"You guessed right."
"Good. Do it down by the ocean, far from this area. I don't want any visitors. I've taken care to choose a place far off the beaten path so as to not be bothered. I don't need any Kusari Naval Jockeys or Police coming down here and bothering me for settling here. Nor do I want GMG bothering me either. So you and your boy head down to the ocean shore, it's a couple of kilometers from here. Most plants here are edible, but avoid anything that looks like a berry unless you want the shits for a week."
With that he turned his back to the two and walked back into the jungle.
"H-hey! Wait!" the woman called, but he ignored the cries and kept walking. "Please!"
The man stopped and sighed, half turning to face the woman who was running after him, her small son in tow.
"Don't just leave us out here. We have no provisions."
"Not my problem, lady. There's a lake not that far from here, fresh water too. You can survive on water for a while and some of the native wildlife. Enough to get you to the shore for rescue. I don't like strangers which means I don't like you. Best of luck."
The woman stood by herself in the foilage looking dejected and alone. As the man walked away, she turned and took a knee in front of her son offering him assurances that they would be okay. He started sobbing as he clutched his arm. The man stopped again, sighing outwardly.
"Fuck." He turned to face the two. "Follow me. If you get left behind, I'm not coming back for you. At dawn, you two can head out for the shore with some of my food. After that I don't want to see your faces again."
The woman picked up her son and ran after the man. "Thank you! Thank you! What's your name by the way?"
The man half smiled as he began climbing back up the hill towards his home. "Leo."
They arrived at his small cabin a few kilometers away after the star had set over the horizon. Leo had never had anyone else here. This was his oasis, his home. As they slowed when reaching the porch, he half-turned to face the two. The boy's eyes were starting to drift closed. His mother, Ashlynn, was beginning to look very sleepy as well. No doubt the adrenaline was beginning to wear off and the two were beginning to crash.
He sighed and cleaned up the mess he had made when leaving his home and entered the house. The woman and boy followed quietly behind.
"You live here all alone?" she asked looking around. "Why?"
"No visitors for one." he said looking pointedly at her before turning on the faucet to quickly rinse out the bowl with his captured rain water. "Secondly, it's quiet and peaceful. Much more so than my previous life." He sat the bowl on the drying rack. "I'll gather some of the food from my garden in the morning for you to take with you. You'll need to retrieve some water from the lake on the way to the beach as my water supplies are limited during the dry season. Like I said, it's fresh water so you shouldn't need to filter it unless you want to. I'll send some materials along with you to naturally filter the water if you do."
"T-thank you." she said, her voice quieter than before. "I just can't believe we crashed."
"Better than exploding in orbit or deep space. What the hell were you doing out here anyway?"
"Heading to Rheinland from Kusari. My son's father lives there. I...I was taking him home to Rheinland."
"Sigma-13 is safer than 21."
"There are pirates in Sigma-13."
"Oh, yeah, you're doing so much better out here."
She snorted looking to her son. He'd sat down in one of the chairs near the door to the cabin and had dozed off sometime during their conversation.
"I'm just happy we survived."
Leo nodded. The two stood in silence for a few moments before Leo spoke up.
"There are some blankets near the chair near your boy. They're small as it's normally just for me when I fall asleep out on the porch but it should suffice for the two of you. If you need anything, I'll be in the back room taking a nap." Before she could respond, Leo turned and entered his room, closing the door gently behind him. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, thinking back.
Ten years ago, he'd crashed on the surface of Saigon. The first few years had been difficult. He'd learned how to live off the land without the need for rations or technology. His implants had sustained him for long enough to adapt to his new diet and life. The implants that had remained dormant for years. The implants that made him less than human...that had made him into some kind of freak.
His mother had become infected with a Nomad incubus shortly after he was conceived. The Nomad cells had invaded her womb and her unborn child, those cells fusing to the biology of the fetus and creating something akin to a hybrid. He wasn't under the thrall of the alien, but the cells that had invaded the unborn child gave him certain abilities related to technology. Any implant that became apart of his biomass was adapted and shaped by the Nomad cells to serve other purposes over time. It happened so slowly that he never noticed until much later in his life. 15 years ago, he'd lost his memory during an attack. As he regained his memories, the implants that his cells had changed began to come fully online, turning him into something close to a true Nomad/Human hybrid.
His processing speed was enhanced by applying enhanced neurotransmitters which aided his neurons. His muscles were enhanced by nano-fiber utilized by breaking down certain implants and fusing the technology to the muscle fibers. His eyes were enhanced by the Nomad cells giving them an eerie blue, almost silver, hue--these cells were able to become excited, allowing Leo to see in dark as if standing in starlight. The powered armor ports that ran along his arms, legs, and spine had been further enhanced by the cells as well, enabling powered armor to function as a second skin. The list went on...but he did his best to not use those implants. They reminded him that he wasn't completely human. That he was a freak of nature...something that should be killed and not studied or allowed to thrive.
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself." he said to the air. "You might not be completely human, but that doesn't mean you can't be a decent person." He glanced over his shoulder to the door. "I'll help them get off the planet and then I'll return to my quiet life. Hopefully no other ships will come crashing down."
With that, he got ready for bed. He washed himself with rain water and herbs before laying down in his makeshift bed of plant fibers. As he drifted off to sleep, his dreams were filled with the nightmares of his previous life.
The following morning, Leo did his usual rituals. Retrieving vegetables, cleaning, peeling, and dicing, adding to a bowl and eating. After he was finished, he quickly rinsed the bowl and left to the garden for a second time to retrieve more for the mother and her child. As he was pulling and picking various plants, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
His senses had always been dialed to eleven ever since his time as a Dragon. He knew he was being watched but he paid it no mind. It was better whomever thought he was an easy mark continued thinking that...it made ending them that much easier. He glanced to the door to his home and saw the mother and child still sleeping peacefully. He turned his attention back to the garden when a man in a dark uniform stepped from behind the shadows.
"No sudden moves." he said with a deep accented voice. Kusarian.
Leo did his best impression of someone who was frightened. "Look, I'm just a settler. I don't have any money or valuables. Take whatever food you like."
"I don't want your plants," he spat. "I want the woman and the boy."
Leo glanced the way towards his house and noted that her and the boy were absent, no doubt hiding inside.
"I don't know who you're speaking about. I live here alone." he said.
The man stuck Leo across the face.
"Lie again and the next time I take a body part."
Leo grinned, he couldn't help it. This guy thought he was tough. Preyed upon the innocent.
"You think that's funny?" he said moving to strike Leo a second time, this time he regretted it. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, his implants flared with life. He moved out of the way of the moving fist as if it was in slow motion; a feral haymaker carelessly thrown without finesse. The man's face turned from one of anger to surprise as Leo appeared at his side and landed a punch square into the side of his head. He went flying five feet through the air, crashing through a small tree. He moved sluggishly as he rose to his feet in a daze. Leo stood feet away, his eyes glowing with an eerie cyan light, his implants cycling his blood at an increased rate, his muscles tensed and ready to fight.
"What the hell are you?"
"Just a man who wants to be left alone. You leave here, you might survive. Stay, and you die a violent and painful death." Leo's voice had changed from a weak man just wanting to be left alone, to one possessing power. The other man considered his options, staring daggers through Leo.
"Or how's about I just fucking shoot you." he said pulling a pistol. However, before he could do anything, Leo moved as if gravity had no effect on him. He grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward, elbowing him square in the sternum with such force that the bone snapped. An audible pop echoed throughout the jungle as his eyes bulged from his head. Leo spun to his right and grabbed the sides of the man's head. He twisted violently, his nanofiber augmented muscles making quick work of his spine. The man went limp as the torque Leo had applied to snapping the man's neck pulled his head off his shoulders. Skin, tendons and sineu coming with the body part. He threw it deep into the jungle.
"How's about you fucking die." Leo said, mocking his last words while looking down at his cooling body sitting in an ever expanding pool of blood. "Ashlynn." he said matter of factly without turning.
A woman came around the corner of his front door shaking in fear.
"W-what are you?" she said repeating the man's question.
"My name is Leo Masuyo. I was also known once as Jacob Keller. I was a Blood Dragon, I was a Mercenary," he turned to face the woman. His eyes glowing in the shadow of the jungle "I'm a monster...and right now I'm all you've got. Who was he and why was he after you?"
She was silent for a few moments. Leo waited patiently for her answer. He didn't move from his previous position over the cooling body, continuing to stare at her. Eventually, she spoke.
"Leopold's father...is not a nice man."
"Go on."
"He's a narcissist and I didn't want my son to follow in his footsteps. So I took him and ran. That man was one of his. It seems he sent him into the jungle to search for me. He probably already reported back where I am."
Leo remained quiet, running through everything she'd said. It seemed his earlier thoughts the night before had been correct. His past and present were colliding. It was time for him to get back out of the well.
"Do you have a plan for getting off Saigon?"
"Saigon?"
"This planet. Its name is Saigon. Do you have a plan for getting off it?"
"Call for rescue."
"...and if him and his men intercept it? Then what?"
She looked down at the ground looking defeated.
"Stop that. Giving up will do nothing to help you or your son escape him. Here's what we do..."
Leo explained his plan to Ashlynn. As he did so, her face changed from fear, to concern, to horror, and then to acceptance.
"It's going to be tight. The timing must be perfection. We have one shot at this. Do you understand?"