The Terrocats Of Neigia 7

It’s been said by some who know, that the Terrocats of Neigia 7 do not immediately kill their prey, but wound the target and bring it to their den for the cubs to play with, to hone the hunting skills. The cubs are responsible for the final death of the victim.

The cargo ship was late again. With one more glimpse at the chrono-dial Sutana decided this time she would let the pilot know just how inconvenient this is for them - all the while knowing if the opportunity did arise, she would never have the courage to stick to that decision. The last time she had disappointed herself by actually thanking the ferry driver who had brought the container boxes inside, carelessly dropping the one that held her precious kalta-milk, spilling a small amount of the cream on the top, her favorite part. She could feel her face flush at the memory.

The terrocats were howling again and Sutana felt her neck tingle at the sound and noted to herself that they were much closer today than they had been lately and shuddered as she thought about the last time she saw one. She and Darro had been bringing water up from the axillary tanks and stumbled across a frozen carcass of a half-devoured female shinta-beast only a few kilometers from the cabin.

Now glancing toward the security door, she noted Darro had left the laser rifle out again. They both knew she would never use it, yet he always leaned it up beside the door when he knew he was going to be coming home late. If it were up to her she would keep it locked in the saferoom.

It was past the dinner hour and yet Sutana felt too anxious to eat and opening the door to the ice cabinet took out one of the small juice pots and sipped the sweet nectar, without tasting it. Remembering that this juice was one of the items in the delayed cargo shipment, she rolled her eyes in exasperation, all too aware of how low their supplies were getting. Sutana was always a little agitated until the supplies were safely tucked away in storage, especially when the ship was delayed and these frigid temperatures made the uni-com signal much less reliable.

The ice field had prevented more than one supply ship to be delayed over the past weeks and she had just heard the news about the loss of the robo- ship Escort One, which crashed to the surface during an atmospheric shift causing the frozen thermal layers to collide.

She wished she had not quarreled with Darro before he left this time. She knew at the time she was being unreasonable, but couldn’t seem to help herself and complained at being left alone again at the mercy of the weather and darkness.

When was she going to be relieved of this tendency to feel abandoned when there was no reason and once again questioned her sanity for insisting she come along on this trip.

This was her least favorite time of year on this forbidding planet, with its glacial temperatures and long dark nights. What had she been thinking, coming along with him, when she knew there would be many of these such days and nights alone?

Darro was near the end of his study and this last excursion would finalize the investigatory section of the three year evaluation, in which he had attempted to discover what was behind the somewhat shocking decline of nevara bears, which had been, up until about four years ago, the dominant species of the northern regions of Neigia 7. The original family of nevara bears had been planted in the tundra over 30 years ago and had quickly flourished until completely taking over the glacial regions of this icy world.

Sutana shivered as she sipped her juice and considered turning up the thermostat, but because the supply ship had not yet refilled the fuel tanks, she decided instead to put on another layer of clothing.

The howling had finally stopped, and yet to Sutana this seemed even more ominous than the earlier screams of the great cats, as she kept visualizing scenes of carnage, picturing the terrocubs with blood dripping from their mouths.

Shaking her head to release the horrific image she walked to the center- room and set the melody-bar to play her favorite songs and tried to relax in Darro’s huge leatherback chair. The moment she closed her eyes, her mind was instantly flooded with memories from the last time they both snuggled up in that chair together. It was one of the sweetest nights since their arrival and Darro’s absence burned at her chest. Missing him was like a hunger that could never be satisfied and she felt the tears begin to sting behind her closed lids.

The explosion was so intense it rattled the cabin windows and the chair Sutana was sitting in. Bolting upright from her sitting position she was in total confusion not knowing what had just happened or what to do next. Was she in danger? Was someone shooting at the cabin? Is Darro okay? Her heart sunk at the thought. She wondered in she should she go outside to see if she could discover the source of the sound? Standing motionless her thoughts ran wild, running over the terrain in her mind searching for answers. Would it be crazy to go outside? And yet inside strangely she felt more vulnerable.

Sutana was badly shaken. Gathering her courage, she made her way back to the panel and activated the outside floodlights, thinking it might somehow add to her safety, yet knowing the lights would do her no good unless she went outside to investigate herself. Her legs threatened to collapse under her and her hands were trembling as she reached for her thermal parka. Very aware that at this temperature she would only have less than half an hour before the bitter cold began to permeate through her protective clothing.

Glancing again at the laser rifle, she quickly dismissed the idea, as the cumbersome weight would slow her down, wishing now she had accepted Darro’s suggestion that she bring along the smaller weapon he had unsuccessfully tried to sneak into her luggage.

The outer door had always been a challenge for Sutana and under the circumstances was nearly impossible for her strength to lift the heavy latch. Just as she was about to give up, the motion sensor went off with a squeal indicating the detection of single lifeform near the southern perimeter of the property. Rushing as fast as possible to the display, it showed a large lifeform heading her way. Frantically reclosing the inner security door, she slowly backed away and without shifting her eyes from the doorway felt her hand reach for the rifle she swore she would never use.

Seconds passed like hours as she waited for the figure to identify itself. Soon the sensor showed the lifeform was only steps from the cabin. Her heart was racing and she felt lightheaded from fright. Seconds later, as if by magic, the uni-com signal reconnected and she could hear Darro’s voice saying, “Hey Biscuit, are you going to let me in?”

Regaining her legs, she ran to the door and as if suddenly acquiring super strength, threw open both doors!

And there he was, the love of her life and although nearly frozen solid, never looked better to her. Pulling him inside she clumsily held her body to his, barely able to get her arms around him as they were both wearing fully padded insulated clothing. Releasing her hold on him Sutana quickly unzipped her coat and then helped Darro who was struggling with numbed fingers to release his hood.

“What was the explosion?” Sutana asked.

“The report said the cargo ship was caught in the ice belt and once again unable to land, the heavy frozen sheet weighed down on the craft and it hovered dangerously and the pilot was finally forced to drop the extra fuel and the liquid exploded on impact, but the ship and crew are fine. They’ll try again next week, but I’m sure we have enough to last until our departure date, if necessary.”

Once they were both safely inside and the doors firmly closed, they came together in a nearly frantic embrace, as Sutana silently resolved that this joyous moment would erase all the fears and loneliness she had endured over the past months and years. Suddenly, none of it mattered anymore, the frigid cold, the menacing terrocats, the low supplies, the darkness. She knew none of this would ever be able to bring her down again, because they were safe secure and unharmed, and most importantly they were together.

Her question had finally been answered, “Why had she come with him to this frozen wasteland with monsters lurking outside the door?”

For the pure adventure of it. Instantly Sutana understood exactly what these last three years were about and that they would forever serve as a touchstone both would apply when struggling to weigh those tough life decisions. For she knew that this precious moment on this ridiculous little icy world with its dangers, its savage animals and frozen skies, this moment, this absurdly precious moment in time was what it meant to be truly alive!