The White Abyss
Snow and ice roared past Vox; the storm was only getting worse. He should have turned back hours ago, but the possible payout was too good to lose out on. The transport he was following had a small fortune worth of gods from the equator. He had to find shelter if he wanted to survive the night. His thermal suit would protect him from the cold, but he’d die without something to protect him from the ravages of the storm. Even a bank of snow he could hollow out with his motorized snow saw would suffice.
The snow blowing past his mask obscured his vision. With weather interference the sensors on his snowdart couldn’t pick anything up either. He climbed atop his snowdart and cranked the handle. Shards of ice flew behind and he took off across the barren landscape. The snow zipped by him in long white streaks.
He caught glance of something large in the storm just moments before the front of his vehicle inevitably crashed into it. He was thrown into the air, violent winds whipping him around. He tumbled to the ground, and the vehicle bruised him as they slid across the icy terrain.
He tried to push himself up, but sharp pain ripped through his shoulder and he cried out. He attempted to rise again, but the winds knocked him down. He reached for the palm sized picks clipped to his pack. Stabbing them into the ground he dragged himself forward. He could only hope that what he hit would make a workable shelter.
The cold was getting to him. It made his sore muscles equally stiff as he desperately tried to reach his last chance at shelter. The chill was becoming unbearable. The chill, he shouldn’t be able to feel it. His suit was damaged. Desperation urged him onwards. His vision began to blur, and he was losing feeling his arms.
Ahead of him, he could just make out the large shadow. Hope surged through him, and he pressed forward. His pick clanged against metal, and he looked up. It was the transport. He smiled to himself. “Got you,” he said, slumping against the hull.
He lay there, enjoying the temporary respite from the winds. Up above steam blew from a vent, if he could only reach it. There was rope in his pack, but he didn’t have the strength to pull himself up. His mind worked for a solution, chaotic thoughts racing through his head. He threw off his pack, dumping out the contents.
Inspiration hit. He reached for his snow saw, and pried off its chain with his pick. He fed the rope through the saw and fastened it with a spare carabiner. The other end he tied to his pick. He grabbed his spare oxygen tank, and wedged the pick into the nozzle. Aiming at the pipes near the vent he gave the valve a solid kick. The pick flew upwards before clanging down between a set of pipes. Using his good hand he started the motor on the saw and was dragged upwards toward the vent. He clipped the rope onto his belt, attaching himself to the transport, and lay his head back. The slightest tingle started in his fingertips before exhaustion overwhelmed him and darkness filled his vision.
Captain Solomon paced back and forth across the command bridge. Cath frowned as she watched him. This wasn’t like the man she had first met. His confidence was gone, replaced by worry.
Jed placed a hand on Solomon’s shoulder. “It’s going to be alright, Sol, that kid of yours is slick as ice.” Solomon closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.
Solomon walked over to the wiry man the crew called Wizard. His station was cluttered with various charts, diagrams, and illegibly scribbled notes. Watching him work was like watching the storm itself. Hands scrambled through pages, scribbling notes wherever he could find room. He bounced back and forth between his notes and the computer, smashing on the keyboard as he entered his calculations.
“How close are you to finishing?” said Solomon.
Wizard looked up and ran a hand through his messy hair. “This isn’t exactly easy, you do know what I’m doing is supposed to be impossible.”
“So you keep telling us,” shot Jed from the other end of the room.
Wizard gave him a less than intimidating glare before returning to his work.
Ari looked over from her spot in the pilot’s seat. “Don’t let him get to you Wizard, you just intimidate him.”
Jed raised an eyebrow in Ari’s direction.
Wizard shot up, notes flying everywhere. “I’ve got it,” he cried out, “the storm pattern is overlaid onto the radar now, we should be able to pick up Vox’s location.”
At last a smile creased Solomon’s face. “Ari, get us there as fast as you can.”
Cath stared at Solomon, mouth agape. “Is that even possible in this storm?”
Jed grinned. “Welcome aboard the Hoarfrost kid.”
Ari tucked a strand of her short hair behind her ear and grabbed the controls. The ship shook to life. The uneven pounding of the Hoarfrost’s steps rang out, audible despite the storm.
Cath was stunned. Not even the ARM military ships she was used to could move in a storm this severe. Yet the ship was moving.
“I’ve locked on to his beacon,” Ari said, “we should be arriving within the hour.”
Solomon took his place at the head of the bridge and stared out into the white abyss. “Let’s hope we aren’t too late.”
They were getting close now, only a few minutes from Vox’s location. “Captain,” said Ari, “you might want to see this.”
Solomon squinted into the distance. “Is that another ship?”
Jed moved to take a look and laughed. “Looks like your boy found that transport he’d been following.” The laughing stopped as they saw Vox’s stiff form hanging outside the ship.
Cath moved forward to take a look and gasped, her hand moving to her mouth. His skin was a pale purple, implying severe frostbite, he could be dead given his condition.
“We need to get down there,” Solomon yelled, “I want the transport’s guns disabled, but our main priority is to retrieve Vox.” He turned to Wizard. “When’s our next window?”
Wizard stared at the screen for a moment. “There won’t be an opening in the winds for several minutes.”
Solomon stared out at his son. It must be agony to be so close and know there was nothing you could do. Solomon turned to face Cath. “We’ve set up a makeshift infirmary for you to use, I’ll have Ari show you the way.”
Cath looked through the cabinets for supplies. She grabbed a container of heat gel, pausing as she saw the epinephrine shots, she grabbed one just to be safe. She opened another cabinet, taking out a set of bandages. “I need heavy blankets, can you get some.”
“I’ll be back soon,” Ari said, then ran down the hallway.
Solomon burst in carrying Vox, Jed right behind him.
“Set him on the table and get his suit off,” Cath said. Jed pulled a large knife from his boot knife and cut the suit off Vox.
Cath placed her ear over his mouth. “He’s still breathing, but barely.” She grabbed the syringe and pulled the cap off before plunging it into his thigh. She twisted the top off the container of heat gel before rubbing it onto his neck and chest. She slowly worked down, starting with his core and moving to his extremities. She made sure to apply a liberal portion wherever the skin looked worst. The gel slowly began to warm under her touch, in a few minutes it would be radiating heat. She grabbed the bandages, cutting sections off and placing them over the areas of his skin most damaged by the frost. Cath wiped her forehead, and leaned back against the counter, breathing hard.
“Will he be alright?” said Solomon.
Cath nodded. “He should be, he’s going to need some rest though, and so are you for that matter.”
Solomon hesitated, but Jed came behind him and lead him out. “You heard her, get some rest. Those are the doctor’s orders.”
Cath closed the door behind them, then sat down to monitor his vitals for irregularities.
It was a long while before a small moan finally came from the table. Vox was trying to prop himself up, but Catb gently set him back down. “Don’t move.”
“Please,” he gasped, “I need to get back to my ship.”
“It’s okay,” she said, “you’re back.”
He glanced around, and came back to look at her. “If I’m already here then who are you?”
“I’m Cath, the new medic aboard the ship.”
“Fortunate timing to take on a medic.”
“You’re lucky to be alive,” she said.
“I suppose I have you to thank for my life.”
“I’m just glad I was here to help."
He smiled at her. “Believe me, so am I.”
She paused for a moment, then bit her lip. “Can I ask you a question?”
“For saving my life I suppose answering one is the least I could do.”
“To be honest I’ve been to embarrassed to ask anyone else, but seeing as I’ve already seen you nearly naked,” she shrugged. “Whore Frost? That can’t actually be the name of the ship.”
Vox let out a low chuckle. “It’s Hoarfrost, bit of an archaic word. My father has a fondness for older things.It’s a coating of ice, infamous for destroying crops a long time ago.”
Cath blushed and looked away. “That’s preferable to the image I had in my head.”
Vox smiled up at her, and she found herself smiling back. “You need your rest,” she said, pulling a blanket over him before moving to leave.
“Did they raid the transport?” he said.
“Yes,” she said, “though you shouldn’t be worrying about that right now.”
He smiled and set his head back down to rest.
She left, shutting the door behind her. She liked Vox, liked the whole crew. It wasn’t what she had expected a pirates to be like. It was comfortable, like family. It was unfortunate that her actual job was to infiltrate thieves and turn them in. She sighed to as she walked away, unfortunate indeed.