The Odso Chronicles

“Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say.”

After a few moments of silence, Ako looked up from the comms system she was tinkering with for what felt like the thousandth time that week. She glanced at Cici, her coworker, and best friend., who was playing a game, acting as if she hadn’t said the most cryptic and horrifying phrase Ako had ever heard. Cici had meant to say it more to herself, to fill the silence, not to frighten anyone or cause either of the women to be more on edge than they already were. They were supposed to arrive at planet Pagh’s port several weeks ago but at the same time their navigation system malfunctioned, and so did their communication system. Ako tried to fix both but eventually gave up on the navigation and spent most of her energy on getting their comms up and running. The only issue was that it wouldn’t work, no matter what she tried. Now they were simply coasting through space, with no destination and no way to communicate with anyone else. She knew it was only a matter of time before Cici caught on and started to panic.

“Cici, girl, why are you trying to creep me out?”

Cici looked over at Ako, eyes wide and apologetic before she looked towards the ground.

”Sorry, I was just…thinking about our situation. And then I watched one of those old horror movies last night…so...”

She paused at the sound of a rhythmic clinking of metal on metal. Because of the Ship's layout, the sound reverberated all throughout and sounded much closer than where it came from. Ako listened attentively for several seconds before blowing out a sigh.

“The holding cell.”

The metal clanging was a common sound the inmate made so they ignored it and continued with their conversation. Ako leaned out of her seat and closer to Cici so that she could pat her reassuringly on the shoulder. “It’s ok, Cici. I wasn’t mad or anything. I was just kinda creeped out…it was pretty spot on to what I was thinking.”

“Ok, thank you.”

The two women allowed the silence to settle into the room as they ruminated over their obvious problem. They were two weeks late to an inmate dropoff and were hopelessly lost, definitely off course, and too far from any support satellites to call for backup, even if the comms were working. Now they were stuck, floating through space with a high-risk extraterrestrial inmate who they were advised not to make any contact with. The ship's AI staff served him meals and cleaned out the cell. Neither one knew what the inmate even looked like.

Ako sighed heavily as Cici played yet another game using the ship’s computer system. It really didn’t matter what they did during the travel time, as long as the inmate arrived safely and everything was still intact, they had done their jobs. The problem was that this was supposed to be her last job. The company they worked for was notorious for their workplace accidents and for treating their underpaid staff like expendables while making millions off the insurance policies they take out on them. She hated the feeling of being used even more than the deep discomfort of hunger in her stomach and made a pact with Cici to quit after this mission because of the pay. Now she wasn’t sure if she would even make it home to receive it.

Ako looked over at Cici, who she thought was simply blissfully unaware of their perilous situation, but from her earlier comment, it was fairly obvious she was once again putting on a brave face. It was their dynamic.

Cici would be the hopeful, upbeat, and open-minded friend while Akosua was the cynical realist who harped on the fun. They relied on each other to make up for their faults. Cici was the one who had convinced Ako of how much better she would feel after getting the pay and finally quitting, even when all Ako could think of was how difficult it would be to find another job in their economy. It was the same for Cici, who at that moment was forcing a smile and nonchalant attitude while internally she was very close to an anxiety attack.

She had heard the horror stories of being trapped in space with violent inmates who somehow escape and massacre the crew for the ship and its materials, the bodies were thrown into the vacuum of space, never to be returned to their loved ones. Cici had a longtime fear of both the vacuum of space and the sea because of their vastness and ability to take her breath away; literally. Every minute longer she had to spend in the ship was an inch closer she was to breaking down. Much like Ako, she only took the job because she didn’t want to starve and her skills were in intergalactic relations. While Ako was the tech-savvy one on their team, Cici was fluent in several alien languages and cultures and constantly worked on developing the company's own translators. She tried to stick to the exercises her therapist had taught her, but the panic and intrusive thoughts were winning over her rationale. So she did the only thing she knew would keep her calm. She played video games until she was so hyper-focused on the in-game objective she simply forgot whatever was worrying her.

As Ako examined the navigation system for what must’ve been the third time that day, they heard the same metallic grating as before. Though this time it was accompanied by another noise. A noise that made the hairs on the backs of both women’s necks stand on end.

The alarm blared, alerting them that a holding cell door was open.

Both women shot up from their seats instantly. Ako grabbed for her heavy-duty taser and Cici pulled out her trusty stun gun and together they both made a mad dash down the hallway for the holding cell. They had been trained in what to do if an inmate escaped and how to handle the situation without getting to a point where deadly force was necessary but, suddenly, with the red and white flashing lights overhead, and the blaring of the alarm, all their training sat at the backs of their brains as adrenaline and anxiety took center stage. As they rounded the corner to where the holding cells were, they came to a sudden halt. All cells had a pin pad and needed a code to fully open the cells. The pin pads were far away from the cell doors to prevent intelligent inmates from entering the code and escaping. The code even had to be reentered to disarm the alarm. The door was wide open; the pin pad intact. The code had been entered and the cell was completely abandoned. The very violent inmate was nowhere in sight. Cici examined the cell as Ako worked to disarm the alarm. The protocol was to leave it on, but it was giving her a headache. As Ako worked, Cici searched the eight-foot by six-foot cell from ceiling to floor but found the cell oddly spotless. The small pool of water in the middle of the cell, used to accommodate aquatic-type aliens was clear, the recent food rations untouched except for the fish, and even the toilet pod was clear. In a drawer were a few handmade tools, but everything was tidy and accounted for. They wouldn’t have to worry about the inmate being armed unless…

Cici made a mad dash for the emergency rations room and Ako soon followed after. All employees knew that the company was cheap and to save on costs, they stored their most expensive equipment, the extra weapons, in the emergency rations room. No one except employee personnel could know this information or have access to that room, but if the inmate could unlock their cell door, they could finesse their way throughout the entire ship. Ako, who was more athletically fit and taller than Cici by almost a foot, made it to the room first to find the door open. Any hope that the women had of gaining control of the situation was dashed as they were greeted with an empty weapons container.

“There were ten guns in there, where could he have…” Before she could finish her sentence, Ako looked out the window and over to where the trash deposit seeing what must’ve been nine guns floating in open space.

“Damn!”

Cici almost collapsed to the ground right there, but quickly recovered as she saw Ako march angrily towards the control room, cursing as she went. No matter how much her instincts told her to, Cici could never leave Ako to fight alone. As she rushed to catch up to her and her mind started to calm, a thought came to her and she gently tugged at Ako’s arm to slow her stride.

“The protocol. Why don’t we follow protocol? If the inmate is armed, we are supposed to use the escape pods and activate the distress signals located inside.”

Ako huffed heavily and paused. Her eyes, once clouded over and almost red with rage were now clear and a soft amber color as she looked at her companion. She could only nod in agreement as she lead the way to the escape pods, her eyes scanning every hall, taser raised at all times. When they finally reached the escape pods, located at the back of the ship, both their stomachs dropped as they saw the hatches where the pods were located, but with no pods. In a frenzy, Ako typed various codes onto the pad in front of the pod launch spots.

“Nononono! It says they were freshly deployed five minutes ago!” Ako yelled out in frustration. As she did, Cici fiddled with the taser in her hands, unsure of what to say. Then, like a strike of lightning, a thought came to her.

“Well, that means that the inmate used one of the escape pods! We can just dock at the closest station and alert them to a fugitive inmate. They can take of it. I mean, we won’t get paid for the job, but I'm sure it’ll be-”

“He didn’t leave,” Ako whispered, low and gutteral, like a dog giving a warning growl.

“Huh?”

“He didn’t-the pods had no lifeforms on them at the time of deployment and they were programmed to return to where the ship was last docked. Unless our inmate is an idiot-which clearly he isn’t-he wouldn’t use it.”

As Cici exhaled, she felt the sharp pain of panic filling her lungs instead of air. It was as if she had suddenly forgotten how to breathe. Her heartbeat was reverberating throughout her ears and she crumpled to the floor before she even registered dizziness.

It was all suddenly becoming too much. She wasn’t ready to die. Most likely brutalized before she felt the sweet kiss of death. Or maybe he would simply send them out of the hatches and into space, to feel as all the air in their bodies is seeped out into the void. With that thought, tears started welling up in her eyes as she realized at that moment that she couldn’t breathe. She wanted to, but no matter how hard she tried the air just wouldn’t return to her lungs.

Suddenly, Ako was right there next to her. She didn’t know how long it had been or what she was saying but she could feel the reassuring pat on her back and after a few seconds, Cici could hear what Ako had been reciting. She was counting. As Ako counted, Cici joined her and soon her heartbeat was no longer filling up her ears and her breath had returned. Finally, with a bit of help from Ako, who had slid her taser around her shoulder, Cici could stand once more. As Ako slid her stun gun back into her hand, she whispered softly into her ear.

“Cici, it’s ok. It’ll be ok. If he tries to lay a single digit on us, I’ll shoot him.”

Cici tilted her head sideways, her cue that she was confused and wanted clarification. As they marched down the hall, Ako held onto Cici’s hand with her right hand and slid her other into the waistband of her work suit, producing a real pistol only a few seconds later. Her rarely-before-seen smile was wide as she smirked confidently at Cici’s incredulous look as they stalked towards the control room.

The plan was simple as Ako loved simple plans and loathed complications. They would each enter the control room using one of the side doors and survey the area for the culprit and if he was there they would detain him. If he wasn’t, they would lock themselves into the control room where Ako would restore the comms system and alert their boss to the situation. Upon their arrival at the control room, they could already see one issue with this plan.

The Control doors were already open and the lights were off, leaving the control room pitch black. Ako stopped Cici as she started to make her way to the other door.

“New plan, stay behind me and keep your stun gun out and ready to use,” Ako whispered. Cici simply nodded in response and watched as Ako swiftly pulled out her gun and silently stepped into the control room. Both women practically held their breath to enter the room as noiselessly as possible. As they walked back to back into the silent room, Ako tried to listen for any signs of life. When that didn’t work she relied on her sense of smell. By the time the scent of fresh water and fish hit her, it was already too late. She felt a stinging sensation in her left hand and something cold and wet wrapped around her wrist and yanked, thoroughly disarming her. He moved in between the women, pushing both of them to the ground.

Cici, in her confusion and panic, pulled the trigger on the stun gun. A small bolt of electricity could be seen followed by a sharp snarl. Cici felt a sharp sting as the inmate slapped her gun from her grip and kicked it further into the darkness. She heard it hit the wall with a thud. He could be heard cracking something overhead as he retreated away further into the room and Ako used the opportunity to turn on the light. Sadly, the only light bulb he hadn’t broken was the one directly over them and at the entrance to the control room. The rest of the room was pitch black. Cici inched closer to Ako, who was now on her feet and scanning the ceiling.

“Hey, Fucker! Games over. You’re going back to your cell, one way or another.”

As Ako took a few tentative steps with her taser in hand and Cici followed right behind her, a loud metal thud behind them. They turned and both simultaneously had the horrifying realization that was the sound of the doors to the control room shutting and locking. Ako once again faced in front of them, her eyes clouded over with fury. She pointed her taser towards the control board and huffed once, before charging towards the darkness.

“Omek`e” The command was short and crisp and clear. It was demanding enough that it caused Ako to stop in her tracks, even though she had no idea what he had said. Ako couldn’t understand what language he was speaking but Cici could. She finally found a way to contribute, to gain some semblance of control in this situation. She could translate.

“He said to stay Ako.”

“Yeah, I caught that Cici.” There was a twinge of aggravation in her voice as she realized this was just another part of her plans going wrong. Then it came to her. Why should she be afraid? She had a taser.

She dared to swiftly redirect the taser to where she thought the voice came from, directly ahead of her. There was a small tsk from somewhere in front of her before he stated his next command.

“He said not to move, Ako.”

Ako could only suck her teeth at him in return as her anger bubbled to the surface. She was a teapot that was one more second away from blowing steam. Then she heard the distinct click of the hammer to her revolver being pulled back. The gun materialized from out of the darkness with a webbed sea green hand wrapped around it, finger on the trigger. It was pointed directly at Ako. Immediately, Cici sprang into action.

She put herself between the gun and her best friend as she pushed Ako further into the light and away from the inmate. Once they were on the other side of the wall, she raised her hands and stepped slightly closer to the shadowed figure, shaking with every step. She glanced back at a shell-shocked Ako and nodded confidently before turning back around. Cici studied the hand as she worked to collect her thoughts and what she wanted to say. The gun was still pointed toward them, but his finger was no longer hovering over the trigger. His webbed knuckles were large and almost cerulean in color, an even mix between green and dark blue. His skin was close to translucent and she could see the purple veins pulsing underneath it.

Cici had never met an Odsonian before. In all seven of her years of intense study and research on the planet, she had never seen a single picture. She mastered the language to almost a perfect science just to feel that much closer to her dream of visiting the planet one day. The planet of Odso was an elusive mystery, inside and out of its galaxy. This was her first conversation with a native of Odso, her life's goal. She cleared her throat and began to translate.

“Umm…please don’t shoot us. We will cooperate and just want to return to our planet.”

He snorted at her request as he slowly lowered his gun, saying nothing, and stepped into the darkness once more. They listened as he collected her stun gun from the floor and yet again disposed of two very expensive pieces of equipment into space using the trash deposit. Then, just as quickly as he left, he resumed his position of standing just in front of Cici, cloaked in darkness.

Ako woke from her daze and spoke up from her spot on the wall.” You’re negotiating with this psycho?…Ok. Get him to drop us off at a support station, at least.”

Cici breathed out a sigh of relief at the realization that he could be reasoned with. “Alright. Can you please take us to a support station or nearby satellite? You can keep the ship but-”

“Thank you. You speak the language very well, by the way,” His voice was smooth like butter as he enunciated each syllable of Yecha, the proper version of the Odsonian language. The sound of his tongue clicking as he spoke made her spine tingle and Cici soon found herself replicating his enunciations.

“So, you’ll drop us off?” Cici couldn’t contain the rise in her voice. She couldn’t believe that what she had studied for most of her adult life might actually be worth something, might actually save their lives. Her years of research might actually be worth-

“ I’ m sorry, but I can’t do that.” The words caused her already sinking stomach to sink further. Cici looked down as she worked to swallow and lubricate her suddenly very dry mouth. She couldn’t bear to translate what she just heard to Ako; she couldn’t even look at her. The sickening realization that they probably weren’t going home sunk into her mind, causing a new wave of panic to envelop her. She knew no rescue would come for them. The cost of sending a search party would be enough to give the director a hernia. Cici was so focused on her thoughts she only realized something was wrong after she heard Ako sharply suck in a breath and scramble towards her. The familiar silky smooth voice, suddenly much closer than before, dragged Ako’s feet to a halt once more.

“Omek`e.”

Cici looked up and before her loomed an alien with the figure of a man. Dressed from the neck to his calves in their official inmate uniform was a glorified one-piece wetsuit. His hair was thick, long, and dark, with shorter ringlets framing his face. His eyes, bright green and shining with an intensity Cici had never seen before, gazing right into her own. He raised the tip of his long, scaly tail with a spindly fin to her shoulder and patted her gently before resting its full weight on her. He bent his face down closer to her, who was almost half his height, and smirked. His teeth were similar to a piranha, there were many and they were razor sharp.

“ You see, you two will be accompanying me .”

“ Accompanying you…where?”

“Odso.”

At the mere idea of visiting the planet she previously could only dream about, all thought in Cici’s brain screeched to a halt. Ako tried to stay patient while the two conversed but after Cici had remained quiet for more than two minutes, she broke. She urgently tapped on her friend’s shoulder, effectively waking Cici up from her wanderlust trance.

“What? What did he say?”

“He is taking us to Odso…Odso…”

“ Yeah, ok. I get that. But why?!” Cici was momentarily taken aback by the question and hesitated before facing the Odsonian once more.

“Why must we accompany you?”

He paused for a moment as if he was unsure of what to say. He ran a hand through his hair and lightly tapped his tail against her shoulder as he thought. Then he looked up and gazed at both women with watery eyes.

“I need your help.”