Drip... drip..... drip.

Drip... drip.... drip.

Colt awoke to the sound of water dripping somewhere and darkness, Complete inky darkness.

'Aw shit where am I now?' 

Drip.... drip... drip.

Drip.... drip... drip.

"Uuuugh..."

Someone or something moaned nearby, Colt turned over to try and make out who or what made the sound. 

'Damn it's dark in here.' 

Colt strained his eyes against the darkness.

Drip.... drip... drip.

Drip.... drip... drip. 

He could just make out a humanoid form curled up nearby on the hard stone ground. Colt groped around in his pockets and found the windproof lighter he always carried that the fat officer neglcted to take off him, flipping it open he tried to discern what was making the sounds he was hearing, in the dim light given off by the flame he could just make out the woman officer from before. 

Colt recalled the last thing he saw before blacking out was a huge spacecraft appearing on the monitor of the ship he was on, which then fired upon them. 

'Oh she must have pulled me to safety. I hope she's okay...' 

Holding the lighter closer to her he checked her for injuries, finding some minor cuts and scrapes on her face and, much to Colts dismay her right arm appeared to be dislocated. 

'Gonna have to do something about this or getting out of this mess is going to be a bitch.' 

Not wanting to immediately wake the woman Colt went looking for anything that could help within the cave, his footsteps and water dripping from the ceiling were the only sounds that echoed in his ears as he stumbled through the dark of the cave. 

'Why would she help me? She doesn't know me and I'm not kin to her, so why help a potential enemy?' 

Colt tried to wrap his mind around the woman's actions which as his father would say is an impossible task.

'Why am I remembering what the old man said now?!?!?' 

Recalling his father gave Colt an empty feeling deep down in his gut. Finally he arrived at the mouth of the cave which he noticed was on the side of a mountain with nothing but lush green jungle spreading out as far as he could see in every direction below, and unfamiliar stars lighting up the night sky above, three moons topped off the surreal landscape. Colt gave a forlorn sigh and spoke to no one in particular.

"Hell for all I know I'm not kin to anyone anymore. I might be alone in this world." 

Finally he found what he was looking for, a round rock approximately the size and shape of a baseball. Colt also gathered twigs and brush that looked to be dry enough to burn. 

'If this is wood and it does burn on other planets that is...' 

Sticks, shrubbery, and stone in tow Colt made his way back to where he left the woman officer who was now sitting up right drenched in sweat. 

"Oh your alive? Good, well you may not think its good here in a few minutes." 

The woman just glared at Colt who could only hold up what he gathered in defeat. dropping the wood and other kindling on the ground Colt sat on his haunches and started piling it together before setting it alight with his lighter. Although he kept the fire small it was a huge comfort to the two survivors of the crash.

"Well there's no point in dodging it any longer, we will have to get around to it eventually." 

The woman just looked confused.

"!@$#%%^%@#$." 

Again she spoke in that same unintelligible language. 

Colt gestured to her arm and then to himself hoping she would understand. A number of emotions flashed across the woman officers face confusion, understanding, surprise, then finally fear however she nodded as Colt moved closer to her. He took the rock and put it under her arm pit and held it there, looking up after getting things ready he saw that her face had adopted a fiercely determined expression.

'Good, she's tough she will need all of her strength to get through this.' 

"What's your name?" 

Garnering a small ray of hope from the woman's expression Colt asked knowing she wouldn't understand, which was quickly confirmed by a tilt of her head, Colt gestured to himself.

"Colton." 

Then gesturing to her. She seemed to pick up on his meaning.

"Kalis."

‘Enough of this me Tarzan you Jane horse shit’

"Well Kalis this is going to hurt like hell, don't go into shock, and for the love of christ don't hit me I'm sore enough as it is" 

With that he popped her arm back into socket.

—-------------

Kalis awoke with a start. 

'Oh right the cave.' 

she gazed down at her arm which was now in a makeshift sling made from what appeared to be cloth torn from Colton's sleeve and a piece of wood.

'I must have passed out after he did whatever it was that he did.' 

Kalis tried to move her arm but grimaced in pain, which had dramatically lessened since she had hauled the unconscious Colton onto an escape craft. 

'I guess the pira... er... Colton, did know what he was doing after all. Speaking of Colton.' 

she looked around in the meager light the small dying fire gave off for the pirate before locating him resting nearby with his back against the cave wall. 

"@$$@#!@$$$#@#$ #%@#@#$$*&^^*^%$%?"  

The man in question noticed she had awoken and seemed to be asking her a question.

"We really need to figure some way to communicate.”

Kalis shook her head in frustration. 

"That is assuming you don't get executed when we get out of this, assuming we DO get out of this...." 

Kalis couldn't help but sigh after airing her uncertainty. She quickly perked up saying. 

"Luckily we were on a major shipping lane when we were attacked or we would be beyond hope of rescue." 

"#%$$$^&(*)(&^%$$$%$%^*(^%." 

Colton replied to her with a shake of his head.

"I was hoping you would say something like that, if we can get back to the escape craft I can activate the beacon and assuming that triple 8 isn't still lurking about we may be able to get out of here, aaaaand I might as well be talking to myself." 

‘just as well they always say something about assumptions making an ass out of you and me.'

"Escape.... craft."

Kalis spoke slowly and made signs with her hands like something falling from high up then crashing hoping to communicate with her only company on this unknown planet.

"!@$$&&#$$)... Escape craft?" 

The man seemed to pick up on the general idea quickly enough.

"Yes very good we must find the escape craft and activate the beacon." 

this time she made flashing motions with her hands. 

"@%^&*^ Bea...con." 

Again Colton proved to be a quick learner. This time Colton took the initiative to learn he pointed to Kalis' shoulder board.

 "@%$^?" 

"I'm with the Navy yes.”

“#;×*!<^?”

“Na…vy. You know the guys who are always fighting you people?”

‘is…… is he slow? Are we playing charades?’

Kalis pointed to the sky then pantomimed ships flying and fighting each other with her hands. 

“Naaaaavy.”

Colton rolled his eyes and shook his head before tapping a finger on her rank insignia, a squared off “U” shape with an additional horizontal bar roughly across the middle denoting a Lieutenant Commander.

“Oh, my rank, I'm a Lieutenant Commander”

Kalis deliberately said her rank in a manner to show it was her answer. 

"$&*^&^* Lieutenant.... Commander."

 Colton looked confused before holding up his right hand as if to count.

"@$%&$^^*^&*." 

He held up one finger then another until he had all 3 fingers up plus his thumb. 

"Oh my your missing a..... never mind. Are you asking how many ranks that is?" 

Kalis held up 4 fingers with an immense air of pride about her.

"@$%@%(#." 

Colt pointed to himself and held up the 3 fingers.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!?!? Are you saying that pirate scum like you holds rank?!?!? Impossible!"

‘Is that supposed to be a Lieutenant Commander or a Lieutenant?’

Kalis turned her nose up at Coltons claim, who in turn could only grin and shrug at the obvious doubt she was displaying.

"Well lets get back to the crash site. Stick close if you want to live, the jungles here are full of dangerous creatures" 

Kalis stood up and turned towards Colton.

"Don't you try anything funny and maybe I can convince them at your trial that you should live." 

With those words she started towards the caves mouth. Colton followed Kalis down a game trail leading down from the mountain into the jungle below under the glare of two suns. He was naturally curious about the things around him. 

'Almost like a child... but isn't the Pirates berth near this planet?'

Kalis decided not to think about it too much when Colton pointed to the trees. 

"Kalis #$%*^%$?"

"Trees." 

she replied curtly as she continued walking at a brisk pace down the trail. 

"@#%^ trees." 

Next he pointed to one of the suns. 

"That's a star." 

"@#^ Star" 

Thus their trek through the jungle went; Colton asking her questions and Kalis answering. The seemingly endless Q&A session only came to an end when, after an hour of humping through the dense vegetation they arrived back at the crashed escape craft. A long blocky affair with about 200 yards of turned up smoldering jungle behind it. The smell of decaying meat hung in the air, death permeated the very atmosphere.

"Commander, escape craft." 

Colton pointed at the wreck and used the language he was still learning. 

“No shit.”

Colton made a face at Kalis sarcastic response he still didnt understand and held his nose and gave Kalis a questioning look.

"We weren't the only ones aboard, just the only two to make it off. Razehounds got to the others before I could drag them free."

 Kalis' voice caught and she teared up. 

"I wish I could have gotten them all even Captain Gene's exec. Those who survived the landing got eaten alive and all I could do was get away with you. Someone has to pay for what happened here and you are the prime candidate right now.”

Although Colton couldn't understand every word when Kalis spoke rapid fire he got the gist of what she was saying and decided the best course of action was to remain silent.

"But I can take solace in the fact I saved one even if you are a pirate."

Kalis shook away her negative thoughts.

"Beacon?" 

 Colton cast a meaningful glance around holding his hand above his eyes as if searching

"It should be inside, I can't imagine what those animals did in there so prepare yourself." 

Colton shrugged his shoulders and shook his head not understanding 

"I-N-S-I-D-E"

—----------

Colton poked his head inside the door of the craft and was immedialy assailed by the stench of rotting flesh making him gag. Covering his mouth and nose with his left hand he forged ahead stepping over the gore of a dozen mutilated corpses, bits strewn here and there. Colton scanned the faces of the dead, or what was left of them, looking for a familiar face finally finding him. 

‘Well I'm glad you at least made it this far shit bag.’

Colton felt around on the body until he found what he was looking for, tucking it in his belt he called out to Kalis fumbling with the few words he knew in this strange language.

"Lieutenant Commander, beacon?”

'Instructions not clear, dick caught in toaster.' 

Colton smirked at his own thought. 

"#%@&@_×_ Beacon @,÷:=@>.”

After speaking for a moment the young looking officer traced a square with her fingers then made a box using both hands, before furrowing her brow and throwing up her hands in defeat. She approached the rear door to the craft but stopped in the bay and retched before puking on the floor. Finally Kalis made her way to the cockpit and started fumbling under the pilot seat. 

"You ok? you look a little green."

"÷^×&×>=&$<!" 

"What?”

—---------

"I SAID here it is."

Kalis held up a small box about the size of a playing card box. 

"This will put out a signal that will tell the republic navy where we are, so we can get a ride off this shit hole."

"#;×_@_’>×*×@>’ Lieutenant Commander #*×!(@>’?" 

Colton asked something with apparent trepidation then tapped the top of his left wrist. 

“What?”

Before the man could pantomime further the pair heard a low, primal, guttural growl from behind them.