Colton, the first to turn around, was greeted by a green creature that looked like a large greyhound with the claws of a velociraptor, green moss like fur covered its body.

"The hell are you?”

“#:,>_$#!!?>_%$#=!!!”

Colton didn't quite understand what Kalis said but he certainly understood the urgency in her voice. 

'Shit I really didn't want her to find out I had this but che sera sera and all that.' 

Colton whipped his hand to his waistband and grabbed his handgun he had taken off the dead man, after flipping off the safety he quickly and accurately put 2 .45 rounds into the beasts forehead.

'Oops double tapped out of habit better start conserving ammo.' 

Colton furrowed his brow, concerned about the 7 remaining rounds in the magazine.

"%$$/_*%$=#$???" 

from his side Kalis shouted at him with a peeved look on her face while holding her ears. 

"’*>_%#÷%;*!!!!" 

Colton had long ago suffered from and got used to the sound of gun fire and could only shrug at Kalis' reaction as he bent down and picked up the ejected brass before putting the still slightly hot cases in his pocket.

'I should start saving these too.' 

"Lieutenant Commander, beacon?"

—------

Her ears still ringing from the incredibly loud sounds she just heard, Kalis looked dumbfounded at the captive. 

"Yeah I found it, but what is that thing? If it's a weapon give it here.”

Approaching her former captive she held out her hand, Colton stared at her for a moment before nodding then to her surprise the strange man pushed a small button on the side of the odd pistol shaped object releasing a different shiny rectangular object from what she assumed was the grip, he then pulled back the top half of the weapon and a small gold-ish colored shape flew out which he caught with the hand holding the shiny object. Colton preformed these actions smoothly and almost reverently before presenting her with the items. With the now, hopefully, safe weapon in one hand and the beacon in the other Kalis pushed past her captive going to the rear of the crashed ship. Once out in the sun light Kalis toyed with the beacon briefly until it started emitting a blinking red light from the top. 

"Yes, I guess it does work. We had better leave before more of those monsters show up." 

Kalis slipped the beacon into the makeshift sling holding her arm, and turned to leave before a scratching electronic sound could be heard from the cockpit. 

"Survivors of the 'Swi....nse' this is the 'Huntsma...row' plea...in.....say again this is the 'Hunt.....ar...' cal.... surv..... of the 'Swift...se' anyone.....it?" 

"Lieutenant Commander?"

"Yeah I hear it."

Kalis went to the front and came back with a silver disk about the size of a silver dollar. 

"I cant believe the communicator made it out and someone must be close! come on we need to get higher! the canopy is blocking the signal." 

—--------

With that she sprinted past the bewildered Colton and outside, Colton in turn could only turn to follow after her. 

‘Damn she's fast.’

Colton struggled to catch up on the narrow game trail. By no means would he consider himself slow but the young officer ahead of him was hauling supreme dicks, she sprinted through the jungle uninterrupted by bramble and vine alike, until her foot caught on a gnarled tree root and she fell face first into a mud puddle and square on her arm.

"#&×&×<$_!!" 

Colton helped her to her feet and picked the disk out of the mud handing it back to her. Colton was about to continue the frantic run when he noticed moisture in her eyes, taken aback by the usually strong spirited woman.

"Whats the problem?" 

He asked before immediately regretting it, recalling another of his fathers anecdotes 

'It's not for men to ask son, you're supposed to just know, if you ask you will often times just cause more problems but many times if you don't ask you'll never know what it is you need to do. Lifes just a big bitch of a catch 22.' 

recalling the words brought a stab of sadness to Colts heart. 

—-----

Kalis felt her eyes sting with tears.

"I HATE nature, I HATE being on planet, I HATE you, I HATE that I need rescuing, I HATE that I lost, I HATE that I wasn't good enough, I HATE that all those people died because of me, I HATE THIS FUCKING PRESSURE, AND I HATE PLAYING CHARADES WITH A MAN WHO WAS TRYING TO KILL ME YESTERDAY!" 

By the end she was bawling with her chin to her chest, Colton sighed and reached out to grip her uninjured shoulder. 

"%;÷&__#_×& ×÷;/&! ,$÷;@ ^”_’#&×<@_÷^=(@&$*÷@>’#<÷<×#_@^××^==(@]@>”&#@^’$( ÷×>@<’#&÷_×/!/@ @$×+=@_÷*÷(]$<=$#÷;÷*×@[" 

Colton said A flurry of words but the last few words were with his chest finally he pointed up the path and glared at her, of course it was completely unintelligible but Kalis nonetheless dried her eyes and glared back at Colton before she turned and started her full tilt sprint back towards the mountain. 

The journey that had previously taken them a few hours only took an hour and a half with their desperate new pace. Once they arrived at the mouth of the cave they looked around for a path to go higher but finding none, Kalis took the disk out and put her thumb on it.

"Name: LT. Commander Kalis J. Savor. Activate emergency use, Channel 3."

Again the disk emited an electronic scratching sound before a voice finally came through clean and crystall clear.

"This is the Carrier 'Huntsmans Arrow' calling Survivors of the 'Swift Defense'. Anyone else still alive?"

Kalis almost dropped the disk in happyness before replying.

"This is Lieutenant Commander Savor, acting captain of the destroyer 'Swift Defense'. "Huntsman's Arrow, can you hear me?"

"We've got you Commander, glad to know someone made it out. Whats your location, condition, and number?" 

"We've retreived and activated our beacon, Condition is good with minimal injuries, and number is myself and times one prisoner." 

"We have a lock on your beacon. We are 8 days out we will get there as fast as possible to rescue you. Just hang on a little longer Ma'am." 

"Will do 'Huntsman'." 

"And Ma'am theres someone here who wants to talk to you."

Kalis took her thumb off the disk for a moment and sighed.

"Ah shit. Bailey."

She returned her thumb to the disk.

"Bailey?"

"Hey sis."

A higher pitched female voice came back through the disk, a sharp contrast to Kalis' less feminine stern voice.

"I really messed up this time huh?"

"Could be worse at least your still alive."

"I guess thats true." 

"We will be there soon to pick you up just hang in there, Kali."

"Aye Captain.”