Among The Stars: Phantom and Mercenary

Chapter 13 - Into The Lion's Den

"Dear God, this place is freezing." Ray gasped behind the bio-mask after the door slid open, gusts of wind as sharp and merciless as a razor slicing through her body made her shiver, despite the fact that she was covered from head to toe with animals furs, and thermo-nettings underneath.

"Freezing is no way near this." Jane replied, looking at the pinkish sky reflected by grey clouds. "It must be like 200 degrees below here."

"Not exactly, but it's close." Bau'jah said as Ray clung to him for warmth.

"We better get moving." Gahtan said behind them. "It gets even colder at night."

"It's going to be a long walk." Jane tightened the furs around her, stepped out.

"Come here, Brutus. I need to keep you warm, my boy." Ray called, putting a piece of thick pelt over the hound like a dog sweater, then kissed him. "You look so adorable in this."

Gahtan and Bau'jah had left their cloaked ships in the moon's orbit so they were completely shielded, undetectable by any long range scanners. They took a transport shuttle down to the surface of the remote planet unnoticed, a safe distance from the base to keep themselves out of radar. But with that being said, they would have to march on foot for the rest of the journey.

They were all dressed in the same fashion, except Jane, she did not have a bio-mask. She had a breathing apparatus that covered her nose and lower face which filtered the toxic atmosphere and then converted it into breathable oxygen. Even with the face covering, Jane could still feel the cold air filling up her lungs.

It was a long and rather arduous walk in this harsh climate. Especially for humans, which was precisely why Gahtan had insisted on coming with Jane, to make sure she reaches the destination without freezing to death, of course. Even though Bau'jah had assured him that he'd carry both of them and keep them warm if he had to, but hearing that just made Gahtan more insistent on coming along.
Jane couldn't argue with him when she realized just how cold this place was. The planet indeed earned its name Forsaken Land. No living things grew here. Nothing but barren land and rocky mountains.

Jane couldn't walk too fast in this weather, and running was definitely not an option. The cold air would freeze her lungs and fill them up with blood if she ran or exerted herself too much.
In the end, Gahtan had to carry Jane when her breathing became labored. Gahtan was more than glad to carry her. Better him than Bau'jah, who was already carrying Ray in his arms.

Due to the unbearable cold condition, they had been traveling nonstop. At current speed, they should arrive by the end of day, perhaps earlier.

For a long time, it was silent, only the sound of their fur coats flapped in the winds. The coldness was all they could feel. As night drew near, the temperature dropped rapidly.

"We should set up a camp for the night. It's getting too cold." Ray stuck out her head under the burrow of furs and shouted over the wind.

She was right. This was the coldest weather none of them had ever experienced before. Jane could hardly feel her limbs, simply clenching her hand into a fist seemed like an impossible task. Her body could not endure this cold any longer. Besides, they need to rest and recharge before they arrive tomorrow. Jane looked at Ray, then Gahtan, and nodded in agreement.

"We find a place to rest until sunrise." Gahtan said.

Five minutes later, Bau'jah and Gahtan stopped at the foot of a mountain to shield themselves from the cold wind. They each dropped a disk device on the frozen ground and then two yurts magically appeared right next to each other. Gahtan immediately took Jane inside his yurt. Bau'jah and Ray went inside the other one, Brutus followed them.