THE SPACE REQUIEM PART ONE : GENESIS

Chapter 5 : The Children of The Forest

"Look, I helped you," Tristan said as he entered. "Now pay up."

The man inside, appearing to be in his mid-thirties, had clothes that were well-made but dirty and torn. He was sitting in one of the seats, tears streaming down his face.

"Please, I don't have much," he muttered repeatedly. "They have them."

"What?" Tristan asked, frowning. "Who has them?"

The man looked up, his eyes red and filled with desperation. "They have my family. They took them from me."

"Who took them?" Tristan asked, his patience thinning.

The man began to sob uncontrollably. "We were camping on a quiet planet—a nameless one in Sector 9. There was something out there with us. They took my family."

"Sector 9?" Tristan's frustration was evident. "You were stupid enough to take your family there?"

"I know," the man said, regret heavy in his voice. " There was something out there."

"Could you just pay me?" Tristan said, turning to leave. "I don't have time for this today."

"I'll pay you," the man said quickly. "If you help me rescue them. I'll give you 10,000 Lunars."

Tristan paused, considering the offer. "You'd be better off calling the Veniam Society. They handle all the creatures popping up in Sector 9."

"I tried," the man replied, his voice tinged with frustration. "They're all occupied with the Kronos brothers."

"10,000 Lunars?" Tristan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," the man confirmed. "Please, help me."

"Fine," Tristan said. "I'll help, but I'm doing this for the money, not for you."

The man nodded gratefully. "My name's Jackson, by the way."

"I didn't ask," Tristan replied as he walked back to his ship.

Jackson followed Tristan onto the ship. They took off and headed toward the Sector 9 gate. The journey was tense and silent.

Eventually they arrived to the planet , from above it looked emerald green , Tristan slowly flew the ship to where Jackson had typed the co-ordinates.

The dense foliage of the forest stretching out before them. The trees loomed tall and dark, their tops lost in the misty sky, it obscured any view of what lay beyond. Tristan glanced at Jackson, who was visibly anxious but determined.

"There's a spot to land over there," Jackson said, pointing towards a clearing where the trees seemed to thin out. Tristan moved the ship into the clearing and landed it gently, its engines whirring down.

"How far did you guys walk from here?" Tristan asked as he prepared his gear. Jackson looked around, trying to orient himself.

"Quite far into the forest," Jackson replied, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Do you have any weapons?" Tristan asked, already arming himself with his equipment.

Jackson shook his head. "No. I didn't think it would be necessary."

Tristan raised an eyebrow. "An isolated planet in Sector 9, and you brought no protection?"

"I know, I made a mistake," Jackson admitted. "The man who gave me this location said it was safe."

"How do you know he wasn't playing a prank?" Tristan questioned; his irritation evident.

"The spot actually looked nice when we arrived," Jackson defended himself.