Karrako

A captain hunts her prey with her crew....

“There she goes!”
The crew scurried to their stations in preparation of the coming hunt. Captain Mak, a young simral female stepped onto the bridge of the Karrako, her pride and joy. The two of them have spent many years together: smuggling, pirating, and now, poaching.
Captain Mak’s criminal career began a long time ago, and caught the attention of her current employer, the Syndicate in the Stars. She quickly accepted their commission and legally became a trade ship to the authorities. On the other hand, she hunted Quolline and extracted their gas for nefarious purposes. Mak knew it had something to do with narcotics, but she didn’t care enough to know the details. All she knew she had to do was to catch that balloon (an inside trade name for Quolline).
The Karrako was only a light dirigible-class schooner and would have to depend on skill. The hover-engines allowed them to sneak up on their prey, but severely reduced speed needed for long pursuits. They would have to send gliders to

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anchor it.
The two gliders dove off the side of the Karrako and began their attack, firing harpoons into the surprisingly thick hide of the Quod. The lines running back to the ship began to wind up, and the barbs of the harpoons bit in, forcing the quolline closer to the Karrako.
The main guns, having been refitted with harpoon cannons, opened fire and added more strands to the web of death they had just wove. A shout of victory rose up from the crew. Canisters and extraction equipment were quickly brought on deck, and hoses began to drink greedily.
Then things began to go wrong. The Quod swelled up in size, expressing intense pain the only way it knew how. A bell of air rocketed from the beast’s underbelly, knocking into the Karrako. Those who reacted quick enough or had a harness on stayed aboard from the resulting shock. Several cannons ripped from the hull from the strain, creating an orchestra of the damned as the ship began to fall.
Captain Mak’s first instinct was to panic, but

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years of experience kept her yelling orders as the Karrako was forced to make a crash landing into the jungle below. The Karrako was little more than a toy being thrown against a reinforced wall, bouncing on the way down. Branches and vines helpfully tried to catch the falling craft, but did little to slow it down. The last thing Mak saw before blacking out was seeing the jungle floor rushing at her from the bridge.
“Captain. You must wake.”
After drifting in and out of consciousness, Mak did eventually come to her senses. She was lying in a makeshift tent with her first mate Gartha sitting next to her. There was no time for pleasantries. Over half the crew was dead. There were only 27 survivors, and no one knew where the gliders were. The distress beacon was working, but that would attract the authorities to their misdemeanor.
In the meantime, the survivors had made a temporary camp site near a freshwater source. Rations were in good supply, and there was plenty to gather and hunt. The

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ecosystem, while bountiful, was also very dangerous and had plenty of evolution to make some of the deadliest plants and animals in the Singularity.
Mak made her way outside of the tent and surveyed the campsite. It was very modest, clearly people were not expecting to stay long. Upon sighting her, the remaining crew ran over with questions. Mak stopped them all with a hand and told them: “We’re fine right now. We’re working on a way to communicate with our people without alerting anyone else. Whatever problems come up between now and then I leave amongst yourselves to figure out but I suggest working together if you all want to get out of here alive.”

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Genres:

Crime

Horror

Sci-fi

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