The world was burning behind her. A blood-red sun hung low on the horizon, mirrored by flames consuming a dozen smoking wrecks of what were once sleek, silver spacecrafts. Jehan tilted her head slightly, her dusky-toned face glistening with sweat and determination as sea spray kissed her cheeks. She sat, chest rising and falling with effort, on the edge of a black sands beach—her feet digging into the warm grains, her body coiled and ready despite its visible exhaustion.
Her outfit, hued in a pale coral-pink that almost seemed out of place amidst the grim chaos, clung to her. The tightly wrapped fabric of her bodice, stitched with threads of an iridescent metallic weave, had been designed for movement and resilience rather than style—a far cry from the casual confidence it still managed to exude. Her skirt, slit to the thigh, bore intricate woven patterns resembling coral reefs from the seas of Old Earth, framing her perfectly muscled legs. Even her combat boots, coated in a pinkish tint not unlike weathered desert blooms, had seen better days, but they were as tough as she was.
“You can’t keep me waiting forever, Jehan,” the familiar voice echoed in her ears, followed by the crackling of static. She winced, glancing at the charred remains of her communicator clasped to her wrist. Despite its malfunction, the voice continued, low and rumbling. “That relic you’re carrying isn’t just going to save your skin. It’s got a line already drawing you toward them.”
Jehan sighed, flicking the jagged golden artifact hanging from her neck. Its edges pulsed faintly as if alive. “Well,” she muttered to no one, brushing damp tendrils of raven-black hair from her face, “if it’s all that important, I’ll just have to survive long enough to find out.”
The beach itself was eerily quiet save for the distant crackling of fire and the rhythmic roar of waves. It baffled her—how even in war-torn zones of ancient colonies, the ocean seemed to thrive, untainted by the horrors humans brought. She resisted the sting of nostalgia as another whisper pushed forward in her mind. Memories surged swiftly toward her—the same beach, a lifetime ago, where she modeled for a small holo-camera in exchange for credits, wrapped carefree in a flowing pink bikini…
Jehan shot up to her feet just as the first shadow of her pursuer disrupted the edge of her thoughts. The presence was heavy, brimming with malice, and it sharpened her senses. She made no sound as she turned on her heel and sprinted toward the jungle beyond the shore, her skirt fluttering behind her like a banner calling out her trail. Even if they followed, they’d have to earn the end they desired.
A voice howled in the distance. It was neither a man’s nor a woman’s but something guttural—otherworldly. “Give us what belongs to the Sanctum, and you will die swiftly.”
Jehan grinned grimly. “Swiftly isn’t really my style.”
She weaved between towering, bioluminescent trees that glowed faintly pink, their colors dancing with her motion. Her fingers grazed bark as if drawing maps for herself; her mind raced as survival instincts kicked in. Every step took her deeper into the ancient jungle of this forgotten world, a world abandoned by its creators and now ruled by scavengers, hunters, and warring factions. Somewhere in these trees—she was sure—there lay a hidden shuttle, her ticket off this dying world. If she could just survive another hour…
With no warning, the earth trembled—a low growl rippling beneath her boots. Something heavy crashed through the foliage behind her. Her lone pursuer wasn’t content to stalk anymore. Instead, it now moved with deliberate destruction. She pivoted, and her heart stopped at what emerged from the darkness: a beast of both flesh and machine, its form an obscene blend of steel plating and sinew, its skull encased in a visor-like helm that displayed alien glyphs. It sniffed the air once and launched forward, faster than anything of its size should have been able to move.
Jehan didn’t think—she threw the artifact from her neck into the air, and with a deafening crack, it emitted a blinding pink light that painted the jungle in brilliant hues. The creature screeched, stumbling as smoke hissed from its exposed skin. Taking her chance, Jehan twisted away, found her footing again, and bolted before her brief advantage gave way to death.
The minutes passed in a blur of adrenaline, panic, and purpose. Eventually, the jungle broke. Bathed again in fading sunlight, she collapsed breathless before what she had been searching for: the narrow, camouflaged entrance of an escape capsule partially embedded in volcanic rock. She scrambled forward, slamming her fists against the hatch until it slid open with a hiss. Behind her, the beast had not given up; its unrelenting footsteps were a grim metronome promising annihilation.
Inside, the controls lit up at her approach—and then a voice she hadn’t heard in person in years spoke: “You should’ve left the artifact behind.”
Jehan turned sharply, narrowing her eyes at the figure sitting calmly in the corner of the capsule. Tall, cloaked in red and waiting with an air of practiced ease, the man tilted his head toward her. “Of course, you could have left it behind,” he corrected himself, smiling faintly as the hatch began to seal. “But then, you wouldn’t have come back into my orbit.”
“Lian,” she hissed, hands tightening into fists. “You’re the reason behind this mess.”
“And you,” he said, rising, “are running out of time.”
The screech of their metallic pursuer reached the entrance as the ship’s systems began their launch sequence. Jehan met Lian’s eyes—beneath their cryptic gleam was a truth she didn’t yet understand. But as the capsule shuddered and rose into the evening sky, she knew her journey was far from over. In Lian’s crooked smile, in the artifact still pulsing faintly in her grasp, she saw a thousand questions demanding answers. And the flames below had only just begun to spread.
The Source…check out the great article that inspired this amazing short story: Embrace Effortless Confidence in a Vibrant Pink Bikini: The Ultimate Summer Beachwear for All Body Types
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