Free Guardian Awakening by C. Osborne Rapley Page B

exploded outwards. He tore a small piece from his shirt and wrapped one end of the shard with it. Now he had a serviceable knife. Constructing a shelter from the rain before they both suffered from exposure had to be a priority. He cut a few branches and tied them together with vines that he found hanging from the trees. Thin leaf covered branches he wove into the structure for cover and within an hour had constructed a serviceable shelter between two trees.  
    Not in his wildest dreams did he ever think he would use his basic survival training on a strange alien planet. He examined his handy work. It was not pretty but it would offer some protection for the time being.
    He walked back to Aesia, her head lolled to one side. A knot twisted in his stomach as he bent down and touched her neck. He sighed; her pulse, strong and regular, beat against his fingers, she had only lost consciousness. He picked her up, and laid her under the shelter. He then examined her leg in the daylight; it seemed to be a clean break on her tibia. Her lower leg had tibia and fibula bones, much the same as a human leg. Tristan pulled some small straight branches from one of the trees and cut them into splints. He used the sleeves of his shirt and tore them into strips. As he set her leg, she regained consciousness and cried out in pain.  
    “Sorry, but I have to do this.” She nodded at him, her mouth set in a hard line. He carefully applied the splints to both sides of the break and tied them up with the strips of cloth. When he had finished, he checked she was comfortable, stood and walked back to the ship.  
    The rain had cooled the hull, making it just warm to the touch. Tristan climbed in through the open hatch. Most of the interior had been destroyed, and it stank of burnt plastic and cables. The forward section had been burnt and the rear severely damaged by the explosion. Looking round he found a serviceable laser pistol and one spare power pack. Most of the food had burnt, however some sealed emergency rations had survived. He located a few useable clothes - but they smelt of burning, and a long knife, which was probably the most useful item. He found a bag similar to a small rucksack and there were two waterproof sheets, one burnt on the corner. He also managed to salvage the bedding from one of the bunks, which he left in the ship to keep dry. The lingering fumes caught in his throat and he started to cough; time to get out.
    He walked back to Aesia. She was shivering again. Tristan wrapped her in the waterproof sheet.  
    She groaned and blinked at him with her strange blue eyes. “What are you doing?”
    “Trying to keep you warm.”
    She pushed him away and tried to get up, then fell back tears of pain running down her cheeks.  
    “Stay put, Aesia!” He spoke roughly to her. “You will move the splints holding your leg and it won’t heal properly.”  
    She glared at him and said nothing, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
    Now that he had a proper knife, he was able to construct a better hut by weaving small branches into a pitched roof, closed at one end. He made it large enough for him to stand up in.
    He regularly checked on Aesia. She had stopped shivering and was asleep. He finished the hut by throwing the undamaged waterproof sheet over the roof to ensure it was as watertight as possible. He went over to Aesia, woke her and took the waterproof sheet, telling her he needed it. He laid the sheet on the floor of the new hut. He then went to her and picked her up carefully. As he did so he sensed her anger and, something else she covered with the anger.  
    He carried her over to the new hut and laid her on the waterproof sheet. He went back to the ship and picked up the bedding and the spare clothes. He carried them over to her and made her as comfortable as possible. She accepted his help with a sullen expression on her face. He dismantled the lean-to he had hastily made and used the material to make a small