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Published:
2017-08-22
Updated:
2018-03-17
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3,513
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3/10
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The Lonely Astronaut

Summary:

Ling stared at the cursor blinking innocently on his communication device, praying for someone, anyone to receive his transmission.

Finally, three little dots appeared on the screen, indicating someone was in the process of responding.

[incoming transmission]
[establishing connection]
[receiving message]

"Yo, who’s this?"

A/N: Knowledge of the Lifeline series not necessary to follow the events of this fic. Thank you!

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: Starman

Chapter Text

[outgoing transmission]

Hello?

Is anyone reading this?

If anyone out there is picking up this transmission I… we need help.

Ling stared at the cursor blinking innocently on his communication device, praying for someone, anyone to receive his transmission. He’d been at this over an hour already without luck. The talk to text feature still worked but his earpiece was damaged. Every time Ling tried to raise one of his crewmates on comms he got an earful of static accompanied by godawful screeching. Finally, three little dots appeared on the screen, indicating someone was in the process of responding.

[incoming transmission]

[establishing connection]

[receiving message]

Yo, who’s this?

The lonely astronaut leapt up from his seat on a dusty boulder in the lee of the escape pod. Ling crowed in triumphant before responding to his new best friend.

This is Ling Yao of the starship Paracelsus . Our ship crash landed on a moon, at least, I think this is a moon.

Hold on, you’re saying I’m talking to a real, live astronaut? I’ll be damned. How the hell’d you get on this frequency?

Technically, a taikonaut but yes. Strictly speaking I’m a student in over his head at the moment.

Wait a sec. How old are you kid?

If you must know I’m fifteen.

What moron let a pissant like you get shot into space?

Look, I don’t have time to play twenty questions with you! The long and short of it is I need an adult to help me get out of the mess I’m in. I have no idea where I am, or if the rest of the crew is even still alive. I made it to an escape pod thanks to a friend, but I don’t know if she made it off the ship alive.

Ling’s voice cracked. ‘Don’t start with that,’ he told himself. Lan Fan had to be alive. The Elric brothers, too. He was less optimistic about the fates of the commander and 1st lieutenant. They were in the cockpit doing all they could to hold the ship together when the Paracelsus hit atmosphere. It was no use. The ship broke in half about as easily as a damn kit-kat bar. As for the rest of the crew Ling had no idea.

The three dots appeared once more before ceasing without a transmission.

Hey, you're still there, right? I swear, this isn't a-

[communication terminated]

“No! No no no,” Ling attempted to reestablish the connection to no avail. “Damn it!” In his frustration the taikonaut picked up a rock (a moon rock? He still wasn’t sure on that count) and hurled it as hard and as far as he could. Ling sat back down hard on the boulder and hung his head in despair. For all he knew he was the only survivor of the Paracelsus. The only person he’d managed to get a hold of just hung up on him.

He lifted his head at the telltale beep of an incoming transmission.

[secure connection established]

[receiving transmission]

The name’s Greed, kid. If you want my help you’d better be ready to follow my orders to the damn T. Got it?

Ling’s eyes burned with unshed tears. He laughed in relief.

Don’t scare me like that! I thought you’d abandoned me. [sigh] Greed, huh? If it means getting off this rock alive I’ll do whatever you say.

That’s what I like to hear! All right, pissant, what are we workin’ with?

Um. Hold on a second.

In Ling’s desperation to hale someone on comms he had yet to take stock of his supplies and equipment. Once again Ling got up from his seat. He hauled himself through the open door of the escape pod.

Well, for starters my IEVA suit and helmet are intact.

IEVA?

Intra/Extravehicular Activity suit. My spacesuit.

Why the hell didn’t ya just say spacesuit? Lay off the jargon.

Fine, fine. My spacesuit isn’t ripped.

Within the escape pod Ling found a modest collection of supplies.

All right. I’ve got a spare helmet. Um, half a dozen glow rods but it looks like one of them cracked on impact. According to my IE… according to the suit’s sensors the air is a bit high on argon but safe to breathe. Let’s see. Three days worth of rations (if I’m careful) in the form of nutrition bars I’m guessing probably taste like cardboard. Aha!

Something good?

Distress beacon! I can send an S.O.S. I’ve just gotta… oh come on! Damn it! It’s busted. 

Can you fix it?

I’m no electrical engineer but it looks fried. The other escape pods should have them as well. I think at least one other was deployed from the Paracelsus .

Edward must’ve gotten on one with Alphonse. The Elrics were close. Closer than Ling had ever been with his sister. Half-sister. Ed either got the two of them into an escape pod or died trying. Ling feared it was the latter. ‘Maybe Lan Fan was in their escape pod. They knew she was still on board. They wouldn’t have left her to die,’ he thought.

Ling hoped.

The black box from the ship should also… that’s it! If I can track the signal of the flight recorder I can find what’s left of the ship! Any survivors would head there, too.

Now you’re thinkin’ with portals!

Huh?

Never mind. Not important. All right you’ve got a plan but you got a direction? Can you pick the black box up on sensors? Goddamn, I sound like I’m on Star Trek.

Beam me up, Scottie [laugh]. Yeah, I’m picking up a ping on my sensors. It’s pretty far off though and I’m losing the light. What do you think? Should I hole up here for the night or try to beat the sunset?

That crash survival kit of yours got water?

Hold on. Yeah, I’ve got roughly a liter of water.

You’ll die of thirst long before ya die of hunger. Least at night you won’t have the sun beating down on you. Those glow rods should come in handy.

Then I guess I’d better get moving. I’ll let you know when I get to the crash site.

Happy trails, kid.

Thanks.

[Ling is busy]

Ling checked the composition of the air one more time before removing his helmet. The air was dusty on his parched tongue. Using his teeth he tore open a nutrient bar and went to town. He hadn’t eaten in hours. Feeling a bit lightheaded he sat on the edge of the escape pod and took in the view. The sky was a dusky pink. Burnt orange clouds dotted the expanse. Below that the terrain was barren. Nothing but rocks and dirt as far as Ling could see.

He wondered what kind of guy would call himself Greed. Maybe it was a radio handle. It couldn’t possibly the man’s real name. If he was a man at all. It was hard to tell over text. Once he’d finished the food bar Ling took a few small sips of water. Just enough to wet his whistle. There was no telling if he’d find water at the crash site or if there was any to be found on this planet.

Planet. Moon. Whatever.

Chapter 2: Radar Love

Chapter Text

The light diminished as the taikonaut trudged toward the crash site. Ling waited until the last sliver of sunlight sunk beyond the horizon before cracking a glow rod. As the night wore on Ling's trudge devolved into shuffled steps.

Greed?

Yo. You make it to the crash site?

No, I... No, not yet.

What’s up kid?

N-Nothing. It's nothing. Just checking to see if you're still with me is all.

I ain't goin’ anywhere anytime soon.

‘You and me both,’ Ling feared.

He didn’t want to tell Greed loneliness was starting to set in alongside the fear and worry. Bad enough admitting it to himself. Lan Fan wouldn’t have been lonely.

‘Lan Fan isn’t lonely,’ he corrected.  

Past tense didn’t suit Lan Fan because she wasn’t dead. She couldn’t be dead. Not Lan Fan Liu with her tenacity and nerves of steel. Besides, the only person who matched her in stubbornness was Edward Elric. Lan Fan was somewhere around here being resourceful. Most likely alongside Ed and Al who he knew could science their way out of any problem.

All Ling had to do was find her. 

Them.

Ling decided to change the subject. 

Tell me, why do you call yourself Greed?

Glad you asked! It’s simple really. Sex. Money. Power. Freedom. I want it all and nobody, I mean nobody, is gonna get in the way of what I want.

So, you really are avaricious. How are you going to get it all?

Nevermind the nitty gritty. What about you? What do you want?  

Right now I’d settle for getting off this rock alive.  

See, you think too small. Ya gotta think big picture. ME? I’m an ideas guy.

Do you have any ideas on how to get me off this rock alive?  

‘m workin’ on it.

Right.  

How much farther ya got?

Hang on. Let’s see.

Ling put the glow rod between his teeth, holding it there with minimal pressure so he didn’t wind up with a mouth full of fluorescent dye. If he showed up looking like he made out with someone at an EDM concert Ed would point and laugh at him.

The first time they met Ed took one look at him and pronounced him a tourist. Ed had dedicated his short life to the study of organic chemistry and mathematics, and he did not take Ling seriously.

He switched his multipurpose tool from the comms screen over to radar then took the glow rod out of his mouth.

Looks like I’ve got about a kilometer to go--WHOA!

The taikonaut tripped over something unforgiving. Everything he had in his hands went flying. He fell face first into the dirt and sustained a scrape on his left cheek. Pain radiated from his foot. It felt like he had a few broken toes.

What happened?

[groan]

Hey! Talk to me kid!  

Ouch. I tripped.

That’s all? Damn kid, I thought something serious had happened.

Ling didn’t get up. His stomach grumbled but he didn’t feel like finding the bag of supplies he’d flung somewhere in the vicinity. The nutrition bars didn’t taste like cardboard, they tasted like shoe leather and apricots. They were about as tough to eat. He decided to indulge in self pity instead. After the day he’d had he thought he’d earned a moment of it.

I hate this place. I want to go home and eat chongqing mala.

I don’t know what the hell that is but it sounds weird. Anyway, whining about your situation isn’t gonna change it. Get up already and get your shit together if you want to go home!

I know. [sigh] Fine, fine. I’m getting up.

The taikonaut sat up and looked around. His foot didn’t hurt as badly as it had initially. On the other hand his cheek stung and needed to be cleaned. Ling reached for the glow rod and dragged his bag of supplies over. Using his water supply sparingly he rinsed the grit from his face. He hissed in pain but kept his complaints to himself. The light from the glow rod began to diminish. Ling was loath to crack another one just yet.

What did you trip on anyway?

I’m not sure.

Ling hauled himself to his feet and slung the bag over his shoulder. He looked to see what he’d tripped over and his eyes went wide.

It’s a piece of debris from the ship.

He surveyed his surroundings and realized he was surrounded by debris from the Paracelsus. In the distance he could make out a large shape he guessed had to be as sizeable section of the starship.

I found the crash site! Or at least part of it.

I’ll be damned, kid. You literally stumbled right over it.

Ling thought he’d be glad to reach this place but the scene was unsettling. He had an uneasy feeling he couldn’t shake. It felt like walking through a graveyard at midnight. Suddenly, he didn’t want to be here. Ling didn’t want to pick his way through the rumble, afraid of who he might find lying there with a body as broken as the ship.

‘I should’ve waited until it was light out to come here,’ Ling regretted. 

Too late now.

I’m going to look around for a bit. Don’t go anywhere.

10-4.

[Ling is busy]

Chapter 3: Subterranean Homesick Alien

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The ocean of stars and lighthouse moons illuminated Ling’s way through the wreckage. The satellites in the sky had him convinced he was on a planet not a moon, though he still couldn’t say for sure which one. All manner of debris littered the site. An alarming number of heat shields had dislodged from the outer surface of the starship. The shields were warped from the heat of entering atmosphere.

The devastation to the Paracelesus’s shields reminded him of the fatal re-entry of the Columbia into Earth’s atmosphere. Ling felt sick at the thought. He prayed his friends didn’t suffer the same fate of the NASA crew. The crew members of Columbia never stood a chance and worst of all they didn’t know.

‘Is it a worse death if you don’t see it coming? Is it better to stare death in the face?’ He asked himself.

Ling didn’t believe in such a thing as a good death. Even if you went without suffering those left behind suffered your loss. He wondered if his half sister would cry over him if he died here. Would Mei even know what happened to him? Would he be declared M.I.S? Was Missing in Space even a term people used?

‘Maybe it’s Lost In Space like that old tv show from the 20th century,’ He pondered.

The taikonaut cracked and shook another glow rod to life as he entered what appeared to be the back half of the ship. ‘The stern of the ship, idiot,’ Ling remembered Ed telling him. ‘The front is the aft, port is left, and starboard is right. Didn’t you ever read Treasure Island when you were a kid?’  

‘I saw Treasure Planet ,’ Ling replied.

 Al told him close enough. Meanwhile, Ed rolled his eyes so hard Ling thought they might fall out of his head.

The glow rod cast the vicinity in a ghostly green light. This section of the starship hit the surface at an angle. The starship had lodged deep into the dirt. The upside being Ling didn’t have to haul himself up into the compartment. Instead he walked up a slight incline into the broken off section of the ship.

 He found himself in the corridor of the living quarters of the ships.

 I’m inside the ship.

 How’s it looking? 

Ling surveyed his immediate surroundings. He couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of him, but he could see enough to know there was a fire in this part of the ship.

Not good.

The walls were scorched. The stagnant air smelled of soot and some sort of chemical. Ling looked at his feet, lifted his left foot from the floor, and saw his footprint there in fine powder.

There are signs of a fire, but the damage isn’t too bad. The fire suppression system kicked in like it’s supposed to.

Any survivors?

To be determined.

Then do some determining already! Don’t keep me in suspense here, pal.

Then kindly cease your interruptions.

[Ling is busy]

The taikonaut took a deep breath. The particles in the air caused him to cough. Halfway down the hall on his left he found the cadet accommodations. The lack of power to the door panel proved problematic. Ling removed the gloves of his IEVA suit. It took a bit of doing but he pried open the automatic door.

He entered the room he shared with the other three cadets. Advances in artificial gravity allowed for normal sleeping arrangements. Beds were built into the walls on either side of the room. Four in total with trundle drawers beneath for their uniforms and personal effects. The taikonauts and astronauts took the right and left bunk beds respectively.

I don’t think we’re going to pass bunk inspection anytime soon.

Say what now?

Cadet quarters are trashed.

The once orderly room looked like a hurricane hit it. Turbulence tossed everything unsecured in the space. The safety latch on one of the trundle drawers failed. All of Alphonse’s personal effects were strewn about the floor. Fortunately, the fire hadn’t reached the room. By design the suppression system automatically sealed off the ventilation system and the access doors to the point of origin. 

One man's trash is another man’s treasure. See if you can find something useful.

Let’s see.

Ling tiptoed through the debris to the bunks on right that belonged to himself and Lan Fan. He opened his own drawer first and the sight before him brought tears to his eyes. Hidden beneath his clean clothes he found a hermetically sealed, silver package he’d brought from home. Ling grabbed the sealed bag. He clutched it like a lifeline. The taikonaut tucked the package into the large inner pocket of his bag for safe keeping.

Deciding to leave Lan Fan’s belongings alone for now he took his time sifting through the items on the floor.

Aha!

Whatcha got?

Alphonse had a first aid kit.

Ling opened the sandwich sized box to inventory the contents. Mylar thermal blanket folded into a square, gauze bandages, medical tape, butterfly stitches, individually wrapped disinfecting wipes, a tube of antibacterial gel, and two single dose packages of acetaminophen.

Admittedly, not a lot to work with, but now I have basic first aid supplies.

Taking one of the disinfecting wipes he cleaned the scrape on his face with a hiss. The abrasion stung but he didn’t complain. Much.

Ow. Ow. Ow.

What? What?

 Nothing. Just a scratch. I’m all right.

He snapped the lid closed and put the kit away in the front pocket of his bag. Next he tried Ed’s drawer only to find it jammed. Ling sat on the floor, braced his foot against the bottom of the bunk, and tugged with all his might.

Damn it! It’s no use. Ed must’ve modified the safety mechanism so no one but him could open it. How paranoid can you get?

[snort] Says the guy who’s trying to steal his stuff.

Borrowing! Ling huffed taking offense.

So are Ed and Al students like you?

 Yes and no. Ed and Al are students but they’re legacies. Lan Fan, too.

 What do you mean legacies? 

Well, Edward and Alphonse’s father- Oh! They’re brothers by the way. Anyway, their father was a NASA scientist until he went private sector. He developed the terraforming method that made Mars habitable. Lan Fan is third generation taikonaut.

What about you?

Ling winced at the question.

Nepotism.  

Ling turned his head sharply when he heard a distant clatter from the corridor. He whispered to far away friend.

I think I heard something in the hallway.

Something like what?

I don’t know. Should I check it out?

Not yet. Listen.

Straining his hearing he listened for the sound again.

I don’t hear anything. I’m going to take a look.

Be careful. Don’t be an idiot!

Right, right.

The taikonaut crept toward the open door to peer into the corridor. Heart pounding in his ears he inched his way down the hall. He peeked around the corner of the hall that led to the mess. Ling’s eyes went wide as he spied an arm sticking out from the door.

Greed?

I’m here. What do you see?

An arm. Ling’s voice cracked. S-someone got stuck in the door. I’m going to… to see who it belongs to.  

Are you sure you want to know?

I have to know. Just… give me a second.

[Ling is busy]

Ling shut his eyes tightly. He took a few deep breaths then rounded the corner. Walking as if to the gallows he made his way to the door. The arm clothed in glove and sleeve of an IEVA suit hanged palm down in the door. He spied the same multitool device he had on his own left wrist only this one had a cracked screen. 

Holding his glow rod up he tried to see who the arm was attached to on the other side of the door. He saw the frayed seam where the sleeve should’ve met the shoulder of the suit. Ling stuck the glow rod between his teeth and fumbled frantically to get the glove off the hand. One he removed the glove he laughed.

The taikonaut laughed until he cried.

Kid? LING! Talk to me!

I found Lan Fan’s arm.

 Shit. Sorry kid. 

No! I found her prosthetic arm. She got stuck in the door and took her arm off. I think she’s alive.

A light shined in Ling eyes from the crack in the door. And he screamed.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! I'm sorry it's been so long. A bit of a short chapter but the next will be longer. Promise! <3

Notes:

Spaaaaaaaaace!

No one asked for this, and yet here we are...