A task he’d put off for much too long loomed over him, and by the end of the first month Benji finally cut out the identification chip embedded below his collarbone. 

 

The wound was still fresh when they were attacked. 

 

The stay in that first settlement known as Europa was longer than anticipated, time spent there pleasant and somewhat pivotal for the ex-martian, being the first time he’d been around others since defecting. They seemed to be safe here. Happy. The kid finally started speaking to him; his name was Darien. He really liked to torment the local lizard population. As all good things would come to pass, Benji too was becoming more aware of the settlement's struggles, and decided it was time to move on, preferring not to overstay the welcome. 

 

Dropped on an since gone city’s outskirts, they sought out shelter and supplies. Instead they found ISON. 

 

ISON, a nomadic rebel group, small in its size but with significant notoriety as a thorn in Mars’ side. They operated mostly in the desolate remains of cities, working to destroy Guards of Thanes and cull their activity where they frequented most. Their forces would aid settlements and smaller groups in exchange for supplies and resources, of which they used to keep themselves relocating. 

 

Matija and Nina, father and daughter, the appointed leaders of ISON. Benji enjoyed the presence of both, Matija a wise man with years of stories to tell. Nina was free-spirited, competitive. Lively and fun. In a way, she reminded him of Sanya. 

   

ISON would soon become ‘home’, Benji exchanging his knowledge of the guards in return for the companionship of the group. Several months were spent with ISON, integrating as a full fledged member. Though not much one for fighting, he took on the position as mechanic, refining the electro-weaponry used by the nomadic group to counter the guards. 

 

Months went by, and members began to get picked off. Teams stopped returning, transmissions were lost. ISON was burning out. It was around this time Benji began to consider departing, fearing for the safety and well-being of Darien. It was the talks of finding a settlement to do a recruitment endeavour at, that first planted thoughts of Salus into Benji’s mind. The talk of leaving seemed to upset Nina the most, fearing for their already dwindling numbers, and the loss of a friend. 

 

    Matija was the more receptive party, the compassion of a father that had seen children grow up in these harsh environments. He agreed to guide them, promising to regroup with ISON in the coming weeks. 

 

The journey wouldn’t be an easy one, he warned, open to the elements, at the mercy of the desert. With the confidence of having survived the desert once before, they would say a bittersweet farewell to ISON. 

 

Days bled together, much seemed the same out in the desert. The occasional wreckage or leaning rock would provide shelter, but otherwise they were left with only the resources they carried to see them through. Still, they were making swift progress, travelling at the cooler times of the day, and spending the nights chatting around dying fires. 

 

The dawn broke on the horizon, silence of early morning hours broken by screams and the whirring of gears. In the cold morning light, Benji’s eyes fell on metallic teeth in flesh, a steely blue glow streaking the dullness. He couldn’t act, before the guard set its sights on him. There was barely time to grab Matija’s electro-gun before feeling the cool metal snap closed around his leg, a warmth searing through him as the robotic animal continued to bite and thrash, dragging him across the dirt. 

 

It was over with a gunshot. He’d been able to down the guard, but not without sustaining injury of his own, bites to his leg and torso. He patched himself up to some extent with a kit he found in the bag they’d brought, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep him going for long. Still… he’d been luckier than Matija. It was too late for him.

 

Their progress was considerably slower those next few days, Benji pressing on irrespective of his wounds. But, out in the middle of the desert was a dangerous place to be with extensive injuries, and the man was slowly coming more and more certain of his own fate as the days passed. No sign of salvation, rations running low and an injury that desperately needed tending to, Benji was beginning to reckon with his failure. It was a miserable death to die. And Darien… the last thing Benji remembered was the boy’s yells as his legs finally buckled.