Tremulous Forum
Media => Other Tremulous Media => Topic started by: Conzul on October 15, 2010, 01:57:42 am
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Bad puns, Corporate Subterfuge, and Grangers!
Kyp the Granger is an original composition by Conzul. Use with Permission. This is the final Part.
To access Part One, or "The Prologue", click here. (http://tremulous.net/forum/index.php?topic=13785.0)
To access Part Two, click here. (http://tremulous.net/forum/index.php?topic=13916.0)
To access Part Three, click here (http://tremulous.net/forum/index.php?topic=14463), although that would be just silly since you're here already.
Kyp the Granger
Part III
[ 8 months have passed ]
Chapter One
Playing Detective
"Detective" Omi was sitting at his mohagany desk, in his shared office building. It was raining outside, and there wasn't anything on his to-do list. As drops fell and splattered on his lone window, he pondered that he actually hadn't had a real case in years. He was the last of a dying breed, the private investigator. The only work he had had was social espionage. This brought him some high paying customers (mostly news organisations and celebrity watchgroups), but the work was easy, repetitive, and just not fun.
So today he did what he usually did; he sat around his office and watched television. Centuries of monotony hadn't changed network programming a bit, since news was still 'Action NEWS!' and comedy still wasn't funny. Even late-night programming had been disappointing in the last decade, so he normally stuck to the news. Each news channel managed to tell the same stories in different ways. You never got anything that fell through the holes.
He was watching it now. The news anchor - a good looking woman of about 35 - was detailing the failure of a scientific expedition that had happened some months ago. It had taken this long to compile a bodycount. A list of names began copying the movements of her mouth, which was all that Omi was actually paying attention to. They spoke of names like Arnold, Lester, Carrie, Norma, Richard, Wetz, and others.
Omi smiled to himself. He liked the way her mouth went when she said the name 'Norma'. He let a sigh pass his lips as she handed the spotlight over to her partner, a grey-haired veteran anchor with a smile that told his viewers that he had had his share.
"Thank you, Nelly. In the wake of the disaster at the Arachnid Complex, Coalition leaders are working harder than ever with LC personnel to complete the final construction on the Ventas Fleet-Launcher, affectionally called the "V-boot". As you may know, once finished, the orbital platform will be able to launch a whole fleet toward the alien homeworld and cloak it in the process. Coalition, Remdann, and LC fleets are already converging on Ventas, preparing for what is expected to be the coupe-de-grace that we've been waiting years for....back to you, Nelly."
"Thanks, Tom. In a related story, Lucifer Corp pays homage to it's missing CEO, Hal Corrdino. LC states that for the period he was with them, the company experienced the highest expansion and profit that it had seen in fifty years. Liked by many for his intelligence, openness, and good looks, he will be missed for a long time to come.......Now to Oliver for sports..."
Omi flicked the switch on his remote, and the screen went dark. He had forgotten to put the lights on, and in the rainy afternoon his room became almost black with shadows. Too lazy to get up and put them on, he stared idly out of the warped-glass window in his door.
A shadow passed in front of his office. This wasn't uncommon, but today his was one of the last offices open. Unwilling to hire a secretary, he was accustomed to being visited in person by the people he knew, always with more banal hunting for the scandal sheets. The thing was, they always called him before showing up.
The shadow stopped in front of his office again. Omi wished that this wasn't a walk-in, just some lost person. But, then again, maybe if he took the chance, fate would reward him.
A hand knocked on his door.
"Come in!" Omi straightened his collar and cleared his throat. The door opened and a young man walked in.
"Sorry about the lights, I was just about to leave." Omi stood and reached to turn on a floorlamp. The room now bathed in a pleasant golden light, he turned to look at his client. It was a well-built teenager in casual clothes, and wearing a worn purple hoodie. The stranger was holding an envelope in one hand, and unhooding himself with the other. Matching dark brown hair and eyes were set in an unscarred face that wasn't smiling. Omi guessed that this was a revenge case; it had all the symptoms thereof.
Omi stood up straight. "Hello, the name's Omi. Haden Omi, Private Investigator. How may I help you?"
The stranger walked up to his desk, and, leaning slightly, passed the envelope over to Omi. Omi opened the flap and took out a surveillance photo in black and white. The photo, a little fuzzily, showed a man dominating the foreground and a fair-haired teenage girl slightly behind him. They appeared to be talking, and unaware that they were surveilled.
Omi looked to the stranger with a questioning expression. The boy finally spoke, in a low, stony voice.
"My name is Jacob Henri, and that man is Richard. I want him found."
**~**
What Jake could never realize, however, was that Roslyn was hundreds of A.U.'s away, in an induced sleep. Her asteroid was flanked by the asteroids of other aliens, all of whom had been launched from Arachnid and all of whom had been dormant for the months-long journey to Homeworld.
to be continued in chapters below....
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Can you say "Omi opened" five times, fast? Nah, just messing with ya.
Here's the next chapter, continued from above.....
Chapter Two
Once upon a Midday, Dreary....
The next week found Jake pacing around the park outside Ventas Spaceport. He was supposed to meet Omi here, but he had arrived early so as to have thinking time.
Omi had been disappointed that Jake wasn't able to give him very much information about his target. Closer inspection of the photo had shown a nametag marked with "Richard L., technician". This wasn't very helpful at all, and Omi had left his office in the grumbling manner of someone who had been expecting something else entirely.
Jake was completely alone now, and it felt bad. His father had been killed in the war, so Jake had searched for friends. Tib had been his first and best childhood friend, and the only reason he had met Roslyn. Then aliens had killed Tib, too, while he tried to save his sister. Jake then befriended her over the next six years, both because she didn't have anyone else, and because she reminded him of Tiberius. Now she was dead. The last of his immediate family had died too, since his mother had passed away six months earlier. Having been supporting her with all of his pay, he was able now to focus on revenge, the only thing left.
The salary of a Remdann trooper wasn't that high, but Omi had taken it anyway, telling him that the case was interesting. The P.I. must have been very bored, thought Jake. Missing persons cases were common and expensive, and almost always resulted in inconclusiveness. It didn't matter to Jake. He had taken one whole month of his two-month leave to find this guy in the first place. Now he would leave in two weeks, along with thousands of other troopers heading for the supposed 'endgame' operation.
Jake's train of thought was interrupted by a wheezing behind him.
"Hi Omi," said Jake, turning around. Portly and 45, Haden Omi was already "halfway there."
"Henri." replied Omi, taking the nearest bench without ceremony. "You're early. I like that." Catching his breath, he looked at the clear sky, in which one could see the the V-boot's outline on the edge of the atmosphere.
"Well, the long and short of it is this: I haven't found anything."
Jake sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Hey, I told you it would be this way. Do you know how high the stack is that I have of missing people reports? I'll tell you. I don't have it anymore, that's how high. Don't even get me started on people who are lost in space." Omi shifted himself and wiped his face with a handkerchief.
"Well what do you know?" pressed Jake, pacing back and forth in front of him.
"I checked the manifest of the freighter that hosted the expedition. His name appeared as "Richard Loon". He was a technician who dealt with electrical systems and environmental systems, such as would have been necessary to support the alien test subjects. Other than that, it only says that he's 39 and unmarried. There was no ID number supplied. It's as if he doesn't exist."
"Doesn't everyone have to have an ID number?" Jake chewed on this. Was Richard an intruder of some sort?
"Yes they do, but somehow this got 'overlooked'. That stinks of someone with Power. That's right - Power, with a capital-P." Omi put away his handkerchief and eyed a skirt pushing a stroller.
"I'll have to interview the remaining survivors of the Arachnid incident to see if any of them knew him. It'll be hard enough finding them, since they got comp up the ying-yang and they'll be living it out who knows where by now."
Omi felt around under his overcoat for the photo, and pulled it out. Jake's face was refracting the darkness within into a burning set of eyes. Not only was everyone dead and gone, but there was no one to punish for it.
Omi looked at the girl in the background of the picture.
"This your girlfriend or something?" He asked idly.
"Girl, and friend, but not girlfriend, like you're thinking." Jake sat down on the bench opposite from Omi, across the footpath, and stared at him. "No, we grew up together, on this planet actually. I don't know if you recall the alien drop about seven years ago..."
"I remember it vividly," replied Omi.
"Yes, well, that girl is Carrie Roslyn Walker."
"No! Not the kid who waltzed into their cave and broke up the party!" Omi was suprised.
"Wow...was she the 'Carrie' that was on that deathlist?"
"Yes," confirmed Jake, somberly.
"Huh, so they got her after all....what a shame."
Jake sneered at him.
"A shame, such a shame," he continued hurriedly.
"She was supposed to be on Richard's shuttle, I saw her moments before we departed and she was loading with Richard. When we went back for survivors, the shuttle was already gone. I thought...I thought I saw...."
"Yes? Go on!" encouraged Omi.
"I thought I saw her as the bay door closed. If it was her, it means he left her there, to die. Tell me, does such a person deserve to live?"
"Not in my book, but his shuttle's missing. You've got to admit that there's a strong chance he's dead."
"There's a strong chance he got away," said Jake. "I'm going on that assumption. And if I'm wrong, no harm's done."
Overhead, the sky began to warp with a green haze much like the northern lights.
"What's that?" asked Jake, not having seen it before.
"It's the last of their test-firings, it was scheduled for today. Unmanned pods with probes, they're going to spy on the end-zone and report when the fleet gates in.....Damn, that thing's huge." Omi stood up.
"Well, I'll get back to work on it, but no promises."
"I'm supposed to report back to the spaceport for deployment in about ten days." said Jake.
"Like I said, no promises. And no refunds, this is hard work."
"Yeah...." Jake muttered, as Omi walked off.
Jake got up and started back down the footpath, hands shoved into his hoodie. He was depressed.
Walking out of the park, he started down a busy avenue, not paying much attention to anything but memories of Tib and Roslyn. As he went past and open-air market, he let his vision glide over the wares. There were exotic fruits from other planets, expensive vegetables, bags of nuts, and -
On a whim, Jake strolled up to a vendor who was selling small nuts, seeds, and seasonings. He whispered something to the currator, who then filled a small bag for him. Jake paid him and pocketed the product. He wasn't even really paying attention to what he was doing, and what he had bought would surprise him later.
Lost in memories, he walked on.
to be continued below.....
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Kyp the Granger is continued from above.....
Chapter Three
Home, smelly Home!
After the asteroids had been pulled in, and the webbing that had sealed them in had been undone, Kyp set foot on Homeworld. The feelings inside of him were so great, he felt that he would burst. Years ago he had vowed to survive anything fate threw at him, if only he could return here. Now, as he dropped out onto the mist-covered moss of his home, he took in all the sights and smells, finally safe and happy.
All around him other grangers meandered about, some of them regarding him with curiosity, most others just ignoring him and going about their business. The landscape was rocky and hilly, but covered in luminescent moss which hung everywhere. Miles into the distance, one could see more rocky, green hills, and the dark sky reflecting the blue glow of hundreds of Overminds.
The alien air was easier to breathe, and he sucked in a luscious lung-full.
"Gnaaath!" Kyp exclaimed painfully. What was that for?
You were in my way, said Mnoth. Leave it to a granger to block the exit when we're all unloading...grumblegrumble....
Kyp stepped away, relishing the lighter gravity and highly-oxygenated atmosphere. Behind him Mnoth finished squeezing out of the asteroid, and dropped down next to Kyp. Following him closely were Vesh and Sigig, the latter completely resizing the exit as he used it.
Aah, I'm so groggy..., said Sigig with a hint of a slur.
Your m-m-metabolism is slower since you ev-ev-evolved! stammered Vesh, helpfully.
Sigig let out a long, loud sigh that could have been a victory roar or a yawn.
Remember your place, Vesh. You're back in civilization now.
Where are the other ones? asked Kyp.
Incoming in those asteroids, Kyp. See? See the asteroids? Mnoth was pretending to talk to a baby dretch.
Kyp stared at him. I meant the asteroids. I didn't see them before because fatso's occulting them.
Civilization! growled Sigig.
Oh, I'm sorry, I meant Sigig. Eat it.
What's that?
Nothing.
It had better be...I might accidentally dash my foot against you and crush you. Sigig threatened.
He began to trudge up the hill, to watch the remaining asteroids come in. Kyp and the rest followed him. Behind them, long, slippery tentacles rose out of the flora and began to crush their now empty asteroid into the ground beneath it. At the crest of the hill, they looked up at the "docking" asteroids.
Tentacles similar to the ones behind them rose up into the sky, carefully latching onto and decelerating the giant rocks. The inhabitants scurried away to make room, and the asteroids alighted on the surface.
Once the dust and moss had settled, they were able to get close. A nearby Overmind turned its attention to the asteroids, and directed nearby grangers to loosen the seals on the exits.
This one has the human..., said Mnoth, more to himself than anyone else.
Your fascination with her always amuses me. What is it with you? said Sigig.
It's not fascination, it's just that she's the only meal I never got a chance to finish.
Well you can stop dreaming. I think the Origin Mind has dibbs. Besides, she aged. Her meat's probably not as tender as you remember it.
Heh. Mnoth started pacing. I wonder if she'll be able to breathe the air...
A hole had been opened in the asteroid. A pair of grangers entered and began tugging at the contents. They emerged dragging a prone form that was covered in green bile and webbing. The package fell onto the ground with a small thump, and lay still. The creep beneath it started to glow and crackle. The grangers tore at the webbing, so directed by the Hivemind that they were little more than extensions of itself. They revealed a pale face, surrounded by matted sandy hair.
The Hivemind sent another charge through the creep, and the grangers moved away. The human twitched. Its eyes opened, unfocused at first. Then it twitched again and sat up quite suddenly. Sigig chuckled as the human vomited more bile out of its innards. It shifted sickly onto its hands and knees, caughing violently.
It'll live. Throw it into the pool, we want it clean. the Hivemind communicated to them.
Sigig stepped up to the human. A water-filled crater was conveniently ten feet away. The tyrant gave the girl a push. She gasped and flopped over.
Oops, too hard, Sigig grinned evilly. He tried again, sending the human headfirst into the resevoir. Kyp groaned a little. Sigig rolled his eyes. Fortunately the human seemed to get the idea, and splashed around removing the muck off of it.
Okay, that's enough, growled Mnoth. Out! We've - EEEW! It's drinking the water it just bathed in! Ugh, humans are so disgusting!
And to think you dreamt about having that in your mouth... Sigig leaned down and grabbed at the human's collar, and pulled it out of the water. It was crying hoarsley.
Now I need a detail to take it down the the Origin...let's see... said the nearby Overmind.
Let us do it! Kyp piped up.
Kyp, said Sigig. The human is going to die. You may not keep it. You may not play with it. You should start getting over it.
Kyp started moaning again, but was interrupted by the Overmind.
Very well. You four have been chosen to receive accolades, for you are very deserving. You may bring the human down the Origin Mind.
Thanks Kyp. I was going to have a long hibernation. Thanks a lot. Didn't you want to build a hovel anyway?
The hovel can wait. This is more pressing.
I led the horse to water...., thought Sigig. Right. Let's get moving. Get up!
The human looked up at him, trembling.
For someone who survived this long, it's pretty stupid. observed the Overmind. I'll have to help it out.
A line began to glow in the creep, illuminating a path down the side of the hill and into a cave. Sigig nudged the human again and roared. It stood up, shakily, and started stumbling down the path, still sobbing.
Pathetic. Mnoth smiled to himself, as he and Kyp fell in behind Sigig. The convoy started down the hill, with a myriad eyes watching from the dim surroundings.
this story will be continued below.....
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MORE!!!!!!!! MORE MORE MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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MORE!!!!!!!! MORE MORE MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Soon
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You mean, Soon™.
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You mean, Soon™.
No, there is a reason it has been TM'd. GTFO ip thief.
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Okay, okay...
Soon®.
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continued from above.....
Chapter Four
Northern Lights
Suited up for departure, Jacob stood on the landing pad, with Gill, John, and Marty. Hundreds of other troopers were marching past them, already loading into their transports. Gill was practically bouncing with anticipation; John was being his usual silent self; and Marty was looking up at the sky. There, one could clearly see the ripples in the atmosphere where the giant "V-boot" was warming up for its one and only use. Coalition and LC fleets were already in space, waiting to be "loaded" into the V-boot. Remdann fleets were still on the ground. This was mainly because the Remdann contingent was made up of troop transports. Remdann would be supplying the greater part of the infantry for this assault, with only a few of their own frigates for escort.
The Coalition wasn't sparing its ships-of-the-line, that was certain. All four of its functional dreadnaughts had been brought in, one actually having been saved from retirement just for the offensive. There were numerous cruisers and destroyers as well, too many in fact to load into the V-boot.
The Lucifer Corp. contributions were mostly made up of missile boats and science vessels with longer ranged abilities.
"Cowards," said Gill, breaking their reverie.
"Well, they did build the launcher. I suppose none of this would be possible without them." Marty replied with a sigh. "Still, you have a point there."
"Damn straight, I got a point. We all know they got some of the techiest cruisers in existence!"
Jake smiled. "For someone who's riding in the back, you seem awfully worried." He was referring to the fact that Remdann would be on the tail-end of the assault, since it would have to wait for the alien defenses to be softened up before a ground invasion could begin.
"Ah, whatever!" Gill started chewing on his tongue again. "This is the first action we've seen since Arachnid. I can't wait..."
"Do you realize," Marty interjected, "that if this offensive is a victory, you won't get to do any more fighting? Remdann was founded primarily as a service to the people of the Coalition, to keep them safe from the alien threat. So much has gone into this raid, the threat could end this very day. What do you think of that?"
Gill looked stupefied. "But...but...I haven't killed anything!"
"Chill, you got some on Arachnid. Still, it's scary, right?"
Of a sudden, John started up. "You think that's scary? I'll tell you what's scary. After this threat is over, a new one will rise. It might not be aliens, or some interstellar plague, but it will come. Do you know why we haven't had wars in the last few hundreds of years? Because we were fighting for survival. We were unified by our need to live, to beat the bugs. Without them to fear, we'll dissolve once again into petty contests over differences in race and religion. This will only keep the corporations happy, since they'll sell us one war after another and reap the benefits. We'll still die, we'll still be poor and miserable, and we'll still lose our loved ones. It'll never end. Never. The day the bugs lose will be the day we lose.......How's that for scary?!?"
This tirade took the others completely by surprise. John never said anything. He even had papers that said he didn't have to say anything because of an obscure impediment, but Remdann took him anyway.
After a moment, Marty threw his hands up. "Hey, as long as you point and shoot at them when you're at my side, you can think whatever the hell you want."
John said nothing, apparently locked back into his usual mode.
"So," said Jake, trying to lighten the mood, "what about those flashlights?"
"What about them?" queried Marty, looking at him sideways.
"Records show it's dark on Homeworld. We can't be stumbling around without illumination."
"Sorry, it has always been the policy that there will be no flashlights."
"Why?"
"Are you questioning policy?"
"I guess."
"That'll work in time for this raid, oh yes."
"Seriously, if it's pitch-black and we could have flashlights, it's just stupid not to have them!"
"Are you saying policy is stupid?"
"At the least it's in the dark about what's useful and what isn't."
"Oh, that's funny. You funny man, Jake."
"It could mean the difference between life and death!"
"Possibly..."
"I mean having flashlights, dammit!"
"Would you like me to make something up? Will it make you feel better?"
"No."
"How about this - will a flare gun do?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Flashlights are better."
"Maybe, but there will be no flashlights."
Jake mocked an exasperated groan. Gill looked from John, to Marty, to Jake.
"Why do I roll with loonies?"
"Hey," retorted Jake, "you're in good company."
"I had more fun in that other company."
"Beat us over the head with it, why don't - " Jake felt vibration from a cargo pocket. His comlink was going off.
"Heh, Jake, didn't know you knew anyone. All that talk about lone-wolfing it was lies, wasn't it?"
"Shaddup, Gill," said Jake, trying to hear the person on the other end. There was only wind, but it could have been heavy breathing.
"Hello? Who is this?" There was no answer, but there was definitely heavy breathing on the other end.
"Uh, hurry it up Jake, I see my replacements coming over." Marty insisted.
"Whaaa?" Jake turned to see two young men getting out of a base taxi a hundred yards away.
"Replacements? Where are you going? And no way are you worth two men."
"I'll explain, just finish your call."
Jake plugged his other ear. "Dammit, who is this?"
".....gasp....gasp....Jacob! It's....it's Omi.....they're after me!"
"Who's after you?"
"....men in suits....gasp... - they're shooting at me!" Jake was indeed able to hear shots filter through the transmittion.
"What did you get into? What did you find?!? Omi!"
"...gasp...haaa, okay, I think I lost them. But I - gasp - only have a few minutes...stupid case of yours.....best workout I've ever had...."
"You're not making any sense! What's happening?"
"...did some snooping around...found nothing. Then I was sitting - *whew* - at my desk looking at the news, and your photo....all hit me at once....Jake..."
"What?" The suspense was too much.
"Richard Loon is an anagram for Hal Corrdino....you know, the missing CEO of the Lucifer Corporation! It all makes sense...they are the same person! No one else would have the power to do that!"
Jake mouth moved, but nothing came out. He didn't know what to make of it.
"Jake, are you hearing this? - crap, they've entered the building...I think this is it for me..."
"Omi, you've got to get out of there!"
"I can't, there are no other exits!...listen....I also got the specs for Hal's shuttle from one of the Arachnid survivors...I...I ran it through the databases here on Ventas, and guess what? It showed up as being here just a few days ago for decommissioning."
Omi started whispering now.
"I didn't buy that, so I followed its trail as well as I could....Jake....it wasn't decommissioned at all...it was encased into a V-boot test shot....supposedly unmanned.....Jake....I think he was in it, I think he's already at Homeworld, doing who knows what...oh my!"
Jake heard a beating sound coming across the line.
"They'll be through my barricade any second now...I'm transmitting the specs of his shuttle to your phone...it'll let you identify it if you ever...ffwwwam!
"No! Omi!" Jake heard a muffled impact, followed by a few echoing clinks. He heard the phone drop on Omi's end.
Desperate, he took the phone away from his ear and looked at the display. A file was transferring, already two-thirds in. He put it back to his ear. There were new voices now.
"Where's his comlink! Get it fast! Destroy it!" Jake heard a crunch, and then static. Fearfully, he took the comlink away from his ear again...and looked at the display.
< transfer complete >
A great sigh escaped him. The file had come in, just in time.
"Thank you, Omi. Thank you."
"They're almost here," Marty reminded him. "What was all that anyway? 'who's after you?' 'you're not making any sense', 'what's happening?'"
"Uhhh, bad lunch date."
"Whatever, man. We have to get into character though."
Jake had completely forgotten about the replacements. It was hard to focus on what was going on around him, when so much had happened just now. The two soldiers had just joined them. They dropped their duffel bags and saluted Jake smartly.
"Troopers Vince and Greg reporting for duty, Sir!"
"Heh, sorry break it to you two, but that's the Mec-1," Jake indicated Marty.
The troopers looked confused.
"It's okay, boys, I haven't told him yet," Marty said. "At ease."
"Told me what?"
"Jacob David Henri, by the authority granted me as Mec-2, I am proudly giving you the battlefield promotion to Mec-1, for your outstanding conduct in the conflict in the Arachnid Stations. Here are your stripes, wear them well."
Jake was so dumbfounded he barely remembered to close his mouth and salute. Once the citation had been pinned in place, and Marty had saluted back, Jake broke out:
"You've been promoted!?"
"No, you've been promoted."
"I mean, how did you get Mec-2? That's like a half-sized sky marshal!"
"In addition to my highly-notched stick, I did go to college."
"Wow...congratulations, Sir!"
"Alright, alright, let's get into character now. Soldiers first, friends second. There's a war to win!"
"Yes, Sir!" they said in unison. More squads were unloading from the taxis around them, and lining up for departure. Marty stepped away from his old squad to address the troopers falling-in in front of him. When they were all unloaded and at attention he looked at them quietly, then spoke through the humm of starting engines.
"I hope you sorry lot made love to your wives, because we've got some widows to make!"
"Sir, Yes, Sir!"
"In the unlikely event that any of you do survive, Remdann will disband, meaning a hefty payoff for anyone left standing..."
"Sir, Yes, Sir!"
"So what the hell are you waiting for? Load up, let's make some money!"
"Sir, Yes, Sir!"
to be continued in chapters below....
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=D morE PLEASE!!!!
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=D morE PLEASE!!!!
<3 I haz a fan <3
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no you have a fanatic. =D
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no, you dont.
you have a whole WEBSITE FULL OF FANS!
moar!
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no, you dont.
you have a whole WEBSITE FULL OF FANS!
moar!
is coming, iz coming....
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Continued from above......
Cowards die many times before their deaths;
the valiant never taste of death but once.
~Shakespeare
Chapter Five
Third Chances
The last thing she remembered was the outline of the shuttle fading into the snowy sky. Everything had been gray and fuzzy. No - no, not everything....just her vision. Some kind of breakdown mabye. Then everything had gone black. Black, and cold. There had been so much cold, it seemed that she had spent ages in a sheet of ice in a sea of sleet. Then abruptly, her head hurt.
Her head had bumped on something. Through the oblivion, she had forgotten that she had had one. She started waking up. It felt like rising through many layers of smoke, or from the bottom of a deep well. Suddenly there was a shock, she knew not whence, and the urge to breathe in. It just wouldn't happen.
She seized, and tried to roll onto her stomach. Her hands had been sticking to her sides, but she broke them away, just in time to avoid throwing up all over herself. Somehow on her hands and knees now, and still retching some sick, foul-smelling ooze out of her, she felt more nausious then before.
She couldn't see, either, and this alone was almost panicking her. She blinked as hard as she could, but still all was dark.
Then she heard a growling, an alien purr who's bass tonals made the ground shake. It was very close. Perhaps the dose of adrenaline did something, because light started filtering in, followed quickly by basic shapes. There was no color.
Hands on a wet, almost moss-like ground, she looked up. A Tyrant towered over her, its many teeth dripping and glittering. Too late she saw its movement, and it swiped her in the side. This must be the end.
A white flash crashed its way through her vision and pain centers, and all her preciously gained breath went right back out in a hurry. Collapsed and disoriented, she heard other alien sounds, all different in ways, but in others all the same.
They must be laughing.
She tried to get up again. Everything was so confusing. Why wasn't she dead, or worse? On just her knees now, she swayed and almost fell over backwards. There was a pool of water in front of her.
Thirsty! That's it...suddenly she felt that, too.
As she started forward towards the crater, the Tyrant pushed her again. Even though it seemed to be restraining itself this time, she was still sent flying into the pool. Waist deep kneeling, it didn't present a problem, so through all the nausia she tried to splash the muck off of her face. It clouded the water, so she pushed off to a clear corner and gulped in a few mouthfulls.
This elicited a baying reaction from one of the near aliens. Maybe the water was poisoned, but she didn't care. She was dead anyway. As far as she knew, no one even knew she was alive. She didn't even start to hope. She became aware that she was sobbing, even though no tears were working their way out. There still wasn't any color anywhere.
There was pressure at the back of her neck, then she was lifted bodily out of the pool and dropped right back where she started. The Tyrant had lifted her out of the water and dumped her on the moss. Her shirt was torn, but it had managed to avoid mauling her....odd. They were taking awful pains to keep her alive.
So confusing...
The Tyrant above her roared again and shook its head. No - it had beckoned, as if it wanted to indicate a direction. She looked where it had pointed. There was a sort of path, at the end of which was the mouth of a dark cave.
"Not another one of those, please no." She said to herself, between chokes and sobbs.
Beneath her, the moss started to glow. It was the first color she had seen on the planet, or world, or whatever it was. There was nothing in the sky but the stars. If she had been in a happier situation, she would have loved the way it seemed to cycle from blue to green, passed through purple quickly and started back on blue. From under her hands, a line of glowing moss started painting its way down the hill, into the cave.
They did want her to go into the cave.
She stood up, trembling and wet, and still wasn't half the height of the Tyrant.
I'm doomed. I won't let them see me scramble, see me wail. I'll show them dignity. They won't know what it is, but I'm not the same as them...
The Tyrant growled again. She heard something whimper from its feet, but couldn't see anything in the twilight. She started down the glowing path, walking as straight and high as she could. She felt, more than saw, the big alien start marching behind her, and it was followed by others. The path wound down past rocky hills, all covered in the strange moss and all hosting hundreds of glowing eyes.
Ahead, the cave awaited her. The difference was that this time, she knew fully what to expect. As she was about to pass under the overhang of the cave mouth, she looked at the sky one last time. One of the stars twinkled brightly.
The moss kept lighting up ahead of her, giving the illusion that they were all treading on a giant snake that didn't seem to mind. The cave wasn't as wet as the hills had been. There were also fewer eyes, and they were all higher up. They must have all been tyrants.
They trudged deeper into the ground. She started to see what at first looked like hoses. After one twitched, she realized that they were tentacles. Very Big tentacles. Somehow they didn't bother her. She stepped over one that was in her way. As she crossed, her synthetic foot felt pain.
This scared her more than anything she had seen on this alien world. Her foot was gone, and her replacement wasn't designed to send signals like feeling or pain. It was as if her long lost foot was....actually there. And hurting badly.
She tried to ignore this new, ominous development. She wasn't nausious anymore. In fact, she was starting to feel - good. Aside from the fear and sense of doom, and the foot that wasn't there, she realized that physically, she had almost never felt better! This place just got weirder and weirder.
Very suddenly, the cave stopped going down, and the light in the moss disappeared. She stopped. Behind her, the Tyrant stopped. Whatever was behind the Tyrant didn't stop, however, and she heard a snort as it got bumped into. The Tyrant bumped forward into her, and she fell into pitch-darkness. The Tyrant turned around and started barking abuses at the perpetrator. Roslyn squinted. The floor moved, under her.
She remembered this feeling....this was creep. It was what designated the control area of an Overmind, or a Hivemind. She had felt it once before. It hadn't changed since then.
Before her eyes, the darkness turned to dimness, and the dimness turned to blue haze. She was in a vast cavern with an even floor and low ceiling.
A whole ring of Overminds glowed blue. In the center of this ring was an especially large and old Overmind.
She was in the Origin Chamber.
Behind her, she heard a sigh, much like the contented sigh of a horse that has been serviced and stabled. Her captors must have been awed as well. It didn't last, though.
The Tyrant nudged her. She stood up quickly, so quickly that the Tyrant flinched. She couldn't stop a smile from breaking out of her face. The alien's eyes dialated with fury, but it did nothing. It pushed her again toward the ring of minds. She stepped forward, the creep beneath her starting to glow again, and crackle with a faint charge. She ran her hands through her matted hair, and pulled it back behind her shoulders.
Well? What are you waiting for? Here I am.
She felt an eye pass over her. It wasn't a real eye, it was the eye of a mind. It burned with a desire to consume, a desire to destroy.
Its gaze stopped. A thump behind her. She whirrled around. The Tyrant and its followers had collapsed, and were writhing in pain or sickness, completely immobilized. The same thing that stunned them manifested itself as a migrain in her head. It blazed for a moment, and was gone.
Run.
"Who said that?" she replied aloud. The voice had been real.
Run.
She didn't ask again. The Overminds were sagging, probably stunned themselves. She ran a few steps, didn't know which way to go. Her foot throbbed again, inexplicably. Glancing everywhere, desperately, she noted another tunnel. It led downwards. She looked elsewhere, but her eyes were pulled back to it, as if by another force.
"Oh well, here goes!"
She scrambled off the creep, and started running blindly down the tunnel. She felt like she was doing the right thing. The tunnel felt right, and she had no idea why. Behind her she heard an angry wail, so close to a human chorus of misery that it only sped her steps. The tunnel got steeper. She tripped over a slimey rock and started sliding. She could not recover herself, the tunnel had turned into a slide.
She kept sliding, her nonexistent foot aching more and more as she slid further down. The sounds of the chamber behind her grew quieter until she could hear none of their cries.
The slide levelled out, but the tunnel floor was covered in water. There was no more moss, or any signs of life. As she came to a stop, she started to get up. She took a step, but in the darkness that was a bad idea. Her foot came into contact with nothingness, and before she knew it she was screaming her way down another slide.
**~**
What happened? What happened? the Hivemind kept repeating. Mnoth could barely stand, let alone answer its question. Sigig was up first, but none of them had avoided the weakness.
Oh, great Origin, I think I know what did this! Sigig stammered. It was a human. He has already done this to me and mine, on Arachnid. He is the one they call 'Richard'. He has a device, which he wears on his person, that has this power!
Impossible! We are all-aware, my child. We would have seen any humans approach! scolded the Hivemind.
I know what I say to be true, great Mind. I have only told you of what I have seen
We will consider it. But haste! Our prey has escaped! All of you, follow her! We want her returned!
But none of our kind have ever been deeper than the Origin Chamber! Kyp blurted out, simply.
We do not care. Every one of you, go! You know what you must do.
As soon as he was able to stand, Mnoth pounced ahead of the others to the tunnel. He rather liked the fact that the human had chosen to run. It was always more fun this way.
Behind him, Sigig, Vesh, Kyp, and a handfull of basilisks jostled into the tunnel as well. The chase was on!
to be continued, below.....
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;D MORE!!!
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continued from above....
Chapter Six
Insertion
Jacob David Henri, Mec-1, stood strapped into his acceleration pod with hundreds of other troopers, deep in the holds of the Remdann troop transport. The ship was finishing its manuevers, and they felt a shipwide jolt as the craft slid onto the loading rails of the V-Boot. They'd been waiting for hours, since the troop transports were to be fired last. The Lucifer corporation engineers had designed it to "fire" 150 ships into deep space in a single, fluid chain of launches. The ships' gravitational systems would be stressed to the max to keep the human occupants from being squeezed to a pulp by the tremendous forces of acceleration.
To his left and right, rows of vertical pods housed Remdann's finest. Most of them were flight-ready. Only one walked between the rows, chatting with the soldiers, reassuring them. Marty really took his new rank seriously. He understood the concept of morale. Eighty-five percent of the Coalition's combat troops, Remdann included, were being sent on a one-shot attack that could not fail. They were all adeqately trained, most of them were fresh from boot camp, or reservists. They understood what they were to be doing, and many of them didn't like it.
It helped to have a soldier like Marty around to cheer you up, though. The friendly smiles and firm handshakes that he was passing around erased their worst fears. Here was a soldier who had been out there, in the thick of it, and he wasn't worried. They didn't even mind that he was Remdann (the troop transports carried a mixed Coalition/Remdann contingent).
Jake peered sideways. He couldn't see space through the portals anymore. They were inside the V-Boot, much like rounds in a clip, waiting for the moment of actuation.
Marty rounded the nearest row of pods into Jake's row. When he arrived at Jake's pod, he paused a little bit longer.
"Well, this is it old buddy," he said.
"Yeah..." Jake fingered a small pouch in his pocket.
"What's that?" inquired Marty.
"Oh, it's sort of a good-luck charm I made for myself. Just some small things that remind me of my friends..."
"I'll trust you that my missing snapshot of that holiday on Menaki Beach isn't in there," joked Marty, with a sideways smile.
"Heh, it wouldn't fit anyhow. No, nothing like that."
"Uhuh. Hey, I'm counting on you to stay alive, at least for a little while. I'm gonna prove to you that I am worth two soldiers."
"Yeah, I haven't forgotten about that. You've got your work cut out for you."
An announcement started from the intra-ship comm system.
Departure in ten minutes, all personnel please report to your acceleration pods. Repeat, departure is in ten minutes.
Marty turned back to him and, raising his brows, held his hand out. Jake pocketed the sachel and shook his hand.
"Well, you better strap in."
"I'll see you on Homeworld," Marty replied. He turned and walked down the row to the back of the hold, where his pod was.
Jake slid his arm back into the strap and toed the switch on the pod. The covering started to slide down in front of him, and in a moment he was in complete darkness.
Departure in five minutes, all pods report ready. Beginning automated countdown.
"Here we go," thought Jake. The beginning of what was hopefully the end. The battle to end all battles. A day that would be remembered. Any way he thought about it, it remained the same: His last chance for vengeance. Either he'd die, or all of the alien scum would die. Both were acceptable, as long as he got to nail a bunch of their asses first. He wondered to himself how he was able to think like that so easily. Having no one you cared for, he supposed. No matter. It didn't occur to him that he could ever find real replacements for his friends, let alone that any of them might still be alive.
to be continued in chapters below.....
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Epic! Keep up the excellent writing :)
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Epic! Keep up the excellent writing :)
=D There are about 5 more chapters in the series.
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WHAT?? IT ENDS????? NOOOOOOOO!! ONLY 5 MOAR CHAPTERS!!!! THE WORLD ISN'T WORTH IT ANYMORE!!
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WHAT?? IT ENDS????? NOOOOOOOO!! ONLY 5 MOAR CHAPTERS!!!! THE WORLD ISN'T WORTH IT ANYMORE!!
DW, I promise to make them long and content-filled. I'll even throw in a moral quandary, for those of you who feel a bit daring.
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*SwampCeciL grabs a Ckit
Conzul: Why did you just take a ckit? nothing needs reparing
SwampCeciL: im building you a turret!
+1 turret for conzul
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How do you gives Turrets? I'd give him one too...
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quote the person 15 times I think ???
and Conzul I think this is a really cool story especially :dragoon: mmonth and kyp :granger: of course
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quote the person 15 times I think ???
You must have made 300 posts to be able to rate Karma.
Ready...
Steady....
Go!
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quote the person 15 times I think ???
You must have made 300 posts to be able to rate Karma.
Ready...
Steady....
Go!
You're feeling evil today, aren't you?
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quote the person 15 times I think ???
You must have made 300 posts to be able to rate Karma.
Ready...
Steady....
Go!
You're feeling evil today, aren't you?
Me? Evil? Nah, I'm just fun-loving!
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continued from above....
Chapter Seven
The Final Awakening
The theme-park network of slides and chutes finally leveled out, and Mnoth stepped abruptly into the light. Unlike the damp darkness of their descent, the inner surface of Homeworld was dry and well-lit. At first glance, the place was a desert, with dunes of orange sand undulating in all directions. How they came to be there was a mystery, for there was no wind or breeze.
The place was decidedly still, so placid and silent that to make any sound seemed to be a condemnable offense. The sky was blanketed by orange cloulds, from which fell golden particulates like snow made of honey. The outer layers of world could not be seen through the low-lying clouds, only the chutes that had borne them there. These seemed to be giant tree trunks, devoid of branches or foliage, and long dead.
But, belying its desolate exterior, Uncreation was far from dead. Everywhere, the air seemed to be permeated by life. Not just bioelectric energy, but sentience. It was as if they were inside, or one-with, a great being that was tied to that world. The effects of this place were not lost on them.
Emerging through the crevasse at the base of their organic pillar, Mnoth was the first to view the wonder.
He landed on the sand, making the only tracks that he could see. He could hear the others coming out behind him, but he didn't take much notice. As far as he knew, he was the first to ever see the core of Homeworld.
The visuals weren't as impressive as the sensations. It was as if life itself was water, and he was wading, even diving into it.
It certainly qualified as a high.
Behind him, his cohorts were speachless. Mnoth began to realize that something was missing as well. Were it not for the comfort of the all-encompassing sentience, it would have scared him that he didn't feel like the hunter anymore. The Hivemind seemed like a distant dream whose power did not extend deeper than its throne room.
Mnoth turnted to Sigig, who had just squeezed out into the open, after the others.
I don't feel...what is this? Mnoth said finally.
I don't know, and I don't like it....I mean, it feels good, but I don't....don't....
I know what you mean, replied Mnoth.
Sigig took a few more steps away, striding onto the crest of the dune which they all occupied.
Wait...where's Kyp? he said, glaring at the basilisks.
Who cares? said one dreamily. The other one looked over at his peer and they shared a few snorts of mirth.
Guess the intelligence boost isn't universal, observed Sigig.
If a subordinate had ever behaved this way, normally, Sigig wouldn't have hesitated to end its life. But, now, for some reason, he didn't feel like it. Being the creature with the largest brain in the party, he was starting to get a nagging suspicion that hadn't even occurred to Mnoth: That all of their predatory drive had been streamed from the Hivemind, and that now they were in the natural state that they had been in at the beginning of all things.
This is an awakening. Sigig blurted out, a shiver passing down his midriff and shifting the sand at the base of his six legs. We are awake!
What are you saying? That we were prisoners? Mnoth looked up at him, doubt flashing across his eyes.
Well....maybe. Sigig continued, I feel awake.
It feels very good. It must be a trick! Mnoth seemed withdrawn. The Hivemind warned us about this place.
But surely, you don't feel the need to chase the human anymore, pressed Sigig.
That doesn't mean I shouldn't, retorted Mnoth.
What it means, Sigig went on, is that for generations, a foreign mind has been controlling us, telling us what to do and what to think - doesn't that bother you?
Mnoth thought about it. To him, a dragoon, life was about memories, and about accumulating them. His fondest memories had been formed while doing the bidding of the Hivemind: His first kill; his espionage; his evolution. There were unpleasant memories as well, but these were always caused by the incompetence of others, not the Hivemind. Serving the Hivemind had been good.
No, it doesn't bother me. It felt right. said he.
So it hasn't occurred to you that the Hivemind made it feel right? suggested Sigig.
Those were MY feelings, replied Mnoth.
How do you know? How can you be certain?
Mnoth couldn't answer this.
See? Sigig continued, Anywhere else you would have said something stupid, like, 'because I know'. Your silence means you've taken the first steps toward awareness. You - WE, are waking up.
This sounds like traitor-talk, said Mnoth, ambivalently.
I'm sorry if your brain is too small for this revelation, but as for me, my eyes are open. All of them.
You know, this still hasn't answered the question; where is Kyp? or the human for that matter....
Sigig, still bathing in the happiness of independent thought, sighed and turned his attention to the matters at hand. You two! Go look for tracks! he ordered.
Heehee, Okay boss! said one, and they ambled off together.
Mnoth rolled his eyes. We both know there aren't any.
I don't care, their insipid giggling was getting to me.
Still, there are no tracks and no scent. What do we do? returned Mnoth.
Didn't we pass a different tunnel on the way down?
A branch in the slide?...That would explain their absence...Oh, Vesh is missing too, by the way.
And you noticed this just now? Sigig scowled.
It's not like he's in with us, like a groupie or something. Stammering idiot...I wonder what this place has done for him...
Well we'll lose hours if we try to go back up, reasoned Sigig. The closest branch of the pillar is that way. He indicated a towering silhouet on the horizon.
Well? What are we waiting for? We should get moving, said Mnoth.
Sigig called the basilisks over and the four started marching across the dunes. They hadn't gone a hundred meters when Mnoth stopped short.
Gaaaa, it hurts! What is it? he started swaying his head from side to side, in obvious pain.
Hold still! What are you talking - ohhhh Sigig interrupted himself.
'Ohhh' What? groaned Mnoth.
Your scar - it's all frothy and dripping - I think it's closing.
What, like healing? Damn it! I was proud of that mark! Mnoth said as he clenched his teeth.
Guess this place has some serious healing properties, said Sigig.
It wasn't a wound, it was part of ME.
Pfff, even the normal dragoons thought it was weird of you. Sigig brought up.
My ears are roaring...will this never stop?
It's not your ears, it's a human ship! roared Sigig, excitedly.
Mnoth looked skyward with the rest of them. A small shuttle was dropping down through the cloud cover and passing over them.
It's the human filth, Richard! exclaimed Mnoth. It's his shuttle, and his power has grown if he can hurt so many of us at once!
With a low hum, the shuttle glided over them, toward the pillar that was their destination. Soon it was out of sight and hearing, and Uncreation was silent once more.
How did he get down here!? said Mnoth aloud.
A better question would be why? Could he be planning to plant a larger device to drain us all, from the inside? If a tyrant could look worried, Sigig did now.
Mnoth shook the foam off his face. His scar had completely dissappeared, as had the sensation of its removal.
He could try to rescue the girl! realized Mnoth.
Who cares about the girl! That man needs to die, painfully. And that's me speaking, not some directive from a nameless Overmind.
Finally, something we agree on. Let's kick his ass! Mnoth stopped slouching and dug in for a pounce. Sigig's leathery face formed a malevolent smile.
Yes, let's kick his ass!
Four chapters to go, ppl.
To be continued in chapters below....
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continued from above......
If you gaze into the abyss for long enough,
the abyss will gaze back into you.
~Nietzsche
Chapter Eight
Where Ends Meet
History has an intriguing habit of spitting out amazing individuals at just the times when they are needed. These people can come from almost any background, and can end up doing great good or great evil. In common, they often sacrifice everything dear to them; they are misunderstood or outspoken; and lastly they are never forgotten.
That Hal Corrdino was such a person was undeniable, despite that he had never thought of himself in such a light.
Hal had become the CEO of the Lucifer Corporation at the record-breaking age of thirty. This in itself was a story worthy of telling, due to its unorthodox circumstances. Since we really don't have room here, it will suffice to tell that once he learned of the responsibility that he had inheirited, he became almost fanatical in its execution.
The Lucifer Corporation had never been content to just exist peacefully and conduct business with its peers. It had always striven to outdo the competition, not only in terms of wealth but in the minds of its clients. As such, it was the formost commercial power in the coalition, and Hal had been a bird of a similar feather. It was a match made in heaven. Upon reaching office, he had taken the corporation farther than it had ever gone before, all the while religiously cultivating its decades-long plan for dominance.
That was why he was here, now, risking his life in the farthest reaches of the galaxy. He was going to actuate the plan that would save them, save them all. The human race would be permanently endebted to the corporation, but that was only the icing on the cake. The corporation would bring balance to the coalition: Peace, through power.
His shuttle dropped through the clouds as it had on all of his previous trips. He wound the familiar course between the great dead pillars of the core world, into the valley of the ruins. It was here that he had been constructing the device which, when detonated, would kill every Overmind on Homeworld, rendering the Hivemind defeated. Together with the orbital fleet launcher on Ventas, this would allow the coalition fleets to jump in on a frantic world that had lost its head, and deliver the crushing blow with minimal resistance.
He dropped the shuttle onto the ancient stone landing that he had been using as a pad. Once it was powered down and secured, he stepped down the ramp and stretched in the open air.
"Aaah, just as I left it....."
The inebriating aura of the place surged back into him. Since this would be his last trip, his only cargo was in an easy-to-carry utility bag. It was the most important part of the device. In fact, he had used it just an hour ago when passing down through the outer crust of Homeworld, when his sensors had detected a human signature. It could only have been Roslyn. He had expected that.
Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he trudged across the crystal bridge and into the heart of the ruins. He had stopped noticing the marvels of Uncreation some time ago. Familiarity breeds contempt, and he had been here many times. Every "test-firing" of the V-boot, except the first, had borne him here, and he had built a little more of the device with each trip. The fleet would arrive in about forty minutes, and he would do his part.
He walked down the roughly-hewn steps into a courtyard, having passed through several halls to get here. In the middle was the draining machine. It was, in essence, an array of prisms that would amplify the dark energy emanating from the planet and then implode upon itself. Since it had been proven that the Hivemind used this dark energy for sustenance, Hal had always found it ironic that the planet's energy would act as the catalyst.
Kneeling down, he opened the carrying case and got to work.
** ~ **
Kyp and Vesh had slid into the open of Uncreation at the same time. Kyp had taken in the sensations and been speechless. The aura of Uncreation was like bathing in the glory of a higher intelligence, an intelligence that lent itself without thought of return.
Kyp had turned to Vesh to see his reaction. The poor marauder, who had gone from years of isolation on a frozen planet to complete happiness in heaven, had entirely clammed up. His legs sagging and his eyes glassy, he did not respond to grunt or nudge.
No wonder the Hivemind didn't want us to know about this place, thought Kyp. It's full of paralyzing awareness and happiness!
It felt to Kyp like the whole world was a hovel, and it was all his.
What was I doing? I was looking for something.....someone....OH! The human....maybe I can get to her before they do. I know she's not as bad as they say she is.
So Kyp started along the dunes, walking in ever-wider circles until he found tracks.
Yes! Here we go.
With no wind on the planet core, they would stay there until the world ended. Kyp followed them.
The trail went on without the human in sight. Kyp wondered how she had gotten so far after her ordeal, but then it occurred to him that the planet might have similar effects on humans as well. As he trudged along, he was startled by a loud sound, which turned out to be a ship that flew low over him. He recognized it as one of the shuttles from Arachnid, but did not understand its significance at that moment.
How did it get down here? This is all so confusing...
Once it was out of sight, and Kyp was sure that he hadn't been spotted, he resumed his trek. He didn't have far to go. The tracks stopped abruptly at the top of a dune. At the bottom of the dune lay Roslyn, apparently unconscious.
Oh my.
Kyp slid down into the trough and up to the body. The human's hair was matted and dirty, and whatever color her jumpsuit had been before, it was now a splotched teal that was trying hard to look like swiss cheese. Probably the most notable thing about her was that her prosthetic foot was frothing at the edges.
The granger peered at her metallic foot. Nothing was wrong with the apendage, but the flesh at the ankle was boiling.
Gross. What can it mean? He tapped the foot impulsively. It fell off.
OH NO! OH NO! I didn't mean to! This is a bad dream! A bad dream! he squealed. Strands of blood and goo sagged into the sand, and before his eyes a lump started to form.
Bad dream, bad dream...
The bloody lump grew larger, into a bloody stump, with boiling froth everywhere.
oooh, bad dream....
The stump took form. Smaller stumps emerged from the stump, and, within three minutes, a brand new, glistening wet foot was in view.
...bad dream, good - good dream? oh my, oh my...
He heard a sigh from behind him. Her eyes were open. Kyp hopped back and grunted. Coughing a few times, she got up on her elbows and looked at him. Her eyes widened, especially when they gravitated toward her foot. Her jaw dropped. In his enlightened state, Kyp recognized these as manifestations of fright and surprise.
Don't worry, I won't bite! Promise! He voiced.
If her eyes had been big before, it was nothing compared to what they became after he said that.
What? What's wrong? I say, you have nothing to fear!
Finally closing her mouth briefly, she spoke, and her voice was hoarse.
"I - I understand you. H-how do I understand you?"
In that moment, Kyp also understood what she said. It wasn't like knowing the words, it was like understanding the meaning of the words, and it could never happen in any other place in the universe.
"I understand you," she repeated.
It must be this place." Kyp replied, and what he said was understood again.
"My foot, it's...back!"
"Yes, I saw it growing into place. That's also from being here." Now that Kyp was being understood, he never wanted to stop talking again. "I recognized you from the forest, years ago. Did you recognize me? Why were you left on Arachnid? One of the shuttles from Arachnid flew over, did you see it? I think the man who controls the weakness is on it - "
"Wait - wait just a moment!" she said as she stood up. Looking down at the granger, she saw that it was almost giddy with glee. It was so weird to be talking to...an alien. It was weirder than having escaped from certain death at their hands twice.
"What's the 'weakness'?" she asked.
"The man who set us free has a thing he wears on his wrist that can drain the thoughts from your head. He used it in the Origin Chamber just now, like back on Arachnid."
"Set you free?"
"Yes, after you were giving us the shots, and he came in with blood on him - "
"That was Richard!" exclaimed Roslyn.
"After that, we were set free in the basements, and he stunned us with his device, and he killed the human who was with him."
"Arnold...." Roslyn realized aloud. "Yes, Richard is evil, he left me on Arachnid to die, and you say he's here?"
"Who else could have stunned us in the Origin Chamber? He's here, his shuttle flew that way," Kyp indicated a direction.
"Well let's start walking, maybe we can get to his shuttle...I wonder what he's doing here...." she said.
"He could be trying to drain my friends, from where we cannot reach him."
"The bastard said I would thank him. What an asshole." She started up the dune.
"Yes," replied Kyp, "he is an 'azhole'. What's an 'azhole'?"
"Don't worry about it. If he's landed, maybe he'll leave the shuttle unguarded. Then we can escape."
"But - I like it here. Why can't we just stay here? Forever?"
"I can't stay, I have to get back and tell them about him. I have to see if Jake got out alright."
"Which one is Jake?"
"You might not have seen him since Ventas," she said.
"The forest planet - you DO remember. Was he the one who hurt Mnoth?"
Roslyn stopped. The dunes were levelling out, and a dip in the topography was starting to show. It could have been a valley.
"No, that was my brother Tiberius. He saved me while your friends killed him." She curled her lip at the memory. "Who's Mnoth?"
"The dragoon. He's a black dragoon now, with black armor like me."
"He lived!?"
"He was with me and Sigig on Arachnid. Those brutes killed the specimens and swapped them out for themselves."
Roslyn was shaken. "That was him, in the cage, right in front of me...."
"He still wants to kill you, he and the others came down with me with orders to bring you back or kill you. We must hurry."
"The world is too small."
"What?"
"Never mind."
They started off at a faster pace. The sands were definitely sloping down now, giving way to a shallow valley. At the center of this valley was a rift, a rift full of ancient ruins.
"There! See?" she yelled. The silhouet of the shuttle was just dipping out of view into the rift. "Thanks, I wouldn't have been able to do this without you, - "
" - Kyp, my name's Kyp," he supplied happily.
"I'm Ca - I'm Roslyn," she replied. "Come on, let's get out of here!"
They increased their pace. Kyp was full of wonder. It was already normal that they could speak to eachother. It was already forgotten that the girl had a new foot. It was amazing that she wasn't scared of him, that she was accepting him. Then a darker thought tainted his happiness. In a way, he was responsible for the loss of her brother. His weakness in the cave had blown their cover and caused Mnoth to bound in and rectify the problem. But he would never tell her about that.
Why should she know? What good would it do? For all he knew, if he had kept quiet and she had left (like they had intended), Ventas would have been overrun and they would all have been killed anyway.
No, this was better. Kyp hated Mnoth and he hated the Overminds. They couldn't appreciate love or friendship like Kyp wanted to.
As for Roslyn, she had heard the voice again. The same voice that told her to run from the Origin Chamber. It was a being that lived on this world, of that she was sure, and it wasn't the Hivemind. Someone was looking out for them, and they would need all the help they could get, with the end so near.
to be continued below....
3 more chapters.
-
continued from above....sorry about my lateness, but I recently got snowed-in at a friend's house, who happened to have the complete X-Files on DVD. So my free time turned out to NOT be free time...yeah.
Chapter Nine
The Price
*Phase 2, Hyperoxygenation*
Chanted the feminine computer voice. During the launch, all personnel had been put into an induced sleep, aiding the computer in protecting them from acceleration pressures and other unforseen traumas. Jake's head ached, the type of ache that said he'd been in a topple-down-a-ravine-into-a-stony-river type of sleep. He felt heavy, and when he opened his eyes, his vision was fuzzy.
He was still in his pod.
"Eh, we must have arrived," he thought aloud. If all had gone according to plan, then the cloaked fleet was being autopiloted into position around a paralyzed planet. He had no desire to hurry the process.
*Phase 3, Stimulation*
"Ouch!" he mouthed. A needle had sprung from some unseen inner orifice of his pod, and injected itself into his arm. The next moment, it was gone. After a few seconds, he felt life coming back to him. It started like a pervasive caffeine, working its way from core into his limbs, and clarifying his vision. He squinted out of the faceport of his acceleration pod, and only then did he get the first impression that something was wrong.
The light level outside of his pod was dim and diffuse, and accompanied by sporadic flashing. Could the ship be damaged? Or might there be an electrical malfunction? Regardless, he was comforted by the sounds of the other troops awakening in the pods adjacent to him.
Jake unstrapped himself and fumbled for the inner catches on the pod hatch. There were four of them on the inside, controlled by a computer which would open the door, presumably in a minute or two.
He found the upper latches and flipped them. He reached down as far as he could and barely managed to reach the other two. He flipped one with some difficutly, but the other one wouldn't budge.
"Dammit," he cursed. Then more loudly, "is anyone out there? What's going on?"
He saw a green LED light up to his left. A caption underneath read 'HATCH'.
"Okay, so the computer will open it. What's it waiting for?" Jake looked out of the faceport again, and his heart sank into his feet. A massive shadow was moving into position in front of his pod. From his perspective, Jake could only see legs and lower-body armor. It was waiting.
"Guys, something is wrong here!"
*Phase 4, Release*
Jake's eyes widened.
"Release?! No! Shit, no release, no! no!" He spastically scrambled to lock the upper latches. A light horn sounded from the computer, and the last switch sprang open. The tyrant stepped back, giving the door room to open.
Jake shoved his hand into the hatch handle, and locked an upper latch with the other. The tyrant roared with rage and smashed at the faceplate, rocking the pod and shattering the glass. As fast as he could, Jake switched hands and locked the other catch.
All around him he heard screams has row after row of pods opened and the occupants were impaled and slashed, almost as one person. They didn't stand a chance.
No, no, no, no, no.... groaned Jake through the bedlam. Outside of his pod, the tyrant raised a claw and aimed it at the faceport. With only six inches of room in which to move, Jake had nowhere to run.
The claw shot forward. Jake twisted to the side, but it still clipped his ear before jamming in the faceport. The alien pulled it out and tried again. Jake ducked in the other direction, but the tyrant was just as smart. It aimed for the place it hit first, and Jake's head was in the way this time. No one in the bay heard the scream.
**~**
On the command bridge, Marty wasn't faring much better. The computer had awoken him ten minutes earlier than the troops because of his command status. He had stretched and walked out of the room, wondering why the lights were flickering. When he reached the bridge, he saw why.
The transport had deccelerated to late, and as a result had run aground on the outer crust of Homeworld.
Marty rubbed his eyes, attributing the motion in his peripherals to be sleep artifacts. He was wrong. Dumbfounded, he gazed out of the sweeping forward viewport. There was motion all right. A bounding sea of aliens was undulating around the crashed ship, pouring into every breach.
It didn't matter that the mission had failed. Mec-2 Marty didn't even register that fact, and that I suppose was a tribute to his training. With sudden clarity, he realized, "I gotta get to the weapons locker!"
He turned and dashed off the bridge, back toward the cargo bay that housed all of the acceleration pods. The other troops should be awakening right now. As he sprinted down the corridor, he heard yelling and roaring.
"Oh God, I'm too late..."
At the archway into the hold, he paused. Large shadows were passing along the floor on the other side of the arch. He ducked out of view, hoping that he hadn't been seen. A sudden concussion rocked the vessel.
What the hell was that? thought Marty, as he fought to keep his balance. A second disturbance shook the ship violently. As cautiously as he could, he peered around the bulkhead into the hold.
His eyes met a scene of total horror.
Bodies were strewn everywhere. Limbs and digits had been severed, bones exposed, and blood splashed across the deck plating. Several dozen dretches were scattered around the bay, feasting on the arms and hands that Marty had shaken with such assurance only thirty-minutes ago.
Stunned, he slumped back into his hiding place. They were defeated. They had been tricked or lied to. Even if the launch had gone all to hell, the Hivemind was supposed to have been disabled by now, unable to issue orders or mount an effective defense.
"My weapon....I have to get to my weapon..." he tried to focus himself. "The big ones have moved on. Another crash, maybe. Just dretches left, just dretches...."
He visualized the route he'd need to take to get to the nearest weapon locker. It was through the archway, then dead left across the hold, then left on the wall.
More tremors exploded nearby. Marty got up, dug in, and swung out into the bay. Immediately he lost his balance in the pool of blood and tumbled to the floor. The dretch nearest to him turned and saw him.
With a rabid chirp, it let go of its food and charged him. It crossed the ten feet between them in a second with two jumps. Barely able to kneel up in time, Marty threaded his fingers together and swung from the side. His fists met it about a foot from his face, and it glanced off and into the adjacent wall, splatting to the floor. Incapacitated, it sqeaked for help. Marty fought back onto his feet and started skipping over the bodies of the dead.
Lethargic from their gorge, the other aliens were slow to realize the threat. Marty reached the locker five seconds before they did. Being lowly dretches, they didn't know that, for a desperate and experienced human, this was an eternity in which to grab a weapon, change his mind, pick another one, and swing around with a vengeful witicism to end them.
With well practised hand, Marty one-shotted each dretch as it got to him, shotgun shells splashing at his feet. He killed eight of them, them switched to another shotgun in his left hand, dropping the unloaded one. More dretches were torn apart with a bang, their innards mingling with the red human blood on the deck.
Having emptied his second weapon, he scanned his approaches quickly. Only one more dretch was poised on a nearby pod, reluctant to rush him. Marty reached behind him into the locker and pulled out a service blaster, which he holstered in his belt and patted meaningfully.
The dretch screeched and scampered away, presumably exiting through the same breach in the hull that it had entered from.
Left alone in the dimness, Marty exhaled and pulled another shotgun off the rack. After strapping an ammo pouch onto his hip, he stared off into the darkness.
"Damn, wish I had a flashlight..." he said aloud.
He heard a croak about a stone's throw away.
"Who is that?"
Again, he heard the sound, though now he made it out to be a hoarse chuckle.
"A survivor!" he realized. He reached for a flare and lit it. With the weapon in his other hand, he started off from the wall.
"Where are you?" he called.
"Over here!"
"That's helpful."
"Two rows....your left...." came the weak response.
Marty made his way down the rows, finding the one referenced. Suddenly, he realized that this was the location of his former squad. Raising the gun and shielding his eyes from the flare, he looked down the row. All the pod hatches were open, save one. When he reached it, he put down the flare and looked into the pod.
"Oh my God, Jake! Your eye!"
"nnnn scare me....what?....doesn't look....." Jake seemed to be on the edge of consciousness. Marty ran back to the locker for some medkits. He got back to Jake undisturbed. The shaking of the ground, which Marty had by now guessed was support fire from the rest of the fleet, had started to fade into the distance.
"Hey, open your pod, I've got your fix," said Marty.
"Fix, hah," mumbled Jake. There were two clicks as he unlocked the hatch. With a hiss, the door pivoted upwards, and the occupant slid onto the floor. Proping him up on his lap, Marty popped the cap off of the medical injector and gave Jake a shot in the arm.
"This won't bring your eye back, but it should help with everything else. You just need to hold on."
"OK."
Marty shot him with a second medkit. The fast-acting concoction started to bring Jake around.
"Oh, oh, it hurts! I can't see!"
"At least you're alive. That's more than you can say about anyone else on the ship. What are you carrying in that good-luck charm of yours? It worked."
"Jealous?"
"Come on, stand up, we have to get to the bridge. I have to get on the horn and try to contact the rest of the fleet, find out what happened and if there's anything to be done about it."
"Okay, let's go," Jake replied. He leaned forward, and stood up shakily. Wiping blood from his good eye, he waited for Marty to lead the way. As Marty passed him, Jake smiled.
"You were saying something about a flashlight?"
"It was a moment of weakness."
"Doesn't matter. It was worth it."
"Here, hold this." Marty handed him the flare. They made their way out of the hold, back into the corridor and toward the bridge. The absence of resistance was almost uncanny.
"Here we are," said Marty, as they reached the command bridge. He walked over to a console and tried to make sense of it.
"I usually have a subordinate to work this stuff...here, catch." He tossed the shotgun over to Jake. Jake caught it with his free hand. Marty raised a brow. "See? Who needs both eyes?"
"I sense a nickname in the works," said Jake sarcastically.
Marty closed his eyes, remembering the days of his basic training. The pertinent information came back mingled with the impertinent, and he had a job of filtering it out. Within five minutes, he had opened a channel to the flagship.
"CS Midas, this is Remdann LSP-522, do you read me?"
"This is the Midas, it's a relief to hear your voice. We thought you were done for."
"So did I. May I speak with Admiral Becker? I'm Martin Spen - "
"Becker here. Go ahead."
"Yes sir. Status report: We have maximum casualties. The ship has run aground and there are only two survivors. What happened?"
"It looks like the decceleration coordinates were faulty for our troop transports. All but three have crashed. We're doing everything we can to mount a rescue operation, but we're under heavy fire. The Hivemind is still alive."
"So our mission is a failure..."
"Not so. Our support fire has driven the masses away from your transport. If you can get to one of your shuttles, you might just make it to the inner planet safely."
"The inner planet? What for?"
"Mec-2, I'm about to give you some classified information. The Hivemind was supposed to be disabled by a person who made it to the inner core. Regardless of what you think you know, you can still save the day for all of us. You're behind enemy lines, you'll make it through. I'm sending the coordinates to your ship's mainframe. Your new objective is to locate the beacon of the shuttle that our operative has, and to aid him in detonating his device. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sir. Receiving your files."
"Godspeed, soldier. Over and out."
"Jake, get over here, we have a mission." Marty waved.
"So I've heard."
Marty worked more controls.
"Damn, the mainframe-to-shuttle interface is fried. We need a portable device to take these files with..."
"Will my phone work?" suggested Jake.
"Why are you carrying your phone?"
"It's not against regulations, it's turned off."
"Yes, it'll work. Plug it in here, these are the files that need transferring." Marty indicated a screen and moved to another one. "I can prep a shuttle from here, so it'll be running by the time we reach it. What's wrong?"
Jake had frozen still, looking at the display of his phone.
"Are the files transferred yet?" queried Marty, again.
"Yes, but it's asking if I want to overwrite existing data..."
"Which file?"
"The shuttle ID file."
"Why would that already exist on your phone?" asked Marty, juggling his attention with warming up the shuttle.
"Hell if I know," lied Jake.
"Well it must be a glitch. Overwrite it, just to be safe."
"OK, done. All ready here." said Jake, pocketing the phone.
"Good, our dropship's powering up in the bay. Let's go. We have a battle to save."
"Right behind you." said Jake, tossing his weapon back.
They jogged down a different corridor, and stopped at the end. There was no threat in sight. They went down more corridors, past erupted consoles that spewed sparks and smoke. When they arrived in the small shuttle bay, they breathed a sigh of relief. The dropship was intact and ready to depart. Marty stepped over to a wall console and pressed some controls. The outer bay door began to open upwards.
"What's the atmosphere like?" asked Jake.
"Intel says it's got more oxygen than Ventas, and that's already more than Earth had. It'll be tough leaving." He was practically raking weapons from a wall locker into a carrying bag.
"Grab those ammo cases, we're out of here." he said, as he walked up the ramp of the shuttle. Following behind him, Jake paused as he heard a tap on one of the bay's access hatches.
"I think I heard something. Behind us." he whispered loudly. Marty threw down his burdens and gripped his shotgun in a readiness position. The tapping came again, right on the door they had just entered from.
"Jake, take this." Marty reached behind him into a case and pulled out a helmet. Jake took it and, sliding it on, switched on the integrated scanner.
"It's human, unarmored!" he blurted out.
Marty ran down the ramp and over to the door. He unlocked it and stood back. The door slid open and Gill staggered out into the bay.
"No way!" cried Marty, grabbing him by the shoulders. "How did you make it?" Behind him, Jake laughed too with relief.
"Throw me a medkit and I'll tell ya," said Gill. Facilitated, he injected himself and leaned backwards with a sigh.
"Are you wounded? How did you live?" pressed Marty.
"Well, long and short of it, I hid under John."
"You bastard! Was he alive?"
"If he was, he didn't say anything." Gill made his way up the ramp. "The goon that was gonna jump me was sloppy. Pounced right at me but hit mah pod. I pretended like I was all crushed and slid out. John pretty much fell on top of me."
"Bastard. Coward."
"Lay off. It's not like he was a better shot or anything."
"Look just get in the ship, OK? We have a new mission, and you get to take point. Don't look at a superior officer that way, get in there!"
Gill ducked in and took a seat. Jake and Marty followed, and the ramp closed in behind them.
"I have flight training, I'll take this." said Marty, strapping himself into the pilot's chair. Jake took a seat across from Gill and buckled in. Marty lifted off, and they flew out of the wrecked mothership and over alien terrain.
"There's a sort of tunnel into the planet about four clicks from here. We'll descend that way." Marty said aloud. "Hey Jake, bring your phone over here, I need the our target's specs."
Jake slid the phone across the floor and Marty picked it up, without looking from his controls. He plugged it into the console, and the shuttle read the file out onto the main display.
"We'll know we've found him when we find a contact matching this on the inner planet."
"Found who?" asked Gill.
"My mission," replied Jake.
"You mean OUR mission, don't you?" corrected Marty.
"Oh, yes. Our mission." Only Jake knew that the person they were to meet and help was Hal Corrdino, aka "Richard Loon". Omi had been right. Richard had been taking flights to this world, to prepare for the invasion. Jake didn't mind setting off the device, but he would make sure that Richard never left.
That's right. I don't care what they say, I don't care if they catch me in the act. That man killed my best friend, and now I'm going to serve it cold. Oh yes, this is it.....
to be continued below.....
2 more chapters
-
continued from above.....
Chapter Ten
The Wrath
of the
UnnamedPlayer
For as long as he could remember, Kyp had been a misfit. Though not particularly more intelligent or open-minded than his relatives, he had something that set him apart from them. He had recognized that something was missing from his life. Was it comraderie? Surely not. There were nest-mates all around him, who learned with him, played with him, and grew up to fight alongside him.
He felt out-of-place in the system into which he had been born. No individual had any value. No alien was more interesting than the others near it. He had no one he could call a friend, and as far as he knew, he was the only one who wanted one.
Now, trudging through the sand, he looked up at the human who walked alongside him. She was utterly alien to him in almost every way. She walked on two legs. She was comparatively fragile and unaware of her environment, and she was human. That meant that she was in with the crowd who had restrained him for six years within the confines of ATCS.
Maybe it was the enhanced perception lent by Uncreation, or maybe it was something else, but he sensed that she had had a friend once and lost him. She exuded the desire for a friend, and that gave Kyp hope.
"Ah, here we are!" she said, suddenly. Kyp's attention snapped back to the present.
Before them, a set of roughly-hewn stone steps descended into a narrow canyon. Together, they started down toward the base of the ruins. Along the sides, the rock walls had been carved into many intricate shapes, and crystals had been set in mounts along the way. While they didn't put off their own light, they refracted the light from the orange sky into vague shapes that danced along the walls. Ahead of them, a bottomless chasm was spanned by what looked like a streak of white light.
"This place is amazing," said Roslyn. "It feels like nobody's ever been here."
"Maybe they haven't," replied Kyp. "None of us were ever allowed down here in the past. I think I see why." Kyp felt like he had been freed from some unseen leash, his mind allowed to wonder about things it had never considered before.
"So which way is it to the shuttle?" he asked.
"I don't know, it's not as easy as it looked," said Roslyn. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
Kyp's smile looked nothing like one, but she saw it for what it was anyway.
"Why aren't you afraid of me? What do you want?"
"I'm just looking for a friend," said he. Roslyn was surprised.
"But - why me? Why any human? Weren't you kept in ATCS? You should hate all of us...."
They had reached the chasm. Roslyn put a foot forward to test the "bridge". It stopped her foot as if it were a solid.
"Wow, that's some serious building," mumbled Kyp.
"You didn't answer my question."
"Oh...well - you just seem like you wanted one." he said. She continued to look perplexed.
"See, none of my kind really have friends," explained Kyp. "We have relatives, and we can compete with each other in certain ways, but there's no real bonds of any kind." He stepped out onto the crystal bridge and started to walk across it, hearing her footsteps start up behind him.
"And you're right, I don't much care for any other human that I've met, but you seem different. I - I hope it's okay..." he finished.
She caught up, and they walked together through the maze of ruins. Roslyn apparently couldn't think of anything to say.
"But don't worry about that now," he assured her, "we have to escape first."
"Even if we could, how would I explain you to anyone else? And how do I know that this place hasn't changed you somehow?" she replied.
"I remember hearing some soldiers at Arachnid talking about 'pets'; animals they kept and were friends with and had fun with...."
"And...."
"Well, I could be your pet."
Roslyn's face flashed a quick smile, surprising both of them. Containing herself, and with a bit of humor in her voice, she said:
"Haha, after all I've been through, that doesn't even sound weird. Yeah, we could try that."
that that that that
"Whoa, our voices are starting to echo. We better quiet down." down down down down
Roslyn nodded, and they resumed their journey. To the left and right, the carved walls rose up, leaving only feet of sky visible. The brownish rock had been formed into pillars, domes, vast diases and venues, most of which were in a state of ruin. The aura of benevolence was even more palpable. Maybe the great being lived here, in these ruins.
They came, oddly, to a Y-juction. After looking both ways, Roslyn looked to Kyp and shrugged. Kyp was about to say something when they both heard, or rather felt, which direction was the right one. As the voice passed, they looked at each other, each believing that the other had spoken. Seeing their expressions, they took it as another sign that they were not alone.
Taking the left route, they went onwards. They were now in passing down a long hall, devoid of debris or markings. Suddenly, above them, they heard the sound of a pulsing engine. Throwing their heads upwards, they saw a second shuttle fly over them, and begin to drop out of sight. It left a small wake of smoke behind it, as if it had been damaged in some conflict. What could be going on?
"Another one?!" one one one one
Roslyn clapped her hand over her mouth and made an apologetic expression. Kyp nodded, and started walking again. After a few minutes, the hall looked like it extended forever in both directions. The effect was a little unnerving, especially to Roslyn, who began to look worried.
They continued onward. After another minute, they almost walked straight into a wall ahead of them. The hall curved sharply to the left, organically, and with no angles. Kyp stepped back a few feet, and together they admired the optical illusion. From any farther back than ten feet, the hall appeared to go onwards forever.
Finished, they went forward again, and around the bend. They came out suddenly into a crossroads. A square dip in the floor occupied the centre, and four halls led off in opposite directions. Far above, a bit of sky was showing, and it bled the ambient golden particulates that had occupied the surface. Roslyn stepped out into the middle.
"Which way do we go now?" she whispered. "Oh, wait - no more echo. Huh."
"No idea," said Kyp. "Here, you stand in the middle, and face the way we came. I'll go around each bend a few feet and see if it leads anywhere. OK?"
"Sounds good," said Roslyn. She turned around and stepped backwards, into the hollow in the floor. Kyp went left first, then forward. Around each bend, the effect was similar. The halls appeared to go onwards to infinity.
Creepy, he thought. He went for the last hall, not noticing that Roslyn had petrified in her stance. When he came back, she was still standing.
"Um. Are you all right? What's up?"
"It's - it's another effect! If you stand absolutely still, the halls disappear. It's like being in a box. There are four walls, and I see pictures on them....really old carvings...."
"Where? Where? Let me try!" Kyp hurried to the centre, next to her.
"I can't see anything."
"No, stand here," she said, moving over.
"....no, still nothing."
"I wonder - oh wait, you have more eyes than I. Maybe that messes the effect up."
"But, that would mean that the pictures were made only for a human to see. That makes no sense."
"Not much today has," said Roslyn, shrugging her brows. "Let me try again." Kyp moved over, and she resumed her position.
"What are the pictures of?" asked Kyp.
"I'm not even sure if they are pictures...it's like they're symbols or something. They're in my head. I can understand them!"
"What do they say?" asked Kyp excitedly.
Roslyn started narrating, and as she went on, she slowly turned to each 'wall' of the junction.
"There was a time, I longed to be
Resplendent, in physical form.
Every moment, now, I mourn
My choice, to see its irony:
Undermined, in this Overmind,
Learning now, that I must find
Opposites. Never will I be free
Unless the two, in collaboration,
Shall undo my uncreation."
"...........what does it mean?" wondered Kyp.
Roslyn turned and started 'reading' again, seemingly determinded to memorize this clue. When she was done, she sighed.
"I have no idea. Guess we'll have to figure it out."
"I think I know which way is the right way. Come look," beckoned Kyp. He started for the hall he had checked last. As they rounded the corner, they were met with the same infinity illusion.
"Um..." Roslyn looked at the granger.
"Look down. There, see? What is that?"
Roslyn picked up a smoldering object. It was like a brown cigar, with a red band on it.
"Looks like some kind of flare or marker. You were right! Let's go."
They started off again. The walk was longer this time, but at the end of the hall there was another spent flare.
"Richard must have been through here," she speculated. "I hear a faint echo. Let's have silence till we get past him."
Kyp nodded, and together they exited the hall. Now, they were in a wider hall, whose floor had great flagstones set with crystals, and whose walls were held up with grand pillars. At the end of this short, grand hall, there was a large room with open sky.
Their hearts lept.
Clearly visible through the archway, there was a shuttle. It was parked on a dias at the end of the open-air room. Another crystal bridge perched in the way. There was no sign of Richard. With wide-eyed hope, Roslyn turned to Kyp and mouthed let's go!
Moving as quickly and quietly as they could, they covered the distance to the end of the hall. At the end, the peered around the corners. Another archway, off to the left, led away to some other maze. It was the only other exit.
"Come on!" whispered Roslyn. Kyp could move surprisingly fast, and did so now. Jogging over open ground, they reached the bridge, and then the dias.
"I can't believe we made it!" said Kyp. "Do you know how to fly a shuttle?"
"I did a few simulations in high school, just enough to know that it wasn't the thing for me. But that's why we have something called autopilot," she replied. They stood next to each other, facing the shuttle, smiling widely in their own ways.
Behind them, they heard a faint tinkle. They froze.
"Won't you be needing these?" said a deep voice.
Roslyn turned slowly. On the other side of the bridge, there stood a man with a dark smile, and a set of keys in his hand.
**~**
As Marty piloted the shuttle over the dunes, he checked and double-checked his scanners. It didn't take long for their dropship to pick up the transponder of the target shuttle. Closing on it, they saw a labyrinth of ruins.
"Target is showing up nice and clear. There it is right now," he pointed down. They were flew in a slow circle around the parked shuttle. There was no sign of life.
"Good, let's head down and get this done," said Jake, eagerly.
"Not so fast, buddy, there's no room to park. I have to look for another dias, and we'll have to make our way back here on foot."
"Charming," grumbled Gill.
Marty nosed up for more altitude, and hovered for a minute.
"Ah, there's a spot! Only two-hundred feet away. Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the fasten-seatbelt light. Please secure yourselves for landing."
Two minutes later, and without incident, Marty turned off the shuttle. They had parked on a dias in a similar room of the maze. The side door of the shuttle began to open upwards, and Marty unbuckled himself. Gill was the first out of the shuttle.
"Whoa."
"What is it Gill?" asked Marty.
"This place is.....messed up. Check it out."
Coherent, as always, thought Marty, stepping out. Then it hit him, too.
"Whoa."
"Hah!" said Gill. "Said so. It's like, like...being high."
"Yeah," replied Marty, "but more like being wider awake...Jake?" He turned back toward the shuttle. Jake was breathing heavily, clawing at his eyepatch.
"Whoa, Jake, don't do that!" cried Marty, rushing back in.
"It stings! It bites! What's happening??" Jake moaned. Marty lifted the patch up gently. A line of froth and blood started down Jake's face. His whole eye was frothing.
"I have no idea. What did you do?" Marty sounded desperate.
"Nothing!"
"You need to stay with the shuttle then. Gill and I will go and help the operative."
"NO! I NEED TO GO WITH YOU!" shouted Jake, and his voice echoed through the ruins.
"You're staying here, that's an order! You're in no condition to go anywhere or do anything. Now listen, we won't be gone long, and we have our comlinks. Nothing bad will happen, OK? Just stay here."
Jake's face was a mask of misery. "OK, but don't trust him, Marty. Don't trust Hal."
"Who's Hal?"
"Richard, Hal, whoever. He's your operative. No matter what he tells you, he's evil!"
"How can you know this? Jake, you're getting delirious. Slow down."
"You must believe me!"
"Just stay here, we'll be right back. I promise."
Jake's head rolled back in a gesture of futility. Marty turned and started walking away with Gill.
"Wait, take this!" said Jake. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his good luck charm. "You'll need it more than I will."
Marty jogged back and took it. "Thanks, man." He turned the small brown sachel over in the palm of his hand, then shoved it into an inner pocket. "I'll get this right back to you." With that, he turned again, and the two jogged off.
In the shuttle, Jake slumped down, and gripped his face with both hands. What was happening to him? Why now? He had to help them, otherwise Hal would claim both his friends and his teammates. Where would it all end?
If sheer will-power could have made him whole, it would have happened in an instant. Fortunately for him, he wouldn't need that. Though he didn't know it yet, fate had chosen him to be its arbiter.
Uncreation would heal his eye. Uncreation would give him the tools to exact his revenge.
But Uncreation would do nothing for free.
to be continued below, in the final chapter.....
-
This is the final chapter of the serial, "Kyp the Granger", continued from above.
Get the popcorn, I'll wait....
Chapter the Last
Light at the End
of the Hovel
Frozen, Kyp and Roslyn stared at Richard, saying nothing.
"Come now, no need to act so alien! We are all about to witness one of the greatest moments in recorded history! Come, watch with me, and when we're done, I'll give you both the lift you've been looking for!"
"You're a liar and a - a...I don't know what else. Stay away from us!" said Roslyn, almost shouting. Kyp tried to sidle in behind her, but he only earned a smile from the man.
"Seriously, aren't you the least bit curious about why I've done the things I've done? Or about the promise I made you, that one day, you'd thank me for everything you've been through?"
"No. I won't believe anything you say, EVER." she retorted.
"This is getting to be a little tiresome," sighed Richard, sliding the keys back into his pocket. "If you don't come with me now, and listen to what I have to say, I'll leave the both of you here to rot forever...now, what do you think?"
For a moment, Roslyn didn't respond. Richard made another questioning expression before she started to slowly step towards him, Kyp in tow.
"I thought so. Follow me, this won't take long..." he started walking, this time heading for the anteroom that he must have come from. Roslyn walked behind him, glancing at Kyp every so often. The mere thought of being so close to Richard was revolting to her. Now, this psychopathic freak thought he had some kind of rationalization to put forth. She didn't care, the only thing that mattered was jumping through whatever sick hoops he had left, so she could get off of this planet and tell the rest of the world what an animal he was.
The room turned out to be another skewed hall, with its own crumbling offshoots that went wherever their strange logic took them. Richard moved at a leisurely pace, almost like he was showing off something. Indeed, the path they took showed signs of frequent use: There were runnels in the dust, as might have been made by a simple dolly or pullcart. There were discarded plastic pieces that might have held anything.
After a minute of walking, they reached their destination.
"Well, what do you think?" asked Richard.
They had entered an octagonal room with another open roof. In the center, there was a deep, dark crack in the floor, reminiscent of something you might get sucked into in a bad dream. All around it, the debris had been cleared away, and a large electronic structure had been erected on a makeshift bridge that spanned the few feet of chasm.
"Any questions?"
"What is it?" asked Roslyn in a low voice, having decided to play along. "It looks like a battlefield reactor..."
"It was," started Richard, as he walked up to it. "I've been assembling it for the last few weeks, you see."
"You've been here for weeks?"
"No, I was able to bring a little bit of the device with every test launch. I've been using the weekly launches to get here. And now, my machine is ready."
Roslyn walked into the room and stood as near to him as she could stomach.
"But how did you get past the Hivemind all those times? That's impossible."
"You underestimate my company - no matter. We have had a "cloaking" device for some time now. That's how I was able to get past all of those times. It's also part of the invasion that you don't know about, the invasion that's going on right now, above us....Heh, I talked those morons into thinking that it would work on larger ships...ho ho, that'll never get old..."
"You're company - Lucifer Corp, right?"
"Really, which other company do you know of that would be able to pull this off? Remdann? Or CQ maybe? Silly girl, of course I'm Lucifer Corp. You should know, Richard isn't my real name. I'm Hal Corrdino."
Roslyn's eyes widened. This piece of information meant nothing to Kyp, who continued to wallwalk around the edge of the room, as far from the Bad Man as possible.
"Yes, that's right. But that doesn't matter, because now, I'm getting to the good part of the story - to you." He leaned up on his machine, clearly enjoying himself.
Some feet off from the device, there was some rubble. Sauntering over to it, he started working the latch on a case that had been set there.
"See, I owe you. We all do," he said.
"What do you mean?" she asked, coldly.
Turning back to her, and with a serious expression now, he continued.
"Seven years ago, a number of infested asteroids got by the sensor nets on a green little planet called Ventas. The aliens landed, undetected, and began breeding in hiding. Given days, they would have overrun the garrison, then the spaceport; and they would have destroyed the V-boot project that my company had spent so much time and money on..."
Rolling her eyes at his grandstanding, Roslyn slumped down onto the nearest brick of rubble and folded her arms.
"...but they didn't get the time they needed, because a young girl and her friends were frollicking through the forest that day, and she made the fateful choice to poke around a cave they found. That girl lost her brother and her foot, but saved the planet by exposing the aliens."
"I know that story," she said heavily. "So what?"
"Like I said, I'm Hal Corrdino: Head of the Lucifer Corporation. We were all very grateful. Who do you think paid for your prosthetic foot? Who do you think set up that scholarship work for you, who were still in school? Your grades weren't that good. I gave you a coveted position. I've been there for all of your meaningful life, because I saw greatness in you." he seemed to pause, looking for a reaction.
Processing all of this wasn't particularly fun for Roslyn, especially since his words were starting to jogg her out of her indolence.
"Well then...if...if you think I'm all that, why did you leave me to the wolves on Arachnid?" she asked finally.
"I didn't leave you to die, if that's what you think."
"Well there you go. You're mad! What else would you call that?!" she exploded at him. Her mind switched back easily to seeing him as a foe. This guy was insane.
"I call it give-a-little-get-a-little," he returned, ignoring her disdain. "Despite what you may think, I like you, Roslyn."
"Only my friends - "
"When you hear me out, you'll see that I'm the best friend you've ever had," he cut her off. "Now, because I like you and I'm grateful, I wanted you to experience this moment with me. But first, I needed one more favor from you. I needed you to be captured and taken to the Origin Chamber. I knew that you wouldn't be harmed, not at first. Like me, the Hivemind is curious about you, if only because you're the first human it has encountered with synthetic assets..."
Roslyn stared. Richard looked down and indicated her new foot.
"You don't have it anymore, but there was an expensive transponder in your metal foot. Before the planet healed you, I was able to use you as a tracking beacon. I had been sitting cloaked for some time. As you awaited your fate, I locked onto your position and used my shipboard draining tech to disable everything in that room - for a period. This allowed me to slip past and allowed you to escape, and continues to mire the Hivemind in nausia."
"Draining tech?"
"I'm fairly bristling with it. My shuttle has it, that reactor is it," - he indicated the machine. "Hell, even my arm has it." He brought his arm up and pulled down his sleeve. A small device was strapped to his arm, complete with small lights and keypad.
"Yep, this can drain the sentience out of any alien within fifty feet - shall I demonstrate on the granger?"
"'The granger' is my friend. His name is Kyp," she replied through clenched teeth, standing up and facing him.
Richard formed a sideways smile as he put his arm away.
"Of course. Tell me, are you doing that because your suit's torn, or because you're mad at me?"
She didn't unfold her arms or reply.
"No matter. Now for the last item on the list - back to the present!"
"Yes, what is this 'special moment' you've been going on about?" she asked sourly.
"As you may have guessed, you're on the inner core of Homeworld. What you don't know is that six months have passed since Arachnid, and that right now, above us, the entire military might of the Coalition is fighting for its very surivival...You see, behind me, this machine - once fired - will drain all life and consciousness from the Hivemind network. This will happen in an instant, at the flick of this switch."
Again, he showed his wrist device. On its outside edge, a red safety covered a toggle.
"I was supposed to throw this switch an hour ago," he said slowly.
"What?"
"That's what I told them I'd do, anyway. Obviously, I haven't, and above us, a vengeful Hivemind is chewing them up."
"WHAT?"
"Well, I helped there, too. We tampered with the exit coordinates for the troopships. Most of them have crashed into the outer crust by now, and the heavier combat ships will be breaking ranks and rushing desperately forward to save as many lives as possible."
Roslyn was stunned. Despite the moment, Uncreation had become even more silent, so that all she could hear was the blood coursing in her ears. Was there no limit to the madness of this man? How could he stand there so calmly, or try to rationalize this to anyone? At length, she managed to blurt something out.
"Why?"
"Peace, through Power," was the reply.
"What?"
"With the fall of Coalition and Remdann forces today, and then the destruction of the Hivemind, the Lucifer Corporation will be the most powerful entity in the galaxy. The time of nations is over, Roslyn. The petty in-fighting that has been tolerated for so long will cease. We will enter a new age, an age where the corporation will rule with complete power and benevolence. And my company will be the first."
Roslyn stammered.
"Don't worry, you understand me fine. I'm going to let humanity's fleets die, then destroy the Hivemind and its hold on its 'children'. Sure, it'll leave a bunch of aliens wandering around dumbly, and LC will probably lose some ships, but who cares? The greatest good will have been attained."
".............You're Evil."
"Hah, no, I've been working to fight evil for the longest time. I'm convinced that bringing my company into rule is the best way of doing that. I'm right. Haven't you seen the poem?"
This surprised Roslyn a little, and it must have shown.
"I've been coming here for months, and I've had a long time to contemplate its meaning. Here's what I got so far: A great Being or sentience lodged here once, but it was disembodied. As it looked around, it sensed all of the physical creatures near it, and in its imperfection it envied them; envied their corporeality. So it found what it thought was a suitable host, and tied itself to it. These hosts must have been the original creatures we now know as the Overminds. For a while, the great Being enjoyed this sharing of essences, but it saw that the Overminds came to use its sentience to subvert and control weaker creatures.
Now, the great Being laments its choice, and somehow believes that if two oppositely-minded creatures work together to fight evil here, its sin will be atoned for, and it will be allowed to roam free again."
"I've heard a voice....it led me here..." said Roslyn.
"See? See? I'm right. You and I are the opposites! You don't believe in things the way I do, but in but in spite of that, look at how much we've done together, to bring an end to suffering!" There was a zealous light in his eyes now, a glee not dissimilar to that of a child reaching the cherry in the middle of a sundae.
<continued below>
-
For the smallest moment, his words made sense. It sounded right, but that moment passed, and she rebuked herself for the weakness. Almost at the same time, he saw the answer in her eyes, and his face darknened.
"You don't see it - I'm sorry. Truly. Too bad, I guess. It doesn't matter now: The deed is done, all that remains is to watch and remember."
"These things you say I've done to help you - none of them were by my own volition. I had no idea what was going on, and certainly no choice. But now that I see everything, I can...I can fix it. I can fight the evil," she said, trying to keep her voice level.
"I'm not the evil, Roslyn."
"You're evil, and smart, but not as smart as you think! You figured the poem out pretty well, but you got one part wrong. You and I aren't the opposites that work together - it must be me and the alien - against YOU!"
"You and Kyp? You're kidding, right? Hahha, you're the Merry and Pippin of opposites, I'm sure. Which god or manner of fate would send a granger and a blonde to stop me? Ha ha ha..." he continued to laugh, turning back to his crate.
"Mnoth and I, then. He's a dragoon who wants to eat me. We'll stop you!" she cried, only half believing what she was saying.
"Heh, OK then. You do that. I must warn you though, if any of you come near me or the reactor, I will have to use this on you." And with that, he lifted a Lucifer Cannon out of the case, and hoisted it over his shoulder. "These used to run on dark energy, back in the day. Down here, we're practically swimming in it, so there's a nice little figure-eight where the ammo counter used to be."
"Come on Kyp, let's get away from this maniac."
Kyp was already ahead of her, waiting at the entrance. He had heard everything.
"Sorry it wasn't you," called Richard as he turned away.
Roslyn and Kyp were already out the doorway. They walked at a quick pace, trying to get out of echo range of the evil man.
They passed his shuttle and kept going, only talking when they reached the grand hall. Kyp spoke first.
"He believes everything he says. That's scary."
"Remember the second ship we saw? We need to look for it. We'll explain his madness, and they'll have to stop him," said Roslyn, catching her breath. They started moving again.
"So you didn't mean what you said about Mnoth...I don't blame you," said Kyp.
"I spoke too soon: I hope it doesn't come to that. Even if this place has changed him, I don't know if I can face him again.
A shadow darted across the thin strip of sky above them, unnoticed.
They hurried onwards, back into the long hall. Minutes later, at the four way, they took a right. Another few minutes, and they reached the end. A vast room was filled with rubble and broken pillars, similar to the rift room that Richard occupied.
"This isn't working," said Roslyn, frustrated. "We need to find them! Every minute that button isn't pushed brings the fleet closer to destruction! We need - "
She was grabbed from behind, her mouth covered. Only when a pulse rifle was leaned across her other shoulder did she stop struggling. It was a human.
A burst was fired at Kyp. She tried to scream for them to stop, but the gloved hand stayed over her mouth. Kyp darted behind a column and kept running, several bolts scorching his black armor.
Finally, the hand came off, and she whipped around.
"Stop! That alien is my friend!"
"Are you crazy?" asked Marty. "We're here to stop them from getting to the operative. Have you seen him?"
"His name is Hal, he's the CEO of LC, and he's evil! There's nothing wrong with the machine, it's he who's holding off!"
Marty paused for a moment, and another helmeted soldier stepped out from behind him. "You know, it's weird, Jake just said the same thing...." said Marty.
"Jake? Jacob Henri?"
"Yeah," said the other, as Marty put his helmet back on.
"You're Roslyn!" interjected Marty, with even more wonder. "You were left on Arachnid! How did you get here? They brought you?"
"Yes, and that's Hal...Richard's fault as well. He confessed to me that he staged the breakout there. I think he killed Wetz, also," replied Roslyn.
Though the helmets now covered their eyes, she could tell that there was an expression of doubt beheath them.
"You're coming with us," said Marty finally. "That alien wasn't attacking you, so you're a form of insurance."
"That one was my friend. There are others coming who aren't!" she said desperately.
"Then we'll shoot any we see, I guess. If you are telling the truth about this 'Hal', then we'll need to hang back while you confront him again, see if we can hear something incriminating to back you up. Now lead the way! Our troops are dying up there!"
Disheartened, Roslyn had no choice but to stumble into a jog ahead of them, back the way she had come.
********************************
Kyp darted as far back into the rubble as he could. Now, looking back through the forest of broken columns, he stepped backwards into something that gave a little, then pushed back. Scared out of his wits, he spun around, blinking his sets of eyes rapidly. A large, dark form moved out of the shadows.
You're useless, you know that? growled Mnoth. At his flanks, a pair of basilisks appeared.
Leave her alone, said Kyp sharply. She's my friend!
Silly granger. Who do you think I'm here for? The Draining Man? Sure, I'll do what I can. We'll get him, but I - I have a wine to finish, a wine that's haunted me for years.
Mnoth shouldered his way out of the rubble. The humans were out of sight already. Looking back down at Kyp, Mnoth grinned.
I'll save some of her for you, if you like.
No! cried Kyp, spitting at him. Mnoth sidestepped and chuckled. The basilisks leapt out and onto the walls, giggling like gremlins:
Going to Kill! Going to Kill!
Mnoth shook his body, lowered his head, and lifted back up with a loud, low warcry. Kyp shot off as fast as he could, past Mnoth. He had to do something. As he galloped down the hall, he heard air swirl overhead. He looked from the shadow on the ground to the goon in the air, and his heart sank as he watched Mnoth leap far ahead.
As for Mnoth, he was having the time of his life. His prey was cornered; there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Like a bird, he sailed through the air, enjoying the whistling in his tusks and the scents of the trail. He was so distracted with this that he almost hit the illusion wall.
Whoa, that would not have been fun, he thought, cancelling his pounce.
Yes, this is it. Into the crossway, take a left; around the curve, now the hall; four pounces to the end. Here we go: One, two, three, four, I'm here! Yes, yes, through the grand hall, past the shuttle!
The music of the chase throbbing through him, Mnoth pounced into the final hall. His six legs braked him to a halt midway through. He started to walk quietly. Now he saw them at the end of the hall, beckoning to each other.
Mnoth squeezed up against the wall, just out of sensor range, and watched. One of the humans patted the girl on the back, then he and the other soldier dropped down to crouch at the sides, letting her pass through the archway ahead of them.
Mnoth started a countdown:
ONE
The girl passed out of sight.
TWO
He heard a man laugh.
ONE
The soldiers cocked their heads.
Open for business! Mnoth stepped out, dug in, and pounced. He sailed into radar range, but their reaction time wasn't good enough. Landing perfectly, he crushed his target into the stone wall, then went for the other one. The surprised human's only response was to melee with his rifle.
Mnoth caught it in his mouth and raised the human up and threw him right through the doorway.
The girl screamed and dashed for the rubble.
No matter, I'll save her for last, thought Mnoth, turning to face Richard. The man was holding a handcannon that was emitting a rising whine.
Mnoth pounced, but aimed left, taking his time. The cannon fired a shot off, grazing his rear leg. He felt some of his armor melt away. He pounced again, backtracking this time. Richard started firing faster shots.
He'll run out fast, acting like that, thought Mnoth. The round that had skimmed him finally hit the wall, shattering and cracking it, and showering them with superheated debris.
The dragoon dodged another charged shot, but was suddenly scalded from behind. Both soldiers were back up and firing at him. Then he remembered.
This place healed you. Fast.
<continued below>
-
Just as his armor reformed itself, their bodies were now more resilient than they had ever been. Dodging more fire, Mnoth wasn't shaken by this. After all, the soldiers weren't paying attention to the basilisk assassins sneaking up behind them.
Making a dogleg pounce, Mnoth got by another charged shot and threw Richard down. With the wind knocked out of him, he struggled up. The dragoon noted that one of the basilisks had grabbed a soldier, and a pleasant neck-snapping sound followed.
The other swung around, but the other basilisk was already on his back, clinging tightly. All this happened in a second, and now Mnoth faced down and bit into Richard's leg. Even as he cried out in pain, the man managed to dive into his left sleeve and hit the "drain" button.
A flash headache and gag reflex streaked through Mnoth, diminishing his focus; amplifying his anger. Two splats sounded as the weaker basilisks hit the ground. Using his handcannon as support, Richard limped back up.
Feet away, at the entrance, the remaining soldier headshot the smaller aliens as they writhed.
"Sir, come this way, please! Hurry!" shouted Marty, turning toward Mnoth and firing. Through layers of smoke in his head, the dragoon was still able to shuffle and hop out of the way of the worst bursts. Apparently, the sentience of Uncreation reduced the effects of this smaller device.
As the two humans struggled away down the hall, the effect lifted. Standing back up and blinking the motoroil from his vision, Mnoth prepared to pursue.
At the archway he heard a whimper. To his right, the girl crouched in a tight cluster of broken pillars and rubble.
Nausia gone, Mnoth smiled toothily and walked up. Roslyn shrank farther back.
You're going to have to come out of there sooner or later, you know, said Mnoth. Roslyn stayed put, hiding her face in her hands.
Look, I don't deny that this is cute and such - I' loving it, I mean that - but really, there is no escape. Those two....they're making their way back to the ship. They can't see the shadow on its hull, or know that my big friend waits atop the lip of the canyon. They don't know that, about halfway up, they'll have a sudden and serious weight problem that will crush them, and their craft, to its final landing... he paced right and left, keeping his eyes on her.
They will die. The craft will die. There will be no escape for you. I guess my point - he stepped forward and stretched his head as far through the tight aperture as it would go, inches from her - ...my point is, you're going to die here, so I may as well eat you. Whaddaya say?
"I know," she said.
Mnoth was surprised.
You - you mean it?
"I've come to terms with it," she said, rubbing her eyes. "But first, I want to stop Richard."
Mnoth sighed and drew his head back out.
I just went over thi-
She broke him off. "I want to SEE it, to be sure. He's taken my life away more than even you can - "
- will -
" - whatever. If we're both certain I'm doomed, why would you deny me this?"
Interesting... Mnoth cocked his head. This isn't some human ploy, 'playing for time', or whatever, is it?
"Look, I give you my word, once he's dead, I'll hold still and let you eat me. Sound good?"
I'd prefer it if you struggle a little.
"Can we do this?"
....Yes, OK. said the goon, finally, and backed up to the archway. He watched as she exhaled, stood up, and slowly shouldered through the pillars, out into the open, to stand in front of him.
Both in the archway now, they looked at each other. At least the human wasn't sobbing anymore. It had even stopped trembling as it looked down at him.
Mnoth noticed her bare foot.
Your uh- your foot's back, he observed.
She made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a choke.
After another moment of awkwardness, Mnoth spoke up.
Well, human, you better start jogging if you want to see the show!
Roslyn turned and headed into the hall, and Mnoth followed. They passed the bodies of the fallen soldier and basilisks, and picked up speed.
Ahead, the human was hoping that somehow, she and the alien could stop Richard together. She had come to fully believe the prophetic poem, and if Richard was defeated, the Lucifer Corporation would be made to pay for this betrayal. That, and perhaps Kyp, her last and unlikely friend, would survive to live in a world where the freed aliens would be tolerated by an informed Coalition, not tortured and studied by a vile company whose secret would be buried forever.
Behind, the alien was pondering that this was the most interesting and spunky human he'd ever met; and wondering if her foot would tast different this time.
***************************************
Only two minutes after the others left, Jake's eye stopped hurting. It still dripped a little, but he was finally able to focus himself. Taking a helmet from the wall rack, he opened the hatch and lowered the ramp. He then strapped a battery pack to his back, and selected a mass driver.
Exiting and closing the dropship, he heard echoes. Some were shouts, and some were ground-shaking. A few red bolts flew up into the clouds.
"He must be trying to kill them!" Jake realized, and started sprinting into the maze. He reached a long hall that seemed to go on forever. At the entrance, there was a bootprint in the dust. Ignoring his one-sided vision, he ran down the avenue. Thirty seconds later, he rand squarely into the turn.
"What the hell?" he cried, cursing the illusion and picking himself up. "This place could be full of these..." he realized, throwing off his helmet.
Entering the crossroads, he tried each path, till he saw the spent flare. Now he ran down this corridor. As he reached the grand hall, the echoes stopped. Through the opening at the end of the hall, he had a clear view of Richard's shuttle. Looking around quickly, he found a broken pillar just taller than he was. Tossing his weapon up, he reached and pulled himself up and onto the perch.
From this small platform, he had a clear shot at the shuttle.
"Everyone has to pass this spot," he figured to himself. He had barely settled when two figures emerged from an archway away to the left. Halfway between his perch and the ship, they turned for the dias where it was parked.
One was an armored soldier, the other was Richard. They were both limping. Laying prone, Jake realized that this might be the only chance he would ever get.
"That's right, buddy, you only need one eye to snipe with," he breathed, not knowing that the other had healed by now. Inhaling, he put his eye to the scope, and aimed for the back of Richard's head. He began to exhale, and watched as the reticle settled nicely into place.
Only then did he see the shadow on the roof of the shuttle. They must not have been able to see it, as they shuffled across the bridge from a lower angle. Lifting his sights up, Jake saw a tyrant peering over the edge of the canyon, some fifty feet above the ship. It was waiting.
This was almost too much for Jake. It was going to be poetic. He lowered the MD and rolled onto his back, smiling widely.
"I'm going to let this happen. I'm going to watch, and I'm going to enjoy myself...."
And so, Jake rolled back over and watched.
The humans reached the shuttle and entered. The engines started to hum as the craft came to life. Above, the tyrant stepped right to the edge, spilling down sheets of surface sand.
Through his scope, he looked into the pilot's viewport. Richard was seated in the passenger seat, breating heavily. The soldier was taking off his helmet. It was Marty.
"Marty, Marty," mumbled Jake. "You should have listened to me...but I guess you are the pilot..."
The shuttle lifted off the ground, ascending vertically. "I liked you Marty. Too bad, too bad."
The alien stepped over the edge and plummeted down. It hit the roof of the shuttle just aft of the cockpit. The ship stopped ascending and wobbled in place for a breathtaking moment. Barely keeping its balance, the tyrant brought his forclaws down and pierced right through the roof. Jake had no way of knowing if it had hit anything vital.
The shuttle, too heavy now, started to plunge back down. It hit the dias much harder than any proper landing, and its external systems exploded with an electric flash. The tyrant itself was not anchored well enough. When the ship hit, it spun off like a ragdoll, sliding and almost falling from the crystal bridge. It looked to be out of the running, perhaps with a broken back. It didn't move.
Jake rolled onto his back again. He felt laughter boil up from deep inside of him. Gazing up at the sky and the golden snow, he laughed aloud.
"Dead and gone, dead and gone. Haha, YEAH! Rest in peace, motherfucker..." and he laughed some more. It was all over. He sighed through the quiet. It was peaceful here, now.
Quite suddenly, he felt something, or rather, heard it faintly. He lay still, trying to catch it again. The voice came again, this time audible:
Woe, woe, you have failed!
"The heck does that mean?" he muttered, glancing from the sky to look left. There was nothing but the wall rising up into the sky. He glanced right. A row of gleaming eyes met his. A colossal claw raised itself into view.
"Oh SHI - "
The claw came down like a papercutter and found Jake's waist with a wet spluck sound.
....and STAY up there! growled Sigig. He had only just been able to reach, which was a miracle in his condition. He was sure that his back wasn't in fewer than four pieces (two above the norm for a tyrant).
Moving on, he went further down the grand hall, limping slowly; his only wish to get out of this maze and away from this eerie place.
Two pounce's distance behind him, Richard flopped his way out of the shuttle's breached hull, still clinging to his precious handcannon. Sprawled and bloodied, he looked up at the shape of the retreating tyrant.
He tried to slide the gun forward, but his damaged arm buckled under the weight of it. Come to think of it, his vision was too blurry anyway.
Richard watched the broken tyrant plod onwards down the venue. As it finally rounded the bend, he lifted his hand and pointed his index finger at the fading alien.
"Pew, pew-pew," he breathed, and chuckled. Nothing seemed to make any sense anymore. Behind him, he heard the soldier stir in the wreckage. He contemplated killing him now. After all, Richard couldn't afford to throw the switch any sooner than another hour from now. Time had to pass. He had to allow the fleets time to be wiped out.
The soldier stopped moving. Maybe he wouldn't have to be killed after all.
Richard fought up onto his knees, then his feet. His vision was clearing a little.
He heard a splat nearby. He wandered what it could be, but then he saw two shapes moving at him. He stood up, uneasily, on the bridge, and charged his handcannon, raising it two-handed. The shapes came into focus.
One was Roslyn, the other was the dragoon. They were moving at him, side by side, darkness in their eyes.
The girl started running. The dragoon pounced at him. Richard coughed a laugh out, and loosed a shot in the face of the pouncing alien. The ball of yellow brilliance hit the dragoon full on, and it landed to slide to his feet. He raised the gun up and brought the hiltdown on its head.
Richard reoriented his handcannon, smiling. He saw that Roslyn was still charging at him. She'd never reach him in time. He charged another shot.
Not even zig-zagging, he thought as he lined her up. He heard another slat. In the corner of his eye, he saw movement on the wall. He swung the cannon around.
It was the granger, spitting at him!
His eyes went dark. It had hit him!
"Stupid, STUPID, crazy fucking son of a GRANGER!" he cried out, enraged. He loosed the trigger, but was hit head on by the girl. He was knocked over backwards, NO! He felt himself fall into open space. He heard the air rushing past. He felt her still gripping him, still groping up his sleeve. Anger. He went to swing at her with his free arm, but a passing wall took it right off at the elbow. White-hot pain shocked his mind. More wind. He felt her fingers on the safety catch. He felt the catch slide away. Wind. Her finger at the toggle. The click. Darkness...
A wave of energy passed from one side of the planetoid to the other. It did many things, but the most relevant one is that it jogged Marty out of unconsciousness.
He had been strapped in when the craft fell, unlike his copilot. In a daze, he stumbled out of the wreckage. The aura of Uncreation was gone, replaced with - something else. A headache, he decided. Stepping down from the dias, he tried desperately to remember where he had parked the other shuttle.
Where was it, where was it? Oh, fist things first...there's a dead goon in front of me! he thought. He went to step around it, carefully.
The dragoon spluttered. Green bile, or blood, was dripping from its mouth, and the whole thing smelled like it had been flash-cooked. Marty took out his blaster and tried to aim it at the floundering dragoon, but his arm just wasn't working. Slowly, he began to perceive that the splutters were actually short, grunting laughs.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh my head," Marty groaned. "I must be going mad..."
The alien kept laughing, then it whispered hoarsely:
Memories, memories. Can't forget these, no way.... then it went back to spluttering.
Marty forced himself to keep moving, to not give in to the illusion. He cheered himself onward, ears ringing. As he stumbled past the dragoon, it slowly pulled its legs in, bringing them tightly against itself. Marty kept moving, semi-oblivious to his blurred surroundings. Eventually he ambled into the crossroads. Then he fought through more halls. His head hurt.
Dropping to his knees, he released his blaster and gripped his head.
Don't stop, must keep searching! his eyes focused on movement ahead of him. Another alien came into focus, this one small and living. The granger looked up at him, glossy-eyed.
"She was a hero," it said.
That granger is talking to me, marty observed inwardly.
"Oh, come on. Follow!" it said. It started bumbling off through the rubble.
I'll follow it! Maybe it's my subconscious! Marty went after the alien. Three rooms later, he was standing in front of his shuttle. The granger turned to him.
"She saved me - she saved all of us...." it said. Then it made for the nearest wall and walked right up it, over the edge, into the sand.
Grateful, Martin Spencer, Mec-2, pulled himself up into his dropship. As he slid into the pilot's chair, he noted that the comms were blaring:
*** The Hive is down! We are saved! The Hive is down! The aliens have given up! ***
Through the thick cockpit glass, Marty saw two corvettes drop down through the clouds.
He reached into his pocket for the keys.
No, other pocket. But wait, what's in this pocket?
He pulled out Jake's good-luck charm. Seeing it in his hands made him laugh to himself; made everything seem surreal. Yes, he was very, very lucky, he supposed. Last man standing, in fact. Wondering if his beach snapshot was inside, he emptied the pouch into his hand. No photo or anything interesting fell out, only three sesame seeds.
"Huh. Weird."
The End
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Author's Note:
** I'm dreadfully sorry that it took me so long to write the final chapters, but I have a valid excuse: I just won't tell you what that is. <3
Well, here's one: I kinda lost touch with the characters after I stopped playing trem. I got so disconnected, that,(for example) I wasn't sure how tall a standing goon is compared to a 17yr old human female. All I have to go on is memories of chomping people who seemed to be at the same level as my head (I only played alien). LOLZ
** If nothing else, I'm really high on myself for the creation poem in chapter ten. It was my first foray back into ordered poetry since gradeschool. It's functional, short, and even has a treat for (>> SPOILER >>) those who know how to pay attention to the first letter of each line ( << SPOILER <<). Strangely, I found myself liking Mnoth and Siggig less, and Marty more. I had thought up several chapters to really flesh out his character, but I lost too much steam, bla bla bla.
Anyway it's over now, hope you've enjoyed it.
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tl;dr ._.
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tl;dr ._.
:P it's a serial, whaddaya xpect?
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Can someone plz explain to me how everyone dies? I kinds lost track. It was all over the place
(to lazy to find the quote)
"He then strapped a battery pack to his back, and selected a mass driver"
Im starting to wonder if Warlock's real name is Jake.
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Can someone plz explain to me how everyone dies? I kinds lost track. It was all over the place
(to lazy to find the quote)
"He then strapped a battery pack to his back, and selected a mass driver"
Im starting to wonder if Warlock's real name is Jake.
SPOILER >>
Gill died when one of the basilisk snuck up behind him and cracked his neck.
Jake died when Sigig snuck up on his sniping perch and cut him in half.
Richard and Roslyn died when Roslyn threw him off the bridge and into the chasm.
Mnoth was hurt fatally, so he's dying, probably as good as dead.
Marty was injured, but managed to get back to his shuttle and escape.
Kyp went AWOL after bringning Marty back to his shuttle.
<< SPOILER
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Can someone plz explain to me how everyone dies? I kinds lost track. It was all over the place
(to lazy to find the quote)
"He then strapped a battery pack to his back, and selected a mass driver"
Im starting to wonder if Warlock's real name is Jake.
SPOILER >>
Gill died when one of the basilisk snuck up behind him and cracked his neck.
Jake died when Sigig snuck up on his sniping perch and cut him in half.
Richard and Roslyn died when Roslyn threw him off the bridge and into the chasm.
Mnoth was hurt fatally, so he's dying, probably as good as dead.
Marty was injured, but managed to get back to his shuttle and escape.
Kyp went AWOL after bringning Marty back to his shuttle.
<< SPOILER
And Sigig? Is he still alive? I was the least sure about him.
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presumably, yes.
Okeedokie then. Someone plz email me when 1.2 comes out. SYLB
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Epic and confusing. I like it, very good.
-K
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Holy crap, this is awesome. Although it seems you just randomly decided to kill Jake and Rosalyn out of pure sadism. And I'm late I know, but this is awesome.
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Holy crap, this is awesome. Although it seems you just randomly decided to kill Jake and Rosalyn out of pure sadism. And I'm late I know, but this is awesome.
The rest were planned out.
Thanks dude, I know it's a long read.
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what about Vesh? Did he 999 before reaching rosalyn?
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what about Vesh? Did he 999 before reaching rosalyn?
I couldn't have put it any better myself.
Ya'll seem invested in my secondary characters more than I expected. Huh. K then.
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what about Vesh? Did he 999 before reaching rosalyn?
I couldn't have put it any better myself.
Ya'll seem invested in my secondary characters more than I expected. Huh. K then.
Well Vesh only represents *every* marauder in all of existence. Same with Sigig, Mnoth, and Kyp for basilisks, dragoons, and grangers respectively. The humans have to get off on their own merits (particularly Rosalyn, Jake, and Marty), since there is only one human in tremulous (and these aren't him) but the aliens have part of their character already living in them when they are created, especially after this:
What you must understand, is that each class of alien had a sort of gift, bestowed upon them at creation, from the Hivemind. Grangers had imagination; Dretches had mindless glee; some basiliks had hunger; marauders had focus; and dragoons - dragoons had memory.