The space vessel called Pegasus now orbited the planet that all saw within the great eye a few days before in Stygian. The coordinates that the three sisters had given them, led them directly here. It was found in a galaxy that was at one time a vibrant system, but now was not well known. There were once billions of species that called this region of space home, but now all that was found were ruins of old settlements. The planet showed evidence of once having large oceans, acres of forest and plant life and animals of all kinds. Now it was nothing but desert and hot sun bearing down upon the few who still called this place home. Igetis felt there was a story about this planet but knew now was not the time to ask.

“Scans of the planet show not much,” explained Tharros. “There are settlements but nothing like we saw from what the witches showed us.”

“I am pretty sure it is well hidden from scans by orbiting ships or would have been found by now,” said the General while studying a holographic image of the planet terrain. “You have to know what you are looking for or you will easily miss it.”

“A large, gigantic fortress,” answered Tharros. “That is what I am looking for.”

“I am guessing the General feels that is not what we should be searching for,” explained Igetis. “We should be searching for something in plain sight but not actually what it appears to be.”

“How can you hide a large fortress like what we saw in plain sight?” asked Dyamion while watching the General closely study the planet terrain. “It was a building as big as what we see on the planets of Olympus.”

“And yet,” said Rose, “You will not find those buildings if you were to scan those terrains as well.”

“That was my first thought when we found that large civilization,” commented Tharros. “There was no way I would have missed something that gigantic.”

“Wouldn’t a thermal scan easily detect it?” asked Gelio. “Something that large has to be generating a large amount of power which would create a lot of heat.”

“They have ways to hide that as well,” answered the General continuing to study the planet terrain. “Plus, the hot sun bearing down on it all day makes it much more difficult.”

“Why not just enter the planet’s atmosphere and fly around until we find it?” asked Gennai. “You’re bound to find something that gigantic.”

“They would detect us,” said the General, “and we would lose our advantage.”

“They probably know we are here already,” said Atromitos. “We are orbiting their planet.”

“Pegasus has some highly sophisticated technology that hides us from being detected in orbit,” explained Rose. “But once we enter the atmosphere, almost no ship can hide itself from planet sensors.”

“So how do we land undetected?” asked Makarios.

“We don’t land,” answered Hephaestus with a broad smile. “Well, the ship won’t land but we will.”

All nine stared at Hephaestus with stun faces.

The General could only smile and shake his head. He was still studying the terrain. “I was waiting until the right time to tell them, but you just could not wait.”

“Sorry,” said Hephaestus. “I love to see their reactions when they first realize what they get to do.”

“So, wait,” said Gelio. Hephaestus began stroking his large beard, trying not to laugh. He could tell how nervous Gelio was from the sound of her voice. “We are going…going to jump…out of the ship and fall…I mean fly to the land below.”

“You will be falling,” said Rose. All nine turned and looked at her with terrified looks. “All of course except Tharros.”

“I can’t fly in space,” said Tharros.

“Don’t worry, first time is always the hardest,” explained Rose. “But you will be fine.”

“Well,” said Igetis in a nervous tone. “If Rose… says we will be fine,” The other eight look at him, wide eyed and mouths gaping. “Then we…will be fine.”

“Your tone says otherwise,” explained Dyamion.

“That is not because of trust,” answered Igetis. “I do not like heights.”

Rose gave him a wink and a smile. Hephaestus was still softly chuckling.

“Next time when we sign up to save the Universe,” commented Gelio. “We better read the fine print.” All began to laugh.

“I still don’t see why we cannot just land with the ship,” said Atromitos.

“Any detection,” said Rose, “and we will be overrun with thousands of terrifying creatures and never reach the fortress. Our best chance is the element of surprise.”

“Can’t we just fly in and blow up the place?” asked Tharros. “We all have seen the weapons this ship has.”

“This fortress will be well-shielded, and the fire power will be equal and maybe even more powerful than the Kraken,” answered the General, still studying the planet terrain. “Plus, we need that weapon if we are to stand a chance at any future battles.”

“So,” said Filos. “How long until we find this fortress?”

“I just found it,” answered the General.

The entire crew gathered around the General and looked at the holographic image that was being portrayed before him. “I do not see it,” said Tharros. “All I see is mountains.” The other eight nodded in agreeance.

The General pointed at one particular large mountain on the image. “That is our fortress.”

“How can you tell?” asked Igetis. “It looks very much like the other surrounding mountains.”

“Because it is too perfectly shaped like a mountain,” answered the General. “That has definitely been built by species and not grown over millions of years.”

“I will trust you,” said Atromitos. “Because all I see is a mountain.”

“So, what is the next step in this ever ‘increasing with fright’ plan?” asked Gelio.

“Falling from space,” said the General with a large smile. All nine gulped and closed their eyes at the same time.

After a fifteen-minute instruction on how to land safely and how to use the jet pack that each now had attached around their body in the most suitable location, all nine were feeling very anxious.

“So that me get this straight,” said Atromitos. “When the ship gets close to the fortress position, we jump out of the ship? And you are sure that we will not freeze in the coldness of space?”

“Your powers will protect you for the small amount of time you will be in space,” said Hephaestus still enjoying the moment. “The scariest thing for me is when I caught on fire because of the velocity I was falling.”

All nine showed the same look of fear when they first learned they were falling from space.

“You are not making this easier,” said the General. The God of Fire could only shrug. The General sighed and shook his head. He was trying very hard not to smile. “There is a chance that you may start on fire going through the planet’s atmosphere.” All nine began to feel faint. “But I promise you, that you will heal quickly, and the pain is barely noticeable.”

“That is what you said about stepping into that device of yours,” explained Dyamion. “That pain was excruciating.”

“I promise you that the pain from starting—” The General put a hand through his long black hair, trying to think of a way to comfort them. “It will be far less,” answered the General. “Trust me.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

All nine seemed to give a heavy sigh at the same time.

“And we do not ignite the jetpacks until we are under twenty-thousand feet from the ground?” asked Filos.

“Ten-thousand feet,” said Rose.

“Why so close?” asked Gennai.

“Less possibility of being detected,” answered Rose.

“Great!” replied Gelio. “Nobody will find our dead corpses deep in the desert sand.”

“That is not funny,” said Filos.

“I wasn’t being funny,” said Gelio. “I am completely serious. This all started with us purposely crashing our ship on an unknown planet and now we are ending this story by purposely crashing on another unknown planet without a ship.”

“Do not worry,” said the General. “I will not that anything happen to you.”

All nine began breathing deeply trying to hold it together. Hephaestus gave Gelio a pat on the head who then looked up. Hephaestus gave her a nod which she returned.

The General walked to the control panel by the side door. “We are closing on the position. Best to take long deep breaths. You will be safely on the ground before you know it.”

A few moments later, a signal was heard from the ship’s navigational systems. The General gave them all a nod and he pressed a button on the control panel. The door opened and the nine were surprised that air was not being sucked out from the ship.

“The shields are still engaged,” explained the General. “Once I lower the shields, you will feel a large force pulling you out of the ship. That the force pull you. You will begin to fall towards the planet. Follow my lead and you will be fine.” All nine were trying to ease their nerves. Each one was doing something different to calm themselves down. They all could not believe what they were about to do.

The General stood before all nine of them. Hephaestus and Rose stood behind them. Hephaestus still had a large broad smile on his face, enjoying this moment.

“Pegasus,” said the General. A small tone was heard acknowledging his request. “Lower the shields.”

A small tone was heard and a few seconds later, all twelve were pulled out of the ship with an incredible force. At first, they all felt like they were floating. Some could feel ice beginning to form on their face, but it quickly melted. They saw the large planet in front of them and they could see the sun of this galaxy in the distance. Then the planet’s gravity pulled them towards it, and they all were falling at an incredible speed. The nine could see the General in front of them. His posture was perfect. No movement of arms or legs. He looked like a meteor falling towards the ground. The two behind the nine looked much like the General. The nine in between looked nothing like the other three. Arms, legs, and different body parts were moving in all directions. Some were twisting in mid-air, not able to control themselves and others looked to be passed out, falling helplessly.

They passed through the planet’s atmosphere where some appeared to have flames flying from their body. Smoke trails were seen behind them. A few seconds later they saw the ground before them. Some of the nine could not keep in position and began flying away from the General. With the slightest movement, the two falling the nine spread out in different directions as if they knew this would happen. With the tiniest of nudges, Rose and Hephaestus helped keep the party close together.

Thirty thousand feet and it looked like nine corpses would be found deep in the desert sand like Gelio predicted. Twenty thousand feet and all appeared lost. At just under ten thousand feet, all jet packs ignited. All twelve slowed down with incredible speed. The g-force that they all felt was extraordinary. Many felt that they were about to lose what they had in their stomachs. The ones that were tumbling were not tumbling anymore. The force of the jetpack kept them upright.

The General landed on the ground perfectly on his two feet and the jetpack immediately shut off. The other nine were not so perfect. Some landed on the ground hard and went rolling through the sand. Others faceplanted right into the sand and only their feet were visible. The last two land perfectly as well and immediately went to aid the others.

After a few moments, all nine were standing before the General. They all appeared to be having a hard time standing upright. Some were patting their arms and legs because they appeared to still be on fire. Others were holding their head because they felt dizzy. A couple were seen vomiting which made Hephaestus chuckle harder. Rose could only shake her head.

When all appeared to be able to stand on their own, the General gave them all a smile. “To be honest, I thought it was going to be a lot worse.” Some mouths fell wide open. “Excellent job!” He nodded his approval. “Step one complete. Step two will not be as easy.” Eyes from the nine grew wider after hearing this. “The fortress is about three miles in that direction,” said the General pointing to the east. “Once we have a clear sight of what we are up against, then we will create a plan on entering the fortress. Let’s get moving.”

They were smart to travel towards the fortress in the darkness of night, but even with the sundown, the heat was sweltering. Each step felt like they were sinking into quicksand which made it difficult and exhausting. Just under an hour later they all were lying on their bellies upon a high hill overlooking a valley where the ruins of an old civilization lay buried under the sand. All that could be seen were the tips of the large buildings that once were skyscrapers to a thriving society. There once was hope on this planet, but now there was nothing but death. The sight brought back memories to the nine of their home planets and wondered if this was what they would see if they ever returned.

Just beyond the ruins, a large mountain range was visible that ran for miles. Within that mountain range stood a fortress that could easily be overlooked. The work that went into hiding this fortress was quite extraordinary. The camouflage technique was impressive. Whoever lived here did not want to be found.

The General pulled out a device from his bag and looked through it to scan the area around. He then lowered it, and his face looked anxious.

“Have we been detected?” asked Rose who lay next to him seeing that he did not like what he saw. He shook his head in the negative. “Then what is troubling you?”

“There is no sign of movement anywhere around the fortress,” explained the General. He then turned and looked at Rose. “But, underneath the fortress,” her eyes closed, knowing what he was about to say, “there is quite a bit of activity. Which can only mean one thing.”

“This is becoming a lot more difficult than we thought,” said Rose.

Tharros who was listening to the conversation, asked, “What is this one thing that you are talking about?”

He looked at Tharros. “The undead.”

Her eyes narrowed and her face showed that of confusion. “I do not understand. Who are the undead?” The rest of the nine looked at the General wanting to hear the answer.

“They are those that have no soul that are controlled by an evil power to serve only that creature who possesses them,” answered the General.

“Species that have died centuries ago that are awaken only to serve a master’s evil purpose,” explained Rose. “A power that Zeus created and handed to his most faithful followers.”

“You must be joking,” said Dyamion. “You mean we have to fight species that are already dead. How can we kill a species that is already dead?”

“You do not kill it,” answered the General. “You chop off the head and limbs so it can’t fight.” He smiled when Dyamion’s face showed confusion. “They are only the corpses of the poor souls that passed on long ago. Take out the corpse and you take out the enemy.”

“Sounds very sacrilegious if you ask me,” said Filos. “Who would possess corpses to protect themselves?”

“Only those with evil in their heart,” said Hephaestus.

“Or those who had evil placed upon them,” said the General.

“So now we know the enemy,” said Igetis. “How do we get pass them and gain entrance to the fortress?”

“Centaur?” asked the General. “This is your expertise. What do you suggest?”

Dunamis was taken by surprise and then appeared nervous as all eyes looked upon him. He scanned the area in front of him and then put out his hand gesturing for the device the General had to get a closer look. After a few moments of scanning the area with the device, he lowered it and turned and looked at the General. “A diversion would be best in this scenario. They have not detected us, so we get as close as possible and then we make it look as if we are attacking head on. This will surprise them greatly because we have evaded all their defenses they have to view incoming ships, which will draw their full attention to us while one of us sneaks in to open the main doors. There are air vents located above the fortress that a species small enough will be able to penetrate.” Eyes began to look towards Gennai who could only smile. “A hard enough hit will lower the shielding to allow this one species to penetrate it and then enter the fortress through those vents. Once inside, they make their way to the main doors and override the system to allow us in.”

“That is a mighty good plan, Centaur!” shouted Hephaestus.

“Yes, it is!” agreed the General. “But who do we send in to unlock the main door?” His eyes slowly moved towards Gennai.

“I do not know how to override any system to open any door,” said Gennai when he saw the General looking at him.

“I believe Gelio,” the General quickly turned to the serpent and gave her a wink and turned back to Gennai, “has something that will do that for you.” Gelio smiled big and began looking through her bag and putting together a perfect device. “Besides. That is the least of your worries. First thing is how do we get you into that air vent. I doubt you will be able to climb from ground level without getting caught.”

“I will fly him to the top of the fortress and then drop him into one of the air vents,” said Tharros. Gennai was both flattered and terrified.

“It will have to be precise,” explained the General. “A hard hit to the shielding will only give you less than a second window. Also, our diversion will only take away most of the defenses. You will still take on some laser fire.”

“Don’t worry,” said Tharros with a quick wink to Gennai. “You worry about lowering the shielding and I will get the rat to where he needs to be to make it though.”

“Do we have the fire power to lower the shields enough to get Gennai through?” asked Atromitos.

“A precise hit from Pegasus will make a gap big enough for Gennai to pass through,” said the General. “I am able to fire her weapons from here.”

“So,” said Igetis. “The plan is to draw away the defenses of this fortress by a diversion while Tharros flies Gennai up above the fortress while dodging incoming laser fire. Then drops Gennai towards the fortress where an air vent is located. At the same time, the General fires which I will believe be plasma missiles towards the location to where Gennai is falling. The missiles hit causing a small gap in the shields which Gennai will pass through and then into the air vent where he will make his way to the main doors and using a device from Gelio, override the doors allowing all of us to make our way into the fortress.” He gave his famous sly smile. “I think it sounds like a perfect plan. What possibly can go wrong? I say we do it only if Gennai agrees.”

All eyes were on the rat as everyone waited for his answer. He gave a heavy sigh and slowly nodded his head.

Tharros put her arm around the rat. “Hey. I will not let anything happen to you. You trust me?” The rat gave her a tiny smile and nodded his head.

“It is settled then,” said Igetis. “General, we are at your command.”