The desert sun rose peacefully above the parched and splintered dirt, a hot dry wind riveting through the sterile air. A mud-caked boot came down upon a steel surface to squash a scorpion, a satisfying crunch and squeal from the creature filling the ears of its killer. A white tunic flapped in the howling mist as a ruffian of the sand scanned the horizon, his dark brown eyes were cold and unrevealing, his face leathery and showed long exposure to the harsh climate.
Currently standing on top of a largely abandoned transport vessel, it scoured the remnants of a ship's corroded hull, the transport long ravaged by the demons of time, a long carved wooden rifle lay in its grimy hands. Spotting something ablaze in the skyline, the bandit swiftly raised the gun to his heartless eyes. Following the ship with its iron sights, it pulled back on the trigger three times with vigour. It didn’t care about the creatures it harmed, nor the bloodshed it would induce, simply savoured the bleek rewards of a salvaged carcass.
The orange speeder streaked across the sky, piercing through the thick clouds, behind it laser fire and missiles in the heat of pursuit, sweat trickled down John’s brow, his hands clenched on the controls to the point where blisters were forming from the tension.
He was engaged in mortal peril, one that dealt in absolutes, it had been almost three hours since they had fought Zin’s forces and now a far greater enemy was hot on their tail. His enemy seemed to know every move, every decision, every counter attack, the Epsilon ship, a virtual craft of war, followed them with an undying will. Although it bellowed with smoke and ash and cracked and crumbled under the weight of its injuries the great ship dragged on. Its pilot’s attacks were precise and well-formulated, every blast one of ten, every missile one of seven. They were at the heart of a storm, one which rocked and tossed every inch of the craft and made it feel like the very ground from which they sat would give away to the fiery blazes of hell.
The clouds were no longer a pale white but stained with the hazy reflection of gunfire, the outside air a constant stream of burning projectiles, whizzing by with an insanitable speed. The crew of the speeder struggled to stay alive, hanging on to their seats in fright as their fate was grasped in the sweaty palm of John. Each action he took impacted the entire crew, every turn, every dive, a possibility to plunge them all into the bowels of despair. Ellis cast a petrified glance outside the condensation plastered window to see the ship gaining on them. Somehow the flaming mess was determined through death itself to destroy or capture its quarry.
Underneath legions of abandoned structures and mounds of garbage could be seen to slowly disintegrate as a settlement was approaching, anti-air cannons camouflaged among the leaves, and mud-pits sprang into action, pepper spraying the air around their enemy with a heavy battery that looked like a mere light bombardment in the ship's wake.
A fleeting shadow soared through the plains, engulfing the terrain in inky darkness, the roaring warship hovering through the onslaught of fire. Finally, the great beast had caught its prey. A direct hit scathed across the orange ship's hull, melting away the outer layer to spread a mixture of melted metal squirt through the air. A smile touched the lips of the sent’s hollow malformed face as it saw the tiny ship spiral out of control, entering a whirlwind of smoke and plummeting into the beyond.
Falling at over a hundred meters a second the ship plummeted into the depths of the sands, spinning into a cloud to disappear in the wastes. Smoke pillared from its charred engine and crisped outside, the crew of the modified space-craft choked on the flames of despair.
The windshield of the ship had caved in, a mixture of sand and dirt flooding inside the cockpit, around him various wires and tubing had fallen from the ceiling and stood dangling. Behind Ellis struggled up from the piles of sand which caked his armour, a determined grin brushed his face. Shaw squirmed in her seat for a moment before, passing out from the crash, the shock dealing considerable damage to her mechanical insides.
Sparky’s deconstructed body lay jumbled in the furthermost seat, his circuits and wiring drenched in sand and mud. Ellis appeared injured, his eyes wincing in pain as a metal rod was extending from his thigh, the wound not fatal but encouraging him to stay in his seat. John was the only one who appeared unhurt, using a knife from on his side he tore at the seatbelt and escaped its synthetic clasp.
Dragging Ellis and Shaw outside he stood dazed, blood slowly gushing from an open wound at the side of his head. Their ship had been destroyed, its hull and outer plating decimated by laser scorch and melted parts.
A small fire could be seen starting in the back, possibly the fuel supply was about to alight. Ellis limped over to a rock and howled in pain, leaning against the boulder he had his gun in hand ready for anything. Shaw was vigorously dragged through the pebbles to rest beside him, she was still alive, simply unconscious. At last, John scrambled to the back of the vessel and pulled out the remains of sparky, carrying the remains gently in his rough hands he laid the robot to rest next to the rest of his comrades.Wires protruded from his metal skin, electricity slowly crackling. Ellis spoke, his voice crackling over a parched breath.
“Did we make it? Are you alright?”
“I'm not sure, I think I'm fine, my head seems to have taken a beating” John stuttered.
They had escaped just in the nick of time, their ship resting in a dune had begun to crisle and crack with the roaring flames of burning silicon. Soon fire engulfed the ship, causing them to move back to avoid the sweltering heat. John straightened his clothes and cast an eye at the pistol which stood strapped to his side, his weapon, ever faithful, was still there to take lives at his beckoning.
“Where are you going?” Ellis called.
“To see,” John replied.
He breathed in, squinting his eyes to make out what would be his destiny.
Climbing steadily out of the dune he faced the desert sun, the sky was ahead clear and sunny, no sign of the epsilon ship could be seen. Turning to survey the beyond, he caught sight of a small settlement and several oases nearby. Their palm trees calmly blew in the hot wind, grass and flowers wildly frolicking about the golden water. Peace but a reach away.
Turning towards the settlement, a group of forty or more houses, not a two-minute walk he saw the bright flying colours of an Archius outpost parade on a silver flagpole. The residents of the town could be seen shuffling out of their houses, their eyes filled with awe and wonder. Turning fully around John saw what they were so surprised to see, the epsilon ship had crashed, not a hundred meters behind. It raised a great chunk of the earth with it, scarring the land in its collision.
A towering stream of smoke and ash beckoned from its shimmering surface, its windows were cracked and wrinkled, it’s hull partly split from the gunfire it had received. A large portion of the ship buried under the ground, the colossal craft had been vanquished, it’s pilot and unknown vendetta unseen. Straggling out of the crater John waved his hand, screaming at the top of his lungs. Like a mountain sprouting out of the ground it’s once proud charred hull stood, the beast of metal slain and lying as a carcass, deserted in the sands.
“Hey!, Hey! Over here! Over here!” he cried.
A group of citizens spotted his movements and soon a regiment of twenty or so soldiers could be seen running towards his position. They wore green armour, that looked to be salvaged from collective special forces and re-painted, some were modified and enhanced for better combat, a visage of instruments and weaponry hanging from their belts and chests.
Once they had reached John’s position he collapsed onto his knees, his hands stroking the sand and lifting it up to watch it slowly slip through his fingers. They had made it, he thought, they had arrived.
The leader of the guard, a white-haired soldier with emerald green eyes walked forward and cast a glance at Ellis’s wounded body and John.
“Hello…. my name is Captain Julian Xen,” he said cooly.
His exoskeleton shifted as he spoke, the powerful device carrying him above the ground.
“I’m John, John Taylor?”
“I am a captain of the Archius Guard, welcome to forward Ionus-Major, the first and foremost outpost in the Archius domain, please allow me”
He reached out with a gauntleted hand which John carefully accepted.
Getting to his feet John, saw the man’s eyes wander over the Kestle logo which shone brightly on the newcomer’s shoulder.
“Kestle?, it's been a long time since I saw someone brave enough to wear that uniform,” he spoke, his words etched in a deep hearty voice.
“My name is John Taylor, and this here is General Ellis Tobago, we wish to speak with your leader” John replied, stopping partway to catch his breath.
The man in the steel suit looked straight into John’s eyes and spoke.
“That would be me”
“Can I get medical aid for my friend here... it's a long story”
The guard looked back to see the enormous warship slowly cooking in blue flames.
“I can see that”
With that they struggled to their feet, John took Ellis’s arm and wrapped it around his shoulder supporting his weight, as two guards picked up Shaw and Sparky and they headed into the town. The captain shouted for the rest of the soldiers to investigate the wreckage of the two ships, telling them to keep their distance and report back to him at once.
“We can give you medical aid, but with a collective starship destroyed in your coming, we may not be able to help you,” he said, his voice filled with uncertainty.
A single tear had trickled down John’s slender cheek, they had made it, they had reached civilization.
Passing behind three-meter thick concrete walls and ten-meter tall anti-air cannons still steaming from their engagement with the flying arsenal of death they entered an unknown world, a town of civility and honour, where the law had not entirely fled from the trodden path. Wind blew between the ragged vegetation as the sun beat overhead. The houses were clean and orderly, well made and fashioned from the remnants of a former militia fort, around guards and soldiers were strewn throughout the streets, a few peasants could be seen chasing after coinama, a type of tentacle covered sheep and harvesting cabbages from neatly tilled fields.
“Your guns please?” the captain asked, the two soldiers behind him who guarded the gate grinded their teeth menacingly.
Ellis pulled out his pistol and thrust it into the gloved hand.
“Be careful, that served me well”
He eyed the gun with great interest, gingerly placing it on a rack that was next to a guard post and labelling it with a serial code.
John then pulled out three gilded knives, a second pistol, three grenades, a flashbang, a small dagger, and a stun baton. The man was frightened to see this many guns on his body but was even more shocked when Ellis hobbled over to place four pistols and a long sword onto the tray.
John could feel the eyes of hundreds piercing through his skin and causing his hair to stand on end but he couldn’t care, a feeling of plaguing tiredness had swept through his body, he had reached their destination, seen the ponder filled faces of the Archius’s frontier villagers and would soon be swept into their protection.
Crossing a paved street they entered a square steel building, ontop a large radar could be seen followed by an array of scientific equipment, a sign out front read in blocky letters. IONUS-MAJOR MILITIA CORE. John walked up the wooden plank stairs and through the grey automatic doors to feel the cool breeze of air conditioning flail in his face.
They passed through a long hallway in which an orderly reception room, cell block, and communications room, armoury, lounge and offices could be seen. His friends were piled into a series of cots lined up with a puzzled doctor on standby no doubt the room was an infirmary, the walls lined with operating tables, medical drones and cabinets full of vials of chemicals. The doctor's blue gloved hands were still stained with blood, it was plausible he had just come out of surgery.
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“They can be treated here if you wish?” the guard.
“I have an assurance they will not be harmed?” John croaked
“Yes, I swear to you” he replied
“I can offer to pay for the services” John whispered
I shot out a hand of glistening quands, the numanion coins shimmering brightly in the room.
You could see the fire of greed shine in the captain’s eyes, yet he refused, saying it was custom for them to help those of Kestle.
Once he had laid Ellis, Shaw and Sparky down upon the medical cots and the doctor began to tend to Ellis’s wounds, Ellis chorted out for the captain to come towards him. He then began exclaiming about their situation, beginning from the start. Ignoring the fact he was being stitched back together, after a shot of painkillers Ellis made no fault in promptly describing how to treat a cyborg-like Shaw's wounds before he himself laid to rest. He was anxious to tell the captain about John and send for a guard for passage to the city.
Once his wounds had been fully tended to, Ellis propped himself up on the bed and beckoned to Julain, the captain and his highest advisor a lieutenant stepped forward. Seeing the importance of the conversation soon we were hastily transported to a conference room where two more soldiers and a civilian elected official joined them.
The room was large, with a series of electronic maps on display and a large oak table surrounded by leather chairs. Then Ellis clambered up to the front, his limp still revealing the pain he had suffered. With no further hesitation, he told them of our story. He told them of the fanatical adventure, the feats and terror they had endured, but mostly about John, about how he had found him, an outlier in the code, a creature which could change the fate of the galaxy forever.
He explained my mutation and all that it meant, then he told them of his idea, the idea of sacrificing me to the collective in means to save the great city itself. The soldiers and politicians looked awestruck and bewildered, they didn't know what to think, they scanned John with judging eyes but also with remorse, he was a tool, a person of honour, a man who would be risking his life to save the lives of millions.
You could see the faint fires of respect burning slowly in their eyes as Ellis continued to explain, and when he was finished they cast outlooks of admiration and shock. You could see in John’s eyes he still had a look of putrid fear, hidden under the depths of pleasure. He wasn’t ready to die, and he certainly wasn’t ready to be handed over to the collective.
“It seems we are in the company of two great men, one a famed General who helped us in times passed and the other a brave man who is willing to risk his life to benefit millions” a lieutenant spoke.
“How fast can you get us to the Archius?” John asked, his quavering voice ringing throughout the chamber.
They muttered among themselves for a moment before turning and replying.
“Your cause is just and honourable, so we will help, we will aid you to get to the great city, I will have an encoded message sent to the Archius High Command with details of your exploits and your offer, it seems however we are still in trouble, that ship of lords in which you crashed with, is a collective Epsilon, they are not afraid to attack us, maybe politics will hold back their hand for a moment, but the dark creatures of the immortallis project are cunning and cruel.
We have to get you both to the gate as fast as possible or every life in this settlement is at risk, it is only once you are past our shield that you will be truly safe and in our great empire, I can have you and you friends ready for transport in a matter of an hour. From there we may be able to get a rendezvous with some more of our forces, and then once you reach the larger settlement of Draka, you should be fine,
Draka has a large garrison of around four thousand troops, yet it is a large city, and the collective will have placed bounties on your heads meaning you will have to watch out, despite our best efforts.”
“That is understandable, can we arrange transport for our entire company?”
“The wounded cyborg and the droid you mean?... of course, I advise if you are to leave, you should within the hour, that gigantic ship will draw unwanted attention and most certainly a Collective inquiry, I have already called for support, but it may be too late, a regiment of the collective finest soldiers could soon be upon us. If I am correct we do have a few hours of diplomacy before they will search the compound.”
A political member, suited in a gentle blue tuxedo spoke up his voice ringing with charisma.
“Your presence here has put all of us at a great deal of risk, the townspeople will be angry if we harbour you meaning I advise we leave and say nothing of this mission to anyone, once we have received a message from our superiors we will know the true course of action.”
A scruffy-looking cadet burst into the room with a determined grin plastered across his lips.
“ Message from Archius High Command sent, we received this message in return, it has just been decoded” he cried.
He placed a square piece of paper on the smooth table and saluted before exiting the room.
The Captain straightened his chair before casting a firm glance on the sheet, reading it out loud.
“IONUS-MAJOR, MESSAGE RECEIVED, INFORMATION VALUABLE, PLEASE INPUT MORE UPON REQUEST, ELLIS TOBAGO KNOWN AND TO BE TRUSTED, THREE SQUADS WILL MEET YOU HALFWAY TO DRAKA, FURTHER INSTRUCTION TO BE RECIEVED FROM THAT POINT, GOOD LUCK AND GODSPEED- ARCHIUS COMMAND” the font was blocky and uniform received from a more ancient form of technology to avoid the thousands of collective species that attempted to break the Archius’s outer settlements communications daily.
“Ellis, we can have supplies and weapons given to you as soon as possible, it will be a long journey and as from the graveyard of giants you have left us to salvage it is likely to attack is imminent, that Epsilon ship had a crew, and a military of hundreds, it is impossible that none survived, yet from my reports not a single person has been found alive, and those found died of injuries before the crash?” he said with a puzzled expression
“What?” John inquired.
“Is there something you would like to tell me?” the captain responded.
“We have no idea, it could be possible someone else heard of John’s abilities and stole the ship to attack us?” Ellis muttered.
The Captain laughed, barking out a hoarse string of vocals.
“stealing an Epsilon ship, even at half of its crew is no easy feat”
“There was an epsilon ship at New Arakkis, it landed not a short time after we arrived, do you think it's possible?” John asked.
“That was the same ship? It wasn’t interested in us, it was engaged in something that had crashed” Ellis whispered.
“At our exact location?” John replied.
“You don't think?” Ellis said.
“It's entirely possible” The captain howled.
We turned to the onlookers and said a mortifying line.
“There is a chance, we are being followed by an external enemy and not the collective”
With that, the room fell silent before the Captain broke the tension slashing with his words.
“No matter what we have to get you away from here and that burning ship as fast as possible, I can have someone patch your wounds further Ellis, now John, follow me to the doctor’s office, we need to do some further brain scans to prove what you say is not an ill-conceived mixture of lies and deception,
I will have my second in command here, Lieutenant Chambers accompany you on your journey along with four other of my finest soldiers.”
The Lieutenant raised his hand in acknowledgement and placed his hand in a salute.
“It will be an honour to serve you” he stuttered, his eyes filled with bewilderment and excitement.
“The honour is mine” John replied, a faint smile touching his parched lips.
For the next half-hour they continued the discussion, drawing out more detailed plans and observations and comparing ideas, the people of Archius were strong and light-hearted, they were kind to the company, and did everything in their power to aid in the journey. Once a thought-out and well-planned apparatus of moves had been deciphered, the remaining diplomats and soldiers shook hands with Ellis and John, their eyes filled with grit and determination. Their emotions portrayed a visage of fear, happiness and admiration.
Stepping out of the board room, the two parted ways and John was whisked away by a scruffled doctor and two of his aides, from there they ushered him down a steel hallway, a few flights of stairs and into a small medical clinic.
Zooming past the over-cumbered waiting line, the doctor stretched out a frail hand to open up the glass door leading to a minuscule laboratory, a chamber only big enough to house a brain scanner and a few computers. He carefully stuck John on the bench and placed a neural array delicately upon his black hair.
Then he and his two aides stepped back and waited after pushing a sequence of buttons.
For a few seconds, only the humm of a processor and the sound of John’s racing heartbeat dared to penetrate the icy aurora of silence.
When the results came back you could see instantly, from the moment the images hit the cold dusty screen John could tell, he knew they had found what they were looking for. The doctor stood in awe, he blinked twice before refreshing the page and even stepped back to check everything was plugged in. He had seen all he needed to see, he had seen the mutation.
“My God” he muttered under his breath.
His two aids were just as shocked, a look of magnificent fascination protruding through their eyes.
“It's amazing, it's true, it’s all true, you really are..” the doctor was now stuttering his mouth glittering with glee.
John didn’t know what to say, he simply smiled, and thanked the doctor for his notations.
The scientist pressed a switch on his keyboard and printed several diagrams. His movements burst with a rejuvenated speed and inertia.
“I can see how someone could miss it, but this, this is the greatest discovery of the century. You, my friend, have made my career. This is the height of my practice, you will be the greatest patient I ever treated. Why you have the possibility to become a god, how does it feel? What does it feel like? to be so, so truly you” he was mumbling now the results getting to his head.
His two aides beamed with excitement and asked John various questions, from how his toes felt to what it was like to be in the maze, they tried to pry as much information from him as possible.
The doctor tried to squeeze as much as he could from their encounter.
“Do you mind if I run a few more tests on you?” he inquired.
“No, not at all” John replied with haste.
After an hour of scans, questions, blood samples and lights being flashed in his eyes, the door finally swung open and the two orderlies outside stepped back.
Captain Xen, stood with a determined grin on his face.
In his hands, he held the array of data and diagrams which proved my fanatical tale.
“I never doubted you for a second,” he said laughing.
“Thank you,” John replied.
“I see the doctor is having a field day?” the armoured man said.
The scientist, having placed a stethoscope, DNA sampler and pressure monitor on my chest then fell back.
“Just doing the usual tests, making sure he’s in good health,” he said, his face blushing with embarrassment.
“Don’t worry it's understandable Doctor, however, John has a long trip ahead of him, before we go is there anything you would like to say?” Xen said while pulling the aides aside and tossing John his shirt.
“It’s been an honour, may the stars guide you well, I hope you decide well on what to do with this gift, If only I could have you for an entire day, it would be amazing, but this, this will have to suffice,” he said while shaking John’s hand vigorously.
“I meant about his health doctor” Xen shouted.
The doctor wallowed in shame for a moment before clearing his throat.
“Why yes, yes, of course, I was getting to that, you seem to be in perfect health, I believe a few bruises on your side are present however those should heal, you have taken a slight rude neglect to your bodies needs, I advise you eat more frequently and take care of your hygiene and sleep, you need rest, but other than that, I see no problems, the mutation has no negative effects aswell, it's quite fascinating..”
“Enough Doctor,” the captain said, turning to look at John.
John felt a pang of embarrassment, he had not bathed in a few weeks, the stench was probably unbearable, as for his face, an untrimmed beard from before the prison complex was likely to be seen.
“It will be a long trip, I will show you a place where you can use the facilities before you are in the clouds for some time,” Xen said silently.
Leading him back from the bowels of the compound Julian Xen pointed John in the direction of a series of doors near the guard lounge, in there should be a room in which a washroom and showers are located, if I am correct, a toiletry case has already been provided inside, they are converted holding cells, where we house guests of the government. Taylor walked by two guards, in steel clad repainted Collective armour, their fine navy blue colour was accented by their grey assault rifles, they remained immobile and at attention but a questioning and fascinating look could be seen on their young faces, darting eyes following John’s movements.
John opened the wooden door in the front to see a small but quaint living quarter, it had a green blanket-covered cot in the corner, a minifridge, a desk and chair, along with a narrow hallway that led to a minuscule closet and washroom. Plastered upon the wall was an Archius propaganda poster promoting adventure in the further colonies.
Its painted soldiers could be seen in a blissful landscape, standing on the remains of a crashed Collective ship to plant a golden flag. John cracked the toiletry bag open and walked to the washroom, washing his hands of his past and the layers of dirt which had accumulated. He then took a shower, a stream of mulch sweat and grime dripping from his pale skin. He could see he had gained muscles over his journey, his body more refined and inclined to combat than before, heavy scars were ladden on his flesh, he could see where a bandit blade had once scathed his chest.
Once he had finished, only taking ten minutes to clean himself he noticed fresh clean folded Archius navy fatigues on the bed and placed them on himself instead of his tattered Kestle uniform. He still kept the Kestle shirt and pants though, placing them on top of his warm fresh clothing. Then he slid over his rubber vest, scorch marks and electrical burns cascaded across its thick fabric, interesting to think this collage of thread had saved his life so many times. Finally, he slid on his belt and holster before taking a razor to clean up the mess of hairs that made up his beard. Once he had finished shaving, he smiled at himself, underneath the layers of dirt was a person he could recognize.
Once he had washed his face with the cool treated water he then wiped himself with a towel before exiting the room. He was no longer in shambles but emerged a fresh-faced Kestle soldier, ready to brave the dangers of a hostile world. Outside of the doorway, he was directed towards the reception room where Ellis, Shaw and Sparky were waiting, Sparky was half-assembled, but it seemed they were planning on fixing him while we were travelling, a mechanic carrying a backpack of parts.
When John saw Shaw his eyes lit up with happiness, she was alright, her head was slightly bandaged but she was upright and walking. Then all hell broke loose.