Vinn, Nicole, and Gizzy sat in the shuttle craft, descending in a slow and controlled manner, unlike last time. They passed under the rings of a large green world, illuminated by a small blue star and a massive yellow one, tidally locking the planet. Like a sickened eyeball, a band of mountainous terrain spanned the twilight ring of the planet, the forest growing darker and richer on the dark side, with plains and a lighter desert forming a pupil of inhospitable heat.
“Why are we not taking Jack and Vicki, exactly?” Vinn asked as they threaded the thin low light band of optimal temperature.
“Because if we get separated, having someone on the ship able to lookout and send a rescue mission seems very appealing after what we went through on the last planet. We don’t wanna leave Nicole behind, and you are suited for low light jungle, while she needs to be around for when weird shit requires a second opinion.”
“So what are we looking for?” Nicole asked.
“Locked door that needs a key, and a doorman who guards it. You know better than to ask where we’re looking, because we never know where to start. Now we’re going to stick close to the ship, because that sun’s radiation is pretty harsh even on the low light band. The moon is also eclipsing, and that should give us 17 hours or so before the heat becomes a problem for Nicole, and then another 2 before Vinn and I have a problem as well.” She said while landing. "Keep your helmet on your back. If you get caught in that direct sunlight, the EVA suit will buy you some time but not without sealing it.” She reminded.
...
They stepped out into a field of green grassy plants just outside the dense forest. Mounds of dirt in varying towers and lumps covered the surface. They themselves were covered in purple moss and vegetation. A thick fog blotted out the sky, beams of sunlight lasering through the thinner sections. They made their way towards the treeline. Gizzy stopped, shouldering her rifle.
“Kinda wish we had a vampire’s sense of smell right now.” She said as Vinn readied his rifle.
“Why? What do you smell?”
“Nothing. But I see something moving in the grass behind us.
“I don’t see anything.” Vinn said squinting and trying to find a small animal.
“I’m guessing these glasses are the only reason I can see him, because he’s not hidden and he thinks he is. We got a cloaky boi who doesn’t know I have my reading glasses on.”
“Seriously?” Nicole whispered aggressively. “We’re 2 seconds out of the shuttle and we got predators? Do we put the guns down?”
“Not that kind of predator but yea, something is tracking us. It could be friendly, curious, or out for blood. Keep your gun handy and act like you don’t know he’s there. If he gets closer, we’ll introduce ourselves…in one way or another.” Gizzy said setting her mask to rear view and moving forward.
...
The jungle got denser quite quickly. Aside from the size of the trees gradually increasing, it looked almost like Earth jungle. That only lasted until a glance of the big yellow lunar eclipse, or the blue star fixed in the sky, was caught.
The group reached a clearing and stopped short, staring down at a sheer drop. It was as if the darker side of the world was just 300 feet lower elevation. Fog was rolling down various small waterfalls, and into a land of blue smoke and mist. Giant mushroom-like trees sticking hundreds of feet from the fog, and all the way to eye level.
“Not gonna lie, I wanna explore that so bad, and if we didn’t have a universe at stake and someone following us, that would be an incredible camping spot.” Nicole said, watching the white flicker of birds circling one of the trees and looping under the crotch of the exposed roots. A hollow area in the middle of each tree that seemed oddly inviting.
“See anything with the special glasses?”
“Aside from our friend behind us, just jungle.”
“You got rear camera in that thing? No wonder you’re still using the old mask and not the badass silver one.”
“I have multiple reasons. Everyone stay calm and move away from the edge, our friend is getting too close for comfort and he took something off his back that looks like a melee weapon.”
“We got guns. Hell, we got grenades. What’s a melee weapon gonna do?”
“Probably nothing. It’s the gap in the probably we need to watch for. Don’t look at him, keep your safety off, gun down and look exploratory." The proceeded another minute or so, traipsing aimlessly as Gizzy nervously counted down the distance to turn and confront range. He wasn’t stopping before that from the looks of his silent stalking.
“Humanoid shape, 8 feet tall, either robotic or heavily armored, wielding what I think is a hefty one handed sword.” Gizzy muttered under her breath.
“What do we do?”
"You keep walking, I’m going to stop and tie my shoe and see if he stops and holds position or circles around. If he stops and keeps his attention on me, you guys find cover and hold position. If he goes after you two and turns his back on me, I’m lighting him up.” She said pretending to adjust her boots as they moved ahead. The target picked up pace and entered the clearing, weapon drawn and down as if either warning or unsure.
“Go ahead, asshole. Push your luck and I’m gonna light you up like Christmas.” She muttered to herself as she stood and shouldered her gun. His eyes flashed red and a haze of energy surrounded him in the same red shimmer, reaching his sword and suddenly flaring out into a dozen jets of flame like a chainsaw of fire. “Or I guess just beat me to that one.” She said, looking less confident. Her attention was diverted slightly as a second red light and a third energized in the distance beside her, moving past her position. “Fuck, there’s 3 of them. Run!” She yelled. Vinn and Nicole broke formation, rushing ahead as Gizzy stared down the stationary one.
She aimed off to the side, sending a warning Grenade into a tree behind him, rattling it to the base and asserting dominance. It turned the flaming chainsaw towards itself, sliding the jets across his armor, crackling and flattening out before it reached the metal plates, showing that it had superior armor and was not impressed. It casually laser-sworded a small tree cleanly in half and let it drop without even looking. It deactivated the blade and flipped out around in a passive underhanded position.
“Okay, so you’re not offensive, you’re defensive. I get it.” She said, waiting as he made his way further away and around to the side of the cliff.
...
Nicole and Vinn sprinted as a beam of energy flew past them and set fire to some foliage. Hearing gunshots, Both Gizzy and the big target turned and ran for the sound. Vinn turned backwards, returning fire with rifle rounds to hold them back. Nicole did the same, except far less competently. She tripped over some roots, and dropped into the creek she didn’t notice previously. She frantically scrambled for her gun as it washed down the stream. She grabbed the sling and slid with the flow, jumping at the sound of beam weaponry striking just behind her. Her leap was too forceful and the water deeper and quicker at the edge, pulling her with the current.
“VINN!” She yelled, as he watched her fall over the edge. He dug his hooves in and cut a hard right towards the cliff, hoping to see her hanging onto a branch or stuck on the cusp, but she was gone. Vinn paused, shouldering his rifle and aiming at the smaller hunter, stopped and frozen as he debated his options. He wanted to jump after her, and he wanted to cut down the bastard who chased her at the same time.
“Vinn, don’t jump!” Gizzy yelled.
“Nicole.” He huffed.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“She would have hit bottom by now, and her suit’s vitals read living. She’s fine, but if you take a 200 foot dive into that fog you’re either gonna hit ground and die or hit water and drown. We don’t know if that’s a lake or a narrow stream, and she just got lucky threading rocks and trees. Stand your ground soldier. Nicole do you copy?”
“I’m gonna kill him.”
“No you’re not. That armor can take anything you dish out. They’re not attacking, they’re defending. You hit that little one with a direct shot and it’s either gonna glance off and show we have zero upper hand, or it’s gonna go through and piss off the two bigger ones. And they got us surrounded. Vinn, we’re outmaneuvered and out armored.”
“Then what do we do?” He asked.
“Put that gun on your back and start climbing down that cliffside. Right now both of us can probably clone back if they attack when our backs are turned. And then we send that shuttle after Nicole, and rain hellfire from orbit on their asses and level the jungle. Nicole doesn’t clone right, and she’s alive. That's your mission, soldier.”
“Understood.” He said, slinging the gun to his back and walking to the edge, looking up at the smaller hunter. “We’re gonna have words later, asshole.” He said, climbing over the cusp.
...
Nicole opened her eyes and realized she was underwater. She frantically swam for the surface, holding her breath like she didn’t know she could breathe underwater. She gasped at the surface, crawling out, looking lost and scared. She looked at her hands and body, took the pack off her back, and began rummaging through it. She found a pistol, some food rations, and her phone. She picked up the phone with an odd curiosity, unplugging the strange cone attached to it. She turned it upside down, pouring out the water and shaking it with a rattle.
“What are you?” She asked herself. She looked around, questioning where she was, and who she even was. She felt the slither of a serpent-like body move across her calf. She looked at it with no fear, lightly petting it as it passed with a calm steadiness.
“You’re not gonna hurt me, are you?” She smirked.
...
“Gizzy to Jack, we got a situation. We need scanners up, and both of you on the bridge. Nicole isn’t responding to her coms, but her vitals read tolerable. We need a visual and tracking. We also have 3 potential hostiles with some god-tier energy shielding. I want locking sensors on in case we need to bring down the jungle on their asses.”
“Are you kidding me? With that dense jungle, a visual isn’t happening.”
“Thermal sensors then.” Gizzy ordered.
“Whoa, that’s a mark alright. You actually got 4 hostiles, moving around the cliff. They’re glowing like a damn road flair on thermals. I got 177 body temperature. Either they’re nuclear powered, or that armor is. I can’t find Nicole. Son of a bitch, she’s cold blooded. She’s not much warmer than the foliage. All I got is a vague sensor lock on her suit tracker and that’s just a general location. I got you and Vinn on visual. Best I can do. Do you want the hostiles taken out?”
“No, I want them in the crosshairs and weapons up for the order, but they’re only potential hostiles. They haven’t done anything to piss me off, YET.”
“I got a partial read on Nicole’s vitals, her heart rate went dead calm and then shot way up through the roof.”
...
Nicole crawled slowly backwards, trying to figure out how to use the gun as a large mass of grey and frosty blue furr lumbered slowly over her. It towered over her, leaning in her directions as her back dug into the hill behind her and brought her closer to the beast. It stood firmly on its back 2 legs, raising its torso up and widening its upper set of arms. Like a cross between a 6 legged insect and an ox, the beast opened a mouth full of teeth and leaned in for a bite, stopping as it noticed something behind the hill. It crawled back and lowered its head, retreating nervously as a rapid array of footsteps approached. Fear welled up with her at what could have just chased off her predator, and how much worse it would be. She leaned back and peered up at a second similar beast, calmer demeanor and darker greyer fur, covered in highly carved plate armor with the appearance of extremely thick leather, thick enough to make deck boarding with.
“Just kill me.” She sighed, giving up.
“I have no intentions of such horrors. Why would you assume that of me?” He asked.
“I…don’t know.”
“You look confused, little one.” It said in a voice that sounded strangely close to familiar. She felt both safe and annoyed by the dark husky thundering voice, but it wasn’t quite familiar, adjacent to it.
“I…don’t know where I am. I don’t even know who I am.”
“Well then, that explains the fear. Aeless, you are my most beloved pet. Come home, you have wandered far this time. You must stop playing in such dangerous territory.”
“I’m…a pet?” She asked, feeling an odd sense of familiarity. A fuzzy image of a fuzzy towering figure in dark red calling her “little one” echoed in her mind. She felt a strange sense of trust and fear, but something was wrong and she couldn’t grasp what.
“I’m sorry. I guess I just have n urge to explore.” She said taking his 3-fingered hand and being pulled up onto his back. That felt even more familiar, the sudden urge to hang onto his antler and nestle in close, but no such antler were there, just a hairy skull and ears.
“Hang on, I’ll take you home Aeless.” He said softly. She grabbed the leather armor by the anchor points and he began to crawl smoothely and swiftly towards the darker side of the planet.
...
“Holy shit. We have a problem.” Jack said double checking the sensors.
“Is she hurt?” asked Vinn.
“Guys I have no idea how to interpret these readings. Nicole’s vitals just went calm and slow, and then she began moving incredibly fast. Vinn, she’s pulling away from you guys at 46 miles an hour. She can’t even swim that fast, let alone run, let alone up terrain. So unless she found a damn hover-bike, there is something wrong with the sensors.”
“Or something has her.” Vinn said.
“Well if a giant bird grabbed her and hauled ass to the dark side, it’s flying below treeline and she doesn’t seem to mind it. Her vitals are great. Something is wrong with the sensors or the suit readings, either way she is booking shit and you guys are not catching her unless she stops. There’s no nuclear heat signature, no energy signature of weapons or vehicle exhaust. How fast can a full blooded Menacodian run on all fours?” Jack asked Gizzy.
“Maybe 35 on flat ground. Jack she’s 2 percent reptile, not 90. She can’t run on all fours. Her top swimming speed is ten miles an hour. She’s not doing that on her own.”
“I have no idea. I’m out of theories.” Jack said, tossing his hands up.
...
Nicole arrived to a scene of wonder. A mountain ridge with a flowing waterfall, spilling into a pond and breaking into 5 smaller waterfalls that lead into a flowing river. Walls of stone stood between and behind the 5 falls, and forced them to flow equally. Strands of purple moss and green grass, twisted trees leaning over the sides, and a clear sky illuminating the paved path. She dismounted the titan and ran her hand through the water.
“It’s beautiful.” She gasped.
“This is your home. Come. Perhaps you will remember your place.” She passed another person about her size, humanouid in shape but reptilian skin. It turned with large black almond eyes and a row of sharp grey teeth, presumably smiling at her, though it was hard to tell. It was raking a garden and seemed fascinated by Nicole. As she moved through the garden and up the winding path she spotted more reptilians doing various labor.
“They don’t look like me. Where are the rest of…my kind?” she asked.
“Nobody knows. But you will adapt and find your place among them. Do not fear them.”
“So I’m a stray, different?”
“Aeless, do not question all things. You are far too curious, that is how you find trouble and must be found again. You will remember, or you will make new memories. The only thing that matter is that you returned to me. You always do, but each time you leave I fear it is one of the times you will not return to me. Never stray far, if you cannot see the light of the tree, you have ventured too far and must turn back. It is a good life, you want something you cannot explain, and it pains me. Is all this kingdom not enough, little one?” He asked. She heard the worlds echo like a memory, but the details were still not right.
As the yellow sun set, she peered out from her stone tower at the tree. A massive, twisted old tree, dead in appearance at the ground, but turning bright green and full of life at the halfway point. The tree took up most of the peninsula, like a tiny island vase holding a bonsai plant, with the thinnest ridge wall of grass and dirt connecting it to the castle she stood in.
An ominous blue glow radiated from the tree’s roots where the trunk separated and formed a pocket, much like the larger trees from before. As dark settled in, the blue glow radiated from many sources, none as bright as the tree, like a bioluminescent fairytale. She walked the quiet castle unsupervised, but still feeling watched. None of the reptilians in the house would speak a word to her. All they would do is stare and smile. She made her way to a dim room where the beast was waiting, gazing out at the night sky. There was a small chair in the center of the room and draped over it was a black dress. One of the reptilian servants approached her, appearing to measure her and take notes on parchment with a charcoal wedge.
“You are being fitted for the celebration.”
“Why don’t my clothes fit me?”
“You have been gone a very long time. Skin and bones, starving. Your gowns will be repaired and let out as you eat and regain your strength. You will be happy again, Aeless. I promise you will. As always, it just takes time.” He said, petting her head. She felt his large furry hand and claws run through her hair and she felt oddly at home again. Looking at the painting on the wall that looked like her, crude, but vaguely so.
“Why do I leave?” she asked.
“You must. You simply must leave. It is not in your nature to stay forever. You go, you return, and sometimes you stay away for a long time, and you come back a little different. But you come back. I cannot express how happy I am to see you so serene this time. Sometimes you return to me…frightened, confused, and unhappy. This time you seem already at home. Now eat, drink. We have guests to entertain and they will be so please to see you with us again. And you look so much like yourself this time.” He said smiling and leaving her. She sat and ate some fruit, the same strange white that looked blue in the night sun, almost glowing in the light, even the water had the slightly opaque hue that she hardly questioned.