Castaway Planet

Calendar 259872/ 2000 [ Sol Year 4387/ Day 153 of 365. Sol standard year]

Days after of Crash landing/ 2

Uninhabited Island / Ruins / Scholar’s Rest/ Lowest Basement/ Cult Shrine

Galactic Standard Time / 1045

As a loud slam was heard from the doors again, Rogix looked at the door the mutants had come from. No matter what he did, he couldn’t think of a way to close them! But they were almost ready to leave, and Icotrix had gotten his sister down. As Bryce helped a boy who was in armor that completely covered his body from the cross, Rogix had to stare at him. This child had to be from the same ship that the off-worlders were, and something about him made him wonder. The records that his family had showed that the Earth Federation had made contact with Aliens. He had always thought those but stories, but was it real? Was this child from one of those races, now allied with Mankind?

It made him think of what the Earth Federation had become in the years, what wonders and horrors they had found. But he knew that this wasn’t the time for such thoughts, for now, all he had to do was protect these people. “MOVE! We don’t know how long those doors will last! Or how long we’ll keep those mutants at bay so move!”

As the black and red-furred feline helped the white-furred one to move, he thought he saw thanks in the white one’s eyes. He shook his head, he would have to talk to them later. How those beings were here was something that had to be answered. He could only hope that this might be a step in stopping the way against them. With the Beast Cult still active and the Prince a traitor, the Kingdom had to act. And the first thing to do was withdraw soldiers from the Front Lines and make Peace with the Felines.

“Princess!” Wilmria's voice cried out

“You’re General Rogix. Who are these strangely dressed people?” Amilisra asked as one of his soldiers helped her up. She looked around and saw the feline humanoids, and more fighting side by side with his soldiers. “General, what is this!?”

“A long story. We need to get out of here now!” Zane barked, his eyes locked on the far left.

“Who is that?!” Amilisra asked as she locked eyes on Zane.

Rogix didn’t say anything, only look at the expression on Zane and Bryce’s face. He was about to ask what was wrong when someone cried out.

“NO!”

A voice from the left caused Rogix to whip his head towards it. He stared in horror. Five mutants were moving along the ceiling! They had the bodies of large spiders but there were human bodies where their heads should be. They were going for the chains holding the giant doors closed! As he watched, both Bryce and Zane started to fire at the mutants.

“Keep them off the chains!” Zane cried out.

One of them held up a large bulky arm and an energy shield formed, absorbing the shots. But it was the one that followed behind it that drew Rogix’s eyes. This giant spider had the body of a flyer, and it had two mantis arms. The way the others were all around it, they had to be guarding it. He didn’t know why, but this kind of unity bothered him so much. Something told him that this one was the one to fear, that this one was the death bringer.

Five small red comets flew up and exploded before the mutants, making a line of flames. As the fire blazed, one with hairy limbs went through them, seeming to call them to it. As the flames engulfed it, it roared with rage. To Rogix's horror, it jumped off the ceiling and fell towards the platform the prisoners were on. But then Icotrix reacted and jumped up at the falling body. As he flew upwards, he started to shapeshift. He became a white-scaled lizard humanoid with larger muscles than the other form he had.

Icotrix slammed his arms into the falling creature and threw it towards the giant door. As he fell, he started to change back, and as he turned completely human he panted in fear.

Rogix saw the man’s eyes and was shocked to see horror in them.

“We need to leave now! I was able to hear it when I touched that thing! The spawn is controlling them all!” Icotrix panted as he looked at his sister.

Rogix only looked at him with horror. He remembered just what Icotrix had told his group about what the Beast Cult Worshiped. If that thing behind the doors could think, then everything was suddenly that much worse. Without a word, he dashed towards the princess, picked her up, and threw her over his shoulder. “MOVE! Everyone to the door across from that giant thing now!”

“General, put me down! And what spawn!?” Amilisra asked as she hit Rogix’s back.

Bryce looked out into the dust as it cleared, his augmented eyes caught movement. It was there by the cliff where the sacrifices had been. His eyes went wide as he saw four long slim tentacles move around the crosses. He watched as they grabbed the bases and in an instant, pulled them free from the ground.

As everyone heard the crosses breaking, Bryce was sure something was biting them. He couldn’t tell if it was a hand or a mouth, but they all heard the scream of rage and hunger that came after.

“How big is this thing!?” The female general demanded as she pointed her spear out towards the giant door.

A screech from the left causes Zane to point his pistol towards it and fire out of the huddle.

A moment later a charging mutant Beast-like figure with insect arms crashed to the ground out of the dust. He had killed it by shooting out its neck, and Bryce’s eyes saw the other mutants in the dust moving ever closer to them all. “Zane! Fire at twelve through five. I’ll handle Seven to twelve! Don’t stop! Fire until you run out of power at anything out there!”

“Got it!” Zane barked as he looked out at the dust.

Before Bryce could say anything, he felt something grab his arm. He looked down at the crimson-furred feline who was gesturing at the dust. His hand pointed at the dust and then moved down, then back up as the being shook their head.

“The dust? Something about the dust…. Why isn’t it moving down?!” Bryce asked in shocked horror. He took a moment to look at the felines, and all of them were looking out into the dust with scared looks on their face. He looked at the crimson-furred one and saw that the being’s noise was moving. A screech from one of them caused Bryce to fire at one of the mutants that was charging out at the screecher.

“The Felines can smell the things! Watch them! They scream attack where they point!” Rogix bellowed as he shot lighting into the dust.

“No! Wait!” Bryce cried. But trailed off as he saw the lightning bolt pass through the holes that opened in the cloud.

“It’s a Power! One of the Mutants is doing this!” A female voice called out in horror.

Bryce felt some of her horror. If something had cover and that thing was attacking, then the attacker had an advantage. Only against normal opponents, but then he wasn’t a normal opponent.

<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>

Ar’thor looked around at the beings, his HUD finally showing that his people were coming towards him.

“[My prince, we’re almost there. What can you tell us about the situation]?” Je’ndra’s voice came through his mask’s speakers.

“That’s the bare bones from what I was told. She had a few siblings really. I don’t know the exact number but they were all adopted like her. Some of the older lawyers at the firm said they all seemed fine people. But there were problems,” Sarah said and Danny looked at her shocked as Sam and Tucker looked at him.

Ar’thor only smiled. “[Leader Je’ndra, I’m with some strange beings in a chamber with rows of three balconies going up. Two of the deckhands from the ship plus a group of Humans and a small group of small feline humanoids. They're all armed with ancient swords in pre-industrial-type clothing. Some of them are able to use Aether, both the humans and the felines. Their fighting against what looks like the strange beings from the camber. But they're all mutated and savage beasts! And there's something else here, something, a lot bigger! It's controlling the mutants, mentally. From what I heard it's a sentient eater]!”

“[Hold tight my prince! We’re almost there]!” Kon’gric said, his voice hurried and rushed.

“[NO! There are balconies, get to one of them and fire from above! One of the mutants is keeping a dust cloud up to hide the others as they get to melee range! You’ll need the high ground]!” Ar’thor said.

“[He’s right. I hate it but he’s right. and these must be the stairs. We split, two go with Kon’gric and the rest go up. The best thing we can do]!” Olv’xic said with a hard edge.

“[You’re right. Ro’borlar, Ken’tricx, Olv’xic go up! Tar’lroia, Kon’gric with me! We’re breaking through and back them up]!” Je’ndra said with a hard edge. “[My prince, how many are there]?”

Ar’thor only nodded as he looked into the dust. He saw over twenty of the enemy, each one a mess of mismatched parts. “[Many, so many of them. Leader, permission to help the people I’m with, telling them what my mask sees. Using my own voice].”

For a few seconds, Ar’thor heard nothing but silence. He was about to say something when he got an answer.

“[Do it my prince. We’re only minutes out].” Je’ndra’s voice held a hard edge. “[But you are not a prince, only a diplomat. And keep your mask on, understand]?”

<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>

“[Were you serious just now!? Breaking the Silence? Before the Emperor does]!?” Ken’tricx asked in a shocked tone.

“[The Emperor gave me leave to if I judge it had to happen. And this, right here is that time],” Je’ndra said with a hard tone of voice.

Olv’xic watched as she stopped and looked at every one of the team. Behind her was the staircase up, and Olv’xic had to admit the plan was daring. But the plan gave them all the best chance they had to live through this. The idea of fighting creatures that could use Aether was one thing. But to fight those same creatures while they were under mental control was another. But then this was just something that they had to do.

“[This is going to chance everything. I mean everything. But I’m shocked it lasted through two wars really],” Ken’tricx said with a grin as he looked up the stairs. “[Boss, we should make it to the top level, once there I can really lay into that thing]!”

“[Smart],” Ro’borlar said with a grin. “[But we should let the Specialist take command, don’t you think]?”

Olv’xic nodded before he realized that he was the Specialist they were talking about. [“ME]?!”

“[Yes, you. The only thing that kept me from promoting you before was that you kept refusing. And since we all know why, you can’t get out of this. Congratulations]!” Je’ndra said with a wide grin in her voice.

“[Yeah kid, you’ve got the skills for this, we all know it! So what’s the plan Specialist]?” Ken’tricx asked with a joking tone.

Olv’xic only looked around, touched and feeling shocked. He knew a lot, and he had seen more than some of the others. And a few skills they didn’t know about as well. “[Okay, okay. The first thing to do is this, when Ken’tricx fire you don’t Ro’borlar].”

“[There’s a reason for that]?” Ro’borlar asked as he crossed his arms.

“[You can plan it out later! We need to move]!” Kon’gric said before he shouldered his way through the group and ran off.

“[Crazy Guards! You heard him, good luck]!” Je’ndra said before she and Tar’lroia followed after Kon’gric.

Olv’xic looked at them, not able to quiet the little voice in his mind. The voice that told him that Kon’gric was trying too hard. He didn’t know what he had to be ashamed of, but something told him he was. They had all been knocked out, that was the only reason the Prince had been kidnapped. The old man couldn’t be carrying that weight, could he?” He shook his head and nodded. Now what’s the time for that kind of thought. “[As I was saying, Ro’borlar, don’t fire with Ken’tricx. Once he does then you and I will open up. Make it think we’re worse than we show. And make sure you’re in a separate balcony].”

“[I see, trick the prey! That’ll work here]!” Ro’borlar said as he slammed his right fist into his left palm.

Olv’xic had to hope his plan would work. If this thing acted like the monster he killed once before, then it would go well. But he had to plan if everything went wrong. And the final Drone type that he kept hidden might work. It would generate a few questions, but he would have no choice if things went as wrong as he feared they would. But for now, he had to project the feeling that he had everything under control. “[It has to. Move]!”

With that, Olv’xic ran up the stairs, the others falling in step behind him. He didn’t know the future, but he would do everything he could to protect those who needed it!

<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>

As Zane looked around, trying to see through the dust he heard Wilmria growl as she stood there.

“What is it waiting for? Just what are they waiting for?!”

Zane had to ask that as well. So far, they had been acting like an army. And that meant that they could think, again against what the escaped ‘leader’ here said. So either they had been tricking their captors, but then why had they attacked the group? Shouldn’t they have gone after the Cultists? And why in the name of all reason had they broken the chains? Nothing made sense!

“More of the big ones I think,” A soft voice said.

Zane blinked, not understanding who was speaking. He turned his head and noticed that the Ancient was looking out into the dust cloud. For a second, he thought it was the Ancient but that was impossible. The Ancients had only used machines to communicate, the voice he heard was organic.

“You can see them?” Rogix asked with worry in his voice.

“Their heat at least. There are over twenty of them!” The Ancient said with worry in his voice. “But not many of the big ones, only three of them. Each one is guarding another small heat. They over there!”

“You can speak Galactic Standard?” Bryce asked in wonder.

“Wait, where are they!?” Rogix asked, looking into the dust cloud.

“There!” The Ancient said as he pointed out into the dust cloud.

“Everyone with a power, fire there!” Rogix bellowed as he swung his axe down. Wilmria, the black and red-furred felines both started glowing as Zane called upon his own power.

With a unified roar, all five of them shot their attacks into the cloud. The mass of attacks flew into the dust, and after a few minutes, they heard an explosion. A moment passed them the dust finally fell to the ground.

But against his hope, what Zane saw was worse. Around them were ten of the Insects with Bulky figure limbs thrown about haphazardly. Behind them, there were what looked like Flyers with other limbs in place of their wing arms. Looking at them, Zane tried to find some rhythm or reason but all of them were different from each other.

But then he saw the three dead Bulky Figures and that body they had been protecting. It was a strange Flyer with legs from a Bulky one and arms from an Insect one. Well, the arm as the right one, and its head were either destroyed or bones.

For a second nothing happened. Then came a scream of rage louder than anything that he had ever heard before