Castaway Planet

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

Days after of Crash landing/ 2

Uninhabited Island / Ruins / Kingdom/ Road Outside of Rogix's Camp

Galactic Standard Time / 0920

Princess Amilisra looked out the windows of her carriage and tried to keep calm. The echoes of the battle ahead of her were unlike anything she had ever heard. Even when one of the brothers took her hunting to gain her alliance, she hadn’t heard such pain. She couldn’t understand just what these things were! In all the combat training she had seen or heard, this was like none of it! And all she wanted was it to be over! And to make it worse, she felt so hot. It was as if there was a ball of fire in her chest, a ball that was hotter than anything she had ever felt before. But surprisingly she wasn’t sweating at all. The only thing that could show she wasn’t feeling well was her breath, as she was taking in deep gulps of air.

But as she tried to keep her breath even, she felt something new. It was as if she could hear the sounds of something, something that was fighting. There were three distant notes there, each one different. There was a calm and noble-sounding one that seemed to be growing stronger the more she listened to it. Next was a wild and somehow organized note, and it was growing softer as if moving farther away. But the last one was primal and loud and there were many of them slowly gaining strength. And there was a single larger note of the primal one, one that seemed to be close.

It was strange, it sounded like the large one was just there, waiting for a chance to strike. The one thing that gave her pause was one single thought, just how did she know? It was as if something that looking at her, ready to take a bit out of her. It was as if she was nothing more than food for it. She didn’t know what it meant, but there it was.

“Are you okay princess?” A voice caused her to gasp. She looked towards the voice and saw Charatrix through the window closest to her.

“Charatrix, what is it? Is this how a servant talks to their liege?” Amilisra asked in shock. Part of her was wondering how he had snuck up on her. She was looking away from the

Charatrix only looked at her and shook his head, a small smile on his face. “He does when it’s important Princess. I suppose that your siblings have a different style of talking to their followers. Still, this battle seems to almost be over. I think we’ll be able to send a messenger to the Rest soon. When the last of them die, should I find the commanding officer to give you a report?”

Amilisra blinked as she was struck dumb. She had much time talking to him, and he had been content to let her operate as she had. But now he was acting as if she had given him orders to talk to her?! Her brother must have given him orders before he sent Charatrix to her. But if this was how her brother had his servants operate, she had questions. He always seemed to have a way, a coldness to him. She had seen him order servants sent to the dungeon for days at a time for speaking out of turn. But he wanted his followers to talk to him first? It didn’t make sense.

The longer she looked at him, the more those thoughts became louder. There was something here, something that was important. And that strange feeling, there was a new note. This one was almost as primal as the savage one but more organized. But there was one note that seemed to be cloaking itself so much closer. It was almost as if she could reach and touch it, but how could that be?

“Princess?” Charatrix asked again.

Amilisra almost spoke but then she heard that larger new note. It gained a tone that seemed to be questioning something. It was as if whatever was making this sound…….

Amilisra went still at that thought. Slowly she turned her head towards Charatrix, her mind making connections. It explained everything, why Charatrix acted to what she was hearing. She couldn’t explain how she did, then it made sense.

“GUARDS!! Capture Charatrix now!” Amilisra cried out with horror in her voice.

Charatrix only looked at her before he grinned. “I don’t know what caused you to catch me, girl. But it’s too late!”

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As she killed the last insect monster, Wilmria felt a grin forming. At long last the monsters were all dead, and that meant her charge was going to be safe. Now all she had to do was get her to the Rest and everything would be perfect.

“GUARDS!! Capture Charatrix now!” Amilisra’s voice caused Wilmria to turn, her mouth dropping open before she felt rage. Whatever Charatrix had done to get her kind and cheerful charge to scream in horror, she would kill him for it!

But as she moved towards the carriage, the four guards near the carriage moved to do that. But before they could do anything, Charatrix reacted. He jumped up from the Riding Lizard before the guards could gen get half to him. But when he jumped up, his body started to shift and change! From his back, he grew two large blue skin wings. His arms bulged as they grew black spikes that shot out and hit all four of her men in their throats before he landed.

“NO!” Wilmria screamed as she forced the Power to her upper legs and ran to the coach.

Charatrix meanwhile grabbed the door and tore it off the carriage. Before the Princess could do more than scream in horror, he grabbed her. Pumping his wings he took to the air moments before Wilmria’s weapon struck where he had been.

“TRAITOR!” Wilmria screamed in rage as she looked right at Charatrix. Charatrix only grinned as his face grew a reptilian snout and three spikes grew on each side of it.

“NO TRAITOR HERE WHORE! MY loyalty is to the great beast! LONG live the followers!” Charatrix screamed as Amilisra tried to break out of his grip.

“GENERAL!” Amilisra screamed and Wilmria reached the couch and jumped onto the roof. She looked up at Charatrix as he flew higher and jumped after him. But right before she could grab his leg, something slammed into her. As she fell she saw just what had grabbed her. It was a human with feathered arms, and it took a moment for her to realize what this wrench was. With a single thought, she broke free and slashed out with her weapon, killing the winged freak. She did so by cutting it in two from shoulder to waist.

Landing she heard cries of shock and fear. Cries of anger and rage caused her to look back to the camp and see strange-looking humanoids attacking. There were two more flyers and five strange insect-like ones, all screaming as they charged. To her shock, there were only five of them all together. But then she knew, this was only a distraction!

Whatever these things were, all they wanted was to keep her away from the Princess! She looked up as the spy flew his captive into the Devil’s Realm through a window. She looked at it, trying to figure out how to follow when she saw something that took her breath away.

At the base of the Realm, a few feet up a door was opening! It was set against the wall so fine, she hadn’t seen it. She had to wonder just how this was possible as the door opened, but then she saw who was opening it. A soldier from Rogix’s army, and by his look he was a veteran. He looked around but then he heard something and she charged.

He looked at her and stared, shocked and partially horrified. “General Wilmria! Ma’am! Your orders?”

Wilmria only glared at him. “That thing kidnaped the Princes Amilisra. Either help me or get out of my way!”

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Zane looked away from the dead body and moved his hand towards his pack. Pulling out a small dagger, he turned as he heard a girl’s scream. As a creature with leathery back wings flew through an open window, he reacted. Without waiting, he threw it right at the thing’s arm, acting as if he wanted to free its captive.

“HA!” The creature cried as the knife sank into its arm. It didn’t react, only grinned at them as the girl tried to break free. It flew past him and looked at him, and Zane saw the evil in its gaze. In an instant, it was gone, flying away into the Ruin passages. The one thing that Zane could think of, was this meant the Beast Cult had mapped this place.

But what the creature didn’t know, was the dagger wasn’t meant to wound. Instead, the dagger injected a particular strain of nanobots into the wound. For the next year, he would be able to hunt that thing. Already a strain of his nanites was tracking its path. And as he watched the path the flyer was taking, he was so glad that the range was thirty miles. But the path that the nanites left would last for five hours, and that was enough for him to track this monster down! But where had that thing come from? Feeling a sinking feeling, he ran for the windows and saw the carnage down there. He turned around and saw Ulistix was staring into space.

Zane had only walked half the way to him when he reacted and looked at Zane.

“What was that!? One of the Beat Cult!? Who was in its arms?” Ulistix breathed in horror.

Zane was about to say something before he saw a woman holding a spear thunder out of the door Cadritic opened.

“Where is that thing!?” The woman roared as Cadritic came out behind her.

Zane heard Karltics and Ulistix gasp in surprise.

Ulistix gasped. “General Wilmria!? What are you doing….. Wait, Princess!?”

“That was one of the Princesses!? No, no! She was too small! That would have to be…..!” Karltics said before he trailed off, shock in his voice.

“That was Princess Amilisra!? What was she doing here?!” Cadritic demanded and the woman looked around, trying to finder

Wilmria only looked around, but when she saw the broken wall she stared in horror at it and the dying organic mass. “What hell of the Devil’s is this!? Is she lost in there!?”

“No, I can track her! But we’ve got to move now!” Zane said as he moved towards the gap.

“You can…..Wait! who are you!?” Wilmria demanded and Zane looked at her with a scowl.

“You want to know who I am? Fine!” Zane snarled as he walked towards her. “I’m Zane, I’m a survivor! Last free son of my world! I’m an interstellar pilot, I can park a fighter on a credit! And I’m the man that will lead you to your princess if you follow me now!”

Wilmria looked at him and saluted, a look of shock on her face. “Yes, General!”

“Good! Karltics, with us! Ulistix, Cadritic, stay here! Help the others down there! Cadritic, go close the door down there, and then check that corridor for more eggs!” Zane commanded and the others all saluted him.

After he gave them a nod, Zane turned and ran into the corridors of the Ruin, Wilmria, and Karltics on his six. He could only hope that the sinking feeling he was getting had nothing to do with something he couldn’t see yet. All he knew, was this was going to be very bad for them.

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Cadritic watched them go and then shook his head. Part of him wanted to go after them, but he knew the score. The smaller the team was, the faster they could go. And with those three? They’d reach the Princess faster than he could. He nodded to Ulistix as he moved towards the other corridor.

“Already closed the door downstairs then?” Ulistix asked as he dashed to the window, aimed out it, and started to fire.

“Right after she came through. And I’ll handle this.....” Cadritic said as he stared into the eyes of a red insect monster as tall as he was. Before it even opened its mouth, Cadritic swung his sword and killed it. “BUGS!”

Three more stood behind the first one, and as it fell they screeched. Cadritic started to fall back as Ulistix turned and fired, killing two of them with shots to the head. As the third one came at him, Cadritic dodged the blow and cut off its right arm. As it screeched in anger, he drove his blade into its head.

“How many of those things are there!?” Ulistix bellowed as he fired at the first of four more of them as they came out. “Don’t think we’ll be able to follow his orders now!”

Cadritic only grinned as his blood started to burn. This was another reason why he was a terrible leader, he had to be at the tip. The times when he could kill and slay, that was something that he couldn’t ever deny. But as four more of the insect monsters joined the first batch, he thought this might be his final stand.

But then there was a screech as four of the Beast Cult’s flyers charged through a window. In their claws were a single Insect Humanoid and they landed and looked at the two soldiers. But before they could attack, the Insect monsters struck from behind. In moments attacked the Beast Cultists, Cadritic could only stare in shock. Moving backwards as the monsters and Cultists fought, he felt himself grin.

“Come on man!” Ulistix called out and Cadritic saw him at the door to the staircase, firing at the Insect Monsters.

“So, you’ve got a plan?” Cadritic asked with a hard tone.

“Get the door opened down there, get all the help we can, and then get them to the others and hold the other galley. Best idea I could come up with, got a better one?” Ulistix asked as he fired again, this time saving one of the Beast Cultists. Before it could do more than look at him he fired again, this time through the Beats Cultists's head.

“I’ll guard the back, good luck getting help,” Cadritic said as he nodded. While he moved backwards, he thought he saw a glint near the far wall just beyond the gap in the wall.

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Alert, Alert!

Class Three Bioweapon Discovered in Old Abandoned Sector

Possibly sources,

Trojan or Sealed

Damage to Facilities

Bioweapon in combat with Templates, Changing Templates

Sending Message to Command.

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As Wilmria ran after Zane, she tried to keep from thinking about him. She couldn’t believe it, he said he was an off-worlder! That was impossible, but here he was. That strange weapon that he wielded, the way that they were tracking the Princess. Altogether it was unlike anything that she could believe was possible. But how had he even gotten here? Was he the first ones were, captured by the Devils? But how had they escaped if they had? And why was he even here?

As they ran along the hallway, Wilmria noticed that things had started to change. The doors looked old, and there were marks on them. But when they turned a corner they saw something that took her breath away.

Ahead of them were the broken remains of metal things. There were arms made of metal painted either silver, white, or black all over. And most of them were connected to bodies that were just basic shapes. And only a few of the black ones had legs, the rest had smooth metal on the bottoms. And the size! Most of the bodies had to be over five feet tall at least! And they were in piles that went so high they almost touched the ceiling. There was a small path through them, and to Wilmria it was a perfect bottleneck.

But the most shocking to her was that every few piles had ‘bodies’ torn open. They were torn open and it looked like things were torn from them. One look told her that any number of Scholars would give anything to study them. It might be impossible for any of them to even figure out how they were powered, but they would try. But she knew just what the Nobles would order this metal to be used for.

“What is this?” Karltics asked in horror. “Some kind of battle?”

“Looks like it kid. But I can’t tell where the sides came from. Weird, but this is a Ruin after all,” Zane muttered as he led the way through the bodies. “But this looks like they were salvaging something here, but why?”

“The metal. We sometimes find material like this buried in the dirt. We melt it for a few days and it becomes the perfect material for weapons. And because there are so few of them, just having inherited one is a great honor. And all this? If someone found this they would become a noble for sure,” Wilmria said as they walked along the path. “Just one of those ‘fingers’ would set a peasant family for five generations.”

“Yeah… wait! Ruin?” Karltics demanded

Zane just sighed, and to Wilmria’s eyes, he seemed to be embarrassed.

Zane looked around before sighing and shaking his head. “It’s the term for places made by the race that built this. Sometimes these are found on planets and they can do amazing things! But they were always found a lot more destroyed than this one. And well……..the Federation supposedly hides a lot more they don’t tell people about.”

Wilmria looked at him in shock, and then she shook her head. The fact that places like this strange building had been found out there in the Lost Stars was shocking. That this one was more than the others, that was worrying. And the way he stopped talking about how that bothered her. For all….. she stopped. She looked at him for a second and then she nodded. He was hiding something about her home, and that was very worrying.

A scream from ahead of them caused her to look up, and with a growl, she gripped her spear. With what was coming at them, it was time for another battle!