Metamorphosis Alpha 2

by Craig Martelle (ed)

  Character Sketch – Wolfoid Characters

  These creatures are mutated wolves that have prospered on the ship. The wolfoids have their own agenda that we don’t see in this product. While they sneer at humans and their many weaknesses they hate the aliens even more. Although they are powerful fighters, there is a wildness about them that would suggest they could easily eat humans if given the chance.

  [DUPPER IS WRITING UP A REPORT AND DURING THAT REPORT, WE SEE SCENES OF HIM GETTING HIS MARINES READY AND GOING INTO COMBAT AGAINST THE ALIENS. FROM HERE WE TRANSITION INTO THE MIDDLE AND END OF THE MOVIE WHERE DUPPER KICKS ALIEN ASS AND FORCES THEM OUT OF THE STARSHIP WARDEN.]

  Disaster Record Gamma: Master Sergeant Dupper

  Master Sergeant Arnold T. Dupper serial number 5526788755 reporting as commanded.

  Most of the troops in cryo-suspension cannot be revived at the present time. My men and I have been thrown into a freaking cluster situation of outrageous proportions. All of my lieutenants, captains, majors, and generals are laying in their cryo-chambers drooling out of the sides of their mouths for real instead of by accident. How in Sam Hill all of this happened, I have no idea. I’ve ordered no more male android companions to be created and creation of the more versatile female androids to be stepped up.

  I’m looking at a rack of weapons that droids have put together and I’m told a pistol from this rack will turn to dust after five shots because the scientists of the ship thought that would be ecologically sound. If they weren’t piles of white dust all over this thrice-blasted death ship, I’d show them what I think of a five-shot, useless, twice-damned pistol. Lucky I know where the cache of hidden military hardware from Earth is stored. We are also lucky in that our half-track still works fine and it’s loaded for bear with the weapons we will initially need. I’m told all I have to do is get past some giant aliens made from boulders to get to that hidden cache. I have no problem with that. Let’s see what a little C99 up the crack of its behind does to turn alien boulders into gravel.

  Everyone who is able has been cracked out of the ice tubes and I’m the highest ranker. Ridiculous androids and really scary armed robots, having no reason to be armed, are trying to guard this resort on level 15 and this level against invasion. It’s a pathetic display and I am amazed our frozen chambers have been unchallenged for so long. I’m ordering the mentally disabled people in the tubes to be reconditioned or put back on ice until we can fix ‘em, but I don’t hold out much hope for them. We are going to recon a few levels and take a little look-see. I’m told there’s a factory level that can make equipment for me. Let’s see what happens when a few M-99 automated tanks roll off that line and let loose some Whoop-Ass. Let’s see what happens when a mess of X-69 flying attack drones moves out on search and destroy missions.

  So, from my way of thinking, I’m going to send some useless droids and robots out on every level to get some Intel. I’m going to get my men some grub and some serious hardware, and then we are going to kick some alien butt. I’m going to teach some alien scum that there’s nothing meaner than a ticked off Marine Corps Master Sergeant who’s just come out of cryo-suspension and found aliens taking liberties with his ship. Life in the Corps is good and it’s going to get lots better!

  [Act Three, Scene One]

  [IN THIS SCENE, WE BEGIN WITH DUPPER TAKING CONTROL. WE ARE IN ANOTHER TYPE OF MILITARY COMMAND CENTER WITH LOTS OF MILITARY EQUIPMENT AROUND. THE FAMILIAR HOLOGRAM OF THE SHIP WITH FEWER FLASHING LIGHTS IS ON A COMPUTER TERMINAL IN FRONT OF HIM. THERE IS THE BUSTLE OF ANDROIDS, ROBOTS, AND HIS FOUR MARINES IN CONSTANT MOTION BEHIND HIM. ]

  He needs more information about the aliens and what they are doing.

  Dupper has no regard for the robots or the androids. He sends them out on scouting missions. We see both groups getting attacked by unusual aliens. Both are attacked by Ids but the aliens can’t grab robots or androids even though they try.

  Aliens are sending puffball crystals to scout out Dupper’s area.

  During this scene, we discover that Dupper doesn’t like the wolfoids at all. He doesn’t trust them and doesn’t want them around. He gives them dangerous assignments and the wolfoids happily go and accomplish every task given them.

  Dupper, our female android, and the engineering robot go out to see where the puffball crystals are coming from. In this scene, Dupper is attacked by a lunging Id creature that the robot grabs out of the air. The alien flails about scaring the heck out of Dupper who blasts it with his ray weapon. The android tells Dupper how he just avoided being taken over.

  They discover a large crack in the ships hull and a rock alien is standing in the crack making it wider. Dupper charges in and attacks. During the battle, he and his group don’t seem to do much to the rock creature. Finally, Dupper places several grenades up the rock’s body and blows it away. He’s unusually satisfied with the effort when ten more rock aliens come charging through. He retreats.

  [THE SCENE TRANSITIONS TO OUR FOUR SQUAD MEMBERS IN THEIR HALF-TRACK IN A MUCH MORE WOODED AREA.]

  Jenny – We are not in Kansas any more are we?

  Allison – She is looking into her scope at the purple trees where the butterfly bush was before. You can say that again. James, how long would it take for a single purple bush to turn into ten foot tall tree?

  James – Bushes don’t usually become trees. If I had to guess I would say at least five or more years with constant fertilization. Why do you ask?

  Breck – Look for yourself dude. Suddenly the Captain’s single butterfly bush is a grove of …

  Out of the trees comes a T-Rex roaring at the group and charging forward. The four of them, without hesitation lay their weapons at the creature and fire. The lasers just bounce off the T-Rex, but Allison’s sniper rifle punches a huge plasma hole through its chest and it falls dead.

  Allison – I do not recall a laser resistant Tyrannosaurus Rex on the ship’s creature manifest. Does anyone else remember differently?

  James – The biggest reptile on the list was a boa constrictor. There were no two-legged raptors on that list.

  Breck – Well there is now.

  Jenny – We have to report this to the Master Sergeant, stat.

  Allison – I don’t have a problem with that. Jenny, why don’t you put your butt in the driver’s chair and get us to headquarters.

  [Act Three, Scene Two]

  [ON A SANDY BEACH, DUPPER PREPARES ANDROIDS, ROBOTS, AND HIS MARINES FOR AN ALL-OUT ASSAULT. HE’S GOING TO ATTACK ONE OF TWO HOLES WHERE THE ALIENS ARE COMING IN. THERE ARE HEAVY WEAPONS ON SCI-FI HOVERCRAFT AND THE ENTIRE SCENE SHOWS THAT DUPPER MEANS BUSINESS.]

  We learn in this scene that there are two entry points for the asteroid aliens and Dupper plans on attacking them one at a time. He also wants to gain control of the command chamber of the starship but hears from the robots and the androids that they have mounted massive attacks on the control room and not one of them has returned from those battles. Dupper is determined to do better.

  He’s going to personally lead the attack on the control room while the main force attacks the first of the two entry points. Dupper leads his troops into battle. As Dupper, knowing what the chamber was like centuries ago, he uses his black military color band to great effect so that the defensive systems of the chamber do not blast his troops to ash. He succeeds outrageousely in securing the command center and placing his androids and robots in control. The main ship’s A.I. starts out hysterical and calms down to its proper self after Dupper initiates a repair code of Omega 7777.

  The forces attacking the holes are soundly defeated and thrown back as huge fungi tanks come out of the holes shooting blue rays of energy. Dupper seeing these battle losses says, “There’s more than one way to skin an alien feline.”

  [Act Three, Scene Three]

  [DUPPER AND HIS SQUAD ARE DRIVING THE HALF-TRACK ONTO THE SHIP’S HUGE MAIN ELEVATOR. THEY USE THEIR BLACK MILITARY ARM BANDS TO TAKE THEM TO LEVEL 7. THEY ARE IN ARMORED UP MILITARY UNIFORMS WITH OPEN FACE
VISORS ON THEIR HEADS. THEY ALL LOOK VERY DEADLY. THE ELEVATOR DOOR OPENS TO A SNOWY BLIZZARD.]

  Dupper — Snow! This is a farming level. There isn’t supposed to be snow here.

  [A BLIZZARD OF SNOW IS BLOWING INTO THE ELEVATOR AND ONTO THE HALF-TRACK. THE GROUP PUTS ON CAMO-PANCHOS THAT HAVE HEATING UNITS. JAMES HOLDS OUT A GLOVED HANDFUL OF SNOW.]

  James — I believe the level is violently disagreeing with you Master Sergeant.

  Dupper — Breck, man the XM-laser cannon. Blast anything that gets in our way. We have 17 miles due east to go till we find the battleship portal. Devildogs! Prepare to repel boarders.

  [THE OTHER THREE RAISE THEIR WEAPONS AND BEGIN TRACKING IN EACH DIRECTION AS DUPPER DRIVES THE VEHICLE INTO THE THICK SNOW. LASER BEAMS COME FROM EACH OF THE FOUR WEAPONS, ALL POINT IN VARIOUS DIRECTIONS.]

  [Act Three, Scene Four]

  [THE HALF-TRACK STOPS IN FRONT OF A DEADLY LOOKING TANK ROBOT. THE ROBOT IS CLEARLY GUARDING A LARGE PORTAL. IT BEGINS SPEAKING IN A ROBOTIC VOICE.]

  Character Sketch — Military Long-Range Security Droid – This heavy unit is a combat device designed to soak up punishment and deal out death in all directions. It is a ten feet cube, floating on anti-grav pods at 50 miles an hour. Its senses act in 360 degrees and are three times as good as a human’s. It notes radiation and senses in the infra-red spectrum. It can communicate back with the main base to acquire new targets. Its attack is a high caliber blast canon doing damage in a direct line from the barrel with a short range of 300 yards.

  Robot – Leave this area immediately or you will be destroyed.

  Dupper – Like hell we will. My name is Master Sergeant Dupper and we are going past you on an urgent matter, dealing with the Omega emergency protocol.

  Robot – I am here to make sure you don’t pass. You have 60 seconds to leave.

  [Four targeting laser beams converge on the chest of the robot. It is aware of them.]

  Robot – You have ten seconds to leave.

  Dupper – Well that’s not happening. You have less than that before my people turn you into scrap.

  [click – click – click – click – click – click – click – click – click – click – click]

  Allison – What in hell is that clicking sound?

  Dupper laughing – That my excellent sniper is a heavenly sound. What is happening right now is that the robot’s PS82 heavy electric machine rifle system is clicking on an empty magazine. In short, this robot has no fangs. Robot, you have a choice. We can destroy you or you can move aside. You have ten seconds to decide.

  The robot moves to the side. The portal opens and the half-track drives through. The four squad members waved to the robot, laughing at their faux near-death experience.

  Out of the snow, they are in a long corridor. They drive up to another portal and all of them get out. They take off their ponchos.

  Dupper – Stay frosty. If I was an alien I would have infiltrated these military spaceships. Blast first and ask questions later. Never fire so that a miss ruptures the hull and ejects us all into space. Are we clear?

  The Four of them in unison – We are clear Master Sergeant!

  [Act Three, Scene Five]

  [THE PORTAL OPENS ONTO A MILITARY WARSHIP. THE LIGHTS COME ON. ALL OF THE ACTORS ARE ARMED AND LOOKING IN ALL DIRECTIONS READY TO FIRE]

  Character Sketch – Nics (Navy Intelligent Computer System

  It is an obviously male voice of an A.I. computer. It is very helpful and fully capable of helping Dupper with his plans to fire the main guns of the battleship.

  Dupper – Computer are you up and awake?

  A.I. – My designation is Navy Intelligent Computer System or Nics for short Master Sergeant Dupper. How may I help you?

  Dupper – I’m taking over control of this battleship in accordance with the Omega emergency protocol. My squad all become rated officers on this vessel able to take over any control system. Do you have a problem with any of that Nics?

  A.I. – No Captain Dupper. The Omega protocol is understood. What would you like done first?

  Dupper – We will be going to the command and control chamber. Fire up your power systems and do a quick check of all of your military hardware. We are about to fire off some shots at some bad guys.

  A.I. – Understood Captain, executing ship wide power systems with safety checks on all the military arsenal.

  [The squad and Dupper go to a much smaller command center than the Warden’s. They take chairs at command consoles and fire up the holographic computers. Dupper lands in the Captains chair.]

  Dupper – Allison you man the main plasma deck canons. Do a status check and tell me how soon they can fire at the asteroid.

  A.I. detach the battleship from the Warden and retreat one mile from the colony ship and maintain speed and distance.

  A.I. – Aye, Aye Captain. Initiating drive systems. Military units are at 97%. Did you know it has been five years and six months since my systems were used?

  Dupper – Yes, yes Nics but we don’t care about that now. Rig for firing all systems.

  Jenny, you take control of the laser secondary systems.

  Breck you have the missile systems. I want all of those programmed to circle around the asteroid and explode on the back of it.

  James, fire up some naval drones and give us views of the back, bottom, and sides of that asteroid. As the missiles hit, I want your drones to fire their hardware as well.

  [The four of them give resounding Aye, Ayes and get to work.]

  Breck – Missiles away. They will strike the back of the asteroid in ten different places in four minutes. Nics initiate a four-minute count down.

  Allison – Plasma Cannons are ready to fire!

  Jenny – Laser Cannons are ready to fire!

  James – Drones are ready to fire!

  [Blue and Green beams strike the asteroid and push it off the Warden. Explosions happen on the sides and bottom of the asteroid. The missiles blast the asteroid to gravel.]

  Dupper – Gotcha, you alien bastards. Next time, come knocking before you take on the Warden’s Marines. Now let’s get our ship back on course.

  [The four of them give resounding Aye, Ayes and get to work.]

  Everyone loves a good surprise

  By E.E. Isherwood

  Shatzi the warrior woman is having a bad day. Her mental energy is behaving erratically, her friends pop up in the strangest places, and she walks into a dangerous once-in-a-lifetime treasure hunt. Getting to the dig site takes the leadership and skill of a warrior, but in the end, a young girl reveals a timeless truth about Shatzi’s purpose on the starship Warden.

  Eons ago, on Earth.

  The small-town party was a mirror image of hundreds, perhaps thousands of similar celebrations taking place all over the planet. Earth was saying goodbye and good luck to one of the great achievements of humanity—the colonization ship Warden.

  In the rural farm country, they didn’t have the fancy light shows of the nearby cities or the highbrow galas of the rich and famous in the megalopolises of the North American coasts, but they did have the timeless thrill of fireworks. They soared and boomed overhead as the fairgoers oohed and ahhed.

  Monica “Mo” Howard watched it all with sadness and hope. She had given her contribution to the Commission, and they assured her it would get to the Warden before the starship cleared Pluto. Everyone who wished to give had the chance to do so. She had carefully selected her gift. In fact, it made her cry to think of when and how it would be opened. And by whom.

  She left before the grand finale because it was too loud.

  ***

  Present day, on the missing Earth colonization ship Warden.

  Shatzi pulled at the thin braid of silver hair she kept looped many times around her neck, then absently fanned her exposed green stomach. For an eight-foot mutant humanoid woman, it was a big belly to cool off, but the day was hot, and her concern wasn’t just for herself.

  She stood on a rope bridge high in t
he trees at the edge of her people’s tribal farmlands. Rows of gigantic orange pumpcorns sat in plowed furrows. One of the youngers climbed the biggest of the plump orbs and prodded the spear-like stalks of yellow tubes projecting from the top. The fruit had to be close to ripe and would soon need harvesting, but he wasn’t there for anything so serious. Instead, he slid with glee down the side and fell to the soil with a laugh. She chuckled at his daring.

  “The kids are sure enjoying the work, are they not?” her husband said as he sauntered up to share the view.

  Portus was taller than her by a couple of feet, and he was a bit older, though his braid was only half as long as hers. His skin was mottled green most days, but it turned to lavender when he spent too much time under the solar rays. He’d been out on patrol a lot the past few cycles and was a deep shade of his alternate color she found very attractive.

  “Hi, honey. Yes, they are. I was just noticing they’re doing more playing than tending,” Shatzi replied. She took his hands in hers. “So how are things on the border, my love?”

  His blue eyes pierced hers. In that second she understood all his fears and concerns—she had a gift for such intuition—but she let him speak, as was the custom between telepathic mates. “We’ve had no more trouble with the Goldies, the Unis keep testing our boundary, and the … ”

  She half-listened to him explain all the diplomatic wranglings he’d had with the nearby tribes. Conflict was a fact of life for all peoples within the great circle of the eighth level. Like most factions, hers had staked territory along the outer wall of the ship. Still, even with everything going for her tribe—good location, good crops, and mostly good neighbors—there was no end to the incursions and war parties launched by other “Eighters.”