by Chris Troman
galaxies, with all the odd looking costumes. So four lizards walking in made no stir, beyond a polite ripple of assent from near by guests; as to the quality of their fancy dress.
Soon the general gave a predetermined nod, and they all split off to apparently mingle. But the three troopers always kept one eye on the general, who seemed to mingle at random. He engaged in idle chat, but still gathered eclectic information. And he was never without a drink in his hand. As the evening wore on the troops; ready at a moments notice for trouble, kept the general under their watchful eyes.
Suddenly another guest turned round at a remark the general had made. He seemed incensed by what the General had said, and took a swipe. Pandemonium broke out. Not at the fistfight but from tables and columns. They were exploding, as the three soldiers blasted their way across the room to the general.
For some reason every shot missed the scattering guests. The sergeant looking on in the control room; started the craft's engines ready for a quick take off. As Tech specialist Mondo ran through the preflight sequences. In the ensuing confusion, the general had ducked his way back to the exit. It was not too distant from his last position, and the soldiers backed towards their rout of escape. Draconix was now through the door, and he turned as three shots rang out. His defenders fell in trio, just before he slammed and locked the door.
Sergeant Velix saw the three screens darken, as the heart rate monitors all went flat. Quickly he punched the red buttons below each of the screens, and cursed as he consigned his troops to a warrior’s funeral. At the same time back at the door to the General, the bodies of the dead soldiers vaporized with any equipment they had. No enemy would defile a soldier of the Kesdonic Empire, and no trace would be left to tell of their presence. By now the General was pounding up the empty escape route. As he jumped into the craft, the door closed behind him. Then it rose swiftly into the night.
Back out past Pluto the fleet were on stand down. While the huge hyper drives were charging up, for the jump to the next system on their rout. This dainty would not be picked yet. In his ready room, General Draconix was putting the finishing touches to his report. Already attached was the statement from sergeant Velix. He had recommended medals for valor, for the brave troops lost in action. Along with the video files of the valiant retreat.
"And so", concluded Draconix "the natives must have developed personal force shields. Making a landing unfeasible, until we find some way round it. I recommend another recon mission next trip round, for further investigation. He smiled, "and I can lead that as well." He reflected back how much trouble he'd gone to, to get special weapons for the troops, which would not hit living things. And at a remote signal from him, fired those primitive projectiles strait at the weapons users, with plenty of killing force.
If only he had spoke to that filmmaker last visit, instead of tonight. He could have faked the whole thing with no troop loss. True it might be hard to explain him having to go in alone. "For extra security" he said out loud. But he could swing it, and it was worth it. After all the apes mix the best drinks, as he smacked his lips.
Atoll of Doom
Marvin Cobb dipped the nose of his craft lower, and saw the sparks of the atmosphere dance over its outer surface. This was his first time on a planet. All the twenty-seven years of his life had been spent either in, or around the safe enclosed space of the colony ship Discovery. It was the third in the fleet to leave the home planet of Earth.
He had never looked up and seen a blue sky. That was a story passed down from his great grand father, through the generations in between. The only thing shared by these two relatives who had never met. To stand on the surface of a world. True Marvin had spent half his life on the outer surface of Discovery, either working on maintenance or flying the landers. Any good engineer could do that, but he was the first in the family to use the mass of an astral body to keep him down. The vast internal world of Discovery used the spin of its cylindrical surface, as a substitute for gravity.
This new world was both hope and sadly dismay, to the stable community sent out to spread the seed that was humanity. For although they had been sent to this planet generations ago, they had no way of knowing what they would find. If it were a barren rock with just the necessary ingredients for life, then they could start the process of making it in to a new Earth. Spending yet more generations under cover, until one-day mankind could say it inhabited another world.
Sadly this was not to be though, for life had already taken root here. They could rejoice that the Earth left so long ago, was not the only world to bring forth such a precious bounty. But a different ecosystem had different forms of life, from the simple bacteria right up to the complex. Who knew what could mix, how these two diverse chains of evolution would affect one another?
It was no set back for the current generation. They were used to ship life. But now they would just pass on the burden of colonisation to another generation, on the next exoplanet they would set course for. But the ship would do that anyway. So instead of putting down roots, the mission now was to restock any depleted supplies, of which there were very little. The colony ships were made to be self-sufficient. Also they must catalogue the true residents of this world.
That wasn't Marvin’s job as he was no biologist. This was a treasure hunt. He was after metal and other resources, so when he turned to Todd Mandrake and asked. "Anything on the scope?" His companion scowled and replied. "Not in this section bub."
They had scoured the area all day with nothing to show for it, and would soon have to return to the colony for the night. "What's that flash", he looked out the cockpit window. It was the sun's reflection on a body of water, as it dipped below the horizon. Marvin shuddered, the coming of night. Ship life meant constant access to light at the flick of a switch, but to have it taken with no chance to rekindle that fire until the dawn. They had torches, but they weren't the same somehow.
There was a loud beeping noise, and Todd whooped with pleasure. "We've got a good one, right there." And he pointed to the submerged crater before them. "What is that?" asked Marvin. "An atoll or an isthmus?" For indeed the area did display features of both. It was a ring of land around a lake, slap bang in the middle of two adjoining landmasses. "Both I guess, but something else too. There must be one huge ball of titanium down there. I recon it was an asteroid, which crashed in just the right spot to keep it intact, but throw up the crater." "O.K. smarty pants geologist." That was a term not much used these days, for geology was strictly theoretical now in living memory. "Want to mark it, and get back to base?" Marvin enquired. "No I think we've enough light to get some more readings." So they circled round.
That was when all hell broke loose. The craft suddenly dropped like a brick, and then jumped up again. If the two pilots hadn't been strapped in, they would be dead. Dashed on the controls. As it were, a barely conscious Marvin managed to grab the stick. Then he managed to level the craft. As it plunged into the murky depths, before he passed out again.
When he came round, it was to see Todd's face anxiously staring down at him. "I thought I'd lost you there buddy. No don't move; you may have an injury." Todd turned back to the medical scanner sat next to him. He had a dent on his forehead that matched the control desk, but any blood had dried now. "How long have I been out?" Slurred Marvin through the haze around him. "Not much longer than me" came the hopeful reply. "But we're sure in a pickle now."He indicated the windscreen; it was pitch black.
"We must have gone in to the lake. But what could have gone wrong with the controls?" Marvin struggled to keep focusing; he found it hard to speculate. "I don't know. Did you check the beacon?" He suddenly remembered the emergency signal. Todd looked grave. "Pal, what ever brought us down, fried the comms panel. We're on our own." The pilot struggled for some piece of memory, and then it bubbled up. "But what about the portable one?” Todd lifted the unit into Marvin's view. "Jammed, it might work if we could get free of this field, for want of another name."
Then came a beep, the dev
ice had done scanning. Marvin and Todd turned to its screen. "Well apart from the head ache you no doubt know about, you're going to be alright", and he helped him up. Todd dug out some rations and they devoured them.
Marvin jumped in surprise. Something had just emerged from the dark of the screen, and he soon had Todd searching the black for anything. "Look there", and Todd laughed. "You got me there, it's just some weed. That's one for the biologists." Then they turned back to the meal. But Marvin couldn't help glancing now and then over Todd's shoulder, at the occasional flash of the water plant.
Marvin looked at his watch. "No point trying to get out yet. It will be pitch black up there, and I don't want to go stumbling about in that." They both shuddered at the thought. Marvin was feeling much better now, although his head still pounded on his skull. "Let's get some sleep and sort this in the morning." Morning it had such an oppressive ring. Not in itself, but from the cold dark time before the sun's rays would return once more.
The craft wasn't designed for long-term occupation. So they just adjusted the seats as best they could, and settled down to sleep for a while. Marvin woke to the sound of Todd's snoring, and
