by Adair Hart
Evaran paused in one of the tunnels and knelt by something on the ground. An illumination orb hovered over the lifeless body of a large snakelike creature with two arms. It had an advanced-looking tech suit with various gadgets on it. A hole was visible on its chest when Evaran turned it over. He scanned it with his ring. “It appears this is a Draidjen soldier of some type.”
Silva crowded around the corpse and jerked his head back. “What are they doing here?”
“Unknown. However, this wound was inflicted by an energy weapon of some type. I suspect they are not the only ones down here.”
“I doubt they know about us coming. The only thing I know that would get a Draidjen to land on a planet they are protecting is if someone violated their space, and we came in stealthed,” said Silva.
“Yeah … I’ve read some of those reports. Draidjen are tough, so there must be something tougher down here,” said Rakar.
Evaran nodded. “I agree, and firepower to back them up. It appears based on the position of the body that this Draidjen soldier was hit in the back. It may have been trying to reach the hole we came down from.”
“So it was running from something,” said Andia with wide eyes.
Rakar looked around. “Wonder what could make a Draidjen run away,” said Rakar.
“I concur. We will need to be careful. Deploy your repulsing weapons,” said Evaran. He walked toward a side tunnel as everyone else readied their weapons.
After walking for fifteen minutes, they came upon a large chamber. It had a waterfall on one side that fell through the floor. Small pools of water surrounded it on the edge. There were large lightly glowing plantlike structures in the middle, and the sides were covered in vines.
Evaran gestured at V, who then flew out scanning.
Rakar gestured at the waterfall. “Easy access to water here. If there was anything dangerous around, it would probably stop by here.”
Evaran scanned an area ahead of him and then pointed at several lumps of brown matter on the ground. “I agree, and it seems they would defecate here as well. Watch your step.”
Dr. Snowden shook his head. “Oh, great.”
They continued on into the chamber.
After a few minutes, V returned. “Inactive robot detected.”
Dr. Snowden looked ahead and saw a highlight on his HUD of something on the ground. He had become accustomed to the text that seemed to fly around objects, and the text for this was showing the metallic composition of a crumpled robot.
Evaran scanned it as he walked over with the others behind him. “I suspect this is what the Draidjen were either hunting or fighting.”
Rakar scrutinized the robot. “It appears to have Kreagan tech on it, and something else.”
“Xibian tech,” said Silva, tilting his head. “I have seen something similar before.”
“Xibian? What would they be doing here?” asked Andia.
“I don’t know. Xibia is a border world between Kreagan and Draidjen space, so it wouldn’t be too hard for them to get here. They also are known to be on the outskirts of Kreagan law. It wouldn’t surprise me if we are dealing with one of the many mercenary groups from there,” said Silva.
Evaran nodded. “We will find out.” He gestured forward. “Come.”
They traversed to almost the halfway point when periodic shouts rang out, which got closer every passing second.
“What was that?” asked Andia as she looked around.
“I am unsure. Head back to the entrance,” said Evaran, pointing back. He gestured at V, who took off toward the commotion.
They hustled to the entrance and stood just inside it. After a few moments, a large green snakelike creature with a cobra mane approached them. It had on robes and seemed to be slithering as fast as it could.
Evaran waved for the creature to come over. “According to V’s scan, it is a male Draidjen.”
The Draidjen headed toward them. Behind him was a pack of grayish-white tubelike creatures on six legs. Their heads had an elongated snout with tentacles hanging off the sides. The snout ended with a circular mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth.
Rakar raised his weapon. “Okay, but what the hell is following him.”
Evaran pointed to an area behind the Draidjen. “Rakar, fire a warning shot at those creatures.”
Rakar fired a shot above the creatures, causing them to pause momentarily. Evaran raised his now-extended baton and shot a repulsing beam at the ground before the creatures. The creatures hesitated, then turned and ran toward a side tunnel.
The Draidjen had reached them and had his hands on his side. His eyes rapidly blinked horizontally as he tried to catch his breath. He looked up at Evaran.
Evaran nodded and pulled out an orb. He tossed it in front of him, then interacted with his ARI. “My name is Evaran. I have tossed out a translation orb that will translate your language to Kreagan, and vice versa, so everyone can understand each other.”
The Draidjen’s eyes widened. “Thank you. I wasn’t expecting anyone else down here.”
Evaran pointed at Andia. “This is Andia Kiggs, prime ambassador of Fredoria.” He then pointed at Silva. “Silva Ga Hujorn is a Kreagan inspector, and the other Kreagan is Rakar Ho Jador, a Kreagan ranger.” He then pointed at Dr. Snowden. “This is Dr. Albert Snowden, and to his right is his niece, Emily. Who are you?”
The Draidjen hissed when Evaran pointed to Silva and Rakar. “I am Ezissiris, a Draidjen administrator of this region. I recognize the filthy Kreagans but have never seen your species before.”
Silva snorted.
“We are human, from Fredoria and Earth,” said Dr. Snowden, pointing at Andia and then Emily.
“Never heard of either,” said Ezissiris. He faced Evaran. “I am impressed by your translator device. I lost my communicator during the last fight. My group sent me back toward the ship with an escort, but I got lost, and he was taken down by those creatures.”
Emily cocked her head and pointed backward. “We saw one of your group back there.”
“I assume he was dead. We were tracking a vicious criminal known as Mutt Mutt. I was to only observe his capture. He is much tougher than we realized.”
Silva cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. “A Xibian. He is known to us.”
“Yes … somehow well-armed and equipped Xibian mercenaries inside Kreagan space cross over to our space and wreak havoc.”
“Are you implying we support them?”
“Well, here we are. Hunting down yet another Xibian,” said Ezissiris, narrowing his yellow eyes.
Evaran raised his hand. “I think the focus is on what Mutt Mutt is looking for. It is apparent his group is well armed.” He turned toward Ezissiris. “Is all of your group dead?”
Ezissiris hissed. “I believe so. I don’t even know where our ship is, and I have been on the run from one creature or another. May I book passage on your ship?”
“We can do that. However, we must first retrieve something before we go.”
Ezissiris shook his head. “And what would that be?”
“A crystal. If Mutt Mutt is here, then he probably knows we are coming for it. Otherwise it would be odd for a mercenary to be out here.”
“Not as odd as you might think. This would be a good hideout to conduct raiding from,” said Ezissiris. He eyed Evaran. “So you’re responsible for him coming to this planet.”
“Indirectly. We have had encounters with various bounty hunters and mercenaries over the last week. They know where we will be and when.”
“Well, I’m coming with you, then. Do you have any water or food?”
Evaran nodded and gestured at Emily’s backpack. “This should be edible by your species.”
Andia went to Emily’s backpack and pulled out a water container and a small metal container with square food pellets in it. She walked over and handed it to Ezissiris, who bowed his head as he received it.
Ezissiris guzzled the water container, then opened the food container and devo
ured the pellets. He reared his head back and slowly blinked. “Thank you again. I would tell you where to look for what you seek, but I’m unfamiliar with this cavern system.”
Evaran raised a hand. “It is okay. Just stick close to the group.”
“Well, I never thought I would be traveling with a Draidjen,” said Silva, snorting.
Ezissiris shook his head. “Or me with Kreagans. A strange time.”
“I’m sure it will get even more strange over time,” said Rakar with a chuckle.
Evaran extended his hand and projected the arrow pointer. It pointed in a direction that had a solid wall. He looked around the area, then pointed to a tunnel nearby. “We can start from there.” He waved his hand forward as he began walking toward the tunnel. “Follow me.”
They walked through several tunnels and large chambers before arriving at a scene of carnage. Smaller snakelike creatures with two arms and small wings on their backs were strewn out on the ground with holes in them. Blood was everywhere. A wooden defensive barrier hugged the walls a bit ahead of them, with the center blown out in an elliptical pattern.
Dr. Snowden figured the structure was meant to be opened and closed like a gate, not that it would matter against an energy weapon. He noticed the creatures on the ground had on light armor, and primitive weaponry such as spears, swords, and shields lay around them. He pointed at one of the creatures and faced Ezissiris. “Friends of yours?”
Ezissiris slid up to one of the bodies and scrutinized it. He shook his head. “No, I don’t know what they are.”
Evaran scanned one of the bodies. “They are sentient. This must be a guard post of some type. I suspect the carnage was done by Mutt Mutt.”
Silva scrutinized one of the corpses. “You think there’s a civilization down here?”
“The evidence speaks for itself. Ready your repulsing weapons,” said Evaran. He pulled his utility handle off and extended it into a staff, then walked through the destroyed post.
They walked for a while down the tunnel until they came to a large chamber with a big stone fort in the middle. It had towers at each corner, with stakes sticking out at a forty-five degree angle around the perimeter. The creatures they had shot at earlier were busy feasting on the carcasses strewn about the outside of it. The creatures took off after Rakar fired a few shots above them.
Evaran walked up to the perimeter and scanned the bodies and the structure. “This race is not equipped to deal with someone like Mutt Mutt. V, scout mode.”
“Acknowledged. Scout mode engaged,” said V. He flew up over the fort wall and began scanning around the fort.
After a few moments, V returned. “Analysis. One life-form detected. It is enclosed in a room. Location relayed.”
Evaran looked at the group. “We should investigate.” He walked off to the arched doorway in the fort.
Dr. Snowden interacted with his suit interface and could see V’s analysis in the scan section. He selected it, and an image of the fort in a wireframe appeared. A red dot was highlighted in one of the towers.
They followed Evaran through the arched doorway into an open courtyard with ramps leading up the sides. They turned right and headed up a ramp and toward the nearest tower door. Evaran knocked on the door. A scuffling sound could be heard from inside.
Evaran knocked again. “We are not here to hurt you.” He tilted his head as the scuffling sound faded, then took a step back and looked up.
A creature similar to the ones at the guard post peeked its head over the edge. Its eyes widened when it saw Ezissiris. It flew over the edge and landed in front of Ezissiris and then splayed itself out.
Evaran accessed his ARI, causing the translation orb to float over to him. He then faced the creature. “You should be able to understand our language now, and we can understand your language.”
The creature looked up and jerked its head back as it looked at Ezissiris. “We prayed … and you came.”
Ezissiris narrowed his eyes. “Prayed for what?”
The creature looked down. “For you, our god. The two-legged demons attacked us, and we prayed for your help.”
Silva snickered. “The Draidjen are not gods.”
Evaran knelt beside the creature. “We are not here to harm you. We are looking for an item but believe there is another group also looking for it. It appears they came through here. Can you help us?”
“If our god wishes it,” said the creature, looking up at Ezissiris.
“I’m not a god! I’m flesh and blood, just like you,” said Ezissiris.
The creature shook its head. “You drove away the two-legged demons long ago. They have returned, as have you.”
“It’s referring to the colony ship, I think,” said Silva, rubbing his chin.
Ezissiris’s mane deflated a bit, then puffed back out. He glanced at Silva. “We did destroy a Kreagan ship here long ago.”
“I knew it!” said Silva.
Evaran extended a hand toward Silva.
“They must have ventured down here trying to seek refuge and clashed with them,” said Andia, pointing at the creature.
Ezissiris turned toward the creature. “I’m not a god. I’m just from … another tribe, far away. We didn’t even know you existed down here.”
Evaran rubbed his chin. “What do you call yourselves?”
“We are the Ziiarian. My name is Sitassitis, commander of this fort.”
“I assume another group similar to us came through here?” asked Evaran.
“Yes. A large two-legged demon covered in hair, with one eye on its head. It had three metal demons with it. They shot beams of colored light, destroying everything they touched,” said Sitassitis. He pointed to a large tunnel off in the distance. “That’s where they went, to our city. We can’t stop them.”
Rakar snorted. “Perhaps it’s time we introduce ourselves, then.”
“Agreed,” said Evaran. He faced Sitassitis. “Wait here. We will be back soon, hopefully with the situation resolved.”
Sitassitis looked at Ezissiris. “I have faith. With you on our side, I have no doubt.”
Silva shook his head.
They exited the fort and headed to the large tunnel.
“I can’t believe they think you are gods,” said Silva, turning his head toward Ezissiris.
“For once, I am in agreement with you,” said Ezissiris.
After thirty minutes of walking past destroyed structures and corpses everywhere, they reached the entrance to a grand chamber. A large ramp descended from the entrance to a main pathway that led to a temple off in the distance.
Dr. Snowden’s eyes widened at the carnage he saw before him. Large lightly glowing plantlike structures resembling trees dominated most of the landscape, with pea-shaped structures hanging off them. Some of the structures were smashed on the ground. Large chunks of the plants were blown out, and small fires raged everywhere. Smoke bellowed out from other domed structures on the ground. It was apparent Mutt Mutt didn’t go easy on the Ziiarians.
Evaran gestured at V, who flew off toward the wrecked city.
“How could anyone do this?” asked Silva, shaking his head.
“Now you know why we hunt him. He has done worse among our more remote colonies and continues to harass areas we don’t have a strong presence in. Per our protocol, a response team is on its way to this planet. Given how remote this system is, they will be here in a few days,” said Ezissiris.
“I assure you, I will look into this when I get back,” said Silva.
Ezissiris looked at Rakar. “Do you believe that?”
“I do,” said Rakar, nodding. He glanced at Silva. “One thing you can count on with Silva is if a law is being broken, he will investigate it.”
“I hope so,” said Ezissiris.
After fifteen minutes of waiting, V flew back. He projected a hologram of the city. There was a cluster of highlighted red dots in one of the buildings, with the rest of the red dots fleeing away from the building. “Analysis.
Three robots and a humanoid in the highlighted building. The other dots are Ziiarian.”
Evaran ran his hand across his mouth as he scrutinized the projection. “He is waiting for us. The rest of you wait here. I will handle this.”
Dr. Snowden shook his head. “Not a chance. We came as a group, we go as a group.”
Evaran looked at Emily.
“I’m with Uncle Albert. You’re not leaving us behind.”
Andia stepped forward. “I think we are all in agreement that we do this together.”
Evaran narrowed his eyes. “Interesting. Off we go, then.”
Dr. Snowden’s thoughts focused on Evaran’s reaction to the suggestion they go as a group. He knew Evaran was observing something, but not saying. Could it be related to the issues he and Emily were having? He glanced at Emily and then sighed. Assuming this all got wrapped up, he was looking forward to figuring out what was going on with them.
They walked down the large ramp and onto the main pathway. To their sides were pea-shaped pods crashed on the ground. Various household items were exposed. Charred corpses littered the ground.
Dr. Snowden shook his head as he viewed the devastation up close. He could pick out the very small Ziiarians and some that were slightly smaller than Sitassitis. He figured those must have been the females and the young. That would not bode well for Mutt Mutt.
They arrived at the building that was highlighted in the projection and then walked up the ramp. Upon arriving at the entrance, they saw that the doors were blown open. They advanced into the structure. In the middle of the structure at a circular table sat two Ziiarians on waist-high pedestals, one in decorated animal shells, the other with a form-fitting robe with elaborate designs on it. Three humanoid robots stood around them with weapons pointed at the Ziiarians.
To the side, sitting on a table with one leg on a pedestal and the other dangling off, was a male humanoid with strands of matted hair covering a majority of his face. He had on a lightly armored suit and held a large weapon in his lap. On his right forearm was a metallic band with a latch. A large eye protruded through the matted hair where two eyes would normally have been. He stood up. “Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you. I’m Mutt Mutt, and those,” he said, pointing to the robots, “are my insurance that you won’t try something stupid.”
