When the Gods Aren't Gods: Book Two of The Theogony

by Chris Kennedy

  Although Sergeant Tagliabue’s grenades cut off further attack, five of the starfish had closed on the group, with two attacking Rocket, two more on The Wall, and the fifth going around to attack Ryan. Too close to use his rifle effectively, Rocket dropped it and pulled out his pistol. He began firing at one of the starfish attacking him and punched several holes in the central body of the thing. A purple fluid began spurting up through one of the holes, and the animal emitted a shrieking noise. This seemed to energize the other one attacking Rocket, and it lunged forward to wrap a tentacle around Rocket’s leg. As the starfish’s arm encircled the corporal’s leg, Rocket went rigid, and he stopped firing his pistol. He fell over, unmoving.

  The Wall kept his rifle, alternately firing it and using it to block the tentacles that kept trying to reach out for him. He backed up slightly so that he could see both of the creatures at once and met the swing of a tentacle with the stock of his rifle, following through to point the weapon at the head of the creature. Before he could fire, a tentacle from the other creature wrapped itself around the rifle and pulled it from his hands, throwing it down the beach. Before the creature could attack again, The Wall pulled his laser pistol from his leg holster and triggered it several times in quick succession. The creature fell backward, unmoving, with three holes between its four centrally-located eyes. As The Wall turned toward the second creature, he saw that it was already in motion, using the distraction of the first monster to attack. It launched itself through the air onto the soldier, and both went down in a tangle of arms and tentacles.

  As Calvin and Ryan both fired their rifles at the one charging Ryan, the sounds of additional lasers firing and another wave of antimatter explosions were heard as a second, larger group of starfish came hurtling out of the water near where the shuttle had dropped them off. Warned by the initial attack, the rest of the platoon was better prepared. The starfish were met with a wall of explosives and laser bolts, and they were driven back into the water without any further casualties to the Terrans.

  Ryan set his rifle to ‘beam,’ and used the laser to slice a tentacle from the one attacking him, while Calvin fired from the side into the octopus head. After several bolts, the starfish seemed to collapse upon itself and dropped to the ground. Calvin turned to help The Wall, who was lying unmoving on the beach with the monster on top of him. The creature had also stopped moving, apparently intent on feeding on the soldier. Calvin fired four shots into its head and watched it fall over in a puddle of purple ooze.

  Ryan looked up to find the last starfish on top of Rocket with several of its arms wrapped around him. Before he could do anything, Ryan was knocked off his feet by the dino-bear as it rushed past him. It didn’t attack Ryan, but slammed him to the side as it hurtled forward toward the remaining starfish that was now pulsing on top of Rocket. The dino-bear slid to a stop next to the starfish and raised a massive, talon-laden foot. It stomped down on the head of the starfish in an explosion of purple, killing the beast instantly. The beast reached down and grabbed the starfish in its four front claws, picking it up off the ground. Shaking it like someone removing dust from a rug, Rocket was thrown from underneath, and the dino-bear ran off to the forest, its prize clutched in its claws. The squad could hear the creature crashing through the brush, but quickly lost sight of it.

  “Medic!” Ryan yelled, but as Calvin approached the downed soldier he saw it was too late. Half of the front of him had been eaten away. He was dead.

  Several members of the squad pulled the other starfish off of The Wall to find that most of the armor on his torso had been eaten away, along with the majority of his face and chest. The squad’s medic, Leading Seaman Borsheim, leaned over to confirm his death. “Oh my God!” he cried in horror. “He’s still alive!” Father Zuhlsdorf shouldered his rifle and stepped forward. Knowing the soldier was a Catholic, he made the sign of the cross over him, softly saying a prayer.

  “Shuttle 01,” Calvin commed. “Get back here immediately! We’ve got a trooper down, and we need immediate evac!”

  “On our way,” the shuttle’s WSO, Lieutenant Gino Bianchi replied. “ETA two minutes!”

  Borsheim continued to minister to The Wall, and the shuttle returned in less than the two minutes promised. It landed with its boarding ramp already lowered, and the squad quickly loaded the soldier onto it. In less than a minute, the shuttle was back on its way to the Vella Gulf, leaving the rest of the team on the beach.

  “We’re sorry we arrived too late to help,” a new voice said as the shuttle blasted its way toward the heavens in a full power ascent that coated the platoon in sand. Turning around, Calvin saw a number of humanoid creatures looking at him from the water. They stuck out of the water from the waist up and would have looked very human, except for the gills on the sides of their throats, the second set of arms they had and their coloring, which was a light shade of blue. One motioned toward Rocket’s corpse. “There’s nothing that you could have done for him, once the tentacles wrapped around him. The creatures have spines that release an extremely strong toxin. He was dead within instants of being grabbed.” He shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he said, looking back up at Calvin. “Wait, you are not one of the islanders,” he said with a jerk as he startled backward. “Who are you?”

  “Steropes, how are we able to understand them?” Calvin asked over the implants.

  “There must have been a Psiclopes station here at some time in the past,” Steropes replied. “Hopefully, we can use this information to help us figure out where we are once we get back.”

  Calvin saw that the man was still waiting for an answer. He removed his helmet. “No, we are not from this land,” he said. “We are explorers from a land far away.”

  “We thought that you were the people that live on this island,” he said. “We have not seen them here by the water in many years. Not since the evil ones came.”

  “My name is Calvin,” Calvin said. “Who are the evil ones?”

  “My name is Dolph,” the man replied. “The evil ones are the snakes that fly. They came from the sky to bring hell to this planet.”

  “We have come from the sky also,” Calvin said, “to get rid of the flying snakes. My friend Steropes here has fought them before on other planets and is familiar with their pyramids.”

  “That is the place from which there is no return,” Dolph replied. “The islanders took some of our people there to appease their gods, and they were sacrificed on an altar. Knowing what was going to happen to the rest of our people that had been taken, we put together a war party of 100 men to go and get them back. Only one warrior returned, but he was gravely wounded. He died the next day, but only after telling us of the terrors that lie in wait in the pyramid.” He looked at the less than 20 men and women that were spread out around the beach. “Unless you are far more powerful than you look, the only thing waiting for you in their temple is death.”

  “Well, if that is what awaits us, then we will go to it willingly,” said Calvin; “however, I think you will find that we are a lot more powerful than we seem. We are also familiar with the inside of the pyramid, which will help.” He paused. “If you have any additional information, we would be happy to listen.”

  Dolph looked at the rest of his party, seeming to commune with them. After 15 seconds, he turned back to Calvin. “We need to take you to our king,” he said. “Will those suits function underwater?”

  Calvin nodded. “The suits won’t go through the water very quickly,” he said, “but they will function there.”

  “Good,” Dolph said, turning around and wading further out into the water. “Follow me.”

  The Terrans began to follow Dolph’s group back into the water. Calvin didn’t like following the strangers, but what choice did they have? As Bob made it to where the waves were breaking, one caught him in the shins, and he sprawled forward into the water. As he regained his balance and stood back up, he commed, “Lieutenant Commander Hobbs, you may want to know that the
people we’re following are not people.”

  “I realize that they’re not humans,” replied Calvin, “even though they look similar to us.”

  “Not that similar,” said Bob. “They don’t have legs.”

  * * * * *

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Audience Chamber, Starfish Palace, Keppler-22 ‘b’, August 12, 2020

  The trip had gone quickly and relatively smoothly after the Terrans got over the sight of the mermen. Once the Terrans had submerged, they could see that Bob was right; in place of legs and feet, the Aquants (as they called themselves) had the tail of a fish below their waists, complete with scales. It quickly became apparent that the Terrans wouldn’t be able to travel underwater as quickly as the Aquants could; they were just not anatomically built for it. Only Bob and Doug, using both their suits’ propulsion systems and their tails, were able to come anywhere close. Not only did the Terrans’ thrusters propel them much more slowly than the Aquants could swim, unless the city was fairly close, they were going to burn out their batteries before they got there. While the suits could function underwater, they weren’t meant for long stays there. Calvin was just happy that he had the squad along with him that had the most in-suit training.

  Dolph returned to Calvin and said, “No offense, but this is going to take far longer than is prudent. Although you killed the hexazants that made their homes here, others will come. We are summoning some extra transport for you.” They continued for a couple of minutes more and then were suddenly surrounded by fish that looked uncomfortably like sharks. Really big sharks. The fish that approached them were over 30 feet in length and could easily have swallowed anyone of the troopers whole. The soldiers drew their weapons at the sight of them, but before they could fire, Dolph said, “Do not be afraid; this is our transportation. Take hold of one of their side fins, and they will pull you along.”

  The soldiers each took hold of a fin, and they were off. Calvin’s suit showed a speed of 30 knots, which was faster than most Earth sharks could swim, and the fish he was holding onto didn’t appear to be trying very hard. He looked at Dolph, who was holding onto the same fin that he was. “These things can swim really quickly,” he said through his speakers.

  “They can go about twice this fast in bursts,” Dolph replied, “which is faster than anything else in this ocean. It is a good thing we are friendly with them, as we cannot out-swim them.”

  With the pseudo-sharks pulling them, the Terrans made it to the Aquant city in less than 15 minutes. As they descended to the floor of the ocean, the light became dimmer and dimmer, until it was replaced by the glow of the city in front of them. As they approached, Calvin could see that the there were several varieties of phosphorescent sea creatures swimming through the town, which kept everything fairly well lit. Calvin saw that the city was located at the intersection of a number of small canyons; seen from above, the pattern of lights looked like a starfish with a central mass and five ‘legs’ leading off from it. The sharks stopped above the center section, and Calvin looked down to see a large building beneath him.

  Dolph released the fin and tapped Calvin. Pointing down he said simply, “We’re here.” He headed toward the large building. “This is the palace of King Barra.”

  “We’re here,” repeated Calvin to his troops. “Follow me.” The Terrans followed the Aquants to the large building, which appeared to be made from some sort of concrete mixed with shells. Calvin had no idea how they built it under water.

  “They are ready for you,” advised Dolph, as he opened the door for the Terrans. Calvin jetted through the opening to find himself entering a large chamber from the back. The chamber extended for nearly 100 feet with a ceiling 20 feet high. A group of nearly 20 Aquants awaited them at the other end, including King Barra; the building appeared to be his audience hall. As Calvin neared the small dais, or platform, the king moved down off of it to greet them.

  “Welcome, travelers, to the Kingdom of the Aquants,” he said with a bow. “Anyone that comes to fight the flying snakes is welcome in our ocean.”

  Calvin returned the bow. “Thank you for the welcome. We are sorry to have to meet you under these conditions.”

  “I am sorry, as well,” replied the king. “We used to have good relations with the air breathers in the land above. We had a trade center located near where our people found you where we used to trade with them. We would bring our fish and other goods to get their finished metal products. Since the flying snakes came, it is too dangerous. If the snakes see us, they call us heathens and say that we must be sacrificed. I have forbidden our people to go ashore. Trade with the Nahuatls has ceased.”

  The king looked at Dolph. “Speaking of which, you have come very close to violating my order,” he said sternly. He softened a little and continued, “Still, it seems to have worked out for the best, so I guess I cannot be too angry with you.”

  The king refocused on Calvin. “What can we do to be of assistance to you in your mission to rid the island of the evil ones?” he asked.

  Before Calvin could answer, Steropes asked, “What name did you just call the air breathers?”

  The king looked puzzled. “I called them the Nahuatl,” he repeated. “Why do you ask? They didn’t always call themselves that; it is only since the snakes arrived that we began hearing that name used for them.”

  Steropes nodded. “I feared as much,” he said. “I am glad I came.”

  “Why is that?” asked Calvin. “What are Nahuatl?”

  “Nahuatl is actually a language that is still spoken on Earth by about 1.5 million people in central Mexico. It was the language of the Mayans and the Aztecs, taught to them by the coatls.”

  “So, you’re saying that these people were brought here by the coatls?” asked Calvin.

  “I believe that to be the case, yes,” said Steropes. “When they fled Earth, we know they took some of the local people with them. We always wondered where they went, but couldn’t track them down. That would also explain why we are able to understand the language here.”

  Calvin looked thoughtful. “If the coatls are already killing the Aquants, they will probably call us heathens and have the Nahuatl attack us as well.” He looked at the king. “From what you said, they were not evil before the snakes came, so I would rather not kill the humanoids if I did not have to. Is there another way to approach the pyramid without being seen?”

  “Yes, there is,” said Dolph, breaking in before the king could speak. “I was not allowed to join in the attack on the pyramid, but I followed them up to it. It is possible to travel up the river to the pyramid and then enter it through one of their refuse tunnels. Assuming you can handle the smell, that is.”

  “Apparently you make a habit of obeying the letter of commands, but not the intent,” said the king. “You were not supposed to accompany the men to the pyramid.”

  “I did as I was told,” replied Dolph. “You said that I wasn’t to go into the temple with them; you didn’t say that I couldn’t go to the temple.”

  “Since he has already been there and returned unharmed,” said Calvin as the king glared at Dolph, “could we impose on you to have him lead us back to it? It would be helpful if we could get close to the pyramid before they knew we were coming.”

  The king sighed. “He is now of an age that he must begin making decisions on his own,” the king replied, “or he will never grow into being the leader that the kingdom needs. Hopefully, they will be better decisions than he has made previously. Prince Dolph will bring five men and lead you to the pyramid when you are ready.”

  “It would also be handy if you could arrange for those fish that carried us here to carry us back, too,” added Calvin. “That way our suits will be able to last long enough.”

  “They can get you to the mouth of the river, but you will be on your own from there,” replied the king. “They are too big to go any further without being seen. If they try to take you upriver the air breathers will try to harpoon them.”
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br />   “That would be helpful,” said Calvin. “Thank you very much for your assistance.”

  “Good luck in your quest,” wished the king. “I hope that you will be successful, as we greatly need the things from above that we used to trade for.”

  “We may be able to help with that,” Calvin answered. “I will have our ambassador come to talk with you when she is able. We may be able to provide some of the things you need in trade.”

  “Thank you, again,” said the king. “Happy hunting. Kill them all!”

  “That’s the plan,” replied Calvin, who turned and left.

  Dolph and another two men swam ahead of them and opened the door; several other men followed them. “Prince, eh?” asked Calvin as he jetted through the door.

  The prince shrugged. “It is a chain that binds me and keeps me from doing the things I like,” replied Dolph. After everyone had left the building, he paused and appeared to look around. He looked in one direction intently for several seconds and then said, “They are coming.”

  “Who is coming?” asked Calvin.

  “Our transportation,” replied the prince. “I just called them. Couldn’t you hear the call?”

  “No, I couldn’t,” Calvin said. “Can you talk with all of the sea creatures mentally?”

  “Not all of them,” Dolph answered. “The smarter the creature, the better the link. The ones that brought us here are the smartest ones in the ocean; we can communicate with them well. We can communicate with other types of fish to varying degrees. Some of us can do it better than others. The royal line is the strongest. I can control five of the ones you call pseudo-sharks. The others here can only control three at most.”