Planet DAN-X34

by Lamees Alhassar

  Richard was alarmed. “What the hell is going on, Professor?”

  “I am not too sure, Mr. Daniels. But I think that the trees and rocks seemed to have caged us inside a cocoon or cage of some sort. If you ask me, I think it is a sort of quarantine or exclusion mechanism that this planet is adopting.”

  “Quarantine? Exclusion? But we are guests here, Professor. Surely the inhabitants should know that,” Richard said.

  Andrews peered outside the shuttle. “They should, Mr. Daniels. And it is most likely that they do. These trees and rocks have effectively stopped our further advance and movement. For now, we are effectively their prisoners and cannot move. Or are you getting any response from our engines, Katrina?”

  Katrina shook her head. “Negative, Professor. We are no longer moving. We are stationary.”

  “And the strange part is that the tablet is not giving off any signals of any danger or threats,” Michael said.

  “It isn’t? But surely that should be an odd response from it,” Richard said.

  “No, Mr. Daniels. I don’t think it is a wrong response. It is almost as if it knows that this is a somewhat normal response from this planet to firsttimers like us.”

  “I agree with the professor, Mr. Daniels. For a device that is so advanced and responsive like the tablet, its silence and docility is almost as if it was anticipating the action of the trees and the rocks. See? The tablet is still functional, but it is not giving off any distress response,” Katrina said.

  “I am almost tempted to wonder what this planet is all about,” Andrews said. “What was its name again?”

  “It is called Vernia,” Katrina said. “The tablet indicated that it was the first of the four planets.”

  “Well, we are now on Vernia. And we already know that the planet is not suitable for habitation. And it is also not too hospitable towards first-time strangers like us. Let us save our curiosity and concentrate on the mission at hand,” Richard said. “We need to get in touch with whoever is in charge.”

  “Or maybe they are already eager to get in touch with us,” Katrina said, while pointing ahead.

  They all looked up and saw what appeared to be two helicopters approaching them from a distance. The helicopters were big in size and each had dual rotors that were spinning independently.

  The helicopters soon arrived and landed. Once their doors opened, some aliens came down from them. They numbered about seven. They were carrying what appeared to be arms, which they pointed at the crew of the shuttle.

  They looked exactly like human beings in size and stature. They were carrying guns and were dressed in very bright and colorful apparel, similar to that worn by ancient warriors. They looked more like historic armed warriors on Earth rather than warriors of an alien race. The major difference was the color of their skin, which was gray. Their hair was purple and their eyes had purple pupils. Richard also assumed that since they were not wearing any form of helmets or oxygen tanks, that their systems must be adapted to the poisonous atmosphere all around them.

  “Welcome to Planet Vernia,” one of them said. “My name is Biantook. Did you come in peace? Where are you from and who is your leader?”

  Richard stepped forward. “My name is Richard, and we have come in peace from the planet Earth.”

  Biantook’s pupils glittered. “You came from Planet Earth? Then you are very welcome to planet Vernia.”

  “Thank you, Biantook,” Richard replied. “We need your help; that is, if you can be of assistance to us.”

  Biantook lowered his gun and signaled his comrades to do the same. “Very well then. Since you come in peace, then you are definitely friends of Vernia. You will come with us to our paramount ruler.”

  As Biantook said this, the trees and rocks began to release themselves from the hold that they had on each other. In the process, a path was now cleared and created for all of them to pass through.

  Some of the crew members boarded the Vernian helicopters while Katrina piloted the shuttle. They were soon flying over a lot of landscape and buildings until they got to what looked like a massive castle on a mountain.

  After they all alighted, they were ushered into the castle. Inside, they walked to the throne, on which sat a Vernian with a crown on his head. He was surrounded by several subjects and guards. They all looked at each other when they saw Richard and his crew being led into the chamber by Biantook and his guards.

  “Your Majesty,” Biantook said, going down on one knee and bowing his head.

  “Yes, Biantook. Who are these that you have brought with you?”

  “Your Majesty, they are from Planet Earth. They say that they come in peace and they need our help,” Biantook said.

  The king’s eyes lit up. “You came all the way from Planet Earth to seek our help?”

  Richard nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty. We are from Earth, and we seriously need your assistance.”

  “Then come and sit down. Let us discuss together,” the king said.

  The crew members were then allowed to come closer to the king. Richard and his crew sat down on chairs that were close to the king’s throne and introduced themselves.

  “If you came to Vernia for help, then I presume it is a matter of urgent and tactical importance to you,” the king said.

  “Yes, it actually is of grave importance to us,” Richard agreed.

  “Then you are in the right place,” the king continued. “I can assure you that as a race, we are very capable of fighting and eradicating any sort of threats that your planet might be undergoing at the moment.”

  “That is nice to hear,” Richard said. “What are your specific capabilities and strengths? How would you handle external threats to a planet?”

  “That is not a problem. What I need to do is call for a quick demonstration for you to see,” the king said. The king turned to Biantook. “Biantook, ask a regiment of our fighters to assemble in the palace immediately.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Biantook replied, and left the palace hurriedly.

  “Perhaps he should have just placed a call, don’t you think?” Andrews whispered to Richard.

  “Maybe they are not yet so advanced in communication devices and technology,” Richard whispered back.

  “That is not possible,” Andrews replied.

  “You can’t be too sure, Professor,” Richard said.

  Just then, Biantook returned in the company of a hundred men and women.

  The king stood up after they had arrived. “My dear soldiers of Vernia, I welcome you to my presence today. With us are friends and potential clients who have come all the way from Planet Earth. They would like to see you demonstrate the Vernians’ power and abilities.”

  The hundred men and women bowed their heads.

  The king turned to Biantook. “Biantook, you and your patrolmen should arm yourselves and pretend to attack these soldiers.”

  Biantook brought out his gun and signaled his own men to do the same thing. They then approached the one hundred soldiers whose heads were still bowed.

  At that moment, the one hundred soldiers began to dance to a beautiful musical beat.

  Richard and his other crew members watched with avid interest as the soldiers continued to dance while Biantook and his soldiers approached from afar. And then the soldiers began to look up and raise their arms, pointing their hands towards the dark, star-filled skies.

  As they did this, bolts of light appeared from their foreheads and hit the guns in the hands of Biantook and his soldiers. Their guns immediately vaporized and vanished into thin air. Once this happened, the one hundred soldiers stopped dancing and stood in one straight line.

  Richard could not believe what he had just seen. Neither could any of his crew members who were looking around at each other excitedly.

  “That is awesome!” Richard said. “How did they do that?”

  The king smiled. “We Vernians are well-known all over the universe for our unique abilities in harnessing and generating frequencies
through spiritual rituals and moves like the one you just observed. By so doing, we are able to use those highly concentrated energies to destroy any form of weapons and equipment.” “Through dancing?” Richard asked.

  “Well, we choose to call them spiritual rituals, Richard. Spiritual rituals,” the king noted. “And they are very powerful and can destroy any weapons or equipment, no matter its size or sophistication. Even though it is a gift peculiar to all Vernians, we have a special elite force that is trained to become specialists and experts in the use of this gift. At any single moment, we can easily deploy as many as are required by any client. Presently, we have up to two thousands of them on standby.”

  “Wonderful! I think this is all that I am looking for,” Richard said.

  “So, what kind of threat is it that you are facing on Earth?” the king asked.

  “No, it is not on Earth,” Richard corrected.

  “I thought as much,” the king said. “So where is the threat?”

  “It is on my own planet, not too far from here,” Richard said.

  “Okay. The threat is on your planet. What is wrong with your planet?” the king asked.

  “It was overrun and annexed by marauders, wicked invaders,” Richard said.

  “Invaders?” the king repeated. “What invaders?”

  “They are giants, the Tarvians,” Richard said.

  “Excuse me, Richard. Did you say giants? I mean, Tarvians?” the king asked.

  Richard nodded. “Yes. Do you know about them?”

  The king’s gray face and purple eyes appeared to fade darker. “Know them? Who does not know them in this galaxy?”

  “Then that makes it easier,” Richard said. “How are you going to deal with them?”

  The king shook his head slowly. “I am sorry, Richard. But we are not going to deal with them.”

  “You are not going to deal with them?” Richard repeated. “Then what are you going to do?”

  “Nothing,” the king replied flatly.

  Richard stood up in alarm. “Nothing? But there must be something you can do to help me out. I really need your assistance!”

  In response, the king only shook his head in refusal.

  “Please, why won’t you help me?” Richard asked.

  “Because we cannot do anything, Richard. I am afraid that we as Vernians are powerless against the Tarvians,” the king said.

  Richard’s shoulders fell. He shook his head and sat down heavily. “How come? I just saw what you guys are capable of doing. Why can’t you help me against those giants?”

  “Richard, our powers are only effective against an enemy’s mechanical and physical devices, like weapons, equipment, and electronic devices, not against living beings with living tissue, like human beings or giant beings like the Tarvians.”

  “But you can destroy weapons and devices! What is there in destroying giants like the Tarvians? Is it not possible to direct your energies to them and get them vaporized?” Richard asked.

  “It is not as simple as you think it is, Richard. Our powers do not work on anything with living tissue. I am sorry, but we really cannot help you,” the king said with finality.

  Richard stood up. “This is really a setback for me. Well, I have to be on my way then, Your Majesty. Thank you for your time.”

  “It is all right, Richard. I am sure you will find some other race that can be of assistance to you. Maybe sometime in the future we will be able to assist you somehow,” the king said.

  “Yeah, maybe sometime in the future,” Richard replied.

  They all returned to their shuttle.

  *** “That was such a waste of potential,” Richard said. “Just relax, Mr. Daniels,” Andrews said. “I am sure that if they could do something against the giants, they would have.”

  “I mean, do you know what it takes to vaporize weapons and gadgets? Do you? And yet they find it difficult to do the same to living tissues. It’s just so absurd,” Richard said.

  “Maybe that was why you were given sufficient referrals by the alien businessmen,” Andrews said. “They must have suspected that not all of these alien races might be up to the task at hand.”

  “Maybe you are right, Professor. Where are we going now?” Richard asked.

  “Sir, the next planet on the tablet’s list is Ishbant,” Katrina said.

  “Okay. We can depart once you are ready,” Richard said as he sat back into his chair.

  The professor patted his shoulder. “Cheer up, Mr. Daniels. I am sure we will be successful soon.”

  Richard nodded. “I hope so.”

  The shuttle began to taxi on the Vernian ground. Soon it was airborne and flying high into the sky.

  *** “Ishbant reminds me of a desert,” Richard said as the shuttle glided over vast stretches of empty land.

  “The whole area is completely empty,” Andrews noted as he looked outside the moving shuttle.

  “Our surveillance systems and monitors are confirming it also, sir,” Michael added. “There does not seem to be any sign of life. No plants, no trees, and no vegetation whatsoever.”

  “Even the rocks are not there either,” Andrews said. “Katrina, are you sure that we are at the right place?”

  Katrina nodded from where she was seated in front at the pilot’s seat. “Yes, Professor. The tablet is still relaying the same message that it has been relaying since we arrived a couple of minutes ago.”

  “What message is that?” Richard asked, sitting up to look at the dashboard in front of him.

  The tablet was beeping.

  …arrival on Ishbant successful…

  …searching for debarkation point…

  “Searching for debarkation point?” Richard repeated. “What sort of planet is this? Are there any beings on it? How do they survive without vegetation? This is really weird.”

  At that moment, the tablet began to beep.

  …establishing communication with Ishbant aviation authorities…

  …request to Ishbant aviation authorities to accept shuttle from Earth…

  …request accepted by Ishbant aviation authorities…

  …escort team dispatched by Ishbant aviation authorities…

  …escort team on rendezvous to shuttle’s present flight location…

  “Escort team?” Richard repeated. “But there does not seem to be anyone following us.”

  “Maybe they were launched from a farther distance from where we presently are,” Michael said. “Which would mean that they are still very much on their way to this place.”

  “They must have to fly very fast to catch up with our shuttle,” Andrews said. “Or are we travelling so fast, Katrina?”

  “Not really, sir. You know this tablet is still automatically piloting us. By the time it was relaying the last messages, it had automatically reduced the shuttle’s speed to cruising. This will enable anyone who is trying to track us to easily locate us, even by visual means.”

  “This is a whole new level to space travel,” Michael said.

  Just then, the monitors of the shuttle began to beep.

  “Our shuttle has detected two approaching spaceships on its surveillance and radar systems,” Katrina said. “They are moving towards us very fast.”

  “But I cannot get a visual on anything out there,” Michael said, scanning the environment outside.

  Richard looked around, along with Andrews.

  “There is nothing there,” Michael said. “I am sure of this.”

  Katrina shook her head. “They are already in close proximity to our shuttle. Can’t you see it on the monitors? They are flying alongside us at the same altitude and speed, one on each side of the shuttle.”

  “But where are they?” Andrews asked.

  The tablet then beeped again.

  …incoming message from Ishbant escort team…

  …translation and relay through shuttle’s communication system in progress…

  “Occupants and crew of Earth ship, this is an aerial escort t
eam from Planet Ishbant,” said the clear message on the speakers. “We ask you to identify yourselves and state what your mission on this planet is.”

  Richard sat up. “We are from Earth. We come in peace. We need your help,” he said.

  There was a brief pause, during which the tablet was beeping and displaying a message.

  …translating response to Ishbant escort team in process…

  …translating response to Ishbant escort team successful…

  …relaying translated response to Ishbant escort team…

  …translated response relayed to Ishbant escort team successfully…

  “Translations?” Andrews said as he looked at the tablet on the dashboard. “It seems like we are going to have communication issues on this planet.”

  “I am sure they will be able to work around it somehow,” Richard said. “I mean, for the aliens to have shortlisted them means that they are mercenaries of repute. And that means that they get a lot of patronage. So they must have worked out how to communicate with their clients, otherwise they would have been out of business long ago.”

  The tablet beeped again as another message came through.

  …incoming message from Ishbant escort team…

  …translation of incoming message from Ishbant escort team in progress…

  …translation of incoming message from Ishbant escort team successful…

  …relay of Ishbant escort team through shuttle’s communication systems in progress…

  “Occupants and crew of Earth ship, we welcome you to Planet Ishbant. We are going to escort you to our supreme commander where you can discuss at length the extent of assistance that you require from us. Kindly synchronize your ship’s speed and altitude to ours and follow our lead. Thank you, and welcome to Planet Ishbant,” the announcer said.

  “Did you get that last part, Katrina?” Andrews asked.

  Katrina nodded. “Yes, Professor. That is, if you mean whether the tablet got the message. And I think it did. It is already synching our shuttle’s vitals with theirs.”

  The tablet was beeping at that moment.

  …sync of shuttle’s speed and altitude with Ishbant escort team in progress…

  …sync of shuttle with Ishbant escort team successful…