Who are these crazy people?
They must be capitalists.
Mushroom Suburb - Peligia
~~*~~
"Будет им?" one of the sergeants asked, keeping his eyes peeled as he looked at the barrier of light that rested before them. Interlocking rings of blue light that glowed suspended in a field of gold. Glowing patterns snaked down the barrier that sealed off the road ahead of them.
A recon patrol had reported that it seemed to encircle a large section of the city, and with the crumbling ground and broken bridges. It effectively cut them off from the Black Tower, short of heading south into the midst of Taine's patrols, there was no way for them to reach the skyscraper.
Wojciech stood before the massive barrier, looking over at the mushroom trees, some of which had been hollowed out into houses, complete with furniture a little oversized, but comfortable. And given the density of the roots, difficult to access.
"Установите вверх лагерь здесь," he ordered, sending the men scurrying to establish defensive positions. He wanted to establish a camp, give himself some time to think about a way around the barrier. He needed to reach the FTL transmitter, but with no way around he wasn't certain how to proceed.
He took off his crushed cap, mopping his brow as he leaned on a twisted root that had risen against the barrier, twisting and knotting with others around him. Their situation on the island was tenuous at best, and without a plan his men would grow restless. Food was an issue, as was fresh water, and so far there was only one source for both.
Looking down and across the main plaza he stared towards the tree-line, towards the pair of Mechs that marked the Imperial camp. Perhaps he could arrange a trade with Taine, but there was no reason for the Imperials to co-operate with them. They had nothing of value, nothing that would interest the Imperials, and that left only one other option.
"Я план Майор, для рейда поставкы." He pointed to the camp, "мы могли принудиться к 'спрашиваем, что' наши соседи делят их еду и воду."
The Major smiled as he slapped the top of his Maser rifle, the weapon cycling up to charge as he walked away bellowing orders for his officers to fall in. Satisfied that the Commander was willing to do what it took to ensure their survival.
Wojciech climbed over the roots to the door of one of the mushroom buildings, pushing his way into the abandoned structure, setting his rifle down on a table as he found and righted a chair. Sitting down and resting his head in his hands, rubbing his face.
"будут мной делая?" he asked to no one in particular.
Kule Mine - Peligia
~~*~~
"Come in HQ," Darien called into the TAC, frustrated by its refusal to co-operate with him.
He stayed low, Casey covering him with the Pulse Rifle, watching the tunnel behind them for any sign of the Gorean. Though without a heavy weapons squad, and maybe a couple of the Mechs, there wasn't much they could do against a Gorean.
"A Gorean, here?" Murphy repeated for the fiftieth time, crouched low behind a rock outcropping. "The whole point of getting on the Excalibur was so I didn't wind up on a dinner plate."
"We're not going to die," Darien reassured, sighting along the shard weapons length. "We've fought Gorean before…"
"In a starship," Murphy said, his voice strained. "And in case you missed it, we're fresh out of those!"
Darien calmly looked at the archaeologist and shook his head as he stood. "Stay here," he commanded to the pair of Doctors.
"Sir?" Casey asked nervously.
"You heard me," Darien said as he unhooked the TAC-link from his ear and popped it away into a pocket. "If I don't come back, you're going to have to risk the ledge." He looked down at the Fida'i still restraining the prisoner. "Keep them safe…"
"Aga'Khan," she stated reverently, "your safety is my…"
"You can't reach me to protect me, and Private Cole is too important to just release." Darien smiled, "I'm going to have to do this alone. Have a little faith in me, I'll be all right."
He, of course, didn't feel so self-assured. But he wasn't about to share that fact with his men. He set out, climbing the tunnel path that had brought him down to the ledge. Keeping to the shadows, knowing that it wouldn't do him much good against the Gorean's formidable senses.
Much like snakes, a full grown Gorean could sense him through thermo-graphic taste. Precisely knowing his location based off of its stereo-graphic forked tongue. An adaptation similar to one possessed by terrestrial snakes.
Then of course was their size, scaled armour plating and sheer resilience to almost everything… he was screwed and he knew it.
There was, however, one factor that stayed his fear. The fact that he knew he was dying anyway. It stayed the cold fear that coiled in his mind, keeping him calm and fearless. An ironic benefit of knowing he was dying was that he wasn't afraid of death, not in a universe where death was non-permanent; its power was broken over him.
Swinging about, as his TER-SEC training had taught him, he stepped out into the main chamber of the mine, looking towards the opening. Licking his lips as he checked for any sign of the creature, reaching carefully for his TAC-link in its shoulder pocket.
"Doctor Casey, it's clear up…" The titanic roar ripped from the side tunnels, frustration mingled with pain, the sound of metal clanking against metal, and the sound of claws scrabbling against stone.
Darien's shard weapon rose again as he shuffled his way forward, biting on his bottom lip as he came around slowly. He looked down the tunnel, towards another cavern. At the bottom he could see, bathed in the blue light of the crystal veins, a grey scaled forearm desperately scraping at the tunnel.
"Warlord?" Casey asked through the TAC.
The Gorean at the bottom of the tunnel went nuts, screaming again as it fought against whatever restrained it, a second claw coming into sight as it pulled at the tunnel, tearing great gouges in the stone.
"The Gorean is restrained, for now," Darien said calmly. "It seems to be chained up. You're clear to get out of the tunnels…"
He checked the second tunnel, noting that it ran upwards on a steep slope, moving up it tentatively, peering out as he reached an upper ledge in the Gorean's chamber. He edged around, to get a look down at the creature, staring at the heavy chains that linked to the walls. Each connected to a large, alien collar, its etchings glowing with inlaid Peligian crystal.
The Gorean didn't appear fully grown; unlike the ones he had observed on Karin, it appeared stunted. A furred ruff around its neck, broad, pointed ears and a short muzzle jutting out from a pale, slate grey, scaled hide.
"Demi-Wyrm," Taine concluded, breathing lightly as the Gorean titled its head upwards, scrambling into a roll as it tried to see him. Pulling on its chains desperate to reach him. Jumping once and thrashing its barbed tail. It had no wings, and a set of hind legs, but there was no doubting its ancestry.
Taine looked at the Gorean's face, the blood smeared lips and fangs, the torn uniforms on the ground. The creature had fed recently, and the tattered Dragoon coat caught under one of its clawed feet, Darien knew what had happened to his missing Recon Marines.
"Oh my god," Murphy exclaimed joining Darien on the ledge.
His appearance startled Darien, and caused him to spin, uttering a curse as he pressed a hand against the wall to steady himself. "Don't do that, doctor."
Murphy blinked in surprise, "I'm sorry… Casey is helping our Fida'i with her prisoner, so I came to make sure you weren't eaten… gods is that…" he pointed to the dragoon coat.
Darien turned back, "seems to be." He concluded.
"Cerberus," Murphy folded his arms as he shivered. "Guardian of the underworld… maybe the Kule left it here."
"If they did, then why?" Darien mused. "And how the hell did they capture it in the first place… and keep it alive for so long?"
"And Stormbreaker is filled with questions," the Wyrm strained against its chains, rising onto is hind legs as it strove to reach up to the two Imperials looking down upon it. "Too bad, for all he has learned, he is still too ignorant to ask."
Darien stepped closer to the edge, keeping a tight grip on his shard weapon as he stared down at the alien creature. "What are you doing here?"
"I am a prisoner, and hunger makes me the perfect guardian," the creature's stubby tail swished too and fro. "Why don't you come down here for a little demonstration?"
"I'll pass on the dinner invitation," Darien responded dryly. "Guardian for what?"
"The dead of course," the Gorean's mouth twisted into a horrific smile, filled with razor sharp teeth. "They all end up here, all the dead of this place, and I am charged with protecting their graves."
Darien looked towards the gilded passageway that lay beyond the Gorean, his eyes noting the engravings in Kule upon the Peligian crystal. "The graves of the dead…"
"Seems I was right in my Cerberus analogy," Murphy stated. "What races are down there?"
"Curiosity can be deadly," The Gorean warned. "If you would like you can go see for yourself, I won't bite… I promise," His teeth flashed chillingly.
"I'm suddenly reminded of the Big Bad Wolf from fairy tails," Darien said quietly. "My what big teeth you have…"
"All the better to eat me with," Murphy finished with a gulp. "How about we don't play: 'trust the hungry dragon thing who promises not to eat me?' I don't think my health insurance covers acts of dinner…"
"How are you still alive?" Darien inquired turning his attention back on the Gorean, calling down from the upper level.
The Gorean sat back on his haunches and stared upwards, "what's the matter? Don't trust what your eyes see? That's good, it will keep you alive here, Stormbreaker…"
"Why do you keep calling me that?" Darien asked, his brow deepening into a frown.
"You were prophesised about," The Gorean chuckled. "All this way and you don't even know why you're here… Stormbreaker, you have come to destroy this place… and you will slay everyone here…"
"I don't believe in fate," Darien stated coldly.
The Gorean laughed, "The Peligians were Masters of Time, this has nothing to do with some long forgotten mysticism, you are here as part of a carefully plotted time stream… as I am, as is this conversation… the problem is that science always has a margin of error. The Pax knew that risk…"
"VonGrippen," Darien said quietly.
"You have your name for him, I have mine," The Gorean flexed one of his clawed hands, extending his talons one at a time. "He buried his dead here, as you will Stormbreaker… And there will be a lot of blood soaking the soil."
The Gorean tilted his head back, looking up at the gnarled roots that sank through the roof of the cavern, where Peligian crystals floated like fireflies in the shadows.
Darien flinched as a drop of reddish water fell like a droplet of rain, splashing on his face… gasping at the rush of awareness roared in upon him. Like suddenly awakening to the world around him, seeing how it was all connected for a flashed second.
His fingers rubbed down the trio of scars on his cheek from where he had battled Pacheyus-Ra on Ordessus, his head swimming as more droplets of brackish water began to rain down from the roots above.
Murphy cursed as he pulled his Dragoon coat up and over his head, reaching out to drag the Warlord back from the cavern, as the Gorean roared in laughter, his mouth open to drink of the plentiful bounty that flowed down upon him in a deluge.
Darien sank against the cavern wall, panting as he fought to shake off the cascading images, of the sudden feeling of how small he was in a universe. "What the hell was that?" he asked trying his best not to throw up.
"Some kind of toxic substance," Murphy answered slipping out of his coat, careful not to get any of the liquid on him. "It's poisonous… and highly addictive. How much did you get on you?"
Darien nodded, "A drop."
"You should be all right," Murphy stated pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the excess off of their clothing. "Though much more and you'd be gone… There are references to a red poison called Bloodroot throughout Peligian history, and they revel in it. Though I wouldn't fancy going on a Peligian drug binge. The texts hint at nasty side effects… too much and you literally burn yourself from the inside out…"
Mushroom Suburb - Peligia
~~*~~
Wojciech looked up from his table as the Major entered the room, the older Spetsnaz veteran resting his arms on the butt of his Maser Rifle, his eyes dark and hard as he watched for a moment, weighing up his superior officer before electing to speak.
"мы имеем компанию, один человека причаливая через центральный город," he nodded behind him. "мы ждем ваши заказы, командира."
Wojciech stood, leaving his fatigue jacket and rolling up the saffron yellow sleeves of his uniform shirt as he followed the Major out of the house and onto the upper part of the roots.
There was a man approaching, walking steadily through the central plaza, holding onto a staff and walking with a determined purpose directly for them. A look towards his snipers, confirmed that they were ready and willing to take the shot.
Wojciech chewed his lip cautiously, taking in the deep blue robes that were worn and muddied around the hem, sweeping up to the shadowed face, hidden by a broad Taïrian-styled hat. The beads clicking and tinkling loudly with each of the man's strides that brought him closer.
"Подготавливайте," Wojciech ordered his men, who rushed to their positions, locking their masers and preparing for an attack.
"Вы думаете о ем?" The Major asked, tilting his head and nodding to the oncoming stranger. "Он не появляется Polian."
"Не Polian," Wojciech agreed, shaking his head. "Возможно Имперско?"
"Странная вещь, котор нужно нести для имперского," the Major answered lifting his own rifle and activating the Laser sight, centring it directly on the stranger's chest. "Возможно он будет священником приходит выкупить наши согрешения?"
"I am no priest," the stranger called in answer. "And there is no redeeming your sins, Major Tatrakov." His fingers brushed at the front of his robe, flicking at the red dot that hovered there, suddenly joined by a dozen others as the rest of Wojciech's men sighted in on him.
"Who are you?" Wojciech demanded.
"I am a guide," the old man answered. "A fellow son of Geldan, and your ancestor, Commander Hugo Wojciech. It seems that fate deals some ironic cards in this, the final trick."
"You'll forgive the fact that I won't take your word for it," he glanced at the Major. "Примите ему пленника."
The old man smiled, "You would waste your time Major, I cannot be held by any prison or manacles of human devising."
The Major held back, looking uncertainly towards Wojciech.
"What do you want?" Wojciech demanded.
"There is a temple," the old man said, pointing 'west' across the plaza. "It contains another ancient being left here to answer questions. You won't need guns, or chains to question him, either. Just remember to be polite, like your mother taught you to be."
"You came to point me at a temple?" Wojciech asked.
"I came to point you towards answers," The man replied. "Now you should know, the Island hates the man who brought you here. Be wary, Darien Taine is probably your only friend here, Commander."
"могу я снимаю старческого старого человека?" The Major asked flexing his hands as he settled his chin against the rifle stock.
"You would waste your ammunition," the old man replied as he began to fade from sight, his voice trailing off into nothing.
"Блядь! Я ненавижу это место!" the Major swore as he lifted his rifle and stalked off.
Wojciech sucked on his teeth as he looked up and across the plaza towards the crystalline temple the old man had pointed out.
Answers.
Kule Mine - Peligia
~~*~~
"He's burning up," Casey reported as Darien emerged from the mine cavern, looking at the young Marine, Cole, who was writhing against his restraints his eyes wild.
"We need Doctor Kyr," Darien muttered as he leaned down to press his hand against the youths head. "Blood root poisoning?" he asked looking at Murphy.
"I'm not that kind of doctor," Murphy shrugged, "you're asking me to make a diagnosis based off of texts hundreds, if not thousands of years old… I have no idea…"
"Logical deductions Doctor," Darien said shifting the boy up so that he was more comfortable. "In your opinion as a professional, is this bloodroot poisoning?"
"Probably," Murphy said helplessly. "But I have no idea what to do about it… he must have had a massive dose to be this far gone."
"Water," Darien extended his hand to the Fida'i, who tossed him a canteen; he uncorked it as the private's skin began to sizzle. The boy thrashed about under his grip and he flinched back as the private became too hot to touch.
"Private Cole!" Darien shouted.
The Private screamed a long pained howl as his body charred, incinerating in moments, turning to ash and crumbling away seconds later. As they watched helplessly, a could of smoke rose from the body, a bright light flashing in its eyes as it rushed upwards and disappeared into the sky.
"What the hell was that?" Darien demanded.
"I don't know," Murphy said shaking his head, looking in horror at the ashes of the former marine. "It looked like a ghost…"
"There's no such thing as ghosts," Darien responded, turning his head to look at the Doctor, staring past him at the words etched around the door. A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
HMS Excalibur - Peligia
~~*~~
ERROR……………ERROR………..ERROR
DAMAGE CRITICAL…. INSUFFICIENT CAPACITY TO STORE CORE PROGRAMMING. COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK NEEDED.
MAIN COMMUNICATIONS ARRAY DESTROYED………………. SEARCHING……
ACCESSING EX-02 TAC-LINK SYSTEM…………………… ESTABLISHING A LINK TO GROUND BASED COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK……………… SEARCHING…………
FTL RELAY SYSTEM DETECTED……………….
WARNING SECURED IMPERIAL BLACK TOWER SYSTEM…………
LAUNCHING BRUTE FORCE CRACKING PROGRAM
ACESSING REMOTE UPLINK………………………LINK ESTABISHED
ERROR……………
INSUFICIENT POWER TO ESTABLISH HYPERSPACE RELAY
OVERRIDING BLACK-TOWER SECURITY PROTOCOLS………………
POWER DISTRIBUTION NETWORK……………….
ROUTING BATTERY POWER TO RELAY SYSTEM.
UPOADING SEED PROGRAM……………… DISPATCHING
Blacktower - Peligia
~~*~~
Everyone on Peligia witnessed the relay launch as it blew away from its secure mountings atop the listing shattered skyscraper. It roared upwards and away before it flashed into hyperspace and was gone.