by Max Jager
She wasn't though. It was like none of this even dared to enter her head.
The mission came first. Alerius was trained to ignore his feelings and it was taking all of his training to do the right thing here. Alerius was so alone in the universe and this female Leyline had extended a loving invitation to him. An invitation of warmth and sincerity.
The mission! He had to accomplish the mission! Time was almost up! He tore his arms and hands away from Aurela and said, "We have to go! NOW!" He shouted right in her face.
She looked down at the ground hurt and said, "Okay." Like a disappointed kid who had been scolded.
He grabbed her hand harshly and dragged her out of the cave. They followed the lit mushrooms right back out to the swamp. As she left, the mushrooms behind her dimmed and glowed no longer. It was like her presence kept them illuminated and without her they would no longer shine.
When they were out in the open, Alerius pulled out the signal devise given to him by Admiral McCleaf. He pushed the little red button on top of it and the red button began to blink. He looked up in the sky and was filled with relief. Now, all he had to do was wait for the pickup ship and this mission would be over with. Little did he know that this mission would never be over with!
The Osiris: Going Down with the Ship
The Osiris was stewing with life as a loud alarm sounded all over the ship. Admiral McCleaf was in his room asleep when the alarm sounded. He rushed to the main deck still trying to get his uniform buttoned on with his medals on it.
He busted into the control room and a small man was sitting at the big hologram display with a concentrated look etched on his face. The Admiral walked over to him and put his hand on his shoulder. "What is it?"
The guy turned in his chair and answered, "Well, I've got good news and I've got bad news sir."
McCleaf rolled his eyes a bit and said, "Start with the good."
The soldier took a long breath. "The good news is we just got a signal from Red Firius, he's got the Leyline!"
McCleaf got this wild eyed look. "The Leyline? he found it?"
"Yes sir! The signal came in about a minute ago."
"Okay well that's great, what's the bad news?"
"We've got a big HSB force inbound, ETA 5 minutes!"
"I asked for the bad news soldier, are guns can easily handle them."
"Not when they have The Flaming Meteorite with them sir!"
"The last Oadin! What the hell is that doing here?"
"I don't know sir!"
McCleaf walked over to the end of the main deck. Where the huge plastic window was, that looked out into the vastness of space. "Unless…" He cut himself off and put his hand up to his chin. "Unless 'he' doubled crossed us!"
"Who sir?" the soldier wondered.
"Benjamin! He knew the location of the Leyline! Oh my God!" It was all starting to come together for the admiral as the soldier just sat there with this dumbfounded look on his face.
The rest of the room was alive with people running all about pushing buttons and observing other smaller screens. Some were sitting in chairs pulling levers while others typed out things on small screens.
McCleaf continued on. "He alerted the Oadin here so that he could finish us off and probably Scalobore with the Leyline on it and asked out one of our top agents! Wipe out all these problems for the hellion forces in one calculated move! The top agent, the Leyline, the troublesome planet of Scalabore, and us; the Osiris! The ship that has given the hellion forces the most grief! Damn smart son of a bitch! You've got to respect that in a way!"
The soldier just watched on as his commander rambled on to himself. He looked back at the holographic display and said, "2 minutes!"
McCleaf looked back at the soldier. Then back to the front of the space ship. He could now see this small hint of fire coming towards his ship. He noticed the small little dots buzzing around it too. Those were the HSB squad members. McCleaf had dealt with many HSBs before but he had never dealt with an Oadin before. He had come close a time or two in his career. Too damn close.
McCleaf was in silence as he watched the approaching doom heading his way. The Oadin seemed like a small little fire but he figured soon he would see it in all of its horrible hellish horror!
McCleaf looked back at the soldier sitting at the holographic display. "Get the escape pods ready! Tell all of the men to evacuate! You too! Get out as many as you can!"
The soldier looked down at the floor in despair and then back up at McCleaf. "What about you, sir?"
McCleaf returned his attention back to the oncoming hellion force. He got this sort of childish grin on his face. "Don't worry about me. I'm going down with this ship. I don't think I could pilot another after her."
The soldier looked at his commanding officer upset and disappointed. "Sir, this is just a hunk of metal! You could pilot another! A better one!"
McCleaf still had that strange little smile on his face. "No. I don't want a better one. Me and The Osiris have fought in way to many battles." He breathed in heavily. "It's time to retire."
The soldier screamed at him! "SIR, THIS IS BULLSHIT! I AM NOT LEAVING YOU HERE TO DIE!"
McCleaf just stayed glued to the window as the forces were getting closer. "You have to leave soldier. That's an order."
Every other soldier was already gone. The bullheaded soldier turned to leave when he turned back just before heading out the door and asked, "Why are you staying?"
McCleaf didn't turn around. He did answer the soldier though. "I have never abandoned a ship before and I'm not going to start now. I didn't go up with her but I'm going down with her! She deserves that much. The Osiris has history with the hellion forces. No way am I going to let them see her barren! Besides, a captain's suppose to go down with his ship. I don't expect you to understand soldier just get yourself out of here! Now!"
The soldier shook his head. "What about the Leyline?"
McCleaf turned his attention fully toward the soldier now. "Don't lose hope. Hope that it was Firius who signaled us and that he has the Leyline. As long as he has it, I fear nothing! Never lose hope soldier. It's the only thing that keeps you alive."
"So I guess you lost hope!"
McCleaf gave him a small smile. "Well, not in Firius no. In this ship's chances of survival, yeah. Now get going!"
The soldier hit the wall next to him and ran out.
McCleaf turned his sights back to the outside and what a horrible sight he saw! He could see the ships and the Oadin perfectly now. The ships were three pronged, looking somewhat like the heads of pitchforks. They were fast and heavily armed. McCleaf recognized them right away as top-of-the-line fighters for the hellion star force. They flew around the Oadin like flies around food. Always circling and sometimes drifting off but never actually leaving. They also corrected their paths of travel as the Oadin moved through space.
The Oadin was the worst! McCleaf now realized why they called it The Flaming Meteorite. It was nothing but a big fireball! But it had a face! It was a nasty face that seemed to stick out of the fireball like a mask. The face was not made of fire either. More like a brown stone substance. Their were no eyes but eye sockets. No teeth or tongue but there was a mouth. No ears. It was just like a plain mask over this huge, fiery, behemoth sized orb. The face had lines on it like old tree bark. It seemed ancient. Like the face was over a billion years old or more. The whole thing was three times bigger then The Osiris too. The face on The Meteorite seemed to be expressing itself as well. It was mad. Its brow was bent slightly and its mouth was curled. McCleaf had never seen anything so horrible!
He walked towards his chair and sat in it. He gripped the arm rests and began to talk. "Oh mighty God! I pray to you now! I haven't ever prayed before but I am praying now! Please, please, let Firius have the Leyline! It's our only hope!"
The Flaming Meteorite was almost now on top of The Osiris. The mighty warship dwarfed by the gigantic disembodied head-demon. Its nose was only about ten feet away. It hovered
closer and then stopped. McCleaf looked at the thing frightened and curious. He began to get up as now all he could see out of the window was the thing's huge mouth.
It then began to move. The mouth began to form words and inside McCleaf's mind this loud voice came. The voice was a deep hissing one. It sounded old and on top of that, evil. It sounded like a powerful old man's voice with a brass sort-of snake hiss to it. "Admiral McCleaf, captain of the star battleship know as The Osiris?"
McCleaf grabbed his ears as blood began to run down from them and his nose! The voice was so horrid and rancid that it was hurting the inside of his head! McCleaf tried to respond to the voice but what came out of his mouth was an agony filled moan! He couldn't talk! The pain was too great inside his head! He fell out of his chair and onto his knees! With his fingers digging into his temples to stop the pain from entering his ears!
The voice came again as The Flaming Meteorite's lips continued to move. "Sure. It's you. Do not try to practice speech admiral. My voice is too great to have any other."
McCleaf moaned again in agony! His eyes turning into the back of his head with pain!
"I can hear your thoughts. I can sense your disapproval at my actions. To answer your question: Yes, I am here to destroy the planet Scalobore and the Leyline."
McCleaf sent out a horrible moan. This one was worse then the others almost as if he was trying to scream out his distaste for what the Oadin was about to do but could only manage a low toned, long mumble.
The voice spoke again. "It doesn't have to end this way admiral. Not for you. You could be part of something so much more vast then the universe itself. The pain of my voice would end and you would be an admiral again. You would become a powerful being in Hell's Army. A man with such a reputation as yourself could easily become a great ally. Join us and you will fly through the stars once again. Commanding an entire armada of ships much like this one. What do you say admiral, shall I 'recruit' you?"
McCleaf staggered to his feet and stood tall in front of his chair. He just stared at the Flaming Meteorite. His eyes were like stone as he fought through the pain in his head and the tired feeling he was getting through out his body. Not to mention that most of his face was covered in his own blood. So much blood from his ears and nose. He stood looking at the Oadin though. He was saying something in his head. The Oadin could hear it loud and clear too. In short, he refused. Currsing and damning the demon as much as he could with his short time of existance left. If he wasn't so beaten down by the titan, he would have thrown in a thousand more curses. Just for good measure.
The Flaming Meteorite yelled inside McCleaf's head bring him down violently to his stomach and making him wriggle around on the floor like a snake!
"If that's the way you want it! I gave you an option, a way out! No, you had to be stubborn! You will pay for your actions! You and The Osiris will find your final resting place deep with in my gullet!"
The Flaming Meteorite then shifted a bit and suddenly the face on it began to tear open! The bottom half of the mouth began to slide down and around the bottom part of the fireball! The top half slid upward making the face's mouth extended about twice as big as the ship! Underneath was just more of the fireball. The face had opened its mouth like a snake!
The Flaming Meteorite thrust itself forward and the front of the ship was inject inside the fireball! It became engulfed in flames all over as it was sucked into The Flaming Meteorite! The face was eating the ship! Little explosions began to take the entire ship!
McCleaf was inside screaming at the top of his lungs as his whole body was engulfed in fire! The ship's hull blasted away and the rest of the ship began to explode! Massive explosions were happening everywhere now! The last of the escape pods were about to leave when that part of the ship erupted. It was over. The Osiris was lost! The fireball engulfed the entire ship! Soon, nothing was left of the once most destructive ship against the hellion forces! Just a memory. The only thing left was most of the crew who had escaped and were looking back at the ship they once served on. It was no more!
The Flaming Meteorite returned to normal once the ship was completely gone. The face somewhat stretched out and made this small smile. It then turned its attention to the planet Scalobore! It was too small to swallow the entire planet. Or was it?
As the Flaming Meteorite gazed on the planet, it began to grow. The ships guarding it took off, far away from it and watched from a safe distance the already humongous Oadin expand! It became bigger then the planet itself growing almost one half the size of Scalobore! It eclipsed both suns and began to expand its mouth like before with The Osiris only this time it was going to swallow an entire planet! More then ever, it was vital to get the Leyline off the planet!
Planet Scalobore: Flaming Thunder
Alerius watched just outside the cave entrance little blasts come from up in the sky. He could see they were out in space but he knew deep down what had happened. It was the Osiris! The Oadin was here and the best ship in the human fleet, probably all the fleets in the universe, was gone.
Aurela left his side and walked about ten feet away from him. She then dropped to her knees and began to cry. She put her hands up in a praying posture. She began to sob very hard. Alerius wanted to go over and comfort her but there wasn't time. He wanted to at least somewhat mourn the loss of the men aboard the Osiris but there just wasn't enough time. He wanted to find away off the planet and complete his mission to protect Aurela but there just wasn't enough damn time.
Alerius went over to her and asked, "Why are you crying?"
Aurela turned her head towards him. The tears had made her cheeks glisten and her eyes shine with remorse. Alerius's heart almost melted at the sight but he had to remain tough. He had to remain in control otherwise neither one of them would live.
She then uttered six words that made his spine freeze up with a fear he had never felt before. "He will be honored in Heaven!"
Alerius figured he knew who she was talking about but he had to make sure. "Who?"
"McCleaf." Her tears still poured from her eyes.
Alerius looked down at the ground and then back at her as she was still on bent knees, in that praying posture, looking up at the sky. He picked her up harshly and looked her right in those watery eyes of hers.
"Now listen, we don't have time for this! In a few minutes, maybe less, we will all be dead!" He remembered Yellow Korzen's words back at the bar. "Now unless you want to join him and make his sacrifice for nothing, we need to get the hell out of here!"
Her eyes now began to clear up just a bit and she whispered out the word, "How?"
Alerius let go of her and looked down at the ground trying to think of that very thing. He thought long and hard but there was no way off the planet he could think of. They were stuck. He began to rub his forehead trying desperately to think of something. Anything!
Suddenly, there came this weird loud sound. Like the planet itself screamed! Alerius and Aurela both looked up at the sky. Staring at them was this disgusting face on a big ball of fire! Alerius swallowed hard and couldn't help but launch it from his mouth in utter fear. "Oh my God!" Alerius had never, ever felt fear like he felt now.
His whole body began to shake uncontrollably as this huge face enveloped the sky. He saw it somewhat smiling as it just kept getting bigger. The swamp got darker as the suns were eclipsed by this monstrous planet sized face.
Aurela got close to Alerius and grabbed a hold of him. She began to pull on his arm wanting them to go somewhere. Alerius knew though there was no place to run, no place to hide. This thing was as wide as the planet if not wider. You can't run from that. Not something as big as the planet!
There was no more sky anymore! There was no face anymore! There was just this big mouth across the sky with this demonic grin on it! A strong breeze blew through the swamp as it seemed a storm was approaching. Alerius's shaking increased and Aurela just held onto him harder.
Aurela then began to whisper to him, "Have faith. Have
faith!" These two words she repeated over and over again. Alerius was out of faith.
"Faith in what?" He said still mesmerized at the mouth that had darken the entire planet. "Faith that we are definitely going to die! Dead Grave was a good name for that town, yeah! Yeah, good name, man! Really awesome idea!" Alerius was starting to lose his head. "Awesome! Totally awesome, man! Radical, totally…"
Suddenly, something jammed in his head like a jackhammer! It was a memory. It almost hurt him the memory bounded in so hard! What made him remember it was the way he was talking. That 'surfer' language had made it jump right in. He usually didn't talk like that and that's what made him remember: