Green Humanoid: Begins with an interesting adventure (Fantasy World Book 1)

by Amelia Esla

  Why a Water Snake or any of the other samples suddenly allowed to be touched and acted like the most docile purpose breed Terran dogs, was a mystery of similar proportions. There was certainly not enough observation data to allow such foolishness. If the animals changed their behavior so fast, who could say they would not do so again?

  Paul said. “The Ranger is not a qualified authority to make such decisions. You come in here, this instant and we talk about it. In the meantime we should restrain that specimen you found and categorize it.”

  Martha Masters however was slowly changing her old convictions. “Roy, we still barely able to process what we have seen today or put in any context we can postulate a response.”

  Roy put his hand on Partner and said.” I knew you would react differently than all the others. I know you want to take Partner away and dissect it, but I won’t let this happen. You called me a liar and dreamer. You never believed me when I told you I was outside, I am outside and I am going to hide in my Jungle and no one not even all your science can find me there!” He jumped on Partner’s back and the big animal turned and it bolted towards the jungle. Roy turning off his PDD.

  Within a few heart beats, the boy and the Black beast had reached the Jungles edge, and then they were gone.

  The Marines reacted and followed as Paul Masters yelled. “Marines go get him, he won’t come back!”

  They flew through a structure gap, Ma Swanson made.

  The crowd looked at the Masters with open contempt and it was the Black Shail who said. “We don’t have the same family concept on Shaill as you humans do, but you are the most emotion deprived coldhearted specimen I have came across in fifty years of practice.”

  Martha felt a restricting knot in her throat and something wet rolled down her cheeks. Something she hadn’t done since her Grandfather had died. She cried tears.”

  Paul Masters, well aware that he made the wrong decision and should have waited till Roy was inside before he scolded him also felt worried about his son. The worries and the words of the Shail doctor started a similar very delayed reaction in his mind. Seeing his wife, the emotionally so controlled Martha cry made him slowly realize that he had failed his son and his family.” No worries Martha, the Marines will find him.”

  One of the Marines called and reported. “My squat is still trying to get a scan lock, but our sensors are severely hampered by the Jungle as usual, and we can’t pick up its Energy weapon signature anywhere.”

  The Ranger said with a stern face. “He didn’t have a chance.”

  Martha remembered at the last moment that she could not wipe her eyes with power augmented Power Suit gauntlets. “I am so sorry and my husband has made a grave error, please find him. We will give him a chance of course and we won’t harm his animal.”

  Paul, who only begun to understand, and was still overwhelmed by the events, his wife’s sudden emotional reaction and his own growing feelings of concern vented by snarling. “Ranger Solomon, do your job and get our son back!”

  “Dr. Masters, you are a member of the Institute and I treated you with respect and courtesy but frankly I had about enough of you. You might be smart when it comes to your science stuff, to me you are geeky wimp without a shred of common sense and an arrogant attitude that would make the Grand Wizard of all Kermac look like a jovial fellow. You are a lucky man to have a son like that and you are even luckier that I am wearing this uniform because I am restraining myself veer much not to pull you out of that thin can and give you a good old fashioned knuckle sandwich with all the trimmings of an oh so primitive and simple being.”

  Paul saw the sizable fists of the Ranger and even he knew about their excellent training and stellar reputation. For a moment he forgot Roy and his emotional confused state and his thoughts found a baseline. The thought of being whipped by the burly ranger made him remember his own school time. When he came home with a bloody nose and his father took care of him, talked to him and helped him and gave him pointers how to deal with a bully. This mental image of his father, did the same what Martha felt when she saw the unanswered messages of her mother.

  The Ranger was not done and said. “Actually none of this is technically Ranger business. I am following up on a council request, and tried to find the best solution for both the kids and the adults. I am here primarily as a father.”

  “But you must go after him, Ranger. Martha is right and too will try to be a better father, but how can we try if he is out there in mortal danger.”

  “Mr, Masters, the Marines won’t find him with all their Fleet tech and I won’t b able to find him. He knows these Jungles and he will be alright. I expect him to turn up at Browns place in a few days or perhaps hide out in one of the abandoned Research Outposts.”

  “Sam Browns place? Thirty Kilometers from here?”

  Norm who had heard it all interjected, “I often teased Roy not being a real Greenie, Dr. Masters; but Roy could walk to the other side of the Planet, bare feet and be as happy as can be the entire way,”

  Martha said. “You are one of his friends?”

  “Yes I am, we all are his friends ever since Kindergarten. I have been to your house just the other day for his birthday party.”

  She sighed as she realized she had forgotten all about Roy’s birthday and remembered vaguely wondering about the many kids in the living room while she tried to attend a tele-presence meeting, “I wonder if he actually hates us?” She mused more to herself than anyone, but Norm answered anyway. “No I don’t think he hates you, but I know he wishes he could talk to you sometimes.”

  She didn’t respond to that but asked instead, “What will he do? Even if he can survive out there during the day It will be dark soon and he had nothing to eat!”

  “There is plenty to eat and Roy has been out at night before,”

  Martha’s foundation in life was science and everything had an orderly place in the Universe. The events today had shaken that foundation. Nothing she believed to be empirical true about this world was indeed true. Four hundred years of bio research conducted by the finest minds of the field and the resulting conclusions were based on the fundamental assumption that everything alive on Green Hell was utterly and completely lethal to almost every other known life form. On top of everything she had seen today she was now told there was food out there.

  Decades of her complete devotion to her field of study raised the sudden desire in her to have Roy guide them, show them what he knew and that desire clashed with her very recently discovered maternal instincts and her worries about Roy’s safety.

  The Ranger could see some of it reflecting in her eyes and he said in a softer tone. “I will fly out to Sam Brown’s place. If anyone can find and talk to Roy to come back it’s him.”

  There was a difference about thinking to run away and actually doing it. Roy realized that the moment he turned and guided partner into the thickets. It suddenly dawned to him that he could not go home, not see Sam or go to any of his usual hideouts. He could not go to school on Monday or go to the Rocks and call his friends. It was not the prospect of living a few days outside, he actually looked forward to that. It was the finality of his action that severed the very last strands of connection he had to his parents. He knew they didn’t care but keeping the illusion alive that they did was a comfort, he only now realized he had in the first place.

  He wiped his nose and said with a coarse voice. “I wish we could reach the Mountains today, maybe we can find us a cave ,I heard Sam say are there,” Of course even with his formidable mound, who didn’t seem to grow tired it would take him at least a week, and then there was the other Big Lake he had to cross somehow or walk along its thousands of miles of shoreline. Not that he had anything better to do and going there gave him some sort of goal.

  A sudden unexplainable surge pulled at his spine, a painless sensation that felt as if his mind,his point of view was pulled into a bottomless hole. The sensation so strange it was, lasted no longer than a heart beat.

/>   To his utter surprise the deep green coastal jungle around Big Lake that surrounded him had changed completely. The Tantalus Oaks around here were much shorter, the air noticeable cooler and there were wide patches of vegetation free ground, exposing bare rock. As he looked up he saw the snow tipped mountains of Green Hells far North right before him. More than 5000 miles from Ant Hill near the top of this world. He had never seen them in person and only on Virtu Maps in school.

  At fist he considered the ill effects of a Fire Nettle Bush, he may have touched ,making him dream all this, but there were no blisters anywhere on his exposed skin and the wind fanning down the steep slopes felt very real.

  He jumped of and touched the ground. It was indeed solid rock.

  A herd of animals reminding him of Stompers, but much smaller and with longer legs climbed agile over a tumble of giant boulders about half a mile away, Something that looked like a Gladiator Eagle, but completely black circled above him and perhaps considered of Roy was worth an attack.

  His natural sense of Danger made him aware of a slow creeping patch of reddish moss that edged closer to where he was standing. So he climbed back on Partner and made him move slowly away. “Partner I think I am losing my mind., if didn’t know better I say we somehow traveled all across the planet in less than an eye blink.”

  Partner of course did not understand his complicated train of thought, not even Roy himself really did, but the animal seemed very pleased with itself and Roy could see an image of him sitting on Partner in the Jungle and then sitting on Partner near the Mountains.

  “Yes exactly my silent friend. We somehow ended up here and there are no Trans Matter Tunnels on Green Hell or one of the rare Saresii talents who supposed to be able to teleport.”

  Partner snorted and seemed very pleased with himself.

  Chapter 9

  Much had happened today, first the agonizing hours at school, waiting for the inevitable meeting with his parent.

  The actual events at Ma Swanson’s boathouse and him making good on his threat to run away.

  Now he found himself near the White Head Mountain range, no one had really explored so far without having any idea how he ended up here.

  The mountains before him were a breathtaking sight. Most of the Planets other mountains were not as high and completely covered with Jungle growth, but the White Head Mountains

  reached well past the growing zone. Mount Tradiderias was named after the Saresii expedition leader who had died here after he and his crew discovered Green Hell and landed here many thousand years ago. It was the highest of this range and reached over 7000 meters into the sky.

  He had heard that this wasn’t very high for a real mountain and that there were Planets out there with much higher ones, but he had never seen any of them.

  “That white Stuff up there is a substance called snow. After we figured out how we got here, Partner we go up there and check it out. I always wanted to touch Snow.”

  Again there was this surging feeling and the next thing he knew was being thrown off Partner’s back landing face first in a blinding white soft mass.

  It was cold! It was frikking cold.

  Roy jumped to his feet like a steel coil and found himself knee deep in this cold white stuff, on the very top of Mount Tradiderias.

  The vista was so unbelievable beautiful, he forgot everything. The air was thin and as cold as the snow, steamy puffs of condensation created by his breath were ripped from his lips by a stiff breeze. Maxwell, the GIIIa type Yellow sun of the System begun t settle at the horizon bathing mountains in a golden wash of light, while he could see Green Jungles all the way to the curving horizon in every direction. Only interrupted by the shimmering surfaces of rivers and huge lakes.

  Partner stood right next to him and through Roy’s eyes and feeling of amazement enjoyed the view as well.

  The truth dawned to Roy. The Animal was telepathic gifted and he knew about teleportation. Could it be? “Partner,did you bring us here?”

  The Animal sneezed happily and it was proud of itself.

  “So you can teleport! I wonder what other surprises you hide.“He patted the thick neck and grinned. “Sure beats walking and they never find me now for sure. But from now on, my black pelted friend, don’t teleport with me unless I really say so. Otherwise I might end up in the Senior Cheerleader’s locker room or scare the living daylights out of Ma Swanson.”

  Partner sneezed.

  Roy knelt down and touched the snow with curiosity. “Father once said how he misses the seasons and Snow in the winter. I wonder why anyone would miss this cold stuff!”

  Thinking of his father made him think of his situation and his throat restricted as if something hard stuck in his wind pipe.

  He wiped the tears away and said. “No use feeling sorry for myself, they sure don’t. I bet they are glad I am gone. I was just in the way.”

  Partner nudged him in the side with his head and then tenderly licked him.

  -“”"-

  Part 2

  Harlex had his arms crossed before his chest and leaned with his right shoulder against one of the supports that held up the sheet of heavy gauge translucent Dura Plast. It once had been translucent, but a thick layer of slimy green algae covering most of it made that a mood feature.

  Heavy rain poured from the lead colored sky thick with billowing clouds and the rushing sound of the downpour almost drowned the poor quality transmission of classic Bombast music coming from inside the depressing looking bar room behind him.

  High pitched,silvery gurgling streams of water running down the slanted roof splashed into the yellowish muck beyond the creaky Pour-a-wood Porch and joined the spidery network of water filled ditches that carried the water down the settlements Main street and into Anars’s Lake half a klick away.

  “Main Street my ass. ” He grunted to himself and shifted the Smoke stick that dangled from one side of his thin lipped mouth to the other. He stood on the Porch to Napha Beronou’s Paradise Tavern which was one of only two businesses of this sorry settlement.

  The muddy road was lined on both sides with shacks, tents and shipping containers modified to make shift building; the homes of the 512 men that lived here.

  A kilometer up the road was Lumber Mill Number 4 and the place where he worked, no one was forced to work in this bone breaking work low Tech Lumber Mill, no one was forced to be on one of the Lumberjack teams or the Log Drag Gangs, but it gave you something to do and it provided you with a meager salary everyone here spend mostly on the few liquor and beer choices offered here at Napha’s or at the other Tavern Oryn’s Waterhole.

  Harlex looked at his callused hands. He had been an excellent Lab Systems Engineer with a great career and a good salary at Enroe Bio Lab Equipment Inc, but that was in a different life, back then he was Chief Engineer Harlex Gedde, here they only called him Greenie.

  This was his fourth year here on Parajsa Planet. The word meant Paradise in some old Pre Astro Terran language and it was a joke of course. There was nothing beautiful or nice about Parajsa Planet, because it was also known as Union Felon Penal Colony 23.

  His lawyer said this was the best deal he could get. Twenty Years at UFPC 23 or voluntary Psycho Surgery. Having his personality completely erased and replaced with what a Psycho Surgeon thought a Model Citizen’s ego should be like. Back then he would rather gone to the Gallows than accept Psycho Surgery so the choice to go to a Penal Colony was an easy one to make. On days like this he wondered if Surgery would not been the better choice after all.

  Tuzzzh, a yellow throat Shiss stepped from out the bar and stopped next to Harlex. “Hey Greenie, does it ever rain like that on Green Hell like that?” The Shiss was easily to understand as long as there weren’t many words containing S or Z sounds.

  Harlex who had been born on Green Hell, sighed deeply missing his lethal and dangerous world. “Yes it does, it rains often and without any warning, but there isn’t a real rain season like on this cursed mud ball lastin
g for month!”

  “If it is warm and with lots of moisture,I think I’d love it there.”

  Harlex laughed hard. ” Tuzzzh, you would not last two minutes in our Jungles.”

  Muhlen, the soft spoken smooth talking former Corporate lawyer who had killed his wife and escaping the Hangman’s noose just barely had also left the bar room and must have overheard the Shiss. He said. “Two Purples, a few Takkians, a Pertharian and a Saturnian tried that a few years ago and none of them made it. The Siliconoids did remarkably well and managed to survive for almost 20 minutes. It was all over GalNet when it happened.”

  The Shiss raised his neck spines to express his disbelieve. “Takkians should be immune to anything a carbon based Jungle can throw at them.”

  Harlex gazed into the distance. “Not on Green Hell, Lizard. It took our Dragon Ants less than five minutes to dissolve one of the Takkians into silicon soup and the other found out why it is not a good idea to run into the net of a Moolax. Electrified Mono-filament nets with a tensile strength of Carbon Nano tube fibers, do I need to say more?”

  The Yellow Throat Shiss said. “We heard of Green Hell, even before the Union and the Terrans went there, I guess everyone in the Upward Sector knows stories and legends about Green Hell or Imthe Seth as the Sarans called it before Union Times, but I never thought they were more than faery tales.”

  The disbarred lawyer said. “I never been there myself, but I’ve seen GalNet reports that make any faery tale you heard kids tales.”

  Harlex felt very homesick, he was a seventh generation Greenie and like everyone born on this impossible, dangerous and beautiful world, he felt a deep connection to it and the pain his homesickness caused in the pit of his stomach made worse by talking about it. He grunted. “I need a drink.” With this he turned and returned in the bar room to drown the pity he felt for himself with the rough as engine fuel rug gut booze they sold here and called it Whiskey.