by Stuart Jones
The Chad Solass Chronicles
’ B’
By
Stuart Jones.
Chapter 1.
Trees swayed and dipped in the wind as the light from the street lamps glistened off their leaves. Benches and seats sat still as they rested from the overuse they had received earlier that day.
The midnight silence was broken momentarily when a fun filled giggle was picked up by the wind and tossed merrily around the otherwise empty park as a young couple walked home after a fun night out.
Clear skies allowed the moonlight to pick them out perfectly from the shadows as it followed them perfectly on their way, guiding them safely through their otherwise blackened surroundings.
As they exited via the main gates, taking their playfulness with them, a calming peace overcame the park once more.
The high perimeter walls of the park were wrapped in bushes, plants and shrubs that hugged every inch free space, playing in-between the trees that overlooked their surroundings! More of the same, although not as numerous, were dotted randomly around the grassy areas that carpeted the ground while green fingers clawed against the footpaths which snaked across the ground, cutting through one end of the park to another.
As an occasional chirp of a bird, or the rustle of one of the many inhabitants of the park played against the gentle whisper of the trees a sudden flash of brilliant, white, light illuminated the sky!
Smashing through the peaceful branches of the largest tree, a magnificent metallic object gently lowered itself down to the ground in otherwise near silence.
Landing lights gracefully sought out the welcoming earth beneath it, picking its spot as it honed in on its target.
The wildlife became silent and the flora seemed to turn to watch the craft upon hearing the crying out that had occurred as shattered branches had fallen to the ground!
A small clearing between the watching trees and cowering bushes had been determined as the perfect spot as leaves, broken twigs and small pieces of debris, remnants from the children that had been playing happily earlier that day, were blown away by the reverse repulsion of the otherworldly craft.
As the engines fired to slow the craft’s descent a slight scorching appeared on the grass in three perfectly circular patterns where the craft now wished to rest.
Only now a few feet from the ground before touching down, three powerful looking, aluminium coloured, ‘legs’ reached out from the crafts’ spherical underbelly.
Stabbing wildly at the ground they were forced to bear the immense weight as the engines suddenly, and without warning, cut out! Their job now done, they dropped the spacecraft to the ground with a thump which resonated across the park before fleeing into the darkness!
Almost as a mark of respect everything became silent once more. Allowing the peacefulness of the night to return again the sphere like object sat silently as its occupants scanned the immediate area for any life signals from the relative safety of inside.
Rounded at the back, tapering off to a sharp point at the front and barely bigger than the space taken up by the passengers, with no visible windows or doors in or out, the crafts’ instrument relayed readings back to the occupants, who awaited their masters’ orders.
Invisible to all but the crafts’ occupants, due to an advanced light bending and redistribution camouflage technology, no signs of life were initially evident to any onlookers that may have decided to crawl through the blanket of bushes the craft had touched down in the middle of.
The continuing breeze pushed and pulled at the branches of their dense enclosure that surrounded them as the minutes passed silently by without any further activity.
A thousand ‘floral’ voices called and whispered to the visitors as tips of nearby branches scratched at the sides and underbelly of the vessels’ hull, occasionally rat-a-tat tapping on its’ outer layer, awaiting a response.
Minutes later it came!
Deep from inside the unidentified craft a small whirring sound was quickly joined by movement as a small hatch opened on top of the vessel. A seam that wasn’t evident before now appeared, growing larger as steam poured from within the gap. Pressure was released from within the cockpit in an instant, as the visual and aural silence was shattered!
A single arm reached out through the mist and into the night sky!
Illuminated perfectly against the blackness of the night by the lights from within the craft, a crew member, and Earths newest visitor appeared!
His physical appearance was identical to that of the billions residing on the planet they now visited, as was that of the others that followed behind him.
Merely henchmen, stooges, for their leader, the first two visitors to climb from the confines of the craft stood awkwardly on the exterior of the ship, silently awaiting his presence.
Rising up and out of the hatch via a platform on the ships floor the pilot, and self-named ‘Master’ quietly surveyed his surroundings with a distain evident from the first moment!
Without saying a word to either henchman he walked as gracefully and confidently along the top of the ship as he could whilst avoiding the other occupants along the crafts’ sleek lines.
The wind, having begun to pick up once more, buffeted the trio as they stood there raised from the ground by their ships’ outer skin.
The Masters’ boots squeaked and cracked with each step as he took great care not to slip and fall. Made from a material not all that dissimilar to Earths’ own leather, yet a fraction of the equivalent weight, the boots rose to grip his calves, finishing just under his knees, with a powerful authority to them whilst still keeping the characteristics that makes leather so recognisable and desirable to earth’s occupants.
Reaching the back of the craft within a few steps, the Master waited.
A faint tapping sound could be heard by his henchmen, echoing as he grew more impatient.
This was the part of the ship where the steps should have automatically protruded from the craft by now, allowing him to easily reach the ground.
The Master stared over the edge of his craft, down at the ground and then at the men stood behind him, highlighted by the spotlight of the moon, before looking back at where he should be standing right now.
“Well?” he questioned the men, his deep voice booming throughout his surroundings before returning to slap the men in their, blissfully ignorant, faces.
Their stupidity was already obvious long before a word was replied by either.
“Yes, fine,” replied the first. “The journey was a bit bumpy, but otherwise……” he continued, turning to his clueless friend.
“I slept most of the way so I feel pretty good, otherwise not much going on really, what about you?” the second asked of their leader.
“Well,” he began, his voice obviously agitated as he paced the deck of the craft cautiously, “I spent the journey listening to one idiot snoring while the other went on and on about how big everything looked, before landing on this miserable hellhole where I am now stuck on the top of my ship!” he bellowed.
“You should use the steps then, makes it much easier, ya’know?” the first henchman helpfully suggested, looking to his partner for agreement.
“Oh yes, the steps, I wonder now, where are they?” the Master pondered, exaggerating his movements wildly as he looked around.
Rolling their eyes at each other in turn as one remembered seconds before the other, both men chuckled whilst recounting the tale.
“Now that’s a funny story.” They began. “You see, the weight was a little too much compared to the fuel allowance we had allo
wed once we were all in, so to make sure we had enough to reach our destination, we got rid of the ste…!”
The men’s smiles were replaced with silence as the sudden realisation of what they had done sunk in.
“So how do I get down then?” the Master shouted, stamping his feet on the roof of the ship, a dull thud echoing out across the park as the ground began to rumble.
Looking at each other the men shrugged indifference as their gazes took them on a visual tour around the immediate area.
The men didn’t take long to spot the perfect solution.
A wooden park bench in the distance seemed ideal as they, after asking the Master to wait there, ran to fetch it.
Dropping unceremoniously to the ground, both scrambled over each other to get to their feet and ran as fast as they could manage to reach it.
Concreted into the ground, as an attempt to prevent vandalism, it was proving somewhat tricky to remove for the pair.
Tugging and pulling at the huge wooden form as they fought to pick it up, sweat began to run from the men’s’ foreheads.
Easily able to sit 8 people, it was huge and they were struggling!
“Here we go then!” the first said to the second as he finally sensed the base moving.
Pulling as hard as they could, while the Master paced impatiently across the top of their ship in the background, the wood finally came free. A sharp splintering crack attacked their senses.
Losing their grip on the bench as they ripped a large piece from the main frame, the men watched as the errant piece sailed from their hands, up into the dark sky, and out of sight!
Shrugging their shoulders the men looked at each other before continuing to work on the remaining piece.
With a sigh of relief the pair finally freed it from its position. Two thick lumps of concrete, dirt and massive clumps of grass holding on for dear life attached to either side came with it.
Happy with their work the pair smiled at each other before turning back to the ship.
Running across the park, the bench shared between them, as lumps of mud dropped from it, they set it down in front of the ship.
It weighed an immense amount but the men made it look easy!
Breathless and tired, the proud pair looked up for their congratulations as they placed it perfectly in front of the area the Master had been standing, but were shocked to see the Master gone!
Looking around, confused, they figured he would be back and sat down on the seat to wait.
Their efforts had afforded them a rest, they figured!
As they awaited his return a noise from the other side of the ship aroused their curiosity.
Cautiously they went to check it out. Seeing the surrounding bushes moving and shaking as something fought violently to free itself the pair became worried.
Leaning in for a better view they were stopped dead in their tracks when a familiar voice began to boom to them.
“This is a dangerous planet, we best be careful!” the voice said as its’ owner crawled from the bushes, more than a little bedraggled.
Shaken and looking less than masterful, the Master stood with the aid of his henchmen.
Checking him over and brushing him down, one mouthed silently to the other, asking him what had happened.
No clue was shared between them, only a shared shake of the head as they all walked from the neatly concealed ship as the unit sealed itself once again.
An invisible, except to those with the most advanced of sight, covering squirmed continuously over the outer layers of the craft, as its previous inhabitants walked away.
Like a nest of snakes the organism moved and danced in a different direction each time the light changed in the slightest to accommodate their new surroundings.
They offered protection against its discovery before its former occupants could complete their task.
With the problem of getting the Master down solved, the trio began to move towards their destination.
“We’ve only been here five minutes and we are already being attacked, you boys had better watch yourselves, be on guard at all times!” the Master warned as the pair helped his dizzied form along, picking the leaves from his now ruffled hair!
Chapter 2.