Terranus: Origins: Book one of the 'Terranus' series.

by Joe Crouch

  “There,” he beamed, “Now I can fit.” They emerged to a gathering of armed civilians, each shifted about nervously as the alien crew walked through the crowd. The civilians looked untrained and unprepared for any type of opponent, let alone Xuron, they burnt tyres to block out their position from the fighters that regularly screamed overhead.

  “It’s nice to see a Human face helping,” a rugged man remarked while approaching him with an outstretched hand, “I’m Gary,” he declared, scratching his unshaven face.

  “Sean,” he replied, shaking Gary’s hand, “What are you doing out here?”

  “We’re trying to do what you’re doing, but less effectively I imagine, we’re blocking up the main street to the President.” Nodding, he was impressed that a ragtag group of civilians cared enough for their government to potentially sacrifice their own lives.

  “Well, you’ve obviously done a…” he was interrupted by the distant, but closing sound of Xuron fighters, looking up he noticed three craft bearing down on their position, the armaments on their wings pulsed a bright green as they charged to fire. “Get down!” he shouted, his entire team dropped to the floor without hesitation, their training allowing them to react quickly, but the civilian contingent was not so lucky. Plasma fire scorched the earth all around him, turning his head he saw his new ally Gary burst into a ball of flame as he took a direct hit from a bolt of plasma. The fighters screeched off and away from the group before circling back around to take another swipe at the wide-open targets.

  “Take this,” a female voice shouted, throwing over a compact tube, “Place your palm on the digital screen.” Sean took the weapon and did as she instructed. The tube snapped into life as a barrel extruded outwards with a scope forming on the outer edge, a faint hum of energy came from the device as it stood by. Kneeling, he looked down the newly formed scope as a stream of information burst onto the blue-tinted screen, a marker danced across its surface trying its hardest to acquire a target. As he brought the weapon into view of the incoming Xuron vessel, the marker snapped to the target and a loud beep rang out from the weapon. Wasting no time, he pressed down hard on the visual display. The weapon sparked into life as the capacitors charged almost in an instant, a blue glow emanated out the barrel’s end. With a crack, the weapon shot out a bolt of energy that lanced towards its target, almost following a pre-set path as it arced from point to point across the sky before impacting against the fighter’s hull. The destruction was immediate. The now large clump of slag dropped to the earth with a loud thud, crashing below the surface of the road and throwing debris up into the air.

  “Wow,” he cried, “This is incredible,” only the blasts from the passing Xuron fighters snapped him back to reality. The two-remaining craft banked about to return for another pass, their weapons spewed out hot death as they dropped their noses down towards the assembled group. People scattered, the sound of pattering feet was drowned out by the plasma blasts that tore chunks from the surrounding architecture. Sean slung the weapon onto his shoulder and aimed it towards the climbing fighters, with the sound of a confirmed lock ringing in his ears he once again let out a fierce blast of energy that snaked towards the unsuspecting Xuron. The fighter’s hull squealed as the vast amounts of energy malformed into a ball of hot materials that bonded together, he watched as it crashed to the ground and rolled until crashing into a concrete barrier. People cowered as the final remaining vessel circled their position, unsure whether to engage the group or join the fight elsewhere. With a swift movement, the ship lifted high into the sky, leaving a glimmering red trail from its exhausts, and within moments it’s nose was pointed down towards the group. Its fate was pre-determined.

  Sean stood and brushed himself off after destroying the last threat to them for the time being while offering out a helping hand to assist the elderly of the group to their feet. The assembled civilians seemed almost awestruck at the mechanically enhanced Humanthat stood before them. Looking to his right, he saw a women crouched beside Gary’s body sobbing, the tears ran down her smooth face as she rose her head to look him in the eyes and through the pain and anguish, an undercurrent of hatred formed within her. “You,” she got up, pointing towards a confused Sean, “This is your fault,” she shouted, slamming both palms into his chest doing nothing but hurting herself, “They came looking for you and your alien friends here, we don’t need your help, go back to where you came from and never return.” The distraught women rose a hand to strike him again but her assault was stopped by Taris, who grabbed the Women’s arm.

  “He’s one of your own and just saved everyone here,” she lectured, “The pain you feel from your loss is understandable, but don’t take it out on him or us.” Taris let go of the female’s arm and stood up tall looking down into her eyes, “We’re alien to you, but you’re alien to us and we’re here to help, so if you cannot accept that I’m sorry, but one lost mind in a sea of others that are open and willing is no great shame.” With a cry of torment, the lady dropped to her knees and wailed into her rose red scarf as she slowly crawled across the obliterated road to Gary who lay there with his eyes wide open looking to the heavens as if praying for absolution from beyond death.

  Sneaking away from the situation, Sean began tending to the injured civilians that propped themselves up against the once opulent building, their wounds were only minor and tended to easily with basic medical supplies. Ioution technology made short work of the majority of injuries that had been sustained, the bright light that derived from the device was still a complete mystery to him. “I’m sorry about earlier, Sean,” Taris mumbled while leaning against a large chunk of fallen building, “Emotions got the better of me, I won’t let it happen again,” he leant into her and whispered in her ear.

  “It’s what makes you Human,” he smiled, holding her in a tight embrace, “So don’t worry about it, getting to know the real Taris is what interests me most.”

  “We ready to go? Oh…” Fez sighed, barging into the moment the two were sharing, Sean pulled back and nodded. With a wave to the still recovering group of civilians, the team pressed on, they were close to the halls and being so far behind schedule already would be a blow to determining the President’s situation.

  As they grew closer to their destination the streets and alleys grew in affluence, the houses became larger and made from richer materials, the shops stocked an ever increasingly expensive line of clothing and vehicles, even the flora was well maintained and healthy. Sean ran his hand along the smooth, black railings of the ornate metallic fence that encircled the three-storey town house, its large marble steps worth more than all his belongings. The reds, blues, and whites of the flowers danced about in the breeze as it rolled along the barren street, the tall buildings directing the airflow over him and his squad. He fell into his own dreams as he thought about living in the area, imagining himself sporting a well-fitting suit and strutting down the paths as if they were his own personal walkways, the crowd’s collective heads turning, watching as he went on by. Shaking his head, he broke himself from his own mind and turned his attention towards Fez and Taris who were locked in a heated discussion.

  “What’s wrong?” Sean inquired, breaking apart the argument before it went any further.

  “The Mar’Ell is reporting heavy damage, we were discussing the possibility of them leaving to enact repairs,” Fez admitted.

  “Or them staying and keeping a good portion of the ships occupied,” Taris added, “I’m in favour of this option myself.”

  “They’re not your crew, that’s why, I know them personally and I know they would be happy to complete their duty, even if their lives are the cost,” Fez declared, “But I do not want to sacrifice the ship and her crew if it’s for no reason, I’m not sure the distraction is large enough to warrant the risk.”

  “And I think it is,” Taris concluded, “If those ships in orbit are stopped, even for a moment, their bombardment of Human cities stops, too, saving hundreds, if not thousands of lives eve
ry salvo.” Sean walked along beside the pair, not offering his own, biased, opinion of what was clearly a matter of Ioution military command, but with no Admiral on hand, Fez dictated the Ioution battle plans.

  “I think you should do what’s best for your crew, Fez,” Sean finally added, “I don’t want their blood on my hands as well.”

  “No offence, Sean,” Fez huffed, “But they’re not guarding you, they’re guarding the towns and cities that are being annihilated from a threat they cannot even begin to see, let alone imagine.” Nodding, he continued, he knew it wasn’t his place so he let it drop, all he could do was hope and pray that Ioution reinforcements arrived soon, for the sake of the Mar’Ell and for the sake of all of humanity.

  Stopping, he ducked down behind an already mangled parked car as he waved for the others to follow suit, wanting to see what was going on Fez made his way to Sean and the sight over the bonnet made both their hearts drop. “Well, shit,” he bemoaned, “How will we ever make it through this?” What greeted them was nothing short of an impassable fortress. Surrounding the presidential halls was a sea of Xuron as far as the eye could see, their beating wings generated a backdraft that gently rippled Taris’ hair across her face.

  “Shit indeed,” Fez added while standing to get a better view, “There have to be hundreds surrounding the building, what are they here for?”

  “I’m not sure,” he admitted, “But we have to get closer or find a way in the building through the back… I wonder if the sewers lead into the building or if they’re blocked up,” Taris looked over towards Sean, her face a picture of disgust.

  “I’m not trawling through Human faeces,” she snapped, “It’s hard enough swimming against the current that comes out from your mouth.”

  “Shut up,” he replied, “But seriously, we need to find a way into that building without drawing any attention, ideas anyone?”

  “Down there,” Fez avowed, pointing to a small alley that led around the gathered crowd, “It looks like it’ll take us away from the bugs and bring us out around the back.” Sean scratched his dirty chin, flakes of dried up dust and mud dropped to the floor as he thought about where they were, drawing from his memories.

  “It could work,” he finally declared, “I’ve only ever been here once when I was young, but I know these roads are a complex mixture of confusion and downright idiocy.” Standing, he snuck around the side of the car and crossed to the other side of the road, ducking behind a bus shelter that still had a large advert for the newest upcoming action movie. They would need a bit of luck on top of their own skill to bypass every prying eye that was cast from the Xuron army, it seemed as if they covered every corner, every inch of the area that they wanted to pass through. Pressing on, he led the tight team around the corner, exposing them to the sweeping courtyard they found themselves in, a large fountain spat water beside the Xuron position, light refracted off the water’s surface as it danced about.

  Ducking behind a thick stone wall that surrounded the gleaming fountain he waited for the others to catch up, the Xuron were metres away as he circled around, trying his best to get a clear path to follow. A light muttering swept across the aliens that now seemed to be on edge, as if they were waiting for orders or someone to show up, the distracted minds, he knew, would prove useful if they were to bypass safely.

  An eerie silence descended across the horde, everyone secured their weapons and arranged themselves in a structured formation of six rows. He took the opportunity to dash across the square and slip into the dark alley that snaked around the mob that were still shuffling into position. He kept a close eye on any potential spotters that might see the sprinting group, the pattering of their feet was so wildly obvious to him, but the Xuron seemed oblivious and preoccupied. Once Taris passed him they were safe, but he remained and watched on in curiosity at the scene that was about to unfold in front of him.

  The thick blue doors of the presidential halls cracked open and glided inwards, revealing the black abyss beyond. A faint glimmer of shuffling figures was easily made out as they made their way to the courtyard. Stepping out from the pitch-black background was a stoic but dishevelled Madame President, her clothes were covered in a thick substance as she walked with a limp. Sean rushed out in a fit of rage, ready to create a distraction so the president could escape, the loud, uncontrolled clanging of his metallic boots on the road didn’t go unnoticed. Stopping atop the stairs, she looked out over the throng that gathered below her, her piercing eyes scanned the crowd as she raised an arm, he stood motionless, confused at what he was witnessing, but his worst nightmare was coming true before his own eyes. Every Xuron dropped to one knee and began chanting as the President rose her second arm, a golden sceptre encrusted with red and green gems was held aloft above her head. He couldn’t move any of his muscles, he was paralysed in place, the Prophet was right, he thought, It’s all over. Her eyes snapped to him as a grin spread across her face.

  “Oh what a delight it is to see you again, Mr Maguire,” she yelled over the top of the crowd, “Do you like what I’ve done with the place?”

  “It’s a shame you banned pesticides,” he replied, “So much for the environment.”

  “Clever,” she frowned, “It’s such a shame that we must destroy you, you’ve proven mighty useful thus far, but who knows, I may harvest you myself as a treat for the hard work I’ve put into this scheme.” Beating harder and faster, the Xuron turned to face Sean who looked on, ashamed at what had become of his world, he knew he wasn’t going to get out of this alive, but he would be damned if the President did as well.

  “You won’t be doing anything to anyone, Madame President,” he scowled, the charging of his shoulder cannon was only audible to him, “I’ll make sure of that,” and with those words his cannon let off a crack of energy that streaked towards the President, her fate mere moments away from being decided…

  Chapter 28

  Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Sean watched the bolt of concentrated energy ebb and flow towards the Xuron infested President. Sparks ejected in every direction as the projectile’s energy dissipated and began to lose containment. With a sharp intake of breath, he awaited the inevitable conclusion, the end ofthe entire saga and the return to the somewhat equilibrium enjoyed on Earth before it all started. But it wasn’t to be, at least not yet. The Xuron officer stood beside the President reacted with feline-like reflexes, intercepting the cannon-fired projectile before it made any contact with her. The damage to its unarmoured body was severe. Flesh was cleanly torn from bone as the energy ripped through its skin as organs detonated leaving only a gooey, bloody mess in a neat circular spread across the once pristine stone floor. Slumping to the ground in a crumpled mess, the intact muscles twitched in place, they were the only signs that the puddle was once a living, breathing being.

  Rising to her feet, the President looked at him as rage burned brightly in her eyes. “Big mistake Mr Maguire, have you seen our numbers?”

  “Quality over quantity,” he shouted while drawing his weapon, “How do you think this is going to end? You just storm the entire planet and harvest it for your own personal army? I don’t think so somehow; you’ll never break our spirit or our ambitious doctrines of freedom.” The President stood firm, her scowl said more than she ever could hope to, but he knew she was dangerous and words wouldn’t end this conflict.

  “Well, I wish I could say it’s been a pleasure,” she smirked, “But It’s time for you to leave me be and meet some of my new friends.” The President rose her golden sceptre to the sky and brought it down on him as if she was the judge, jury, and executioner. The Xuron army buzzed in anger as they turned in unison, each of them snarling and beating their wings with force towards the mechanically enhanced Human. Dust kicked up from the ground as a faint, pulsating whirr grew in the distance, the sound grew stronger as if it was closing in on their position.

  “Sean, that sound,” Fez chirped, “Our salvation has arrived.” Over the horizon of the built-up
skyline, a group of weak blue dots flashed into existence and grew in intensity. Taris managed to grab him by the scruff of his neck and yank him back into the alleyway, knowing what that noise usually entailed. It wasn’t long before it began, the dots formed into figures and those figures moulded into Ioution fighters. The sight that greeted him filled him and everyone else with joy.

  Arcing out from the clouds above, the thick blue engine trails of the fighters darted down towards the ground, unleashing hot fury onto the gawping Xuron below. Fifteen or so vessels buzzed about in the dark sky each sparking energy out towards the scattering army, the red bolts screamed down to the surface, slamming into the ground with a lurid crack that devastated the dirt and aliens below. The organised ranks of Xuron quickly scattered and dispersed in all directions as they ran and jumped for cover, trying their best to avoid the raining death from above. He looked up, watching as the Ioutions pulled up hard, circling back in a loop for another bombardment.

  He and his team were safe from the onslaught that was occurring just metres from their position, but he knew they couldn’t waitthere forever, they still had to secure or destroy the President. Now was the time to take advantage of the chaos the Ioutions above had caused and pierce a route through the throng that still blocked their way. “Alright, everyone listen,” he boomed, “We need to get out there and make sure she doesn’t get away, that’s priority one, your friends up there seem to be doing a great job of distracting them but make sure to keep yourselves safe and keep on moving.” With his hand raised, he counted down from three after briefing the team on what needed to be done, it was now or never if they waited any longer the opportunity might pass them by. On the count of one he threw his hand forwards and the group charged out from their cubby hole and into the fire.