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

by Joe Crouch

  Their weapons screamed with urgency as they unloaded their capacitors towards the hunkered down Xuron, the battlefield became awash with different hues of energy and plasma as the two warring sides exchanged fire. Sean, Michael, Taris, and Fez all took up cover behind a bulky stone statue, poking their weapons out when it was possible to carve down a splintered off pocket of the horde. Their progress was slow and the President wouldn’t remain distracted by the Ioution threat for much longer.

  He looked out over the fight, the remaining marines fought valiantly off to the side, creating a distraction for as long as they could handle it, the President had taken up cover behind a giant marble pillar. Out from his vision, a lone bug had snuck around to their position and unsheathed a large blade, drawing it back behind its own head. The resulting damage was instant as the alien stabbed downwards Michael glanced the attack at the last moment, he shifted to the left trying to dodge out the way but the blade tore through his leg. He let out a deafening scream as the Xuron retracted the blade, readying for another swipe, but this time, it wouldn’t be so lucky. Taris jumped up and tackled the bug to the ground, the pair struggled for dominance for a moment before the female Ioution drew back and placed a weapon against its skull. The fight was over in a flash as the alien’s head exploded outwards covering every surface in a thick goo.

  Sean stood and pulled Taris to her feet before tending to the general who had propped himself up against the now crumbling statue, “I’ll stay with him,” Fez assured, “You two go and complete the mission.”

  “Fine,” Sean stammered, “Don’t let anything else happen to him, we will need him once this is all done,” he looked over to Taris, who was covered in muck, she nodded her readiness towards him. “Let’s go.”

  The sea of Xuron parted in two as they dispersed from the exposed courtyard, getting any cover that they could. This gave the pair a clear view of the President as she looked over towards their position, locking eyes she raised her weapon. He had no time to avoid the flaming plasma bolt that rushed towards him. Striking him centrally, his back bent as the suit absorbed most the exerted energy, leaving nothing but burnt metals and a smoking, charred surface. As he pushed himself back into position a thunderous crack came from one of the suits hydraulic systems, it had completely sheared in half and the now the two separated parts hung on by a thin thread. An opportunity presented itself as a clear path towards the presidential halls formed in front of them, straight through the fighting mass that wouldn’t think twice about tearing them limb from limb. He motioned towards the gap and looked at Taris, who panted heavily, desperately trying to latch onto the alien atmosphere that now wreaked havoc on her body. “What do you think?” he asked, ignoring her obvious discomfort.

  “I think we should try it,” Taris replied, taking a long, deep breath to steady herself.

  “You up for it?” he questioned, drawing a piercing glance from the proud Ioution.

  “I’ve been in worse situations,” she boasted, he could only look on in amazement, unsure whether to be in awe or frightened. None-the-less, he slapped a new capacitor into his weapon and waited for the right moment, for once trusting his instinct to shout at him when it was safe to proceed. The shout came, but not from him rather it was from the fired up Ioution that peeled off from her cover and charged forwards like a raging bull. They dodged and weaved through the scrapping Xuron, his shoulder mounted cannon worked overtime to keep the pathway clear of any hostiles as Taris blasted away any stragglers.

  Atop the steep marble stairs, the President looked on with a sheepish grin plastered across her rugged face as she darted out from her cover and crashed into the large, lumbering doors behind her. “She’s going into the halls,” Taris shouted in-between yanking a knife out from a Xuron’s skull, “We’ve got to get in there, quickly.” Sean looked up, they were still a fair way away from breaking through the crowd, but the suits capabilities sparked into his focused mind. With a tug, he grabbed Taris and stopped the onslaught, he drew her in close and wrapped his arms around her waist, with a smile he cracked his boots together propelled them both off the ground. Air whistled through their hair as they gained a birds-eye view of the conflict below, with some gentle manipulation he guided the pair down towards where the President once stood and with a thud, landed safely.

  The large wooden doors that towered over them were ajar, a dim flickering light beamed out through the thin crack, slicing across the dirty floor beneath them. Taris was the first to proceed, she positioned herself flush against the smooth door and slid herself along until she could get a clear view inside the dimly lit halls. Poking her head around the corner she found herself staring into a large, open hallway, candles that were at the end of their lives lined the walls, glued into ornate golden holders that curled up towards the ceiling, the dripping wax hardened on the smooth floor below. “Sean it’s almost pitch black, I can’t see a thing,” she bemoaned, the distant clicking of the President’s shoes echoed through the open halls as she fled to her own relative safety. Ioution fighters came for another pass, spitting out directed energy at the now cowering Xuron, Sean covered his eyes, protecting himself from the flying debris. “I’m going in,” she whispered as she slipped through the thin split between the doors, under heavy protest from a concerned Human.

  “Oh God dammit,” he sighed, opening the door so his suit could fit the wider gap to pursue the rampant Ioution. Stepping into the expansive hallway he noticed the cold stone floors were decorated with images of pivotal moments in Earth’s past, interlocked hands remembered the union of the once splintered world into a single entity. The candles flickered and popped as their fuel began to burn out. Taris looked on, her large eyes scanned the administrative area for any signs of life, they knew the President was close, but she had yet to show herself.

  “Where is she,” Taris whispered, “Use your ocular systems.”

  “Ocular systems?” he shrugged, “What the hell are those.” Taris stepped in front of the clueless Human and clicked a visor down from his helmet, “Oh, that…”

  “Yes,” she sighed, shaking her head, “It will allow you to scan different light bands.”

  “Like night vision,” he added. The display flickered into life, a circular pulse emanated out from his body as the area was mapped and its information rendered into his vision. Everything was washed with green and reds as the computer attempted to overlay any relevant information. The area appeared clear, no thermal signatures were detected so he continued, his heavy feet crashed against the floor as he moved, destroying any form of surprise they had hoped to achieve.

  Ding, ding, ding, came the three progressively shorter noises from below him, “Move now!” Taris screamed as he looked down to see a blinking spherical object at his feet. In a bright flash, the object detonated, its full force slammed against his armour, sending him crashing into the adjacent wall. Cracks of thunder came from above as the support beams of the ceiling began to snap, subsequent worrying snaps and pops came as cracks began to snake across the once pristine ceiling. Without hesitation, the ceiling exploded into life as it began to crumble, large chunks of stone slammed into the floor, spitting out debris and a thick cloud of dust. He pulled himself up and brushed the rocks from his suit, the anger boiled within him as he pulled his weapon up and began to fire wildly into the void, the bright light of the energy illuminated the area for a moment. “Sean, there” Taris shouted, pointing to an oak reception desk, “She’s behind that.” Punching holes through the relatively flimsy material, the pair unleashed their full might towards the leader in hiding.

  “Stop,” came the cry from the President as she stood with her hands held high, “I surrender, I’m too valuable to die from such a trivial matter,” he lowered his weapon and took a step towards the unflinching female.

  “Trivial matter,” he shouted, “Trivial? Thousands, probably more, have lost their lives today because of your greed, your hunger, your lust for power was insatiable. When we emerge from this hall
with you as our prisoner you will order the full retreat of the Xuron fleet and the cessation of any hostilities.”

  “My, my, you’ve really grown into your role haven’t you,” Camilla hissed, “There are things we both want, Sean, things we both need, the chances of me getting what I need are higher if we work together, don’t you agree?”

  “Don’t listen to her, Sean,” Taris whispered, “She’s trying to get into your head.”

  “I don’t agree with anything,” he replied, his voice echoed through the desolate halls, “I do want to know why you did this, why your own people?”

  “So innocent, so naïve,” she laughed, “Do you really think you’re still talking to your President?” In an instant, she erupted into a fit of laughter, unable to control herself, “No Sean, your President is gone, a mere flicker of light in this empty, wasted consciousness your race calls life.” Taking another step forward, he was ready to pull the trigger at any moment. “It’s a shame really,” the being declared, “I quite enjoy this world, its beautiful landscapes, the daytime skies, you may not expect such emotion from the animal and savage I presume you have been briefed on, but we’re similar, Sean.”

  “We’re not similar,” he reacted, “We’re nothing alike.”

  “Oh no?” the being questioned, “You’re right, we’re not – You’re far worse. The atrocities you commit against your own race are appalling, famine, war, people drinking from puddles in the streets like animals as they clamour for the very thing that grants you life. So, Sean, I think you may be correct about something.”

  “You could be right,” he conceded, “But we’re a young race, you’ve got to put your hand into the fire to know that it burns, we make mistakes, but we try hard tolearn from them.”

  “Wouldn’t you all be better off as Xuron?” the being hissed, “We’re offering salvation, a way out, Sean, a way out, isn’t that what you’ve wanted your entire life?”

  “Enough introspection,” he boomed, “Either return the President to her usual self or prepare to be handed over to the authorities.” Shuffling from foot to foot, the being stood and looked at him, its human face, the President’s face, was a picture of pure neutrality as it gazed on.

  “Enough indeed,” the being sneered and in a flash of action, it spun on its heels, grabbing the antique rifle that hung on the wall above the desk. Sean had no time to react as the being lined up its shot and fired as a cloud of smoke billowed out from the weapon. Taris let out a thunderous roar as the round tore through her leg, making her collapse to the ground in a heap. In an instant, he pulled his weapon up and yanked at the trigger, letting off a spark of energy that struck the assailant on its shoulder, pushing it down to the floor in an extravagant spiral. In an unrelenting fashion, he positioned himself above the wounded President, Taris’ cries of pain echoed through the halls, as if a constant reminder.

  “You idiot,” he muttered towards the groaning being, “You sure picked the wrong race to enslave, we’re a resilient bunch.”

  “Join us,” it groaned through gritted teeth, “Imagine the possibilities, you could…” before it could finish its sentence, he fired a final shot into the President’s skull, ending the altercation in a gory display.

  “Taris,” he yelled as he ran across the hallway before he knelt beside the injured Ioution, “How are you doing?”

  “Oh just great,” she replied, wincing “Imagine all the inoculations I’m going to have to have when I get back aboard the Mar’Ell, I hope your race doesn’t have many diseases.”

  “Well…” he trailed off, rubbing the back of his head, “Here, let me pull you up, I’ll carry you outside and we can get that seen to,” with an outstretched hand, he pulledher onto her only working leg as he took her weight on his own shoulders. As they began to waddle towards the thin veil of light that infiltrated from outside, a fleshy tear came from behind the pair as the Xuron Burrower tore its way out from the now deceased President and began to scurry towards the same exit. “Taris, shoot it, quick,” he shouted, pointing towards the escaping alien. Fumbling about and working through the excruciating pain she grabbed a pistol from her belt. The dark hallway was illuminated with bursts of light as she let off rounds towards the small, agile target.

  “It’s no good, I can’t hit it,” she bemoaned “It’s too fast, even for me,” but as she finished her sentence, the large double doors flung open, an exhausted Fez stood silhouetted in the doorway.

  “Fez, get it before it escapes!” Sean cried. Fez looked about the dark area and saw the scurrying critter, and as it approached he pulled his foot up high and stomped down with force, an almost deafening crack came from the creature as he stamped once and continued to stamp on the flailing being. “Alright, that was pretty badass,” he admitted, staring on in awe of the Captain.

  “You injured Taris?” Fez asked as the pair approached at a snail’s pace.

  “Yeah, it’s not great, I’ll need to get back aboard and get to the med bay as soon as possible.” Nodding, Fez and the duo stepped outside, Taris hopped along and Sean stood firm, looking to the sky. It was ablaze with objects entering the atmosphere, streaking across the night sky in balls of fire.

  “Planet landers,” he beamed, “The fleet must be back in orbit.” Sonic booms rang out and echoed around the already obliterated plaza as the pods grew closer before eventually, the first egg-shaped shell crashed to the ground, half buried in the concrete floor as a cloud of debris rose from the impact. It wasn’t long before more pods slammed into the plaza and all over the city, each causing a ruckus as they streaked across the sky and destroyed the earth below. Sean’s face had a smile from ear-to-ear as the pod’s door exploded outwards to reveal the fully armoured lander, snuggly fit into the protective layer within the object. With a snap, the soldier unharnessed himself and climbed out onto the battlefield, taking up position beside his now destroyed shell. “You’re a bit late,” Sean shouted, gesticulating towards the sea of Xuron bodies that flooded the square, the lander’s head snapped around, as he noticed Sean the soldier’s demeanour relaxed before he strolled towards the trio that stood atop the stairs.

  “Ambassador Maguire, well I’ll be damned,” the soldier beamed before putting an arm around the tired and beaten Ambassador, “Looks like you’ve got yourself some new friends… And what’s this?” he asked before stepping back, observing the mechanical suit up and down.

  “It’s a toy I get to play with now I’m all grown up, maybe one day you’ll get there,” he smirked, before putting his hand out, “This is Taris, Ioution commando and all-around badass.”

  “Oh you do know how to speak to a lady,” she blushed in a sarcastic manner, the look on the lander’s face was one of absolute confusion, unable to fathom what was going on.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked the soldier.

  “I’ll tell you what’s wrong,” he boomed, “I can’t understand a bloody word they’re saying can I.”

  “That’s fine,” he replied, “Taris was just saying how much of a great person I am and how I’ve been invaluable to the war effort,” to which Sean got a clip around the ear from the on looking Ioution.

  “I’m gonna’ go ahead and guess she said nothing of the sort.”

  “She didn’t…” he replied, laughing it off, “Look, we’ll talk later, there’s still some lingering Xuron around here, and I have no idea what the situation is like globally.” With a salute, the soldier rushed off and readied his weapon before joining the other lander’s that gathered around the central square.

  “I’ve called in a shuttle,” Fez interrupted the silence, “It will be here any moment,” Sean nodded and turned to face Taris as she leant up against the dirty building.

  “Well, I guess this is goodbye then,” he squirmed, unable to think of what to say.

  “For now,” she declared, “I’m not leaving my favourite pet here all by himself, you’ll have to show me some of those shops we went past earlier,” Sean was unable to control the smile that h
e knew must have been plastered across his face, as if he was an adolescent boy.

  “It’s a date,” he replied.

  “Don’t go that far,” she laughed before wincing in pain, “Come here,” she said, motioning for him to approach. She pulled him in close and held him tight in a warm embrace, “I’ll miss you,” she choked as if all the emotion of the last few days began to catch up with her. Sean pulled back and considered her large, deep purple eyes before he planted a kiss on her dry lips.

  “I’ll miss you too,” he finally declared, “It won’t be long, I’ll no doubt have some rubbish and paperwork to take care of planetside then you can show me around the galaxy.”

  “There’s still a war going on,” Fez chimed in, “While there’s a time and place for downtime, what the Xuron did here shows how much of a threat they still are, the Great Prophet is out there with no doubt an entire armada protecting his breeding ships.” Sean grew sombre, he knew today was only a small victory, even a meaningless one for the rest of the alliance, but the threat remained and there was no time to let up, they needed to go on the offensive. The familiar whir of an Ioution shuttle rippled through the air as it circled the area before descending into a safe landing spot. Its doors cracked open allowing the medics to rush out towards the grimacing Taris. He watched on as she was placed on a hovering bed and pushed towards the shuttle, gone for now but not forever, Fez placed a comforting arm around his shoulders before plodding off to deal with his remaining marines.

  General Hagen climbed the stairs and approached a lost looking Sean, “It’s about time you got out of that thing, isn’t it?” he asked, looking at his suit.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he admitted before disengaging the magnetic locks. The suit snapped in two along the seams, allowing him to simply step out onto the stone floor, “Wow, I feel so inadequate now.”

  “Don’t,” the general smiled, “What you and your team did here today will go down in history. Was the outcome the best? Not really, but you did what was necessary, and history remembers those who dare.”