The Chaos Saga

by Samuel JT Pratley

  "Alright then mister planner, what was your plan?" Matt asked.

  "Well, I knew that Xanthos were territorial about their ships, so I got the other ship's Lord's attention and flew him over here so that he would have to choose between dying or letting me go. So then we got captured and now I'm hoping that the Lord from the other ship will hate me enough that he'll keep after this ship until he's killed me, even if it means breaking me out of this prison."

  A voice came over the ship's comm system.

  "We have what we want. Prepare for intergalactic jump."

  "Was this part of your plan, Sam?"

  "Uhhh … no."

  9: An Unexpected Turn of Events

  The Xantho ships all left Earth's orbit and headed to their home planet.

  "Hmm … this wasn't part of the plan."

  "Sam, what are we gonna do? If we get to their home world, it'll be three of us versus millions of them."

  "Trillions."

  "What?"

  "Thirty-four trillion, two hundred and fifty-one billion, six hundred and ninety-four million, and twenty-two thousand, give or take a few thousand."

  "Not helping, Jareth."

  "Just saying the odds are not in our favour."

  "Would you two shut up and let me think!" Sam said harshly.

  "What crawled up his arse and died?"

  Jareth slapped Matt round the back of the head.

  "Ow."

  "Shh."

  "Okay, okay … plan - I've got a plan. We plead to the Lord of this ship to take us to meet the Hive King and then we kill him."

  Matt and Jareth looked at each other as if they thought Sam was crazy.

  "What's wrong with my plan? It's better than what you've both come up with."

  "How are we gonna get off this planet, or stop the remaining Xanthos from killing us?"

  "We're gonna … shut up, Jareth. You're stupid."

  "This plan is stupid."

  "Then you come up with one!"

  "Okay, fine … hmm … okay, I've got one. We commandeer a fighter or a bomber. We fly it over their Hive, blow it up and then we fly home."

  "I don't think that standard fighters are equipped with hyper drive systems. Look, there is no possible outcome that leads to us getting home so why don't we try and do as much damage as possible. Let's go down fighting."

  "Hoorah," the three of them said, putting their forearms together up in the air.

  Hours passed in silence. They had agreed to try and jump the first Xantho guard that came to look after them. The door opened and a Xantho stepped through.

  "Sam?" it said. Only one Xantho called him Sam.

  "Steve?"

  "You named him Steve?"

  "Well, I wasn't going to call them 'Xantho' for the rest of my life, was I. So I named each of them."

  "Yes, it is I, Steve."

  "How did you get here?"

  "Steve and other peace Xanthos came on ship in fear of ship leave Earth. Good thing too, because we found Sam and other friends."

  Steve was the youngest and didn't know a lot of English. He ran to the cages.

  "Don't open them yet. Wait for the ships to land and then come and get us, okay?" Sam said to the youngling.

  "Ship has landed, Sam."

  "What?! Already?"

  "Yes. Shall I let you and your three friends out now?"

  "Three friends? There's only two of them - Matt and Jareth."

  "No, there's two in that one." It pointed to the air inside Matt's cell. Matt instantly freaked out and hurried to one corner of the cell.

  "Hey, hey, hey. No, don't freak out. It's me, Lachlan," a voice came from the air. Lachlan pulled off his helmet. The move immediately deactivated his cloaking field.

  "How'd you get here, Lachlan?" Matt asked.

  "I came aboard when the peaceful Xanthos did and then I found you guys being hauled away so I followed."

  "Okay, so now there's four of us - three Devastators and a runner," Matt said, pointing at the youngling. "We're screwed," he continued.

  "Well, it's clear now who isn't the voice of reason. Matt!" Sam said harshly.

  "Well, it's true. How are we going to get out of this then, Sam?"

  "There is a way out of this."

  "What are you thinking, Lachlan?"

  "Pike."

  "No, no, no, not Pike."

  "Am I the only one who doesn't know this 'Pike'?" Matt asked.

  "I don't know him either," Jareth said.

  "Pike is a commander in the older marines."

  "He's an adult," Sam said, rolling his eyes.

  "Yeah and they're all about authority and following the rules - doing things by the book. I'm not accepting help from him or anyone from that side of the marines."

  "Stop your stubbornness, Sam. We won't need his help for very long. Just as backup or for an escape plan."

  "Okay, fine, but I don't like it."

  "Okay. So then, what's the plan?" Jareth asked.

  10: The Army from Hell

  Steve let the marines out and then ran to find the other Xanthos. Sam, Jareth, Matt and Lachlan ran through the halls of the ship. It was utterly empty. All of the Xanthos appeared to have left and it left Sam baffled.

  They all knew what the plan was but no amount of training or morale could prepare them for what came next. They found an exit and hurried through it. Sam went through first but stopped in his tracks as he was greeted by thousands upon thousands of Xanthos all gathered on a wasteland. As far as the eye could see, there was an endless wave of Xanthos. Sam couldn't do anything but stand there. The Xanthos saw him and began to attack, but Sam was still in shock. Matt managed to push him out of the way before a Xantho pounced on them. Matt revved up all of his Gatling guns and sprayed waves of bullets, killing hundreds of Xanthos, but it wasn't enough.

  Jareth jumped past Sam and Matt in his Chimera form and began to attack. Lachlan was busy on his comms, trying to get help. Sam managed to get up and activate his armour.

  "Lachlan, we need help now!"

  "They said they're on their way, but I don't know how long it will be," Lachlan said as he activated his armour and became invisible. No-one could see him but they could see the Xanthos as he sliced them up. The marines fought on for another few minutes before they began to feel fatigued. They tried their best but it wasn't enough … until the familiar sound of marine bombers screamed through the air. Sam looked up to see the colourful blueness of marine ship.

  "Guys, look! Reinforcements! It's the Titan Bomber!"

  A massive ship came into orbit and flew overhead, carpet bombing an area not too far from the marines. The sight of their ships gave them the strength to continue.

  "Team, let's do this."

  "Sam, look out!" Jareth said, spying a Slasher that was about to strike. A Devastator moved between them, slammed its jaw down on the Slasher's neck, then flung the body around, tearing the head from the body.

  "Thank you."

  "You're welcome, Samuel," the Xantho said before running off.

  "Wow, that was close."

  "Oh, jeez! Lachlan, stop doing that!"

  Lachlan took off his helmet and deactivated his cloaking field.

  "Pike, where are you?" he asked as a drop ship flew overhead and dropped a squad of marines next to Sam's team.

  "I'm here," Pike said as he landed. He was wearing the same kind of armour as Lachlan was, right down to the thunder claws, but the armours of him and his team were a grey colour.

  "Good to see you again, Sam."

  "You too, Malcolm."

  Malcolm wielded a large two handed axe which he held over his left shoulder with one hand.

  "So what do you want us to do?" Pike asked.

  "Stay out of our way and try to get us to the Hive King. We need to end this now," Sam said, pointing to a mound of flesh on the other end of the battlefield.

  All of the marines charged into the horde of Xanthos. Sam and Pike led their teams through the fray, both heading
toward the sprawling mass of writhing flesh that the Xanthos called their 'Hive'. As Sam finished off another Xantho, he looked to his right to see the peaceful Xanthos fighting their way to Hive as well.

  "Pike, can you get the Titan Bomber to do another run closer to the Hive?" Sam asked through the comms.

  "I'll try but they've got a pretty hard battle up there as well," Pike replied, pointing up into space.

  Sam looked up to see Xantho ships leaving the surface and heading up into space. In the moment of distraction, a Xantho charged at him but Jareth managed to get to it before it got to Sam.

  "Sam, stop star gazing and get your head in the fight."

  "Sorry. Jareth, look out!"

  Sam shoved his brother out of the way and managed to fire a nail into the Xantho that had snuck up behind Jareth.

  "Thanks."

  "No problem."

  As they fought on, a loud screech echoed through the battlefield. Sam saw six Lords sprinting toward them.

  "Pike, Lords incoming and we don't have the manpower to take down six of them."

  He heard the roaring of the Titan Bomber approach. It flew over the Lords, dropping its payload and blowing them to kingdom come. The marines were close enough to be showered in debris and dust from the blast. Sam had to shield his eyes.

  "You're welcome," Sam heard Pike say over the comms.

  "Yeah, thanks," Sam said to himself sarcastically.

  As the dust began to clear, a shadow appeared in the dust in front of him. Out of the dust, a Lord jumped out and pinned him to the ground, acid cannons ready. The same Devastator from before slammed its head into the Lord's side, throwing it off Sam. It fired its acid cannons at the Lord but it didn't do anything.

  "Did you forget that our acid doesn't affect our own kind?" the Lord asked.

  "Then I guess I'll have to slice you up," the Devastator replied. He charged for the Lord, who grabbed its head and slammed it into the ground. The Lord began to go in for a bite to the Devastator's neck. It still had its claws holding its head against the ground, and since Devastators resembled the T-Rex, its main weapon was its jaw. When a swift kick came from the Devastator into the abdomen of the Lord, forcing it off the Devastator, Sam was still on the ground, in awe of seeing the two giants fight it out.

  With the use of its jaw back, the Devastator ran for the stunned Lord. Before it reached the Lord, the Lord jumped into the air. The Devastator jumped after it and with its powerful jaw, managed to grab the Lord's set of undercarriage acid cannons and tear them from its underside. The Lord fell on its back, exposing its now blood soaked underside. The Devastator landed right on top of it and a loud crack could be heard from the impact. The Devastator grabbed the Lord's head in its jaws and tore it from the body, killing it instantly and throwing the head away. It walked over to Sam, who got up and thanked the Xantho for another save.

  "Any time. Just go and kill the hive king and end this pointless feud," it said before it ran off to fight another Xantho.

  11: The Hive

  Sam met up with the other marines just outside the hive, while the onslaught of Xanthos kept coming.

  "Team, stay out here and make sure that no Xanthos enter or exit the hive. Malcolm and I will escort the S1 Marines down to slay the hive king," Pike ordered.

  "Matt, you stay out here as well."

  Sam, Jareth, Lachlan, Pike and Malcolm began their descent into the hive. Everywhere they looked they could see flesh - blood-red pulsing flesh. The entire hive was made up of the stuff. Hives were grown, not built or made.

  "We need to be stealthy. Lachlan, go invisible and scout ahead," Sam said as they slowly hobbled down the fleshy incline. Lachlan ran ahead and vanished into the crimson halls.

  "We should keep to the shadows."

  It took them a few minutes of walking to realise that they were alone in the hive.

  "Where are all the damn Xanthos?" Pike asked.

  Sam gulped and said, "Up."

  They all looked up and what they saw scared the life out of them. Hundreds of Xanthos squashed together up on the ceiling, and hundreds of pairs of eyes watched their every move. There was no visible ceiling, only a white and purple mass of flesh and scales. Four Devastators jumped from the ceiling to meet the marines, and landed with a loud squishing sound.

  "Why have you entered our hive, puny humans?" one of them asked.

  "Uhh, well, we're actually here to kill your hive king."

  "Oh, Sam."

  "Well done, Sam."

  "You've done it now, Sam," he heard his team say.

  The Devastator closest to Sam bared its teeth and growled. It then went in to bite Sam clean in half, but Lachlan slashed it with his thunder claws. Since Lachlan was still invisible, the Xantho looked around to see what had cut him. The Xantho roared, giving Lachlan time to stab his claws into the Xantho's exposed throat, killing it and causing it to fall to the ground with a thud. Another Devastator took its place.

  "How are we gonna get out of this?" Jareth asked.

  "We probably need to kill them all," Pike replied.

  "Have you seen how many are up there?"

  "Enough that we can handle them all."

  "Then let's do it."

  "No, Sam, you need to go and kill the hive king. Malcolm, go with him. The rest of us will take down this lot," Pike ordered.

  Sam and Malcolm headed for a central chamber, fighting and killing Xanthos as they went. They entered the heart of the hive - literally the heart. A massive spire of flesh pulsed in the centre of the room, sending vibrations through the floor.

  "What would happen if we were to kill that thing?" Sam asked.

  "I don't know. I've never seen one before but if it's the heart then maybe severing it will kill the hive," Malcolm replied.

  They approached the beating tower. It was connected to both the ground and the ceiling and pulsed every few seconds. They walked around the fleshy tower, trying to find a weak point. Sam ran his hand along the ruby veins that supplied the hive with the necessities to grow and produce Xantho soldiers.

  "Do you think there are more?"

  "Let's hope not," Malcolm replied, pulling his great axe off his back.

  He began to swing at the heart but before the axe hit the tower, a Xantho Lord fired its acid cannons at Malcolm. His weapon was disintegrated as he was pushed into a pulsating wall. Sam ran to his side and helped him up. He had hive blood all over his face.

  They faced the Xantho that had shot Malcolm. Its colour differed from the normal white and purple Xanthos. This particular Lord was blood red with shiny metallic silver scales. If it didn't have glistening scales it would've blended right in with the crimson walls of the hive.

  "I am the heart's protector and I will not allow you to cease our purification of our universe," it said in a very low and menacing voice.

  "Purification!" Malcolm exclaimed, wiping the blood off his face.

  "We Xanthos were bred to be the ultimate hunters. We have no natural predators and because of this we are the rightful rulers of the universe. We will not be stopped by a bunch of humans. You are the bug underneath our boot. Now be squashed!" the Xantho said, rushing towards the marines.

  Sam activated his beast mode and pounced onto the Lord's back. He got in a few good bites to its acid cannons before he was grabbed and thrown off the beast. As he was forced off, he managed to rip a cannon off the Lord's back. Upon landing, he could feel the acid beginning to seep through the cannon and melt his mouth. He spat it out before it could do any more damage. The Lord charged again but was interrupted as a Devastator clamped its jaws down on the Lord's abdomen. It thrashed its head, trying to tear the Lord in half, but the Lord managed to pry the jaws open and scurry to the other side of the room.

  The Devastator looked toward Sam and said, "How many times do I have to save your weak little behind?"

  "I'm hoping a lot more. Wait, that's not right. Look out!" Sam said as the Lord pounced on top of the Devastator.

  Lords
were ranked higher than Devastators but Devastators were much larger than the giant spider-like Lords. The Lord managed to get the Devastator on the ground. The Devastator thrashed its tail and tripped the Lord off him. The Lord was now on the fleshy floor and the Devastator was standing over it. He reached down with his jaw to finish the Lord off but the Lord swiped at it with its scythes, cutting a deep incision on the side of the Devastator's head. The Devastator was angry. It grabbed one of the Lord's legs in its mouth and tore it from the body. The Lord screeched in pain and slashed at the Devastator's neck. The Devastator managed to dodge it but the Lord fired its acid cannons at it. It must have had some kind of different acid as it began to burn the Devastator's legs. The Devastator collapsed and Sam watched as its legs began to disintegrate and the Devastator howled in agony.

  The Lord began to walk over to the downed Devastator to finish it off but Sam got in between them. He fired three nails at the Lord. They bounced harmlessly off the Lord's scales and fell onto the floor, exploding and throwing Sam against a far wall.

  12: The New Armour

  Sam opened his eyes to see the Lord slinking over to the Devastator, whose legs had been completely decimated by the acid. The Lord reached down and slashed at the Devastator's throat. Dark blue/black blood began to pour out of the wound. The Lord walked away from the now dying Xantho.

  "No!" Sam yelled as he got up and ran to the dying Xantho. "Don't die on me. You've still got fights to win," Sam pleaded, nearly in tears.

  "No, my time is up, Samuel. I have played my part in the almighty plan set out for this universe. It's up to you now. Defeat this Lord, then the hive king. Then please make sure that the other peaceful Xanthos get sanctuary. Please ensure that they can live on your planet without fear."

  "Of course I will."

  "Samuel, I grant you one final wish. Hoorah."

  "Hoorah," Sam said as the Xantho's life was extinguished.

  The Xantho began to glow in a faint light which then wrapped itself around Sam, encasing him in light. When the light dispersed, Sam's armour had been upgraded. The base of the armour was the same but now he had dual gatling cannons - one on each shoulder. Instead of a sword he now had two laser blades that emitted from his gauntlets. He still had his nail launchers.