Chapter Seven
The smell of food cooking and the aroma of coffee wake the crew of the Robur one by one, as they crave sustenance, their bellies tight and sore. The fire is still burning and Talia opens her eyes as Megan sits down on the log near her to warm herself on the fire. It was a cold morning, even though there were trees all around them. The trees were full of an eerie red mist that floated at head height everywhere.
“Oh, my head,” grumbles Megan, with her hands running through her red locks. “I forgot how good Fuzz-Fuzz was.”
Talia, now sat up next to the fire, stretches and yawns. “It was a good night though, and I slept so well. How did you sleep?”
Megan drops her hands down from her head and offers Talia her hand to inspect. “Cold. Feel my hands. I doubt I will sleep well until we reach the spires.”
Titch hands Megan some scrambled egg on toast. It was dehydrated egg from a tin, but it smelt so good, and hurrying it into her mouth, a smile crossed her face as she savoured the taste. Talia was also handed a plate of food, and then the Gulmeds, who looked at the food with interest.
“What is this yellow stuff? We have had your bread and tried to eat the meat, but we are not sure about the yellow stuff.” Drax is playing with his food, shifting it around on his plate, not sure whether he wants the food or not.
“It is egg, a youngling from a chicken, I believe, Drax,” replies Titch, handing some to Steg.
“You eat younglings?” Steg pushes her plate away in disgust. “No, not for me, Titch, thank you. Why would anyone do such a thing?”
Megan looks over at the commotion. “I don’t know why, but it is a great source of protein for our people, and food was hard to come by on Foloss, our planet. Everyone needs to eat to survive.” Steg looks at Drax and talking in their tongue, an ancient alien language, they can’t believe what they have just heard.
“Did you hear that, Drax? They eat the young of other species. I don’t know what these chickens beings are like, or if they are at war with the humans, but I don’t want them to eat my younglings for protein. I don’t want them near when it is time. We can’t take that chance.”
Drax nods and replies, yet again in a gentle reassuring voice. “Don’t worry, I am sure when the time comes you will be concentrating on the freeing, and our people will not be someone’s breakfast, even if I have to kill the others, my Queen.” The conversation goes on, as the two Gulmeds stand up and leave the fire pit and return to pack up their shelter shell.
“Oops, I think they are upset Megan. Still, that means more egg for us.” Talia grabs the two plates of piping hot scrambled eggs and empties the eggs onto their plates, a huge morning breakfast to help them on their journey.
A little time passes by and everyone has eaten and packed their things away, the Gulmeds having been relieved to find some local plants to eat. Everyone is happy to continue their journey and so the drones spin off into the green of the trees, relaying track back to Talia, who in turn guides the group of travellers down the safest way possible. They enter the trees again, leaving the clearing behind them, and push aside the tall bracken plants as they move along the track, that winds like a long snake The sounds of the creatures make them feel on edge in what seemed to be more of a jungle now. Vines dangled down at head height and the air was humid. Hacking away at the vegetation was thirsty work, which was making them all feel claustrophobic, their throats and tongues were as dry as sandpaper. There were tall, thin, mounds everywhere they looked, like termite mounds on Foloss, and they were spewing out a strange gas, which was a dark purple in colour. At the base of the mounds was a thick gel type substance, which bubbled and spat at them each time they passed one. Up high in the trees, they could see large black sacks that looked like large blobs of dripping tar. The crew could see them moving about with something obviously inside of them, waiting to explode out as it wriggled away trying to free itself.
“Look up there. What on Foloss is that?” points Megan, fearing that one of these things could fall on her head and thinking that the sheer size of it could kill her outright.
The Gulmeds look on, knowing what most of the things were due to their history. They had to know these things so they could survive here if they needed to, and all of those boring lectures from the elders were paying off now, and it was a good job they had listened in class as this could possibly save their race. They smiled at each other as they walked, not speaking a word to each other or to the others.
Talia slowed down and let Megan catch up to her. She looks back at Megan and whispers in her ear, “The Gulmeds are quiet. They are usually talking away to each other. What is wrong with them today, they seem a bit offish?”
Megan looks back at the Gulmeds briefly and then back at Talia. “It’s an egg thing, I think. She probably thinks it odd that we eat eggs, seeing as she is about to have children. I mean, we don’t know if she will lay eggs or if she will pop or even die like other creatures do after birth, so she may be worried.”
Talia nods in agreement, but another thought has entered her mind that needs to be said. “Can we trust them one hundred percent though? I say we have a backup plan just in case, you never know what is ahead of us.” The two humans agree that to preserve their lives they must stick together, if they are to survive this planet. Large bugs buzz around them like small planes, as they go about their day unaffected by the crew. Some bugs just hovering in the air, looking at these strange life forms in their world, and then flying off to eat other bugs, forgetting what they have seen in an instant. It is not just in the air that bugs live, they also crawl all over the forest, on the ground, trees and the bracken, and the crew are constantly brushing off these creepy crawlies. This jungle is a deadly place indeed. Throughout the day, they all witnessed, creatures eating bugs, bugs eating other bugs. Creatures with large claws, pincers and stinging tails. None of them wanted to be stung. Who knew what would happen if they were.
A few metres in front of them is a cave mouth. A path runs along the side of it and is the track they need to continue on, but in the opening of the cave sat on a rock, is a cute looking creature. It was white and fluffy, like a rabbit’s fur, and had two arms and legs. It looks at them with its four black eyes, its toad like mouth almost smiling at them. It had a long tail like a rat, which was curled behind it, and it was obviously warming itself in the sun that had broken through the trees there.
“Stop! Don’t move!” yells Drax at Megan, who was on her way to take a look. The creature was as large as a lion, yet looked so sweet and cuddly. Megan stops, not taking another footstep. “That thing is a Gooloo. They may look nice, but dwell underground and are carnivorous. Stay back, they hunt in packs.”
Megan laughs, “Are you serious, Drax, or are you just playing with me?” As Megan turns to look back, a black sac from a tree falls and lands a few metres away from the Gooloo. A small creature breaks free from the sac and only has a few seconds in the open, when a barbed, forked tongue flashes out of the Gooloo and grips the small bird-like creature around its neck, pulling it back at great speed, where sharp teeth await its meal. The small creature is soon half way in the Gooloo’s mouth, and as it chews on its feast, the sound of crushing and splintering bones are heard, as the group silently slip past unnoticed by the Gooloo creature.
When they are far enough away Drax stops to explain. “Not everything here is bad, but some things here, that may seem nice, are in fact terrible, so don’t be fooled. It is a case of you eat and you are eaten by something bigger.”
Megan smiles at Drax, knowing that could have been her if she had been any closer. “Thanks for the heads up, Drax.”
Drax nods. “They don’t always eat you straight off like that, sometimes they take you below, and from what I have learned, they dissolve you in their spit over a period of time and ingest you that way. The less time on the surface, the less chance they can be eaten. It’s the way of this world, as on many.” The crew continue to walk on the track, but are now even more aware o
f any sound around them, everyone’s senses are on overload and the journey is slower going now.
As the crew push through a tangled mass of vines and thorny bushes, a large stone and metal monument stands before them. It is a small tower, twenty foot tall with symbols covering the exterior. There is a small door on one side which hangs on by one metal hinge. The whole structure is tangled in vines and moss and had not been maintained in a long time. It was good to see something of civilization in the jungle. It meant that people survived out here, which was good know.
Drax and Steg walk over to the small monument and begin to examine the words, which to them was fantastic to see, as not many people had seen what their eyes were gazing on fixed like glue. Steg runs her hand across the words, the symbols etched in the cold slimy stone for all time, and as she did this sparks began to fly from her hand into the stone, each symbol and word lighting up with a purple glow to it. Smiling, Drax encourages Steg to go on.
“This is your destiny, my Queen, enjoy it.” Steg begins to feel warm and her force field shield, which was always such a bright white like Drax’s, begins to glow a gold colour. A pulse of gold sprints up one side of the structure and the vines begin to shrivel up and fall from the stone to the ground. Now more of the wording can be seen in its full glory. The words can only be understood by the Gulmeds, and after about ten minutes of the Gulmeds looking, Talia and Megan both become slightly bored, so take time to sit and rest, and drink some water.
“They seem to be having a ball over there.” whispers Megan while sipping her water and watching Titch as he takes five minutes to check the trailer for any damage.
Talia smiles and replies, “Oh, let them play if they want to, for the first time they look happy.” The drones buzz around their heads and everything around them seems to be damp and green. Large green glimmering bugs float by on the air, going about their business, stopping briefly to hover and look at the crew, and then moving on and disappearing out of sight.
“Did you see the size of that thing then? It was huge,” points Talia, following the bugs with her finger stretched out. “I have been to many distant worlds, but this place is really something.” As Talia finishes pointing, her eye catches a glimpse of a shadow moving fast through the trees. It did not make a sound and Talia pretended to not notice, but she followed it with her eyes until it stopped behind a rock around a hundred feet away. Not wanting to worry the others, she quickly programs a drone to fly around and covertly get some footage of what lurked behind the rock. The drones were equipped with stealth engines and were capable of many tasks. Not every trooper was blessed to have them, but then Talia was not an everyday kind of trooper. The other drone was programmed to fire on the shadow’s position if needs be, and was now facing in in the shadow’s direction. The other drone was now navigating around to get behind the shadow’s location and after a few minutes it finds a good vantage point. The drone’s video camera zooms in, even its lens making no sound as it spied. The shadow was a humanoid shape, and was shrouded in a dark green tatty cape that covered its face and body, and not much could be seen, but it was interested in what the crew were doing.
Noticing Talia playing around with her gauntlet, Megan inquires what was wrong. “Problem, Talia?” Megan bends her head to take a look at Talia’s screen on her gauntlet. Not wanting to lie to Megan, Talia shows Megan her findings.
“I’m going to take a look and see what this thing wants. Be ready, just in case.” Talia stands up, knowing evil eyes are watching her every move. Talia walks backwards, still talking to Megan. Her drone is ready to attack if needs be. Suddenly spinning on her heels, she runs at full speed towards the unsuspecting shadowed figure, kicking up mud in her wake. As she does this, the figure raises a silver rod- like weapon and aims it at her. She can now see this on a small screen inside her helmet, which has now been activated, and she gives the go order for the drone to fire. There are a few cracks of thunder in the air behind the shadow, and the shadow figure is hit in the back by blaster fire as it in turn fires on Talia. Its aim has missed its mark, due to the attack at its rear. The blasts from its rod weapon tear holes in the surrounding trees. A moan calls up in the air, like a wolf crying out to its kin. Now this thing is angered and turns its attention to the drone, which is about to fire again. The drone is hit by a blast from the silver rod, before it has chance to fire, and it is sent spinning backwards and only stops when it hits an outcrop of rocks, metal splintering off it as it smashes then falls to the ground, fizzing and buzzing. The drone’s shields were no match for this weapon.
Steg and Drax hear the commotion and the metal and stone monument, now throbbing with golden power, begins to rumble. The stones on the outside of the building begin to move and change shape, and a golden line of power sprints to a jagged metal post, one of four on the building. The noise outside is tremendous. The door that was broken lifts up and the zap of a gold power bolt in the building welds its hinge back in an instant. It is as if the building can think for itself. A flashing screen appears inside the building, and Drax and Steg enter to investigate, stepping through the doorway into a brightly lit room full of screens and computers, that now were alive once more. The door slams shut behind them. Drax tries to open the door, but with no success, and so turns his attention back to the flashing monitors full of ancient script, but Steg has already mastered some of the controls and turns the whole top of the building clockwise, so the jagged metal post is facing the shadowed figure.
The shadowed figure begins to fire upon Talia, who is still charging towards it. She activates her shields on her suit and the blasts from the rod bounce off her, slowing her down each time she is hit, but not stopping her. She returns fire and is now being backed up by Megan, who is firing from behind a rock, and Titch is on top of the trailer, firing its turret gun. There is smoke in the air and the smell of burning wood. The shadowed figure cries out once more, this time obviously calling for help, as it dances out of the way of several beams of light that explode behind it. As Talia draws closer to the figure, she takes cover behind a mound of mud. Noticing trees behind the figure are falling and being torn and broken by something big, Talia thinks fast and contacts Titch and tells him to set up the proximity mines around the trailer. She turns away from the figure, knowing that to stay there would be suicide, and she runs as fast as she can back towards the trailer, to a better defensive position. She has just seen images from the second drone, of the giant creature that is approaching them and she is fearful. Moments later she is next to Megan, placing a proximity mine.
“Holly crap, Megan, its big!” shouts Talia as the towering nearby trees begin to fall. Splintering wood is thrown through the air like sharp bullets of doom, showering the crew that are now cowering in their cover. They hope they will wake from this bad dream that is about to happen.
A large silver and black monstrosity appears in the clearing it has made. It stands over fifty feet tall and Talia realises it is a cyborg, metal infused with skin and blood, processors buzz and its power core is a fiery red pulsating to a beat of a heart. Its eyes scan the area for its targets with probing rays of unnatural light. Appearing behind it, a dozen more cloaked, grey looking figures are also looking for cover, and begin to fire on the crew.
Drax stands next to Steg, worried for his companions’ safety and also their own. He did not know if this tower could stand up to that giant outside.
“Oh my! We are in trouble by the looks of things.” He tries to make sense of his screen. He had learnt the ancient text long ago, but was somewhat rusty. Steg, on the other hand, was calm and relaxed. She was busy tapping away at her screen, bringing up maps and turning things on, and finding a moment she turns to Drax.
“This is an outpost station and from what I have learned, it is also a defence tower for the city; one of many that used to defend it. I have accessed a few of these towers and have brought them online. Some have been damaged. I cannot contact the city. I have tried to bring the city’s defence systems onlin
e, but this tower is locked out of the system for some reason. However, this is still a fully operational tower, with a few tricks up its sleeve. We will be just fine.” Steg smiles and begins to tap at the screen once more, as Drax watches in awe.
Outside the tower it is not safe. The cloaked figures are getting closer by the minute and the giant robot standing before them finds its first target. It can see Titch stood on top of the trailer, manically firing on the enemy. The giant robot raises its clawed and spiked hand, and its fingers open up like a metal jaw revealing two giant cannons, which draw power and glow like lava, then fire two brain shaking shots at Titch. The shields on the trailer are no match for the earth shaking blasts and the trailer, along with Titch, is sent rolling backwards. Over and over the trailer rolls. Titch is snarled up in the wreckage, trying to break free each time it rolls. The others just watch in disbelief as the trailer comes to an abrupt stop, bent around a huge tree trunk. Teary eyes look on for a few moments, in hope they will see the little robot pop his head out and smile, but no movement is seen, and their attention is turned back when a third and fourth blast rips through the rocks in front of Megan and Talia.
It would seem there was little hope of surrender and the rock they were hiding behind was getting smaller by the minute. The proximity mine fires off a few airburst charges and they embed themselves on a cloaked figure that had tried to sneak behind them. The charges detonate and flesh and bone is now just liquid everywhere.
Titan Fleet: The Robur Page 7