Terranus: Renaissance: Book two of the 'Terranus: Origins' series.

by Joe Crouch

  “Get to the ships!” Sean cried, “Reinforcements have arrived!” Now in a full sprint, the team struggled up the steep hill. Fez and Remulus hobbled along with the help of Sean and Taris respectively. Behind them, the Xuron ships slammed into the ground nose first, the pointed tip dug deep down into the surface as the rear of the vessel snapped away like a network of broken ligaments.

  They crested the hill to see their own shuttles roaring with power and ready for lift-off. Vast hordes of Xuron drones piled out from their drop ships and gave chase to the exhausted Veterum. As they began their descent, Sean slipped on a loose pile of rocks. He and Fez tumbled freely and crashed into the concrete-like ground with a thump. They withered about in pain for a moment but there was little time for rest. Beside them the ground opened, two claws pierced out from the dirt and grabbed onto the lip. The Xuron queen pulled herself up and climbed out the hole.

  “There you are…” she hissed. Veterum soldiers opened fire on the queen, but she fought back against the small numbers and swiped a claw through the legion.

  “Ignore her!” yelled Taris, “Come on, follow me.” The team regrouped and rushed towards an open shuttle. Xuron drones began to summit over the hill, their small wings flapped in the wind as they each jumped off and glided down towards the landing spot. Taris, along with an injured Remulus boarded the shuttle with Zarid close behind. Sean was faltering, he was exhausted and panting, gasping for water and fresh air.

  “Let go of me,” Fez demanded, shaking free from the Human, “Get to the ship, I’ll be right behind you.” Sean’s dehydration clouded his judgement, he nodded his head and charged onto the ship, weaving between soldiers who also slowly boarded. The ship rumbled as the engines revved and roared. He stood at the lip of the ramp, watching as the captain hobbled towards them. Xuron soldiers broke through the Veterum lines, pushing them to the ground and tearing out their throats. Fez was a lone figure with a sea of drones chasing behind him.

  “We’ve got to go,” the pilot of the shuttle shouted, “We’re taking too much structural damage.”

  “No!” Sean shouted over the engines and weapons fire, “We cannot go, Fez is down there.” He clenched all his muscles as the Ioution drew closer. But the captain stumbled over a boulder and crashed to the floor in a cloud of dust. “Fez!” Sean yelled as he went to charge off the ship, only a strong hand from Remulus held him back.

  “Leave him,” she said, “It’s too late.”

  “But…” Sean muttered. But it was too late. The Xuron horde swarmed around the withering captain, Sean grabbed his weapon and opened fire on the large pack of animals that surrounded his friend – but it was no use. “We can save him!” he cried.

  “No – We can’t,” replied Remulus matter-of-factly. With two slaps to the inside of the hull, the rear ramp began to slowly close. Plasma fire slammed into the inside of the ship but he paid no attention, his eyes were focused on the queen which pushed her way through the gathering and stood looking down at Fez, almost licking her lips. The ship rocked on its landing gears as they began to push off from the surface. Plasma slammed into the underside of the hull with echoing booms. The rear ramp closed with a suction that sealed the atmosphere in. Sean collapsed to the floor and curled up into a ball, images of the captain’s body being torn limb from limb flooded his mind as they pushed up towards the planet’s exit…

  Chapter 27

  “No!” shouted Sean, his voice quaking and in pain. He slammed a fist in the bulkhead of the shuttle and recoiled, shaking his hand from the impact. “No, no, no, NO!” he shouted once more, this time unleashing a flurry of blows onto the sturdy metallic frame. His knuckles dripped with blood as he slumped down to the floor within the cramped space. The shuttle was rocked side-to-side as they exited the atmosphere. Everyone grabbed onto the supports which dangled freely from the ceiling – But Sean didn’t. He looked around the ship at all the faces which couldn’t care less that his captain had just been killed, and it angered him.

  “Sean…” Taris squirmed as the Human jumped to his feet, she put a consoling hand on his shoulder but was brushed away, “I know it’s difficult, he meant a lot to all of us.”

  “None of you respected him,” he yelled, “Not the Veterum, not the Humans, hell, most Ioutions brushed him off as nothing more than a two-bit captain of a sub-standard support vessel. Now the world will never know the true side of him, the compassionate, funny side.”

  “We all saw it,” Zarid interjected, “Just calm down, he wouldn’t us to be losing our focus while we’re still exfiltrating.”

  “Losing our focus!?” Sean paced about within his own small space rubbing his temple, “It was her who let him die!” he pointed towards a confused Remulus, “He saved your life on that God damned ‘generation’ ship and this, THIS, is how you repay him?” Remulus moved towards him to speak, but he held up a single finger and silenced her. “Everything bad that has happened these past months is because of you and your people, reclaiming lost glories, you called it, for what? Now thousands have died recovering this damned device so the Veterum can have a new super weapon to use against a foe which, quite frankly, had probably forgotten all about you.”

  “It’s not just for us…” Remulus muttered, receding into herself, “It’s for every race who have been blemished by the Xuron.”

  Sean pretended to be taken aback by her generosity, “There was something the queen said within that building, she was surprised to see one of her creators there, explain that, hm?” Remulus stuttered and murmured before Sean snapped, “Just admit it, the fucking Veterum created the Xuron, right? Was it some sick experiment to warp the biology of Humans, who you had some part in it sounds like, too? Or was it just an idle curiosity for your people, wilfully damning the galaxy to a perpetual existence of suffering.”

  “We didn’t mean to let it get this out of hand…”

  “Oh look, everyone,” Sean turned in a circle with his arms held out as wide as he could, “They didn’t mean for it to go this far, how far did you expect it to go? Did you expect them to sit idly by and obey your commands or did they escape from a lab and ride off into the sunset?”

  “We had the opportunity to birth a new form of life and we did it,” Remulus snapped back, her usual dull red skin deepened in colour, “We trained them in the arts of war to fight by our side, but they eventually wanted their own freedom once their numbers swelled – And we gave it to them. They established their own cities on the other side of a nearby colony, but things quickly turned sour. They fought for control and declared war on the local governors, once they had that foothold… Well, they spread like a virus.” Sean could only shake his head at the revelation, he was speechless that such an advanced species could be so negligent. The shuttle was rocked to one side sending the passengers crashing into one another as they fought with the atmosphere. Sean regained his footing and got into Remulus’ face.

  “Don’t expect to be welcomed on whatever comes next,” he said through gritted teeth, “Although I’m tempted to say fuck it and retire somewhere I won’t be recognised and just wait for the inevitable.” With that his piece was finished, he slumped against the wall and stared off into the distance.

  Taris moved beside an obviously distraught Remulus and spoke. “Give him time,” she whispered beneath the loud rumbling that swept across the hull, “We’re all upset right now, he doesn’t mean what he said, I’m sure.”

  “But he should,” replied Remulus seriously, “We created all these problems as a people, the galaxy would be better off without us.”

  “The galaxy is better off with a large community helping each other, the Veterum can become a vital part of that, no matter what you think right at this moment.” Remulus gave a weak smile and nodded, she wasn’t so sure that the Veterum would adapt to community rule, but she hoped they at least gave it a try.

  The violent shaking came to a stop as they punched through the planet’s outer atmosphere. Out the window Sean watched on, looking at th
e vast debris field that floated aimlessly through the void. Terran, Ioution, and Veterum ships had all suffered massive casualties, but judging by the cloud of green gas which hung in space, he guessed the Xuron casualties were also significant. A large explosion expanded outwards in the distance, another Xuron ship he observed, forcing a wry smile. Xuron numbers were low and the allied forces pushed for a final victory, they focussed their attention on the massive hive structure that defended itself with its multiple beam arrays.

  Deep blue streaks came from the swarm of Nightshade missiles the Terran ships launched. They danced and skipped about space with ease as they screeched towards their target. The light show was spectacular as the missiles thumped into the Hive’s hull, the sheer force of the blasts seemed to distort the space around every detonation. Miniature explosions ripped along the vital systems of the structure. Ioution forces took the opportunity and unleashed everything they had. The night sky was lit up with the blues, reds, and greens of the various plasma and energy weapons that streaked between the ships. Atmosphere vented from a large crack that began to form on the hive, it slowly spread up the hull splitting the ship in two.

  “Look!” Sean exclaimed, “Everyone, come quickly!” The team pressed their noses up against the window, watching the Hive’s final moments. With a final breach, large explosions blew chunks from the massive construction until eventually the core was exposed. In a blinding blue light, the ship seemed to implode before the explosion rippled outwards and tore through the ship, ending its existence in a spray of liquids and drifting debris.

  The Mar’Ell team managed a small cheer, but Sean noticed that the allied ships were all thrown about as if riding a wave. “Hold on,” he shouted, “Shockwa…” before he could finish his sentence, a massive shockwave slammed into the shuttle. Everyone aboard was thrown about, heads smashed into bulkheads as people dropped to the floor. He laid a solitary figure, just let this be over he thought, just let me get aboard a nice Terran vessel and sleep for a few days… the outstretched hand of Taris helped him to his feet. “We’ve done it,” he smiled sombrely, “We’ve forged a new alliance, probably, we defeated a hive ship, and we have the final piece of a new weapon,” he sighed, “I just wish the captain was here to see it all…”

  Remulus walked out from the cockpit and approached the team. “We’re heading for a Veterum vessel – The Minerva – We should dock soon, you and your crew are more than welcome to stay aboard until we reach Caladrius.”

  “Why that’s mighty kind of you,” Zarid chirped up.

  “Yes, thank you,” replied Taris. Sean looked over and didn’t say a word, instead, he nodded and looked out the window.

  As they drew closer to the Minerva a light green wave of energy washed over the ship. Comms chatter came from the cockpit as the shuttle was physically pulled towards the hulking cruiser-class vessel. It was flat, in relative terms for spacecraft, but still at least ten or fifteen stories high. Its edges curved around to form a circle as if it were a giant hockey puck. A large weapon, attached by three thick struts, hung from the underside of the ship, it slowly swivelled in place, came up to be parallel with the hull and receded back into the craft. A luminous blue strip ran around the outside ring of the hull, pulses of energy flowed around it effortlessly as they were pulled towards a section of the ship that began to extend outwards.

  “What’s it doing?” asked Sean.

  Remulus came up from behind and answered. “It’s forming a runway for our fighters and shuttles. That section of the ship extends out to provide enough space for others to land, once all are aboard it retracts and seals.” Sean heard everything she had said but didn’t entertain her with a response.

  They were pulled into a fully extended runway by the beam of light. It guided them towards the strip’s rear and placed them gently on a landing pad. The rear of the shuttle hissed open, the ramp glided down until it touched the dull grey surface with a thud. Veterum soldiers piled out and went about their business, but Sean couldn’t bring himself to move, instead he was bashed and pushed about as everyone moved past him.

  “Come on,” Taris said, “Let’s go get some rest.” With a nod, he took her hand and exited the vessel.

  “Wow…” he said, looking around the inside of the runway in amazement. The area was huge, thick cables dangled from the support struts along the ceiling and rows of lights ran along the taxiway giving it a faint yellow tint. A thin shield enveloped their isolated landing pad. He watched as a fighter, its engines pulsing a deep blue, raised its nose and touched down in front of him and glided to a halt. Crewman in masks and atmospheric suits quickly passed through the shielding, attached a device to the top of the fighter and waved to a control crew that sat in a bubble above everyone else. Once the pilot jumped out and rushed inside the shields safety, the vessel was lifted off the ground, the roof above split in two allowing it to be stored away for future use. More fighters returned to base. The crew scrambled all over to get the strip ready for the next landing, he couldn’t take his eyes off how the aliens worked, they were so quick, so efficient at what they did, but he knew they had thousands of years of well-drilled experience to pull from.

  “I’ve arranged quarters for you and your crew…” Remulus interrupted him, “Follow Tarien, he will show you around.”

  “Thank you,” smiled Taris, pulling the arm of her Human companion. With a grumble, he followed the Veterum out from the hangar and into the heart of the cruiser. The floor was constructed from a strange, sponge-like material that contorted under their weight and the walls were bathed in a purple light that formed a cone out from under a thick coving that ran along the ceiling. Veterum workers rushed past and didn’t take any notice to the Human and Ioution that strolled along beside them.

  “So,” Tarien began, “I hear you have what we need, it should aid us all in the future.” Sean remained silent, his mind focussed on just getting to their quarters and forgetting the whole thing.

  Taris looked at Sean questioningly before answering, “We do. We’re glad it’s over with, at least for now, it’s time for some rest and to think about how we proceed.”

  “Or even if we proceed,” added Sean under his breath. Tarien gave a respectful nod and ushered them into a small room, no larger than a pantry.

  “Stand here and press…” he leant into the room, “This button, when we arrive at Caladrius I will inform you.” With that, the doors snapped shut and sealed. An odd humming noise alternated between the floor and ceiling. Sean shrugged his shoulders and tapped on the button. In an instant, the entire room was engulfed in a bright, white light. The panels beneath and above them roared into life, and with a blinding flash, he covered his eyes.

  A warm feeling washed over him as if he laid on a beach back on Earth, but his eyelids once again grew dark. As he opened his eyes he saw they were in a room furnished with everything a guest quarters could need. The room was illuminated by a weak light as strips built into the wall flashed on. He had no interest in exploring the strange devices that sat invitingly on the table, nor the terminal which glowed brightly on the bedside table. Instead, he crashed face-first onto the cushioned bed and yanked out the power lead from the computer.

  “I’ll speak in the morning,” he said, muffled through the pillows. And with a calmness that washed over him, he was asleep.

  ***

  Sean awoke almost a complete day later, his body ached from being in bed for so long. He rolled over and threw his legs over the side of the cradle. Out the window was Caladrius in all of its glory. Rubbing his temple, he spoke without fully opening his eyes, “We’re in orbit, right?” but no reply came. Struggling against the weights keeping his eyes closed, he opened them to a dimly lit room but nothing more. Shaking his head, he got out and slipped into his freshly cleaned clothes.

  “Ah, you’re awake – Good,” came a voice from a speaker beside the door.

  Sean jumped out of his skin, but turned, “S-S-Sure?” he replied, “Where’s Tar?”


  “She’s eating, I will tell her to meet you in the hangar bay, you both have a busy day.”

  A busy day? Thought Sean, we’re done, it’s back to Terran – Or Ioution – Command for our next assignment. His eyes grew wide as he thought about the Ioutions, his mind connecting the dots, “Fez,” he yelled out, “We can rebuild you!” Jubilantly he danced about the room, wait, I’m sure he mentioned something about being near his final clone… There’s no harm in asking, I suppose? With a shrug, he exited his temporary quarters and proceeded down towards the hangar.

  This time, in a frame of relative peace, the Veterum crew were far more aware of his alien presence. They turned and stared at him, some viewed him with surprise and a genuine curiosity, others with a scornful glare that bored holes into his thick skull. But he ignored them both equally, there was only a small matter to take care of before he could spend a week sipping on margaritas and watching the waves roll up the beach.

  He cracked open the door to the hangar and looked about. In comparison to the chaos that swept over the area only twenty-four hours ago, everything was now calm. A single, bulky ship sat waiting on a launch pad with its engines in standby. A thin, blue haze washed out from the twin, rotary engines either side of the box-shaped vessel. Beside it, though, Taris laughed with two of the Veterum crew, she noticed the groggy Human stood at the door and waved him over.

  “You’re awake,” she smiled, giving him a gentle peck on the lips, “I thought you had slipped into a coma.”