Stray

[Defiance]

Blaring alarms beeped throughout the ship, red lights flashing all over the controls. Great turbulence rocked the small ship, stripped of its control like the clipped wings of a bird. Its sight, too, had been stolen, defied through a mass of heavy atmospheric haze. In the sky, it was lit up like a great fireball piercing through the thick stratosphere. The smell of burnt wire and circuitry floated into the cockpit, and it soon became obvious they had lost flight. "We're going down, Aidan." cried the pilot, Kasche, a vein bulging on his forehead as he struggled to regain what was long lost. "Get ready to get crashed." The windshield suddenly cleared, revealing a wild expanse of dark green foliage for miles and miles, with the soft hints of faded mountains obscured by the fog of distance. In a moment, they had entered the green infinity, and roughly smacked into the floor.

The ship convulsed, uncontrollable rattling struggling to throw Kasche from his seat, only to be foiled by the strong straps. It came to great halt with the impact of a tree, which created a spider web of cracks upon the synth-glass. He groaned, his bones aching and neck recovering from the resulted whiplash. The blaring alerts fainted as power began to seep from the destroyed engine, to which caused Kasche to sigh. Drawing a vibroknife and activating it, the mercenary promptly cut his straps and struggled to bring himself upright. "That wasn't so bad." came his optimistic musing, dragging himself to door. Using the knife in his hand, he dug it into the crack and with much effort managed to prop it open. Gradually, the emergency release kicked in, and the beaten metal shifted aside.

The result was astonishing, the immediate fragrance of the jungle wafting in. Tall trees with wide, slick trunks towered above the steaming wreckage, continuing on into a thicket that was impossible to see past. It was a vast region of endless, identical trees, with sickly green vines looping over them and creatures of all kinds heard but not seen. Bird songs dominated the call of the wild, a carnal invocation that bode dangerous tidings within Kasche's heart. And yet, his confidence reigned dominant.

"Looks like we're stranded."

A strange roar bellowed in the distance, a beastly sound that was unlike any visceral creation he had ever encountered. His fingers crawled to the comfort of touch to his assault rifle, slung upon his side. He looked all across the foreign planet. There was something very daunting about this world, a place that instilled a certain caution within him, as if he was reverting back to when barbaric instincts were needed to survive. Kasche was sure of one thing, this planet was not documented into the navigation computer, and thus could not be known to the galaxy. They were in new territory, untouched by the events around it. This realization bred a new feeling, a grain of an emotion that had begun to grow, despair.

Kasche had been stranded before, but never before on a planet he hadn't heard of or that wasn't entirely devoid of space travel. This wilderness was undefiled by the plagues of industrialization, for there was no doubt an abundance of natural resources on the planet. It reminded him somewhat of Felucia, except the plants seemed less radiant and more twisted from their counterparts. It boded ill for the two stray mercenaries, for Felucia was a dangerous planet to be stuck on. They were now in a very bad situation, one where a way off would be highly unlikely. They truly had become stranded, stuck on this planet without access to the outside. Power had been gone, without it, no communication could be made to call for help. They were alone.

 

[Sleven]

Hearing his compatriot’s words was all Aidan needed to act. Given the rate at which they were accelerating into the atmosphere there would be no time to deploy escape pods or emergency craft. For now he would have to brace himself and rely on Kasche’s piloting skills to facilitate a “safe” landing.

With mercurial feet carrying Aidan swiftly to the craft’s nearest seat, his hands became a flurry of motion as he strapped himself in securely to prepare for gravity’s inescapable violence. Letting his mind slip into autopilot to rid himself of any lingering anxiety, Aidan became cognizant once more with a neural jolt that coincided with the slamming impact of their craft. As the chaos of their landing unleashed itself upon unsecured objects inside the ship Aidan kept himself calm and collected, his head shifting only slightly to the right to avoid a stray metallic object.

Unstrapping himself from his seat, Aidan took inventory of the situation. The ship was thrashed, the power gone, and even the backup generators seemed beyond repair. The fresh air from the outside world stung his nose with exhilaration, interrupting his mental appraisal. Jerking his head to view the forested planet before him, Aidan felt a strong sense of nostalgia creeping up his spine.

He recalled his time among the Special Forces. Stints into unpopulated worlds with his men: the itching sensation of restlessness and the dark primordial urges that came with the fight to survive. But most of all, he recalled the way it made him feel alive. In those days it felt like a test, a challenge that he gladly accepted, even mocked with full confidence in himself. And a large part of him was pleased to see it was still there.

“Let’s take a look around, assess the area before heading back to the ship and taking full inventory of our salvageable supplies,” Aidan spoke with a stern tone, “We’re gonna be here for a while.”

Setting foot outside the ship, Aidan ventured forward into the forest before him. He would take count of everything in the vicinity, exploring the planet’s natural structure. Were the canopies safer than the forest floor? Were the best sources of water deep beneath the earth in the forest’s roots or above in flowing streams? Was there game to hunt or plants to forage? As he moved about Aidan began to take it all in.

 

[Defiance]

Defiance bred at Aidan's words, Kasche had already begun to slightly shake his head. He resented protocols, routine, it all rung boredom and idleness to him. Action and activity kept him sane, they were his conduits to life. Assessing, observing, analyzing, such organization was chaos. Instinct and intuition was his true philosophy. The mercenary laughed, and replied, "Assess. What a boring way to put it. Shouldn't be much inventory, and we have only so many hours until the sun goes down. I say we grab what stuff that still works and start looking for what we need: resources, civilization, camp."

Kasche looked down and spotted an object underneath some leaves. He kicked it over to reveal a peculiar-shaped skull.

"This place gives me the chills."

Meandering through the jungle floor, Kasche carefully stepped under looping, deformed roots and around twisted trunks riddled with blackened ivy. A daunting aspect began to dawn on him: since their landing they had been barraged with the sounds of the jungle, of avian sort and other beasts, and yet as he walked he could not spot a single one. The singular fact bewildered him, but even more so that the vegetation seemed so deformed and more even seemed to radiate belligerence.

Caution became a closely guarded aspect, as he shriveled back to his self in fear of harming himself. Yet Kasche stopped as he caught sight of another peculiarity. A tree trunk had been engraved with a strange symbol akin to a large ς. If he knew any better, it was a sign of civilization, and that was a good sign. Ignoring the fact that the carving appeared to be very crude and almost foreboding in appearance, Kasche moved past it with earnest, desperate to find a way off this planet. Hopefully before nightfall rises.

 

[Sleven]

Aidan brushed aside Kasche’s insouciance. Some people learned the hard way, others were lucky enough to never have to. Although Kasche wasn’t quite the hardened vet Aidan was, but given his resume Kasche was still likely a member of the latter.

Little bothered Aidan anymore, and he hardly took confrontation as personal fronts. As long as it wasn’t his life on the line men were free to do as they pleased. Shipwrecked on this sparse planet they no longer suffered the chain of command. Had they been in the line of duty, Aidan would have told the man to work with someone else. For now he was content to ignore Kasche’s asides and focus on anything constructive the man had to say.

“Inventory and assessment hardly takes all night,” he commented, already having taken a generous assessment in the little time they had been here, a complete assessment typically taking no more than a few minutes. “There should be enough for at least one pack onboard,” he continued, assembling what he could onboard while Kasche played around in the dirt.

With Kasche’s last comment, Aidan could detect the slightest sensation of the man’s fear. He had seen it too many times before in those who hadn’t quite been fully hardened, but perhaps it gave Kasche humanity. A characteristic Aidan had lost in himself some years ago. The planet did seem to keep a macabre essence about itself: blackened plant life, decaying and gnarled roots, and the missing animals they had heard not so long ago.

Moving past Kasche, Aidan took note of the savage symbol before carrying onwards.

“Natives,” he spoke unamused, followed by a brief pause, “Time to find out if they’ve even developed into a Type 1 civilization.” With Aidan, sometimes that was as close to a joke as you got.

 

[Defiance]

A dawning change in the air began to take the two as they traversed into the land, the trees became less and less numerous, and those that did continued to look haunted by the face of death and decay. Life continued to dwindle the deeper they travelled, but still they went for the possibility of sentient life was too desirable. The two lost souls of the mercenaries had become truly burdened by the weight of what they were entering, for they were now in an unknown land forced with the dependence of instinct and precision. Things that did lurk remained unseen, and such stealth foreshadowed certain perils they were now entering. A cold fog hung in the air as they delved deeper, the spread still very large trees exposing an obscured sky, inhibited by the haze. A savage howl pierced the ambiguity, a carnal roar of the predator.

"Why would any sentient in their right mind come here?"

That is, if they were in their right mind. And if it was a sentient at all. A tingling sensation filled Kasche, and his luminescent blue eyes searched the mist for the source of his worry. He felt a creeping feeling that one gets sometimes, an unexplainable feeling that one was being watched. Kasche stopped and slowly turned to his friend. "Well, I'd say it's about time to―"

He was interrupted by a small, but low growl among the fog and he immediately spun towards the threat. Out emerged a great beast larger than a wild boar, yet with more haggard, rough fur, and ferocious teeth. It's eyes resonated a pure black, a mystifyingly pool of darkness unable to be understood. Twisted, and turned into an abomination, the beast's growl emanated pure malice. The creature lurched forward, jaws agape and muscles flexing within as to pounce. Kasche open-fired, but as the rain of blaster bolts sunk into the thing it only made a large screech sound and pounced. The Jakelian's vibrosword was suddenly drawn and with a hasty swing it managed to decapitate it. The carcass collapsed upon the evil jungle floor, but another leaped to topple the mercenary.

Kasche held up his arm to block it, and the beast closed its maw upon it in hunger. Now hanging from his arm, his blade pierced it from the bottom to the top, straight through the brain. It released his arm, luckily unscathed due to his Jakelian skin hardening response. More growls emitted, unseen among the mist. He looked over at Aidan who was also handling beasts of his own.

"These things are feisty."

 

[Sleven]

As the fog settled upon the blackened earth, Aidan’s visibility began to dwindle. Closing his eyes for just a moment, Aidan found comfort in a momentary reliance on his other senses. Slowly, he entrusted himself to them as he pressed onwards into the mist.

“Who said they were sentient?” Aidan bemused with a stoic tone.

His eyes were now filled with the opaque stare of a dead man and his head seemed to twitch with the slightest auditory cues. But it was just a little too late.

Beset upon by beasts unknown, Aidan and Kasche were forced into action. Two came for Aidan as well, the first lunging at Aidan’s feet while the other drove hard from the right flank. As it bared its fangs Aidan quickly drew his sidearm, gripping the weapon expertly with both hands before driving two shots into the creature’s spine. Collapsing with a hollow thud, the first beast had met its end while the other continued to drive hard and fast at Aidan’s right flank, catching him off guard with a final burst of speed as it leapt at his chest. As Aidan turned to meet it, he drew his blade from the back of his belt, recognizing that his pistol’s barrel would not quite square itself with his foe before it was upon him. As he fell back with the weight of the animal, Aidan shifted his weight further to the right while plunging the blade hard into the creature’s neck. Stepping back as he did this, the animal plummeted back down to meet the earth while Aidan stood victorious over his opposition.

Holstering his pistol and wiping his blade clean, Aidan check himself for any pests the beast might have carried in its fur. Finding himself to be free on any such nuisances, his head turned in Kasche’s direction as he spoke, “I’d say so,” following up a brief pause with, “If they’re any sign of what lies ahead, at least we won’t have to worry about boredom.” The thought of a greater challenge almost made him smile---almost.

 

[Defiance]

Kasche broke into a smile. "[COLOR="#66999"]That's the spirit.[/COLOR]" He said whole-heartedly. Strange, however, that four of them were in a 'pack'. Packs were usually much larger, and he had never encountered such an aggressive creature fell so easily by the sweep of the blade. It was almost too easy, for they had the advantage of surprise and speed, and yet still they barely dazed the two. Was it really a testament to their mercenary skill or was it simply too good to be true? Yet another strange aspect that Kasche chose to ignore. Civilization was in their grasp, barbaric or not, and it may be a key to their way off.

"I can feel it, we're close."

Kasche experimentally poked the bloody carcass with his blade.

"Let's get going."

He looked up back into the fog and began to walk. No going back. No regrets. His way of life. As he navigated the unfathomable beyond, cold beginning to shiver down his spine, he couldn't shake off the growing alien feeling of the world. A vast unknown capable of anything for all he knew. Was it the overgrowth? Or the first encounter of predatory life? Something seemed terribly wrong, sickening, about it. His body was almost rejecting it, a stimulation he had never felt before. For all the jungle worlds he'd been, this was the first to feel so despaired. He couldn't sort it out, between whether it was just figments of his imagination or it was his subconscious picking up terrible clues. Yet his resolve pushed him forward, and once committed Kasche never failed to reach his goal.

The trees had disappeared altogether, nothing left but shriveled roots and dry, dead vegetation that littered the earth. A spacious object loomed from about the fog, an eerie creation that made Kasche's mind turn and eyes widen. Silhouette and shape were the first to be seen, but with proximity soon details began to rise. Stone, carved stone, blocked into a large pyramid. Crevices and holes scarred it, shrouded by darkness and the haze. A clear entrance was visible, an open tunnel a considerable walk from within the pyramid's heart. Kasche could clearly see workmanship involved in its making, and it was an obvious sign of life. They would be foolish not to investigate.

Kasche reluctantly approached it, Aidan no doubt at his side. "Strange, isn't it?"

Kasche dusted off the side of entrance, a inscription encrusted by mildew and dirt. Though it was not entirely clean, with his swipe came a clear engraving into the stone. The very same ς. He wondered what it could possibly mean. An insignia? What he didn't think of, however, was that it could be a warning. Just a beast marks its territory, whether by urination or by claw. Kasche chuckled.

"Maybe they have become a Type 1 Civilization after all."

 

[Sleven]

As they ventured forth into the clearing, Aidan espied the same pyramid as Kasche. Here the fog was less thick, the moisture being allowed to escape from its earthen home into the heavens.

A clearing such as this had to be maintained. The thick roots and fast growing vines and creepers typical of a jungle of this type would quickly overcome the pyramid and surrounding area were the natives not fastidious in their work. It begged the question of why, or rather how, they had not yet encountered any yet along their way. Their only encounter thus far a sparse group of beasts, atypical of most predators with their shape and size.

Approaching the pyramid with Kasche at his side, Aidan began to wonder more and more about these “natives”. It was enough to drive a stiff sense of caution into the hardened vet. Yet, they had few other options if they wanted to make their way off of this planet and back to the civilized world. As Kasche brushed the stone to unveil the same marking they had encountered before, Aidan’s brow shifted quizzically.

“Yea, looks like something the historians on Coruscant would want to make an exhibit for,” Aidan ruminated aloud. He paused briefly to feel the cold edges of the disparate stonework before speaking again, “Let’s check it out. Hopefully we won’t end up spending most of our time dodging booby traps like those wonky explorers in holofilms.”

As he finished speaking Aidan stepped inside, unsure of what to expect.

 

[Defiance]

As they ventured into the unknown, going deeper, Kasche grabbed a small flashlight, activated the blue light, and mounted it upon his assault rifle. Kasche shone the light upon the walls, rendering vivid, grotesque scenes of violence and vile monsters on a huge scale. The hall expanded into a seemingly never-ending wall with no visible ceiling. The art itself was well-crafted, engraved into the stone, and yet very detailed and realistic. One such one seemed humanoid but incredibly bulky and with an extremely ugly, thick skull and a terribly alien face of sharp teeth and four mouths. A monstrous tail snaked from it, revealing a muscular scaly thing. Kasche was enthralled by the detail, which was just as detail as the other things. He reached out and touched the skull, intrigued by the texture. The skull from the wall, revealing itself to be real. The Jakelian's eyes widened in surprise, and with sudden realization he realized that these weren't carvings. These were encasings. This meant that every one of these things were still-life reenactments, an almost sick thing to do. To think every one of these things lurked on the planet sent fear up his spine, and a horror began to crawl in Kasche. He felt overwhelmed, and incredibly backed up.

He wasn't sure if Aidan caught on, or if the hardened mercenary just didn't care, but it truly daunted upon him that this place, whatever it was, was evil. He almost decided that he didn't care about civilization, for whatever erected such a thing was not civilized, no matter how advanced they were. These were sick, psychopathic beings no doubt monsters in every aspect. Yet, Kasche tried to convince himself it wasn't true, wishful thinking. Perhaps it was hyperbole, and the fossils detailed creations? His skin shivered and senses never stopped tingling. Instinctively, he hardened his skin and his breathing began to speed up. At last, he decided he could not go further.

"I've got a bad feeling about this place. Let's g—"

He turned, but as he shone his light, he couldn't find the hall they had come from. He searched all over with his light, looking frantically for the place from where they whence came. Was this illusion? Such as impossible! He finally found one staircase, very obviously the place they hadn't come from. It led deeper, higher, into the monolith. Kasche's adrenalized mind began to form a decision. If he was to be stuck here, then he would fight tooth and nail to prolong his survival by the moment. His chances were better if he kept on the move, not entrapped in a single room. His voice suddenly became stronger, encased with resolve and determination.

"Let's go that way."

He gingerly navigated up the staircase, light trained ahead. The encasings of monsters had ceased, a feature of only the front room. Instead, he saw monotonous, smooth walls seemingly to endlessly move up into the darkness. Kasche carefully took each step, planting himself on every footstep of the cold stairs. He rested his free hand on the the wall momentarily, feeling the damp moisture that covered it from the jungle humidity. He regulated his breathing to calm himself as he climbed higher, knowing that he would need the advantages of calm in the fight for his life and for his dignity in front of his fellow mercenary. He had faced many horrors before, many home to his base moon, Krieg. Since it was his closest thing to home, perhaps maybe his family heritage from Mandalore, he considered the presence of lurkers not as a fear due to appearance. His fear stemmed from the hardship and combat that waited for him, necessary should he want to grope for his life.

Kasche paused, a sound ringing in his ears. It was akin to a raspy whisper, yet incomprehensible and bone-chilling. He searched around with his light, looking for its source but the same steps were all he could see. He felt out of place here, like a prey being observed before he is attacked. He felt like he was being examined, and the tight never-ending stairs like a deathtrap. Danger approached the two, he could feel it. Psychological changes were beginning to seed within his mind, a strange thing he had never experienced before. He found it strange, the unfounded fear, and the overwhelming alien feeling. It affected him in the strangest ways, ways that he couldn't comprehend. Of all the hellish planets he had toured this was the worst, and he had barely experienced any combat.

But he had a feeling that there was a lot more to come.

 

[Sleven]

While trying to keep his head on a swivel and an eye on his six, Aidan’s attention was momentarily diverted by a mesmerized Kasche. Examining the wall more closely for himself, Aidan had come to the same conclusion as his compatriot: the wall had been decorated in the remains of the fallen. Almost trophy-like in appearance the wall evoked vivid memories, animating the skeletons in Aidan’s closet. He recalled a group of alien natives, their houses built with the bones of slain adversaries. The skulls of those of merit served as keystones and headpieces while the others served as the foundation. Yet, there was something… different, about this.

“I’ve seen something like this before. Although never on such a---scale,” Aidan spoke, unshaken, his pause coinciding with an estranged gaze following the wall upwards into infinity.

Detecting Kasche’s palpable fear, Aidan kept calm, taking a moment to center himself. Despite his placidity, Aidan was not above or incapable of experiencing fear. If anything, he envied the Jakelian. To Aidan fear was a tool, something to revel in, utilizing its biochemical triggers to heighten one’s senses and push the boundaries of personal limitation. A nostalgic twinge crawled up his spine with the thought. For a moment he smirked: it was still there.

Glancing back at the entrance, Aidan recognized the error in his momentary distraction. There was no way out. All the two could hope to do now was move further inwards. “Keep it cool,” he spoke in response to Kasche’s frantic searching.

As Kasche regained his resolve, Aidan nodded in agreement with the Jakelian’s directive. Although no words were shared, Aidan’s stern glare spoke volumes: he would fight with Kasche until the end to find a way off of this planet.

Making their way ever upwards, the two paused for a moment with the passage of an unintelligible sound, Aidan speaking when it finally faded, “You heard that too?” questioning whether it was a trick of the mind, but more importantly attempting to keep his fellow mercenary grounded.