Castaway Planet

Galactic Calendar 259872/ 2000 [ Sol Year 4387/ Day 153 of 365. Sol standard year]

Days after of Crash landing/ 1

Uninhabited Island / Clearing of Escape Capsule # 405

Galactic Standard Time / 0900

Racha sighed as she looked around the clearing, letting her mind wander. Once they made it back, she reported in detail what they had found to Duncan. The old man had grilled them before sending Sara and Rodolphe away, wanting to talk to her. The two of them had talked long and hard, but both came to the idea that if one party ran into those creatures, then the other one did as well.

If that was true, then the chances of them returning were small in her mind. Duncan had only laughed and said that if anyone could survive it would be Jinn. Trying to get what the old man meant out of him didn’t work, he stayed silent. After a few minutes of silence, as the two stared at each other, he had finished the conversation. Calling back Rodolphe and Paige, he had asked for a guide to lead a few deckhands to gather from the trees they found. Rodolphe had stepped up and he offered to go. Duncan had agreed and that was that.

Racha had gone looking for Paige but the woman had slipped away, and that bothered Racha. She might not be what she acted like. Abilities like that were usually only found in the old religious sects, those with strange ideas and training. She had fought beings from one once, they could throw fire and lightning around like she could fire her gun. Her team had barely survived, but they had all failed that mission.

But then there were the stories shared by people in her profession. There were tales of shadowy groups that traveled around the Federation, looking for anyone with talents that could be used. There were tales of colonies and worlds killed to the last, all to kidnap someone or they were all killed by a talented being.

“You doing okay?” A voice from the side caused her to wince inwardly before putting a smile on as she turned. Looking at her was a man her age dressed in the same jumpsuit, but his blue hair and blue eyes were so….. peaceful. Jones Karlson had been on the Spirit for about half the voyage, and he seemed to be trying to court her. He was a pacifist and frankly, he seemed like a fanatic from one of the religions that embraced all life.

“Perfectly, but where are you going?” Racha asked and Jones grinned at her.

“With the next foraging party! After all, we have to feed our passengers and this way, I can keep our comrades from being brutes like that man who killed those worm things yesterday. But to think I have to be guided by that Rodolphe!” Jones said as he puffed out his chest and looked pleased with himself. “After the actions of his team, to think that brute has to lead me! But I’ll keep him from killing any other innocents like that wolf!”

Racha nodded before turning and looking at him in shock. “Wait, what?!”

“Of course! Why would it have attacked them? And the spider? One of his group must have done something to provoke it! It probably thought one of those fools had threatened its young! I’ll be going along to make sure that doesn’t happen again!” Jones said with a grin

“Move it, Jones, we’ve gotta move!” Rodolphe called out. Jones smiled at her before he turned and walked off.

Racha could only stare after him in shock, literally speechless. She had thought that Jones was a fanatic, not that he was that stupid! She had led the party that found the fruit, did he think she had been on guard duty!? And there were on an uncharted alien world and he wanted to treat the animals like it was a zoo in the core worlds?! She felt the weight of her pistol and knew that she would need to use it again soon. Jones was going to cause trouble for them, and she could only hope that he wouldn’t take anyone else down with him.

As Racha blinked she looked around before turning and headed back to the capsule, hoping to talk to Duncan. If that fool was as bad as she thought on an unexplored planet, then she needed to get a weapon! Hopefully, before he caused a stampede of creatures to kill them all!

Bradford sighed as he looked at the people outside the capsule from one of the chairs in the main chamber. So far he had stayed back, he didn’t want to be one of those people who died by attacks from birds. So far he had to admit that the old fool in ‘charge’ was doing a good job at keeping them safe. He had hoped that the old fool would have made a mistake, but then it’s only been a day. And without any ideas about where they were, he could let the fool lead the way for now. All he needed was for him to make a small mistake, and then he would step up and ‘graciously’ take the reins.

He had to admit that it would be easier if he had his men. Those bone breakers would have taken the weapons, and then they would have forced all these lower life forms here to serve their betters. And then there was the fact that no one in the capsule had any idea what caused them to get into it.

He expected that from the lower class, but he was noble! He had the breeding, the will, and the nanotech, so why couldn’t he remember anything? Still, he was worried about just what it meant, if anything. He couldn’t think of anything outside of movies to explain, no weapon that could cause it, but it might have seemed.

“Mr. Golrick?” A soft voice asked and he grinned and turned to see a lovely vision walk towards him. The woman was tall and slender with large breasts wearing a black strapless dress with a slit on the right side. Her black-painted lips were trembling as her blue eyes looked at him with worry. She raised a hand and swirled a finger in her long red hair and looked at him.

“Yes, my dear….. I’m sorry but I can’t remember your name my dear?” Bradford asked as he eyed her figure.

“Vivian La Corlort sir. I was wondering if you heard anything about the beacon?” Vivian asked as she blinked at him. He grinned and looked at her, trying to mask the lust he felt. He had rarely found such a flower of womanhood and she looked to be quite a catch. Beauty, bravery and she knew about the beacon, and she came to him.

Bradford grinned at her and thought of the best way to get her on his side so to speak. “No, nothing my dear, nothing at all. But we were a few days from the nearest Federation planet. It’ll take time to get there and for them to send a rescue party. But sooner than you think I know we’ll be back in civilization! Why this reminds me of the …….”

<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>

As he droned on, he didn’t notice the spark of hatred in Vivian’s eyes as he spoke.

Vivian just looked at Bradford and she could barely keep the disgust from her face. In her career, she had dealt with sick targets and stupid people, but this one was in a league of his own. In cases like this, you let the people with training lead, not make trouble to take over. But then the people like Bradford always were ‘the only ones’ who could ‘see the way forward’, but it always meant they led.

She wondered if she shouldn’t have taken that contract at the Guild, but then why worry about the past? She made the choice and she would have to live with it, and the chance to kill a slaver was always something to take. But should she try and do more, break cover? Her current identity as a ‘trust fund baby’ was still good but she had expected to be able to burn it with her target. And she hoped whatever had happened to the Spirit her ‘body double’ wasn’t found, that would make all kinds of trouble.

As Bradford droned on she questioned her sanity. To keep close to him to try and find out anything that might affect was smart in her head but in person? This one was as boorish as he seemed, and the way he eyed her figure made her want to kill him.

<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>

Paige leaned against the wall of the capsule and breathed in the air. So far she had been able to dodge Racha, but the woman was like a dog on a bone. She knew that Racha thought she knew Paige’s secret, and her guess might be right. But then she had run before when people came for her, but in this situation, they were all in, it wasn’t possible. She was worried, Racha was a very driven person. She had these abilities not because she wanted them, but because she was lucky. If Racha was one of those ‘power equals responsibilities’.

Paige didn’t think that. Her life was her own, and she would live as she wanted to. Her abilities didn’t mean anything to her, they were only a burden.

But then they had helped her, but then…… she didn’t know what to do. She had sensed that those who hunted her wanted her badly. And with her revelation when the wolf came for her…….. she didn’t expect if they caught her, that she would be alive long after.

She looked up at the sky and tried to not let her emotions show. It was just the first day of being marooned on this world, and the chances they had for survival weren’t bad or good. The two creatures she and her party encountered, the worm things? They showed a depth of the biology around here that was almost mind-blowing.

She had studied cases of planets having life forms from other planetary ecosystems inserted into their own. Sometimes it led to good things, sometimes it led to extinction, but never like this. The agreed-upon rule was one type of life always evolved as the alpha, the others were doomed to be food for that type. But the spider, the wolf, and the worms? They had to be outliers but they were so strong and large……. And then there was the cave. What had caused that glow? With everything added up to the simple fact that this planet made no sense to her!

As Rodolphe led Jones and two other deckhands through the forest, behind Jones smiled widely. His religion called for the higher life forms to shepherd the unenlightened, from creatures to those poor nonbelievers. This planet was perfect, once he found a way to tame the beasts and show them their place, he would return a Saint! And the beautiful Racha, once she was brought into the Order, would be the perfect wife for him.

For the next thirty minutes they kept quiet, Jones just looked around in wonder... This place was perfect, it would make a wonderful colony for the Order once they were rescued. This plant had such treasures just waiting to be found!

Finally, the group made it to where the scouts had found the grove. Looking around as they walked into the clearing Jones saw the grove of fruit trees and smiled. It looked like he would be able to get everyone back before their bloodlust killed an innocent animal after all.

Looking at the strange fruits on the trees, Rodolphe just smiled and spoke. “Well, let’s grab what we can!”

Jones just looked at Rodolphe as he stood in the center with a rifle in his hands. The fool still wanted to put out a hard look? With animals as long as you didn’t bother them, they didn’t bother you. That was what his religion taught him and his world showed him. But then the unenlightened always gave such trouble to those who knew the truth. It was his place to show, guide and teach, to punish the evil ones when the situation called for it. But then how could he even begin to show them the way? f those fools like Duncan had their way the whole garden of the forest would burn.

A low mummer came from a bush causing Jones to walk towards it, looking down he smiled as he saw a small reptilian creature crawl out.

It was three feet long, had white scaly skin, and four legs with two spikes on each of its front shoulders and a small stub of a tail. Its face had four eyes, two on each side of a small maw, and it looked up at Jones and blinked. It gave a small cry and Jones saw that this orphan had been sent to show the others the way forward, for Jones to lead by example. With a native to show them how to live here, this poor animal needing protection would be the symbol of the New Order!

“Hey, get out here!” Another of the deckhands said as he reach down and threw a stone at the ground near a small creature. The rock landed near it, causing a small whimper from it as the other deckhand and Rodolphe all looked around, their hands going to their weapons.

“Move away now!” Rodolphe deckhands barked and Jones turned and glared at him.

“There’s no reason to be like that! You might see fear but I don’t! All the lower order need is to be taught right! Why……” Jones said and the one who threw the rock interrupted him.

“There are never animals alone in the wild that small! Well, most species. If it has a pack we need to leave. Now!”

Jones only looked at him with anger and smiled down at the small lizard thing. “If it’s alone, then we need to help it! After all, what’s the worst that could happen?” Jones said angrily before the small lizard threw its head back and howled.

Jones looked at the man and was about to open his mouth when howls erupted around the cleaning. They all looked around, all on edge moments before a white blur tackled the deckhand who threw the rock! They stared in horror at a black at what was attacking their comrade. It was a lizard creature with four legs, two crab pincers from the front shoulders, and a large scorpion tail. Its maw had two mandibles on the bottom and it was using them to tear into the deckhand's left arm.

The other two deckhands started to fire at it as they finally reacted. As the larger creature moved off the downed man Jones looked from it to the smaller one. The small lizard looked at him as it opened its jaw horizontally and hissed at him. Jones gulped and looked around, seeing more of the creatures moving out of the forest into the clearing. They all gathered behind the first one, all of them glaring at the deckhands.

Jones moved backwards as the other deckhand grabbed the injured one. Rodolphe meanwhile had aimed his weapon at the creatures as they stood there. Seeing Jones just standing there doing nothing, Rodolphe glared at him. “Help him you fool! We need to fall back fast!”

Jones kept quiet and kept moving backwards, not reacting to anything he heard.

Rodolphe looked around as more of the lizard scorpions came out of the forest. They were blocking off the clearing, leaving a space behind Rodolphe and the way to the river. Some of them even moved between Jones and the others, looking at the larger party.

Jones meanwhile just shook his head as he walked backwards in the direction of the capsule.

Rodolphe glared at him and barked a command. “Jones, don’t just stand there! Fire at them, maybe we can scare them.

“No, he made them mad by attacking their cub. I’ll go warn the others, die as you deserve,” Jones said before he turned and ran away.

For a moment Rodolphe just stared where Jones had been, a dumbfounded look on his face. He hadn’t ever talked to Jones really, but he had expected what Jones had done. But thankfully Rodolphe’s training kicked in and he reacted.

“Are you fucking me!?” Rodolphe snarled. The creatures all roared and charged at the humans. Rodolphe looked around, aimed at the ground before them, and fired down at the grass. As it caught fire the lizard creatures stopped and growled. They all turned and bounded away, chasing after Jones.

A moment later they saw why the creatures had left, the grass was soon ablaze. Rodolphe ran and helped pull the injured deckhand away from the flames. As they moved, the trees caught on fire, and Rodolphe

“Come on, help me get him to the river!” Rodolphe barked at the deckhand helping him moved the injured man. As they left the inferno behind them, something woke up and started to track their scent.

<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>

As Jones ran away from the fools who earned their fate, he wondered how to tell what happened. It had to be the fault of that Rodolphe, something the savage had done to incite the animals. There was no other explanation. So then the task before him was how to tell the story so that the poor animals wouldn’t be hunted down by the military idiots that unfortunately had authority.

He had to do something to protect the life around here and to get control back in civilian hands. That Bradford man, he seemed like a bright person. And if Jones thought about it, the man had been a senator once. So then the best thing for everyone and everything on this planet was if he was in charge. That meant that Jones had to help Sir Bradford take control of the group. All that he saw, it made sense. That was the only way Jones saw for everyone to survive.

As he ran, he never noticed that he was being stalked by one of the lizards' things. As for the lizard, as it followed after Jones, it used its tail to leave a trail of pheromones for the rest of its pack to track to new prey. But it never knew that it was being hunted as well.