《The Henders Conflict》 [00] prologue Far under the ice, armed with his newest camera, George Henders was searching for the illusive yet beautiful loggerfish that had been recently discovered roaming the freezing waters under the Nordic icecaps. George was a nature photographer for Blue Sea magazine, and very passionate about his work. It allowed him to explore wondrous landscapes, photograph amazing animals and share his findings with the world. The loggerfish was a bottom dweller, so down to the seabed George went. It was unusually rocky in this area. Big boulders were scattered all across the sand. ¡®Expedition crew, this is Henders. Can you hear me?¡¯ ¡®We can hear you.¡¯ The deck mate responded. ¡®Connection is pretty bad though.¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s huge rocks everywhere. Were these on the map? I¡¯ve never seen these kind of rock formations this far north.¡¯ ¡®Strange, I can¡¯t see them on sonar. Have a look around. This might be good material, over.¡¯ ¡®Will do, over.¡¯ As George swam on the boulders grew larger, and more of them were appearing. He swam in-between them to take a photo of this one-of-a-kind landscape. As he was taking the picture a sudden current, coming from between the rocks, pushed him away. George tried to escape the current by going up, but in vain. The current pushed him against boulders the size of trucks. He used his hands to protect himself from the impact. He wasn¡¯t only being dragged away from the boat, he was also descending deeper into what should have been a flat ocean floor. His heart was racing. His breathing tripled. Finally, after three intense minutes of fighting for his life, the current weakened. Leaving him swimming above a green mossy rock plateau. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His heartrate went back to normal. ¡®Hello! Can anyone hear me?!¡¯ He shouted into the microphone. No response¡­ His oxygen was running low. He had to get going, but where was he? The giant boulders were now a small spot in the distance, but how could that be? George looked around him. Everywhere he looked there was only water and this odd rocky plateau. He felt something pulling his leg. He looked down. Within a second the ground beneath him broke away exposing a man-sized hole into the rock. He was sucked in with an extreme speed. His air tube snapped scraping across the wall. Air bubbles blinded his vision. Water started to seep into his helmet. George screamed as loud as he could while holding on to his camera. While still accelerating, the tunnel soon made place for a vast cave. George landed on his back smashing his helmet to smithereens¡­ Several hours later he woke up. He opened his eyes, expecting to be dead. The room was lit dimly by huge crystals on the roof. His helmet lay broken on the ground next to him. He stood up with relative ease, considering the fall he just made. His eyes were now drawn to a vast cave opening up in front of him, but this wasn¡¯t an ordinary cave. The water that nearly drowned him moments before seeped away quietly into seems in the wall. The walls were decorated with intricate carvings. They illustrated ancient cities of incredible magnitude, and their destruction. He stepped towards the wall bumping his foot into his camera. No way, he thought, picking up the camera. Miraculously, it turned on. George, standing still on the spot in disbelief, switched the camera to recording mode and started walking alongside the walls. The carvings continued to go on describing many a city falling to horrible disasters. One carving described a huge tower, at least 30 meters high, falling onto the city¡¯s residents. The cave, looking more like a temple, narrowed down the further he walked, eventually leading to a raised altar with a bright, green stone with a yellow tip. George walked up to it. The stone, shaped like an egg, had a warm hypnotic glow about it. As he keeps looking at it, it feels like his entire body is urging him to pick it up. He moves his hand closer to the stone in a state of trance. A loud crackling noise from behind. Swiftly he turns his head around, snapping out of the trance. He looks around him, feeling as if he is being watched. He slowly turns his attention back to the stone. His hand had not moved away from the stone, but now he could think clearer. Slowly he moved his hand towards the stone. He starts hearing sounds. Whispers coming from the stone itself. His hand fell onto the stone and the temple faded away replaced by a white, empty plain. A tall, cloaked figure came rushing towards him with an aggravated look on his face. ¡®Well you¡¯ve done it now!¡¯ The figure said. ¡®Your ignorance and curiosity have just caused some massive trouble for you, George. Not only for you in fact, but for every damned creature on this godforsaken planet.¡¯ George rubbed his eyes in disbelief. ¡®Wait a second, where are we? And who are you?¡¯ George stuttered out with great strain. He had major difficulty talking. ¡®We are right here talking, silly boy!¡¯ the figure shouted out. ¡®I assumed you could figure that one out. ¡®Not helping.¡¯ George responded ¡®If you want helpful information, then why did you ask me who I am. Even if I wanted to tell you my name, I would tell you my name is fake. Now, back to the subject.¡¯ With lightning speed the figure put his hand on George¡¯s head. George was carried away in a maelstrom of visions of an army, from the depths of space. Millions of horrifying creatures marching into giant vessels. ¡®A storm is coming, and you cannot stop it. It would wipe you out in a matter of days. All because of your actions, Mr. Henders.¡¯ ¡¯¡¯Fake¡¯¡¯ pulled his hand back, flashing George back into the white empty plain. ¡®O my god, what do I do?¡¯ George said in horror of what he just saw. ¡®Go and hide this rift ingot, or stone as you call it. ¡¯¡¯Fake¡¯¡¯ responded. ¡®I will try dealing with them. So hide it, and hide it well. More people touching the ingot would only draw them closer to you. Now go, quickly. Getting out of my temple would prove easy.¡¯ You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.¡®But, but, but¡­¡¯ ¡®I will not waste any more time talking to some far away descendant of an ancient house just because he doesn¡¯t understand the obvious. Goodbye, Jardinian. I have work to do.¡¯ ¡¯¡¯Fake¡¯¡¯ produced a grim smile and with a clap of him hands George fell back onto the cave floor. He stood up in a flash. The stone was attached to his hand, he couldn¡¯t let go of it. He felt an overload of energy in his body, but also anger. He could still see the visions in front of him. Visions of a war, a terrible war. Houses burning, children screaming, the dead being piled up by the invaders for consumption. George had to release his anger. He smashed his fist into the wall. With a flash of light the entire wall came crumbling down. Water came crashing into the cave. George didn¡¯t understand what was happening, but that wasn¡¯t necessary. He knew what he had to do. Hide the stone where no-one will find it. Pointing his fist up he broke through the roof, blasted through the water and flew into the sky. He flew far, and went deep down into a high mountain range. Here he buried the stone, never to be found, and himself with it, encapsulating the stone with his body. Part 2 There are few that still imagine Earth to be the center of human civilization. Most of what we knew of Earth has been eradicated. The Earth today has been formed by the events on the Day of the Crying Dead. On that day, within an hour, the eight and a half billion strong population of Earth was laid low due to the hands of one man. He has been called many names, but most have settled on the Triggerman. No-one saw it coming. Afterwards there was no-one left to resist. The only ones to witness the spectacle were the people on the lunar colonies. Earth was concealed by a cloud of radioactive dust. The dust forming a mantle around the earth glowing yellow. It didn¡¯t look like earth any more, this was a dead planet. On the colonies, people were not sure what to do. Following the day of the Crying Dead panic raged over the remaining humans. While the grand Martian cities experienced heavy uproar, the colonies on Luna had the heaviest riots. The president however did not organize a reconnaissance flight to earth to record the destruction. He said that the cloud of radioactive dust that now surrounded the earth was impenetrable and that Luna could not afford to waist any resources in these troubling times. Anarchy was sweeping the colonies. People were talking about the final apocalypse, others were going mad with grief because of the loss of their family. President Vallum was faced with the impossible task of bringing back peace to his dying nation. The police had failed, and just before the government decided to start throwing bombs on major riot zones, Vallum came with an answer. Harnessing a special Ore found scattered over the moons¡¯ uncountable craters he created a specialized army to bring back peace to the colonies, these ¡®Guardian Marines¡¯ were the pinnacle of infantry warfare. clad in black-scaled exosuits and fitted with the latest military technology. They did not act as a single unit, but were split up into groups of two to five. Each marine specialized in wielding different weapons than the next. But these soldiers had another trick up their sleeve. The Ore embedded in their suits gave them superhuman abilities, making them able to process information and assess situations much faster than any normal human could. The Ore boosted their agility and strength considerably. Just days after the founding of the Academy to train these soldiers in, Vallum surprised everyone when he deployed the first fully trained Guardian Marines. and only a mere couple weeks passed between the release of the first guardian marines and the return of the peace. President Vallum re-organised the government system and replaced the old politicians by new ones of his own. In charge of the Academy was Exode-General Victor Stormborn. A former military commander from the flash wars. In these terrible conflicts, he singlehandedly lead the allied troops to victory against the Borhesian rebels after the general had fallen. They say he saved the life of one of his soldiers by jumping in front of him and blocking a knifeslash with his left arm just before an enemy could slash the soldier in the back, and that that is where he got the massive scar that runs all the way down his lower left arm. It ends where his ring- and little finger should have been. The story then goes on about how Commander Stormborn choked that enemy with the same arm he took the knifeslash with and that he kept fighting until the battle was over, even though he had a gaping wound in his arm, rooting fear in the hearts of the enemy. Fear of the ¡®Man that feels no pain¡¯. And thus the flash wars were ended. All people of Luna know the story. But Exode-General Stormborn wasn¡¯t only respected because of his heroism, but also because of his tactical genius in the years before. Even the supersoldiers that come forth from the Academy have huge respect for him, and would never dare to betray him. Stormborn is respected by them, honoured by them, loved by them. Exode-General Stormborn was put in charge of all Lunar military activity and the proper running of the Academy. He also gave his adopted daughter Sarah a job as a researcher at the Academy. After a lot of arguing, the President agreed with this decision. The first expedition to earth came years later. The dust cloud had not settled yet, still concealing the surface of Earth from the people. Scanning equipment couldn¡¯t penetrate the thick cloud, that is why somebody had to go down there to find out what remains of what was once the birthplace of mankind. - Luna Archive Database (LAD) - august 2132? chapter 01 Three years later ¡®Gentlemen, if you would please, have a seat. Before we begin, I would like to introduce you to Dr. Daniel Ethne, one of our leading scientist on the understanding of the ore, who will be joining us today. Daniel, for your notification, you are in the presence of Lucas Lunson, Martian minister of external affairs; and general Stormborn, but I believe you and Victor already know each other quite well.¡¯ ¡®Yes, Mr. President.¡¯ ¡®Excellent. Now, Victor, give us some good news. These are troubling times and I want answers.¡¯ ¡®I am glad to say that Phase one is finally complete. We have used the Ore to create hundreds of improved suits and the first few subjects are ready for field testing. The Academy is on its way to a bright future.¡¯ ¡®Good. How much of the Ore is left?¡¯ We have used as much as we had at our disposal. The remaining fragments are in Ethne¡¯s lab.¡¯ ¡®Excellent. Now, doctor Ethne, how are our prized pupils doing. I assume their wellbeing is carefully monitored.¡¯ ¡®Experimentation and careful examination of the subjects have shown that exposure to a very small amount of the Ore drastically enhances physical and cognitive abilities. However, the proper dosing of the ore per suit is essential. If exposed to a quantity of ore above the maximum the subject starts to hallucinate and death incurs within the hour.¡¯ ¡®But you have found the proper dose?¡¯ ¡®Yes, Mr. President, long ago.¡¯ ¡®Are there any other effects?¡¯ ¡®The ore seems to be emitting some kind of radiation of late. This only occurred to us recently, probably due to the lack of proper measuring equipment we have had in the past. The radiation only emits from the Ore when it comes in contact with the subjects. The radiation pattern is immensely complex and we are still working on what the effects are, because we have found none so far. The subjects don¡¯t notice it. But there is one thing¡­¡¯ ¡®What is it?¡¯ ¡®It; s the radiation pattern. The first time we noticed that the ore started emitting radiation I went to the laboratory to study the piece of ore in question. This is where I found out that if you separate the subject from the ore, the radiation stops. The chemistry behind the composition of the ore is incredible. It¡¯s structured in such a complex way that;¡¯ ¡®Get to the point, Ethne¡¯, Victor said. ¡®Alright. When I put the data from the radiation detectors into the system, the system recognized it.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s absurd. Before the Academy project, no-one has ever touched the Ore. How can something we came across less than a week ago already be in our computer system?¡¯ ¡®The system recognized it, but I couldn¡¯t trace the origin. I accessed Luna¡¯s main data grid and started digging. The data was hidden away, but I found it.¡¯ ¡®Well? Why did it recognize the pattern?¡¯ ¡®Because the radiation pattern matched the one of.. of earth.¡¯ A deep silence fell onto the room. The three men stunned by what they just heard. The president was in deep thought. Everyone could see it from his face. A small muscle in his neck started twitching. The president got out of his chair and straightened his suit. ¡®Gentlemen,¡¯ the president said in a soft but serious voice, ¡®I know what you are thinking right now, but the time for speculation is over. We need answers. It is time we went back to Earth. Victor, this is where we¡¯ll get to see what your subjects are able to do. We will also need a team to investigate the origin of Crying Dead Day.¡¯ Daniel stood up. He was incredibly excited about this development. Shortly after the President finished speaking he stood up and said: ¡®Sir, I would like to volunteer for this mission. I know more about the Ore than anyone else on Luna. I am the most qualified person for this mission you can find.¡¯ The twitch in the president¡¯s neck suddenly stopped. He seemed to calm down a bit. ¡®Even though I don¡¯t find it the best idea,¡¯ the President responded, ¡®you do have a point. Very well. You will join the team.¡¯ ¡®I will have to bring an assistant though,¡¯ Daniel continued. A faint grin emerged from the presidents face. It was hardly noticeable, present for only a split-second. ¡®With your permission, General Stormborn, I would like to take Sarah with me. Victor wasn¡¯t surprised by Daniels proposal. But that doesn¡¯t mean he was happy to hear it. Sarah was a young researcher at the Academy. Victor worked with Sarah¡¯s father back on Earth. Sarah¡¯s father was a creative genius. His designs for individual Lunar colonies are still being used today. Unfortunately, on Crying Dead Day, Sarah¡¯s father and mother were both on Earth. Sarah had been left home in their house on Luna. Sarah was too young to live on her own, so Victor took her in. Victor became Sarah¡¯s guardian. Because of this, Sarah was able to deal with her parent¡¯s death much better. Victor can still see Sarah¡¯s fathers¡¯ energy. In her work, In her attitude, and in her everlasting need to explore all possibilities. Victor knew Sarah was perfect for this mission. She would be furious if he wouldn¡¯t allow her to go. But Victor wasn¡¯t a man to be easily persuaded to do against what he feels is right. He wasn¡¯t going to let her go. That was his final decision. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.¡®She can go,¡¯ the president interrupted suddenly. ¡®What! You have no saying in this Vallum!¡¯ Victor shouted. The president remained perfectly calm. ¡®I have every right to,¡¯ he answered. ¡®Besides, I thought that finding out what happened to her parents is what she always wanted.¡¯ Victor stood up and stormed out of the meeting chamber. The floor shook under his stomping feet. ¡®Then that¡¯s settled. Daniel, you will lead this mission. I will convince Victor to send two of his finest guardian marines with you for protection.'' ¡®How will you convince General Stormborn, I think I really angered him.¡¯ Daniel said in a confused tone.¡¯ I¡¯ve known him longer than today, Daniel,¡¯ the president answered sarcastically. ¡®My order is definitive, and you don¡¯t think he¡¯ll let his own daughter go to Earth without protection. ¡®But Sarah isn¡¯t General Stormborn¡¯s daughter.¡¯ ¡®It sure feels real to him. Trust me Daniel, it will be fine. Now leave me, both of you. I have much to do, and so do you.¡¯ Daniel returned to his office at the government facility and spent the rest of the day re-checking the data of the matching radioactive levels for the seventh time. He couldn¡¯t afford to send himself and Sarah to Earth without being absolutely sure. Hours passed and around one o¡¯ clock in the morning he headed home. Daniel preferred walking home through the tube rather than taking an underground metro. Through the transparent coating of the tube Daniel could see Earth. Shining a dim yellowish-green glow like it had done for so long now. Daniel found it relaxing to watch though, knowing full well what horror the people back on Earth must have been through. Daniel neared the end of the tube. It was nearly completely dark on the road from the tube to his house. Only a couple blocks away from his home a hand grabbed him from the shadows and pushed him towards a wall. Daniel could not see the man¡¯s face, but he could feel the man¡¯s hand. It felt weird. The hand had a rough texture and felt incomplete. Then Daniel realized it. ¡®Why did you ask for Sarah to come with you?¡¯ the man said in a soft, but strong and low and aggressive voice. ¡®Who told you to?¡¯ ¡®Nobody told me, General Stormborn,¡¯ Daniel managed to say. Victor¡¯s three-fingered hand squeezed Daniel¡¯s throat tight. ¡®You know who she is to me?¡¯ Victor said aggressively ¡®Y¡­ Yes,¡¯ Daniel squeezed out of his throat. ¡®You know what happens to anyone who hurts her?¡¯ Victor pushed his right hand on the wall next to Daniel¡¯s face. Victor¡¯s head came closer. Daniel could barely breath. ¡®I don¡¯t want to hurt her.¡¯ Daniel said as seriously as he could. Victor¡¯s grip stayed strong and he looked Daniel deep in the eyes. Daniel was desperate and in utter panic. He couldn¡¯t speak, only look. Victor¡¯s face was now clear to see for Daniel. Victor looked like an animal, yet tempered. Victor looked like an angry bear, while his eyes were staring deep into the wide open eyes of Daniel. ¡®No, no you don¡¯t. I know.¡¯ Victor let go of Daniel. He gasped for air and leaned on his knees to stay upright. ¡®I¡¯m sorry for the harsh treatment, but I needed to make sure. Now I know.¡¯ Victor said softly. ¡®Make sure of what?¡¯ Daniel said after a couple more gasps. ¡®That Vallum didn¡¯t set you up to do what you did, and that you care as much about Sarah as I do.¡¯ ¡®How can you know that?¡¯ ¡®Just a moment ago you were dying without any chance of escape, and when men are closest to death, filled with fear, I can read right through their minds. I saw that you aren¡¯t going to hurt Sarah. But what you have set in motion is irreversible. I will make sure you are well protected. I will send my best team to protect you. Now go. No-one must know we¡¯ve met. Not even Sarah. The stakes for this mission are higher than you think, kid.¡¯ Daniel nodded and started jogging towards his house. ¡®And kid..¡¯ Daniel turned around. ¡®..Sorry that I choked you. I didn¡¯t want to, but I had to for Sarah¡¯s safety.¡¯ Daniel smiled and cried a tear at the same time and then ran home. chapter 2 Victor looked out the window if his cab. The skyline of the city was blocking the view of the massive dome build around the city. Victor was growing restless. He didn¡¯t like going through this part of town, never did. Too many people, he always said. They passed through the business district and headed for the prison on the east side of the city. The prison was now just around the corner. ¡®You can drop me off here. I¡¯ll walk the rest.¡¯ ¡®Sure,¡¯ the taxi driver said as he pulled over on the empty street. ¡®That will be twenty-three bucks.¡¯ ¡®I know, I know,¡¯ Victor responded. He pulled forty bucks out of his pocket. ¡®Thanks for coming on such a short notice, Fred. I know you hate driving here.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s my job to drive people around. Remember?¡¯ The old man chuckled and took the money. ¡®Just make sure you-¡® ¡®I¡¯ll make sure I won¡¯t be seen. Don¡¯t worry about that. You just get her out again, ok? I¡¯ll see you in an hour.¡¯ Fred closed his window and turned the taxi around. Victor raised his hand to wave him goodbye and then quickly started walking towards the prison gate casually with his hands in his pockets. He wore a hoody to conceal his body and head. At the main entrance it said: ¡®¡®Luna Prime federal prison¡¯¡¯. In front of the gate stood two armed guards. ¡®State your business here, sir,¡¯ The guards said. ¡®None of yours, that¡¯s what. This is above your legislation, boys. Now let me in.¡¯ Victor walked towards the gate put the guards blocked his path. ¡®We need your identification, Sir.¡¯ The guards looked anxious. Victor was a head taller than either of them. His arms made theirs look like little golfsticks. ¡®You do? I got it right here.¡¯ He took off his hood, pulled his left hand out of his pocket and held it up. ¡®Now you look at me and tell me that I can pass, or this will get uglier than your pay check.¡¯ The guard aimed his gun up towards Victor. ¡®I.. I need you to step back sir. Now!¡¯ Victor held his ground and before the guard did anything, the other guard aimed his gun away from victor and pushed him aside. ¡®You rookies don¡¯t know anything, do you? You don¡¯t know who this is?¡¯ The guard shook his head. ¡®I bet you never watch the news either. This is our general, you idiot!¡¯ The guard pushed the rookie out of the way. ¡®I¡¯m so sorry general Stormborn. I didn¡¯t recognize you at first.¡¯ ¡®Just let me through. And one more thing: you didn¡¯t see me here, you got that?¡¯ ¡®Yes, sir. Of course, sir.¡¯ Victor walked into the prison building. The warden recognized Victor immediately. Victor told him where he wanted to go, and the warden took him there without question. They walked past the cellblocks towards the solitary confinement unit. The warden stopped and opened the cast iron door of the cell. Victor stood in the door opening. In the cell sat a girl, seventeen years old. Short brown hair, brown eyes, and a grin on her face. She was sitting on her prison bed. Her hands holding each other and her body leaning forward, supported by her arms resting on her knees. ¡®You cannot not get yourself in trouble, can you?¡¯ Victor said. ¡®Well, what took you so long? I spent a month in this shithole. It was doomed to end in a fight. Don¡¯t worry, I kicked his ass, all of their asses.¡¯ She looked up at Victor. Victor looked back at her. It was quiet. The warden, who was waiting on the hallway with his guards, didn¡¯t get what was going on. Victor kept looking at her. Eventually she broke a laugh, followed by Victor. ¡®Great to see you, Victor.¡¯ She said with a smile as she stood up to hug him. ¡®Great to see you too, Layla.¡¯ Layla let go of him. ¡®What are you waiting for? Get me out. I¡¯m starving.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll have Fred make a stop at a fast food joint in the city, ok? Just stay here for a second.¡¯ Victor walked out of the cell. He held the door open. ¡®I will be taking this inmate with me. She has been pardoned for any or all her crimes.¡¯ ¡®On who¡¯s authority?¡¯ the warden asked.¡¯ ¡®Mine. I, Exode-General Victor Stormborn hereby pardon Layla Stripes for her crimes against the nation. Now let us leave, or I¡¯ll have the president assign a new warden before tonight.¡¯ Layla walked out of the prison cell with a wide grin on her face. She stopped before the warden. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I got to go. I had a great time here, I¡¯ll see you in never.¡¯ With a grumpy and angry look on his wrinkled face the warden let Victor and Layla walk out of the prison. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.¡®Your transport will be waiting outside, madam.¡¯ The warden said as nice as possible. Layla stepped into the back of the taxi and Victor in the front. Fred hit the gas and they speeded away. ¡®That look on the wardens¡¯ face¡­ aahh, never gets old.¡¯ Layla leaned back in her seat. ¡®Nice to see you again, Fred. It¡¯s been a while.¡¯ ¡®Always happy to pick you up, Layla. I almost thought they weren¡¯t going to capture you at all anymore. What went wrong?¡¯ ¡®They ambushed me when I was loading in cargo at Site Delta. Nearly got away as well, but they cornered me before I could make it into outer space.¡¯ ¡®What was the load?¡¯ Victor asked. ¡®Six tons of fresh wheat taken from Evonade food& farming corp.. It could have been on mars right now, feeding hundreds.¡¯ A sudden silence fell in the taxi. The sounds of vehicles outside filled the silence. Layla rubbed her wrists. They were still red from the handcuffs she had to wear. ¡®What took you so long, Victor? You normally get me out in two weeks at most.¡¯ ¡®There has been a lot going on lately. One of which might interest you.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m listening.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m asking you to repay me for the favours I¡¯ve done for you. And you might find what you want as well.¡¯ ¡®What do you want me to do?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m putting a team together to head back to earth.¡¯ The car shook a bit. Fred looked at Victor. ¡®Are you serious. After all these years¡­¡¯ ¡®Yes I am. I¡¯m putting a team together and I need a pilot. You¡¯re far better than any government licenced pilot, and I wouldn¡¯t let those fly if it was my only option. It wouldn¡¯t be safe.¡¯ Victor looked away and outside the window. ¡®This is a serious favour, but I sense you¡¯re not telling me something. What aren¡¯t you telling me Victor. I want to know. I won¡¯t tell it to anyone, promise.¡¯ Victor took a deep breath. ¡®Vallum has ordered that Sarah is to go on this mission¡­ I want her to be safe, and I need you at the wheel of the ship to make sure of that.¡¯ Layla raised her eyebrow. ¡®I don¡¯t get it. Why would you listen to him. Screw Vallum!¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s not the problem. The first thing Vallum would have done is make sure Sarah knows about it. I won¡¯t be able to convince her not to go.¡¯ Layla put her hand on Victors¡¯ shoulder. ¡®I got your back on this. You know what? I¡¯ll do it.¡¯ ¡®You will?¡¯ ¡®Yep. I¡¯ll get her down there safely. And make sure she gets back too. I got some family matters to clear out down there as well, so I kinda have to.¡¯ Layla smiled. ¡®Thank you very much, Layla. I¡¯m gonna do everything in my power to get you all back. I swear.¡¯ Victor looked at Layla. ¡®You¡¯re gonna be in for a treat. You¡¯ll be flying a Photon .55 there.¡¯ ¡®The new one? That¡¯s awesome! I always wanted to get my hands on a .5 series!¡¯ ¡®That is a fine craft to play with,¡¯ Fred said to himself. ¡®Who¡¯s gonna be my co-pilot. I need one for that kind of craft.¡¯ ¡®A guardian marine who I trained personally. He and his sister will be providing you with security.¡¯ ¡®I feel safer already.¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s the mall. I¡¯m gonna park it here guys.¡¯ Fred parked the car next to the busy sidewalk. Layla didn¡¯t get out immediately. Victor handed her a small piece of paper and a card. ¡®Come to this address in three days. Show them this card and they¡¯ll let you in. I Wait in room 12.¡¯ ¡®Room 12. Got it.¡¯ ¡®Layla, I really appreciate what you just said. If you get my daughter back safely, I¡¯ll see to it that you can keep the .55, deal?¡¯ ¡®Deal,¡¯ Layla said trying to hide her enthusiasm. She stepped out of the taxi and onto the busy sidewalk. Victor opened his door. ¡®And Stripes.¡¯ ¡®Yeah?¡¯ Layla responded. ¡®Next time you¡¯re doing a smuggling trip, just give me a call. I won¡¯t let a police craft ten kilometres near you.¡¯ ¡®Gonna keep you to that.¡¯ She said as she disappeared into the cloud. Victor shut the door. Fred drove away. ¡®She¡¯s a good kid,¡¯ he said. ¡®She is, and she keeps her promises. But I think she¡¯s underestimating this mission.¡¯ ¡®Maybe. Maybe you¡¯re underestimating Sarah. She¡¯s tough, you know. If she looks as much like here father like you say she¡¯s gonna be just fine.¡¯ ¡®I hope your right Fred. Just drive me home, I don¡¯t feel like all the incognito stuff today. I got a lot on my head.¡¯ ¡®I got you pal. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.¡¯ chapter 3 The atmosphere in the room was tensed, with everyone anxiously waiting for Victor to arrive. In total a crew of five had been put together. Sarah looked around the room. This was the first time they were all together; she had heard of some of them before, and Victor had told her everyone''s names and jobs, but this was the first time she saw all of their faces. Quietly whispering to each other, there were the two guardian marines from the Lunar defence and Exploration Academy. Sarah worked there too. Not as a marine, but as a researcher. Victor had told her they were brother and sister, both born and raised on Luna. Zalo and Zalana, they were called. Sarah had seen plenty of marines before. Some of them she knew by name. She hadn¡¯t seen them before though, at least not with their suits off. She was fascinated by them. Even without their suits, they looked lethal. Zalo was bold and had arms like a lion, almost fully tattooed. He was probably the strongest man she had ever seen. Zalana had her long black hair strapped back in a ponytail. She was about two heads smaller than her younger brother, but no less dangerous. They had been trained to work together as one. Both excelling in tactics and pure destruction. They were there to keep everyone safe form anything that might still be down there. To the right of the room Layla was staring at the wall at the front of the room trying to stay relaxed. Layla was going to be their pilot. Sarah didn¡¯t know her, but apparently she was the best transport pilot Luna had to offer. In the back Daniel sat at a table surrounded by paper. He was about as old as she was. He was still trying to prepare as optimally as possible. Not to her surprise. Ever since they started to work together, Daniel had been extremely dedicated to his work. He must have been. He had one of the most important jobs on the academy. Sarah stood up. Zalo and Zalana immediately turned towards her. They looked her straight in the eye. It felt a little uncomfortable. Normally she could read someone''s state of mind by looking into their eyes, like with Daniel back at work. Their eyes said nothing. She walked towards Daniel¡¯s table. Daniel looked up and he cracked a smile. ¡®Still preparing for it?¡¯ Sarah said. ¡®I¡¯m just trying to do my best,¡¯ Daniel said. ¡®We are going on the most important mission Luna has ever undertaken, recovering Earth. And I¡¯m the one to find out what happened on there. I need to be prepared.¡¯ Sarah smiled. ¡®You are.¡¯ Just when waiting for Victor was beginning to turn the atmosphere from tensed to confused, he finally walked into the room, towering over everyone. When Victor was in the room, you could feel his presence. He always wore the same: a green shirt with an army-style jacket without sleeves and lose jeans in roughly the same tint of green. He had spent over twenty years in the Terran Marine corps, and he had seen more of war than anyone on Luna. Most prominent about him were his scars scattered over his lower left arm, with the biggest one ending where his ring finger and little finger had once been. Though Victor looked like everything but a nice person- and even Zalo would probably back down to him in a fight- he was another person at heart. His strategic mind and understanding of the world were the reasons he was asked to lead this mission. Victor''s dark brown eyes looked around the room while he walked to the front. ¡®Morning everyone,'' he said. ''I hope you¡¯ve had plenty of time to meet, we¡¯ve got some work to do now.'' As quickly as he had broken the silence, it returned. Now everyone looked at Victor, waiting for Victor to tell them to get on the ship. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll get to it, then,¡¯ Victor resumed. ¡®I know this mission may seem daunting to some of you. Others might underestimate the importance of this mission. But let us remember, that three years ago, on this day, we lost all communication with earth because of what we suspect is a nuclear apocalypse. All we saw of earth since then is a thick yellow layer of radioactive dust. Billions are assumed to have died that day, everybody on Luna was able to see it. In the months following this event we have send numerous drones to give us more information about what happened. Yet after four long years of sudden engine failure and loss of connection, we still don¡¯t know who was behind it, or what they used, or anything for that matter. Recently, though, new developments have maybe given us a definite cause of the event. Your mission is to go back to Earth and prove this.¡¯ ¡®When do we leave, sir?¡¯ Layla asked. ¡®We leave now. Gear up ladies and gentleman, we fly in one hour.¡¯ Everyone stood up and moved towards the door. Sarah walked out first after Victor. She tried to make eye contact, but Victor didn¡¯t react. She went to the dressing room to suit up for the flight. Luckily she didn¡¯t have to go in one of those huge bulking space suits her parents told her about. When people first went to Luna, Sarah¡¯s parents told her, they had to spend hours gearing up for a trip. Sarah however only had to put on a special sort of clothing, designed to protect her body from the vacuum of space and to help her body cope with the increase of gravity on Earth. Zalana had her suit parked in a corner of the dressing room. Most of the suit was made up of small black scales, leading to small metal plates that covered her chest. The head piece was also black, but with two stripes carved into it each with a piece of glass to see through. The neckpiece made of a different material. She couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. Zalana¡¯s suit was built for agility, making it smaller, faster and more versatile. Zalo¡¯s suit however was built on strength and power, giving him multiple build in weapons, more armour, and making him look like a towering giant. Sarah kept looking at the suit, intrigued by the beauty of it. She stood up. The neofiber suit she wore made a squeaking noise against the freshly cleaned floor. She had put her hair in a ponytail, otherwise her hair would float around during the spaceflight. She walked towards the suit in the corner. The suit was facing the wall. The neckpiece had a special mark on it. She recognized the mark. It indicated that the neckpiece was the Ore-canister. That¡¯s what powering the suit, she thought. Sarah gently touched the left arm of the suit, taking extra care for the suit not to fall down, because the suit was standing loose. The suit was like the shell of a person. But no eyes. Only the diagonal stripes of tinted glass that replaced traditional eye sockets. The strips went back almost to the ears. They connected in the middle of the face. The suit felt warm. It was a scaled surface. ¡®Like what you¡¯re seeing?¡¯ Swiftly Sarah swung her head around. There Zalana stood. Her arms crossed, her bright green eyes shimmering in the light. Sarah¡¯s arm pulled away from the suit like a reflex. ¡®You scared me,¡¯ Sarah said. ¡®How did you get behind me?¡¯ ¡®This is a dressing room,¡¯ Zalana replied. ¡®I came in through the door. What where you doing with my suit?¡¯ ¡®It was in the corner while I was dressing up and your suit was in the corner and I just kept looking at it. I just wanted to touch it.¡¯ ¡®Yeah, it has that effect on people.¡¯ Zalana smiled. ¡®Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to scare you. I¡¯m Zalana.¡¯ ¡®Sarah.¡¯ They shook hands. Zalana had an extremely firm grip. It could have been expected, Zalana was military after all. ¡®Sarah? O, are you the science girl?¡¯ Zalana¡¯s had a more friendly tone in her voice. ¡®That¡¯s me.¡¯ ¡®Then you must be one of the people that made my suit. That¡¯s awesome!¡¯ ¡®I didn¡¯t work on all of it. I¡¯m just Daniel¡¯s assistant. I just do research on the power core. It¡¯s made of the Ore.¡¯ ¡®What Ore?¡¯ ¡®You don¡¯t know about the Ore? You¡¯ve been wearing it for years!¡¯ ¡®Well, what is the Ore then?¡¯ Sarah was batheled. How could Zalana not know that she had been in contact with the Ore? ¡®Well?¡¯ Zalana repeated. ¡®It¡¯s complicated,¡¯ Sarah replied. She didn¡¯t know what to say to her. How do you explain to someone that they¡¯ve been used as a guinea pig for years? ¡®Come on, tell me,¡¯ Zalana said seriously. ¡®All guardian marines to meeting hall 4 for mission prep,¡¯ the intercom shouted. Zalana turned her head towards the door. ¡®I gotta go,¡¯ Zalana reacted immediately. ¡®Step aside Sarah.¡¯ Zalana started walking towards her suit. Sarah quickly got out of the way. Zalana¡¯s pupils tightened. Sarah saw that all the muscles in Zalana¡¯s arm started to twitch rapidly. Zalana kept walking towards the suit. But nothing was happening. Just as Sarah thought Zalana was going to run into her suit, the entire backside unfolded. All the scales rolled sideways and revealed the inside of the suit: nothing. Aside from some weapons in the arm there was nothing. Zalana stepped in without any trouble. When Zalana was completely inside the black scales folded back into place and Zalana disappeared entirely. It fit perfectly. The room was quiet for a moment, but suddenly Zalana dropped down. She fell straight down, like her legs disappeared from under her body. ¡®Zalana!¡¯ Sarah screamed, ¡®Are you alright?¡¯ Sarah came down on one knee to try and help her. Zalana¡¯s body flinched. Sarah heard her take a deep breath. Zalana jumped back up before Zalana could reach her. ¡®Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s normal,¡¯ Zalana said, ¡®It¡¯s just the suit starting up.¡¯ A dim yellow glow now emitted from the neckpiece, but the neckpiece was quickly covered by a layer of black scales. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.¡®I¡¯ll see you later, Sarah.¡¯ Zalana walked out of the dressing room. For a moment Sarah stood completely still. ¡®All members of exploration flight alpha to the main hangar,¡¯ the intercom said. Sarah was slowly making her way towards the hangar in which the craft was stalled that would take them back to earth. The hallway branched out into numerous corridors. The hangar door was at the far end of the hallway. She looked at it. Her gaze fixated. A moment ago, all Sarah could think of was the talk she had with Zalana, but now another thought was creeping its way into her head. I¡¯m leaving. I might never see my friends again. I¡¯m leaving¡­ Victor had tried to talk her out of going but she never even bothered to consider. Now walking through the hallway, she was scared. She could see the door of the hangar. ¡®Keep it together, Sarah. You¡¯re gonna do this, and you¡¯re going to return,¡¯ Sarah whispered to herself. She pulled the door open. The giant hangar opened up before her eyes. Three sides of the hangar are built onto the main building, but the fourth side had no wall. It was open space. Giant beacons on the sides were holding the air in the hangar. In the middle of the hangar stood a ship. It was shaped like a sharp-tipped bullet. The light hitting the hull floated seamlessly along the sides and eventually made a sharp curve at the end of the hull where the two wings were located. At the back of the ship there were two powerful engines. Each one located at the base of a wing. Seeing the beautiful ship shining in the light made Sarah feel good about the mission again. A man stood beside the spacecraft. Sarah walked towards him. Victor also started walking towards her, grabbed her, and gave her a big hug. ¡®Sarah!¡¯ Victor said, still hugging her. ¡®I wanted to say goodbye to you.¡¯ Victor let her go. ¡®I¡¯m glad you did,¡¯ Sarah responded. ¡®Where are the others?¡¯ ¡®They¡¯re inside. You¡¯re the last one to go in.¡¯ Victor went down on one knee to come face to face with Sarah and he came closer to her. Victor held her shoulders with his hands. ¡®Listen. When you get there, and you will, Layla is the best pilot in the world I could find, remember why you are there. You and Daniel need to get the data, get some footage, and get back.¡¯ ¡®Are you worried?¡¯ Sarah said sarcastically. ¡®Am I wrong to? You are amongst the first to go back, and I don¡¯t know what¡¯s down there.¡¯ Sarah smiled. ¡®I¡¯ll be fine, Victor. And I¡¯ve got your two best marines protecting me.¡¯ Victor smiled. from the ship¡¯s door Daniel appeared. ¡®there you are, Sarah. Come on board. We¡¯re leaving soon.¡¯ ¡®Coming.¡¯ ¡®You should go, Victor said. I¡¯ll be on the coms whenever you need someone to talk to.¡¯ ¡®There is one thing though.¡¯ Sarah looked over both of her shoulders. No-one was within hearing distance. ¡®It¡¯s about the Academy. I talked to Zalana in the dressing room and I mentioned the Ore. She didn¡¯t know it existed.¡¯ Victor looked away. He seemed surprised by it too. ¡®I¡¯ll look into it,¡¯ Victor said softly. ¡®But don¡¯t you worry. I know Zalo and Zalana both personally. They are good people, not just good soldiers.¡¯ Sarah stood still for a moment, then gave Victor a final hug. She walked to the stairs leading to the ship¡¯s door, where Daniel was waiting for her, and got in. She looked back at the hangar one final time. Daniel closed and sealed the door. ¡®Welcome on board,¡¯ Daniel said. ¡®Come, let¡¯s go to the cockpit. The others are in there.'' They entered the ship¡¯s cockpit. Layla and Zalo were sitting in the pilot¡¯s seats, preparing the ship for take-off. To the right behind Zalo was a closet where he had parked his massive suit. She saw his hammer hanging on the wall next to it. It was as tall as she was. The hammer had ¡®¡®Rusos¡¯¡¯ etched into the hilt. Zalo himself was quietly going through some paperwork, like an ordinary office worker. Funny how a person¡¯s outer self can be so different from what he is internally, She thought. Daniel walked up to them ¡®How is the flight looking, guys?¡¯ ¡®The flight is looking fine,¡¯ Layla responded. ¡®With this craft we could get to earth in 3 hours, and that¡¯s without using the jump engine. But we¡¯re gonna be going a lot slower than that to save as much fuel as possible. So we¡¯re only looking at a flight time of about 30 hours until we reach the Earth¡¯s atmosphere.¡¯ ¡®And that¡¯s where the hard part begins,¡¯ Zalo added. ¡®But that aside.¡¯ Layla stood up from her chair and shook Sarah¡¯s hand. ¡®Welcome on The Recovery, Sarah.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m glad to be here.¡¯ ¡®Why don¡¯t you and Daniel just take a seat in the middle of the ship and relax for a moment. Zalo and I are almost ready for take-off.¡¯ Sarah and Daniel left the cockpit and took a seat in the middle section of the ship. There were four seats on each wall. The back of the ship contained a small kitchen, a sleeping area, and storage room, which was packed full of research equipment and supplies of all sorts. On the left Zalana was sitting, still in her armour. Sarah and Daniel took the seats next to her. Zalana didn¡¯t say anything. Sarah couldn¡¯t see her face, so she didn¡¯t know if Zalana was sleeping. She could only see the helmet with the yellow eye sockets and the small black scales running down Zalana¡¯s body. Some time passed. Daniel was staring at the wall in front of him. Sarah saw a drop of sweat going down his face. Zalana was still quiet. ¡®Don¡¯t be scared, Daniel. Be exited. We¡¯re going back! After years of speculation over what happened to Earth we are finally going to find out. I¡¯ll finally know what happened to my parents, and you to yours.¡¯ I¡¯m just afraid we won¡¯t make it down there. We don¡¯t know if there¡¯s even still land down there. We don¡¯t know anything¡­¡¯ ¡®Victor said the same thing to me before I went aboard.¡¯ ¡®I didn¡¯t know Victor could be scared. I thought he would just grab fear by the throat, say something cool, and shoot it.¡¯ They both laughed. Suddenly Zalana stood up and turned towards them. ¡®Of course General Stormborn can be scared. He¡¯s still human. How he deals with it, though, is what makes him a genius. He uses fear to his advantage. Analysing his fear objectively and seeing the underlying cause of it. General Stormborn knows fear very well, and that¡¯s a good thing, because every enemy he will face will know it too. And the more your enemy, the easier it is to find a weak spot and defeat him. You two should respect him for that. Especially you, Sarah.¡¯ Zalana took a deep breath and sat down, holding her back perfectly straight. Sarah and Daniel looked at each other. They were both caught off guard by Zalana¡¯s speech. This showed both of them the level of respect the guardian marines had for Victor. ¡®Strap in, we¡¯re ready,¡¯ they heard Layla shout from the cockpit. ¡®Mission control this is exploration flight alpha-6 ready for take-off. Requesting permission to start engines.¡¯ ¡®permission granted, Layla,¡¯ Victor¡¯s voice said over the intercom. ¡®You are clear to go.¡¯ With a load roar the engines turned on. The cabin shook. Sarah and Daniel held onto their armrests tightly. It had been a long time since any of them had flown. The craft started to move. First upwards, then it rapidly started moving sideways. Sarah saw the enormous hangar sliding by faster and faster and then.. space. Through a small window on the opposite wall Sarah looked out into the emptiness. On the right side of the window there was a vertical line of grey rocks. The ship was climbing vertically away from the moon, and still accelerating in a rapid pace. Sarah could feel her own body become heavier. After a time the feeling went away and was replaced with a sensation of weightlessness. ¡®Alpha-6, you are at cruising height,¡¯ the intercom said. ¡®the estimated flight time is still around 30 hours. ¡®copy that,¡¯ Zalo responded. ¡®Flight time of 30 hours. Switching to autopilot now.¡¯ Layla and Zalo got out of the cockpit and joined the others in the middle of the ship. Zalo took a seat to the opposite of Zalana. Zalana finally relaxed and sat normally. Layla floated on to the kitchen and grabbed a plastic jar which contained some pills. She took four in her hand and returned to the middle. She handed one to Daniel and one to Sarah. She offered a pill to Zalana, but she refused. ¡®We need to be as conservative with our resources as possible in case something goes wrong. We have enough to last for a month, but I don¡¯t like wasting valuables. So it is best that we sleep through the bulk of the spaceflight. These will keep us under until we¡¯re almost at our destination.¡¯ ¡®I won¡¯t take one,¡¯ Zalana said. ¡®I don¡¯t like being sedated, unable to act. I¡¯ll just sleep normally.¡¯ ¡®Won¡¯t Zalo take one?¡¯ Sarah asked. ¡®I will stay awake in case anything unexpected happens. And those pills only work on me for a couple hours, and I don¡¯t even like being numb for a second.¡¯ ¡®Ok, then,¡¯ Layla continued. ¡®I¡¯ll see you guys when we get there. ¡®Layla strapped herself in and took the pill, shortly followed by Daniel. Sarah was the last one to take the pill. Just seconds after she took it she started to get a fuzzy feeling in her head. ¡®Sweet dreams, kids,¡¯ she heard a deep voice say as the world faded away. chapter 4 Sarah slowly opened her eyes. Her head still felt a little fuzzy, but it was manageable. She looked around her. Apparently she was the last one to wake up. Layla wasn¡¯t in the room any more, and Daniel and Zalana had changed placed and were now on the opposite side talking to each other. Sarah untied her seatbelt and stretched her arms, accompanied by a loud yawn. Zalana and Daniel stopped talking to each other when they saw Sarah was awake. ¡®Welcome back to the land of the living,¡¯ Zalana said. ¡®We thought you were gonna miss entry.¡¯ Sarah looked at her, confused. ¡®Entry? How close are we then?¡¯ ¡®Go to the cockpit and take a look yourself,¡¯ Daniel said. ¡®The view is breath-taking.¡¯ Sarah got out of her chair and floated her way to the cockpit door. As soon as she opened it she was almost blinded by the light coming from Earth. ¡®Sarah, you¡¯re awake!¡¯ Layla said. ¡®I should have given you a smaller pill, given your height and weight and everything, but you¡¯re awake now and that¡¯s all that matters.¡¯ Sarah didn¡¯t react. She wasn¡¯t listening in the first place. She was staring, with wide eyes, at the Earth. Her eyes quickly adapted to the light. She looked at the raging storms and massive cloud formations that surrounded it. ¡®You should go back,¡¯ Layla said. ¡®We are about to start our entry. It looks a lot rougher than just a dust cloud.'' ¡®Can I stay in the cockpit? I really want to see this. I can sit in that chair there against the wall. You¡¯re not using that anyway, right? Layla looked at Zalo. He nodded. ¡®Fine then, I guess. Take a seat Sarah.¡¯ Sarah took a seat on the left side of the ship. She had a view of Zalo¡¯s side window. The ship came closer and closer to the atmosphere. ¡®Mission control, this is exploration flight alpha-6 about to enter Earth¡¯s atmosphere, over.¡¯ ¡®Roger that, Alpha-6.¡¯ The sound coming from the intercom was riddled with static, but Sarah was still able to recognise Victor¡¯s voice. She cracked a smile. ¡®There seems to be a great build-up of storms in the dust cloud, mission control. This wasn¡¯t mentioned in the briefing.¡¯ ¡®The latest readings look fine,¡¯ the intercom said after a brief silence. ¡®Alright then. Entering atmosphere now, over.¡¯ As they neared the cloud, an orange glow started to emerge from the ship¡¯s nose. ¡®Hull temperature rising rapidly,¡¯ Zalo said. ¡®Heat shields are holding.¡¯ Everything was going well. With each passing minute Sarah could see more details in the cloud formations. They looked like waves, all moving in the same direction. Sometimes a bright yellow dot appeared on top of the clouds, only to disappear moments later. The clouds were coming closer and closer. The temperature rose. Sarah started breathing faster. The light intensified and in a flash they were in. All the light was gone. Zalo looked left at Layla. ¡®I think we did it. The ship is holdi..¡¯ A massive gush of wind swept the ship off course. The ship¡¯s hull rambled heavily under the force of the wind pulling them away. ¡®We¡¯ve entered an unknown Jetstream!¡¯ Zalo shouted. ¡°Soon we¡¯ll be flying horizontally. We¡¯ve got to do something Layla!¡¯ The wind was hitting the ship violently. The sound it made was deafening. The ship was being thrown around in a seemingly endless thundercloud.¡¯ ¡®Give full power to the main engines,¡¯ Zalo shouted over the sound of the wailing ship, ¡®We¡¯ll force the plane down.¡¯ Sarah¡¯s heart was pounding in her chest. She started sweating and covered her ears with her hands. A cabinet above her opened and a pile of manuals fell down. Layla was shouting. The engines made the ground vibrate more and more. Direly her eyes were looking for a sign of land through the clouds. Then, to the right of the ship, she saw a light piercing the grey vale. The light was dim and warm. It made her feel relaxed in some way, but not for long. The light was growing, the brightness increasing. She still couldn¡¯t see what was emitting it. ¡®There¡¯s something in the clouds!¡¯ She shouted, but the noise from the storm overwhelmed her voice to the point that she couldn¡¯t hear herself speak. She grabbed hold of the spare headset hanging on the wall next to her and put it on. ¡®There¡¯s something coming from the right!¡¯ ¡®Zalo, what is it?¡¯ Layla shouted while still trying to regain control over the ship. He looked to the right. His eyes widened. A winged beast with bright yellow scales rammed the ship with enormous strength. Sarah screamed. She heard shouting coming from the mid-section. The beast grabbed hold of the ship with its hind legs and swung it around like a dog playing with its favorite toy. Layla heard a roar coming from the left. ¡®Brace!¡¯ A second beast rammed itself into the ship. A massive explosion coming from behind shook the ship. Red lights started blinking all over the cockpit. The sounds of the buzzing alarms were only adding more chaos to the already dire situation. ¡®We¡¯ve lost the main engines!¡¯ Zalo shouted. ¡®We can¡¯t get away.¡¯ One of the beasts that had rammed them had latched itself onto the roof of the ship. Sarah felt its roar shaking the ship. The ship banked to the right. She hit her head against the wall. All the sounds she was hearing were suddenly replaced by one high-pitched tune. She looked around. The cockpit looked vague. Zalo and Layla were shouting and their arms and hands were moving very fast. She looked out the front window, a long pane of glass that also ran up all the way to the roof. Sarah looked up. She stopped breathing. Everything seemed to move slowly. The chaos around her flowed away, together with all the remaining sound. All of her focus was on the giant scaled lizard like head on the other side of that window. The beast had a long jaw, and small yellow eyes, pierced by a slit of black. Two horns emitted from behind its eyes. It opened its mouth. It spewed a shiny yellow liquid all over the right side of the ship. Almost as soon as the beast spat out the liquid it ignited into a sea of flames. Sarah snapped out of the trancelike state and looked towards Layla. ¡®What can we do? We¡¯ve got no engines.¡¯ Zalo was desperately looking around him for anything that he could do, but Layla was faster. ¡®I¡¯ve got something,¡¯ Layla said. ¡®Zalo, we¡¯re going to use the primal booster engine to force us downwards. It¡¯s the only thing we can do.¡¯ ¡®But the primal booster is on the bottom of the ship. It¡¯s used to get off the ground.¡¯ Layla looked straight into Zalo¡¯s eyes. ¡®And now it¡¯s gonna get us down to it.¡¯ Layla yanked the steering handle sideways and in no-time the ship was upside down. ¡®Now!¡¯ Layla shouted as she pulled the handle. The floor started rumbling. The primal booster engine was now pointed upwards and as soon as it came on, the ship was pressed down with immense force. The beast that latched itself onto the roof was now pressed down together with it. The ship was lowering altitude rapidly and shook like it was going to fall apart at any moment. The noise was getting louder as the beast started screeching and with Zalo and Layla holding onto the steering handles for their lives the ship shot out of the clouds. Almost immediately the beast broke free of the ship and flew back to the clouds. All the noises had almost fully gone away. Zalo and Layla still held their stirring handles tightly. They laughed faintly. Layla carefully leveled the ship. ¡®We made it,¡¯ Zalo said. Now that the clouds cleared up they could see the land. The cockpit became as quiet as a graveyard. In front of them a barren wasteland stretched out. Rocks were scattered about all over the place. There was no sign of any human life, or that there ever had been any. ¡®I¡¯m gonna land the ship here,¡¯ Layla said. ¡®This engine won¡¯t last for long.¡¯ Layla made the ship descend gradually and made it hover above the ground. She unfolded the landing gear and gently she put the ship down. After a full minute of silence Layla and Zalo let go of the steering handles. ¡®Where did you learn to do that?¡¯ He asked. ¡®I guess that when you¡¯re trafficking on Mars you learn some tricks.¡¯ Layla lay back on her seat, coming down from the rush of adrenaline. She closed her eyes and sat in her chair. Zalo also remained quiet. Sarah looked at her hands. They were vibrating heavily. She touched her face. Sweat was pooring down her cheeks. She closed her eyes. In a warm bed she lay¡­ ¡®Sarah. Sarah! Wake up.¡¯ She felt a tap on her shoulder and opened her eyes. Layla was sitting in her chair turned towards Sarah. ¡®How long was I out?¡¯ She asked as she slided her hand across her head and through her hair. ¡®About two hours.¡¯ ¡®It felt like an eternity¡­ Where¡¯s Daniel? I want to see him. Is he all right?¡¯ ¡®Daniel is fine. He¡¯s outside with Zalo. They should be back any minute.¡¯ The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡®Outside?¡¯ Sarah untied her seatbelt and stood up. She still had somewhat of a headache in the back of her head. She walked to the front of the cockpit and looked through the dirty glass. She saw Daniel and Zalo in front of the ship. Daniel was in his spacesuit and was looking at a device he was holding. Zalo had put on his suit, grabbed his hammer and was now standing beside Daniel on the look-out. Zalo¡¯s suit was bigger than Zalana¡¯s. Zalo¡¯s suit was bigger. It looked heavier. Black plates covered most of his body. On his waist he had a handgun the size of Sarah¡¯s forearm, and in his hands Zalo¡¯s weapon of choice: a huge two-sided Warhammer. The hilt had intricate markings in between a pattern of bronze-colored squares that ran all the way up the hilt. The piece on top was colored in dim silver. This small piece that in the middle that connected to the hilt widened both ways to form the two hammerheads. Zalo was almost as big as a bear in his suit. She thought Zalo looked dangerous, not only to his enemies, but to herself. Sarah looked around. Apparently the clouds didn¡¯t block sunlight, or at least light, from reaching the surface. To her right lay a flat and sandy ground stretching out for miles, eventually leading up to a mountain in the distance. Far to the left the flat field was riddled with huge boulders and rocks. ¡®What did this?¡¯ Sarah whispered to herself. ¡®That¡¯s what we¡¯re for. To find out. Come on, let¡¯s go to the back. It looks like Zalo and Daniel are coming back in.¡¯ They went through the cockpit door and into the mid-section. Zalana was in the back preparing the airlock entrance system to get Daniel and Zalo safely back inside. ¡®Recovery, this is Daniel,¡¯ they heard over the intercom. Zalo would like to get back inside.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m preparing the airlock system now,¡¯ Zalana responded. ¡®No need. Just open the main door.¡¯ ¡®Are you mad? We¡¯ll all suffocate.¡¯ Zalana heard knocking on the main door of the ship. She walked towards it. Sarah had taken a seat, still not feeling well. Layla had sat down next to her. Zalana looked out the window. Daniel was standing on the other side with his helmet removed. ¡®The air is breathable,¡¯ he said while happily pointing to the device in his hand. It¡¯s the same as the inside air.¡¯ Zalana opened the door for them. The warm, moist outside air flowed into the room. Sarah liked the warm air. The cold, dry air from the space flight had given her a sore throat. Daniel stepped in and Zalo followed him. Zalo had to enter sideways, because he couldn¡¯t fit through the door opening with his suit on. They all sat down. Zalo walked to the corner of the room. Shortly after he had come to a halt the backside opened up and he stepped out. He took a seat next to Zalana. Daniel sat beside them. Sarah and Layla sat opposite to them. ¡®So, Daniel. What are your first impressions?¡¯ Layla asked. Everyone in the room wondered the same, so it was completely quiet. ¡®Well, for one thing, the air is breathable. It¡¯s even a comfortable 22 degrees.¡¯ Daniel looked at the open door. ¡®So we don¡¯t have to worry about oxygen issues anymore. Sadly, as far as I could see from outside.. there are no remaining human settlements in sight. I detected no signs of any life around the ship and the surrounding area¡­¡¯ Sarah looked down at the floor. Before the mission she had accepted the death of her parents. She succeeded in continuing on without them. But when Victor told her about the mission, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder: ¡®what if?¡¯ Even though she knew that her parents couldn¡¯t have survived crying dead day, she gained a bit of hope when she stepped onto this ship. Now, after seeing the wasteland around them. After hearing Daniel speaking of the dead world around them, it felt like she went through the death of her parents all over again. ¡®What about those clouds?¡¯ She heard coming from next to her. ¡®Those things in there nearly got us all killed!¡¯ Daniel took a deep breath. ¡®The clouds all seem to be moving fast towards a mountain about 40 kilometres to the east. These clouds are not natural. I can¡¯t say too much about our attackers. I was right here in the mid-section when they attacked. I didn¡¯t even see them.¡¯ Sarah saw flashes of the attack before her. She remembered her neck hurting when they entered the clouds. She remembered a light, a light becoming brighter and brighter to eventually reveal a winged, scaled monster. ¡®I did,¡¯ Sarah said quietly. They turned their heads towards Sarah. ¡®Well, what attacked us?¡¯ Daniel asked. Sarah remained quiet for a moment, still looking down. Then finally she straightened up, looked up at everyone and softly said: ¡®Dragons.¡¯ From the door opening she heard them, far away, roaming in the clouds, roaring. Zalo and Zalana turned away, but Daniel kept looking at Sarah. ¡®Are you sure?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m not sure of anything, but it wasn¡¯t a missile. It wasn¡¯t a lightning strike or a big bird or anything. It was a yellow scaled winged beast that hit the ship. It was a dragon that caused the burn marks on the hull. Look for yourself Daniel! Those burns are not from entry and only on the left side. Last time I looked dragons spit fire and have scales.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s alright, Sarah. I believe you.¡¯ ¡®Sorry, I just need to be alone for a moment.¡¯ Sarah stood up and walked out of the mid-section, hiding her face with her arm, and slammed the door behind her. Sarah crashed onto her bed, curled her body up and cried. She made as little sound as she could. She didn¡¯t want them to see her like this. She looked out the small circular window in the wall next to her bed. She stared aimlessly at the dusty, godforsaken ground that she once called home. These wastelands were where she was raised. Where she lived happily with mom and dad. She remembered playing in the garden with her neighbourhood friends. Trying to capture the ladybugs in the shrubbery and putting them in a small plastic house. She remembered her best friend from school, Cynthia. Sarah heard footsteps coming from the front of the ship. Someone knocked on the door. ¡®Sarah, can I come in? It¡¯s me, Layla.¡¯ ¡®what do you want?¡¯ Sarah didn¡¯t want to sound angry towards Layla. Layla seemed like a nice person to her. But she still only knew her for a day. ¡®Let me come in, Sarah. I know how you feel.¡¯ ¡®Ok..¡¯ Sarah sat upright. Her arms were barely able to lift her up. Layla came in and sat down next to Sarah. She put her arm around Sarah. ¡®I know it¡¯s hard. I lost my brother to this mess. As soon as I saw the ground when we entered I knew he was gone. ¡®That¡¯s horrible.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s alright. I wanted to cry when I realised it, but at last now I know that he has passed for sure. I think knowing it is better than doubting and thinking about it night after night.¡¯ ¡®And your parents? Are they alive?¡¯ Layla grinned. ¡®Let me formerly introduce myself. My name is Layla Evonade.¡¯ She rolled back her right sleeve to reveal the barcode on her shoulder. ¡®People call me Stripes.¡¯ ¡®You have a barcode. But that means.. you¡¯re Mark Evonade¡¯s daughter!¡¯ ¡®Yup, that¡¯s me. But I don¡¯t just leach off my dads¡¯ wealth and do nothing all day. I ran away a few years ago. This barcode is the only reminder I have.¡¯ ¡®Why would you run away. You could have had everything as an Evonade.¡¯ ¡®I could have¡­ But I wouldn¡¯t be able to live with myself. Trust me, you don¡¯t know my father and you obviously have never been to Mars Atlas-city. His monopoly over the food production network has lead the city into a slow decline. I ran away to help underground smugglers to steal my fathers¡¯ food and give it to the people who need it.¡¯ ¡®Wait a second. If you¡¯re a smuggler on Mars, how did you end up joining this mission?¡¯ ¡®I got caught smuggling grain into Luna. Nearly got away, but those bastards cornered me. Victor got me out, and it¡¯s not the first time he did so. I owe him big time for his help. He came to me because I¡¯m the best pilot he knows. I joined to find out the truth about my brothers¡¯ fate, nothing more.¡¯ Rumbling and noise of people moving came from around the ship. ¡®What are they doing?¡¯ Sarah asked. ¡®Daniel said it was safe to set up a tent against the ship so that Daniel can place his measuring equipment outside. It is already getting darker outside, so they got a move-on.¡¯ ¡®Do we need to help?¡¯ Layla looked at her and smiled. ¡®I think Zalo and Zalana can manage just fine. Besides, this bed sits really comfortable. Let¡¯s just sit here and talk.¡¯ Sarah felt a lot better. She dried her tears and blew her nose. They started talking about all sorts of things, like they didn¡¯t have a care in the world. The rumbling from outside quietly disappeared into the background.