Castaway Planet

Galactic Calendar 259872/ 2000 [ Sol Year 4387/ Day 152 of 365. Sol standard year]

Days after of Crash landing/ 1

Unknown Island / Unnamed Ruin

Galactic Standard Time / 1800

As the group moved down the tunnel, Olv’xic led the way. His link with his drone was the only key they had to make it to the doors. So far, they had made good time and he thought they were maybe halfway there. But something was bothering him, something he couldn’t see. He didn’t know how to explain it, but there was just something there, something he couldn’t see. He hated this feeling, whenever he had it something terrible happened. They had been okay so far, and he wasn’t looking forward to the drop into terror that was coming.

As they moved into a large cavern over thirty feet high, a hundred feet long, and fifty wide. Olv’xic went still as his mask swept the cavern, looking for anything that was a threat. The cavern had many large stalagmites, each over ten feet high. There were set in the floor here and there, and together they made up what looked like places to fight from. But every third stalagmite had rough holes on them, each over five feet up from the floor. But what bothered Olv’xic was the stains near them, stains all the colors of blood.

“[Something fought here but when? And who was fighting, was it the bugs or what made this place? Or both, and the bugs won?]” Je’ndra asked as she moved to stand next to Olv’xic.

Olv’xic nodded absently as he looked around. He saw three tunnel openings to their left, right, and ahead. Looking at his HUB, he saw the signal was strongest from the tunnel ahead. He scowled as he looked around, trying not to see all the ambush points ahead of them. But no matter how he looked at it, this place was a perfect place to be ambushed. With how they had to travel through it, anything could attack them from the side. Not to mention the right passage was the perfect place for a horde to come pouring out at them.

“[You see it, don’t you?]” Je’ndra asked softly.

Olv’xic went still and turned to look at her, glad his mask was hiding his face. He had always acted as an egghead, someone with a bare grasp of tactics, and that was how he liked it. To have shown her that he could, wouldn’t be good for him. If she started to look into him, then everything would come out. But now he had a choice, say everything or just say something.

“[I don’t see anything, but I’m getting a bad feeling about this place. What do you see?]” Olv’xic asked softly, feeling a little bad for not saying anything.

Je’ndra only looked at him and Olv’xic wondered if she had caught onto what he didn’t say, or why. But he had to hope he had been real enough that Je’ndra would make a choice that would keep them alive.

“[Good feeling, and we’ll in trouble],” Je’ndra said softly.

A moment later Olv’xic’s hub showed that Je’ndra had activated the team chat, and he waited for the shoe to drop. As he moved his hand towards his belt, he prepared to fight his way free

“[All team, we’ve got a problem here. We’ve walked into an ambush zone. If we go down the middle, we could get hit from the sides. Plus for that, it’s the fastest and we could defend ourselves by putting our backs to those towers. The other idea is that if we go along one of the sides, we might get hit by that side or the other. But time is a factor, those things have to be tracking us,]” Je’ndra said Olv’xic looked at his HUB as he waited for the others to talk.

He stayed silent as he looked at the cavern, and frowned as he looked at it. Something was wrong, something even more deadly. As he looked at the cavern, he listened with one ear to the others. The feeling was getting louder, and something was there at the edge of his sight.

“[I say down the middle, we need speed. Those things could have found our scent by now. We need to put space between them and us,]” Tar’lroia said bitterly over their comms.

If he was honest, he would have expected that. Tar’lroia was the medic, and she hated being on the back foot like this. And if the others were here, she would probably have been with the spear tip, striking deep into the enemy.

“[I’ve got enough boom to bring down maybe two more roofs. We have to go down one of those tunnels I can close the way behind us],” Ken’tricx offered as he

As he looked up he frowned, and then he realized just what he wasn’t seeing. Slowly he looked at what he thought were stalagmites and paled as he saw some of them might have moved closer. As he watched them, he cursed himself for not noticing what he could now see so clearly. How could he have even missed it, it was so obvious!

“[Maybe we should…..],” Kon’gric began only for Olv’xic to speak up.

“[Don’t move or react, but those towers? They're alive and they're coming to hunt us],” Olv’xic said softly as he slowly raised his rifle.

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As soon as Olv’xic spoke, Je’ndra looked up and quickly called up the positions of the stalagmites and saw they were moving closer to them. They were all now slowly surrounding them, and how fast they moved was impressive. She had to find a way out of here, there had to be something that they could do!

But as she tried she saw that the left side was clear, and if they moved fast they might be able to get past them. But the only problem was if they should even try, or move try and find another way down.

“[Olv’xic, can you find us another way down?],” Je’ndra asked as she slowly moved her hand down. With but a single thought, she would summon her pistol and be ready to fire.

As she watched she thought she saw one of the creatures move slowly towards them.

“[Yeah, but it might just lead back here. But should we try and break through?]” Olv’xic asked over the comms.

Je’ndra had to think about it, but as she gazed at the creatures, the answer came to her. From looking at them and then thinking about what they had on hand or in bags, she didn’t see any other choice to make. They had enough to break through sure, but if the bugs came, the group would die. They become food. No, this time desertion was the best thing to do.

“[No, we retreat. Everyone moves slowly, very slowly. We’re leaving now!]” Je’ndra ordered as her pistol appeared in her hand.

“[Want me to block this?]” Ken’tricx asked and Je’ndra

“[Negative, save your explosives for later. You’re before me, they come at us then do it,]” Je’ndra said but then Olv’xic broke in.

“[Before us!]” Olv’xic said as his rifle appeared in his hands.

Slowly, the others left until only Je’ndra and Olv’xic were looking at the false stalagmites.

“[Think they’ve ever seen anything like us before?]” Olv’xic asked as he looked around the cavern.

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The creatures watched as the strange two-legged things left. The creatures were wondering just what the intruders were. They weren’t the many-legged or the prey beasts, but they didn't act like anything they've ever seen. Whenever other strange ones came through their territory fast, they always flew. Still, with how the new eggs would hatch soon, the creatures needed to protect their eggs. They had been making a good living here, and it was better than their time traveling along the other's nest. This generation would let them change things, and hopefully, most would be born this time.

The many-legged ones had been attacking them from three of four tunnels into their nest for a while now. The strange sounds had caused them to wake up and gather near the tunnel it came from. As they waited, some thought it might be some new weapon of the many-legged. But instead of new horrors, many two legged armored creatures appeared. They had gathered around them, waiting for them to attack but instead, they had left.

For moments after, the false mites only cooed at each other, each one making sounds of confusion. Nothing that had ever come into their nest had ever acted that way. From how the many walkers always sent in wave tactics to the three walkers trying to pierce them. And now the strange two walkers just went away after seeing them all.

Very strange, all creatures but the prey always attacked them, this was the first time they hadn’t met in battle with new ones. The creatures looked at each other and moved away, slowly gathering around their eggs to wait. Soon the new ones would hatch and they would be able to hunt again. They could shed the upper armor and then move to hunt under the many sparkles.

As the creatures moved back to their former location, some went to the right and left tunnels. These were the strongest, the guards. Their job was waiting for anything to come at them, to be the shield of the weaker ones. The sounds they had heard might be something the others in the under had done, and that meant trouble. The one thing they all knew was the first rule of survival, always look for the worst.

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As the group moved back the way they had come, Kon’gric and Prince Ar’thor hung back. Ar’thor didn’t let the others know, but his armor was special. Its system had programming and the gear to let him listen in on all conversations near him. So he had heard Je’ndra talk to the one called Olv’xic. And Ar’thor could tell that Olv’xic soldier was holding something back.

And something was bothering him, something about the soldier called Olv’xic. He had known a few who didn’t put down their homes and clans. But most of them only did so to keep from ‘riding’ on their ancestors' deeds. Most of the time. Something about him made him think something else, something more.

But that wasn’t even the worst of the problems he saw. He had never heard of things that acted as those ‘false mites did. There was only one reason that he could think of. But the very idea was something that was against everything he thought he knew. If it was possible, then it showed just how wrong this place was. and the source And he had to wonder if he should even bring it up, but then there was something else. As they all ran, Ar’thor made a choice, he had to talk to the leader about it. So without waiting he looked at Je’ndra and sent a comm request to her.

A moment later her mask symbol appeared on his HUD, and she spoke. “[My prince, what is it?]”

Ar’thor took a minute to try and think about how to say. “[Leader Azorinic, those creatures behind us. Did anything about their actions bother you too?]”

For a few moments Je’ndra said nothing, and Ar’thor was wondering that he was wrong to bring it up. And just when he was about to close the comms and apologize for wasting her time Je’ndra spoke up.

“[Yes my prince. This whole area is bothering me. Any wild beast would attack from ambush first, but they didn’t. I. I have a bad feeling about this],” Je’ndra said.

Ar’thor felt relief, at least he wasn’t seeing things. “[Do you think…. No, it’s insane. I’m sorry….]”

“[Yes my prince. I do think they might be sentient. It’s the only explanation that makes sense],” Je’ndra said and Ar’thor felt a little faint.

Sentient life on the same planet as Firstborne Ruins wasn’t good. Could those bugs have been the same? could they have attacked them out of anger, not instincts? Was there a reason they were down here, in the dark? All Ar’thor could do was shudder as another thought came his way. If they lived down here, then those bugs must either be predators or prey to them. Probably both.

“[How….. what is this place? Is it because of the Ruin?],” Ar’thor asked and he heard nothing from Je’ndra.

All Ar’thor could do was sigh, his mind going dark places. He didn’t like anything about this, nothing made sense! What was the point of the Ruin being here? Did it have any connection to why they couldn’t remember what happened to the Spirit of Adventure? Or was it not connected, and this was all a strange coincidence? Part of him wanted to believe it was possible, but his gut told him it wasn’t. As he thought about the Spirit, he felt faint as connections were made in his head.

“[No, that’s not possible. Why here?!]” Ar’thor asked out loud and for a moment he didn’t even remember that

“[My Prince?]” Je’ndra asked in concern.

Ar’thor looked up and remembered who he was talking to and looked away. “[It’s nothing, just a stray thought that I hope is wrong. We need to find a place to rest for the night, soon. We can make our way to the Ruins tomorrow.]”

Ar’thor closed the connection and sank against his Guard’s back. His mind went into the darkness, wondering just how those monsters could have been there. The space lane was well-traveled, and there was no hint that those things had ever been there. So why, in the Name of the Elder Ones, were those things there?

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At the head of the group, Ro’borlar looked around. He was still wondering what had happened back there, what those things were. He was having a hard time understanding what had happened. Nothing made sense to him.

When living creatures stumbled into the territory of ambush predators, the predators attacked. That was unlike any expectance he ever had. He was a scout, he belonged in the wilds. He had studied the habits of all beasts, the better to pass by them. And he had seen most of them growing up in the wilds of his world. From Flyers that hunted other Flyers, to Swimmers that hunted those that lived on land. He had seen and learned about more terrible creatures, and how to kill them. But he had nothing felt anything like the feeling those things gave off off to him.

“[All team listen up! We need a way around, and it's late. We’ll head back to the cave-in and make camp there. We’ll sleep in shifts, I’ll take the last. Olv’xic, Ken’tricx; I want you to set up a sensor unit once we get there! I don’t care who has the first watch! Who wants it?]” Je’ndra’s voice caused Ro’borlar to go still

Ro’borlar heard the finality in Je’ndra’s voice, and that almost bothered him. The boss lady rarely had that kind of voice. Unless it was battle, if one of the others had a point to make, they could. But then they hadn’t ever had a prince along, did they? The kid must have made a judgment call, not the worst one. They could go along, but those things in the cavern showed that there were more down here than the bugs. If there were other predators out here in the darkness of the tunnels, they needed to be on their guard. And with the way the last few hours had been, the best thing to do was get something to eat.

The more he thought of their next goal, the more he liked it. He could get the first watch, and then sleep deep tonight. And when he woke, he could go out and scout a route based on what the droner showed him. Once he found a way down, he would get the others, it best to go into unknown territory together.

But as he led the way back to where they had woken up, something pinged his mask’s sensors. He went still and held up a closed fist, the others moving to stand together. As they looked out past him, Ro’borlar felt a grin form as once more his blood was pumping.

Something small ran towards them, but instead of firing, all Ro’borlar did was throw his arms out. As the small thing fell to the ground, Ro’borlar went towards it, chanting under his breath.

“[Doc, get over here!]” Ro’borlar barked as he looked down. As Tar’lroia came closer, Ro’borlar moved aside. The thing before them all was a small two-foot high and two-foot-long black insect-like creature. It had two pincers under its mouth that were filled with sharp dagger-like teeth. It had no eyes, only four antennae where eyes would normally be. Its body was long and segmented, each piece about a half-foot long. Each segment had around ten small legs that each ended in sharp-looking claws. But what stood out were the white spikes sticking out of its body.

But what bothered Ro’borlar the most was the black blood coming from the bottom of each spike.

Tar’lroia sat down and looked at the bug before her, her mask telling her nothing good. [Oh dear. This is bad, very bad].”

[“Tar, what is it?]” Je’ndra asked as Tar’lroia swallowed and looked at her.

“]Well to start, this thing, the spikes aren’t something it was born with. These are weapons, probably of whatever hunted it. And even worse, each one has a chemical on it, I think a poison for this thing],”

Ro’borlar looked out into the darkness ahead and saw the passage the bug came out of.

“[So beside the bugs and those things back there, there’s another creature down here? One that has spikes that are poisoned? What did we do to dissever this?]” Ken’tricx asked mournfully as he summoned his axes.

Ro’borlar snorted under his mask. There was no higher power at work here, just bad luck. From crashing here to only having half their team to this, it was just luck. The random acts of chance and reaction, nothing of any higher power at work here.

“[No, not really. The poison is not coming from the spikes. Something put it on them],” Tar’lroia said softly and with that, Ro’borlar felt nothing but fear. If something put the poison on the spikes, that means it did so to hunt. That meant that whatever did this was aware, it could think. And if it could think, that meant it could plan.