<< Some basic stuff. The Star system: Kastra'Nostra; The Planet: ch'Vania; The Village: Valhrak; Daeus -Count; Dae'hfir -Mayor >>
The transport is filled with a little over 30 Rihannsu. Some are chained and caged, obviously prisioners. Most seem drugged, and more than a little crazy. Only a handful have any resemblence of normalicy...and they seem frightened. After a rather long and uncomfortable ride, twenty-five of the
Passengers and the three boys are beamed to a creepy planet.
D`Tarik looks around himself as Sprinkles seems to shake in fear on his shoulder. The foggy atmosphere grows thicker, making it harder to see their surroundings. Rylan glances at his ISD, then at then at the 'crazies' around him, before speaking quietly, "Seems we're assigned a cabin here in the
colony...." then mumbles, "Or is it, insane asylum?" As if on que, a bloodcurdeling howl can be heard in the distance....it sounds almost like a thrai << like a *large*, rabid-looking wolf >>
Vyynd scratches his head in utter disbelief of the entire situation, not quite sure what to make of things, as D'Tarik speaks, "Okay au guys....now, if those books I have been reading are correct... something should be comeing out of the woods right...about...now...." he points casually to the woods.
Rylan pulls out a disruptor and aims in the direction tr'Rekkohan is pointing, "What?! *What* will come out of the woods!!!"
Vyynd looks around attempting to percieve beyond the mist, holds a disruptor rifle at his right side, "Or better yet, *which* books??" Then all the boys grow silent a moment as a loud and steady thud can be heard heading in their direction.
Rylan's hand starts shaking, "What the *HELL* is it supposed to *be* D`Tarik?!"
Drawing his own disruptor clumsily out of his labcoat to aim it at the woods, D`Tarik shrugs, "I...I....I don't know. It's always something different." he pauses, then adds, "Plus, I was just kidding...."
Rylan starts backing away from the sound, putting tr'Khaine in between him and 'it'. Vyynd loses his concentration and turns to tr'Rekkohan, "*Great*!!"
The sound grows louder, the ground starts shaking. The thudding stops suddenly for about 5 seconds or so.... then sudenly a huge black-furred thing jumps out of the woods with a great ear peircing howl. Rylan starts screaming at the thing, blasting away wildly with his pistol, and backing up quickly. He bumps into tr'Rekkohan, knocking Sprinkles off his shoulder; Rylan himself tripping and landing hard on the ground, clacking his teeth together. Sprinkle's laser is set off as the poor Tribble falls to the
ground; hitting the huge Thing right between the eyes. The beast goes limp and falls to the ground.
Vyynd rubs his eyes, muttering "Hnaev!"
"What in *hell* is that thing?!" Rylan asks from his vantage point of the ground, as Vyynd walks over to the body and prods it with the tip of his disruptor rifle. DT picks up Sprinkles, checking to make sure his pet is okay. The smaller of the three notices for a second that nobody in the camp seemed to notice the huge black thing.
The thing's form starts changing, and Vyynd takes a quick step back, "*tr'Rekkohan!!* Get over here!" Rylan stands and brushes himself off, and esitating, he takes a step closer to see what's going on. DT reaches into his coat and puts a small silver patch on his pet before walking over towards the other boys.
Pointing towards the beast, Vyynd asks DT, "Any idea what *this* is?"
Noticing the 'bubbly' motion under the fur of the beast, Rylan watches horrified as it begins to change. Shaking his head and backing away he grumbles, "I need a drink!"
"I think it may be a 'werewolf'." DT explains, "Au see...the 'werewolf' is a half human - half wolf... which as both of au know, are from Earth. But why it would be here is beyond me." he shrugs and looks at the area around them, "Has anyone else noticed that nobody is around, or coming to help us in any way shape or form?"
Rylan turns to D'Tarik with a frightened look on his face, not really understanding what the boy had been talking about, "Ahhhh... any reason why we should be out here talking about this? Shouldn't we be *inside* our cabin? I mean...it's dark...there's too much fog....I'm tired and hungry... and I don't think it's wise to be out here." he pauses to nod toward the creature on the ground, "What if there's more of them??"
Vyynd, also not understanding the smaller Rihan questions, "A... where-wolf?" he repeats, then adds as he kneels down, to check the creature for any sign of a pulse "Didn't seem too evasive to me. Well, it's not like this one came out of no where. We could hear it coming a good 100 feet off." he looks around for a clearing in the fog, then nods towards Rylan, "Ie, shelter is more then desirable at the moment."
As Vyynd speaks, the creature completly changed it's form, and tr'Khaine finds himself now holding the wrist of a 5'6 Rihan female. "No pulse. It...err...she is dead." Vyynd looks at Sprinkles, full of contempt, "Good shot."
Rylan glances to the Tribble and nods. Then actually reaches out and pets the thing. "Ie! Good shot, Sprink!"
The Tribble squeeks happily, then Vyynd smirks slightly and raises a finger to the Tribble, "Just as long as au don't change shape."
Wipping his hand on his pant leg, Rylan interrupts, "Now....the cabin? *Please*?? Before something else...introduces itself to us?" he smiles nerviously.
D'Tarik just stands there confused, because usually the other two boys are trying to kill Sprinkles, not pet him. D'Tarik reachs into his coat and pulls out three glass-looking rods and hands one to each of the boys. "Just hit that hard on something and it will glow brightly."
Vyynd moves his hand in the cabin's supposed general direction, answering Rylan, "After au..." then nods at D`Tarik, "Hann`yyo, but the moon-light is adiquate for now.
Rylan accepts the rod and snaps it making it glow. "Na..." he shakes his head at tr'Khaine, "Au'rh the military man still...wouldn't be proper to walk in front of au, now would it?" he smirks slyly and bows his head. "After au, rekkhai."
Vyynd glares at Rylan, "I'm na the io in a rush to get inside, but very well...." he begins walking toward the cabin looking about cautiously with his rifle drawn; observing the surroundings carefully, and studying the terrain and the town ahead.
As the other boy stars forward, Rylan pokes D'Tarik in the ribs, "Just where did all those colonists go off to so fast anyway? I mean....they were right *here* for Element's sake...and now they're gone." he whispers quietly as he follows tr'Khaine.
D'Tarik points to a severed hand on the ground, "Maybe that has something to do where they went? Eh, maybe not. Let's go." he starts to whistle, and walks towards the cabin.
Vyynd glares back at D'Tarik, "It *might*."
Rylan quickens his pace, "But that's only *io* hand...there were like, twenty-five people that beamed down with us!"
Vyynd notices several straggling footprints off in different directions, and explains, "Most of them went toward the town." He matches pace with Rylan as the boy pulls out his ISD, and brings up a map of the area. Looking over Rylan's shoulder, Vyynd then heads off and looks into a cabin through a
window.
"Well," D`Tarik speaks up, "maybe if au would read those data disks I gave au, it might help." he smriks and keeps walking. Sprinkles squeeks for seemingly no reason as they move on.
Rylan taps tr`Khaine on the shoulder, "Na. That io's na ours. We're the last io down on the right."
"Wouldn't matter..." Vyynd gives Rylan an indifferent look, "This io's empty anyway." he smirks, then resumes his pace toward their assigned housing, "Okay, let's get to our cabin."
As the three boys travel along the center of town, the fog parts somewhat, revealing what looks to be a castle on top of a mountain. Vyynd stops in his tracks, looking up at the castle as his arms fall to his sides, "Great.... Juuust great......: he starts looking into different cabins as he continues walking again.
After a moment more, a ghostly white figure of a woman in a white dress just appears inside the doorway of a dark cabin. The woman's figure turns and walks back into the cabin, fading away as she does.....
D'Tarik stops as the woman appears and starts to rub his chin, already starting to come up with theories about this planet, while Rylan catches sight of the "transperant" woman, and nearly jumps out of his skin. Grabbing D'Tarik, he points to the now empty door, "What the hell was that?!"
"Come here," DT motions towards the Tal`Shiar student, "I think I have a theory about this place."
Vyynd halts in his tracks, mumbling to himself, "...freakin' fraggin' piece of..." and sulkingly stumbles over to D'Tarik with, "I'd like to hear this."
"Okay.." D'Tarik begins, "this is what I think....what if this place is like either a center -- a magnet if you au will -- for supernatural activity throughout the galaxy? Or it could be that this planet is full of a race that just happens to look like the "monsters" of Earth's stories. Or this is part of some kind of experiment...."
Vyynd listens for all of a second, then walks up and examines the doorway where the woman disappeared, "I'd say, our answers most likely lay inside the castle."
Confused now, Rylan blankly stares at tr`Rekkohan and says hopefully, "So...au'rh saying none of this is real?"
"When did I say that?" DT shrugs, "I just think there is a reason that there is so much of all the monsters. I mean...we keep seeing them like they are a normal thing on this planet."
Rylan shakes his head in frustraition, "Look..the both of au..." he casts an impatient look to tr'Khaine as well. "It's *dark*, it's *cold*, it's *foggy* as hell! I'm na interested in going to the castle now...and as for *au*..." he points an angry finger at tr'Rekkohan, "I'm na sure *what* au just said." he stomps off towards their assigned cabin.
DT walks quietly after his room-mate as Vyynd nods, "Ie, my head seems to be in a good amount of pain right now." and follows the others, looking around slightly at the other cabins as they go.
Rylan reaches the door and halts waiting for tr'Khaine who a moment later joins him on the porch with an "Ie...?" Sprinkles is shaking and begins to make an almost growling sound the closer DT gets to the door of the cabin. Rylan nods as the other two approach, then reaches for the door handle, slowly swinging it open. Vyynd aims his rifle into the cabin as the door opens, and waits to see if the others go inside.
As the three boys look in, they see green blood splattered everywhere. On the walls, the floor...just all over the room. Body parts and piles of bodies are strewn around everywhere. In the center of the room stands a huge four-armed monster with pink scaled skin and two horned heads. It stands at about seven feet tall and has a leg hanging out of one of its mouths
Vyynd gawks at the monstrosity and whispers, "Rylan...are au SURE this is our cabin?!"
[on the planet]
When last we saw our heroes: A big monster had taken up residence in the boy's assigned cabin, and apparently had someone's leg in it's mouth. The boys are looking at it in shock.
Lots of shouting comes from down the street, and fire light is seen moving towards the boys. In a few moments, several men with jezails and pikes rush in and slaughter the beast. Rylan watches the gruesome scene from a distance, while D'Tarik backs up and tries to take notes on the monster's
anatomy as he does so. A moment later, and a short man, wearing a leather overcoat and hand woven garments walks up to the boys and introduces himself.
"Jolan tru Ke`Rhin." he watches a river of blood pass his feet. "My name is Dae`hfir Rheinhart L`ecarde.
Rylan looks to the elder and bows his head slightlym, "Jolan'tru rekkhai. I'm tr'Tuhmek, this is tr'Rekkohan, and that's tr'Khaine." he points to each boy as he says their names. DT waves his hand slightly, and Sprinkles waves a claw at the man.
L`ecarde adjusts the short scabard at his side; the weapon looks oddly like an old rapier. Ignoring the monster (tribble) as he had seen far more disturbing things in his time, he asks, "What have au all done to be sent here?"
Glaring at tr`Rekkohan, Ry mutters, "Au explain that io!"
"Are au part of the Tal`Shiar?" L`ecarde asks impatiently.
Rylan points towards Vyynd, "Ie...he is."
L`ecarde frowns, "Well by the looks of him, he isn't io to be worried about." he watches the last of the pikemen jam through the monster within the cabin then turns back to the kids, "I guess I'm going to have to explain all this then... come with me." he pauses and looks back into the cabin,
"Unless you'd like to stay here for the night?"
Rylan looks back at the cabin, and shakes his head. "Na....we'll follow au, hann'yyo rekkhai." then asks curiously, "Exactly what was that thing?"
"Please, there is no military here." L`ecarde says as he starts walking, "At least, not anymore." The pikemen slowly fall into line behind the Mayor and boys, and head along the street. occasionaly, they charge off to slaughter another monster in the town, but mostly stay on the cobblestone path leading to the Mayor's mansion. Some of the pikemen leave when the mayor is safe. Others just fall asleep in the entrance room.
The mayor himself leads the boys to a fireplace in the middle of the spacious house, and offers then conversation and warmed gletin.
"Now..." L`ecarde begins, "let me know what au already know; so we don't waste time repeating information."
Vyynd stands himself close to the fireplace, listening in on the conversation about to be made as Rylan takes a seat, sneaking a glance around the room occasionally, then pokes tr'Rekkohan to explain things. D'Tarik sits down by the fire, and explains, "Well sir, we don't know much. We know this planet has all kinds of strange monsters on it."
The Mayor shakes his head, wipeing away some sleep from his eyes, "So basicly, they told au nothing about this place?"
Rylan shakes his head, "Only that there are 'living dead' here."
"And from what we have seen," DT adds, "other "things" too."
The Mayor grumbles and clears his throat, "Okay then... its a very long story, and I don't have all the details. I'm not even the original leader of this expedition-- that was the Daeus (Count) and he has all the actual records...
Vyynd raises a brow, "Is this Daeus still here?"
"In the castle on the mountan, ie. But naio in their right mind would go there now. Na after things went wrong." L`ecarde shrugs, "Au all know of our race's general use of clonging for colonization and military expansionist purposes right?"
Rylan nods, "Ie."
D'Tarik stands up, "Do I ever! I once wrote a two-hundred page report on it! Well, it was more on how the cloneing was done, then the use of it..."
Rylan pulls on D'Tarik's arm and whispers, "Sit down au verrul!"
"Ie then." L`ecarde raises an eyebrow, "Then au also know that the government and the Tal`shiar have ..dabbled..in the modification of our own genome." He rubs the ridges on his forehead, "And that sometimes this has caused ..mutation."
"Ie, I do..." DT answers, "but I don't think I'm supposed to. But eh...and as for mutaion...."
Rylan nods interrupting the smaller boy before he can go into another speil, "Ie, so these....*creatures* are a mutation of such cloning?"
"Essentialy, being far away from the general body of the citizanry, this world is just one big reaserch facility." L`ecarde explains, "Or rather, was and is now more a waste dump for the Tal`shiar's problems. The town of Valhrak wasn't even in the Planet's original charter. But since it is quite
habital, the Galae saw it as neccesary to utilize our reasources, and drop colonists here."
"But where are those colonists?" Rylan asks, "We never saw them after beam-down...the town seemed empty. Well...except for that monster in our cabin."
"The town is in hiding. Those who have common sense live in groups or under their houses or whatever. New colonists usualy just flee into the woods, or get rounded up and brought here by my garison. Now all the military does to 'help' is make a once a month drop from the Grim Child, and that is only to dump 'faliures' in the northern forests, above the town's protective rim."
"And what about this Daeus?" Vyynd pipes in, "The io in the castle on the mountain? Surely he could plead the people's cause here? If he's still there, why doesn't he do something about all this?"
L`ecarde lowers his eyes to the glass sitting empty before him. "The Daeus is part our our plight. The Tal`Shiar once worked here, in the earliest setteling days. The Daeus' very castle was mostly for their research purposes. Io day, and naio truely knows when or how mind au, he went mad and was caught in some failed experiment. He's warped and twisted now, perhaps more so than the things lerking in the forest."
The front door creeks open and the sound of pikemen can be heard up the hall. A man slides in and reports 13 rihannsu were rounded up hear the wood's edge. The rest of the 25 remained missing. The Dae'hfir dismisses the Gehka, and turns back to the boys. The boys all cast nervious glances to
each other, then listen in as L`encard continues.
"He has only been down once or twice...and always at night. He stole a woman a few years ago." he paused, "But that's a different story. Let us leave it at the Daeus being a dangerous aspect of this planet, shall we?"
Vyynd nods solomnly, "Ie...agreed. For now."
"Now," L`ecarde continues once more, "for the most immediate issues, I must demand that au turn over ninte disruptors. We have na supplies here-- na power source-- so na energy weapons of our own. My garrison is in desperate need for weapons, but all we have is primitave oil refining, wax molding, and bladed and non bladed forging.
Vyynd clutches his weapon tighter, 'Na....I don't believe so. We're only here temporarily. We'll need our weapons, I believe."
L`ecarde frowns but accepts the agent's stance, "Then au will be in the garison, and work many shifts. Also, if au have technical experience, we need to devise some use for what is left of our replicating and heavy machinery. Our engineers were all killed some time ago... we are na much more than guards and farmers now."
Rylan nods, "Agreed. We'll help where we can."
"Then it is settled." L`ecarde claps his hands, "Au will stay here until ninte cabin may be re-built, and work in the garrison tomorrow. I would suggest au sleep gentlemen, tomorrow will be an exceedingly long day.
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