Astronomer's End



Prologue: Into the Unknown


The voice of Icarus Pilot Rhyse rung throughout every nook and cranny of the massive Star Destroyer class ship. “Course set, systems nominal. Fuel, engines, scanners, weapons, life support, gravity, flight drive, and last but not least the parking break is disengaged. Igniting thrusters on my mark, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, mark. “
Icarus left the shipping dock on Earth and broke atmosphere within minutes, she was a fast ship and they’d need it too. Tau Ceti is a long way to travel.

His co-pilot, Melina turned her head toward him.  “Why do you think we are going on this mission Rhyse? We weren’t scheduled for departure till next year, what happened?”

“I don’t know, Admiral Volsh hasn’t said a word and I am the chief pilot.”

“I wonder what is even out there. I heard rumors of a secret expedition to Tau Ceti, but I am sure it was just a crazy conspiracy as always. Also Rhyse, don’t forget you’d be nothing without your co-pilot, half the time you forget to re-zip your jumpsuit.”

“That was one time dammit why do you keep bringing it up?”

“I’ll never forget the image of your flopping flesh rocket,” Melina winked at him.

“I’d cover my eyes right now if I didn’t have to control the Icarus.”

They both sat back to their duties; side by side they turned nobs, pressed buttons, and raised sliders. There was a giant assortment of gadgets before them. Each with its own color and sound in order to keep the pilot’s completely informed. Icarus was a brand new Star Destroyer and this was its maiden voyage. The pilot’s room was quite small, space only given where it was absolutely necessary. Everything else was down to business. In the back of their cockpit was a space suit and pistol for pilot and co-pilot. The cockpit was also sealed with a blast proof door. Beyond their systems there was the front shield of the Icarus, completely see-through and one thing is for sure, space is quite the beauty. You may think to sit there with all your gadgets humming and shining in your face you may be distracted, but quite often both Rhyse and Melina would sit and gaze at the stars. Truly the best seat in the house. Space always looked different, each time they flew out, they were two of the youngest pilots employed by the FGC and yet they had already flown fifty deep space missions. This one would be their furthest and they were assured to see new sights. One of the things that had always brought these pilots together is their love for space and their good fortunes of being able to gaze at the stars, side by side, for hours on end.

Static rang through the loudspeakers, “Members of the Icarus. This is your Admiral speaking. All commissioned officers will report to Mission Control for debriefing. That is all.” One last ring of static and then the sound of the ships humming engine returned and the distant clank and clatter of five thousand crew members stirring about. They are like five thousand mice flying a tin can through space. A most apt description.  

Rhyse let out a sigh, “Keep an eye on her while I’m gone.”

“Aye, Aye!”


Rhyse climbed out of his rather comfortable flight seat and approached the thick vault of a door. He spun the black iron lock till the latch released and with all his strength nudged it open. The Icarus was a big ship. It was lucky for Rhyse Mission Control was only a few halls from the cockpit. Two guards stood out the door in full military garb, masked helmets, body armor, and incendiary shotguns which are bordering on being flamethrowers that also penetrates with buckshot. On their left shoulder and at the top of their helmet was stamped Gold Wings, the symbol of the Icarus itself.  

Rhyse approached them and they brought the heel of their guns to the floor clicked their heels together and gave a strong salute. It’s the only action they get all day anyway. They might as well execute it with finesse.

“At ease men.”

Rhyse proceeded into Mission Control. It was like a hub for intelligence. A Giant orb hung over the command table, every manner of word, picture, and line of code ran through its watery and electric surface. The command table stood in the center of the room in a sort of arena like dug out. The areas above the table had railing and the less important officers and personnel could listen in from there. The room was also thick with nicotine. Smoking spread like a plague once fatal side effects were eliminated from the list. In a job like this, it pays to relieve some stress. Volsh stood at the head of the table which was shaped in a triangle so that there could only be one head to the table. A cigar hung out of his mouth, a mustache spilled from underneath his nose, his brows were furrowed, he looked less happy than usual.

“Take a seat gentlemen,” he threw his folder on the table in front of him and sat. "Located on the planet Tau Ceti, which is 200000 miles from the earth, is a secret colony and base. We lost contact with their star destroyer clas ship, the Astronomer, a month ago. The Icarus was sent into service early on account of the urgency of this matter. We don’t know what they found on Tau Ceti, but we know it’s big enough to change everything we know. Now what I need is…”

To take a step into the mind of Rhyse is to take a step into a dark room. Then turn that room upside down, put it in space, and fill it with the faces of those you have loved and lost. That is what it’s like to be in his mind and right now as he sits at that meeting and the faces of the present melt away. A familiar song drifts into his mind and his jumpsuit feels tight at the wrist. He moves his head but dead eyes stare at him, they follow his eyes. He can’t shake it. He can never shake it when it drifts in. That familiar song rumbling through his ears, he is so young, but completely traumatized by his work. His heart rate slows down, his head bobs a little in rhythm with the song of madness and pain. The dead eyes stare at him, he knows those eyes. They belonged to someone he loved, someone he couldn’t save, someone that is gone. Now they haunt him, as does the song. Mission Control fades away, the room drops into itself until it is flat, then a new room rises from the ashes. Before him is his little brother Isaac, he calls to him, “Do you like this song big brother?”

“Yes, its nice Isaac.”

“Nice?” Isaac jumped on his back, “Its amazing!”

Rhyse grabbed his arms and set him down, “Alright settle down.”

“Brother what’s that sound?”


The horizon lit up like fire and all sound drained away. “Isaac get down!” The shockwave shattered the windows and knocked them both to the ground. Rhyse got up and approached his little brother, his head hit the tile floor. Blood dripped out his ears and from the back his skull. Rhyse slumped to his knees as the blood enveloped them and the song seeped into his mind as did the image of Isaac.  In a flash mission control was back and he felt a ring of cold steel against his temple and he whispered to himself “Get out.”

The whole room turned to him, looked at him. This wasn’t a dream, they watched him put a gun to his head and begin to squeeze the trigger.

They were all speechless, except Volsh, “That won’t be necessary Rhyse there are much easier ways for us to see whats in your head, a bullet would be excessive. Report to the infirmary for evaluation, Melina has been notified.” Volsh cleared his throat and stood from his chair, he was always the first to stand, no one dared to get out of their chair even if they needed the restroom. Everyone feared Volsh and that kept the Icarus running smoothly. “That concludes this meeting gentlemen, return to your posts.”

Rhyse made his way toward the infirmary. The neck of his jumpsuit felt tight, he struggled with it until he felt a slight tickle crawl up his throat. His palms began to sweat and he was thirsty for a drink of fiery liquor. Once more into the bar, once more. Someone grabbed his shoulder and he shook himself out of it.

“Rhyse what are you doing? The infirmary is on the whole other side of the ship.” It was Melina, she looked concerned, her eyes were irritated as if she had cried moments before.

“I don’t know.”

“Rhyse you are worrying me, are you okay? Come back to my room, we need to talk, then I’ll take you to the infirmary.”


“Talking won’t save me Melina, but okay.”


Melina took him by the hand and gracefully guided him to her room. She was an amazing woman, had Thyse been in the right frame of mind he would have seen that. Melina dropped the latch and closed the door. She pulled him down to the bed with her. They both sat on the blue sheets.

“Listen Rhyse.” She placed her hand on his face. “I am so very worried about you. It feels like you are coming unhinged.”

Rhyse sat dumbly staring at her as the sound came back and the nightmares blocked the present and brought forth the past.

“Rhyse!” He still didn’t respond. He merely stared forward in a dead gaze. She slapped him. He rubbed his face and looked at her like he used to.

“You are lucky I am tough Melina.”

“Are you? You need to get a grip Rhyse! You are slipping, I can feel it. It is too painful for me to watch you change. You need help Rhyse and you need to leave the past be.”

“I know Melina, but what if the past won’t leave me be? I just, I don’t know if I can be the man I need to be.”

She nudged closer, “You already arw him Rhyse, you just need to see it for yourself.” She ran her hand through his hair, then brought them right to his eyes and kissed his lips. He pulled back.

“Melina we can’t.” The look of anguish that ran across her pale face was heart breaking. Her luscious pink lips trembled, and her emerald eyes watered up. Rhyse didn’t notice.

“Aren’t I ww-worth it? I’m always there for you. We spend every day together.”

He looked back at her cold. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Melina hid her face. “You better go to the infirmary now.”

Rhyse looked cross as if he didn’t know what he had just done to her. “I thought you’d take me?”

“You will be fine just,” her voice cut out. “Go.”

Rhyse left the room. As soon as that metal door shut Melina buried her face in her bed and sobbed uncontrollably. She wished she could forget about him like he forgets about her, but love is blind and does not worry about pain of the heart.


Two days of awkward silence between Rhyse and Melina passed. On the third day a signal was picked up with the long range scanner. Rhyse read the ID number on the signal, it was the Astronomer. He immediately pressed the direct line to Admiral Volsh. “Volsh, you’ll want to see this.”

Within minutes Volsh entered the cockpit and Rhyse played the transmission. Five seconds of static then, “‘ast from the Astronomer orbiting Tau Ceti. Crisis code 1137. Attention, this is an emergency broadcast from the Astronomer orbiting Tau Ceti. Crisis code 1137.”

“Alright cut the transmission. Rhyse I want our stealth systems engaged on approach. I won’t take any chances. We have just entered a warzone.”







Chapter I: Brave New Frontier




The roar of the Space Crawler jarred my head as it sped up and down the dunes creating a dust storm in its wake. I am a Scientist, not some ruffian used to this sort of thing. We were heading to the mountain today. I was excited, finally a chance at some real scientific discovery. We had a good omen yesterday, three babies were born. It is like on your birthday cake when you add a candle to grow on. We have had two good years and the third baby marks the beginning of another.

Sergeant Isaac Gron stood up in the back of the Space Crawler with his hand resting on an overhead latch.

He lazily scratched the stubble on his chin. “You know you don’t look so good Mr. Scientist.”

“The name is Peter Gollings, or Mr. Gollings, you should know that by now, it’s been two years... It’s just a little motion sickness that is all.” Sergeant Gron stared at him blankly.

“I have never been one for remembering names, only the names of those that have died under my command.”

Sergeant Isaac Gron turned his head as if he already lost interest in the conversation and zoned in on Miss Church. He placed one hand at his side in a half heroic posture.

“Vanessa Elizabeth Church, you are looking mighty fine today, it comforts me that you will be the one to nurse me back to health should I become injured.”

Peter Gollings mumbled, “You seem to remember girl’s names just fine.”

“What was that Rollings?”

“Nothing and its Gollings.”

“Sure it is.”

“Thank you Sergeant, but I mostly oversee the Medical Team on Europa. I am only used for serious surgery at this point.”

“Do you know how many serious surgeries I have had in my lifetime Miss Church, too many to count.”

“Well in that case, I’ll look forward to patching you up Isaac.”

I could have sworn she gave him a wink. It was nauseating watching the Sergeant bed every decent looking woman on Europa. Not even all of them were decent, mostly just anything that would be considered a woman.
Sergeant Gron put his foot next to the arm rest of her seat and leaned in. “Your eyes are something special do you know that, if I end up unconscious for any reason, they are the first thing I want to see staring at me.”

“Why thank you Isaac, I’ll keep that in mind.”

She placed her hand on his leg moving her hand up his thigh then down. I was going to throw up. The motion sickness combined with visualizing the scenario where the Sergeant beds the Chief Medical Officer in the back of the Space Crawler was all too sickening. Green and white chicken salad spilled all over the floor. I just narrowly missed my clothes.

“Oh you got to be kidding me, you little science dweebs are always upchucking in my Space Crawler!” The Sergeant approached me and stared at me eye to eye, “You smell like shit you little piss ant, next time you upchuck it better be outside or you will be thrown down the next God forsaken hole we drive by in this wasteland of a desert! Do you get my meaning Roger?”

“Yes, yes, uhm completely clear, Sir.” I was too scared to correct him this time, for fear of getting thrown down the vastly approaching desert hole on the horizon. Somehow I don’t think that was an empty threat. Sergeant Gron doesn’t understand how important I am to the mission on Tau Ceti.

Isaac walked back over to Miss Church, “Dammit, you know I had something else to say, but I’ve forgotten it on account of Roger Rollings the piss ant over there.”

“Oh it’s quite alright Isaac, but don’t blame him, some just aren’t cut out for field work.”

She said it just loud enough for me to hear, whispering it slightly just so I knew it was meant as an insult. I don’t know why, but I am always the odd man out, I tend to attribute it to my superior intellect. They just cannot relate to me on that level so they choose to poke fun, yes, that must be it indeed.

We made it to the base of the mountain, it took a few hours, but at least we were here. I was also glad I held in my vomit the rest of the drive. We unbuckled and got up from our seats, Isaac was about to open the back door when a shuttering crack pierced our ears.

We could hear the drivers shouting “Collapse, buckle up, brace for impact!”



It felt like we were falling for an eternity, only a couple of us were able to re-buckle. So there Sergeant Isaac and Miss Church were, floating in free fall, her clinging to his muscled chest while his arm wrapped tight around her. Just once I’d like to be the hero with a beautiful woman at my chest, although I guess I’d need to build a chest first, mine isn’t much to cling onto.

We made impact with the ground below, it felt like a missile hitting a steel wall, my head felt split open. Sergeant Isaac and Miss Church crashed to the floor, but he turned them around so that he fell on his back and she fell on top of him. I would be nauseated if I didn’t feel like I was going to pass out and die. Sergeant Gron got up and placed Miss Church back in her seat. He opened the door to the driver’s cockpit, a burst of dust swarmed into the Space Crawler. The front window was blasted open. Shrapnel stuck out of the bloody neck of the driver on the left and the one on the right was bleeding severely, but alive.

Sergeant Isaac turned to them. “Masks on, I don’t like the smell of this dust, we need to do a chemical sweep before we remove them.”

He checked the backdoor. It was jammed shut. “First Lieutenant Bishop, cut us out of here.”

“With pleasure Sergeant,” Bishop, one of the Templars under Sergeant Gron's command pulled out a heavy duty blow torch. “Look away please. It is quite bright.”

Bishop cut the side of the Space Crawler open with the torch and then like a super human pried the metal apart. We stepped out of the Space Crawler; I couldn’t hear much besides my heavy breathing in this infernal gas mask. Currrrrrr Urrrrhhhh, Currrrrrrr Urrrrhhh, over and over and then I started to choke, Currr urh urh urh currr. I felt to my knees and grasped my throat until my breathing started to calm down. I was not used to wearing one and I felt somewhat close to suffocating. It was dark down here. I looked above and I saw the small hole in the ceiling in which we fell. The cavern was vast and tall, looking at it made me sick.

Sergeant Gron called out, “Knight, Rook, Bishop! I want a perimeter set up now. Miss Church, tend to the wounded. Pawn, I want you to go through that narrow cavern ahead of us. Scout it out, and double back. We need to find a safe exit. I don’t want any trouble considering we have 4 non-combat personnel in tow.”

Sergeant Gron grabbed his radio from the strap on his dusty chest armor, “This is Sergeant Isaac Gron with the expedition team. Our Space Crawler is down. We need immediate support, over. Transfer me to Admiral Martulios of the Astronomer. He needs to send a transport carrier, over. Europa! Do you read, over... Son of a bitch!” He threw his radio to the ground and stepped on it. “Technology never pulls through when you need it." He grabbed his pack from the Space Crawler. “Alright ladies, looks like we are walking out of this one. Grab your shit, we’re going.”

I began to dig my science equipment out of the Space Crawler when Sergeant Gron stopped me.

“No Mr. Rollings, we can’t be weighed down by useless equipment, this is no longer a Science expedition.”

“But some of this equipment is unique.”

“Unless if you think you can carry all of that up a mountain, which it looks like you can’t, I’d leave it. We’ll come back for it another time.”

Sergeant Gron grinned at me then turned away. “Bishop, take Knight and Rook, go find Pawn. Make sure he didn’t get distracted by a butterfly again.”

Miss Church limped up to Sergeant Isaac. “I think my ankle is broken, I won’t be able to keep up.”

“Don’t worry miss church. I’ll carry you. Alright let’s move out.”

Sergeant Gron threw Miss Church over his shoulder in a fashion that looked like he was carrying her to the bedroom. His right arm was holding on to the back of her thighs and his other gripped his Pyrotechnical assault rifle, which ignites its bullets upon firing, bringing them close to melting point before impact.

Bishop ran to Sergeant Gron like hell on wings. “Sir, Pawn is dead! Decapitated, it’s a whole bloody mess back there. The wall is dripping and Pawn never got a shot off. The boy may have been a greenhorn, but he was hard as hell to sneak up on.”

“We need to get out of here. Grab his dog tag and ammo. I want you and Rook on point. Find me that exit!”



“It’s dark in here, night vision on.  Peter and the rest of you scientists stay right behind me.” I believe that is the first time he got my name right.

We passed the bloodied body of Pawn. I could hardly see him in the darkness, but I knew he was there. I could feel the dread. It was as if even in death Pawn was still there. Warning us it was not safe and pleading at us to turn back. Turn back we did not. We entered the black gates of Hell and then walked further.

Walking forward felt uneasy as if my soul was trying to drag me away from this place. Why? Why did this tunnel feel so God forsaken?

Rook raised his hand up, “Hold.”

Sergeant Gron walked up to him, “What is it?”

I could hear a strange sound going off. With each passing second its pace quickened.

“Gamma radiation sir, high content, we need to get moving.” He moved his Geiger Counter over the group to pinpoint the location, “Behind us sir.”

Knight was at the rear, he raised his rifle the Balthazar Mark II, 35 pounds of automatic fire breathing hell. It is standard issue to the Templars who tend to favor pyro based weaponry.

We all saw something stir in the shadows. Then we heard it… A sound which will forever haunt my dreams.

“CRRRRRRUUUULLLLLLLLLL!”

Knight was grabbed by the neck and lifted in the air. We heard a sickening ‘shing’ sound and Knight fell limp to the floor. His head toppled down to the ground. The dank dark tunnel lit up like a firestorm and all I could hear was gunfire. I could see Knight’s body as the flames danced from the gun barrels of my company. Blood dripped down his chest piece. His neck was sliced clean as if it had been hit by a guillotine. The monster, this otherworldly being was long gone, but they kept firing in grief and rage. We ran through the tunnel like madmen. I had no idea how many hours we had been running in the black, but it felt like an eternity.

Rook stopped again, he had Knight’s bloodied rifle slung over his shoulder. He held his own in one hand and a square touch screen device in the other. “Hold… Sergeant my mapping device has finally finished scanning the area, this place is a maze. It is an underground labyrinth of tunnels Sir. We could never guess our way out of here, but let me see. Alright I believe I found us an exit, this way!”

We dashed off again, I did not know if I’d ever see the light of day again or feel a fresh breeze upon my face, but I hoped for it. We could hear them, all around us those things. I could hear their screams deep beneath us. I have no doubt we invaded their home and I will not be surprised if they invade ours.  I saw the fading light at the end of the tunnel, no sweeter sight have I seen. As I stepped over the threshold of hell and back into the world of light I fell to the ground on my knees. I dug my hands into the sand, I wept, I was alive, but three of us were not so blessed. The blazing sun was beginning to set over the horizon, making the world a hazy orange.

“Rook, radio.” Rook tossed Sergeant Gron the radio, “This is Sergeant Isaac Gron, Europa do you read?”

“This is the Europa command center. What is the status of the expedition? What’s your status, over.”

“We need immediate evacuation from the base of the mountain. Three are dead, several are wounded, over.”

“Hold on, patching you through to FGC Overseer Gordon Riggs.”

“Sergeant Gron, what happened?”

“The ground collapsed beneath us. We fell in the Space Crawler at least a hundred into this tunnel network. We encountered something Sir.”

“What was it?”

“I do not know for sure, but it is hostile, both Knight and Pawn were decapitated.”

“Sit tight! We have a Scarecrow inbound! I’ll need a full report upon your return, over.”

After some time I could see bright silver in the distance, like an angel flying forth to save me. I heard the roar of its jet engines and the chop of its blades. The Scarecrow was almost here. I’ll be glad when I am gone from this place. We need to leave Tau Ceti. Nobody's safe here.
The Scarecrow slowly descended kicking up a tornado of sand as it made ground. I rushed to the chopper, threw off my mask, and kissed its steel frame. It flew us back to the Europa settlement. The open cabinet of the Scarecrow allowed hot hair to brush my face on our way back. It was nice. I must say, much preferred to the dank air of the tunnels, which seemed to slither around my body.

The settlement of Europa was beneath us. Now a vast city with sprawling metal buildings as far as the eye could see. Part of the city was built along a descending cavern. The heavy metals and other minerals down there allowed us to manufacture some of our equipment. It was a silver city that stood bold against the orange earth. We landed and made our way to debriefing where I’d plead to leave Tau Ceti for good, even if no one else would.

Night had swallowed the day and when we entered the command room Overseer Riggs had his back to us. He stood there looking down at his city as a stalwart ruler would gaze upon his vassals. Being FGC Overseer of this mission was no easy task and many before him had turned down the offer. No one wanted to rot light years from the capital worlds in the outer rim. Overseer Riggs was different. He knew the costs of this mission and he would pay them gladly. He expects nothing less.

“This enemy…” He strode over to us and we all sat down at a cold silver table. “Tell me of it gentlemen.” He wore a black uniform, no pomp or medals, just black with a couple pockets. A simple yet serious attire. His dark hair was slicked back, he was clean shaven, his face was very much like his uniform, simple, but serious.

I began to talk. Sergeant Gron spoke over me, “None of us got a good look at it, the damn tunnel was pitch black.  This ‘thing’ moved fast, even with night vision I only saw it for a split second. It picked Knight up with one arm like he was a babe. Knight was a big man with a heavy kit. These creatures are strong no doubt.”

“Are you sure there are more of them?”

“We heard as much. I’d guess many more.”

I cut into the conversation, “We need to leave Tau Ceti immediately! It is not safe! The way that thing took Knight’s head and slaughtered Pawn; none of us are safe here! The sounds we heard, I believe we intruded on their home considering we didn’t encounter them until now, perhaps we even woke them up like an animal hibernating through winter.” My voice raised even higher in hysteria, “ I do not want to see another slaughter as seen on Tau Senti!”

“Hold your tongue Peter! This is already not Tau Senti. That expedition lasted under six months. Have a little faith. I will not hand over Tau Ceti so easily. I’ll inform the civilians they are free to leave, but anyone under contract with the FGC.” He furrowed his brows in a glare. “That includes you Peter, must stay. Sergeant Gron. Prepare a firing team. I want you to exterminate those infernal creatures and take the new recruits. We can’t afford to have any greenhorns. Now, be gone from here.” He swished his hand at us as if he were swatting a pesky fly.

That’s that. I sold my soul to the FGC in order to go on this expedition. I spent most of my life acquiring these degrees. I was desperate to live it, to be a real scientist, perhaps too desperate. My eagerness is my folly.





Chapter 2: Into the Abyss


2:34 AM. The raid call sounded out. Every marine stirred and moaned in their bunks. A thousand soldiers dreaming of the same thing and they all just got torn from their beautiful women and loving families to be thrown back into this harsh existence on the outer rim. There was killing to be done, make no mistake. For marines on Tau Ceti, killing was their only reason for being here. Half the marines were kept on the start destroyer class ship in orbit of Tau Ceti, the Astronomer, the rest were within the colony. Greenwall shook his head and shrugged off his sweaty sheets. He threw on his gear like it was just another day at the office and stepped into the bright morning of a dark day. It was cold on the planet and he could see the Astronomer up in the sky. Scarecrows had already begun transporting troops down for today’s deployment. They'd be going into the mountain and for Greenwall the mundane details of life faded away. He saw only his mission and his life, the beat of his throbbing heart and the longing to be with that girl. He stretched his hand forward and closed his eyes. Instantly he felt her grip on his hand, she felt him tugging him along to the bed. Not for pleasures but for the stares and peace of love. He opened his eyes and withdrew his hand, but not today.

Greenwall hoped that if he came back a military hero he'd be able to ask for her hand. Steal her away from those rich boys that flaunt their wealth so. It was a hope, but a fools hope. The lust of avarice knows no bound. Win or lose, this woman gave Greenwall hope for a better world, even if he might never see it. It did not have a place for Greenwall or any man in unit 17.  Besides, at the end of the day it is never your choice who lives and who dies.

Greenwall held his helmet against his breast, on the faceplate was a Valkyrie. Back on earth Greenwall had Norse ancestors and as such he had blond hair and a berserker's spirit. Greenwall always trusted in the notion of the Valkyrie choosing his fate in battle. He will die when they ask him to...


Mission Log: Private Greenwall.
Date: Unknown.
Time: 08:00

One thing that always gets me before I go into mission is whether or not I'll come back. I believe in fate but I don't want to die. There is a girl back home, a girl that I wish to marry. Not just any girl, but someone that I dream about when my eyes take their rest. By the grace of the Valkyrie, I will have her.

After all I'm of Norse descent. I believe the Valkrie hold the key to life and death for warriors. Even those of the future, we may no longer fight and die by the sword, but we bleed just the same. I am destined to die in my line of work if I do not retire early. That is why I must be strong. If I'm to die I will die for a grand purpose, like a plucky hero of legend. I will serve the cause of the FGC and be remembered. For a soldier like me, I cannot be immortalized by good moral action. I can't be immortalized by my speech. I am not a great thinker. I am not a great poet, philosopher, or inventor. I am an FGC Marine.

 I go into a valley of death and ruin, fear is what I am facing, fear of an enemy the world or universe has never known and did not want to know. I am a strong man and I will die if that is what is required of me. Grant me solace in death great Valkyrie. I will save the lives of my men as best I can. For a Marine that would be a good day and perhaps a memorable one. I thought about this as I sat in my seat. I listened to the Scarecrow soar, its blades chopping the air as we grew close to the mountain. The horizon was full of metal and men. I held my rifle tight, I was ready.
People sometimes ask me if I regret joining the Marines of the FGC. Times like these make me wonder if I'd say something differently. Would I truly respond differently even if I was bleeding out in a ditch? The answer is no, I am  a FGC Marine and nothing else. I can be nothing else and this is the only way I can get the girl whom I love. It is a sad thing.  I dream of her night and day, daydreams, nightmares, wondrous visions of lust, but that does not comfort me because she is not really here with me. She's out there, light-years away from me, but when I dream she's right here beside me. I told her before I left to dream of me. “Dream of me and I will dream of you and perhaps we can be together in our dreams because that is all we have and that might be all we will ever have. So remember me. Remember me as that rich suitor flaunts jewelry, riches, flowers, cars, and parties. I can't give any of this to you except maybe flowers but even that might be above my pay grade. I am sorry. I wish I was more for you. I wish I was better. All I can give is my love, it’s yours.” If I die in the line of duty this log will be sent to you, I know your father would not tell you if I died so I made arrangements with the FGC to ensure you know.

The scarecrow now hovers just above the ground. I see the opening into the gaping throng of damnation and I slid down the rope into certain death. For those who walk willingly into death, a word of advice, just tell yourself not yet.  Death comes for us all, but not today, no, not today. This is my cause. This is why I joined. To better myself, better the world, and to protect those who cannot defend themselves.

I scanned back and forth. I just entered the mountain. Visor lights on, gun lights on, night vision not on yet. But let's just say it is dark down here and FGC Marines are not known for stealth. I couldn't smell it but there was a thickness in the air like hot death. All the Marines could sense it, they knew something was up. One Marine flipped out and was locked to a caravan wall to be eaten or picked up on our exit. Everyone knew there was something they weren't being told about this place, this planet, this circumstance they now walked willingly into. Only one had enough sense to refuse. There was something inherently wrong about this place the officials were not telling us. Most likely because they did not deem us worthy of such knowledge, we are enlisted cannon fodder after all. If you asked me right now if I regret joining the Marines, I'd say damn right I do. I can whisper into this recorder no longer, time for business. This is FGC Marine Private Greenwall. End of recording.


Chief Icarus Pilot Rhyse, Personal Log:

Day 30 since we left Earth. Tau Ceti is near. We should be able to make contact with the Astronomer soon. The plan is to send down scarecrows with armed rescue personnel to assess the situation. Once they have a secure LZ the medical team will be brought down. On another note, the Icarus stinks of fear, you can see it on the faces of every crewman, no one knows what to expect, but they somehow know it will be bad. At any rate, intuition is never kind in these situations.

I'm worried about Melina, she looks at me sweetly, but there is sadness in her eyes. A sadness which I cannot seem to consul, I do not know what to do. The mission and my tattered past is all I can handle right now. I will be revisiting hell once more, that much is clear to me. I only ever find myself in these missions and it is why I am the chief pilot. I am experienced in suicide missions where thousands die to save a few. That is why the music sets in and the rain begins to fall and the present fades away so the past can take hold. So much rain. It’s funny, Rain is supposed to wash away past sins, but it does not for me. This rain has one purpose for me and that is to send a deep chill to my bones. I have been in the rain so long that I feel my flesh slipping away... A voice over the loudspeaker interrupted my thought. I am needed back at the bridge. End of log.









Chapter 4: The Stamp of Fear



She could hear nothing but the frantic rasping of her breath. Her chest was clenched tight while at the same time fighting to expand for air. Her entire body was convulsing in panic. She had her knees to her chest and her back to the wall. Even wedged in the way she was, her body still vibrated uncontrollably. She had to bite down tight to stop the chattering of her teeth. She could turn, move forward, and back by the breadth of inches alone.  She was in a crawlspace for electric circuits between the security room and armory. As an engineer for the colony she knew the placement of such circuits and other access hatches all across the colony. It was an edge. An edge she was hoping would be the saving grace of her survival.

As far as she could tell both rooms were empty, but she had to try. She had to. Her hope was to find something useful, something to aid survival. Her ears were bleeding from the sounds of everyone she knew being slaughtered. The screams, but far worse was the cry of those demons. Their cries of bloodlust made her ears bleed. They made her mind tremble.

Her eyes darted side to side, constantly checking, constantly waiting for a shriek and sudden end. It did not come, not today. She did her best to convince herself not to be afraid, to summon courage, but she couldn't. She heard a voice. It was coming from the security room next door. It was a pitiful sound much lower than a whisper.

"Help me... H-help..."

She immediately began to crawl. Just to see another living face would mean the world to her. Within moments she was in front of the panel that opened into the security room. She popped the latch off tenderly. She scanned the room. Blood was everywhere. The walls were coated and the floor was pooled up in blood. The smell of iron singed her nostrils even more than they already had been. In the left corner was a man in body armor. Blood was dribbling out his mouth, his back was to the wall, a pistol in his hand and an assault rifle was discarded to the side. On his lap was the body of one of those things. Just beside him was his leg. It was severed just above the knee. He was helpless and bleeding out.

She crawled out and hissed "shhhhh" while putting a sweaty finger to her dry cracked lips. His face lit up, he tried to move, but the weight of the beast and missing leg kept him pinned. She slid up beside him and became coated in the blood of countless colonists.

"We need to get you to the armory. We can lock ourselves in and stop the bleeding. Let me carry you. What is your name?"

He opened his mouth and blood bubbled out, then his voice began to scrape through, "Rook."

She placed her hand on his shoulder in the way that a woman touches a man; in the way that a woman can make a man impossibly strong. "We are going to get through this Rook. Now give me your arm, we need to pull you out from under this… Demon."

Rook grunted in pain as he raised his arm and dropped it over her shoulder. She grasped on with both hands and hoisted him up. Blood spilled from the stump and they both fell back against the wall.

"I'm Syntha by the way. Alright, let’s get to the armory one step at a time."

They stumbled through the blood and mess of bodies. It’s a good thing the armory was close. They stumbled into the hall. It was pitch black apart from a few flickering lights. The power systems were offline, which meant there was no hope of contacting the Astronomer. As far as they knew it still had a couple hundred armed crewmen on board and a few dozen Scarecrow left to spare.

They entered the armory, it was mostly cleaned out. No bodies or immense amounts of blood in the room, just bloody hand marks as well as some bits of vomit. Syntha lowered Rook against a weapons rack and sealed the door.

"I'll get the med kit. Tell me Rook. The colony never got word on yesterday’s deployment. We didn't know anyone survived. I can tell by your gear you aren't security and therefore you must have entered the mountain with them."

"You are right..." He shifted nervously. "I did go in there.” His eyes took on a distant glaze. “None of us knew what we were getting into. We were like blind rats in a maze. Our formation was too tight. They closed the distance in the dark and tore us limb from limb. Their strength and agility was immense, far superior to any human. It was a massacre. The tunnels lit up with gun fire. Blinding flashes of light and screams ensued, utter violence and brutality, as hard as we fought, we hardly killed any. I was separated from my Unit and I ended up walking back to the colony to find it like this..."

Syntha dropped down beside him with the med kit and began to disinfect the wound, preparing it for cauterization. "Rook, I need you to bite down on this." He gripped the bite guard tight in his mouth. She pulled the metal stamp from the med kit and began to heat it until it was glowing red. With a grimace on her face she brought it close and firmly pressed it against the stump of his leg. A sharp searing sound rung out and smoke spewed forth. Rook moaned as loud as he could without screaming. His body shook and convulsed in agony, his lips trembled while veins popped out of his head. The armory was filled with a horrendous smell of cooked flesh, a smell all too familiar to Rook. The pain reached its peak. His eyes lolled back and he passed out. Syntha pried it from the now cooked stump, he'd live. She stopped the bleeding just in time. Who says an engineer can only work on machines?


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