Earthman Jack vs. The Ghost Planet (26 page)

The black rock became like sand that rolled up and covered
the corpses.   Veins of green and purple glowed as they burrowed into the dead
bodies, the black rock completely encompassing them.  Finally, it re-solidified,
leaving new rock formations in the ground where the bodies had once lain.

“Scally,” said Jack, his chest almost paralyzed by the
terror of what he had seen.  “What just happened?”

“Yer guess is as good as mine, lad,” the alien replied. 
“But whatever it was, I can guarantee ya – it ain’t good.”

Anna paced back and forth
restlessly.  It felt like she’d been cooped up in her cell for hours on end,
and the incessant waiting was starting to get to her.

After about a twenty-minute trek
from the bridge, she had been escorted to a small room, made up of cold, grey
metal.  That was about the extent of what she could describe about the space,
except for a modest rectangular outcropping that Anna could only assume was
probably meant to be a bed.  However, it was made up of the same hard metal as
everything else.

There was some dim light from the ceiling and fresh air
being pumped in from a vent that kept the room comfortably cool.  But other
than that, there were no amenities, not even a toilet.  For a moment, Anna
wondered if all the Deathlord chambers were like this one – cold and empty.

Her first few minutes alone, after her Deathlord captor had
dropped her off without a word, were spent searching for some type of escape. 
Her instincts had been to go for the vent, though it was too high up for her to
reach, and even if she could have reached it, it was doubtful she’d be able to
get the casing off let alone fit through the small opening.

Then she examined the entrance, again to no avail.  There
didn’t appear to be any type of control panel on her side, and the large,
imposing door seemed intent on staying shut no matter how hard she pounded or
kicked at it.

Eventually, she tried to take a nap, but even if her “bed”
had been comfortable enough to sleep on, her mind was still racing about the
direness of her current situation.

Her thoughts went to Jack.  She wondered if she had made the
right decision, agreeing to cooperate with the Deathlords if they spared him. 
There was no reason to trust that the Deathlords wouldn’t kill him as soon as
he was out of her sight, but then again, she didn’t have much choice.  She just
prayed there was some shred of honor among the Deathlords, and that they would
keep their word.

Then of course, there was Shepherd.  She wondered what had happened
to him after she had been teleported off the Earthship.  Was he still alive? 
Or had he been captured, too?  Anna seriously doubted her Paragon protector
would ever allow himself to be captured by the Deathlords.  But if he had
somehow escaped, would he be able to rescue her?  And even if he did, where
would they go?  They would still be in the middle of a Deathlord mothership
surrounded by a veritable army of soldiers – and not even Shepherd would be
able to hold them off forever.

Calling upon her training from the Royal Order of Luminadric
Monks, Anna even tried to meditate in an effort to calm her nerves and to
hopefully reach out to make contact with some type of nearby Ancient Technology
that might be able to save her.

The monks had been a vital part of the royal family, ever
since Emperor Nameer had been forced to overthrow his tyrannical brother
thousands of years ago.  During the civil strife historians refer to as
The
Starfall War
, the Royal Family almost destroyed itself.  Nameer had created
the order to help not only ensure the survival of the Royal Bloodline should
such a devastating event ever occur again, but also to create a system that
would train and educate future rulers to ensure proper leadership of the Empire.

Since then, the monks had been acting as spiritual advisors
to guarantee a strong moral presence was kept around the Emperor to prevent
tyrants from forming.  At least, that was the story told to the populous at
large.  Beyond that, their real purpose was to help train the Royal Family in
the ways of the Free Mind, nurturing the physical, mental, and spiritual
aspects required to properly operate Ancient Technology.  Though it was
generally accepted that the Royal Bloodline operated through genetics, it was
actually a combination of genetics, mental ability, and spirituality that
allowed one to successfully control the wonders that the Ancients had created. 
If there were one thing that had been clear, it was that the Ancients did not
want their technology to be used by anyone who was not worthy of it.

Anna wasn't feeling particularly worthy at the moment,
though.  She hadn't received much training in her youth, not with three older
brothers in succession before her.  It was customary to only train those who
were not in direct line for the Imperial throne in the basics of what the
Luminadric Monks referred to as
trinity
- the fundamentals of the
bloodline - so that control of Ancient technology could be kept centralized. 
After the death of her family, the monks had tried to train her in more
advanced methods, but Anna had lost interest once she had developed enough
skill to properly interface with Ancient technology.  She had preferred to
devote her time to figuring out how to stop the Deathlords – much to the chagrin
of her tutors.

She was certainly regretting that decision now.  Perhaps if
she had been a better student, she might be able to use her abilities to find
something that would help her.  It was said that those of the Royal Bloodline
could operate Ancient Technology from light-years away when properly attuned to
their trinity.  Emperor Youngblood or Emperor Tarrok, who oversaw great
expansions of Imperial territory with their ability to access the wonders of
the Ancients all over the Empire from their seat of power on Regalus Prime,
exemplified this talent.

However, Anna’s skills at meditation were deeply lacking.  When
she was finally able to properly attune to her trinity, it was as if she were
in the center of a terrible, empty void, and before long her concentration
broke down and her mind went back to its chaotic visions of doom and gloom.

Anna had never felt so powerless before.  Her heritage had
always afforded her some measure of control over her situation, but here, none
of that mattered.  She was now a prisoner, not a Princess.  She often struggled
with bouts of uncertainty and depression.  Feelings that she was not worthy of
the Empire her ancestors had forged were constant companions in her daily
life.  She often felt that everyone around her – along with Shepherd to a
certain extent – did not think she was capable of handling such a huge
responsibility.  Even she doubted whether she was truly meant to hold such a
high position.  Her brothers had been groomed for such things, not her.  But
those feelings were nothing compared to what she was experiencing now.  The
last time she could remember feeling this helpless had been the day Regalus
Prime fell.   She had been forced to watch as everything she had ever known had
been destroyed in front of her.

The last thing she wanted to do was give in to those
feelings.  Allowing defeat to set in and kill her ambitions to fight the
Deathlords was the worst possible situation she could think of.  As long as she
stayed defiant, as long as she stayed resilient, and as long as she held onto thoughts
of escape, she was sure she could take whatever the Deathlords threw at her.

At least, she hoped she could.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, a noise
emanated from the door.  Anna perked up, getting to her feet as the entrance to
her cell opened.

The fearsome looking Deathlord who had captured her entered
the room, the heavy metal door hissing shut behind him.  Anna stared at the
imposing alien before her.  His fierce eyes burned bright red, gazing at her in
a way that instantly made her agonizingly uncomfortable.

The two stared at each other for what felt like an extremely
long time, though in reality it was really just a few seconds.  A million and
one questions raced through Anna’s mind – where were her friends?  What did
they want with her?  Why were they attacking so many innocent worlds?

But ultimately, Anna knew her questions were not likely to
be answered, so she opted to stay silent and wait for the Deathlord to speak.

She did not have to wait long.

“So, you are the blood of the Ancients,” grumbled the
Deathlord.

“I am,” replied Anna, trying to sound braver than she felt.

“Pitiful,” he replied. The alien flicked his wrist, and
suddenly Anna felt herself pulled into the air, as though invisible hooks were
digging into her shoulders and lifting her up.

She tried to muffle her cries of pain as she hovered closer
to the Deathlord, coming almost eye-to-eye with him.

“To think, you are the last of the Heretics,” he said, his
eyes burning fiercely, “a race that once ruled over the entire known universe. 
And I could snuff you out with a thought if I so desired.”

“Then why don’t you?” said Anna through gritted teeth.  Her
shoulders felt like they were on fire.

“Because the foul specter of your Ancestors still lingers,”
the Deathlord replied.  “And I need your help to deal with them.”

“I’ll never help you!” exclaimed Anna.

She dropped to the floor.  The invisible hooks in her
shoulders had disappeared and she collapsed to her knees, hugging herself in an
effort to make the pain go away.

The Deathlord strode by her, glancing around the sparse
holding room as if he suddenly found it interesting.  He turned and looked at
Anna as she got to her feet, and his eyes seemed to blaze even brighter than
before.

“I am Zarrod, the Deathlord Supreme - culler of worlds,
master of darkness, and bane to all that is living.  No force can harm me, no
weapon can strike me, no army can defeat me.  I am the Omega, and the universe
trembles at my fury.  Who are you to deny me?”

Anna stood straight and tall, mustering as much dignity as
she could.

“I am Princess Glorianna, daughter of Emperor Tavlos IV,
heir to the Galactic Regalus Empire, keeper of the sacred bloodline of the
Ancients, and master of their forgotten technology.  I am the protector of my
people, and I would deny any who would seek to do them harm.”

“You act as though I’m giving you a choice,” growled the
Deathlord.

“We always have a choice,” replied Anna.

A deep, raspy grumble escaped from the Deathlord, which Anna
could only assume was a chuckle.

“That is where you are wrong, Princess,” the alien replied.

Searing pain suddenly assaulted the back of Anna’s head. 
She screamed, desperately grabbing at the base of her skull where blinding
agony raged, bringing her to her knees.

Her vision sparked and crackled as she struggled to stay
conscious, part of her body was quickly going numb, and the room started to
spin uncontrollably.

“What… what’s happening…” she whimpered.

“Sleep, Princess,” said the Deathlord as he towered over
her.  “And when you awaken, I’m positive you’ll see things… differently.”

And then, before everything went black, Anna heard the most
frightening thing she’d ever heard in her life.

She heard the Deathlord Supreme laugh.

Anna was running through a field. 
Her lungs were burning and fear coursed through her veins.  A group of
Deathlords was chasing her unrelentingly, led by the fearsome Deathlord Supreme. 
She looked up in the sky and could see the Planetkiller fleet of motherships
looming ominously overhead.

The Deathlords in pursuit fired upon her.  They missed, but
dodging their blasts distracted her enough to cause her to trip and fall.

Anna hit the ground.  As she looked up, she could see her
pursuers closing in on her.  She struggled to get back to her feet, but it was
no use.  The Deathlords caught up.  Their leader towered over her and cackled.

“There is no escape,” said the Deathlord Supreme, his eyes
burning with red fury as he clenched his fist evilly.  “You are ours, now.”

“No!” cried Anna.  “Oh, please!  Won’t someone save me?”

As the Deathlords closed in around her, a large explosion
rang out overhead.  They all looked up to see a Deathlord mothership blowing up
in the atmosphere.

Another mothership exploded.  And another.  And then
another.

From the last explosion, the Ancient Earthship barreled
forth, flying down toward them.  As it screamed overhead, Jack jumped out,
hitting the ground and gracefully tucking-and-rolling to his feet.

“Leave her alone, jerk-wads,” said Jack, pointing his finger
bravely at the Deathlord Supreme and his minions.  “I totally know
karate
.”

“Puny human,” growled the Deathlord Supreme.  “You cannot
hope to defeat us!”

Jack glared at the Deathlords defiantly.  “Wanna bet?” he sneered
before ripping off his shirt, revealing his huge, chiseled muscles.  “My fists
make the speed of light
wish
it were faster!  Come get some.”

The Deathlords charged toward him but were no match for the
fury of Jack’s totally sweet karate moves.  After a flurry of lightning punches
and spin kicks, the Deathlord soldiers had been handily dispatched, leaving
only the Deathlord Supreme.

“Please, don’t hurt me…” he sniveled.

“Sorry, punk,” smirked Jack.  “I don’t do
mercy
.”

With that, Jack dramatically leapt into the air, finishing off
the Deathlord Supreme with a drop kick that sent the evil alien flying back a
good 20 feet before exploding from the might of Jack’s awesomeness.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!” cried the Deathlord before he blew
up.

Suddenly, Jack was surrounded by a gaggle of adoring fans. 
His mom was there, so proud of her son for defeating the evil aliens.  Matt and
Chunk were there, too, as were all his friends.  Even J.C. Rowdey was
applauding.

“You’re the greatest son in the world,” said Jack’s mom as
she kissed him proudly on the cheek.

“Dude, you rock!” cheered Matt.  “You totally saved us all!”

“I’m such a loser,” whined J.C.  “Do you think I could ever be
as cool as you, Jack?”

“No,” replied Jack, right before kicking J.C. in the nads. 
The crowd cheered once again.

Anna rushed up and threw her arms around him.

“My hero!” she exclaimed.  “You saved me yet again!”

“Yeah,” shrugged Jack nonchalantly.  “That’s what I do.”

“How can I ever repay you?” asked Anna innocently.

Jack locked eyes with her.  “I can think of a few ways…”

With that, Jack grabbed Anna and dipped her downward in his
arms.  The crowd looked on at the most perfect, heroic, romance-novel-esque
pose primed for the greatest kiss ever recorded in human history.

“Time for some wacky, baby…” said Jack.

Jack leaned in to kiss Anna, but before their lips touched,
she stopped him.

“Jack,” she said suddenly.  “You need to focus.”

Jack leaned back and looked at Anna curiously.

“Huh?” he said, wondering what happened to his kiss.

“Focus, Jack,” she said.  “You need to focus…”

Jack could feel the back of his head tingling and suddenly
the scene around him changed, twisting and fading away.  His friends and family
were gone.  Anna was gone.  Earth was gone.  Even his totally awesome muscles
were gone.  Now, Jack was on the bridge of his ship, looking around as
Deathlords moved about it, inspecting the various consoles.

“What the heck?” Jack wondered aloud.  His dream had
suddenly taken a turn for the worse.  For a moment Jack was afraid the
Deathlords would turn and attack, but none of them seemed to see him.

Jack watched as the Deathlords silently walked around the
bridge of the Ancient Earthship, removing wall panels to look at its
inner-workings.  These Deathlords were different than any he had seen before. 
Instead of armor, they wore dark robes with heavy hoods that covered their
faces.  Strange red symbols adorned their backs, as if to signify some sort of
rank.

A single robed Deathlord stood at the command chair, looking
at it closely.  His face was hidden behind a pale white mask, nondescript except
for two eyeholes revealing a dim glowing red from behind them.  Somehow, Jack
knew just by looking at him that he was different from the others.

Then, in a flash of purple, Abraxas appeared on the bridge.

“Vicar General,” said Abraxas as he walked past Jack and
approached the white-masked Deathlord.  “The Supreme wishes news of your
investigation.  What have your Acolytes discovered?”

The Deathlord Vicar General turned slowly and faced him. 
“It is most curious, Warlord Abraxas,” the Deathlord intoned in a soft, almost
monotone voice.  “This ship is unlike any I have ever seen.”

“Is it of Ancient design?” Abraxas asked.

“Possibly,” replied the Vicar General.  “But something about
this vessel… troubles me.”

Abraxas tilted his head inquisitively.  “How so?”

“Aside from the bridge and a hallway spanning the length of
the ship, we have been unable to detect any of its systems or structure,”
replied the Vicar General.

“What do you mean?” prodded Abraxas.

“I mean nothing exists on this ship,” the Vicar General
replied.  “It has no power source, no ventilation, no electronics, no engines,
no shield generators, no weapon systems, nor any rooms or cabins. Other than
the bridge we are standing in, this ship – for all intents and purposes – is a
solid hunk of metal.”

“How can that be?” demanded Abraxas, asking the exact
question Jack was thinking.  “We saw it flying in the atmosphere of the
planet.  It engaged our fighters in combat, entered into hyperspace, and
somehow has the ability to disappear and reappear out of nowhere.”

“And that, Warlord Abraxas, is what troubles me,” replied
the Vicar General.  “The systems on the bridge are active.  Yet, they seem to
control nothing.  We know the infidels on the ship somehow escaped, yet we can
find no exits of any sort.”

“What are you saying?” asked Abraxas.

“I would like to continue my investigation,” the Vicar
General responded.  “And be granted permission to interface the vessel with our
mothership’s central computer.”

“Is that wise?” Abraxas growled.  “Exposing the nerve system
of the mothership could be… problematic.”

“I am aware of the risk,” stated the Vicar General.  “But if
this ship is indeed advanced technology from our ancient enemies, it may have
safeguards in place to thwart us.  Only the central computer would be powerful
enough to purge the influence of the heretic god from this machine long enough to
unlock its secrets.”

Abraxas glared at the Vicar General before turning to look
at the other Deathlord Acolytes who poked and prodded around the bridge as he
weighed the request.

“Very well,” he finally responded.  “Interface with the
central computer.  Download everything you can.  Rip this ship apart if you
have to.  The Supreme wants whatever technology our ancient enemy has locked
away inside it.”

The Vicar General bowed.  “As the Supreme commands, so shall
it be done.”

“I will inform him of your progress,” said Abraxas, and with
a curt nod, he teleported away.

Once Abraxas was gone, the Vicar General turned to one of
his Acolytes.

“Interface the nodes,” he commanded.  “Connect directly to
the central computer.”

His Acolyte nodded and produced a smooth black rock from his
robe.  The rock pulsed with purple light before the Acolyte released it.  It
hovered in the air, cracks forming on its smooth surface.

Jack looked on with a mixture of curiosity and unease as the
small rocky orb moved to the center of the bridge.  Without warning, it ripped apart
and its jagged pieces flew toward the ship’s exposed circuit panels and control
stations.

Sparks flew as the pieces dug into the circuitry of the
Ancient starship.  Green laser light shot from all of them, converging in the
spot the rock had flown to before separating, forming a pulsing green ball of
energy veined with what looked like golden circuits.

“Nodes connected,” the Acolyte said.  “Interfacing with the
central computer… now.”

Suddenly, a loud screeching noise assaulted Jack’s ears.  He
clamped his hands over them, but the sound did not muffle.  He looked up as he
saw the green ball of energy begin to spin, and suddenly an avalanche of images
assaulted his vision.

It wasn’t like it had been when he had accidentally accessed
the Ancient terminal on Earth.  This was foreign, relentless, and
overwhelming.  Jack’s brain buzzed with pain. He dropped to his knees as the
ringing in his ears grew steadily louder.  Jack struggled against the sudden
sensory onslaught, screaming in defiance as his head felt like it were about to
explode.

And then, Jack woke with a start.

He was back at the survivor camp in the Pit, sitting
straight up, his back sore from sleeping on the unforgiving ground.  He was
breathing heavily, his brow wet with sweat, and his head was throbbing.  He
cradled it in his hands and tried to steady himself.

“Bad dreams, lad?”

Jack looked over and saw Scallywag sitting a few feet away. 
The pirate was gnawing on a thin strap of leather while he fiddled with one of
his pistols, twirling it around in his hand.

“You have no idea,” Jack responded.

“Aye, get used to ‘em,” Scallywag responded.  “Surprised you
were able to sleep at all in here. Only one I’ve seen able to catch a decent
forty winks is the bloody Rognok, lucky browner.  Something about this place
messes with yer head.”

Jack sighed and rubbed his temples.  “How?” he asked.  “How
are the Deathlords able to do this?  Rip people’s souls right out of their
bodies?  Mess with their minds?  Slowly wear them down without even doing a
thing?”

“They got some nice bloody toys, that’s how,” grumbled
Scallywag.

“No,” said Jack.  “This isn’t some type of technology doing
this.  This is something else.  Something… weird.”

“Bah.  It is what it is, and they do what they do.  That’s
all there is to it.  Think about it any more and you’re jus’ hurtin’ yer
brain,” said Scallywag.

“Maybe
your
meager brain,” piped up Heckubus from
behind a nearby rock.  “I’ve already postulated approximately 2,156 theories to
all the Earthman’s inquiries.”

“I’ll postulate me foot up yer bum if ya keep lurkin’ about,
ya rusty bucket o’ bolts,” growled Scallywag.

“Well, pardon me for trying to do something constructive
with my time!” the robot shot back.  “Not all of us are content to merely sit
around, play with our guns, and excrete toxic fumes from our backsides all day
long.”

“Guys, please,” said Jack, rubbing his temples.  His
companions’ bickering was doing nothing to alleviate his splitting headache.

“We’ll see how rosy you smell when I melt ya down for
scrap,” said Scallywag, pointing one of his pistols at Heckubus.

“Pah!” growled the robot.  “Instead of threating a clearly
superior being, why don’t you try to do something useful, like getting off your
lazy hind parts and finding us a way out of this sink-hole.”

“There ain’t no way out,” grumbled Scallywag.  “We’ve been
halfway around this Pit and there ain’t nothin’ but rock, rock, and more bloody
rock.  Face it, rust-bucket; yer gonna die here just like the rest o’ us.”

Suddenly, some images flashed before Jack’s eyes.  They were
wild, like they had been just after the Deathlord’s activated their nodes with
the Earthship, but somehow Jack understood them.

And they were telling him exactly what he wanted to know.

“Whoa,” said Jack, his eyes wide with surprise.

Heckubus and Scallywag both looked at him.

“What is it, lad?” asked Scallywag.

“Are you preparing to release toxic fumes as well?” asked
the robot.

“No,” smiled Jack.  “But I am preparing to get the heck out
of this Pit.”

Jack got to his feet and looked at his companions
triumphantly.

“I just found a way out of here,” he said, before sprinting
off toward the rest of the camp.

Scallywag and Heckubus shared a rare moment of calm as they
glanced at one another before scrambling after Jack.

The rest of the camp had gathered together near Doc Pyle’s
old make-shift infirmary, huddled miserably around a couple of quickly
dwindling campfires.

As Jack ran up he found the Major grouped with some of his
other soldiers, including Sergeant Rodham and Yeoman Porter.  They were all
taking stock of the ammo they had left, counting out energy cells for their
rifles and a couple of thermal grenades when Jack came running up.

“Major!” exclaimed Jack.  “Major!”

“What is it, kid?” asked Ganix, not looking up from his ammo
count.

“I’ve found a way out of here,” said Jack excitedly.

Instantly, every soldier stopped what he was doing and
turned to Jack, eyes wide.  Ganix shot to his feet.

“What?  Where?” he asked.

“On the far side of the Pit,” said Jack.  “A couple miles
around to the west of here.  There’s an exit.”

“The far side of the Pit?” Major Ganix repeated.  “How would
you know there’s an exit there?”