Leo Albin
Carplis, Colony Planet 287
City Square
3300 AD
We stood in the middle of what seemed to be the market. The stands and store entrances were covered by colorful blankets and held down by bright colored ropes. Some shops and stands had beautifully crafted rugs laid down, they all look handcrafted. The desert ground we walk on is a tan shade of orange, but it only added to the vibrant life. The people here wore colorful robes and head coverings. Some were barefoot, and others wore sandals. Most people were carrying baskets or some kind of colorful bag. This place is beautiful with a middle eastern feel to it.
"Alright then. Well, this is Carplis. Carplis is a new planet that needs as much help as it can get. Most households and living spaces here are in alleys. The population status here is overpopulated, but everyone here has a role. Men and women work jobs of their own choosing, and the children give everyone hope for a brighter future." She said, and I looked up at the sky. "How bright do they want it here?" I asked, making her laugh.
"Why don't we stop here and rest for a bit? Maybe get some food and water? Talk a bit-" I stopped listening to her. All I could focus on was the sound of music. Soon enough, I found myself following it through a large crowd of people.
When I reached the middle, there was a band of four people performing. One man was playing some drums, two men were playing some kind of string instruments, and there was a woman who played the flute as she danced. She seemed to be the main attraction of the band. She would dance with her hips and stomach. Twirling and leaping to the other side of their circle. She wore two-piece clothing. Her stomach, shoulders, arms, and the front of her legs were exposed. Her clothes were white with golden decorations that danced with her. She was dark-skinned and had primal white designs painted on her. Her black hair was cut really short, like a pixie cut. She had a golden septum piercing with a gold chain attached to her golden earrings. She was barefooted with some kind of golden foot jewelry. Needless to say, she was beautiful. When the song ended the crowd applauded and the flute dancer, along with the rest of the band, gracefully bowed. I didn't notice we had stopped walking. I was trapped in a trance that ended with the music.
A hand grabbed my shoulder and turned me around, it was the lady. " Hey, you need to be more careful, you could get lost. By the way, I know this one really good spot to eat. They serve great food and the workers there are always friendly. We should go there and grab a bite to eat before going any further."
"You had me at food."
Leo Albin
T22386-Human Junkyard Planet.
3303 AD
"Planet Carplis? I remember hearing about that planet right before I was sent here. It's a colony planet isn't it?" Z013 asked.
"Yup. It was very beautiful when I was there. It had a very strong middle eastern feel to it. The most commonly spoken language there sounded like it could've descended from some middle eastern language on Earth. I'm sad that I was only there for 4 hours before everything happened. You see-" Z013 leaned forward, the light grey blanket she had wrapped around her almost fell from her shoulders."What happened?" I felt like facepalming, but I rolled my eyes instead. "I was getting there." Z013 sat upright with an embarrassed smile. "Oh shit, sorry. Go ahead." I opened my mouth to continue, but I forgot where I left off.
"You know what? I'll just tell you about a former friend of mine." Z013 tilts her head like a puppy. "Why is she a former friend?"
"I was just getting there."
Syrai Clarke
Carplis, colony planet 287,
Hospital stations.
3300 AD
I'm finally almost done with my shift for the day, and maybe if I tell myself that enough it'll make the day go by faster. I'm a physician, and probably the youngest one on Carplis. I'm only 23 and all of my coworkers are significantly older, which sucks, but I deal.
In my break time, I'll start by taking a nap from a long day at work, then I'll go on to working out and sparring with androids. I've been training with fighting bots my entire life. I'm a physically active person, a very talented fighter, and a survivalist. I'm only a physician because I am running from a life filled with nothing but violence. Besides, fighting and all that is more of a hobby to me.
"Mrs. Syrai Clarke? You've been called by general Mark Steffenburg. He wants you to meet him at the lower levels." I about jumped. I was so lost in thought that I never noticed the door opening. Wait, did he say the lower levels? I hate going there. That's where all the serious shit happens. The lower levels are a series of hallways that connect the labs, the hospital, the marine base, and the hangers together.
"Thank you. Tell him I'll be there in 15." The nurse nodded as he walked out. Mark Steffenburg is my adopted uncle. Even though we aren't very close, we're family and we trust each other.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Brown eyes stared back at me as I took my curly brown hair out of its ponytail. I ruffled my shoulder-length hair before tying it back up in a messy bun. I'm a proud Latina with an olive skin tone and vitiligo. My condition isn't bad, a few lighter spots here and there. The bigger spots are on my back, and a few small spots on my arms, legs, and neck. I don't have any spots on my face. The fellow doctors here offered to treat my vitiligo, but I like my spots. They're what makes people remember me, along with my height. I stand a little taller than most of my female coworkers at 5'11. I've been called an amazoness more times than I can count.
I stood in the secret elevator, the one Steffenburg gave me access to, and waited for it to reach the bottom. When the doors opened, the first thing I always notice is the dark grey metal walls that line what used to be a cave wall. The flooring is also the same metal. It's dull and boring down here.
When I got to Steffenburg below the ship hangars, he was talking with another high ranking general. Behind them was probably the largest ship I've ever seen in my life.
"General Steffenburg, what's going on?" Steffenburg turned to face me, and so did the general he was talking to. "This is Syrai Clarke, my most trusted personnel and my niece. I believe she is the most qualified to assist us in this task." As Steffenburg introduced me, the general gave me a skeptical look. "Your niece, are you sure? Wouldn't you rather have someone who isn't a loved one, or a woman, work on this? I'll remind you that this job is very dangerous."
"Excuse you?" I asked. It looked like the general was going to answer, but Steffenburg quickly interrupted. "Not at all, I have faith that she will be more than suitable for this job. She is an intelligent and studious young woman who knows how to protect herself all too well. She'll be fine." The general looked me dead in the eyes. Like lasers, he burned holes through me with his glare.
"Have you ever heard of xenomorphs?"
Syrai Clarke
Carplis, colony planet 287,
Lower Lab stations.
3300 AD
We were in the underground labs. Scientists, marines, and androids walked the corridors. There wasn't a single corridor that happened to be empty. It was dimly lit by lights from the control panels, machines, and various other technologies. The labs didn't have actual walls, so the pipes and machinery that went into making this place were exposed.
Steffenburg turns toward me and whispers in my ear while the general was busy unlocking a high-security door. "We'll discuss the terms of a contract later." Before I could ask about a contract, he turned to face the door.
When the door opened, it was loud. The general and Steffenburg walked ahead of me. The room was covered in dim green lights from eight vials that sat on pedestals in the middle of the room. The lifeforms in the vials were strange and disgusting. They looked kind of like a hand with a tail. There was a strange opening in the middle of this things -I don't even know what to call it- in the middle of this things palm? In the middle of this things face? I see no signs of breathing, movement, or life. Is it even alive? I lightly tapped on the glass and nearly fell into the other vial behind me.
This thing was alive! It launched itself at me from inside the vial, a type of tongue thing extruded from the strange opening. It's tail thrashing around as a means of escape. "Watch out. If that facehugger latches onto your face, you're a goner." Steffenburg said as he put a hand on my shoulder, leading me to the most gigantic and ridiculously secured door I have ever seen. The general scanned his eye, finger, and I.D card. Then he repeated some said phrases. Some of those phrases were in a language I've never even heard of.
After some processing, the door started to unlock.
The moment the door opened, an unearthly and deafening screech filled the room. The loud noise left my ears ringing, but neither the general or Steffenburg seemed bothered by the sudden high pitched cry. The general stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, and his arms crossed like he was proud. "That, would be The Alien Queen. We caught her a couple of weeks ago."
The tall being, known as The Alien Queen, was huge. She had to be at least 12ft tall. She was trapped by shock chains and stuck behind a cell of thick bulletproof glass. She had an elongated head, with no eyes, and a crest that lay atop her head like a crown. Two sets of arms, one set smaller than the other, and a long tail. She had a pitch-black exoskeleton, you could tell from the shining armor-like exterior that resembles a beetle. Her teeth were bright white and glistening from the saliva that covered them. "We call her The Alien Queen because of her crown, and her ability to control her children" The general said as he stood dangerously close to the glass so he could place his palm on it. The queen roared at his gesture.
After I removed my hands from my ears, I looked up at the queen. "That thing has children?" Steffenburg moved next to the general. "That thing is a xenomorph queen, we're harboring her until we can refuel the general's ship. It should take at least a day. In the meantime, we could use a good doctor to study alongside our scientists."
The lights flickered. Steffenburg must have noticed me tense. "We're underground, sometimes the magnetic waves can affect the lighting." The lights flickered again, this time it lasted long enough to give me an uneasy feeling. Steffenburg opened his mouth to speak, then the lights went out. We were all dead silent for at least a full minute when the emergency lights came on with a click, illuminating everything red. I couldn't see the xenomorph queen, the room behind the glass was pitch black. "We're fine, the backup generator-"
The queen's hiss was loud and stretched. Her form could barely be seen in this lighting. She was standing right behind Steffenburg with her hands on the glass, the chains still hung from her wrists. A smaller mouth protruded from her larger mouth. Almost like she was sniffing the glass, or trying to bite it.
The glass breaking could be heard from a mile away. She broke the glass with her tail, the same tail that stuck through Steffenburg's stomach. Blood slowly poured out from his mouth as he choked, staring at his crimson covered hands in disbelief before falling limp. The queen gave a piercing screech. The sound of metal hitting the ground caught my attention. One of the queens children had burst through the vent and responded with a screech. The children look like smaller versions of their mother, just without the crown and extra set of arms. It tackled the general before he could get his gun out, and stuck its second tongue in his mouth. Muffling his screams.
I covered my mouth to keep from vomiting, leaving a slight burn from the stomach acid. I don't know what the hell happened here, but the most primal part of me knows what will happen if I don't move. My feet barely carried me out of the queens cell. The moment the queen's lair door closed behind me, I collapsed. I didn't even notice the tears before I saw one splash on the ground.
I'm back in the room we were all in not even 20 minutes ago, all of the vials that held the facehuggers were empty. What's worse, is that there are three bodies on the floor. Two bodies had the facehuggers wrapped around their faces, and the body in the left corner is one of the queens children. There was some green substance eating away at the floors and walls around it. I'm guessing their blood is acidic.
"This can't get any worse."