Shadow Raiders - Episode 3.6:

WHAT LAYS WITHIN THE BEAST?

By: Elektra

The dark regions of space lit up with battle. The Beast Planet loomed ominously in front of the smaller Alliance ships. Fire was sent, and returned. The Beast Armada came from all sides. How much longer could the Alliance keep this up? They were sadly out-manned, and out gunned.

"This is crazy!" Jade shouted as she stood on the bridge of Planet Rock's flagship, the Lodestone. "We have tried this before! We can't get through its shields!"

All the pieces must fit into place. Only then will the Monster machine be destroyed.

The last words of the Earth people returned to haunt her. "All the pieces must fit into place..." she said.

"What was that, Jade?" Graveheart spoke through the screen in front of her. He was piloting an Arrowhead.

"What the Earth people said. About the pieces fitting together..." Jade explained, "What did they mean?"

"Perhaps..." Tekla began, speaking through the monitor on the Aurora. She stopped as she thought about the words.

"Perhaps WHAT?" Jade asked.

"Perhaps... we should take what they say at face value." Tekla answered.

***

"Oooooh... this is FUN!!" Jewelia said as she shot down Beast Marauder after Beast Marauder, dodging left and right.

"Jewelia!! Watch where you are piloting! If you collide with one of the Tachyon Marauders you will destroy US as well!!" Sternum snapped as he sat beside her in the Rock shuttle. "They are made of NULL matter!"

"I know that, Sternum!! Are you questioning my piloting skills?"

A voice spoke through the speakers, "Hey, Jewelia... we're watching your back and all... but you can't pilot the way you've been doing! It's CRAZY!" Pyrus spoke. "You're all over the place!"

"And I haven't been hit yet, Fire brat! So SHUT UP!" Jewelia replied.

"We should have kept her locked up!" Jade could be heard muttering through the comm system.

"Who asked you, Rock witch?!" Jewelia snapped.

"Enough!" Cryos raised his voice through the comm speakers, "We do not have time for this!"

"Tell me, Ice King... has anyone gone inside the Beast planet?!" Jewelia asked.

"Inside the Beast Planet? Are you mad?" Cryos asked.

"Yes... she is..." Sternum replied.

Cryos cleared his throat, "Well... to answer your question, Jewelia. No. It devours planets. No survivors return to tell the tale."

"Then perhaps we should go see for ourselves exactly what is INSIDE the Beast Planet!" Jewelia answered.

"What are you talking about?" Sternum asked.

"Look... the claw is wide open! A small shuttle could sneak in and ---" Jewelia began.

"You ARE mad!! We would be KILLED!" Sternum interrupted.

"We'll see..." Jewelia replied, and turned the shuttle at full speed towards the outreaching claw of the Beast Planet.

***

"What is she DOING?!" Pyrus gasped as he saw Jewelia break from formation and head, full speed, towards the Beast Planet. "JEWELIA!" he called through the comm system, "Get back! You'll get fried!"

"I told you to shut up, Fire brat! I know what I'm doing!" Jewelia responded through the speakers.

He could hear Sternum arguing with her and the sounds of a struggle. He saw Jewelia's Arrowhead go backwards, forwards, left, right. Sternum was fighting for control. Jewelia wasn't letting up.

"They're going to die...!" Femur spoke through the comm. "They're both gonna die... oh well... can't say I'll miss Sternum too much..."

"FEMUR!" Pyrus snapped.

"What?" Femur sounded innocent.

"I'm going after them!!" Graveheart spoke through the comm.

"No you're not!" Jade replied, her angry voice booming through the speakers, "That is an order from your ruler! You are to stay where you are, Graveheart! I will not let you follow that mad woman on a suicide mission!"

***

In Jewelia's Arrowhead, Sternum fought for the steering controls. It was all in vain. She would not relinquish them. It was all he could do not to scream when they entered the black heart of the Beast planet.

***

"By the great glacier...!" Cryos gasped, "They're gone!"

***

Sternum and Jewelia found themselves surrounded by blackness. All was quiet. All was still. The Arrowhead had stopped moving.

After a few moments, Sternum spoke, "Jewelia! What have you done?!"

"We're on solid ground..." Jewelia replied. "I felt the Arrowhead land. Perhaps I should go out and see..."

"See WHAT?" Sternum replied, "It is pitch black!"

Jewelia laughed coldly, "If it weren't for our past, I would say this is romantic..."

Sternum heard the sounds of her ruffling through something. A bag? Suddenly, a bright light blinded him, "WHAT IS THAT?!" he shouted.

"A flashlight!" Jewelia answered. "Surely you've seen one of these before, haven't you Sternum?!"

"Get it out of my face!" he replied.

"Hmmm... let's see what else is in the emergency supplies on this nice little shuttle." She used the flashlight to rummage through the various bags in the back of the craft, "Food. Water. Batteries. First Aid. Interesting." Jewelia turned away from the bags and opened the shuttle door.

"Where are you going?" Sternum asked.

"I'm going for a walk. Care to join me?!" She replied. "Or are you scared of the dark?" Sternum frowned, and watched Jewelia stepped out of the craft. He reluctantly followed her. "Now there has to be a light here somewhere..." Jewelia said as she scanned the area with her flashlight.

Through the shadows, Sternum could see large walls on either side of the chamber they were in. "It would be interesting to see what this place looks like," he said.

"I think I found something..." Jewelia said. A large crank was on the wall in front of her. The crank was a good 5 feet wide and 5 feet high, "Help me with this, Sternum!" she demanded.

Sternum sighed, and joined her. Together they tried to turn the crank. Slowly, the area became illuminated.

Sternum looked around the chamber. The walls that lined the room had small glass windows. He went up to closest one and looked through the glass. What he saw almost stopped his heart ... for through that small glass window, he found himself looking into a world... no... a PLANET. A DEAD planet.

The Planet was like a picture... only life sized. He could see the terrain of the Planet - what was left of it. If only there was a door, he could very well find himself ON the planet.

Sternum shook his head, and backed away, "I cannot believe it!"

"What did you find?" Jewelia asked him.

Sternum said nothing, and simply stood wide-eyed, shaking his head.

"Answer me, Sternum! What did you find?!" Jewelia demanded.

Sternum turned to her slowly, still unable to believe what he had seen, "I found..." he started, then closed his eyes, "I found what is left of Planet Fire!"

***

"I can't believe she did that!" Graveheart said. "She went INTO the Beast Planet!"

He could hear similar statements through the speakers on the Arrowhead. "That's it. She's dead. They're both dead..." Femur said.

"She was mad! It is only a shame that she had to drag Sternum down with her. He was a good man..." Cryos said.

"Oh yeah... a REAL good man..." Femur replied sarcastically.

"Femur!" Pyrus spoke, "Show some respect!"

"Enough!! Do we dare follow her?" Tekla asked.

"Are you crazy, woman?? And suffer the same fate? NO!" Jade replied.

Everyone was so busy talking at once that they didn't notice the Beast Armada powering up.

***

"Let me see!!" Jewelia said, and pushed Sternum out of the way. She looked through the window. Yes. It was Planet Fire all right - but black. Burnt. Spent. The fires no longer flourished. The lava lakes had turned into null energy. The ground split in several places, and any buildings that had once been standing were now only pieces of brick and mortar.

Sternum looked down the large corridor of the area they were in. More walls. More windows. He didn't doubt that each looked upon another victim of the Beast. He didn't want to look... but a perverse curiosity overcame him. He headed to the next window... and quickly turned away. It was worse then Fire - for on THIS planet, the inhabitants had not been lucky enough to escape. "No..." he whispered.

"Oooh... more to see...!" Jewelia said, and headed towards the window Sternum had just backed away from.

"No... Jewelia! You do not want to see it!" He replied.

"I will decide what I want to see and what I DON'T want to see!!" She answered, and headed towards the window.

Sternum grabbed her arm, "Trust me... you do not want to see this!" he answered.

"LET ME GO!!" Jewelia shouted, and pulled out of his grasp.

"JEWELIA!" Sternum called out, but it was too late. She was staring through the window.

Jewelia stood unmoving, shock filling her body. She began to shake her head, "No..." she gasped, "No... no no no no... NOOOOOO!" she screamed, and began hitting the window, "NO!" she cried out, "NO!"

The scene before her was too overwhelming. She was looking upon what was once a beautiful planet. What was once so filled with life! What was once a place she called home.

"Crystal!" she cried. It was dead. Dead, like Planet Fire. The mountains, once topped with silver, were now tainted with dark stains. The rivers, once the colour of sapphire, were now black voids.

The bodies, once filled with life, were now scarred and blackened by death.

"Jewelia..." Sternum began, sympathetically, "I am sorry you had to see this..."

"No." Jewelia turned to him, eyes wild with anger, and hatred, "It's not YOU who should be sorry! It's the BEAST! IT will die! I will kill it."

"Jewelia..." Sternum began.

But Jewelia wasn't listening. She was beyond that, "It will die... yes. It will!! If I have to kill MYSELF to do it, THE BEAST WILL DIE!!" She screamed.

Jewelia's enraged threat echoed through the corridor and up through the air ducts - to the ears of the Beast itself.

EPISODE SEVEN

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