Chapter 2
K-2L Colony 2026
The sun burned red in the late afternoon sky of K-2L. The planet Zebes was slightly visible as a moon like entity on the eastern horizon. The grass like turf bent with the flow of the dry wind. The voices of children playing rode the gusts of wind. A few of the men of K-2L were just finishing construction on a new home. The people of K-2L were frequently plagued by the presence of space pirates. The human race was by no means a dominantly peaceful tribe either, they had held off many space pirate raids before. The space pirates kept a hold on the little colony, ransacking and burning there colony time and time again. The colony had just recently built a few turret canons to help defend them and they seemed to be holding fast.
Lana Aran had just finished setting the table for dinner. The smell of potatoes and roast drifted outside to where Lana's husband, Jack, was tending there small garden on the side of the house.
"That smells great", Jack said peeping his head through the kitchen window, "when do we eat?"
"Soon enough dear", she replied stirring the boiling potatoes.
Jack put his hoe up and headed inside. He was a rather lengthy fellow with short brown hair and a small gote. His warm smile was a blessing when pirates made times hard. Lana on the other hand was more in tune with reality. She was two heads shorter then Jack and had green shoulder length hair.
"Would you call Samus in please?" Lana asked Jack.
"Sure honey I'll be right back."
Jack walked out of the house and headed toward a sandbox in the backyard where a group of children were playing happily.
"Samus, say bye to your friends, it's time for dinner."
A small child with green hair and blue eyes stood up. She was a spitting image of Lana, "Dad, do I really have to?"
"I'm afraid so, your mother is waiting."
"Awww, alright. Bye guys", she said toward the other kids in the sandbox, who acknowledged her gesture with a wave.
Jack picked up his daughter and headed back to his house. The sun was sinking lower still, and the tinge of night was in the far east.
"Look daddy! Shooting stars!" Samus said pointing toward Zebes. Jack turned and looked at the spectacle. It wasn't until the stars started falling excessively that Jack realized what was about to occur. What seemed to be a harmless meteor shower was in reality the ships of the space pirates entering K-2L's atmosphere.
"Run! Hide! It's a space pirate air raid!" Jack yelled running Samus inside.
"Oh no", Lana cried out gathering blankets and sheets to cover themselves with.
"Father!" Samus yelled.
"It will be okay, stay with your mom, I got to help the other daddies. Lana..go and hide, quickly."
Jack dug in the closet and pulled out a canon looking device with some ammo. Jack turned and headed for the door, "I hate space pirates!"
"Be careful!" Lana yelled after him before huddling with Samus under the blankets in a corner of the house.
"I'm scared", Samus whimpered.
"Daddies going to make everything alright dear."
Outside Jack ran to a pole in the center of the colony. Flipping a switch, a small console appeared with a numeric keypad. Jack punched the alarm code, causing the loudspeakers around the colony to crackle with life. A loud and rather annoying sound emitted from the speakers causing the normally quiet colony come to life with fear. Women and children ran for the shelter of their homes. The men gathered in the center of the colony.
Alright guys, the space pirates are coming. I need every one of the artillery canons manned and ready. Lets go we haven't much time before they arrive!" Jack ordered.
Before Jack or any of the other men could catch there breath, a space pirate scout ship whizzed by overhead. The men had just enough time to load the artillery before the first wave of pirates ascended on them. The pirates easily dodged the colonies attack and returned fire of there own taking out a couple of the turrets. The second wave of pirates followed the first, trying to pick off the turrets that the first wave missed. The turrets fired relentlessly at the pirates. Soon the colonists were able to turn the tables in there favor, bringing one pirate ship after another down. The pirates retreated to whence they came. The pirate scout ship returned, hovering a mile above the colony. The air raid alarm was cut short and a raspy voice came on instead.
"So foolish humans, you still haven't learned your place. Well I guess it's time for a new game plan. I can't lose with this move", Ridley commented over the speaker system.
"We'll see about that", Jack screamed loading his canon. He swung the turret around and aimed for the scout ship in the sky. Jack fired the canon and followed the missile up to its destination. With a low thud the ship became engulfed in flames as it began to lose altitude.
"Nice try Aran but it's too late.checkmate", Ridley said. The intercom went quiet indicating the end of Ridley's presence.
Jack watched as the scout ship hurtled down toward the surface. There was nothing he could do now to keep it from crashing into the colony. Jack turned and began running for the cover of his home, hoping to at least see his wife and daughter one last time. Back in the Aran home, Lana had taken Samus to the bathroom where the room was better shielded. Mother and daughter sat crying in the tub, waiting for Jack to return and tell them it was all over.
Outside the ship crashed into the ground sending rocks and dirt flying high above the colony. With a deafened sound, the ship exploded, its highly flammable fluid spewing mercilessly over the colony instantly catching fire. People ran about trying to control the flames that attacked there houses. The remaining ammo in the turrets began catching fire and started to explode. The shells flew above the colony before coming down, doing more damage then the initial impact of the scout ship. Jack was thrown from one such explosion. His body flew through across the colony, his body impaling through his chest, on the end of a busted pipe. His face a distortion of agony and pain as he tried to pull himself off. The blood ran hard from his wound and he looked toward his home before his eyes rolled to the back of his head. With his last breath he managed, "Samus..Lana..I'm..sorry"
Lana had managed to cover her daughter in hopes of some protection against whatever might happen. A slow but strong rumble shook the house down around the remaining Arans. Lana looked up as the house of Aran crumbled down. One of the artillery shells managed to hit the main ammo reserve where the nuclear weapons were stored. With a blinding light and a sonic boom, the earth colony of K-2L was leveled within a matter of seconds. After the explosion all was quiet on the colony except for the sound of the wind whistling through the collapsed houses.
K-2L Colony 2026
The sun burned red in the late afternoon sky of K-2L. The planet Zebes was slightly visible as a moon like entity on the eastern horizon. The grass like turf bent with the flow of the dry wind. The voices of children playing rode the gusts of wind. A few of the men of K-2L were just finishing construction on a new home. The people of K-2L were frequently plagued by the presence of space pirates. The human race was by no means a dominantly peaceful tribe either, they had held off many space pirate raids before. The space pirates kept a hold on the little colony, ransacking and burning there colony time and time again. The colony had just recently built a few turret canons to help defend them and they seemed to be holding fast.
Lana Aran had just finished setting the table for dinner. The smell of potatoes and roast drifted outside to where Lana's husband, Jack, was tending there small garden on the side of the house.
"That smells great", Jack said peeping his head through the kitchen window, "when do we eat?"
"Soon enough dear", she replied stirring the boiling potatoes.
Jack put his hoe up and headed inside. He was a rather lengthy fellow with short brown hair and a small gote. His warm smile was a blessing when pirates made times hard. Lana on the other hand was more in tune with reality. She was two heads shorter then Jack and had green shoulder length hair.
"Would you call Samus in please?" Lana asked Jack.
"Sure honey I'll be right back."
Jack walked out of the house and headed toward a sandbox in the backyard where a group of children were playing happily.
"Samus, say bye to your friends, it's time for dinner."
A small child with green hair and blue eyes stood up. She was a spitting image of Lana, "Dad, do I really have to?"
"I'm afraid so, your mother is waiting."
"Awww, alright. Bye guys", she said toward the other kids in the sandbox, who acknowledged her gesture with a wave.
Jack picked up his daughter and headed back to his house. The sun was sinking lower still, and the tinge of night was in the far east.
"Look daddy! Shooting stars!" Samus said pointing toward Zebes. Jack turned and looked at the spectacle. It wasn't until the stars started falling excessively that Jack realized what was about to occur. What seemed to be a harmless meteor shower was in reality the ships of the space pirates entering K-2L's atmosphere.
"Run! Hide! It's a space pirate air raid!" Jack yelled running Samus inside.
"Oh no", Lana cried out gathering blankets and sheets to cover themselves with.
"Father!" Samus yelled.
"It will be okay, stay with your mom, I got to help the other daddies. Lana..go and hide, quickly."
Jack dug in the closet and pulled out a canon looking device with some ammo. Jack turned and headed for the door, "I hate space pirates!"
"Be careful!" Lana yelled after him before huddling with Samus under the blankets in a corner of the house.
"I'm scared", Samus whimpered.
"Daddies going to make everything alright dear."
Outside Jack ran to a pole in the center of the colony. Flipping a switch, a small console appeared with a numeric keypad. Jack punched the alarm code, causing the loudspeakers around the colony to crackle with life. A loud and rather annoying sound emitted from the speakers causing the normally quiet colony come to life with fear. Women and children ran for the shelter of their homes. The men gathered in the center of the colony.
Alright guys, the space pirates are coming. I need every one of the artillery canons manned and ready. Lets go we haven't much time before they arrive!" Jack ordered.
Before Jack or any of the other men could catch there breath, a space pirate scout ship whizzed by overhead. The men had just enough time to load the artillery before the first wave of pirates ascended on them. The pirates easily dodged the colonies attack and returned fire of there own taking out a couple of the turrets. The second wave of pirates followed the first, trying to pick off the turrets that the first wave missed. The turrets fired relentlessly at the pirates. Soon the colonists were able to turn the tables in there favor, bringing one pirate ship after another down. The pirates retreated to whence they came. The pirate scout ship returned, hovering a mile above the colony. The air raid alarm was cut short and a raspy voice came on instead.
"So foolish humans, you still haven't learned your place. Well I guess it's time for a new game plan. I can't lose with this move", Ridley commented over the speaker system.
"We'll see about that", Jack screamed loading his canon. He swung the turret around and aimed for the scout ship in the sky. Jack fired the canon and followed the missile up to its destination. With a low thud the ship became engulfed in flames as it began to lose altitude.
"Nice try Aran but it's too late.checkmate", Ridley said. The intercom went quiet indicating the end of Ridley's presence.
Jack watched as the scout ship hurtled down toward the surface. There was nothing he could do now to keep it from crashing into the colony. Jack turned and began running for the cover of his home, hoping to at least see his wife and daughter one last time. Back in the Aran home, Lana had taken Samus to the bathroom where the room was better shielded. Mother and daughter sat crying in the tub, waiting for Jack to return and tell them it was all over.
Outside the ship crashed into the ground sending rocks and dirt flying high above the colony. With a deafened sound, the ship exploded, its highly flammable fluid spewing mercilessly over the colony instantly catching fire. People ran about trying to control the flames that attacked there houses. The remaining ammo in the turrets began catching fire and started to explode. The shells flew above the colony before coming down, doing more damage then the initial impact of the scout ship. Jack was thrown from one such explosion. His body flew through across the colony, his body impaling through his chest, on the end of a busted pipe. His face a distortion of agony and pain as he tried to pull himself off. The blood ran hard from his wound and he looked toward his home before his eyes rolled to the back of his head. With his last breath he managed, "Samus..Lana..I'm..sorry"
Lana had managed to cover her daughter in hopes of some protection against whatever might happen. A slow but strong rumble shook the house down around the remaining Arans. Lana looked up as the house of Aran crumbled down. One of the artillery shells managed to hit the main ammo reserve where the nuclear weapons were stored. With a blinding light and a sonic boom, the earth colony of K-2L was leveled within a matter of seconds. After the explosion all was quiet on the colony except for the sound of the wind whistling through the collapsed houses.