SEVEN
Planet Eternia 3 June 2017
Everyone held on grimly as the dropships bucked and shook from the turbulence of re-entry. Hulls ionized as the dropships plunged through the raging storm clouds. Lightning flashes mingled with greater flashes from laser bolts fired blindly from above.
"Feril! You think we could slow down a little, and smooth this ride out just a bit?" Colonel Markson said, grunting as the jostling slammed him against his safety harness.
"No can do, colonel," Feril replied, teeth gritted in concentration.
"Why?"
The ship rocked and dropped briefly creating a negative G effect from something greater than the storm turbulence.
"That's why," Feril answered. "That battlecruiser is firing blindly at us."
Another close explosion threatened to send both dropships tumbling out of control. Feril and her companion in the other ship nosed down even further, and throttled up the atmospheric engines. Their only chance was to get closer to the surface and sprint away. They one saving grace they had was capital ship weapons were designed for combat against other capital ships. Not ships the size of fighters. Or dropships.
Gradually, the rain of laser fire abated, and finally ceased as the Horde commander gave up the folly of firing blindly. The dropships continued to drive deeper into the atmosphere, now shallowing their descent. Feril broke through the clouds at over thirty-four thousand feet. Grey light filtering through the storm cover illuminated a broken wasteland the likes of which nothing on Earth could have matched.
The so-called Dark Side of Eternia. Home to evil incarnate. Skeletor.
This was a broken and twisted land of stone, active volcanoes, and rivers of lava. There was the odd water river like the one passing close to the tallest mountain on the dead continent. To the north lay the Sea of Rakash. The Harmony Sea to the south. Directly ahead to the northeast lay the tallest structure in this part of the world.
Snake Mountain.
Two figures stood in the gaping mouth of the serpent coiled about the peak, though the people on the alien craft could not see them. Both were tall, muscled, and veterans of many years of warfare. One was dressed all in black with a cape and hood. The other wore common clothes usually seen in the peasant villages, which had seen better days, and a full beard streaked with gray.
"So, they come, at last," rumbled the hooded man.
"They're early," the other remarked.
"But we were right about their coming here," the dark man replied. He paused as if sampling the breeze, which he was, but one of a very different sort. "I sense a powerful presence among them."
The bearded man failed to conceal his shock. "She actually came with them?"
The hood nodded. "Of course she did, old friend. Where else can she go? That ancient pile of stone is the only thing that may save her, if the rumors I have been collecting are correct."
"She won't like what she finds."
"None of them will," the dark man replied after a long pause.
Both men silently watched the tiny specks move across the sky until they were lost on the horizon.
Now relatively safe, the dropships continued their easterly course at just under thirty thousand feet. They crossed the Ocean of Gnarl at almost mach two, crossing the terminator into night as they closed on the arable landmasses. As they closed on the Golden Isles, Feril throttled back until the broke back through the sound barrier to sub-sonic speeds.
"Going 'feet dry' in ten minutes," Feril reported to Colonel Markson.
The term 'Feet Dry' in Navy language meant an aircraft from crossing from water to land. They were almost on top of the Golden Isles, beyond which lay the vast Evergreen Forest, and Castle Grayskull.
There were no references to guide them to the castle. No convenient roads through the forest marked the way. All they had to go on were maps and approximate latitude and longitude to light the way.
"Uh, oh," Johansen muttered, staring hard at his radar display.
"Tell me they haven't found us," Feril said, sitting up a little straighter in her cramped seat.
"Not yet. South east of us. Two blips moving away. Make them about ten minutes from our location."
Colonel Markson cut in. "Find the nearest clearing in the forest and drop us off. If they spot you, I want you to lead them away. Make them wonder where we're headed."
"Roger that," Feril answered.
She began scanning her infrared and starlight sensors for a suitable landing space in the dark dense mass of forest now passing thousands of feet below. She had about given up when Sorceress' quiet voice came through her helmet speakers loud and clear. Feril followed the woman's vague guidance to turn this way for so many seconds, then turn that way for so many more. It became clear Sorceress had tapped into the energy fields given off by all living things. Jake jokingly called it 'The Force', and while Sorceress admitted the description was not far off from George Lucas' vision, it was not wholly accurate. Life created the energy fields by which 'magic' was created, but it was not a conscious living energy field. It simply 'was.' The strength and endurance of the individual dictated how powerful one was.
The Guardian of Grayskull was very powerful in her own right, though she rarely showed it. Sorceress tapped into the power fields of the planet to find them a suitable clearing with the right kind of trails big enough to accommodate their vehicles.
Two dropships appeared from out of the night, landing lights blazing only after they dropped below the treetops. Adrian readied himself, powered up the war machine, and braced for a bumpy roll-off as the ramp lowered while still hundreds of feet in the air. The armored personnel carrier was released from the magnetic wheel clamps less than a meter above the ground while the other dropship touched down on quad landing struts long enough for Adrian to roar off the ramp. Both ships doused their landing lights, closed the drop bays, and roared off into the night to the north.
Almost immediately, the patrolling Horde fighters turned to follow. The vehicles waited within the gnarled, twisted trees of the evergreen forest, completely powered down except for passive sensors, for the enemy to pass them by. Anxious minutes dragged by as Colonel Markson waited for the fighters to get far enough away before risking powering up and moving out.
Adrian's armor interfaced with the war machine's systems. It created a HUD – heads-up display - on a transparent visor before his eyes eliminating the need to use the one mounted atop the control panel. He set the power lever at his left hand to around on-third power and used the joystick on the right side and foot pedals to steer. The lower left of his HUD displayed an aft view. In it he could see the APC driver was trailing about fifty meters behind, undoubtedly using a night vision face shield to maneuver.
Driving cautiously through the pitch-black forest, gloomy shapes passed by in the eerie green of Adrian's night vision. Trees unlike anything ever conceived of on earth rolled by. Unearthly creatures darted among the shrubs, if the plants he saw could be called that. Some deer-like animals paused to look at the alien machines as they rumbled past them, then sprinted off deeper into the forest.
They kept up a steady pace veering off the main track only three times to maneuver around the fallen corkscrew trunk of a tree. They stopped briefly as Adrian searched the surroundings. Several times he thought he sensed something, but found nothing each time. The next time the war machine came to a halt was several meters short of a small clearing just large enough to accommodate both vehicles. This was the last one before breaking through the trees into the clearing five kilometers in diameter where Castle Grayskull stood upon an earthen pillar surrounded by a bottomless 'moat.'
"What's with Adrian?" Colonel Markson whispered to Corporal Frost, currently driving the carrier.
"Can't say for certain, Colonel," the ebony man replied. "Been acting squirrelly for the past ninety minutes. That damn nose of his."
To punctuate the point, Adrian unlocked and shoved the hatch on the right up, and climbed out. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he morphed into the CHUD form and began scouting the area ahead. Clearly his heightened senses touched upon something, but he was evidently unable to pinpoint what it was. Markson glanced at Sorceress. She looked away from the colonel, eyes focusing on things only she could see. After a few moments, she returned her gaze to the expectant office, and shrugged ever so slightly.
Markson unlatched the personnel hatch behind the driver's seats, slid the armored plate back, and walked down the iron stairs, which automatically extended when the hatch was opened. Eyes constantly searching the gloom, Jon made his way cautiously forward. He stepped silently up next to the green-eyed, rat-faced terror who sniffed the air and scanned the clearing ahead.
"What's up? What do you sense?" Jon received no answer. The monster continued to sniff, search, and issue the occasional growl. Irritated, Jon grabbed the creature's arm. "Adrian!" He held his ground as the creature whirled suddenly. "What the hell's the matter with you?"
The CHUD shifted, blurred, and shrank down into the form of Adrian Cobretti clad in battle armor. "Something or someone is watching us."
"I don't see anything. Did you see or smell anything?"
Adrian shook his head. "Probably nothing." He turned away and returned to the war machine without further comment.
Someone was indeed watching them. Deep in the heart of the desert known as the Sands of Time, hidden beneath its constantly shifting sands lay a vastly different realm. A network of chambers whose decorations were a throwback to a distant time before the arrival of the Evil Horde, the rise of the Snake Men, or the reign of King Grayskull.
Tapestries hung on rock walls smoothed by magic. Sculptures, statues, and busts made of marble memorializing people long dead littered rooms and hallways. Evenly spaced in the rooms and corridors were torches in sconces lit with magical fire giving them an eerie almost sorrowful air.
In a chamber built specifically for working magic, the realm's sole occupant bent of a pool of water six feet in diameter and four feet tall. Shelves full of ancient volumes kept as new as if they had just been printed or written in through magical spells lined the walls floor to high ceiling.
The unnaturally young-looking woman tucked a lock of white hair behind one ear as she watched the events unfolding in the magical pool. Her purple silk dress whispered softly when she shifted. She watched the starship Eternia make its drop run, the re-entry of the earth flying machines, and the trek of their vehicles through the Evergreen Forest.
"Welcome home, te lynia. Many changes have taken place while you've been away. Though I doubt you will like many of them," she commented, her words being projected to the Sorceress as well.
She smiled slightly at the Sorceress' telepathic rude reply. "It seems you have picked up a few bad habits from your new friends. I approve."
Another rude telepathic reply arrived from the Sorceress.
"Now, now. Is that any way to greet your old friend after all this time?" The pale- complexioned woman listened to her old friend's next reply intently. "Really! I'm fairly certain that is an anatomical impossibility. No matter, my dear. I had thought you'd have sensed my observations. Pity. Your shape-changing friend seems to have noticed." She paused to consider the implications. "Very interesting. We shall meet later. Until then, mez lynia."
Of all the people to make first contact with, why did it have to be with her? Sorceress ground her teeth in irritation at the thought of meeting her again. As if she didn't have enough on her mind already.
Adrian returned to his vehicle, powered it up, and drove into the clearing. Colonel Markson waved the APC forward, electing to walk the remaining few meters into the area where they would set up base camp until they gained entry to Castle Grayskull. Ninety minutes after parking off to the side of the clearing, a parameter was set up, watch schedule drafted, and rations broken out for the troops.
Adrian and Jake inspected the electrical systems of their new toy. The weapons console developed a few glitches from the drop that needed investigating. They also discovered another ability their armor had when they complained about not being able to get their fingers into a few places while wearing gauntlets. Their suits further reduced themselves to six- pointed star pendants three inches across with a radiating sapphire crystal in the center hanging from a thick silver rope chain.
"Is there anything these suits can't do?" Brad asked Sorceress later over dinner.
The six gathered in a circle at the left rear wheel assembly. Jeromy stoked a small fire to cook their meal over. He'd somehow smuggled a few spices along, not that it helped much, but, then, anything was an improvement over the standard boxed rations.
"Their abilities appear to have limits," Sorceress replied. "We will discover them, eventually." She betrayed none of the unease she felt about finally being here on her homeworld. Or the unease concerning the person she'd already met.
Jeromy snorted. "Maybe they can cook dinner. There is only so much I can do with this."
"Smells all right," Jake replied.
"Smell and taste do not always go hand-in-hand, Jake," Adrian replied casually. He rested against the massive wheel staring up at the unfamiliar stars twinkling in the blackness above.
Jake grunted, jerking a finger at Adrian, and saying to Sorceress, "There is a guy who knows how to cook. Me, on the other hand? I can burn water with the best of them."
Sorceress smiled thinly. "My cooking skills are sadly lacking. I would occasionally dabble, but magic is a much better tool. Your world has taught me that some of the finest things are best done by hand." She leaned a little closer to ward away a chill only she could feel. "And I have burning water down to a science."
A shared chuckle helped loosen the tension somewhat. Jeromy stirred what could very loosely be called a beef stew. The spices made it a little more bearable. Bland with spice, Jake called it. Though the taste left much to be desired, everyone emptied their bowls. When the dirty dishes were cleared away and cleaned in a nearby brook, the Guardians settled down around their dying fire.
Adrian resumed his place leaning against the massive wheel. Sorceress sat next to him, having seen his apparent interest in the constellations, and began pointing a few of Eternian ones out for him. While they conversed quietly, Jake broke out a deck of cards, and engaged Jeromy, Sonya, and Brad in a game of poker. Other groups formed around the vehicles after getting hot meals from the few cook fires Colonel Markson allowed.
"One world fighting for the freedom of all," Brad snorted. "And ours is starting to get divided on the issue"
"One for all," Adrian replied.
"Until all are one," the Guardians chanted without missing a beat.
An uneasy silence settled on the small camp. Adrian paused in his stargazing. Brad paused in the process of dealing out a new hand of cards. All six wondered where that had come from. Most likely it was some racial memory from the previous Guardians whose essence had been stored in the computers of their power armor. Each person was still trying to wade through the veritable river of memories, emotions, and experiences from another time. Another life. Shaking the moment off, the six returned to their activities. It would be some time before they figured out what the phrases they had spoken really meant.
Before long, people began nodding off while the watch changed every two hours. Adrian didn't know when he dozed off, but he snapped awake when he sensed something or someone approaching. Cracking open his eyes, Adrian slowly shifted to see what it was. Colonel Markson and Corporal Frost finally found their little camp. The men sauntered over wearing grins people just naturally wanted to remove with a fist.
"What's the matter? The six of you suddenly too good to eat with the rest of us?" the colonel replied blithely.
"Bite me," Adrian shot back softly.
Frost appeared with a couple blankets. "I win the bet, Colonel." Frost expertly covered Sorceress without rousing her.
Colonel Markson's grin turned into a scowl. "How'd you know he would say that? Unless you set me up?"
Frost took on a hurt demeanor. "Would I do a thing like that?" he asked innocently.
"Would you two take this somewhere else?" Adrian cut in. "Some of us are trying to sleep here." He glanced around the circle as people stirred. "Why me?" "Why not?" Frost replied, and the colonel agreed. "Better you than Jake. Those Army pukes are just too loud." Colonel Markson would have taken offense if he cared.
"You both can bite me," Adrian shot back acidly.
"C'mon, Frost," Markson said, waving the man away.
If he wasn't an officer...Adrian thought darkly. After the pair walked out of sight continuing their rounds, Adrian's thoughts turned to the beautiful woman sound asleep a short distance away. What do you see in a guy like me, anyway?
Planet Eternia 3 June 2017
Everyone held on grimly as the dropships bucked and shook from the turbulence of re-entry. Hulls ionized as the dropships plunged through the raging storm clouds. Lightning flashes mingled with greater flashes from laser bolts fired blindly from above.
"Feril! You think we could slow down a little, and smooth this ride out just a bit?" Colonel Markson said, grunting as the jostling slammed him against his safety harness.
"No can do, colonel," Feril replied, teeth gritted in concentration.
"Why?"
The ship rocked and dropped briefly creating a negative G effect from something greater than the storm turbulence.
"That's why," Feril answered. "That battlecruiser is firing blindly at us."
Another close explosion threatened to send both dropships tumbling out of control. Feril and her companion in the other ship nosed down even further, and throttled up the atmospheric engines. Their only chance was to get closer to the surface and sprint away. They one saving grace they had was capital ship weapons were designed for combat against other capital ships. Not ships the size of fighters. Or dropships.
Gradually, the rain of laser fire abated, and finally ceased as the Horde commander gave up the folly of firing blindly. The dropships continued to drive deeper into the atmosphere, now shallowing their descent. Feril broke through the clouds at over thirty-four thousand feet. Grey light filtering through the storm cover illuminated a broken wasteland the likes of which nothing on Earth could have matched.
The so-called Dark Side of Eternia. Home to evil incarnate. Skeletor.
This was a broken and twisted land of stone, active volcanoes, and rivers of lava. There was the odd water river like the one passing close to the tallest mountain on the dead continent. To the north lay the Sea of Rakash. The Harmony Sea to the south. Directly ahead to the northeast lay the tallest structure in this part of the world.
Snake Mountain.
Two figures stood in the gaping mouth of the serpent coiled about the peak, though the people on the alien craft could not see them. Both were tall, muscled, and veterans of many years of warfare. One was dressed all in black with a cape and hood. The other wore common clothes usually seen in the peasant villages, which had seen better days, and a full beard streaked with gray.
"So, they come, at last," rumbled the hooded man.
"They're early," the other remarked.
"But we were right about their coming here," the dark man replied. He paused as if sampling the breeze, which he was, but one of a very different sort. "I sense a powerful presence among them."
The bearded man failed to conceal his shock. "She actually came with them?"
The hood nodded. "Of course she did, old friend. Where else can she go? That ancient pile of stone is the only thing that may save her, if the rumors I have been collecting are correct."
"She won't like what she finds."
"None of them will," the dark man replied after a long pause.
Both men silently watched the tiny specks move across the sky until they were lost on the horizon.
Now relatively safe, the dropships continued their easterly course at just under thirty thousand feet. They crossed the Ocean of Gnarl at almost mach two, crossing the terminator into night as they closed on the arable landmasses. As they closed on the Golden Isles, Feril throttled back until the broke back through the sound barrier to sub-sonic speeds.
"Going 'feet dry' in ten minutes," Feril reported to Colonel Markson.
The term 'Feet Dry' in Navy language meant an aircraft from crossing from water to land. They were almost on top of the Golden Isles, beyond which lay the vast Evergreen Forest, and Castle Grayskull.
There were no references to guide them to the castle. No convenient roads through the forest marked the way. All they had to go on were maps and approximate latitude and longitude to light the way.
"Uh, oh," Johansen muttered, staring hard at his radar display.
"Tell me they haven't found us," Feril said, sitting up a little straighter in her cramped seat.
"Not yet. South east of us. Two blips moving away. Make them about ten minutes from our location."
Colonel Markson cut in. "Find the nearest clearing in the forest and drop us off. If they spot you, I want you to lead them away. Make them wonder where we're headed."
"Roger that," Feril answered.
She began scanning her infrared and starlight sensors for a suitable landing space in the dark dense mass of forest now passing thousands of feet below. She had about given up when Sorceress' quiet voice came through her helmet speakers loud and clear. Feril followed the woman's vague guidance to turn this way for so many seconds, then turn that way for so many more. It became clear Sorceress had tapped into the energy fields given off by all living things. Jake jokingly called it 'The Force', and while Sorceress admitted the description was not far off from George Lucas' vision, it was not wholly accurate. Life created the energy fields by which 'magic' was created, but it was not a conscious living energy field. It simply 'was.' The strength and endurance of the individual dictated how powerful one was.
The Guardian of Grayskull was very powerful in her own right, though she rarely showed it. Sorceress tapped into the power fields of the planet to find them a suitable clearing with the right kind of trails big enough to accommodate their vehicles.
Two dropships appeared from out of the night, landing lights blazing only after they dropped below the treetops. Adrian readied himself, powered up the war machine, and braced for a bumpy roll-off as the ramp lowered while still hundreds of feet in the air. The armored personnel carrier was released from the magnetic wheel clamps less than a meter above the ground while the other dropship touched down on quad landing struts long enough for Adrian to roar off the ramp. Both ships doused their landing lights, closed the drop bays, and roared off into the night to the north.
Almost immediately, the patrolling Horde fighters turned to follow. The vehicles waited within the gnarled, twisted trees of the evergreen forest, completely powered down except for passive sensors, for the enemy to pass them by. Anxious minutes dragged by as Colonel Markson waited for the fighters to get far enough away before risking powering up and moving out.
Adrian's armor interfaced with the war machine's systems. It created a HUD – heads-up display - on a transparent visor before his eyes eliminating the need to use the one mounted atop the control panel. He set the power lever at his left hand to around on-third power and used the joystick on the right side and foot pedals to steer. The lower left of his HUD displayed an aft view. In it he could see the APC driver was trailing about fifty meters behind, undoubtedly using a night vision face shield to maneuver.
Driving cautiously through the pitch-black forest, gloomy shapes passed by in the eerie green of Adrian's night vision. Trees unlike anything ever conceived of on earth rolled by. Unearthly creatures darted among the shrubs, if the plants he saw could be called that. Some deer-like animals paused to look at the alien machines as they rumbled past them, then sprinted off deeper into the forest.
They kept up a steady pace veering off the main track only three times to maneuver around the fallen corkscrew trunk of a tree. They stopped briefly as Adrian searched the surroundings. Several times he thought he sensed something, but found nothing each time. The next time the war machine came to a halt was several meters short of a small clearing just large enough to accommodate both vehicles. This was the last one before breaking through the trees into the clearing five kilometers in diameter where Castle Grayskull stood upon an earthen pillar surrounded by a bottomless 'moat.'
"What's with Adrian?" Colonel Markson whispered to Corporal Frost, currently driving the carrier.
"Can't say for certain, Colonel," the ebony man replied. "Been acting squirrelly for the past ninety minutes. That damn nose of his."
To punctuate the point, Adrian unlocked and shoved the hatch on the right up, and climbed out. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he morphed into the CHUD form and began scouting the area ahead. Clearly his heightened senses touched upon something, but he was evidently unable to pinpoint what it was. Markson glanced at Sorceress. She looked away from the colonel, eyes focusing on things only she could see. After a few moments, she returned her gaze to the expectant office, and shrugged ever so slightly.
Markson unlatched the personnel hatch behind the driver's seats, slid the armored plate back, and walked down the iron stairs, which automatically extended when the hatch was opened. Eyes constantly searching the gloom, Jon made his way cautiously forward. He stepped silently up next to the green-eyed, rat-faced terror who sniffed the air and scanned the clearing ahead.
"What's up? What do you sense?" Jon received no answer. The monster continued to sniff, search, and issue the occasional growl. Irritated, Jon grabbed the creature's arm. "Adrian!" He held his ground as the creature whirled suddenly. "What the hell's the matter with you?"
The CHUD shifted, blurred, and shrank down into the form of Adrian Cobretti clad in battle armor. "Something or someone is watching us."
"I don't see anything. Did you see or smell anything?"
Adrian shook his head. "Probably nothing." He turned away and returned to the war machine without further comment.
Someone was indeed watching them. Deep in the heart of the desert known as the Sands of Time, hidden beneath its constantly shifting sands lay a vastly different realm. A network of chambers whose decorations were a throwback to a distant time before the arrival of the Evil Horde, the rise of the Snake Men, or the reign of King Grayskull.
Tapestries hung on rock walls smoothed by magic. Sculptures, statues, and busts made of marble memorializing people long dead littered rooms and hallways. Evenly spaced in the rooms and corridors were torches in sconces lit with magical fire giving them an eerie almost sorrowful air.
In a chamber built specifically for working magic, the realm's sole occupant bent of a pool of water six feet in diameter and four feet tall. Shelves full of ancient volumes kept as new as if they had just been printed or written in through magical spells lined the walls floor to high ceiling.
The unnaturally young-looking woman tucked a lock of white hair behind one ear as she watched the events unfolding in the magical pool. Her purple silk dress whispered softly when she shifted. She watched the starship Eternia make its drop run, the re-entry of the earth flying machines, and the trek of their vehicles through the Evergreen Forest.
"Welcome home, te lynia. Many changes have taken place while you've been away. Though I doubt you will like many of them," she commented, her words being projected to the Sorceress as well.
She smiled slightly at the Sorceress' telepathic rude reply. "It seems you have picked up a few bad habits from your new friends. I approve."
Another rude telepathic reply arrived from the Sorceress.
"Now, now. Is that any way to greet your old friend after all this time?" The pale- complexioned woman listened to her old friend's next reply intently. "Really! I'm fairly certain that is an anatomical impossibility. No matter, my dear. I had thought you'd have sensed my observations. Pity. Your shape-changing friend seems to have noticed." She paused to consider the implications. "Very interesting. We shall meet later. Until then, mez lynia."
Of all the people to make first contact with, why did it have to be with her? Sorceress ground her teeth in irritation at the thought of meeting her again. As if she didn't have enough on her mind already.
Adrian returned to his vehicle, powered it up, and drove into the clearing. Colonel Markson waved the APC forward, electing to walk the remaining few meters into the area where they would set up base camp until they gained entry to Castle Grayskull. Ninety minutes after parking off to the side of the clearing, a parameter was set up, watch schedule drafted, and rations broken out for the troops.
Adrian and Jake inspected the electrical systems of their new toy. The weapons console developed a few glitches from the drop that needed investigating. They also discovered another ability their armor had when they complained about not being able to get their fingers into a few places while wearing gauntlets. Their suits further reduced themselves to six- pointed star pendants three inches across with a radiating sapphire crystal in the center hanging from a thick silver rope chain.
"Is there anything these suits can't do?" Brad asked Sorceress later over dinner.
The six gathered in a circle at the left rear wheel assembly. Jeromy stoked a small fire to cook their meal over. He'd somehow smuggled a few spices along, not that it helped much, but, then, anything was an improvement over the standard boxed rations.
"Their abilities appear to have limits," Sorceress replied. "We will discover them, eventually." She betrayed none of the unease she felt about finally being here on her homeworld. Or the unease concerning the person she'd already met.
Jeromy snorted. "Maybe they can cook dinner. There is only so much I can do with this."
"Smells all right," Jake replied.
"Smell and taste do not always go hand-in-hand, Jake," Adrian replied casually. He rested against the massive wheel staring up at the unfamiliar stars twinkling in the blackness above.
Jake grunted, jerking a finger at Adrian, and saying to Sorceress, "There is a guy who knows how to cook. Me, on the other hand? I can burn water with the best of them."
Sorceress smiled thinly. "My cooking skills are sadly lacking. I would occasionally dabble, but magic is a much better tool. Your world has taught me that some of the finest things are best done by hand." She leaned a little closer to ward away a chill only she could feel. "And I have burning water down to a science."
A shared chuckle helped loosen the tension somewhat. Jeromy stirred what could very loosely be called a beef stew. The spices made it a little more bearable. Bland with spice, Jake called it. Though the taste left much to be desired, everyone emptied their bowls. When the dirty dishes were cleared away and cleaned in a nearby brook, the Guardians settled down around their dying fire.
Adrian resumed his place leaning against the massive wheel. Sorceress sat next to him, having seen his apparent interest in the constellations, and began pointing a few of Eternian ones out for him. While they conversed quietly, Jake broke out a deck of cards, and engaged Jeromy, Sonya, and Brad in a game of poker. Other groups formed around the vehicles after getting hot meals from the few cook fires Colonel Markson allowed.
"One world fighting for the freedom of all," Brad snorted. "And ours is starting to get divided on the issue"
"One for all," Adrian replied.
"Until all are one," the Guardians chanted without missing a beat.
An uneasy silence settled on the small camp. Adrian paused in his stargazing. Brad paused in the process of dealing out a new hand of cards. All six wondered where that had come from. Most likely it was some racial memory from the previous Guardians whose essence had been stored in the computers of their power armor. Each person was still trying to wade through the veritable river of memories, emotions, and experiences from another time. Another life. Shaking the moment off, the six returned to their activities. It would be some time before they figured out what the phrases they had spoken really meant.
Before long, people began nodding off while the watch changed every two hours. Adrian didn't know when he dozed off, but he snapped awake when he sensed something or someone approaching. Cracking open his eyes, Adrian slowly shifted to see what it was. Colonel Markson and Corporal Frost finally found their little camp. The men sauntered over wearing grins people just naturally wanted to remove with a fist.
"What's the matter? The six of you suddenly too good to eat with the rest of us?" the colonel replied blithely.
"Bite me," Adrian shot back softly.
Frost appeared with a couple blankets. "I win the bet, Colonel." Frost expertly covered Sorceress without rousing her.
Colonel Markson's grin turned into a scowl. "How'd you know he would say that? Unless you set me up?"
Frost took on a hurt demeanor. "Would I do a thing like that?" he asked innocently.
"Would you two take this somewhere else?" Adrian cut in. "Some of us are trying to sleep here." He glanced around the circle as people stirred. "Why me?" "Why not?" Frost replied, and the colonel agreed. "Better you than Jake. Those Army pukes are just too loud." Colonel Markson would have taken offense if he cared.
"You both can bite me," Adrian shot back acidly.
"C'mon, Frost," Markson said, waving the man away.
If he wasn't an officer...Adrian thought darkly. After the pair walked out of sight continuing their rounds, Adrian's thoughts turned to the beautiful woman sound asleep a short distance away. What do you see in a guy like me, anyway?