Terra. You grew up hearing about it, but I never figured I would be going there. When the first probes returned, science had made its greatest accomplishment since the moon landing. Sure, it had two moons and a single continent, but otherwise, it was another Earth. Humanity now had an escape plan once our rock becomes completely inhospitable. The black crystals the RDA was harvesting, "Originium", packed more than enough energy to last us for, well, forever. But since Earth was a sinking ship at this point, we decided to steal another one. This is where I come in, as my twin brother was one of the lucky few who got the pilot one of the RDA's "Avatar" bodies. He passed away, unfortunately, so the government had to get the next best thing; crippled old me. Being dragged out into war was nothing new, but the circumstances this time made things... interesting.
The outer reaches of Terran airspace, from what I've heard from scientists, is covered in some sort of shell made from those black crystals. Thankfully, the Orginium hasn't interred with our aircraft. Whenever we send a ship or drop pod down to their planet, it's as if we are smashing through a glass dome. I never witnessed this, as my transport had no windows. Not that I would like to be the lucky few on the ground who get to deal with raining shards of crystal, mind you.
The base, codenamed "Hell's Gate", we touched down in was one of several the RDA had in Terra. Ironically, the jungle we settled in was practically a paradise. The tropical, humid air was rather refreshing compared to the smog back home. Yeah, it was perfectly breathable without any exo-masks. The jungle was part of a larger nation called Sargon, which was mostly desert. Terra has large expanses of untouched wilderness, so we were free to do as we pleased. It was rather fishy why the natives haven't civilized most of the land. The true reason almost cost the entire planet in the end, but I'll save that for later. Even looking back, it still makes no damn sense.
Anyways, I rolled into the canteen. The base's General was giving the rest of us a rousing speech, but it made me realize how much they've been lying about this place back at home.
"You're not in Kansas anymore. You're on Terra now. That there, beyond the fence, every living thing that crawls, flies, or lurks in the mud, wants to kill you and eat your eyes for juju beans. There are an indigenous group of humanoids we collectively call the Terrans. To be frank, they are quite similar to us. Just try to image yourself with your animal ear of choice, and you have a good idea. In our case, the locals resemble bipedal crocodilians. For any prospecting gator tamers with us, don't bother. Even their ladies can smash your skull in. Some of these Terrans are capable of what can only be described as magic, and can slice through our kevlar like it's tissue paper. Thing is, since they come in so many shapes and sizes, you often can't tell if they can use this magic until you are burnt to a crisp."
Later on, I figured out that this "magic" was called Arts by the locals. For the most part, they simply shot superheated plasma at us through the power of Originium. I found out shortly that they were cable of more. Much more.
"As head of security, it's my job to keep you alive. I will not succeed, not without all of you. If you wish to survive, you need to cultivate a strong mental attitude. You need to follow the rules. Terra's rules..."
After Quaritch explained every single "rule" he had for this place, I rolled over to the Biolabs. The Avatar bodies started off as embryos during the trip to Terra, and then matured here in the labs. Norm showed me one of them. It was an average man, with developing abdominal muscle. If you ignore the sharp ears and a gator tail growing above its ass, then the Avatars here could reasonably pass off as humans.
"Are those real?"
"100% authentic, Jake. Most of the Terrans are pretty close to us humans genetically, so adding a few extra accessories is all that it takes. The Terran languages were easy to figure out, as they basically have counterparts for each of Earth's cultures. We hit a roadblock attempting to emulate the Sarkaz and Sankta races, though. There seems additional stuff under the hood that makes their DNA uncooperative with humans."
His attention briefly shifted to another doctor, Max.
"The girl should be coming along nicely by now."
"Yeah, she should be ready to go by tomorrow. These aliens are real lookers!"
A man clearing his throat grabbed my attention and instantly silenced the other two. He had short, faint pink hair, which was the least strange part of this person. For one, he was probably the tallest guy in this entire facility. While the rest of us dressed lightly because of the desert heat, this guy stood proud in tall in honest-to-god plate armor. It was modernized, of course, but it was rather offputting to see a demon-horned knight walking among us military men. He even had some sort of bodyguard in all-black robes and a golden skull mask next to him. His lackey also had a twisted sword as long as he was tall. It was gripped firmly in his hands, as he stared down at Norm and Max.
I can't believe I didn't notice those two before. Maybe it's because they aren't much for words, compared to everyone else in the RDA.
Pinkie had bags under his eyes, but that didn't make his cold face any less freakish. He could probably kill Quaritch with his bare hands assuming his flunky doesn't get him first.
After what seemed to last an agonizing amount of time, he finally spoke in a germanic accent. "I am glad you recognize the beauty of the Sarkaz, but she is mine. That is all." He turned back to Amino Tank, in synch with his minion. The minion moved off to the side, almost as if he wanted to give me a better view. I nearly dropped my jaw.
If he was a knight, then that was the princess. Her being nude wasn't helping things, but she was easily one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.
"So, erm, that's one of our clients." Norm whispered. Max suddenly excused himself for "important business" earlier, conveniently. "To aid in the colonization efforts, the RDA allied with several rebel groups who seek to overthrow the major nations. The big guy is Theresis, and that aide over there is Confessarius. His aide actually came to us behind the big guy's back, and sought that we... resurrect his boss's sister. Apparently, she's a respected royal, so he plans to use her to unite the Sarkaz people."
"So you bring people back from the dead now?" I also whispered to not piss off the literal demon in the room.
"Look..." Norm sighed. "It's really complicated. I'm no political expert, nor bringing-people-back-from-the-dead expert. The plan is to back this world's terrorists so they can destabilize the world enough so that the RDA can successfully colonize it. Since the locals will be doing the most of work, it will make us look better at home by comparison. The RDA swoops in and liberates the world from savages and demons!" He chuckled sarcastically. "C'mon, let me show you your new body."
Norm brings me to another amino tank. The Avatar has roughly the same build as me, but with more muscle mass. It had more hair than me, short and grey, but it wasn't a crew cut. When the body turned around, I recognized Tom's... no, my own face. Shear awe completely glued my eyes to the tank.
Afterall, my new life was right before my eyes.
Next morning was the big day. Probably the biggest in life. The Link Chairs were how the drivers connect with the Avatar, but they were more like an MRI machine in appearance. They opened from the top, and I once again internally cursed at my useless legs. I heaved myself in, Grace closes the machine, and just like that, I was on the other side.
Opening my eyes, I was immediately blinded by two techs shining a flashlight in my eyes. Off to a good start, eh?
"Take it slow, Jake." Max warned me through the intercom. "We need to check your motor control. Try touching your fingertips together..."
I was more concerned about my legs. The Avatar wasn't a bodybuilder by any means, but they looked far stronger than the noodles I was stuck with as a human. I move them around a bit, but there was a small bit of me who still believed that this was too good to be true.
They were kinda wobbly when I touched the concrete. Almost as if I was taking the first steps again. The tail made things even more awkward, unconsciously smashing a table with very expensive instruments as I spin. Thankfully, it doesn't take me long to get a handle on the controls.
"Easy, Jake, I need you to sit down..."
I wasn't having any of this. Ripping off the IV wires, I bolted out of the compound. Outside, the air feels less alien with my reptilian nostrils. What else can I say? It just felt that damn good getting my legs back.
I stop by the garden, which was growing some mushrooms. Really huge mushrooms. Everything seems to be bigger on this planet. I give it a whif out of curiosity. Earthly, like dirt. This place even smells good!
"Hey marine!"
Of course, Grace Augustine is the one to bring me back to reality. She leads the ecology research and the Avatar program for the RDA. Grace was one of the few at the start who despised how the security team treated the planet. She was sure to remind me of this every chance she got. Grace's Avatar was the same species as mine, but she opted for a more youthful body.
"Grace?"
"Well, who did you expect, numbbots? Think fast!"
She chucks one of the mushrooms at me. I catch it easily, and give her a confused look.
"What, you think I'm trying to poison you?" She laughed. "That species is safe for human and terran consumption. Some of the fungi in this jungle does have incredibly potent hallucinogenics. One bite will knock you out for at least a week."
I give her another dumbfounded look, and Grace sighed. This place felt amazing, but I wasn't quite comfortable foraging yet.
"Fine, have it your way. Motor control is looking good."
The next day would be my first sortie into the jungle. As the rest of the drivers entered the link room, Grace also took the time to enlighten me on the situation.
"That son of a bitch has screwed up this program enough. All this exists so that we can go out there and build a bridge of trust with these people, who can teach us so much. But thanks to Quaritch and his thugs murdering any Terran who passes by to 'maintain security', an honest relationship with the tribes is now impossible. Far too many skeletons in our closet at this point."
"Then how's this supposed to work?"
"We have a new face." She shifted her attention to Norm. "You're fluent, you've studied the culture. You're non-threatening. Each of the four tribes are made up of the local races, Archosaur, Liberi, and Pythia. We know the Archosaurian tribe the best, Wilderness Will. They are the most easygoing tribe, so it's still possible to get them back on the table before everything goes tits up."
Norm rolled his eyes. "This is failing as a pep talk."
Feeling dejected, I heave myself into the link chair. At the time, I didn't truly comprehend why Grace was so upset with the treatment of the locals. If what Quaritch said was true during with little speech, then the fact that any one of the natives could vaporize us with their magic was more than enough reason to subdue them lethally. Another important question rang in my mind.
"How do we contact them?"
"We don't. They contact us. If they see taking samples, treating the forest with respect-" She leers at me. "And not trampling everything in sight, they may begin to trust us."
"Or they may melt our skin and chew on our bones."
Grace had enough of my ignorance, shutting my chair closed with fury. Later that day, we flew over the rainforest in our Samson. Hell's Gate was built far away from any major settlements, and the trees below gave us ample cover. It would be several hours before we encountered any intelligent life. Grace also filled me in on another one of Terra's weird quirks; the rest of the planet didn't have much of an airforce. The largest weaponized aircraft the RDA discovered were drones, not even UAVs. They are remote-controlled through their magic. No satellites too, so the RDA essentially has full rein over Terran airspace. With UN support, a total military conquest should be easy, but that's what they said about Venezuela.
After admiring the untouched beauty of the jungle, the copter touched down, descending through a clearing of trees. Grace and Norm spent most of our time doing research, shedding light on this place's biology. Some of the trees were riddled with bullet holes and spears, but Grace wasn't in the mood.
This whole mission was feeling like another one of those nature documentaries. Unfortunately, I was quickly reminded why military service is 50% boredom and 50% terror.
Some sort of huge freakish rhino ambushed us. A "Hammerhead", from Grace's knowledge. The beast charged me, but just like Earth's titans, they often feint their attacks. It came to a stop after I shouted at it. Embarrassing, but I felt good about myself. Until I realized that there were bigger things out in this rainforest. A vaguely feline creature with 6 legs snarled at me from behind. After that, the rest was kind of a blur. I ended up on the other side of a waterfall, without my gun or my pack. No signs of the panther-from-hell or the rest of my team. Well, the only thing I could do at that point was look for help, alien or otherwise.
After stumbling through the brush with only a makeshift spear and my t-shirt for god knows how long, I finally find a sign of civilization. It was some sort of treaded vehicle. Not a tank, but it did have a cannon. And a giant buzzsaw for a hand. The machine was obviously improvised from several pieces of scrap metal and was still under construction, but I say it's just part of the charm.
Speaking of charm, there was a half-naked snake lady working on it.
Just like her robot, she simply wore whatever she could get her hands on. A couple scraps of cloth covering her goods and practically see-through jacket. Curiously, she did seem to take cues from modern fashion, such as her dyed hair and the aforementioned jacket. The power tools she had on her were pretty much a dead giveaway that she had a taste of the outside.
I lower my spear as I approach the stranger. "Uh, hi."
She simply continued to work on her machine, pounding in some nails with a hammer. Her tail functioned as a third arm, grabbing more nails from her toolbox.
"Hello?" I spoke louder.
She ignored me again.
"Euncetes, didn't I tell you it's rude to not greet guests?" A voice from above spoke.
It was a talking blue parrot, sitting in the driver's seat of the mech. Yeah, I know there's the anthropomorphic anaconda before me, but literal talking animals in this world caught me off guard. Grace didn't even mention anything about talking birds, but did bring up something about the "Liberi" before. The biology of this planet makes my head spin.
"You talk?" Is what immediately came out of my gaping mouth.
"I'm proficient in several of Terra's languages, yes. Your Sargon is on the weaker side of things, but I can't say no to the folk around here taking an interest in the rest of the world." The girl missed the cue, much to the bird's frustration. "Pardon me for a second."
He flew down from his perch and pecked on Enucete's head. This broke her trance.
"Ow! What's the deal, High Priest?" The parrot points to me with one of its feathers. Suddenly, she went from this flustered geek to a much more reserved person.
"Hmph! You are going to need more than a stick to beat my machine."
"I'm not looking for a fight."
"The Great Chief festival is today. The Tiacuh brawl with each other until one winner remains. We are constantly looking for an excuse to use our fists, and you aren't interested? Are you from the Committee?"
I was really wishing for Norm to back me out of this. As a Marine, you are expected to adapt to any possible situation. Close encounters with reptile people were not covered in training, so I had to improvise.
"Name's Sully, of the Jarhead Clan!" A bold display might work against Enucete's as with the Hammerhead.
"Never heard of them. And we are tribes, not clans." She shook her head with disappointment.
"Perhaps the demographics changed during your isolation, Eunectes." The High Preist mentioned.
"But you said the same tribes have existed here for ages!" She protested.
"Tribes can split up and divide over time. I believe you were planning to bring Acahulla under one with your whole 'Age of Machines' pitch."
That shut her up for a bit. Her tail even slacked off like a sad dog.
"You want to make a name for yourself and your Jarheads?" Eunectes' weakness faded away, scoffing back. "I will bring you the grounds out of courtesy. Not that you would last long. The current chief will destroy you in an instant."
I quickly caught on to her plan. "So you roll up with your mech and call it a day?"
"I need to teach her a lesson. Fists can't solve all of our problems."
"If you are trying to get this place to modernize, siccing that thing after their chief is sending the wrong message."
"It's the Ugly Thing. The language of these lands is violence, but after I defeat the chef, they will recognize the power of machinery. Anyone who gets in the way will be trampled. Let's roll, High Priest!"
The snake-lady didn't even bother to wait on her companion. She sprinted off at a blazing pace, leaving me and her bird in the dust. High Priest fumbles with the controls, and after a few failed attempts, the machine starts up. Kinda like an old lawnmower.
"Would you like a ride, Sully?" The bird offered.
I looked down at my legs. "No. I think I'm good."
"Alright, so the camp is Northward from here..."
I was gone by the time the parrot finished. Following Eunectes' tracks will lead me to wherever this festival is taking place. She may of had a head start, but I could still barely keep pace with her. The layout of the jungle was in the back of her head. No stray branches or rocks tripped her up. I realized at this point that these people were practically superhuman compared to us. Back before I lost my legs, running full sprint like this for more than a few minutes would be impossible. If I knew this place a little better, then could've caught Enucetes. I had a lot of questions at this point.
Once I got to the grounds proper, I had even more.
It took place in a massive clearing in the jungle. The RDA's logging teams hadn't touched the grounds at this point, so the locals must have done it all by themselves. Most of them were crocodile men. Not like me. They came with the full package, including the jaws, claws, and reptilian eyes. There were a couple of girls at the joint who was more presentable. Meaty tails, sharp ears, it was the same deal as me. I stuck out like a sore thumb otherwise, but the guys' focus was on Enucetes. The first dude who he arena was at least several pounds above her weight class.
"Pick on someone your own size!" I told the crocodile man, putting myself between the 2.
The crowd gossiped behind my back, but I didn't care at this point. Now I understood the purpose of Eunectes' secret weapon. She didn't stand a chance against those guys. Or so I thought.
"Well, look who showed up." The croc sneered. "You brought along a friend this time, since you are too scared to fight 1-on-1?"
"He's not with me." She responded in a strained tone.
"Then why is he shielding you like some sort of fairytale princess?"
"I'm not the kind of person who stands by when women are hurt, Steve." I responded back.
More chatter from the crowd. This time they were laughing at me. I was the butt of a joke I didn't understand, until shortly after.
All it took of one punch. Square, into the jaw of Ticuah. I was between the two, but Enucete's still found the time to maneuver around me and bring down the brute instantly. She was not just a skilled mechanic, but also found the time to become a boxing pro. The crowd erupted with cheering, but Enucete's still had that bored look on her face, as if decking a 250-pound crocodilian was part of her workout routine.
She then stared at me. "You want some too?"
I wasn't having any of this gladiator nonsense. Call it a tactical retreat if you will. There was plenty of Ticuah willing to throw themselves at her afterall. 2 different tribes jump in, and despite being outnumbered, Enucetes came out on top. Barely even a scratch as well. Hell, she could've slain the panther that got me in this mess.
"Yo." The green crocodile lady greeted me with a toothy smile. Oh, almost forgot about her. The rest of the tribespeople dressed in loose cloth, but she was in a combat vest just like the RDA's security. It was heavily stylized, ending in a short skirt too. She also carried along a staff with a medical cross. I didn't realize it at first, but I just stumbled into one of this place's casters. The same guys that Quaritch was hyping up when I first came here. Thankfully, she was a doctor, but how that woman goes about her profession is unorthodox, to say the least.
"First time I've seen one of you guys flee the ring. Saving your strengh until Zumama beats everyone, bud?"
"Uh, sure." I decided to play along.
"Then why were you..." She tried to hold back her laugher, but failed. "You do know that she's one of Acahulla's strongest, right? Next to myself, of course."
She looked apart of some PMC, like the RDA. I put 2 and 2 together, and realized that the medic was the damn Chief. I was expecting some guy in an elaborate head-dress, but this planet just loves to prove me wrong, huh?
"You do know that I'm the Chief, right?" She inquired.
"You don't make it very obvious."
The woman laughed again, and chatted with her other two pals. One was this youth in a black hood, but she had the largest, thickest tail of the entire tribe. Don't call me weird. I later found out that this place gets into heated arguments about tail size. Dick measuring, but on a cultural scale. How she sleeps with that big ol' club growing out of her back, I don't know.
"Tomini, do you know this guy? Don't remember cowards in this part of the jungle."
"Umm... I am not too sure myself. Maybe because of your return, more Tiacuah are coming out from secrecy to defeat you, Gavial!"
"Only Zumama treats the Great Chief Festival that seriously. She's gotten way stronger than last time."
"Oh yeah, it's kinda scary, but I'm sure you will beat her Gavial! Just like always!"
"Thanks, but we also have a wildcard this year."
"You mean the new guy? Now that I think of it, he reminds me of Dr Augustine."
"Huh." Gavial's smile wavered for a bit, but she started teasing the girl. "You've been making a lot of new friends since I left, Tomini."
"Wa-, no! It's not like that! She is just an independent researcher who really loves our culture!"
"So this scientist got stranded here just like myself?" The hooded man with the two spoke up.
He obviously wasn't a part of the local tribes. His heavy clothing should've cooked him long ago in this heat. From head to tow, thick polyester encased his body, with a visor covering up his face. Never got to know his name, but he was one of the big brass of a pharmaceutical company named Rhodes Island. That was their cover story. Let's just say that they are practically a PMC, just like the RDA.
"No, she came down here willingly. Last time I saw her around, Dr Augustine said something about saving the environment. She was all huffy about the trees, but we explained why the rest of Sargon leaves us alone."
"Yeah, there's nothing much of value to those warlords," Gavial spoke with a hint of venom. "If you're a bit more open-minded, this place has plenty of precious treasures!" She smiled mischievously at Tomini, who blushed. "I gotta meet this Augustine."
Yes, they were that laid back. Even the buff crocodile-men seemed to be doing this for fun rather than to death. By now, I seriously questioned why the RDA brought along Quaritch and his crew. I knew they were planning on taking over the rest of Terra, but the Ticuah could probably get along just fine with us. Hell, Enucetes (Or Zumama) was already obsessed with machinery and created a makeshift AMP Suit. Holding hands, singing together, arguing over tails... I would gladly take that over my crappy situation at home.
Fate often has different ideas, if being a Marine has taught me anything.
Anyways, Gavial joined the brawl shortly after. Tomini said that she wasn't looking for a fight. She just needed Zumama's expertise to repair the Doctor's aircraft. I thanked Tomini for the heads-up, because she seemed way too eager to fight her old friend. Definitely not the wisest village chief around.
They throw a couple punches at each other. Unlike the rest of the warriors, Gavial can handle a few blows from Zumama just fine. It was far from their first scrap. I couldn't hear what they said over the rowdy crowd, but I'm good with faces. Gavial took it well, as chipper as ever.
Snake Girl, meanwhile, was not playing around.
The mech from before stomped onto the site. It blew Gavial away with its main gun, even taking out a chunk of the temple. Grace would probably lose her mind if she saw that. The rest of the Tiacuah were silenced. Zumama just declared war on their culture, their way of life, and had nothing more to say.
"What the hell is going on?" I told Tomini. I couldn't hold back my language. "We know that's complete bullshit. You are just going to let her gun down the Chief?"
"There's not really any rules for the competition." She responded meekly. "The last man standing is usually declared the winner, but most Tiacuah are too prideful to try dirty tricks."
"An honor system..." Tomini gasped, realizing what I was about to do. "I'm going in."
Rushing in, I can see Zumama's parrot pal trying to fire the cannon again. He never gets a chance before I get within range. Either Zumama planned on bringing one shell with Gavial's name on it, or the makeshift weapon overheated. No matter how you slice it, I was damn lucky.
I'm able to match Zumama's strength. It still messes with my head seeing that woman defeat hundreds of tribal warriors with her bare fists. I assumed the same applied to me since I wasn't strangled by Snake Girl just yet. Or poisoned. Thank God she wasn't half-cobra.
Unfortunately, she was half-constrictor. Zumama's tail was long enough to completely restrain my arms and legs.
"Looks like Gavial isn't the only one who can put up a good fight." She spoke in a condescending tone. I could smell her voice. No venom, but still, her words stung. "If you were acting like an idiot to drop my guard, you failed."
I had one major advantage over the rest of the Tiacuah. Never really trained for CQC involving lizard people, but the same should apply to my Avatar. My limbs were still retrained, so I had to improvise. Again.
Leaning back, I headbutt Zumama, bashing her's with mine. Her vice grip loosens, takes a couple steps back while clutching her forehead.
"You got a thick skull under there." My head was a little sore, but damn, that felt good! I can see why these crocs brawl from dusk to dawn.
"My point still stands." She hissed, teeth clenched. "If I accounted for Gavial not being the only fool around here, my Ugly Thing would've stomped you. That's the power of machines, you can mold them into whatever form you please. The only limit is your imagination."
The crowd erupted into cheers. Get a load of this, the Tiacuah were actually impressed with the robot that blew up their temple and their former chief. They stormed the stage and made off with their new queen. I had to jump out of the way, cause even though they had no intention to fight me, multiple tribes worth of Ticauh trampling over me would be rather unpleasant. The only guys left were the few who remained loyal to Gavial, including a few new followers of my own.
"Whoa, I can't believe you stood up to Eunectes like that!"
"Even her metal monster was afraid!"
"What's the name of your tribe, 'cause I wanna join!"
Going from a forgotten veteran to a heroic figure in just a few days was utterly cathartic. When I was first put into cryosleep, I didn't know what kind of world I would wake to. Horror stories circulated on Earth about encounters with Terra's less polite organisms. Not just panther. Vicious alien lifeforms are everywhere on this planet. I can't believe just how much the top brass underestimated the monsters of this world. "Aliens" is putting it too lightly, but I'll get there.
Anyways, the carefree lifestyle of Acahulla was really started to rub off on me at this point. I really should've gone clean. It would jeopardize the RDA's plans for this region, but I didn't give a shit. I was off Earth, surrounded by dozens of friendly faces, and I could use my legs again.
I won the lottery of life.
"Sully, of the Jarhead Tribe!"