Chapter 1
Private Carter Berkley had been charged with high treason. There were rumors that he had been set up, suspicions of his innocence, and many suspected it to be true. But that didn’t change the fact that he was accused of high treason, and every manner of pomp and circumstance had been prepared nonetheless. The sight of a military tribunal with bright lights pointed already at the weary prisoner flashed and beamed in the eyes of an already condemned man who couldn’t even see his accusers and the officials he stood in the presence of. “All rise, the honorable judges Harry Laurence, Darrel Wilfrey, and James Pierceson!” a voice said within the court. The court rose as the defendant began to shake while he rose to his feet and didn’t raise his head to look at the officials.
“You may be seated,” Harry ordered. The court sat down as Carter dropped to his chair eager to rest as if ready to pass out from exhaustion. “This is a hearing into the matter of Private Carter Berkley; the charge is high treason against the United Earth’s Military Space Colonies. How says the defendant say?” Harry asked.
Carter Berkley rose with the military lawyer prescribed to him. “Not guilty!” Carter Berkley said weakly. Harry looked at Carter’s beaten form all bloodied and bruised, and how exhausted he was.
“Private Carter, have you been attempting to do yourself physical harm before entering into this court?” Harry asked. Carter looked at him with tears in his eyes as he started crying, as if too terrified to say anything.
“N-no, your honor. Your honor, may I be given permission to speak?” Carter asked.
“Proceed,” Harry said with a more attentive look.
“Your honor, judges of this court, before I was brought here, I was shamefully beaten, bruised, and threatened by multiple high ranking officials who threatened to kill me if I plead not guilty and threatened to kill my wife, my children, and seize everything I own if I didn’t do what they said!” Carter exclaimed as he wept bitterly. Harry looked at the other judges as they looked at each other.
“Private Carter, what did these high ranking officials look like?” Harry asked.
I couldn’t see their faces, but I saw two of the ranks. They ambushed me while I was on the way here at around nine hundred hour earth time, pinned my face down to the floor so I couldn’t identify their faces, physically beat me and bruised me while I was pinned down on the ground, and threatened me! One was a Major General rank two, and the other an Admiral of one of the major fleets! If you check the security cameras between the hallways forty two and forty three of sector B, you can find that my allegations were true!” Private Carter exclaimed. Harry took off his glasses and looked at the other judges as they began to whisper quietly towards each other.
“Very well, Private Carter, I will order an investigation of these allegations and make sure the security cameras are checked to verify that your assertions are true. Until then, you are to remain under protective custody and guarded under solitary confinement until we can confirm the truth about all of this. The court is adjourned!” Harry said as the gavel sounded in the court.
“All rise!” a Voice said in the court. The judges exited stage left of the court while guards put Private Carter in handcuffs and Carter’s lawyer looked at him with concern.
“Private. We’re going to get you through this. If you are innocent on this matter, we will get you through this,” the Military Lawyer encouraged. Private Carter nodded with tears in his eyes as the soldiers took him out of the court. The Lawyer looked at his client as Private Carter looked like he was about to break down in tears and the suffering he was enduring. His face showed a sense of compassion for his brother in arms and the agony he was going through.
“Something about this whole situation doesn’t feel right,” the Lawyer said to himself.
...
Private Carter sat in solitary confinement with tears in his face and the palms of his hands to his face as he wept bitterly over the circumstances, and the consequences of his defiance. He had done what was right, but now everything he had loved and cared for was threatened by the piggish behavior of a few and elite domineering military leaders who would see him and all that he had killed for the sake of fulfilling whatever goals they had. The thought of his family being murdered for standing up against what was wrong and evil, and never to see his wife and his daughters ever again. It tormented him to see all that he loved unprotected, and he felt powerless to change his situation. The lights flickered off from his cell as he noticed them come off and on. He became more alert as he noticed an object approaching from deep space, and the entire space station power down as the object collided with one of the entry ways of the space station and an explosion could be heard from its direction. Gunfire and the sound of blasters were heard going back and forward, with human blood and bluish alien blood splattered from the bullet fire. Private Carter arose from his seat as he looked up at the battle raging on, and the sight of soldiers coming towards him and the guardsmen with papers in hand. “Let him go! I have information and orders from the high command that this man is innocent!” a Soldier ordered. The guards opened the cell door as Private Carter began to step out of the prison. He wobbled a bit, then fell to the floor gasping as the soldiers picked him up.
“It’s alright, Carter, you’re safe. You were right to mention the camera’s, and it’s become obvious to the high command that your false accusation was a distraction for what’s just happened,” the Military Lawyer said.
*The sound of an explosion comes from down the hallway and the screams of dying soldiers and the sound of ungodly, monstrous screams could be heard from behind sealed doors.*
“We need to get out of here, now! We’re under attack by an unidentified alien force! Give the private a weapon and let’s move out!” an older gray Soldier ordered. An automatic rifle was given to him as he looked over to the sealed door, and saw blue blood splattered over the exits on the other side of the room.
“Alert! This is an order from the high command! All UEMSC forces are to make for the lifepods and to crash land on the planet below us! Regather and regroup once you reach ground zero!” the Voice on the intercom said.
“You heard him! Let’s move over to the lifepods!” the old gray Soldier declared.
“The nearest set of lifepods are down the hallway and to our right! According to my device, none have been used thus far. If we head there now, we can make our escape through lifepods!” a Female Soldier said.
“Lead the way, Private!” the Old Gray Soldier ordered. They ran down the hallway and turned to the left, and saw human blood had been splattered all throughout the lifepod hangars. The Old Gray Soldier pointed to two of the soldiers from behind the corner and signaled for them to slowly check the perimeter. They slowly approached the lifepods without making a sound as they stepped, and then looked at the lifepods and noticed that no one was there.
“Captain! The area’s clear! There’s no one, ARGH!” the Soldier screamed in horror as the sound of blood being splattered was heard from behind. The Captain turned and aimed his weapon, and looked in horror as a large fleshy ball with stems with eyes on each stem, and a large eyeball at the center was devouring the fallen soldier and the other soldier was preparing to fire at it. The sound of a rifle showering the aberration with gunfire emerged as a horrid monstrous scream was heard as the monster fell to the floor lifeless with half of the soldier’s body in its mouth. The Captain looked in horror at the sight of the monstrous, lifeless creature that had attacked them. It’s horrific features and ungodly appearance, and how it so easily waited for its prey to come into its mouth.
“I fear in our ambition for exploration, we may have only discovered and awoken such imminent horrors, destruction, and abominations for daring the wrath of the heavens, and to reach for what mankind ought not to in the cold, dark, deep, and lonely abyss, and in the uncharted depths of deep space,” the Captain noted. The Private gulped as they considered the Captain’s words.
“We need to get out of here, now,” the Private suggested.
“That we do, Private. Everyone gets inside. Private. Cover our defense while everyone gets on board,” the Captain ordered. The blonde female kept watch as the men went into the ship.
“Okay, everything’s clear and everyone’s on board. Get in here, Private!” the Captain ordered. The female soldier attempted to walk towards the escape pod nearest to her position, but a tentacle wrapped itself by her heel and forcibly pulled her to the corner as she screamed for help. She held onto the corner and screamed as the Captain rushed out of the escape pod, withdrew his pistol and opened fire at a red, four legged aberration with tentacles coming out of its back and gnashing fangs and a tongue reaching out to devour the Private. The alien screamed in agony as it fell to the floor lifeless, while the Captain took the Private and escorted her to the escape pod and the doors to the pods sealed shut. “Prepare to take off! Get us to ground zero and get me all the information we have on the planet! Private, try to make contact with the other UEMSC forces who have already taken off and are on the planet!” the Captain ordered.
“Already on it, Cap!” the Blonde female Private said. Private Carter looked as the Space station was being relentlessly assaulted by alien ships that looked like warped and rotted brown and green cocoons that were attaching themselves to the space station. But as the escape pod fell closer to the planet’s surface, the pods all detached and the space station started exploding from within. Carter took note of the space stations exploding, until it finally blew up and the burning debris began to scatter throughout space.
“Whatever we are dealing with, it’s clearly organized and has some manner of intelligence to form and pilot their own boarding crafts, launch an assault against a space station, plant explosives within it, and then organize an escape from the station before the detonation takes off. Looks like we barely made it out in time,” Private Carter noted. The Captain looked out and his eyes became stern as the space station was blown up.
“These monsters will pay for this. Private! How many other lifepods made it off the station?” the Captain asked. The Private looked in shock as there were no other signals coming from anywhere.
“Captain, we may be the only survivors that made it out alive,” the Private suggested. Private Carter sighed at the news while the Captain remained stern as he considered all that had happened, and the possibility of being the only survivors left.
“I am now assuming command of this squadron. We work as a team. Until we can be certain that we are the only remaining survivors of earth, our focus is to assure our survival and keep a low profile until we can potentially identify and regroup with any remaining survivors on the planet. What is the name of the planet?” the Captain asked.
“Planet Yashogg. The whole planet is one large swamp river with trees and swamp murk all over the place,” the Private replied. The Captain rolled his eyes.
“How appropriate for such disgusting and wretched abominations,” the Captain scolded.
...
The escape pod had crashed landed on elder trees roots that had barely dented the form of the crashed vessel. The Captain slowly creaked the glass door of the escape pod to get a gaze out near the swamp area. The murky swamp waters were undisturbed by any movement throughout the perimeter. “The area looks clear for now. Just be careful about stepping into the waters. There’s solid ground near our right. Step out one by one that way,” the Captain ordered.
“Captain! As we dropped down, I tracked multiple escape pods falling and landing approximately three hundred yards due north and two hundred yards west from our location, and some of our smaller supply ships hovering around the area. Perhaps the high command was able to secure some of our birds and stock them with everything we need to help coordinate an effective resistance on the planet,” the Female Private suggested. The Captain sighed at the news that they weren’t the only human beings left on the planet. “Well at least we won’t run out bullets to shoot with anytime soon, so that’s good. We will split up. One battle group will move west towards the first escape pod and check to see if any survivors made it when they landed. The second will do the same with the northern location. One we have identified and regrouped with all the survivors that are left within our groups, we will meet back here at this escape pod. Then we can plan our next move and see if any of the high command made it off alive from the space station so we can make contact with them. You five, get to the west location. The rest of you: we move north. We regroup once we have gathered all the remaining survivors and see if we can make contact with the high command,” the Captain ordered. Private Carter looked at the other soldiers as they were about to move.
“Is there any way we can attempt to make contact with them before we move so we can coordinate a more effective search? Is there any radio frequencies we can use or can you use the tablet you have to make contact with them? Private Carter asked. The Female Private punched in a couple buttons and a ringing sound was made.
“H-Hello?” a Voice asked.
“This is Private Elizabeth Jameson of the UEMSC. To whom am I speaking with?” Elizabeth asked.
“This is Private Richard Dickerson of the UEMSC. W-We crash landed on the swamp world of Yashogg. W-We’re going to need immediate back up if we want to live!” Richard explained.
“We’re also survivors two hundred yards west of your location. I have sent you a mark of our location. There is another group I need to make contact with to see if we can get all the survivors linked together to coordinate our next move. Move towards our location so we can call for evac from the high command and get a bird to pick us up. Send me a call when you’re near,” Elizabeth instructed.
“Y-yes Private. Over and out!” Richard said as the call dropped.
“Well that was easier than a search. Let’s get the other squad linked up and ready to go. The rest of you cover my back while I make the next call,” Elizabeth instructed. Private Carter looked at the Captain as the Captain nodded his head.
“Good thinking. Even when you’re worn out and beaten to death by a bunch of pigs, you’re still doing well. Terrible crime that was done to you, son. Don’t worry! We will set this right and bring the traitors to justice!” the Captain encouraged. Private Carter gave a sigh.
“If I can just make it off this wretched murk world and get back to see my family alive and unscathed after those monsters threatened my own, I would be content,” Private Carter confessed.
...
The sound of alien spaceships emerging into the shaft of a large alien destroyer ship were seen as they landed onto the alien docking bay, and three humans emerged from one of the smaller ships as a large, metal covered alien with a metal mask covering his face but with long, blue fingers with claws extending from his fingertips could be seen as he held his arms over his chest crossed, as if he was waiting. The three military leaders approached the alien alpha as the alien gazed coldly as the leaders. “Well, that went much better than we expected, right?” the Major General flippantly said.
“And you think the destruction of your kind is some kind of amusing game? I thought you humans fought with honor and distinction. It almost makes me wonder whether I should trust a couple traitors to your own people,” the Alien said with a deep voice.
“We just gave you the entire space station and allowed you to make your move against our kind with impunity. You’ve barely lost any of your legions in the attack, and you have your enemies cowering in the dirt where they belong and where you want. Let’s not forget that we have upheld our end of the bargain, warlord,” the Major General suggested.
“Don’t patronize me, pup. Let’s not forget whose presence you are in. I will warn you: I have little patience for mutinous, honorless, spineless vermin who would betray us. Your aid to us has been of some benefit, although given how the attack went, we could have done it without you either way. Our race, unlike yours, has a code of honor we stick to, and mutiny against our own for the sake of gain or advantage is exceedingly frowned upon in our society. You humans will sell your own kind the moment you perceive you’re in a disadvantageous position in order to secure your lives, rather than fight harder and become more deadly than your enemy to claim victory on the battlefield. Be warned: I’m keeping you lapdogs on short leashes. Your fighting skills, intelligence, and tactical abilities had best make up for your lack of ferocity and your apparent lack of honor which is disgusting in my eyes,” the Alien Warlord sternly warned.
“Trust me, warlord, you have yet to see how fierce we humans can be,” the Major General warned.
“We shall see, pup,” the Alien Warlord growled.
