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29: Dust and Ashes
“I still believe it is a bad idea” ACE told Basil, concluding his thoughts on why Basil should not be present when they took their fight to the Lizard King. “You knew you couldn’t change my mind going in, didn’t you? I’m the only one who can control the technology, and it will only be a few seconds before I open the wormhole.” Basil replied, pausing momentarily and adding the real reason for going.
Read more…28: Regrouping
Basil stepped into the pressurized room; waiting for it to equalize to the jet’s pressure before finally stepping back into Domum. The seemingly endless boxes of food and medical supplies were already almost gone. Endless to him, perhaps, but nothing to an army – even a significantly thinned-out one. At least, if nothing else, they would have some energy for tonight. Basil stepped out of the jet, passing Grey going up the steps in the opposite direction, before making his way towards Spiro at the bottom of the jet.
Read more…27: Fourth Variable Field Test
As soon as Basil had been caught up on their immediate situation he began to inquire about the Redcaps’s supply situation. Instead of ACE answering, however, Grey answered. “I spoke to their” Grey paused momentarily, as if searching for a word. “General. He said they have none. Some drank from the craft’s water reserve, but it is now empty.” Basil thought for a moment and prompted Grey with a question. “We’re on the same side; I can trust you, right?
Read more…25: An Explosive Deception
“They’re too spread out, we don’t have enough explosives to thin them out” Basil yelled over ringing ears to Cicero, who had returned to the group by the craft. As he spoke they saw another group forming by one of the buildings along the wall. Whoever was commanding the Lizard King’s men was smart, knowing that the bombs would stop if they didn’t gather in the center of the courtyard. What they did not realize, however, was that ACE had no hesitation about bombing the walls; but had hesitation wasting the few explosives clearing small groups.
Read more…24: From Victory to Last Stand
General Edwards stood in front of a small group of soldiers as two others approached. “Do you have an update on the different machine that appears to be hovering?” he asked as soon as they made it within earshot. “No sir, it just circles us and has not done anything since arriving.” The second soldier spoke unprompted, speaking with an air of urgency. “Sir, the other machine was recently spotted providing equipment to the Lizard King’s soldiers.
Read more…23: An ACE up his sleeve
As soon as there was a lull in the conversations Basil asked the question that had been on the backburner since arriving. “Would there be any crafts, wormhole technology, or anything else that we could scavenge to get us back?” Grey shook her head, an apparently universal gesture. “Nothing that could create a wormhole would be here, I was told that every one of those systems was destroyed.” She paused for a moment, hesitating as if the information she had was almost not worth sharing, but continued to speak.
Read more…22: Prisoners of Different Kinds
“Are you speaking to me? I do not speak Elthrice?” “You’re a synthetic mind and you do not speak Elthrice?” “I am not an Elthrice ‘Synthetic Mind.’ You said it yourself, all the Elthrice synthetic minds are dead.” “That’s what I was told, but I was also told that there were no devices that could make doorways. What did you call them?” “Wormholes?” “Yes, I was told there were no more wormhole devices either.
Read more…21: Proper Introductions
As time passed the five prisoners began to take stock of their situation. Basil did his best to better clean and treat his injuries, greatly regretting that his painkillers were forgotten on another planet. The being, which Basil had been referring to as ‘Grey’ - which did not seem to object to the name - elaborated further on how they had gotten into their predicament. From what she had been told, the person that could best be described as their captain or admiral had an Orbital’s genetics without possessing an Orbital’s device or title and had been aligned with the fight against the tyrannical Elthrice.
Read more…20: Faux Orbital
Basil walked through the door of the crashed craft in an attempt to take advantage of the situation. He stepped into what appeared to be some sort of cockpit or command center with what looked to be some sort of control panel which seemed to have no interface of any kind. The being was on the ground, covering its face with its arm while simultaneously keeping its palms extended in what Basil expected was a fairly universal sign of surrender.
Read more…19: Improper Introductions
Basil was left in a daze as he hit the ground, finally becoming aware of his situation as he felt himself sliding down the metal ramp that had just finished re-opening. He became very aware of his situation as panic surged through him while he began to fall, but only fell about two feet and hit the ground below the hovering craft. Pain surged through his left arm as he landed face-first in soft dry dirt.
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