Galaxy of Empires- Space Pirates Episode #1 (9 page)

Che says, “Heading there at sub-light speed.
ETA three hours.”

“Very well.”

Mcloud’s leg falls off and hits the ground.
Meek sighs.

***

Three hours pass by and the weary pirates are
descending on an unnamed jungle planet to make repairs. They find a
small clearing next to some old ruins that have centuries of
overgrowth covering them. The ruins are barely recognizable. They
land in the clearing. There also appears to be a large cave
entrance north of their location. They open up the exit hatch and
pile out. The whole area is green with jungle and wet from a recent
rain.

Chad is looking at his sensor scanner says,”
Odd, there is a man-made energy source inside that cave.”

Meek says, “That is okay. We got two hours to
kill, so let’s go check it out. Che, Python, Chad, grab some lights
and weapons. Sean, Mcloud, and Cogg, fix the ship.”

The first three grab some gear from the ship
and meet the Captain outside. Python passes out the blasters to
Chad and Meek. Che has a six-foot magical staff with a glowing
skull. Che shapeshifts the lower part of her body to spider legs
and a rear end. Her upper torso remains unchanged.

“Feels good to stretch my real legs. That
ship is so cramped. Besides, if we run into something that is going
to eat us, I need to be able to outrun you guys, he-he,” Che
giggles.

“Very funny,” Chad remarks, not amused by
this revelation.

Meek interrupts, “Let’s head out. Keep com
badges on at all times.”

The two humans, the Snakekin, and the
Arachnid start marching toward the large cave entrance. After
wading through the high wet grass for about 10 minutes, they arrive
at the mouth of the large cave. The sunlight peers in a good chunk
of the entrance but tapers off into the blackness. Chad checks his
instrument, which is pointing straight in. The group heads in the
cave, noting the large rock formations and stalagmites in the
ceiling and floors. They see that there are entrances to small
tunnels on all sides of the main cave. They also see a bunch of
egg-shaped rocks that stand about two meters high and wide.

“Those boulders are made out of pure
feldspar. The signal is coming from the fourth tunnel on the
right,” Chad says.

“Too bad those are not made of silver, gold,
or platinum or some other expensive material,” Che adds.

“Yeah, too bad. Did you say pure feldspar?”
Meek inquires.

“100%.”

“Umm, didn’t think that was possible
naturally,” Meek wonders.

They come up to the fourth tunnel entrance
and start to go deeper into the darkness. They go down the tunnel
and notice some footprints on the floor.

“Nay chut fir blaz,” Che utters as her staff
brightens so bright it sheds light about 30 meters down the
tunnel.

Meek says, “Footprints…don’t look that old.
Be on alert folks. Python scout out in front. “

Python grumbles, “Why do I always get picked
to go down the creepy hallway of death first?”

Meek says, “It is your job, Mr.
Guns-a-blazing.”

Che says, “Grow a spine; besides someone
needs to get eaten first to give the Captain time to run those
flabby tires down the tunnel to get away in time.”

Python shoots the middle finger at Che and
starts down the tunnel with his two pistols drawn. The other three
follow, but let him lead by a few meters. They come down to a
four-way intersection. Chad points to the right. They turn and head
down making a few more turns. They come up to a metal door at the
end of one of the tunnels. Python starts to grab the door handle
when Che says, “Stop, you retard, it could be booby trapped. Back
up.” Python backs up. Then Che chants, “Gy heu by wai.” The area
lights up with laser beams sprouting all over the door.

“Magical trap,” Che says, “Not tu wes payui.”
The lasers disappear.

“Try it now.”

Python tries to open the door, but it is
locked.

Chad gets out a kit with some tools. “Let the
Master do his work,” Chad says in a bragging tone. He works the
lock for about 12 minutes as the others start to get impatient.

Che urges, “Can the Master speed it up some?
Us mere mortals are getting tired of waiting.”

He tries the door, and it still locked. He
continues to work on the lock. Meek picks up the mat in front of
the door and sees a key card under it. He picks up the key card and
slides it in the electronic reader on the wall just behind where
Chad is working. The door unlocks and opens. Chad, not knowing what
Meek had done, says, “See I told you the Master could do it.” Che
and Python look at each other and chuckle.

“You are the Master, “Che says sarcastically,
“of wasting time.” They walk in to a room that lightens up
automatically into what seems to be a laboratory.

“To big to be research. I am thinking
manufacturing,” Che says.

Meek comments, “It is a Jack lab. Jack is an
illegal Wolfkin recreational drug that is highly addictive and
causes Wolfkins to hallucinate. Problem is that it is so addictive
people overdose on it a lot. Looks like they just finished a batch
and went to sell it, judging by these empty bins over here.”

Python says with hope, “Drug smugglers got
money somewhere.”

Che chants again, “Nog mah jue kit.” Her eyes
light up and she scans the room.

“Wall in the back has a safe in it. It is
magically hidden and trapped. I can remove the traps on the
outside, but any trap on the inside will still be intact,” Che
says, walking over to the spot on the wall.

“Juty say can tyyu.” The illusion disappears
and the safe is visible.

“Well, which of you have a pair of steel
balls?” Che asks.

Meek says, “I will try it.” He walks over to
the wall with the safe in it and grabs the handle to open it while
the others are running to the other end of the room.

“Wait until we get out of the blast range,”
Python blurts out loudly.

Meek jumps backward after being startled,
“Dam it, don’t say that when I am about to open it.”

“Sorry, Boss.”

Meek sighs and grabs the handle again
muttering,” Here goes nothing.”

“Can I have your stuff if you die?” Chad adds
just as Meek is about it pull the lever.

“DAM IT, would guys shut up for just a
minute, please?” Meek yells, becoming very irritated.

Silence overtakes the room. Meek continues
and pulls the lever the safe door opens. Nothing happens. He sees
four small bags with drawstrings. He takes the bags out and puts
them on the table. He opens one of them and dumps the contents on
the table. Sparking white rocks glitter in the light.

“Diamonds,” Meek says.

“Whoa, a lot of rocks there! Finally, some
money,” Chad says with excitement.

Che says, “Definitely a girl’s best friend,”
with a glint of bling in her eyes and a smile on her face.

Chad’s sensor pad starts beeping. He looks at
it and says, “Silent alarm just started transmitting when you
opened the safe.”

“Bloody hell, let’s get out of here before we
have guests,” Meek says, grabbing the four bags and putting them in
his backpack.

“Roger that,” they say in agreement.

They exit the room and run up the tunnel
trying to remember which way they came in.

“Where the hell are we? Which way did we come
in?” Meek asks Chad.

“Umm, not sure,” Chad says, scratching his
head looking at his sensor pad.

“You didn’t map it with your pad, you dork?”
Che says.

“I forgot to set it on mapping,” Chad says,
“Sorry, guys.”

Che tosses up her hands and says, “Great, we
are lost in the middle of a maze of tunnels with no map and drug
dealers on the way to kill us. Maybe they just kill Chad; the
person wearing the red shirt always dies first. “

Chad says with alarm, “What?”

Meek says, “Shut up. Let’s go down this
tunnel. Take this piece of chalk and just put an X every few feet.
“

Chad says, “Okay.”

Che sneeringly says, “Yeah, so it will be
easier for the drug dealers to find us, why don’t you just put
arrows to help them out even more?”

Meek says, “You got a better idea?”

“Nope.”

“Then shut up and let’s go.”

They head down a winding tunnel that has a
fork at the end. They go left and travel about 30 meters until they
get to an underground river. They can feel a breeze coming from the
left as they look and see the river goes upward to the left.

“Bet that breeze is a way out,” Meek
says.

“Yeah, probably,” Che agrees.

They begin walking up the riverbank as it
winds left and right then straight and begins to widen. The cavern
gets larger as they start to hear strange noises echoing farther in
front of them.

“What in the hell is that noise?” Meek
asks.

Che strains her ears, “Sounds like
croaking.”

Chad questions, “You mean like as in
frogs?”

“Yeah, sounds like it.”

They enter a larger chamber of the cavern and
see large frogs scattered all over the riverbanks on both sides.
The frogs are about two meters tall and one meter wide. The
croaking sound is very loud and the chambers’ echo effect makes it
much worse.

“Can’t freaking hear anything!” Meek says
loudly.

“Those are some wanking big-ass frogs!” Che
yells over the noise.

“Let’s try and hug the river so we don’t
bother them. They are mostly on the river banks!” Meek yells
back.

Python says,” I hope those are not brain
sucking frogs or something.”

“Then you have nothing to worry about, “Che
snaps back.

Chad says, “Zing!”

Python makes a rude gesture at Che. Che
sarcastically blows him a kiss back.

They nod in agreement and begin walking
cautiously down the river’s edge. They are about to pass the frogs
when a frog jumps out of the river surprising the group and
knocking them down. They get up quickly and begin to run, but the
frog lashes out his long sticky tongue and catches Meek’s leg,
knocking him down again.

“It’s got the boss, boys!” Che hollers
loudly.

They turn around and try pulling the boss
hard. His pants come flying off and they all fall down again. The
group gets back up to run again, but another frog in the water
jumps out and shoots his tongue out with lightning speed, hitting
Meek’s bare bottom. Meek tries to run but the tongue is firmly
attach to his buttocks.

Python says, “Screw this.”

He pulls out his blasters and shoots the frog
in the head. The head explodes and cuts the tongue off. Meek falls
forward with a long sticky frog tongue stuck to his nude behind.
Python shoots the other one as well, but all the commotion agitates
the other frogs on the bank and they start jumping toward the
crewmembers.

“Run!” Chad yells.

The group starts running down the riverbank
with Meek right behind them running in pirate boots with no pants
while dragging the big frog tongue stuck to his behind. Meek is
trying to keep up, but the big tongue is flailing around and
slowing him down some. They run between to big rocks that are about
four meters tall. Che turns around and cast a huge spider web net
that attaches to both big rocks.

“That should keep those peckers from
following us,” Che says as they stop out of breath.

Chad looks at Meek and says, “That gives a
whole new meaning to tongue and cheek.”

“Or kiss my buttocks,” Che snickers. They all
laugh, except Meek.

“Very funny, ho-ho, ha-ha,” Meek says, not
really in the mood. He gets up and tries to wrap the tongue around
himself in a skirt-like fashion, but the tongue is too thick and
sticky.

Meek grumbles, “I will never hear the end of
this.” He gets up and walks down the river with his new tail
dragging in the dirt.

The other three catch up to him and continue
through the cavern as it expands. They travel quite a distance
before entering the last chamber where they see light peering in on
the river at the end. This chamber is the largest of the chambers
they have been through. They see a lot of those two-meter
egg-shaped feldspar rocks littering the riverbanks. They continue
walking to the entrance, not seeing the two enormous yellow
eyeballs in the shadows watching them as they pass by.

“The rock formation in front us looks like a
snake,” Python says.

At that moment, Meek puts it all together,
“That isn’t a snake, it is a tail—run!” The egg-shaped feldspar
rocks are Space Dragon droppings.

The massive Black Rock Dragon lets out an
earthshaking roar and the whole area trembles. The group scampers
out the entrance of the cave into the jungle, as they hear giant
footsteps stomping in their direction. The dragon comes out of the
entrance as it spreads its overshadowing black wings. It is truly a
sight to see. The dragon is charcoal black with a rocky surface,
which distinguishes it from Metal Space Dragons. Rock Space Dragons
consume rocks and dirt, while Metal Space Dragons seek a higher
metal content in their food. Rock varieties are usually much less
intelligent and most do not have the ability to talk, as their
metal counterparts can.

The gang of pirates is running through jungle
not paying attention to the direction they are traveling. They cut
through many different types of plant life and trees that have
assorted bright colors.

“I don’t think it is following us,” Chad says
out of breath. They group pauses to rest a moment and gather their
bearings. Chad checks his scanner.

“Need to head north, about a kilometer. The
ship is that way,” Chad suggests.

“Being chased by a dragon sucks,” Python
says, looking back to make sure the dragon is not following.

“What are you complaining about? You’re not
running through the jungle with your twig and berries flopping in
the breeze and with a frog tongue stuck to your ass,” Meek says
wrapping a big green leaf around his waist.