Star Raiders and the Lost Expidition (23 page)

“
Where are they?” Xman asked worryingly.

CRAIG replied, “I don’t know, they are not on the scopes. They must have cloaked themselves.”

He did not like that. Xman wanted to know what was going on. He decided to call them on his secured COM once more, “Mike...” No one answered he called, “Mike, this is Xman, do read me?” Still no response. He frowned and said uneasily, “Something’s wrong.”

“
Maybe it’s a glitch in their auditory system,” CRAIG suggested.

“
I doubt it,” Xman returned. “I think it’s time to go in.”

“
Go In? Our orders were to stay until Mike responds.” CRAIG informed Xman, “Besides, do you know our chances of surviving a whole armada imperial fleet by ourselves?”

“
I don’t care,” Xman shot back as he thrust his engines, “Mike’s in trouble. I think he needs us now.”

Hiss was now the temporary commander for Hades. When he had gotten reports of a cloaked ship passing their sensors, he was furious. He told them that they were lucky that Drax was not there to hear this, as he would have them killed. He tried to call him on the radio, but he did not receive anything. It was dead. He then got worried. What if he died in that crash he saw before? Just then, an officer who was monitoring the radar screen saw another ship coming in from the southeast below the y-axis. He had to be on the bridge as he relived Captain Tah form his duties.

“
Commander Hiss,” an officer reported, “There’s another ship approaching.”

“
What it’ss classs?”

“
A Felinoron fighter ship.”

“
How many?” Tah asked.

“
Just one sir.”

“
Jussst One?” Hiss wondered as they looked at the officer. Why would the Felinoron send a single fighter ship, not unless he was not alone? It could be a trick, but this time he was ready. He smiled and ordered, “Battle sstationss.”

The
Thunder Claw
raced in firing its lasers on the ship’s hull, but it no damage to it. Then, a dozen of B’tars appeared out of nowhere and flanked towards the
Thunder Claw
. They started to fire their lasers as Xman maneuvered the ship to avoid them.

“
This is insane Xman,” CRAIG remarked.

“
Oh pipe down and enjoy the ride,” Xman replied as he started to fire upon the small fleet. Xman had to keep them busy as CRAIG tried to find his lost friends on his screen. It did not bode too well as the scanner still showed nothing. He looked at Xman but could not tell him.

Meanwhile, the crew of the
Star Hawk
started to trek into the planet’s weird jungle forest. Mike was leading, Tygla followed and Justin was behind. The forest had a murky smell and the trees looked huge but something to them did not seem right. They heard weird bird-like call coming from above, as they looked above. It was not something that they never heard before, but it was strange. They were glad that there were some life forms on this planet.

“
I knew this was a bad idea,” Justin criticized uneasily.

“
Will you stop complaining,” Mike shot back. “We’re still alive, right?”

“
Yeah,” Justin replied. “I’m sorry.” Suddenly Tygla stopped as Justin asked her, “What is it?”

Mike turned and looked as Tygla sniffed the air and finally spoke, “Something’s wrong. Someone’s watching us.”

“
How can you tell?” Justin questioned.

“
Her cat instincts,” Mike replied.

“
Duck,” Tygla turned her head, looked upwards and shouted as a creature flew from one of the trees.

It looked like a leathery bird but it had arm-like claws as well as feet. Mike quickly took out his gun and fired, but no laser bolt shot out. Mike could not explain it, but he was sure that it was loaded. Then he realized that the something drained the gun’s power.

“
Run!” Mike shouted and the other bolted into the swampy forest.

Unexpectedly they heard screeching sounds like hundreds of bats, they turned around and a batch of more gargoyles-like creatures attacked them. They ran for their lives into the depth of the woods. They dashed until they came to a slanted cliff, Tygla tried to stop, but unable to and she slid down. Mike and Justin stopped too, looked down and decided to join Tygla. Once they gotten to the bottom, they were all up to their ankles in some deep slimy water. Mike and Tygla looked up and saw that the gargoyles sat on the ledge looking down at then like vultures.

“
What are they waiting for?” Justin inquired as he tried to catch his breath.

They then heard another unfriendly low toned sound, it almost sound like a giant frog. They all turned around, gasped, and saw a hideous creature rising from the swamp water. Slime covered the bog creature as its fly-like eyes glimmered like diamonds in the sun’s light. The team did not know what it was going to do. It then lashed its long green tongue up at one of the gargoyles like a frog and ate him completely as the other gargoyles flew off. They all scrambled towards the cliff, but it was no use as the frog-like creature flagellated at Tygla, she screamed while she was being pull down.

“
Tygla!” Mike shouted fearfully as he went back down to save her.

Then suddenly Mike heard thwipping noises and the creature bellowed in pain. Mike saw that the creature had three primitive arrows in its eye. The Frog creature let go of Tygla as Mike grabbed her hand and pulled her in to a hug. The creature dove back in the bog as they sighed in relief, but who fired those arrows? He and Tygla then looked up and saw that the gargoyles flew off and a gray-scaled Lizzian in tattered clothes armed with a bow and a quill of arrows stood at the edge. He stepped forward, and crouched down as he looked at the trio. Mike did not know if he was a hostile native or not.

“
You three need a hand getting out of there?” he said.

The small team looked at each other amazingly. Who is this guy they thought? A native, and important question should they trust him? Mike saw that the Lizzian extended his hand to him. Mike grabbed it and soon all of them where standing next to the stranger.

“
Uh, thank you,” Mike said.

The Lizzian replied, “Ah don’t mention it.”

“
Who are you?” Tygla asked.

“
Ah, a friend,” He replied.

Mike then recognized him but could not believe it, “No, you can’t be. Uno Pu’Do?” The Lizzian just smiled at him and Mike knew that he was right. “You are Uno Pu’Do! But you can’t be, you have to be-”

“
Over ninety earth years old, yes. But Lizzians can live up to a hundred and fifty.”

“
It’s a great honor sir,” Mike said as he held out his hand to him. Uno just looked at it.

“
Do you know how many people tried to rescue me and died trying?” The trio looked at each other unable to answer that question. They did not know what to expect from Uno. He then answered, “So many that they didn’t bother any more, until now.”

Mike looked at him unsure what to say, “Uh, I don’t know what to tell you Mr. Pu’Do, but we are not here to rescue you.”

Uno cocked his head to the side and replied, “No? Then who are you?”

“
I’m Mike Tippin this is Justin Jobbs, and that’s Princess Tygla Tyger.”

“
Tippin? You would not have a father named John Tippin would you?” The old explorer asked curiously.

Mike cock his brow wondering how he knew his father’s name and replied, “Yes, how did you know?”

“
Ah, I knew it!” He said a bit excitedly, “You have your mother’s eyes.”

“
How do you know my father?”

Uno nodded in satisfaction, “I met him a few times in the past. He told me that he was working in the WSA research center,” suddenly they heard a screeching noise as they looked up wards in the trees, “It is not safe here, come. I have made a safe camp not too far away.”

They walked through the swampy area as Uno continued, “As I was saying Michael, your father was working on a new energy solution. He had started to look on other planets for more resources until his deep space probe found this one. Although he was perplexed on the reverse energy it was emitting, he knew what ever was on this planet, could help generate enough power to eliminate the power crisis that Earth was having. Then he met me, he had told me of the planet and granted me a fund to explore it. When he told me the location, I was astounded. I would be the first person to reach the center of our galaxy. I have spent months to prepare for the expedition. I had to go alone, but I took two robots for help.

“
When I got close to the planet my scanning system went crazy, then computer systems and power failed. I could not explain it, and I then realized it wasn’t the planet draining the power, but its sun. The star has a negative polarization effect that was taking all electrical energy, harnessing it, like a black hole. I fear it may turn into one. The question is when. That is when I knew that I would not return. Luckily, before I was marooned on this cursed planet I sent a digital message to anyone, not to come to get me. I started to get the idea that this would be my permanent home…and grave.”

“
You said others tried to rescue you?” Tygla inquired, “What happened to them?”

“
Some have crash landed, but did not survive, other have come close to the planet then turned away. Probably thought I was dead already,” Uno replied as they trekked through the deep woods. Then he suddenly stopped and looked to them, “If you are not here to rescue me, then why have you come?”

“
It’s a long story,” Mike replied.

“
We’ll be here even longer,” Uno said as he started to walk again.

“
We landed here,” Mike replied, “Actually we crash landed avoiding the…” He then realized that Uno have not heard of Earth’s demise and the Xatu Empire.

“
Avoiding who?” Uno pondered looking back to them.

They stopped again. Mike thought of what to tell him. Uno has been cut off from the outside world. Mike wondered what his reactions would be.

“
You have been lost for over fifty years Uno, things uh, changed,” Mike said carefully.

Uno cocked his leathery brow and asked cautiously, “Changed? How much?”

The four finally arrived at Uno’s campsite. The place looked like a refugee camp for the homeless. Mike saw that Uno had built a home from scraps of his old ship’s hull. He gathered scraps from the other ships too and used them to his survival. He saw Uno’s house on the far side of the camp. In front of the house was a funnel shape furnace that Uno used as an oven to cook his meals. He said that the only energy source that does not die out is fire. He also mentioned that the planet does not have a winter season that explained the heavy vegetation. Uno then said that the planet has a very short day span that only lasts ten hours. Mike concluded that Uno had done a full exploration on the planet.

“
Please sit, may I get you all something?” Uno asked as the three sat down on metal bench that was from another ship. It was comfortable as Tygla noticed that the brown animal fur covered the seat.

“
Uh, no,” Mike replied politely.

Uno nodded and wondered, “So, what news have you brought from Earth?”

Mike had told him that shortly after Uno’s disappearance. An alien empire called Xatu, has seized Mars and destroyed Earth, and for about fifty years, the Xatu Empire has conquered most of the galaxy. Uno could not believe his hearing.

“
Earth is gone, but how?”

Mike told him that the Xatu has a power weapon that can drill through a planet’s crust and eventually reached the core. Then the planet in a massive eruption of quakes and volcanic activities, it exploded violently.

“
Oh my, and your father?” Uno wondered.

Mike sighed and Uno knew that he did not want to relive that day again. Tygla reassured him and Mike replied sorrowfully, “They killed them. The Xatu killed them right in front of my eyes.”

“
I’m so sorry Michael. I never realized,” said Uno looking at him mournfully.

“
It’s ok.” Mike replied, “That was a long time ago.”

Chapter 13