NationStates Jolt Archive

"'Why?'"

The city was in ruins. Black smoke rose from the cratered landscape where fires burned uncontrollably, turning the skies dark. Mutilated corpses were strewn across the streets. Women, children, the elderly. Blood streamed as though water, falling into the depths of the sewers of the once mighty metropolis. The unknown forces marched through the streets, their pitch black armor stained with blood of the innocent.

"You know why."

Rusted, almost egg-shaped drop ships fell down from the planet's orbit. They fell down to the city with no heed as to where in it they came down. They demolished entire buildings in their path, with the few who still hid in them crushed with their homes.

"You brought us here."

Beyond the city, there was darkness. Unnatural darkness. Dark, intensely cold wastelands. No life existed there. Light of day would never touch these lands again, nor would a living soul observe them.

"This is what you wanted."

"I see despair in your eyes."

The folly of a select few had brought darkness to this near-pristine world, darkness which now spread like cancer over the lands. The planet had not seen overpopulation, nor too many bloody wars. Even with the urban hellholes called "cities" those who lived in them called, the planet had been quite like a paradise, which it still was for the most part, although that was changing. No matter how much those who still lived resisted.

"You understand now."

"Don't come any closer!," shouted a scared man in the darkness at the silhouette of an armored man-like creature which was slowly moving towards him, waving his pistol in the creature's general direction. The creature had piercing eyes which burned with eerie green light. The man's three small children cried behind him. He no longer knew where his wife was. Only light entering the two story building he and his family had called "home" for the last ten years came through the windows from the flames outside.

The dim light allowed the man to see that the creature had something in its left, armor clad, hand... He cried out in anger and horror at the same time as he begun firing his pistol at the creature. He had recognized just what it was carrying... His wife's disembodied head.

But it was all in vain. The shots ricocheted harmlessly off the creature's armor all over the room. Once it began slowly to raise its own weapon, the man knew it was all over. As his last deed, the man turned to his children and embraced them, as though to protect them, mumbling how everything would be all right.

Then came forth a horrid sequence of green muzzleflashes, and the end of the room where the man and his children had been before turned into a mess of human flesh and debris from the building.

"You have killed your planet."

"Even though you understand your role... Still you wonder 'why'."

"What the hell are those things?"

An agitated question from one soldier to another, as they hid in the foliage of an ancient forest. They had just seen their battalion be wiped off the face of the earth by some unnatural force - and their reaction had been to flee before it was their turn. Dereliction of duty in their country was a severe offense, but it was the least of their worries right now.

"How the hell should I know!"

Snapped the other. The two had never actually seen any action, which put them at even a larger disadvantage, not to mention that neither of them were locals, so they had absolutely no idea where they were. But at least they still had their lives, which couldn't be said about most of their comrades.

"... Did you hear that?"

Asked the second soldier, pointing around with his flashlight into the surrounding foliage. The first one was bewildered by the question, as he couldn't hear anything at all. Except his own heart beat.

"Hear what?"

Moments after the soldier had uttered his question, he hoped he hadn't. Now he could hear it as well: muffled, weak groans coming from all directions.

They were surrounded. They had absolutely nowhere to go now.

But instead of panicking like they had before, the two of them raised their rifles. They knew death was looming over them, but at least they would take as many of the bastards with them as they could.

It was at that point they saw a glimpse of the enemy... And they couldn't believe it.

"L... Lieutenant?"

No response.

They were quick to note that there was something... Wrong about him. He was just lurching towards them, his weapon still in hand... Then they saw the bloodied hole in his chest.

The two yelled out in horror and started firing everywhere. But it was all for naught: The creatures walking towards them still carried some essence of their former selves, and they began firing back. Not only did they outnumber the two, they outgunned them.

Afterwards all that was left of the two were their unrecognizable corpses, twisted beyond recognition.

"This is war."

The UNSSS frigate Martyrdom exited from slip space. The ship's crew was tired and hungry from their four moth trip. Their job was to find a lost space beacon. Finally manging to locate it in a previously unknown part of space. The unusual thing was that recon probe was also carrying another message:

*Krrk* Please help...*Krrk*... He...*Krrk*

The message would play back every five minute stuck in a constant loop.The crew's engineer found that the message came from a small planet. The crew thought best to investigate the strange message...

Captain Morgan was not happy. While the rest of his staff was sleeping in cryotubes he was the forced to stay awake, the entire trip. When they discovered the distress message piggy backing on the probe, he of course had to pilot it towards the source. Once within Manuel piloting range the Captain opened up his com.

"Ground control, this is the United North States Space ship: Martyrdom. We heard some sort of message for help. Is every okay down there.

*Krrrrrk*

Great Thought the Captain. Now we would have to investigate

"Ground Control, were going in to assist you, If you have any objecting please say so now." Said the Captain. Pulling the ship towards the planet

*Krrrrrk*

"Ground Control need landing vectors, please reply." Said the Captain getting a bit more nervous.

*Krrrrrk*

Shit Thought the Captain. Pulling up the nose of the ship.

*WARINING: THUSTERS OFFLINE: CHANCE OF SURVIVLING IS: ZERO POINT: zero zero zero zero zero zero zero... OUT OF ONE HUNDRED*

The ship took a nose dive plummeting towards the planets surface. The Captain struggled to pull the ship up using everything he had.

Come on, come on

Speeding toward a sea of green trees. The Captain then opened up the com to the sleeping crew members:

"Ohh, yeah, were having some minor problems here... Huum... everyone stay in their cryopods, thanks."

The thrusters finally manged to go online pulling the frigate out of a nose dive but it was too late.The speeding ship hit the forest floor at mach ten. The sound of the crash could be heard from either side of the forest. The Captain still in a state of shock did two things. Open the pods for the Grenadier detachment. Called the main fleet for help, then passed out....

OOC: Ermor, a telegram.

"What is this?," muttered the spectral being almost amusedly as it saw some strange vessel fall uncontrollably from the skies in its astral window, "That is not one of our vessels, and," it said, glancing at the face of the being it had been speaking to, "You do not have any space faring vessels, do you."

A twisted grin came upon its ethereal face. The creature interrupted the magic which had opened the window, abruptly closing it with a bright flash of light.

"Intruders!"

It went silent for a moment, as though pondering something.

"They cannot defeat our legions in the region, but..."

The creature started to move towards a doorway as it continued its musings.

This may be...

--

On the ground, the falling vessel had not gone unnoticed either. Inhuman screams filled the air as the newly dead had begun their march towards it, all the while finishing those few who still lived.

But they were not alone: Creatures much more sinister, still concealed by the darkness of the night, lurked among them. Creatures with intelligence far beyond that of a mere Soulless... Creatures which only existed for war.

And they would soon fight once more.

The Cryo Pod slid opened, revealing a young man.

Good: Afternoon: Commander: Crowley:

The man stepped out of the pod, taking a deep yawn. "Computer what's going on have we landed yet?"

Crashed: Commander: You: Are: Now: In Command.

Ah shit...

"Computer status report." Ordered Crowley

User Alert: Critical failure: Take off thruster Offline: User Alert: Communication Array damagmed.

"Computer wake the crew, and open up the armory."

Yes: Commander

The now fully outfitted Commander Crowley walked into the control room with his troops. The room was hit the hardest: broken chairs strewn everywhere, keyboards damaged, and a knocked out Captain. It looked like ground zero. "Weasley take the Captain to the Medical bay." Ordered the commander to his second in command.

Where are we...

"Computer what is our location." Spoke Crowley again.

Planet: Unknown: Tech level: Unknown: Atmosphere: Safe

"Alright then Karl, Joker your with me on recon. Smithy try to get the com back online and call home.

"Yes sir!" Smithy responded.


The recon team was on edge. This wasn't like any normal forest, it was too quiet. No birds, no insects nothing just a sea of trees. It was like some invisible hand swept everything living away. Then suddenly a inhuman scream sounded. The men covered their ears at the screaming feral noise.

"What the hell was that!" Yelled Joker drawing out his pistol waving it around, trying to find the source of the noise. "Surrender yourself!" He shouted again.

Crowley put his fist up a sign to stay quiet. "Draw your weapons at set them to stun" whispered Cowley over the radio. Drawing his shotgun he crouched waiting for a sign of who are what ever caused that noise.

All they could see were two, smallish, burning lights moving towards them from the general direction of the scream, almost two meters off the ground. Whilst at first there was no way they could have known what those two lights were as they crept ever closer, soon enough it became obvious.

They were the eyes of a slightly over two meter tall figure, armored from head to toe in pitch black metal, wielding an equally pitch black sword not quite, but almost as tall as the figure itself in its right hand. A purple torn cape fluttered behind it slightly in the night wind, which rustled the leaves of the trees in the forest a little.

But unlike what Crowley and his men might've expected, the being was not preparing to attack them. Instead it just held its sword idly against its right shoulderguard.

"You do not belong here," it said, its voice dark and inhuman, "Unless you press on, it is not yet your time."

The being struck its sword's pointed tip into the ground and put its hands onto the handle. The green flames of its eyes bursted brighter, momentarily.

"Surrender and let us make you forget you ever came to this place and your countrymen shall live longer, even if it is only for a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of things."

As a Grenadier Crowley had seen some strange things traveling around the universe, and this topped them all. From his HUD, he could see he wasn't the only one. Karl's stress levels were off the charts and Joker was nearly the first stages of a heart attack. Regardless it was his mission to find out what was happening here. These things didn't seem like the friendly type, and the whole:

countrymen shall live longer, even if it is only for a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of things.
Wasn't the greatest first contact welcome.

"Wha- who or what are you?" Spoke the Commander careful to keep his voice steady.

Inside the Martyrdom things were faring far better. The crew had manged to fix the Communications array and senta message to Fleet Command, [I]when[I]they would come to them was an entire different matter. The take off thrusters were unrepairable,damaged by the crash. Without those they would never get off the planet.

"It's strange." Said Captain Morgan having just woke up. "The ship was in almost perfect condition before we crashed. It's like they just shut off by their own will."

"Yeah, yeah great doc' " Responded Weasley peering outside one of the windows. "Shouldn't the Commander have come back by now?"

"Have you checked with the locator chip?"

"Naw, it doesn't work here. That's another mystery will have to worry about..."

"Ah yes, I had forgotten. It has been centuries since my duty has not entailed the eradication of all life irrelevant of their loyalties."

A momentary pause. The being looked closely at the men. Appraising them.

"I am an agent of Death. We were... Called here by those who live on this world."

Another short pause as it lifted the large sword back up from the ground and rested it against its right shoulder.

"I grow weary of this pointless banter. We know you were not aware of the consequences of coming here. Will you accept our terms or not? Your, and possibly your people's, future is at stake."