It's been too long.

[Aki Dazrold]

Good Lord, this took too long to make. I made this whole thing today.

Post #6 contains part 1 & 2.

Chaptah Three (about friggin time)

Let me tell you something about teleporting: It isn’t fun. I wish I never have to do it again. It starts with a feeling that you got really high and went to an epilepsy-inducing concert, which then goes into a gut-wrenching drop followed by the sudden awareness of immobilization and absence of body. The last part becomes dominant and magnified, and is absolutely horrible. Then comes a part when you can see everything in the cavern around you, the drop halts completely, but you are still immobilized. About here in my first experience with a teleporter, I realized something had gone wrong.

My first clue was the lack of development: There was no tool store, no landing beacon, no nothing. I was alone in the cave, with no ability to move or cry out.

Or so I thought.

I soon discovered that I could look around from my current position, and subsequently that I could move. It isn’t the same as moving normally; it’s more like you’re willing yourself to move in this direction or that one. It’s actually kind of cool.

Then I heard an odd noise from somewhere behind me. I “turned†around and saw what looked like a glowing white light descending from the ceiling where I think I was just a few minutes before. It touched the ground about when realized that this light I was seeing was a landing beacon. How on earth did I get here before that? It shouldn’t be possible… And then the ground lit up around the beacon, accompanied by the assembly of a tool store. I must be going crazy, I thought. There’s no way I could be here, it just isn’t possible. After the tool store was placed, another, smaller, flash of light occurred, and that guy called Zakida stepped out of the tool store. I suddenly got a bad feeling in my gut; an all-too-familiar dropping feeling, which was accompanied by a loud screech. I wanted to cover my ears, but it was impossible in my current state, leaving me defenseless against this hideous noise. Get me out of here! I can’t take this anymore!

I saw LZ step in something, and say, “What in…?†out loud. This was the last thing I saw before my “body†was suddenly flung down the cavern to some place I didn’t know where. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t; I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. I wanted to shut my eyes and be rid of this spectacle, but I couldn’t. This all happened in a matter of seconds, but it seemed longer. And that’s when I hit. I say “hitâ€, because that’s what it kind of felt like, even though I didn’t actually hit anything. I could breathe again, I could use my eyes, I could move, I could cry, I could do anything. I could even feel the ground of the cavern against my skin. This last bit was a bit odd too me, and I couldn’t figure out why. I stood up, never thinking I would appreciate this action to the extent I appreciated it right now. I looked around the cavern: it was dark, scary, and kinda damp. I shivered, and in doing this I discovered why my sense of touch intrigued me so much: Wherever the heck I was, my clothes were not.

“Aw, cripes.†I thought aloud.

I turned to my crew. “I suppose turning on action stations would be a bit superfluous, right?â€

“Wait, don’t do anything yet! They may not know we’re here!†said Anonymouse.

I don’t know where the hell he got that idea, because the slugs sure as spit knew exactly where we were. Every single one of the hundreds of slugs moved in on our location, aiming for our power supply. “SHOOT THEM!!†I shouted. Nobody needed to be told twice. Joe and Dust both grabbed lasers and took up post next to the teleport pad. Niall and Grave stood next to the power station and opened fire. I turned to Julia and Anonymouse. “Anon, get a sonic blaster. When a slug gets too close to a building, give ‘em hell.†Julia nodded an affirmative, while Anonymouse just stood there, likely overwhelmed by the amount of monsters present. “Dammit, that’s an order! Do it NOW!!†I shouted, knowing it would piss him off. It worked; He snapped out of his stupor, and looked at me as if to pull rank on me, but realized now was not the time for that and nodded. He rushed over to the tool store and grabbed a sonic blaster kit, and proceeded to search for an excuse to use them. He turned to me and said, “There are too many! We need more people!!†Something clicked in my brain. More people, of course. I ran to the tool store and snatched up the building stud that the partially-built Support Station lacked. I ran over to the site, threw down the stud, and moved clear of the barriers. The barriers fell out and the site flashed, and a building started to assemble. “Wish granted!†I shouted back.

I ran to the tool store and punched the radio, firing at a slug in the process. That little bugger flew back about thirty feet. The radio crackled to life, and Jet answered. “What’s going on down there?†she inquired.

“Slug invasion! I need People down here now!â€

“Who do you want?â€

“I don’t care…!†I replied hastily, pulling out the list. “Uhh… Bio-master: Technical. Rockmodder: Explosives. Strider: Engineering. Jay: Engineering. Retsnom Kcor, Engineer-†Julia set off a sonic blaster, and I heard everyone else fire their lasers nearly simultaneously. “…Engineering! Get everyone from engineering, and everyone from explosives! Just pick some other people!â€

“Uh… Roger that.†She said, a bit hurriedly.

I didn’t even bother turning the radio off before I shouted at DTR, who was walking at a leisurely pace towards the power station, his arms crossed. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET A WEAPON!!†I roared. He looked over his shoulder at me. “I have a weapon.†He replied curtly. He then reached for this black bar he had strapped to his back; except, I soon discovered, it wasn’t a bar. He pulled a thin sword straight out of the sheath I mistook for a bar; the blade then lit up a bright green. He charged at a slug that was about to drain the power station and lopped its head clean off without a word. The blade’s glow faded for two full seconds before it lit back up, when DTR attacked another slug in the same manner. I saw a new face run past me with a pusher beam, It must have been that Bio-master guy. Well, good. We’re getting reinforcements without the teleporter screwing up. The only problem was that even with DTR’s instant-death sword, there were still too many slugs to keep under control. I ran to the teleport pad and shot a slug that was about to suck its power. Anonymouse threw a blaster at a small group of slugs that were trying to get to the support station. “Anon! Throw me one of those!†He did. After activating it, I threw it out like a Frisbee and shot it with my pusher beam, sending it out into the oncoming mass, and scaring the sluggy excrement out of them. Unfortunately, it didn’t help much. I heard Julia setting off blasters like mad, and Anonymouse began to follow suit. They were still advancing. Yeah, there was that many.

Just then I heard someone shout, “SUCK ON THIS!!†I turned, and saw Rockmodder carrying this huge friggin gun that quite frankly I don’t know how he got through the teleporter. He fired it at the oncoming horde, and loosed a beam of energy that punched a hole through any slug that happened to be in the line of fire. One can imagine how many of them he hit. He then put the gun down and pulled out a pusher beam and started using that. I ran up to him and questioned this obvious stupidity. He informed me that the weapon needs a minute to recharge and cool down before it could be used again.

Great.

I clambered on top of the power station and looked at the oncoming horde. It was here I discovered that the slugs were coming out each hole at about twice the rate DTR could kill them. Therein lays the problem. We need to destroy the holes before we can even hope of winning. Unfortunately, the only vehicle we have that can do that requires a super teleport, and the amount of slugs in our base made that impossible. The reinforcements we were getting were enough to hold off the slugs for the time being, but that was unlikely to keep up for much longer. It appeared to me that abortion was the only option here, and Cyrem wouldn’t be pleased with that…

Suddenly I noticed a strange phenomenon: there was a gap in the slugs’ formation. I pointed the flashlight at it and saw what looked like a mass of orange clothes sitting right in the center of the gap; the slugs went around it when advancing. Before I could wonder how it got there, something far more interesting caught my eye. On a nearby wall, a patch of solid rock suddenly collapsed. Now, any raider that knows half of what he’s doing knows that this is only possible when you drill something on the other side. Before I could wonder how THAT happened, a THIRD thing caught my eye. Out of the hole left behind by the collapse, came the only vehicle capable of destroying slug holes: The Slimy Slug Hole Grinder. This time, I had enough time to wonder, Where the hell did that come from?

To be continued…

Chaptah Four

The first thing I did when I noticed I was nude was, instinctively, to look around to see if anyone was watching. I sighed with relief. Thankfully, there wasn’t a fellow Rock Raider in sight. Inversely, this meant no hope of rescue. The initial relief subsided, and I started to panic; my mind jumped from one worst case to another: I’m never going to get out of here! I’ll starve, or run out of air, or… something!

But what if somebody does find me? That would be good, but… I shuddered at the thought. I surely didn’t want anybody to see me exposed. That would be beyond embarrassing.

About then the little survivalist voice came on in my head. You’re not dead yet, it said, so you can at least try to keep it that way. Get moving.

So I did. I looked around the cave I was in. There was little to no light, but for some reason I could see everything around me just fine. Not in bright color, mind you, but it was visible. The logical part of my brain knew this could not be, but it also said that there was no possible way that I could have been to Planet U before the landing beacon got there. Right now, this part of my brain wasn’t credible. So I ignored it. Logic has so far gotten me nowhere; it said the teleporter was safe, and now look at me. I should have listened to my gut. Oh well, just have to move, I guess. The tunnel looked like it made a dead end precisely where I was standing; therefore, I had only one direction to go: forward.

As I walked along the cave, I noticed that this place, wherever I was, wasn’t dug by a Rock Raider team. The ceiling was too low. So what could have made it? Was it naturally this way; did water or lava erode it? Or did something else do it? Suddenly, a rock monster emerged from a wall. This scared the living crap out of me (well, not literally, but you know what I mean). I wasn’t expecting, much less ready for, this event to occur, so I yelped a little before I caught myself and covered my mouth, hoping it wouldn’t notice me. No such luck. The monster looked right at me with those glowing red eyes, and moved closer. I wanted to run, but I was so scared that I tripped backwards and fell on my butt. Not fun. The monster continued towards me at a faster pace than I could scurry away, and grabbed my leg and dangled me upside-down. I screamed, of course. The monster took no notice of it, and turned me to face it. It looked me up and down, and made a confused noise. Now I was even more scared than before, and I tried to struggle free of its grasp. Then the strangest thing happened. I’m not quite sure how else to say it, but I felt my body disappear. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground, somehow right-side-up. I spun around to find the monster, and it was still there. It spun around and looked at me. We stood there motionless for a moment until the monster started to rub its chin. No joke. It was rubbing its chin, and what looked like the monster equivalent to raising its eyebrow. Now, I was feeling considerably more confused than I was scared. A few moments passed, and then the monster shook its head, turned, and walked down the tunnel from where I had just come. As it turned away from me, I noticed an odd detail about the monster’s physical appearance: in its back were three glowing green lights that I think were energy crystals, judging by the shape.

After I recovered from the shock of this strange moment, I explored a bit further down the tunnel for the next two minutes or so. My mind started to panic again, thinking I could be down here forever. My reason put a stop to this. It said, well, all you need to do is drill your way out; you’re a Rock Raider, remember? This put my mind at ease for all of two seconds; obviously, I didn’t have a drill to do that with. Even if I did, I had no clothes. I’d just get dirtier than I already was. So now what?

About then I walked into an area that was considerably larger than the rest of the cavern I had been to so far. The room looked like a big natural dome, and in said dome was a vehicle that I had never seen before. It looked like a large-class vehicle with two heads, one on either end. It had four wheels, and a large drill that pointed straight down. I can honestly say that I thought it was one of the most inconvenient designs for a drilling vehicle I had ever seen. The survivalist part of my brain didn’t give a jack what it was for; it just wanted to know if there was anything of use in it. So I ran to the machine and opened the hatch. My whole body tingled with glee at what I found: a small drill and better yet, a change of clothes. I snatched the latter of these with the ferocity of a starved lion finding a fat cow. There was a white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans that, frankly, didn’t fit me. I also didn’t care at the moment. Inside one of the pockets, I found a rubber band that I used to tie my hair back. Usually, I use my father’s hat to cover up the amount of hair I have. Even though I’ve seen plenty of guys with hair longer than mine, I still had a sinking feeling that the other raiders would chastise me for having it. So I keep it hidden, but since nobody is around, who cares?

I hopped into the vehicle and turned on the key. The vehicle came to life, and the dashboard lit up. On it, I saw a small label that said, “Slimy Slug Hole Grinderâ€. So that’s what it’s for. That makes more sense now. I pushed the gas pedal, and the grinder moved at a pace slower than I’d prefer, but fast enough to satisfy. I think I’ll keep this vehicle in case another monster attacks me; that way, I’ll be safely inside, I thought to myself as I drove off into another tunnel. After all, it’s not like anyone else is using it.

“Mmm-hmm, these are coming out nicely…†I thought to myself as I inspected the vegetables in my greenhouse. “Next week, they’ll be ready to eat…â€

I finished my inspection and exited the structure. I thank whatever God is in charge of the nature of this planet for making energy crystals. They are much needed to keep those solar lights powered; otherwise, I’d be eating potatoes and stolen rations the rest of my life. That would be a cruddy life: Absolutely no variety in taste, and no excuse to use my culinary abilities.

As I locked up the house, I got a sudden feeling that something was amiss. I rushed over to my radar, and quickly discovered the problem my senses were detecting: a large mass of slugs were moving through their tunnels near- and out of- the outlet in this sector. Crap. I ran to my closet and grabbed the shotgun, then rushed to my front door. I put my palm against the scanner and the door raised open. I made to jump into my car and make my way to the outlet. Boy, was I surprised when I found my vehicle missing.

“What in…†I wondered aloud, looking frantically in every direction, “dude, where the hell is my car?!!?†I heard a stomping noise to my left. I swiveled and pointed my shotgun at whoever it was. “I swear to God, I’m not in the mood! Where’s my-†The figure that I was aiming at raised its arms in submission. “Easy†came a deep voice, “I have taken nothing.â€

I flicked on my light on the gun and shined it at the speaker. I lowered the gun. “I take it you’re here about the slug invasion?â€

“Aye. I’m here to tell you that it is nothing to worry about.â€

“Nothing to worry about? Have you SEEN how many slugs are out there?â€

“Aye, sir. I also know that they are not here to invade us. Our policy says that we do not pacify them if they become active due to human development.â€

“A mistake I would be more than willing to remedy with my gri-†I stopped, allowing his statement to fully register. “Wait, what do you mean, ‘Human development’?â€

“Exactly how it sounded, sir. Humans have built up a base in the middle of the outlet.â€

I was astounded. “Frick, not even slugs are that dumb.â€

“In any case†He droned, “you need not react. We are not in immediate danger. The slugs will likely drive the humans away from this sector without confrontation.â€

“Not like I could do anything anyway.†I flicked a hand towards where my grinder was before. “Someone’s done and stolen my vehicle.â€

He followed my gesture, and made a face. “Hmm…â€

I stared at him. “…Do you happen to know something about this?â€

“I recall running into someone in this very cave. I thought it was you at first, but when I got close, I discovered that was not the case. I let it go, for it was unarmed. I would have been here sooner had it not been for this; I followed protocol and went a different way to avoid being followed here.

“Some good that did.†I said with disgust.

He ignored that comment. “There was… something strange about this one…†he said slowly.

“Enlighten me.â€

His face twisted in consideration, as if trying to figure out how to say it. “It somehow managed to… get behind me.â€

“And?â€

“I was holding it upside down at the time it did so.â€

I was silent. “How does that happen?â€

“I know not, but that was not the only quirk about this human. It looked… different, somehow.â€

“How so?†This was quite intriguing.

He considered this question. “I’m not sure; I do not know much about you humans, so I cannot say. It just seemed… different.â€

“Psshht. Whatever.†I cocked my shotgun. “Whoever he is, when I find him, he will suffer my wrath.â€

“Yes, but if it is at all possible,†he continued, “Save some of your wrath for the slugs should they linger.â€

“Fine.†I replied bitterly. “Keep me posted.â€

“That I shall.â€

To be continued…

Questions? Ask away.

[Zephyria]

i wasn't a member of the old forums, so i can't read the other two

[Aki Dazrold]

<_<

Darn.

[Storm]

Can i come in in number 4? I think i should be driving the grinder.

[Anonymouse]

It certainly has been too long, THANKS!

I'd completely forgotten about this.

Can't wait for part 4!

[Aki Dazrold]

If you have yet to read parts 1 & 2, look here.

Part 1

Chaptah One

“I wouldn’t do that if I were y-“

Sparks’ warning was suddenly preempted by a small explosion that erupted right in my face. Fortunately, I was wearing a welding mask and my face didn’t take any heat damage. Unfortunately, the mask was now ruined. I removed the half-melted mess from my head and let out an exasperated sigh. In my lap lay a disassembled laser beam gun with singed metal around where the power cell was. Right now I was just happy the outburst hadn’t directed itself downward.

Sparks sat on the tire of the vehicle across from me. “So.â€, He said casually, “You’re one of the new mechanics?â€

“No.†I replied curtly. “That’s that guy over there†I continued, pointing over my shoulder to a person at 7:30 of me. I had taken note earlier that he was wearing a silly hat that said ‘Grease monkey’ on it. “I was here on the last trip out, too.â€

“Yeah, but I meant new to the LMS Explorer.â€

“Oh.†I responded. He had a point here; the last time I traveled to Planet U, I had done so on a smaller craft. It was primarily just a typical supply run. But beyond the primary objective, I was present to demonstrate a new vehicle I had designed. It was at first glance a mostly worthless vehicle. But since they were short on vehicles, it quickly became a useful piece of equipment for the times when ore gathering was out of the question and needed something faster than a transport truck. Since I had not named said equipment, it became collectively known as the ‘Minecart’, because that’s essentially what it is minus the rails.

“So, what exactly are these?†Sparks asked, gesturing towards the vehicles that we were sitting on.

I tossed the remains of the laser beam aside. “This one here is called the M.D.P., and the one you are on is the M.A.Pâ€

Sparks opened his mouth mid-sentence as if to ask something, but looked askance when I said ‘M.A.P.’.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just call it the MAP?â€

“Yes, and I usually refer to it as such when I’m not introducing it.â€

“Oh. Anyway…†he said, looking askance again briefly, “What I meant was, what are they for?â€

“Both of them are designed for deployment in monster-infested caverns.†I replied. “The one you are sitting on is used to clear out an area of any hostile life, and to do it quickly. To assist this, I needed to make it an all-terrain vehicle, which explains why you are able to sit on its tire right now.†I explained, gesturing towards the starboard fore wheel.

Before I could continue, Sparks interjected. “But wait, How would you know if the life is hostile if YOU are attacking IT? I happen to recall a time when a Rock monster HELPED us during one mission.â€

I grinned. “Yes, I am aware of that. With the same idea specifically in mind, that cannon mounted on it†(I motioned towards said cannon); “can change modes to fire a large freezer pulse that only disables any potential threats. And believe me, it keeps them frozen a LOT longer than the handheld freezer beams would.â€

I could tell that Sparks wanted to ask me some more questions, but he dismissed them with a shake of his head. “And what does the other one do? It doesn’t have a gun mounted on it.â€

“Well,†being mindful to the fact that the ship just shook, signaling our exit from hyperspace, “to put it shortly, it’s used for defensive purposes. It gets a gun later when I can get my hands on some ore.â€

Sparks stood up. “Well, we’re gonna land soon, so I need to get to my post. Thank you for enlightening me.†He took a few paces away from me, but then turned around shaking his finger as if he meant to ask me something. “By the way, I never got your name.â€

“It’s Zak. Zakida.†I replied with a smile. “And you’re welcome.â€

We were scheduled to land in less than 15 minutes. I saw people scrambling all around trying to get to their posts. I didn’t worry, because I was already at mine: In the vehicle bay making sure the vehicles were secured. Right before I had completed this task, I couldn’t help but laugh as Mister Grease Monkey almost got run over by a Granite Grinder. I made a mental note to find out his actual name so I didn’t have to keep referencing his stupid hat when I distinguished him. The Grinder in question walked into the last open security port and the driver jumped out as I secured it to the spot.

“Hey man, how’s it going?â€

I looked up from my work. “Oh, hey Strider. Just doing my job, I suppose.†I finished binding the large vehicle in place. “What about you?â€

“Uhh… Doing my job too, I suppose.†He grinned. “It’s been a while since I’ve traveled here.â€

“Why is that?†I inquired.

“Well, you see, the Chief retired after the LMS came back from the last trip.â€

My eyebrows shot up. “Oh really? I somehow did not know that. That must have been hard for himâ€

He laughed. “Yes, I hear it was. And not many people do. It didn’t get much publicity, even within the Raiders. The LMS hasn’t left port for three months. Up until now, that is.â€

My eyebrows repeated their previous movement. “Is that right? In that case, I’m honored to be here.â€

Strider laughed again. “I suppose you should be.†He nodded absentmindedly. “Anyway, since not many people know that the old Chief no longer commands this vessel, the new captain intends to introduce himself upon landing.â€

“Who is the new Chief?†I asked.

He gave me large grin. “You’ll see.â€

Our landing was textbook smooth. Which came as a surprise to me, considering the LMS is designed to be an orbiting ship. Sparks’ voice came in over the speakers in our section, saying, “Hook ‘em up.†It made me laugh. What he referred to was a series of power couplings that ran to the LMS’s power grid. What they do is link up to an external generator that re-charges the LMS’s core to eliminate the need to do it manually with energy crystals. Or so I was told. It explained why we landed, but it also made me wonder exactly how long the LMS had been landing here to use this method. Once I had hooked mine up and everyone else had done the same, Sparks came back on and said, “Alright, everyone exit the ship so the captain can address the crew.†I heard a few murmurs throughout the bay, catching a couple ‘wtf’s in there. Strider strode by me, saying as he passed, “See? Not many know…â€

As we exited down the ramp, I examined the large station on the surface that I had seen once before last time I was here. It is also the most heavily defended area on the whole dang planet. Not even tectonic activity could penetrate this place or the series of caverns that ran underneath it. There isn’t much of value to mine down there, and there never really was to begin with. What it DOES have is a plethora of recharge seams. Next to every one of the seams is a little rack that holds Energy Crystals on them. The Crystals are hooked up to cables that run up to the surface to power the outpost above and also supply the power to recharge a ship’s power core. I knew there were plenty of outlets around for smaller vessels, but I still wasn’t sure how a ship as large as the LMS_E managed to use this power. I glanced back at the ship and noticed the large landing dock it was in. I smacked myself in the face. That’s how it does it. There is a hookup inside the dock. I had seen this dock vacant last time I was here and wondered what it was for. Now I knew. It also explained our smooth landing.

Someone in front of me cleared their throat. I turned and saw Docs standing there trying to get everyone’s attention, resorting to setting off a sonic blaster to get everyone to look. He cleared his throat again and spoke loudly. “As all of you should know via your respective COs, the captain wants to introduce himself to you now. What you probably do NOT know is that the Chief that you all know no longer commands this ship.†A murmur swept through the crowd. I heard one person laugh. I knew who it was. “The current captain believes you all have the right to know who exactly is in charge of your vessel. So without further ado, here he is.†Docs stepped off of the podium he was standing on that I hadn’t noticed before. Wow, he’s short. I thought. The man that was standing next to Docs stepped up and took Docs’ post on the podium. Suddenly, I realized that I knew this man.

“Hello everyone. My name is Cyrem.â€

“CYREM???†I asked Strider as we re-boarded the ship. “Cyrem commands the LMS now?â€

“Well, obviously. Why are you asking me? You just saw him.â€

I stared at him.

Strider laughed uneasily. We passed Sparks, who was holding a megaphone and shouting “ALL ABOARD!!!†at some stragglers. All the engineers resumed their post and disconnected the couplings (The reason this is done is so no power is lost unnecessarily during flight. As of now there has not been an effective device invented to do this automatically). As the ship was taking off, a voice came over the loudspeaker, “Zakida, please report to the bridge as soon as possible.†I looked up, visibly surprised. Why would I be needed on the bridge? I stood up and made my way to the bridge. Which, of course, was not an easy thing to do, considering that I had no idea where the bridge was. I had to ask directions at least twice until I found it. When I stepped into the room that was the bridge, the realization of where I was finally kicked in. I am standing on THE BRIDGE of the famous LMS Explorer!!

My astonishment was cut in to by the sound of a throat clearing. I snapped to attention. I almost even saluted.

Cyrem chuckled a bit. “You can dispense with the formalities, friend.†I faltered a bit. “Friend?†I asked.

“Yes. I am sure we are not strangers to each other.â€

“I suppose not.â€

Cyrem stood up and walked over to me. “I hear you’ve heavily studied all there is to know about the Rock Raiders operation.â€

“That is correct.â€

“Then you know that most, if not all, of the caverns rich with supplies and not with monsters have been mined out, yes?â€

“Yes sir.â€

“And therein lies the dilemma. If someone thinks that we are endangering this precious operation because of the monster threat, we would be shut down in a heartbeat.†He explained. “Now, to solve this problem, I’m hoping the vehicles you have designed will allow us to continue our operations on Planet U without interference from hostile life. Do you understand?â€

“Yes sir.†I said again.

Cyrem nodded. “And for my own peace of mind, I would like to know exactly how your cars work.â€

So I explained to him what I told Sparks earlier. When I finished, he nodded again.

“I look forward to seeing them in action. This brings me to the next point.†He led me over to the monitor that Docs was operating. The two exchanged a few words and Docs pulled up a map of a cave on the screen. “This cave you see here has a large quantity of both materials and monsters. Except for here.†He pointed to an area on the screen. “This particular spot is void of both of the aforementioned objects.â€

“So I assume you want the vehicles tested in this cave, and some people trained to use them?†I inquired.

“Not only that, but I want you to lead the effort.â€

My jaw almost dropped. “Seriously?â€

“Yes, seriously. And here is the team I want you to assemble when we reach orbit.†He handed me a list with the codename of each person and which block they were in. “You will be supplied with materials to erect a base in the designated area. Those materials are listed there along with the expected yield from this cavern. Have fun with your demonstration.â€

I walked through one of the many hallways with the list I was given in my left hand. In my right was a map that one of Cyrem’s staff, I believe he said his name was Fengo, had given me upon inquiry. It was what I was actually paying attention to rather than the list. I had already informed most of the personnel what the plan was and now I had two more stops to make: Explosives section and my own engineering section. Each section was divided into five blocks, which contained the living quarters for the people trained specifically in that area. The rest of the Rock Raiders team (the guys who wear the orange suits?) lives elsewhere on the ship. I took note that two of the people I needed were from explosives block four. Block four is the smallest block on the LMS, and also has few if not no people that actually have any exceptional experience with explosives. What it has instead are people who are trained in weapons development. The reason it is so small is due to the fact that weapons development is not overly needed as an addition to the crew. What we needed most was vehicle development, and that’s probably the reason why I was selected for this mission. I informed the three other people in this section first, and then as I walked into block 4, I witnessed a very odd spectacle. Standing in front of me was a man with a cheeseburger on his head. “What in God’s name…?†I said aloud.

The guy turned and walked towards me and asked, “How does eat food?â€

I stood there gaping. I couldn’t believe someone had just asked me that question. How stupid was this guy? Did someone hit him in the head with a brick?

And that’s about when my vision went white as something flashed in my face. I flinched. When I could see again I started to say, “Okay, what the fu-†and someone shoved a picture in my face. I snatched it and snapped, “What is this?â€

“It’s your face!†the source replied merrily. He was holding one of those cameras that spits out the picture after you take the shot.

“Screw-offs…†I muttered under my breath. I turned the picture over and glanced at the image of my bewildered face before tossing it aside. “Whatever, you’ve had your fun. I need to speak with some people here.â€

“Well, who do you need to see?â€

I moved the list so I could read it. “I need to speak with someone named Rockmodder and someone named Dead Train Rider.â€

The guy with the camera spread out his arms. “Well you have the former right here!â€

“Well, do you think you could go get the latter out here, please??†I said impatiently.

Mister ICanHasCheezburger had moved to the back of the room by now and shouted, “Hey, D, someone here wants to talk to you!â€

A person that looked to be the polar opposite of Rockmodder walked into the room. I say he looked so because he wasn’t grinning, he had black hair instead of blonde, and he wore darker clothing.

Rockmodder held his arms in DTR’s general direction and said, “I give you the Epic Dead Train Rider!!â€

I barely resisted the urge to facepalm. The Epic DTR did not, however. “You are such a fruitcake.â€

“Okay, that’s enough. This is important business.â€

I then explained why I was there. When I finished, told them where to report to and when, and asked if they understood, Rockmodder replied with a “Yes sir, I understand you just fine†and DTR replied simply with “Understoodâ€. He’s not too talkative, either, I thought as I left to make my way back to the engineering blocks, those two are TOTALLY opposite.

When I got to my home section, I found that everyone was hanging out in the vehicle bay. Great. I made my way to the center of the crowd and found a small bench to stand on. “May I have everyone’s attention, please!?†Nobody seemed to notice me, save for someone sitting on a different bench next to me reading some Shakespeare play, who looked up for all of two seconds. I tried again. No luck. I noticed a megaphone lying next to the reading person and asked if I could borrow it. He responded with “Knock yourself out†without even looking up. I yelled into the megaphone, and still no luck. I sighed and stepped off the bench. “Can I borrow 322 sonic blasters, please?†I asked of the devout reader.

That apparently got his attention. “Taking an idea from Docs, eh? Why don’t you just start with one? Docs got the whole ship’s attention with a single blast, remember?â€

He tossed me a sonic blaster. I caught it and hopped up into the back of a Chrome Crusher, placed the device on the roof, started the timer, ducked, and held the megaphone near the base of the explosive. Mister Shakespeare saw what I was doing and said “aw, crikey†and covered his ears with his book still open on the bench. I pressed one ear to my shoulder and plugged the other with my free hand. The sonic blaster went off, and the megaphone amplified the noise enough to emit a sickeningly loud screech that was loud even to me. Everyone in the vehicle bay may or may not have been temporarily deafened. I’m pretty sure Cyrem could hear it, too. I stood back up and tried to address the crowd, but the megaphone had been blown out somehow. I lowered the megaphone and shouted, “May I have everyone’s attention, please!?â€

Someone in the crowd shouted “____ing Docs rip-off!!!†I ignored him. I read from the list, and discovered that all five of the people I needed were from block three; my own block. Well, that answers the question on where to brief them. “I need the following people to report to block three immediately. I need: Strider, Jay, Glenn, Jim, and Retsnom Kcor.†The last guy’s name intrigued me. It took me a second to realize that it spelled “Rock Monster†backwards. Why he had done that, I didn’t know. I had to be sure to ask him later.

Back in block three, I had the five people I called assembled. All of them were still rubbing their head. “Seriously, dude, was that necessary?†Strider asked, an annoyed look on his face.

“No, I suppose not. I’m sorry.â€

Glenn muttered something under his breath. I caught the word “Jack†in there somewhere. It was then that I realized that this man was the same guy that called me a rip-off back in the vehicle bay. Speaking of odd coincidences, the guy named Jim turned out to be Mister Grease Monkey. What a strange day.

“Well, get to the point. Why are we here?â€

I explained the operation.

Then Jim spoke. “Wait, you said we are starting off with supplies to erect a base. How much exactly?â€

Good lord, he has a high voice.

“He says he will supply us with fifty energy crystals and two hundred building studs.â€

That got everyone’s attention. “Whaaa…†Jay wondered aloud.

“Fifty? He’s GIVING us fifty? What the hell does he expect us to mine?†asked Glenn.

I couldn’t help but grin. “He expects us to get around one thousand Crystals from this cavern.â€

“Jesus…†Glenn said in disbelief, his hands on his hips and shaking his head. “Y’all have to be out of your mind if you think we can get that many.â€

“I KNOW we can get that many. I saw the scans myself.†I countered.

Glenn snorted. “It sounds to me like you two just want an excuse to blow a bunch of rock monsters to hell.â€

“Noooo, that’s only part of the reason. Cyrem wants some new vehicles to be tested, and he wants me to lead the mission. And he actually needs these materials.â€

“He left you in charge? I find that hard to believe.â€

“I have proof.†I turned over the list I was given, displaying the back side. “I’m sure someone here can vouch for the legitimacy of that signature.â€

Glenn read the signed notice, and grunted while shaking his head.

“Is something amiss?†I inquired.

“It makes me uncomfortable that someone as inexperienced as yourself is left in charge of a mission as fragile as this. I would feel a whole lot better if someone who has been to Planet U more than once would lead this operation.â€

I decided to ignore his comment about me being inexperienced. “Well, Cyrem picked me. I intend to do my job. I suggest you do the same.â€

There was a long pause. I could tell Glenn was considering whether or not to argue with me in front of these other people. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Retsnom mouth the word “Awk-waarrdâ€.

Eventually Glenn just sighed and said, “Yes sir, Lord Zakida.â€

“You are dismissed.†I said, not even blinking.

Glenn turned and left the room. Strider, Jay, and Retsnom followed him, in that order. Before Retsnom left, I remembered the mental note I had made. “Rets, wait!†I called after him. He stopped midway through the doorway and asked, “Yes sir?â€

“Why did you pick ‘Rock Monster’ backwards as your codename?â€

He grinned. “I have my reasons.†Then he turned and walked off.

Only Jim and I remained in the Block three common room. Jim turned to me and asked, “What’s with all the weird names I keep hearing people go by?â€

To this, I responded, “The Rock Raiders have a policy that states you aren’t required to go by your real name while working here. So we have the codename system to distinguish our members from one another.â€

“But why?â€

“That’s a good question. I’m not too sure myself. I think it’s because some people would rather not be affiliated with the group, while others just want to have a codename for kicks and giggles.â€

“Wait, are you required to make a codename?â€

“No, actually. Some people take real pride in being a Rock Raider. Some people, like Jay and Glenn, use their actual first name. Others, like Retsnom Kcor, use a code.â€

“Is your name your real one?†Jim inquired.

I smiled. “It could be. What about you?â€

“No.†he replied.

I craned my head to one side. “Is that right? Why Jim?â€

“It was… uh… My father’s name.†he replied nervously.

“Is that so? I wouldn’t have guessed it.â€

There was another brief pause before Jim excused himself. Which left me alone in the room with my thoughts. I kept thinking about how Glenn had had called me “Lord Zakida†before he left. “Hmm… Lord Zakida…†I thought aloud, “I think I can roll with that.â€

To be continued.

Part 2

Chaptah two

“Hey, LZ!â€

I visibly paused when I heard this. Who the hell is LZ? I wondered. And what does that even stand for? Landing zone? Lord Za-

Wait.

I did an about-face. “Are you speaking to me?â€

Retsnom Kcor stifled a laugh. “Yes, I’m talking to you! Lord Zakida is your new name, remember?â€

This confused me. I had heavily considered changing my name to Lord Zakida (because it had a nice ring to it), but I decided against it for two main reasons: One, doing so would look like I was just going through with it to piss Glenn off, which makes me look like a butt hole; Two, it would make me look like I had a large ego, which was an impression I did not care to give. However, I had not discussed this with anyone. So why was Retsnom Kcor calling me that?

I spoke my mind to him.

He shrugged and held his hands up. “Well, Glenn shouldn’t have said something he didn’t mean. If it’s going to piss him off, so be it. Besides, I think it has a nice ring, too! So does the rest of block three!â€

This startled me. “Wait, the rest of block three knows about this!?â€

Rets nodded at a high speed. “And it caught on quick!â€

I stood there speechless for a second. Then I remembered Rets talking in future tense when he referred to Glenn getting pissed off. “Does GLENN know?â€

He made a dismissive gesture. “Probably not. Who cares?â€

I sighed and shook my head. We were currently standing in the main teleport area of the LMS Explorer. This is where I had instructed the team I assembled to meet before the mission. Retsnom Kcor had come early. As of right now, we were the only two people occupying the space. Not far from us was a Tool Store waiting to be teleported.

Retsnom Kcor started tapping his foot. “When is the rest of the team supposed to get here?†he asked impatiently.

“Aaaany second now.†I replied.

Five minutes later, I had my team gathered in front of me. Everyone was making small talk.

“Attention please.†I said without raising my voice.

Everyone from Engineering block three immediately stopped talking and nudged their neighbor to hush them. I barely resisted the urge to grin.

“Thank you.†I said. “Now as you are all capable of seeing, there are at least thirty people assembled here at this moment. As you probably know, mining protocol dictates that we are not to willingly exceed nine people in an undeveloped cavern at any time until a support station has been erected. Fortunately, this cavern is close enough to the surface that we need not worry about an air supply. Once we have clearance to teleport, I will teleport down to the planet, and I want the following eight people to come after me, in this order.†I withdrew the list Cyrem had given me, with eight names underlined. “Dead Train Rider from Explosives, From the Grave from Driving, Niall from Piloting, Jim from Engineering, Julia from Sailing, Joe from Geology, Dust Devil from Driving, and-â€

“Me, from none of the above†said a voice from behind me.

I turned with an annoyed look on my face. “Who is tha- … Oh, you.†Standing before me was one of Cyrem’s personal staff members. He wore a red jumpsuit and had short brown hair. In his right hand was a clipboard. “Anonymouse.â€

“In the flesh.â€

A gruff voice, I think it belonged to Glenn, muttered “Anonymouse? That’s a *** name†under his breath.

Fortunately, I don’t think he heard him.

“Why are you coming?†I inquired.

“Because Cyrem wants a simulation of how the vehicles operate, so he can train the cadets accordingly when we start mining other caverns.†He responded.

I nodded. “That makes sense.â€

“Yes, it does.†He replied.

“Mmm-hmm.â€

“Yup.â€

I nodded.

He nodded.

We stood there staring at each other for a full minute before I clicked my tongue and said “ANYWAAAAY, I want the seven of you to follow me into the cavern after I teleport down, in the order I called you, and Anonymouse here will follow. Understood?â€

“Yes sir, Lord Zakida!†Everyone, excluding Glenn and for some reason including Anonymouse, replied cheerfully. What the hell?

Glenn was less then amused.

Fifteen minutes later, the pre-flight diagnostics for the teleporters had been run, and the Tool Store’s teleporter was warmed up and awaiting the beacon to land on the cavern floor. When it did so, a soft *bing* was emitted from the teleporter. I pressed the call button on the monitor next to me. Jet appeared on screen. “Tool Store is ready to teleport.†I informed.

“Roger†She replied. I saw her input a command on a keyboard I couldn’t see. I turned around and watched the Tool Store flash in a greenish white light, grow transparent and eventually disappear from view. I turned back to the screen. Jet stared at a separate monitor somewhere off-screen for about six seconds or so before turning back to me. “Tool Store teleported successfully. You can now start to teleport to the planet.â€

“Roger.†I responded. “Thank you, Jet.â€

She made that clicking noise people sometimes make when they hear a compliment they didn’t expect. “Why, you’re welcome, Lord Zak.â€

The first step I took, I almost tripped. Jet, too? Seriously?

I made my way over to one of the teleporting cells in the wall, attaching a command glove to my wrist as I went. A small light above it lit up orange to indicate it had synchronized with the pad on our Tool Store. I stepped inside and turned 180 degrees. “Here goes…†I muttered. I heard a hum that steadily increased in volume, and then the cell lit up around me.

Now, I’ve been through a teleporter before, but no matter how many times I do it, it still surprises me; one could even venture to say it scares me a bit. If you want to know how it feels, get wasted on acid and go to a concert that uses lots of bright flashing lights. And that’s only what it looks like. It feels much weirder. Imagine going on a roller coaster that has a vertical drop, giving you that strange feeling in your gut. Now picture having that same feeling while at the acid-flashing lights scenario. Now picture it all while feeling totally immobilized and then getting the sickening feeling that your mind is the ONLY part of you that exists.

And this all happens in a matter of seconds.

Then your feet hit a metal surface below you. You unconsciously gasp for air, for reasons you don’t quite know. You slowly step off the teleporter taking deep breaths, testing the air. Your feet touch the hard stone of the power path. And then you remember that you have to move so the next guy can teleport down. That’s what most people do. It’s what I did.

As I walked away from the store a bit, I looked around at the cavern we were in: quite dim, but still enough light to see where the ceiling was. The cave also sloped downward in all directions but one. I could discern a sloshing noise coming from the more level area, which told me the lake I saw on the scans was there. Not much else sound could be heard minus the Tool Store teleporting DTR down. It smelled very wet, and you could almost say you could taste mucous in the air. I soon discovered why that was as my right foot sunk slightly into the ground.

“What in…?†I questioned of no one in particular. I looked down. It was then I realized why the monsters had left this place alone. I let out a sigh as I raised the communicator on my wrist to my mouth. “LZ to LMS, do you copy? Over.â€

The speaker crackled a bit. “This is Addict. I read you LZ. Over.â€

Even Addict responded to that? Geeze.

“I’ve teleported successfully. And we’ve got slugs. Over.â€

“Ah, hell.†I heard DTR mutter from behind me somewhere. The Tool Store flashed again as From the Grave arrived. I heard Addict repeat DTR’s comment.

“Someone REALLY needs to update the ground scanners. Are the slugs bothering you at the moment? Over.â€

I made a visual sweep of the cavern. “It doesn’t appear that way. But I do know for a fact this hole I’m standing next to has been used recently. Over.â€

“Then just build up what you can and make sure you have a sufficient amount of people armed.†He said in a formal tone. “Over and outâ€

I switched off the communicator and walked back over to our only building. Three people stood next to it: Rider (who for some reason was wearing a hockey mask on top of his head), Grave, and Niall (both of whom were wearing standard Cadet suits). The teleporter was strangely silent. “What’s taking the next guy so long?†Niall questioned.

“Maybe Jim is scared of the teleporter. This is his first trip out after all.†I offered.

Nobody voiced a different idea. We stood there for a minute and Jim still hadn’t landed. I looked at the teleporter in confusion. “He must be incredibly nervous.â€

And then I noticed that the orange light wasn’t on.

“Ooorr our teleporter isn’t synced.†I said forebodingly.

This grabbed the attention of all three of us. “That definitely isn’t good†said Niall.

I switched on the radio mounted on the Tool Store (This one goes directly to whoever is managing the teleports to and from your cavern. In this case it’s Jet). “Why isn’t our teleporter synced?†I asked, a bit forcefully.

“I don’t know. Someone just got really nervous up here, so we checked just to be sure.†Jet replied. “Apparently it was for good reason. The teleport should be synced now.â€

I checked. The light was back on.

“Affirmative. Thanks again.†I responded and switched the radio off. That must have been Jim. Oh well.

The teleporter flashed again. I grabbed a shovel and a pusher beam from the tool store as Jim warped down. Except it wasn’t Jim. It was Julia. Great. He chickened out. I’ll have to reprimand him for that later. Everyone else around me also grabbed a shovel and a weapon, with the exception of Dead Train Rider, who didn’t grab a gun. Niall and From the Grave both grabbed lasers. Julia took a sonic blaster kit.

The other people that I had told to follow us teleported without issues and each grabbed similar equipment from the Tool Store. Anonymouse didn’t show. So we built the base up without him. It’s really interesting to be able to experience the mining operation with your own hands, rather then just doing it through the simulation they make you do for training. It’s even more interesting when you are the commanding officer, and you are working down there with the people under your command. You get to watch the base take shape up close and personal. It gives quite a thrill.

We had the buildings up to Power Station built, with the support station underway. It only needed one more building stud. I was about to grab the last when our teleport pad flashed. Someone was coming. I whistled to the other six people, who were standing by next to the tool store making small talk. They all ceased their chat and ran over to me. We all stood in front of the teleport pad, and out of the building came Anonymouse.

“I thought you’d be here sooner.†I stated.

“I was a bit tied up back on the LMS.†He replied. He looked at the seven of us. “Where’s the rest of your squad?â€

I motioned the men and woman behind me. “This IS my squad.â€

He gave me a confused look. “You’re missing a person.â€

“He never showed.â€

At this, a foreboding look came over Anonymouse’s face. “I KNOW I saw him teleport down.â€

This is something that is NEVER supposed to happen. Having someone disappear like this in a teleport is…… beyond bad. We may not ever be able to find him. All was silent.

Which is probably why I heard the noise.

“This is great.†Anonymouse shouted. “Now we’re going to have to form a search party and find him ASAP before his air runs ou-“

“Shut up†I snapped.

He looked at me dumbfounded. “Sir, don’t you even dare to tell ME to shut up!â€

“No, shut up, as in, I think I hear something.â€

He was quiet. Now I knew I heard something. It was a sound like that of dirt cracking, slightly wetted, and with a sucking noise to go along with it.

“Was that what I think it was?†Joe inquired worriedly.

Then we heard more.

About 30 more. Maybe 40. 50. Hell, I couldn’t tell, there were so many.

I turned on the spotlight on my glove and shined it where the first sound came from. Staring back at me was a green mass with two orange stalk eyes, and plenty more behind it. I swiveled to other areas around the base. There they were, hundreds, in every direction.

“Aw, cripes.†I thought aloud.

To be continued.

[Storm]

Ok, now i HAVE to be the one in the grinder! (as if the last trip to planet U, they left me there.)

[Cirevam]

This is some fun reading. I can't wait for you to make more, Lord Zakida.

[Addictgamer]

Awesome.

Did i come in yet? What did I want to be, what did I want to come in as, who was I?

[ftgsarge]

its a good read but after reading part 1 and 2 it seems that im down there but not doing anything yet.

[Cirevam]

Did i come in yet? What did I want to be, what did I want to come in as, who was I?

“What in…?” I questioned of no one in particular. I looked down. It was then I realized why the monsters had left this place alone. I let out a sigh as I raised the communicator on my wrist to my mouth. “LZ to LMS, do you copy? Over.”

The speaker crackled a bit. “This is Addict. I read you LZ. Over.”

Even Addict responded to that? Geeze.

Apparently you are of great importance to have a high-ranking position aboard the LMS_E, as i one would expect. You don't seem to get all ragey like Mouse does, which is good.

[TheDoctor]

Mouse raging?

No, I kinda skimmed through it. Maybe later.

[Aki Dazrold]

I've just completed part four, but I'll wait until everyone is overrun with suspense first. ;)

[Anonymouse]

NOOO!

The suspense is killing me... PPPLLLLEEEAAAAAAAAAAASsSSSSEEEEE....

Me raging around? where? In the story or on RRU?

[Cirevam]

Mouse raging, from Chapter 2:

“This is great.” Anonymouse shouted. “Now we’re going to have to form a search party and find him ASAP before his air runs ou-“

“Shut up” I snapped.

He looked at me dumbfounded. “Sir, don’t you even dare to tell ME to shut up!”

“No, shut up, as in, I think I hear something.”

From Chapter 3:

Julia nodded an affirmative, while Anonymouse just stood there, likely overwhelmed by the amount of monsters present. “Dammit, that’s an order! Do it NOW!!” I shouted, knowing it would piss him off. It worked; He snapped out of his stupor, and looked at me as if to pull rank on me, but realized now was not the time for that and nodded.

Mouse rages when people disrespect him. LZ, if you're going to wait to post the next chapter, wait until you're about halfway done with the fifth chapter. That way you can post a preview and make us even more anxious.

[Anonymouse]

LZ, if you're going to wait to post the next chapter, wait until you're about halfway done with the fifth chapter. That way you can post a preview and make us even more anxious.

Stop giving him evil ideas!

And I see about the raging now, thanks.

[Aki Dazrold]

Me raging around? where? In the story or on RRU?

Both, actually.

Here:

Mouse raging, from Chapter 2:

“This is great.†Anonymouse shouted. “Now we’re going to have to form a search party and find him ASAP before his air runs ou-“

“Shut up†I snapped.

He looked at me dumbfounded. “Sir, don’t you even dare to tell ME to shut up!â€

“No, shut up, as in, I think I hear something.â€

From Chapter 3:

Julia nodded an affirmative, while Anonymouse just stood there, likely overwhelmed by the amount of monsters present. “Dammit, that’s an order! Do it NOW!!†I shouted, knowing it would piss him off. It worked; He snapped out of his stupor, and looked at me as if to pull rank on me, but realized now was not the time for that and nodded.

Mouse rages when people disrespect him. LZ, if you're going to wait to post the next chapter, wait until you're about halfway done with the fifth chapter. That way you can post a preview and make us even more anxious.

And here:

Stop giving him evil ideas!

BTW, Thanks for the 'evil' ideas, Cirevam. >8D

Also, I revised the fourth part a bit, it's now half a page longer. xD

[Addictgamer]

“What in…?†I questioned of no one in particular. I looked down. It was then I realized why the monsters had left this place alone. I let out a sigh as I raised the communicator on my wrist to my mouth. “LZ to LMS, do you copy? Over.â€The speaker crackled a bit. “This is Addict. I read you LZ. Over.â€Even Addict responded to that? Geeze.Apparently you are of great importance to have a high-ranking position aboard the LMS_E, as i one would expect. You don't seem to get all ragey like Mouse does, which is good.

...

...

...

...

Ok, enough!

Yep, I did forget the first two parts...

LZ, about the supsense idea.

Don't wait too long, otherwise I members of rru will forget what has happened and make the story sound like fail.

[Aki Dazrold]

...It's a trick... <_<

[RockmoddeR]

lol lz. Thanx for teh welcome btw. Iz yer laz0r still chargin' from the old 'battlestations, men!' topic that I created on the old forum?

[edit] hehe...I read the story...I love big guns...

[Aki Dazrold]

Iz yer laz0r still chargin' from the old 'battlestations, men!' topic that I created on the old forum?

Wow, I had totally forgotten about that. So... I guess so, it is still chargin.

[Sonic322]

no, you said you fired it

[INB681]

Wow, I totally forgot about this...

Thanks for the update!

[Anonymouse]

Don't you think you've tortured us enough now?

[Aki Dazrold]

I meant to post the next part about a week ago, but I was having computer issues and couldn't get a hold of the file. I intend to post it soon, look for it. ;)