the colony

I stared out at the desolate landscape surrounding me. I was waiting for my brother who had left 5 hours ago on a routine soil collection. We had received radio signals back on earth that came from this planet and as we were the closest ship we had to investigate. My brother, as the resident geologist was sent to collect samples and find evidence that this planet was hospitable. I was scanning the horizon for the blue uniform when I saw something in the distance. It wasn’t blue though. It seemed to be a skin colour. It was only when I looked at it through the binoculars that I realised it WAS my brother. He was naked. As he staggered towards me I noticed the blank expression on his face. Closer and closer he came but he didn’t seem to recognise me. I kept shouting his name but he walked straight past me. Nathan Nathan I shouted but still he kept walking. I lunged at him before he could walk into the razor wire. It was only then that I realised that he was…. brain-damaged.
*
I was sitting by his hospital bed when I heard the commander’s voice.
“Lieutenant ford.” he said
I jumped up and said, “yes sir” as I saluted him.
“Now there’s no need to be formal at a time like this” the commander said
“I understand this an extremely difficult time for you and I would like to offer my condolences” he added
“Thank you sir” I said maintaining my formal manner as a sign of respect
“The reason I have come to see you is that I have a task that only a man of your….calibre, would be able to perform”
“Yes sir”
“I want you to lead a party to find what ever ghastly….thing which has done this to your brother”
“yes sir” I said
“If you happen to come across what ever it is, I want it destroyed and brought back here ok. Have I made my self clear lieutenant?”
“yes sir, very clear.”
The commander stood by the bed for a second bowed his head and then left without another word.
*
2 hours later I had assembled a team and given them a briefing. We started off following Nathan’s route. We got to Nathan’s first planned test area. His footprints were visible in the sand. My team was starting to feel anxious. I heard one of them say “what if we end up like this bloke?” In my mind I was having the same fears but I couldn’t show them. We got to the second test site. His footprints had disappeared. There was no sign of a struggle so we assumed it was just the ground wasn’t loose enough. Before we could get to the third 1 we came across a lone woman in black robes, which were torn. she had a hood over her head so we couldn’t see her eyes. A long thin arm extended from the robes and I heard 1 of my team let out a yelp. Her arm was scabby and blood stained. her fingernails were long and crooked. Yet she had a sweet smell about her. My team and I were becoming drowsy from the aroma. It was only an ear splitting scream, which awoke us. As the woman let out her scream I saw what was in her mouth. 2 thick long fangs protruded through her lips. It was as if the scream was a signal. Hundreds of these women rose out of the ground surrounding us. They started chanting something under their breath. It was from what I could make out a rough imitation of ancient Greek. They started moving towards is in almost a synchronized dance. We tried to break through the ring but whenever we got close to the women we were forced into the middle of the circle. I felt a sickening feeling rising and it was obvious that my team could feel it because they started passing out around me. The women were getting closer and closer I started to fall into a deep sleep but I knew that if I did it would be the last thing I ever did. With this thought I fought back the sickening feeling and managed to break through the circle and had a split second desire to run but as the leader I had to save my team. I pulled out my gun and started shooting them. The bullets would make a hole but it would just seem heal over. I yelled out to my team WAKE UP! WAKE UP! Only two others regained consciousness and managed to break out. I told them to run and raise the alarm. I tried to arouse more of my team but I couldn’t I gave up and ran but my legs went to jelly. I looked back to see if the women were chasing us but they weren’t. The women picked up their victims and vanished into the ground again.
*
I stumbled into HQ where the commander was waiting.
“Ford what happened, these two said that the rest of your team is dead” he said
“ Yes” I whimpered
“Well u go to the hospital wing and we shall talk later when u feel better alright” he said
“I’m ok sir” I said faintly
“No your not you will go to the hospital wing now”
*
“ford you’ve woken up” I heard the commander say
I gave a small nod because I was too tired to open my mouth.
“now what happened exactly lieutenant?” he said in a soft tone
I managed to gather enough strength to open my mouth and told him everything. Afterwards he sat there with his mouth open in awe.
“You get some sleep lieutenant” he said after a long pause
“Yes sir” I said before I fell asleep again.
*
“this I hopeless john” said the commander
“you’re my leading tactician if you cant find a way to destroy these things no one will be able to” he added
“sorry commander but there is no practical way to destroy these things with out more information” said the tactician.
“well we don’t have more information” the commander said
“I’m sorry commander then I am unable to come up with a plan” john said.
*
I was discharged from the hospital with a horrible task. I had to go through my brother’s belongings. I had to scour his notes to find any thing that might help us. I came across something of interest. While going through his notes I found his most recent instalment. It said that planet Kelvin had extremely high levels of pure sulphur in its soil. As I had had some basic chemistry training n the academy I knew that pure sulphur was extremely flammable. A thought flittered in my mind for a second before I dismissed it as ridiculous.
*
the commander walked in just as I was finishing up for the day.
“Chris, I need your help” he said
“yes?” I replied
“I know your no tactician but I thought that as you know these…things better than any one else you would be able to help me in a plan to destroy their civilisation.”
“yes sir”
“now lets walk and talk I need a cigarette” he said
“ok”
once we had gotten out side the commander lit up a cigarette and was still talking about plans to destroy these things before they destroyed us. It was only when the commander was half way through his smoke that the thought from earlier came back. It wasn’t long before I dismissed it again.
“Something up Chris”
“No no just day dreaming sorry”
“Well what do you think?”
“Sounds brilliant” I lied because I had not been listening to the commander
“Good then I would ask you to lead another party,” the commander said
“Yes sir”
“Well I will give you a briefing before you go”
“Good day” he added
And with that he flicked his cigarette onto the yellow ground where it smouldered for a second giving off a snowy white smoke before going out.
*
I had prepared my team and we had been to the armoury and collected the most advanced energy rays the place had. We knew that some of us would not return. But it was a risk we had to take to find a way of destroying these things. We followed the route of the day before to where we found these things. The lone woman was standing there again but this time I was ready for the sweet smells, the ear splitting scream the sicking feeling but these things were more powerful today. I felt the over whelming urge to sleep and the only thing that saved me was the ear splitting scream. Then unlike yesterday I did fall into the deep sleep and what happened next will haunt me for the rest of my days. It was like I was being taken apart and put back together again a million times. I woke up connected to a machine. I had censors connected to my head and they seemed to be performing some sort of ceremony around me. I was dropping in and out of consciousness it was only when I heard a familiar laugh that I straightened up. I would have recognised that asinine laugh anywhere. It was the laugh of my brother. I managed enough strength to look around and all I saw were more of the hooded figures. But 1 stood forward and laughed again. It was definitely my brother’s laugh but how could it be he was back in the hospital wing. I looked around again and I saw my team connected to the same type of machines. The thing that had stepped forwards raised its hand and the ceremony stopped. It kept walking towards me and as it did it started speaking. I roughly made out what he was saying.
“Hello Chris” it said
I didn’t say anything.
It took a deep breath and continued, “Do you want me to explain your predicament?”
I paused for a second and then gave a faint nod.
“Well this machine your are hooked up to will suck your mind, experiences, your memories and even your feelings out and well leave your body as an empty prawn shell so to speak” it said and laughed again.
“We will then remodel a body over that mind, that is why I remember you”
I was too shocked to speak. Eventually I gathered enough courage to speak again.
“Is there any way my brother will ever be the same?” I said which was all I could think of
“No the process is irreversible” it said
“Then I have nothing more to say,” I said in disgust.
“Well if that’s the case start the machines.”
I knew I had to think of something quick otherwise I would have no hope of saving my team or myself.. I was in a daze and had no hope of thinking of anything I could feel the machine vibrate as it warmed up. Think Chris think I said to myself. I was a goner for sure. Then I heard something bashing at the wall. It was only when the wall caved in that I realised who it was. It was the commander. We weren’t safe yet though I could barely lift my arm let alone escape. I felt a strong grip on my shoulder it was one of his officers. He unhooked me from the machine just before the thing that was talking to me earlier sunk its fangs deep into his heart but at least I was free now. I stumbled over to one of my officers and unhooked him. And while the things were engaged in battle I was able to unhook each one of my crew and sneak out of the building. Once the commander had seen that I had got out safely he ordered a retreat. As the bullets that they were using had no effect on these things. I ran as best I could back to HQ I had a plan to get rid of these things once and for all.
*
Back in the commanders office I told him my plan.
“Nothing we have tried kills these things,” I said
“Yes” the commander said.
“ But what we haven’t tried is poisoning them” I continued.
“I’m not sure, it sounds risky,” the commander said
“All we have to do is fire a phosphorus incendiary into the ring and see if any thing happens. If it does we will develop our plan from there. Can we at least give a go?”
“Alright then it seems I have no other option”
“Thank you commander” and with that I raced of and prepared a crew.
*
“This mission will be an easier one,” I told my crew.
“We just have to fire one incendiary and return to base.” I added.
We set off and when we came to the spot where the woman usually stood we fired an incendiary at her. We ran and took cover be hind a small hill which smelt of rotten eggs. When it went off nothing happened for a second and then she just fell. It was then that I decided I had a fair idea how to get rid of these things.
*
I ran back to the commander and yelled, “It worked”
“Calm yourself Chris” he said.
“Tell me what happened”
Once I had told him he ordered John, the tactician in.
“John, Chris will tell you what happened and I would like you to help us in a plan.”
I repeated my story to John and then there was a long pause.
“I had this thought yesterday when I was going through Nathan’s notes. Apparently this planet has high levels of pure sulphur in its soil. And I know that if you burnt pure sulphur it would probably have the same effect as a phosphorus incendiary.” I said.
John let out a little yelp and said “if we burnt a hill or some land it would poison these things then.”
“Well theoretically yes but we would have to find an area which was particularly high in sulphur wouldn’t we.” Said the commander.
It dawned on me this morning when we had to take cover we hid behind a hill, which stunk of rotten eggs. That hill must be full of sulphur. I told the commander about this and he agreed to let me send a team of geologists in and if it was high enough in sulphur to let me burn it.
“you must be back here in 1 hour though if you are going to set this place alight I want everything ready to leave. I will start preparing the engines. But make sure your back here in exactly 1 hour have I made myself clear?”
“yes sir” and with that I ran off to assemble a crew. When we got to the test area the geologists started setting up. It wasn’t long before they had the results back. It was at least 80% sulphur, which was certainly enough to burn. I told them to head back to the ship so they could be prepared for take of. Once they had left I tried setting it alight but it wouldn’t work. Eventually it became hot enough to ignite. I only had 10 minutes to get back to the ship now though. it wasn’t enough time even for the fastest runner. Even so I still held onto one last hope and sprinted as fast as I could. I got to within 100 metres of the ship its after burners were firing up I might just get on the ship I though so I sprinted my legs started to give way. I was 10 meters away when I heard the hydraulic engine kick in and start lifting the door. I made 1 huge lunge and just made it onto the ship. I looked u to see the commander standing there.
“well done lieutenant ford” he said
“thank you sir” I replied
“now you go and get some sleep, that was some distraction from our original course wasn’t it”
“yes sir”