The Storm, part II
Stardate 76136.7; February 19, 2399
E P I S O D E S
101AND102
Edited by Peter Bossley
Written by Chris Adamek
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS
Angela
Christopher
Sor Dalem
Lieutenant
Steven Marizex
Justin Reinbold
Ansor Tanar
Lieutenant Jayla
Trinn
Prime Minister
Vallis
Ii’zyyr’aa • (ih-ZEER-ah)
Chapter Six
Once, not long ago, Lylat VII was a
serene, peaceful world near the Federation border. An agrarian colony, it thrived upon the
myriad crops planted each spring: wheat, corn, tomatoes, and a plethora of
other vegetables… It was truly a delightful place to live, especially when the
harvest came a few months later.
The warm sunlight shined upon the verdant hills as villagers
plucked tomatoes from the vine; children frolicked through the endless
cornfields, all the while their parents hunted for the perfect ear of corn to
serve with dinner…
Tall trees, filled with yellow songbirds, dotted the gently
rolling hills. A small stream snaked
through the valley, and the horses grazed upon the grasses near the
shore—utterly oblivious to the nearby fishermen, all of them thinking good
thoughts as they reeled in what might have been the big one.
On the other side of the river, nestled in the heart of the valley
near the forest, was a quaint little village called Kippo. Rustic medieval townhouses and attractive
little shops—complete with brightly colored awnings—lined the wide cobblestone
streets. Both villagers and vendors
milled about the horse-drawn carriages.
Most were there to shop or sightsee, but some had come with the sole
purpose of relaxing in the shade beneath the giant birch.
The elegant white tree stood by the windmill in the center of
town, its dark green leaves rustling gently in the warm breeze. A pair of lovers nestled on the nearby
bench, whispering sweet nothings into the wind…
In the distance, loomed the only sign of technology—the Federation
Consulate. While the building blended
in perfectly with the rest of Kippo Village, the Federation flag that danced in
the gentle wind was indication enough that technology loomed before the
colony’s rustic surface. And it would
soon need all the technology it could get…
For a brief moment, the sun flickered. Shadows moved across the land, and in that very instant, Lylat
VII’s idyllic serenity was shattered.
Overhead loomed a Velora warship…
Swirls of glittering pink light filled the town square, planting
for the first time dozens of armed Lycorian soldiers on Federation soil. They immediately took root, shooting
countless beams of ragged pink light into the crowds. Screams echoed in the wind, blood burst into the air, and bodies
hit the cobblestone walkways… In a
matter of seconds, Kippo Village was conquered.
The Velora’s Lycorian henchmen immediately ended their assault,
and a few additional soldiers—Velora soldiers—subsequently beamed down to
inspect the aftermath…
And the Velora were immediately pleased with the results. Casualties were virtually nonexistent—though
considering the villagers’ level of resistance, that was to be
expected. The Velora commander promptly
ordered the dead bodies removed—thrown into the river. Those who managed to survive the assault
were already infected with the blight; they would spend the rest of their days
mining the tetralithium that lurked beneath the village.
Within days, a refinery was constructed. It was a massive, blocky conglomeration of metallic parts. The windmill and the giant birch were razed
to the ground to accommodate the ghastly structure, which now poured thick
clouds of black smoke into the air.
Much of this was from the refinement process, but bodies—dead or
otherwise—often found their way into the fires burning inside the complex.
By the end of the first week, death was in the air. The emaciated villagers walked around like
zombies as they performed their solemn duties…
The Lycorians, oblivious to the putrid smell, were always nearby to
provide motivation, mainly in the form of additional killing.
And of course, the harvesters lurked in the background, patiently
waiting for the next sickly human to collapse.
And then, dead or otherwise, the manky, mottled Lycorians would fall
upon the unfortunate individual like vultures, pulling teeth and
clothing—anything of value from the body—to sell or treasure. But once the desecration was complete, the
bodies were left along the river to rot…
And rot they did.
Flies now swarmed the muddy embankment by the million. Naked men, women, and children of every
shape and size were piled haphazardly along the shore in a mountain of mangled,
body parts. Maggots squirmed in
decaying flesh alongside a host of other feasting insects… Once these had been people.
Men.
Women.
Children.
But now their maggot-covered bodies rotted beneath the merciless
sun, slowly being devoured from the inside out, innards oozing into the
land. The river that carved through the
once pristine valley was now tinged red.
It had become a river of blood…
“Prime Minister!”
In an instant, Prime Minister Vallis snapped out of his
daydream. He shook his head, suddenly
realizing that those terrible thoughts were just that—a dream. A simple figment of his imagination… None of it was real…
“Prime Minister Vallis,” said the voice a second time. It was Sor Dalem, and she stood impatiently
at Vallis’ side hands upon her hips.
“We mustn’t delay,” she stated once she had his attention. “The ship is about to leave.”
Ship?
For a moment, Vallis was tempted to inquire further; in the
aftermath of his daydream, his mind was still a bit hazy, and the Prime
Minister had no recollection of a waiting ship. But then he recalled his earlier conversation with Dalem and
Ambassador Corrin. There was a dire
situation that needed attention, and the Drinar would be leaving
shortly.
“Yes, of course,” said Vallis, nodding agreeably. “The Ii’zyyr’aa.”
“The incident in the Azel Cluster has infuriated them,” Dalem
placidly continued, as if she dealt with such delicate situations on a daily
basis. “They are massing a swarm near
the Phendrana Drifts.”
Vallis smiled thinly. Now
it was all coming back to him. “How
many ships?” he asked.
Dalem shook her head.
“Unknown,” she stated. “That is
why we must act quickly. We cannot
allow their swarm to proliferate.”
The Ii’zyyr’aa could start with only four or five ships—but after
a couple of hours, they could literally spawn an entire fleet. It was a terribly efficient way to bolster
troop numbers, and in this case, terribly inconvenient—for the Velora—because
an angry swarm was a deadly one. For
once, Dalem’s legendary impatience was completely justified, because time was
not on their side.
“You go ahead,” said Vallis, his voice sounding a bit
strained. So vivid had his daydream
been, he could practically smell death in the air. Of course, he stood in the very heart of the Command and Control
room, so the notion was preposterous.
He just needed a moment to compose his thoughts. “I’ll be there in a moment.”
Dalem did not question the order.
She hastily turned on her heel and departed, leaving Vallis alone with
his sordid thoughts.
“Put it out of your mind,” Vallis quietly sighed, keeping his
voice low so not to be overheard by the few remaining officers in the command
center. “It was just a daydream…”
But in his heart, he knew it was anything but.