Chapter 2 (D2)
Mokvel leads an expedition to Terra. While a young Neanderthal hunter lies patiently in wait.
Previously: An Alien mothership has discovered Planet Earth. Overseer Urlak has arranged for Mokvel, a researcher to lead an expedition to the surface with the intention of gathering samples.
They were the Neanderthal, and they lived for the hunt.
The larger the beast, the more determined they were to bring it down. What they had once run from now ran from them. The tribe of men stalked through a vast green forest. The high canopy blotted out much of the sun and made the forest floor more humid while also making them harder to spot, thanks to the dirt and furs that covered their bodies. They even limited their verbal communication, relying on hand signals and watching their every step to avoid stepping on loose twigs. Their prey, a red deer, had its head down grazing. As the group began encircling the blissfully unaware creature, a loud noise punctuated the surrounding air, scattering the birds and causing the deer to bolt into the thick line of trees before disappearing for good. The thick canopy overhead meant they didn’t see what had startled their prey, but the tribe knew one thing. They would not let it get away. This unearthly noise was unlike anything they had heard before. It was something new, and it had shaken the ground beneath them. Still cautious but moving faster now, the tribe hurried through the boundless forest, ignoring anything and everything as this new curiosity took hold of them. They stopped when they reached the tree line, finding only a grassy plain. While clinging to its edges, they saw no sign of what caused the disturbance. They each suspected that whatever it was had long since departed and a short while later, the group's leader signalled for the hunters to head back; one man, the youngest of them, remained hidden, watching, waiting for something to happen.
“There is nothing to see here, boy, and you don’t want to be left behind,” said a voice behind him.
“I’ll catch up. Whatever it was, it's still here. I’m sure of it.”
“But the plains—empty,” said the older man, making a wide gesture with his arm.
The young man squinted. Other than the windy grass, there was no indication of anything being here. He put his large, hairy hand on the larger boulder and looked back. "I will catch up."
“The clan leader will punish you.”
“When I come back with prey, he won’t.”
The burlier man grumbled and spat at the ground. “That’s if you come back at all, young one.”
Both men stared the other down, but sensing Young would not relent in this endeavour the larger man turned and hurried back the way they came. Young meanwhile knelt and focused on the plains and the strange peace of mind it brought him. Allowing the silence to wash over him, the hairs on his body bristled and he saw it. A glint of some kind. It forced him to briefly shield his eyes. A large group of little grey figures appeared one after the other, as if out of thin air. The young man was torn between running back and telling his tribe or dealing with these creatures himself. Their relatively small size compared to him would make them easy pickings. Some of them did carry objects that he guessed were weapons of some kind. A direct attack would get him killed, but an ambush, they wouldn’t see it coming. He remained observant; their routine had him more curious than bloodthirsty, so he knelt and watched them work. Who are these little people? And why have they come? Why did the Great Forest shake in their presence?
This was the scariest part of setting foot on a new world. The ship breached the atmosphere at incredible speed and he could only trust that the saucer's guidance systems would compensate for any variables he could not account for. The only time he intervened was adjusting where they wanted to land. Thankfully for them, Terra's atmosphere and more proved easy enough to navigate, though scans outward showed potential shifts towards turbulent weather elsewhere, now they had to choose where to land. They aimed for grassy plains, since the likelihood of recovering live specimens there would be much higher compared to the colder or more arid environments.
The crew looked out of the saucer's view screen and saw a scattering of tall trees bending from the energy exerted by the craft. They soon found a small clearing and prepared to make land. Mokvel, from where he sat in the Command chair, saw a warning appear on the arm of his chair. He pressed a button or two and the hologram of the Terrans appeared. He scratched his cheek.
"We may have a problem."
One pilot swivelled in their U-curved white chair and faced him. “How? This was determined to be the optimal landing position to recover samples.”
“Life scans picked up a group of Terrans nearby. Launch the bubble drones. If we can get a barrier up. They’ll hopefully just brush it off.”
Another member of the crew initiated the launch of the drone craft and instructed them to encircle the saucer, giving enough room for the aliens to navigate outside while also avoiding being seen. "I'll remain here to manage the barrier."
“Good. Have the medics prepare cold storage for any of the live samples we gather. And as always, make sure everything is decontaminated.”
The grey alien next to the drone operator looked up from monitoring the scanner. "It looks like we deployed the drones at the right time; the barrier is masking our presence to them."
"How many are there?" Mokvel asked.
“Eight, all along the tree line. They aren’t approaching us—yet.”
“That’s because they can’t see us and let’s keep it that way. I want you to keep us updated on anything outside the barrier. Anyone else not needed here can join me in the field. Any more questions?” He heard no response. “Let’s get this done.”
It took some time for the away team to get suited up in their bulky, conspicuous-looking white suits. Afterwards, they underwent decontamination that, once completed, would allow them to depart the ship. The metal ramp emerged from the saucer's body, coming to rest on the wavy green grass. The noises of Terra filled their ears. A world this alive was a rare find for them.
“Remember, we cover the safe zone first and once done, we part the barrier and scout the surrounding area. Always keep your protectors close by. It should go without saying, if you get lost, no one is coming back for you.”
They all understood well enough. Many present had been on previous away missions, but for Mokvel this was his first and as such it fell upon him to lead the way into the cloudless blue sky. The world around him was serene and far prettier than anything he had seen back on the homeworld. The Greys, through their ambitions, had ruined their planet with toxic industry, reducing it to nothing more than an engine for their expansion into the cosmos. Whatever beauty may have existed had long been stripped away and fed to the fabricator factories, but here on this untouched world that blight might as well exist only in his nightmares. The High Command cannot know we have found paradise. They would only despoil it.
Mokvel led the way slow and steady down the ramp. It took a few seconds for him to fully get used to the gravity and wind now urging him along. The planet eagerly welcomed them into its embrace. Altogether there were eight of them, four scientists and four protectors. After surveying their current surroundings, they would then divide into two groups and go beyond the tree line. He waited until everyone was accounted for.
“Update on the Terrans?” he asked the scanner team back on the saucer.
"They've retreated for now. This should give you ample time to get enough samples and return without drawing attention. Still, be careful, Mok. It's not just Terrans you have to worry about."
Mokvel knew that from Mothership’s surface scans, alongside the Terrans, there were similar and sometimes larger prey or predators. All of them easily dwarfed the Greys. The only edge they had over these formidable creatures was their disintegration and stun-capable pulse rifles. The first few minutes they spent within the barrier, extracting soil samples and more. He knew through word of mouth that part of this would go toward developing a means of altering the terrain of various worlds. It could also be a volatile weapon that could crack this one open if they so wished. After those samples were acquired, Mokvel radioed for the barrier to be parted enough for both teams to scout the edges of the forest. With a fellow scientist at his side and protectors close by, the tree line looked like a terrifying prospect. All he could see was a darkness guarded by the endless forest. His two hearts beat fast, and it took one of his protectors to nudge him forward. He passed by a rock when he saw it within touching distance of another researcher and just barely out of sight. He had somehow remained hidden from the scanners. The full head of dirty, messy hair; misshapen, bared teeth, piercing brown eyes, and arched, rage-filled bushy eyebrows. If looks could kill.
They had found their first Terran, and they would be his prey.
Young remained as low as humanly possible as the strange little people got closer. He considered retreating to the tree line, but it was far too late now, as in a few seconds they would be upon him. They spoke in confusing clicks and strange noises. It was definitely a form of communication, just one very different from his own. Two of them carried what he suspected was a form of weaponry, but he had no way of knowing its capability until he saw it in action. I have to hit first and hard, catch them off guard.
The first of the unarmed Grey met his cold ironclad stare and was pushed to the ground by the stone-tipped spear as it made light work of the surprisingly fragile protective suit. The shrill creature's scream made him roar in satisfaction as its blue blood dripped off the shaft. He wriggled the spear loose and reached down to grab the limp body. He lifted it and launched it at the two other Greys. Their smaller bodies gave them little time to manoeuvre, so their friend became their dead weight, dropping them like stones. Young aimed for the one that still held its weapon and drove the spear at its head. He was met with denial as a strange transparent visor resisted his efforts. Enraged, he struck at it like a wild beast until something had to give and soon his persistence was rewarded with the stone tip becoming lodged in the alien's head. This one only let out a pitiful whelp as it ceased flailing its arms. The lack of actual threat from these creatures was laughable—puny insects.
A spasm made him lose footing, and he spun to see the other alien holding a similar weapon. So that’s what it does… He tightened his grip on the spear and noted the little Grey alien had become a blurring motion of two separate beings. With his vision now working against him, he let out a defiant roar and launched the spear right as the second pulse knocked the air out of his lungs and launched him backwards. His thoughts became a disjointed mess as he met the wet grass, but one thing still simmered beneath his now disobedient body.
Silent rage.
Boom! Very cool story. Nice work 💯
A very exciting second installment in the story. It was a very good idea to translate the Neanderthals instincts and learned behaviors into thoughts for the reader. Excellent.