Fantasy Kaizoic: Earth Reborn

[Da Doofus]

Stryx rolled his eyes at Kairo's response, and knelt down to check if he damaged his leg in any way.

After a ride back to his quarters, the Noah would be pelted by a growing rainstorm that fed the jungle in a misty downpour. When the pod passed by the hull, Kairo could faintly hear the pattering of raindrops on metal.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo heard the faint sound of the rain as it pattered onto the Noah's hull. The sound left just as it had arrived, as the pod made its way further into the interior. But even with the short timeframe, the sound of the rain soothed him. After such a rough day, it was nice to be able to have a bit of time to relax. He let himself sink into the seat. He closed his eyes and just listened to the background noise. The soft humming off the travelling pod, the faint huff of his own breathing. He probably would have fallen asleep in the pod if it wasn't for the beep that signalled he had arrived at his 'building'.

It took all his willpower to get out of that seat, but he managed to do it. He then made his way back to his quarters. As he entered, he immediately threw his jacket on his bed and kicked off his boots. He contemplated going to sleep right then and there, but judging from the time on his personal terminal, he could afford to stay up a bit longer. He tiredly plopped down on his chair, pushing himself close to the terminal. Might as well do some studying. He pulled up the documents of all the known animals and began to look through those.

 

[Da Doofus]

Those that had been documented included the feathered Cerataurs, armored-head herbivores the size of dropships. Others were Pavem Laetopteryx, a 10 foot tall omnivorous (and flightless) bird with bright plumage, and clawed wings. Other entries described a new species of deer whose antlers grew forward from its head, and other small mammals that seemed to have survived the millenia, but have taken on slight shifts in evolution.

Many others were labeled: Undocumented. These only showed thermal imagery of their shapes from drone footage stillshots. Some looked to be herbivorous grazers more docile in appearance than the aggressive Cerataur. A few looked to be small predators, one of which looked to be a large wolf-like creature with longer forelegs than a 'typical' canine. In the image, it looked like one of them was standing on two legs.
The last entry was that image of the giant reptile again.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Going through each entry, he noticed a common trait that most of the animals shared. They were all terrifically scaled. The one he found the most bizarre was probably the Pavem Laetopteryx. A giant 10 foot bird was the last thing he'd expected. He had to get a closer look to confirm what he was seeing. It didn't bring him much comfort knowing these things were roaming around.

Then there were the mammals. They seemed to have adopted smaller changes, but it didn't make it any less weird to see them. The small, subtle changes in their anatomy really stood out. It made them look almost unnatural to Kairo. Hopefully he'd be able to get used to those changes.

He continued to look through these for about an hour, before he finally couldn't fight the onset of sleep. He turned the terminal screen back onto the live feed and made his way onto the bed. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

 

[Da Doofus]

The morning began with a softer alarm that the one before. Training resumed in the hangar through obstacle courses and further lessons in camp construction and survival techniques in a tropical environment.
Stryx himself 'lectured' on the animals documented in the area. Their diet, temperment, and steps to follow of confronted by one.

This pattern repeated, with slight variation, for almost two weeks. Then came the day where out of the 72 volunteers, only half would be accepted officially into the First Expedition. Kairo had made it into the lucky 36, but then had to cope with relocating to the barracks attached to the hangar.
He and the other 35 colonists shared a line of bunks with private terminals near each one.

Another few days of training passed, all while waiting for the scout to send the signal to launch.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo laid in his bunk, his arms supporting his head as he lied down. He'd waken up early today, but not early enough that falling back asleep was an option. Not wanting to disturb anyone, he decided the best course of action was to lay there and keep quiet. That gave him a lot of time to think, which wasn't particularly a good thing though. Lately, his mind has been plagued with uncertainty. Worries about the mission, hazards he'd face, but most importantly, Rufus. When he was training, he'd have other things to occupy his mind. It made it easier to cope. But now, with nothing to entertain himself but his own thoughts, he found himself wandering into dangerous territory again.

He knew worrying about Rufus wasn't going to solve any problems, but damn it all. Telling Kairo not to worry was like telling an eagle not to fly. With every passing second that the signal wasn't sent, Kairo felt his assumptions become further skewed for the worse. Now, the very real possibility that he could have been killed was plaguing his head.

He stayed in that mindset for a while, before the brooding became too much for him to handle. He shook his head to clear his mind of the thoughts.
'You're overthinking this. He probably just hasn't found a good location yet.' He repeated this thought to himself in multiple different forms, trying desperately to combat the other side of his mind.

That signal had better sound soon. He wasn't sure how much sanity he had left in him.

 

[Da Doofus]

Another two days passed, and at this point it was merely reviewing and practicing what had already been learned. On the morning of the third dat, Stryx entered with loud footsteps and tossed away the nearest volunteer's bedshets.

"Up. Up. UP!" He bellowed. "You can have your beauty sleep when someone gives a damn." He tossed away another set of sheets. "They're playing our song, so get dressed ladies!" He yanked away Kairo's sheets next.

The barracks erupted in a chorus of drowsy groans and yawns as the colonists drifted to clouded alertness.
"Ugh . . . What time is it. Feel like crap." One man groaned.

"Oh I'm sorry precious." Stryx stood over him. "You want me to go fetch your dressrobe and bunny slippers?"

"Oh would ya, sir? That'd be swell."

Stryx was silent, but hauled the volunteer to his feet roughly.
"Get dressed, boy." He departed for the hangar.
"You all have TWO minutes to be in front of me, or I'll skin the sorry bastards who aren't."

A woman nearly fell from her bed from the abrupt wakening.
She reached for her terminal to check the time.
2:34 am.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo groaned as he unwillingly got out of bed. Checking the time, he’d noticed that it was in the middle of the night. What the hell could Stryx have had wanted that it warranted this.

He didn’t want to think about it. In fact, he was to tired to think at all. He got himself ready hastily and sloppily and head out into the hangar.

 

[Da Doofus]

Once all 36 recruits were in formation in front of the Albatross, it became clear that wasn't an exercise. A Guardian mech was thudding onto a freight ship nearby, along with Syndroids hauling supply crates behind it.
A team of security officers in full armor were marching onto another Albatross.
Stryx emerged from the ship he and Kairo worked on and stood before the crowd.

"This is it people. We just got the signal." He brought up the holo-projected map once more. "Our scout, Rufus Maye, just finished setting up the perimeter traingulators provided to him."
The map showed a marked location a good distance from the Noah. It was on a flat expanse on a mountain overlooking the flooded Grand Canyon in the distance.
The height from the jungle floor already advertised safety for the team.

"We're moving to the area to set camp. Anyone losing their nerve now . . . Well tough shit. This is what you signed up for." He turned off the map and pointed to the Albatross.
"LET'S PACK IT IN!" He roared authoritatively.

 

[Chai_T3a]

He watched attentively as Stryx began giving his impromptu announcement. He was having mixed emotions. One on end, he was relieved that Rufus wasn't dead. But that meant the time had come for them to finally set out. Even with several weeks of training, he still did not feel prepared for this. Then again, he didn't think he ever would be.

Looking around the crowd, he saw that most of the other recruits were in a similar situation. Some were excited, some seemed more afraid than anything. But one commonality they seemed to all share was the desire to succeed. Kairo wasn't any different. He took a deep breathe, and began to pump himself up.

The moment Stryx's order made it to his ears, he didn't waste any time to get into the drop ship.

 

[Da Doofus]

All 36 members of the First Expedition's colonists entered the Albatross in dual lines, every one taking the first seat available for them.
Once all were aboard, Stryx walked up the retractable platform and passed every colonist on his way to the pilot's compartment.
Behind him were two officers in their white and blue armor.
Their helmets were held in their right hands in practiced posture as they took the strapped seats by the main walkway as it closed them in.

Already the grinding echoes of the Noah's hangar rumbled throughout the Albatross.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo strapped himself into the seat, making sure that the buckles were tightly secured. Looking around, he was reminded of the transport that had originally taken him to the Noah. The atmosphere was definitely very similar.

He took a deep breathe and waited for the dropship to launch.

 

[Da Doofus]

After inspecting every colonist's seat preparations, Stryx gave the signal for ignition.
Rumbling like some metal creature come to life, the Albatross's wing-mounted engines burst into action. Slowly, the ship raised itself from the ground and led the way out the Noah's underbelly and over the tropical surroundings.
This was it.
No more artificial sunlight, no more metal walls.

This was the new Earth that waited for them.

 

[Chai_T3a]

It was cheesy as hell. But the most accurate way Kairo could describe leaving the Noah was like turning a chapter in a book. The Noah wasn’t some kind of resort, and he had always knew it was only a temporary home. But there was still a lot he had grown fond of.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t excited about being able to leave. He’d still remember first seeing the live feed. How beautiful everything had looked. To be out there to actually experience that would be more then a blessing.

On the trip, his mind wandered. Picturing life in the new world. Fresh air, beautiful scenery, and ideally, a peaceful community. That last part might just be wishful thinking, but for just one moment, Kairo forced himself to believe it.

 

[Da Doofus]

The flight was gentle, apart from the occasional bouts of turbulence. Only the sounds of the engines coupled with the muffled rush of air as they soared over the land.
Many of the colonists had begun conversing amongst themselves.

The two to Kairo's right were particularly vocal.
"Look," A woman with her hair half-shaved. "all I'm saying is: we're dropping in the middle of the damn jungle without a full know-how on what's out there."

"Who cares?" The younger man smirked and punched her shoulder gently. "We got the Dragon Slayer with us." He pointed at the distant shape of Stryx leaning into the pilot's compartment, watching the skies with them.
"Nothing can touch us with him around." He boasted further.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo’s thought process was interrupted by the loud conversation those two were having. It wasn’t a problem per say, though it probably wasn’t a good idea to voice their opinions so loudly and openly.

He decided to join the conversation.
“He’s right ya know.” He said leaning his head forward as much as the safety straps allowed.
“This is a pretty big priority, I’m willing to bet that they’ve got a bunch of safety measures in place to make sure we don’t all die.”He said in a tone considerably quieter than the two. He tried to sound convincing, even if he was nervous himself.
“Also, Stryx exists. Much as that’s a good thing, he’ll probably have our heads if you don’t quiet down.” He added on.

 

[Da Doofus]

The woman leaned back in her seat, and the man made a face at her.

Stryx said something to the pilots, with his hand patting one of their shoulders appreciatively.
It had been almost an hour since the Albatross triage departed, and the ship's weight shifted as though it were descending.

The Commander turned to face the colonists.
"Listen up!" He shouted over the muffled engine sounds. "When we land, I want a comm station up and running on the dot. Those who aren't doing that are to organize what's going where in the base camp." He pointed to the seven nearest people on the Albatross.
"You all are going to help unload the supply ship, and get the hardware unloaded for the perimeter wall."
He looked to the whole of the group again.
"I want all this done clean and quick. Am I clear?!" He barked the last sentence.

"YES, SIR!" Every man and woman seating chanted in unison as the engines sounds turned to a higher pitch. Stabilizing as they approached the ground.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo didn't deviate, chanting out the reply with clarity and precision.

He'd made the decision on setting up the comm tower almost instantaneously. It sounded like something that would be more useful with his skillsets. He waited apprehensively as the Albatross made its landing.

 

[Da Doofus]

A strong thud rocked the ship, and the walkway lowered to reveal grass, lit by morning moonlight. The blades caused waves from the winds of the engines.

Many of the colonists started unfastening their safety harnesses, and the two officers stood.
Stryx stepped from the pilot's compartment.

"GO GO GO!" He ordered, the two officers waving the colonists out the Albatross sternly.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo had unfastened his safety harness by the time the doors had fully opened. When ordered to get out, he jogged out of the Albatross and into the open grass.

The first thing that hit him was the air. It was clean, and fresh. A far cry from the smog that became so normal in the crowded city he’d lived in. That wasn’t the only thing, it had been a few hours since they’d woken up, and the sun was just emerging from the horizon. They had an optimal viewpoint as well, being on the hills of a mountain.

He’d wish he’d have more time to enjoy these small things, but duty called. He made his way to the supply ship. At the first sign that someone carried anything that could be useful to help set up, he would get to work.

 

[Da Doofus]

The next passing hours of the early morning were occupied with cargo unloading and camp construction.
The tents for the colonists went up rather quickly, followed by the makeshift mess hall (which was a 50 ft long welded metal building). The Syndroids provided much needed assistance in the construction of the comm station.

Once sunlight crept over the trees and brought a dawn-colored hue of orange, the first stages of base camp had been established.
Stryx was looking at a bag left near the treeline with a holopad hanging from a branch.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo took a step back to admire the work that he had accomplished with the comm station. In the past few hours, he had mostly assisted with equipment setup within the comm station. In addition to that, he'd put in some work with the actual construction of the station itself.

The entire camp was coming together really quickly. The efficiency of the crew, and the abundance of high tech tools helped get the base out of the ground in no time at all. Looking around, there was still much work to be done, but this basic setup would be sufficient to keep them alive. At least for now.

The downsides to such an efficient setup was that Kairo now had no clue as to how he could assist. Noticing Stryx over at the trees, he decided it would be for the best if he consulted Stryx about it. He walked over to him.
"Sir." he greeted formally as he got into reasonable range.

 

[Da Doofus]

The Commander turned holding the holopad, and a mildly irritated look on his face.
"Your friend certainly knows how to express himself." He turned it to show Kairo.
There was a typed message above a display meaning there was an audio message as well.
The text read: 'For Commander Stooge'.

Stryx pushed the audio recording to play.
"Dear Stryx, nice spot I picked, right?" Rufus's voice spoke from the holopad. "Hope you fellas have fun with your summer camp. This message is so you'll know that the deal is settled. I'm off with what's left of MY stuff to have some privacy.
When it comes to the point where we can all be neighborly, maybe I'll move in. Set up a tavern or something.
P.S. That tracking brace they put on me is in the bag. Not the first one put on me, you know."
Silence.
"P.P.S." The message continued. "Tell the Directors they can go f-"

Stryx paused the last sentence to look at Kairo.
"He's a character." He frowned.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he listened to the message, letting out a small chuckle at the last remark Rufus made. The man definitely did not lose his spirit.

It was a relief to hear his voice again, even if it was just on an audio recording. In fact, he seemed to much prefer this then seeing Rufus. It would be nice to meet up with him again. But knowing that the man had finally achieved his goal was much more satisfying.

“I mean I’m not surprised.” He said once his laughter died down.
“It’d be odd if he left you a message anything less than insulting.”

 

[Da Doofus]

Stryx rolled his eyes and knelt to pick up the aforementioned cloth bag.
He unzipped it, and withdrew a metal brace meant to go around the wrist like a cuff.
"For the record . . ." He looked at Kairo. "I didn't authorize use of this."
He put it back in the bag.
"So what's gotten accomplished? Cause there had better be a good reason you're standing here." He tossed the bag over his shoulder, his eyes piercing toward Kairo.