ASAAPS #3: Planet Marighettis 047

Chapter 12: Three Eyes

Summary:

They will discover this failed world, the shattered attempt of an alliance and then she will progress onto the final stages of her obligations...

THE WATCHER:

They shatter the fragile atmosphere like a spear of light, its altered biosignature familiar in a way that has her crippled form sputtering and flailing with unbridled intrigue, they are strong but divergent.

Something explodes, deep inside, the feeling of heat registers, then more slowly panic...

They can hardly groan through such agony, but what choice did they have..?

They are tearing, unmending.. it is a warning, around them the chamber's hue shifts violently, yet..color cannot be preconceived, hostile trimmers, PANIC, again she tearing, seeping DYING.

And yet, she feels a perplexed sense of anxious accomplishment, it's confusing but their mere existence is a victory against the force hunting them down, its biodiversity is unfamiliar, somewhat volatile and unstable but no doubt of precursor designation, a caste long discarded...

They will discover this failed world, the shattered attempt of an alliance and then she will progress onto the final stages of her obligations...

At last...

At long last...

The other lifeforms with them were of little consequence, but perhaps the network has been recreated and they are simply one of many guided into their channels, but neither are of their caste what use were they to them..?

She was certain they would not come for her as her expiration was imminent, she was of little use past her prime, even basic tasks would be difficult without motor receptors, her affliction reaching its peak countless seconds ago despite desperate attempts of repression sequences.

Still she's pleased if only by the knowledge that her expiration would not be in vain as they had once begun to surmise..

However even with their impending death, they couldn't help but wonder, did they deserve this for their foolish ignorance...?

Another cyst ruptures and again she is splitting apart, her thoughts scrambling away from the terror of her vessel coming apart around her.

Festering lesions, memories seeping, this is a warning, no oxygen can penetrate the thick film..she is dying.

The drones scatter around the room chaotically but not far...never far, loyally they await their Virgil, they fear her departure, guard her dying vessel and waning mind, tiny anxious minds crowding a long awaiting tomb..

What will they do without their guidance..?

THE SENTINEL:

The bodies piled up efficiently, neatly succumbing to the effect's of their victim's blood, and in turn becoming prey to its blood, in any other case such a response to a hunt would need to be thoroughly studied and sent back home for analysis.

But they were not ignorant to the merciless retaliation of almanac body fluids, it took mere hours for it to conquer and consume the lead's biologically enhanced insides.

Building a resistance to it was impossible as each specimen they dissected possessed confusingly diverse biology in comparison to each other...

Over the span of four hours the planet had stuttered to chaotic life only for it to fall silent again, no sign nor trace of the lead's prey.

However, there were...other unidentified biological signatures as well...but any definitive biological samples were lost with the lead's rapid expiration and the wreckage wrought by the best of war.

How unfortunate, perhaps they were not as thorough as they once assumed..

The stratagem will not be pleased when they report this anomalous event...but only if...should they send reports of such activities..?

No..

...That would not be necessary, at least not yet...they were confident a single straggling almanac could easily be tracked down and neutralized, the specie's common affliction rendered them unsurprisingly easy prey to dispose of.

But one would need to wonder... how it survived for so long if it was harboring the gift..?

It didn't matter the sooner they were accounted for the better.

They sought to go back, the lust for the blinding icy blizzards and familiar discipline of home had long simmered into a dulling pain, much like hunger memory would not serve to satiate nor dampen such desire..

Not after so long..

They assumed their commute was nearing its end, but news of recent events would no doubt only serve as an excuse to prolong their mandatory commitments, almanacs always had unfortunate timing, nothing good would come from letting one roam rampant with the parasites they often attached to, what other creatures were now invading their beautiful garden world..?

Restless frost covered claws click against the frigid dissection slab before them, lain against its surface rests a lead, its long expired withered body steaming with the heat of the gift consuming it from within.

Perhaps they could benefit from putting all these field notes and breakthroughs on a test run...

THE COWARD:

Around them the screams of jealousy sing echo through their ventilation chamber, alluring and welcome, salvation for those who will hear it.

They grip their gifts, pulling their only tethers to existence closer safer, they feel exposed, anxious and yet they listen intently.

It is the only song they've heard for so long...

But they will not allow them to pillage what is not theirs! These are merely translucent words of worthlessness, they hold no value.

But what they hold still beckons with potential, what they do not know, but they are scared and have alluded immediate detection for years, would such barter really reap boons grand enough to level it's risk...?

No...no...no.

Its trove means nothing to no one anymore and it will mean nothing to them, at least for now...

They were no strangers to the culling, it had come once...long ago but it was not to be and existence saw fit to shield them from harm in the form of a gullible and ignorantly benevolent opportunity..

But again that which should not be baited was teased and in the blink of an eye years of rehabilitation was was unrightfully stripped from them...this grave will swallow them all and it is only their thirst to hold accountable.

But...all if not lost.

They can only wait for their savior's return, oh how the others would rejoice when they bring them, convince them to shield them and cleans their gifted home...

They would of course need ample convincing, after their previous accidents...

Times however have changed and ill blood holds little significance in the face of a common enemy.

-END