Hellborn: Poisonous Soil
Poisonous Soil.
Sharp awoke the next morning feeling refreshed. She stood, taking a moment to check the Highborn female behind her. She looked... young, despite the amount of muscle tone she had. Sharp sighed, and she was tapped on her shoulder. She turned to find Engelbert in a heavy looking plastic suit, the headpiece of which was in his arm.
"Are you ready, Sharp?" He asked. "The chopper pilot has arrived already, and we're all prepped to go. The decontamination shower has been set up, we're just waiting on you."
She nodded, heading for the weapon racks and grabbing her rifle. A heavy bag was put at her feet, and she looked at it quizzically.
"The new ammunition we've been customising for your rifle is ready." Engelbert said, opening the bag and lifting out a large bullet. It sat comfortably in his palm as he held it upright. "55mm, solid slugs. They're propelled through the barrel by a combination of explosive and magnetic-rail systems. The estimated range of this is supposedly close to forty miles, and, though it has not been tested, it is designed to be capable of taking out almost anything in its path unheeded." He said, holding the bullet out to her. He made her hold the gun up, and he showed her how the round was loaded. "Like a sniper, the expended shell must be ejected before the gun can be used again, so remember to pull the chamber open when you've fired the round." He sighed as he watched Sharp load the round and rush to the door, leaping out into the daylight. He followed her, and found her aiming dead at a tree. "No, no." He said, tugging her to the ground. "Lower the feet, rest the butt against your shoulder, there you are."
She did as he instructed, putting her attention solely on where the electronic scope was targeting, amazingly, she could see the very grain within the bark of the tree she was aiming at.
"On the count of three. One, two, three!"
The recoil from the gun and the amount of pressure behind the bullet kicked up dust all around Sharp, and the tree she was aiming at exploded violently, showering the forest in splinters and woodchips. Expertly she flicked the chamber open, the large empty shell flicking out and onto the cool grass. Sharp gave a pleased smile, she liked this.
"Glad to see you enjoying yourself." Engelbert said, picking the shell up. "However, don't leave the shell here where someone can slip up on it." He put the empty shell next to the door and walked back over. "Come along now, we've got a short flight ahead of us, and we don't know what is inside the crater's core. You're our main defence, so let's go."
She nodded and followed him to the helicopter, climbing in after him and closing the door behind herself.
The helicopter touched down in the crater, about a kilometre from the very centre. Strange, blue material covered the ground in patches, and even all the way out here the Geiger counter was going crazy. Sharp stepped out, looking about in a mixture of astonishment and caution. There didn't seem to be anything about, living or dead, but she didn't want to take any chances.
"Don't touch the glowing substance." Engelbert warned the other scientists. "We're only safe in these suits if we avoid direct contact." He moved over and put a hand on Sharp's shoulder. "Sharp, I'm unsure what might happen if you touch the substance, I advise caution. Don't touch it if you can help it, and if you do come into contact, under no circumstances are you to touch one of us with it, you understand? You could kill us."
Sharp nodded, looking over her shoulder at him. She signed a few words.
"Alright, keep an eye out." Engelbert said. "Keeping a perimeter is well and good, but we might need you to handle a container for some samples." She tilted her head and he shrugged. "Large lead boxes are heavy, Sharp." He said.
Sharp nodded and started to wander a little, getting her bearings. The field was devoid of life- trees, animals, grass... Nothing but large patches of blue glowing... something dotted the landscape, growing more and denser towards the huge cliff side that was the impact site. It was a two kilometre tall plateau, the astral body adding to the landscape, yet leaving a crater around it over three kilometres in diameter.
Idly she wandered, letting the scientists get on with their duties as she inspected the surrounding area, putting down warning beacon fences around the nearby patches of radioactive rock. These small beacons left a holographic barrier between each other, which would glow in the dark and could be seen from a fair distance away. For a few minutes this was all she did, until one of the scientists asked her to help them move a sample crate. It had taken four of them to lift it, and they had only managed to keep it at about shin-height. When she pulled it from the helicopter and held it near her chest, they seemed a little miffed, if not amused at her physical strength. She put it where they designated, and went and found Engelbert.
"Sharp, how's it going? Need something?"
She signed him a request.
"You want to go explore a bit?" He asked. She nodded in reply, and he handed her a radio, and a little lead box. "Alright, but be careful. Take this with you so we can contact you for when you need to return. If you take any samples, place them in this container, and don't use your hands."
Sharp nodded and headed into the radioactive wasteland.
She wandered almost randomly for an hour or so, observing the environment and noticing that not even the planet's strange flying wildlife would fly overhead. There were no insects or animals of any kind, only this glowing rock which hummed gently the greater the concentration. She noticed an odd structure out of the corner of her eye, and she turned to see that the radioactive compound here had shaped into a bulbous formation that pushed from the ground. It was odd; the surface seemed to be transparent while the glowing blue energy swirled within like liquid. Remembering what Engelbert had told her, she didn't touch it, but she looked at it curiously, snapping a picture with a camera that had been supplied her on the helicopter, before continuing on.
Another twenty minutes, and she noticed a distinct change in the environment. The glowing substance was still as common as ever, covering huge sections of ground and popping up in bulbous formations, but here and there it was a different colour. Instead of being blue, it was a dull purple, and it didn't glow as much. She was curious about this, noticing that an entire bulb formation was also in this strange discolouration, and that the now purple energy within swirled slower. Curiously she stepped over to a patch of this different material, taking out the little lead box she had been handed and opened it. She scanned the patch before snapping the box shut around a piece of the material that protruded far enough for her to not touch the rest of it. She ensured that the lid was on tight before taking a few photos and heading back to the others.
The humans were just about to call her when she arrived, and she dutifully helped them get the lead crate onto the helicopter before climbing in after it. During the ride back to base camp, she signed to Engelbert her discovery.
"A different colour..?" Engelbert probed, to which Sharp nodded. "Hmm, and you say it moved slower than the rest of it?" Another nod and now Engelbert looked pensive. "Maybe it's how the substance acts once it's been present long enough..?" He mumbled rhetorically. "Or it could be a sign that there's... No, no, that's foolish thinking, nothing could survive on this stuff..."
He continued to think until the helicopter landed, and the group all headed for the decontamination showers. Sharp heaved the lead box from the helicopter before following them, and she was stopped at the door by Engelbert.
"Sorry, kid, but this is the male side." He said, pointing to a sign over the door. "We've one set up for you next door." Sharp nodded, but looked confused as to their intentions, Engelbert only laughed. "Men get a little... self conscious if there is a female in public showers with them." He said. "It's embarrassing, and it's a protocol that stops molestation between coworkers. Just step into the room and follow the instructions. Make sure you wash thoroughly."
Sharp blinked and signed a few words.
"We have special soaps and shampoos to get radiation off of you in there, alright?"
Sharp nodded in understanding and stepped over to the other door on this side with a female symbol over the door. She walked in and read the first instruction panel.
After she finished showering, and had pulled on the decontamination clothes left for her at the back door, she moved towards the temporary outpost. She'd had to remove her hair-ties, and she hadn't been issued with new ones at the exit of the shower, so her hair flowed gently around her head as the wind drifted by. The outpost shook gently, and she heard yelling, so she quickened her pace and stepped up the stairs. The scientists were in frenzy over something, and Barbera noticed her.
"Sharp; the Highborn is awake!" She snapped. "She's knocked out one of our medics and she has a knife!"
Sharp blinked, plucking the scientist in front of her from the ground and moving him neatly out of her way before pushing through the others. She ended up face-to-breast with the female Highborn, who hadn't kept the blanket around herself when she got up, and was promptly stabbed in the arm. She looked up, giving the Highborn a pained, angry glare before grabbing the knife by the blade and pulling it from her grip, tugging it from her arm. Sharp threw the knife into the floor between her feet, embedding it deep and snug, and looked at her arm. Minor damage, no scratch to her metal muscles underneath, and the Highborn seemed to notice the shiny inside of her limb before pushing Sharp, managing to get her to tumble onto the scientists. Sharp stood, waving the scientists to stand back, before standing upright and politely bowing to the Highborn.
This action stunned the creature.
"Arna thii beh teh?" She asked in her strange language, before Sharp looked up at her and smiled. The highborn noticed this and smiled back, bowing in return. "Ruthu annah recht." She said quietly, before standing upright and tapping her chest. "Anisha Huluect." She said. "Aah nii shaa."
Sharp stood uptight and pointed to her mouth, shaking her head.
"Arna... uluhect?" She asked. Sharp nodded gently, before pulling the knife from the floor. She pointed to herself before rubbing the blade. The highborn looked confused, and Barbera stepped forth. The naked alien growled, but Barbera held up her hands, motioning to back up. The highborn seemed to deem this enough an explanation that she wasn't hostile, and stopped growling.
Barbera pointed to herself. "Barbera." She said.
"B... Baarberah..?" The highborn asked, pointing to her. The human nodded.
She pointed to Sharp. "Sharp." She said. "Shha rpp."
"Shaarp." She mimicked, getting a smile and a nod.
Sharp signed a few words to Barbera, who nodded and walked off to fetch something, and the Highborn looked confused. She mimicked the motions Sharp made, and Sharp smiled, holding her hands, before gesturing to her mouth and shaking her head. The highborn nodded, and Sharp pointed to the Highborn's mouth and nodding. This, also got a nod of understanding, and Sharp held up her hands and moved them in signs before pointing to her mouth and nodding. The Highborn tilted her head to this, trying to understand, before it clicked and she smiled.
"Arna..." she mumbled, before holding Sharp's hands, "aluhect intha ashinact uchu arna uluhect?"
Sharp nodded. She was getting somewhere. The female, Anisha, seemed to understand that she used her hands to talk because her mouth couldn't. Sharp, ever on the lookout for potential helpfulness, opened her mouth and pointed to her teeth. The highborn seemed more confused than ever, and she pouted slightly. Barbera returned with a computer and a container, and Sharp snatched up the container and opened it. It contained meat and vegetables, and sharp held them up, snapping a bit off of the broccoli and munching it before offering the rest to the Highborn, who considered it sceptically. She then offered the cooked meat, snapping a piece off and letting Barbera eat it to prove it was edible.
"Orochtivan, Churoctivan?" The highborn asked, getting a nod. She took both of the offered foods and smiled. "Uchiteth."
"This will teach you our language." Barbera said, giving motions to explain. The highborn nodded, and took the computer. Barbera opened the laptop and pulled up the dictionary, starting with phonetics. She sat next to the female and pointed to the first symbol, giving a demonstration of how it's pronounced.
Sharp, convinced that her job was done, went and found some clothes that Anisha could wear.
A few days passed, and Sharp was growing bored of staying on patrol during the daytime. The wolf things hadn't attacked since the night Anisha had been found, and the scientists hadn't needed a second trip to the radioactive fields since they had enough samples to work with. She passed the time watching the flying wildlife, or keeping her aim sharp by shooting trees hundreds of metres away. She'd presented them the sample she had collected, and they didn't think much of it, which made her feel slightly useless. Anisha was still learning English, and Sharp hadn't thought of her much. Her radio fizzled, the signal that she was wanted for something, and she dawdled back into the main building. She was directed to where Anisha was lying, and she sat in the room next to her.
"Hello, Sharp." Anisha said, not turning to see her. Sharp jumped at this, and she gave her a sideways glance. "Yes, I speak Human." She affirmed. "And I'm learning signs quite quickly. It's not hard to pick up Human, really. I know you cannot speak; for now, you can use a computer."
Sharp was offered a laptop, which she opened to find a text-to-speech program open. Sharp typed a few words.
"How are you settling?" The voice asked robotically. It was a male voice, and Sharp changed it with a scowl.
"Very well, thankyou." Anisha replied. "It's not every day you wake up to be surrounded by aliens, but at least I'm still on the planet I remember being on last." She shifted in the bed and looked over at Sharp. "And I know that you are not an alien." She said.
"Come again?"
"You're a machine, a robot, created from metals and electricity. Technically, you're as alive as a rock."
Sharp gave an irritated look. "I may be of metals, but I have a consciousness." She replied.
"Do explain." Anisha said.
Sharp appeared to sigh. "I was created, yes, but I was created to be as close to real as possible. You've met aliens, we've met aliens, and you've met me, a machine with artificial intelligence." She gave Anisha a hopeful look. "I'm as alive as you or Doctor Adams. Humans are based on Carbon, a material that shows all the life of a rock, yet they are alive, are they not?"
"Well, yes."
"Well, I guess I'm based on Titanium." Sharp sent. "I may have been created by humans, but I have all the intelligence of a living creature. I lack the same organs, cannot reproduce as humans can, yet still I consider myself alive."
Anisha stayed quiet at this for a moment. "A fair answer." She mumbled. She sat up in the bed and smiled. "Now, you wish to know about my species?"
Sharp nodded hesitantly.
"We're called the Highborn; we originally had a different name, but long ago we stopped using it. Most of our peoples live in a large Armada, several thousand ships strong with many 'city' ships, all organised around a central government. We, when I was last in the Armada, were searching for a planet on which we could inhabit without upsetting the ecosystem too heavily. We come in two genders, male and female, and there are three different breeds."
Sharp blinked. "Breeds?"
"The first of our breeds, the most common, is called the Warblood. There are many Warblood, and they make up the majority of our militaristic and civilian populous."
"We were attacked by Highborn that called them selves Warblood a few weeks ago." Sharp said, before looking shy. "I killed them."
"Good on you." Anisha said, getting a confused look from the orange female. "They were breaking our own laws by attacking without provocation. We always, always open up diplomatic communication first. If it was a week ago, there will be a ship in orbit as we speak, learning your language for first contact." Anisha scratched behind an ear before continuing. "The second of our breeds is called the Nobleblood. Physically they're similar to how I look; a little less muscle tone and the crest on their forehead are smaller by a few inches. They're stronger than Warblood, and more intelligent, but they are not quite as commonly born. The final breed is, when translated simply called the Crest. We're the strongest, and can live for thousands of years depending on the conditions. Our crests are the largest, up to three inches bigger than Nobleblood, and we're very rare."
Sharp gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean 'we'?"
Anisha put her hand on her chest. "I am of the Crest." She said. "We live a lonely existence; I myself have watched four mates and ten children pass away in my lifetime, and before being put into the stasis chamber, was two thousand and twenty eight of your Earth years old." She gave a slight grin. "I do not know for how long I slept, and so I am unsure how many more years have passed. I could be in excess of twenty thousand Earth years old." She sighed slightly. "The Crest are unique, as we are a female only breed. We must mate with the other breeds to produce offspring."
Sharp didn't say anything, only giving Anisha an empathic look.
"It doesn't matter." Anisha said, grabbing her laptop and going back to learning sign language. "The ship in orbit will be sending dignitaries soon, it took me but a few days to learn your language, it will not be long before they show up."
A thundering rush of wind moved outside, and Anisha looked up.
"Sounds like time's up."
Sharp and Anisha leapt out of their seats and practically raced each other to the doors. They burst into the afternoon air, watching as a large shuttle landed in a nearby part of the field. Anisha grumbled and walked back into the temporary building, mumbling things in her own language. Barbera and Captain Clement came out, stopping next to Sharp.
"What's going on?" the captain snapped. Sharp signed her response. "Really? Jesus, they're here fast."
"They are an alien species." Barbera said firmly. "Their technology and very way of life is different to ours."
"I guess."
They watched as the shuttle opened, and a group of Warblood Highborn stepped out with weapons and armour, standing about and watching the humans idly as a pair stepped out. One was Warblood, and he was wearing metal armour of reds and silvers. He had scars on the side of his face and neck. He didn't seem to be a friendly chap, and he was scowling lightly. The female to his right was taller than he; she looked like Anisha's description of a Nobleblood, plantigrade legs and a more humanoid appearance than the Warblood. Her armour was blue and black, and she seemed to be slightly embarrassed to be wearing it. They walked together, pacing meaningfully until they stood a few feet from the humans and bowed together.
"I am Warblood Highborn ambassadorial dignitary Hafiz Huruhanze." The male said.
"I'm Nobleblood Highborn ambassadorial dignitary Hadya Huruhanze." The female informed, slightly shyly.
The humans bowed in suit, following the respectful tone that had been set.
"Captain Clement Stillman of the Hellen'aht outpost. I'm one of our militaristic commanders."
"I'm Doctor Barbera Adams, a leading scientist in robotics and programming intelligence."
"We thank you for meeting with us." Hadya said, straightening up before noticing Sharp. "You have an alien species here? Is this the individual who aided you in preparations?"
Barbera stepped back and shuffled Sharp forth. "This is Sharp." She said matter of factly. "Think of her as our version of all your bodyguards."
"Just one?" Hafiz asked. "Surely you jest!"
Sharp, in a flash, grabbed a knife from Hafiz' person; it was ornate, and didn't seem very sharp, but she carved it through the skin on her hand like it were sharp as razors. She bared her teeth in pain, spinning the knife in her palm and offering the handle back to him. He took it gingerly as she showed him the titanium muscles under her skin.
"Sharp is our A.I." Clement said. "She's mechanical, but don't let that fool you into thinking that she's incapable of showing as much logical and illogical emotion as us."
Hadya moved forward a little, moving her hand to Sharp's cut. She looked up at the mechanoid. "May I..?" Sharp nodded, and Hadya felt around the cut, watching Sharp's pained reaction increase to the stimulus. She removed her hand with a quiet apology.
"Incredible..."
Sharp nodded, grabbing the cut with her other hand and holding it closed. Her nanobotic repair system was getting quite a workout today.
"She's incredible alright." Anisha's voice called from the building. She stepped out and across the grass, stopping next to Adams. "She can't talk, though. She uses a sign language to communicate. I've been learning it, but..."
"A-a Highborn?!" Hafiz exclaimed. "Explain this!"
"My name is Anisha Huluect." She said.
The Highborn couple seemed stunned at this.
"That's impossible!"
"The last Huluect disappeared and was never heard from again almost twenty five thousand Unkta's ago!"
Anisha thought about this. "Do you know the exact date?"
"The date the last Huluect was heard about was about two hundred and seventy one Unkta after the Impact. It's now about Twenty five thousand seven hundred and eighty three." Hafiz said.
"Using Earth time... that's about... One nine seven nine two one three seven seven eight hours." Hadya said. "I'm good at mathematics."
Sharp processed this and signed the resultant amount of years. The Highborn seemed confused until the Captain translated.
"She says that that's approximately twenty five thousand seven hundred and eighty three years." He informed them. "Tell me, how long is an Unkta?"
"An Unkta is how long it took for our ancestral home to orbit its sun. Roughly three hundred and sixty five rotations of the planet was in a year."
"Sounds like it was on the same time-spin as our home planet." Adams mumbled.
Anisha sighed. "That means I was in that stasis unit for over twenty five thousand years." She mumbled. "I'm almost twenty nine thousand years old. Even for a Crest, that's a lot to take in..." She noticed the slight reverence that the other Highborn seemed to suddenly hold for her, and she gave them a sharp look. "Don't treat me like royalty, I'm just like the rest of you, only older."
"You don't have any wrinkles." Adams said. "For human standards, you're looking very good for your age."
The Highborn laughed a little at this, and Hafiz returned to a serious look. "I apologise if one of us may dip out from time to time; our children are still on the Rip, our ship in orbit and our eldest hasn't gone without us before."
"You're a couple?" The captain asked curiously.
"Of course." Hafiz said; seeming a little annoyed that he'd asked.
"Let me explain." Hadya began. "The Highborn have three breeds, the Warblood, the Nobleblood, and the Crest. Any of the breeds can interbreed, as we're still the same species, but there are odds on our offspring being of the different breeds. For example, two Warblood could have a Nobleblood child, or a Nobleblood and a Warblood could have a Crest. We've got a young Nobleblood son; he's only just fourteen, and a Crest daughter who is about seventeen Earth years old."
"You have a Crest child? Congratulations!"
"Thank you, Miss Huluect." Hadya replied.
"The odds of having a Crest child are very low." Anisha informed the humans.
"Now," Hafiz began, taking on a serious tone, "Is this an elevator to an underground complex of some sort? Seems a bit small to be a whole city."
"The city is about an hour's helicopter flight north of here." The Captain said. "This is a forward Research station. We're able to pick up and go at any time, however."
"It would be best to get back to General Washington." Adams said. "She's more a negotiator than I..."
"Please, whatever preparations you require, now is a good time to take them. The sooner we get this over and done with, the sooner I can get back to my children." Hadya said.
"Of course, Madame Dignitary." The captain replied.
It was another hour before they managed to manhandle the outpost onto the powerful helicopter, and the Highborn flew off ahead of them. Sharp looked out over the crater as they were taking off, watching the glowing environment before diverting her attention to the skies around her.
She didn't notice the huge black creature that scurried across the radiation soaked landscape, turning more blue material purple.