Category Archives: Marooned on Planet X

In our last episode, the crew of the GSF Destroyer, Pickett, learned they were being used as bait. Central Command (CentComm) felt that this would be a perfect opportunity to attack the Corpellians as they sought to finish off the marooned crew. Meanwhile, the crew discovered a mysterious staircase leading to an even more mysterious elevator.

Captain Jake Evans followed Lieutenant Decker along with Doctor Clint Norwood to the mysterious site.

“Why didn’t you call us on the conn, Decker?” Evans asked. “We would have come out. We didn’t even know you were safe, Lieutenant.”

“Sorry, Captain,” the lieutenant explained. “Our conn devices were burned out when the attack began. Almost like a reverse EMP. Jenkins said the same thing happened at Rigellus 7 when the Corpellians attacked.”

“Jenkins was at Rigellus 7? I thought all the survivors were blind or went nuts.”

“He is a little weird, sir. He knows he stuff, though.”

Evans turned to Norwood, “Did you know about this, Doc?”

Norwood nodded. “I couldn’t tell you his medical history, Jake. Just know that I checked him out thoroughly before I cleared him. I tested harder than anyone on this ship.”

Decker spoke up. “I’m not sure we would have made it back without Jenkins, sir. He knew the Corpellian blaster pattern and kept us from being hit. He actually found the stairway. We went down until we saw the elevator. We waited until the attack was over and made out way back.”

“You sure it’s an elevator?”

“We touched the glowing button, the door opened. There was another button inside. It had a glowing green arrow pointing down.”

“Jake, what are you expecting to find?” Norwood asked, sounding a little irritated.

“Somebody built that thing, Doc. Maybe they can help us get out of this mess.”

“’From the frying pan into the fire’ I’d say,” Norwood muttered.

“Maybe, but sitting around waiting for our doom is not my style,” Evans said.

Decker stopped and pointed. “It’s right around the small hill, Captain.” She continued to walk.

As they reached the small hole with the dim outline of the stairs, Evans saw three dots in the sky.

“Damn,” he muttered. “It look like they are sending three ships.”

“We’ll be no used to them, Jake. Irene seems like she has everything under control.”

Evans nodded. “Lead on, Lieutenant.”

Decker started down the stairs, Evans followed, and then Norwood.

The darkness became absolute. All that could be heard was the shuffling of feet on the stairs and breathing. Evans held onto the wall for balance. He hoped the others did the same.

After five minutes of steady descent, Decker spoke, “Slow down, Captain. It will level out soon.”

Sure enough, Evans felt a solid rock floor. He walked a couple of steps hoping not to fall any further. He saw a floating soft glow ahead.

“Head for the button, Captain and Doctor.”

The trio continued. Decker stopped at the button. The glowing seemed brighter.

“Well here it is, Captain. Do you wish me to stand here and wait or return to the ship?”

“Is there a reason you would not go with us, Decker?”

“Meeting other races for the first time is for field grade officers or better, sir. I wouldn’t want to mess things up.”

Evans smiled. “Perhaps a path to becoming a field grade officer is to go and meet new races, Decker.”

Decker took a deep breath, “Perhaps.” She reached and touched the glowing button.

The doors slid open with no sound. The interior was brightly lit, even though no light source was evident. The three stepped inside.

Evans touched the glowing button with the green downward symbol. The doors slid shut. A hiss followed.

They waited.

“Should we be moving, Jake.” Norwood said.

Decker reached in her pocket and brought out a small device.

“According to the omnitrak, we are descending at twelve hundred feet per second and accelerating.”

“Impossible!” Norwood said.

Evans examined the interior of the elevator. “Not if we were surrounded by a small gravity field. That hiss might mean we are in some sort of vacuum, which would minimize any friction. Perhaps they are using some sort of magnetic drive, which would eliminate any noise or even moving parts.”

“Captain, we are beginning to slow down,” Decker announced.

“How far does this that put us below the surface, Lieutenant?”

“Best estimate is twenty kilometers, sir.”

Evans nodded. “Hopefully, whoever meets us will know we mean no harm. I’m not sure I would be very receptive to people that brought a war to my planet.”

“We’re stopping, sir,” Decker announced.

“We’ll find out soon, Jake,” Norwood said.

Decker turned off the device, placed it in her pocket, and faced the door.

Evans straightened his stance and took a deep breath.

With a small hiss, the doors opened. Evans stepped out.

The landing was mostly dark with glowing lights. There was a clear pathway. Evans took several steps hearing Norwood follow. He turned back to look for Decker.

Other than him and Doctor Norwood, there was no one there.

In out last episode, Captain Jake Evans of the marooned GSF Destroyer, Pickett, along with Dr. Clint Norwood and Lieutenant Decker found a mysterious elevator. The elevator took them twenty kilometers beneath the surface. After exiting the elevator, Lieutenant Decker disappeared. Meanwhile, more Corpellian ships were headed to attack the downed vessel.

Captain Jake Evans searched for Lieutenant Decker with help from Dr. Clint Norwood.

“It’s no use, Jake. She is gone. Almost like she was never was here,” he said.

“Do you have any idea, Doc, of what her first name was?” Evans asked.

Norwood thought about it and shook his head.

“Yeah, me neither. I know the crew rolls like the back of my hand. When Arnie told me about Decker, I just scratched my head. I first thought this whole crash thing was messing with my mind.”

“Jake, we are here now. Let’s just walk down this path and see if we find answers at the end.”

Evans nodded. They began to walk.

The path seemed firm and made of solid stone. There was muted lighting everywhere, yet there did not seem to be any source. The openings for the pathway through the rock seemed to be opened and not drilled.

The path snaked around and led to a stairway. Unlike the one on the planet’s surface, this one was well lit.

The stairway led to a large opening. The men could see figures moving in the distance. Glowing lights, similar to computer screens, could be seen floating around each of the figures.

The men stopped when they detected a movement near them.

A tall, humanoid-like being floated towards them. Its face was calm, as if waiting for the humans to arrive. The mysterious being stopped.

“Captain Jake Evans and Doctor Clint Norwood, we are honored that you are here. Please if you could follow me.”

“Who are you?” Evans asked.

“I am Mol, Chief of the Guardians for this sector. Long have we waited the meet the people that originated from Earth, although we hoped it wouldn’t be under circumstances such as these,” the being said.

“Where are we?” Evans asked.

“Ah,” Mol answered, “you will have all your answers in the meeting chamber. We are going there now.”

“What about my people, Mol? They are on the surface. We saw several Corpellian ships ready to attack. Is there some way to save them?”

“Patience, Captain,” the being said without any sign of irritation. “Your people are safe. Indeed, since you arrived you have been under our protection.”

“That didn’t help Mitchell and Deavers much,” Evans muttered.

“We are almost there,” Mol said.

The trio walked down another stairway. This one opened into a huge bowl shaped room. The walls were lined with spectators of different races and shapes. Mol walked in the middle of the floor with Evans and Norwood.

Three beings waited for them. Mol nodded. “I believe you two know D’Qur.”

Norwood whispered under his breath, “Decker?”

A female version of Mol stepped forward. “Pardon the deception, Captain. We wanted to know what type of beings we were dealing with.”

“What is going on?” Evans demanded.

“Patience, Captain,” D’Qur said. “We will begin with the explanations.

“Your civilization was first brought to our attention some ten thousand of your Earth years ago. Since that time we have frequently visited you to check on your progress and even help guide your people on some of their more advanced findings.”

“We could not help but like your people,” Mol interjected.

“Who are you all?” Evans asked.

“As I said we are the guardians,” Mol said. “We are charged with keeping peace and order within this galaxy.”

“Such a fine job you are all doing!” Evans snarked.

D’Qur held up her arms. “As I was saying, your people seemed pleasant and eager to learn. We were optimistic, except that you have this penchant for destroying each other. Our council was divided on admitting your people to our group. We decided to wait and see how you developed.”

“That was before the Corpellians attacked,” Mol interjected. “It was clear at this point we needed to intervene.”

“Agent D’Qur was assigned to your craft,” Mol took up the story. “She made sure you came here and observed your people in times of war and hardship.”

“So, did Decker kill my crew members?” Evans asked getting more belligerent.

Mol stopped talking and something that appeared close to a smile. He stepped back and allowed Evans and Norwood to see the rest of the floor. Walking towards them was Claire Deavers and Alfred Mitchell.

Norwood turned white, “But… How? I saw them dead!”

“The appearance of death, Dr. Norwood, is not necessarily death. D’Qur caused your mind to believe they were dead, just as your navigator’s mind believed you were heading to safety.”

Evans walked to his crew and shook their hands, more to make sure they were warm than anything else.

“What do you want from us?” Evans finally asked.

“We want what you want, Captain,” D’Qur answered. “We want peace.”

“What gives you the right to interfere in our affairs?”

The whole room erupted in laughter.

“Captain, pardon our exuberance, but had we not interfered in your development, you would have just figured out how to light a fire,” Mol answered.

The humans grew silent.

Mol held out his hand. “It is time, Captain. Come, and let us meet the Corpellians.”

In our last episode, Captain Jake Evans and Doctor Clint Norwood were led to an elevator by D’Qur, an agent of the Guardians. There they met Mol, the head Guardian. Meanwhile the crew of the Pickett awaits an attack by several Corpellian vessels.

Grand Admiral Archibald Mitchell stood on the command deck of the Galactic Space Force Star Cruiser Reliant. His plan using the downed space destroyer, the Pickett, developed nicely. The Corpellians took the bait.

He marshaled all his forces in such a way as to be invisible to the Corpellians, using the sun of the mysterious Planet X to shield the vast armada.

“Sir Combat Battalion One is reporting the enemy is now entering maximum range,” disgraced Admiral Quentin DiPaullo reported.

“Very well, Admiral, maintain position and keep observing,” Mitchell said. “This time we won’t let the Corpellians pull any surprises.”

DiPaullo took the dig well. He stopped trying to convince Mitchell of the necessity of dispersing the fleet at the last meeting with the Corpellian advance. He knew he was no longer considered fit for command by CentCom. To be allowed to maintain his rank until retirement three months from now was the best he could do.

“Sir, the Corpellian ships are coming in faster than the last time,” Senior Captain Charlotte Douglas reported. “Firing solutions indicate maximum effectiveness in two minutes.”

“Thank you, Captain Douglas,” DiPaullo answered. He turned to Mitchell and repeated the information.

“Open missile bays in all ships, Admiral,” Mitchell ordered.

DiPaullo transmitted the order by the latest super-secret encoding.

“Set all missiles for proximity detonation,” Mitchell ordered.

The order was dispatched to all ships.

“Sir,” Senior Captain Douglas said. “If we are not precise, one of the missiles could take out the crew of the Pickett.”

Mitchell turned and glared at Douglas. “The risks of the entire fleet are calculated, Miss Douglas. If the crew of the Pickett does not survive, we will certainly avenge them.”

“Isn’t your grandson on that ship?” Douglas persisted.

“I have reason to believe that he may not have survived the impact.” Mitchell stated with no emotion.

“That is no reason to sacrifice the rest of the crew.”

“Captain Douglas,” Mitchell responded at last showing some emotion, albeit anger. “Everyone who signs up for the Galactic Space Force knows the cost. If the crew of the Pickett fails to survive they will be long remembered in our Legion of Heroes Hall.”

“Even if we kill them?”

“Captain Douglas, are you able to complete your duties or do I need to find a replacement?”

Douglas looked cowed. She glanced at DiPaullo who tried to warn her about speaking her mind. She knew her upward advancement was now ended. She nodded to Admiral Mitchell and muttered, “Yes, sir.”

“Then I suggested you continue to monitor the situation.” Mitchell said turning back to DiPaullo.

“Admiral?” Mitchell asked.

“Optimal solution in fifteen seconds, sir,” DiPaullo reported.

“Prepare all ships to fire,” Mitchell ordered.

“Belay that!” A voice from the back of the control deck shouted.

“What? Who are you?” Mitchell looked shocked.

A man strode up to Mitchell accompanied big a very tall female being.

“I am Captain Jake Evans of the destroyer, Pickett, sir. I’m here to tell you that the war is over.”

“How did you get here? How dare you make statements you cannot defend? I will have you locked up for treason.”

“I am not being treasonous, Admiral. I am just stating facts. This war is now over. You will not fire any weapons at the Corpellians.”

“Young man, if you think I am a fool you are quite mistaken.” He turned to DiPaullo. “Fire all weapons, now!”

DiPaullo relayed the orders to all ships. Nothing happened.

The rest of the fleet began calling back, the weapons systems were not responding.

“The weapons systems of our ships, as well as the Corpellians have been disabled, Admiral. I am not here to make threat or accusations, sir. I have been sent here to report the situation,” Evans explained.

“By who or what, Mr. Evans?” Mitchell asked.

“By the guardians, sir.”

“Who are they?”

“I think it best, Admiral, to let them explain. I will let D’Qur, the guardian assigned to our ship, explain” Evan nodded to D’Qur to take over.

“Assigned to you ship? We have spies on our ships? How did this happen?” Mitchell questioned.

D’Qur laughed. “Admiral your ships would not exist but for the knowledge given by the Guardians.”

“Explain yourself young, er, lady.” Mitchell demanded.

D’Qur sighed knowing that it was going to be a very long conversation. “Admiral, the Guardians have been part of human history ever since the beginning of the Earth. We watched your species grow from single cells to ape-like creatures. There your development ended.

“We began to visit and experiment. Finally, we were able to form a new species, known as man. How is it you never realized that there has never been a ‘missing link’ that you insist on searching for.

“As time progressed, we visited. Have you not seen evidence of our visits in ancient Aztec and Mayan ruins? Yes, we gave your civilizations the tools to succeed, no too much at one time to overwhelm your species, but only enough that you could understand.

“As the wisdom and knowledge of mankind grew, we taught greater and deeper truths and basic scientific fundamentals. Did you think people like Aristotle, Copernicus, or Einstein learned from earthly teachers? You would be sadly mistaken.

“We began to send teachers in greater numbers once you learned to harness the atom. We taught many new ways of making weapons to your greatest scientists. Why your people even set aside a large area where we could show you greater secrets and space flight abilities.”

“Are you talking about area 51 in the old United States?” Mitchell asked.

“Of course, how else would alien visitors in an area of advanced weapons testing center make sense?” D’Qur answered.

“But that site was all about weapons. You say you want peace. How does that make sense?” Mitchell asked.

D’Qur laughed. “Your human capabilities can understand power. Your minds can only grasp what you see and experience. For example, the horrors of atomic destruction were not fully understood until after the power was unleashed. Once your species understood the consequences, the bombs sat unused.”

“What does this have to do with the Corpellians?” Evans asked.

D’Qur nodded. “Obviously humans are not the only species that the Guardians have been teaching. We knew eventually that the two of you were going to meet. Unfortunately, the Corpellians had more violent tendencies than we realized. They are scheduled for more retraining.”

“What about humans?” Mitchell asked.

D’Qur smiled. “Your species did well. There are some of you individually who perhaps need work, but overall we can work with humans. We are training many members of your crew now. Humans can now join the ranks of the Guardians.”

“How will you choose Guardians? Am I eligible?” Mitchell asked.

“Admiral,” D’Qur replied. “Your willingness to sacrifice one of your own crews to destroy an enemy excludes you. You now know of our existence, however, and you will be assigned to CentCom as a human liaison to the Guardian team stationed there. I will continue to have ay presence on this ship. Admiral DiPaullo will serve as Admiral for the senior group commander. Captain Evans will be assigned this ship and his crew will be incorporated with the remainder of this crew.”

Mitchell looked as he would object when D’Qur held up her hand to keep him from speaking. “The official orders will be sent out soon, I am only letting you know what they are unofficially. Nevertheless, understand that these will be the orders. Perhaps, Admiral you would like to visit your grandson before he begins his training.”

“Alfred is alive?” Mitchell asked.

“Of course, Admiral. If something happened to him, would not his commanding officer inform you?”

“Take me to him,” Mitchell said.

“I believe the admiral would like a tour,” D’Qur said. Turning to Evans she announced, “Captain Evans, you have the conn. Steady as she goes until I return.”

“Aye, Aye,” Evans answered.