Terran Knights 3: Chapter 1

“Kid move!”

“Moving!”

The ground rocked as a neon green beam of light slammed into it sending energy exploding into the sky like a nightclub. Ducking his head down Owen rolled and pressed his back against the rock face as Seth stumbled forward and stood beside him. They both flinched as another blast hit their hiding spot.

They were both covered in smoke and dirt, Owen with a few bruises on his hands and face but he was in one piece. Seth looked him, chest heaving and tried to keep the bag on his shoulder in one piece. The air was heavy with humidity, their chest and helmets clinging to their bodies.

Owen sent a wide eyed look to Seth trying to get his breathing under control. “Is this normal? Like is this something you’re used to?”

Seth laughed, “Used to? Shit I’ve never been up here like thi before.”

Both of them looked into the sky and saw the black velvet sky but beyond that the three orbiting bodies of rock. A trio of moon’s surrounding the two of them. The hunk of rock they were standing on was just outside a dark city with flashing lights. If the pair of them tried they could just barely see the collection of stars in the distance that represented their galaxy.

“We’re really in space, aren’t we?”

“Yep. I think Kat said this asteroid was called Qamandu. Nice little vacation spot.”

“I don’t even know how to spell that,” Owen laughed scratching his head.

“Me either. We should’ve taken pictures at the fountain. Would’ve freaked out your siblings, right?”

“It is beautiful up here.”

They both laughed together and forgot for a second, they were under attack. A pair of shapes flew around the sky and both of their heads jerked to the sky. A pair of half man, half pterodactyl people with guns appeared and one shouted pointing at them. They shouted in their screeching alien language before diving at them.

“Oh for fucks sake.”

“Do we fight them?”

“We definitely are. Let’s go to work!”

Their stones appeared in their palms before bathing them in light, Owen’s pink and Seth’s purple. Their armor formed over their clothes and skin and once their helmets locked into place they were ready. Their armor had changed, with golden accents in their boots and gloves but also new golden chest armor, shaped like triangles appeared from their upper body to their shoulders. In the center was a larger version of their own stones.

A streak of neon energy flew forward and Seth stepped forward first crossing his arms and the shields on his hands turned into one large buckler across his arm. Owen surged past him leaving a trail of pink behind him. He jumped at them, arm back as he punched one in the face and sent them crashing into the asteroid.

Before he could land properly though he saw the other shape fly behind him. They raised their gun and the tip of it began to charge. He raised his fists to protect himself but not before it was knocked out of the air by a shield. Owen came down landing not far from Seth.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Seth pulled the bag off his shoulder and set it on the ground. He pulled open the straps and opened it seeing the glowing rocks and metal within it that looked like glass. Picking his fingers around it slowly he shook his head and glanced at Owen. Their armor caught the light above and below.

“The cargo is in one piece?” Owen asked hesitantly.

“So far yeah,” slinging it back over his shoulder Seth stood and glanced at the sky again. Touching the side of his helmet he called out, “Hey we got the glass and we’re outside the city. Where’s that evac?!”

“It’s on the way now,” Marco said over their intercom. “A situation happened in Vegas and the team had to get out there.”

“What the fuck’s happening in Vegas?”

“I’ll brief you when you get back here,” he said. “Actually. Problem.”

“Don’t say that. Don’t say that to me Marco,” Seth said standing again.

“You guys are too far away for the teleporter. You need you make it two miles out and you’ll be in range. I’ll mark it for you.”

The blip showed up on their helmets and Seth sighed. “That’s far,” Owen said.

“Yeah. Hope this stuff is worth it.”

They nodded to one another and broke into a sprint across the rocky terrain. Before their upgrade a run like this would have taken much longer. They had been enhanced beforehand but now they positively super human. Usain bolt eat your heart out. A trial of smoke and dust kicked up behind them as they pumped their arms running ahead.

The got half way there when the ground exploded from another flash of neon. They didn’t break their run but they had to duck their heads down to avoid getting showered in debris. Owen looked over his shoulder and saw another six of the flying aliens coming after them.

Turning around again he focused on running and they both moved together, trying to avoid them as much as they could. But as they ran, they could see it on their armor. Shimmering circles of light surrounded them getting brighter the further they ran.

“Fire the grenade launcher! Fire them all!”

Their helmets managed to translate what they were saying and Seth’s heart skipped a beat. Seth looked over his shoulder and saw the flying attackers raising their guns and this time they were glowing even brighter than before. But as he saw how close they were to the go point he crouched and shouted over at Owen.

“Jump kid!”

They both leaped forward bathed and got just inside of it. As they crossed the threshold of where they were meant to go they could hear the meaty thunks of the weapons behind them, nothing like the hissing beams from before. They were both engulfed properly in red light and then they were gone. Just in time for the grenades to hit and the explosion to rock the asteroid.