Roy Masters 02

His parents now truly forgot about him. Chattering excited, putting on heavy protection gear. Roy left his father's study and went upstairs into his room. The house he called home was a dome shaped Ultronit sphere; made out of the same material they made battle ship armor. The house had two levels and once had been a forward research outpost on Green Hell. Roy switched on the viewer and waited for the Institute Floater that would take his parents away. The outside viewer captured the endless jungles around the house. He saw a Pandora Swan attacking a swarm of Gladiator Eagles, cutting the dangerous eagles with its razor sharp wings in half in mid flight, puncturing others with its long needle beak. It did not matter what they thought. He was a Greenie! He was very proud of this fact and he knew everything about his home planet. Green Hell was the 2nd planet in the Maxell System. A luscious green garden world that looked inviting like any other garden world when seen from space. Long time ago when the old Saresii discovered this world they called it Mrtgtha which meant Murder-all. The Saran rediscovered the world much later and lost several exploration teams and called it Imthe-Seth, Death World. After Terra ascended and the Union was formed another attempt was made to explore this world. Garden worlds with a breathable Nitrogen Oxygen atmosphere were rare and valuable to any expanding society. Again the Planet proved deadly to those who landed on it. Unlike Saresii or Sarans, Terrans were stubborn and did not simply abandon the unsuitable world instead increased their efforts to explore it. Instead of scientists they send Ultra Marines next and they managed to clear an island and establish a permanent base. Scientists returned and with them came technicians and service personnel. Then their families and shop keepers came and made the base a small town called Ant Hill. The Planet was now known as Green Hell. Jungles covered sixty percent of the surface. There where large open bodies of fresh water, rugged mountain ranges and somewhat less over grown poles. What made Green Hell different from any other planet were its life forms. Every single living thing on this planet was a killer and had an array of body weapons deadlier than anything ever encountered. The strongest organic acid ever discovered was produced by the Dragon Ants of Green Hell; the deadliest organic poison ever encountered came from a flowering bush. Some clouds were actually living gas bags that attacked things and other life forms with controlled lightning. The heavily armored yellow painted Floater of the Xeno Bio Institute arrived, slipped into the air lock clamps and left only five minutes later with his parents aboard. Roy smiled to himself and locked the door to his room. Then he opened his closet and put on his bio barrier suit. It was a coverall like garment, which hermetically connected with his heavy duty all terrain boots. He then girded it with a belt with an attached holster and Thompson E-Blaster to his right and a Vibro machete on the other side. Green Hell had a gravitation of 2.5 and most off-worlders carried a Personal Gravitation adjuster. Roy did too, but his was set to almost 4 gee. He increased the Gee's on his PGA ever since he was 6 years old and now walked normal and didn't even feel the 4 gee. He smiled even more when he crawled under his bed and touched the hidden contact. A part of the wall slid open and he crawled in a secret air lock. He knew his dad would probably faint if he knew it existed. Maria his friend who also was a wizard with tools had cut the Ultronit and installed this small air lock. The inner door sealed. and moments later the outer door opened. He slid over the smooth metal to get momentum then pulled his feet under him and pushed himself with one fluid motion of the wall. His muscles catapulted him almost 12 meters across the vegetation free area around the house. Charles maintained that area by burning everything that grew inside with his blasters and he had to do that every second day. Roy grabbed the branch of a Tantalus Oak, with two only two fingers of each hand, avoiding the 5 inch long thorns. Thorns that were hard enough to pierce to normal steel and were tipped with a deadly nerve poison. He swung himself over to a Trappers Palm, oriented himself for a mere second, just above the sticky substance that covered the tree and its branches below. The Trapper trees glue instantly molecular bonded with most materials and tiny creatures not much bigger than Techno Nanites would come and disassemble whatever had been caught in the glue. Roy filled his lungs deep with the warm almost hot steamy jungle air. Out here he felt alive and right as rain. This was his home and he knew how to act and behave. He didn't need no 8 ton energy shielded Armor suit to stomp through the jungle only to sink into a mud bog, he was a Greenie. What aided him was an acute sense of danger. He didn't know if it was a Psionic talent, especially since his Heidelberg Psi-Index was only 45, way below the threshold of 98 where usually the first weak Psi powers appeared. But he didn't care about that anyway. What did off worlders know about Green Hell or Greenies? Not much! This sense of danger somehow also told him how to act to avoid danger. He knew of life forms out here, his parents had never seen and had no name but he knew what to do around them. Most of the time he remained in the upper level of the jungle and rarely went to the ground, the dense foliage provided a much safer route and he could pass over mud bogs and Kill Digger burrows. He estimated he was already a good kilometer away from the house and deep in the jungle, when he heard the tromping sounds of a Stomper breaking through the thickets. Roy waited till he could see this magnificent eight legged beast with sixteen barbed tentacles on one end that could plug anything eatable out of trees and a tough crystalline armor protecting it from most of the plants and attack modes of smaller creatures. Roy put his hands before his mouth and mimicked the mating call of a Water-snake Bull and laughed silently. The Stomper turned in panic and disappeared back from where it came. Of course it was still over 5 months till Water snake mating season, but the Stomper didn't know that. Greenies were split in the opinion what was the most dangerous life form on Green Hell. One side believed the Water Snakes were the undisputed kings of this world and had no real natural enemies. The others believed the Dragon Ants were Water Snakes spend most of their live in the huge fresh water lakes and only during mating season lesser bulls would be driven out of the lakes by the strongest one and seek other water bodies for their home. Water snakes reached tremendous size. Roy had seen bulls of over 45 meters and perhaps eight or nine meters thick. Water snakes had a scaled skin that was almost impervious to any attack; they could spit a Gelatin-like material and ignite it with a static discharge in their mouth. The stuff burned even in water. In addition to that Water snakes could spread their scales and eject small poisonous darts with the force of a high powered rifle. The darts made of the same diamond hard substance as their scales. Those darts were poison tipped and even a slight scratch could kill a fully grown Stomper Roy once observed a Water snake shooting Arrow wasps out of the air just for fun, demonstrating its accuracy. Roy believed Water Snakes were at least as those Terran Dolphins he had to learn about in School. Dragon Ants on the other hand only grew to 2 inches, but their ant hills swarmed with millions of them. The acid produced by the ants was strong enough to eat through any known material except Compacted Ultronit. The ants themselves mixed two components of the liquid by spraying it out of two holes in their bodies. When an ant colony was on the march to new grounds, nothing was spared or safe from their attacks. The only place found so far on the planet free of these Ants was the place where the Ultra marines established the original base an island in the middle of Large Lake. Most Greenies had made their choice and it was a common subject of friendly banter. Roy had not made up his mind and believed that there were many life forms on this planet yet to be discovered, some of them might even be more dangerous than either Ants or Snakes. He avoided the net of a Moolax-Spinner, huge brown arachnoids able to electrify their almost invisible nets with deadly voltage. The filaments of the net were only a molecule thick at sections and could cut through almost anything. He didn't even realize he had pulled and shot his blaster and killed a Vamp-Fly until he had the weapon back in its holster. Roy didn't shoot or kill for sport or fun, only when it was absolute necessary. Everything on Green Hell had a stinger, or some other means of killing but that didn't mean everything killed everything constantly. It was more of a careful co existence. Roy's blaster was his stinger and he used it only if necessary. He had reached a spot halfway between the house and the Shore rocks where he was going to meet his friends. This area had lots of Strangle veins and it was better to be on the ground. He carefully avoided a Mortar Toad so it would not shower him with hundreds of little flesh eating toads catapulted from pockets in its back. He carefully ducked and crawled under a dagger bush with its steel hard and needle sharp leaves. Every branch was under tension and would release at the slightest touch. Right after that bush he almost run head first into an all black huge beast. He panicked for the duration of a heartbeat or two. His sense of danger had failed him and did not warn him of this beast. He froze at the spot, not moving a muscle. The animal in front of him didn't look like any animal he had ever seen on Green Hell. Nothing he knew was black! This animal was covered with short black fur, except around the neck area where the fur formed a thick mane; it had four legs and a boxy brutish looking head, with two ears and small horns on the crown of its skull. Roy estimated it to be perhaps 140 centimeters tall from ground to its back, the head slightly higher attached to the torso by a short but massive neck. The animal was perhaps 300 centimeters long and had a short thick tail. The muscles of the animal were well defined under the black fur and gave the being a massive and incredibly strong appearance. It had two eyes that glowed dark red and had no visible pupils. The short broad snout was topped by flaring nostrils. A pair of long canines emerged from the upper jaw past the chaps and extended at least 40 centimeters past the lower jaw. Only now did Roy notice the dark metal band around the beast's neck with short cone shaped metal spikes in even intervals all around, a collar! Roy sighed and relaxed. This was not an animal native to Green Hell. It was quite obviously a pet, a tamed animal. Terrans especially, but other cultures as well found joy in keeping domesticated Pets. Domesticated life forms were unknown on Green Hell, as it was thought that no domesticated life form could survive the Jungles even for a few moments. Ranger Salomon had a tank of fish in his office, but those were the only off world animals Roy knew of. His best friends secretly kept Green Hell animals as pets, unknown to their parents of course. His friends, especially Norm often teased him, that he was no real Greenie as he had not managed to befriend a local life form. He reached out and touched the animal and said:" Are you lost, Partner?" The animal opened his terrifying maw and for a moment Roy thought he was done for, but instead a huge blackish tongue licked over his face. At the same time he received strange foreign images in his head. He saw space, stars, and planets as they looked from the orbit. He saw Green Hell and then he saw himself touching the animal and he felt a sudden wave of warmth and affection. Roy's mother was a native of Phantasm, and had like most Phantasians some Psionic powers. Paul Masters was just a few points below the Heidelberg Psi Index threshold where Psionic abilities emerged. Roy's HPI was low and had no Psionic abilities at all. His mother didn't believe his Sense of Danger was a real Psionic ability and just imagined by Roy. He was quite surprised and not prepared for this mental message he got from the animal but he instantly knew it was of Psionic nature. He also sensed that the animal was quite intelligent but unable to communicate in any form of language other than mental images. Roy petted the animal's immense shoulders. The fur felt soft as velvet, but the muscles below felt as hard as Ultronit. The being lowered itself so Roy could easier pet it. While he was petting the animal he felt waves of pleasure and affection from the animal. Roy could not help but smile and he said, "I like you too. Let's see if we can get you home! This is no place for a Terran pet. Do you belong to someone?" As he said that Roy's image appeared in his head as if to say I belong to you. Roy opened his Wrist Comm. and dialed for the Ranger Station. It took only a moment and Ranger Salomon's face appeared."Oh hi Roy," the Ranger greeted him with a smile. "Bob is already at your guy's secret meeting place." "Hi Ranger! I am on my way to see Bob and the others, but that is not what I was calling about. I wanted to know if any Off-Worlders reported a missing pet, I think they call them dogs. Those pets they have with four legs and collars." "What a strange question! Of course not. Off World animals are not allowed on Green Hell. Don't tell me you're outside again!" "Well yes, sort of, but I am in no danger, sir. I just wanted to know if someone perhaps misses a pet." "Your father is going to have a fit if he ever asks me and finds out I know that you are outside. As for your question, no dog or any other animal was ever brought here, except for a swarm of gold fish and I confiscated them." "How big do Dog get?" "I never seen a Dog, Roy, you should consult GalNet for that. Just do me a favor and be careful. I know of your secret meeting place but I don't feel too good about it." "Well that is all, Sir. I'm going to check GalNet." He thanked the Ranger and switched to GalNet and connected to the Encyclopedia Galactica GalNet site, made a picture of the animal and asked the Computronic to run a visual search pattern. He never had to wait more than a few seconds for any information request, but this time it took almost a minute and the Computronic responded:" No life form cataloged that matches the search criteria. Do you wish to make a new entry?" "Not at this moment. I need to collect more data first." While he did all that he committed a deadly mistake, he had remained for too long on the same spot and did not pay much attention to his surroundings. An Insecto-Saurus broke through the thicket and was preparing for an attack. His sense of Danger did warn him this time but he had been distracted. Normally he would have had no problem to avoid an Insecto. His trick with the Snake sound would not work, Insectos had no hearing. His blaster was useless. Because it was not powerful enough to burn a hole fast enough into the crystalline armor of the Insecto and reach any vital parts. Insectos had several hearts, were as tough as Stompers, and twice as fast. His mother once compared an Insecto-saurus to a mix between Scorpion, Praying Mantis and Raptor Dinosaur. Roy, who never understood why they had to learn so much about Terran life forms in school, never paid much attention and did not know how those animals looked, but he knew the poisonous stinger of the Insecto would kill him as fast as the scissor arms or the powerful mandibles. The black animal catapulted itself over 12 meters right onto the Insecto! Roy already saw blood and bits of black fur and was worried about his new friend. He pulled his blaster anyway hoping he might delay it somehow, but it was not necessary to shoot! The scissor arms of the Insecto slid across the furry body without even scratching it, while the black beast ripped enormous chunks out of the Insectos body. The crystalline armor shattered like brittle glass, showers of blood, guts and flesh sprayed everywhere. The front paws of the black animals suddenly had huge claws and slashed so fast through the air, he could see only a black blur. That black beast attacked with a level of vicious brutality and power like nothing Roy had ever witnessed. It was over as fast as it had begun; mere seconds after the black beast had attacked the Insecto. There was not much left, only a horribly dismembered carcass. Swarms of Vamp Flies already buzzed around, attracted by the smell of blood. Roy knew ants would not be far behind. He jumped over a Fire Nettle and said to the beast. "We better get out of here, fast!" The animal instantly reacted, and followed him, sending waves of warmth and affection to Roy. "Wow that was something! You sure did a number on that Insecto! I sure thought we were both done for." A feeling of pride and devotion to Roy was the answer. Then he got the mental image of him riding on the beast. "You want me to sit on your on your back?" he asked aloud. The image reappeared. Roy had never sat on an animal ever, and the very thought of it was very alien to him, but for some reason he trusted that animal with his life and felt affection for it. Immediately he felt a wave of affection from the animal. He pulled himself up, grabbed the 7 centimeter wide collar, and the beast began to move slowly forward. Roy could feel the rock hard muscles moving under the furry skin and after a little while he got used to the flow of motions and felt more secure. He examined the collar closer. It was of a dark metal like substance, but it was more flexible than Ultronit. Roy thought the animal was perhaps a local life form after all and just got caught in some sort of snare, left behind by someone, but he had never seen any animal here on the planet that had four legs. All native life forms he knew had none, two, six or eight, but not four. Again he cursed himself for being preoccupied with the black animal that he missed the Fire Nettle bush. The animal walked right over it and the fruit like pods explodes, showering the black chest fur with the deadliest nerve toxin known to man. Even the slightest amount on unprotected skin sends any known life form with a nervous system in lethal convulsions. Surprisingly the dust had no effect on the beast at all. Dagger bush branches lashing against it, shattered or bend but did not penetrate or wound the animal. It became more and more apparent to Roy why this animal could survive in the Jungles of Green Hell. It did not avoid the dangers like most other life forms did. It waltzed right over it and nothing so far affected it. The animal responded to his mental directions like it was a part of Roy's body. When he wanted to go left, the animal immediately went left or avoided a danger as fast as Roy could see it. Roy once again paid full attention to his surroundings. It didn't take long and he reached the edge of the Jungle. There was a small shore line of stone pebbles, Terror moss and Murder Grass edging the Great Lake. Six meters of the shore was a group of big boulders half submerged in the water. These big boulders where free of ants and was the Secret Hang out of Roy and his friends. Roy climbed of his new friend and said." Wait here, Partner. I want to surprise the others!" He felt the answer and knew the animal had understood. He jumped in measured moves between the patches of terror Moss and Murder grass like he did countless times before and catapulted himself in a big jump across the water and landed on the first boulder. His friends were already here: Norm Stevenson, the son of the Major. Maria Scott, daughter of the City Engineer. Bob Salomon, his best friend and son of the Ranger and Melissa O'Malley, her parents owned the Department Store and two restaurants in Town. Bob leaned against the brown furry body of Wobbler. Wobbler was an almost full grown Moolax Spider, measuring almost six meters across legs included. Bob had rescued the spider from a Stomper when it was still small. Bob was with the spider ever since. Wobbler rose only a bit as he saw Roy coming, but relaxed again. Bob grinned. "Finally, you made it! We thought you might not show up today." "I had to wait till my parents left." Melissa sat on top of the tallest rock. She was friends with Roy and the others ever since they were small kids, but Roy noticed lately that she had grown and became one of the prettiest girls in town. She had a mass of curly flaming red hair, big green eyes. She wore her Bio-seal suit skin tight and her body became more female every day. At first it looked as if she wore a beautiful cape of silver, and an odd looking head piece with a long needle sharp point. The cape suddenly moved and Silver, her Pandora Swan lifted his sleek head turned it on the long snake like neck and eyed at Roy with hostile yellow piercing eyes, Melissa scratched the underside of his neck and the Swan lowered his head burring it in her mass of red hair and once more only his long sharp beak was visible. Silver would barely leave her shoulders and even though it had claws hard as diamond and sharp as knives, it never even left scratches on her delicate shoulders. She gave Roy a charming smile. Maria had her legs folded in the lotus position and on her lap was a partially dismantled blaster she worked on, her tool belt within reach. The big bag on her other side moved and the head of Snuggle appeared. Snuggle was a furry 2 meter long Ninja Weasel. They usually did not appear during the day and were deadly hunters, able to adopt almost any color they came in contact with, blending into the surrounding and attack with razor sharp claws, poisonous fangs and a long barbed tail they used like a whip. Snuggle blinked into the sun and at Roy then returned into the bag, but not before getting a Gummy Bear candy from Maria who didn't even look up from her work. She waved at Roy. "I am almost done with Norm's blaster." There was nothing Maria could not take apart, repair or improve. She loved tools and tech and working with her hands. Norm came out of the water, dripping and Zisch right beside him. Zisch was a real Water Snake, a very young one and only 12 meters long. Norm saved the snake when it was much smaller, pulled it out of an Ant attack and nursed it back to health. Norm was almost obnoxiously proud of his Water snake. "Ah there is Roy!" he greeted." The water is wonderful!" Roy looked across the surface and saw the huge Water snake not too far from the rocks. It was Zisch's mother or father and ever since Norm bonded with the young snake and it seemed to keep watch. "I bet it is, but I doubt I would try it with a big snake so close." "That is Zisch's Mother, she makes sure nothing is harming me, but of course I am a real Greenie .I would not recommend you get even near. They don't like Off-Worlders!" At another time Roy would have been offended as Norm always rubbed it in." So having a pet is the Hallmark of a real Greenie?" Norm nodded." We are all seventh generation Greenies and we are the first bonding with what others think are mindless, killing beasts." Melissa defended Roy." He is a Greenie just as us. Not even you would dare to go through the Jungle like he does all the time." Bob agreed:" Seven Kilometers every day. If you are so confident why don't you visit Roy on foot one day?" "Besides our animals don't harm him," Maria said," He petted Wobbler and Snuggle don't mind him." Norm sneered." Don't get me wrong I am impressed how Roy, an Off-Worlders can navigate through our Jungles, but he is just not one of us." Bob got up." Do you want me to pound your face in? What is it with you today? Roy is one of us always has been!" Roy turned and called loud:" Partner!" At first nothing happened and Roy feared he had left his new friend too long alone. Then the big black beast broke through the foliage, like a tracked Marine explorer tank and neither the steel hard needle pointed stems of the poisonous murder grass nor the acid of the Terror Moss had any affect. Partner splashed through the water and jumped right next to Roy then sitting down on his hind legs and licking Roy across the shoulder. The others were quite shocked and surprised by the stormy approach of the black beast. Silver flapped his wings and hissed at Partner. Wobbler had gone in attack stance. Zisch reared up and was about to spew fire. It took them a moment to calm their animals and then Melissa said, "Well, it looks like Roy is a Greenie after all. I have no idea what he found in the Jungles but it sure looks like an animal to me. A very big one too!" Bob scratched his head." I never seen anything like it either, but whatever it is it seems pretty tough. The Terror Moss didn't do shit to it!" Maria got up and came closer." Does it attack or can I touch it?" Roy petted the massive head of his beast "No it likes you, you can touch it." Maria cooed."Oh how soft its fur is! Just like Snuggle!" Norm waved his hands." It seems Roy is a Greenie, but that's not a Green Hell animal. I bet he bought it on GalNet. It has four legs. Nothing on Green Hell has four legs. Maybe it's a robot!" Maria shook her head." That's no robot! I know every robot model there is This is no machine." Bob added." We know less than one percent of what's out there. No one really has been to the other side of the planet. Whatever it is, it walked with Roy in the Jungle and nothing off world can survive that." "I bet my Water Snake is tougher than whatever that is! Maybe I should ask Zisch's mom to fry it!" Norm said. "I don't know what has gone into you? " Said Melissa." Why are you so aggressive towards Roy today? We always have been friends!" Maria belted her tool belt." Because we are all getting older and Norm has feelings towards you, and when you smiled at Roy it set him off. It's hormones that turn males into idiots." Norm blushed and Melissa gasped. Maria always said things in a blunt and direct way and nothing escaped her analytical eyes and sharp mind. Melissa stomped her foot." You are all my friends. Please don't destroy that with petty jealousy games. I am not interested in you Norm, past being a friend. Neither am I interested in Roy. You are friends and nothing more." Norm sat down. "Maybe I did over react a little. Roy is a Greenie I know. I would never dare to make it on foot to his house." Roy grinned. "It's not so bad. I do it all the time that's why. If you did it all the time you'd know what to do just as well." Maria handed Norm his weapon then she cocked her head. "I can hear a Floater!" Everyone turned and tried to hide but it was too late this time. The yellow and green painted Armored Floater with the Ranger service logo on the sides swooped down and hovered a few feet over the water next to the rocks. Ranger Salomon opened the hatch and stood there looking at all of all of them with unveiled amazement:" I don't believe what I see with my own eyes!" His hand darted to his service weapon as he saw the big spider rearing up behind his son and he screamed, "Son, duck! I have to shoot!" Bob spread his arms." If you want to shoot Wobbler you have to shoot through me, Dad!" The Ranger lowered his gun and after a long moment he said, "It is true, I didn't really believe it but it is true! You are out here without armor suits, surviving for hours! And now I see you play with …, with life forms no one ever survived seeing close up!" "Armor suits are stupid and for Off-Worlders!" Said Norm." Zisch's Mom is watching over us better than a Platoon Marines could!" The ranger only now noticed the big snake slowly coming closer, clearly alerted and ready to strike." Oh my God!" He shook visibly and it took him will power not to run and say: "That Water snake is protecting you?" "Yes Sir, Mr. Ranger. We are in no danger." Melissa stepped forward." Please Mr. Salomon don't tell my parents about Silver, they take him away from me! I love Silver!" "I am afraid I can't do that! I am the Ranger and I must abide by the law." Salomon raised his hands." Don't lose hope or run away. I have a plan to help you and make it all legal: yes I will tell your parents and you all are to be at Ma Swenson's boat house in 3 hours from now, bring your animal friends along and if you can demonstrate you have control over your animals and if your parents agree, I will issue you all Pet owner licenses, the very first ever issued on Green Hell and everything will be legal and I am not neglecting my duties."