Star Missions - Book One - Part IV

Chapter 32 - The Food Planet

THE FOOD PLANET

The chatter of the crew and passengers grew silent. All Amanda could hear during the descent was the pinging sound of Blue-Ray's arm communicator. The pilots had let the signal broadcast on the ship. It was slower than usual but steady. Usually, the comm bracelet would send a ping that would mimic the heart rate of the carrier. The fact that it was slow and steady indicated one of two things. Either Blue-Ray activated the beacon but then removed the bracelet, or he was dead.

No one wanted to consider the later. There was not enough information.

They are getting a signal, and that is all that mattered at the moment. Colonel Hand was on the right track. All figured that Blue-Ray had left it as a clue. The thought that Blue-Ray had not survived the landing had not crossed anyone's mind, though that might have been why the comm bracelet pinged so slowly.

The sound seemed to get louder and louder when Colonel Hand made his way back to the cockpit and asked lieutenant Joshi, "How close can we get to the signal?"

"There appears to be a clearing near the signal's origin," she told him, then pointed towards the densely forested ridge to the east. "There."

The Colonel kept silent, implying his satisfaction.

Within minutes, the ship touched down in the clearing.

"We are visitors here. Keep on mission. Get out there and secure the area," he told them.

Almost in unison, all the Space Dogs said with deep voices, "Sir. Yes, Sir."

As the ramp descended, Lopez and Walters were the first out of their seats and ready to roll. The other Space Dogs followed. Amanda was out fifth and made sure Carmichael had not forgotten to keep an eye on the Alien. He and Jacob then led Ka-Rhin down the ramp. They stayed in position at the bottom of the ramp as the others secured the perimeter.

They spread out close to twenty meters from the ship in all directions. Amanda let Lopez lead and covered an area that was not covered by Walters or Khalib.

A trio of what appeared to be large, ape-like creatures seemed to be content watching from a distance. They had dark green fur and were close to six meters tall when standing on their hind legs. Space Dogs stayed alert, even though Ka-Rhin's interview revealed that the animal life on the planet was peaceful. The creatures showed no aggressive behavior, so they were not an immediate threat.

The perimeter secured, the Colonel exited the ship along with the two pilots. He joined Carmichael and the Alien.

The Colonel seemed impressed with his surroundings. The woods around looked similar to Terra's ancient forests, almost prehistoric. As if the trees were extra large and extra tall to accommodate the large ape-like creatures. As large as those creatures were, it made sense that the trees they swung from were large and robust.

The eight soldiers regrouped in front of the Colonel. Fortunately, the Ape creatures were peaceful. Even with weapons, Amanda didn't think they would last long if those guys decided to attack.

The Colonel seemed impressed with their size as well as he asked Ka-Rhin, "What can we expect here? Are those creatures dangerous?"

"These are known as the Overseers," Ka-Rhin confirmed. "They are peaceful. We must respect them and their planet. Only take the amount of food we need."

That wasn't going to be an issue. The Colonel wasn't here for the food.

"The Overseers are very protective. It is better if we do not approach them," Ka-Rhin added.