Beyond All Part 1 ( The Searches)

Chapter 21

The SOTS's Next Stop

" God damn it! Watch the asteroids!" Uvam yelled at one of his henchmen.

Following the debris had led him through a large asteroid belt. Several of them had bumped the ship, much to Uvam's irritation.

" For the love of- Out of the way!" Uvam said, pushing henchmen out of the way. Then taking the wheel.

" Apparently nobody here besides me can fly a god damn ship! Seeing as how that's the case, let me know when any asteroids are drifting towards us," Uvam ordered.

After navigating the asteroid belt. Then following the debris, they came across a barren planet. Uvam guessed that the ship had been damaged must have landed there.

" Uvam sir, would it really be worth our time to search this planet? Citreal escaped in a pod. So, if there is a military ship on here, it wouldn't be his."

" It would be worth our time. If Citreal has been though the Wasp Belt, the ship that this debris is from may have picked him up. And, I will leave no stone unturned, when it comes to finding that man. Now, are the ship's outside cameras still working?"

" They seem to be."

" Good. Activate them. I'll bring us below this planet's atmosphere, or lack thereof. Then check the monitors for any ship that may have landed here. Let me know if you see anything."

" There!" A cultist said, pointing to the screen that corresponded with the ship's mid-left camera.

On it was a medium-sized ship, near the base of a cliff. After landing, Uvam and the others stepped out.

" Half of you, go to the ship and tell me what you find. The rest of us will examine the outside."

" It looks as if parts of this ship were punctured. From those wasps most likely. But, what's this? It looks as if some of these holes have been filled in. Kind of patchy looking if you ask me. But where did whoever repair it, get the metal? Any of you find something?" Uvam called to the ones inside the ship.

"So far, the only thing out of place we've found are these rocks," a cultist said, holding them up.

"Let me see those," Uvam said, holding his hand out.

"I see. Someone must have extracted metal from these meteorites."

"But how, sir? We found no tools to do so on the ship."

"True. But, there are several abilities for which someone could do it with. Perhaps some sort of magnetic power. My guess is whoever has been fixing the ship, went into that cave over there. To perhaps find some more metal to repair this ship. And, this cave seems to have been discovered fairly recently. Judging by the dust at the entrance."

"Should we at the entrance for whoever it is to come out?"

"I don't think so. There is a chance, this cave may lead to one at the top of this cliff. If that's the case, whoever's here might end up seeing us before we see them. Then get the drop on us. If only this cliff was a little bigger, we could just park the ship on it. No matter though. Here's what's going to happen. Half of you, stay out here and guard these ships. If you happen to see Citreal, kill on site. Anyone else, capture for questioning. I'd say just kill anyone you see. But, we have a limited number of gems. And we can't afford to waste them on every bastard we see. Now, as for the other half of you, you're coming with me. We're going to explore this cave. "

"Sir, we've found some footprints by the entrance. Three sets, from the looks of it," A cultist said.

"The largest ones were made from a four-legged animal most likely. The second-largest ones seem to have been made by a reptilian of some sort. Why one would be all the way out here, is beyond me. As for the last set, it's possible they may belong to Citreal. But, I'm pretty sure they should be smaller given his size. Still, it's worth investigating, I think. Now, let's go. Be on your guard, " Uvam said as he and the other half of them entered the cave.