Part 1: [link]
~~~~
Previously on Legends: The world’s
most brilliant scientist Dr. Isaac Calu and his close friend George Richardson
tested a prototype spacecraft. However, they were suddenly flung across the
galaxy to a strange jungle planet. Stranded on an alien world and with their
vessel destroyed, the two men found themselves the guests of the peculiar natives.
A mysterious people adorned in robes and beads, who “spoke without words” and
worshiped a set of five swords stabbed into a stone. Believing their chances of
returning home to be slim to none, George wandered off to be alone. But, Dr.
Calu remains convinced he could find a way home.
~--~
“I can figure this out, I’m a
genius,” Dr. Calu assured himself. “Perhaps I could rig up some kind of
distress signal using the remains of our ship. If I’m lucky, there might be
other crashed space ships on this planet nearby.” The light blonde scientist
pondered all of his options, barely noticing the robed natives around him. They
paid him no mind either, merely going about their business, with most of them
staring at the sky. If Dr. Calu were not so focused on getting home, he would
be curiously asking questions about their way of life. However, as far as he
was concerned, there was no time for that now.
“No harm in asking them,” Dr. Calu
turned to one of the locals. “You wouldn’t have happened to see other vessels
crash from above?”
(Others Have Come. Many Have Fallen
To This Place. But Their Vessels Have Long Since Been Reclaimed By Nature). The
robed figure replied.
“Drat,” Dr. Calu almost swore, “but
it might be worth a shot anyway, where did the last one land?”
(There. Right Now.) The native
pointed above. Dr. Calu’s eyes traced the direction to see a mighty vessel
above. It was a spaceship, one that resembled the sea-faring vessels from Dr.
Calu’s own planet, but not quite the same. It had a wicked emblem painted on
its side, one that reminded Dr. Calu of a skull.
“They don’t seem to be struggling to
land like we did,” the scientist noticed. “They must be aware of this planet’s
gravitational eccentricities. What luck, I may have a way off this planet
already.”
(Do Not Be So Certain.) The leader
of the native “spoke.” Dr. Calu looked at the robed being curiously, then
looked back at the vessel and its strange emblem. A small feeling of dread
welled up inside him.
~--~
George snapped awake, he hadn’t
intended to fall asleep. He quickly checked the sky and was thankful it was
still light out. He leaned back against a nearby stone wall, then the reality
of the situation hit him again.
“Still here, it wasn’t a dream,” he
sighed. “Who knows how much time has passed, for all I know this weird place
doesn’t even have a night. I bet Doc is worried about me.” The black-haired
stood up and brushed himself off, but was thrown into a panic when he heard a
loud bang and crackle. “Was that a gun? Or some kind of explosive?” Realizing
something was up, George ran towards the sound without hesitation.
~--~
Dr. Calu was thrown for a loop, the
new visitors were no friendly explorers. There greeting was an explosion,
followed by several shots into the air. A swarm of insect-like humanoids
marched into the village, armed with bizarre weapons that shot lasers. Leading
them was a massive alien with twisted armor and a blue face with piercing red
eyes. The native leader called them “Space Pirates.” However, Dr. Calu
concluded that it was simply the closest translation that could describe them.
The scientist was helpless as the
pirates took over the small village and manhandled the locals. The robed figures
could do little to resist as they were beaten around. Their beads were ripped
off their robes, and some of them were knocked to the ground. The lead pirate
marched up to the stone and tried to yank out one of the swords, but failed to
make it even budge. He refused to give up until the sword zapped him with a
burst of red lightning. Obviously, angered by the experience, the alien grabbed
the native’s leader and screamed at him in an alien language.
(You Are Not Who The Blade Waits
For. That Is Why It Rejected You.) The leader replied. In response, the space
pirate slammed him against the stone. Then, he noticed Dr. Calu and marched
towards the scientist.
“Oh dear,” Dr. Calu mumbled as the
space pirate, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and screamed at him in the
alien language. “I don’t even know what you’re saying,” the blonde man pleaded.
Noticing the language barrier, the space pirate pulled a device out of his
pocket and stabbed Dr. Calu with it. The scientist felt an unpleasant sensation
as something flowed into his body.
“That last guy was useless, tell me
what you know about the swords,” the alien leader’s words became intelligible.
The experience was strange to Dr. Calu. The pirate still spoke in his own
language, but the scientist understood it as clearly as English. He would be
fascinated by such a technology if it weren’t for the current threat.
“I don’t know what you expect me to
tell you,” the blonde man choked out.
“You’re not like them,” the space
pirate gestured to the robed locals. “So, the only reason you’d be in a
backwater planet like this would be to study the swords.”
‘I didn’t realize they were so
special,’ Dr. Calu thought to himself.
“If you can’t help me, you’re as
worthless as the last guy,” the lead pirate threatened.
‘Oh no,’ the scientist was consumed
by dread, ‘got to think of a way out of this.’
“Well, talk!” The pirate screamed in
his face. Dr. Calu felt his life flash before his eyes, afraid this pirate
would snap his neck any second.
“Let him go!” A voice yelled from
across the village.
~--~
George arrived just in time to see
his friend being assaulted by some strange alien. While he wasn’t fully aware
of the situation, he could tell the giant alien, and his bug friends had not
come for peaceful reasons. Regardless, George wasn’t one to stand by while his
friend was in danger.
The enormous alien barked out
something in his language. George couldn’t understand the words, but when the
insect-like goons started to surround him, he picked up the intent. The
black-haired man was confident in his physical ability, he was in shape and had
gotten in his fair share of scrapes before. However, he knew the odds were not
in his favor being so horribly outnumbered, but that wasn’t going to stop him.
“I’m not afraid,” George stated as
he threw himself at the horde of insects. He smashed one in the face with a
right hook and kicked away another trying to pull out a club. He managed to
knock down about half a dozen of the goons before one got a clean hit on his
back. George stumbled for a brief moment, which the rest took as a chance to
swarm him. In the confusion, he managed to grab a club off a fallen insect and
knock out one more. In response, the horde picked him up and tossed him like a
ragdoll, and he landed right at the lead alien’s feet.
~--~
“So much for your cavalry,” the
space pirate spat on George. “Now, if you want your stupid friend to live, tell
me every last detail about those swords,” he renewed his grip on Dr. Calu.
“Okay, okay, as long as you don’t
hurt him,” the scientist coughed. ‘Please stay down,’ Calu spared a quick
glance at his friend.
“I’m not...” George muttered,
gripping the alien’s leg.
“You’re still kicking?” The alien
glared down at the battered man. “Get off,” he kicked George towards the stone.
“Now, where was I?”
“George!” Dr. Calu panicked.
“Talk!” The pirate screamed in the
scientist’s face. He was so focused on Calu he almost didn’t notice the chorus
of buzzing behind him, he turned to find his men freaking out. “What are you
going on about?” The alien asked as he turned to see George standing again, his
hand on one of the blades.
~--~
‘Please, please, I need a weapon,’
George thought to himself as he gripped the blade with the red jewel. He tugged
at the blade, but unlike the previous attempt with the green jeweled sword, he
felt no wave of rejection. Instead, he felt a surge a power course through him
as the weapon seemed to slide out of the rock. The black-haired man pulled the
now free weapon out in front of him, while a visible red energy emanated from
the sword.
“I feel powerful,” George commented
as he held the sword aloft, red electricity surging around him like a
protective blanket. Filled with new resolve, George marched towards the alien
leader.
~--~
“What are you waiting for, shoot
him!” The space pirate commanded his men. The handful of insects armed with
laser rifles obliged and fired on George. However, the red energy repelled most
of the blasts, and George even deflected a couple with his sword. Only a single
laser hit the man, but he didn’t appear to even notice the impact. “Don’t come
any closer, or I’ll crush your friend!”
By the time the pirate finished
making his threat, George was already upon him in a flash of lightning. Before
the alien could even react, George slashed at his arm, forcing him to release
Dr. Calu. The space pirate stumbled back in shock, but quickly recovered and
slashed at George with his own sword. The two blades met with a clash of
energy, and both combatants were blown black.
“Stop watching and swarm him!” The
lead alien commanded his goons. The insects obeyed and tried to tackle George,
but unlike before, he cut right through them. Each slash of his blade knocked
one down for the count, only the lucky ones who received a kick or punch managed
to get back up.
“Maybe if I,” George muttered, while
he tried to control the red energy around him. The black-haired man tried to
focus the lightning into a weapon, but it just blasted around him
uncontrollably. Regardless, the insects were frightened by his sudden combat
prowess.
“You’re useless,” the lead pirate
knocked aside his henchmen and threw himself at George again.
~--~
George could barely describe the
sensations he was currently feeling. This strength, this power flowing threw
him felt incredible, yet...‘This is terrifying,’ the black-haired man thought
as he clashed with the lead alien again. ‘This guy hits me like a truck, but I
can take it no problem.’ George managed to force the alien back again, but his
own knees started to feel like jelly.
‘I can’t keep this up, I need to
finish him now,’ George realized as he felt himself burning out. ‘Let’s try to
focus it again, but this time...’ The black-haired man focused the energy.
However, instead of trying to use it as a projectile, he pulled all of it
around the sword itself.
The alien leader roared as he lifted
his sword in the air, ready to bring it down on George like an executioner’s
axe. However, George did not falter; he simply held his sword tight and swung
with all his might. The two blades clashed for the third time, but instead of
forcing each other apart, George’s blade cut right through the alien’s and kept
going. In a flash of light, George cut right passed the alien, who tumbled to
the ground in two halves.
The other aliens, having seen their
leader fall, looked at George, splattered with said leader’s blood, then to
their fallen boss. After a short chorus of buzzes, they all fled into the
jungle. Seeing the threat gone, George summarily passed out.
~--~
George awoke in a cold sweat to find
himself covered in makeshift bandages and Dr. Calu standing beside him. Seeing
the familiar face, he calmed down and noticed he was resting in a bed inside
one of the stone buildings.
“What happened?” George asked.
“You saved the day champ,” Dr. Calu
replied, “you sent the space pirates running and then passed out for a day. I
didn’t know you were so proficient in the use of a sword.”
“I’m not,” the black-haired man
commented and leaned back into the bed. “Speaking of the sword.”
“Oh, it’s right there, the natives
insisted I leave it by your bedside,” Dr. Calu pointed out the weapon, which
rested against the side of the bed.
“That sword,” George flinched when he
saw the blade, “that thing is scarily powerful.” George noticed his hand
unconsciously reached out for the sword, but he stopped himself.
“Well, when you feel like you’ve got
your strength back come on outside,” Dr. Calu began to leave the room, “the
locals what thank you for saving them.” George nodded as his friend left the
room before he peered at the sword one last time. It took all his courage just
to touch it again.
~--~
Sometime later, George left the
stone building with the sword in his trembling hand. He did not want to keep
the weapon, but he felt like he couldn’t leave it behind either. The
black-haired man arrived outside to find the natives gathered around the stone
again. They were a little worse for wear, their robes were torn and most of
their beads missing. Yet, he still could not see their faces or even their
bodies for that matter.
(You Have Awakened. Wielder Of The
First Sword of Stars.) The native’s leader announced.
“If you want your sword back, you
can-” George began to say.
(No. If The Blade Deemed You Worthy.
Than The First Sword of Stars. The Starbringer. Is Yours.)
“No, really, you can have it back,”
George insisted, “no man deserves the power held within this.”
(The Blade Is Yours. Our Purpose Was
To Await Those Worthy To Wield These Weapons. Besides. If You Wish To Return
Home. That Sword Will Be The Key.) The leader stated.
“This is my way home?” George looked
at the sword closely. As he observed the weapon forged from some unknown metal,
he could see a field of stars twinkling on the blade. They were connected by
beams of light forming something resembling a constellation.
This blade, unlike the green one
which filled him with rejection, the red one felt so “right.” George had never
thought something that felt so right would also feel so scary. The black-haired
man clutched the weapon’s hilt tightly and nodded.
“Okay, if this is my only way home,
then I’ll keep it for now,” George.
(One Worthy Of The Starbringer.) The
leader began. (We Speak Without Words. But This Time We Wish To Speak Your
Name.)
“My name?” George replied, “George,
George Richards.”
“G-I-R-A!” The natives spoke in a
chorus. Their unknown vocal structure seemed incapable of replicating the
English language. Instead, they created a strange corruption of George’s name.
“I think it has a nice ring to it,”
Dr. Calu chuckled as he approached his friend, “don’t you think, Gira?”
“Don’t you start,” the newly
christened Gira shook his head. “As fun as this is, we still don’t have the
means to get home.”
“About that,” Dr. Calu smiled. “The
space pirates landed their ship nearby, and when they fled into the jungle,
they abandoned it.”
“Really?” Gira’s eyes lit up at the
possibility. “But what if they come back.”
“The locals assured me that they
won’t,” Dr. Calu explained. “They have little confidence those insect goons
survived the night in the jungle.”
“So we have a ship,” Gira nodded,
“but do you even know how to pilot an alien spaceship?”
“I have plenty of time to learn,”
Dr. Calu replied. With renewed hope and vigor, the two friends shared a hardy
laugh. Gira looked at the Starbringer once last time. These powers were
terrifying, and the journey ahead would be very long. However, as the
black-haired man looked upon the blade, he felt confident he could persevere.
No matter how long it took, he would find his way home.
~~~~
The greatest stories often begin as the result of a freak accident.But enough pseudo-philosophy, I hope you enjoyed this story, and look forward to a follow-up (hopefully) sometime in the future.
Also, can you guess what decade this story (supposedly) takes place in?
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy
~~~~
Support me on Patreon: [link]
