shape. It was exactly
like the ones I had flown in the simulator. We were a perfect match. It was
meant to carry six to eight passengers which meant it would be easy for the
three of us to crawl inside the cockpit together. The ship itself resembled a
grey phoenix. It had two great wings, a nose, and a tail that was as long as the
ship was wide. It used anti-gravity technology to lift itself into the air. I was
almost sad we couldn’t just take the ship and leave the planet – only the more
exotic drop ships could handle atmospheric flight and even if we could I was
nowhere near ready for that kind of flying.
We took off with no problems, it was just like the simulations had been
aside from an oil like smell. When we hit the sky and clouds we could see the
leviathan in the distance. It had begun to change form. Its arms and tentacles
had stretched out to massive wings; four, maybe five in all and its body had
grown more and more slender. It was as if it was taking the form of an
asymmetrical human angel. Its tumors were gone. I wondered if they carried
the ticks. My brain was trying to come up with theories. I began wondering if
it was adapting to the world or maybe it was taking the persona of the people
it had killed. It was using it's own mass to reconstruct itself. It was adapting.
I felt empathy for the creature. I felt remorse. It seemed like a child, a
300 foot child crying out in anger and pain because it was far away from its
home. Like us it too was an orphan. If the Tritan was the cause - if they did
pull this creature from the immer with them were we not to blame for all of
this death and destruction? At the same time I hated it. I hoped that the more
it reformed its body it felt more pain.
“It’s mimicking us,” Hayden said. “It’s changing its body structure to
look human.” “That doesn’t look human to me,” I said. Nothing that monster
could do would make me think it was human. As I spoke I saw the leviathan
extend its wings. It was getting ready to take flight. I began to fear we were
the only three alive in the whole city. My heart skipped a beat. The leviathan
screamed. I could see it clear as day now. Debris from the city below swept
up into the air as it began to move its massive wings. Even in my worst
nightmares I couldn’t imagine seeing something like this. My mind began to
race. I had no idea how to fly evasive maneuvers.
“Maybe we are better off on the ground. If that thing comes at us I don't
know if I can dodge it,” I said. Hayden and Aira said nothing in return.“If it
comes at us I’m going to ram it.” I said and I began to maneuver the drop ship
away while keeping the leviathan in my sights (and it must have worked
because the Leviathan at no point slowed its stride, but keep going past us as
if we were some ghost).
“Good job.” Hayden said, patting me on the shoulder.
“There,” Hayden pointed to one of the navigation screen that showed a
massive ship appear above the city. I maneuvered the drop ship and there it
was. From outside the front window we watched as the Aelita emerged in a
cloud of smoke out of the immer.
The drop ship began to lose velocity. Controls seized up and all I could
do was gliding it down to the landing bay which happened to be only a few
kilometers away from the leviathan. The force of the Aelita dropping out of
the immer over the city was the same as dropping a nuclear bomb. We were
just far enough away that we didn’t get caught in the initial blast. Still, we
could see buildings disappear beneath us as waves of ash washed the city
clean. We landed on top of what was left of the human embassy. This building
was presented to us as a gift for trading and joining Errikus during our stay.
It didn’t matter anymore how many species had used this building. We would
be the last. None of Errikus mattered anymore. The Aelita made it clear they
weren’t here to save the city. They were here to
like the ones I had flown in the simulator. We were a perfect match. It was
meant to carry six to eight passengers which meant it would be easy for the
three of us to crawl inside the cockpit together. The ship itself resembled a
grey phoenix. It had two great wings, a nose, and a tail that was as long as the
ship was wide. It used anti-gravity technology to lift itself into the air. I was
almost sad we couldn’t just take the ship and leave the planet – only the more
exotic drop ships could handle atmospheric flight and even if we could I was
nowhere near ready for that kind of flying.
We took off with no problems, it was just like the simulations had been
aside from an oil like smell. When we hit the sky and clouds we could see the
leviathan in the distance. It had begun to change form. Its arms and tentacles
had stretched out to massive wings; four, maybe five in all and its body had
grown more and more slender. It was as if it was taking the form of an
asymmetrical human angel. Its tumors were gone. I wondered if they carried
the ticks. My brain was trying to come up with theories. I began wondering if
it was adapting to the world or maybe it was taking the persona of the people
it had killed. It was using it's own mass to reconstruct itself. It was adapting.
I felt empathy for the creature. I felt remorse. It seemed like a child, a
300 foot child crying out in anger and pain because it was far away from its
home. Like us it too was an orphan. If the Tritan was the cause - if they did
pull this creature from the immer with them were we not to blame for all of
this death and destruction? At the same time I hated it. I hoped that the more
it reformed its body it felt more pain.
“It’s mimicking us,” Hayden said. “It’s changing its body structure to
look human.” “That doesn’t look human to me,” I said. Nothing that monster
could do would make me think it was human. As I spoke I saw the leviathan
extend its wings. It was getting ready to take flight. I began to fear we were
the only three alive in the whole city. My heart skipped a beat. The leviathan
screamed. I could see it clear as day now. Debris from the city below swept
up into the air as it began to move its massive wings. Even in my worst
nightmares I couldn’t imagine seeing something like this. My mind began to
race. I had no idea how to fly evasive maneuvers.
“Maybe we are better off on the ground. If that thing comes at us I don't
know if I can dodge it,” I said. Hayden and Aira said nothing in return.“If it
comes at us I’m going to ram it.” I said and I began to maneuver the drop ship
away while keeping the leviathan in my sights (and it must have worked
because the Leviathan at no point slowed its stride, but keep going past us as
if we were some ghost).
“Good job.” Hayden said, patting me on the shoulder.
“There,” Hayden pointed to one of the navigation screen that showed a
massive ship appear above the city. I maneuvered the drop ship and there it
was. From outside the front window we watched as the Aelita emerged in a
cloud of smoke out of the immer.
The drop ship began to lose velocity. Controls seized up and all I could
do was gliding it down to the landing bay which happened to be only a few
kilometers away from the leviathan. The force of the Aelita dropping out of
the immer over the city was the same as dropping a nuclear bomb. We were
just far enough away that we didn’t get caught in the initial blast. Still, we
could see buildings disappear beneath us as waves of ash washed the city
clean. We landed on top of what was left of the human embassy. This building
was presented to us as a gift for trading and joining Errikus during our stay.
It didn’t matter anymore how many species had used this building. We would
be the last. None of Errikus mattered anymore. The Aelita made it clear they
weren’t here to save the city. They were here to
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