Zombies From the Sky

[Maharg67]

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One 26.1[27]{35}

 

Robinson Crusoe calmly watched over the sleeping tentaculon as around him animals were on the move away from the coast or were otherwise seeking safety. There was a restlessness, a tension, as a large group of squat furry wozzles passed with many possessions, with small goats and donkeys with large packs. They exchanged some words with him but then continued on as they accepted the Oracle's invitation to get safe shelter in her shelter complex.

 

He took out a slightly worn book and began to read it but somehow he remained fully aware of what was going on around him, especially when it came to the tentaculon that he was looking after.

 

He was still doing so when from the sky came drifting, from very high up behind some clouds, a parachute with a large metal supplies cubecanister of the kind that many governments used around the world, especially such as the military and international aid services.

 

Robinson Crusoe looked up at it and just nodded a little, as if to himself, as if he had been expecting such a thing to happen. He did know that the Oracle would need to be told soon but not before the tentaculon finished its nap.

Edited May 3, 2015 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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One 27.1[28]{36}

 

Down the underground river came semi-enclosed wooden barges reinforced by iron, basic and propelled by a mixture of long poles and large oars. They came into the caves where the lifeboats group had gone, where the strange jittering corpses had floated along with dead bodies. They came from the same direction but these were ghouls, zombies and one more powerful smarter lich in charge.

 

Directed by the lich, the zombies shambled from the falling ramps at the front of the four barges as they came to the river shore. One fell in and was soon drowning to death as it sank below the surface of the river. There were over twice as many zombies as ghouls and the ghouls came with basic, durable, guns that used cartridges or shotgun shells.

 

The animan guards were easily driven back, taken by surprise, too many of them dying as they fled. Yet even as they did so there came to the rescue a strong force of elite animan warriors, tigerchimps, reavers and ooman soldiers. They made up the main numbers but there was also a sprinkling of humans, damphirs, wozzles, hairy neandomans, bone skinned aomans and a werewolf.

 

The fighting was brutally savage, merciless, and gun shots rang out as arrows flew through the air. The defending force was bigger than the attacking force, at first, but then four more barges appeared. Amongst the newcomers were distorted, winged, fangpires that were only vaguely like their bigger wingpire cousins. The fangpires darted through the air, flying low and with out much grace, only to be shot out of the air.

 

Captain ManMonster came to lead the fight and the damphir triplets came with him. They turned out to be martial art based entertainers that their parents had exploited on popular tours around the world. Now the three were enhanced in their fighting abilities, firing off bows with amazing speed and accuracy.

 

Almost as one, all of the undead attackers burned away to death. Some unnatural force had been protecting them from glowcrystal light but then it was gone. It was to prove to be the Oracle's doing. She had fought a savage, hidden, battle with the dark psychic psionic powered lich and had won with some difficulty. Dorothy had assisted though she was only allowed to do so much for mortals, to interfere in mortal existence only so far.

Edited May 10, 2015 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Linked to the post above this one, being together one episode.

 

One 27.2[29]{37}

 

The barges, and other items, would turn out to be useful loot but other things were destroyed at once being necromantic in nature, being unnatural or even antinatural. The Oracle looked tired as she carefully examined items before they were destroyed, doing so with the assistance of the professor and his daughter.

 

A big question was why the enemy had struck but a bigger question was how had they known to strike there and then.

 

The damphir triplets dragged the ship's doctor to where the leadership waited to confront him in a large, mostly bare chamber. The man sullenly glared at them, defying them openly but his terror was not hard to detect. The triplets had quickly found the necromantic communications totem hidden in a secret pocket inside his coat. Other such pockets held other interesting items such as vials of opium powder, an unholy emblem of protection, a thick pocket journal full of coded notes that would turn out to be easily decoded by the immortals and some cheap chewing tobacco in a small tin.

 

The questioning began and, though no harsh words or treatment were used, the doctor was soon blurting out all that he knew, that he remembered. It turned out that he had been flirting with necromancy for many years. His lazy nature, and dishonesty, had meant that three necromantic cults had rejected him but had gone on using him in various ways.

 

It was no accident that he was on the tramp-steamer but had been bribed to seek a lower paid job than he could have gained elsewhere, for he was a moderately good doctor in a world with too few of them. He was told that another 'vessel' would intercept the tramp-steamer and take its cargo but that had not happened. Instead glimmering mist had struck the SS Bravenis and the ship's doctor assumed that the plan had failed.

 

The ship's doctor died very quickly, shuddering and collapsing towards the hard ground.

Edited May 10, 2015 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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One 28.1[29]{37}

 

Beneath a blue, almost cloudless, sky a seeming miracle took place.

 

Merhumans, with mammal tails and not fishy ones, were the first to spot the great metallic stone tower appear out against the inner reefs, just inside sheltered waters, while doing the seemingly impossible and hurting no life at all. It was the great tower that the human airships had first found, that the expeditionary force had been drawn into.

 

The aquatic former humans swam with dolphins, their companions, and view the great tower in wonder as it soared above them. Of course, given the sheer size of the grand structure, its impossible seeming height, many of the islands were soon enough seeing it.

 

There came a couple of small, curious, whales and amphibious gillhumans in their clever made out rig canoes. Birds flew through the air closer to the grand tower.

 

Folks were soon gathering on the nearest shoreline to stare at it in wonder, most of them being animans. Of course the Oracle was quick to know about what was happening.

 

Which was when part of the tower opened up as a great doorway at the level of the surface of the sea. Soon an airship floated out of the opening. It was a BISSA machine and it was soon followed by other airships along with ocean going vessels. The 'outer world' had come to the Utopian Isles in force, with many resources, and with much determination to investigate that exotic realm.

[Maharg67]

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Zero 12.1[12]{38}

 

The battle, in the isolated part of Australia, had deeply concerned the world. The devastation of a metropolis, in the USA, had caused even greater turmoil. The world had known fear but mostly it was of the future when it came to actual human inhabited zones of the world.

 

The League of Nations was often in session, as was the League of Nations Security Council, LN Committees and Subcommittees. Nations had their own such meetings as did other international bodies.

 

Many agencies were involved, and other organisations in included organised religions. The Pope made a speech at the Vatican Square. The LN Chancellor made a major speech as did the popular US President, the dying British Emperor, the dreaded Soviet Premier and many others. The big shock was when the mysterious Havenlanders sent a message to the people, from their beloved Empress, to the peoples of the world from the Havenlands of the Havenic Empire. The Havenlanders dominated a large portion of the Terran Underworld and had big surface-subsurface colonies at both Terran Poles along with the Friendlies Archipelago.

 

The League of Extraordinary Champions observed all of these happenings through both official and unofficial means. Such was the sheer increase in activity, in the need to cope with more information, that the ELC expanded with the addition of service bodies; these were archives, communications, internal security, research and others.

 

A new program, of projects, was launched with its own sub-organisation and assistance from the rest of the new renamed League of Extraordinary Champions Agency or the ELCA. The old term, the League of Extraordinary Champions, was kept but only for the 'champions', their followers and their special minions. The Project was named Sure Hope and the project body was named the Sure Hope Agency.

 

More comet-projectiles fell from the sky, coming from Mars or so it seemed.

[Maharg67]

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One 29.1[30]{39}

 

The ship's doctor's death was a mystery at first until a glistening black thing was found in his chest. It was disturbing, malignant, and was rotting away with unnatural speed. The doctor might, or might not, have known it was there; there was no way to know.

 

The settled underground area, where the barges full of undead had attacked, was abandoned except for a large fortified outpost with a garrison of fighters. The tigerchimps would be there along with their railway station base that was soon being called Tigerchimp Base.

 

More meetings were held, of the new United Alliance. It was decided that communications had to be made, soon, with the lords of both the reavers and the tigerchimps.

 

When reports came of the incredible appearance of the vast tower, soon followed by the emergence, from it, of many newcomers, an emergency meeting soon followed a large one. This time, though, not much could be done but gain yet more information.

 

Yet the Oracle stood and spoke with a smile. "I 'sense' no threat from the newcomers, far from it. I think that they will be allies to us. I strongly advise an envoy party be sent to meet them as soon as possible."

 

Around her, in a large chamber of metallic stone, the other leaders agreed with her. The massive tigerchimp was there, surprised that he was being treated with any real respect as he was and the reaver leader stood back, coldly observing everything.

 

There was a good deal of hope but also a good deal of caution.

[Maharg67]

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One 30.1[31]{40}

 

The outsider taskforce entered the large lagoon, through a passage way, where even the biggest vessel fitted easily. The airships floated above except for times they lowered for practical reasons. There was no illusion of being concealed from locals; there were two many newcomers, too many big machines and the airships were visible from a long way away. Even with out all of that, the great ancient tower itself had drawn much attention and then the expeditionary taskforce had come from that.

 

There was the discovery of a largely concealed, partly broken down, area of jetties and other structures. This led to work being done on them, the exposing of a whole settlement of buildings and other infrastructure. This included huts, workshops, a medical clinic, defence security walls, guard towers and much else of the kind. The technologies were of about 20 years back but there were some oddities. At first the going was slow but more discoveries were being made as time went on.

 

Already scientists, and other specialists, were at work on investigating the island and what was being found there. There was both excitement and fear. Which was when the first animans, and other exotic entities, were briefly encountered for the first time.

Edited May 15, 2015 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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Zero 13.1[13]{41}

 

The rocketship, the LNASA LNSS Lunar Pathfinder, picked up super binocular, and telescopic, views of small groups of individuals moving across the Lunar Surface. Details were fine thanks to no atmosphere to block the ability of the viewing devices. The figures were humanoids in clumsy looking armoured suits but they appeared to have no trouble moving in the low gravity of Luna. They were armed with oversized rifle like weapons and some other devices that seemed to have lens-barrels. Some of the groups moved in big, powerful, and clumsy looking vehicles that moved quite efficiently. Most moved on foot.

 

It was not too long before it was realised that the humanoids were moving in combat formations, were moving as platoons would do. Nor were they doing so in random but appeared to be working in careful coordination with one another.

 

Reports were transmitted to LNASA Spacestation Protector and from there relayed to various locations on the home world. The reports were met with excitement, fear and demands for the rocketship crew, and specialists, to learn what they could while a second rocketship was launched to reinforce those efforts; it would come from LNASA Spacestation Protector.

[Maharg67]

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One 31.1[32]{42}

 

There were meetings, negotiations, between the newcomers' commanders and the United Alliance leaders. The two academic immortals were soon comparing notes with newcomer specialists, including scientists. British soldiers were soon comparing training, tactics and weaponry with locals.

 

The animans were nervous of the newcomers, of which some were more accepting of the animans than were others. When JackOman showed up, the animans 'sensed' something very odd about him but that he was of no known kind of 'strangeness'. The unlifen detected the same as did Captain ManMonster.

 

Marshal Adam Smaithe was a gifted commander but not much inclined to favour those who were not defined as standard human. The Oracle made him nervous, though he tried to hide it, but she tended to make many nervous.

 

The Oracle spoke to Smaithe. "The United Alliance is in a period of internal negotiations. You must take care not to do anything that might impede the positive outcome of those negotiations."

 

Smaithe frowned. "My duties are to the British Empire and Commonwealths. My loyalty is to the British Imperial Court, Government and Parliament. I will do what is good for the empire, for the good of the League of Nations. Your local activities are of little interest to me."

 

The Oracle frowned. "You need us more than we need you! You need our knowledge of the islands, of some of their mysteries, of their inhabitants, of their resources, of their histories and more than that, their threats. These are far from ordinary islands. They are amazingly ancient. Their actual location is... most strange. I know that they have been called the Islands of Mist, that they are now called the Utopian Isles by many, but that they have had many many names. There have been very many types of people living here, many types of civilisations, some of which I am not sure the terms 'people' or 'civilisation' really pertain to. You need a fully functioning, strong, United Alliance to assist you."

 

The British Imperial Marshal paused before answering. "Yes, I see the common sense in your argument. I will try to do as you ask."

 

But the Oracle was not fully convinced of the truth of his words.

Edited May 18, 2015 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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Here ends Story One and begins Story Two; Story Zero continues!

 

Two 1.1[1]{43}

 

The damphir triplets swept through the group of British Imperial Paratroopers, who were drunken and disorderly, knocking them down with ease. They released the captive animans whom the soldiers had been 'playing with', that is being rough with for their own amusement. The three were not gentle as they struck the paratroopers but they made sure they made no killing blows.

 

Then they were done and five fools lay sprawled upon the ground. The martial arts, acrobatic, damphir triplets were not even close to being tired, or damaged, by the encounter. Around them the forest was oddly quiet.

 

A sergeant stomped into view, the big craggy British Imperial Paratrooper giving the fallen men a look of avid disgust. He spoke in a heavily Scottish accented voice. "Trouble makers, good fighters but trouble makers. I would never have brought them here but I don't get the choice in such matters. In the report its going to be me who knocked them down; it wouldn't be the first time, the lads would expect it and there will be less trouble that way. I am going to teach them a right nasty little lesson about leaving the locals alone."

 

He frowned. "I would like to know where they got the alcohol from; seems like strong stuff that could make these fools so sodden drunk so quickly. I saw them sober just a short time ago."

 

The male damphir triplet spoke. "Locals must have traded them one of their more powerful alcoholic beverages. The Oracle will soon put an end to that happening again. The local animans are naive in some ways but after this they will be reluctant to trade any strong drink with paratroopers."

 

The sergeant grinned. "Less strong drink is welcome to supply our mess hall with. We can have rations of such as beer. I enjoy a good beer. That would make my boys, and fewer girls, most pleased. I suggest you depart the area for now while I start dealing with these louts."

 

The triplets nodded, almost as one, and vanished with a flicker of speed.

 

The sergeant sighed at the five fools and gave one a lazy kick that caused a mild groan of pain in response.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Maharg67