Aliens Vs Humans Pt3

The third and final part. Sergeant Steel, John Middlebrooks and Sara McCraw enter the alien base with the purpose of killing all of the aliens and finding Francis Rhoads. I may continue with this at a later date, probably just individual stories for the characters. As usual, comments welcome.


Sergeant Steel blasted an aliens head off with his shotgun. He had taken point inside the enemy base, with Sara and John providing cover. Steel stepped over the dead body and kicked open the door he was guarding. The room was empty.
“I think we’ve killed them all sir.” John said as he followed.
“Don’t be naïve Middlebrooks, we’ve only been killing grunts so far. You can tell by the armour. We need to find that red armoured guy. Let’s go.”
Sergeant Steel walked over to the other side of the room and opened a door to reveal stairs leading downwards. They didn’t encounter much resistance on the way down. Once they had reached the bottom floor they found another door. John quietly placed plastic explosives around the edges and stood back.
The explosion knocked the door off its hinges and into the room beyond. Sergeant Steel dived in and readied his shotgun, while Sara fired her assault rifle wildly into the room. They heard several dull thuds as more aliens fell down dead.
“That was easy.” Sergeant Steel said as he stood up.
“Too easy sir?”
“No such thing as too easy Middlebrooks. But it looks like this room splits off into two. You two go right, I’ll go left.”
John and Sara opened the door on the right of the room. They found a long corridor with several more rooms along either side. Each room had a strange alien symbol on the door at about eye height. John carefully opened the first one he found.
“Looks like we’ve found their dorms.”
“Any aliens?”
“Nope, this room’s clear.”
“Then let’s keep moving.”
The two soldiers checked each room they passed, but each was empty. They eventually reached the end of the corridor. After opening the final door they entered what looked very much like a canteen. It had chairs lined up along tables and at the far end a counter replete with crockery.
“This is kinda spooky.”
“C’mon, they’ve gotta eat right?”
“No, I mean, of course. It’s just, well, this is so normal. I was expecting something a little more, well, alien. I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Really? I just feel hungry. I wonder what their food’s like.” John said as he rushed off to the counter.
“Hey wait!” Sara called as she ran after him. John found what looked like a typical fridge and promptly opened it.
“What the? This stuff’s just like normal food. They’ve got mushrooms, cheese, week-old pizza and even beer. Score!” John cracked open a can of beer and took a swig.
“Are you sure you should be drinking that? It could be poisonous for all we know.”
“Please, give me some credit. This is the same brand I’ve got back at the base.”
“Why would aliens have beer?”
“Maybe because they’re not nerds like you?”
Before Sara could reply to John’s stunning repartee she heard a scratching sound. John apparently heard it too, because he placed his beer on the counter and readied his weapon. They stood in silence, each trying to locate the source of the noise. Gently, slowly, the noise got louder and more distinct. Sara cocked her head to one side, then gestured towards the back wall. They advanced quietly and raised their rifles.
Suddenly a huge chunk of the wall exploded, bowling them over as it did so. They recovered quickly and fired into the new hole. They heard the ping of bullets bouncing off metal.
An alien stepped through the hole. It was roughly twice the size of the other aliens and was covered in thicker armour. It made a roaring sound and jumped to where John was kneeling. It drew back its arm and swung at him, but John rolled out of the way just in time.
“HOLY SHIT! We are so fucking dead!” He screamed as he rolled back upright.
“Shut up and shoot! It’s got to have weak points, just fire at the gaps in the armour!” Sara screamed back as she unleashed a hail of bullets at the aliens’ joints. In response the alien crouched down before leaping forward. It caught Sara in the chest with its’ shoulder and she collapsed backwards, dropping her weapon as she did so. The alien grabbed her ankle and threw her across the canteen where she broke a table with the impact of her landing.
“I was right. We’re dead.” John said to himself as he peppered the aliens’ hulking form with bullets. He succeeded in taking a chunk out of its’ helmet.
He also succeeded in making it very, very angry. It crouched again and leapt forwards, catching John in one hand. It slammed him into the ground several times, then raised him to eye-height. John stared into it’s eyeball through the hole in its’ helmet. Every instinct he had told him to spit into it, but he resisted the urge and instead jammed a grenade in there instead. The alien howled in pain and threw across the room, then its’ head promptly exploded.
Sara clambered to her feet and staggered over to where John had landed. After checking to make sure he was still alive she slapped him across the face.
“Ouch! What was that for?” He asked, his eye barely opening.
“I told you not to drink the beer.”
Meanwhile, Sergeant Steel was working his way down his own corridor. He had found a common room, toilets and two sets of showers, but no aliens and no Francis Rhoads. He reached the end of the corridor just as empty-handed as his soldiers. He opened the door quickly and quietly.
“Welcome human leader. I have been expecting you.” The red armoured alien said. It was standing in front of a door. The room they were in was decorated with many bladed weapons, some of which Steel recognised, but most were unknown to him.
“I’m not here to talk.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Let’s say I’m here to kick ass and chew gum, and I’m all outta gum.”
“You humans seem to find solace in your humour. I have killed many of your kind, both on the battlefield and in private. Those that do not beg invariably make jokes. I find it a strange quirk which I shall be sure to extinguish once you are all slaves.”
“Shut up. I said I’m not here to talk. Where’s Rhoads?”
“Oh, you mean the human soldiers we captured? Behind this door of course. But first you will have to fight me in an honourable duel to the death. Pick any weapon in this room and I will do likewise.”
Sergeant Steel glanced around the room once more. He then shot the alien in the chest with his shotgun.
“You talk to much. Hey Rhoads, you alive in there?” Steel asked as he kicked in the final door. He found Rhoads laying in a pool of his own blood. His kneecaps had been broken.
“As far as I can tell sir.”
“You in any pain son?”
“A lot sir. Thanks for rescuing me, I didn’t think command would give you the order too.”
“They didn’t.”
“Then why’d you come?”
“I’m just following orders.” Steel said as he pulled out his pistol and shot Francis between the eyes.

Zokusho: Crystal Blade Prologue Pt 2

It's exactly 23:10 GMT, which means that it's still Friday and this update isn't late. Just very nearly late. Anywhoo, this here is the second part of my Crystal Blade prologue. Edgar travels to Interplanes to track down the Blind Swordsmith, and gets into trouble along the way. Comments welcome.


Interplanes was as busy as ever, but Edgar had no problem navigating his way through the crowd. It didn’t take him long to reach the Surly Dragon, a bar/inn nestling in one of the slightly-less-than-reputable parts of the city. Despite its location it was one of the safest inns in all of Interplanes, mostly due to the rabble that always made its home there. Whenever any problems arose inside the patrons took it as an opportunity to join in, and this made slipping out the back the usual method of egress.
As Edgar entered he found what he was looking for almost instantly. A young couple was trying to hide in a corner. He knew they weren’t regular customers due to not only their style of clothing but also their lack of any visible weapons. He walked straight over and plonked himself down opposite them. They both looked terrified to see him.
“I take it you are Sheridan?” he gestured towards the girl. She nodded a silent yes. The boy gripped something hidden under his cloak. “You won’t be needing your sword my friend, I’m merely here because of an acquaintance.”
“What do you want with Sheridan?” he asked, not moving his hand. On closer inspection Edgar realised the boy was barely into his teens. Same as Sheridan. It was apparent that he had been given the job of protecting the girl as much to keep him safe as her. Edgar had a lot of work to do.
“I wish to speak to her father, but it appears that will not be as easy as I first thought. So I have a proposition for you.”
“I’m listening.” The boy said.
“I would like you to lead me to the woman who attacked your village.”
“What makes you think we would know where she lives?”
“Well that would be something for us to work out together. I have quite a few connections in this city and I’m sure that-“ Edgar never got to finish his sentence. The door of the Surly Dragon had been smashed in. Five very big men walked through the hole and looked around. One of them pointed at Edgar and his companions. The newcomers turned and started walking towards them.
“It’s them. The men who were with her. They’ve come for Sheridan. Well they wont get past me!” The boy said as he stood up. Gripping his sword more tightly he prepared to sell his life dearly. Edgar, however, had other plans.
“Don’t worry about them.” Was all he said as he helped Sheridan to her feet. The boy looked round bewildered. Everybody else in the inn had risen from their seats and had turned to face the intruders.
“Why not? They’ve come for us. We must fight to the death.”
“And I’m all for that. It’s very admirable and everything, but I prefer it without the whole ‘to the death’ part. Besides, I don’t think the patrons like having their tables shoved aside.” Edgar said. True to form, the patrons of the Surly Dragon had swamped the newcomers under a barrage of fists and chair legs and anything else the patrons could get their hands on. Edgar hurried the young couple to the back door, knowing that after their pursuers went down the patrons would look for other people to hit. They entered the back alley and started towards the main road. When they got there Edgar hailed a cab.
“Where are we going?” The driver asked.
“The Nebull residence my good man, and step on it.” Edgar said, handing the driver a very large wad of cash.
“How do you know where to go?” Sheridan asked.
“I recognised those uniforms. Madame Nebull has been making quite a name for herself recently around here.”
“Nebull? That’s the name of a tyrant who conquered several countries a few years ago. He used one of our villages swords to do it too.” The boy said.
“That’s probably why she moved to Interplanes then. It also explains the fabulous wealth she brought with her.”
“Do you think she wants to recapture her husbands Empire Mike?” Sheridan asked her companion.
“Some say it was her who was behind it in the first place.” Mike replied as the cab pulled up outside a large mansion. The three passengers got out, letting the cab speed away. The driver didn’t want anything to do with the Nebull woman.
“You two had better wait here. I’ll return shortly.” Edgar said as he walked up to the main gate.
“We’re coming with you.” The couple responded in chorus.
“I really do not think that is a good idea.” Edgar tried to dissuade them, but it was pointless. They were proving to be very irretractable. Eventually Edgar gave up and pressed the buzzer next to the gate.
“Why are you doing that?” asked Mike.
“So they will open the gate.” said Edgar as the gate swung open before him. Edgar strolled straight in, and the other two followed him, though hesitantly. Mike gripped his sword once more.
As the trio reached the front door, Madame Nebull arrived to meet them. She was wearing an ice blue dress which nearly reached her ankles. She smiled a smile which seemed a little too kind and welcomed Edgar with open arms.
“Hello there. I do not know who you are but you have done me a great service today. Guards, take those two prisoner.” She waved her hands and ten men appeared seemingly out of nowhere. They aimed their guns at the young couple. They were marched inside, leaving Edgar and Nebull standing alone.
“How rude of me. Please, do come in. I must think of a way to adequitely reward you.” Edgar took her up on the offer and followed her inside. She led him to what appeared to be a study. She sat down on her desk, and slipped off her dress. Her underwear was as ice blue as the now removed item of clothing. She gestured to Edgar for him to approach, which he did. She grabbed him by the belt and pulled him on top of her. He was unsurprised to find her body was as cold as her clothing alluded to. She pulled him tight to her body, and whispered softly into his ear.
“Will this do as an appropiate thank you?”
“I do believe this will suffice yes.” Edgar whispered back. “I was a little bit worried about how I would get close enough to you for my job, but you seem to have taken care of that.” Edgar continued as he pushed his sword into her stomach. Her face froze in shock. Edgar pulled back and watched as she vanished in a flash of white light.
“So she was a fiend after all. I thought as much.” He said to nobody in particular and then he left. If she was like most other fiends then she would probably have her prisoners locked up in the basement. It didn’t take him long to find them, although the guard did prove to be troublesome.
“Wot choo doin dahn ere?” he asked. Edgar winced at the heartless mauling of the language. He decided not to bother talking to this gentleman, and merely slit his throat instead. The guard too vanished in a flash of light, which attracted yet more fiends from the other end of the corridor. They all drew their guns and started firing at him. Edgar rushed towards them, being careful to deflect as many bullets as humanly possible. He reached them without being hit once, and began cutting them down.
He had dispatched almost all of them when the door next to him burst open in much the same way as they aren’t supposed to. One very large fiend shouldered his way through the door, a large spiked mace in his hand. The fiend swung at Edgar, who had to hop backwards to dodge it. The fiend continued swinging and Edgar continued dodging. It was apparent that Edgar would tire out first, so he would have to think of a different strategy. As the fiend swung once more Edgar dived underneath it. He rolled beneath the fiend and rose behind him, swinging his sword in a wide arc as he did so. The fiend vanished in white light, just as all the others had.
Before Edgar had a chance to turn around though, he was reminded painfully that he hadn’t dispelled all the fiends before. A bullet stuck in his shoulder as a stark reminder that there was still one left. Silently cursing himself for the oversight, Edgar promptly dispatched of his final foe.
He entered the room which had lost its door during the fight, and found exactly who he was looking for. He let the three captives down, and after checking that they were alright he turned to face Sheridan’s father.
“Excuse me sir, but my master would like to ask you a few questions.”
“About what exactly?” The blind man asked, still shaking from shock.
“Those wonderful swords of yours.” Edgar replied as he pulled his jumping crystal out of his pocket.

The Runner

Maybe I should call this fanfic wednesdays? Nah. This is yet another short story based on a popular science fiction series. This one is based on Stargate: Atlantis. If you've seen the show, you'll love this. If you haven't seen the show, then first, why not? And second, you still might like this. Comments welcome.


It is often said that the worst thing you can do, when running for your life through unknown woods, is to look back. The man knew this, but fear can often make people do stupid things. He glanced back, and promptly tripped over a tree root. He stood up and continued running, not even bothering to wipe the mud from his face. He had no idea why he had been set free; all he knew was that he had to get to the ring. If he could reach it, then he could escape. He had nowhere to go, not anymore, but anywhere was better than here.
They had come. It had happened before, although not in living memory. The stories he had heard as a child were terrifying, but not as bad as the reality of it. The ring had activated, and their machines had come darting out. At first they appeared to have no interest in the town, but then they returned. They had taken everybody. He had been hiding in his basement, trying to keep his children safe, when he was taken. The creatures had slaughtered his family in front of him, and he had been powerless to protect them. But when it came to be his turn, they had set him free. He had no idea as to why, but he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity. He had begun running as fast as he could.
The woods were dark, and it had recently rained. His feet slipped and slided in the mud, but the adrenaline kept him moving. He climbed over the hill, and turned left at the old oak tree. Just a few more minutes, and he would be at the ring. He reached the edge of the woods, and he set his eyes upon the ring. Standing well over ten feet tall, it was completely deserted. He scrambled down the hill, and ran to the dialling device. He began slamming buttons, and the ring begun moving. He was just about to press the final button, when a hand grabbed his wrist. Stunned, the man slowly looked up into the face of his oppressor. It was just like in the stories. The white hair reaching the floor. The black spiked clothes. The slits on its cheeks and the needle-like teeth. But worst of all was its rattling breath. It studied him closely and seemed to make up its mind.
“You humans are all so predictable.” It said in that ghastly rattle of a voice “Running to the gate the moment you get a chance. Where’s the fun in that? I was so looking forward to this hunt.” The Wraith let go of the mans wrist, and fear propelled him away. He really did have nowhere to go now. If the ring was compromised, then there was no escape. He ran into the woods, hoping to last long enough to come up with a plan. He ran for what seemed like hours, never looking back once, lest the Wraith be there behind him.
The shack loomed up out of the forest like a wooden fortress. He opened the door, and bolted it from the inside. Searching the small room, he found one of the weapons the Lanteans had left his people. He sat against the far wall, facing the door. He had a weapon, and there was only one entrance. His family would be avenged, even if he died in the process. He sat there for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, almost as if it wanted to give away his position. He wiped the mud from his brow, where it had been mingling with sweat.
He was just drifting off to sleep, when he heard a noise. He aimed the Lantean weapon towards the door. The loudest thing he could hear was his own breathing, closely followed by the constant drumbeat that was his heart. He calmed himself down. Maybe it was just a small woodland creature he had heard. He rested the weapon again, and leaned back against the wall. But as he did so, he heard the rattling breath of the Wraith. His heart jumped into his throat, and he strained to hear where it was coming from. Was it from the other side of the door? Was it to his left, or his right? He didn’t realise in time. Hands smashed through the ancient wood behind him and clamped themselves around his mouth. The wood splintered as he was dragged through it. He flailed with his weapon, but he could feel his life being drained from him. The last thing he saw was the face of the vile creature. It inhaled air and spoke one final sentence “Such foolish creatures. Why struggle when you know all is lost? Just sleep; and maybe you could see your family again.”
The man faded out of consciousness, his mind filled with memories of his family playing in the sunshine. He would be with them soon.

Aliens Vs Humans Pt 2

Well, AliensVs Humans continues. We find out a little background about the characters, and are treated to some action. The third and final part will be up next week, and I've got something special planned for the week after that.


Private Sara McCraw sat behind the ramparts atop the human base, letting the heavy rain patter against her hood. She stared towards the alien base in silence. She had been sitting there for the last two hours, not moving once. She didn’t turn around when Aaron opened the access hatch.
“Sergeant’s told me to relieve you.”
“Go away.”
“Come on Sara, you can’t mope forever. You need to get some rest.”
“I can mope for as long as I want.”
“You’ll catch a cold if you stay up here too long.”
“There’s no cold virus on this planet.”
“Fine, you’ll catch something else then.” Aaron sat down next to Sara. “You really loved him, didn’t you?”
Sara didn’t reply.
“We’ll get him back. The sergeant’s a good man, he won’t let something as simple as an order get in his way. He never leaves a man behind, never.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Of course.”
“Heh, then you’re more of an idiot than I thought. How long have you served under him?”
“Since the first day I signed up. That was over six years ago now.”
“Then you wouldn’t know.”
“Know what?”
“His first mission as a sergeant. This was before the aliens attacked, before the war. I was a raw recruit, fighting for the first time. I trusted him as only a rookie could. He led us straight into an ambush. Almost everyone died, only four of us got out alive. It wasn’t until three years later that I learned the truth. He knew it was an ambush. We were a distraction, sacrificial lambs to the slaughter. I’ve only ever told two people what I found out. The others were survived. One of them got angry and challenged Steel.”
“What happened?”
“Steel shot him. Right in the forehead, one bullet. It was covered up as a suicide of course.”
“What happened to the other man you told.”
“He’s in the other end of this canyon. It was Francis. So when I say the sergeant won’t rescue him, trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”
The two soldiers sat in silence for a while, letting the rain splatter all around them. The silence was broken when Antonio Macklin opened the hatch.
“Good news friends. The alien fleet surrounding the system has been destroyed. The aliens on the planet have been cut off. We’ve received new orders to attack and finish them off once and for all.”
The rain cleared up quickly. The sun had come out to shine down into the canyon. It’s radiant light sparkled in the raindrops that were still clinging to the human vehicles. Kathy Thom took up her place in the Warthogs’ driving seat. Eric Raynor clambered onto the back and released the safety on the chain-gun. Sergeant Steel sat in the passenger seat, his shotgun at the ready.
Antonio Macklin fired up the tank. John Middlebrooks, Sara McCraw and Aaron Stacey readied their weapons.
The sergeant turned to the three soldiers. “Now, you three remember the plan right?”
“Yes sir.” John replied while the others just nodded.
“Good, now get going. Radio us when you’re ready.”
The three soldiers ran off towards the alien base. They stuck to the shadows provided by the western cliff-face. They made good time, getting as close as they could without being spotted. Unfortunately the cliffs widened suddenly, leaving over 200 yards of open ground between them and the base. They quickly found what they were looking for. Just a little way along the cliff jutted out at the top.
John readied his rocket launcher. He fired his one missile at the outcrop. His aim was perfect, striking the rocks in just the right way. The three soldiers dove for cover as the rocks crashed to the ground between them and the enemy base. The terrain was empty no longer.
The aliens noticed the explosion and if they didn’t they certainly noticed the sudden crashing of over 20 tons of rock. John, Aaron and Sara used the newly formed cover to get even closer to the base.
They didn’t get far before they came under fire. They dove behind the rocks as bullets whizzed past their ears.
The aliens poured out of the base, swarming around the rocks. The soldiers ducked and weaved around, shooting any aliens they came across, but they were forced into a corner. While John and Aaron held the aliens off, Sara turned on her radio.
“Sir, we’re in position, but we’re pinned down. Any chance of some help?”
She didn’t receive a reply. Even as more aliens joined the group firing at them, the radio remained stalwartly silent.
Sara joined her comrades in firing randomly at the foe. For a few minutes it looked as if they would hold out, but both John and Aarons’ guns ran out of ammo simultaneously. As they frantically reloaded Aaron got hit in the shoulder. He collapsed to the floor, clutching his open wound.
Just as John reloaded and stood up to resume firing, the aliens fell to a hail of bullets. Green blood splattered all over John and Sara. Suddenly the Warthog flew through the air above them, using one of the rocks as a ramp. The surviving aliens scattered. The Warthog landed directly next to one, who had his chest blasted open before he could raise his weapon. Sergeant Steel cocked his weapon and shouted, “Now that’s what I call riding shotgun!”
“You’re a bit late sir, Stacey’s been shot.”
“Hey Stacey, you’re still alive aintcha?”
Aaron groaned in lieu of a reply.
“Good now quit yer yapping, Macklin should be opening the door any minute now.” Steel jumped out of the Warthog just as the tank fired a round at the base, “Perfect timing. Let’s go.”
Sergeant Steel signalled Kathy to get moving. The Warthog drove up to the newly-opened door. The aliens who had come to inspect the damage were surprised to find a barrage of lead heading in their direction courtesy of Raynors’ chain-gun.
“All clear sir.” Raynor called back once the smoke cleared.
“Good. You keep an eye on things out here. Thom, go get Stacey and look after him. The rest of us are going in.” Steel signalled John and Sara to follow him as he entered the alien base.

Zokusho: Crystal Blade Prologue Pt 1

Zokusho is a story owned and written by a good friend of mine. It even has its' own website www.zokusho.com which I would recommend checking out.The following story began life simply as a short story, but I ended up extending it into a full-blown fiction.


The blind Swordsmith had led a pretty interesting life. He had lost his sight when he was but a child, but he had not lost his love for swords. Since he could no longer fight, he turned his hand to making them instead. Most people in his small village mocked him, asking how he would make blades without being able to see his work. He invariably replied “I may not be able to see the results of my labour, but I can still feel it. I can hear the swishes it makes and I can judge by this alone.” Despite his handicap he proved to be naturally gifted when it came to his art. Soon rich nobles from throughout his country were paying inordinate amounts of money for his blades, each crafted to match the owner. For whenever someone entered his shop he could tell from the footfalls and their voice exactly what they needed.
Therefore he was unsurprised to hear the bell above his shop door tingle. He heard the soft footfalls of a woman. She walked straight up to his desk and spoke in a voice that was entirely too soft.
“Excuse me my good man, I’m looking for the greatest Swordsmith of our age. Have you seen him?”
“I have not seen the swordsmith for many years.”
“Strange. The peasants outside said that he would be in here.” She muttered to herself. The swordsmith noted the flagrant use of the word peasants. He also noted that she had used far too much perfume.
“But he is here. I merely said I had not seen him for I am blind.”
“Well then, can you please go and get him?”
“But he is already here.”
“Listen you old bat, I travelled for far longer than you could ever know, and I’m not in the mood to indulge an old man’s humour. Go get the great swordsmith!” her voice changed from that of a kind woman to one as cold as ice and as sharp as steel.
“But he is right here. I am the great swordsmith of which we speak. How may I assist you?”
“You? You are the great swordsmith? I don’t believe it.”
“I do not care whether you believe or not. It is true.”
“You are the same man who created the blade of Nebull? The sword which slaughtered over five hundred people?”
“It is not the blade which kills people, it is the man who wields it.”
“And the Sword of Vengeance which killed Nebull?”
“One of the better acts my blades have been put to. But again, it is the man who wields the sword who deserves the credit. I heard Nebull was quite skilled.”
“Then you do not care what purpose your blades have? Your swords have caused wars.”
“The swords did not cause the wars. It was mans lust for the swords that caused those wars of which you speak.”
“Very well blind man. If you truly do not care what purpose your swords will be put to, then make a sword for me. I can pay you enough jewels to cover a mountain.”
“All the money is to be paid to the village. The mere crafting of the blades is enough for me.”
“Then so be it! Have my sword ready in one week.” The mysterious woman said before striding out of the shop. The old man closed his shop, for only one blade could be made at a time. He toiled for an entire week, not sleeping and barely eating or drinking. His daughter, Sheridan, always hated it when he got an order, for this was always his response. The old man was using the mysterious star metal that had fallen in the woods near the village some ages past. None of the other swordsmiths could ever get the hang of using the strange metal, but with his senses the swordsmith could forge it like steel. At the end of the week he emerged from the forge, stained with soot and sweat, a new blade in his hands. The metal was completely invisible, as if it didn’t exist.
When the woman returned to claim her prize, she seemed angry when he brandished the sword. She threatened to kill him and burn the village, but when he cut a table in half she stared in awe. A blade that nobody could see, which could cut through all but the strongest metal. Now none could halt her plans.
And thus the Crystal Blade was forged.
It was only one week later that Edgar arrived in the village. He looked around the sorry scene, his blue shirt and slacks blowing in the wind. The huts had all been razed to the ground, and dead bodies littered the streets. He methodically checked every one of them, only stopping when he heard moaning. He rushed over to the body which had made the noise. Edgar rolled the young woman over, and looked into her pretty face. Unfortunately he knew she wouldn’t make it. Her legs had been cut straight through, and she was bleeding heavily. She looked up into his face and coughed up some blood.
“Please, you must escape. She will be back for his daughter. It took everything we had just to get her out of the village in time.”
“Who? Who will be back? Why does she want the daughter?”
“She wants enough swords for an army. She already has the metal and the swordmsith, but he refused to create any more swords. He said it would be an insult to the first blade to copy it. Please, you must protect his daughter.”
“Okay, but where is she?” Edgar asked anxiously. He wasn’t scared that this woman would return, only that the woman would die before yielding the information.
“She’s in Interplanes. We used our last jumping crystal to do it. One of our young swordsmen took her to the Surly Dragon. Her name is Sheridan. Please, you must pro-“ The woman began to say, but her eyes faded even as she spoke. Edgar lay the woman back down and closed her eyes.
“Don’t you fret madam, I’ll find her for you.” Edgar said even as he withdrew his own jumping crystal.

Star Wars: Elusive Jedi

This is a Star Wars fanfiction that I wrote a short while ago. I wanted to write a story based around action, and nothing but action, and Star Wars seemed perfect for it.


The droids leader signalled to the others to proceed forward. The small column of five slowly approached the thicket. As one bent down to brush it aside, a small furry creature attacked it. After bursts of laser fire, both droid and creature slumped to the ground.
“Just a native rodent sir.” If the droid had been able to display emotion, it would have been shocked to find the other three droids were now missing their heads. The droid fired at the Jedi-robed figure in front of it, but the laser was deflected back into it’s chest. The droid slumped to the ground while the Jedi sheathed his lightsaber. He was about to smile to himself, but the sound of more droids approaching cut into his smirking time. He leapt up into a nearby tree and waited for his moment.
A unit of five Super Battle droids entered the small clearing. They quickly noticed the droid remains lying in a heap.
“Spread out, don’t let him get away.” One of them ordered, just before his body split in two. The Jedi, who had landed in between the two halves, extended his free hand towards one of the remaining droids. It flew backwards into a tree, which shattered upon impact. The Jedi ducked as the three remaining droids aimed their wrist-blasters at him. Two of the droids shot each other, and the Jedi disposed of the third with ease.
“Maybe I should get moving?” The Jedi asked himself. When the unmistakable sound of blaster fire entered the clearing, he answered his own question with a prompt, “Yes, I should.”
The Jedi dashed into the undergrowth, avoiding any further detection.
It wasn’t long before the Jedi reached his destination, a small cave deep within the jungle. He breathed deeply, steadied his nerves, then entered. He was met by a very large, very angry creature with very big teeth. The Jedi jumped, barely dodging the creature’s charge. He slashed with his lightsaber, causing no greater effect than making it angrier. Unusually for a Jedi, he responded in kind, snarling as he drove the lightsaber deep into the creature’s cranium.
“That wasn’t so bad.” He said to himself, just as a second creature slammed into him. As he tumbled out of the cave, the Jedi rolled with the impact. As he stood up, he got a clear few of the creature he was fighting. He had never seen anything like it, even in the archives on Coruscant. He jumped into a tree and reached for his lightsaber, which he didn’t find. He searched the ground from his position, only to see it lying underneath the creature’s foot.
“Only one thing for it.” He muttered to himself as he hopped out of the tree. As the creature began moving, the Jedi raised his hand. The tree behind him rose out of the ground.
As the Jedi spun in a circle, the tree circled around, following his movements. Once he had built up some speed, the Jedi let the tree free from his control. It slammed straight into the creature. Both tree and creature toppled over. The Jedi adjusted his hood nonchalantly and his lightsaber flew back to his hand.
The inside of the tunnel was dry and dusty, but as he walked further inward, it soon became slippery and humid. The Jedi made his way down a small hole, which led him to a large cavern. There was no discernible method of climbing down. He picked up a stone and dropped it over the edge. After a short time, he heard a splash. The Jedi smiled to himself and removed his robe. His green tendrils clattering as the metallic rings bounced off of each other. His large, black eyes shut as he focused on the living force around him. He could sense large sea animals below him. He disrobed down to his trousers and, clutching his lightsaber, dived into the black abyss in front of him. After he splashed into the waters, he activated his lightsaber. It flickered strangely underwater, but it worked well enough. It also provided light, which allowed the Nautolan Jedi to see a very large fish directly in front of him.
It’s never easy, is it? He thought to himself as he cut the fish’s tongue in half. He used the force to push himself away, and swam further down. He could sense what he was searching for, but it was still a long way down. For over two hours he swam downward, dodging attacks from increasingly larger fish, until he approached his destination. He reached into the small crevice, and smiled as he withdrew his prize.
“General Rento, we‘re ready to depart.” The clone captain saluted as the Jedi Knight entered the Yt-1300 light freighter.
“Sorry I’m late, I had a little bit of difficulty getting here.”
“Did you achieve your objective?”
In reply, Kit Rento activated his lightsaber, which glowed with a pure white blade.
“Sir, we’re picking up a transmission from General Yoda.” The pilot called.
“Put him through.”
The clone captain pulled out a holocron, which emitted a small blue image of Yoda. It flickered as he spoke.
“Achieve your mission, you have?”
“Yes Master.” Kip nodded his head in respect.
“Dangerous, your mission was. Foolhardy, you are. But impressive, your victory is. Return, you will, to Coruscant. New mission you have.”
“Yes, Master Yoda.” As the holocron image disappeared, the captain turned back to the pilot.
“You heard him, we return to Coruscant.”
The modified freighter lifted off as the pilot set its course.

Aliens Vs Humans Pt1

Well, it's Monday, so I guess that means I should update. This is the first part of a story that popped into my head at 3AM Saturday night whilst desperately trying to sleep.


The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the canyon. The two humans standing on the eastern ridge exchanged nervous glances. This was it.
John crept up to the edge of the cliff while Aaron crouched behind a rock. This section of the canyon was a good bottleneck, but the cliffs on both sides had long, easily traversable ridges carved into them. Aaron kept his gun ready in case any aliens came charging round the corner.
John carefully set up his sniper rifle. He wouldn’t get many shots so he had to make them count.
Down in the canyon, Sergeant Steve Steel was defending the human base. He was hiding behind the reinforced walls that had previously held the door in place. He was firing towards the aliens, but they kept ducking behind the large rocks strewn around.
“McCraw! Where’s our reinforcements?” He yelled to the woman on the ramparts above him.
“They’ve been delayed sir, some alien ships were taking shots at them. They’ll be an hour at least. We have orders to hold out until then.”
“We won’t last an hour!” Sergeant Steel switched on his helmet radio, “Raynor, you and Rhoads in position yet?”
“We’re ready sir.” Came the crackly reply.
“Middlebrooks, get sniping.”
Back up on the eastern ridge, John aimed his sniper rifle. He tried to pick out the alien leader, or at least someone who seemed to be ordering the others around, and fired. His target slumped to the ground, green blood dripping from his head. The aliens standing next to him both turned and stared at his body.
“We got incoming.” Aaron yelled. Three aliens had come round the edge and had began firing on him. He did his best, but they ducked out of the way before he could hit any of them.
“Gimme a minute.” John replied as he fired his second shot. The second alien slumped to the floor. The third alien on the ground took aim with what the humans had come to recognise as the aliens’ version of a rocket launcher.
“Time to go.” John jumped to his feet as the alien fired. Aaron followed him along the cliff with the aliens hot on his heels. Just as they reached the position where John had sniped from, the alien rocket did so too. The resulting explosion hurled the two leading aliens off of the ridge. The remaining alien stared at the rubble and tried in vain to figure a way across. John and Aaron had already made good their escape.
Down on the ground more aliens flocked around the rocket-armed alien to give him cover. One of them dressed in black armour slapped him upside the head. They spoke in their alien language.
Just a short way away behind a large rock Francis Rhoads and Eric Raynor shrugged to each other, then threw a bunch of grenades into the middle of the alien group. The aliens with the quickest reactions escaped the blast, only to be found out in the open where they quickly succumbed to human fire.
One particularly large alien, dressed in red armour, screamed very loudly in his language. The aliens retreated swiftly.
“They’re retreating! Oh yeah, victory is ours! Everybody report in.” Sergeant Steel called over the radio.
“Middlebrooks and Stacey reporting in, we’re unharmed and returning to base.”
“Raynor reporting, unharmed and returning.”
“Rhoads reporting. I’m injured and…… In deep shit.” Francis dropped his gun and held up his hands. One of the aliens that had surrounded him knocked him unconscious.
“Dammit Raynor, you were supposed to be looking out for each other.” Sergeant Steel berated Eric later.
“He was right behind me. At least, I thought he was.”
“That poor man, who knows what kind of torture those bastards are putting him through.”
At that exact same moment in time, the alien bastards were splashing water over their new prisoner.
“I’m awake Ma, I’m just letting my eyes rest.”
More water splashed over him and Francis fully awoke. He opened his eyes to see an alien face grinning back at him.
“Wow, how much did I drink last night? You are one ugly bitch.”
The alien promptly slapped him. It stepped back to reveal the red-armoured alien standing behind it.
“I’ll have you know that Ozeseph here is considered quite a beauty among our race.” It said.
“You can speak? Sure, you sound like Stephen Hawkings’ robotic lovechild, but rather impressive for a pile of turd.”
“You think to insult me human? I could end your life right here and now.”
“So why don’t you?”
“We have other uses for you. What is your designation?”
“My friends call me Francis, so you can call me anything but that.”
“Oh, I think we’ll be friends enough Francis. Do you know what this is?” The alien held up what looked to Francis to be a stun gun.
“Your TV remote?”
“Amusing. No, this is what we like to call a loyalty chip. Or at least that’s what it translates to in your tongue. All we do is inject it into the back of your primitive human brain, and suddenly you find yourself loyal to our cause.”
“Do you really expect me to believe that you can change someones’ allegiance with a bit of metal? It’s impossible.”
“Oh but it isn’t. We’ve already put them into the brains of some of your higher-ups.”
“Pull the other one; it plays Yankee-Doodle-Dandee.”
“Insolent creature. Think, who was it who ordered the eradication of our colony on Tarcathis? Who was it who ordered your first fleet to chase ours straight into an ambush? Who was it who visited Tarcathis on a peace mission exactly one month before the eradication? Who is it who still makes all of your military decisions?”
“War Minister McCallum?”
“That’s right. He’s been working for us the whole time, and you will too.”
The alien gripped Francis by the hair and dragged his head to the floor, then injected the loyalty chip into the nape of his neck. After Francis stopped struggling it let go.
“You will return to your base after miraculously escaping, and then you will do everything in your power to help us kill every other human here. Then you will once again escape, and continue to aid us.”
“It won’t work.” Francis muttered from his position on the floor.
“What do you mean?”
“It won’t work. The sergeant’s a smart man; he’ll get suspicious if I just escape.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“You execute me. Send me to the middle of the canyon with two grunts you can afford to lose and make a big announcement to the humans about what will happen to prisoners who fight back. They’ll rescue me and be none the wiser.”
“So it is said, so it shall be.” The alien agreed before strolling away.
The human ship finally landed within the canyon. Two vehicles, a warthog all-terrain vehicle with onboard Gatling gun and a Titan-class main battle tank. The ship then took off again.
The two drivers jumped out of their vehicles and saluted the sergeant.
“Privates Kathy Thom and Antonio Macklin reporting for duty sir.” The female Warthog driver said.
“This it? We wait an hour and lose one of our men and this is it? I requested reinforcements not cheap toys and a pair of wet behind the ears rookies.”
“Sorry sir, but the army’s been having trouble since the War Minister was arrested for treason.”
“Well I’ll have to make do with what I’ve got then, won’t I? You two get your bunks sorted out, then meet in twenty for a strategy meeting.”
“Sir yes sir!” The two rookies chorused. As Antonio entered the base Kathy handed a sealed letter to the sergeant.
“Sir, I’ve been ordered to give this to you. It’s a classified, priority one message, for your eyes only.” After handing it over, she too left to claim her bunk.