Thousand Worlds - 01x1 Qadarts-com station – Thousands World - The tribe – 02×1 Thousand Worlds

Alicia arrived in the second wave of colonists at the settlements of GLZ-5/20 on the second largest moon of planet B in the Van Maanen’s Star system. This was a newly arrived colony on a planet that looked like a new paradise for humans. . In the second wave that arrived at this settlement, the initial population, which had already been in the settlement for 130 days, doubled, making the final preparations for the first complexes where humans would settle in the coming years.

Alicia was a temperamental person and with a past life outside the law, she needed a second chance out of her old life, her actions had led her to make big mistakes in the past, until a terrible space accident where she lost her legs and some parts of his body, as well as his friends, gave a complete turn to his life.

The authorities who found her after this fatal incident implanted her with new limbs and bio-cybernetic devices that made her indebted to the united planets government, so she became a member of the GLZ-5/ colony security team. 20, something he had always given the slip, something he had always fought against on endless planets and independent governments.

She did not feel comfortable on the opposite side to the one she had always been facing but now she accepted that after this new opportunity in life she had to settle her debt no matter what. At least they let her choose her destination, although she did not doubt for a single moment that she had to go to the furthest place known to humans, so she embarked on the ships that were furthest from all known systems to settle. in this new settlement, on the new edge of space, the mythical Van Maanen’s Star, in which 20th century researchers found one of the first exoplanets. A new settlement that promised a new life, moreover, perhaps a life where she could one day feel comfortable.

Alicia continually reflected and thought about the long journey where she would obey the orders of her superiors and would maintain order among the colonists, made up of skilled workers from different sectors. There were scientists, technicians and, above all, people specialized in the construction of structures and architecture in extreme places.

When the convoy of cargo ships finally reached the planet, they could see that two security frigates were guarding the station in orbit from where the shuttles descended to the material settlement and of course all the people who were scheduled to make the different phased trips to that place. lost in a corner of the known galaxy.

Alicia took one of the first shuttles that descended along with some of her companions.

By the time the shuttle arrived at the settlement, just as soon as all the new security members descended, the chief was waiting for them to brief them. They moved away from the landing and takeoff platforms, where shuttles descended and ascended every 15 minutes.

The new members of security were amazed, the facilities were metallic structures that stood in complete harmony with the vegetation of the area, a vegetation that was similar to that of the earth and other places where Alicia had been, but something seemed different , the size of the trees and plants, even the color of them, seemed to give some reflections in shades that humans did not usually see.

However she could pick up these colors with her new cybernetic neurosensors, a little infrared about everything on earth and a lot of ultraviolet. She noticed that the vegetation took many nutrients from the light of the planet and the star that orbited the moon, she did not have much idea of ​​botany or biology but it seemed to her that these plants fed better from the air than from the roots.

“The first days you will notice a slight heaviness in the legs due to gravity.” Said Dvir, the chief of the guards. “From now on there will not be any kind of adaptation problem.”

Dvir moved back and forth as he spoke, addressing all the new haunts.

“Every week we do an expedition to broaden our horizon regarding the settlement, it is a planet rich in non-intelligent life, so you should not be scared of the diversity that is in the place.

After a long talk where the head of security and operations Dvir quoted all the rules, the guards went to the rooms where they could finally leave their things and rest a bit after the hard journey.

The next morning, after having a hearty breakfast, the guards went to the barracks where they would be assigned.

Alicia would leave in the first expedition shift, which would spend two days. Her mission was to expand the horizon, but in this case they were selected to establish contact with a strange sea that had been discovered from the air just a few days ago.

Alicia’s squad left the complex and plunged into lush vegetation, vegetation that Alicia continued to see differently, largely because no one had the latest generation implants that she had, that was a part of her life that fascinated her. new bio-cybernetic body.

They advanced among the gigantic trees led by Sergeant Ziric, as fast as they could, amazed at each step by the surprises that the planet had in store for them.

Already far into the forest Alicia began to hear a strange noise among the trees, the vegetation moved violently in the opposite direction to the one the team was following. So Alicia warned without hesitation.

“Sergeant, I think something is following us, I hear sounds behind us.”

Sergeant Ziric brought the squad to a halt and everyone moved into waiting position. Suddenly behind her came a large animal, walking roughly through the grass and stopping to eat every few steps. Alicia was petrified, it was a gigantic and very strange creature, it had a prominent head that looked straight ahead, but its mouth was on its belly, between its big legs, at the height of the plants where every time it stopped it greedily devoured.

The animal did not notice the squad, perhaps because it was not a threat to it. Alicia thought that her shape and attitude was due to the fact that there must be large predators in the area, but she was no expert, so she decided not to say anything and continued on her way with the rest of the squad.

Night fell on the planet, it was a different night that Alicia perceived in a strange way, the remnant of ultraviolet light was evident throughout the sky. The stars were intense in the sky, some quite close to the planet, Pegasi B could be seen on the horizon along with two other moons of the planet that were great and with very bluish colors, perhaps due in large part to the amount of ultraviolet light. They all described what they saw, but Alicia kept seeing everything differently.

After the great natural spectacle, everyone stayed around a lamp that served as a campfire.

Alicia towards the first watch, bored, she went around the perimeter where something caught her attention was a kind of shadow among the vegetation, she looked back to make sure that everyone was resting and approached the shadow. She could see how this shadow took on a humanoid form and got closer, more and more intense to other shadows that looked like fireflies until they finally disappeared from her range of vision. Alicia was left blind, seeing the spectrum that the planet offered her at night. She couldn’t see anything else, no shadows, no movement, so she went back to camp to call the next guard.

“Wake up Samael. It’s your turn”.

“Something new?” Samael said half asleep.

“Everything is calm.”

The next morning the entire squadron headed back to its mission. Alicia was able to perceive differences in the three companions who did not have any type of implants. She could feel a presence similar to the one from the night before, but she didn’t pay much attention to it, she kept adapting to her implants and they could play a trick on her.

At noon Sergeant Ziric, who was the other component that presented strong modifications, in this case cybernetic, approached Alicia.

“Have you not noticed something strange in the behavior of the squad?

“I feel a strange presence, but I didn’t want to give it importance.”

“I noticed it too, at first I hesitated, but they behave strangely.

They all walked without speaking in a direction they seemed to know. Sergeant Ziric and Alicia were last, following the rest.

“It seems like they know the way, we haven’t taken any detours since we started walking again. You have realized?”.

“Yes, but I haven’t given it more importance, I’m new here and I don’t know how far the men here have explored.”

Ziric looked at Alicia and fell judiciously.

“Sergeant yesterday I could see some shadows on the perimeter, I could see them in a different spectrum of light and then they disappeared. I thought they were animals.”

“Do you think it may have something to do with it?”

“I don’t know, sergeant, but I think he should know.”

After a strange day on the trail in which Ziric did not have to lead the squadron, the second night fell and everyone made camp. A sepulchral silence invaded the whole place. Alicia could smell the water in the distance, but she didn’t want to alarm the squad especially after the sergeant’s concerns. Everyone sat around the lamp, but no one spoke there, no one felt the same as the night before. Ziric looked at Alicia and then at the squad. He had a look of absolute concern but no one there seemed to notice, the soldiers looked ahead absorbed as if something controlled them from the inside.

The sergeant did the first watch of the night. He could see that none of the soldiers were resting, except for Alicia. Missing him, he decided to watch them, gun in hand, and almost at the end of his shift, he called Alicia.

“Alice wake up, it’s time for your watch.”

“Has something happened?

“Everything is calm. But I still don’t understand the behavior of soldiers.

Look, they are engrossed, they are like zombies staring straight ahead.”

“Have they not moved from there?

“Not an blink in the entire watch.

Suddenly the soldiers got up and all headed in a direction that they seemed to know, and that Alicia identified with the sea from the direction of the smell. They were all in single file, and they headed without further ado into the forest through the undergrowth.

“Quick Alicia, hurry up, take your things, we’re going to follow them.”

They both left behind the soldiers following them closely, since they did not represent a real threat, they were unarmed and they did not even pay attention to the sergeant and Alicia. After following them for a long time, they finally reached a clearing, each time it smelled more of the sea, until it appeared on the horizon. It was a strange sea like the rest of the planet, a very green tone with reddish touches all over the surface that emitted a kind of light.

The soldiers advanced to the beach where they remained static looking at the sea. At that moment Alicia stopped. Sergeant Ziric stopped and looked at her.

“What’s going on?”

“I am seeing specters haunt the bodies, sir. It’s a somewhat peculiar sight. Don’t you see them?

“I see nothing”.

Suddenly some red bonfires were lit that formed a path into the sea, between two large rocks that seemed to have been placed there on purpose, they had a large vegetation that fell from the top of them and seemed to form a symmetry with the path.

From the sea some humanoid forms began to come out, walking erratically. They were very tall and deformed forms, they had two legs but most only had one arm, or they lacked part of the body.

“You can see that, sergeant.” Alice said surprised.

“Of course, what the hell are those creatures?”

The creatures went to the soldiers surrounding them and starting some ritual songs. They seemed to be part of a strange nightmare. Some specters like the ones Alicia saw the first night began to come.

“See those wraiths, Sergeant?”

“If I seem to make out some misty shape”

“These specters are the ones I could see the first night, they may be the cause of the behavior of the soldiers.”

“Okay, I’m going to put an end to this.”

The sergeant hammered his rifle and got up from the vegetation, advanced towards the place where a kind of ritual was already well under way.

Suddenly the water was greatly agitated. Alicia got up and wanted to stop Sergeant Ziric. But he ignored her and she continued advancing.

The strange beings withdrew towards the great columns, where it seemed that they were hiding from the waves of the sea.

The sergeant advanced desperately and fired his weapon into the sky, but nobody seemed to pay attention to him, the specters were still around the soldiers and the beings were still behind the columns repeating their litanies.

The sergeant stood in front of the soldiers who were staring at the sea, Alicia could see a great movement in the sea and a kind of metallic noise entered her ears. She stared in astonishment through the undergrowth at what looked like a large sea beast.

She wanted to shout at the sergeant to move away but it was too late, a kind of gigantic worm appeared from the sea, its mouth was all teeth, Alicia couldn’t make out any kind of eyes, just a huge mouth that opened behind the sergeant and that the soldiers watched without flinching until she gobbled them up like they were a light appetizer.

At that moment the torches went out, the great worm slid heavily back into the water and disappeared among the waves. The strange creatures followed him on a kind of pilgrimage to the sea, and the specters stayed fluttering like fireflies flying through the plants.

Alicia decided to go back to the camp, she had all the information. She was thinking about all the data that she was able to record because otherwise they would not believe her. She advanced terrified looking everywhere, she had to inform the chief Dvir not only of her mission but of everything she had seen in that strange sea, about the tribe that lived on the planet and that seemed to be part of one of the most relentless predators. he had seen of all the worlds he had been to.