The Planet Torrtia

The trip to Torrtia lasted maybe an hour. The ride, in darkness and completely uneventful, seemed longer than that. Now they wait for the crates to be moved off the transport and into the storage bunker.

Johnny waits and listens. Other than the occasional orders being called out by the supervisory crew and the occasional clank of metal on metal as crates grind and clatter against each other, he hears nothing out of the ordinary.

At least that’s how it begins. Within a few minutes, however, he can hear more peculiar sounds in the distance. The sounds match that of soft screeches and howls, mingled with squishy squirts and bubbly pops. They aren’t sounds he’s familiar with. The lower register sounds are more deep moans and hushed whispers, like voices on a summer wind. The whispers seem to be communicating with each other. The language is foreign, an ancient raw dialect of sorts.

An occasional guttural scream echoes overhead, bouncing off this side and that. Hiding in a crate removes the advantage of seeing where it all comes from. He only listens, experiences and focuses on each individual sound. Yet, with each new one, he finds himself drawn back to the hushed whispers. The whispers aren’t clear enough to fully understand. They moan and float on soft breezes. Their seductive fluctuations mesmerize and sing anything but sweet lullabies.

Within a few minutes, the crates stop moving and lower to the ground. A few procedural exchanges ensue between supervisor and tech, before all goes silent. He uses the silent opportunity to lift the top of the crate and climb out…

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The forest is lush and overgrown with the largest variety of plant life he’s ever seen. The plant life is nothing out of the ordinary. There are a few large trees, most that stand like sentinels or act as protectors, and the occasional grassy meadow; No rocks or shrubbery of any sort appear. The forest is more like a rainforest than mountain wilderness.

It’s all a peculiar yet fascinating sight to behold. Torrtia may not host sentient life, but the planet is indeed very much alive. Tall plants with gaping jaws tower over the landscape while other shorter plants use vines and large leaves to trap their prey. There are ferns and smaller grass-like plants. Most of them provide cover and camouflage for the floor below. Unknown pitfalls and dangers peek out from under this cover.

It’s a horrifying wonderland of beauty and death.

As he observes, it dawns on him where the hushed whispers are coming from. It seems that some of the larger trap plants are communicating with some flowering lilies in almost a flirtatious like manner. The lilies respond with waves and slight blushing of their colorful faces. Some of the plants appear to have some form of facial feature – mouths, slits for eyes and nubs for ears.

They continue their journey across the forest floor until they come upon a small cave buried in a mountainous hill of sorts. The hill is covered in moss and varieties of ground covers that dangle over the opening. Vines also intertwine over and around the opening. A canopy of large leaves covers the entrance and outer limits of the cave.

A mammoth tree rests on top of the hill. Its roots plunge deep into the hill and back out again like interwoven thread on a tapestry. The tree towers over the rest of the jungle, reaching its branches and large leaves out like a bowery over the vegetation, spreading for miles and miles. A hut of some sort stands perched next to the base of the tree. The hut is derived of clay, vines and leaves. A jutted outcropping of flat stone extends over the entrance to the cave. Vines and moss drape this outcropping and splash over its sides, extending to the ground.

Two stone statues flank both sides of the cave. The statues look like large humanoid hunters. However upon closer examination, the figures are less human and more like large plant-like beasts. Vines drape over their shoulders, around their waste and twist around their strong upper legs. Their feet appear to be root-like in shape and seem to plunge into the dirt or ground upon which they stand. Fingers, like twigs and branches, wrap around large clubs and bows. Thorns and briars shape out their mouths giving them a fearsome appearance.

They stand as protectors of the cave and its contents. The breeze swirls and wraps itself around the glade leading up to the cave and whips past the stone statues giving them a life-like appearance. Soft moans and muffled whispers float on the wind as it whips past the transport and then turns and roars into the cave.

***Stay tuned for more of the adventures of Johnny Pheryl – © Alan “Jedi” Zaugg 2018***

Lascie’s Bar, Grill & Starlight Cafe

Soon, they arrive at the base of the residential tower at the entrance to Lascie’s Bar, Grill & Starlight Cafe. Alyus is at a corner table and motions them to come sit.

The interior of the bar is hazy. Deep shadows cover tables in the corners as if to hide the inhabitants from unwelcome guests. There’s an oval counter in the center of the room where the barmaid or bartender serves the drinks from either side and cleans the glasses for the next patron.

A large amber tinted two-way mirror spans the length of the bar lined with glass shelves of drink after drink. Many drinks appear to be exotic specimens, collected or shipped from the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Some are soft, orange bubbly, while another is a purple liquor with white silky solution swirling deep inside. Yet another is clear and appears slightly unstable for a consumable drink. All in all, there is enough variety to keep patrons of all walks of life content.

A holoscreen plays the latest news from the net behind the counter. Current with up-to-the-minute sporting event tickers update across the bottom for the gambling patrons.

There’s a cluster of tiny square tables located left of center. The tables are bolted to the floor and surrounded by a dozen metal stools. The tables are piled high with leftover meals, half empty java juice glasses and tipped over clanker mugs. Crumbs of food and puddles of beverages litter the floor beneath the tables. Little slugs gorge themselves on the scraps as if they’re enjoying some magnificent feast.

A couple of loner-types are sitting off in the distance at their own table. A Zumarki, curious race, sits in the corner, head buried in a reading pad of some sort. Occasionally she glances up at a holo of some figures and drawings displayed in front of her, then back down to her pad as if furiously taking notes. She’s oblivious to the other patrons in the room. A slender shiny silver barista robot brings her a refill on her java, to which she waves a thank you and continues her in-depth study.

A humanoid couple, Yern by the looks of them, sit at another table gazing into each other eyes and arguing like lovebirds about who’s better looking or more special. The barista stops at their table and they seem quite irritated by the interruption as they yank their refresher refills from her and carry on in sickening fashion. The whole scene is gag worthy.

There’s a half dozen rounded tables to the right of center, also bolted to the floor. A couple rough looking groups sit casually around a few of these tables. Some are playing cards, others are placing wagers on the sporting events and tickers unfolding on the holoscreens, while others are loud and belligerent just for the sake of being obnoxious.

A bartender hurriedly mixes drinks and tops off strong liquors for the ruffian crowd. This bartender is not a robot. He’s a light teal humanoid with soft flesh. His large black eyes bulge out of their sockets. He sports a curly, well kept mustache and a fake grin with large buck teeth that he flashes at each patron. He has six long, slender arms that move at lightning speed as he works furiously to provide for his guests.

The scene is quite the colorful bowl of diversity. The one side for the more intellectual, uppity, pompous crowd. The other hosts more of the gruff, ruffian, loud and obnoxious type. All of this separated by the main bar in the middle.

Each far corner of the scene boasts a platform with a much larger table, cushioned benches and dim lighting. These host the more expensive, popular special guest parties.

The proprietor, Lascie, is an over-sized strong fur-ball of a being. Her hair is an orange so loud that it shouts beyond the dim lights and ambiance of the establishment. It is as soft as feather down. Her arms are built like two jackhammers, shaved up to the shoulders and sporting sleeve-length tattoos of various peculiar symbols. Her mouth is a large beak pointed downwards at the tip. Her eyes are metallic red that explode like a spreading fire and intensify when she’s angered or even slightly irritated.

She looks up from her glass cleaning and grunts in some sort of annoyed welcome. Johnny nods at her in response, then he and the group join Alyus at one of the tables in the corner at the back of the uppity side of the room.

As they join their companion at the table, she looks at Johnny with slight, measured concern.

***Stay tuned for more of the adventures of Johnny Pheryl – © Alan “Jedi” Zaugg 2018***

 

The Hidden City

***The following is the latest rough draft excerpt for a novel writing project I’m working on.***

As they drop below the surface, what meets their eyes is more than either had imagined. Below the surface of the planet, as lively as any place they’ve been, lay a large city district. The district is layer upon layer of levels plunging deeper into the planet core. Hundreds of thousands of residents hustle and bustle along well lit streets. The scene is breathtaking and magnificent.

Bars, pubs, mercantile shops, and markets of all shapes and sizes dot the intricate network of levels. Residential high-rises and towers rise at least 30 stories each, pushing through the levels and towering over the vastness of the underground city. The towers reach to the cavern ceiling above, attached to anchors from the surface.

The buildings are all bunched together in a tight knit cluster with a clean grid of roads, street corners and walkways carving their way through the hive. Foot traffic and small, compact vehicle traffic buzzes down these streets and walkways with precision and order.

Neon lights buzz and blink on practically every building, announcing each center’s occupants and merchants. Vivid, colorful holoprojectors show up-to-date news feeds from around the galaxy, while others offer “deals of the century” and “galaxy getaways to the farthest reaches.”

Hydro-lifts and sleek elevators rise and drop at ridiculous speeds as they deliver passengers to their destinations. There’s a fair amount of air traffic for such a seemingly small underground space. Speeders and transit hovercraft rush in crowded lanes to and fro. The lanes are stacked in order of fastest to slowest. The casual driver types are on the bottom lanes, while the faster, more pressing traffic zooms by at alarming rates on the upper lanes.

Residents of every shape, color, race and gender dot the streets, walkways, byways and levels. The predominant race appears to be an odd humanoid slender folk with pale, hairless oval head and large dark opaque cylinders for eyes. Their faces display evenly place wrinkles just below their eyes and gill-like features where noses should be.

The gender is distinguished by the shape of their eyes. The males are more circular in nature, while the females are more pointed at the apex.

Each personage walks with a proud and slow gate, as they observe to themselves the passersby.

It’s a magnificent commotion to behold and not easy to navigate for outsiders. It’s mass hysteria, or more like organized mass hysteria. The underground city extends a few kilometers in length and about half that in depth.

The entire scene is on the verge of exploding with radiance and energy. The site is a beauty to behold.

The hydro-lift continues its descent toward the first level, and their drop-off point. Johnny looks around, surveying the situation. He makes sure no one has noticed them or taken special interest in them.

The lift is nestled against the outer walls of the cavern. The walls are a hardened molten lava rock of the planet core. Some caves extend off behind them with stalagmites and stalactites clustering at the entrances. The walls are thick and moist and water trickles and drips into pools on ledges and in the caves. Iridescent light radiates from a couple of the caves they pass, glowing softly and pulsating.

***Stay tuned for more updates. © Alan “Jedi” Zaugg 2018***