Part 4: The Mutant

Ti’Rhak swung her hand, swatting down a Lecher: an annoying little pest that buzzed around, sucking fluids. They weren’t much of a bother, until they started giving the rashes. One of the reasons why Ti’Rhak hated the jungle. The humid area was swarming with various pests almost as bad as the mutants.

Marching outside of any mapped path, Ti’Rhak guided her squad through the jungle, in hopes of finding a mutant to capture. Oraia, Po’Mein and Kia Mar were a part of her group, along with a few soldiers of Fort Sephenee. The soldiers of the fort wore their faces with grimaces and frowns. Compared to Kia Mar, they weren’t really conservationists. Good thing, Ti’Rhak wasn’t really fond of banter, during missions.

They traversed the jungle, squishing their boots on the warm mud, while breathing in the moist air. Inhaling the steam felt like drinking warm water. Before long, they noticed a set of footprints. They were warm, with prints similar to their own bare feet. This obviously belonged to a mutant. Without much of a word, Ti’Rhak and her crew followed the prints.

Soon, they arrived to a small clearing. There, they found a mutant under a tree, chomping on one of the native fruits.

“A class C mutant,”Kia Mar whispered with astonishment. “This is the first time I’ve seen it! Look at that stinger, it’s huge!”

“Shut up,” Ti’Rhak hushed, as she assessed the mutant. She noticed the stinger down and dripping with its white venom. “Looks like the creature just recently used its venom. Its stinger won’t be active for some time.”

“Looks like we got ourselves a sitting duck,” Oraia grinned. “Lucky us.”

“Set your plasma arms to the lowest setting,” Ti’Rhak ordered. “The general wants it alive.”

The crew twisted a dial on their plasma arms. Several neon blue bars faded from their plasma arms, until only one was left. Using the shrubbery as cover, the cautiously approached. Ti’Rhak raised her hands and prepared to signal her troops. She started counting. As soon she had reached three, she clenched her fist. Everyone knew what to do. Springing out of the shrubbery, they opened fire.

Molten blue lights shot out and directly struck the mutant everywhere. Unable to even turn around, the creature dropped to the floor, completely unconscious. Its body twitched, as static surged around its body.

“Tie it up,” Ti’Rhak ordered. “I want this thing delivered to the fort immediately.”

Kia Mir and Po’Mein took out some wires and began restraining the creature. Oraia circled around the mutant with a smug look on her face.

“Not so tough, are you?” Oraia grinned. She then delivered a swift kick to the stinger.

“Hey, it’s down!” Kia Mir snarled. “There’s no need for that!”

“You showing sympathy for this sick freak?” Oraia asked incredulously, giving another kick. “Stop that!” Kia Mir yelled, as she stood and faced Oraia.

“Or else, what?” Oraia replied, looking the rookie straight in the eye.

“Both of you, that’s enough!” Ti’Rhak roared. “Oraia, we need the specimen in good shape! Don’t damage it!”

Oraia spat. “We don’t need a cure,” she said. “What we need is to kill every one of these mutant freaks.”

Ti’Rhak eyed Oraia. Just as she was about to comment, an dart shot out and struck a tree, only narrowly hitting Ti’Rhak’s forehead. The captain turned towards the dart’s origin. From the shrubbery, a mutant popped out. However, this one was different. It was dressed in a loincloth, had paint over its skin and even wore a mask.

“What the hell is that?!” Po Mein shrieked.

“I don’t know, but I’m shooting to kill!” Oraia said, as she lifted her plasma arm.

Before she could fire, however, the mutant pulled out a tiny sphere and threw it on the ground. A cloud of smoke exploded around them, blinding everyone. Oraia was heard screaming, as she let loose a volley of plasma.

As the smoke settled, the mutant was gone, even the unconscious one. Several plasma marks were found on the trees, obviously from Oraia’s rampage.

“Damn it!” Oraia sneered. “We lost them!”

“What just happened?” Kia Mir asked.

Ti’Rhak looked down and found the black sphere the creature had thrown. Although broken, it was not completely shattered.

“This is smokescreen,” she commented. “It’s a very primitive kind.”

“Are you telling me that the mutants found some weapons to mess around with?” Oraia yelled.

“No,” Ti’Rhak said. “I think the mutants are developing intelligence.”

Part 3: The Assignment

Fort Sephenee had seen better days. The walls were drained of its paint and there were several cracks and debris, lying all around: result of years of fighting. It was a base stationed in the Ugunu Jungle, a terrain inhabited by feral beasts and mutants alike. Working at the fort was no different from sleeping next to a landmine. However, mutants weren’t the only things to worry about.

Ti’Rhak marched around the fort, inspecting the remaining troops. Their eyes were encircled with shadows and their expressions as pale as the walls. Ti’Rhak had a similar look, but she wasn’t as bleached as any of these Venusians. Whatever went on in here, Ti’Rhak knew that it was hell.

Ti’Rhak and the rest of her company continued to the main building. At the entrance, they spotted an Itinian General. she was clad in black, but did not wear the armor that they all sported. Medals of gold and silver decorated her breast, like a pin cushion. Her silver hair was tied to a ponytail, while her irises resembled amber spheres. A scar was seen under her left eye.

As soon as they had approached her, the general stiffened her body and held her head up. Ti’Rhak and her company dropped their belongings and saluted.

“At ease, Venusians!” the general saluted back. “I am General Dragna, welcome to hell. Your quarters are all ready. Lieutenant Jesh’Mok will lead you there.”

A slim soldier of a Venusian stood by the general. She directed her hand to the right and began to lead them elsewhere.

However, just as Ti’Rhak was about to follow, General Dragna latched her hand on the soldier’s shoulder.

“Not you, Captain,” General Dragna noted. Everyone froze at the sight. “What’re you all doing, maggots?! Move!”

Without a second thought, the others marched away. The general gave Ti’Rhak a soft smile.

“Follow me, captain,” the general said, as she entered the base.

Ti’Rhak followed the general into the grey building. Fluorescent bulbs blinked, as a cold air blew through the colorless halls. It was as if they had stepped into a morgue.

“General, permission to speak,” Ti’Rhak requested.

“Of course, Captain Ti’Rhak,” the general said.

Ti’Rhak gulped. “General, if you know who I am, then you know I’m nowhere near that rank,” she said.

“You are now,” General Dragna replied. “I’ve read your file and I’ve got to say, it’s an impressive record. In one skirmish, you managed to kill twenty mutants with a Sonic Blade.”

“It wasn’t anything that impressive, ma’am,” Ti’Rhak said.

“Not to the higher-ups, it isn’t,” General Dragna snorted. “After reviewing your files, we decided to promote you a few levels up.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Ti’Rhak said.

“Don’t thank me just yet,” General Dragna said, as she pressed her hand on a scanner. “This assignment will be a bit more grueling than whatever you’ve faced.”

An electronic door slid open, revealing a massive laboratory filled with various machines and gadgets that made Ti’Rhak’s head hurt, just from looking. Several Itinian scientists wandered around, inspecting chemicals and liquids. All of them dressed in identical white coats.

“Do you know what we do here, captain?” General Dragna asked.

Ti’Rhak didn’t answer at first. The new title had not yet fully clicked in her mind. “Um… no, general,” she eventually replied.

“This fort collects various mutants, in order to extract their poison, blood, flesh or whatever part of them could be used for a cure,” General Dragna answered. “So far, we haven’t had much of a breakthrough.”

Ti’Rhak frowned at this information. She had a clue on her new duties.

“I see you’re catching on,” General Dragna smiled. “As you suspect, we need you to capture various mutants alive, so that our scientists may properly understand them.”

“As if they weren’t disgusting enough, up close,” Ti’Rhak sneered. “Wouldn’t a dead specimen suffice?”

“We need fresh specimens, captain,” the general said. “You must do everything you can to bring these creatures alive.”

Ti’Rhak sighed. “Risk infection for a cure?” she said. “Why not?”

The general laughed. “A cure isn’t the only thing we’re developing here,” she said.

The newly appointed captain looked to her superior with a concerned expression. “What else is going on in here?”

General Dragna looked Ti’Rhak straight in the eye. Clearing her voice, the general replied, “Immortality.”

Part Two: The Rookie

The craft trebled as it flew in the air. It wasn’t the most comfortable aircraft to sit in, but when racing against time, the Lockhart Class Flyer couldn’t be any more reliable. Then again, Ti’Rhak wasn’t really in any hurry to get to her destination. In all honesty, she would have preferred spending a nice evening with Jasha Kal, than aiming her plasma arm at every direction.

Looking around, she found Po’Mein, Oraia and a few others from previous missions. She had worked with these idiots for such a long time that they were close enough to be called her sisters. Her new assignment wasn’t anything to get excited about, but she at least had some good company with her. They were good soldiers. Their discussion, on the other hand, wasn’t something she wanted to hear.

“Did you hear what happened to Sylvis?” Oraia asked.

“Yeah, I did,” Po’Mein answered. “Can’t believe the mutants got her. Heard they stung her several times, until she passed out.”

“They said that they found her loaded with their venom,” Oraia continued, shaking her head. “I wasn’t fond of her, but damn, she didn’t deserve that.”

“Is she going to make it?” Po’Mein asked.

“Probably, the venom doesn’t really kill you,” Oraia said. “But they’re probably going to keep her in quarantine, until they find an actual cure to this mess.”

“Erm… excuse me,” an unfamiliar voice spoke.

The three turned their heads to the corner and found a skinny creature, whose face was completely foreign to them all. Her armor was clean and free of marks and scratches. Without having to ask, Ti’Rhak already knew that this was a new recruit.

“Sorry,” she said, twiddling her thumbs. “I’m Kia Mar, just got graduated from Camp Tor. I couldn’t help, but overhear your discussion.”

“You mean eavesdrop?” Po’Mein frowned.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!” Kia Mar apologized. “But it just caught my ear.”

“So what do you want?” Po’Mein asked.

“Um… I was wondering what you could tell me about mutants,” Kia Mar said.

Ti’Rhak stared at her two allies. The three of them shared the same expressions and probably the same questions.

“You never heard of a mutant, girl?” Ti’Rhak asked.

“I have,” Kia Mar replied. “I’ve seen stuffed models of those things, but I never really knew much about them, besides being dangerous. What exactly are mutants?”

Ti’Rhak looked to the other two soldiers, gesturing them to reply. Po’Mein and Oraia shook their heads. With a deep and long sigh, Ti’Rhak rested her elbow on her knee and collected whatever she knew about mutants.

“Mutants are aberrations of us Venusians,” Ti’Rhak explained. “They look similar to us, but are larger, broader and have firmer builds than us. They also have stingers that released a sort of venom.”

“You said it doesn’t kill, right?” Kia Mar interrupted. “If that’s so, then why is it dangerous.”

“Maybe if you’d let me finish, you’d actually learn why,” Ti’Rhak snarled. Kia Mar shrunk. “Mutants are similar to us, but lack intelligence. They’re feral beasts that consider us prey to subjugate. They may lack brains, but they’ve got the brawn to pin us down, even without any actual training.”

“The venom they spew corrodes our genes,” Ti’Rhak said. “We ourselves become more aggressive and may bear offspring to either a mutant or a Venusian that will bare a mutant. They’re beasts of destruction and must be put down.”

“But they can’t be all bad!” Kia Mar said. “Surely there’s a way to communicate with them!”

“Go ahead and try,” Oraia laughed. “By the time you do, you probably would be infected yourself.”

“Shut up,” Ti’Rhak hissed.

The Itinian soldier glared at Oraya with bloodshot eyes. They may have been close friends, but such a remark was most unwelcome around her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Notes:

Venusian: their species

Itinian: their nationality.

Part One: The Soldier

Light slowly crept into the room, reaching Ti’Rahk’s eyes. She twisted and turned for a moment, relishing the cloud-like mattress. As comfortable as the bed was, she did not have the luxury to remain down the entire day. No, a new assignment was given to her and she needed to get ready, like every member of the Itinian Army.

Pulling off the sheets, she grabbed her grey armor and uniform. She tightened the buckles and strapped the rest of her gear. Her attire wasn’t exactly comfy, but it at least protected her from punches and swords. It could even protect her from weak plasma fire, but then again, she never knew an enemy that set their plasma arms on stun.

As she got ready to leave, she heard a low moan behind her. Looking back on the bed, she found Jasha Kal, her mate, squirming under the blanket. Her half-opened eyes were as green as emeralds and her hair were like threads of black silk. Her smooth and slender skin was drenched still drenched in the sweat from last night’s affair.

“Going already?” Jasha Kal asked.

“I told you, I’ve been assigned to a new post,” Ti’Rahk replied.

“You returned only a few days ago and they almost immediately give you a new one?” Jasha Kal complained. “Can’t you ask for some time off?”

“I’m a soldier, I have a duty to fulfill,” Ti’Rahk replied. “You know I can’t just do that.”

Jasha Kal slightly frowned and turned.

She hid her face, but her voice failed to conceal what she truly felt. Ti’Rahk didn’t say a thing at first. Noticing her mate’s disapproval, Ti’Rahk approached the bed and sat beside her. She brushed her finger’s down Jasha Kal’s hair, as if she were washing her hands.

“I will ask for some time off, when I return,” Ti’Rahk said. “I promise.”

Jasha Kal continued to remain silent. She was in one of those moods, where almost nothing would sway her to speak. Ti’Rahk sighed and then lightly kissed her on the head. Silence again.

Standing up, Ti’Rahk marched to the door. Before she stepped out, she heard Jasha Kal’s faint voice. “Stay safe.”

Ti’Rahk smiled, but pretended not to hear.