Landfall ( Short sci-fi story )

It felt like it was going to break into pieces any second.

Mike could feel his ears close from the pressure, his face scrunch up inside his helmet, and the bodies crash into one another in the tumultuous Earthquake in their little compartment.

Of the six people inside, not one spoke. Their thoughts even in what might be their last moments a secret to be taken to the grave.

He couldn't help but admire their stoic nature. The best of the best. Unblinking even in the face of death. It was true what they said," The 13th never noticed deaths approach, always prepared. For every other man there might be a moment of realization, but only death knew when it had taken one of the 13th. For so focused were they on completing the mission."

A final crash lurched everybody's bodies up, with only the straps keeping them in place. The fast acting semi-liquid foam padding out the kinetic energy across their body, protecting them from blunt trauma.

The landing lasted for 2 seconds. The doors of the drop pod blasting outwards as soon as it stopped. Mike jumped out, firing at the dog like thing in front of it, which didn't even have the time to fully comprehend what had happened. A giant hole where its face was supposed to be a moment ago, more holes where the rest of its green skinned body was supposed to be the next.

Mike has blown his way through 6 targets as per his internal counter before the animals started screaming. All around him gunshots sounded as the circle of death spread outwards, bringing forth explosions, flames, and lasers.

It was going to be a good few weeks and an even better payday.

Tlk'vach looked down from his perch on the tree. His tail hidden between his legs, his ears drooped down towards his head, his eyes wide. He could feel the tears forming in his eyes but he was too scared to even make the noise needed to sob.

Down below a giant of metal with a meaty skies people inside walked forth. With a weapon as large as Tlk'vach himself. Around the giant of metal another 6 of the little brown things walked with the smaller weapon in their hands.

His bow and arrow that had given him strength throughout his youth now felt cold and weak in his hands.

The duty of warning the tribe was his, but he couldn't move. In the past three days he had seen so much death that could only be matched by the most violent of their people's stories.

Demons had come to their land. Their Gods had judged them unworthy.

As Tlk'vach was lost in hopelessness flames erupted beneath him. The tree was blowing into splinters and the-

1086. The kill counter on Vlads helmet went up. Another one of those green skinned bastards fell down onto the ground, most of its body turned to little bits and pieces.

"Basketball players are present in this area. Over."

"Roger. Burn down the forest? Over."

"No. Rats are harder to kill when you give them time to hide. Over."

A burst of laughter sounded across the radio channel from multiple voices and died down as fast as it had come. The group marched on towards the giant tree in the distance.

The tree didn't crash.

That was Sanat's favorite part.

It was like watching man completely overpower nature's laws to the point that it felt like man was making his own rules about how things happened.

The tree tilted to the side, and it fell towards the ground, but by the time it would have crashed into the ground only ashes landed. The screams dying out half spoken. With only silence left behind.

He loved working with Neitzer-Palmer explosives.

Yet, this time he didn't feel the joy he wanted to feel. He could feel an idea in his gut, that when the tree fell, this world was screaming, and that it was not good for him.

He tried to shake it off. Wondering if his nerves were finally beginning to act up after all these years, and perhaps it was not time to quit. Looking at the missiles fall from the sky towards where the tree was to dig a crater, Sanat felt a heaviness in his heard digging deeper and deeper as the crater grew, the screams of the darned growing louder in his mind.

"They have some psionic connection to the world."

" Psionics. Like moving things with their minds and all the other magicians tricks?"

"No sir. Like digging into the minds of our troops until they turn into goop."

"Horseshit."

"We have the reports sir. Over the course of the second week more and more troops on the ground are reporting a sense of foreboding. Followed by immense paranoia, slowing of cognitive function, and then shutdown. Autopsies show what the medical personnel can only describe as a goopy sludge in their skulls. All over the course of 26 hours."

"Well that don't mean magic is real. There is only one who can do such miracles and that's God, and he's on our side."

"Yes sir. However, yesterday we were able to finish mapping out the root network on this planet, its far larger than we initially thought, and appears to have the capacity for higher level awareness, at least in theory. We have eradicated 20% of the megastructure, and the more of it is damaged, the worse the psychological effects on the troops appear to get."

"Still sounds like bullshit that requires additional funding from the budget."

"No sir. That won't be a problem. Now that we have a source of high risk on this planet. We only ask that we be allowed to pull in our troops back early, without the contractual obligations of doing so kicking in. In exchange we agree to pay our own insurance and bomb the site from orbit to get rid of the parasitic organism on this planet."

"It's always about the money with you lot. Never fought for anything you believe in have ya."

"..."

"Alright then. I free you of your initial obligations as per the contract and the powers vested in me. In exchange you are responsible for the damages suffered by your own troops while carrying out our operations. Now tell me where to sign and be quick about it. I have my nieces birthday party to attend to."

"Right here sir."

"Alright then. One last thing."

"..."

"No more horseshit about magic powers and shit like that. Whatever is down there is a sin against God. Make your money all you want but I want every living thing larger than a mouse eradicated. You got that?"

"Yes sir."

To be continued ( lies I got tired, all the Ma'vi green tall aliens died. The Earth military forces took over all the inobtanium resources on the planet after killing everything on it within 2 weeks and 4 days )