Post by DocQuantum on Jan 14, 2024 0:56:56 GMT
Here's a teaser for a story I've been working on. Enjoy.
***
A small spacecraft glided gracefully through the vast expanse of outer space, weaving its way deftly through a perilous asteroid belt. Inside, the intrepid pilot monitored the controls with a steely determination. He had embarked on a quest of immense importance, one that would shape the destiny of two worlds.
The spacecraft's navigation system beeped insistently as it pinpointed a specific planetoid amidst the asteroid belt. The pilot expertly maneuvered the vessel until it gently touched down on the rocky surface of the planetoid. Within a few moments, the small, slender figure emerged from his craft onto the planetoid's surface. Surveying his surroundings, he then used his handheld device to scan the area.
After a few moments of cautious assessment, he unfastened his helmet, revealing a balding head and a worried countenance upon a somewhat homely, mustachioed face. The unimpressive-looking pilot, appearing to be an ordinary man in his forties or fifties, let out a sigh of relief as he detected a breathable atmosphere and a comfortably warm temperature. The crimson soil beneath his boots felt familiar, yet foreign, like an old friend in a new guise. For this pilot was not an Earthman at all, but a Martian.
With the assurance that he could safely breathe the air, the Martian pilot retrieved his notes, confirming the coordinates and his purpose on this celestial body. His mission was clear -- to locate the enigmatic Flame, a source of untold power that could potentially turn the tides of a looming conflict. Known by many names in centuries past, such as the Flame of Liberty, Freedom, or Independence, it had been called the Flame of Democracy during the last global conflict on the planet Earth. For as long as it had been known to exist, the Flame was closely guarded lest its fire ever be quenched. It served as a beacon of hope to oppressed people everywhere, a sign that no matter what tyrant might wrest it from their hands, power would eventually return to the people where it rightfully belonged.
As he made his way along the rugged terrain of the planetoid, the pilot's thoughts drifted back to the pivotal events that had brought him to this moment. He recalled the legend of a dashing hero from Earth -- U.S. Army Air Force Captain Patrick Kelly, whose exploits had once saved the planet Mars from the clutches of rebellious robots led by the nefarious Professor Mogul. Rocket Kelly, as he was better known, was a hero of Earth, but the Martian pilot knew him also as a hero of Mars.
As a smile played upon his face, the pilot recalled how, when he was a young Martian bureaucrat of little consequence, he had encountered Kelly himself on the surface of the Red Planet. He also remembered when Kelly had returned to Mars a few years later to thwart a Martian invasion of Earth, an almost-forgotten war now etched into history as the Earth-Mars War of 1948. At that time the Martian had the honor of fighting alongside the valiant Rocket Kelly, defending not only Mars but also Earth and the entire solar system against the relentless invaders from the aggressive Martian nation of Luravia.
The pilot felt a pang of sorrow as he recalled Rocket Kelly's untimely demise, his heroic light extinguished in the prime of life upon the denouement of that interplanetary conflict. But what troubled the pilot even more was the lingering mystery surrounding Kelly's fate. He alone had born witness to the enigmatic figure of a blonde woman in a red outfit who appeared after Kelly's burial, introducing herself as Diana before spiriting his body away. The strange incident had sparked a glimmer of hope that the hero of his youth might still live, even if nobody else believed his story.
Then, a few years ago, the shadow of Warlord Korok of Luravia loomed once more over Mars. Korok, a formidable adversary known from the legends of another Earthman named "Spurs" Jackson, had now launched a relentless campaign to conquer Mars, employing a ruthless blitzkrieg strategy learned from observing Earth's recent history. With each passing day, Korok's grip on Mars tightened, and the pilot had subsequently learned of the warlord's sinister plans to launch yet another Martian invasion of Earth.
Fearing for the safety of both worlds, the pilot had fled Mars in search of answers. Long ago he had discovered that Rocket Kelly had once been chosen as the Keeper of the Flame of Democracy. Could the Keeper's guardian have been the very one who'd taken Kelly away to recover from his mortal wounds through the Flame itself? Legend held that the Keeper of the Flame could never truly die while the Flame itself still burned. The last Keeper of the Flame was reputed to have lived for some two thousand years before passing on the role to Kelly, after which time he finally succumbed to age. Thus it was possible that Kelly, the current Keeper of the Flame, still lived in the abode of the Flame itself.
Over the last few decades, he had painstakingly collected clues and had gone on numerous quests that had finally led him to the location of this obscure planetoid in the asteroid belt. According to his research, this small world, hidden amongst asteroids both small and large, might very well be the abode of the Keeper of the Flame. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary asteroid -- a huge round rock floating through outer space. Yet, upon landing, the pilot had found that it had a peculiar gravity field of its own that could not be natural.
As he neared the destination he had marked upon his map, the Martian pilot encountered two formidable-looking guardians clad in strange clothing and looking so alike as to be twins. The male was tall and overly muscular, almost bare-chested with a white toga and strapped sandals, while the female was nearly as tall and had even longer hair, wearing a long, flowing red dress. Both looked young, had blonde hair, were very beautiful, and were quite human in appearance, though there was something otherworldly about them.
As their eyes bore into him, the female was the first to speak. "I am Beautia, guardian of the Keeper of the Flame, and this is my fellow guardian, Magnificus. By what right do you seek to intrude upon this sacred ground?" she demanded, her hands resting upon the hilt of her sword.
Behind her, the male stood with his arms crossed, his apparent great strength his only weapon. "Speak, or find yourself in dire peril, wayfarer."
In a voice filled with conviction, the humble pilot introduced himself. "My name is Zeltan Zamba, and I hail from the land of Zenoba on the planet Mars, which is what they call my world on Earth."
Over the next few moments, Zeltan recounted his past, the battles, the loss of Rocket Kelly, and the renewed threat of Warlord Korok. The guardians listened intently, their skepticism gradually giving way to understanding.
Satisfied with the truth of the Martian pilot's words, the youthful guardians stepped aside, allowing him passage toward his destination. With a grateful nod, Zeltan stepped forward, and as he passed through an unseen screen, his surroundings seemed to shimmer away as he quickly found himself in another place entirely.
Gone was the barren rocky terrain upon which his spacecraft had landed. Now Zeltan found himself in a lush, garden-like terrain that resembled ancient Rome in its golden age. All around him were Doric columns and marble structures in perfect repair, unlike those that might still be found in ruins upon Earth itself. Although this was not wholly unexpected, given what he'd learned through his research, Zeltan couldn't help but feel awed by this world that kept such a paradise hidden away from the universe except only as a twinkling star seen from a great distance.
The Martian could only suppose that some hidden technology controlled the asteroid's movement and its artificial gravity field, as well as keeping its oxygen-rich atmosphere from dissipating into the vacuum of space.
But this was hardly the time to quell his curiosity. For, just as he had hoped, Zeltan beheld a mighty open-roofed temple in the center of this paradise, and at its heart was a sight that nearly defied belief as he stepped forward to see it with his own two eyes, the two young guardians following him closely.
Reclining in a glass chamber that was bathed in the radiant glow of the Flame nearby was a still-youthful Rocket Kelly. Time had not touched him, and just as Zeltan had hoped, the mystical Flame had preserved Kelly's life, health, and vitality for the past four decades. He had not truly died, after all; could he have been sleeping this whole time?
With an urgent plea in his voice, Zeltan beseeched the guardians, "Please, allow me to bring him back to Mars. In this hour of need, Rocket Kelly must rise once more to defend our worlds."
The young guardians exchanged a solemn look, their decision weighing heavily upon them. The fate of two worlds was in their hands, and this resting hero from the past might be needed once again.
***
A small spacecraft glided gracefully through the vast expanse of outer space, weaving its way deftly through a perilous asteroid belt. Inside, the intrepid pilot monitored the controls with a steely determination. He had embarked on a quest of immense importance, one that would shape the destiny of two worlds.
The spacecraft's navigation system beeped insistently as it pinpointed a specific planetoid amidst the asteroid belt. The pilot expertly maneuvered the vessel until it gently touched down on the rocky surface of the planetoid. Within a few moments, the small, slender figure emerged from his craft onto the planetoid's surface. Surveying his surroundings, he then used his handheld device to scan the area.
After a few moments of cautious assessment, he unfastened his helmet, revealing a balding head and a worried countenance upon a somewhat homely, mustachioed face. The unimpressive-looking pilot, appearing to be an ordinary man in his forties or fifties, let out a sigh of relief as he detected a breathable atmosphere and a comfortably warm temperature. The crimson soil beneath his boots felt familiar, yet foreign, like an old friend in a new guise. For this pilot was not an Earthman at all, but a Martian.
With the assurance that he could safely breathe the air, the Martian pilot retrieved his notes, confirming the coordinates and his purpose on this celestial body. His mission was clear -- to locate the enigmatic Flame, a source of untold power that could potentially turn the tides of a looming conflict. Known by many names in centuries past, such as the Flame of Liberty, Freedom, or Independence, it had been called the Flame of Democracy during the last global conflict on the planet Earth. For as long as it had been known to exist, the Flame was closely guarded lest its fire ever be quenched. It served as a beacon of hope to oppressed people everywhere, a sign that no matter what tyrant might wrest it from their hands, power would eventually return to the people where it rightfully belonged.
As he made his way along the rugged terrain of the planetoid, the pilot's thoughts drifted back to the pivotal events that had brought him to this moment. He recalled the legend of a dashing hero from Earth -- U.S. Army Air Force Captain Patrick Kelly, whose exploits had once saved the planet Mars from the clutches of rebellious robots led by the nefarious Professor Mogul. Rocket Kelly, as he was better known, was a hero of Earth, but the Martian pilot knew him also as a hero of Mars.
As a smile played upon his face, the pilot recalled how, when he was a young Martian bureaucrat of little consequence, he had encountered Kelly himself on the surface of the Red Planet. He also remembered when Kelly had returned to Mars a few years later to thwart a Martian invasion of Earth, an almost-forgotten war now etched into history as the Earth-Mars War of 1948. At that time the Martian had the honor of fighting alongside the valiant Rocket Kelly, defending not only Mars but also Earth and the entire solar system against the relentless invaders from the aggressive Martian nation of Luravia.
The pilot felt a pang of sorrow as he recalled Rocket Kelly's untimely demise, his heroic light extinguished in the prime of life upon the denouement of that interplanetary conflict. But what troubled the pilot even more was the lingering mystery surrounding Kelly's fate. He alone had born witness to the enigmatic figure of a blonde woman in a red outfit who appeared after Kelly's burial, introducing herself as Diana before spiriting his body away. The strange incident had sparked a glimmer of hope that the hero of his youth might still live, even if nobody else believed his story.
Then, a few years ago, the shadow of Warlord Korok of Luravia loomed once more over Mars. Korok, a formidable adversary known from the legends of another Earthman named "Spurs" Jackson, had now launched a relentless campaign to conquer Mars, employing a ruthless blitzkrieg strategy learned from observing Earth's recent history. With each passing day, Korok's grip on Mars tightened, and the pilot had subsequently learned of the warlord's sinister plans to launch yet another Martian invasion of Earth.
Fearing for the safety of both worlds, the pilot had fled Mars in search of answers. Long ago he had discovered that Rocket Kelly had once been chosen as the Keeper of the Flame of Democracy. Could the Keeper's guardian have been the very one who'd taken Kelly away to recover from his mortal wounds through the Flame itself? Legend held that the Keeper of the Flame could never truly die while the Flame itself still burned. The last Keeper of the Flame was reputed to have lived for some two thousand years before passing on the role to Kelly, after which time he finally succumbed to age. Thus it was possible that Kelly, the current Keeper of the Flame, still lived in the abode of the Flame itself.
Over the last few decades, he had painstakingly collected clues and had gone on numerous quests that had finally led him to the location of this obscure planetoid in the asteroid belt. According to his research, this small world, hidden amongst asteroids both small and large, might very well be the abode of the Keeper of the Flame. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary asteroid -- a huge round rock floating through outer space. Yet, upon landing, the pilot had found that it had a peculiar gravity field of its own that could not be natural.
As he neared the destination he had marked upon his map, the Martian pilot encountered two formidable-looking guardians clad in strange clothing and looking so alike as to be twins. The male was tall and overly muscular, almost bare-chested with a white toga and strapped sandals, while the female was nearly as tall and had even longer hair, wearing a long, flowing red dress. Both looked young, had blonde hair, were very beautiful, and were quite human in appearance, though there was something otherworldly about them.
As their eyes bore into him, the female was the first to speak. "I am Beautia, guardian of the Keeper of the Flame, and this is my fellow guardian, Magnificus. By what right do you seek to intrude upon this sacred ground?" she demanded, her hands resting upon the hilt of her sword.
Behind her, the male stood with his arms crossed, his apparent great strength his only weapon. "Speak, or find yourself in dire peril, wayfarer."
In a voice filled with conviction, the humble pilot introduced himself. "My name is Zeltan Zamba, and I hail from the land of Zenoba on the planet Mars, which is what they call my world on Earth."
Over the next few moments, Zeltan recounted his past, the battles, the loss of Rocket Kelly, and the renewed threat of Warlord Korok. The guardians listened intently, their skepticism gradually giving way to understanding.
Satisfied with the truth of the Martian pilot's words, the youthful guardians stepped aside, allowing him passage toward his destination. With a grateful nod, Zeltan stepped forward, and as he passed through an unseen screen, his surroundings seemed to shimmer away as he quickly found himself in another place entirely.
Gone was the barren rocky terrain upon which his spacecraft had landed. Now Zeltan found himself in a lush, garden-like terrain that resembled ancient Rome in its golden age. All around him were Doric columns and marble structures in perfect repair, unlike those that might still be found in ruins upon Earth itself. Although this was not wholly unexpected, given what he'd learned through his research, Zeltan couldn't help but feel awed by this world that kept such a paradise hidden away from the universe except only as a twinkling star seen from a great distance.
The Martian could only suppose that some hidden technology controlled the asteroid's movement and its artificial gravity field, as well as keeping its oxygen-rich atmosphere from dissipating into the vacuum of space.
But this was hardly the time to quell his curiosity. For, just as he had hoped, Zeltan beheld a mighty open-roofed temple in the center of this paradise, and at its heart was a sight that nearly defied belief as he stepped forward to see it with his own two eyes, the two young guardians following him closely.
Reclining in a glass chamber that was bathed in the radiant glow of the Flame nearby was a still-youthful Rocket Kelly. Time had not touched him, and just as Zeltan had hoped, the mystical Flame had preserved Kelly's life, health, and vitality for the past four decades. He had not truly died, after all; could he have been sleeping this whole time?
With an urgent plea in his voice, Zeltan beseeched the guardians, "Please, allow me to bring him back to Mars. In this hour of need, Rocket Kelly must rise once more to defend our worlds."
The young guardians exchanged a solemn look, their decision weighing heavily upon them. The fate of two worlds was in their hands, and this resting hero from the past might be needed once again.