Chapter Text
A robotic feminine voice chimes in, announcing how planet Rubrum's in view and is ready to be landed.
Pim swiftly unbuckles his seat belt and climbs into the Pilot's seat, frantically clicking the buttons on the console and cautiously moving the wheel towards the crimson red planet.
"Hold on to your hats!"
Pim exclaims, preparing for the ship to make contact with the planet's atmosphere. The sound of the engines revv louder and louder, signalling the ship's increase in speed towards the planet.
Pim braces himself for the impact of landing, gripping the steering wheel tightly,
"Brace for impact!!"
He shouts over the noise of the ship's engines. The console beeps faster and faster as it descends down. Charlie's face turns a shade of green and he holds one hand to his mouth while holding onto his seat belt.
The ship's vibrations grow more intense, as it comes closer and closer to the planet's surface. With mere seconds left before landing, Pim gives the final push and directs the ship towards a clearing, a wide expanse of alien flora.
With one last crank of a lever, the ground shakes as the ship touches down. With a jolt, the ship makes contact with the planet's surface.
"Alright folks, we've made it!"
Pim declares, leaning back into his seat and letting out a sigh of relief.
"That was quite the bumpy ride, but we're here safe and sound!"
He gives the engines a few moments to settle down, before standing up from his seat and heading towards the back of the ship to check on the others.
Duncan's expression softens after a moment of shock, and he looks at Pim with a mixture of pride and relief. As Pim walks toward them, Duncan applauds his friend for the successful landing.
Pim nods gratefully and turns to see Charlie in the back of the ship.
"Oh my god, dude. I think I'm gonna puke" Charlie groans.
"What?"
His face turns a shade of green again and he gags, holding a clenched fist over his mouth.
He quickly unbuckles his seat belt and throws up in a nearby container-like part of the ship.
"Gee, I didn't think it'd be that bad, Charlie's got quite a sensitive stomach, don't you think?"
Pim asks Duncan with his arms crossed.
Duncan unbuckles his seat belt and hops off, shrugging in response.
----
Their ship's door seemingly exhales as it swings down, giant purple leaves shoving themselves through the opening. Pim braces his shoulder and struggles to ram through the foilage but to no avail, grunting and wheezing pathetically. Charlie sighs and chucks Pim over his shoulder before walking through with no fight.
After the trio gets through the leaves blocking the ship's entrance, Pim protests, "Can you put me dow–" ZOOM!
Almost immediately, the three stumble backwards (Pim screeching as he plops headfirst onto his nerve) as a horde of strange flying four-legged animals gallop past skyward, revealing a multicolored rainforest, crawling, buzzing, and shaking with greenery and life.
The sunlight dappled through purple leaves– similar to the ones encountered earlier, and lay bare a brilliant ecosystem of strange fauna and flora.
The first thing Charlie notices is the sticky, saccharine smell permeating the air, overpowering everything else. It seemed to come from ooze dripping from the burrows and tall stone-like structures, almost reminiscent of a hive.
As they make their way through the mesmerizing landscape, Duncan and Charlie scan the land for any figures in the distance, in case of any possible 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 alien sightings.
The trio treks through the lush and vibrant rainforest, their steps crunch against the brittle leaves on the ground. Charlie, Pim, and Duncan remain close together, looking out for any potential dangers that may arise. Pim and Duncan take in the awe-inspiring sights of the dense vegetation surrounding them, whereas Charlie paid no attention to the view, keeping his gaze steady on the path ahead.
Continuing their journey across the beautiful thriving landscape, they were suddenly interrupted by a low growl. They all stopped in their tracks and their eyes wandered to find the source of the sound.
"What was that."
Charlie whispered.
Duncan hears the bushes rustle and was the first to notice the tall, peculiar shaped figure behind them. It was tall and lean with a long face and 2 beady eyes by the rim of its mouth.
Its face was divided into 5 sections like a flower with multiple eyes that started to open one by one revealing a vibrant display of colors that matched its bright, almost luminescent camouflaged body. Slowly, the creature revealed itself from its camouflaged state, and Duncan's heart raced as he stared at the alien.
Duncan trembles in fear and points a shaky finger at the alien who was now eyeing them like they were prey. Pim and Charlie turn to where Duncan was pointing at and froze at the sight of the alien.
"Nobody. Move."
Pim warns them.
Charlie steps back slowly, accidentally snapping a twig.
Suddenly, the creature pounces towards Duncan with its mouth open screeching, baring the rows of teeth jagged into each sector of its mouth. Duncan swiftly dodges the attack, causing the alien to fall and slide across the ground behind him. The creature springs back into action, growling and charging at Duncan once again.
The alien runs towards Duncan as he searches his pockets anxiously, quickly drawing his weapon, and delivering a powerful blow to the alien's head, causing it to recoil and fall to the ground, squirming and shrieking in pain before going limp.
The trio stands there in silence for a moment, processing what just happened, their hearts racing.
"What the fuck was that?!"
Charlie exclaimed, turning to Pim.
"Rubrum Vibrudis!" Pim says enthusiastically.
"Rubrum what"
"The alien we need to bring back! We finally encountered one!"
The trio examines the body, noting the blue blood pooling beneath it. Pim kneels down to collect a sample of the blood in a small capsule, tucking it into his breast pocket.
Pim continues, "I'm surprised this one was hunting alone, but I can see why. They hunt in packs, usually to bring food back to their queen, but this one must have been hungry and decided to hunt solo." The trio carefully inspects the body, amazed at the sight.
Pim adds, "Can you believe they jump that high?!" He asks excitedly. "Did you know they actually lock their jaws around the victim's face and melt it off with a type of acid that evaporates? They then morph into the victim's form, so they can blend in and catch their next prey."
Duncan and Charlie give each other glances.
"Wait, wait, hold on, did you say they hunt in packs?!" Charlie replies, raising his voice. "We can't handle a whole pack of these things! The Instructor said we need to bring one back alive, but that's not happening. We're leaving, now."
Pim, not listening to Charlie's protest, runs off excitedly in search of the alien queen. "We've never given up on a job before, Charlie! Don't be such a downer. Let's go find the queen!"
"The queen?!" Charlie sputters in disbelief, trying to process what he's hearing. However, before he can even form a proper objection, Pim is already sprinting away in the direction of the large, mountain-like hive in the distance, leaving Charlie and Duncan to follow.
"....Come on, Duncan."
Little did they know, there was someone else trailing them from a distance, watching their every step. The impostor was keeping a discreet distance from the trio, remaining hidden in the shadows as they followed in their footsteps.