Kid Kinetic and the Space Knights! Issue #2 "Ummm where are we?"

"Food!", Ryan bellowed. The rescue expedition had taken most of his reserves. A ravenous Kid Kinetic zig zagged throughout the camp like a whirling dervish. He devoured the ants as his bites sounded like staccato bursts.

Roasted giant ant insect tasted a bit like chicken.

If you were imaginative. Still, it was protein and Kid Kinetic was ravenous! The others greeted each other and took Rachel away as preparations were made for take off.

Ian came over and sighed, crouching. "Good work getting Rachel back. I have to look at the bigger picture as team leader but that means making the hard choices. I'll be sure to mention it to Father and keep out the parts where you disobey orders and race off half cocked. That is if you start to toe the line. I won't have my authority questioned Ryan."

"Huh." said Cutthroat walking over as the speedster tore off and ate chunks of roasted giant ant thing. "Seems to me if you gave an order most people would think twice. This kid gave an order and people jumped. What do you make of that?"

"I think that Kid Kinetic was a great team member until you came along." said Ian, standing and almost eye to to eye with Cutthroat who was still tearing off chunks of any meat. "And you changed him. Not for the better. A team is only as strong as its weakest link and right now our weakest link is dissension in the ranks. While you were in there the rest of us found parts for Marionette to absorb. She... it... is currently forming into a new space craft to get us off this rock using the Valkyries remains. We won't last another day here - we were attacked by twelve legged spiders, six legged dinosaur things, flying jellyfish, snakes the size of Buicks and the plants are carnivorous. We can't even sleep without being eaten."

"Ah quit yer whinin'. We got the girl back, you pulled that stick outta ya butt long enough to find some repair materials and we're getting off this death trap of a planet. Sounds like a win to me."

Ian was about to retort but instead sucked in his words and spun, leaving.

"He's not all bad kid. Maybe a good leader overall, but in the field you have what it takes. I used to be military before I turned pro and I've seen enough a holes with stripes on their arms to know you have the makin's o one." he said with a clap on the shoulder and a grin.

OOC Ready to leave the planet?

Ryan nodded his head absent mindedly. Ian was still in denial about his leaving the New Knights. The only reason he was still working alongside him and the others was there was strength in numbers.

The Psions were still the main threat. Even worse than the squid heads. Ryan wondered how the Psions would react to them. Would they strike a bargain like they did or just wipe them out?

"Does Marionette have enough um, 'fuel' to get us all off the planet's surface?" he asked.

"Only one way to find out!" said Cutthroat. With a shout and a wave he started gesturing and ordering people to get onboard.

Marionette had indeed absorbed raw materials - metals, plastics and more - and 'her' amazing abilities had transformed what was used of the Valkyrie into something else...



No longer sleek and manoeuvrable the ship looked clumsy and awkward, and the trailing wires, open panels and bits hanging off didn't give cause for hope.

Suddenly Moth Lady flew down. Her antennae twitched and Cutthroat turned.

"I KNEW we couldn't trust those guys! They let us go to buy time! She says they are coming - an ARMY of them! Dozens of Purple Hulks, Squidheads, and machines too! Some kind armoured suits, or mechs! Too many to fight even for us!"

"We can fight anyone!" said Bioforce/Matt. "But, uh, how many did you say there were?"

"Too many." grunted Depth Charge. "I never run from a fight but this is one we can't win."

"Besides..." said Mimic Lad, moving alongside. "We got nearly everyone on board. If we hang around they will hook us up to their machines and steal our way off this death trap of a planet! Besides, despite it tasting like chicken I have an awful feeling that those ants might be disagreeable at some point. I sure hope Marionette installed a toilet... or three."

With no time to lose and Ian on the rear hatch waving people into the hold - those they'd rescued and the team - it was getting pretty crowded despite the size of the ship.

He turned to Ryan. "If we are caught before the ship can take off... you and I might have to hold off the aliens to make sure the others get a chance to..."

"Ah can it." said Cutthroat, slapping Ian on the arm. "Have a little faith! This bucket of bolts will get us outta here!" he patted a hand on a panel of the hold... which gave a grinding noise then fell off, clattering onto the deck. "I hope."

He turned and bellowed. "EVERYONE ON? GO, GO, GO!"

The hatch started to close as Purple Hulks emerged from the tree line - DOZENS of them! Following them were dozens of Squidheads... and the ship started to shudder!

Mentallica called out "They... they are using telekinesis to stop us getting the ship up! Hundreds of tons! I don't... how are they doing this?"

The ship started to vibrate harder and Ryan picked his way through people to get to the cockpit where some of the others were. Looking out of the window they saw the jungle, the Purple Hulks looking up, some gathering rocks, trees to throw, and the squidheads reaching out with their tentacles and bathing the ship in an eerie purple glow! The shuddering got more violent and the ship started to move back slowly, its engines roaring in protest!

"We're screwed here." muttered Matt. "We'd better go out there and..."

Suddenly as the team watched the jungle started to come alive! Giant antlike creatures and other insects, plants, huge dinosaur type monsters started to pour from the the jungle and attack the aliens! The ship shuddered, vibrated, the engines roared again... and broke free!

With everyone pressed backwards the clouds rushed past and the engines calmed a little though everything still shook with the lack of reassurance that came from a jury rigged vessel held together with willpower, twine, sticking plaster and hope...



Then they were free, the sky turning dark then black and the 'Marionette' left the vast planet behind, with its danger in all forms - including the Alien ship that had crashed and the creatures that now attacked the aliens! Something about them had clearly riled the local wildlife and they used the chance to wreak revenge!

Cutthroat came up with a sigh. "Well, we're in space kid. Next 'good' news is that we probably only have enough juice for a few jumps, so we'll have to check out the star charts in Marionettes data bank and make our best guesses on what we can reach. Hopefully somewhere friendly that can help us out."

"Lets get back there and look at the charts and figure something then we can be on our way..."

=========

Some distance away...

<Translated Alien speech>

"Anything?"

"No sir. I'm scanning sector by sector and using the navigation buoys to bounce signals. Some are jammed to us..."

"Fools! Make a note. We will pay them a ..."

"Wait! Sorry sir, I think I have something. It's pretty distant but there's nothing else in that system. A leaking drive by the radiation signature but... its unusual. The signs are... I don't know. Not organic but..." the operative shook his head, wondering what the computers were telling him.

His superior scowled. Then he walked over. "I've told you before, I don't deal in maybes or what ifs? Is it them or ...?"

He looked at the readings for a long moment. "Set a course. We'll check it out. Keep scanning them... HELM! Engage when ready!"

"Aye sir!" came the reply.

The Psion Commander turned to the screen. Moments late lights dimmed and he sat in his chair as the stars warped and the vessel leapt into hyperspace!

END OF CHAPTER

OOC Coming up, Hero Point awards and a new chapter! Should be in the next few days though I'm juggling work with Christmas shenanigans hence the delay on this post, apologies!

I think Dex and SS would be my first choice.

Looks great, thanks. I hope you had a happy holidays.