Night falls in the wilderness. Among the shallow mountains and the gumtrees is a crashed Avean transport ship.

  Avean Captain
Gizzards and gonads!

A small crowd of Aveans have set up camp around the crashed ship. They've got a couple lights set up. An Avean Captain recieves a report from a Grunt and an Engineer.

  Avean Captain
Another power coupling blown?

  Avean Engineer
Look, I'm doin' what I can, but the generator's overstressed here...

  Avean Captain
Can one single thing go right!? One thing!!

  Avean Grunt
Please don't fall apart on us, zir.
We're already stranded on a planet not marked on our charts...

  Avean Captain
I didn't ask for a psych evaluation, nestling.

  Avean Grunt
Sorry, zir!! Uh.
In any case we have been making good progress on the hull repairs.

  Avean Engineer
And we almost got those comms online again!
Warp manifolds are stable...

  Avean Grunt
It's been a big crash, but we're getting there.
I have faith that with Helix's guidance, we'll be off-world again soon.

  Avean Captain
Ugh, don't you start quoting the tablets at me now.


An Avean Heavy emerges from the woods, carrying boxes of machine components under each arm.

  Avean Heavy
I'm baaack! Pretty good haul this time, hreh.

  Avean Grunt
Ah! Praise Helix!

  Avean Engineer
Pluck yeah, give 'em here. Lemme give it a look-over.

  Avean Heavy
No need to thank me, hruh hruh.

  Avean Engineer
What do we got here...
Copper wire, some kinda power cell, bits and bobs...
Ain't exactly the riches of Klorvne here, but...

  Avean Grunt
I'm sure you can handle it. You've always managed to keep us flying before!

  Avean Engineer
Yeah, well, every lucky streak's gotta end someday.
C'mon, help me carry this stuff inside...


The grunt and the engineer walk back inside the ship, carrying boxes, while the heavy and captain hang back and talk. Another grunt walks by.

  Avean Captain
...You were gone a while.

  Avean Heavy
I can't exactly take a trip to the local used shipyard here, hreh.
Scrounging takes time.

  Avean Captain
Nobody saw you, did they?

  Avean Heavy
Hraugh, this again?
These guys are cavemen. You know they don't even have hover-pulsors?

  Avean Captain
You have to be joking. We can't afford to attract attention here.

  Avean Heavy
Hrah, you scared? Scared they'll throw some pointy sticks at us?

  Avean Captain
There are EIGHT of us, soldier!! EIGHT!
And millions, potentially BILLIONS of them!!
We don't even have a solid profile on their weaponry!

  Avean Grunt
Hate to say it, Captain, but I'm with the big lady here.
These guys are clueless. We're fine.

  Avean Captain
Of all the insubordinate...!
It's every damn time with these bottom feeders.
Why do I always get assigned the rejects? Did I piss off someone in command??

  Avean Grunt
Maybe it's your can-do attitude, zir...

  Avean Captain
Don't you start.
As soon as we get off this rock you will not believe the report I'm gonna write.
I'm engraving it, in granite, every single one of these indignities--


The Avean Captain's head is blasted open by a particle beam, killing xem instantly. The other Aveans crowded around step back in horror.













Lum says:
Spiderforest comics of the week, Round 2:


All Legends Die
All Legends Die - Cabal has fought against Death before and one, but eventually the bill must come due.

LOSTLAND
LOSTLAND - LOSTLAND is a supernatural, post-apoc adventure story following the tales of four travelers and the little twists of fate that bind them both to eachother, and to one man's grand design for this new world. Prepare for crazy humor, intense action, and a touch of mystery, all rolled into a world that changes all who travel through it.

Pneuma Vita
Pneuma Vita - A post-apocalyptic story about love.