The battle of Venus.
Perhaps Venus would always be the best planet for mischievous summer fun, or that's what they said at least. Jae too, knew that it was the best planet for games of laser tag, but with real lasers, or water balloon fights but with incredibly durable balloons. The ground itself was mostly molten, layered with floating plates or rock and unsteady landforms which drifted about, untethered to any solid surface. Lava spewed from the unsteady surface every few paces made, and the atmosphere was thick with gas which was nearly opaque save for a three foot radius on either side. Perfect conditions for a bored space adventurer wanting to hang out with their equally bored friends.
He had often traveled to Venus when he was in search for a good time, and called his other pals to join him in a game or two of whatever dangerous but thrilling sport the group collectively desired. Today, he had managed to round up an incredible sizing of players -- Decarus, his best friend who was several years older but still rad; Persephone, his ex girlfriend but currently still friend,and Saphe. They had decided to embark on a water balloon fight in the heavy climate of the planet, in a sort of 'Capture the Flag' type game.
Once the game rules had been set, he set off a flare gun and everyone vanished into the fog. Jae heard footsteps every so often, but he was not quick enough nor accurate enough to hit anyone so far that he knew. His own balloons were filled with green paint. That's how his friends would be able to tell themselves apart. The player with the most hits would be deemed the honorary winner and new owner of the planet until next time they arrived. Jae felt a hard smack against his suit. He looked down sharply and saw a terrible splatter of pink paint against his chest. Saphe. He narrowed his eyes in the direction that it had come from and could almost make out the lean figure of a female viscet against the murk. The viscet closed an eye to gain a better angle on the target, and shot. Though he lost track of his balloon almost immediately, a satisfying yelp filled his ears which meant that, even if he had not hit Saphe, he had been close.
The game rang on, and all was joyous until suddenly a much faster, harder mass rammed into Jae's shoulder. This one was far different. White fire lit up the entire left side of his body, and the viscet found his vision tainted with dark stars that swam from side to side. He fell back into reality for a moment to find his lips wide open with a cry of pain, and looked down. With horror, he saw the terrible sight of red. Red blood, not paint. And the green fur surrounding had darkened to almost black. His suit had been compromised, torn somehow. What in the hell? With another jolt, he whipped out a package of suit-repairing tape, and slapped it over the wound and the tear in his suit alike. Protecting himself from Venus' dangerous climate was no longer an issue, but what had hit him? His mind buzzed with wonder, but the pain overthrew his reasoning.
Just then, another turret of thuds encased him. An explosion to his right, a rumble from behind. Panic. Jae ran. He didn't know where he was going anymore, and had lost the sense of direction guiding him across the planet's safe zones. As the thuds seemed to fade, another pressure bit into his mind. His friends.
"Decarus? Bro...where are you? P-Persephone? Saphe can someone here me?" He spoke as loud as he dared. He still wasn't aware where the threat was located or how close it was. Yet his friends were out there as well, in danger. He needed to find them before whatever that thing was did. All reason seemed lost as the wound on his shoulder throbbed. He began to scream, "Persephon-!"
"What, take a chill pill, man. You sound like you're actually scared." It was her. He pale blue hair appearing ever so slightly through the thick coat of blindness.
"Seph, I'm not joking, there's this gnarly thing out there, shooting fire balls and stuff." He looked to her face as she approached and in anger, noticed skepticism. "Seph...look!" He pointed to the fresh patch on his suit. At the splatter of red surrounding it and over to the red on his glove which had been stained as he fixed the hole."
"Woah! That's bl--...what happened? We need to get out of here. Let's get Dec and Saphe.Where are they?"
"I'm trying to find them though, just..."
A tremble shook the rest of his voice from his throat. A hand shot out from the fog and suddenly there was a crack in his helmet, then a pain in his abdomen. Persephone shrieked, and then there was more movement, blurs, and then a terrified cry. "Jae, run!" A hand grabbed his and suddenly the two were flying across Venus faster than he had ever moved before.
"Oh gosh oh gosh" he panted. "Seph who are they? Could you see them?"
Her face was on the brink of being completely drained of color. "They had the Swize pin on" she gasped for air. "I think...bad...not sure what they want, but...we're in trouble..."
Swize. They were the enemies of Jae's homeplanet. A different race of people which had been fighting his own for centuries. But why were they here now? Why were they trying to kill him and his friends in a peaceful and more importantly, neutral solar system? Unless, maybe...hostages? Oh hell... They really were in danger.
Jae remembered something. His necklace. He debated how to reach it as it was around his neck safely within his suit. Perhaps if there was another way...no, it was their last bet of help. His father had given it to him as a gift when he went away to flight school and now the parting words rang clearly in his delirious mind. The universe is a dangerous place. But this necklace can save you, God forbid you need it to. Use it, and it will call anyone from anywhere in the universe, all you have to do is tell it who.
"Seph wait!" he cried. "I'm gonna take off my helmet. You need to grab my necklace then replace it, I'll be completely knocked so don't wait for me, just push the button!"
"What?!"
"Push the button. Just do it!" And with that, the metal dome was thrown from his head. Darkness, darkness. But it was not the end.
---
"Hello? Yes, this is Persephone Blue! I am calling from Venus, the second planet in the Sol solar system. I'm eighteen years old, I was not hostile, and my friends and I are under attack in a peaceful zone by Swize troops. Please help us!"
The helmet was on but the oxygen was still faint. Darkness.
---
Then chaos. Jae awoke once more, and immediately felt the fear explode like a grenadine through his blood. He was on the floor, Persephone by his side, under the wing of a ship in the murky ground. There were now many noises above his head, and he suddenly was fighting to stand while Persephone shushed him and pressed him into the ground. "Sh, it's okay, it's okay. They've come to help us." More darkness.
---
Peace. The next time his eyes fluttered open, there was nothing left of the commotion. Bombs' screams no longer rebounded into his ears, and the flashes of terrible light no longer flickered within his vision. In fact, had the memories not been coursing through his brain, and the haunting visions not blazing through his eyes during each blink, perhaps the viscet would have believed that nothing at all was occurring, that nothing had just happened.
"Do you want to stand now?"
He nodded. As his eyes cracked open, he saw the tormented faces of Decarus and Saphe peering down at him. Safe.
She put a gentle arm around Jae's shoulder, and helped him to his feet. There was a long silence as they observed the battle field. Their eyes were large, their feet aching, and heart burning, but alive. His mind exploded with memories of the flashes and bangs and shouts, and he noticed that he was shaking. Or maybe it was Peresphone, or the rumble of a ship taking off from somewhere far away. Who even knew anymore. Jae's gaze rested on the wreckage of ruined spacecraft, then jumped to view the countless bodies laying sprawled against the jagged ground, then to the small fragment of a burst water balloon at his feet.
No longer would Venus be known as a playground nor a summer fun zone nor any place other than a monument for those lost in the battle.
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