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| Of Men and Gods | ||||||||||||||||||
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This story appeared in the February issue of Burning Sky, which is a great mag. Of Men and Gods by Adam Johnson ?Ritland, McKenzie, stay in formation,? Sergeant Wooton whispered. The two men stopped gazing about the forest and fell into line. . This should be a fairly easy assignment, compared to what this band of soldiers was used to. Sgt. Wooton was in charge of one of the United Planet?s most elite forces. They had participated in black ops on a dozen planets, all of which were more treacherous than this. Sgt. Wooton had thought the assignment was a joke at first. He was used to being sent to the icy wastes of Mirax, or the swamps of Sitian. Instead they had been sent to Eluxur. Eluxur was a paradise, the most popular tourist spot in the quadrant. The climate was perfect, the food and drink delicious. Then there were the natives. Eluxurians were similar to humans, with a few slight differences. Their skin had a grayish tint, and their eyes were golden. They were also the most beautiful creatures humans had ever encountered. While few reached heights over five feet, Eluxurians were irresistible to most humans. Scientists had identified a pheromone that Eluxurians give off that Earth natives are particularly vulnerable to. Whatever it was, it worked. Wooton had been here once before, when his squad had been given a week leave after a rather tricky job back on Earth. His stay was wonderful. He spent hours wandering through the beautiful forests of the planet, marveling at the gigantic blossoms that radiated with colors his mind could not name. The temperature was a perfect 78 degrees at all times. Even the sounds of the birds were more soothing. This time was quite different. The colors were still there, as well as the birds. The temperature hadn?t changed either. But he didn?t notice any of these things. He had a mission. In addition to being beautiful, Eluxurians are also a superstitious, helpless race. The UP long ago pledged to protect Eluxur from any threat it might encounter. There had never been any problems that required military intervention, until now. Over the past several months Eluxurians had been turning up dead in extremely gruesome ways. Their flesh ripped from their body, limbs severed, internal organs missing. Autopsy reports showed evidence of teeth marks on the bodies. On most planets, this would be attributed to wild animal attacks. On Eluxur, the most vicious animal was a little less dangerous than your average rabbit. The Eluxurians attributed the killings to a pink Devil that lived in the woods. According to the stories, the natives felt they were being punished for allowing outsiders to detract from their planet?s natural beauty. Sgt. Wooton knew this was a load of shit. Since there was nothing on this planet capable of doing it, it obviously was something from another planet. Even this wouldn?t normally be enough to call his crew in. But considering the two teams that went in before never returned, the UP finally called him. Just to make things interesting, the UP also wanted whatever it was alive. Wooton and his men had been in the woods for almost two days, and he could tell they were getting close. | ||||||||||||||||||
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