H.O.M.E. 6
by
Fin
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When Franklin Blade had first pulled himself from the smoking wreck of The Icarus II, his first concern was not his injured wrist, nor his twisted ankle, nor the several dozen scrapes and cuts that adorned the rest of his bruised body. All these would heal. And if they wouldn't, it was of still no concern.
Because Franklin's first thoughts were of his son.
Where was James?
Where was his boy?
"JAMES!" cried out the man as he frantically began to move the rubble and debris from the remains of The Icarus II.
"Over here, Dad," called out the younger Blade, resting on a nearby rock, looking more worse the wear by far.
The lieutenant had dragged himself from the wreckage some minutes earlier, but was still too shell shocked to stand.
The emergency webbing of the science vehicle had saved both their lives, activating automatically as the ship careened toward the barren surface of the alien world.
This however had been the last action of The Icarus II. The craft would not be flying again anytime soon.
The Blades were stranded.
Marrooned.
And not a soul from Home Universe was going to come to their rescue.
Their first task was to assess their situation.
Dire.
After that, it was to survive it.
Their instruments indicated the air of this world, while breathable, contained a high number of unknown contaminants, with equally unknown effects. So it was decided to assemble a filtration system for their helmets out of whatever was still functional of The Icarus II.
After they could breathe once more freely, it was time to leave. Gathering any remaining supplies, and bidding their once rescue chariot a final goodbye, Franklin and James set out on foot toward the horizon.
It had taken the pair the better part of a day to find the dirt road through The Wastes.
It was their first success in a long line of disasters.
They weren't alone!
Someone else was alive on this barren, rocky world!
Could it be the crew of The Icarus I?
Even this minor victory had been short lived however, as the first being the two spied on the road with their cracked field binoculars had not been their long lost brother and son, but instead... a monster.
A monster sitting in a carriage.
Pulled by six other monsters as well.
The Galactic Fleet of Home Universe had yet to meet a single other intelligent species in all their many missions, though having spread across several hundred solar systems in the last millenia. If other life existed in The Milky Way Galaxy, it lived nowhere nearby to Earth.
So it was not without some shock, that Franklin and James discovered that humans were in fact, not alone whatsoever. Even if such beings existed in another dimension entirely.
Not having any better idea on how to proceed, the duo both immediately agreed to enact Galactic Fleet's first contact protocol with another alien species.
Assume the worst.
Assume the absolute worst in every way imaginable.
And continue to do so until evidence presented itself otherwise.
So the pair had hidden themselves from the carriage riding monster, retreating a safe distance away until they were ready to initiate contact under their own terms.
And that's how the father and son had met the friendly Qzxrl and the rest of his trader clan.
Hidden under layers of rags and debris taken from their ruined ship.
Letting no one know how foriegn these humans truly were.
And that's also how the father and son wound up where they were now.
Standing in the center of a crowded avenue on the edge of Ring City.
Staring in disbelief at hundreds of versions of their long lost missing family member.
Sam!
So many Sams!
Some had blonde hair. Others black.
Some were far more muscular than the boy had ever been.
Some were younger than he had been when he had left.
All were naked.
All were chained.
If Franklin Blade had believed he could ever be living a nightmare made real.
This would now be it.
The ret. admiral's combat ready mind could not even begin to decide what to do with his body next.
And his son James beside him, stood there equally unable to move as well.
So it should not be too much of a surprise that when a commotion broke out, as a surly green scaled alien started to harass one of the naked Sams nearby, Franklin intervened with as much force as his being could muster.
"Now listen here, you two timing whore, I've paid good money for..."
WHAM!
The lizard like beast was down on the pavement instantaneously, clobbered from behind by the heavily breathing ret. admiral, who could now do nothing else but stare at the youthful face of his long missing child.
"Sam...."
The boy stared back at the man in unrecognition.
"You're going to have to wait your turn, Daddy," said the 18 year old youth. "I had the situation handled!"
"Samuel..."
Catching up to his teary eyed father, James tried to pull the man away.
"Dad... I don't think that's Sam..."
But if there was to be more to this reunion, it was cut extremely short as the scaly hide alien was back on his feet behind them.
"Well if The Idiots haven't returned themselves," swore the beast as he rose once more to his full height. "Make your peace fools, because you both are about to die!"
"Rix, I'm sure these nice folks just made an honest mistake," said the naked teenager, trying to intervene. "Isn't that right Daddy?"
"Stay out of this, bitch!" bellowed the menacing green alien at the blonde boy.
Franklin was nothing, if not rage.
"Don't speak to my son that way!"
The two were on each other in a flash, fists flying, arms blocking, bodies colliding.
But whatever advantage Franklin had by taking the alien previously by surprise was now gone, as the hulking scaly brute was the clear weavyweight now.
The alien's thick muscles drove each punch home with such might that each new swing had to be dodged entirely, lest a clear hit crack a bone or two in the process.
Forced against the alleyway wall from the beast's ferocity, the elder Blade was only rescued by the actions of his son.
James tackled the hulking alien on his father, sending both of them crashing to the ground nearby in a heap.
When the lieutenant tried to stand once more however, the lizard alien's long tale swiped his feet out from under him.
CRACK!
James' helmet splintered around his head! And the alien immediately on top of him was there to finish the rest!
Yanking the broken metal and glass from off his head, the alien jumped back in shock.
It was a Umon!
It was another Umon!
And the beast wasn't the only one staring in awe as James tried to collect himself off the ground.
Other aliens whom had stopped to watch the fight, were now raising their cameras to snap a photo of the incredible. The impossible!
There had never been another Umon in The Core!
Not besides the one.
Yanking on both Franklin and James sleeves, the equally stunned blonde 18 year old fascimile of Sam tried to hurry them away.
"We have to go! Now!"