The Time Travel memoirs: Lost And So Alone

A year later
Planet Marzon

Lloyd and I had landed on Marzdon about ten days ago, the harsh planet had exhausted us and we sat at our camp sweating and slapping flies and other small bugs off our skin.
I held a machete in my hands, I turned it over, almost like a reflex, over and over.
This was the first time we had been out of the majestic that Lloyd hadn't wore a suit, he wore jungle trek gear. The gear consisted of a machete that hung on his back, shorts and a vest type shirt, they were khaki color. Marzon sounded like Mars but it was nothing like the red planet, Marzon was a planet named after a philosopher born in 2021 on Earth, his name was Edward Marzon, he created an alternative fuel of some sort, I forget.

The planet was a jungle planet, we had been told that the planet was inhabited by a colony of lion like creatures called Kha's.
The Kha's could run up to 90mph and at their meat on the spot, dead or alive, they didn't care.
They adored the taste of blood.
Lloyd had spotted a Kha earlier in the week, around three days ago. The vicious animal had literally lunged for Lloyd but Lloyd wasn't by far a lightweight, he had pushed his machete through the chest of the Kha before it could even touch Lloyd.
Lloyd had then used his foot to push the creature off the machete.
"You lucky bastard." I had said.
"All in a day's work sir." Lloyd had said, he still had a full smile, something was wrong with the smile. His smiles were genuine but they had almost lost emotion after the death of Zach.

I heard Lloyd every night, I wouldn't have believed him to be a religious man but Lloyd prayed for Zach, he had been as good as his son.
Now we were plunging through the jungle south of the majestic, we had left the majestic ten days ago and it would take another ten days to get back.
We were on Marzon for one reason; John Storm. Our search for storm had taken over a year, the Oasis had been found in a cave near Marsdon Rock in Britain, it had been destroyed.
The Oasis had been fired on by the cannon of a space ship, we had discovered the wreck after searching for its location for months in the majestic.

The wreck still bore the bodies of all of Storm's crew, they were all good men, it didn't matter if they had killed or thieved, not really, they were honest, hard working men and wouldn't hurt unless they were commanded to, Storm didn't usually work that way.
The fact I didn't find John on the wreck of the ship worried me.
Susie and I had searched the wreckage and we had returned to the majestic after diving under the wreckage to make sure.
All we brought back were John's personal effects, these being his sword, hat and pistol.
These things had been in his personal chest that he kept in his quarters, I had noticed this when John had moved out of the majestic.

This evidence implied that the attack had been by surprise, Storm had been in his quarters when the attack had taken place, the ship must have had a cloaking device. The Oasis stood no chance.
We had decided to depart from the wreckage, I had told Lloyd that there was no hope of finding John now, not when we had nothing to go on.
That's when we had received the transmission.
The knights of the crown.
The knights of the crown were an organization of alien's who came from planet Marzon. The Marzons were green skinned, their noses were shaped like a V, no bones were in the noses, they seemed to me simply like flesh.
The Marzons didn't have mouths, the majestic computer told me they breathed and talked via the gills which receded on their necks.

The knights of the crown were royalty on Marzon as the name suggested, pure blooded Marzons, their blood ran black whilst the regular civilian Marzons ran green, black blood was a sign of royalty.
They all dressed in medieval type armor, looking at them on the transmission, looking at their helmets, steel with nothing but tear-shaped eye holes, I was intimidated. The Marzon who had sent the transmission had a voice that almost croaked, a longsword hung from his hip and from his other; a sub machine gun, it was electronic and would work much like my pistol, it was more powerful and faster though, drat.

The voice had croaked; "George Carter, we meet at last, you've become quite the rumor across the universe, whole planets tremble, we have heard of your defeat of the last three Spartans, you defeated Dan himself, we've all been waiting for that." He had moved to the left a step and there behind him tied to a beam, was John Storm, he was barely conscious, I could see the weak anger in his eyes but that was all it was, weak, they had tortured him, I could tell.
"Mr. Carter, my best spies have noticed you this year, we know you've been looking for Storm, it just so happens that Storm owes me a lot of money from last time we met." I saw Storm laugh a small laugh, this didn't go unnoticed, a Marzon knight who had a long metal rod, much like a cattle prod shocked him. Storm screamed with clenched teeth and passed out.
"We'll give you the co-ordinates, come and get him."
"Your just going to give me him?" I had asked.
"No, you cant pay the price he owes so we will have a duel, it is the knight's tradition as you humans would call it, yes, tradition."

I had shrugged and nodded, "that's fine, Ive got a gun."
The knight had held his hand up, I noticed his fingers had sucker's on the tips.
"A duel with sword's, shall loan you one and take it back as soon as you are dead."
"I...."
He smiled full and cruel.
"Glad you agree Mr,Carter, the co-ordinates are sent, if you win you can have Storm and... a reward of your choice."
I raised my eyebrows, "anything?"
The knight laughed, "yes, anything, you wont win boy."
I had smiled, "end transmission."
The screen had gone blank, Lloyd looked at me as if I were mad.
"Ive always wanted to say that."
He had nodded.

"Aye sir." he said to me now, the jungle was treacherous but we now approached the palace.
We walked across the courtyard.
"Sir, I don't feel right..."
"Lloyd it's perfectly..."
I hadn't noticed the dozen or so knights remove themselves from the bush or tree they happened to be hiding in and surround the two of us.
"Camouflage, clever."
"Aye sir, can you win?"
I shrugged, "maybe I should have practiced before we got here."
The knights were closing in, we were powerless to resist, they all had their long swords raised.
"Ill be your number two sir, in case you die."
I looked at Lloyd and began to laugh, "now aren't you an optimist?"
Lloyd and I laughed despite the danger.