Danger on Raylon 4

Time for the April 2026 Quarterly Blog Hop! Each quarter I, and several other authors I know, post a new story for your reading pleasure. I am continuing the story of Jaxon Eidolon, Space Ranger for the Galactic Patrol. You may wish to read the first two parts if you haven’t already done so:

The Satellite of Death – Part I

Deceptive Decryption – Part II

And now, on with the story.

Danger on Raylon 4

The Mighty Eagle touched down on Raylon 4. After going through the files Hariden decrypted, Jaxon found this to be one of three common points of distribution for the shadow organization he’d been tracking. He was sure now that the Viridian Syndicate was behind everything going on. This seemed as good a place as any to start his investigation.

Opening the hatch, he stepped out and onto the planet’s surface. This was supposed to be an active mining colony, but there was no sign of activity. All the machinery sat still. Vegetation grew up around the transport vehicles and the refinery buildings. Waist high flowers grew everywhere. The silence was deafening. “This place is a veritable graveyard. I hope not literally.”

Jaxon headed toward the main building, hoping to find a foreman or administrator. A scent brought back old memories. “Smells like my Nana’s homemade bread.” He stopped to take another whiff. He could almost taste her fresh bread, covered in creamy butter. A movement out of the corner of his eye snapped him back to reality.

The flowers crowded in. He watched as they leaned toward him. “What the devil?” Tubes snaked out of the tops of the flowers, trying to grasp at his limbs. They couldn’t gain a purchase on his armor. They couldn’t hold him in place but they were slowing him down. He grabbed his vibroblade off his belt then powered it on. “This should help clear a path.”

Using the weapon he sliced the stalks. Flowers gathered around his feet. The tubes tried to grasp his legs. “Blasted vegetables!” He switched to cutting the tubes as he kicked his way free of the patch he was in. One kick dislodged a skull. “I guess I know what happened to the miners. Poor devils.”

Once clear, he continued to the main building. “Those plants must draw you in by creating a smell you like, then attack while you’re distracted. There shouldn’t be anything like that here. If they were native, the mining company would have cleared them out. So where did they come from?”

The main building was empty as well. Furniture, office supplies, everything still remained intact. No signs of struggles or disruption. An empty coffee mug sat on one of the tables. “So, did they all get caught in the weird flowers out there? Or did something else happen to them?”

Jaxon went back outside. “Only one place left to check.”

He headed toward the mine, but stopped as he felt the ground trembling. He looked around as he heard something coming toward him from his left. He drew his blaster as a large beast erupted out of the field of flowers. The creature was as large as a land speeder and covered with hundreds of sharp looking horms. It charged straight at him.

Jaxon got several shots off but they didn’t faze the beast. At the last moment he dodged out of the way, just escaping being impaled on the horns. He ran back to the building. The beast turned faster than he expected, and was soon on his six. He hoped he could make it inside in time.

Jaxon skidded through the front door of the main building, slamming it shut behind him. He barely stepped out of the way as the beast slammed into the door, ripping it off it’s hinges. The door stuck on the thing’s horns. It stumbled about as it tried shaking it’s head, attempting to dislodge the door. Jaxon left the beast to rampage inside the building as he left to go check out the mine.

He carried his blaster in one hand, his light in the other, quickly locating the main power junction. “Looks like everything is working.” He threw the only switch set in the “off” position. Lights sprang to life along he darkened corridor. He made his way to the elevator, stepped into the cart and lowered the safety railing. The descent felt like it took eons. On the way, he traded his light for the vibroblade.

Exiting at the bottom of the shaft, Jaxon could see a bright light down the passage. He crept up to it, letting his eyes adjust.

A large cavern carved into the rock awaited him. Inside sat tables covered with glass vials, beakers, bunsen burners, and equipment. Cages covered the rest of the cavern, holding misshapen creatures, and plants that moved of their own accord. A slender, grey skinned entity moved among the cages.

“Hold it right there!” Jaxon ordered.

The alien turned toward him. “From your tone, I’d say you are Galactic Patrol. Yes?”

“Yes. What are these monstrosities?”

“Not monstrosities. Weapons! The Viridian Syndicate has allowed me to pursue my research, unencumbered by the restrictions of limited minds.”

“You’re very forthcoming about your activity here.”

“That’s because you won’t live long enough to tell anyone. Fire your blaster and you’ll ignite gases I use in my experiments and destroy the entire lab. Goodbye.” The alien opened the cage of something with very large teeth and a mouth large enough to swallow him whole.

Jaxon pressed a button on the side of his helmet. His armor sealed itself and kicked in the self-contained life support. He dropped into a stance to absorb the impact. He only hoped the alien wasn’t bluffing.

He raised his blaster and aimed at the creature preparing to use him as dental floss. The look on the alien’s face told him it was true about firing his blaster. These abominations must be stopped. He squeezed the trigger.

A bright flash happened as a wave of force slammed into him. Jaxon was blown back. He skidded down the passage after landing on his back. He stood, shook it off and watched as the creatures and plants burned. The alien was impaled on part of a storage rack. It looked in his direction.

“The cycle is coming, and you are too late.” It’s head lolled backwards, dead.

Jaxon left the planet, pondering his next move.

Be sure to visit these other authors to read their stories.

Baba Yaga Babysits by Katharina Gerlach
Florals by Angelica Medlin
The Price Of Freedom by Amy Keeley
Danger on Raylon 4 by James Husum <— you are here
The Little Cloud Ray by MJ Vergo
Rise by Barbara Lund

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