SFFS: Terribly Wrong (another FALLEN snippet)

Two weeks in a row? I think it's starting to become a pattern again...time again for reading your weekly dose of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday posts, everyone. Once again, we're watching Aston's latest excursion in Fallen. Aston's just faced the natives of the planet for the first time, and now Life has been a bit down in the dumps lately. When we last saw Aston, he had a disintegrator cannon in hand and was ready to meet his new visitors. So, thanks in advance for all of your comments, and be sure to go visit all of the other writers through the link above.

Gazing around the area, my selections for the demonstration were limited, but I narrowed it down to the closest tree, sitting alone in the sand. Unsure of how it would fare against a disintegrator cannon, since I’d only used it against living, breathing targets before, I fired off a single shot at the top.

The broad, green leaves atop the tree all burst into flames, falling toward the ground. Unlike my past targets, the tree burned straight down its trunk, leaving only a collapsing remnant of ash until only a stump was left, barely sticking out of the ground.

I stood there, even finding myself impressed with the display. Chuckling under my breath, I turned back to face the natives. Figuring they’d followed their friend, so I could get off this planet, I was dismayed to find that not only had they not fled, but that they’d dropped to their knees.

Perhaps this would be harder to do after all.

And then they uttered some sort of obnoxious incantation, and at the same time, began bowing down to the ground and up again, before repeating the process over and over again.

Something had just gone terribly wrong.

Now don't everyone act surprised at that last line...

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