Disruption (IC)

Cilask

Kradus sat in his thrown, a bubble of Zraak guards standing all around him as a group of creatures entered the room. The Vaurik had arrived. Zraak stood on long catwalks and balconies on the sides of the throne room and aimed their guns straight at them, just in case.

The leading Vaurik could feel the crosshairs coursing up his back, but showed little reaction to it. It made a gesture with its arm across its abdomen that the others repeated, which was some sort of greeting.

"Hello, Emperor Kryle. I am Fauldus Velden. I am an Ambassador as well as a military General of the Vaurik. I come here to negotiate with you some form of... treaty. Per your request. But allow yourself to know that we Vaurik are not easily swindled and will expect something in return for whatever it is you're wanting of us."

Kradus craned his neck. "Yes," he said. His eerie, cooing voice may have struck fear into a few Zraak around him. Dalon at this point had entered the room and stood next to the throne with his arms crossed. Shancar came in behind him and leaned on a pillar a distance away from the scene. Kradus went on.

"I must say, your kind are very impressive. To snatch away a Dominion fleet--several fleets. Quite an accomplishment. But luckily for you I am so interested that I did not have you decimated entirely" said Kradus.

"Decimated? Who exactly do you think you are?" Fauldus asked.

Kradus gave a soft hum. "I am Lord Kradus. I am the leader of the Great Dominion. An empire that has single-handedly wiped out thousands of empires identical to your own. I suggest you take pride in my offer."

"And your offer is?" asked Fauldrus.

"Join the Dominion. Supply us some of your forces, contribute in our activities. Allow us to help you, that is, should you ever desire. And in return, I can give you whatever you want" Kradus said stretching his back.

"The Synod already gave me terms. They want you to send a shipment of civilians to them for examination and experimentation, and soon, captivation" Fauldus said.

"Done" Kradus said. "If you don't mind me being curious, why exactly do you wish to captivate them?"

"That is classified information, sir" said Fauldrus. Kradus nodded.

"Fair enough. So, is this settled?" Kradus asked. Fauldrus nodded. Kradus spoke to a few soldiers. "Go tell Marcedes to prepare a shipment of civilians. Allow the civilians the illusion that they're on a flight to another colony, but have them sent to Hijakii, the closest Vaurik system."

The soldiers nodded and left. Kradus meanwhile stretched his neck, the Vaurik eyed him curiously. Fauldrus was the one to speak in his own metallic voice. "Emperor, if you don't mind me asking, what species are you? You and sir Dalon do not look like the rest of these, but you are even more different than him."

Kradus gave a side glance to Dalon that was almost wicked. He looked to Fauldrus. "We are Jadel, however I am genetically engineered. I once died even, but thanks to technological advancements I was able to return. I had, before I died of course, saved my personality into our computer systems. They copied it and used it to reinvent my mind and make me the way I was before.

"I see. Impressive," Fauldrus said. "I'd like to know more about the Jadel."

"You will have that chance yet. But first we must iron out the details of this agreement."

Dalon had moved over to Shancar, his head hanging low. Shancar sighed. "Look Dalon, I'm sorry."

"I should've expected as much from a Zraak" Dalon hissed. "Deceiving me as you did. You knew what you were doing the entire time! But you didn't care. But of course, I'm a Jadel. We might be cruel too, but we still have honor."

"If you knew Kradus like I do, you wouldn't be saying that. Kradus is very dishonorable. He has lied so many times, and he is so good at it. Naturally when a creature lies, their pupils dilate, their face itches from adrenal activity, and more of course. Kradus had conquered all of these changes and is numb when lying."

Dalon growled. There was a moment of silence before he went on. "What's this about the Jadel?"

Shancar looked at the ground for a moment, then back at Dalon. "I was going to tell you, but you seemed a little too angry with me, so let you have your space. But Kradus has come to the idea that there is a small possibility that there could be surviving Jadel on planet Maful. He's about to send a fleet there to inspect it for Jadel and also for anything that could be of use in any way. Maful is home to thousands abnormalities."

"Indeed," said Aarin with a smile. "He obviously has a liking for thrill riding, I'd guess."

Svar gulped, exhaling deeply afterwards. He connected the HUD to his hologram projector and displayed the message for Xerin to see. After it played, he turned off the projection, shaking ever so slightly. "This is... obviously not good. Admiral Rakluth was determined to keep me on this ship to complete my assignment, but with the return of the Dominion, he, and the rest of the Confederacy, needs all the help it can get." He cleared his throat and straightened up, observing his surroundings. "I'll meet you in the airlock shortly, Xerin. I must speak with Travis." With that, Svar left to find the Frigian.

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The Destroyer did not hesitate before speaking once more, though this action was not hasty. "We wish for the Imperial Despot of Jiiran to join the Terminus Pact because we believe that both entities can be benefited by your membership. For one, your civilization already has an agreement with the UFIAI. In addition, our empires can provide many new technologies to you." As if to prove a point, the Destroyer briefly shifted its form to that of Admiral Marr, mimicking the Mondarian with near perfection. He smiled and bowed profusely in a manner not mocking Marr but showing Jiiran its capabilities. After several seconds, the Destroyer reverted back to the Loccalian. "We have many future plans, the foremost of which is the collapse of that which you know as the Confederacy. This is beneficial to both the Terminus and the Despot."

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Admiral Rakluth smiled, and thanked Lirr with the traditional gesture - Kneeling, and placing his right palm on the ground. "Thank you, Admiral," He spoke in a sincere tone. "The Confederacy as a whole must stand up against the monstrosity of the Dominion. Only if we do, can peace be maintained in our galaxy." Rakluth stood, lowering his head, ans sighed. "I personally feel strongly on this matter, as all Krathunians do... The Dominion collapsed half of our empire, corrupting our land and slaughtering our gods. I have seen and done things that I deeply regret in order to bring vengeance upon those beasts in the past..." His head went back up, grinning. "And now, the opportunity has returned."

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Theranis briefly told Zjer about the Dominion's return, and what it meant for the Confederacy. "Before we arrive at Grenvunt," the Sentinel started, watching the curious Q'ren with a cautious eye. "I must ask... What experience in particular have you had with the Dominion, Zjer?"

A large ship docked at the metal cornucopia of Vaurik buildings among their foggy planet. The deathly green dock was spiked along the edges. Skeletons of alien creature hung impaled through the spikes. As the Zraak stepped out and onto the metal ground, they looked around a bit fearfully. These were merely civilians, wearing only their everyday clothing.

Two large Vaurik Sentinel Mechs stomped in from the sides. Their robotic metal feet making enormous bangs as they stepped about. The civilians were all pushed out of the ship by an assortment of guards and many fell onto the dock. Vekoni, the eerie pink-eyed Zraak, hung on the side of the open door and gave a nod to the Vaurik as he slipped back inside, the hatch closing and the ship quickly taking off.

"What?" asked one of the civilians. "What... what's going on here?"

"Follow me" said a metallic voice. A blue metaled Vaurik approached, motioning with his metal class for them to follow. The guards took them up a the flanks. If they refused to follow, they would die.

As they stepped inside the base, there was a labyrinth of nonagonal shaped hallways poorly lit by green lights and formed of black metal. As they entered several hallways, their bodies were scanned. Upon the event that the computer system didn't identify them, the walls grew large black spikes that would easily kill should a Vauik decide to push one of the Zraak slightly. As they stepped into a large dome-like room that was divided into many huge cubicles made of metal. The sections were usually nonagon shaped and had bars over the tops to keep things from flying out. It was a torturous place.

The Vaurik directed the Zraak into various sections, ripping their clothing off at the beginning and probing them with various needles. The Zraak shivered as they came into the cold places of this... place. As they were forced into the labyrinth of chambers, they were given constant alterations. Some were snatched by strange slender Vaurik with metal wings and strapped to tables where horrid things took place. A Vaurik or two would add something to their body like an extra heart, to see how they'd react. Or they'd take something away... The threat of death meant nothing to them.

Some Zraak were chained up and tortured simply to be tortured. Some of them had their horns cut off, which not only caused them to be unbalanced, but humiliated them. Especially the males, whose horns were their pride. The Vaurik tested them through countless trials. They shoved a few into cylindrical capsules that would either apply extreme heat or extreme coldness to them. Several Zraak were gutted, ripped apart, and stuck into various artworks and sculptures. One was shot with a tranquilizer and awoke to find Vaurik removing each of his organs. A few had their skin and scales removed. The Zraak tried to escape each Trial, trying to escape the nonagonal rooms and get back into the halls of the cubicles in the massive bubble room that housed the little labyrinth.

They'd be forced to run until exhaustion. They'd be force fed thousands of materials. Some were starved. It was all a test of what was too much and what was too little. They recorded all of their findings. In the end, an ebony black Vaurik walked through the halls, followed by several other Vaurik. They opened fire on whatever was left.

Finally, after more conversation about lightning, climate, and plants and animals native to different planets, Aolani finally located a good spot on the western hemisphere of Maozhu that seemed the perfect place to set down the Jewel. The pure-white gem-like ship, with its many patterned faucets, glinted brightly as it set down gently in a relatively good-sized clearing. The landing was so well-executed, that the people in it hardly felt the small jolt as the landing gears made contact with the ground. Definitely, everyone would agree that Aolani was a far superior pilot than Travis was. Perhaps she didn't have as much of a passion for it, but she was far better at guiding the vessel in a steadier manner, and the ride was actually quite enjoyable, because of it. Aolani finished up in the cockpit, and pressed a button that would open the hatch on the ship, and lower the ramp so everyone could exit. She got up from her seat and paused at the beginning of the central aisle, which was currently being blocked by the bodies of Xenos and Arrow.

She looked around, and took a deep breath, as though being in charge of this mission made her uneasy, she actually looked a little uncomfortable speaking to a group, even one as small as this, "Okay, guys, this planet has a standard day-night revolution, one half of the world is daytime, the other half is night. Unfortunately, it's night time on the stormy side of Maozhu, so I've set us down in the middle of broad daylight for safety reasons. The thing I need to warn you about, which I'm probably just stating the obvious, is that ships like the Jewel and the Majesty aren't very discreet spaceships. The coloration and reflective quality of its design, while appealing, can only be described as alien, and from what we know, the locals on this planet, if they exist, aren't familiar with space at all, anymore. If anyone saw where we landed, it could cause a bit of a panic, so when we go out there, we need to be really careful. People will already be shocked as it is, considering that we're a bunch of weird-looking creatures that allegedly came from the sky, and happen to be related to them."

Ravage scowled, "You could have asked me to pilot us down here in my Stealth Strider, I wouldn't have argued, if it meant making sure everyone was safe." As she spoke, the ramp was sliding down and connected with the ground, allowing everyone out.

Aolani frowned, "But that's your home...you live in that ship..."

Ravage shrugged, "True, I wouldn't normally do that, but...people do irrational things sometimes. On Silex, people knew they had relatives among the stars, Maozhu isn't like that, they burned their history books, and didn't even pass on history by word of mouth. They eliminated all ties to space, and that means that if they ever re-invented the concept of aliens, they're going to do what every empire does before it becomes a part of the community. They're probably going to think we're here to steal their planet, or kidnap them for horrible experiments." A lot of people gave her a questioning look, and she frowned, looking a bit defensive, "Well, that's what happened before the space-era on Krylon!" She said.

Lucas, meanwhile was looking out the hatch, and frowned at something, "Uh...guys...?" He said, and pointed.

Everyone craned to look out the hatch at what Lucas was focused on, and realized that they had already discovered other intelligent life-forms on Maozhu, before they even stepped out of their vessel. The clearing was filled with lush, green grass that looked incredibly soft and gentle on the feet, and instead of trees, large, thick stalks of near-white bamboo, sprouting lush leaves, rose high into the sky. It wasn't the appealing scenery, though, that grabbed everyone's attention. On the very edge of the clearing, looking as though he had fallen right on his tail in shock, judging by the way he was sprawled out on his back, was a skinny farm-boy of a Chimerosu. He was about the size of a regular Krylonian, although obviously perhaps only an adolescent, judging by his apparent youth. His wings started off large at the base, and tapered into points, the kind that used fast or regular wing-beats to maneuver between trees, fitting for the environment. His nails and talons, were small and pointed, like a Krylonian's, and even his horns had the same shape. Overall, he looked very close to what an original Krylonian was, but there were also obvious differences. Firstly, his beak, scales, and skin were an ashen grey color, and he had something resembling a small crest at the very top of his mane on his skull. His feathers were pure white, but as he breathed, panicked, people saw a large array of iridescent feathers dotting his body, moving in a paler rainbow spectrum. His eyes, like all Chimerosu, were bright blue.

Samir, being past Arrow and Xenos, rose and stepped out of the ship, and the Maozhuian scrambled to back away, looking absolutely terrified. Samir raised a hand, "Hello, sir, we come in-" He didn't even get a chance to finish the sentence, because of what happened next.

The Maozhuian teen somehow rose to his feet, and turned, beginning to flee. He cried something, but nobody could understand it, and next thing everyone knew, he vanished, even though they could make a faint outline or distortion moving rapidly through the bamboo. Apparently, these people were very similar to the Krylonians, even right down to the camouflage that could be picked out with the naked eye.

Samir frowned, before scowling, upset, "He called us Demons!" He said.

By this time, Xenos and Arrow had cleared the aisle, and Ravage rose to her feet. "Samir, don't you get it? He didn't just call us Demons, he was speaking the original Krylonian tongue." She frowned, "That amazes me, but something tells me we've got trouble."

Five Hundred Years Ago


The Loccalians all gathered in a corner among the plain, gray room. This defunct building, abandoned, among the surface of an unclaimed world, was in horrid condition and would never hold.

"I can hear him!" a female quivered. A male shielded her with himself, two more males at his side. An older female crouched amongst the ground. They were all vulnerable and defenseless. The blue amphibious creatures with long flaps all around their heads, necks, and down their spines. They all shook horribly, struggling against the greased walls of the old building. A shattered window allowed dapples of light to stream into the room.

The old door burst apart as the enemy came through. A tall figure who's silhouette was only visible. They could see the long horns of the Jadelan creature amongst the darkness. As it stepped into the light, it revealed its piercing blood eyes. Its black skin, varnished in ebony scales thick with protection. A forked pink tongue that flickered forth with some sort of emotionless rage. Kradus stepped in, his eyes locked onto the Loccalians.

"Please, please don't hurt us!" squirmed one of the males, approaching Kradus with his hands out in surrender. Kradus extended his blades and quickly slashed his right arm off. The Loccalian fell onto the ground, deeply hurt and bleeding a rather plentiful amount of dark blue blood onto the ground.

"NO!" shouted one of the males. He charged, attempting to push Kradus. The dark warrior caught him by the throat and forced him up against a wall. He was too strong for the Loccalian.

"What do you make of this, drood?" Kradus asked, licking his lips.

"Please, I'm begging you. Let us go... We have families..."

"Families? Where? How is it possible... in this time... The rest of the Loccalians are dead. You're lying, and doing so poorly and desperately. Your pupils are dilating, obvious sign of a lie. You... you... YOU ARE A LIAR!" Kradus began pounding the creature'a head into the wall, repeatedly grabbing and hitting it against the hard stone until blood was all over the spot, and the man was dead. Kradus gave out a sharp, eerie laugh as he bent over and shouted at the body. Then he looked at the others who were making it for the door next to Kradus. The dark creature moved to block them, stabbing a male in the hip. The male fell over next to his one-armed friend. There was a scream in the room and Kradus looked down at them.

"Why are you doing this?" one spat out in a cough.

Kradus smiled. "Look at the animal you've turned me into. Look at what you've done. This is your own fault. You..." he began gritting and breathing in a violent, heavy manner. "MAGGOT!" He shouted as he began stomping the man's head in. He grabbed the one-armed Loccalian and raised him up in the air, choking him with one arm. The Loccalian was too weak to make a defense, his feet also could not touch the ground. Kradus squeezed to the point that the entire neck split open into blood and then he threw the body at the others. All the while they'd tried to to tackle him, but he hadn't even noticed. He cut the older female with the spike along his tail, eventually punching her in the face. He crouched down to meet her at eye level as she sunk down.

"I don't know what w-we d-did to you... B-but whatever it w-was, please... have mercy..." She begged.

"Did the lot of you have mercy when my family was slaughtered before my very youthful eyes? No..." Kradus said, his eyes twitching. He punched the female in the face just as he drove his blades up her midsection. He then turned to the others who were trapped in the corner with now way out. There was a male and a female left. Kradus graves the young female by the neck and looked at the male, who was on his knees begging for him to let go. The female was too fear-struck to function.

"Please! Don't hurt her..."

Kradus looked at both of them thoroughly. Then he cracked a smile. "I see, you're both mates. Are you not?"

"I could never live without her" said the man.

"How cute... Did you never think I had someone I loved while I was in my youth? Captured and treated as a slave... There were several slaves I grew close to. Every one of them were slaughtered when Master found out that I cared for them... Now look at you. Stuck in my very position. Did you ever think the tables would turn, young one?" He said tightening his grip as the female gasped. "Did you?"

"I'm sorry!" the male said. "But please! Let's move past all of it and learn to forgive!"

Kradus spat at the man and began shouting at him and cursing in some foreign language. "I PAID IN BLOOD FOR SO MUCH MORE! YOU KIZ'LAKI! YOU ARE BUT A MORSEL!" He said sinking his fang into the female's shoulder. She shouted, but Kradus covered his mouth. He lapped up the blood and then gazed at the male viciously, who was trying to stand.

"Please... D-don't hurt her" the male said with his arms out in a plead. Kradus grinned and chuckled.

"Pity... It is something you seek, yet I lack. Shameful how I once pleaded for the safety of my friends, yet found none. Had only I been more successful in persuading my Master to stop... But no, things ended with brutality. And history will always repeat itself" Kradus said cutting the face of the female with the tips of his claws. She let out a scream.

"Please, Jadel... Let us go..." the female begged in a shaky voice.

"And what would I gain in return?"

"Whatever you want, it's yours..." the male said.

Kradus laughed. "And what do you have that I don't? Since you're downfall you've been living out here, surviving only off the supplies in your ship and the resources of the planet around you. You amuse me, little one" he said tauntingly running his claws along the skin of the female.

"PLEASE! JUST TAKE ME INSTEAD!" the male shouted. Kradus raised his chin, throwing the female at him. He gave her a deep hug, before he was swept away by the shoulders by Kradus' claws. The overlord brought him up to his feet and immediately stabbed him in the stomach. The male let out a gag and a choke. Then the female fell down in her spot.

"Gihjaki!" the male cried. "What... what is wrong?"

"Now you and I will watch her die" Kradus said holding the male's was firmly with his hand and arm to make sure his eyes were locked into the collapsed female who was breathing heavily.

"What?"

"The teeth of a Jadel are laced with overcoming venom. Your little girlfriend will never survive... Now my friend... watch her..."

The male screamed, trying to get out of Kradus' grasp, but in return was met with a cut to the side. Kradus reached in his mouth, the male trying to bite him, and quickly grabbed his tongue, ripping it out with the foul leakage of blood. The male screaming, all the while watching his mate's skin turn black, purple, and gray as blood vomit involuntarily flowed from her mouth onto the ground. Her eyes zipped up, racing to where the pupils were no longer visible. Heavy panting for a moment and quickened heart rate, before suddenly everything just... stopped.

The male shouted something that may have been "NO!". Kradus let him go and he went to embrace his love. Kradus stood in the shadows, grinning at the Loccalian mourned his loss. Quickly though the male was met with a blade coursing through his abdomen, slicing completely through him. After ejecting it, Kradus sliced horizontally and sliced the male's head completely off. The laser-coated blades glowing bright red and soaked in blood. He turned the laser coating off and lapped up the blood with his tongue, making an exit out the room. He glanced over his shoulder at the carnage as he laugh, giving a subtle chuckle to himself a he vanished at last... The smell of blood and death growing stronger and stronger...

Zjer stared blankly for a moment, before returning to the present.

"Experience?" He said, a worried look on his face. "I was your average infantryman. I saw everything firsthand."

He looked back into his room, then turned once again to Theranis. "I'll get ready." With that, he closed the door. Within minutes, he was fully armored and armed, and once again left his cabin.

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Resara studied the book, and the message on the book, before placing the book behind her, there for when she needed to say something. She nodded to Kessla. After another time of silence, Resara was the one who initiated conversation.

"How did you end up here?" She asked. Sliding the book back to him. Inside, written in her own language, was a message.

"What are the weaknesses of the walls?" She didn't want to say too much, but give this Kessla little tests to see if he wasn't just there to retrieve information from her.
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"Yes." Was all Xerin could manage. The return of the Dominion shocked him, never would he have thought they would return. And now? Now they would want vengeance. Fighting a war on two fronts would be a difficult task, very difficult.. but if the Confederacy held together before he did not doubt it would hold together now.

With an apparent solemness, he headed to the predetermined airlock, found the ship Travis said to use, and waited for Svar. He used this time to think over strategies and counter strategies, what was obsolete and what worked. It was the most appropriate thing to do, and it was all he could think of to do.

Jiiran slowly extended one hand and dragged the bladed fingers of his hand across the table, leaving long deep scratches. He seemed to contemplate these marks for a long time. Then he raised his head, looking at the Destroyer.

"I accept."
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Lirr nodded. "Indeed. I look forward to giving them a few lessons in Markovan swordplay myself."

Teglin shuddered a little. These two spoke of the matter of war and killing just a little too lightly for his liking.
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Aarin frowned, then looked at everyone. "Perhaps it might be advisable that those of us here who are Chimerosu would speak to these people first, and then Isbar, Allé, Tevri and myself could wait to introduce ourselves until you told them about us."
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A Despotic vessel was out scouting. It was exploring farther than usual than what was customary. As fate would have it, it came within the territory of the newly awakened Dominion.

An enormous room was filled with Zraak techs, all clicking away at consoles and large control centers. One of them stood up. "We've got a trespasser!"

A tall figure standing on a platform above the worked looked down at them. "Hail them at once" he said. A tall Zraak. It appeared to be Vekoni, who was taking the shift of one of the workers. He stepped onto another platform with a large arm that had a recording device on it and a screen that would allow him to receive any response from the aliens.

The Zraak spoke. "Incoming aliens, you are not welcome here. Identify yourselves immediately. Should you be Confederates or Loccalian-honored you may as well forget it and flee now. So, please evaluate yourselves." His pale pink eyes darted at the screen, waiting for anything to appear. He dusted off his clothing and interlaced his fingers in front of him with his massive claws jutting out.

"This is the Dominion, Governor Vekoni of Tymyris speaking to you. Respond immediately."

As the Valence and its accompanying fleet emerged from slipspace, the front viewscreen, a cubed shield of thick glass, no longer showed the pure blackness seen during the journey to Ieeger, but a blackness dotted with points of light, and in the center the planet Ieeger, distantly accompanied by its satellites.

For Xej, it looked more similar to home than a planet like Sethega, certainly not a cold wasteland, and he stood, admiring it.
Celestial bodies were one of the few things the Zealot could appreciate without the thoughts of war.. and yet they were so involved in wars it was a curious thing that he didn't immediately associate planets with them.

"Your home?" He asked Unsilenced Retribution. He looked down at his hands. Both of them were balled into fists, and he observed, as if a scientist, as they unclenched. "You should be proud.. the capital of our alliance."

Captain Derrin Vauglir was unhappy in this ship. He was little more than a mechanic, truth be told; the title he bore meant nothing. This ship was an automated unit; it didn't require a crew, but went at its own accord, just as soon as it received its instructions. Only such things as communication and environmental controls were still operated manually, and that could easily be done by just Derrin. He was only there to make sure everything ran smoothly, and even people like him were getting replaced more and more these days by specialized droids. Of late, Jiiran, trusting his Mondarian subjects less than ever, was having them replaced by machines.

Derrin started as the harsh commanding Zraak voice came over the comm. Quickly he jumped to the communication station. He stammered a little as he linked to the Zraak communications. The screen Vekoni watched soon showed the rather frightened face of the Mondarian, who promptly began letting out a frightened babble.

"Er, this is Captain Derrin Vauglir, of the Imperial Despot of Jiiran. Please don't shoot. We aren't allied to the Confederacy in any way, in fact, we're at war with them. As for Loccalians, I've never heard of them. This ship is just on a exploratory patrol, and its automated. Unless I perform a manual override, it just goes wherever it's instructed to go, and I don't control that. I'm not allowed to override except in emergencies either, and if my commanders don't think my reasons for doing so were good enough, I might be executed, or worse."

Vekoni crossed his arms, studying the alien thoroughly. His pink eyes narrowed, his black pupils running all around the pale scarlet pools. "We have not heard of the Despot... Hmm..." he said thinking. "We have a spaceport planet nearby. Qimolis. Please direct your ship in that direction for further inspection, before we release you from our territory. I will contact you once you've arrived here. Should you present willful failure to complete this task, your ship will be shot down on sight. Any questions, Captain?" Vekoni asked, lurching slightly forward. He had an almost evil look in his eyes that was daring for the Captain to protest.

Horus came up behind everyone, his expression having gone oddly calm and collected. He looked around at the scenery, "Peaceful-looking valley, isn't it?" He said, the question coming out of the clear blue. It was effective, though, for getting people's attention. He then spoke rapidly, before anyone could speak up and call him out for speaking in such a ridiculous manner, "Listen carefully, all of you!" He turned to face everyone, "I'm an old man, but don't you dismiss me as a senile elder with one foot in the grave, I don't intend on dying any time soon!" the words came out harsh, like a snap, and anger briefly flashed across his features, before they smoothed out, although the tone did not change, "Listen to me, that boy called us demons, and if I know anything about teenage boys, it's that they exaggerate a bad situation to make themselves look more fascinating because they lived to tell the tale! We need to get out of here, and quickly, before an angry mob finds us, no doubt that's what they're doing. This isn't a situation where we can confront people directly, who are they going to believe? The demons that look like Chimerosu, or the ones that walk on two legs instead of four? What does it matter, all of us fell from the sky!" The sudden change in his demeanor made it difficult for even the most assertive or aggressive members of the group to grasp any sort of way to argue. In truth, a lot of what he said, made complete sense.

Samir was the only one crazy enough to argue, "Well then what are we supposed to do? None of us look like natives on this planet, anywhere we go they're going to know we don't belong here, and apparently, they think we're monsters from another world, not relatives from space, even!" His hands clenched into fists, "What do we do, Horus, if we can't walk up to them and confront them directly?"

Ravage, sensing the possibility of physical violence, mostly from Samir, slowly stepped between the two of them, one eye twitching, as though it were bugging her, "Enough, Samir, Horus is right, in this case. If these people think we're evil monsters, we can't tackle a large group head-on and expect them to react in a friendly manner." She folded her arms, her tail flicking, "I've had my fair share of unfriendly welcomes, when I accidentally stumbled across planets with primitive races on them." She looked at Samir, "You were never there, but do you wonder what it's like to have a spear thrown at you, or have a dozen archers try to put arrows through your skull? The Maozhuians are capable of space technology, but they've regressed, definitely, and they destroyed all evidence that they had relations to the Chimerosu that colonized this planet in the first place. We can't take the same approach as we did with the Silexians."

Aolani came up, looking distressed as the three Krylonians debated how to go about the issue, before finally clearing her throat, and folding her arms, to try to hide that she was trembling with the anxiety, "Listen, now isn't the time for arguing....I think Horus and Ravage are right. I roughly understood what that boy was screaming, as he was running away. He was screaming for his mother and father, and things always end badly when parents get involved. We need to leave. I can lock up the Jewel, and with technology like they must have on this planet, they'll never figure out how to get inside. We need to re-think this, I used the Majesty's coordinates to land the ship, there isn't another way to pinpoint where to land."

Abruptly, the arguing between Samir, and Horus and Ravage, ceased. They all looked up at her, before Samir folded his arms, flicking his tail with annoyance, and huffed, "Very well, then, but where to?"

Ravage frowned, and raised her head, turning to look into the bamboo in the direction of where the boy had run. "Definitely not over there....there's a faint scent, but it's getting stronger..." She murmured.

The Destroyer dipped its head, four eyes ablaze. "Thank you, Jiiran. The Terminus Pact will maintain communication with you. Expect support to begin coming in and trade negotiations soon." With that, the Prime left the ship, escorted by a couple Mondarians, and the small Vrentus fleet began their return to Collective territory. The vessels adopted the color of the Vrentus, gold and green, though they remained in the form of the Mondarian ships. On their way back, the Destroyer was contacted by Praedromus.

"Destroyer," The Supreme began in an aloof manner. The Vrentus Primes do not feel emotions in the same way that organic beings do, but Praedromus' voice filled even the Destroyer with dread. "I trust everything went well with Jiiran?"

"Yes," The Destroyer responded simply in an airy tone. "He agreed to join the Terminus Pact. We shall send our support soon."

Praedromus, if he had a mouth, would have put a smug smile upon it, "Excellent. For one who is known for creating destruction and sowing the seeds of chaos, you are quite the diplomat."

"Destroyer is merely a title."

"That it is..." Praedromus paused. "I have a new mission for you. There's another potential civilization to be assimilated into our alliance. The Samian Prevalence. See to it that they became a part of the Terminus Pact."

"It will be done, my liege."

Soon, the Vrentus fleet exited space near the territory of the Samian Prevalence. The fleet took on the form of several ancient Old World Krathunian cruisers and one carrier, a much more prolific and advanced design than which they had previously manifested. The ships were a gleaming black, with glowing red lights running across them in complex, almost seemingly culturally significant designs. The Prime did not want to take the same approach as it had with the Despot, due to the differing natures of the two empires. It chose to be straightforward rather than using deception. From the carrier that the Destroyer inhabited, it sent a transmission throughout Samian space. "This is a representative of the Vrentus Collective and the Terminus Pact. My title is Destroyer, though my intentions cannot be described through that word. I come, instead, with a diplomatic offer." It waited for a response, almost eager at the prospects.

___________________________

Svar took on an air of formality as he entered the control room of the Majesty, seeking out Travis. Once he found the Frigian, he approached him, making his intention of conversation be known. Clearing his throat, the commander began to speak. "Travis," He began, his tone solemn. "I have been ordered by Admiral Rakluth Bretuin, under the authority of the Intragalactic Krathunian Covenant of Sethega and the Confederacy, to leave the Majesty, effective immediately. It has been an honor to serve alongside the Chimerosu and learn of your culture, but my people need me in this grave time. The Dominion has returned, and with the news of the reawakening of the Vrentus, among other things, it has been deemed necessary for me to go back to commanding my forces on the front lines. I deeply regret my leave, but orders are orders. Xerin has invited me to join him due to the situation, and that is what I will do."

Svar hesitated at this next part, though he knew it would be necessary. "I do have something for you, however." A compartment in Svar's chest armor slid open, and the Krathunian took out a small metal sphere. It looked similar to weapon storage spheres utilized by soldiers, but it was differentiated by these weapons with a pattern of piercing blue lights and anti gravity technology that made the object hover centimeters above Svar's outreached palm. "In this current state, this device is not traceable in any way. However, should you tap it with your finger and hold it upon its surface for several seconds, it acts as a direct communications line between you and Confederacy headquarters on the planet of Ieegar. Unlike the COMM devices aboard this ship, you won't have to go through several buffer channels and be authorized on each to reach Confederate command. Should you wish to continue diplomacy or require aid in any form, activate it." Svar finished speaking with a gulp, awaiting a reply from the Chimerosu.

__________________________

Accompanying the view of Ieegar was the infrastructure of the system and the vast fleets of the Ryun-Wreae Federation. Huge ships of silver and blue guarded the planet, and the space was teeming with various beacons, stations, and more. The two celestial satellites of the planet, Ienar and Iegar, held huge amounts of infrastructure, mostly for defense.

Unsilenced stared at the viewscreen, acknowledging Xej's statements with a slightly shift in position. "I was not manufactured on Ieegar, but the home of the Federation will always be my home, as well." He was about to continue speaking, but was interrupted by a COMM message sent to his AI. He transferred it to the systems of the frigate and played it, turning to Xej. It was directed to Grand Councilor Zaroas of the Ryun-Wreae Federation's Grand Council, though it was apparent that the councilor had sent it to the Wreae. The message was as follows:

*static* "Greetings, Grand Councilor Zaroas. It distresses me to inform you that I have recieved word from our former enemy. The Dominion... has returned. I owe this knowledge to the disruption of a message sent to us by Queen Alyna of the Dranzoot Sovereignty. A Jadel, very similar to the depictions of Kradus, pushed through with his own transmission, and I have sent a recording of it along with this message. I have called for a meeting of all of my High Councils to discuss this, but I have learned one High Councilor is missing, Xerin Grei. To the best of my knowledge, he embarked on a journey with the emergent United Chimerosu Nations, and I need him to return for the meeting. My request is this: That Xej Therus, and the result of our collaborative Overcharge project, Wreae Unit 8164392, be sent to retrieve Xerin, and return him to Jorro'kil space, if not Irooscin. Thank you, Grand Councilor." *static*


Unsilenced's blue lights glowed brighter than before at this. "Looks like Ieegar will have to wait, Zealot." He turned to the pilots. "Take us out of here. We're going to find Xerin Grei." The Valence, followed by its fleet, sped back into space.
___________________________

Rakluth nodded soberly, glancing at Teglin as he did so. At this moment, Theranis, Zjer, and Q'ren reentered the bridge, assuming their own positions. The Sentinel stared up at the hologram projector as Q'ren went up to it and began to use the computer's console. After a minute or so, the ship exited warp, and the Anomaly's AI sounded, "We have reached the system holding planet Grenvunt. Approximately 1.2 billion kilometers from target at this current position." The ship's systems quickly scanned the area, and an image of Grenvunt appeared on the projector.

Q'ren stared up at this for a couple seconds, and muttered, "It seems to have gotten even larger since we last imaged it." He pulled up the model from before, and compared the two side by side. The current version of Grenvunt had a significantly larger shell, its "webbing" more complex and intricate. The large protuberances on the surface had become much larger, and energy signatures confirmed a large amount of ships within. It was clear that the Vrentus occupying Grenvunt were preparing an attack. "Take us in slowly, with the standard FTL drives." Q'ren growled, directly at the computer. "Scan the whole structure for the Seraph Shell signature. We certainly need to be quick."

The look on Derrin's face was one of turmoil. Looking at Vekoni, he didn't doubt that he meant every word. But then his mind turned to the two people feared most in the Despot - Lord Jiiran and his right-hand man, Fedrin Marr, infamous for their mercilessness and, especially in Marr's case, sadistic cruelty. He dared not think what would become of him if they considered this incident as worthy of punishment.

Five minutes passed before Vekoni got an answer in a very weak and miserable voice. "Understood."

Derrin engaged the manual override and set course for Qimolis.
________________________________________________

Isbar sniffed also, his quills twitching as well. Aarin new they both must sense something, something coming their way.

"Right, everyone, into the ship then?" he said.
_________________________________________________

Jiiran stood watching as the Vrentus left Mondarian space, then turned as he heard Marr speaking to one of the Mondarians at the comm station.

"Are you telling me someone overrode the ships autopilot?"

"Yes, Sir, just a little bit ago. The ship seems to be heading for Qimolis."

Marr opened a communication line to the ship. "Hello, Mr. Vauglir," he said cheerfully. "I trust you have a good explanation for deviating off your scheduled course."

The voice of Derrin came through. "I. . . I mean. . . oh, please, Sir" he pleaded. "I had no choice. They said they would destroy the ship if I didn't"

"I see," said Marr in the same cheerful tone, briefly cocking an eye at Jiiran as he came over. "And who might 'they' be exactly?"

"They call themselves the Dominion."

Jiiran narrowed his eyes behind his helmet. He had heard of the Dominion when he lived on Vathoris. He took the comm form Marr. "This is Lord Jiiran. What do these people expect you to do?"

"They say I'm to go to Qimolis for inspection before the let me go again."

Jiiran was silent for a long time.

"Sir?" came Derrin's nervous voice.

Without responding, Jiiran began sending some transmissions to the ship's AI.

As Derrin sat waiting for an answer, a voice suddenly came over the computer.

Warning! Self-destruct initiated!

Derrin barely had time to cry out before the ship, right within sight of Qimolis, turned into a fire-ball.

Jiiran waited a few minutes, and then sent a hail over the comm to Qimolis.
__________________________________________

Zizo stepped onto the bridge, having followed Theranis and his companions. He adjusted his gun, gulping a little "Well, chaps, if we don't make it out of this, allow me to say: It's been an honor!"

The call was forwarded to a very important person. A tall Samian, his skin of more of a red color than the common pink. His eyes were an eerie amber, though the left one lacked a pupil and had a white film over it as a huge scar protruded from it. His lips were scratched slightly, detaching a bit from the huge scar over his eye. His skull structure was rather skeletal and had sharp points to it. He had on a very dark red royal cloak with slightly armored pieces in the shoulders and forearms. His boots were very sinister looking. This was Emperor Syprus. A very intelligent person.

As he came to stand in a circular room where the comm device recorded his voice and image, he spoke with a harsh, crackly voice.

"I hear you, Destroyer. This is Lord Syprus, Supreme Elective of the Prevalence. Tell me your intentions. Tell me them for the sake of conversation, Destroyer..." Syprus said with a low tone in his voice. Many found his voice to be creepy. It was low and old sounding, though Syprus wasn't exactly old himself. It was harsh and cold and had little emotion within it other than a type of meticulous cunningness nobody would ever want to stand face to face with. But Syprus wasn't necessarily one to think evil or depraved, but to be cautious of and know that he had great power both within his empire and his own mind. He could do much destruction, and after an age of distrusting other empires after the great debacle with the Konabul. An age of hiding in the shadows. The Samians had yet to be unleashed.

"Speak what you must" he said, with an almost snake-like style to his voice.

_______________________

Vekoni slightly smiled as he saw Vauglir's terror. "See you then" he said in a snaky tone, his claws coming to his sides as he gave a gesture with his head to one of the techs who turned the comm off.

Aolani seemed to be on the verge of hysteria, "Didn't you hear me? We can't afford to be trapped inside if an angry mob shows up. We need to move, as in get out of here." She began to hyperventilate, and the color seemed to drain from her beak, making everyone wonder if she was going to faint. She clearly didn't handle stressful situations very well, but after a moment, she seemed to force herself to breathe normally, "I'm going to lock up the ship, and we're going to run. We can't confront the locals, if we hurt someone, we'll never get them on our side!" With this, she dashed inside of the Jewel, and ran into the cockpit, hurriedly tapping in a sequence of buttons, before flying rapidly out of the ship, just as the ramp slid back in and the hatch slammed shut altogether, sealing tight. She didn't land, but she hovered above the ground, her wings humming wildly. She looked rapidly between members of the group, before she looked up, hearing what sounded like angry shouting in the distance. Smoke, the smell of torches, was faintly caught on the wind. Her beak grew even paler, if that was possible, "Horus and Ravage are right, they're sending a mob after us."

Ravage's beak wrinkled, and she growled, her hands clenching into fists. Her frustration was obvious, in situations like this, she would normally confront her attackers, but she couldn't afford harming them. She wanted to think of herself as a merciful being, but in truth, she was as remorseless and cold as one could possibly be in a combat situation. It was easy to kill people, and once Ravage had gone past that point, there wasn't anything innocent she could see in herself that would prevent her from doing it again. There was a vile thrill to it, but of course, nobody had truly seen what it was like when she actually let go of all her inhibitions, she never did it in the presence of those whose opinions mattered. They would be disgusted if they knew, and Ravage was once again reminded that while she liked having friends she could count on, she also disliked them. She liked to do things in her own fashion, and it wasn't agreeable with other people. Compassion didn't grow out of blood and malicious intent. Overall, Ravage was in fact, in her own opinion, the worst kind of monster, because though she would repeatedly deny it, she was lying to herself. She preferred using lethal force, she didn't see herself as a bodyguard-sort of protector. She was meant to kill, and destroy by any means.

Ravage, banishing all angry thoughts about the fact that she couldn't kill, sniffed once more, and looked towards the south, past the Jewel, "I guess we're stuck on this planet, then. That way! We go that way, I smell no Maozhuians in that direction!" She then dashed to the opposite edge of the clearing, and paused, giving everyone a chance to process what was happening, before dashing off again. Hurry up, follow, now! She thought urgently.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

A distance away from the commotion caused by the mysterious 'demons' that had fallen from the sky, a Chimerosu figure crouched down on a carefully-woven set of bamboo branches that were still alive and attached to their respective stalks. The position he adopted was one that was, at the very least, regarded by most as somewhat uncomfortable, although for him, it seemed to be done in a casual and natural way, and one would get the feeling that perhaps he crouched like this very often, neither sitting nor standing, but supporting his weight on his feet and leaning forward, his shoulders and back humped, his head lowered, so that it seemed no higher than his shoulders, very poor posture, by anyone's standards. He looked very strange, also, though nobody saw him, a teen, yes, but he didn't look like a normal Maozhuian.

His feathers were long and wild as they ran down his back, and were a very pale shade of grey, that had a somewhat cool cast, better known as the faintest tinge of blue that made it reminiscent of white clouds just beginning to change to those of a storm. It looked darker, though, because of how solid the overall color was. He shifted, and it seemed that like a normal Maozhuian, he had rainbow-spectrum iridescent feathers that dotted the sea of grey running down his body, albeit these colors were far darker, and seemed to have a brighter yellow cast to them in certain specific regular spots that ran down his sides, as though some other marking was supposed to be present, but had been overridden. This Chimerosu had other odd aspects of his appearance to contend with, aside from his feather's strange coloration. Long feathers behind his legs turned them into sails that didn't go down as far as it seemed they were meant to go, ending at the second joint, rather than right at the ankle. His tail tuft was instead a large sail-like shape, rudders for flight. His wings began enormous at the base, so much that they moved past the legs, where they came into a smaller set of flared-out feathers running along the base of the tail that seemed to be meant for even more control in flight. However, while one would have expected eagle-like wingtips, this Chimerosu's wingtips were made for agile flight, requiring regular wingbeats. It didn't match all the other things, which should have worked better with soaring wings or fast, rapid-wingbeat ones. It seemed that the features combined two different things.

His horns were like a Maozhuian's, except that they weren't grown in fully, or perhaps they never would be proper in appearance, they were so small, they were mere nubs. He didn't have a real mane to speak of, but a fringe of feathers that swept upward to meet a sort of crest, which wasn't the kind that could be raised or lowered, but gave his head a triangular wedge shape that made it highly angular. The scaly plates running down his belly had a notably pointed upside-down teardrop look, which was unusual, and his beak was like a scavenger or bird of prey's, also armed with tooth-like serrations that pointed backwards, with a wicked hook at the tip. His nails were shaped like a normal Maozhuian's, but were unusually long, more like claws than talons, because they were straight. The scales, plates, his horns, and beak, despite being what was supposed to be the typical grey, had a strong underlying tinge of bright blue to them, and at the very tip of his beak, the blue tinge became purple.

The other thing, the most unusual of all, were his eyes. Most Chimerosu had blue eyes, but this one's eyes were a bright, yellow-gold. There was also the expression in them. One would think gold eyes piercing, but these were not piercing in that same way one expected. They weren't harsh and cutting. His eyes were wide, staring, and unenthusiastic, a gaze that was blank, unreadable, and enigmatic, in a way that felt unreal. In truth, the gaze seemed tired, but if one were to be caught under that gaze, they would have the odd, unnerving feeling that if they were under it for too long, they wouldn't just see into them, but all the way through. It wasn't sudden or striking, but slow, unusual, and in many ways, creepy, because it looked like those eyes were an endless void, hiding who-knows-what in their depths. He didn't seem to blink, and his gaze remained fixed on the scene in the distance that only his eyes could see. He was focusing on something that was really happening, but nobody would know that.

His feathers were long and naturally spiked out, but they had an oily sheen that clearly wasn't of the nature of one with naturally waterproof feathers. It could only be that he didn't pay any mind to his grooming, except for his various sails and wings, which were perfectly aligned. That was the bare minimum, however, and everywhere else, the feathers were wild, unwashed, and unkempt. He honestly didn't seem to care, though. This lack of attention to his personal grooming and appearance, combined with the strange look of his wide, staring eyes, hunched posture, and unusual way of crouching instead of sitting, suggested immediately that he didn't think as a normal person would.

He stared out at the events as they unfolded, unseen, because of how far away he was, his strange gaze never missing a thing. He didn't move his head, but merely followed with his eyes. He seemed...fascinated, his eyes were a little wider than they normally were, which was actually quite a lot.

Everyone quickly followed Ravage. Isbar brought up the rear. Like Ravage, he too preferred to fight, and this hasty retreat irked him very much.

(@Darkel In my last post I had Jiiran send a signal to the ship in the Dominion territory that caused it to blow up, right near Qimolis. Jiiran is now actually trying to contact Vekoni himself. You might want to respond to that. We can say your last post took place right between the time the pilot acquiesced and the time Jiira blew him up.

Dranus

The streets were spitting flames. Black and red... Those colors were the bane of the event. Soldiers marched through the battle-torn streets of Dranus. Dominion warriors, Zraak and Varmal alike tore open every building and slashed apart, bulleted down, and crushed every soldier. The airships rained down bullets of fire. Red lasers shot forth and brought blazing red to the buildings.

Shancar walked among the hordes of Dominion forces, his eyes narrowing and his face growing a smile as he laid eyes on the large capital building. The place where Alyna would be. "Diey, kamith-gu'rok!" He commanded, pointing at the tower. The trolls advanced. Several Dranzoot tanks blocked the road, firing as much as they could. Enormous black Dominion mechs rose, firing heavy explosives and takin out each tank. Shancar shielded his face with his hand as some of the smoke and debris came at him. His cape flew back in the air as the force of the explosion his the wind. He lowered his hand and kept going.

***

Alyna was in the throne room. It seemed like a hundred soldiers filled the room, Alyna at the center. They had their guns pointed in every direction, ready to fire.

"My Queen, they've entered the building..." said a commander pushing through the crowd. "They were right behind me and--"

The doors blasted open, explosives firing through and blasting the Dranzoot soldiers into oblivion. Dominion troops stormed in, engaging in combat. Bullets flew everywhere. They were desperate to protect Alyna. The sound of the city around exploding was just getting louder and louder. Finally the Dominion forces had narrowed it down to a small group of Dranzoot in the room and Alyna.

The Zraak forced each Dranzoot onto their knees. Shancar smiled as he looked down at them. "Well, well, well, if it isn't our little Alyna. Would you have expected the tables to have turned in our favor?" He said with a chuckle.

"Shancar..." Alyna said in horror as she looked up at the General. She was all too familiar with Shancar. During the Return Festival, when the Dominion attacked Dranus, Shancar had stabbed her. She was only a little girl then and it sent her father into a day of desperation. He was her worst nightmare.

"Yes," Shancar said laughing his snaky cackle. "Would you believe it?"

"I... I thought they'd imprisoned you..."

"They had, they had, my dear. But see, I escaped. Have you not heard of the great return?" he asked, chuckling.

"I am aware that the Dominion has risen once more" Alyna said. Shancar nodded. The soldiers brought in another Dranzoot, an elderly one... It was former Emperor Drangoz. Shancar turned his head to view him a they forced the old man onto his knees.

"Get your hands off me!" Drangoz said angrily, but for nothing. Shancar walked up to him. Drangoz's face was full of absolute horror. Tears began to form in his eyes. Alyna also began to cry. Shancar was only grinning.

"Hello, hello... Dear Emperor..." Shancar said.

"Shancar... How did you--"

"The Dominion is once more at large. Did you honestly believe that we would stay in the dust forever? There is no stopping the great force. And now we are coming out of the shadows. We... have returned."

"No, no, no..." Drangoz said. "But--" he gave a loud grunt as Shancar stuck him in the stomach with a long laser-coated blade. As he yanked the blade out, blood spilled forth. The Zraak let Drangoz go and he fell onto his face, forward against the throne room floor.

"Daddy!" Alyna shouted, trying to get free of the grasps of the Zraak. Shancar looked at Alyna and quickly backhanded her. His sharp spiked scales on his arm cut her a bit. He then grabbed her around the chin and face.

"You pathetic fool!" He said darkly. "You should've known better than to defy us..."

"You can't kill all of the emperors... Xonoc still stands!" Alyna said.

Shancar smiled. "Oh I'm not going to kill Xonoc. He belongs to the Master."

"What?" Alyna said. Shancar looked over at Drangoz, who was still dying on the floor and had uttered something.

"Alyna... don't give up... d-don't l-let them t-take you. Don't let-t this world take you..."

Alyna couldn't speak, and finally she watched her father breathe his last. Shancar walked over to his body and began violently stomping his head, causing blood to splatter amongst the ground. Alyna screamed, closing her eyes. Shancar pressed a button on his metal wrist cuffs and pointed. Fire sprayed from his wrists and at the purple Dranzoot banners adorning the room. Soon the entire room was ablaze and smoke was everywhere. The loud cackling of flames spat across the room. Shancar breathed in the smoke, walking up Alyna as she held her breath. "Now you take our fall... And now you understand what you did to us... Now, it's time for a reawakening..."

The next thing Alyna knew, she was outside. Her body badly beaten and chained by electric chains. She was on a large stage that the Dranzoot often used in a city square for entertainment. Most of the surviving Dranzoot were gathered in the square, bubbled by Zraak. Shancar stood darkly on the stage along with some other soldier.

"People of Dranus... Your capital has fallen. All if your military force is gone. Your computers are down. What happens to the capital always affects the rest of the empire. And now look at you..." He said loudly. "Behold your queen!" He said gesturing to Alyna. "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DEFY US!!" He shouted. He gave a horrendously loud Zraak battleroar. The Dranzoot all winced. He laughed afterwards, watching them all for a few silent moments.

"We will make you pay for every drop of Dominion blood spilt. Slowly, painfully you will pay this off. Now... It's time for your reevaluation. Dranus is now of the Dominion. Soon to come your colonies will suffer the same fate. And look! THERE IS NO ONE TO HEAR YOU!"

Shancar let out another roar. "YOU ARE ALONE! YOU ARE AFRAID! YOU ARE NOTHING! THE JORRO'KIL HAVE FORGOTTEN YOU, THEY WILL NEVER HEAR YOUR CRIES!!"

The entire crowd was silent. Many of then covered in wounds and dirt from all the fighting. It seemed like were billions of Dranzoot all within the enormous square. But there were even more Zraak.

"Look how the tables have turned..." Shancar said laughing. "You all may as well go off to work. You have jobs to do!"

Travis took the device from Svar, and smiled, "I will not go against the wishes of those who command you, Svar. You may take one of our ships and go. Also, I have something to give you before you go." With this, he walked over to where there was a brilliant, folded bundle of cloth that could only be silk. He carried it over, and handed it to Svar, "Greta told me that you requested her to make this, and she finished, but couldn't find the time to get it to you. Kerr, as you know, is always busy with his pet spider, so she asked me to deliver the tapestry instead." Travis folded his arms, and smiled, "Be glad, she never ceases to amaze anyone with her work, the story told on it captures every bit of the honor I imagine you wanted it to. Take it with you, for it was always meant to be a gift, Greta doesn't ask for payment when she makes tapestries or rugs for people on this mission. She tells us it is her pride and joy just to have others value her work."

Indeed, from what could be seen, the tapestry was filled with brilliant and vivid colors, depicting the spectacular scene that Svar had shown Greta. The old Stagnumian seamstress had not forgotten his request.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

The group of people who had landed on Maozhu kept running, until finally, Ravage came to a halt, the smell of pursuers far off. Everyone came to a stop with her. She looked behind them, "I think we've lost them, their smell is very far away, now." Ravage said. By this time, they had arrived at the base of a mountain, and to go any further would mean ascending up a rocky cliffside, with only lush green grass in a select few places to cushion the grey rock underneath. There seemed to be many crevices in it, as though the mountain had a network of tunnels. Ravage suspected that many of the mountains had these hidden nooks and crannies. "I imagine they must have stopped when they saw the Jewel. We're safe, and so are they, but we'll be stuck on this planet until we can figure out how to get past them, or gain their trust." She then blinked several times, and closed her eyes, rubbing them, before finally, she sneezed, covering it with her arm. She made a disgusted sound, "Ah, this isn't normal, I've been feeling off ever since we landed on this planet. I'm not supposed to get sick, but now my eyes are starting to itch, and I'm sneezing." She winced, and had to cover another sneeze. Of course, someone would think her reaction was dramatic, but the truth was, when you weren't used to being sick, that made it all the more miserable.

Horus frowned, "It looks to me like an allergic reaction, not an illness."

Ravage sneezed, "There's a difference?" Now that the sneezing had started, she was doing it pretty frequently.

Horus nodded, "Yes, being allergic means you have an immune response to something that naturally shouldn't bother you. In this case, I'd imagine plant spores or something else regularly in the air, here."

It was then that a new arrival cut the conversation short.

A young teenage Chimerosu, having quickly flown over to intercept the group, slowly walked into view, his back and shoulders humped, and his gait having a pronounced slouch to it. He didn't look like the Maozhuians, but there was something else odd about him people couldn't place. The first thing they noticed, was the listless, empty gaze that seemed to stare without ceasing. The young man moved in a way that suggested that being seen made him feel highly uneasy, and he looked awkward. His unkempt, wild appearance, which could have led to him being described as feral, only heightened the unusual nature of how he had appeared. After a moment, he raised one hand, and pointed at the members of the group, "So you were rejected as well?" He lowered his arm, letting it fall slack at his side, as his gaze became downcast, though he didn't once blink, "What a shame." The way he spoke was almost a monotone, completely calm. He seemed oblivious to the possibility that the group might harm him, but he also seemed unafraid. He was also speaking International Tongue, so everyone understood him.

Aolani turned to stare at him, "Uh, hello...who are you?" She said, perplexed, and a but uneasy.

The strange teen looked up at her with those wide eyes, "That's the question I was prepared to ask you, but I suppose if you need a name, you can call me Rune."

This was unexpected. The Destroyer had not expected Spyrus himself to directly answer the communications. Diplomacy was usually done with a designated diplomat, and the communications messages usually had to go through several lesser officials, though this was avoidable, as it had been on Mondar. Nonetheless, the Destroyer made sure to answer quickly. He did not want to waste the time of a sovereign of a powerful empire, and a potential friend at that. Unfazed by Spyrus' chilling tone and overall voice, it soon sent a transmission back.

"It is an honor to greet you, Lord Spyrus," The Destroyer began, making sure that formalities were present. Once more, the Prime's voice seemed to shift with every sentence, taking on different accents, identities even, though the rumbling, menacing quality was present in all. "We of the Terminus Pact would like to invite the Samian Prevalence to join our alliance. Thus far, we are composed of the Vil'Nolwikkan Greater Dominion, the United Fleets of Independent Artificial Intelligences, the Imperial Despot of Jiiran, and the Vrentus Collective. We believe that the Samians share similar interests with the Pact, and membership would be beneficial to all those involved. Should you accept, you will receive military and economic support from all of our members. This can allow for rapid expansion of your empire and new technological innovation, given that the Terminus Pact is highly advanced. Should you decline, we will leave you to your own devices, and will not seek to harm you." The Destroyer made sure to send Spyrus several holograms of videos and images following this, depicting the grand empires of the Terminus and their accomplishments. "The choice is yours, Lord Spyrus."

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Svar smiled with gratitude, glancing down at the tapestry. Greta had truly done great work. The Krathunian then knelt, placing his palm flat on the floor, in a gesture of honor and respect. After a couple seconds, he stood. "Thank you, Travis. It has truly been an honor to work with you and all the Chimerosu. I hope to see your people in the future and experience its diverse culture once more. Again, thank you, and farewell." With this, Svar walked off to his quarters. He quickly gathered his belongings - Armor extensions, tools, the rug, and more.

Soon, Svar approached Xerin and the ship, helmet down. In one hand he held a thick metal suitcase, gleaming in the light of the airlock. In the other was a bag made of a cloth-like material, held over the shoulder. He quickly examined the ship and his companion, and nodded. "Are you ready, Xerin?" He asked.

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Theranis nodded at Zizo's placement, examining his weapon sphere in the holographic light. The Lieutenant Wreae simply made a whirring noise, as if in protest of the word 'honor.' The crew was silent for a bit as Q'ren studied the hologram, but soon this was interrupted.

"There," Q'ren exclaimed, pointing at a small area on the map. "The signature's detectable and at that point. Take us in." The ship quickly changed directions and zoomed towards the planets, undetected by the Vrentus. The ship's AI announced several things, mostly technical information about the ship's anti-scanning technology and tactical cloak. Before long, they reached the shield, and Q'ren disabled autopilot so he could manually go in. The Anomaly weaved in between the web-structure, the space becoming more cramped as they went down. Finally, they reached the surface and landed.

The group gathered at one of the doors, still sealed. Everyone wore an oxygen mask or helmet of some sort due to the lack of the gas on this structure - Vrentus do not require oxygen, and thus it would be unnecessary to install systems for it. Theranis stood at the back, surrounded by security machines. Now that they were not fighting, it was easy to see that the robots had been designed to kill Vrentus. Their weaponry was made specifically to breach the outer shells, and their swords structured to pierce them. Q'ren stood at the front, holding his SMG in the right hand. The left hovered above the door controls, but before he did anything he looked back at everyone else. "Are all of you ready?" He asked, smiling under his helmet.

Syprus made a thoughtful hum as he watched the images flash in front of him. One of his hands flexed and he eyed his fingers as he rubbed them together. He then lowered his hands and looked up at the Destroyer. "You have an appetizing offer, stranger. But I have been promised this all too many times. Assemble a meeting. Bring members of these empires to our base in Rek'cluthar. A local planet that is very barren and used for our military purposes. There we will discuss the terms of the alliance. I will decide then. Is that all you wish to discuss, Destroyer?" asked Syprus, tilting his head to the side, trying to get a good view of the Destroyer with his one good eye.

Isbar raised his guns, but Aarin motioned for him to lower them. He placed hi right fist to his left palm and bowed. "I am Aarin Tiirmot. It's an honor Rune." He looked up at the young Chimerosu. "However, I fear we don' understand what you mean."
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Lirr nodded."Ready!"

Zizo chuckled a little. "Not really, but if I waited that long, I'd never leave the ship."

Rune didn't made any sort of gestures that one would normally use in speech, but he did slowly look between the members of the group, closely examining them. Finally, though, he took a deep breath, and began to speak in what appeared his typical slow, even tone, which sounded much older than he actually was, "Of course, you would not know, seeing as you are obviously not familiar with the local people. Actually, perhaps I should say, rather, you are not familiar with the entire world as a whole." He reached up with his right hand and proceeded to scratch at the base of one of his stump-like horns. It wasn't under any circumstances considered socially appropriate, but if so, Rune didn't seem to notice. "You see, I would not normally venture out in the open like this during the day, much less reveal myself to others, but I suspected something strange when I saw that mirror-like contraption coming down from the sky. My determination to find out what that was caused me to go against my very nature." He lowered his arm, "I set out to investigate, and it seemed to me that a group of intelligent people, perfectly capable of reason, was being pursued by the Pavolites, having been mistaken for demons." He sighed, "Just as they always do, when they do not understand something, or recognize it as one of their own."

Aolani frowned, "So are they just a primitive tribe? Surely not everyone on the planet will react that way, will they? I mean, you seem like a reasonable person..." Despite her words, Aolani inwardly found Rune all too slovenly and disheveled in appearance, his posture and incredibly wide, staring eyes didn't help the impression that he seemed a bit off, clearly, this one was eccentric. His slow manner of speaking, though, which sounded tired, had a vocabulary and manner that was highly intelligent, it didn't match his appearance at all. With him staring at her, she felt incredibly uneasy, he made her very uncomfortable.

Rune clasped his hands together, and began twiddling his thumbs, his gaze shifting back to Aarin, as he did not answer Aolani, he bit one of his thumbnails, "Let's see, it's a very long story...where to begin..." He began to flick his tail wildly, before he lowered his arms again, letting them fall slack once more, "I don't think it would be wise if we continued speaking like this out in the open. Should the Pavolites continue tracking you, we could all wind up in a dangerous situation. I can't force you, though..." He proceeded to stare off into space, thinking very hard, as he was in his own little world. Finally, he seemed to snap back into what was his form of focus, "Alright...we could either continue speaking here...or I could take you to my home, where we wouldn't run the risk of being disturbed." He shrugged his shoulders, watching them carefully, "I don't know if I can trust you, though...as fellow outcasts, I feel I have more in common with you...but...I've never allowed anyone into my home before..."

Isbar twitched a quill. "They're coming this way, I think," he said.

Aarin turned to Rune. "I think I speak for everyone here when I say we would appreciate your offer to shelter us. And we promise not to reveal your habitation to anyone else, if it helps."