Ruthless Galaxy: The Paradox Machine - IC

Aarin shook his head groggily as he picked himself up from the floor. He gazed around. He was in a room that seemed to be furnished as some sort of living quarters, complete with a kitchen, beds, couches, even what looked like a television broadcast system. He saw he was not alone.
 
"Yow," groaned Mott. "Did someone get the number of that rocket that clobbered me?"
 
"Aaahhh," gasped Vey, grimacing with pain. "What happened? Where's my cane? And where are we?"
 
"On Tacilo Island, I hope," said Mott, "though I highly doubt we would be so lucky."
 
Aarin found, interestingly enough, that there was in fact a cane in the room, just right for Vey. Once everyone was upright, they took stock of their surroundings.
 
"Huh," said Mott. "Three beds, three chairs at the table. . . I'd say this place was made with us in mind." Going over to a window, he flung it open. Everyone crowded around to look. The scene was that of a valley full of small houses, which their's seemed to be one of. The place was surrounded by cliffs, but was quite large, with abundant vegetation. There seemed to be some larger building made of marble right in the center of it all."
 
"Looks inviting, don't it?" said Mott sarcastically. "All except that." He pointed to the opposite end of the valley. Joining into one of the cliffs was a tall tower that had a distinctly dark and foreboding look to it.
 
"I wonder where we are?" said Aarin. "And how did we get here?"
 
"Well," said Mott, "only one way to find out." Going over to door near the window, he opened it and stepped out, followed by his two companions. The smell of pine adn flowers greeted them.
 
"Interesting," said Aarin
 
"Yes," said Vey. "Almost looks like it was designed to be pleasant."
 
"Mighty suspicious, I say," said Mott. "Come on, let's get to the bottom of this."
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Aarin shook his head groggily as he picked himself up from the floor. He gazed around. He was in a room that seemed to be furnished as some sort of living quarters, complete with a kitchen, beds, couches, even what looked like a television broadcast system. He saw he was not alone.
 
"Yow," groaned Mott. "Did someone get the number of that rocket that clobbered me?"
 
"Aaahhh," gasped Vey, grimacing with pain. "What happened? And where are we?"
 
"On Tacilo Island, I hope," said Mott, "though I highly doubt we would be so lucky."
 
Once everyone was upright, they took stock of their surroundings.
 
"Huh," said Mott. "Three beds, three chairs at the table. . . I'd say this place was made with us in mind." Going over to a window, he flung it open. Everyone crowded around to look. The scene was that of a valley full of small houses, which their's seemed to be one of. The place was surrounded by cliffs, but was quite large, with abundant vegetation. There seemed to be some larger building made of marble right in the center of it all."
 
"Looks inviting, don't it?" said Mott sarcastically. "All except that." He pointed to the opposite end of the valley. Joining into one of the cliffs was a tall tower that had a distinctly dark and foreboding look to it.
 
"I wonder where we are?" said Aarin. "And how did we get here?"
 
"Well," said Mott, "only one way to find out." Going over to door near the window, he opened it and stepped out, followed by his two companions. The smell of pine and flowers greeted them.
 
"Interesting," said Aarin
 
"Yes," said Vey. "Almost looks like it was designed to be pleasant."
 
"Mighty suspicious, I say," said Mott. "Come on, let's get to the bottom of this."
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Jiiran jumped up with a start. Where was he?
 
"Vey? Aarin?" he called. No one answered. He seemed to be in some sort of apartment. Rushing to a window, he flung it open, beholding everything that had been seen by Mott, Aarin, and Vey before. Trying the door and finding it unlocked, he hurried out, blinking in the sudden light. He felt inclined to panic.
 
"Don't panic," he told himself. "Breathe."
 
After he had calmed down a bit. He cautiously began to explore. As a precaution, he broke a branch from a tree to use as a weapon if needed.
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At one house, the one side suddenly exploded outwards, and a black-armored  form sprang out, missile launcher ready. But nothing happened.
 
Cautiously, Jiiran advanced, taking advantage of every hiding place, evaluating every bit of information his armor gave him.

Theranis Ra'agus woke with a jolt, breathing heavily. The young Krathunian picked himself up from the floor, his brown cloak billowing slightly from the movement. He looked around, noting that he was in a quaint house, rather generically decorated though comfortable nonetheless. The bed was perfectly sized for Theranis - in fact, all the furnishings, from the chairs to paintings of Sethega, seemed to be disgned specifically for him. Quickly turning on his HUD scanner, he examined his surroundings.

No signs of Dominion activity anywhere, and I'm not on Velaun anymore... He thought to himself, cautiously observing the area. He allowed his weapon sphere to fall into his hand, and tapped the object to reveal a directed energy assault rifle. The weapon was a shade of silver, with red lights lining down the side. Theranis walked slowly to the door, and opened it to take in the sight that the others had. He noticed a figure wandering alone, wielding a tree branch, and had his weapon detract back into the his dark armor.

"Hello?" He yelled to Jiiran, approaching the future ruler of the Mondarians.

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The door of a house was destroyed, splinters and wood flying in every direction outward. Sentinel Theranis Ra'agus cautiously stepped out, the extra armor around his gauntlet that allowed the action detracting back into the rest of the armor. The dark plates of his armoring harshly reflected the sunlight as he stepped into the world that seemed too perfect. The older Theranis was less paranoid, and did not draw his weapon. Peering into the distance, he noted figures he recognized as Mott, Aarin, and Vey. He called out their names, not sure what to expect.

((You can choose if they're the younger or older version))

Jiiran jumped in surprise. Taking a defensive stance, he pointed the branch at the Krathunian.

"Who are you? What do you want?" He was obviously quite frightened.
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Vey, Mott and Aarin turned in surprise to see the Krathunian approaching. "Who are you?" asked Vey. "And how do you know our names?"

It was then that the Sentinel noticed how young they all looked, and that Aarin, who before had been six feet tall, was now as short as Vey.

He's not a Dominion race or any that I know of. This being isn't speaking international tongue either, which could show isolation from other civilizations. He also doesn't show much combat skills. Possibly an undiscovered species or an entirely unique individual. Theranis thought this as he held up his hands to show that he was unarmed, though his assault rifle was still hidden in his right gauntlet. Knowing that the situation did not call for a tradition greeting, he decided instead to just start speaking.

"I am Warrant Officer Theranis Ra'agus of the Intragalactic Krathunian Covenant of Sethega," He spoke in the most reassuring way he could, slowly lowering his hands. "Just before I woke up here, I was stranded on a desert planet called Velaun. I only want to know where I am, and who you are."

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The Sentinel was about to respond incredulously to Vey's question, as the trio and Theranis had met before. However, he first noticed the younger features of the Vathorins, then Aarin's height, then the absence of Vey's cane. The Sentinel quickly considered his options before deciding on what he would do.

In the traditional manner, he knelt and placed his palm on the ground. "I am Sentinel Theranis Ra'agus of the Intragalactic Krathunian Covenant of Sethega. How I know your names will be incredibly time consuming and difficult to explain considering the situation we are currently in." He looked around, thinking. "Disregard the fact that you are familiar to me. Do any of you have a clue where we are?"

Jiiran slowly lowered the branch. "My name is Jiiran," he said cautiously. "I. . . I don't know where we are either. I was running an errand for Aarin and Vey, and then woke up here."
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The three Vathorins placed their right palms to their left fists and bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sentinel Theranis," said Aarin.

"Unfortunately," said Mott. "We don't have a clue where we are. Do you?"

"If he had, I don't think he would have asked," pointed out Vey.

"Hey, I was just saying," began Mott. Just then Aarin held up a hand. "Do you hear that?"

It was the sound of someone quietly weeping.

In a darkened room, a pair of reptilian eyes, bright blue, opened, as Ravage woke up. Immediately knowing that this wasn't the inner part of her Stealth Strider, she shot up, looking around, her pupils contracting to thin slits. She was sleeping on an incredibly soft bed, somehow specifically made to match the length of a Chimerosu her size. Of course, such a bed would have been considered comfortable, but Ravage immediately got off of it, disliking how she sank into the plush mattress, preferring a much firmer, harder one to sleep on. She looked around the room, and saw that the floors were lined with some sort of brown hardwood, and the walls consisted of planks, as well, as though she were inside of a darkened cabin. There was one window, but the blinds were closed, shutting out the sunlight. Her nose, even indoors, caught a distinctive mix of pine and something floral, as though a field of fragrant blossoms were outside. She went over to the window, and opened it, looking out to see a network of buildings scattered about a rather innocent-looking world. It was a lush green valley, many houses scattered about it, and with a large, marble tower rising out of the center of it all. There were steep cliffs surrounding the area, making it easy for Ravage to tell that unless someone had wings, they wouldn't be able to get out easily. She then noticed affixed to the side of one of the cliffs that a very large, somehow ominous-looking tower rose into the sky. She hissed a bit, baring all of her sharp, serrated teeth. This wasn't any planet she recognized, and if she was here for some mysterious reason, she didn't understand why she wasn't a prisoner being held in chains.

She heard a familiar growl behind her, and turned to see that, thankfully, Xenos was there with her, she wasn't alone, and somehow, her faithful companion had come with her. 38 feet in length, he was a long, leaner creature, although his six legs had the thick, muscular quality that one would expect of an ursid creature, despite their length. They were tipped with powerful, webbed claws that could probably decapitate a man in one swipe. At the withers, or shoulder, the Spiromander was a towering nine feet in height. He had a long neck, and a flat tail, which was somewhat pointed at the tip. Notably, his face, with a long snout and dog-like shape, possessed no eyes, but rather, a series of slits that provided his ability to sense things. He had six slits on each side of the tip of his snout, totaling twelve, which served his powerful sense of smell, which allowed him to be one of the best trackers in the galaxy. In the place of eyes, he had three oddly eye-shaped slits, right beneath ridges that gave the impression of eyes, on each side of his face, totaling six. These powerful eye-slits could see a wider spectrum than most, Xenos could see EM waves from infrared to X-rays. Enclosed between these two was the regular visible light spectrum, and ultraviolet radiation. He also had six slits on his neck, like the frilled gills of some sharks. Circular membranes on the sides of his head, like a frog's, provided hearing that was somewhat better than most creatures, capable of detecting several higher pitches. Native to a planet that was known for a lack of a proper ozone layer, Xenos, as an amphibious creature, had sleek, slimy skin that secreted a special mucus that protected from harmful rays from the sun, and to a lesser extent, energy weapons. With a deep, powerful chest, and long, muscular legs, he was built for both incredible speed, as well as great power, marking him as an ultimate predatory breed. He had three rows of sharp, serrated teeth that pointed inward, and a bright yellow forked tongue. His entire body was a deep shade of blue, covered with ring-shaped markings that were a paler shade of sky blue, marking him as male. Xenos wore a black silk saddle (The silk, being made of Stagnumian Spider-silk, looked more like leather, but was incredibly soft), that was waterproof, as well as somewhat fireproof, held onto his back by straps that went between his legs snugly, and comfortably.

Xenos growled again, and rose up on his feet, having to curl his neck and tail, because the room wouldn't allow him to stretch out completely. He was much more comfortable in the Stealth Strider. The ship was smaller than most, but it was remarkably spacious inside, so this wasn't really a change he appreciated. He wasn't angry at his master, however, considering that she didn't seem to have any idea how they got there, either. Ravage went over to him, and stroked his nose, wrinkled from frustration, until the snarl was gone, calming him down. She then looked around the room, and spotted the door that led outside. She went over to it, but rather than fling it open, she punched into it, causing the hardwood, which wasn't really that strong at all compared to her own immense strength, blasted into a thousand small splinters, scattering about the yard. She wasn't worried about walking over it, having scales on her feet that wouldn't break and get pricked, and her companion having skin so thick that it would just stretch, never becoming damaged. Xenos' skin was like a natural armor, anything sharp had little to no effect, someone could try to cut him with a knife, and it wouldn't even leave a scratch. She lifted her head, taking in the scents, trying to filter out anything other than flowers and pine. Eventually, she smelled people, ones that she knew very well, although there was something distinctly...odd...about their smell, something a bit off.

Deciding to investigate, she started walking. It was fairly close, no need to fly or hop on Xenos' back just yet. Eventually, she spotted through a thick growth of trees that obscured her presence the group she had sniffed out. It was definitely her friends, Vey, Mott, and Aarin, but there was something immediately unusual about them. Aarin, firstly, was oddly just as tall as Vey, when he had possessed a much greater stature the last time she had seen him. Actually, everyone looked younger, for some reason, wrinkles that might have been present were gone, and Vey, who had been suffering severe pain from walking the last time she had seen him, was standing upright, as though perfectly fine. They were with an older-looking Krathunian that Ravage didn't recognize. Sighing, deciding for now to give up on understanding what was going on, she emerged out of the trees, her massive predatory companion following behind her.

Although retaining her casual manner, her face became a mask that couldn't be read, although there was a distinctly harsh set to her lower jaw, making her overall presence seem much more intense than it should have been. "Greetings, I am Major General Ravage of the UCN, for those who don't know me. Does anyone have any idea where we are, or by what means we got here?" Her tone wasn't exactly friendly, but it wasn't hostile, either. It was mostly just serious, focus on the main question everyone was asking. At a towering 5'8", she was tall for a female of her kind, and that wasn't the only thing unusual about her. She had serrated teeth in her beak, and black talons far sharper than a regular Krylonian, so much that instead of being slightly pointed fingernails, they were more like the long, curved claws of a bird of prey. She had a ridge of bone on her face, and her pupils were slitted, like those of a reptile, a glint like steel in their depths. Her feathers had a shimmering, metallic iridescent quality when they caught the light, and were a very dark shade of midnight blue, almost black, her stripes being so dark that they were black. They also had an oily, waterproof sheen, making them seem glossy. Sharp spines ran down her back, coming out of holes in polished black segmented armor, which seemed to have swirling, organic patterns in it when it caught the light, indicating it was melted down at some point in a crucible. Aside from the upper armored parts of her limbs, her feathered arms and legs were left bare, revealing muscle rippling beneath feathers, and greyish-brown scales that began just past the wrists and ankles. Her mane was long, but layered, and seemed to have the capability to collapse down in flight. Her wings were gigantic, and had a very unusual feature, in the form of bright patterns on the undersides of them, taking on the appearance of a pair of glaring eyes, the pattern consisting of deep mahogany red, magenta, purple, yellow, black, and the same dark blue that all of her feathers had. Her horns were also different, being thicker, and distinctly stronger in appearance. Overall, she looked very strange, and somewhat terrifying. Her Spiromander companion, looming behind her, reinforced the impression.

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A cabin door slowly inched open, as a young female Chimerosu with bright sky blue feathers peeked out from behind it. Looking around, Scree slowly stepped out from behind it. With wide eyes with rounded pupils that seemed innocent and naive, she took in the sight around her, the area around the cabin. There was little that set her apart from the rest of her people, except that her layered mane was a bit longer than average, as were her wings. Her feathers had a clean look to them, and though brightly colored, seemed a bit plain, having no iridescence, and not even really a glossy sheen. Her beak and lightly scaled hands were a shell pink color, and her small nails were lightly pointed, like a small finch or sparrow's. She wore gleaming segmented silver armor, bearing the rank of Second-Lieutenant, a low rank, but not as bad as Cadet. "Hello?" She called, wondering if anyone was out there.

Vey, Aarin and Mott, along with Sentinel Theranis were peering behind a bush, Aarin speaking in a soothing tone. They all turned in surprise to see Ravage. Mott gave a squeal at the sight of Xenos and hid behind Vey. Aarin looked up in astonishment. There came a whimpering sound from behind the bush.

"It's all right, Teglin," he said to the person behind the bush. "I don't think they mean any harm."

A young Vatarri with brown skin peered out. He had a total of five finrics of the flagella-form variety, three towards the front of his brow, and two longer ones towards the back, hanging down over his neck. Ravage had seen this young Vatarri once before on Mondar, at the final battle against the Despot where Jiiran was slain. He looked to be the same age as he was on that day, but his face was different; rather than the grim angry youth Ravage had met, this one merely looked scared.

Vey placed his right fist to his left palm and bowed, as did Aarin. "I am Vey Churim, recently become High Prince of Daro. This here is my brother Aarin. The Humdar standing behind me," he continued, dragging Mott out from behind him, "is Mott Gatiir. The young Vatarri over there says his name is Teglin Fess."

"I'm afraid," he went on, "that we can't answer your question. I'm assuming you must have been abducted as well?"

As Teglin came out slowly, Mott cast a nervous glance at Xenos. "That thing is tame, right?"
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Vey sank down on a bench with a grunt. "My goodness, I'm getting too old for this."

Aarin turned. "Is your back paining you?"

"Always," said Vey with a dry chuckle.

"Hello?" came a voice. Everyone perked up.

"Hello?" Vey called back. "Who's there?"

Theranis looked to Ravage, and knelt. "I am Sentinel Theranis Ra'agus. I've heard much of you. It is an honor, Major." He then peered, puzzled, at Teglin. This was not the Vatarri he knew from their journey with Q'ren Talus and the others to find the Continuum Corrupter. In fact, he looked like he had when they met on the arctic planet where Q'ren's ship had crashed.

"This is... certainly very odd." Theranis began, looking around at the others. "There's no doubt in my mind that I have met you all, Vey, Aarin, Mott, especially Teglin. But all of you seem younger than when I had last seen you. What is going on here?"

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The Warrant Officer nodded, staring at Jiiran. "It is a pleasure. I think we should explore the area and find out where we are. There may be other people here, too."

((Busy at the moment, will post about the Wreae in a bit))

Xej woke up with a start, a bad dream threatening to send him over the edge of an abyss. He looked around. This certainly wasn't The Warrior's Way. His nostalgia visit had been cut short, and now he was in a new place. But where?

He looked around.

The building was very old, very quaint. It was composed mainly of wood, but oddly enough, decorated with paintings of war... from his people. Jorro'kil posed in what was meant to be terrifying positions, overcoming an alien military force.

The bed, he realized, was perfect, exactly the kind he favored. As were the chairs, everything seemed oddly to his favor.

The Zealot got up off the bed, and realized he was still suited in his full armor. Primarily purple, the color of honor of the Jorro'kil. His armor was styled to symbolize his rank and title, as was for all Zealots. It took on a somewhat wooden texture, but was actually made of a grainy metalllic substance.

He checked his belt, a thin metallic band around the waist which had a mesh texture in the middle, and pulled out his sword. The two parallel blades extended from thin points connected to the sword's guard, which in turn connected to the hilt, a unique handle, which was like a semi-rectangle. The primary section of the hilt was turned to run parallel to the guard, while at either end two smaller parts connected it to the guard, allowing one to easily point the sword straight. After making sure he had the weapon, he retracted the blades and placed the sword back on his belt.

The only thing missing was his helmet. Xej looked around, the covering for his beak and head missing. There it was, strangely enough, laying on a nearby table. He went over, examined it, flipping it over, and placed it on his beak. The sides extended outwards slightly to fit over the side of his beak, and the whole thing rested comfortably on him. The top arched slightly, with dull blades extending upwards a short distance. The sides were a mesh, which one could not see through from the outside, but allowed the wearer perfectly clear vision from the inside.

Now "complete" Xej decided to leave the cabin, and heading over to the door perfectly suited to his height, opened it. A valley lay ahead, with many similar buildings in it, as well as a tower in the middle. He noticed the steep cliffs surrounding it, and the ominous tower built into one of the cliff sections.

"Interesting place.." He thought to himself.
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Xej Therus, twenty-seven years of age, woke up with a start.

"Where am I?" He thought. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep in his bunk, just shipped out on a cruiser headed to a newly occupied world, along with the other reinforcement troops.

His armor - a Mark Two - still clung to him, as he commonly slept with it on.

The room he was in was fairly large, until the reason became obvious, that it made up the majority of the house he had suddenly appeared in.

Unfinished paintings hung on the wall, resembling more of an artist's rejects than finished works.

The bed, the door, chairs, everything was perfectly set for the Seven-foot-tall Jorro'kil, and yet the style of the building seemed out of place, it was definitely not the sterile silvery or grey color scheme he was used to, but rather browns, as the cabin seemed to be made out of wood. Just.. wood.

He walked around the cabin a few times, observing his surroundings, and decided to go through the door.

Once outside, the soldier saw before him a large valley with many other buildings scattered across it, as well as a large tower in the middle. Treacherous-looking cliffs surrounded the entire valley, which naturally made Xej a little bit nervous, this would certainly not be a good tactical situation. Xej also spotted a large, weathered tower attached to one of the cliffs, its appearance very unfriendly.

After considering his options and whether or not to go further, he finally decided to leave the cabin entirely, and walked off into the woods. After a few minutes, he came across voices. Quickly and silently taking cover in a large portion of tall grass, which, thankfully, was even more obscured by nearby trees.

He slowly crawled forward, until he reached a small drop where the land was seperated by roughly ten feet. Down below, he spotted the origin of the voices. They weren't Jorro'kil - Xenoforms.

One of them, the one with the powerful-looking armor, was incredibly tall, two feet taller than Xej himself. The others were shorter, but nevertheless still very strange looking.

Now he had a choice. Whether to engage them in a hostile manner, or peacefully talk to them. Or, the third option, to ignore them entirely. Xej had never dealt with aliens before, save for the aliens whom the Jorro'kil were currently at war with, the Torselas.

This valley was only so big, and with the surrounding cliffs, he decided it better to get some kind of meeting over with, atleast soon.

Once the aliens had gone further, he slowly got himself down the drop, and, following his training, silently followed the group, hoping to go undetected until he deemed a meeting necessary. At this point, he really missed his IAR. He'd have to start sleeping with that, too.

"Me?" said Teglin incredulously. "I've never met you."

"Me neither," said Mott.

"But," said Teglin slowly, "I think I've heard of you three, Vey, Aarin, Mott. But you all seem younger than what I though you should be. From what I'd heard, Prince Vey had been on the throne for about thirty years."

"Thirty years?" said Vey. "But I only just ascended."

"How strange," said Aarin. He had the same quiet, calm demeanor that he had in the future, though more sprinkled with innocence. "It seems, Sentinel, that you know all of us, yet we have no memory of you. And you," he said, turning to Ravage, "I seem to get the feeling that you know us too, though you hide it well."

Mott scratched his head. "Now this is what I call a mystery, and I'll bet we might find an answer or two in that big building yonder." From where they stood, the edifice in question was about one mile and a half away. "Shall we?" asked Mott.

From a distance away, someone watched them carefully, as well as examining the readings he received from his readings. He especially paid attention to Mott, Aarin and Vey. He didn't recognize the others, but those three he knew. Yet they seemed so much younger than he remembered. How was that possible? He would need to get a closer look at them.
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Jiiran lowered his branch. "Perhaps that building would be a good place to start," he suggested. "If there's anyone else is trapped here, they might head for the same place."

"Hello?" came a voice faintly, from a distance. "Who's there?"

Jiiran cocked an ear. The voice seemed familiar. "Could that be. . .?" he began. He beckoned to Theranis. "Let's go see who that is."

Ravage looked at Mott, her face still not readable, although she felt a brief flash of annoyance, mixed with confusion, at the questions and answers that buzzed around her, "Well, might as well investigate," She answered Mott's question, sounding annoyed. "For the record, yes, I know all four of you, but Theranis, I just met. I'm not going to say anything else about this until I have more information to draw conclusions from. For now, I think I'll just say I've temporarily given up trying to understand all of this."

Xenos came out behind her, and started sniffing the air, examining the scents of each person, considering this new information. Eventually, he gave a strange squeaky sort of growl, the kind that clearly indicated he was confused. Ravage looked at him, "Can't make any sense of this, either, can you?" She asked the Spiromander, talking to her ferocious companion as though he were another person. Xenos turned to her, and gave a short bark-like sound. She shook her head, and stroked his snout, the action seemingly an automatic reflex. Clearly, she was used to being around the massive predator, and had no fear of him whatsoever. She seemed oblivious to the fact that others noted how easily the creature could probably kill them. There was also the saddle on Xenos' back. It seemed that he was a sort of animal companion or mount, although he was definitely a more lethal and dangerous choice for a pet. One couldn't even begin to think about how she tamed him in the first place.

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Scree jumped when someone answered back, although she had called out, she hadn't thought someone was going to respond. She retreated back behind the door, before steeling her nerve, and finally going back out in the open, "Uh, my name is Scree, I woke up here, does anyone know where we are?" She called out, before slowly walking down to where she had heard the voices. She cut through a clump of green bushes, which were the wrong color, in her opinion, to emerge among a group of people that weren't Chimerosu. She jumped, giving a slight, startled squeal, "Wait, you're aliens!" She exclaimed, shocked, "You aren't Chimerosu! What are you?" She looked at them with wide eyes, as though she had never seen a person that wasn't a member of her own kind before. She looked very young, perhaps not even twenty, and her rank identified her as being only one step above a cadet. She was a young Second-Lieutenant of the Chimerosu military, and her armor didn't have a scratch on it that anyone could see. They would recognize her name, though, and though it was much, much different in the future, they would know that this could only be Ravage, from decades ago.

The Sentinel nodded, deep into thought. "Agreed, Mott. But first..." Quickly he used his HUD to search the environment for any other signs of life nearby. That was when he spotted someone on the ground. A Jorro'kil, young, seemingly observing the group.

"Jorro'kil, I can see you. No need to hide from view." He pointed at the avian alien, tilting his head slightly.

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Theranis gestured in agreement, starting to slowly creep to the source. He didn't feel the need to take out his weapon, knowing that whatever had called out likely wasn't armed. Once he got close enough to the source of the noise, he looked back and nodded at Jiiran before calling out. "Is anyone here?"

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Chief Petty Officer Unit 8164392 slowly stalked through the tangle of houses, its hand over the hidden plasma rifle. The machine analysed its surroundings, and even the Wreae knew that there was something uncanny about his location. It peered into several of the houses, checking for activity, before continuing. One of the houses held an alien it had never seen before - A Jorro'kil. Cautiously going over to the entrance, he opened the door, calling out, "This is Unit 8164392, Ryun-Wreae Federation. Who is currently occupying this area?"

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A different figure watched silently as a dark, armored alien observed and crept close to figures he recognized as Vatarins that he had fought side by side with on Mondar. Unsilenced Retribution, after looking for several seconds longer, suddenly realized who it was. The thrusters on the Wreae's body activated, and he stealthily flew near an older Jiiran and the group he approached, setting himself down far away enough to be able to intervene but not be seen by who he recognized as Sentinel Theranis Ra'agus. Unsilenced Retribution waited for Jiiran to confront the group or to be seen by one of the others.

Xej, uncovered by the Sentinel, got up and slowly went forward. His armor occasionally reflected small beams of sunlight breaking through the canopy of trees.

Once out where the group could see him, and he could see them, they looked even stranger than they did from a distance.

"Who- and what- are you?" He asked them. "How do you know what I am?" He asked the Krathunian.
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The Zealot, who had gone a small distance from the cabin that he started out in only to return once again to bring make sure of the house's capacity for supplies, heard the familiar electronic voice, and turned around to see Unsilenced Retribution- Only it wasn't Unsilenced Retribution. It was the Wreae before he had undergone the experimentation. His form was simpler now, and less intimidating.

Xej walked over to it, but stopped a few feet from the Wreae.

"My friend... Wreae... is that you? What has happened to you? How did you get here?" He asked, especially hoping for answers.

"I am Sentinel Theranis Ra'agus, of the Krathunian Covenant of Sethega." Theranis began, curious as to why the Jorro'kil hadn't known what he was, but suspecting the purpose. "This is Mott, Aarin, High Prince Vey, and Teglin of the Confederacy of Vathoris, and Ravage." He looked away from the Jorro'kil for a second, staring at the tower in the distance. "Considering your species' history it only makes sense that I would know what a Jorro'kil is but now is not the time to explain that again. We need to head over there."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Wreae looked, with confusion, at the Zealot. "I do not know you, and the Ryun-Wreae Federation of the United Ieegan Systems has not yet discovered any other intelligent life. I am Chief Petty Officer Unit 8164392 - Perhaps you mistake me for a different machine?" It paused for a bit before continuing. "I do not know our current location, however."

Vey, Aarin, and Mott all gave the Daro greeting gesture to the Jorro'kil. Vey looked around them all. "Well, we certainly have a large collection going here. I wonder how many more are here?"

"Who knows, and who cares?" said Teglin in a surly tone. He looked with suspicion on all the aliens gathered around him. "Let's just find a way out of here."

"Well," said Aarin, "obviously the first thing we should do is find out what's happening."

"Right," said Mott. "As I said, I think we should head towards that big building on the bottom of the valley."
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Jiiran watched the group carefully, then stiffened as he sensed Unsilenced Retribution taking his position nearby. Slowly, he moved a little, silently moving in a way to keep out of sight of the group. He made a note to come back to the group to investigate further. Now, he carefully monitored Unsilenced Retribution with his sharp senses, enhanced by the software in his helmet, waiting to see what the Wreae would do.
______________________________________

Hearing the name Scree, Vey and Aarin exchanged a glance. Could it be? There definitely seemed something familiar about her. Mott, however, crossed his arms.

"What are we? Don't you read history?"

Aarin quickly intervened as Vey dealt Mott a quick swat to Mott's leg. "Sorry about that," said Aarin. He placed his right fist to his left palm. "I am Aarin Tiirmot. This is my brother Vey Churim, High Prince of Daro. We are both Vatarri. This here is Mott Gatiir, a Humdar."

Vey nodded to Scree and smiled at her kindly. "I wish we could tell you where we are, young'un, but we're as much in the dark as you are."

"Is anyone here?" called a voice.

"Well," said Mott, "looks like the party's getting bigger all the time."

Jiiran and Theranis came around the corner at that moment. Jiiran gave a cry of joy. "Mott! Vey! Aarin!" Rushing up, he grabbed them all in a hug.

The scene might have been frightening to Scree. Both of these new creatures were quite large, and taller even than Aarin.

Jiiran held the trio at arms length, looking surprised. "What happened to you? You all look so old." His face then turned to a disturbed one. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Aarin, Vey, and Mott were looking at Jiiran like they had seen a ghost.

"No, I.." Xej stopped. Whatever the reason, this was probably a younger version of the Wreae he had been partnered with, but undoubtably it was Unsilenced Retribution.

"I'm afraid I don't know where we are either. I just... woke up here." He said. "Ah, I am Xej Therus of the Jorro'kil Free Absolute." He said, and dipped his beak.

"Tell me, given the information you would have gathered by now, what is our best tactical option?" He asked. Xej was quite capable of figuring this out himself, but wanted to see if any of Unsilenced Retribution's personality was present in this one.

______________________________________________________________________________________________


The young Xej blinked a few times, staring at the aliens. This was certainly a new experience for him, all he had known was that xenoforms were a threat to be dealt with accordingly, yet now he was faced with creatures who, for now, gave no sign of malicious intent. He was taller than most of them, save for Theranis and the giant Spiromander standing by the odd avian creature. He stared at the beast for a few moments, in awe of its size, and its seemingly tame appearance. Perhaps the one that it stood by was some sort of trainer. To him, it looked as much.

Scree's face paled, "Uh..." She began, her voice growing shaky, and she looked like she was about to faint. That wasn't what happened, though. Instead, her body started to grow transparent, before completely vanishing, starting with her tail, and then working towards her beak. There was a bit of silence, as though she had disappeared completely, before there was a furious stomp on the ground, the outline of feet appearing in the grass, "Stupid camouflage! I'm sorry, I've just...never seen any aliens other than my own people before...you scared me. This tends to happen to me when I freak out, I've been trying for years to stop turning invisible when I'm stressed. I can't help it." With this, she gradually appeared back, solidly, standing just where she had been. "You all seem like very nice people, but how is it that I'm here, when my people have been isolated from the rest of the galaxy for perhaps thousands of years? Moreover, how should I know what you are? I haven't seen anything about your people, I haven't ever heard of a Humdar or a Vatarri before, and what are they?" She looked at Jiiran and Theranis with the same wide eyes.

After a moment, she flicked her tail, the initial shock quickly fading, "I guess you know each other? Look, I didn't ask to be abducted, I just want to go back home, and finish my advanced pilot training. Hopefully I'll pass the test and they'll let me pilot a Stealth Strider model. I can't afford not to study, only about one person gets that privilege every year, and regardless if I earn the right to have one, I have to pass, or I won't get promoted to Lieutenant." She then slapped her hands over her beak, "Grubblons...I'm not supposed to say any of that..."

_______________________________

Ravage tilted her head slightly, looking at the Jorro'kil intensely. "I think I know you from somewhere, but I'd rather not say, should I be wrong." She did, in fact, know Xej, who had piloted the Warrior's Way, and had been in charge of the mission where she had been shot and mutated by a Dominion soldier. She still remembered how horrified everyone had been when she had come out of her ship, dripping with some sort of clear nutrient slime, and bearing distinctly new traits not possessed by others of her kind. It was as though she had been warped into a monster. Ravage had not seen Xej, though, for thirty years, and she wasn't sure if he looked older, or younger, though she leaned towards younger.

Aarin, who recovered first, smiled at Scree. "That's all right. We won't tell anyone. We really didn't mean to be abducted either. In fact, we were going for a walk in the garden. And it's good to see you Jiiran," he added, embracing the person in question.

Vey quickly followed suit. He gave a gasp as Jiiran hugged back. "Ah! Careful of my back Jiiran!"

"Sorry," said Jiiran. "What's wrong with it?"

"Long story," said Vey as Mott hugged Jiiran. He turned to Scree. "Allow me to introduce Jiiran, a friend of ours. Jiiran, this is Scree."

Jiiran placed a right fist to his left palm and bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Scree," he said with a smile. He had a very kind, charming smile.

Mott looked at the Krathunian. "Do we know you? You look familiar."

Theranis knelt in the customary way, now feeling the gesture was necessary. "I am Warrant Officer Theranis Ra'agus of the Intragalactic Krathunian Covenant of Sethega. It's a pleasure." The younger Theranis looked similar to his older counterpart, albeit did not have the same experienced look to his face, and was missing several scars. The armoring, of course, was different, as was the way the two held themselves. However, it was undeniable that it was a younger version of the Sentinel that had met the Vathorins.

_________________________________________________________

Unsilenced Retribution noticed Jiiran carefully watching him and decided to make his move. The Wreae's body was surrounded by an aura of blinding blue energy as it dashed towards Jiiran, a blur to those who did not have exceptional eyesight (Though there was no doubt in its mind that the figure it recognized as Ravage would be unable to detect it). The Wreae stopped its approach when several steps directly in front of Jiiran, slowly walking towards the reptilian alien.

"Machines do not see ghosts," He began, its dark armor barely reflecting the sunlight. "Yet I am encountering one now. Why are you here, Jiiran?"

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8164392 paused, examining the Jorro'kil. "My analysis shows that the best strategy at this moment would be to investigate the area further and search for any other lifeforms. A primary source for investigation would be the tower structure." It was clear that this Wreae was much less "organic" than Unsilenced Retribution, and in fact was almost exactly like the machine before Overcharge. However, decades of experience had left the machine.

"Theranis?" said Mott incredulously. "You look younger."

Vey frowned. Why were they meeting people they knew, and why were these people so young and apparently unfamiliar with them? "There is something strange going on here," he said.
_____________________________________

Without hesitation, Jiiran crouched and brought up his left arm. A small missile-launcher extended itself from the armor.

"Who are you, and what is this place?" demanded Jiiran in his dead-pan tone. "Was it you who brought me here?"

Xej looked down for a moment, but was smiling slightly under his helmet. He looked up.

"Yes, this seems to be the best course... I suggest, if you don't mind, we pursue a stealthy approach to the tower. Given the odd circumstances I'd rather avoid any nasty surprises the valley might hold." He said.

"If needs be, I can easily defend myself." He brought up the sword and extended the two sharp blades for the Wreae to see, then placed the weapon back on his belt.

"I assume you are also armed?" He asked.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________


"I don't understand how it would be that you would know me. I know no xenoforms, certainly not one such as you." The young Xej replied to Ravage.

At Xej's time, the Jorro'kil had no standard greeting for aliens, as they had only ever encountered hostile life since their achievement of space travel, and a greeting standard had not been a need because of this. Therus supposed now would be the time for a relations department to design one.

"Why are you going to that tower? Why am I here?" He asked, suspicious of the aliens, longing for his IAR as his training urged him to take self-defensive measures.

A ways away where the various people were meeting each other, a Vatarri was making his was cautiously making his way through the valley. He also was making his way to the large building in the center. He went forward cautiously, weapon in hand, with a manner that showed him to be skilled and experienced in such matters. In fact, is very appearance gave the idea that this one had the skills of a fighter with years of training under his belt, from his weapons, to his scars, to his grim determined manner. He moved forward slowly, always alert, occasionally casting a glance up at the cliffs. There stood the towering structure everyone else had noticed, gazing over the valley like some grim, foreboding watcher; indeed, to gaze at the tower seemed to make one certain that evil and unfriendly eyes were watching every move within the valley.

The Vatarri concentrated on the far less grim building that stood within the center of the valley at its lowest point. The tower on the cliff could wait until later.

Unsilenced Retribution was unfazed, holding out his hand in response to Jiiran's action. The blue energy flowed throughout the machine's body and some of it went to his clenched fist, which the Wreae held out in front of himself and spread his hand. The energy burst out, forming a shield should Jiiran try anything.

"I am Unsilenced Retribution, Admiral of the Ryun-Wreae Federation. Our current location is unknown, though if I had brought you here I wouldn't be asking you why you're... here." The Wreae paused, thinking for a moment and piecing together what had happened. "Jiiran," he began, looking around as if not wanting anybody to notice that a Confederacy officer was speaking to the leader of the Imperial Despot of Jiiran. "Before you came here... What had you just accomplished in regards to your government?"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8164392 nodded, and within the blink of an eye held an intricately made plasma rifle, originating from a mechanical holster on its back. A blade could be seen running down the machine's gauntlet - The same sword it would eventually wield against the King Baphomet UFIAI mech. "You may lead the way, Xej." It spoke, gesturing to the outside.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The younger Theranis shook his head, thinking over what Mott had just said. "Indeed, Vey. We need to investigate."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Sentinel thought for a moment before responding. "None of us know why we're here, Jorro'kil. The tower is an anomaly within this pleasant area, and is likely part of the source of the problem."

Jiiran did not lower his arm. "That is no concern of yours," he replied in his deadpan voice.

However, in his mind he was carefully going over what the Wreae had said, and giving consideration to the entire situation. What the Wreae had said made sense, he decided. Still, Jiiran was not one to trust anyone. And he certainly wasn't going to give any information regarding his doings to some robot that had appeared out of nowhere, especially when he seemed to be prisoner in a strange place.
_______________________________________

"That's what we were thinking, too," said Mott. "It would certainly be a good place to start."

"I wonder," said Aarin. He looked at the building in the center of the valley, and then up at the tower poised on the cliff far off in the distance. "What is that place up there, I wonder?"

Teglin shuddered. "Who cares? If its a choice between that thing up there and the one building at the bottom of the valley, I'll take the latter, thank you very much."

Ravage looked at the building, and flicked her tail, once, "In all honesty, I've seen some nice things that turned out to be huge disasters, I think it's safe to say that we would be better off being suspicious of both buildings, instead of judging solely by looks. If you mean which tower is easier to get to, however, yes, the tower down here in the valley would be much less difficult to reach." She folded her arms, and glanced over at the tower everyone wanted to go to, "As for why some of us know you, and why we see you as much younger than us, with you having no recollection of ever meeting us, that is a question we will find the answer to in time, perhaps very soon, considering that I have a certain instinct about these things." She walked over to Xenos, and got the Spiromander to lay down, allowing her fly up and land on his back where the saddle allowed her talons a better grip. "In addition, I think for now, because of the current circumstances, I won't mention how I know any of you, because considering you don't remember, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."

She then glanced around, "If anyone is a slow runner, speak up now, Xenos is a strong animal and can easily carry more than one person on his back. Be warned, though, he runs very fast, so we'll get there first, most likely, but he can give you motion sickness if you can't handle high speeds." She then looked down at Mott with a meaningful look, before glancing back over to the tower, their destination. She had known Mott to have a weak stomach when on anything that moved quickly. She knew Xenos' remarkable swiftness would probably make him sick, and she hoped the look she had given him hadn't given away that she knew he had that problem. You had to have been riding in the same vehicle or something of a similar nature to know if someone got motion sickness.

____________________

Scree frowned, "Well, I think everyone agrees this is weird..." She said.