Crimson Catalysts {Role-Play}

[Cide]

Dust rolled across the barren landscape, silent as a graveyard. A graveyard was a good description for what the wasteland had become, the corpses of giant insect-like creatures strewn everywhere. Of course, there were also corpses of large, human-like creatures as well, however there were far more of the insect creatures. A subtle humming rolled across the open field, breaking the silence. One of the insect-like creatures appeared over a ridge, followed by a hundred, then a thousand, then tens of thousands. A small group of the human-like creatures slowly appeared on the hill opposite the insect army, brandishing weaponry of various shapes and sizes. The leader of the group, a creature larger than any of the others, raised his bow and pulled an arrow from the satchel strung over his back. He pulled the arrow back on the string of the bow, muttering three words in his native tongue.


"Niktu vas kerai." The leader spoke.


The band of the humanoid creatures behind him roared the words in rebuttal, raising their weapons into the air, readying the attack. The leader released the arrow, sending it screaming towards the army of insectoids. The arrow tore through the first creature and continued traveling through the ranks, losing very little momentum as it tore through the insectoids. When it reached the middle of the large army, it exploded into a huge blast of a special chemical poisonous to the insectoids. Those caught in the blast died immediately, and as the chemical rolled through the wind, more and more died. The group of the humanoid creatures raced toward the insectoid army, their weapons at the ready. As the leader came nearer and nearer the the army, he roared a ferocious battlecry that echoed throughout the wasteland. Let the battle begin.

 

[Sadow-sama]

White-green blood painted the dead dirt below the Commander's feet as the Second-In-Command of the Haktu forces, Pak, took charge immediately, having his comparatively larger forces clash against the smaller ones though with little success. Perhaps two Eckari dead whereas hundreds of Haktu were gone... Damn it all! Pak commanded five of his elite bodyguards to follow him as he snuck around the battle lines and to the archer who dared to take off the Commander's head as well as cripple his forces. With a few loud clicks, he ordered his swarm to surround the archer as his bodyguards stayed back to protect him, just in case.


This man was not just any Eckari warrior they could easily slay on sight. He was a man revered among his people, and feared among Pak's own. A demigod to some, a terrorist to others. The Queen demanded this man's head long ago, but no success. Only devastating failures. This man has left countless Haktu dead in his wake, yet thanks to their high reproductive rates, they have limitless supplies of soldiers to send offworld and onto their own, to not only capture more slaves but to fight this man fervently. If Pak could kill, or better- capture this man, it would secure the Haktu Leiutenant a high rank in the castes of Haktu society. Pak would be given his own hive, a lengthier name, and many more mates to breed with! Yes, he might even be promoted to High General and have countless forces under his control! Such was a dream, a drunken, lucid demand of a man facing an impossible test of volition.


The swarms of Haktu surrounded the archer, as they were commanded. These creatures were loyal, mindless drones. Few had the luxury of aspiration. Unlike Pak, who had his jagged Officer's sword sheathed at his leather-based belt on his side. It mattered not which drone managed to land the killing blow on this man. So long as they were commanded to by Pak, that would be good enough. They edged their spear tips closer, hurrying to him as their fly-like wings carried them and their long, thin legs drove them forward along the cracked rock beneath their feet.

 

[Cide]

The leader of the small group of warriors slew thousands, tearing through the Haktu like tissue paper, swinging his massive, double-edged blade with precision and ease. The leader, known as Echanu Han, became covered in the thick blood, but that did not slow him down. It only made him more determined to defend his homeworld. Eventually, Echanu found himself surrounded by swarms of elite Haktu. He was severely outnumbered, the rest of his forces cutting down the army of drones. This didn't deter him. He only gripped his weapon and let out a blood-curdling roar, charging like a berserker at the enemy nearest him. As he cut through the elite of the Haktu like they were nothing, he was fueled by the memories of his people, the Eckari.


Echanu remembered when the Haktu first showed up on his planet. At first, they didn't seem like a threat. They acted like they wanted to make a treaty. However, they began taking the Eckari people. The High Council thought that they were just taking the Eckari to educate them. But instead, they found out, they were subjugating them, turning the captured Eckari into slaves. This caused the High Council distress. They pleaded with the queen of the Haktu, wherein she simply replied with a public execution of the imprisoned Eckari, on the Eckari's own homeplanet, Faerigan. The High Council saw this as a personal insult, and declared war on the Haktu. No sooner than this happened, the Haktu invaded, and in such numbers. They outnumbered the Eckari, 1000 to 1. They were vastly outnumbered, but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in skill.


The warriors of the Eckari, known as the Sha'vael, had been bred and selected at birth to be warriors of the highest caliber. To die in battle without killing at least 1000 enemies was to bring dishonor. Echanu Han had already killed hundreds of thousands of not only Haktu, but any other invading forces trying to take over the barbaric and primitive planet of Faerigan. This earned Echanu the title of High General, making him the leader of the people. He still had to answer to the High Council, but they were all wiped out by a cowardly Haktu attack. Despite the arguments he received from his people, Echanu still fought side-by-side with his brothers and sisters of the Sha'vael.


Now, however, he focused on the present. When Echanu brought his mind back to the battle at hand, he had already killed all of the the elite Haktu and faced the second-in-command. He had encountered this bug before, but it managed to slither away from it's death. This day, though, it would not be so lucky. Echanu threw his weapon to the ground and removed what little armor he wore, issuing a personal challenge to the Haktu warrior. It seemed wary, but it unsheathed it's sword and lunged at Echanu. Echanu, being the superior warrior, grabbed the bug's sword with both of his hands, placing his palms together to avoid any injury. The Haktu were known to poison their blades, so Echanu was careful not to be cut. He twisted his hands downward, disarming the bug, then flipped the blade around and stabbed it in the gut, running it through easily. The bug tried to grab the blade, but Echanu stopped it by grabbing it's "hand", which was more like three claws, and pulling it toward Echanu. He brought his fist up, punching the bug in the face, dropping it to the ground. Echanu placed his foot on the bug's side, continuing to grip it's hand. He pulled hard, ripping the bug's arm off with ease. He bashed the bug in the face with it's own arm, then grabbed it's other arm. He ripped that one off as well, then it's legs, leaving it a bleeding torso and head. He picked it up by it's throat and looked at it closely.


"Froma ka shem tow, i'ssha tow...Tow fra kelaila!" Echanu exclaimed in his native tongue.


In layman's terms, Echanu said to the bug an ancient proverb from his people. It translated to "Now you will meet death, for I am your death...Die without glory". After Echanu spoke those ceremonial words, he ripped the sword from the bug's torso, then reached inside of it. He pulled out the bug's heart and shoved it into it's mouth, then he pulled out it's intestines and wrapped them around the bug's neck. He pulled the intestines tight, strangling the bug. He watched as the life faded from the bug, relishing every moment of it. Before the bug completely died, Echanu ripped off it's head, staring into it's eyes, making sure that his face was the last thing that the bug saw. When the bug had completely died, he threw the head down and looked at the battlefield. His small group of Sha'vael had wiped out the entire Haktu army that had swarmed, only losing three warriors. Their deaths would be honored. Echanu stepped on the Haktu's second-in-command's head, crushing it under his foot.


"Shor vael ma toma, Sha'vael." Echanu spoke as he picked up his weapon and armor, heading back towards his camp to his wife and children.

 

[Sadow-sama]

Kor grinned as she plunged the head of her blade into the woman's stomach, the daughter weeping behind them as a pair of Haktu drones held her against the hard stone wall of their hut. The two sons had dared to defy the Haktu. The youngest one died quickly, having been run through with a jagged sword. The other, however, went down fighting, having impaled one of her warrior's many eyes with a small dagger kept concealed beneath his pillow. Apparently, each of these primates carried one of these daggers at a certain age for protection. Regardless, the boy was swiftly decapitated in front of the mother and daughter. The mother had tried using a cooking tool, a bowl with a handle of some sort, as a weapon. She succeeded in knocking out one of her drones and giving another a terrible headache. But that was it. She died, having spat in Kor's face disrespectfully. These creatures should know their betters when they see them.


This attack was a brutal retaliation for the campaigns against their people from that damn Echanu warrior. They managed to locate his tiny, remote village and raise it to the ground. The daughter managed to get free of the drones' grasps in time to run outside and see her neighbors, friends, loved ones being impaled and killed out on their fields, in the streets, and on their lawns. Some of them fought and even managed to kill a few Haktu drones, but most of them died as their huts were set aflame. As tears streamed down her cheeks, her mouth agape, Kor crept from behind her and impaled her back with her jagged Officer's sword, raising her up. She gave a few mocking clicks into the girl's ear as she died, basically telling her it was her own fault this happened. She probably couldn't understand her, but it mattered not. The damage was done, and by the time the bodies were left, impaled for all to see, Kor and her band had left to regroup with a larger force preparing to raid another town. This should discourage further retaliation...

 

[Cide]

As Echanu neared his village, he stopped, raising his fist into the air, signaling for the Sha'vael to stop as well. Something was wrong. He sniffed the air, smelling smoke. He shot the fist forward and raced towards the village, bounding at incredible speeds for a man his size. He reached the village in no time, only to find that it had been razed. What he saw horrified him, but what horrified him the most was the small body that was bleeding out on the ground. He threw his weapon down and ran as fast as he could to the small frame, picking it up and cradling it in his arms. It was his daughter, Nor'wa.


"Nor'wa! Nor'wa vas mal!!" Echanu screamed, wishing that his words could bring the life back into his daughter.


However, the words could do nothing. The small girl lay limp in his arms. Echanu screamed in agony as he held his small child in his arm, then looked up to see his own, large tent on fire. He placed Nor'wa on the ground gently and rushed into the burning tent, ignoring the pain of the flames. He saw what he feared most: his entire family, slaughtered. The tent was about to come down, so Echanu gathered the remainders of his family and exited the tent just before it collapsed. Part of his clothing was on fire, but he didn't care. He placed his family together on the ground, not knowing what exactly to do. His hands shook, a lump was caught in his throat, and his mind was racing. So, all he could do was scream.


All of the other Sha'vael were horrified at the sight of the small military-esque village burning, but they were lucky enough to not have families in it. They all saw Echanu in shambles, so they pulled him away from the sight of his family. He fought them, throwing them every way, but not fatally injuring any of them. They just kept flocking back to Echanu and finally succeeding in pulling him away from the corpses of his family. They knew that this was for the best, for they had seen great warriors going cold and becoming useless at the sights of loved ones dying. They couldn't have Echanu doing that. They needed him too much.


After several hours, Echanu had finally calmed down enough to bury his family. This was normally something reserved only for the highest of the warriors and Council members, but Echanu didn't care. His family had been struck down in cold blood by these cowardly bugs. He looked at his Sha'vael and gave them a short nod. They all nodded back, knowing what he was planning. Echanu muttered one word, a word that all of the Sha'vael knew well. The word was a name. The High Council had brought it up before they were wiped out, but Echanu dismissed them, not wanting to bring in outside help for fear of disrespect. But now was the time to contact this name. Now was the time to strike at the Haktu. The name carried on the wind, almost as fast as Eckari and the Sha'vael rode the Elor, creatures that were native of Faerigan.


The word that rode on the wind was "Kinder".

 

[Sadow-sama]

"You want what?!" Bordon Genwick spat up his sweet, honey-coloured brew at the request of this foreign giant. He sought out... that monster-child... Aubren? On Toria, the Vegas-like city world renown for its night-life and lights as well as how people can either make it big or lose it all here, an ironic gamble seeing as how this was a big gambling planet, Kinder Industries isn't much of a notice because this planet is, predominantly, human-occupied. Of course, you'll meet all kinds here on Toria but humans are the majority of the populace. Despite this, Toria is situated in a region of space where Kinder Industries-owned planets are neighboring. And planets occupied by Kinder Industries that haven't always been... tend to be rather scary. The private army contracted by the company patrol the streets and halls of every city and town, enforcing the company's rule and laws like they were their own government. Anyone who voiced anything that was different than what the Company endorsed was shot, buried, and to never be spoken of again. Sometimes these policing soldiers were war androids, which were, obviously, illegal but not publicized/argued against because of the company's power, and other times the soldiers were truly people contracted by the company, but still they were just as much as their property as the androids. And this man wanted to find them?





Bordon didn’t understand why the giant merely didn’t seek out one of these planets or perhaps one of the company’s stores. They could be found anywhere, from a pharmacy to a gun club to even a supply store for colleges and universities. Their label was stuck on almost everything, almost everywhere. The man must be from one of the Kortan regional planets. His accent is strange and he looks a bit primitive, as are those planets. Some of those can’t even spacefare which doesn’t explain how this man got to Toria. He looked human enough, apart from his tall stature and large musculature. Bordon had to admit, he was a bit envious of the appearance compared to his scrawny, pasty self. He noticed a few dames eyeing the giant from afar in the cantina they were in, giving flirtatious smiles and gestures as he sat at the table.

 

[Cide]

Echanu wiped the swill off of his armor and stared at the man. He had had enough of a harrowing adventure getting to this technological planet, he didn't want any more of a headache playing games with this small man. He placed his large hand on the table in front of the small man, clenching it into a fist roughly the size of the man's head. He glared at the man, a glare usually saved for the younglings to show them the error of their ways, were they to do something wrong. However, he knew that the scolding look would terrify this tiny man. Echanu knew that if the man were to call guards, the Sha'vael would take care of them. Two of them were guarding the door from afar, and two more were strewn around the bar. They stuck out like sore thumbs, but Echanu enjoyed their presence being known. It deterred any idiotic activities.


"You heard what I want, Bordon. Get me him. The one known as Au-burr-en. If you don't get me him, I'll break you." Echanu said out of his native tongue, however, his native accent heavy as he spoke.


As he spoke, Echanu motioned with his hands to emphasize his points, especially the part where he said something about breaking Bordon. Echanu saw the looks he was getting, especially from the females. He was amazed at the small frames of the humans, the females more than the males. He wondered how they were able to birth the younglings with such small bodies. He wanted to ask one of the females how they were able to do it, but he figured he would wait until a later time. Something else that intrigued him was the varying shapes and sizes of the humans. The Eckari were normally all shaped the same, the females slightly larger than the males, the males sporting larger muscles and frames than the females. Here, it seemed to be opposite, the males being larger than the females...Usually. Echanu had witnessed some of the humans having large abdomens that jiggled when they walked. He wondered what tactical advantage that served to them. Perhaps he would find an expert on humans and ask them about these questions, but now wasn't the time.

 

[Sadow-sama]

Putting a soft, gentle, dark-skinned hand on the giant's shoulder was the local entertainer and singer for the bar, Zecora. She was a native of Wajeel, a planet in the Equestrian region. A planet that happened to have been conquered by the Kinder Industries this man wanted to get the attention of, an unwise move for anyone. "Calm yourself, kind sir. Here, have some Peterian tea on the house. Since poor Bordon here..." she gestured to the fear-stricken, shame-filled man at the table "...is too unfit to explain how unwise your ambitions are, allow me to do so~ Hit it, boys~" she snapped her fingers at the instrumentalists at the dark, back-end of the stage and they strummed their strings to a random beat, hoping she could work with it. Their hopes were well-placed as she, on the spot, managed to come up with a catchy song detailing her experiences with the company in the past and their tendencies with violence...





"Now get around while I loose a beat,


For recalling this is no easy feat.


Planets like mine aren't scarce or thin,


For a dictator with a high-held chin.


There are devils and demons with glowing eyes,


Some have fangs about this size-"





She expressed this by moving her dark fingers in a curved motion on her mouth to make her tiny canines look bigger.


"Some short and fat, some tall and thin,


And some don't even have any skin~!"


A pair of background vocalists joined in rhythmically, the talent of this group being shown by how each is able to get a handle on the song without past practice.


"I'm tellin' you brother, it's a frightful sight,


For the minds of this group are not riiight~!"





Zecora picked up the beat herself once more, recalling her past as a child.


"When my clan had a midnight jamboree,


The company rode in with fiendish glee~!"





The others joined in once more.


"Spirits are bad, but the one that's cursed,


Is Aubren Kinder, he's the worste~!"


Zecora, once again, took the solo.


"When he goes flying across the land,


Holding their lives right in his hand,


Devils take one look and groan-"


"-then they hit the road, far parts are known~!"


"Well there's no burns like a tyrant mad,


For if he gets upset, he'll roast ya' lad.


This I promise you my son,


If you see their troops, take off and run~!"


Each of the Wajeelian canine-women on stage gave rhythmic howls of despair in tune with the song before Zecora picked up again.


"So fire up the engines, turn off the locks~!


Unless you're careful, you'll be eatin' rocks~!"


"Don't think he'll hesitate a bit,


'cause he'll reap your crops if they will fit~!"


"He likes 'em small, he likes 'em big~!


From Kethrall to Jorren to even Sig~!"


The trio concluded the song in unison.


"Black or white or even red,


He conquers planets to get ahead~!"


At this, the final strum is emitted as each of the singers take a bow and the small audience clap in entertainment, despite the grim nature it held.

 

[Cide]

Echanu listened to the song in length, his face remaining stone cold. Was this the way this race introduced themselves? By...Singing? The Eckari were incapable of song, their vocal cords only capable of normal and screaming chords. Song was an odd thing to Echanu. However, he understood the words and when the song concluded, he stood. This "Zecora" persona was much smaller than he, the top of her ears only coming up to his chest. He reached around her and picked her up by the scruff of her neck, like he would a young Elor, examining it to see if it would make a good transport or if it was just good for a feast. He examined her much the same way, except he was seeing if she could lead him to Aubren.


Putting Zecora down, Echanu gave her a stern look, the same one he had just given Bordon. He motioned for the Sha'vael to converge, which they did immediately, pushing their way through the crowd. Once the two large warriors appeared behind Zecora, Echanu motioned for the door to the bar, indicating leaving. He then looked over his shoulder to Bordon, who was beginning to look like a scared Maeru, a small furry creature that was good for feeding the Elor.


"If this man is what you say, tell me in private. Come. You too, Bordon." Echanu said as he started for the door.

 

[Sadow-sama]

The other entertainers demanded "Hey! Where are you going with our lead vocalist!?" Zecora turned to them and smiled weakly "Don't protest, guys. I'll see what he wants and be back before you know it." They nodded uneasily at this reassurement as Bordon got up after a final swig of his drink, downing it as if it'd be his last. He approached one of the guards and was ready to be off, possibly to his doom. Everyone in the cantina made a clearing for the Eckari and their captives, not wanting to join them nor get knocked aside by one of the towering giants again.

 

[Cide]

Pushing past the bar patrons and through the door of the bar, Echanu was followed closely by Zecora, Bordon, and his Sha'vael. He walked into the street, breathing shallowly, trying to avoid the acidic tasting air. He was used to the hot, yet crisp air of Faerigan, not the toxic air of this disgusting planet. Echanu wanted to get off this hellhole as soon as possible, but not before finding Aubren. If Bordon or Zecora couldn't show him where he was, hopefully they could at least point him in the right direction. Looking around for a place to talk in privacy, Echanu found a darkened alleyway. He pushed into it, the alley barely being wide enough for his broad shoulders. After going deep into the alley, he turned and faced Zecora and Bordon. They had no means of escape, save going through Echanu or two Sha'vael. Echanu looked at Zecora first and began speaking.


"Where is Au-burr-en? I must find him. Immediately. The Eckari depend on finding him." Echanu spoke.

 

[Sadow-sama]

Bordon leaned against a wall, half-drunk and not knowing where to find Aubren or even who the "Eckari" were. He felt like he could pass out on the spot. Zecora noticed this and answered for the two of them "He tends to, usually, be on his Marauder-class Capital ship, King's Bane. It's a huge warship, surrounded by a frigate of other Company Vessels. They tend to traverse regions of space with little human influence. Independent, small planets but sometimes bigger ones that aren't known about too well." She didn't know what an Eckari was, but she knew this man was getting into trouble if he was looking for the big man himself.

 

[Cide]

Echanu listened to Zecora's words, Bordon leaning against the wall and being useless. He was becoming more and more useless, and Echanu was beginning to consider ending this miserable little man's life. Zecora, however, was proving useful, so he figured he would take her with him. He listened to her words, not really understanding half of what she was saying, but he figured that she could explain more along the way. Suddenly, a group of three men came upon them. They all brandished weapons, one seemed to be a blunt club made out of metal, the other two was small blades. Echanu looked at them as they approached.


"Yo yo yo, big man! Got any money?" One of the men asked.


"Yeeaah, we's broke, y'see. We's needs the moneys so's we's can eat's and stuffs. So's give's us the moneys, now's." Another man said, spinning the small blade in his hands.


Echanu was fascinated by the way the second man spoke, but he could see that they were threatening. Not to him and his Sha'vael, no, but to Zecora and Bordon, yes. Echanu needed them too much at this point to let this trio harm them. Echanu stood between the group and Zecora and Bordon, being a physical wall. He glared at them and flexed his muscles, a gesture of challenge on Faerigan. As the muscles flexed, Echanu seemed to almost double in size to being almost ridiculously muscular. His shoulders hit both sides of the alley walls.


"You need to leave. Now." Echanu said in his threatening voice.

 

[Sadow-sama]

The center thug gave a stupidied look at this man's odd demand. As huge as he was, they had weapons. "Eh?! Leave? But we're still hungry! And unless you've got dough to hand over, we're not leavin'!" The others stood by him, one looking apprehensive at their friend's drunken boldness despite the fact that these guys were, to put it lightly, collossal. Zecora smirked with small canines showing as Bordon merely hiccuped in excitement. These punks didn't know what they were getting into.

 

[Cide]

Seeing that the thugs refused to back down, Echanu clicked his tongue once and one of the Sha'vael crouched low to the ground and leapt over the other Sha'vael, Bordon, Zecora, Echanu, and the three thugs. As the Sha'vael hit the ground and turned on it's heel to face the thugs, Echanu used this moment to strike. He grabbed the leader of the thug's head and picked him up by it. A simple squeeze and he could feel the head splinter. A hard squeeze and the head literally exploded, the thug's brains, blood, and skull fragments seeping through Echanu's massive fingers. He threw the body over his shoulder, the body nearly landing atop of Bordon. As Echanu did this, the Sha'vael had snapped another one of the thug's necks. Echanu gripped the last thug by the throat.


"Please! I'ms sorrys! Please stops! Please! I's don'ts wants to's die's!!" The thug pleaded, tears streaming from his eyes.

 

[Sadow-sama]

Bordon jumped at the sight of a fresh, headless corpse in front of him, screaming like a small girl. Zecora moved over next to Echanu, grabbing his massive arm with both of her own "Enough! You don't need to kill him! He's not a threat!" In reality, neither were those other two compared to these hulking brutes. He could've just disarmed them, maybe bruised them up a little with ease to teach them a lesson... These guys were crazy...

 

[Cide]

Echanu refrained from crushing the tiny man when Zecora grabbed his arm with her small hands. Her touch somehow calmed him, so he placed the thug on the ground and looked to Zecora. He sighed heavily and looked at the two dead thugs. The third man deserved death, for they had threatened Echanu's group. However, Zecora had stopped him. He wondered why, but he didn't ask. Perhaps it was a tradition to an offender a second chance? He really needed to learn more about the different cultures of the universe. Echanu crossed his massive arms and spoke to Zecora.


"Well then. What would you do with this Tor'pol?" Echanu asked, letting the last word slip in his native tongue.

 

[Sadow-sama]

He scurried off as she watched him run clumsily through the open streets "Let him go. If you're looking for Aubren, then staying here, bashing apart punks isn't a very productive way to catch his attention. Unless they happen to be part-time employees for Kinder Industries." She realized there probably wasn't ever "part-time" employees in that dreadful nightmare of a corporate empire. Still, though, she didn't want to watch more people die. Violence scared her, especially since the incident on her planet. Bordon had scurried behind one of the Sha'vael to hide from the gory mess that was the earlier human thugs. He thought he might chuck...

 

[Zekeziel]

(I don't remember the names of the various planets so I hope it's okay that I refer to them based on what is going on there.)


A Liquos exploration vessel sat in orbit of the planet Bordon, Echanu and Zecora were on, watching what was going on planet-side. The ship remained cloaked, making use of a reactor which provided energy through the destruction of matter by collision with the anti-matter counterpart of that element. Only two such reactions were needed every day to power the ship due to the vast quantity of energy produced. The ship made use of an array of powerful devices meant to hide its presence and allow it to gather data. It was completely unarmed as no need for them was seen on a vessel whose sole purpose was to collect data. The data this one was collecting was merely the ongoings of the planet for the sake of recording the history of the known universe. It was a project the Liquos had taken up to add meaning to their immortal existence since they could function forever if maintained every now and then.


Another such ship had been in orbit of Echanu's home planet where the war was going on, documenting what was going on. The crew consisted of one member of personnel as did the crew of most Liquos ships of that size. After all, they could integrate themselves with the ship's systems, becoming part of it to allow complete control over all functions and the ship was no larger than one would expect of one of the larger cargo vessels humans might have running. The sole crew member was evaluating the current situation. He felt it required his peoples' intervention to prevent it from worsening.

 

[Cide]

Echanu watched as the tiny man crawled away, literally having to crawl underneath the Sha'vael's legs. He looked at Zecora and crossed his arms, sighing heavily and turning his head down. She had a point in her words, however, it wasn't his ways. His ways was to show no mercy in those who opposed him. He looked at his Sha'vael and nodded towards Bordon, in which they both secured him so he wouldn't be able to scurry away like the thug had. It had always impressed Echanu that the Sha'vael seemed to be able to "read his mind" and follow instruction without a single word being uttered. However, once Bordon was secured, Echanu focused on Zecora once more.


"There is truth in your words, young Fa'sheel. Lead me to the place that will take me to Au-burr-en." Echanu commanded.

 

[Sadow-sama]

She put a hand to her side with a raised brow "Do you have a ship? We're going to be needing to travel in space to find him." Their uniforms weren't that impressive as far as the "my people can fly" message being conveyed is concerned. They just didn't look like the kind of race that was technologically advanced enough to travel space. Bordon, meanwhile, looked at both of the Sha'vael that had him secured frightfully, hiccuping in distress. Why did they even need him? He was just a cargo puller for crying out loud! All his lot in life amounted to was being paid 400 quaso-specs an hour for loading stuff onto his ship and taking it to different planets, no questions asked. Was he now supposed to carry these people to different planets?!

 

[Zekeziel]

The scientist aboard the exploration vessel in orbit of Echanu's homeworld ran the situation through his logic unit a few times to ensure he would come to the decision that would have the best outcome for the planet's populace, regardless of affiliation to the defenders or the invaders. If they brought in a military presence to assist the defenders then the invaders would be slaughtered for the most part and that went against their mission to protect life. Then again, if they did nothing then that would also go against their mission as it seemed the invaders would eventually overrun the defences of the planet's original inhabitants. After a few more minutes of thinking, the scientist decided on the former but first, they would try to reason with these invaders. Maybe they could talk things out and reach some sort of middle ground? The scientist quickly sent a message to Tropico on the Liquos homeworld of Oceanus.


Within seconds, the message reached Tropico on the Liquos homeworld. The planet was completely covered by ocean and was teeming with life despite the rulers of the planet being non-biological creatures. Most of these creatures had, however, been altered in some way by the Liquos to enhance them in various ways which would ensure the creatures' survival in the event of another cataclysm. Some however, were so large that cities were built on their backs. These huge creatures were referred to as leviathans.


Tropico brought the message up on the screen in front of him with a wave of his translucent, aqua blue hand. He was inside the ultra-computer as almost always. This was a towering structure which functioned as the repository for all information the Liquos possessed and was under constant watch to ensure that nothing went wrong and it functioned at full capacity. As he scanned the contents of said message, he began to run the options presented through his mind. It took him a few minutes before he came to a decision. His decision was to immediately bring a military force and diplomat to the planet. His plan was for there to be peace talks to see if the warring races could come to some sort of agreement without any further bloodshed. If that failed, the soldiers were to ensure no more conflict occurred on the planet by separating the two races from each other, subduing those who resist without harming them.

 

[Cide]

Echanu shook his head when Zecora asked if they had a ship. In reality, they did, however, had crashed it on the planet. It was a stolen ship from a group of would-be invaders. They tried to take over the Eckari, but were ripped apart shortly after their declaration and their ship taken and stored. Echanu had the smartest of the Eckari examine it and get it in flying order, however, he had no idea on how to land it, so he simply crashed it after decelerating as much as he could. All of his Sha'vael had survived the crash, which was to be expected. At any rate, they were imposed with a problem at the moment. They needed a ship.


=====Back on Faerigan=====


Echanu's second-in-command, Forsynth, was busy holding back the invading Haktu forces. Since Echanu had killed the high ranking officer, the attacks had tapered off, however, they still came. Forsynth was Echanu's biological brother, however, didn't have quite the reputation or power that Echanu claimed. Only one youngling in a batch had true potential, and Echanu was that with the potential. And he rose to it. However, Forsynth still fought his way close to the top. He wanted to surpass his brother, but he respected his position and authority, and was honored when Echanu asked if he could safeguard Faerigan whilst he was gone.

 

[Sadow-sama]

Zecora smirked then turned to Bordon, who looked gravely ill when she gave him her sly, flirtatious grin of mischievousness "Oh no... Uh-uh. Forget it. Not Betsy. Not my ol' girl." Zecora motioned over to him, running her right hand's index finger in circles against his left shoulder while musing "Come on, Bordon~ Where's your sense of adventure~? Are you just going to continue to drown your sorrows away in drink for the rest of your life?" Bordon felt queasy "That sounds much preferrable to flying seven foot-tall collosites half-way across the galaxy to meet certain doom..." She gave a pouting look at him and made reference to a very old Human cartoon "Would you do it for a Scooby-Snack?" Bordon groaned in frustration and fear that her coertions would turn to them pummeling him and taking his ship if he didn't cooperate "Fine, just... follow me... But you owe me." Zecora giggled "Technically you owe me for picking up your tab eighteen times." He corrected "Seventeen. That one Thursday night doesn't... doesn't count..."


====Marash Ker'al====


The jungle-like homeworld of the Haktu was at its usual. Vicious predators stalking the wet, insect-infested bushes, tunnels built into colonies and hives of Haktu drones to be hatched and raised for battle in their week-long infancy, and the main "cities", which basically consisted of masses of clay-like mixture molded together into stone-like buildings via the spittle of the insectoid race, was abuzz with expanding territory. Very little, very slowly. Kor leaned against a Hive wall as the matriarch spoke in the Haktu tongue which mainly consisted of a variety of clicking sounds. Kor replied the same way, confirming the death of an entire village of Eckari, likely Echanu Han's entire family. Now all that was left was to kill him... The matriarch dismissed Kor to lead a band of Haktu elite bodyguards and assassins back to Faerigan and finish the job.

 

[Zekeziel]

Tropico had two groups of soldiers and two diplomats readied for transit. One group was to go to Marash Ker'al and talk to the Haktu while the other went to Faerigan to talk to the Eckari. Each group of soldiers was to accompany a diplomat and consisted of ten members. The soldiers and diplomats created thick layers which looked like some sort of blue jelly. This served to ensure they did not lose liquid easily in the warmer environments they were headed to. Next, they donned suits as a second defence against the environments they would soon enter and possibly against any hostile lifeforms they may encounter along the way. These suits were form fitting and would change shape if the wearers decided to alter their bodies' shapes. For the soldiers, the suits had pieces of armour on them in the form of greaves, sabatons, pauldrons, gauntlets, chestplates and helms while the suits worn by the two diplomats had bits trailing off to look like some of the lavish robes worn by the diplomats of their long extinct creators.


The groups assembled at the hub for the Liquos gateway network. It was a complex consisting of several gates built around wormhole generators and included the power stations for the generators to ensure that if the main grid somehow went off then there would be no disruption in the transit system. Two gates flickered to life, each set to one of the two planets the groups were headed for and bathing the area in a bright, blue light. The destinations appeared in the gateways and the groups stepped forward, making their way towards their respective destinations.


Group A appeared on Marash Ker'al and group B on Faerigan, stepping through the exit points of the wormholes. They set out, their goals clearly defined. Group A headed straight for one of the hives in search of the queen while group B headed for one of the remaining Eckari villages in search of their leaders. They tread carefully, expecting to be attacked and kept their guards up. Planets such as the ones they were on which had low technology levels had to be dealt with delicately and the natives were not expected to be welcoming to newcomers on their worlds.


( http://i1003.photobucket.com/albums/af160/weim18/KnightHelmet9.jpg is the style of helm used)