BZPB REBORN

<Malchior IV, Presidential Estate>

President Yuy was sitting at his desk, writing down a note, when suddenly, a blade stabbed into his back. He fell onto his desk, dead. The Presidential Guard panicked, and began securing the perimeter. An alarm was raised, and all personnel were on high alert.

Several snipers on the roof of the estate noticed something strange in the distance. The sound of alarm confirmed their worst fears. They aimed their weapons at Ra'an, and fired.

--

<Malchior IV, New New Jersey City>

Vice President Howard smiled as he shook the hand of one of the attendees of his event. He had to be twice as engaged with the crowd as he had normally been. It was, after all, a year before the next presidential election, and Yuy was in his last term. Howard planned on running, and he needed the support of all voters.

Suddenly, a member of the Presidential Guard walked up to him, and whispered something in his ear. He had a concerned look on his face.

Guard 1: "Sir, there's been an attack at the Estate. The President is dead. You are now Acting President of Malchior IV."

Howard's eyes widened, and he gazed at the Guard in shock.

Howard: "*whispering* What?!"

Guard 1: "We need to escort you out of here, there may be more than one assassin."

The Guards took Howard away and placed him in a secure location unknown to the outside world. News of Yuy's death was not yet leaked out to the press, as the Estate was still on high alert.

---

<Palace of the Red Queen>

Treskis and Keichi knocked harder on the door.

Keichi: "If they don't answer, I'm bursting in!"

Treskis: "They'll shoot at us."

Keichi: "We'll kill them before they kill us!"

Treskis: "I just had my armor polished!"

"Do not patronize me. I maybe a mercenary, but I do my homework. I know you to be MUCH more powerful than myself. I am a simple ferrokenetic, you are bordering Eldrich Abomination levels of power," Yenot replies, his tone even, avoiding any hint at sarcasm. "I have but a single request, and it's because I've done my homework, and I know you to be stronger than me, that I would like to spar with you."

< Conference Planet >

Sefer smirked, taking the flower from Dallas. Her eyes remained fixed on his as she held the flower under her nose, sampling the aroma.

"Well, I can honestly say this is the first time a man's ever given me flowers." she replied, sarcastically. She rolled the stem around between her fingers, raising her little finger sharply to signal the bartender to leave. Nodding respectfully, he placed the glass he was polishing to the counter, and left. Sefer placed the orchid on the desk, picked up her drink, and turned around on the stool so she was facing away from the bar, though resting her elbows on it.

"Dallas Dalton. Dutch-American. You lost your parents at an early age, though not quite as early as me, so I think I take that one. Special Forces. Ex-Special Forces, technically, but I think both you and I know there's no such thing." she replied, taking a drink from her glass. "An American Special Forces operative with a dark history - Bourbon's the natural choice."  

She downed her drink, and slid it onto the bar behind her. Reaching back, she pulled her hairpin loose, letting her hair fall loosely to her shoulders as she ruffled it. She rolled her head back, her eyes closed as she smiled, savoring the sensation.

"So, Dallas Dalton. Why exactly are you here?"

---

< Melchior, Shangri-La >

Shortman sat in his office, across from Supreme Commander LaFayette - head of the Ministry of Defense, resplendent in his black uniform - and Thomas Aberhart, the opposition leader. The meeting was highly unorthodox, and Shortman had sat in a state of confusion for a few minutes, before finally questioning the exact intention of their visit.

"So, what are you two actually here to discuss?"

"A war plan for the Tanari Confederation." stated LaFayette, unflinchingly.

"A war plan? Sefer doesn't want war with the Confederation."

"Regardless, we feel she's being overly idealistic." interrupted Aberhart. If piss had a voice it'd be his. "Allman is unpredictable."

"Gentlemen, you seem to be misunderstanding me. When Sefer returns, we'll develop contingencies based on her impressions of him and the capabilities of the Confederation. I'm not saying we're going to get caught by surprise if they decide to attack - plans will be formulated. But you're being preemptive."

"No, Sir, you seem to be misunderstanding us." replied LaFayette. Aberhart looked over his shoulder, as if to check if the Prime Minister's office was empty. It was. "We're proposing a preemptive strike."

"Unbelievable." replied Shortman, standing up from his desk. He turned to the window behind it, his hands crossed behind his back. "And highly illegal. We need Sefer's authorization for any military action, and- god damn it! I'm disgusted that you'd try to use me to plant the idea of a war with the Tanari in her head."

"Actually, sir, that's not true." replied Aberhart. He was watching his words; the next one out could be treason. "The... Defense of the State Emergency Act allows for an immediate retaliatory strike, without the need for-"

"Retaliatory? Are you suggesting a-" Shortman turned, furious. "-you inhuman sons of bitches!"

LaFayette stood up. "Emperor Yetzirah is a little girl who lives in a world of fantasy and childlike idealism. Allman is determined, and a threat. She can't handle him. We need to act now before billions of lives are lost over your disgusting pet crush, Shortman."

"Motherfucker! Give me one good reason not to have you all arrested this instant, for conspiracy!"

"I'm the opposition leader, Shortman." replied Aberhart. "Just think about the implications of that for a second."

"Then you've been used, Reed. LaFayette's anchored himself to you - I knew you were too witless for a scheme like this."

"Let's be realistic here, Shortman." replied LaFayette. "You know-"

"What I know is that what you're saying is treason. Now, leave, and don't dare speak a word of this to me again - or anyone. If you do - Impeachment be damned, I'll throw you in jail myself. If Sefer can risk her life for her country, I can risk my goddamn job."

LaFayette saluted. "...Mr. Prime Minister."

The two left. Shortman sighed, sinking into his chair, and picking up his phone.

"Operator. Get me Director Endesha at the Shinsengumi HQ... Hello, Director. I'm sorry for the urgency, but I need to discuss something important with you. Wiretaps, actually. The kind the public can't find out about."

---

< Malchior IV >

The bullets shot through Ra'an's body without injuring him, as he reverted back to his shadowy form. He flew upwards as a swarm of bats, flying into the night, and disappearing.

< Conference Planet >

Dalton tipped his head back and laughed. "To make sure you didn't fuck up this meeting. Funnily enough, I'm not your biggest fan. But I'm less of a fan of Allman." Dalton reached inside his mac, procuring a carton of cigarettes; Marlboros. He shook the pack while he spoke, offering one out to Sefer. "You don't really know who we are. I mean, you can tell a deal with that probing of yours, but really only a little past what I let on." Sefer graced him with a quizzical look, to which he answered, "Something of a talent I suppose." He placed his cigarette between his thin lips; Sefer mirrored him. He drew a match from his trouser pocket, striking it on his belt; he held it upside down twixt his thumb and forefinger, shielding it from the breeze with his palm. He puffed, and leant forward, lighting Sefer's with the tip of his, as though kissing her.

"We're the Diamond Dogs. You knew that one." He sat on a barstool, removing his jacket and slinging it across the bar. He perched with one leg resting on the other. "We're not really anyone. We don't exist, officially. Ex Black Ops. All of us have military service history, and someone who wants that history erased." He drew on the cigarette, trying to gauge Sefer's reaction. "We don't like that much. See, what's a man without his history? Not much. S'why all these nobles and their families bang on about 'Heritage' I suppose. Anyhow, we're not too fond of the idea of losing our integrity. Man has to have integrity." He looked at Sefer, raising an eyebrow behind his sunglasses. "I suppose, then, you're wondering, 'What does this have to do with little old me?' Well, now, that's a story."

"Best way to keep your history is to make people remember you. Best way to do that? Make people fear you. Fear's powerful, I'm sure you're familiar with it. So we scare people. We're not... terrorists. We scare the bad guys. We scare the bad guys, and the bad guys, they get jittery. They start pointing their guns where they aren't supposed to." Dalton drags on his cigarette again, looking off into the sunset. "But we can't be remembered by fear alone. Fear is bad- the bad guys aren't really fan favourites. So we fight. Fighting is brave, and strong, and noble. People like that." He paused for a long while before reaching over the bar and plucking the bourbon from the counter, filling his glass again. "I've talked too much. But I suppose you knew that one too, didn't you? Circling back to your original question, 'What are we doing here?'... well, we're making sure Allman doesn't point his guns where he's not supposed to." Dalton grinned, and downed his drink.

< Conference Planet >

"Well, that's novel." replied Sefer, extinguishing the cigarette on the counter without having taken a draw. "I don't have any issue with you, Dalton, which is more than I can say for most people. In fact, I find you intriguing." she added. At that, an attendant entered, with food; he walked behind the counter and placed the plates on it, before leaving. Sefer took hers and pulled a wad of noodles into her mouth with a pair of chopsticks. She finished chewing before continuing. "There are very few people I find intriguing. When you know everything there is to know about everyone around you, everyone around you seems a bit boring. And you, for all your flaws in 'not being my biggest fan', are most certainly far from boring. So, tell me. Of all the minds I can't read, why is yours one of them?"

< Conference Planet >

Dalton shrugged and drew from his cigarette again, blowing the smoke out smoothly. He threw down the butt and scuffed it with one booted foot. "Black Ops goes a long way. They get you to believe they're so right, you lose sight of reality. You become... not a puppet. You become blind, and the only thing you can see is your goal, the next mission, and your brothers in arms. It's all that matters. They can convince you to do whatever it takes. That's what we do. Whatever it takes. So I opted into cybernetic enhancement, psychic brain training, that sort of thing." He smiled wistfully, the corner of his mouth curling up. "I suppose they thought it'd be easy to make me disappear after it all. I don't go down that easy. Diamond Dogs don't go down that easily." He picked up the fork from the bar and shovelled pasta into his mouth, chewing carefully. "I suppose it comes as something of a surprise to you. But you're good with dealing with surprises." Dalton pulled the sea bass apart with the fork, picking at the flaky fish lightly. "The Takemikazuchi don't fight wars. They end them. We couldn't have a Tenari-Takmikazuchi war, there'd be no point. No, but a war between Ascheron Kingdom Demesnes and the Tenari Confederacy.. well, that just gets my blood pumping."

<Ozar's ship>

"The job is simple, and it will very much be worth your while." Allman smiled. His hologram disappeared, and was replaced by a 3D map of a flight path plotted through space. His voice, however, could still be heard. "In four days, a convoy will set off from Fars II towards Pi'lar IV, carrying a valuable cargo." he explained. "I want that convoy destroyed. I don't care how you do it, as long as it never reaches Pi'lar. I will transfer a third of the payment to you within the next two days, and the remaining two-thirds after you provide proof that the convoy has really been destroyed. And, of course, should any of the cargo survive, you may do whatever you wish with it."

The holographic map faded away, and Allman returned. The navigator's computer beeped, as the map and other information related to the convoy was automatically uploaded to it. "You may do what you wish with the convoy, the crew, and its cargo - as long as the Pi'lar never see any of them. If you succeed, you will be handsomely rewarded. If you fail, if you try to swindle me, or if you leave behind any evidence that I am involved, I will destroy you. Do we have an agreement?" the dictator said.

-----

<Malchior IV>

"Seriously?" Aster muttered. "That sounds like a line out of a cartoon." She grabbed Klak by the arm, and tried to pull him towards the exit. "Come on, guys. You can get your ship after these fuckwits have killed each other."

-----

< Conference Planet >

Sefer took a drink from her glass. "I like the way you think." she said, placing her hairpin on the counter and sliding it towards Dallas. "I'm not in agreement with your ideals, but there's no denying our goals are aligned. Earlier, with Allman, I chose shame over war, full well knowing I was probably going to end up with both anyway. If you can save me from both..."

She stood up, stepping out into the sunlight, her hands in her pockets. After a few seconds, she turned back to Dallas, her startling red eyes practically glowing.

"...Then you'll have earned yourself a very valuable ally. You'll know where to find me if you want my assistance. That hairpiece will be your pass into Shangri-La; don't misplace it." She smirked. "See you, space oddity."

She disappeared in a red burst of light, reappearing aboard the Kusanagi. Lilith sat crosslegged in the captain's chair, eating cereal. She blushed in embarrassment as Sefer reappeared, as she hadn't been expecting her back so early.

"How'd it go?"

"Allman got the message, but he didn't like it." replied Sefer, slouching down in one of the helm seats and keying in the co-ordinates of Shangri-La. "He called me a faggot."

Lilith shrugged. "Pretty accurate description, if you ask me."

"Then, uh, what does that make you?"

"Your beautiful, incredibly gorgeous, superbly alluring girlfriend who loves you more than anything in the entire universe, and for whom you harbor similar - if maybe not as freely expressed - feelings."

"Is that so?" she replied, turning round as she keyed in the final co-ordinates. Lilith snuck up to her and slid her arms around her neck, gently nuzzling her. Sefer smiled, rolling her head back slightly.

"Are we headed back to Shangri-La, then?" asked Lilith.

Sefer's finger shot towards the final button press, but hovered over it as she hesitated.

"...No, actually. There's something else I need to do first. Something we need to do."

"Is it-"

"No. It's not what you think it is. Get your head out of the gutter, woman."

---

< Tybion Primaris >

Ta'harok looked on in fury as Ascheron's helmeted visage flickered into view on the vast screen erected before him in his throne room. He bared his teeth, rising from the huge carved monolith that was the throne of the Ta'har Empire.

"Emperor Ta'harok. Submit to the rule of Ascheron Kindgom Demesnes, or face absolute destruction. Do not give me cause to test our newfound weapon on your homeworld. This is your only warning."

Ta'harok grit his teeth. He didn't doubt the power of the weapon Ascheron referred to; after months of stalemate, Ascheron's fleet had somehow cut through the Ta'har defensive line in a day, wiping out everything in its path. Now, they had arrived at the heart of the Empire, and laid siege to the ancestral world of Tybion; high above the imperial palace, in orbit, sat the Lurian fleet, and Ascheron's personal vessel, Assault Shadow.

"You think we didn't expect an assault on the homeland from the first day of this conflict? Our defense grid is the most advanced in the galaxy, Ascheron. We've been at this interstellar conflict business far longer than you. I implore you; fire, and discover how powerless you truly are."

"Your will be done."

The feed cut out. Ascheron stood on the prow of the Assault Shadow, clad in golden battleplate that protected him from the vacuum of space; Naju stood next to him, his appearance unaltered, visible only to Ascheron. Ascheron's hands rested on the pommel of his sword; the claymore Claíomh Solais. The blade was gold, trimmed with a dark, cobalt blue; the shine of it was such that it appeared from a distance to be yet another star in the vastness of space, yet up-close lent it an otherworldly beauty. Seven runes were engraved on either side of the blade in the same blue. Ascheron raised the blade above him, then lowered it, aiming the point at the continent below him. Beneath his helmet, he grinned.

"In the name of Gabriel Ascheron, God-Emperor of the Universe and rightful Heir to the Stars, I sentence this world to destruction. May my judgment account in all balance."

A golden glow suffused the blade, a deafening hum sounding from it as it began to shake in his hands, the heat of it burning through his gauntlets. Then, the power withdrew into the blade for an instant.

"Sieg Luria."

A massive cone of energy shot forth from the blade, cutting through the atmosphere and impacting the surface below. Instantly, a tremendous shockwave spread over the continent, followed by a great wave of golden fire and, finally, the parting plates of the surface, revealing hot magma spewing out from underneath. The cloud of debris shot into the atmosphere, rushing past the ships of Ascheron's fleet, their shields flaring as chunks of land the size of cities crashed into them. Ascheron grinned as the energy spluttered out, and looked down at the world below. It had been transformed into a hellish landscape, open to the sky. Most of the surface was destroyed, and all of it was burning.

Naju chuckled. "Bravo. A lesser man would not have had the resolve."

Suddenly, the color disappeared from the blade, as it turned grey - save for the runes, which turned red. Ascheron looked down at it in confusion.

"What is this?"

"You've exhausted the charge. Don't worry." replied Naju, running his hand along the flat of the blade, pointing to the runes. "It will recharge in seven days. Make sure to plan your attacks from now on."

Ascheron's hesitant expression turned into a grin. "You have done me an immeasurable service."

"I could say the same to you. The repercussions of this incident shall be very interesting."

Ascheron's comm piece flickered to life, and he raised his hand to his helmet to answer it.

"My Lord. The remaining Ta'har forces are offering an unconditional surrender. The war is over."

"Good." replied Ascheron. Now, let's start another one. He ended the communication, and turned back to Naju. "Who next? The bitch Yetzirah, or the dog Allman?"

"Why settle for just one?" replied Naju, smiling wryly. Ascheron nodded in approval.

<Ozar's ship>

Fourteen: "Destroy us?! Bold words coming from the one who isn't man enough to face us in person! Come on over mud-boy and I'll show ya-"

Ozar: "What my hotheaded partner meant to say was that threats are not necessary. The job will be done with an unparalleled level of accuracy and cleanliness. You chose the right Pirate Lord. I look forward to further business ventures with you!"

He cut off the transmission with Allman, and looked over to Fourteen. He raised his wrists as to say 'Are you serious' before shaking his head.

Fourteen: "I don't like him."

Ozar: "You never like any of my well-respected business partners."

Fourteen: "Well, 'e thinks he can push us around. I'm a Liquid Metalliconite. We don't get pushed around."

Ozar: "He's paying you. Now, I have the specifications for the mission. Using this ship is too obvious, and if we reveal ourselves they will start to ask questions."

Fourteen: "No one asks questions when pirates are involved."

Ozar: "Pirates steal, they do not destroy things without material gain. But if we made the cargo ship have an unfortunate....accident, then there's no way they can tie it to us, and subsequently tie it to Allman. This mission will require your expertise, along with that of a few mercenaries and crew members. I've contacted a few to rendezvous with us here. You shall take a small, cloaked shuttle to the location of the mission."

Fourteen: "Understood. No mistakes."

---

<Malchior IV, Rider Ruins>

Klak: I never even wanted the ship, so let's go!

Klak, Nadle, and Bob started to make their way to the stairs to leave the forsaken place.

Caiaphus smiled, and kneed Figlio in the chest. The Dachori collapsed with a shocked look on his face. Caiaphus seemed to disappear for a second, and was suddenly in front of both Aster and Klak. Aster felt something starting to tug at her back, until she was pulled to the wall along with everyone else in the antechamber (save for Klak and Caiaphus).

Nadle: "What's this, ugh, telekinesis?"

Caiaphus clenched his fists as he stared at Klak.

Caiaphus: "I have waited a long time for this moment. Someone as brave and defiant as you are is worth my time."

Klak: Let them go!

Klak swung his fist towards Caiaphus, but was stopped by a barrier surrounding the avian. He was knocked to the floor by Caiaphus's backhand.

Caiaphus: "You are weaker than I had expected."

Klak: Sorry to disappoint!

Caiaphus growled and attempted to stomp on Klak, but he rolled out of the way. Klak then tripped his enemy, and got up.

Meanwhile, Figlio looked over to Aster, Richard, Nadle, and Bob.

Figlio: "We have a mutual enemy, and we all want to get the hell out of this place. I have a plan."

Bob: "Why should we trust you?"

Figlio: "What, you'd rather watch the Nish'Gek kill your friend? Besides, if I'm not worthy enough to get the ship, no one is."

Bob: "....Go on."

Figlio: "I have several mines stored in my armor that I can place on the walls of this chamber. If one of you distracts Caiaphus, I can set them up, and we can all escape. If I detonate them, the Nish'Gek will be crushed, and this place will be buried until the end of time."

Nadle looked over to Richard, who was pinned to the wall next to him. He shook his head, and whispered.

Nadle: "I'd be caught dead before trusting anything he says."

Bob: "Worth a shot. HEY CAIAPHUS!"

Klak and Caiaphus stop their fighting, and turn to Bob.

Caiaphus: "Shut up."

Bob: "If you're as strong as you say you are, how come you're keeping us away from the action?"

Nadle: *to himself* "More ham with the cheese, please."

Caiaphus: "Your efforts at taunting me are laughably horrific."

Bob: "Weakling!"

Klak looked at Bob with a concerned look on his face. He did not want his friends (even Aster and Richard) to be endangered by the creature's dark power. Figlio was an acceptable casualty, but the others? Intolerable. Of course, this unease was sensed by Caiaphus, who laughed.

Caiaphus: "Your concern for your friends will be your undoing, my boy, and it will be the cause of their untimely deaths."

---

<Vongola>

An aide handed the new leader of Vongola a small folder filled with intelligence reports. She quickly left his chambers, as he had previously expressed his desire to be left alone.

Uteriach sat down in the King's chair, slowly moving a cup of whiskey in his hand. He peered out the window and saw the beautiful city lights dominate the landscape of the night. The pillar of smoke that emerged from the Parliament Building, signified the chaos that had overtaken it. Most of the delegates were safely escorted away, while others were caught by the demonstrators and were likely being mocked and bullied by the masses. It was a fitting punishment for their defiance. Tomorrow, after the fires are quelled and the crowds dispersed, not a single parliamentarian will even think of questioning Uteriach and the generals behind the coup.

Of course, the revolution still had enemies in the noble and rich sectors of Vongolan society. Additionally, there were some generals in the army that seemed slightly annoyed of the fact that Armechio, of all people, was to be the leader of the new regime. I will deal with them later, he thought to himself. The more important people are on my side. For now, Uteriach wanted to focus his attention on the stars. Foreign policy was, after all, the expertise of his people. He sipped from his cup, and turned to the holographic communicator. Uteriach wanted to contact the nearest galactic powers that had past relations with the monarchy.

Uteriach: "Connect to Edward Allman, please. Then try to get a hold of Sefer Yetzirah."

OOS: Waiting on Mally for the rest.

<Ozar's ship, about 5 minutes later>

Slowly but surely, the air in the ship began to crackle with a faint electric charge, like static. Ozar and Fourteen felt it, and began to wonder whether they were under attack, moments before the middle of the room exploded with a bright light that struck nearby equipment with electrical discharge. When the light faded, someone appeared in its place, and fell flat on his face. As the pirates drew their weapons, the stranger got to his feet and put his hands up. He was a Caucasian, 40-odd year old man who looked somewhat like Friar Tuck, but with a full head of hair. He wore dirty brown robes with an accessory belt full of equipment and a bandolier over his shoulder.

"Don't shoot!" He shouted, and put his hands behind his head. "I, um... oh bloody hell. You're crocodiles."

Ozar and Fourteen grimaced and drew their pistols, prompting him to resume talking.

"Alright, um, so, yeah, I'm not one of yer mercs, but I overheard yer transmission askin' for some.  So... here I am! Mick Sruban, at yer service. I might not look like much... got kicked out by the wife and all... but trust me, there's nobody better at fist-fighting than yours truly!"

Sruban then thought to give the pirates a demonstration by sloppily punching the air in front of him. Satisfied, he looked back at them and grinned.

"When you've been in as many pubs brawls as I 'ave, you pick up a thing or two, yeah?"

< Guf >

The Kusanagi emerged from FTL, its hull sparking against the unstable atmosphere of the Treasury of Souls. There were no stars, suns, or planets; only a vast expanse of redness, a nebula-esque quality giving the impression of vastness, and enough light to make it all visible. Lilith stared out of the bridge window in awe.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"It's probably best if I don't tell you." replied Sefer, climbing out of the navigator's seat. She pulled off her shawl and wrapped it around her waist; she had been wearing a loose-fitting black vest underneath. She walked up behind the unaware Lilith and placed her hand on her shoulder; as she did, the two were engulfed in a burst of red light, reappearing within a vast garden. Lilith nearly fell over, as she had been resting on the window of the Kusanagi, but Sefer pulled her backwards just in time for her to regain her own balance. They both looked around; the garden was as beautiful and resplendence as any could ever hope to be, and every plant and fruit that could exist seemed to - or, at least, every plant and fruit Sefer and Lilith collectively knew to exist. In the center was a small clearing, in which sat two, fruitless trees. And, between the trees, the reason for Sefer's coming here.

Two spears were impaled in the ground at angles, opposite one another, but such that the tips of their blades may have touched underground. Both blades were ornate; perhaps ceremonial, though their power was obvious from the pressure they emitted. They were practically identical, with spearheads as long a sword's blade and twice as wide. The leftmost spear was white, with elements of its blade rendered in ice blue crystal; the rightmost spear was a dark purple, its entire blade rendered in blood red crystal. Around the point where the spears entered the ground was drawn a magic circle of a simple design; two circles, one inside the other, each one inlaid with runic patterns. Sefer walked towards them. Lilith's arm shot out, grabbing Sefer at the shoulder and stopping her.

"Sefer... There's a magic circle."

"I know. I made it."

Lilith released Sefer, confused. "But... you don't have any mana."

"And now you know why." replied Sefer, smirking. She walked to the purple spear, holding her hands around it as if ready to pull it free, but never making contact. "Avalon." she said. "This one's the Lance of Avalon."

Lilith walked around to the other spear, mirroring Sefer. "What's this one?"

"The Lance of Astraea." she replied, her eyes locking with Lilith's. "Now, you need to listen very carefully. I made these five years ago - I didn't know what I was doing, and I made weapons far more powerful than I could control. To prevent them from falling into the wrong hands, and to prevent me from using them for the wrong purposes, I sealed them away." she said, frowning. "I... may have used the Fruit of Life to provide the mana for the summoning ritual."

Lilith's eyes shot open. "So, wait... Does that mean we're in the-"

"Yes."

"Ah."

"We need to pull them out at the same time. If we mess up... well, let's not mess up." she replied, grinning. Lilith nodded confidently; the two wrapped their hands around the haft of the weapons. "Three... two... one... now!"

The two spears slid free of the ground, the holes instantly sealing up. The magic circle on the floor exploded, sending a beam of energy into the sky above, and blowing Sefer and Lilith away, onto their backs. Sefer clambered to her feet, rushing over to Lilith. She was dazed, but unharmed.

"Did we... mess up?" she replied, somewhat out of it.

"No." replied Sefer, taking the Lance of Astraea from Lilith's open hand. "That was the good outcome." she added, holding both Lances in one hand and pulling Lilith to her feet. Lilith inspected the Lances, reaching out a hand to run across the flats of their blades.

"They're... beautiful." she said, smiling. Then, she frowned. "Let me guess. The white one controls life, and the purple one controls death?" she asked. Sefer refused to answer, turning away. Lilith giggled. "My god. You're such a dork."

"It's a powerful and effective combination."

"It's clichéd as all fuck." she replied wrapping her arms around her, and nuzzling the side of her face. "But you made them, so they're good in my books."

Sefer smiled, teleporting the two back to the Kusanagi. She dematerialized the spears; free from the circle, they could be drawn from, and sent to, her personal subreality at will. She sat down in the captain's chair, as Lilith took the helmsman's seat.

"We've got the weapons to fight Allman with. Now... to make sure we never have to use them." said Sefer, morbidly. "Let's go home."

At that, the Kusanagi turned and left Guf.

< The moon of Nil'nara >

The ground beneath Kakamu's feet began to shake. He didn't notice it himself, due to his metal soles absorbing the vibrations, but saw it through his patient's eyes. The Savant raised a quivering finger and pointed it at the ground.

"Kakamu... look!"

Kakamu hesitantly looked down, and gulped as he saw the soil move in front of him.

"They come..."

Kakamu immediately gathered his tools, tossed them into a container to the side of the bed and ran to the door. He removed the branch that served as its lock and pushed it ajar. He turned back to the Savant with a pained expression, knowing that he should not leave him, but he had no choice. There was still shrapnel in the Savant's abdomen, which would be pushed further into his body if he picked him up and took him with him. The Savant gave a knowing, sad smile.

"Go."

Kakamu nodded, left the hut and closed the door behind him. As he stepped out into the garden, he noticed the vibrations in the ground increase in intensity. He looked to the skies, but there were no ships to be seen, only the beautiful green and purple auroras with the constellation of spirits lying far beyond. A wet, guttural growling sound caught Kakamu's attention, and he turned to see his Chenromas at the source. Marasu was staring at the sky, his eyes darting back and forth, as if trying to locate something he knew was there. Kakamu walked over, scratched the chin of his steed as a friendly gesture and climbed up onto his back. He grabbed onto two metal poles protruding from his shoulders that were akin to bike handles... the result of Arokazek meddling.

"Leigu, Marasu. Go!"

Marasu roared and shot off immediately down the road, bound for the village of Leigu, where Kakamu's family lived... or what was left of it, at least. The tremors in the earth caused rocks to roll down the hill beside them on the journey, but Marasu dodged them with ease, leaping and even smashing one with a headbutt towards the end of the road. Kakamu counted six minutes pass, which meant that he had only four left, and that most of the people in the village would have already hidden in caves... Trantoshen among them.

<Tanari cruiser Walter P. Jackson>

Pleased with himself, Edward decided to retire for the 'night'. The next few weeks would be long, after all, and he needed all the rest he could get. He was, however, rudely interrupted by the buzzing intercom. "Mr. President, we have an incoming transmission from... Generalissimo Di Armechio of the Vongolan People's Republic. Must be their new leader."

Edward sighed deeply, wondering how this mysterious Generalissimo had managed to topple such an entrenched monarchy, and cursing him for not letting him sleep. "Fine. Patch him through, crewman."

-----

<Malchior IV>

"No, he definitely isn't trustworthy." Richard said. "But I prefer him to the bird guy." With that, he turned to Caiaphus, and began yelling at him. "He's right, though, you know. You could just kill us, but instead you're playing a game with us!"

"Don't fucking give him ideas!" Aster quietly hissed, not even bothering with telepathy. Richard ignored her and carried on taunting Caiaphus. "Concern? Come on! Maybe that's why you won't kill us - it's been too long since you've seen another soul! Lonely, are you? Get out of this cave and get a girlfriend, you birdbrained fucker!"

"My god." Aster facepalmed.

-----

<Ozar's ship>

Literally seconds later, there was another flash of light, which thankfully for the crew's eyes was not quite as bright as the one just before. It quickly faded away to reveal a grinning blond white man in a well-tailored black suit and tie. He would look like an ordinary human businessman, if it weren't for the gun conspicuously sticking out of his trouser pocket. "Ashton Carney, at your service. You called, Ozar?"

<Palace of the Red Queen>

Cassandra lifted a finger, and Vance's body froze where it was.  "That's far enough, Vangelis.  You don't think I would allow one such as you to stand so close to me, particularly when treachery is what you and your people are best at."  She smirked, lazily reaching her hand out, causing Vance Vangelis's own body to pull him back, one step at a time.  "I've done my research.  Oh, you thought you could allow that skill to remain secret, even from your own number - but I know of you, Vance of the Gilded Touch.  Do not act so surprised - I have my sources, as, no doubt, do you."

She sat back down.  "So you did succeed in your mission - you must be more desiring of this alliance than I thought.  You're good, Vangelis.  Very good.  Or, at least, you know how to hire good people - either way, you are of use to me.  You will have your alliance, Vangelis - but do not presume to stand so close in my presence, unasked for.  You have not earned that privilege."

Ophelia's ears pricked at the sound of the knock on the door.  "My lady, there is someone here."

Cassandra sighed. "I am busy.  See who they are, and what they want, Ophelia."

Ophelia nodded, closing her red eyes.  In a breath, she had dissolved into a white mist, which traveled through the room, through the door, to materialize in front of the door.  She looked up at the newcomers.  "And who are you?" she asked.

---

<Tanari Executive Building>

Veras raised an eyebrow.  "A sparring match?  How quaint - i've not been challenged as a test of skill for...ah, it's been far too long."  They grinned wickedly, their grey eyes flaring white.  "Very well, Yenot.  I will indulge your curiosity.  As you have issued the challenge, I will determine the location and terms of the duel."

They took Yenot's hand, and the two were gone in an instant, as if a great hole had opened in the fabric of space, before swallowing the two whole.

---

<Abandoned Tanari Air Base>

The sea stormed around the artificial island of steel and concrete, the emblem of the old order, before Allman's assumption of control displayed prominently at the centre of what was no doubt an old aircraft landing pad.  It had fallen into disuse and disrepair, the emblem faded and scuffed with dust, the edges of the landing pad crumbling into the sea, which was still in the midst of its reclamation of the old base.

At the edge of the base, the very air itself seemed to open up, a tear opening in the very sky itself.  Emerging from those were Yenot and Veras - yet Veras looked rather different than they did back at the headquarters.  Rather than the small, almost childlike figure from before, Veras held their eyes high, their white hair veritably shining in the lightning, their formerly grey eyes glowing white with power.  "We fight to first blood, as it was in the olden days.  Prepare yourself, Yenot, for we do battle upon this plain!"

They raised their hand, their white coat billowing around them as they rose into the air, a white circle appearing in the air around them, arranging itself into runes in languages long dead and gone, each and every one brimming with power visible even by the weakest of men.

Veras's lips parted, and they spoke a single word.  "Arwe." they intoned, and the sigils flared, a great white arrow launching at blinding speed at Yenot's chest.

---

<Tanari Executive Building>

Back at the executive chamber, Azrael sighed. Always with the grandiose gestures, eh, Veras? He couldn't help chuckling to himself at that. Even with all they had suffered at Allman's hands, that fire still burned hot beneath their skin.

He was relieved, to tell the truth. For when he had set out to save them, he knew not whether they still were the Veras that they loved.

A knock at the door. "Um," a tentative voice spoke.

"Enter," said Azrael.

A small, balding man stepped in. He reminded Azrael a bit of a particularly worrisome mouse. "Er, a message for Azrael the Darkened."

"Yes?"

The man handed Azrael the message, which he tore open and perused.

"So this is what Allman has decided to test me with." he mused. "Very well." He stepped back, near the shadow of the desk...and was gone, faded completely into the shadow.

A metallic CLANG rings out in the base. Yenot has a blade in hand and has sidestepped the arrow, now embedded in the ceiling above. After a moment he grips his shoulder, massaging it. "Praise Yami, that had force behind it." Regaining his composure he runs head on at Veras and shouts, "Four arms of Vishnu!" Another blade jumps from the ground into his other hand as he waves both in a hypnotic pattern, seemingly giving him four arms as he bears down on them, leaping above and diving in for the strike.

"Good!" Veras shouted. "Seems you'll give me a challenge after all!" They put up their hand, and spoke yet again - "Heald", this time, and the runic circle around Veras became solid, a silvered shield standing between Veras and Yenot's blade. The shield pulsed, throwing Yenot off, as Veras fired more and more arrows of light at his opponent, each shot cracking the ground where it hit.

Yenot grins as he flies back, slower than one would think. He hits the ground running, away from his opponent, slowing with each dodging of a light arrow before he stops dead at the edge. Looking around, he plants one of his blades in the ground and falls backwards. Footsteps echo underneath the platform for a second when he reappears on the other side, his other sword gone, this time with a large metal glove equipped as he ascends towards Veras.

Veras's eyes widened in surprise, as Yenot's metal fist ascended towards them...

And hit naught but empty air. In an instant, Veras had transported themself via a rift in space just as they'd done Yenot. Impressive, they thought. Clearly this man had potential, although it'd take years before he'd be ready to challenge him. "You are strong, Yenot, and resourceful. Perhaps you'll be ready, but for now..." They reached their hand skywards, and shouted another word of power - "Isen!" - and the from the runes emerged a sword. A beautiful, shining longsword, with elegantly carved runes down the entire blade, its hilt wrapped in white cloth.

Veras took the sword in hand, drifting down to the floor. "Come, Yenot. Let us see what you are capable of." They pointed the sword at Yenot, and waited.

<Ozar's ship>

Fourteen groaned and rolled his eyes after Sruban's entrance.

Fourteen: "Wonderful, a drunkard."

Ozar smiled, yet reluctantly nodded.

Ozar: "Sure, you're hired."

Once Ashton appeared, however, Fourteen's expression turned into one of joy.

Fourteen: "Ashton Carney! You've got quite a reputation, mate."

Ozar: "Good to see you, Carney. We have a job for you. I'll brief you on the details once everyone has arrived."

A man with messy light brown hair and amber eyes silently enters in through the door. He is wearing a black tactical suit with features such as two pistol holsters at his sides, a knife holster on his chest, and more. He adjusted a pair of goggles with red lenses on the top of his head, and cleared his throat.

Fourteen: "CAIN? Oh no."

Ozar: "Gentlemen, this is-"

???: "Most of them know me, save for our priest friend here. I am Lalli Cain."

After Cain spoke, woman in a slim, sleek dark blue and grey space suit entered. She removed her helmet, revealing her green eyed face adorned by short black hair. She rolled her eyes at Cain, and looked up at Pirate Lord Ozar.

Ozar: "Regina Faral, I have heard many things about you. I hope your skills are worth the price."

Lalli Cain appeared to be slightly uncomfortable.

Fourteen: "Anyone else?"

---

<Tanari cruiser Walter P. Jackson>

Uteriach's hologram shimmered to life near Allman.

Uteriach: "Good evening, Mr. President. I am Generalissimo Uteriach di Armechio. I hope you have been well. I wanted to speak with you about the diplomatic relations between your new government, and mine."

---

<Malchior IV>

Caiaphus glared at Bob and Richard, annoyed by their comments. Their content was not the problem, as what slightly irked him was the fact that they dared disrespect him. Of course, this was icing; the real cake was angering Klak.

Caiaphus: "Your friends will join us!"

His telekinetic grip on the others was lifted, and everyone soon fell to the floor. Klak shouted and punched Caiaphus in the face. Any normal criminal would have been knocked across the room, but the Nish'Gek's head was turned away as though it had been slapped. Klak was blasted to a wall near Richard.

Nadle: "Let's get out of here, shall we?"

Nadle, Bob, Aster (hopefully), and Richard (hopefully) ran towards Klak to help him up. Caiaphus menacingly approached them, his hands surrounded by a dark energy.

Figlio dashed up to the second glass coffin containing the other guardian. He pressed a button on the wall to release it, and ran into the dark chamber where the Craft of Laigula lay. He made his way to the cockpit, cackling maniacally.


---

<Palace of the Red Queen>

Keichi was startled by the appearance of Ophelia. Treskis calmly smiled, and bowed.

Treskis: "We are Pirate Lords Treskis and Keichi, here on a trip from Liquid Metallicon. We're looking to do business with Lady Thorne."

<Abandoned Air Base>
As Yenot reaches where Veras was, his leap crests, and he trades his height for momentum, taking aim at them. With a clap of his hands the metal glove changes into a blade as well, and he shouts, "Fealle!" A ruin similar to the ones Veras has been using appears beneath their feet, holding them where they stand.

<Ozar's Ship>

A satyr walks in at that. He wears a very expensive looking suit. "Suppose that'd be my queue. Names Lincoln."

< Ozar's Ship >

Dreis Bright slung one arm around Lincoln's shoulder, blowing smoke sideways into his face. He grinned at Ozar, then quickly glanced at Fourteen, snarling mockingly. "You didn't forget about lil' old me, did you now, Lord Ozar?"

There was a hushed mutter throughout the gathering; Dreis caught someone's utterance of "--Diamond Dogs?--" in the whispers.

------------------

< The Tipa Gypsy >


The glade was silent, and the cool air raised goosebumps on Ciro Madigan's skin. She sat cross-legged, her hands face up, resting on her knees. Her raven-black hair swayed slightly in the breeze, revealing high cheekbones and long, dark eyelashes. A small tattoo of an Ankh sat just below the corner of her left eye. She had full, dark lips and a slender, sharp jaw. Her eyebrows were full and straight, giving her a serious, deadpan appearance. If she had her eyes open, they would have revealed dark purple irises. She sat in silence, listening to the wind run through the leaves. She remained still for an hour, and it was reaching two before a knock came at the door to the holodeck in her chamber. She dissipated the projection with a neural command, leaving her sat in a black, grey room. She stood, brushing off her black jumpsuit, and strode from the room, her quartermaster, Swane, falling in behind her. "Two Golden Grace company barges, off the starboard prow, thirteen hundred kliks. It's entirely likely they've spotted us." Ciro nodded, opening the doors to her chambers and stepping into the dimly lit corridor.

"Jump them. I want Silversmith and Gra'lack backing us up."

"You're joining in?"

Ciro cast a sly smile his way. "This time, I want them to see my face."


The bulkhead was thrown down the length of the corridor, splattering two Golden Grace guards in its murderous wake. Ciro leapt through the smoking gap, slashing left with her cutlass, the plasma-edged blade cleaving a guard's head in two. The smell of seared flesh filled the hallway as Ciro's entrance was supported by a volley of laser fire from her Harlequins, who fired from behind her. Ciro sprinted down the corridor, her movements too fast for the Golden Grace men to see. She bounced off the wall at the end of the corridor, pirouetting through the air. She pulled two pistols from her leather sash, which resembled wheelocks, but were instead white plasteel laser pistols. She fired a volley at the backs of a cluster of guards; a moment passed before they slumped to the floor, dead or dying. Her Harlequins charged the remaining guards, slicing through their rudimentary defences with plasma cutlasses and elegant boarding pikes, with yellow and white pennants fluttering from their tips. The charge finished, and all that remained was the blood spattered hall and the groans of dying men. Ciro laughed, her shrill cry echoing through the bowels of the merchant ship; her Harlequins mirrored her, chattering in a strange warcry. Ciro drew a strand of hair back over her ear, holstering her pistols, and retrieving her cutlass telekinetically with a flick of her hand. Silversmith, a giant of a man without a single hair on his body, lumbered down an adjoining corridor, waving the head of the captain on a pike. "I GOT EEM!" Silversmith bellowed, and Ciro twirled toward him, planting a light kiss on the lips of the truncated captain.

"Thank you Silvey. Take this back to the Tipa Gypsy. We'll hang it in the case room. Harlequins! Round up the survivors and take them aboard Gypsy. Space one every five minutes until they tell us the schedule for the Spice Season next term."

"YES, LADY CIRO!" they chanted, before slinking off at astounding pace through the bowels of the ship, chattering as they went. From the bulkhead where they had entered came Swane, his beard missing a sizeable chunk (and the hairs seared) but otherwise unharmed. Ciro did spot his worried look before he even opened his mouth, however.

"Off the port bow. It's that Fergus and the Dragon-Scarred, manning a full sortie. God knows what they want, but they've opened frequencies," Swane said tiredly.

"Goo-ood," Ciro purred, "I've missed that ugly bastard. Open frequencies- and be polite."

< Shangri-La >

Sefer sat in Shortman's office. On his desk, actually, which really annoyed him; Shortman sat behind the desk, whilst Lilith lay across one of his sofas - the same one Sefer made a habit of laying across whenever she was in his office. Shortman didn't know why Sefer and Lilith were so drawn to that specific sofa, but had decided a long while ago that he would probably give it to them as a present when they got married.

"Allman respects us, but he doesn't fear us." said Sefer, having just recounted the events of the meeting to Shortman. "Honestly... I can't say at this point what his true intentions are. He's hard to read."

Shortman sat, slowly stroking his chin. "How do you rate him as a threat?"

"Militarily? He's a joke." she replied, frowning. "But Allman himself... the man's dangerous. Ambitious - which is the same as dangerous in my books. He might try something... stupid."

"Like stealing the Fruit of Life?"

Sefer cut a scornful look towards Shortman. "Stealing implies ownership. It was there, so I took it. But... yes." she said, smirking, and gazing out of the window behind Shortman. "That's the caliber of individual we're dealing with."

Shortman stood up, collecting his papers. "Well, I've got a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss war plans. Just in case, obviously. I'll make sure to communicate what we've discussed to them. Oh, and, just before I head off..."

Shortman walked to the door, and opened it. "Gentlemen." he said, calling out to two men who entered shortly after, dressed in black suits and sunglasses. They saluted Sefer, who slid off Shortman's desk. "Given the present climate, I've taken the liberty of assigning you two new personal bodyguards. Try not to sleep with them like you did the last one." he said, nodding his head in the direction of Lilith. She poked her head up over the back of the sofa, squinting menacingly at Shortman.

"My name is Canaan Jones," said the leftmost man, gesturing to his partner. "And this is Israel West. It's a pleasure to meet you, Emperor Yetzirah." he said, the duo extending their hands. Sefer shook them.

"Please, just call me Sefer. I appreciate your service, but keep in mind - I'm a very, uh, secretive person, so you'll probably only have a job to do whilst I'm either here, or in the Imperial Palace."

"Director Endesha briefed us as such." replied Canaan, smiling. "The Shinsengumi serves at your leisure."

---

< The Red Queen's Palace >

Cassandra felt an icy chill up her back, which quickly turned to a sharp pain, as if the blood in her veins was freezing. Ra'an's blade was at her throat.

"You will not threaten my master."

"Ra'an, that's enough." replied Vance, his tone serious. Ra'an disappeared in a black glow, and the pain of his icy presence subsided; he reappeared beside Vance.

"I apologize." said Ra'an, though to whom he was apologizing was not apparent.

"You've impressed me today, Cassandra. We can do good work together. I'll be in touch. Stay gorgeous." he said, finishing with a wink. Then, him and his men disappeared in a golden glow of light, which was bright enough that it probably would've hurt Ophelia, had she still been in the room.

---

< Club L'etranger, Shangri-La >

"Sefer's a madwoman." said LaFayette, taking a deep draw from a thick cigar. He was obviously drunk. "She's driving the Empire into the dirt, and Shortman's more than happy to stand behind it and push. What does that sick fuck see in her, anyway? She looks like an eight-year-old boy with gyneco... coma... with boobs."

Aberhart lost it at LaFayette's suggestion; he was even more obviously drunk. The rest of the men at the table had consumed a fair amount of alcohol, but none had found LaFayette's posturings quite so funny. "Are we seriously fucking discussing the Emperor's... the Emperor's you-know-whats?"

"God knows they're all she's good for." replied LaFayette. The table exploded with laughter, as a man in a well-fitting suit sat down at the table, sober as one could possibly be.

"Cool it with the misogynistic remarks."

"And who the hell are you?" asked LaFayette, his temper surging.

"My name is William Douglas Reed. I work for the Shinsengumi." he replied, pulling out a badge. A few eyebrows were raised. "Don't worry. They don't know I'm here."

"Then fuck off." replied Aberhart.

"No, Aberhart." replied Reed. He pulled out a few files and threw them across the table to LaFayette. "Shortman ordered wiretaps of all your communications devices. There's the evidence."

"This... could bring down the administration." replied LaFayette, suddenly regaining some level of sobriety. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Because I think our views on the Emperor are similar. But don't go about releasing that information, LaFayette." he replied, fulling out a second set of files. "Destroying a space colony as part of a false flag attack... That's beyond treason. Don't worry; the Shinsengumi don't know about your little conspiracy."

LaFayette stood up, reaching for his pistol. "What do you want from us?"

"Your absolute, undivided loyalty and support. Sefer Yetzirah is a menace to our empire, and she needs to be deposed. But violence isn't the answer; she's indoctrinated the populace with her brand of hyper-liberal pacifism, and we can't restructure the Empire if its people are turned against them. We need to win peacefully, which means we need to play by the rules. I'm talking about Democracy, gentlemen."

"A politician, eh?" replied LaFayette.

"You can't have a society free of politicians, LaFayette. But you can have a society free of bad ones. I'm offering the weapons to take down Shortman. All I ask in return... is that you stand behind the man best fit to replace him."

---

< The Assault Shadow >

Ascheron awoke, climbing out of his gilded four-poster bed and pulling on a crimson dressing gown. He turned around, and saw Malak laying on the other side of the bed, awake, and reading from a book. Ascheron fastened his dressing gown, fumbling with the belt.

"What are you doing?" asked Ascheron. Malak looked over to him.

"I'm reading."

"That's not what I meant."

A wry smile formed on Malak's face. He closed the book shut, and stood up.

"I'm leaving, actually. Suffice to say - love and war are interesting, but the day ahead seems one of planning and maneuvering. I will return when your affairs begin to interest me again."

"Then you won't have long to wait. We strike in a few days."

Malak smiled, disappearing in an instant; not even a flash of light accompanied him. Ascheron ran a hand through his hair, and walked around the bed, inspecting the book Malak had left behind. The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde. Frowning, he picked it up and threw it into one of the disposal chutes on the wall.

<Tanari cruiser Walter P. Jackson>

"Indeed. That is the protocol, isn't it?" Allman said, smiling slightly, realising that this wasn't another self-serving, outraged democrat, but a revolutionary just like him. He didn't need, or want to, to keep up appearances. "Yes, yes, I've been well. As far as I can tell, Generalissimo, we're similar. We've both taken power from a closed, corrupt system with the veneer of respectability, haven't we?"

"So, then, Di Armechio." he got up, looking Uteriach in the eye. He stretched out his hand, letting it pass through the hologram for no reason whatsoever. "What can you possibly want from me? Your list of people to call must be a mile long, and you only took power a few days ago. You must be looking for friends." Allman reasoned. "Am I your first call, or have you already been told to fuck off by sixteen different empires and are desperate not to be another pariah?"

-----

<Malchior IV>

Aster and Richard both groaned as they fell to the floor. They dashed across the room to help Klak, and stood in front of him, hoping to shield him from an attack by Caiaphus. Aster was glaring at Richard the whole time, angry that he had trusted Figlio and angry at herself that she hadn't stopped him. "We should not have trusted that dick." she hissed.

She pulled out her gun and, holding it upside down, opened it up and started messing with it. "So, Caiaphus! The Nish'Gek. Whatever." she said. "We really loved meeting you... let's bring out the fireworks to celebrate!" This was actually a line from an old Tanari movie, but Caiaphus wouldn't know that. She threw the gun away, and it landed in front of Caiaphus, buzzing suspiciously. When he looked down at it, it practically exploded, releasing an almighty plume of smoke which blocked his view.

"Run!" she yelled, and dashed for the exit, soon followed by Richard. They both hoped that Klak and the others would follow them out; doing otherwise would be suicide, after all.

-----

<Ozar's ship>

Ashton laughed, and shook Fourteen's hand firmly. "Thank you very much! You're... Fourteen, aren't you? I've heard of you! You were behind that heist on Coreli. That was inspired." he gushed.

Spotting Lalli and Regina enter the room, he abandoned Fourteen and went to talk to them. "Lalli! It's been a while!" he said, trying to hug him. He then turned to Regina. "And Regina! What a chance encounter. Er, you're not still pissed about that thing on Babo IV, are you?" Knowing she probably was, he kept at a distance from her, hoping to avoid a punch, or worse.

He then turned to Ozar. "Are we waiting for anybody else? Because you should know, I charge by the hour." The joke immediately fell flat. A bit sheepish now all of a sudden, he decided to just shut up.

-----

<Abandoned Tanari Airbase>

Veras simply smirked, taking a defensive stance with their own blade as Yenot charged them, their eyes calm and confident in the face of Yenot's fury and rage.

Yenot fell upon Veras, eyes aflame, his bladed gauntlets swinging down upon the slight form of his enemy.  Veras raised their sword in defense, the runes flashing with the same magic that lit up their eyes.  The wind rose around them, blowing a cloud of dust up, obscuring the two.

When the dust cleared, Yenot lay on his back and looked up at Veras, who held a sword to his neck.  "Surprised?"  Veras said, a wry smile on their lineless face.  "This sword is no paltry blade - it bears an ancient name.  It was wielded once by Manannan mac Lir, who passed it to Lugh Lamfada, who passed it to Cu Chulainn, who passed it to Conn of the Hundred Battles.  The name of this sword is Fragarach, the Answerer, forged on high by ancient gods long dead."  They raised their sword to Yenot's cheek, cutting a shallow cut into it.  "And thus, first blood is mine, Yenot.  A good game, sir."

---

<Palace of the Red Queen>

Cassandra sighed.  "They always need to make their exits dramatic, don't they."  With her guests gone, she permitted herself thoughts of fear and worry.  For Vance Vangelis, annoying as he was, worried her.  Knowing him as Vance of the Golden Hand was one thing, but she knew not the extent of his power, nor the extent of his network.  The implications of having an ally who she could not control were...troubling.  

There was the vial of his blood, she reminded herself.  If she needed to, she could simply end his life with the flick of a finger.

Ophelia came in the doorway, the two Pirate Lords trailing behind her.  "These two claim they are  Pirate Lords Treskis and Keichi, of the planet Liquid-Metallicon."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow.  "To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked.

---

<David Robert Jones's Quarters>

A tall, vaguely humanoid machine stepped into the room.  It was lean of form, with three-fingered hands and tubes connecting its conical, cyclopean head to the rest of its body.  It was painted a dark grey, with a stylized emblem on its chest - namely, a stylized black wing.  "Are you David Robert Jones?" it asked, in a mechanical voice.

---

<Makaul, Capital of Corrantia>

From a shadow cast by a westward facing wall emerged the dark form of Azrael.  He looked up at the towering fortress before him, and merely smirked.  To many, this would be a daunting, nigh impossible task.  The fortress was guarded day and night, both with state-of-the-art automated machinery and human guards watching every corner.  A common thief would be turned away by such a daunting task, the potential reward not even coming close to matching the risk.

Azrael was no common thief.  Azrael was Fallen, an angel whose heart was given over to the darkness.  To move unseen - to walk among shadows - was as easy for him as walking was for most.

He stepped back into the same shadow he'd left.  To him, all that lay in shadow was connected, all an endless network of pathways, guiding him wherever he desired.  The guards saw him not - as all he was was a shadow upon the wall.  A trick of the light.

When he emerged in the chamber of the general whose life he was supposed to take, no one had so much as caught a glimpse of him.  The man was slumped over on his desk, working over the latest paperwork, while Azrael crept up behind him.  From darkness, a black scythe emerged in his hand, and he began to swing...

---

<Space near the Tina Gypsy>

It took naught but an instant for the ships of that infamous pirate to appear. Each was long and slender, resembling nothing moreso than a fish painted dark green. Each bore the sigil of the Dragon-Scarred - a stylized dragon's fang. Everywhere the name Dragon-Scarred brought fear into the eyes of all who heard it - never, not once, had a ship of their number been captured. For the ships of the Dragon-Scarred were known for appearing suddenly, without warning, and vanishing without a single trace.

Most feared of all those wicked pirates was their leader, Fergus mac Aodhan. A towering, imposing figure, the grey-skinned orc was whispered to have the strength of ten men, that he once ripped a great war machine's head off with his bare hands, that upon seeing one of the Dragon-Scarred fallen, he slaughtered every person in the entire house before his rage was sated.

It was that same Fergus who contacted Ciro Madigan. From the bridge room of his flagship, the Cethlenn, he smiled as Ciro's face appeared onscreen. "Hello, Madigan. It's been far too long since the two of us last spoke. I believe the last time we met, we were fighting over who had rights to the loot of the Naeros Space Fortress."

<Ozar's Ship>

Fourteen smiled proudly at Ashton's compliments. Ozar shook his head at Ashton's joke, silently telling him that he did not approve of it.

Lalli: "She forgives you for whatever that was, Ash."

Regina: "No, you don't get to speak for me, and you of all people would be objecting to what he did on Babo IV. Anyway, I forgive you, Ashton."

Lalli: "Wait, what did he do?!"

Regina: "Why should you care?"

Lalli: "I like knowing things!"

As they argued over trivialities, Ozar leaned over to Fourteen.

Ozar: *whispering* "What is it with them?"

Fourteen: *whispering* "Apparently, Lalli Cain and Regina Taral used to date."

Ozar: "Will this be a problem in the mission?"

Fourteen: "Oh, no, they'll just act professionally throughout the mission, maybe making a few witty asides here and there. No promises about what happens afterwards though."

Ozar: "I see."

A beeping noise interrupted the argument, and Ozar checked his communicator.

Pirate: "Sir, someone hung a lampshade in the wrong place, and apparently someone leaned on the fourth wall of the engine room. It's left a nasty mark."

Ozar: *out loud* "Oh dear, I will be right there. Fourteen, you have to stop doing that."

Fourteen: "Again, no promises."

He turned to the mercenaries, and clasped his hands together.

Fourteen: *out loud* "Anyways, where were we? Anyone else?"

Lincoln and Dreis entered. The mercenaries whispered amongst each other, making inquiries of the newcomers. Fourteen smiled at Lincoln, and nodded at Dreis.

Fourteen: "You're both known for your skills. My friends have told me wonders 'bout you Lincoln. And the Diamond Dogs? Professionals."

Ozar quickly ran up to Dreis and shook his hand.

Ozar: "Good to see you, Dreis! Sadly, I must abscond. Fourteen will brief you!"

Lalli Cain looked at Sruban and shrugged.

Lalli Cain: *whispering* "What kind of a name is Fourteen, anyway?"

Ozar ran off. Fourteen pressed a few buttons on a nearby console, revealing the holographic map that Allman had shown the pirates less than an hour earlier.

Fourteen: "I heard that, Cain. You don't want to know how I got the name, mate."

Lalli Cain: "Okay..."

Suddenly, Cain felt a sense of deja vu.

Fourteen: "Right, let's cut the crap and get down to business, savvy? In four days, a convoy will set off from Fars II towards Pi'lar IV, carrying a cargo our client wants destroyed. Now, we've got a plan to make sure things go the right way, and you all have skills valuable to the mission. We're to travel in a small shuttle undetectable by normal radar, then board the convoy ships, one by one. Each of us will be working on a different ship at the same time, then leave once you're done. After everyone's finished, they'll all blow up. First ship? Technical difficulties. One of us will hack into the system, while another places mines throughout it. A message will have been sent throughout the convoy and to their command that they were having some problems. Second ship? Communications disruption. Once they go dark, two of you will get on board and kill everyone. The previous approaches will be applied to the remaining ships. Fair warning, there's probably a varying amount of highly trained guards on each of them, and I can't guarantee all of you will survive. Any questions?"

Regina: "How much do we get paid?"

Fourteen: "A third of what our client is paying us will be divided amongst you all, with an added bonus based on performance. Any other questions?"

---

<Tanari cruiser Walter P. Jackson>

Uteriach smiled, and stirred his cup of whiskey.

Uteriach: "Second to call....."

He tilted his cup as though he was about to clink it against an imaginary glass.

Uteriach: "But first in my heart."

He laughed, and sipped some of the drink. He cleared his throat, and continued speaking calmly.

Uteriach: "I was a pariah long before you were a zygote. However, like you, I climbed my way up the ladder of victory. I, like you, understand the truth about intergalactic politics: there is only survival and interest. Everything else is a means to an end, especially if you aim to be a hegemon. Hence why I am offering you a mere trading partnership and perhaps a joint defense pact. Together, our nations will benefit, our interests will be secured, and we will be a step closer to obliterating our enemies."

He smiled, and placed the glass on his desk. Uteriach leaned forward, as though he were sharing a secret with Allman.

Uteriach: "How does that sound?"

---

<Malchior IV, Hidden Catacombs>

Caiaphus stumbled back, the smoke clouding his vision. He started coughing, as the avian's body had not yet been equipped by Caiaphus to handle such circumstances. A dark grey figure bumped into him, knocking him down. Before he could do anything, it disappeared.

Klak, Nadle, and Bob ran after Aster and Richard, following them out of the antechamber. Once everyone was outside, Klak pointed to Bob's hovercraft.

Klak: We have space for everyone, quick!

Suddenly, the ground shook, knocking them down. A mile away, a thick slab of stone slowly appeared to open, revealing a dark pit. A golden titanic spaceship silently rose from the depths and slowly flew towards Figlio's ship. The Craft of Laigula was now in his hands.

Bob: "Is that...? No way."

Nadle: "Oh no..."

The spaceship hummed, its ancient systems working to keep it afloat. A circle of light opened at the bottom, emitting a tractor beam that whisked Figlio's shuttle and the Vongolan soldiers. Once they were aboard, the Craft flew away. As everyone stared at the spaceship, Caiaphus slipped away, escaping. He opened a small portal, and disappeared.

Klak angrily kicked stomped the ground.

Klak: Damn it! That Rider got away with it!

The grey figure that had bumped into Caiaphus earlier appeared behind everyone. In the light of dusk, they could see that he was tall, and had blue eyes. Nadle recognized him as one of the guardians of the artefact.

???: "What have you done? I had warned you of this, yet you did not heed!"

It pointed a long metallic finger at Aster and Richard.

Klak: Who are you?! What do you mean?

???: "I am the guardian Coro. Long before any of you were born, I was tasked by the Dachori to ward this ship, and to prevent the escape of the Nish'Gek. My function was to psychically find the thoughts of anyone seeking the Craft of Laigula nearby, and tell them of the curse to deter them from coming anywhere near the chambers. You did not gaze upon the runes near Jones' bed!"

Coro pointed at Klak.

Coro: "And you did not heed the nightmares that I had planted in your mind. Twice the ruin has come upon us!"

Bob: "What does he mean?"

Klak: Like Figlio had said earlier, the Craft in the wrong hands would be unspeakable.

Nadle: "And with Caiaphus free, so many lives are in danger."

Klak looked at Aster angrily.

Klak: Did you know about this? You've been following me for a reason. Was it to unleash the Nish'Gek?!

Bob: "Woah, take it easy, Klak! They had no idea, they're not to blame here. Figlio and Caiaphus are."

Nadle: "Caiaphus is still inside of the ruins. Perhaps we could seal him in!"

Coro: "No, he has escaped. We must find him, and return the Craft of Laigula to its rightful place. I shall join you in your quest."

Nadle: "Sure, we're all in this together."

Nadle looked at Aster and Richard, as if acknowledging that, despite the previous argument, they were all on the same side.

Bob: "Let's all go home. We need to rest. I have a feeling this will be a long journey."

---

<Craft of Laigula>

The Vongolan soldiers woke up to find themselves on a cold floor. Some of the lights above them were blinking, as they were relying on an ancient energy source. They both stood and saw Figlio approaching them. Before they could say anything, the Rider slapped them both with the back of his hand.

Figlio: "The price of your second failure, gentlemen, will be far greater! You are lucky that we have this ship."

Soldier 1: "It looks....ancient. Look at the computers near us. They're something out of history books."

Figlio: "Yes, big and bulky. And this was considered cutting edge and futuristic back then. Yet no one has been able to match the weapon systems here. It's incredible that the minds of my ancestors are still light years ahead of the minds of those who oppose the revolution!"

They walked to the Craft's flight deck, and looked to the controls.

Figlio: "There's an added caveat. Most legends told about the ship being a weapon of mass destruction. But one legend, passed down only amongst the Riders by word of mouth, speaks of data within the system that shows a map. As far as I know, you're the first Vongolans to ever hear of such a thing."

Soldier 2: "A map to what?"

Figlio: "No one knows. Is it a more powerful weapon? Is it treasure? It's a secret to everybody!"

He laughed, and rubbed his hands with glee.

Figlio: "Anyway, I'll test the weapon out with a Malchiorian ship soon. They won't detect us, because we're cloaked. For now, bask in the glory."

---

<Malchior IV, Palace of the Red Queen>

Treskis smiled and bowed before the Red Queen.

Treskis: "We have an offer for you, one where we can mutually benefit."

Keichi: "Are you into dragon's blood?"

<Tanari cruiser Walter P. Jackson>

"You are absolutely correct. Achieving one's goals takes discipline and ruthlessness." Edward suddenly laughed. "I love you too, Uteriach. We have a deal."

---

OOS: I'm not ending it yet, just skipping ahead for a moment so I can do something.

<An hour after the end of their conversation>

After the conversation ended, Allman tried to get to sleep, but soon found he couldn't, a state of affairs for which he blamed Uteriach, and so his mind drifted back to his meeting with Sefer. He still coulcn't believe that that girl had had the gall to speak to him like that. It was more than typical Takemikazuchi arrogance - he expected that. She just didn't respect him.

On some level, he did respect and fear her. Anyone willing to speak their mind so clearly to a President obviously deserved some respect, and if she had the mightiest army in the galaxy behind her... Allman decided that, if his agenda had any hope of succeeding, he had to eliminate Sefer Yetzirah.

He got up, turned on the lights, and started writing a message to his intelligence director.

-----

<Malchior IV>

Aster looked to Coro, and sighed. For a moment, she felt like she had slipped into one of those fantasy books she used to read when she was younger, the ones where the heroes had to decipher some ridiculously contrived instructions given to them by the reclusive mountain elves or something. "Look, Coro, I don't go into Jones' bedroom, and I left before he was awake. We had no idea the message was even there, okay? And, you gave him a nightmare? Seriously?" she facepalmed. "Maybe next time you're trying to stop an eldritch abomination from getting out, you actually talk to people?" She glanced at her phone to see if Jones had sent her a message about the runes after he'd woken up, but she didn't have signal.

She sat down on top of the hovercraft for a moment, only to immediately shoot back up to her feet when she heard Klak's comment. "I beg your fucking pardon?" she yelled loud enough for someone underground to hear her. "We didn't know anything about the Nish'Gek. We followed you to make sure you were okay, and when it turned out you weren't, to save your arse from the Rider. And this is your way of saying thank you?"

Richard put her hand on Aster's shoulder. "Calm down." he said. Aster shook his hand off, and sighed yet again. "We'll join y'all. This is our mistake as much as it is yours." he continued.

---

There is a famous curse on the planet Earth. "May you live in interesting times." The saying was spread rapidly throughout the galaxy by human travellers, and soon half the supercluster was quoting it as their own, including the Tanari Confederation.

For these past few days, David Robert Jones was certainly living in interesting times. Yesterday he had survived an assassination attempt. This morning, he had found mysterious runes he couldn't read carved into his bed. (He immediately called Aster to let her know that somebody had broken into the church, but she didn't answer.) And now, a robot had just waltzed into his living room.

He looked down at the pile of clothes he had just dropped onto the floor in shock, and shook his head. "Why are you here, machine?" the old man hissed. "Did Allman send you here to finish the job?"

-----

<Ozar's ship>

Ashton smiled at Regina, pleasantly surprised. "Thanks, Regina. That means a lot to me." He turned back to Ozar and Fourteen, deciding to ignore Lalli and Regina's squabble.

"OK, so just to get this straight, we're going to sabotage the ships, and then bomb them?" he asked. "That shouldn't be so hard. If you don't mind me asking, do we know what the cargo is? Or who our employer is?"

-----

<Torch Hotel restaurant, Coreli Administrative Capital, five days later>

A wrinkled, grey-haired man in a suit sat alone behind a table, leafing through a menu, looking for all the world like an ordinary businessman waiting for a meeting. Nobody would suspect otherwise, and indeed anyone making such an assumption wouldn't be completely wrong - he was indeed waiting for a meeting, and if all went well, at the end of it, money would change hands.

While he had checked in under the name of Desmond Riley, his real name was Jim Reagan, and he had spent the last fifteen years working his way through the ranks of the Tanari Secret Service. He was always kept at a distance due to his slightly-out-there political beliefs, but after the coup, he was immediately promoted and given a new mission - to convince a certain Takemikazuchi politician to accept Tanari funding, without him knowing the source.

He heard the door open, and glanced at it for a moment, thinking it might be the person he was supposed to speak to, but it was actually a tall, ill-shaven muscular man who Reagan figured had been in the army at some point, and a sullen-looking blonde woman in a flowing white coat. He sighed, and went back to pretending he was reading the menu.

-----

<Makaul, Capital of Corrantia>

Colonel Henryk Rakozuliyev was busy filling out a personnel evaluation, when he thought he heard something behind him. He spun around in his chair just in time to see Azrael swinging a scythe at him, and let out a final scream just before the scythe took his head clean off.

Just outside Henryk's quarters, two passing guards heard the scream, and opened the door to check. Upon seeing Azrael with a scythe and their superior's head rolling on the floor, they instinctively cocked their rifles and opened fire.

-----

< Bridge of the Tipa Gypsy >

Ciro smiled at the image on her viewscreen, narrowing her eyes. "Fer-gie, so nice of you to drop by, and looking handsome as ever I see," she cooed japingly. "Let me think... Space Fortress Naeros... Swane, do you recall Naeros?"

Swane's voice piped up behind her. "Yes ma'am, Lord Aodhan here had something of a claim after he assualted the G-North, and you, the G-South."

"Oh! that Naeros. Well, it has been a long time, hasn't it Fergie. I suppose you're here to tell me you've a claim on these Golden boats too, hmm? It's too bad, considering I've stripped them bare, and I'm spacing the crew as we- ah, there you see," She gestured to the frozen corpse of a Golden Grace Crewmember who floated past the bridge's windows " - as we speak. There's really nothing left for you here, so I take it you have other business?"

-----------------------

< Ozar's Ship >

Dreis smirked and flicked his cigarette to the floor. "No worries, lets rock and roll."

<Ozar's Ship>

Lincoln think about this plan, "I've a question iffin ya mind. As you may have gleemed from my reputation, whichin seems to 'ave proceeded mine own self, I've a history with explosives, and there are a certain numbers of incendiaries that not be in mine favors for assorted reasons. So what I'm inquirin 'bout in this instance is the variety of meteoric munition is bein proffered."
---

<Abandoned Tanari Airbase>

Yenot smiles as he falls, "I expected nothing but from someone like you. But you seems to have forgotten..." The arrow that was loged in apparently nothingis pulled free from a series of pullys, flying staight for Veras' chest

< Shangri-La, Shortman's meeting room, the following day >

Sefer sat at the head of the table, with her legs drawn up onto her seat, and a cup of coffee in her hands. Shortman sat to the left of her, and Lilith was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the Joint Chiefs of Staff were sitting around the table, as well as a few senior Shinsengumi agents, and the head of the Colony Corporation - who was usually invited to meetings discussing matters of national security, despite their civilian status.

"Where's LaFayette?" asked Sefer, gesturing to the empty seat where the Supreme Commander usually resided.

"I'm afraid he handed in his resignation last night." said Shortman, turning to her. "I would have called you but... I doubt you would have appreciated being woken up. After yesterday, I figured you'd need all the rest you could get." he replied, with a faint smile.

Sefer smirked. "So," she said, turning the meeting back to its intended topic. "What are our chances in a war with the Tanari?"

"They outnumber us three-to-one," replied Admiral Rodriguez, the senior Naval officer present. "But we outgun them four-to-one. The Confederation has the numbers, but they don't have the technology we do. Furthermore, they're much more vulnerable to WMDs than us - they're Earthnoids, and they don't have the Dendrobium nebula to protect them. If we were to play this war dirty... We could win it in weeks. Days, maybe."

"But we won't." replied Sefer, nodding in appreciation of Rodriguez's phrasing.

"Simply put, we can take the Confederation, with or without direct attacks on their worlds. And if we were to complete the Shiranui-class before any fighting broke out... There'd be no contest."

"The issue is, we don't think the Confederation will attack on its own." said Director Endesha, head of the Shinsengumi. "Allman is nothing if not a shrewd political operator, and we believe he is forming alliances as we speak. If he were to ally with Ascheron Kingdom Demesnes, for example... We'd have trouble fighting off their combined forces. Shiranui, or no Shiranui."

"I see." replied Sefer, finishing her drink. "Allman's far too clever to not have realized this already, which means he's far too clever to attack when he has no chance of winning. So... if we stop him forming any alliances, then we-"

Sefer stopped, as the memory of her and Dallas's meeting shot to the fore of her mind. A faint smile formed on her face. If he starts a war between the AKD and Tanari, It'll throw the entire outer galaxy into chaos, she thought, recalling a briefing she had received on the Vongolan revolutionary leader, Uteriach di Armechio. If he has a secret alliance with Ascheron, like the Shinsengumi believe, then he won't be able to just sit idly by whilst the AKD and Tanari battle it out.

"Emperor?" asked Shortman, confused at her pause. She turned back to the meeting.

"-then, we win." she replied, smirking.

---

< Torch Hotel Restuarant >

William Douglas Reed entered, dressed in a dark grey longcoat and wearing black leather gloves. He carried a briefcase in his left hand. Sitting down across from Reagan, he picked up a menu, and began to read it.

"A dinner's nothing without a good conversation. Wouldn't you agree?"

< Ozar's ship >

"Copy that!" Sruban said enthusiastically. "I won't need yer gear though, got some of me own. Take a look."

Sruban reached inside his robes and pulled out a bizarre device. It looked something like a grapple gun, but with a land mine attached to the front of the barrel. Four small metal claws were attached to the mine, which Sruban folded outwards. He then pressed some buttons on a keypad on the gun's handle, and an LED on the landmine lit up red.

"You might wanna stand aside, lads."

The mercs in front of him stepped aside, and Sruban pointed the gun at the wall, and fired. The landmine shot forth, and attached itself onto the wall with its claws. Sruban pressed another button on his gun's keypad to deactivate both the mine and its claws, took it off the wall and put it back onto his gun again.

"So this thing can be used ta shoot mines, which can then be signalled ta explode by typing a code on the gun I fired 'em from. I call it "The Facehugger", cause I once shot a mine at some poor sap's face, blew his 'ead clean off! Heh heh... so yeah, I'll be usin' this."

<Kyras, five days after the conversation between Uteriach and Allman>

An aide walked in on Ascheron. "Excuse me, God-Emperor, but the ambassador from the Tanari Confederation is here to see you." he said.

The ambassador walked in immediately, and bowed before Ascheron. "Good evening, Lord Ascheron. I have a certain matter to discuss with you."

-----

<Malchior IV, Presidential Estate, same time>

An aide entered the President's office. "Excuse me, Mr. President, but the Tanari ambassador is asking to speak to you. Shall I let him in?"

-----

<Torch Hotel restaurant, Coreli, same time>

Reagan smiled up at Reed. "You're right. Absolutely right." he said. "My name's Desmond Riley." he lied. "You spoke to one of my colleagues. I'm so glad we could meet in person."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Riley." replied Reed; nonchalantly, without looking up from his menu.

"Good." Reagan said, putting away his menu and summoning a waitress with a gesture. "I think I'll have the blue chicken salad. And you, Mr. Reed?" Reed turned a page, having still not looked up from his menu. It was obvious that little of the menu's offerings interested him. "I'll have the same. I'm curious to know what the meat's like on this world; we're not allowed to rear actual livestock within Shangri-La." he said, folding the menu and casting a knowing glance to Reagan as it cleared the place between them. "We have Emperor Sefer to thank for that precept."

"Ah, yes, Emperor Sefer!" Reagan's face immediately darkened. "Isn't she just a lovely person? You know, I was on Thea Prime a few months ago. Ghastly place. I heard the government has already nationalised 75% of the former private sector! It's insane."

"That's still 25% more of a private sector than we have." he replied, his tone somewhat lighthearted. "So, you're not a fan of Sefer Yetzirah. That makes us a rare breed - you and I."

"Believe me," Reagan smiled. "you're not alone. I believe my colleague told you I represent a group of corporations from all over the galaxy. We'd love to invest in the Takemikazuchi Empire; from what I know it used to be a great place to set up shop, but how could we?" He suddenly slammed his fist on the table, attracting some surprised glances from the other customers. "Your emperor is insane. No empire ever got rich off socialism."

Reed smirked. "Sefer doesn't care about money; Sefer cares about Sefer. The unenlightened masses may think of her as a selfless, devoted leader, but she's no different than any of the other tyrants who came before her. They're just blinded to the truth by the convenience of the existance she's stagnating them in."

"How true. It's happened before, and it will happen again. What a shame that it will happen to your world this time." Reagan shook his head. He moved his chair slightly forward as the waitress arrived with their food, and started eating. "Of course, it doesn't have to be that way." he said in-between mouthfuls. Reed toyed with his food for a moment, before looking to Reagan. A smile appeared on his face. "What are you proposing?"

Reagan swallowed a bite of his strange-looking salad and nodded. "As I said, Mr. Reed, I represent several large corporations. We're always interested in opening up new markets." He looked Reed in the eye. "We know you're thinking of running for Prime Minister. We are prepared to support your campaign with all the means at our disposal."

"I'm open to the idea." he said, taking a mouthful. "But don't think you're buying influence with the future Prime Minister. We share a common interest in deposing Sefer - consider any actions an investment towards that goal. Nothing else."

"Sefer's removal and the reversal of her policies is more than enough for us." Riley finished his salad and set down his knife and fork.

"So, what can you offer me?"

"One million galactic credits, upfront." Riley smiled. "And more later. Enough to flood the networks with attack ads, or whatever it is you're planning."

Reed chuckled. "That's all very good, Riley, but in a socialist bog such as Shangri-La, money can only take you so far. What I need... is information." Reagan leaned in, and started to whisper. He wasn't worried about being overheard, but somehow it felt right. "What kind of information?" he asked.

"The FTL dampening frequencies for the Tanari homeworld." he replied, casting a knowing glance.

"What possible use could that be in a political campaign?" Reagan replied, puzzled and suddenly worried that Reed might have found him out.

"Before Allman took power, I had a few contacts in the Federation as members of pro-capitalist group Republik. I have no doubt they supported Allman in his rise to the presidency - still, I haven't been able to contact them since. I'd like to visit them in person." he said, taking in a mouthful of food and chewing slowly. "Their skillset would be well suited to the task of deposing Sefer Yetzirah."

"I see." Reagan said sheepishly, still unsure of Reed's exact intentions. "I do believe I can get you the frequences right now. Give me a moment." He took out his electronic notebook, and started typing on it under the table. Finally, a minute later, he put it away, took a piece of paper out of his pocket, wrote a series of numbers on it, and folded it in half. "This is the frequency you need. It will get you past the dampeners and into the exclusion zone. Be careful though; it's called an exclusion zone for a reason. They will tear you apart if you haven't got a good cover story, or cloaking device." He slowly gave the piece of paper to Reed.

Reed took the paper, carefully folded it into the jacket of his suit. "It's always a pleasure to work with such competent individuals. So, I take it your 'several large corporations' have deep ties in the Federation?"

"We've always done business with the Tanari." Reagan smiled. "And whatever else you might say about Allman, the man is nothing if not impeccably capitalist."

"Indeed." replied Reed. "I'd like to establish good negotations with him when I become Prime Minister." he said, chuckling lightly as a thought entered his mind. "Perhaps I'll offer Sefer to him, as an olive branch, and let him do with her as he sees fit." Reagan sighed. After that, he had no more illusions; his cover as a Tanari agent was well and truly blown. However, since Reed didn't seem to care, he decided to continue the mission.

"I'm sure he'd appreciate such a gift." he said, seemingly dispassionately. "So, is there anything else you'd like to know?"

"No." replied Reed, smirking, and finishing his meal. "That's all. This has been a truly fruitful conversation, Desmond Riley."

"Indeed it has." Reagan smirked, and got up. Pushing in his chair, he dropped a few banknotes on the table. "Lunch was on me. Goodbye, Mr. Reed, and good luck." He left the restaurant, sweating slightly.

<Tanari cruiser Walter P. Jackson>

Uteriach: "Perfect. I will send diplomats with the treaty for you to sign soon.....unless you'd rather come here and sign it in person. We have yet to meet in such a context."

Uteriach stirred his glass as he expected an answer.

---

<Malchior IV, Bengadore Plains>

Coro ignored Aster's complaints, and simply muttered to himself in an ancient tongue.

Nadle: "Let cooler heads prevail here. We're all injured, so we should make our way home. We'll plan what to do afterwards."

They all (hopefully) entered the hovercraft and prepared to depart. Surprisingly, Coro joined them. No one objected, as they believed he was the closest thing they had to an expert on both the Craft of Laigula, and Caiaphus. The vehicle set off into the night as a cool breeze rustled through the plains.

--

<Malchior IV, The Norman's House>

The Norman panicked as she saw the injured group enter her house.

The Norman: "What?! Klak! You're hurt! What happened? I've been worried sick about you!"

Klak: I'm fine, mother. I ran into some trouble.

The Norman: "With what?! A terrorist? Klak, the President is dead...."

The Malchiorians' eyes all widened upon hearing the news.

Klak: He what?! That's horrible, why? And no, it was something else.

The Norman: "They have no idea why. Someone just threw a sword at him while he was in his office. The capital's on lockdown now, and Acting President Howard will be sworn in in a few minutes."

Bob: "That's insane...."

Nadle: "I'd hate to change topics, but we found the craft, Norma, but it was taken by, and you're not going to believe this, a Rider. And apparently, some demonic creature was inside of the crypt, and it tried to kill us."

Dr. Pa Vell: "Thank The Shepherd you're alright..."

The Doctor and The Norman tended to the wounds of all those who had entered, even those they did not previously know. The two were known for their tremendous hospitality, and this case was no exception.

An hour later, The Norman pulled Aster away from the discussion the other heroes were having. She stepped into the kitchen, and whispered to her.

The Norman: "What do you know about Klak? Tell me everything."

The fearful look on The Norman's face suggested that this was no joke. There was something about the young man, something that she had to hide, and was afraid of someone finding out about it.

---

<Ozar's ship>

Fourteen shook his head at Ashton.

Fourteen: "Classified, mate, not telling you who employed us. Lincoln, we got plenty of explosives in the arsenal you can pick up. Sruban, I like your gun, and I'll bloody buy it off of you when this is done. Right, we start in a few days."

*TIME SKIP TO 5 DAYS LATER, WOOOO~*

Fourteen stood outside the small shuttle that was attached to Ozar's ship. He looked at his watch, and groaned.

---

<Malchior IV, Presidential Estate, 5 days later>

The new president welcomed the diplomat into his office. He was surrounded by armored guards, and was sitting away from the window. He had recently finished giving a memorial address for President Yuy.

President Howard: "Hello, my friend. Thank you for visiting us in such a difficult time."

Meanwhile, the capital city of Malchior IV was being thoroughly investigated by federal agents.

---

<Malchior IV, Location Unknown>

Caiaphus slowly watched the cars pass by in the black road. He had spent the last hour walking away the Bengadore Plains and attempting to find an indicator of civilization. A black car drove up to him, and rolled down its window.

???: "Hey there, need some help?"

Caiaphus nodded, speaking with a higher pitched, more relaxed voice.

Caiaphus: "Yeah, I got robbed! Could you get me to the nearest town?"

???: "Damn hippies are ruining this town. Name's Paul, you?"

Caiaphus: "My name's Cletus."

Caiaphus smiled, and entered the car.


MAZKERTIS WILL RETURN. ALL IS NAUGHT.

[Malchior System]
The strange space ray that Nif and Flesh-Eater were riding in arrived in the Malchior System. The main planet of interest was Malchior IV, which to Nif was just a space United States. The planet might as well of been Earth, being a near copy of it in atmosphere composition, gravity, size, and other things.
The rest of the trip was in silence, as Nif recalled the events before his psuedo-death. Irrelevant now, Earth is lost to him, and with that, his status as an elemental there. It was clear his powers still worked though, most likely he was now relying on Hoh himself from the planes. What he truly questioned was how he ended up in the universe he transported to years ago, despite there being no dimensional teleportation, only his mind riding wavelengths through the galaxy.
Meanwhile, Flesh-Eater had been contemplating it's next task at hand. They were contracted to kill Cassandra Thorne, a now prominent criminal in the Malchior IV underworld, known as "The Red Lady," and a blood mage. The Trilagon was able to get enough information from it's sources to find out where she hides out with her lover, Ophelia, a vampire. It wouldn't be the first time Flesh-Eater dealt with blood fetishists. Quite an easy task, too.

The ship then entered Malchior IV's atmosphere. The organic nature of the ship had it tagged as a bird by the sensors on the planet, allowing them to bypass any landing protocols. The large oceans of Malchior IV, much like Earth, would allow the Manta Ray ship to safely doc and explore the ocean(it was, after all, an animal). Flesh-Eater was emotionless as ever to Nif, his alien body language still rogue to processing in Nif's mind. And to Flesh-Eater, Nif was an old myth realized, an Elder to his species and others.
Years ago, Nif found ruins of an ancient race on Earth, and it seemed to have been related to him, contrary to his belief of him just being a mutant human who got his powers by accident. Of course, the ruins were destroyed and the thought never crossed his mind again.
The ray hit the sea, diving down. The splash was like a typhoon, but in the middle of the ocean, no one can hear those waves. The creature went far down to the twilight zone for cover of any sensors. Nif's mind was hit with an impact of the ecosystem once again. "Ah yes, The morphogenic fields of this planet...much more similar to Earth, as if the species here were imported, or some strange convergent evolution. Shouldn't question it too much, easier to comprehend here than the Trilagon's planet. I should try to fetch the dna coding of some similar races." He analyzed nearby species and began to morph his body to a much more familiar form of crustacean armor, with poison pricked spines, barnacle and coral forming, and jellyfish tentacle strands as psuedo hair. He created an elaborate mask as always, and the color-coding was a reflective white water, with cyan strands of fading. He then formed ice armor around his organic armor, but would resolve it into a snow cloak to disguise himself in public, with hood.
As he was shapeshifting, Flesh-Eater disconnected from the ship, and spoke to Nif in his robotic, heavy-breathing tone of disablement; "It is time for us....to depart...follow me to...the major city of...Dootville(Just saying)"

< Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, some time later >

The doors to Vance's throne room opened, and Sefer entered, her hands in her pockets. Vance sat upon the raised dais at the end of the hall, enthroned; Ra'an stood next to him, one hand on his hilt, silently amused. She reached the base of the dais, and glared up at him, before folding her arms.

"You called?"

"Ah, yes, Sefer Yetzirah. Hello." he replied, standing up from his throne. "You're looking as beautiful as ever."

"Funny." she replied, as he descended the steps infront of him, circling slowly around her. "What do you want, Vangelis?"

"More, honestly. I'm not happy with the terms of our arrangement. I've... recieved another offer. Cassandra Thorne. You're familiar with the name?"

"Not at all."

Vance chuckled. "There was a time when men said the same about you. I'm fed up with running anti-piracy ops for your little empire, Sefer, and I know you're just keeping us busy - busy enough that we don't go assassinating any prominent political figures, and changing the game too much. But the problem is, Seferino, that's where the money is. And we're assassins. We like money. Cassandra is offering us money."

"You're severely overestimating your value if you think I'm going to enter a bidding war over your services, Vangelis."

"No, you're severely underestimating my value. You haven't got many allies, Sefer. Any, if I recall correctly. Once I'm no longer on your payroll, I don't have to ignore the assassination requests with you as the target."

Sefer turned to him. He may as well have just signed his own death warrant. "Is that a threat?"

"No, Darling. Just business."

Sefer smirked. Ra'an swung towards the small of her back - her superhuman reflexes kicked in, and she swept in under the blade, drawing her fist into the underside of Ra'an's jaw. He stumbled back, at which point she swept his feet out from underneath him, a sickening crack sounding as his ankles broke. She jumped backwards off the dais, narrowly avoiding the tip of Vance's blade; he had used his ability, The Midas Touch, to turn the air around his hand into an ornately crafted golden blade, which by virtue of being in contact with him, was as hard as diamond. Ra'an flew upwards, his legs already regenerated. He kicked off the wall and flew down towards her. She teleported out of his path, appearing immediately behind him and driving her foot towards the back of his neck; he, too, teleported, reappearing behind Sefer and unleashing a scatter-shot style blast of ice, releasing hundreds of fragments which tore into her back. She grit her teeth, bringing a roundhouse kick around towards Ra'an, but when she turned she discovered Vance standing in his place. Cursing, she shot off backwards before her foot could impact him. Touching him means death, she thought. Ra'an materialized behind her, keeping up the momentum. She teleported out of the path of his swing, appearing high above them.

"This lady is not a fighter." said Ra'an, drawing his tongue along the flat of his blade. "A woman should know know her place."

"A dog should know his." she replied, a red glow suffusing her body. She shot down towards Ra'an at blinding speed; he barely had time to raise his blade to block, but her foot carried on through it, shattering the blade in half before hitting him in the center of the chest, sending him flying backwards. Vance turned, swinging towards Sefer; sliding her hands into her pockets, she teleported around him, dodging every one of his lightning-fast attacks. He turned for a swing; she had disappeared, but the deafening roar of an automatic cannon filled the room. Vance swung at blinding speed, deflecting the rounds away - they were explosive, and so tore into the roof, walls and floor of the throne room, quickly decimating it. The sound of an empty firing chamber interrupted the silence; Vance looked up and saw a minigun - of the same type mounted to his gunships - suspended in midair, suffused by the same red glow as Sefer had been. The damn bitch is using my own weapons against me, he thought, displeased at the prospect. He swung towards it, a blade of air carrying on from the sword and cutting it in half; Sefer shot forth from the resulting explosion, the Lance of Avalon in her hands.

He sidestepped, and teleported away. Sefer was unable to due to carrying the Lance, but turned in the air and shot upwards, propelled by a massive telekinetic force represented by a violent red burst behind her. Their blades clashed, the force blowing them apart, at which point two AA missiles materialized behind Sefer, shooting towards Vance. He flew backwards, taking sharp turns to avoid them, but they kept pace with him; he flew inbetween the vast pillars lining either side of the throne room, causing one missile to veer off-course and impact the wall, exploding in a tremendous fireball. Vance soared upwards to the highest area of the throne room, and extended his palm, catching the second missile as it closed in, and Midasing the warhead before it could explode. He then let go, and the now front-heavy missile spun out of control, spiraling out of the air and exploding far below. Once again, Sefer shot forth from the resulting explosion. Vance raised his blade towards the Lance of Avalon; their points collided, but the Lance cut through Vance's sword, shattering it, before doing the same to his arm, tearing his shoulder clear from his body. He roared in pain, turning away from Sefer, who materialized an assault rifle in her left hand, aiming it towards him and firing. A golden arm shot from from the stump, sealing the wound, and deflecting the bullets.

Sefer smirked, turning the empty rifle on its side. Silence fell across the room. Vance barely had the strength to maintain his flight, and fell to the floor; Sefer descended willingly.

"You slut!" screamed Vance, running his hand along the stump Sefer had created; though he had created a golden arm to replace it, the pain was still immense. "Do you even have any comprehension of the extent to which you're-"

"Excuse me." replied Sefer, as Ra'an materialized behind her, his sword already swinging down towards her neck. Without looking, she drove the rear end of the Lance of Avalon up and into his chest, practically lifting him into the air; blood sprayed out of his mouth as he slid down it, collapsing against her back. The bladed end glistened with his blood, which quickly evaporated. She raised the fore end of the Spear, causing Ra'an to slide off, collapsing on the floor. She pointed the rifle at his head, teleporting a fresh magazine into the magwell and telekinetically racking the bolt. "He's alive. Listen very, very carefully, and when I leave here he might still be."

Vance look on in horror, but kept his silence.

"Our agreement is over. Tell your new master to stay away from Shangri-La, and to remain uninvolved in all matters concerning Sefer Yetzirah and the Takemikazuchi Empire. To do otherwise shall result in her death. The same terms now apply to you, Vangelis. You are persona non grata, as is the rest of your organization. Make sure I never see you again." she said, her tone venomous. "Oh, and, any wounds I've given the two of you with this spear will never heal. Keep them as an eternal reminder of your hubris."

She dematerialized the Lance before teleporting away, leaving the throne room in ruins. The guards, which Sefer had previously been mind controlling, stormed in, and carried the two unconscious men to the medical lounge.

---

< Kyras >

Ascheron sat behind his desk. He raised his reading glasses to his forehead.

"And what might that be?"

<Tanari cruiser Walter P. Jackson>

"I would love to come to Vongola," Allman said, pouring himself a glass of Malchiorian whisky. "but, unfortunately, I will be rather busy over the next few weeks. Such a grand alliance really ought to be signed in public for the galaxy to see... Why don't you come to Tanar? We would love to host you." he smiled.

"Just one more thing." he said. "How do you feel about Sefer Yetzirah?"

-----


<Ozar's ship>

Ashton suddenly appeared next to Fourteen in another flash of light. "Hello. Where's everyone else?" he asked.

-----

<Malchior IV, the Norman's house>

Aster calmed down a bit on the way back home. Upon their arrival, she sat down and stayed quiet, mulling over recent events. Her phone beeped - it was a text message from Jones, talking about the runes he'd found on his bed. She quietly cursed Coro, and then hoped Klak's mother hadn't noticed her lips moving as she approached and led her into the kitchen. She ummed and ahhed a bit as she tried to decide what exactly to say.

"Not as much as I need to, that's for sure." she ill-advisedly joked, wishing she could snatch the words out of the air as she said them. It would surely just scare the Norman. "I know he isn't an ordinary Malchiorian, if that's what you mean. Not in spirit... and not physically, either." she added.

-----

<Malchior IV, the Presidential Estate, five days later>

"My condolences on behalf of President Allman and the Confederation." The Tanari Ambassador smiled and sat down. "Good luck, Mr. President. It must be hard to take over in such tragic circumstances." The ambassador seemed to mean well, but there was something unsettling in his tone that made Howard squirm. "May this be the worst thing that happens during your term." Again, there was something just wrong about the way he said what he said.

"In any case, Mr. President, I have something important to discuss with you. You will no doubt want your term to be unevent, unbothered by foreign messes. I would like to propose a series of military exercises between our armed forces, near your border with the Coridan. I understand they have been harassing your shipping, making threats... Yuy told me he was concerned that war might break out. But they won't risk war if they believe we will come to your aid. Your people will remain at peace, like Yuy would have wanted."

He sat back in his chair, and intertwined his fingers. "In exchange, we want only one thing..."

-----

<Kyras>

"An alliance." the ambassador said. "My president, as you can imagine, wishes to construct a grand alliance to... balance out the Takemikazuchi's excessive clout on the galactic stage. He hopes that Ascheron Kingdom Demesnes would agree with such a goal." he smirked.

< Space Colony Outer Seven, AKD Fringe Territories >

Dalton leaned on the concrete wall, smoke curling from the tip of his cigarette. He was dressed in light khaki trousers tucked into high black boots, a black shirt with golden collar tips and his long, black mac. Stood next to him was an older black man, with grey dreads pulled into a loose tail at the nape of his neck. He wore a black ballistic vest over muted camo fatigues, high black boots and a bright orange flight jacket. He peered over the vista before them through a pair of sufficiently complex looking binoculars, panning slowly left to right. Dalton stood patiently as Weldon Kehoe completed his surveillance, finishing his first cigarette and lighting another. As that stick burned down almost to the filter, Kehoe turned to Dalton and cleared his throat.

"Seems they're operating as normal," Kehoe said with a grin. "They tryna make it seem like they not on any special business, hmm?" Kehoe spoke with a distinct Caribbean accent- as far as Dalton knew, he was 100% true Old Earth Jamaican- placing him at about 200 years old, though he looked but a hair over 70.

Dalton turned to face the Dogs assembled on the building's rooftop. Cassius Calm leaned against a barrel, smoking quietly; Gareth Holbach had field stripped his huge 15mm sniper-rifle, oiled it and was in the final stages of putting it back together; Three younger cadets, Phillips, Paulsen and Helsing, were playing some variety of card game on an overturned ammo tin. Dalton coughed, and all men in attendance snapped to attention in an instant. "Gentlemen, we move at 'sundown'. Change of the guard is at 2200 hours, we move in at 2210. At ease."


Brammidge pulled a cigarette from his jacket pocket, placing it between his lips. He patted himself down, looking for a lighter, before realising he must have left it in the guardhouse when he was taking a shit. He swore quietly past the cigarette, but a lighter clicked into life in front of him, held by an arm which reached out from his right. Brammidge smiled and leaned forward, the cigarette catching just as Kehoe's fist broke his jaw and sent him sprawling with a low grunt to the floor. Kehoe pulled off the cloak that had afforded him an active-camo, ditching it beside the guard's body, before removing a long military knife and slitting the guard's throat. He flashed the knife into the night; from the shadows came the three cadets, followed by Dalton, dressed now in dark combat fatigues and a navy grey roll-neck sweater, over which was strapped an underarm holster in tan leather. The leather case held a blacked-out Kimber M1911, Kehoe noticed as he passed. The Jamaican followed Dalton past the security booth, grinning as he saw the guard in the tower's head explode silently.

The retinue moved silently through the compound, the cadets neutralising any guards patrolling with subsonic needle-rifles. They reached the large ceramisteel doors that led to the underground sector of the base, fanning out to face the doors. Dalton walked up, and knocked lightly, playfully. The doors shuddered, hydraulics pulling them aside.

Evangelise Ascheron stood behind them.

She wore digital camo fatigues, a white shirt open over a black vest, and a tactical harness. Her blonde hair blew in the night air, revealing a black patch over her right eye. She reached behind her, pulling two combat knifes from her harness, holding them low in front of her, settling into stance. From behind there was a shout; the cadets engaged with Evangelise's unit, Kehoe materialising a black baton and leaping into the fight, moving at astounding speed, darting between the near-invisible troops that had accompanied the female commander.

Dalton stepped up to Evangelise, his hands outstretched wide. She lowered herself slightly, jerkily. Dalton showed his palms, but it was no good; she sprung toward him, moving at blinding speed. Dalton sidestepped, spinning his back against her and throwing her off balance. She rolled forward, ducked under Dalton's kick by pressing herself flat on the floor. Dalton swept his boot along the concrete, but Evangelise pressed hard up, flinging herself airborne, parallel to the floor. She clawed the air where Dalton's head had been with her knives; Dalton leapt backward, pulling his pistol from it's holster and blasting at Evangelise. She rolled in the air, narrowly avoiding the volley, and flung a knife at Dalton, forcing him to duck. She landed in a crouch, springing once again at Dalton, jabbing at his face with her remaining knife. He blocked the blade with the butt of his pistol's handgrip, the blade splitting the magazine clean in two; he dropped the firearm, delivering a flurry of short jabs to Evangelise's outstretched arm. She gasped, bringing a knee up high into Dalton's solar-plexus. He doubled over, winded, and Evangelise brought a short elbow onto his ducked head. Dalton dropped, rolling away from Evangelise, who tried following with stomps, which Dalton avoided. He grabbed her booted foot, twisting hard; the smaller figure flipped, neutralising the grapple, and bringing a straightened leg down onto Dalton's stomach. He coughed, short and sharp, before roughly hammering her thigh with an elbow. She grunted, rolling off him; he leapt to his feet, kicking out hard in a single fluid movement. His booted feet caught Evangelise squarely in the chest, sending her flying backwards and slamming into a parked jeep twenty paces away, denting the side considerably. He moved toward her, darting in and out. She stood and began boxing at his head, but he ducked and weaved through the flurry of punches. He ducked low, blocked her attempted knee, slammed an elbow into her gut, and dragged her feet into the air, her head cracking against the concrete. Evangelise's vision dimmed, flashing stars appearing before her eyes. She twisted onto her belly, pressing up as she had before, but Dalton smashed her back to the floor with a double-hammer fist. She impacted, but was already rolling away from Dalton's elbow, which splintered the concrete on contact.

"You're good little lady. Lets tango some more, hmm? And while we dance," He snapped a kick at her head, which she knocked aside, attacking his knee with an open palm, slapping his leg down, "We can talk. Why would Daddy Ascheron send his darling daughter to some backwater military complex? Beats me. Maybe you can shed some-" He uppercut Evangelise as she ducked low, sending her shooting upward and clanging against the halogen lights "- light on the situation."

--------

< Shuttle, Ozar's Ship >

The door to the shuttle opened, and Dreis stepped through, ducking under the low lintel. He carried a canvas sling bag, and wore a black jumpsuit, over which was strapped a digital camo harness, to which several small gadgets and weapons were clipped. He nodded at the two men, and sat down on a gee-couch.

< Ozar's ship >

Sruban appeared on Ozar's ship with a flash of light. The wannabe merc looked ill, and put his hand over his mouth as he turned around and threw up in a corner.

<Spacedock orbiting Pi'lar IV, eight days after Yuy's assassination>

Three guards were on patrol around the spacedock, watching for any sign of sabotage. The whole system was on alert, fearing an attack from the Tanari, and most of the fleet had been recalled to protect the homeworld. They were set to be retrofitted with new, experimental weapons, but the convoy carrying them had recently disappeared, which only increased fears of an invasion.

The guards chatted happily about the latest movie featuring Pi'lari movie star J.S. Venturi, when they heard a whimper nearby. They turned a corner to find a sweating, casually-dressed man, and immediately pointed their weapons at him. "Please... help me." the man pleaded. He seemed to be in obvious distress, but they ignored him, and led him away into the brig, in the core of the station.

---

The man sat in the brig, constantly writhing in pain and screaming for help. A man in an admiral's uniform arrived, and looked at him. "So, this is the supposed saboteur?" he asked the guards.

"Yeah. We don't know what he was doing though, every time we ask he just keeps screaming..." one of them said.

"Son," the admiral said. "I'm Admiral Fis. Tell me who sent you"

The man suddenly threw himself against the force field keeping him inside, and bounced off. He ran at the force field again, and started pawing at it. "Tanari! They fucking did something to me... injected me with something. Fucking help me!" the man screamed in pain again.

"Why did they send you here?" Fis asked. Suddenly, the man collapsed, a small stream of blood coming from his mouth. The guards opened the force field to check on him, only for a strange white substance to begin seeping out of his skin. It quickly spread and formed into a pile of something resembling fluff, completely engulfing the corpse. The men in the brig all heard a strange, hesitant voice coming from the pile.

"WE ARE BECOME KILLERS... OF YOU ALL."

The fluff attached itself to the guards, and immediately consumed their bodies as they briefly screamed in pain, and continued multiplying, merging into a single, ever-expanding mass of fluff, until eventually the structure of the station began to buckle against it.

And as similar scenes began to unfold on board the other military space stations and spacedocks near Pi'lar IV, as the stations and the ships docked for retrofit collapsed under the weight of the fluff or were consumed by it, and as their crews died in thankfully brief agony, a fleet of Tanari warships approached the increasingly defenseless Pi'lar system at their top speed.

<Vongola, King's Palace>

Uteriach smiled.

Uteriach: "I'd prefer that we met in a neutral location that's a little closer to my planet. I cannot venture too far away from Vongola, as I am busy with post-revolutionary reconstruction. There's a nice planet not far from here known for its famous resorts. I believe it's called Krustallos or something. As for Empress Yetzirah, I'll let you know after I call her. Good night, President Allman."

The transmission ended. Uteriach sipped what remained of his whiskey, and put the glass away. He then called Sefer, hoping to get in touch with her.

---

<Malchior IV, Space>

After seeing that there no Malchiorian spaceships worthy to be tested, Figlio flew away on the Craft of Laigula.

((He'll be back somewhere else.))

---

<Malchior IV, The Norman's House>

The Norman sighed in relief. Although Aster, and whoever she was working for, suspected something about him, it was better that they were kept in the dark about what Klak really was.

The Norman: "He's different. There is something about Klak that no one must ever know about. I won't tell you, but please, let no one even suspect anything about him. Klak has no idea what he's capable of, and if he gets the slightest inkling of it...."

Her face appeared grave and horrified, as though the consequences were beyond dire.

The Norman: "Our planet is doomed, and the galaxy will go to war. Understood?"

Meanwhile, Nadle and Bob are debating whether or not anime and post-modernism have ruined the galaxy.

---

<Malchior IV, Presidential Estate, five days later>

President Howard seemed pensive.

President Howard: "Our military capability can handle what they throw at us. But deterrence? That's interesting."

He leaned forward.

President Howard: "What are the terms of a possible alliance?"

Meanwhile, the Malchiorian Department of Foreign Relations prepared invitations for President Yuy's funeral to be sent out to major leaders throughout the galaxy.

---

<Ozar's Ship, same time>

Fourteen rolled his eyes at Sruban. He looked at Ashton and whispered.

Fourteen: "That's why I skip fast food."

Lalli Cain walked up and shook his head.

Lalli Cain: "Hey, don't ever say that again! That's not nice."

Fourteen: ".....I kill people. For a living."

Lalli Cain paused, and nodded. He walked into the ship. Regina Faral soon arrived.

Regina Faral: "Where's Lincoln?"

Fourteen: "He'll probably be here soon. I'm going to check to see if we're ready to set off."

Regina stepped up to Ashton as Fourteen opened the shuttle door, and looked inside, hoping to see if Lalli was there. She seemed to be wanting to emphasize where she was standing to make him jealous, but Cain seemed to be distracted by something. Regina frowned.

Meanwhile, inside of the shuttle, Cain was struggling. For some reason, he was getting the urge to waltz up to the cockpit and drive the ship. He kept thinking of the phrases "I drive" and "Beware The Ides Of March", which didn't make sense, as they were in April. Lalli Cain finally fell to temptation.

Lalli Cain: "Fourteen, I drive."

Fourteen: "Shut up and sit down, Lalli."

Cain complied.

<Tanari cruiser Walter P. Jackson>

"Very well. The Treaty of Krustallos..." Allman said, swirling the whisky in its glass. "It has a nice ring to it. Farewell, Uteriach." he said as the Generalissimo disconnected. He downed the drink in two big gulps, and went back to bed.

-----

<Malchior IV, Presidential Estate, five days after the Yuy assassination>

The Ambassador smirked. "The Tanari Confederation has several... unresolved issues with its neighbours. We would ask you to help us in this conflict. Not militarily, of course."

He put his hands on the desk, and looked Howard in the eye. "No doubt the Pi'lar or their allies will put forward a Galactic Council resolution condemning our justified actions. They may even propose sanctions, or worse. In exchange for our help in deterring the Coridan, we would ask your government to veto any such resolution. In doing so, you would be keeping Malchior IV out of two wars; another border war with the Coridan, and a pointless intervention in a bilateral matter between the Pi'lar and the Tanari. How do you want to be remembered, Mr. President? As the man who dragged your people into a bloody, fruitless war, or as the man who kept them out of war?"

-----

<Pi'lar IV, royal palace, ten days after the assassination of Yuy>

Allman signed the document in front of him, and stepped away, smiling smugly, as the King of the Pi'lari, looking sullen, also signed it. The two were surrounded by reporters; Allman wanted the signing of the treaty to take place in public, so it would at least look like the Pi'lari were doing it of their own free will.

With most of the Pi'lari fleet destroyed, the Tanari were able to sweep through the system and take over. The government was shocked enough to surrender immediately, realising they could not stop the Tanari fleet and deciding to at least save as many lives as they could. There had been outrage from all over the galaxy over the unprovoked invasion, and specifically over the use of Parasitic Fluff, but it was too late, and nobody wanted to sink money and blood into a protracted war over Pi'lar IV.

Under the terms of the peace treaty, the Kingdom of Pi'lar would become a protectorate of the Tanari Confederation, meaning that it would assume complete control over its defence and foreign policy. The monarchy would be retained in a figurehead role, and while the Confederation nominally engaged to stay out of the Pi'lari's internal affairs, they still had the right to appoint 'advisors' to the government. This wasn't exactly what Allman wanted; he wanted to annex Pi'lar into the Confederation, but he realised that the outcry would be immense, and he didn't need the attention. He would annex it in a few years, when it was no longer a hot topic, but for now, it would remain a puppet state.

-----

<Malchior IV, The Norman's house>

Aster's eyes narrowed. Why must they all be so cryptic, she thought. "I can't let anyone suspect something I don't know." she said coldly. "They won't know a thing, Norma."

Her mind was made up. If Klak was really as dangerous as his mother made him out to be... she had to know why that was and how to use him. She had to know, for the sake of her home.

"Richard," she said telepathically. "This just got more interesting."

-----

<Ozar's ship>

Ashton backed away from Sruban as he threw up, holding his nose. He nodded at Fourteen, and was then immediately surprised by Regina sidling up to him. Figuring out what she was trying to do, he decided to help; he moved a bit closer to Regina and grinned at Cain.

-----

< Outer Seven >

Eva dropped low, swinging her leg out towards Dallas's ankle. He stepped back, not noticing the blade sliding out of the heel of her boot; it nicked him in the fore of the ankle, spraying blood across the concrete. He slipped forwards, at which point Eva's other boot shot up, its blade sinking deep into his chest. He pulled backwards, blood splurting from the wound and covering Eva, who took the opportunity to regain her footing, holding her twin knives before her in a reverse grip and assuming a stance. Dallas regained his posture, his advanced regenerative abilities kicking into action. He smiled at Eva's stance, assuming a similar one across from her.

"Oh, Good." he said, the wound on his chest sealing. "Why, that's very good."

The faintest beginnings of a smile materialized on Eva's face, before she pulled a pistol from the back of her belt and unloaded a burst of rounds into Dallas's chest, throwing him backwards against the wall behind him. She calmly emptied the rest of the magazine into him, before reloading, and walking towards him, still firing. He shot forwards, disarming her with a single chop. She thrust her arms towards his throat, strangling him; he brought his arms up between hers, driving his elbows into her face. She stumbled back, at which point he followed up with a flurry of quick elbow strikes, followed by palm strikes as she fell backwards. She caught his palms in hers, locking her fingers around his and drawing her towards him; he brought his knee up into her stomach, a spray of spit shooting from her mouth as she jerked forwards, gasping. Dallas slid his hands out of hers, stepping backwards. He slicked back his hair, before swinging around, driving the back of his foot into Eva's head, throwing her across the room.

---

< Kyras >

Ascheron grinned. A grand alliance. That means Uteriach's in on this, too. He had a chance to take out three birds with one stone; he could solidy his relationship with Uteriach, secure peace between him and the Tanari, and finally put that bitch Yetzirah in the ground. Still, it meant providing an environment for Uteriach's strength to grow - right now, Ascheron considered Allman his only true opponent on the field of galactic domination; he did not want a third competitor.

"What are the terms?"

---

< Shangri-La, Sefer's House >

Sefer stepped out of the bathroom, toweling off her hair. It had taken a while for her to get all of Vance and Ra'an's blood out of it. It would take longer for Vance to grow his arm back, though. She pulled a hoodie on over her head, and slid her hands into her newly-acquired pockets. All was right with the world - for a few seconds, at least, before Lilith walked in, holding a phone.

"It's for you."

"Who is it?"

"You're a psychic. Why do you need to ask?"

Sefer shrugged in admission, taking the phone. "President Uteriach?" she asked, sitting down on her bed, drawing her legs up onto it, and pushing herself back so that sat against the headboard. "It's good to finally get the chance to talk to you."

<Kyras, five days after the Yuy assassination>

The ambassador nodded, opened his briefcase, and took out a short document. "The alliance will be based on military cooperation and mutual aid, diplomatic cooperation, and the sharing of intelligence. Any intelligence pertaining to the Takemikazuchi Empire must be shared with the other members of the alliance, and the partners will work together on efforts to isolate and undermine the Takemikazuchi Empire diplomatically and, eventually, wage offensive war." He placed the document on the table, showing that it was a message from Edward Allman himself saying more or less the same thing.

"We are approaching other empires with the same proposal." he continued. "There is one caveat, though. The existence of the alliance must remain secret, so that the Takemikazuchi do not suspect we are working against them. Is this acceptable to you, Lord Ascheron?"

[Unnamed Restaurant, Unnamed Orbital Space Station, Orbit Of Corrantia]

*Two figures could be seen sitting at a table overlooking a large window displaying the world below, though the lighting makes it difficult to discern their features, the only thing one can be sure of is that they appear human, one seeming to be female while the other male, are well-dressed and have an air of sophistication about them. This fact is further compounded as they started conversing in a sophisticated British accent.*

A Gentleman: It seems as though things have been reset.

A Lady: One might say it was rebooted.

A Gentleman: A new start.

A Lady: A prelude to new paths.

A Gentleman: Perhaps new variables.

A Lady: And new experiments to be conducted.

A Gentleman: One thing is certain.

A Lady: The universe has been reborn anew.

*As the light at their table starts flickering, the peculiar couple starts flickering along as well before disappearing altogether when the light goes back to normal, leaving behind no trace of their existence.*

-------

[News Broadcast, Iris TV, Hera Communications Group]

Newsreader: ...In other news, details about a bold manoeuvre by major player in the galactic market, the Atlas Corporation continue to emerge. Sources close to the intergalactic giant inform me that it has successfully purchased rival pharmaceutical corporation NeoSuns. NeoSuns stock had taken a dip earlier in the week as rumours began to circulate, accusing CEO Vakera T'Veni of embezzlement. T'Veni denied the allegations but could not explain how trillions of credits in revenue ended up in his personal account. "I'm sure it was just a clerical error," quipped Joseph Heller, a spokesman of Atlas as transfer of ownership was officially declared. The purchase gives Atlas a significant increase in market share, allowing it to field a larger influence on the galactic stage. This is Khalisah Cassan, reporting to you live from Iris.

-------

[Transport Ship, Pi'lar IV Transport Convoy, Unknown Space]

*A lone figure leans forwards on the railing of a large balcony overlooking the hangar bay. Clad in an engineering suit, the lean figure observes the spacious hangar bay, from the docking and resupply stations where technicians and engineers are busy with their respective tasks, to the entrances leading out to the deep black void of space, all the while munching on a chocolate bar. The sound of approaching footsteps snaps the figure out of his thoughts as he turns around, his features now clearly visible, revealing a male white-furred anthropomorphic wolf.*

Pi'lar Marine: Hey, you! What are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be somewhere doing work?

Wolf: Relax. I'm on break. Just needed some time to think.

Pi'lar Marine: You'd better be gone when I come back later, or I'll have you in the brig.

Wolf: I'll only be here for a couple more minutes.

*As the marine turns his back and marches away, the anthropomorphic wolf finishes the last of his chocolate bar before pulling out a phone.*

Wolf: Hey, it's me. Yeah, I'm in.

-------

[Shuttle, Ozar's Ship]

*The door to the shuttle opens with a hiss as a new figure enters, the lean built lizard-like humanoid attired in a maroon flight jacket and a pair of goggles heads towards Fourteen before handing over a letter of recommendation signed by multiple pirates under Ozar's employ.*

Gene: So, uh... heard you're looking for a pilot. Call me Gene. I'm up for it if the position is still open.

<Ozar's ship>

Over the coms, Lincoln's voice echoes, "Start with out me boys, I'm running a little late.had to pick ups something special."

<Pi'lar IV>
Over the Procession of the signing of the treaty, a shadow falls. On lookers crane their heads to see a fleet of ship rivaled by very little. While the President had been annihilating the Pi'lar fleet, notice was delivered to a room on the planet Jibr'Altr, where a decision was made. Speakers open on a Juggernaut class ship and a message delivered, "President Allman, you have just decalred War on the Territory of The Pantheon. Prepare to die."

< Kyras >

Ascheron finished reading the document, and placed it gently on his desk. He stood up, walking to one of the many bookcases lining his room; searching through it, he found a scroll tucked away between two books. He pulled it out, unfurled it, and returned to the desk, laying the scroll across it - it was a map of the known galaxy. He lifted up his wine glass; a small amount was left at the bottom of it. He upended it over the map.

"There." he said, pointing to the Tanari Confederation. Part of it had been dyed purple by the wine. "That's the price of my allegiance."

The ambassador looked on in shock. Three whole systems. It was, in all likelihood, the single most outrageous request he had ever heard. Ascheron grinned.

"The AKD is not interested in waging war when there is nothing to gain. The Takemikazuchi Empire represents a single system for us to bring into the fold, yet one defended by a force worthy of twenty such systems. Even as part of your Grand Alliance, taking Shangri-La would still require a disproportionate effort. Common etiquette dictates that the Confederation, as the proposers of this alliance, make up for this disparity."

Ascheron stood, pouring himself another glass of wine.

"Don't get me wrong, Herr Ambassador. I want that bitch Yetzirah dead as much as Allman does. But, back on Kyros, we have a saying..." he said, taking a sip of the wine. "When you're good at something, never do it for free. And when you're the best at something... never do it for cheap." he added, a shit-eating grin forming on his face.

<Malchior IV, The Norman's house>

The Norman nodded, and walked out of the kitchen. She went up to Klak, and patted him on the back. The man smiled and nodded at his adoptive mother.

Nadle: "Well, what's next?"

Klak: The Craft is in the hands of some wannabe despot, and a homicidal eldritch abomination is on the loose. We'll have to find at least one of them.

Coro: "I shall aid you in finding Caiaphus. He is much more dangerous than any of you can imagine. If the Dachori were threatened by him, then there's no telling what he'll do to your civilization."

Dr. Pa Vell: "Humans, especially Malchiorian humans, are a tough bunch. We can take him."

Bob: "Wait, Klak, aren't they going to put you on alert because of....well....you know?"

Klak: Sadly, it's not under my department's purview. I really hope they find that son of a bitch though. Same thing for the others.

The Norman: "Aye."

Nadle: "Hear, hear. Well, we should all get going and have some rest. The fight has left us all exhausted. Good night, Klak."

Klak: Night. Meet me in a few days.

Bob and Nadle laughed.

Bob: "Just enjoy your vacation till then. Aster, Richard, come with us. You too, Coro."

Bob and Nadle said their goodbyes, and left the house. Coro awkwardly waved goodbye at the group, and disappeared.

---

<Vongola, Uteriach's Palace>, same time

Uteriach: "Emperor Yetzirah, how are you? I hope I am not interrupting you. It's nighttime on this side of Vongola. Anyway, my government will be three days old tomorrow. I was wondering if you were willing to discuss the terms of establishing diplomatic relations. I know you hated Oncé's regime. I believe it's time for a change."

---

Vongola, Burjua Sector, The Next Morning>

Rahksha stoically stared at the burning mansions and the Revolutionary Soldiers running to and fro. Finally, the upper classes loyal to the old regime were receiving their just desserts. Rahkshi firmly believed that his people, the K'Thaan (the true native species of Vongola), had been oppressed the most by the old regime and its benefactors. It was a rich, human woman who hired his father as a butler for miserable wages and left his family to suffer in the throes of poverty. It was the same woman who forced his father to dress in non-traditional clothing. You see, the K'Thaan considered it offensive to show their true appearance to foreigners. It was not entirely out of xenophobia; rather, they considered the bond of their species to be too sacred for even Vongolan humans to understand. As such, they dressed in tunics and masks surrounded by large suits of armor, showing only their eyes. Rahksha wore  a dark green and gold suit of armor as he stood before the crumbling empire of old.

As a result of the erosion of his father's pride and culture, Rahskha grew with a deep hatred for humans. He had the luck of being under the command of many xeno generals during his tenure in the army, one of them being Uteriach himself. The bond between the Dachori and the K'thaanic grew so strong that he was one of the first non-generals to be told about Armechio's plan for a revolution. Now, their dreams had been realized, and although the regime was only 3 days old, it had the backing of the people, especially the K'thaan. Everyone stood united, and although that included the species that Rahksha had hated the most, there would be efforts at making change. Plus, a xeno was leading them, one that understood the importance of honor, culture, and heritage more than anyone else.

After the burning of the Global Assembly, Uteriach had asked Rahskha to prepare a special force to purge the Burjua Sector, an area filed with the affluent, of any Oncé loyalists. He was also tasked with searching for any evidence of a nascent government-in-exile.

Vongolan Soldier: "Major Rahksha! We found something!"

Maj. Rahksha: "Yes, what is it?"

Vongolan Soldier: "Sir, we caught a group of loyalists trying to leave to what they called a haven. We pressed them for information, but they wouldn't give it up. They took the location with them to their deaths."

Rahksha: "Well, at least we know it exists. Thank you, Corporal."

The soldier saluted Rahksha, and left. The K'thaanic reached for his pistol (a futuristic looking Luger), and made his way to battered mansion. He entered, and began smashing some of the furniture.  

Rahksha: "Where are you, scum?!"

A man wearing a suit emerged from a corridor.

???: "Leave us, I'm protected!"

Rahksha fired his weapon at the man, intentionally missing him.

Rahksha: "No you aren't, not anymore!"

He grinned, and ran up to the rich man, knocking him to the floor with a pistol whip to the head.

???: "My name is Joshua Kozín, I am a friend of the revolution. I gave you people money!"

Rahskha sneered down at Kozín, aiming his gun at his head. The temptation to kill him was nigh overwhelming, but he resisted, for it would be a pain to explain Kozín's death to his superiors. Suddenly, someone entering the mansion yelled: "Go easy on him, Rahkky!" Two K'thaanic soldiers came to them, their eyes narrowing because of their respective grins.

He groaned. Tulio and Julio had arrived. Rahksha could not stand them, and was surprised that they were all of the same species. He had hoped that deploying them on the other side of Burjua would have prevented them from crossing paths, but he was wrong.

Tulio: "He's one of us."

Julio: "And he's giving us money."

Rahksha: "Whatever. Let's go. Today you escape death, Kozín."

They all calmly walked out of the building, and were met by a woman wearing the uniform of a special forces operative.

Rahksha: "Agent Cassandra Cromwell, what do you have to report?"

Cassandra Cromwell: "Someone calling themselves "TPK" has been contacting some of his friends here. They are trying to form some kind of government-in-exile. I'll have to contact our experts to see if the Galactic Council will accept them, or us."

Rahksha: "Damn it. Well, let's keep looking. Kill indiscriminately, understand?"

Cassandra smiled.

Cassie: "With pleasure."

----

<Malchior IV, Presidential Estate, five days after the Yuy assassination>

President Howard raised his eyebrow, and stood up. He placed his hands on the table, and glared at the diplomat, leaning in closer to his face. The President was known in the Senate for his intimidation tactics.

President Howard: "Let me get this straight. You want us to ignore sapients' rights violations to prevent a defensive war? I'm not sure how things are in Tanari, but we Malchiorians feverishly protect our own. The people will rally behind another war with Coridan if it is necessary for our safety. It won't be fruitless or bloody, because we outmatch Coridan in capability and willpower. As for the Galactic Council, if we even provide a minimum amount of troops it would be a multilateral action to protect an oppressed people. I'm afraid I cannot accept this proposition."

A short man wearing a blue suit, a white shirt, and a red tie came inside. He had a massive grin on his face as he came up to the diplomat and shook his hand.

???: "What the President means to say is that you'll have to give us a better offer. My name is Olivio Krieger, Secretary of Foreign Affairs. How are you?"

---

<Shuttle, Ozar's Ship, five days after Yuy's death>

Fourteen looked up at Gene, and then to the letter of recommendation. He frowned, as his dreams of driving the shuttle shattered.

Fourteen: "Right, well, welcome Gene. You'll meet everyone in the back later."

He moved over to the co-pilot seat, and grabbed the communicator once Lincoln contacted them.

Fourteen: "*to Lincoln* Right, hurry up, and don't let them see you while your flying towards us."

Lalli Cain looked out the open door, and smiled at Ashton and Regina.

Lalli Cain: "Come inside, we're leaving. You okay, Sruban?"

Sruban raised up his hand, giving Lalli a thumbs up. He wiped his lips with his cloak, and stepped inside the shuttle.

Lalli Cain: "Eugh. There's a lavatory back there, man. Anyway, Regina, Ashton, you coming?"

Regina nervously cleared her throat, and entered the ship. Ashton silently insulted Cain with a smug grin, and followed her. Lalli rolled his eyes.

Fourteen: "*yelling* CAIN COULD YOU PLEASE SHUT THE DOOOOOOR!"

Lalli complied. The shuttle left Ozar's spaceship, and made its way to the convoy.

Fourteen: "Here we go, first ship. It's a frigate, so expect resistance. Cain, Taral, Ashton, you're up."

Regina widened her eyes and looked at her partners. Lalli Cain groaned.

Lalli: "I thought it would be two of us!"

Fourteen: "Oh, shut up Lalli! Did I bloody stutter? If I want to send the damn Mickey Mouse Club out there, I will!"

Lalli Cain grit his teeth angrily, and complied. The shuttle sneaked into the frigate's port, and dropped them off. Inside the cockpit, Fourteen looked at Gene and grinned.

Fourteen: "I love these cloaking systems. Alright, next ship, Gene. Be careful, I hear Pi'Lar corvettes have amazing targeting systems. This won't be easy."

--

Meanwhile, inside of the frigate, Lalli Cain looked to the others.

Lalli Cain: "Let's go. We need to get closer to the mainframe to hack into its systems."

Meanwhile, a platoon of guards was making their way to the docking bay.

OOS: Hope I'm not missing anyone. Waiting on Mally for the rest.

< Shangri-La, Sefer's House >

"Hate is a strong word. The truth is that I have little concern or interest in matters taking place beyond Shangri-La." said Sefer, unconsciously smirking. "Don't take it personally. I'm sure you have little interest in the finer workings of Shangri-La. Regardless, you have caught my attention, which is rare. Tell me, Uteriach; what makes you think I'll feel differently towards you than I did towards your predecessor?"

<Vongola, Uteriach's Palace>

Uteriach grinned, and leaned back in his chair.

Uteriach: "There are several ways to respond to that. The idealist in me would answer that I am different from my predecessor ideologically speaking. We both look to progress, to change, to equality. The realist in me would answer that I have an ancient weapon of mass destruction that could wipe out entire star fleets in my possession, and I am strongly considering selling it. Choose whichever answer suits you best, Emperor."

OOS: maly pls post

<Pi'lar IV, ten days after Yuy's assassination>

Edward gaped up at the sky, slack-jawed, seeing everything he had been planning collapse right in front of him. How did he and his intelligence services overlook this, a powerful empire protecting the Pi'lar?

Well, whoever they were, he wasn't going to stick around and be vaporised by them. As chaos broke out all around him, with the guests fleeing in all directions and guards randomly opening fire (several rounds narrowly missing the King), Edward slapped the bracelet he was wearing, and was instantly teleported to a ship parked on the surface, which immediately took off. The soldiers still on the ground received orders to gather in isolated locations where the remaining Tanari ships could scoop them up. The conquest of Pi'lar IV, which Allman planned would be the beginning of his crusade, ended as quickly as it had begun.

As he watched the planet disappear from view through the window of his cruiser, Edward had but one thought on his mind.

"I will return." he hissed.

---

The brief annexation of Pi'lar IV would go down in Pi'lari history, with many (often exaggerated, since the Tanari were only in control for a day and a half) stories told of the ravages Tanari soldiers had inflicted. One unconfirmed rumour which would circulate around the planet for years to come involved a group of nine Tanari soldiers who supposedly ventured into the catacombs of the royal palace only a few hours after the Pi'lari government had surrendered. Nobody knows what they did there, but according to those spreading the rumours, only five soldiers would ever return, carrying two mysterious black metal boxes...

-----

<Malchior IV, the Norman's house>

"We'll be there, don't worry." Richard said. He and Aster left the house a few minutes after Bob and Nadle, and headed for the church.

-----

<Pi'lar frigate #1>

"I hope we're all armed." Ashton said, pulling out a fancy-looking gun. "Because this is going to get nasty. Let's get out of the bay."

-----

<Malchior IV, the Presidential Estate, five days after Yuy's assassination>

The ambassador simply raised an eyebrow slightly, pretending he wasn't bothered by Howard's treatment. In truth, though, it did make him uncomfortable, particularly the President's horrid breath.

He turned to Krieger with relief painted on his face. "Silver Eachan, Tanari ambassador. Pleased to meet you." he said quickly. "Mr. President, Mr. Krieger, believe me, you have much more to gain from vetoing this resolution than you think."

Eachan opened his briefcase, and placed a thick file on the President's desk, labeled "FOR THE PRESIDENT'S EYES' ONLY". "This is our final offer." Eachan said. "Open the file on page 16, Mr. President." he beckoned.

When President Howard did so, he found a Tanari intelligence report detailing a Coridan hadrium smuggling operation, and protocols from the interrogation sessions of Coridan officials and soldiers who, under some duress, all testified that the hadrium was needed for the construction of illegal weapons of mass destruction, something the Malchiorians knew nothing about.

"We have more information." Silver said. "Lots more. And we can share it all with you... for a price. Now do we have an agreement, Mr. President?"

-----

<Kyras, five days after Yuy's assassination>

The ambassador tried, and failed to hide his outrage. "Three systems!" he repeated to himself, as if trying to convince himself of it.

"I shall have to confer with President Allman." he said, stuttering, and made his way into a closet where Ascheron would hopefully not be able to hear his communication. He took out a small, circular device, and pressed two buttons on it in quick succession. A small green, shimmering hologram of Edward Allman's head appeared, projected from the device.

"Do you bring good news, Ambassador?" Allman said dispassionately.

"No," the ambassador sighed. "he demands a price for his participation in the alliance. Three whole star systems."

"What?" Allman screamed so loudly that the ambassador worried Ascheron would hear him anyway. "That slimy little fucker..." He stopped, and tried to calm down. "What do you think? Is he trying to torpedo the negotiation?"

"No, Mr. President." the ambassador replied confidently. "He knows his position is strong, and he wants to make the most of it."

"Good. Then not all is lost." Edward sighed loudly. "Any territorial concessions are unacceptable to the Confederation, and he should know it. We have to offer him something else, something valuable enough to please him..."

---

The ambassador stepped out of the closet after a few minutes, still visibly shaken by Ascheron's proposal. He set the holographic projector down on the table, and sat down.

"President Allman wants me to tell you that your proposal is simply unacceptable." the ambassador said as calmly as he could. "But we have a counter-offer, which we hope you will be happy with." He activated the holographic projector, showing Ascheron an image of a beautiful jewel in the shape of a pyramid.

"This, Lord Ascheron, is the Key of Silence. An ancient artefact hidden away by a now-dead civilisation, said to be capable of opening doors to parallel dimensions. And we can give it to you. Think about that for a moment, and make your decision."

-----

< Shangri-La, Sefer's House >

"When most people find ancient weapons to sell, they offer them first to the more militaristic factions of the galaxy, and then profit from the resulting bidding war - yet you're offering it to me? You've piqued my interest, Uteriach. Very well; name a price. Honestly, I'm almost more interested in ascertaining your motivations than I am in acquiring this so-called weapon of mass destruction."

---

< Kyras >

Ascheron grinned. "Yes, that's very interesting. Very well, Tanari - you will have your alliance. See that the artifact is delivered to me immediately." he said, sitting down behind his desk. "Now, go."