The Misadventure of Zak and Erik

[SPI -14]

This is a story concocted by yours truly. It is still open to editing, but this is the story prototype. go ahead and comment if you want to.
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The footfalls through the hallway were bizarre. A quiet step, followed by a loud metallic clank. Such were the footsteps of Dalin Xurichner. he moved at a timed pace over the grating separating him from whatever was red and glowing underneath. Today marked the dawn of a new era for his country... his empire. Today marked the first test of the behemoth.

14 years. That was how long it had taken. 14 years with thousands of prisoner-slaves working on this dream of his, leaving a legacy of blood and death before the machine had even started. All this work had allowed them to construct the first, but not the last, Foe-Crusher, a mountain of guns and cannons upon treads. With this, Zefiria, the only real enemy of Darcath and ruler of the skies, would finally fall.

With a lurch in his gait, he left the hall, into the vast facility that was used to make this monster. The light played upon his body, a mishmash of metal, rubber and flesh, copleted with the tattered remains of a king's uniform, cape and all. He clanged into the first of his behomth creations, his face a wild grin of ecstacy. Soldiers of his nation moved amongst the controls of the leviathan's control room. His one eye played over the contols of the main cannon, while his electronic lens glowed.

"I'd like to test fire this weapon." He rasped.
"Now, sir?" an officer asked
"Of course now!" Dalin growled in reply, causing the man to shrink away.  

[SPI -14]

Erik sat upon a branch of a gatherbrush tree, gazing at the sky, the slight summer breeze of the warm nightruffling his already messy brown hair.

"I love nights like this. I can see so many stars!" he said in wonder as he gazed up, blue eyes sparkling.

"There's billions of them. Get an eyeful." came the sharp reply from an armored man below, cleaning a sword with a piece of cloth, and a piece of clear blueish glass angled over his hair.

"Aw, Zak... you never really look at the stars anymore..." Erik complained.

"There's more important things than that, Erik. Someday you'll figure that out and grow up." Zak replied.

"Do you believe in people from the stars like the legends say?" Erik asked.

"No. There's no way people could come from the stars. not even Zefiria can reach them, so there's no way." Zak said.  

[SPI -14]

A pane of glass. That's what separated Tarne from death in the icy void. Technically there were three panes, but Tarne hated to get technical about such things. He pressed an armored glove upon the glass, staring at his own reflection, or the planet below. he kept shifting between the two. The world was known as Asteia. Someone had put a probe down earlier, so they had translations and information.

Class M world, multiple sentient species. Tarne nodded. That's why this ship was here. The Starhawk, the most boring kind of ship to be on: An Overseer ship. All it did was watch the planet below, as people down there moved about their lives unknowing. No action on this ship. It was safe. And Tarne was a shipboard guard, clad in a suit of insulated armor for combating invaders. Unnecessary protocol, as such ships were only deployed in safe space and had a massive warship standing by.

Tarne considered himself lucky, actually. He was part of the Exploration and Recovery fleet spearhead, directly under the flagship Ascendant Dragon. He'd never been aboard the legendary warship, or seen the famed commander, but he worked for him. he walked away from the window and leaned against the clean white wall with a sigh.  

[SPI -14]

The machine thrummed as the lever was pulled. there was a grinding noise as gears clanked together. a low rumble followed, and then the massive tank fired it's main weapon, sending out a yellow-white beam of destruction.

Dalin Xurichner cackled in delight.

---

Erik nearly fell off his branch as something flashed on the horizon. Zak shot upright in alarm.

"What is that?!" he uttered in shock as the yellow-tinged beam arcing into the sky.

---

Tarne saw a flash. a point of light on the planet's surface, glowing brighter. it was then he realized that the ship he was on was speeding up. it was coming right at them!

The energy hit the ship and smashed right through. the bierirum armor, held as being impregnable, floded before the blast. the blast doors shut and locked, and tarne was thrown to the ground with force. he got to his feet. He HAD to get everyone he could to the pods.  

[SPI -14]

Running through the halls, he found himself to be the only guard in this section. people crowded by the escape pods, and Tarne, the loyal soldier he was, sorted them out. It was then he realized that there wasn't a pod for him. He was going to die.

As the alarms blared, he sullenly walked towards the hole from the blast. at least to make it easy for them to find his body. passing a wall, his hand suddenly groped empty air. His eyes widened, an open pod! he lunged in and slammed the release. the pod shot away from the ship, and Tarne paused. This pod had been separate from the others... His relief turned to horror as he frantically gazed about the pod for evidence to the contrary. Sadly, what he found confirmed his fears. He'd taken an espionage pod... Something that only trained spies were meant to use.

The pod was a genetic reconstructor. He would not be leaving the pod looking the same. Right now, he'd basically given up his entire physical form. Race, eye, color, even gender were forfeit.  

[SPI -14]

The night sky was ablaze with shooting stars. Erik gave a gasp of awe at the the sight.

"So many brother! I can't count them!" Erik said in wonderment as they streaked overhead behind the mountains in the distance.

Then they heard the loud impacts. Zak's eyes widened, "They fell over the range..." he'd never heard of a shooting star doing such a thing. "Erik, I suggest you get down from there. We're going to check it out."

"Why?"

Zak looked up at Erik with a raised eyebrow, sliding down his visor, "We're adventurers. We need no other reason."  

[SPI -14]

Dalin Xurichner gazed at the night sky from the control room.
"Wonderful!" he crowed, after all, the machine was underground... "Begin mass production immediately!"

---

The Starhawk floated, its bridge sealed to keep it's remaining occupants alive. The center was a gaping hole, revealing the decks like a children's cutaway book. Slowly, it was covered by a shadow.

The Ascendant Dragon floated slowly above, a warship that dwarfed the cruiser below. the smaller ship was pulled by various tractor beams, gently to the belly of the greater starship.

Small walkways locked into the Starhawk, and suited soldiers sealed up the openings in the wounded ship. Within two hours, the Starhawk's bridge personnel were rescued.

Back on the Ascendant Dragon, one of the armored soldiers came behind a white throne-like chair.

"Sir! The Starhawk's remaining crew has been recovered. The other survivors are planetside. seems some kind of weapon shot them..."

"A weapon capable of this? Then they must have something we don't know about... how accurate was the attack?" came a response.

"Removed the ships core instantly. Life support was lost immediately."

"They must know about us then. This was a hostile action, an act of war. Prepare the landing craft to set up a command center planetside. We'll show them their mistake!" The person within the chair ordered.

"Yes sir, Grand Admiral." the soldier saluted.