Soldiers Die in their Armor

*Many years ago........ The sounds of gunfire and energy blasts, explosions echo down the white hallway. A young soldier runs down the corridor. His compatriots stay back holding the door.*

"Gunnar, go, lets finnish this bloody mission and get our pay!", shouted Rayalth as he fire a salvo from his shotgun taking a guard that had just rounded the corner square in the chest. Blood sprayed against the wall on the oposit side. Another shot finnished the deed and that guard would wake up at reclaim. Rayalth sent a mental command to Bloody Bob. Bob takes up position at the end of the hall and impales the first defender to reach him on his claw and throws the corpse aside moving in on a small group of Blaster weilding people. The energy scorches his carapace but he is a robot and knows neither fear nor pain. He wades into them and leaves a bloody mess behind.

The young soldier named Gunnar charges down the hallway, he catches motion at the edge of his vision and rolls as a door opens and a hail of blaster fire smokes off the wall where he just was. Triggering his Plasma cannon as he rights himself the bolt leaves a smoking hole in some inept soldiers chest. The door at the end is unguarded and unlocked. The target is inside, he knows this. Using his gun he blows the door down and enters the room. His white omni-pol armor stands out even in the dimness of the room. The room is heavily decorated, pictures, and medal cases line the walls. A large chair and desk is in the room. The chair has its back turned to him, a Clan Flag sits in a stand near the desk. An assault rifle leans against the desk. The pictures are of family, army units, more. All this he takes in inside a heartbeat, his soldier training serve him well. But he is not a soldier today, today he is an assasin. Rupret Falsworth, clan, Captain: Sentinels- target is to be terminated perminantly- weapon provided- 250K credits in payment to each member of the attacking team, and our thanks; this is what the message on Merc-Net read. They didnt care who was ordering the assasination, only that the pay was good. They took the job.

Lifesigns showed on the HUD, the target was in the chair. As he raised to fire a wounding blast so he could finnish with the weapon he had been ordered to use the chair turned slowly, as if it was almost too much to ask. In it sat an old man, whose body yet was hail and muscular. He wore his scarred and marred Sentinals armor, it was an old verision Gunnar had never seen before. Gunnar paused, and looked at the aged soldier, warrior, freedomfighter, there was something there, something that made him pause.

"Ahh, at last, you've come. I do hope that you are up to the task." It was said with such weight, such heavy weight, gunnar was frozen. This wasnt what he expected. It wasnt the heated battle, the grim, bloody, bright fight that was going on outside. Here was something else. "I have waited three decades for you to come. Now then, lets end it shall we?" Gunnars eyes wandered to the picture of the soldiers family. Could he do this?

"Ahh, my wife Chere, and my children; Ramath, Dinigo, and Mara. Do not fret youself ommer, they are long dead, killed by the Corporation in a time while reclaim was down. Alas, I was not with them. It would have been nice to not have had to wait this long, for the end. Now then lets to buisness!" The old man stood with surprising speed and had his weapon in hand and was aiming by the time Gunnar could move. Gunnar fired the old Sentinals armor failed under the over-tuned plasma blast that left Gunnars hands tingling with the heated weapon, even through his armor. But it wasnt a killing blow. It spun the old man to the side but he still was able to rake Gunnar with bullets. It pounded on his armor and cracked two of Gunnars ribs, but the new omni-pol armor was sound and held. The old man let the force of the blast take him into a roll that allowed him to right himself. Gunnar was in shock. The old man had a smoking hole the size of a large fruit in his side, vital organs were vaporize yet he fought on as though the pain was nothing. The old main rolled into a kneeling stance and before Gunnar could reaim the old man fired again. Shots riccoceted off his helmet and a bullet found a ***** in his arm plates, the hot fire as the round tore through his flesh, bullets hammered his chest plate and one of his cracked ribs broke. Gunnar was a soldier though, this was nothing new, he took aim and fired several fast shots as he moved to the side getting out of the easy aim of the old mans shots. The Sentinals armor stopped two but the third found its mark and the rifle fell from the old mans hands as he lost the use of his arm. The plasma had burned flesh and bone and nerve to utter ruin. Gunnar set aside his Plasma Cannon. It was time, he knew it, the old man his face showing no sign of pain yet a stolid strength and at the same time exhaustion that Gunnar could not fathom also knew it. Gunnar drew the Krys Knife, it was old, ancient and covered in runes he could not comprehend. It looked older than time itself. They grappled, even with only one arm the old man fought like a tiger, like a fury of hell incarnate. Somewhere along the line Gunnar lost his helmet but at the last Gunnar was triumpant and stradled and pinned the old man down. He raised the dagger for the killing blow.

Through bubling and ruined voice of death the old man spoke, "We are rams, boy, rams! Remember this, Soldiers DIE IN THEIR ARMOR!" With that Gunnar struck, there was a flash of light or not, Gunnar never could remember. It was over, and he saw something he did not understand. The on the old mans face, was not a grimace, not fear, but a smile and a look of unending peace. Gunnar stood, slowly. Blood came up in coughs, a lung was punctured, his eye was swolen shut, retreiving his helmet he walked to the door and did not look back.

He moved slowly back to his team. Sereph was just finnishing using her nano skills directing the nanites to patch up Dred, the enforcer, who had waded into about 8 clan guards and thouroughly enjoyed himself. She helped him sit down as she ran the medi-scan and began to "fix him up".

Dred looked over at Gunnar, "Had yourself some fun too I see, aww, I would have liked more fun but we ran out of Clammers." The trox was dummer than a rock but at least he enjoyed what he did.

Rayalth returned with Bloody Bob in tow. "Facillity is secured, we killed every clan guard here, they will have to fly in new ones. Woah Gunnar what did you fight? You look like you just tangled with Tarasque solo. That was supposed to just be one old man.." Gunnar just looked at him and did a painful shrug. "Dont worry Ray, jobs done. Lets go home and make sure those bastards pay us in full."

*I didn't understand then, but I do now.............................*

((Great start!!!!!!! I look forward to reading more))

*and here is where I began down that long road to the truth...*

The terminal in the office read out:
ACCESSING MERC-NET-1...
CONNECTED.
AUTHORIZING.
LOADING YOUR PERSONAL DATA FEEDS.......
DONE.

A pleasant Female voice sounded, "You have an offer."

Gunnar stretched forward in his chair and typed in the codes to open the MERC-NET BID and OFFER System. One offer was listed. Work had been slow as of late. Dred was sleeping in late again from a night of wild dancing at Baboons, that was followed by a mindblowing drug fest at XLOSSYX, and was rounded out by a few pickup fights in the Arena some time around 03:00. At least the trox could keep himself entertained. Ray had spent the better part of a week without seeing anyone. He was hard at work modifying everyones weapons to perform better and he said something about having gotten ahold of some new plans for a robot and he wanted to be left alone to build and customize it.
Gunnar opened the offer and began to read it over:
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WELCOME TO MERC-NET -the grids one source for all your needs for all mercs of all factions!
::OFFERSYSTEM::
::-open your offers-::-make an offer-::-contractbidding-::-open contracts-::-old contracts-::-pending offers and contracts-::
OFFER:OOJ1223-B3-23C5
JOINTOFFER OMNI-TEK CORPORATION & J.A.M.E.
We are looking for strong contract mercinary units for the general exploration and reserach operation protection in the Shadowlands. Contract length will vary, with time off available. Omni-Tek is seeking to leverage support to J.A.M.E. in accordance with contract 1A-2X-2967 by providing Omni-Tek independant contractor support to J.A.M.E. Pay will be in accordance with risk and experience on the standard Omni-Tek Independant Contractors Pay Scale. Contact Lisa Oma at Omni-Tek Human Resources, department SL, with all questions or if you wish to take advantage of this limited time offer.
OTHR Node5
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Gunnar chuckled to himself, Omni-Tek payscale, peanuts they mean. However, it was the only offer they had seen in a while and funds were getting low. Yes, he will take that offer. Quickly Gunnnar typed up a response to the proper HR deparment representative. They would take the contract. He needed now only to inform his friends over dinner that they had some work at last and that they were about to go to some place new. Gunnar hoped he had made the right choice. He had only heard about the Shadowlands in rumors and fantastic stories from grizzled men and women he had met who had returned triumphant from there. They were strange people. Mighty, almost had an aura of deity about them. They had mostly kept to themselves or bussied themselves battling the Kyr'Ozch. But at the same time all of them seemed hard, sarcastic, cold, their time in the Shadowlands had given them access to ancient weapons and armor, mighty things. Yet, they seemed, he could not put his finger on it. Either way, now was their chance to see for themselves what was out there... and by the smells comming from the Kitchen Sereph and Taurus were cooking up a fine Lunch.

Gunnar rose from his chair and left the office. The appartment proper was quite large. It had an office for him, a small research lab for Taurus and Sereph, was connected to a full sized workshop that housed the machine shop and other such things that Ray loved so much. There was an moderate gym room that Dred usually managed to find a way to damage as well. The kitchen was apt for the small team and each person had their own room, even if it was small. Of course by some strangeness Dred ended up with the smallest room, be he claimed he liked it best even if he could barely fit through the door and it had room for his bed and a dresser for his clothes and nothing else. This was their home. It had been for years since they all met soon after comming to Rubi-Ka. All of them hailed from other parts of the galaxy. Sereph came from a world where she was a Princess of high standing. Dred was a dock worker on a trade station somewhere in the Gyar Sector who had dreamed about being like his Hero, Mongo, all his life. Now Dred was here and living his dream. Of all of them Dred was the most happy, he was living his small little dream and every day was a joy to him. He was never unhappy except when bored. Rayalth was a starship Hyperspace drive mechanic on tramp merchant ships who had come looking for a better life. Taurus was a Rubi-Ka native, a nano. He could only ever live here, he studied all the metaphysical things of Rubi-Ka and had often talked of wanting to go explore the Shadowlands. Guess he would get his chance now.

Then there was Gunnar himself, he was from a world of war. His entire life he had been at war and known nothing else. His homeworld was a ruined place where small bands fought fiercly over scarce resources. He had been captured and was sold into slavery to a slave ship that had landed there for repairs. At only age 15 he had led the slaves in a mutiny and they had taken the ship. However, they had no one to pilot it and in hyperspace the ship wandered till it emerged when the engines failed and crashed on Rubi-Ka. He was the only survivor of the Slave Ship. He was found and resuced by Omni-AF in the only escape pod to have been launched. After his recovery he found comfort in the familiar and signed on for Omni-Tek Armed Forces training. Unfortnatly his division was downsized due to a new ICC regulation requiring fewer Omni-Tek AFs on Rubi-Ka and he ended up on the outside where he met the others.

((for those who say I dont know my back story the origional name and IMO the better name for nanomage bread was "nano" or Homo-nano. This account may be newish but my memory is LOOONG))

Well today was the day. Despite all misgivings here they were standing in Jobe Research the great Portal Room door stood closed before them. It was heavy. They had caught glances through meters thick arma-glass while going through the processing procedures. Something about the light of the portal made something move within Gunnar’s soul every time he saw it. He could never put his finger on it so he ignored it. As a soldier you had to do that, couldn’t let small things get in the way of the job. You had to stay focused and in control at all times, losing your head would cost you your life. So the days had gone by that little thing pushed to the back.

The Jobe scientists took everything very seriously. They were poked, prodded, scanned, implanted, and monitored for a full week. They and their gear were kept in a clean room environment the full week. All were given tracking bracers that supposedly also monitored for mutation, which was a worrisome thought. That they would have to be monitored at all times against mutation? What on that other side would have such an effect? The scientists answered honestly that it was the environment itself.

So here they were, all kinds of new gear, survival equipment, Bloody Bob was double as a pack mule today and loaded down like a freighter. Ray didn’t even leave his new pet a hell-hound looking cybernetic dog that ray called Bob’s Dog, claims that Bloody Bob named it. The poor thing was straining its servos under the load of the saddle bags Ray had slung on it. Every team member was loaded to the gills as well. This was to be a long stay. All had their brand new upgraded Omni-Pol life guard armor on. They had managed to secure a set for each member on a short mission just days before traveling to Jobe to being the processing procedure. Suddenly alarms sounded and the large doors opened with great speed. This was not what they expected.

** ALERT! ALERT! EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF PORT-7 IN PROGRESS**
** ALL DEFENSE PERSONEL ARE TO REPORT TO THE PORTAL ROOM IMMEDIATELY**

People were already streaming through the portal scientists in all kinds of gear some in bad shape, broken bodies, some screaming in terror. The scientific stateliness of this operation had evaporated in an instant. Whatever was going on it wasn’t good. Medical personnel were flooding into the room as were armed people, some not unlike themselves, some half-dressed and still putting on armor. His orders came moments later. He was to leave all long term gear behind and head to the defense of Port-7 so they could evacuate the scientists and families. More details were not given they would find out on the other side. Ray quickly cut the straps holding the spare gear on Bob and his Dog. They spent a frantic few minutes getting into combat readiness. More people in even worse shape were still coming through the portal. It was a mad house. With their NCUs full of nano-assist programs, they stormed toward the gate. Gunnar was the first to step through the portal, he vanished into its brilliant blue light and the world he knew was no more. It felt like falling through time and space, through all of creation, all time seemed to flash by and suddenly he was standing the pale light of what appeared to be Rubi-ka’s twin suns. Yet they were too pale, as if a veil had been drawn across them. The world’s colors bewildered him; new smells and sounds mixed with the familiar smells of blood, fear, and high energy weapons fire and left him stunned. Dred came storming through triggering his implanted cellular restructuring he towered 20 feet tall as he came out of the portal. Ray, Sereph, and Taurus came through last with pets in tow. They all seemed caught in that bewilderment as well.


All along the walls Force Fields Blazed as they were taxed to the limit. Automated turrets cut brilliant swaths in the odd light. Scared and injured people poured to the portal carrying whatever they could grab. Near the portal one of the wall fields flickered and collapsed. The emitter tower crashed down as the wall itself was rent and caved. Through it poured horrors, the stuff of nightmares. They were oblivious to the fireball unleashed as the emitter tower landed among them and exploded. The shockwave scattered people like chaff and bowled down Gunnar and company. This was enough to break them out of their shock. Through the crowd of people came deadly horrors, tossing people into the air, crushing them, blasting them with arcane power. The Pets automatic defense protocols were quicker than their masters reactions Bob, Dog, and the Fiend raced off to engage a towering monstrosity that was headed toward the portal killing as it came it hurled a huge chunk of the wall right over Gunnar’s head it broke into pieces not far away and pelted the group with heavy Plast-Crete. Gunnar was shocked; his reflection fields should have deflected those paltry things. No! It was no longer operational!

“We have a problem. My reflects are down, how are your nano enhancements operating?.

“My reflects are down as well Gunnar,” replied Ray in a terse voice. “We are in for it now, here it comes!” The hulking beast was almost indescribable and it knocked bob and Fiend aside as it charged forward seemingly unaffected by the fierce strikes of Bob, the claws of Fiend and the bites of Dog. In fact it was painfully obvious that Bobs Claws were hard pressed to harm the thick hide of the monster. They sparked off it like they had struck stone. It tore free of the ensnaring lines of nanobots pouring off of Dog who was running a Snare Program in its NCU. Before it got two yards closer Dred was moving with inhuman speed and quite amazing speed for his size at the moment. He charged the beast with no fear he swung his large blade, one he had fashioned off of a claw he had torn from the Mantis Queen himself. Yet the monster was no creature they were familiar with it seemed neigh on immune to their weapons. The monstrous swing from Dred slashed the creature deeply but not deep enough to slow it. Roaring in anger the nightmare grasped Dred with both hands and the contest of might was on. They spread out encircling the monster as Dred and Horror grappled slashed, bit and clawed. Bob, Fiend, and Dog attacked it from the rear. Sereph was completely lost in though as she managed the nanobot control programs that were directing a stream of nanobots across the distance to heal Dred as he fought on. Gunnar’s enhanced Hellspinner Cannon scathed the monster with deadly bolts of radiation but seemed to do little harm other than to anger it and scorch its thick hide. Ray had switched out to a heavy grenade launcher and was laying down suppressive fire to keep the lesser monsters away from the portal.

The Monster was bleeding badly but Dred was all but spent, his great might was being bested by this thing. With a loud roar the monster knocked the blade from Dreds hands and broke Dreds arm, another swing and the monster crushed Dreds ribs. It swung its massive arms in a large swing and knocked dread down and to the side, he was out cold, or dead.. no time to check. Gunnar didn’t wait to wonder and he stepped in front of the beast and fired a full charge into the things face draining the weapons charge temporarily. He activated the mirror shield generators on his back. A minute and twenty is all they would last before overheating even with the nanobots working overtime to keep them cool. He shouted and cursed at the beast as it recovered from the unexpected attack. Its face marred, one of its eyes burned away. It was a wreck. Gunnar’s attack and been true. It was mad and it wanted a piece of him now.

“Mirror up.. Minute Twenty! Sereph get to Dred and see what you can do.. I will keep him busy .. ooooooph!” Gunnar took a fist from the thing full on and it sent him airborne. The Mirror Shield did its job and absorbed all but the secondary impact forces. That really hurt. Gunnar rolled to his feet and fired off short bursts to keep the beast on him and to wound it further. It was not over by any means and he only had forty seconds left. The Mirror Shield Generators were already reading yellow. He fought on and the beast did too. Gunnar had never been so slammed about in his life. It was taking its toll on him, he was bruised and battered and sure he had a few fractures from it. Shield Generators reading critical. He had not been able to pay any attention to anything but his fight. His comm. system was damaged from all the impacts he was taking. He fought on, changing clips, throwing a few grenades when the fight lended itself to such an act without endangering the others. The pets were doing their job and the Horror was slowing down now. “Shield DOWN!” Gunnar shouted through the helmet speaker hoping to be heard over the din of combat and Rays hand-cannons explosions. He saw the monster reaching out with its claws extended in a raking attack he moved just a little too slowly and it tore through his chest plate and rent the armor so badly it took the whole front half of his armor away with it. The cuts were not too deep though but burned like fire. He was down and too battered to move out of the way as the monster raised its large foot to stomp on him. Distracted for a second when Bob’s claws managed to find its mark Gunnar used the chance to roll clear and get back up. Bob too a carapace crushing hit and fell to the side disabled and sparking from some short. As Gunnar got to his feet for what he considered might be his last time before going to reclaim.. .. did they even have reclaim here? The thought chilled him. Something large moved in the corner of his vision… something large.

“No, not another one!” cried Gunnar. But it was not, Dred had been patched up and was angry. He was in a wild rage, his eyes burning with a metabolic light. Smoke rose from his flesh as it split and cracked as he ran towards the Horror. He had retrieved his blade and with one mighty swing removed one of the creatures arms. The monster tore away Dred’s chest armor and cut him deeply. Red steaming boiling blood flowed out of Dred’s wound. Black poison ichor fell from the arm-stub on the monster. Both fought on as though no pain was felt. But so badly wounded the monster could not contend with Dred. Piece by piece, Dred cut the monster down and cast it aside a broken ruin. He roared in triumph still mad in his rage he waded off into the lesser monsters killing as he went. Sereph pursued trying to keep him in one piece. Gunnar took stock of the situation.

Sereph and Dred were who knows were killing things, hopefully ok. Team comm. was down it seemed. Ray was over by Bob. Taurus was resummoning his demon who had its form disrupted by the Horror during the fight. The armors health monitoring system was still working and warned Gunnar of critical blood loss. He grabbed a spindle off his belt. The Jobe Scientists had showed him how these work for healing, like a stim only different. He activated the strange device and the wounds closed on his chest. Mighty impressive result, superior to the Stimm Injectors he was used too. Gunnar and Taurus joined Ray over by bob and the fallen Horror.


“How is Bob?” Gunnar asked. Ray was cursing and muttering.
“How do you think. The damn things had its motivator smashed, central AI control systems have had it as well. I will salvage what I can. DAMN IT! DAMN ****ING MONSTER! Bob……”
“Grab what you can from Bob, fast… “, Gunnar was getting scared, he saw a new wave of creatures heading towards them. “In fact, leave them, get on your hand cannon!”
“Piss-off!.... oh ****!” Ray grabbed up his grenade launcher and began to fire as he backed away from the broken remains of his longest time friend.. his robot.

The giant Dred came running back around one of the buildings carrying a slightly bloody and exhausted Sereph. They took up positions, Gunnar laying down fire as best he could. Dred put down Sereph who was too dazed to stand and cut down anything that got too close. Taurus had called up some strange creature that could heal and used that to keep Dred in one piece while his Fiend ran about the monsters killing whatever it got its hands on. Onward that fought till those twin suns set and some other brilliant light was the only light in the sky. Others had joined them, others had fallen, more came to replace them. The city was lost, it only remained to hold the portal at all costs.

((Poor robot...))

Light leaked in through the darkened window. Long shadows danced on the perfectly polished walls and floors. Outside the Lesser raised its blue head above the horizon. Dawn had little meaning to the city of Omni-1 because the city never slept. Hover cars crowded the skies day and night. Yet the electro tinting on the window must had had a bug, or something else for a ray of pale blue light shot across the darkened room. It moved as if alive of its own accord, seeking, hunting.. It tracked across marble floors, imported from earth. Fine rugs were briefly illuminated by its passing; the best of the La-irlish weaves. All the riches life could offer… for this apartment was owned Rachel Martinson, daughter of Eliot Martinson, and heiress to her father’s business empire and added to it was one of her own making. She was wealthy beyond all dreams of avarice. She could own a planet but preferred to run her business ventures on Rubi-Ka directly and leave her fathers empire to himself.

Though old Eliot Martinson was hale and strong and Rachel, called Bronzeflair for her hair that was shot through with what was like strands of gold, bronze, and copper, was headstrong and willful. She refused the easy life of decedent inheritance. She had left at a young age with no money or help and came to Rubi-Ka, to adventure and to prove to herself she was no mere inheritor but a maker of empires. She arrived at the Morning Star no different than any of the other people emigrating to Rubi-Ka. That was twenty years ago. She had met a man, built her empire, and gained in power and knowledge beyond anything she had though possible those mere twenty years before.

There was another light in the apartment, an unlight that hovered about two figures in the bed but was made by only the woman. The blue beam sought one of those two figures, a man, the man Rachel had met and who had walked the long road to Enlightenment with her, Gunnar Denison. The light beam of blue cut through the unlight and it seemed to vanish in the presence of true light as though it never existed. It tracked up Gunnar’s body and then fixated on his forehead and then……

Brilliant light of the source illuminated the Garden about the six humans. They had been feasting and resting here the last refuge before the gates of Pandemonium Fortress. For they gathered their strength for the last stretch, the last hurdle to become something greater than the rotted mutated Chosen that walked about them and served them, here in the Garden of Machiavelli. They had walked the paths laid out by the secrets revealed to them by the Chosen and had become something more than the fallen remnants of the Xan. Looking into each others eyes in turn they felt strong and mighty, the unlight of the sources power shown in each of them and blinded them at the same time. They knew not that for countless millennia others had stormed the House of the Source and never returned. Yet they were arrogant, the might of youth and the fire of the short life burned within them. Each knew from what they had started from to now be, the great gulf. Countless pains and suffering endured. Secrets and knowledge long lost unearthed and might gained in their soul and a change in the spirit and flesh. They raised their goblets in a toast, the wine red as the blood of innocents. They felt indestructible in the knowledge that the Guardian of the Source had been killed forever. Yet his twisted servants remained in the Fortress and prevented access to the source itself. Today they would stand in the House of the Source of all Life. The mighty power beyond even the Xan and it would be there they would at last understand it all.
In the unlight of the source they donned their armors, the finest of craftings, mastery in armoring of the Chosen. They raised their arms in salute as they bid the so called Chosen farwell. Time and space bent about them as the statue warped them to the gates and the Guardian of the Gate and his Hisii guards….


The light was blinding now, so close they had come, through so many battles. There seemed no end to the twisted inhabitants. Their shiny Chosen armors were broken and battered to the extent that not even the self-repairing spirit Tech could heal them. Head to foot they were drenched in their own blood and that of their adversaries. Twenty of those foul creatures stood between them and the source. Exhausted beyond the comprehension of exhaustion they still moved with the precision and power granted to them by more than a decade of constant fighting. They feared not beam or bolt, blast or cut. To be crushed or torn asunder did not bring even a quiver of fear to their bodies. In their journey of a thousand deaths they had felt it all and risen again and no mere thing as fleshly weakness would stop them now. Even here a mere stones throw away from the remnants of the great machine that the Xan had built about the Source, its power flowed into them, it healed their wounds and gave them an unstrength…. And something more… Gunnar stopped. They all turned to see why he had paused in the advance. In his mind, no, his soul something rejected that which stood before him. The path was wrong. It was like a twisted rod bent back upon itself over and over till none could comprehend it rightly. He understood and in his soul he turned, his gun dropped to his side as he stopped firing. The world seemed to slow down and time unravel. Rayalth’s, grenade was paused in mid flight.. no it just moved lazily onward in its path. Ray’s great droid of ancient design that housed the remnants of Bob the Slayers AI tore into the ancient monstrosities. The scene was all wrong though. Ray’s strange robot wasn’t over there, and Dred wasn’t wading knee deep into their ranks as Bronzes tricky use of nanobots drove creatures to their knees with powerlessness where she easily blew their heads off with her impressive shotgun. Sereph wasn’t over there healing dread.. and Tarus, where was he? As if a water color painting it all washed away in streaks and the time began its normal pace again. There was a sound.. battle, and Bronze yelling… something.. for him to wake up? What? Dred was fighting for his life and loosing ground as the creatures forced him and Sereph towards the edge of the Brink, the forever beyond. Dred roared and charged forward and stomped and the ground broke and cracked… and the monsters fell away… and Dred pitched over the edge after them….

Sereph saw the ground give way and leapt aside at the last second. Dred was not so quick when large as he was. She screamed as she watched the great atrox fall, yet he righted himself and grasped a twisted metal reinforcement that was jutting out. She reached out to him, his child like eyes full of fear, none of them had even gone over the Brink, but had heard that it is the forever fall, none had returned. The ancient stonework that the spar was attached to was breaking up now, unable to support Dreds great weight… and it was breaking up the stonework on which Sereph now crouched. Dred breathed in and looked at the beautiful Princess. She was such a nice lady, she always made him feel better when she was around. He didn’t want her to fall too. She looked so concerned for him, she was like that. It made him fell good. He smiled and let go of the spar and fell away. “Noooooooooo! Dred!” she cried. Dred smiled wider, she had said his name, such a nice lady. He fell forever.
Sereph leaned out reaching for the falling atrox, tears clouded her vision… and something else red too and a large object was sticking out of her chest. It didn’t make any sense as she was lifted into the air and thrown down over the gap by a creature that had once been a Redeemed. Her body fell and fell and was caught by a falling Dred. He held her and smiled, she smiled as the blood loss slowly left her numb.. but it didn’t matter anymore.
Gunnar saw it all happen but was frozen in place. Gunnar turned his head and saw Ray take a particle beam to the chest, lanced out from the staff of the spider like former Chosen. The way to the Source was clear now, only new creatures were coming from behind. He took a step, the light was in his eyes. He stepped over the threshold. He felt someone beside him, Bronzeflair her shotgun firing back into the crowd of oncoming creatures. He was no longer in control of his body. He lay on the floor looking into the Source. He watched Bronzeflair slowly turn from him and walk towards the Source. The creatures stopped. It was getting dark now. Hard to see anything anymore, so dark, why was it so dark? The path was wrong, why was Bronzeflair still entering the Source. It wasn’t right. They were wrong, duped. How could he have been so wrong… and then he was no more… for a time and he was the Source, and in it. It beckoned to him, he reached out. It was home, time to go home now, at last…

His body hurt all over. The unlight of the source shown everywhere and came in through the window. Over him stood the Chosen, they worked on him and their arcane and foul Spirit Tech machines were all about. He had been here before. This was the chamber of life. Here he rose again many times. Inside he felt an ache, empty and hollow. He had never left the House of the Source. He looked at the Chosen, they regarded him with empty unpitying eyes. Then as he sat up he caught his own reflection in a polished plate and his own empty eyes regarded him without pity as well.
“.. where.. where arhhh…*cough* the others..” he croaked out.
The Chosen creature whose job apparently was mastery of this Lab, turned and spoke without a drop of humanity. “They never returned. Our pattern restoration machines no longer seem to function on their patterns. We checked and double checked but the pattern recordings will not function any longer.” It spoke with a cool scientific air, with perhaps a hint of clinical curiosity. It turned and continued working on a machine that Gunnar could not comprehend a purpose for. It obviously had no further concern for him. Gunnar knew where his restored gear would be waiting for him. Naked he left the Lab. Bronzeflair was waiting for him outside. There were in the Garden of Machiavelli. She was different, when she looked at him, there was a gulf there that had not existed before. No words were spoken but she shook her head to indicate no, none of the others had come back. The moved through the motions of their love in greeting, their love of five years but nothing was there anymore. In her eyes he saw the light of the source, but it was bent though. He saw her path was the bent one, and he think she saw it too but she was no longer as he was. A breed apart they were, Gunnar was human, and she was something.. something else.
“I wish to return to Rubi-Ka, Gunnar. I have business to attend to there. I have had enough of this land for now, its secrets are mine. Let us go.”

…………………………………………….

Gunnar awoke, he regarded the sleeping form next to him. The blue light was gone, whatever flaw had allowed its entrance was gone too. Both suns were full above the horizon, it was time to get up. He had never come back to Rubi-Ka. Hollow inside he stood and began the morning routine, routine was all that was left now these last three years. He looked over at her still sleeping form. Three years and she had not aged a day, forever young. Gunnar ran a hand through his greying hair. We all made our choices.

"Time to get up Rachel," Gunnar called from the kitchen.
"You know I don't sleep anymore Gunnar. I was just busy elsewhere. I recieved a report yesterday about a famine on Gareth V that might be to my advantage and was checking it out. I am not so bound in this form as you are Gunnar, dear." The answer came from the bedroom.. the last part had a strong hint of sarcasm.


((felt i needed to add some wrapping up to present time. I do not know if I will continue this storyline or not but its good as done))