Fanfiction by Rune

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By Rune, starstrike@softhome.net

"Xenogers: New Gospel"

Chapter VI, Section 3

The greeting procession walked through the crowd, which was making enough
noise to make conversation near impossible. Remus glanced around, looking
at all of the visitors. Most of them seemed to be the heavy, muscular types
that would look just as well in a collection agency as in a security detail,
but there were a few exceptions. That Garr fellow seemed to emanate a
strange, tightly controlled aura of calm and control, and the medical
officer was attempting to talk with the captain of the scout ship over the
noise. Remus sighed, and looked down at his notepad. He hadn't expected
that he would have been introduced, so he wasn't that disappointed. But
this was just another sign that some of his friends didn't take him as
seriously as he wished.

Billy dropped back a bit from the main crowd, and stopped besides Remus.
The Etone turned and gave his younger friend a reassuring smile, and raked
his hair out of his eyes. He said a few words, but in the din of the crowd,
Remus couldn't make them out. "What did you say?" he shouted back.

Billy waited until the noise had died down slightly... not because the
crowd was making any less noise, but because the procession had moved a good
distance in front of the crowd. "Well, you seem to be a bit distracted...
I'm sorry that we didn't get to introduce you. If we'd had more time, I
think that Elly would have. You're going to be working as much with the
offworlders as we are."

Remus shrugged. "It doesn't bother me that much. I'll be able to talk to
some of them at the dinner later tonight." Remus turned, and shot a glance
at the science officer, Garr. For a moment, he felt an irrational surge of
anger... what right did that man have to flirt with Mistress Elyham like
that??? A moment later, he managed to squash that thought. It was quite
possible that it was simply a typical greeting from the officer's culture,
or even common practice in the Federation, or where ever they came from.

Billy gave him a speculative glance. "What's wrong? Not feeling well?"

Remus shook his head, and tapped his chest. "Just a pain, that's all."

"Sure." Billy quickened his pace, catching up to the main portion of the
group. Remus grimaced, and clutched his notebook to his chest. This was
just unreasonable. Mistress Elyham would be horrified if he continued to
act like this.

But despite how much he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling.

..

Shitan glanced back into the crowd, and wondered just WHY everyone was so
excited about these visitors. Certainly it was an unusual, even
unprecedented, even in the history of Ingias, but there wasn't any real
reason for this type of celebration.

Another glance into the crowd, and Shitan slowed slightly as he saw his wife
Yui, and his daughter Midori, in the crowd. Perhaps there is a good reason
for such a celebration... in the past two years, there had been few reasons
to celebrate, and more than enough reasons to mourn.

Shitan turned to see the young man that the captain had introduced as
William Garr walking up to him. "Um, excuse me, Doctor Uzuki?" he
stammered, and looked around. "I had a couple questions I'd like to ask you
about."

Shitan put on his most patient expression and smiled. "Well, what can I
help you with then?"

Garr pulled out a small, electronic device and pressed several buttons.
"Alright, the big thing I wanted to find out is what is shielding this area?
When we tried to scan the town from orbit, we have had a 'blank screen' the
entire time."

Shitan looked at him, and wondered if Garr was trying to obtain information
about the Barrier, or if he was simply curious about this malfunction with
their 'scanners'. "I believe that the problem you are experiencing is due
to one of the ancient devices that we are utilizing here in Nisan. I am not
exactly sure which device it is... perhaps we can investigate this mystery
together?"

That caused the man to brighten considerable. "I would appreciate that,
Doctor Uzuki. You have no idea how much this planet could mean to us,
really no idea..." With those words, Garr fell back to talk to the medical
officer from the ship.

Shitan looked back, somewhat puzzled by the young mans statement. Surely
they had technology far in advance of the ancient artifacts that had been
recovered by Nisan... so why was this young man so anxious to look over
their devices. Shitan quickened his pace, rolling that question over in his
mind. A few moments later, he arrived at the head of the procession next to
Elly.

"I must say, Remus's idea about duplicating the costume Mother Sophia wore
was an excellent one. You must admit, you look very regal in that garb."
Shitan smiled at Elly, who grimaced.

"True, but I think he missed on a few of the sizes." she replied, rolling
her head. "This collar is much to tight."

Shitan smiled, and looked ahead to the cathedral. "Considering that he
probably had to guess, I'd say he did a pretty good job. That is, unless
you allowed him to measure you." Elly blushed slightly, and gave Shitan a
mock punch in the arm.

"Doctor Uzuki, where has your mind gone in your old age?" She said, smiling
gently to take the sting out of the remark. "So tell me, what is it that is
really concerning you?"

"I think that we may have problems securing the parts we require for the
Barrier. I talked to Garr, their science officer, and he seemed to have no
idea that the Barrier could disrupt sensors and some communications. This
disturbs me. Shouldn't their technology be far more advanced than the
artifacts we have managed to recover?" Shitan glanced around, taking a
quick peek at their 'guests' behind them. Was it possible that they were
here simply to take back some of the technology that they had lost, or were
they truly attempting to establish contact with a lost branch of humanity?
A quick glance back towards Elly revealed that she was also pondering this.

"I trust these people, Shitan, I really do. The captain has given me some
information that will prove to be helpful in the future, and I don't think
that he or his crew intends us any harm." Elly turned to corner, waving to
the street full of people, who broke into applause and cheers. A smile
managed to raise that jubilance to almost unbearable levels. Elly looked
back and smiled to the captain, who gazed appreciatively at her.

Shitan shook his head, chuckling under his breath. "Well, you certainly
have learned to play the crowds Elly. I don't think you could have evoked
such a reaction before, when we were fighting Solaris."

Elly's gaze drew distant for a moment, and she smiled a rather dreamy smile.
"But those times were different... I didn't have to be Lady Elyham, or
Mother Sophia... I was just Elly, and Fei was there to support me."

Shitan cast a worried gaze at her. "You miss him, don't you?"

"Who wouldn't? He gave my life meaning, and as long as I was at his side, I
felt that I had a place. Now, with him gone, I have to find my own place."
She sighed, and looked at the ground. "Shitan, do you think that he will
ever return?"

"Of course he will." Shitan reassured her. "Fei has always come for you,
always pulled through, no matter what the odds. When it comes to you, I
don't think failure even enters his vocabulary."

"Yes..."

..

"...Captain?"

Captain Antonof turned to Garr, and looked him over. "So, William, what
have you managed to discover?"

Garr looked over his data pad, and grimaced. "No much sir. Apparently, at
least one of our hosts is aware that something is blocking our scanners, but
he doesn't know what it is. Other than that, I wasn't able to get much
information."

Antonof sat down in the plush chair, situated by the window of his apartment
in one of Nisan's better inns, and sighed. "Well, this trip has gone well
so far. Lady Elyham has proven to be a most generous hostess, and it
appears that her subordinates are competent." Antonof glanced at the
ceiling, and rubbed his thumb along his chin. "That should take care of any
attempts by the Federation to fold this planet in due to 'misgovernment'."

"Amen." Garr replied, bowing his head slightly. History taught that the
Federation never occupied a colony or planet unless there was a demonstrable
amount of abuses of power, or lack of concern for human rights or lives. Of
course, his own people, the Etherones, had been accused of such acts, but it
was unofficial knowledge that the Federation had simply occupied Proxima
Centuari Prime in order to acquire the Etherones powers for their own use.
"Lady Elyham also seems to command a large base of popular support, which is
rather unusual on any planet. Considering the size of the town, and the
number of people we saw in the procession, I think that more than the
population of this town is here at this moment. And she seemed to have them
all in the palm of her hand."

Antonof grunted, and looked out the window, still listening to Garr. "I
would assume that she is probably from a royal house on this planet,
considering that she has a title. That would also explain why she is so
good ant handling people... most monarchies in the Federation's experience
are adept at handling people."

"So you think that Lady Elyham is a pampered young noble woman?"

"The evidence strongly suggests that. I doubt she's seem any type of
warfare or combat directly, considering the number of people with obvious
military experience that she named as her top advisors." Garr smiled a bit,
and his gaze seemed to go distant. "Probably a bonfide blue blood... we
don't see those too often..." he said, trailing off.

Antonof looked at Garr, standing there in the corner, gazing into nothing,
and dropped his head into his hand. "Garr... Garr... GARR!!!" The
science officer jumped, and glanced around guiltily. "Get your head out of
the clouds. We've a dinner reception in a few hours, and I don't want you
making a fool of yourself, do you understand me?"

"Yes Captain!"

"Good. Now get back to your room, and get any equipment you want to bring
along together. Just be discrete in your selections." Antonof turned, and
looked out the window. Garr exited a moment later, shutting the door gently
behind him. Ivan sighed, and pulled a small locket out from inside his
jacket. He flipped it open, and stared out into the noon day sky.

"Tatania, your should have been able to see this... I haven't seen such a
beautiful city for a very long time..."

..

"Shitan, are you almost ready?" Shitan tugged on the collar of his shirt
several times, making sure that it still fit correctly. The suit that he
was wearing was from his old Solaris Elements uniform, and he hadn't worn
that outfit in a long time. He was glad he mentioned it to Yui, and that
she had resized it.

"Just about, dear. Have you managed to get a hold of someone to watch over
Midori?"

Yui gave an exasperated sigh. "No, I haven't. And I'm really not sure if
we can take her with us to this reception." She tossed her hair back, and
sat on the bed. "But it looks like we'll have to take her."

Shitan shrugged. "I'm sure she'll be fine. Has Remus dropped by yet?"

"Remus? What is he dropping by for?" Yui glanced over at him, an
interested expression on her face. Shitan shrugged.

"Probably with some message from Elly." he replied, checking himself in the
mirror. Yui walked up behind him, and tugged on his collar.

"Does this fit alright?" she said, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"A wonderful job as always, Yui." Shitan turned, and was about to say
something else, when a knock sounded at the door.

..

Remus watched as Shitan opened to door, and gestured for him to come in.
The young Ethos scholar glanced behind him, and waved. "He was also
wandering over here, so I figured I'd bring him along." Shitan glanced over
Remus's shoulder to see Dan walking up the path.

"Dan! What brings you out here?" Shitan exclaimed, grinning. Dan had not
been seen very often after Fei disappeared, and Shitan had not seen him at
all for several months.

The young man waved, and stepped in the door. "Hello Doc. The teacher at
the school is looking after all of the children tonight, and she remembered
that your usual sitter was out in that mess..." this was accompanied by a
wave of Dan's hand out towards the crowd of festive people out in the
streets. "...so she asked me if you wanted her to look after Midori."

"Thank you Dan." Shitan replied, and gestured in the direction of Midori's
room. "I'm sure Midori will be overjoyed to see you again."

Dan gave him a strange look. "Its not like I didn't see her yesterday."

Before Shitan could comment, Dan ran up the stairs. Shitan sighed, and
turned back to Remus. "Well, young one, what brings you to our dwelling?
Some urgent news, or is this just a social call?"

Remus actually grinned, and sat down in one of the living room chairs.
"Believe it or not, I actually am NOT here on business for Mistress Elyham."
Remus glanced about the room, and grinned slightly. "Actually, I forgot
what time this reception tonight was, and I haven't seen Mistress Elyham all
day. So I was hoping you and Yui could..." and he made a vague gesture
with his hand.

Shitan actually laughed aloud. "Very well... Yui and I were about to
leave, and you can just travel with us. The reception is down at the town
hall, and we're about to leave ourselves."

Remus shook his head weakly. "No, Doctor Uzuki, I would want to trouble
you..."

Shitan turned as Yui entered the room, and placed a hand on Remus's
shoulder. "Its no trouble, Remus. We would enjoy the company."

..

Elly walked into the town hall of Nisan, nodding to Shitan, Yui, and Remus
as she walked by them. The hall had been decorated, abet in more passive
colors than the festive streets outside. Elly glanced over herself, and
grimaced. She'd been wearing more dresses in the past few days than she had
in the last four years of her life.

Finally arriving in the main reception area, Elly stopped to simply look
around and listen. There were several musicians playing in the corner, and
on one side of the room there was a counter where food and drinks were being
served. She stood there, moving to the side to allow the press of people to
move past her.

"Excuse me, Lady Elyham?" A voice said behind her. Elly turned to see one
of the security guards, Guido, standing behind her. "I would like a word
with you, if I may."

Elly turned, nodding to Shitan to greet the captain. "Yes, what is it?"

Guido looked around the room, and focused an intense stare on her. "Madam,
I have several concerns that I wish to address. One of them is the fact
that we can not communicate with our ship... while I normally wouldn't be
worried, this loss doesn't seem to be temporary. I was wondering if I could
attempt to find an area where the Captain would be able to reach the
Einhander."

Elly looked around, thinking for a moment. She would have to talk with
Captain Antonof about the barrier soon, but for now it wouldn't hurt to
spare a few people to get the guard to a place where he could communicate.
"Of course, I don't think that it would be a problem. Let me speak to
Reverend Black, and he should be able to arrange transport for you in the
morning."

Guido nodded gratefully. "Thank you Madam." He said, before turning and
vanishing into the swirl of the crowd. Elly shrugged, and walked over
towards the crowd surrounding Shitan and the Captain.

"Captain Antonof, I trust that you have found your accommodations...
acceptable?" She said, stopping by Shitan.

The captain nodded, bowing his head slightly. "Lady Elyham, your generosity
knows no bounds." He replied, in his clipped, Russian accent. "I would
like to express the gratitude of both myself and my crew on the most
excellent treatment that you have given us on our visit. I hope that
whatever bonds we can form now will assist us in forming a strong alliance
between the Federation and your world." Elly nodded, and several members of
the Einhander crew and guests of the party broke out into quiet applause.

"Very well Captain. This party is being hosted in both you and your crews
honor... please enjoy it." With that, Elly turned and walked back into the
crowd. Several of the guests moved in, and soon Captain Antonof and his men
were engaged in conversation with several of the town elders, as well as
some of the more prominent craftsmen and merchants who had been invited.
Elly weaved through the crowd, nodding in response to the greetings she
received. Her path eventually led her by Billy and Remus, where she paused
for a moment.

"You two are looking well." She commented, looking them both over. Billy
was dressed in a slightly more formal version of his Etone robes, while
Remus was dressed in a similar, but less decorative, cut of clothing. "Are
you enjoying yourselves?"

Remus looked at the ground, stammering something to the effect of 'Yes,
Mistress Elyham, of course, Mistress Elyham.' while Billy chuckled. "I must
admit, these guests are something different. I don't think I've seen such a
lively group in a long time."

"True." Elly replied, glancing at the crowd. "There hasn't been much
reason to celebrate over the last three years. Everyone here needs some
time to unwind and relax."

Billy grinned, taking another sip of his drink. "Perhaps you should follow
your own advice, Elly. You've been working yourself to the bone."

Elly grinned at him, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I know I
should try, but there's simply too much that needs to be done. Thank you
for the thought Billy. By the way, one of Captain Antonof's men needs a
ride to outside the barrier tomorrow. Do you think you can make the
necessary arrangements?"

Billy nodded. "I'll have Maria take him."

"Thanks." Elly nodded, and with that turned and walked back into the crowd.
Elly managed to claim a seat at one of the tables, and watched as a portion
of the floor was cleared away for a dance area. The band struck up a
romantic tune, and several dancers moved onto the floor. Elly sighed, and
watched. Shitan and Yui danced, spinning past Billy and one of the young
ladies from the town. Elly watched as Remus sat in the corner, staring
across the room. Every so often, he stole a glance at her or someone else
near her.

A figure in an orange cloak brushed past her, and Margie walked across the
dance floor, dodging the few dancers that threatened to hit her. Elly
watched in interest as she walked over to Remus, and spoke a few words to
him. Remus shook his head, and waved a denial... only to have a startled
expression cross his face as Margie hauled him to his feet and dragged him
out into the dance floor. Elly giggled, and heard someone echoing her
behind her.

She turned, and saw the science officer from the Einhander sitting across
the table from her. He smiled, and passed a drink to her. "Is that young
man your aid?" He asked, taking a glass for himself.

She smiled, and nodded. "Yes, he is. How did you know that?"

The man smiled, and made a vague gesture. "He waits upon your every word,
but you don't seem to treat him as a servant. So I figured that he was
probably some sort of aid."

Elly sipped her glass, racking her brain for his name. "I'm sorry, but I've
forgotten you name, Mr...?"

"Garr. William Garr." He reached across the table, and shook her hand. "I
must say, you look very ravishing Lady Elyham." He grinned, and finished
off his drink. "I do have some questions for you, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." Elly replied, setting her glass on the table.

"Alright." Garr grinned at her, and looked around the room. "I suppose
that Gudio told you about our problem communicating... and that we seem to
have no way around it. I've checked through our records... and the only
system that can account for both our sensors not working and a lack of
communications that use subspace bandwidths is a Phase Barrier Shield."

Elly blinked, and felt her stomach turn over... the sensation that
accompanied the retrieval of some of the data she had absorbed from Deus.
"Yes... I do remember that the Barrier we are using has some of the
properties of a Phase Barrier Shield. Why do you ask?" She finished,
glancing up at him.

Garr barely kept his mouth from hanging open. First of all was the fact
that there was an intact shield on this planet. Second of all was the fact
that she even knew what it was, or how it operated. "A Barrier shield? You
actually have a Barrier shield here?"

Elly felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Over the years, she
had observed two types of excited... the type where a suprise is a welcome,
but expected thing, and the type where someone is utterly amazed by what
they've found. With that thought in her mind, she ventured a question.
"Why are you so suprised? Aren't these types of shields very common in the
Federation?"

"Heavens no! The methods used for constructing barrier shields were lost to
us many years ago. This is simply amazing." Garr pulled out a small
device, and started calculating some numbers into it. A moment later he
seemed to remember that there was someone else at the table, and he put the
device away. "I'm terribly sorry... My friends have always said that I was
too easily excited about things, and that I let them go to my head."

"It's quite alright." Elly replied. "So you have no knowledge of this type
of shield? Perhaps I could arrange for you and the captain to be taken on a
tour tomorrow."

Gar nodded. "That would be appreciated. I'm certain that the captain will
be thrilled by this news." He paused for a moment, turning an idea over in
his head. Finally, he seemed to make a decision. "Lady Elyham, could I
have the honor of a dance?"

Elly simply stopped for a moment, the question catching her completely by
suprise. She turned an interested gaze to Garr, wondering why he was
asking. Garr watched as she seemed to be grasping for something to say, and
smiled patiently.

Elly extended her hand, which he took gently. "Well, I see no reason why
not." Elly replied as Garr escorted her to the dance floor. "I must warn
you that I'm not the best dancer in the world."

..

Garr sat down at the bar, and glanced back to see Elly escorting Shitan to
the dance floor. The science officer shook his head, and turned to the
bartender. "Something... strong."

The bartender nodded, and poured Garr something out of a green tinged
bottle. The young man drank it down, and gestured for another. The pattern
continued for several minutes, until someone sat down next to Garr.

Nuzio, the chief of security for the Einhander, looked over Garr and
snorted. "What the hell are you doing to yourself William?" he asked as
the science officer downed another glass of whatever he had been drinking.

"It looks like I'm attempting to get horribly drunk." he replied, and
finished off the glass he was holding. "You realize how difficult it is for
one of my people to get drunk?"

Nuzio nodded, and watched as the bartender poured him another glass. "Yeah,
I learned a long time ago not to get into a drinking contest with an
Etherone. Now WHY are you attempting to get drunk?"

Garr smiled, and downed another glass. "It's her. I just can't explain it,
but she is undoubtedly the most talented, beautiful, intelligent person I've
ever known..."

The security chief briefly considered throttling Garr to death, but decided
against it. "Garr, who are you talking about?"

"Lady Elyham..."

If Nuzio could have facefaulted, he would have. But considering that he was
sitting on a barstool, he had to make do with letting his jaw drop open, and
starting at Garr with an utterly unbelieving expression. "Garr, are you
NUTS??? You... you..." Nuzio sputtered into silence, still staring at the
science officer. Finally, Nuzaio turned and whispered to the barkeep.

Garr was still staring off into space, when Nuzio thrust a drink into his
hand. "Here, drink this." Nuzio said, in his best 'no-nonsense' tone. Gar
complied, and drank the entire glass down.

"As I was saying..." Garr started, and then Nuzio watched as his eyes
rolled up into the back of his head. The big security guard gently caught
the young man, and lowered him to the table. Nuzio hoped to whatever deity
was out there that he hadn't proposed to Lady Elyham or anything crazy like
that. But then again Garr was a bragger, and would have mentioned anything
like that. Nuzio grimaced. He hoped he would have mentioned anything like
that. And this was completely unlike the quiet, demure man that Nuzio
remembered from the Einhander.

Nuzio carefully helped Garr to his feet, holding him so it appeared that he
was standing on his own, and simply had his arm around Nuzio's shoulders.
"William, you and I are going to have a nice, long talk later..."

..

The touring party came to a halt in front of the Barrier generator, a
monstrous affair of wires, strange spinning turbines, and other
unidentifiable parts. Elly walked in the front of the group, talking to
Captain Antonof about how they had discovered the generator, while Garr
chatted with Shitan. Billy walked a good distance behind the group,
speaking with the occasional guard, while Remus ran to catch up after
dropping everything he was carrying.

"Yes, I do see what your problem is, Lady Elyham." Captain Antonof
commented, as he glanced over the Barrier generator. "Getting parts that
consist of either artificially produced substances, or substances alien to
this planet is extremely difficult. I may be able to supply some of the
parts that you need, but as my science officer has told you, this technology
is alien even to us."

Elly nodded, brushing a wrinkle out of her dress. "I must say, that is
unfortunate. But, as your Federation is lack the technology, perhaps your
crew as well as our Ethos can benefit from studying this generator."

"Perhaps so, Lady Elyham."

Remus dropped back, so that he was walking by Billy. "What is going on?
Mistress Elyham hasn't talked to any of them since the reception last
night... so how did they know about the Barrier?"

Billy shrugged, glancing around the area. "I'm not sure. But Elly has her
ways... never doubt that."

Remus shrugged, when Billy suddenly stopped, pulling his hand over his ear.

"Billy, what's wrong?"

"SSSHHHH!!!" Billy hissed, listening intently to his earbug.

..

"Lord Captain, we have dispatched the Ssarzs."

"Excellent. Has our agent on the surface placed the necessary tools at
their disposal?"

"Yes. We estimate that the Ssarzs will reach the generator is less than
fifteen minutes."

..

"...Maria, I can barely make you out. We're receiving some type of
interference..."

Maria swore an oath that made Guido's hair stand on end, stabbing the comm
button again. "Billy, there's a huge group of Wels moving towards Nisan.
They tore apart the guards, and they're moving fast."

"...Wels? Why would Wels be attac..."

Maria pulled her flight goggles off her eyes and looked through a pair of
field glasses, counting carefully. "Listen up... there's some type of new
Wel out of there... these things look REALLY nasty. You need to warn the
guards... Oh hell, Billy, there's a couple of Seraphs out there." The
radio signal was breaking up, but Maria kept talking, hoping that Billy was
hearing this. "I've got to take them out. Billy, I won't be able to get to
the battle sight with my gear. You're going to have to do this alone...
Billy, you hear me? Get the area cleared, your going to have a fight on
your hands."

"...Ok...ful...Mari..."

And the radio dissolved in a screech of static.

..

Billy swore. And watching Billy swear was an experience that made Remus's
neck hairs curl. He didn't even know that Billy KNEW those types of words.
And some of them Remus didn't even know... and if he had to take a guess,
they were in foreign languages.

"Um, Billy? What wrong?" Remus started to say, but then Billy's voice
split the air.

"EVERYONE, WE HAVE AN ATTACK INCOMMING!!!" Billy shouted, and most of the
guards jumped. Elly's head snapped around, and she and her group ran over
to Billy.

"Billy, what's going on?" she demanded. Garr and Antonof followed close
behind her. "What's this about an attack."

Billy grimaced, and gestured for one of the guards. "Listen, get to General
Cheff. Tell him we have Wels less than fifteen minutes outside the city.
And tell him that we need him to hurry."

"Wels? What are Wels?" Captain Antonof asked, glancing around at the now
serious group. Shitan nodded his head towards Elly, who turned to the
captain.

"Wels are humans that have been altered on the genetic level into monsters.
They need to feed on the blood of humans to survive... they live a life of
constant torment." Elly looked at the horizon. "They haven't attacked us
in a long time... its strange that they should do it now."

"In any case, its going to take our man at least five minutes to get to the
nearest radio that can reach General Cheff, ten minutes if he has to run
back to Nisan. That means that its going to take fifteen to twenty minutes
for our ready troops to reach us." Billy looked around. "We've got twenty
guards, and we have to hold off an unknown number of Wels, and some new
type. This has got to be my lucky day."

..

Remus looked over the horizon, watching the dust cloud get closer. Billy
stood by his side, his hands placed gently over the twin revolvers he wore
at his hips. "We're in trouble, aren't we Billy?" Remus asked softly.

Billy frowned, and sighed. "I can't say for sure. We've got Shitan, Elly,
and myself... that should count for something. You've apparently had some
training, and I doubt I could get you to leave even if I threatened your
life. And we've twenty guards. Hopefully we can make it."

Remus continued to watch the approaching dust cloud. "Why do you think
they're attacking the generator?" he wondered, glancing over at Billy.

Billy shrugged, still keeping his eyes on the horizon. "Probably to destroy
the Barrier. That's the only thing keeping the largest Seraphs out of
Nisan's territory. And if we lose the Barrier, General Cheff's going to
have to secure the area."

Remus turned, leaving Billy to watch the approaching hoard, and walked back
towards the group. As he approached, he heard the sounds of an argument.

"Lady Elyham, you can't remain here!" Captain Antonof replied in an anxious
tone. "You heard what you security chief said. Those creatures will be
here soon."

Elly nodded, as if agreeing with the captain. "I understand perfectly what
Billy said. Those Wels will be here in a moment, and we are vastly
outnumbered." The captain nodded, his shoulder sagging with relief, until
Elly's next statement took him off guard. "That's exactly why I'm staying.
Every person will count in this type of battle."

"Lady Elyham, you are the head of state for Nisan..." Garr began, "...you
can't be expected to risk yourself in such a manner!"

Remus arrived, and glanced about. "Mistress Elyham, is there anything I can
help you with?"

Elly glanced at him, and suddenly started walking away from the group,
towards Billy. With an oath, she grabbed one of her dress's elaborately
flowing sleeves along the seam, and started ripping it off. Remus raised an
eyebrow, and kept walking along side of her. "Mistress, if I may be so
bold, why are you doing that to your dress?"

Elly finished with that sleeve, and tossed the elaborately laced piece of
clothing, one that had probably taken a seamstress a month to create, to one
side. As she responded to Remus, she started on the other one. "I can't
fight very well in this dress... so I'll have to do something about it.
And for once, Remus, please call me Elly. Billy!"

The Etone turned, and a shadow of a smile crossed his face. "Nice to see
you back to your old self Elly." She shook her head, and reached into a
fold of fabric in the small of her back. A moment later, she pulled out a
small, cylindrical rod that snapped out to nearly a full meter long with a
quick movement of her wrist. Captain Antonof and Garr ran up behind her.

"Your serious about this, are you not Lady Elyham?" The captain said with
an interested look on his face.

"Yes I'm serious, Captain. And call me Elly." she replied, and turned to
Remus. "Do you still have that knife on you?" Remus reached into his belt
pack, and pulled out a large hunting knife, flipping it over in his hand
before presenting it hilt first to Elly. "Thanks." she said, and started
ripping a slit along the side of her skirt. She continued until she had
ripped it all the way to her hip on both sides, and tossed the knife back to
Remus.

"Alright, they should be here any minute. Everyone, get ready!"

..

Garr got his first look at the Wels when the crossed over the ridge, all of
them in a swirling, horrible mass that defied description. When Lady
Elyh... no, Elly, had told them that the Wels were once human, she had
failed to mention the depth of their change. If it hadn't been for the fact
that she had not lied to them yet, Garr would have been sorely tempted to
believe that she was now.

Most of them were vaguely humanoid, crossed over with at least one or two
animals for form a horrible monster of fangs, claws, and burning red eyes.
Others were so horribly disfigured that no amount of examination could
reveal that there was ever a human under that mass of mutated flesh. Garr
stepped forward, examining the approaching hoard from he and the captain's
perch on top of one of the Barrier Generators catwalks. A moment later, the
horde crashed into the ranks of the defenders.

Garr watched, looking for the defenders that he had met over the last few
days. Almost immediately, Remus was swallowed in the mass of seething Wels,
but an occasional flash of a blond head or a snatch of his robes revealed
that he was still alive in that mass. Shitan danced amongst the monsters,
dispensing havoc like a master martial artist... if there was anyone on
this planet that deserved that titles, this was probably the man. Garr
wondered where a simple scholar and tinkerer could have picked up fighting
skills like that. One moment he launched a fierce punch into one Wel, only
to move aside almost instantaneously to strike another that was attacking
him.

Billy waded through the fray, and Garr could see his lips moving as he
prayed... often following his prayer by a point blank blast from his
shotgun he carried across his back. And Lady Elyham...

Lady Elyham served as a rallying point for the beleaguered defenders... her
very presence seemed to heighten morale. When a wedge of Wels hurled
themselves into the five men who seemed to have appointed themselves as her
bodyguards, they fought with ferocity that Garr had not seen since he had
visited New Scotland and witnessed the berserkers firsthand. Many attempts
to reach Lady Elyham were made, but not one Wel managed to lay a claw on
her. But the defenders were still being pushed back, as if an awesome
presence were driving the Wels onwards...

And then he saw them, scuttling across the ground on their six, insect like
limbs. They were a blood red in color, and resembled a cross between a
spider, a cockroach, and a mass of whirling blades. Garr hissed through his
teeth, and he turned to the captain. "Captain, do you see them?"

Captain Antonof nodded. "Da, I see them William. Revers. But what the
hell are they doing here?"

The Revers launched themselves over the Wels, landing amidst the defenders.
Several men died in the first few seconds, and slowly the tide was turning,
the creatures ripping into the defenders in whirlwinds of slicing, razor
sharp chitinous limbs. One of the Revers leapt into the air, aiming for
Shitan. Garr swore. Shitan couldn't see it coming, and its was going to
kill him...

..Everything stopped. Garr felt the bottom drop out of this stomach, and
the local air pressure seemed to change. 'What?' was the only thought that
crossed his mind... the amplification was too great... someone was
building up a massive Ether charge...

The heavens were bisected by a massive thunderbolt, that reached from the
sky to smite the Rever that descended upon Doctor Uzuki. Garr's hair would
have stood on end, due to the static impact, if it were not for the fact
that the simply collection of that much power had done the job already. He
glanced around, and reached into his side pouch, pulling out a small device,
which he fitted over his ear. He then cast about, trying to find the source
of that power.

He didn't need the scanner.

Elly stood in the center of her bodyguard, the aftereffects of her strike
still dancing around her. Her eyes blazed with an eldrich fire, and she
regarded the charred Rever that had landed nearby with some interest.
Garr's eyes widened, and he felt his legs go limp underneath him. "No...
its impossible... even if she were an Etherone... she can't draw that much
power from the prime reactor..."

..

Elly lowered her hand, and watched the effect that killing that 'thing' had
on the rest of the Wels. Interesting. Several of the Wels in the group
were starting act as if they were awakening from a deep sleep, and were
withdrawing from battle. Elly stared at them for a moment. "Shitan! I
think those things may be controlling the Wels! Try to kill them first!"

Shitan nodded, and crouched down, watching another of the 'things' approach.
The roared it emitted was a combination of howl and banshee scream, and it
hurtled across the field towards him. Shitan narrowed his eyes... waiting,
watching... The thing leapt into the air, hurtling down atop the doctor...

Only to find that he was no longer there. A series of punches exploded into
the Rever's back, and it screamed as its armored plating shattered under the
onslaught. Shitan landed a few feet away, turning about to gauge the
effects of the creature's death. Several more Wels were turning and walking
away from the battlefield, shaking their heads as if waking from a deep
sleep.

The scene was repeated. Without the advantage of surpise, the Revers were
unable to stand up to the defenders, and as more of them died, more of their
Wel support melted away. Elly smiled, realizing that they could win this
fight with a minimal of casualties. She'd long lost track of Billy and
Remus in the fighting, and Shitan was attempting to take out several more of
those 'things'.

There were only five left on the battlefield, and they had decided that
their plan of attack was failing. They all gathered together, crouched in
the center of the battlefield, conversing in some strange, clicking
language. A moment later, all of the noise stopped. The battlefield fell
silent for a moment, barring the moans of pain from the injured and dying.
The few remaining Wels stirred restlessly, and the creatures crouched in
place, immobile.

And then they charged. For they had decided that if they were to die, they
would take the enemy's leader with them.

Shitan caught one of them, bringing it to the ground with such a powerful
kick that the sound of its spine breaking echoed across the battlefield,
along with its keening death howl. But the other four kept coming, leaping
across any of the defenders that got in their way. Most of her bodyguards
managed to drag one to the ground, hacking it to pieces, but there were
still three left.

Elly raised one of her hands, summoning forth a ball of elemental fire. She
launched it as the first of the creatures cleared the small rise she stood
on, catching the leader in the flaming sphere. It screamed and fell to the
ground, thrashing in pain and rolling to try to extinguish the flames.

To Elly, everything was moving in slow motion. Both of the surviving
creatures bounced around their fallen cohort, and resumed their charge.
Elly snapped out her baton, and lunged for the one to the left. She felt
the other creature's taloned claw nick several of the hairs from her head,
but she was already past it. The other creature raised all of its arms,
intending to slice her apart. Elly lunged. The creature struck...

The thing screamed at Elly hammered her baton strait through it, and it
reared backwards, tearing her weapon from her hand. It fell backwards off
of the rise, already mortally wounded, it's death cry rattling off the
valley walls, but the other one had managed to regain its balance. There
was no one between her and it, and she had just run out of weapons. The
thing let out an earsplitting howl of triumph, and charged towards her,
intending to take all of its frustration and anger out on her corpse...

A high pitched wine split the air. The thing's razor sharp claw rose. Elly
glanced around desperately, looking for an avenue of escape. She might be
able to dodge the first attack, but this thing had eight of those claws at
its disposal... The first claw started to descend as the second rose...

There was a thunderclap as a massive bolt of Ki energy slammed into the
creature, sending it flying from the rise. It screamed, but that scream was
cut short as a second, and then a third bolt of energy followed it.

Time resumed its normal speed.

The creature struck the ground, its limbs tightening in death. Elly stared
at it, and then whirled towards the direction that the blasts had come from.
A blast of cold wind swept through the valley, causing her hair to stream
out to her side.

On a knoll, half a mile away, stood a lone figure, its unbound hair
streaming out to its side. It slowly lowered its hand, and turned to the
side beginning to walk down the hill. The man's profile caught her eye, and
Elly heart skipped a beat, even as he vanished over the hill. Her mouth
gaped, as she tried to force one word out, a word that seemed to be stuck in
her throat...

..

Shitan found her there a moment later, kneeling on the ground, her mouth
moving as if she were trying to say something. He knelt down next to her,
trying to see if she had been hurt, or if the blasts of energy had hit her
as well. Elly raised one arm weakly, her hand stretched towards the
direction that the energy attack had come from. Shitan put a hand on her
shoulder, and was shocked to feel that she was trembling violently.

"Elly, Elly, are you alright? Elly, speak to me? What happened? Elly??"
Shitan put his hands on her shoulders, becoming desperate as she refused to
respond to him. She just stared out into space, her hand raised towards the
horizon.

And before she collapsed into his arms, she sobbed out one word.

"Fei."

..

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