A Secret of the Waste (open)

[Anonymous]

Lyrial had never been to any Earth before.  This was her first time on planet Earth.  Of course it was on official business, being sent by the Gods and all.  And as she watched the unicorn bristle when Naira's illusion had fallen she suddenly made a mental note in her mind.  A unicorn, a creature of nature, seams to not like dragons.  Need to find out the reason.  The past of Earth was unknown to Lyrial, she would not know about Aedolis, or the dragons that worked with Aedolis.  She didn't know how the world came to its current state.  But, she was here to find out such information.

"Eyanis, tell me something, just what happened to Earth?  How did it end up this way?"  Yes, she needed to play detective a little bit.  But the gods had some sort of plan it seamed, and they wanted to know EVERYTHING about Earth.  And that would include its past.  How it became the way it was, why it became the way it was.  And how it suddenly disappeared in the future.  Indeed, from the time she had been sent from, Earth did not exist.  It had suddenly vanished somehow in the past.  So the gods had sent Lyrial into the past before it disappeared, to learn about Earth, and to tell the gods everything she would find out.

As for Rotor...Lyrial couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, he didn't just randomly appear here, but might have been redirected here by the whims of the gods.  But, she wouldn't be able to confirm this.  Plus, it didn't matter.  He was here now.  Just like Naira, Scarlet, Nakéminae, and Terry.  Could the gods have some form of plan involving them to?  Lyrial didn't know, nor would she be able to confirm anything.  Gods were, at best, mysterious in the ways they do things.  One could never be sure what was happening was either randomness happening, or something the gods wanted.  Yes, Earth's future, was just as mysterious as the gods.

[Anonymous]

"Yes. Alone. More or less."

He glanced at Rotor, noticing his relative silence, then at Lyrial as she asked her question. What had happened? Well, he only knew about the wastes themselves... everything else he'd not seen himself... only hearsay among the wastes.. conversations he'd heard while passing by unseen. He'd been to the edges of the wastes, like the one they were currently near, wandered to the ocean and back as he pleased. Been through the ruined buildings of what once was a proud city. He went there when he was feeling particularly angry, to stand alive among the ruin of a race. He didn't know or care who they had been, but he liked to pretend that the ruins were his enemies'.

The light from him had all faded now, and he was just as grimy and disheveled as he'd been a few minutes ago. Some greenish goo trailed its way down one of his legs.

"This area used to be a forest, a long time ago. I was born just after humans started to inhabit it. I've never left here myself, but I've heard stories... And I've seen a couple things to back them up. There's a city called Aedolis that is run by dragons. It's a very controlling environment. Militaristic. I heard that the dragons control the people themselves. I've seen a few of the dragons myself... it looks like they've bonded with electronics kind of like this-" He lifted his artificial leg, flexing it and pawing the ground, "-Where was I- Oh yes... the city Aedolis attacked the people here, I think... I don't really get involved with wars- and after a while began dumping its wastes here."

He paused, gathering his thoughts.

"There are other kingdoms... countries I think they're called now.. But I'm not sure if they're still on Earth, so they might not count. They went up in these... things... Like boats for the sky?"

He turned to look around at Naira, "Halfling though you may be, I'd stay away from Aedolis. Even with the concealment. You are probably the only free dragon-like being on Earth now."

[Anonymous]

Rotor was giving Naira an awefully funny look. Nakéminae couldn't help but notice it. It made her think long, and it made her think hard. Putting one and one together to form two was easy for this young child, but sometimes her conclusion never quite made the proper sense, or missed the bullseye completely. So she may have been dramatically wrong when sliding up to the strange alien and gently elbowing him in the intercostal muscles placed tactically between each rib. Voice - low; eager to place a secret for Rotor's ears alone. Eyes - half-lidded; sly. Face - grinning; shining with something mischevious. What was the girl up to?

"You know ... ." How soft and delicate did vocal cords and tongue form the silky words that erupted from her tiny maw. A strange singsongy tone danced upon the syllables. "My big sis is still single ... "

Naira did, however, hear her sibling. The halfling's ears were alert and oriented to pick up on very small sounds. Such was the evolution that took place when she and the magick of Windra merged into one. Heightened hearing, sharper sight, sensitivity to even the lightest of touches. Not to mention the olfactories could inhale practically anything up to a mile or two away. So when Nemo glanced towards Sol, those bright green orbs were narrowed in clear suspicion.

"You know I can hear you, right?"

Nakéminae didn't blush or shirk under the glare, though. She grinned whilst enthustiastically nodding her head. "Maybe?" And this was one of the many things she loved about Nakéminae. The child was brash when she wanted to be, hardly ever bashful ... and didn't tend to hide things.

Lyrial pressed questions onto Eyanis, who answered with terms and words and phrases that made Naira cringe outwardly and inwardly. A city run by dragons, bound with prosthetics and electronics to keep them tame and probably biologically superior. Wars? And that the dragons attacked the people here ... a land of Wastes. What people once thrived in this location, and where were they now? Glancing about, there was nothing remotely resembling a crumbling building for miles around.

'Boats up in the sky'. Nemo perked at that, and so did Nakéminae. (The very term 'boats' made Terry hide further in th eunderbrush. The word brought back some unpleasant memories of evisceration that happened back in Deep Forest. Things that were painful. Things he didn't want to think about, because those things he always lost at.) "Airships? Spaceships?" There was that excited gleam in her eyes again.

Naira shifted from one foot to the other. She scratched an ankle with the talons of her idle claws and inhaled Eyanis warning with a nod. "Point taken." It really was. The urge to visit was still teeming in the back of her skull, growlingin the pit of her stomach. She wanted to visit. To see. To start something. But now, with Scar and Naké and, yes, even Terry, in tow ... It would not only risk the wellbeing of herself, but of them.

Perhaps if somebody gave her a reason to travel there. Naira was not the sort who would back down easily. Once a fight got rolling she would go for all without hesitating or giving up. The likelihood of her being destroyed or captures was there, but minimal. After all ...

"I once lived on Earth," she said, voice low. A gloved hand rubbed her chin. Underneath the leather of her gloves, the digits were calloused and rough. "Long ago. Well before the cities of modern man built up. Before roads. Before cars. Year ... 1452, if I remember correctly." The date might have been wrong. It had been such a long time ... "A Soul Reaver, so I was ridiculed a lot. In any case. Even when technology forced the world around me to build up, it was never this bad." She swung an arm about to encompass the entire locale. "Once upon a time I was skeptical of the skyscrapers and traffic and constant pollution, but the way it was back then was an oasis compared to the planet now."

Scar's head was bobbing up and down. She was standing by the brush where Terry hid. Sensitive hearing picked up on the conversation. She understood it well enough to interpret her own history into the fact. "I be's born on dis planet too, yessum. Way back when. 'Round da time when Naydeadthing was born-eth, and stuffs. Lotta fighting. Lotta screwed up stuff. But dis place reeks." And her face scrunched into something mocking disgust.

[Anonymous]

Nake'minae.........

Small, fragile.  Young, if only in looks.  Also, a distraction.  Elbow to ribs, or what passed for ribs under hide and muscle.  Then her voice.  Her eyes.  Her face.  Her words....

Rotor didn't mind the personal distraction, since his Locks continued to funnel data.  Yes, after Eyanis "reverted" to his previous dishevelment, Rotor had thrown up a few more Iconics onto the others present, and onto their surrounding environment, sky and otherwise, just to be safe.  What Eyanis had said... bothered him.  But what Nake'minae had said...

... well, her words had locked his own mind into this peculiar cyclic loop, images of Naira, images of Afa... memories of two different people from two very different Layers, both of whom had deeply affected his life.  Naira, for saving it.  And Afa, for being...

...  "Hmmm...."

Rotor lowered his head as Scarlet spoke, his own voice soft, but far from delicate.  His vocal duality and odd alienness very evident.  He lowered his head to Nake'minae's level, just off her shoulder, one three-fingered subhand shielding one side of his muzzle...

...  "Unfortunately, I'm already taken...."

Those words spoken, a slight grin not fully hidden behind his subhand, Rotor suddenly turned to Eyanis, stepped forwards, movements smooth and graceful, precise.  Down on all sixes, to bring himself on equal footing with the damaged unicorn, ears back slightly, all five eyes intently focused...

...  "I'm curious... Aedolis attacked you as well... then dumped you out here?"

Evident glance to leg and wings and grime.  Feeler antenae flicked forwards, then laid back.  No, not a question about the overall situation now present on earth... instead, a more personal inquiry, though all that Eyanis had said still hung in the air, along with Rotor's question.........

[Anonymous]

Lyrial mentally took notes on everything the unicorn said.  It was important information Lyrial guessed.  If anything, could Adeolis be the one that turned Earth into what is was now?  If that was the case than Lyrial would have to dig deeper into Adeolis's past.  Why would they ruin the planet the lived on?  It was barely even liveable now.  Indeed, she guessed the planet was dying.  Was there anything she could do to help?

Probably nothing she could do would help.  The only ones that had that kind of power were the gods themselves.  If they wanted to they could change the planet.  But first they wanted information.  And that was why Lyrial was here for.  Yes, to find out why and all that.  This way the gods would use the information she discovered to do something.  They would do something once she returned with her information.

And suddenly...Lyrial felt a shiver crawling down her spine.  Adeolis and dragons...her true form was that of a large dragon.  She realized that if she was going to go to Adeolis she would have to take extra precautions to stay in her current form and not somhow change into her dragon form.  That would be a bad thing.  It also might turn into a good thing, for she might just be forced to use her full power.  But she doubted that the Adeolians had anything that would force her to change forms.  Nor would they ever suspect her.  Lyrial suddenly thought about something, didn't she once tell Naira about her true form?

[Anonymous]

A birds eye view of the darkened ground below-- that was what was offered from the Mitsubishi X-5 Transport shuttle. It's engines sounding through all the earth below as a loud shrill whir, a roar even as the craft made it's way through the atmosphere. It was a bulky form, yellowish gray in color, with various markings donning the wings, tilt-jets aided the craft in flight, while the engines propelled it forward. Staring outside the glass canopy, was a young Lieutenant Commander, Nobuo Azamura, adjusting his tan desert drab combat fatigues, he would make himself comfortable in the cloth seat of the shuttle.

"Sir, engine integrity is becoming an issue, the amount of corrosives in the air is causing damage in the primary intake rotors." The pilot would say as he looked over to the Lt. Commander. "Sir.. I recommend we land somewhere so we can repair them. The engines to not have the integrity to ascend back into orbit." Azamura would offer a slight nod. Watching the ground below as he pointed out several life forms through the canopy. "We can land there." Lt. Commander Azamura would say as he eyed the pilot, the Pilot nodding. "We could... however I estimate they could potentially be hostile... the Kaze no Tani has picked up numerous contacts moving about this world, it's a fluke we weren't attacked." Azumara would simply nod. "Perhaps our fighter escort scared them off." The pilot would simply laugh in response. "Perhaps... but they too have been reporting engine problems since they pulled off... we're preparing to land, sir."

Indeed they were preparing to land as the large shuttle hovered directly over the group, kicking up dust and debris, hot air blowing down from the engines, which gave a shrill roar, moving to the left, it slowly began to descend, more debris being kicked up as landing skids descended from the craft, touching down gracefully, the engines began to whir to a silence. The shuttle was rough in appearance as well, corrosion having eaten slightly at the hull from the putrid mess that was the atmosphere. The craft seemed to have been crafted by human hands, but also having bore a strange ideographic language upon the sides, and a yellow flower of sorts, Azumara looking to the pilot. "Atmospheric readings?..." He would ask as the pilot turned to him and spoke.

"Toxic.. sir... I wouldn't recommend prolonged exposure to the atmosphere." The pilot stated as Azamura nodded. "Right..." He said as he grasped a respirator mask, placing it over his face and then nodding, speaking through the vocoder." Go ahead and open the doors.."

The ship continued to remain there, silently before a hiss sounded, white steam firing fourth from the door as it slid out, then over to the side, a man would be seen standing in the airlock room, tan fatigues, and a mask covering his face, in his hand was a UGW assault rifle, It was reminiscent of 21st century earth, once the stairs had descended, he would slowly step down, clank by clank, his feet making contact with the metal as spotlights illuminated the area around the craft, setting his eyes on the group he would speak. "Greetings.. I come in peace.. I am Lieutenant Commander Nobuo Azamura... I represent the Taiyou Empire, and you all are?" He asked, a smile hidden through the gas mask.

[Anonymous]

"Spaceships, that sounds right."

The unicorn let the word roll off his tongue, a new word in his dictionary. He turned to Rotor as he approached.

"No.. I don't know if it was Aedolis who attacked me. I was ignorant to let them see me, and they took me- I didn't fight.. I was curious as to their intent... but then they took me into this building... a lab? Laboratory? And then I found that I couldn't fight... They had these things that dulled my magic... drugs that dulled my strength." No emotion showed in those yellow-green eyes of his at the memory. He simply cocked his head as it wound around his mind, remembering.

"I've no idea why they gave me these-" here he flexed his mechanical limbs, all which moved well enough except for the broken one that sort of twitched pathetically- "but it didn't smell nice. I woke up earlier from the drugs than they expected.. that's the only reason I escaped. Made myself light and ran."

He picked at the ground beneath him, his mechanical forelimb digging into earth that was steadily becoming more fertile beneath it's hoof. Then, quite without warning, his head jerked up and his ears slid back against his mane. He could hear the spacecraft coming, and it sounded rough to his sensitive ears. A dull whine that struck the chord just wrong. His eyes scoured the skies, looking for the source. Muscles tensed beneath his disheveled coat and he backed up a few steps and began to... fade. It spread evenly along his body, and for a brief moment he was only just visible, seen to move his body to face the craft as it landed, then he was less visible than the wind. Of course, that's not hard to do, considering the wind in this place was quite visible.

He stayed where he was, though. The invisibility was just part of how unicorns survived for so long... part of how difficult they were to hunt, to capture. He watched the manling stand above them, the spotlights blinding perhaps for the rest.. but as a being made partly of light, the unicorn could stare right back at them and probably outshine them should he feel compelled to do so. He might not be able to be as harsh and sharp as the man-made things were on the ground, his light being more natural and diffuse, but he could be brighter. He didn't like the look of that gun, though. It reminded him of the world and it's keenness for militaristic thought, or more likely, since he knew a lot more world than the military, just the memories that the militaristic ways had brought to the wastes... He thought about as much about the man, too.. standing up their in his crisp uniform...

A mask to save him from the toxins his kind dumped here.

Thoughts like these boiled up in the unicorn's mind and he advanced- though only until he was between the man and those who he'd been conversing with. He was invisible, and no hoof prints followed his path. He only disturbed the soil when he wanted to... hidden was such a natural state for him. As for smell... even if the man-creature had much of a sense of smell.. that sense was so completely useless in this wasteland and behind that mask that it'd be stupid to even try sniffing him out... And the unicorn just smelled like where he lived, anyway.. He wasn't sure about other unicorns but that's what he smelled like. Waste and magic (magic, of course, being part of the waste as well).

Taiyou Empire? He didn't know. He didn't really bother with the politics of the world, but the Empire tag had him already disliking the individual and his space-boat.

[Anonymous]

Naira acknowledged Rotor's words with silent thanks (she had no interest in Rotor and even if she did, the woman would not come right out and say it ... More or less, she would shirk away from a crush, act casually, and possibly never say a word, thus losing the crush to begin with, as said crush would go off on his own path having given up). That was a good way to avoid what could have been a rather uncomfortable situation. In the meantime, Kanina began to speak and though words were absorbed they weren't fully comprehended. Naira's and Nakéminae's eyes starting roving, searching for something that was not immediately visible. A sound: Loud; Mechanical. What could it be?

Terry was slipping through the brushes towards the crowd, his small form spiked and ready to roll at the mildest sign of danger. And Scarlet ... well, she was entranced by the current conversation and though she smelled something quite off in the atmosphere she chose to ignore it for the moment, instead pumping her fist into the air out of declaration. "What scumbags, dey be's!" roared she, voice loud and vibrant, undertoned with significant maliciousness. "Doin' dat to you, ain't got no right ... What were dey doin', tryin' ta make ya into a BOW or sumthin'?" BOW was, of course, an acronym only the V-ACT 32 would know. One would have to press for its explanation, and the woman would not hesitate to elaborate.

By now the aircraft was over them. Such a strong, forceful wind blew that it knocked Scarlet right the hell over. Juggernaut plummeted into Naira who then in turn knocked Nakéminae down. A domino effect that had them all splayed on the toxic earth ... And into a puddle from the previous day's rain. Liquid and electronic equipment did not work, so when the watches came in contact, they fizzled out of commission ... and left Naira and Nakéminae visible in their truest forms: Naira with her dragon talons and dragon tail ... Nakéminae with her strange eyes and small hovering wings.

"Shiii-! Naira began, scrambling to her feet and pulling Nakéminae and Scarlet up with her. She frantically went to work drying their equipment, but it was too late. The ship opened, steam pouring from the cracks in the door. Moments later a man was made visible, dressed in fatigues and donned with the necessary face mask.

Naira was on both feet, tail swishing this way and that. Scarlet, blinked, grinned with shark-teeth blowing her maw into a disfigured grimace that was meant to be a smile, despite her lack of fleshy lips. "Hoomaaaan military guy!"

And Nakéminae took a step back, hiding slightly behind Naira's leg. The Ethernian girl was accustomed to running into normal humans on this strange Earth. And none of them had been friendly when her wings were out in the open like this. "Nay ... "

Where was Kanina? The unicorn off and disappeared ...

"Greetings ... I come in peace ... I am Lieutenant Commander Nobuo Azamura ... I represent the Taiyou Empire, and you all are?"

"Strangers just passing through," said Naira. She was hesitant to give away any information and when Scarlet went to speak she hastily poked the red-skinned woman in the ribs. Green eyes focused on that gun. Came in peace, said Azamura, but did he suspect they were hostile?

Terry had been blinded briefly by the steam. And somehow or another he found himself at the foot of Azamura, scratching his eyes to clear them ... completely unaware.

[Anonymous]

Not only the gods.........

Had even one dauk arrived on earth, instead of one lone Hrar'ra'rah named Rotor, all this devastation could have been undone in a matter of months... but Rotor, all on his own?  No, it would take him years, if not decades.  Alone... on his way Home... no, he could not undo such damage.  Had not the time....

Yet, in the oh so very short time since his arrival... senses aware, mind working... mind wildly active, even now... a plan came to him, a way to help this place.  Eat the scrap, make an army of spider darts, and leave them behind.  A force slow but steady, left behind to work on the Waste... they would be like those little shrimp in aquariums, cleaning grime off the glass, rocks and fake plants.  It might take them a century or more to change the landscape, but it would change.  For now, though, Rotor's plan only lived in his mind.  Specifically, in his shoulder brain's quantum matrix.  Seeing Eyanis... perceiving his data stream through the Lock and hearing the unicorn's words... Rotor had confirmation that this land had once been different.  Yes...

... change was a normal part of life on Shon'tagash, the massive torrodial world of his birth.  So to, he'd learned, for other worlds.  But this had not been a natural change.  As any Shesh knew, damage done to the natural order of change had to be fixed, so chaos would not break the world apart.  Not that any of his people had ever broken the natural order of change, but... they had the power to do so, and also the knowledge of how to fix what could be broken.  Change meant order, not chaos.  Not... this.........

.........  Icon locks tagged to the surrounding environment registered the arriving shuttle perhaps long before any of the others even had a hint of what was coming.  Strange, then, that Eyanis spoke the word spaceships in such a serendipitous manner.

When he'd moved towards the unicorn stallion, his servants perched on chest and back had stayed in place, locked to his hide.  But the one on his knee had jumped off and skittered out of sight, a short distance away.  Ears attentive, Rotor listened to the story, tail swept aside till it pointed at Naira, tip waved in a subtle salute towards her silent thanks... a few notes chuckled through his Hra at Scarlet's response to the unicorn's words.........

At this point, the shuttle's arrival interrupted everything.  Noise and vibration and heat, blast of wind and light, scent and presense...

... Eyanis... faded away, out of the visible spectrum most creatures perceived.  But not away from Rotor's senses, or from his Lock.  Rotor's full attention, however, now focused on this intruder, the wind blowing a wave of color over his hide, as if all the color and markings he'd taken on upon arrival had been scrubbed away by bits of flying debris and dust.  Hide, now dull grayblack from end of snout to tail's tip, all five eyes taking on a red cast.  Hide, shifting from leather smooth to a slick, scaled texture.  Yes, like Eyanis, he could have faded out of view.

But he didn't.

The shuttle landed, its skids pressing into the ground.  One of its rear skids, near where his one servant had disappeared.  Ahhh... up out of the ground it burrowed as the engine noise faded to silence.  A touch of leg, a visual shift, and this servant blended with the metal and external finish, silently emerged and slipped up... up into the skid's open bay, to burrow again, this time into the very structure of this ship, no one but its master aware.........

Hiss...

Steam...

Movement...

Armed human, uniformed and masked...

Male, under all that....

Rotor heard this new voice... Scarlet and Naira and Nake'minae, their voices, as well.  But that new voice... Lieutenant Commander Nobuo Azamura... he'd asked a question.  Feelers half up, ears half back, all five eyes focused on the human, return grin bright with sharp teeth, Rotor calmly returned in his dual voice...

...  "Not impressed...."

An answer short, sweet and to the point.

[Anonymous]

So it wasn't the Aedolians that attacked Eyanis.  Than who was it.  Was all that Lyrial could think of at the moment.  She was lost in her book, trying to find the spell that would fix Eyanis's problem.  Then as she thought about it, she realized that if it wasn't for the gods telling her to not use her full power, she might have been able to cure the planet herself.  But, she thought about that.  As a guest from the future, if she did that, would it cause temporal problems?  She guessed yes at the moment.  And she even full heartily agreed with Scarlet.

If Rotor thought he was the first one to detect the ship, he was wrong.  Dsspite her human appearance, she was far from human.  Her hearing was so well tuned that she had heard the ship enter the atmosphere.  She just didn't pay any attention to it.  Not until Eyanis faded from view.  Well...maybe for others except Rotor...and herself.  A long time ago she had developed an automatic casting system that would cast spells without her even thinking about them.  Indeed, when Eyanis faded, a spell quickly cast itself thus allowing her to continue to view the unicorn.  And suddenly, strong winds, debris, dust.  All of it distracting.  She quickly shut her book closed and set up a barrier around herself, forming a sort of bubble, portecting herself from the wind, debris, and dust.

She than made the barrier glow, obstructing view into the bubble, but allowing herself to view out of it.  She watched as the ship landed near them.  A door open and a ramp lower itself to the groung.  And than a human in a military uniform walked down the ramp.  In his hands he carried a rifle of sorts, held at the ready.  Then he said something about coming in peace.  And all at once Lyrial's mind started racing.  Does one that comes in peace approach with open arms?  NO!  Not according to the teachings of Slyphianess, Goddess of Hope and Moons.  So, while still inside the barrier, unseen, she used her magic to change her clothing.  Her normal looking clothiong glowed brightly, causing the bubble to glow even brighter than before.  The clothing changed shape, length, and even color.  Now she wore a pure white dress with full length sleeves and with the color going all the way up her neck.  On the back a white flowing cape appeared reaching only a few inches above the ground.  The only part of the dress that wasn't white was the color, which was black and turned into a straight line down the front.  On the cloak visable to any that would look was the symbol of her goddess.  A white moon with two hand holding it up gently. And rising from her shoulders was a white half circle behind her head, but with a opening for her long hair.

She then released the barrier, but at the same time, releasing a powerful cleansing spell.  As the spell washed over the area, the sickness afflicting the ground, air, and water surrounding Lyrial in a 60 yard radius disappeared.  And no sooner than it disappeared did green healthy grass, bushes, and flower appeared.  The puddle that Nay, Scarl, and Nake fell into was clear normal water instead of the muck that it was earlier.  If there was one problem with Lyrial, it was that she tended to overreact to a situation.  And in this instance as she started wlking towards Nobuo and his ship one might just think she indeed had gone into over react mode.  Once she stood in front of the others, except Terry, she gave Nobuo a stern look.  "Greetings Lieutenant Commander Nobuo Azamura from the Taiyou Empire.  I am High Priestess Lyrial Eailiolery, avatar and choosen of Slyphianess, Goddess of Hope and Moons.  A quick question if I may?  If you come in peace, than why do you approach openly armed, instead of with open arms?"  Her voice was calm, unwavering, matronly, and yet, demanding.  Did she overreact to the situation?  Most likely.

And out of sight a stranger watched the entire event going down.  A man dressed in black...

[Anonymous]

Hostility... that was the apparent greeting that he had gotten, his rifle held at an 'at ease' position soon turned to pointing outwards, taking into account the positions of everyone, even the person whom had been seen at his feet, which would most likely be staring down the barrel of his gun as the Lt. Commander backed away, noting the strange events and the overall hostility that played out before him. Finally he would speak into his radio. "I'm going to need a little help out here, Uremeshi, Onada, I need you to come out here." He explained as the radio clacked, the airlock hissing as Nobuo stepped away from the ship, two more armed and armored Taiyou soldiers emerging, both armed with assault rifles, and taking up position on both sides of the Lt. Commander. First he would address Naira. "Strangers just passing through.. I see." His attention was then directed to Rotor. "What with the errant hostility in your tone of voice?" The Lt. Commander asked, then finally, after an odd change of scenery, he would direct his attention to Lyrial, once his sensors registered that he could remove his mask, he would do so.

Young were his features, young and very east Asian, a clean shaven face, and black hair which was barely seen under his helmet, once the mask had been buckled to his vest, he would speak up. "I come armed because this world is unfamiliar to me, thus, I require it to defend myself in case I am attacked. We have to carry these weapons, because we could be entering potentially hostile situations, now, if I didn't come in peace, I would have come with many soldiers, and many ships, and we would have come with an invasion, and not hesitated to kill you all, so coming in such a small number, is proof that I come in peace." The other two soldiers would nod, agreeing with the Lt. Commander, Onada speaking up. "Lt. Commander Azamura is correct, we do not wish harm, only to get to know the natives of this world, we bring weapons to protect ourselves from harm, as we do not know you." He concluded.

The last being in the area would be the unicorn, however he had not registered on the Shuttle's sensors, nor in the field of view of Lt. Azamura. And the one whom climbed into the shuttle, would likely meet his end if the shuttle ever took off, as there was no access between the Landing gear compartment, and the cabin, save for conduits, and a 6 inch thick plate of Trinnium alloy, as landing gear was often serviced from the outside.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps some would hear the startled 'whuff' the unicorn made as Lyrial's spell swept through him. Invisible, he bent his head to lip at the vegetation; to sniff at the soil. It was real. Clean. Fertile. Sometimes, he awoke to find himself surrounded by lush woods, birdcalls drifting through the trees and little white flowers growing in the sunbeams. Sometimes he could lose himself in the ghost forest of what was. But it never smelled right. It always smelled off. He'd forgotten how a real forest had smelt, and now he allowed himself a moment to close his eyes and take a deep breath of the cleansing air, and for those who could see him, a dramatic change occurred. He mirrored the land. Soft fur shone like the moon, and his mane was silver threads woven with light. When he opened them, his eyes held none of that yellow-brown pollutant and instead were a vibrant shade of green. His lion's tail no longer looked like he was related to a rat, but instead was beautiful with it's soft, short fur. Not just a tuft at the end, his silver hair trailed up his tail, growing shorter and shorter the higher it grew until it stopped halfway up. It fanned out beneath it, soft as feathers.

He stepped quietly towards Lyrial, his neck stretching out low towards her arm. He closed his eyes as he pressed his head against it. Thanking her with the gesture as well as with a tear that shed from his eye and fell on her skin. A tear that bore memories and hope, and an energy that was light incarnate. He didn't doubt she could feel the power that slid across her skin now. It was a gift. A gift of hope, should she ever need it.

He revealed himself then, starting as a small will o' the wisp that grew softly brighter until he stood there, shining. It might appear as though Lyrial had summoned him as he stood behind her, his white slightly glowing in the nighttime. Silver laughter rang out at the human's latest.

"Child... you are too late for that here... Someone already went and did that, a long long time ago."

He lifted his mechanical leg, where strips of metal gleamed sharp and bright, dotted with patches of his clean, moon-bright fur.

"But some things just can't die."

He let it fall onto the soft grass, feeling the damp soil through the metal of the hoof. Yes.. this artificial leg was fitting in nicely... But the wings. He twisted his neck away from Lyrial and Nobuo. With his teeth he snapped at the stubbornly rusted metal wing that lay limp against his side and pulled. Beneath his skin around his shoulder and back slithered the wires that had held it in place, and they writhed as he jerked them out. But then they were gone and he was free of at least one wing. Silver blood trickled from the wound it left, blood mixed with light that, even as he spat out the wing in front of him, slipped back up its path and healed the gash. Maybe, if the humans stuck around, the land would show them its past inhabitants just like it showed the unicorn. The trees, tall and proud, the moss ever-green. Everything full of life, yet smelling like warmed-over perfume on must.

The other wing simply fell off.

[Anonymous]

The air was becoming clear, and in more ways than one. While the humans explained their bringing of weapons into an unknown land, the grass, the water, the sky ... it was ... normal? Blue atmosphere. White clouds. Fauna that was bright green, brimming with natural photosynthesis. A sun: genuine sunshine! So startled was Naira, was Nakéminae ... that they stared in wonderment for a long while. Of course this sight was not new to them. Both had been around in times when the world had been much cleaner and fresher. But after lingering about in the future for so long, such beauty was a sight for sore eyes. To breathe ... Both removed their masks. Inspiration. Oxygen slipped through the naso/oropharynxes, down past the larynx and trachea, into the bronchi, the bronchioles, the alveoli ... An exchange of carbon dioxide for the more potent stuff. Minus the poisons of Wasteland air. How wonderful! Even Terry looked relieved. Only Scarlet did not notice the difference.

Though the strange tension all around ... that was something less invisible. "Why;s everybody bein' actin' like dey got dey're knickers in knots, n' shit?" Blatant and crude, the V-ACT 32 knew no boundaries. With her ominous claws and sharp teeth, blind eyes and lipless mouth, Scarlet sauntered forth towards the captain indiscriminately. Forgetting that she looked so intimidating ... "So ya! I'm Scarlet! Cap'n Scar!" Captain of what? She could not remember.

Naira's tail thrashed. Behind her, Nakéminae started to inch into view, looking shy ... slightly afraid. Not of the humans, no. But of the guns. She'd seen their capabilities, and for one did not want to get shot. "Hello ... " Normally outgoing, made docile by the fierce temperament of this planet. Nakéminae realized a while ago that her outgoing personality was not well-tolerated by those who knew she was different. Not here. So she had to tread carefully. "Taiyou Empire? What's that?"

And Nemo made a flippant gesture, waving her hand. She was still very much aware of the potential threat arising from these people, but ... Well shit, they were dead. What more harm could come to them? If anything arised, they could protect the other, more mortal creatures ... "Might as well put the weapons away, then. I'd rather not see any of us turned into swiss cheese. That would kind of suck." Nodding, she shifted from one taloned foot to the next. "We're all strangers here. Just met one another, as a matter of fact, though some of us have been friends for a while." A quick glance to Lyrial, plus one smile. Then back to the commander. "No violence, though you'd be in trouble if this turned out to be some sort of bust. I trust you're not tricking us, however ... But what is the Taiyou Empire? I've not heard of it in these parts. Not on past, or future, Earth. Sure you have the right planet?"

Then Eyanis' wings fell off. Naira gaped. Nakéminae ran off to the unisus' side. "Ey!" she cried, concern welling large enough to cast aside the initial discomfort. Wanted or not, the Ethernian Soul Reaver pressed her hands against the bleeding stub where one wing once rested. "How ... " No matter. The injury was gone a second later. Nakéminae sighed in relief. "Yikes ... But your wings ... "

And Terry, still at Nobuo's feet ... He hadn't moved, frightened he would get kicked. Or shot. Both would hurt.

[Anonymous]

Grinning had probably not been the best thing to do, especially coupled with his aparently poor attempt at humor.  Not that Rotor hadn't meant what he'd said... indeed, he hadn't been impressed.  His calm tone, however, coupled with exposed "sharpies"... well, this  Nobuo Azamura human male person had thought him errantly hostile, for some reason.  Responded by calling out a bigger show of "force" in counter to a simple joke.  As for "the one"...?  Well, being a "simple" construct of its master, the spider dart had no life to lose.  However, it did have access.  Shesh... not just Rotor's species, but his entire Layer universe... had been created by the Archives.  Planet-sized nano-cluster machines trillions of years old, survivors of a now long dead Layer that had ruptured into another... God Machines, made to record everything, and recreate it in the new universe.  Only thing is, they had created a Universe... rewritten an emergent Layer in Their Own Image.  A Layer of nano-tech life.........

This, of course, lead to Rotor's eventual birth and maturation, and to his arriving in this place at this time.  Under these circumstances.  Well, actually, the Nith were responsible for him not being Home with Afa and his family and his dauk.  But that is a story for another time and place....

So, this seemingly simple spider dart was the result of a multi-trillion-plus year old evolution of hypertechnology, far, far beyond this primative shuttle.  Six inches of Trinnium meant nothing.  However... those conduits did come in handy.  And this small bundle of nanotech linked with one conduit in particular, parsing through molecules like a stone dropped in water, only without a splash or a left-behind ripple of rings.  Rotor wanted to learn all he could, so his one lone servant did what it was told, and sought out knowledge within the shuttle's molecular structure.

Meanwhile...

... Rotor couldn't help but be impressed by Eyanis, by the way he'd changed.  The way he'd rid himself of those fake wings.  Impressed by Lyrial, as well.  Change.  A natural part of Life, to him.  A comfort, in a World that never seemed to change.  In a universe, a Layer, in all the Layers he'd so far traveled through.  Even Deep Forest had never really changed in any significant way.  Not like Home.  Not like Shon'tagash.  A deep breath and sigh in this newly scrubbed environment, a change also very welcomed.  Had Rotor been human, he might have cried.  Still, he did feel homesick in this moment, much more than usual...

...  "Lieutenant Commander Nobuo Azamura..."

Rotor bowed, and all his servants dropped off, to scuttle around gathering biogenetic samples of all the newly grown plantlife...

...  "I am Rotor, Hrar'ra'rah of Jagaw Dauk."

A gesture of one prime forelimb whipped slender interface cables out from underhide conduits, to gently snatch Terry out of harm's way, offering his back as a safe haven, if Terry wanted it.  Perhaps an odd action, given the humans most likely didn't see the gravling.  And a risk.  But, like Nay and Nak, he didn't worry about the guns, far as his own safety was concerned.  Being Hrar'ra'rah, he'd seen Terry's fear, and acted.  Hopefully, the humans would see his non-violent actions as a strange gesture, given it came at the same time as his formal greeting...

...  "One action, no matter how small, has the power to change the entire world.  One small touch starts the rockslide...."

[Anonymous]

Lyrial had not been paying attention to Eyanis when she had stepped foward to the newcomers.  But when she felt the unicorn against her arm and the power of the tear was the moment she glanced at him and smiled.  He no longer looked like a reject from a junk yard.  His wings were discarded, his hide clean and healthy.  His eyes were a nice green, and not that yucky color from earlier.  Lyrial couldn't help but smile some more, not from the fact that she had inadverntly healed the unicorn, but from the fact that he was now truely himself as he should be.  But her own attention went back to the newcomers.  She had obviously overreacted.  And she knew it.

But still, she had gave the human her full name and actuall title, and he still acted the way he was?  Did he not know respect?  What ever she figured, many humans have no respect for the gods or their avatars.  He would be forgiven.  But still, something nagged her, the Taiyou Empire?  Where had she heard that from before?  Than suddenly it dawned on her from where...and than there were questions about the empire from the others.  "The Taiyou Empire is a Human Empire that exists far far away.  Yes, there are more Humans in the universe than just Earth.  Unfortnuatly, the empire will be attacked by an evil god and his forces in about 5000 years.  Fortunatly, the good gods will send help to aid them.  But that is all I know.  Maybe LT. Commander Azamura would be so kind enough to explain more about his home?  And perhaps to put away his toys?  After all I doubt anyone here will attack anyone else.  In fact, I can guarantee that no one is going to attack anyone." Lyrial said, calmer, softer, smiling a warm smile.

She turned somewhat away to look more at the surrounding area.  And then holding out her hands much like before when she summoned the book (which was currently floating in the air near her), she summoned forth another black sphere, though sphere would hardly be correct in this instance.  In was long and not very tall.  But when it disappeared in her hands was a type of katana in its sheath.  Nothing special about how it looked besides the simple fact that near the top of the sheath was a symbol.  The Taiyou Empire symbol.  How could she have forgoten so soon about that little adventure?  She was part of the forces sent to help the empire out.  And she was given the sword as a sign of eternal friendship and gratitude for the help from the Taiyou Empire.  She had even got her brother to help train her how to use a katana.  She was still very much an amateur with the sword, unlike her brother, who knew every single combat style known.

As for the stranger, he had begin eating some popcorn...perhaps expecting a fight...

[Anonymous]

Confusion would be the culprit that played across the faces of the soldiers as they looked to eachother, then back to Lt. Cmdr. Azamura. First his attention would be directed to Rotor, a slight bow. And a grasp of the forelimb. "It is a pleasure to meet you." He would say, offering a reassuring smile, with that his assault rifle was slung over his shoulder at ease. His soldiers looking to him, then following suit as he waved them into the shuttle, with a hiss, and a clunk, it's cabin door opened up to allow them inside. Then his attention would be directed to Lyrial. "You seem to know quite a bit about us.. and that Katana looks like it's forged with a.. Trinnium-Carbon alloy.. if I'm not mistaken.. that alloy is forged exclusively on Niihama.. where did you come across it." He said, curiously then when asked to explain where he was from, he would oblige.

"I come from the planet Niihama, capitol world of the Empire, that expands roughly fifty other habitable worlds, and a few hundred moons and asteroids, we're part of a coalition of nations far beyond this system, which is considered backwater by our standards." He explained, pausing only a moment to draw breath. "Niihama is a metropolis, half of the planet is covered in a multi-layer city that stretches high into the sky, the other half is dotted with various cities, Niihama City being the oldest and obviously more populous." He explained, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, taking a brief drag from it. "I'm part of the 6th Recon Fleet.. the Kaze no Tani in orbit is the flagship, we were sent to investigate strange anomalies in this area.. most notable being Mana energies that seem to coarse through this world.. as I have witnessed just now." He explained, finally closing his explanation. "And yes, we're human, transplanted millions of years ago.. from this world actually.. by an ancient and powerful race, the first evolution of humanity.. of course, every human in existence now is the second evolution, all this is probably beyond your comprehension."

There was one thing about the Taiyou, and it was their belief, or lack thereof, a decadent and technocratic society, a place where the line between man and machine, is obscenely blurred..

[Anonymous]

Eyanis enjoyed the wind that fingered through his clean, white mane. His skin flinched as Nakéminae's cry surprised him, and he bent his neck quickly around to meet her as she came to his side. Old instincts of danger flaring momentarily at her sudden motion before he registered fully that she meant only to help. He stood still as she touched his skin, though it flinched again under her hand. He made a noise sounding like he was clearing his throat though it was a friendly gesture made by horses. He hadn't seen a horse in some time, but he never forgets...

"They were unnatural. My body was rejecting them. I simply hurried along the process."

He presses his nose gently against her shoulder, his horn like a twisting, straight branch of a dark-wooded tree pointed safely away from her.

With a contented flick of his tail, he turned his gaze onto Rotor as he spoke. An ear flicked almost nonchalantly towards the creature, the other hovering around his environment. Every brush of wind on the grass was a sound he could not tire of hearing. A hind limb tipped onto the tips of its cloven hoof, resting while the other three took his weight. Relaxation.. how long had it been?

"One drop of rain, though it falls in an ocean, still makes a ripple.."

He'd heard it somewhere. It just seemed to fit in so well to Rotor's words. It was all too true.

Normally he might have subtley bristled at Lyrial's words. No one could guarantee that he wouldn't do anything. But she had done him a good turn, however inadvertantly. He was resigned to respect her. Curious, he watched her summon the weapon, accustomed now to the black sphere which had preceded it.