"In the old times, there was a race of beings that dwelled in the sky. These beings were so powerful, that they were considered to be men made gods. They were known as the Sky Gods."
The old Shaman peered into the flames in the center of his hut. "The Sky Gods were possessed of many marvels, and could do wondrous things. But their greatest creation was the Gildragon, a creature of immense power. Gildragon was created to protect the world and watch over it, ensuring that it would be forever safe from harm."
"But, in their arrogance, the Sky Gods made a terrible mistake. In creating Gildragon, they accidentally awoke his father, Gilvader, from his eternal slumber." He indicated to a pair of shapes painted on a leather hide, both of near identical winged creatures. One of them was white, blue and gold, the other black, red and purple. "Gilvader was a terrible creature of earth and fire, one that lived solely for destruction. When he awoke, Gilvader saw the new world around him and proceeded to lay waste to it as he had done to the old one before."
"Gilvader's rampage could not be stopped; no power on the planet could prevent him from burning it into ash. No power, that is, save for Gildragon. The Sky Gods sent Gildragon to fight his father and save the world from him. The two of them clashed in an epic battle that would determine the fate of the world."
"And what happened then?" The anthropologist asked, looking up from his notebook.
"Some say that Gildragon won, and sent Gilvader plummeting to the depths of the earth from which he had came. But, as a final defiant act, Gilvader threw himself into the world, and caused the Great Cataclysm that made this world of today." The shaman sighed. "Other say that Gilvader triumphed, and reigned down fire on the world, wiping it clean until we began anew."
"So what do you believe happened?" The Anthropologist spoke up, entranced.
"I believe that it'll cost you another twenty moneys for me to finish." The shaman finished with a wry grin.
oOoOo
Genesisbunnies, Chapter 1
PILOT
oOoOo
A shape flitted through the darkened woods, its form silent and elusive despite its considerable bulk. The machine simply seemed to melt into the shadows between the trees, passing like some form of ghost or spirit more then a gigantic metal animal.
Inside the cockpit of the graceful beast, the pilot watched the lands around her. Despite the deepness and the darkness that surrounded her, she knew this place intimately; knew every rock, every tree. This place was he true home, one that she had been forcibly taken from so many years ago.
It was a place she would return to soon, oh so soon...
oOoOo
The process of restoring a Zoid to operational condition was a long and complicated one. Despite what some people would have you believe, it was not just simply a matter of force-feeding it some red glop and letting it go. There was a lot, lot more involved with it. The joints needed to be checked to ensure that none of them were crusted up or badly damaged; the weapons systems had to be similarly inspected to see if they would even function. The controls needed to be tested to see if the Zoid would actually respond to an owner, and, most importantly, if it would even run and all. And the remains of its last pilot often needed to be removed.
But the first step was to clean it.
Zoids that had spent millennia under the ocean or buried in the earth or wherever else they had been needed to be cleaned off so all the vital restoration work could begin. Dirt, sand, soil, leaf little, barnacles, mud, bird poop and whatever else had to be removed in order to access the machine to see if it would work, repair its systems, extract its dead former owner and then (and only then) stick red glop into it.
It was a thankless job. But somebody ended up doing it.
"I don't get it." Rex began as he scraped another mass of barnacles off thee side of the Zoid's head. "Why do we have to clear the big one off first?"
"Because the boss said we have to clear it off first." Joe, his long-suffering fellow Zoid cleaner replied. "And that's why."
"Yeah, but... Why did he get a Beeshooter up his arse about this one?" Rex continued, regardless. "I mean, why this one big Zoid that needs to be cleaned right here and right now?"
"Because he's the boss and that's what he wants." Joe sighed again. "Now get to it. I want you to start on the tail; the stuff looks extra thick down there."
"Whatever." Rex muttered as he scampered down to the Zoid's back, near the base of its tail. As he clambered down, he could see that this particular machine had a fair deal of stuff hanging off its back. He'd spotted something at the base of its neck that he figured was a cluster of guns, which were mounted above some sort of circular indentation. He could only begin to guess what that was for.
He didn't recongise the specific model of Zoid, but he knew its type; the big bipedal thunder lizards that were hell to clean off. He was never very fond of them. And even though he knew that he was getting paid for it... it didn't really help any. The fact that his boss was being a tool didn't help any.
Tall and lanky, with blue eyes long blond hair, he didn't look the part of someone who would be scraping off a Zoid. Piloting a Zoid, yes, but scraping it off, no. He always figured that he should be off having adventures and doing cool stuff, rather then hanging off the side of a Zoid and trying to de-gunk it. Still...
He spied a place on the back where the original red finish was showing through. Sighing, he walked over to it, using it as a start point for his scraper work. He began to work at the encrusted mess of gunk, slowly peeling it away to reveal some of what was below it. In this case, it was a large red panel with battered white writing on it. He'd seen lots of stuff on various Zoids he'd scraped, usually stuff about "outer wing hoist fittings" and "static discharge vents."
"Hey Joe!" He called out as he scraped more away. "What do you think EZ-021 means?"
"It means that its not going to be 'EZ' to clean unless you get to it!" He snapped. "Now keep working!"
"Right away." He finished and sighed as he went back to work. This sort of thing seemed to happen all the time; he'd make some interesting discovery and then end up being shouted at and going back to polishing the Zoid. What irritated him was that was all he ever did.
Rex liked Zoids. He liked Zoid technology and was fascinated by the way they worked. It wasn't just that they were absolute technological marvels that fascinated him, however. It was because they were the only remaining link to the Time Before that still existed in the world. While there were lots of ruins, yes, not much actual viable technology existed anymore. But yet the Zoids, their greatest achievement, had survived. The people who piloted them were fortunate enough to be able to wield the technology of the ancients.
That why he'd taken this job as a Zoid technician. He wanted to be a part of the process that was used to revive these machines and bring them back to life. And when somebody offered him a job, well, he leaped at it. Only he didn't realise that the job would be to scrape muck off Zoids and, well, not much else. The instant the scraping was done and the real work began, he was sent off to find something else to clean.
He muttered to himself and went back to scraping. Only a few zillion more hours, he figured, And we'll have this guy cleaned. He slowly worked his way down the Zoid's tail, scraping off more muck to reveal the blood red paint underneath it. Still got no idea why they want this one done first, though. Couldn't it be the smaller Zoid that's the rush job?
oOoOo
Shanna Giant Zrk strode confidently through the jungle with the other warriors of her trabe, travelling alongside one of their sacred Zoids as it headed towards the Place Of Battle. Like the other warriors of the trabe, she was dressed in hand-made leathers, crafted from whatever could be taken from the horrible beasts that dwelt in the jungle. Like many of her fellow warriors, she was tall and muscular. Unlike her fellows, however, she was a woman.
The only female warrior in the trabe, Shanna had been honoured with the position simply because she was so tall and rather intimidating. With her long russet hair and attractive face, she could have easily been a rather pleasant young lady, if she was maybe a foot shorter. Instead, clad in her trabal leathers, with blue war paint on her face and arms and carrying a massive two-handed sword, she was considered to be one of the trabe's toughest warriors. So much so that virtually everyone in the trabe was afraid of her. This was something that she didn't understand. She was nice most of the time, and friendly to most everyone.
Shrugging to herself, Shanna resumed her march. Of all the warriors in the trabe, only two of them weren't walking. Morrigan Serpent, the trabe's designated champion, was piloting their Hebby Rhimos into battle, and would be representing them all. Hopefully, if all went well, he would be the only man to fight today. His job would be to meet the other trabe's champion in combat and defeat them. Then, if both trabes were in agreement, it would end there and they could all go back home.
If not, then everyone would fight.
To officiate the battle, Darshad Namer, the trabe's high priest, would be witnessing it. After the battle was over, he would judge it according to the ancient Lore to see that all went good and proper. As the high priest, he was entitled to travel to the battlefield in the Hebby Rhimos' high chair, the small secondary seat concealed within the Zoid's back. (Shanna had always suspected that the chair was meant to do more then just be a way to cart around priests and other people, but she still didn't know what.)
The procession reached the battlefield, an ancient and sacred place in the heart of the jungle. An enormous stone ovoid, it was an imposing ruin of the Old Times before the Great Cataclysm. According to the priests, Zoids used to do battle here millennia ago before the End Times came about. By having their ritual battles here, the Trabe were honouring their ancestors. The procession entered the arena, and then stopped, looking out at the empty field.
"Where are they?" Shanna began. "Are they not coming?"
"Maybe they are just late." Another warrior began. "They often are."
"Maybe their Shaman just ate the wrong herb and is having visions." A third laughed.
Shanna nodded. She could never understand the shamans that lead ancient enemies. Their belief in invisible spirits that dwelt in every object around them was rather silly to her mind, especially when they went on their rants about the earth being alive.
"I heard that the priest prayed all night to the Sky Gods for a good victory." A warrior spoke up.
Now super powerful beings that dwelt above the skies where nobody could see them? That was a sensible belief.
The Priest joined the gathering of warriors by the Zoid's feet. "Silence!" He called out, his ceremonial hood back to reveal his aged features and long beard. "Silence! This is a sacred place! This is the arena of Heroic Combat! Still your idle tongues and show respect, less the Sky Gods strike you down for your impudence!" As one, the Trabe's warriors bowed their heads and muttered an apology.
A loud clanking noise interrupted their reverence as a second Zoid entered the arena, a group of warriors around its base. Unlike their Hebby Rhimos, which sported rather simple trabal markings to signify its power, the other trabe's Bearfighter sported a lot more decoration. Much of its body was covered in jagged red patches of paint, meant to emphasise its strength. Animal skulls were arranged on top of its canopy and on its shoulders, while spears decorated other parts of its body. The warriors around it were similarly adorned; unlike their own trabe with their simple leathers, their opponents preferred to go bare cheated and wear animal skins on their heads and shoulders.
A single member of the other trabe, a middle-aged man dressed in a long cloak and carrying a rams-head staff stepped forward to the center of the arena. Dashard Namer joined him, the pair of them facing off. "Morrigan Serpent of the Spiral Mountain Trabe!" Dashard called out. "Are you ready?"
"I am!" he shouted back form the Rhimos.
"Ugh Witwicky of the Clan of the Cave Bearfighter!" The shaman called out. "Are you ready?"
"Me am!" The Bearfighter's pilot called out.
"Morrigan Serpent versus Ugh Witwicky!" They both began, intoning the ceremonial chant of battle. "Both contestants confirmed! Arena confirmed! Contestants ready… fight!" The pair of them then sprinted out of the way as the two Zoids went into action.
The Bearfighter roared and reared up onto its hind legs, charging forwards. In reply, the Hebby Rhimos lowered its head and charged towards its opponent, its drill-like horn spinning. Shanna held her breath with anticipation at the inevitable clash; a battle such as this would be one to remember. Both champions were amongst the strongest men in their trabes; both were masters of their Zoids who knew every inch of their capabilities. And while she had faith in Morrigan, she knew that it would not be easy for him to triumph.
She herself had learned how to pilot the Zoids, the sacred machines that were the guardians of the Trabe. However, she had never had the chance to use one in battle. She knew that someday her day would come where she would represent her people in Heroic Combat. Until then, she could but hope.
The Bearfighter lunged forwards to strike, but instead slipped over in the mud that coated the arena floor. As it had rained just the previous night, the ground was both slippery and trecherous. The Zoid stumbled, then fell flat on its back, its momentum causing it to skid forwards. Seeing the enemy Zoid spiral out of control, Morrigan tried to bring his own machine around to avoid the battle. Instead, the Rhimos skidded, then slipped over onto its side. The two Zoids came together with a titanic crash, the Rhimos rolling over and flopping down onto the Bearfighter's body.
There was a long silence, punctuated only by the cackle of a lone kookaburra.
"Um, want to call it a day?" Dashade Namer began.
"Yeah, right." The Shaman replied. "What do you reckon?"
"Well... the Rhimos is on top of the Bearfighter." He observed, pointing to the two Zoids. The Hebby Rhimos' feet were wiggling ineffectually in the air from where it lay.
"Fair enough."
Drashade stepped forwards. "The battle is over!" He announced. "The winner is Morrigan Serpent from the Spiral Mountain Trabe!"
"That was... interesting." Shanna spoke up. Nobody bothered to tell her to be quiet. They were all lost for words.
oOoOo
It was a quiet and peaceful day in the village. The sun was shining down on the men and women toiling n the fields, harvesting the crops so that they would have plenty to eat in the long, cold winter to come. Men and women went around their daily business in the village proper, talking while trading or cooking or taking part in their normal, mundane lives. Small children ran in amongst them, laughing and happily playing in the sunshine.
It couldn't last.
A pair of long shadows fell over the village as a pair of Zoids approached. The two Command Wolf LCs towered over most everything else in the village, giving theism an air of invincibility that their pilots clearly reveled in. Their desert-tan paint was chipped and battered, and both machines showed considerable wear. Yet, at the same time, they were both clearly more powerful then anything in the village.
"All right you primitive screwheads, listen up!" The pilot of one of the Command Wolves began. "You've got two choices here. You can either hand us over all your food and any valuables you have, or we can burn this pathetic little mudhole to the ground."
"And he means it too." The other pilot added. "You don't want to mess with us. We will do it!"
An old man stepped forwards, looking up at the two Zoids. "Go away now!" he shouted, waving his walking stick at one of the Zoids. "We don't want your kind here! Go away or you will be sorry!"
"Hey, old man!" One of the pilots called out. "Shut up and go away! Nobody tells us what to do!"
"Yeah, you're giving us sass!" The second added.
"We oughta crush you for that!"
"Yeah! Crush him! That'll teach him to give you sass!"
"I mean it!" The old man called out. "Go away if you value your lives!"
"Ooh, now the old fart's threatening us!" The pilot called out. "I'm scared! I'm so very scared! What are you gonna do old man? You gonna get caught in my Zoid's foot? Gonna gum up the works? Or are you gonna beat my Zoid with your stick? Huh?"
"Yeah! Whatcha gonna do, pops?" The second continued.
"You'll be sorry!" The man said as he turned and walked off. "You'll wish you had left!"
"Not so tough, are you?" He began. "Yeah, old man, I'm talking to you! You're all talk, aren't ya? You act big, but you're just another scared little peasant!"
While the Wolf pilot had been so intent on calling out the man, he hadn't noticed another two heading into the large barn in the center of the town. This was a mistake he would regret for the rest of his life... which turned out to only be a few seconds anyway.
There was a thunderous roar as a pair of cannons discharged, followed by a loud explosion as a pair of shells slammed straight into the Command Wolf's cockpit, instantly killing the pilot and disabling the machine. The Command Wolf tottered, then keeled over, crashing to the ground on its side.
"What the?" The second pilot called out, then turned to the source of the attack. Standing in the middle of the town, just outside what should have been their main barn, was a dull green Cannonfort, the two cannons on its back turret smoking. On the side of the turret was the insignia of the Big Town Defenders, the most powerful military force in the region.
"Yes!" One of the Cannonfort's pilots called out. "Right between the eyes."
"Ayup." The other one slowly replied. "Nice shootin' there, Jeb."
"So what now sarge?"
"We blast the other one, Jeb." Sarge slowly repined. "Ayup, looks like that's the plan."
The two back cannons, as well as the twin horn cannons fired, the shots blasting into the sides of the Command Wolf, tearing apart the armour over its shoulder. The Zoid staggered back, then collapsed as its damaged leg snapped off the body. As soon as the Zoid had hit the ground, the canopy opened. The pilot stood up, his hands in the air.
"Don't shoot! I surrender, really! I'm sorry about that whole sass thing, really!"
"Looks like our job here's done, Jeb." Sarge drawled as he watched the angry old man walk towards the Wolf's pilot. He was a young man, clad in tattered leathers. The old man shouted something at him, then clipped him over the head with his walking stick. "Ayup...wait a minute."
"What is it, Sarge?"
"Looks like we got ourselves another Zoid coming." Sarge replied. "Ayup. Definitely another one. Big one too."
"Well then let's go to it, Sarge!" Jeb called out, the Cannonfort's turret traversing to face the newcomer. "As soon as I see him, I should blast him to pieces! yeah!"
"Sounds like a good idea to me, Jeb. Ayup." Sarge drawled, then checked his sensors again. "Hold up, you might wanna wait there a minute, Jeb. Not sure if this one's hostile or not."
The pair of them, as well as the people of the village who weren't poking the Wolf pilot with sticks, turned to face the newcomer. It was a Koenig Wolf, a larger relative of the two Zoids that were sprawled across the village's square. Unlike the other two Wolves however, this one looked to be in far better condition then the other two. It was a brilliant blue colour, its paint clean from any damage or wear save for the dirt around its feet. It also sported a silver trim around the cockpit that served to highlight its eyes and futures; one line passed across one eye in imitation of a scar. The Zoid's structure as well as its weapons were flat black, while the gyrocaps were a light orange-tan colour.
The Zoid's cockpit opened, the universal symbol of a pilot who wished to parlay or, at least, was an idiot. The pilot stood, her long, midnight-black hair flowing out behind her in contrast to her delicate, pale white features. Her form was slender, yet spoke of a hidden inner strength that went beyond just physical appearance. Her face was soft, with features that would belong on a goddess, save for the single scar that marred her milky-white skin and crossed one of her her brilliant golden eyes that shone with an inner intensity. The female pilot was dressed in a form-fitting crimson shirt as well as a thick black cloak that covered most of her form. However, a pair of Katanas were visible by her side.
"Greetings, people of Muckwaller." She began. "I am Mirar Kurokami, the famous freedom fighter. I have come here today to free you from your oppression!"
"Who in the heck is that, Sarge?" Jeb began.
"I have no idea." Sarge eventually replied.
"Well, we've already dealt with those young whippersnappers in the Wolves!" The old man snapped. "So you can just push off!" This elicited a few cheers from the gathered crowd, as well as a nod from the imperiled Command Wolf pilot.
"I speak not of these base marauders that plague your lands, but of the greater threat." Mirar continued. "I have come to free your village form the iron grip of Big Town and its tyrannical ruler, the evil king Freddie Cromarte."
"Well why would we want that?" The old man snapped. "We like Freddie." This elected another round of cheers from the crowd, and some more whimpering.
"But can't you see how he's enslaved you?" She began. "See how you toil endlessly in the field,s instead of being free to feast on natures bounty."
"Well, it means that we have enough food so that we don't all starve to death in the winter." Somebody else spoke up.
"And that we don't get mauled by wild dingoes while scavenging for fungus!" Another villager added.
"I was attacked by a feral turnip once!" A third added. "I like the fields, they're safe!"
But can't you see how his troops grind you under their iron heels?" She asked, indicating to the Cannonfort.
"That Zoid's saved us from attacks several times." A villager spoke up. "Until Freddie assigned it to protect us, we were constantly being raided by outlaws and marauders with Zoids and stuff!"
"And by mutant gerwalk bikers!" Another added.
"And feral turnips!"
"But don't you see how he is destroying your traditional lives?" She pleaded.
"Freddie Cromarte gave us an education!"
"He gave us plumbing!"
"He gave us security against the turnips!"
"Freddie Cromarte is the greatest man who ever lived!" Another villager called out.
"He's given us peace, security, agriculture, a reliable food supply, sanitation and education." The old man finished.
"And safety from turnips!"
"Why would we want to be free from him?"
"Because..." Mirar paused, as if she wasn't expecting this. "Because, um... He's... oppressing you? He's... destroying your traditional lifestyle?"
"Maybe you should think this over." The old man finished. "And come back later."
"Yeah." Mirar nodded. "Um, sure. Thanks." She sat down and closed the cockpit of her Zoid. The machine turned around and wandered off, its pilot clearly confused as to what was going on.
"Well that was strange." Somebody spoke up.
"Kids these days." The old man muttered. "They're all either running off in Zoids to conquer the world or to save it without stopping to think about the good things like plumbing and loo paper." He sighed.
oOoOo
Shanna stood in the middle of the square, feeling as if the eyes of the entire village were on her. In fact, they were; apart from those officials who needed to be here for the ceremony, virtually everyone had come to watch. Very few interesting things happened day to day in Spiral Mountain village, which meant that any sort of gathering would attract lots of attention.
High Priest Drashade Namer, as well as chief Oume Zoidzilla were present, as well as her husband, Kehruem Giant Zrk. In fact, he was the whole reason why she was here, and why she had asked for this important meeting.
"Shanna Giant Zrk." Zoidzilla began. "You have requested a meeting of the village elders for a serious matter. Know that this is not for trivial concerns. If your grievance is such, then leave now."
"My matter is a serious one, Chief Zoidzilla." She replied.
"Then speak, child." Namer spoke up. "Air your concerns."
"I wish to get a divorce form my husband, Kehruem Giant Zrk." She spoke up.
There was a sudden round of whispers from the gathered crowd. "This is a most serious matter." Drashade replied, shaking his head. 'Divorce is not to be entered into lightly, especially not amongst our strongest warriors." Which was an understatement. It had taken Sahnna's family a long time to get her married off; it turned out that a lot of the men in the village were actually afraid of a woman who was bigger and stronger then they were.
"I understand that, Priest Namer." She nodded. "But I feel that I have grounds for my case."
"Then speak."
She shuffled her feet a bit, looking down as if suddenly self-conscious. "Well, um... my husband... hasn't been performing his husbandly duties."
"How so?" Drashade asked. "Has he not been hunting and providing fresh meat for you?"
"No, well... its not that. In fact, he's a great hunter."
"Then has he been neglecting you and not spending Quality Time together?" Drashde asked. Not spending Quality Time with one's partner was a severe offense. The Ancient lore spoke heavily of Quality Time.
"No, its not that sort of a husbandly duty." She explained. "The other sort."
"Oh you mean-" he paused, then looked at Drashade. The pair of them nodded, then turned back to her. "Riiiiight."
"Can you, uh, explain the situation?" Drashade asked.
"He's said he had a headache." She explained.
"On your wedding night?"
"For the entire last six months." She finished.
Drashade turned to Kehruem. "Kehruem Giant Zrk. Your wife has made a severe accusation against you. Are these claims true?"
"Well... yes." He admitted.
Shanna turned to him. "You never had any intention of... well... you know... with me, did you?"
"Well... no." He muttered.
"So then, why did you marry her?" Zoidzilla asked. It had taken a lot of hard work to get Shanna married off. Her father had been a friend of his and he felt that it was the least he could do for the man to see his daughter married to a good family. But when everybody suddenly ran off screaming in terror at the thought, it made the process rather difficult. Of course, if she got a divorce, then that would only complicate matters even further.
"Well..." He paused. "Being honest? I was hoping she'd introduce me to her brother."
"I see." Zoidzilla nodded. Shawn Redhorn was generally considered to be the best looking man in the trabe and had a queue of women trying to marry him. That he usually worked bare-chested didn't hurt matters. Still, it was the first time he'd heard of such a case. "And you had no intention of, well... you know."
"Don't get me wrong." Kehruem began. "She's most of what I want in a partner. Big, strong, muscular... just... not quite right."
Drashade shook his head, quietly cursing the Sky Gods for bringing this case before him. Couldn't a rock have hit Kehruem on the head and saved them all the bother. "Very well then!" He shouted out. "Shanna Redhorn, I now pronounce you officially divorced!"
She blinked for a moment, then realised that he had given her original family name back. "Thank you, High Priest."
"Kehruem Giant Zrk! For your deceit of this woman, you will be forced to give up your position as Trabal Zoid warrior until I say so. Shanna will be rewarded your Zoid to use for the Trabe's benefit! Furthermore, you are to be demoted to pig mucker until I say otherwise!"
"Aww, poop." He shrugged. "I mean, I accept your judgment, Elder."
"I have spoken! Let all who are here bear witness to these events!" Namer finished.
There was a small murmur from the crowd as Kehruem slinked off. "Now, young Shanna." The Cheif began as he stepped down form his official chiefly platform. "There is still one matter we must attend to."
"Yes, sir?" She asked.
"I promised your father that I would find you a good husband." The chief continued. "And, as you know, there are none in the village who are, well, up to the task."
"I understand, sir."
"So I am tasking you to carry on the proud tradition of your strong and mighty family." He continued. "You are to go out into the world and find a husband who is, um, equal to your stature. And then, when you have found such a man - and not before - you will; return here with him. You are a mighty warrior, Shanna. Prove to us just how mighty you are."
"I will not fail you, Chief." She finished, bowing before him.
"Go now, child. And may the Blessings of the Sky Gods be with you." Namer added.
Shanna stood and nodded to both of them. "I shall need to pack, but I will leave as soon as I can. Thank you both for giving me this great opportunity. I will prove not only my own strength but also the strength of our Trabe." She bowed, then ran off to her hut.
"I will be so damned happy when she's gone." Zoidzilla muttered.
"Me too, brother. Me too." Namer added.
oOoOo
"Okay, I'm done here!" Joe called out from the top of the Zoid's head. "How's it looking from down that end?"
"This thing's tail is fricking enourmous." Rex shouted back, standing on one of several blood red panels. "It fricking well goes on forever!"
"Right, well maybre if you'd spent less time complaining and more time cleaning then you'd be done allready." Joe added with a smirk. "At any rate, I'm off to get lunch. Join me when you're done."
"When I'm done..." Rex muttered. "Sure... probably just beofre the second coming of the Sky Gods I'll be done." he continued as he went back to scraping the thick muck off the Zoid's tail. While he was near the tip of it, there was a large protrusion that demanded his attention and would probably give him no end of grief. "Damn it."
He watched Joe walk past, stepping out of their main workshed and heading towards the break room. Thier Work Camp was a rather simple construction, consisting of a pair of buildings both made of a combination of wood, mud walls and whatever else was too slow to get away. The Zoid Workshop was easily the larger of the two, towering over everything else around it. It had been built to accomiade even the largest of Zoids, and even titans like the big red machine they were currently working on could fit inside it. As a way of easing hteir accmidation, it only had three walls, and an open front that the Zoids could enter and leave via.
The second building was thier far smaller break room. A combination of mess hall, sleeping quarters and anything else they needed it for, it was the social hub of the operation - quite an acheivment, given that the permanent staff consisted of a pair of men who spent most of their time complaining at each other. Its only other real function was to house anyone who may visit, such as the Boss or the boss's clients when thy came to visit and look over anything that may be being restored at the time.
Oh, and there also was an outhouse. But that was the limit of it.
"Don't you dare take the last ham roll like you did last week!" Rex yelled out as he continued to scrape away at the Zoid's tail.
"Yeah, yeah... Stop being such a grumpy tool allready." Came the only reply.
Rex continued working for a moment, but paused as he heard somehting else. It sounded like a Zoid walking, or maybe a pair of them. Whatever it (or they) were, they didn't sound too large or fast. It was odd, because the boss wasn't due by until later, and they rarely got any visitors out here, what with being on the side of a road on the edge of a jungle miles form anywhere else. He considered checking it out, but then figured that he wouldn't get any lunch until it was done. Sighing to himself, he got back to work.
As he continued to scrape, however, he could hear someone shouting outside. Or at least, that's what he thought it was at first. In fact, it sounded more like someone shouting, while someone else was yelling over a megaphone. "Your boss is late, mate." One voice began, sounding a little slurred with an odd accent.
"Come on!" Joe called back. "I've got nothing to do with this."
"Not my problem. We've got to send a message, mate."
"Yeah, one he'll get." A third voice added.
"And, well, you're the best option, mate." The first voice finished. "It's nothing personal. We're just biusinessmen ourselves, really."
"Wait!" Joe called out. "Stop... don't!"
And then there was a soun of weapons fire, a high-pitched, continious stream of it. Rex had heard Zoid weapons plenty of times before; he'd been involved in enough testing of Zoids to know that it sounded lke a rapid fire beam cannon or two, probably pumpimng hundreds of rounds out. The sound continued for maybe a minute, then stopped, ending with a slowly deepining whine. Then, after a few more seconds, the sound of the Zoids leaving.
It was only then that Rex dared to move. He'd ben standing in place for a minute, barely daring to breathe in case he bought down whatever was happoening on himself. Dropping his scraper, he leaped down off the Zoid's tail, dashing outside to see wat was going on.
Glancing around, he could see no sign of the attackers. Somehting else, however, was more immediate and urgent looking. The break room had been demolished, apprently shot to peices. The only thing still standing was the front door, rather incrediulously standign there in its frame, a fragment of wall aorund it. Joe was pressed up aginst it, a look of pure terror on his face.
"What... what happened here?" Rex asked.
"Zoids..." Joe managed to gasp out. "Desotryed... break room..."
"You okay?"
"Fine..." He continued. "Except... for pants..."
Rex glanced down. "Bu... why? Why did they deostry our break room?"
"No... idea... wanted to... speak to boss..."
Rex turned, looking over the wreckage that had been his lunch. "Those bastards." He snarle,d the anger welling up inside him. "I should make them pay for this!"
Joe swallowed loudly. "Rex, wait! Thoise guys... they had..."
"Never mind that!" He yelled as he ran back to the Workshop. "I'm going to make them pay."
As he ran inside, he looked aound for a Zoid that he could use. Besiudes Big Red, there were several others that were still muck-encrusted messes that needed work. That left only one other Zoid that he could use, a recently restored (But awaiting delivery) brown and tan Houndsoldier.
Grabbing a supply pack off the wall and leaping into the cockpit, he quickly went over the activation sequence for the Zoid, poewring it up and checking over its newly restored systems as they came on. He snarled with atnicipation as the Zoid reached allmost full power.. then slumped as it suddenly powered off. He angrily bashed thre console out of anger and frustration, which cuased the Zoid to suddenly reactivate.
"All right then!" He called out. "I'm mad as all hell, and I'm not goign to take it any moree!" The Houndsolder barked loudly, as if to underscore his statement.
"Rex, wait!" Joe called out.
"Sorry, buddy, but I have to do this." He continued. "I'm sick of being pushed around all the time. Those guys trashed my lunchroom and doesotryed my ham roll, so I'm going to give them a peice of my mind!" The Zoid stepped out of the hanger, its feet squelching in the mud as it reached the main road. "And you're not going to stop me."
"But Rex"
"Can it, Joe. Nothing's gonna hold me back this time!" The Hounssoldier turned, and ran off down the muddy track, snarling as it bgroke into a sprint.
"But Rex..." Joe finiushed, then sighed as the Zoid vanished from his line of sight. "They went the other way..."
oOoOo
Big Town's name was a surprisingly appropriate one, and almost unusual in this day and age. It was, simply put, the biggest town in the region, bigger then anything else around it by a significant degree. Built over the ruins of an enchant, pre-cataclysm city, it had grown in the last few decades. Big Town dominated all around it; it was a centre of commerce and learning, a hub for numerous trade routes and had grown to control a number of other communities around it. And it was all thanks to one man.
Freddie Cromarte, the king of Big Town, was relaxing in his private study, a glass of wine at hand. It was a fine drink, a Château Wagga Wagga red, grown on one of several vineyards that Big Town now controlled. He was taking a small break from his work, allowing himself a brief relaxation before going back to his studies of pre-cataclysm lore.
A large man, Freddie sported thick black hair and a black moustache that dominated his face. His eyes were small, and his features heavyset. At the moment, he was dressed in his typical attire, a military uniform he had designed himself based on his own research of pre-cataclysm times. It was taken from general's uniform of what his research called the Zenepith Empire, some ancient organisation about which he had found very little else. He'd added his own touches, chiefly shoulder epaulets, mainly to give it a greater feeling of authority.
Freddie liked Authority. He was a firm believer in absolute rule and absolute power. His thoughts were simply that absolute power would give him the chance to remold society into his own ideal of what it should be. Unlike many people who saw the Old Times as some mythical age, he knew something of it. he wanted to recapture that age, tone of science and reason, and elevate his people towards it. He would bring humanity out of the mud, and let them reclaim the world that was.
And he would rule it.
It was a simple dream, one that he simply wanted to share with everyone else. But yet, it was so difficult.
He turned back to the book he was studying, reading the ancient, scarred pages.
The entrance to this continent is the crowd of the pillar of the enormous stone which is called "the gate of brassiere D gate bloodshed". It was unfolded with this gate, many swaying, in the sense, gate which dyes to the blood which is let flow.
When "the gate of bloodshed" is passed through, that first the bottom there is no swamp spreading, when "the scream of God cry God"
Freddie shook his head. The language had changed so much over the centuries as to make these ancient works almost unreadable. But he had to try.
A knock on his door interrupted his study. He sighed, then sat back in his chair. "What is it?" He began.
"I have some news for you, sir." He began. "There's been another sighting of... her."
"Enter." He replied, standing to look out over his balcony as one of his aides entered. "What happened?" He asked without looking at the man.
"Two days ago, a pair of roving bandits attacked Muckwaller, a small town on the outskirts of the protectorate." he began.
"I know of Muckwaller. Its one of my greatest success stories." He swilled his wine in the glass. "Did you know that in the past five years, there has not been a single feral turnip attack in that village? And before that, they lost at least one person a year with several others wounded."
"Most impressive, sir."
"So what happened then?"
"Both Zoids were dispatched by the local security force with no casualties amongst them or the civilians. One of the pilots was captured alive; he's unharmed save for being prodded with sticks." He paused.
"What Zoids did they use?"
"Command Wolf LCs, sir. Both have been tagged for salvage and restoration."
Another pair of Command Wolves. He shouldn't complain, as more Zoids were useful to his cause. Still, a bit of diversity would be nice... and there were a lot more capable Zoids out there then Command Wolves. On the other hand, it meant two more malignant parasites removed form the equation. "So what happened then? You say... she appeared."
"Yes." The aide continued. "She announced to the village that she had come to liberate them form your control Fortunately, the locals decided that they did not wish to be liberated and instead preferred your security and infrastructure to their traditional lifestyle."
"A good plan. I knew that all my work on them would pay off." He paused for a second. "What happened after that?"
"She left, but the implication was that she would return. The local defenders chose not to pursue, as they felt that their Zoid was not up to matching hers."
"I understand." He shook his head. "She has a powerful machine. However, her position is... confused to say the least."
"I do not understand, sir."
"She believes that I am wrong to try to raise humanity out of the mud and to restore the glory of the old times." He explained. "To her, my ideals are alien. She wants a return to the old order, the old ways of thinking. To her, freedom is being terrorised by marauders, scrounging for food and being mauled by feral turnips."
He looked down at Big Town, spread out below him. Smoke billowed up form numerous forges and chimneys, indicative of a city hard at work at modernising itself. "We are on the verge of full-scale industrialisation." He began. "From here, we can move on to greater things. I know that we can create a new, better world. If only she understood."
"Your orders, sir?"
"Have the garrison at Muckwaller reinforced in case she does return." He finished. "I will not let her stand in the way of progress any longer."
oOoOo
The Houndsoldier slowly plodded down the jungle track, its head hung low as it walked along. Inside the cockpit, Rex quietly fumed at himself as he examined the situation. Not only had he managed to loose the trail of the Zoid (or Zoids) he was chasing, he also knew that he was heading further and furhter away from civilisation and deeper into the jungle. Around him he could see nothing but thick jungle foliage, punctuated only by the odd ruined structure jutting out from the greenery.
"Damn it..." He muttered to himself. "Where could it have gone?" He sighed. "Hell, what is it that I'm chasing anyway? I just ran off without checking what it was and... ah hell! Now I'm in the middle of nowhere and hoplessly lost and I have no idea where the guy I'm chasing has gotten to."
He sighed and checked htough the small pack he'd bought with him. "And there's no ham rolls in here!" He added. "That makes my day just perfect."
Then it started raining, as if to prove that things could get worse.
He sighed again and continued along the jungle path, looking around for any sign of the attacker's or human civilisation or anything. Instead, what he saw was a fork in the road, with only a single, battered wooden sign to give any idea of where he was going. From the Zoid's cockpit, he couldn't make out what the sign said and, with the rain now pouring down around him, he was even less inclined to get out and check. The fact that there were a pair of skulls hanging from the sign didn't help any.
"Well that helps." He muttered as he bought the Zoid to a halt. "Now where do I go?" He considered waiting until somebody came along and asking them, but that had its own problems. He had no idea if there was anyone around, or, more to the point, if they wouldn't just kill him and add him to the signpost's decorations.
He waited for a few minutes as he considered his next move, the rain eventually beginning to ease up around him. Just as he was considering turning around, a beep from his Zoid's sensors caught his attention. Something was approaching from down one of the two paths, a reasonably sized Zoid that seemed to be at least as big as his own Houndsoldier. Swallowing loudly, he considered his options as it got nearer. I could just run... this Zoid is supposed to be incredibly fast anyway, so I should be able to outrun most opponents... On the other hand, if they weren't hostile, the could be a great way to find out where exactly he was.
And then, there was always the chance that this was the person he was chasing. In which case, he'd want to stand his ground and fight them.
"Dammit, what do I do now?" He asked himself. The best plan he could think of was to stand his ground and simply try to determine the identity of the newcomer, and then run like the wind if he needed too. It felt like the best idea.
The Zoid stepped around from behind the coverage of the jungle, slowly approaching his machine. It was a large, heavyset feline with short, thick legs and a broad, stocky body. While it only sported a single visible impact cannon on its belly, the two long and wickedly sharp sabres in its mouth suggested that its apparent lack of weaponry was not a weakness. Painted black and red, the Zoid had an aggressive, almost malicious look to it, emphasised by its sinister red eyes that seemed to glare straight at him.
"Um... hi?" He began, his Houndsoldier shuffling back a bit at the appearance of this new Zoid.
"Excuse me, but..." The female pilot of the other Zoid began. "Are you a powerful warrior?"
"A what?"
"A powerful warrior." She repeated. "You pilot a Zoid, so I would assume you are a warrior of some sort."
"Me?" He asked. Um, no, not at all. I'm a repairman."
"A what?"
"A repairman." He continued. "I, um, fix Zoids."
"You fix Zoids?" She asked. "So are you some sort of a preist who reads from the sacred Book of Instruction or the Owner's Manual?"
"The wha?" He shook his head, not sure if he was fully understanding her. "Look, lady, I just fix Zoids. I'm not a holy man or a warrior or the grand Poobah or anything like that." He wasn't about to tell this person, whoever they were, that he wasn't even that and merely cleaned Zoids.
"Oh." She sounded a little disappointed. "I've been looking for a great warrior."
"Well um..." His Houndsoldier looked around. "I'm looking for someone too. You haven't seen anyone go past recently in... a Zoid... with a funny accent?"
"You mean their Zoid has a funny accent?" She asked.
"Um, no, they have a funny accent, and they're in a Zoid." He hastily corrected.
"I don't think so." She replied. "Do you know what Zoid it is?"
"Well... not as such..." He muttered as he realized how silly he sounded. "But... I think they went this way."
"I haven't seen any other Zoids since I left my home village." She offered. "So I don't think that they came this way."
"Damn it." He glanced around. "Well then, maybe we should-"
"Hold it!" She yelled out, her Zoid snarling loudly. "Something is wrong."
"What is it?" He asked, the Houndsoldier's head glancing around. "I can't see anything..."
"There is something here, I'm sure of it." She continued.
He wasn't sure if she was crazy, or if he should listen to her. After all, her Zoid was bigger and indescribably evil looking. On the other hand, she didn't exactly sound like, well, she was all there, like she was a little soft in the head or she was just seeing things. "I don't think its a problem." He continued. "Maybe I should be-"
The jungle in front of him exploded into a mess of foliage as a Zoid burst out form cover, a blue and black scorpion-like Guysack. The Zoid chittered as it snapped its claws in front of the two Zoids. Behind them, a black and grey Barrigator, sporting a large dual-barreled beam cannon on its back, similarly emerged from cover. With a hiss, a black and red Heldigunner joined the other two, surrounding the pair of Zoids.
"Are these the Zoids you are looking for?" The female pilot asked.
"I don't know..." Rex nervously replied as he looked over them. None of them seemed to sport a weapon like the one he had heard.
A final Zoid stepped out form the jungle, a white and red Gorillatron, its colors contrasting with the others around it. "Okay, mon." Its pilot began over the loudspeaker. "You be steppin' away from you Zoids now, or else me and me boys will have ta dig ya out."
"I am sorry... I do not understand what you are saying." The woman replied.
"What he be sayin' is dat we be takin' your Zoids, one way or da oder." Another pilot spoke up. "An' eider way is good wit us... but we'd rader not ruff up de Zoids."
"I don't think that this is them." He explained. "Their accents are funny, but they're the wrong funny."
"I see." She finished. "So they're the wrong bad men."
"I suppose so, yeah."
"Well, what be your choice, mon?" The Gorillatron's pilot spoke up. "You gonna do dis da easy way or not?"
"This Zoid belongs to my trabe." the tiger pilot spoke up. "I will not give it to the likes of you."
"And this Zoid belongs to a paying client, so I can't give it up." Rex added. "Sorry."
"Well if dat be your choice, we got no option but to-" The Groillatron pilot began, but was cut off by a loud crashing noise. Glancing around, Rex saw that the Brastle Tiger had smashed one of its forepaws down on the Guysack, pressing the Zoid's head into the mud. Its claws and feet thrashed around in the air as the pilot struggled to free his machine.
"Well that was a very diplomatic solution." Rex sighed as the Barrigator charged forwards, growling as it stomped its way through the mud. A pair of shots form its back cannons narrowly missed his Zoid, instead blasting into the jungle behind him. Trying not to panic, he looked over the control panel and try to figure out what to do next; he had some experience with using a Zoid, but had never ever operated one in live combat before.
Of course, it would have made sense to think about that before I went running off chasing those guys... He thought. Too late now, as always.
The Houndsoldier leaped to one side, the opened fire with the three-barreled cannon buried in its chest. Several shots went wide of the small Zoid, before a pair smashed into its back, shaking the small Zoid. The Barrigator slid in the mud, before lunging forwards again, its jaws wide open.
Rex pulled back on the stick while hammering buttons, desperately looking for some solution. He found one after a fashion; the Houndsoldier's two lances flipped forwards, jutting out ahead of the Zoid as the Barrigator struck. One of the lances rammed straight though the Zoid's exposed upper jaw, ripping the end of it off and killing the enemy machine's momentum dead.
"That.. worked?" He began, nervously.
The Barrigator slipped free of the attack, shredding the end of its jaw in the process. Coming around, the Barrigator tried to slip past his Zoid, then swing around the heavy beam cannon to attack. Rex tried to slide the Houndsoldier around, trying to evade the shot. As the beam went wide, he kept the Barrigaotr in his sights, twisting around the cannon on the Zoid's back. He opened fire, a pair of shots striking at the Zoid's back. One blasted into the already damaged spine, ripping through the armored panels. The second smashed into the base of the cannon, ripping it free from its mounting.
Hissing in surprise, the Barrigator sprinted past him, dashing into the jungle with a loud crash of crushed foliage.
Glancing around, he could see that the Guysack was still stuck in the mud and showed no sign of going anywhere. The Tiger Zoid, in the meantime, had sprinted past it, and was evading shots from the Heldigunner. He was rather impressed with how the pilot was handling her rather large Zoid, managing to avoid almost everything that the smaller Iguana type threw at her. Instead, she barreled towards the apparent leader of the enemy force, the Gorillatron.
The bandit Zoid beat its chest in defiance, then unleashed a volley of missiles form one of its shoulders. To her credit, the tiger pilot managed to twist her Zoid out of the path of most of them, the warheads detonating in amongst the dense foliage. A pair struck the Zoid's armor, but seemed not to have too much effect. That thing's armor has gotta be far better then the other cat Zoids I've seen, he thought as he watched it weather the blasts, seemingly unscathed.
It opened fire with its impact cannon but, rather then generating the standard energy ball, the cannons instead burst out with a stream of brilliant red-orange energy. The shots tore into the Gorillatron's chest, melting through the armor and reducing it to slag. As the Zoid staggered, the tiger leaped and cashed down on it, the pair of them vanishing into the jungle.
There was a loud roar, followed by sounds of motion and ripping metal. Then, to his shock, the bush exploded into a cloud of scattered leaves at the Gorillatron sprinted away, its left arm below the elbow missing. The Tiger emerged a moment later the aforesaid limb clamped in its mouth.
Before it could act, the Heldigunner again opened fire, several shots narrowly missing the Tiger's head. Dropping the severed arm, she turned back to face it, opening up again with the cannon at the same time as Rex also opened fire. Several shots blasted into the ground near the Heldigunner, which scurried away. To Rex's surprise, it then dug into the ground, sending huge clods of soil and much flying as it vanished underground.
"Where did he go?" the female pilot asked.
"I don't know! I can't see him... unless..." he glanced down at his scope. "I've got him on my radar!"
"What's a radar?"
"Um..." He paused. "Its a type of... way of seeing things that... are normally hidden?" Rex finished, somewhat at a loss for words.
"Well that makes sense." She continued. "Where does radar say he is?"
The Houndsoldier looked around, rain running off its head as it searched for its opponent. "There!" He shouted out. "He's right behind you!"
The tiger turned just as the ground behind it erupted, the Heldigunner lunging up for a strike that would have been successful, had its target not been warned beforehand. The Zoid crashed to the ground, then suddenly burst into a run as several shots struck the soil near it. The tiger joined in, adding its own cannon fire to the shots form the Houndsoldier's weapons. A beam struck the Zoid, searing through the cannon on the base of its tail before it vanished into the ground.
"Where is he going now?" She asked.
"I think he's running away..." Rex finished. "Yeah, he definitely is."
"Then we have defeated him." She finished, either ignoring or just not noticing the crumpled Guysack crawling away in the background. "You are indeed a mighty warrior, to fight so bravely against such numbers, and for outwitting that treacherous attacker."
"Me?" He replied, surprised. "This is my first ever battle."
"Well then you have done well for one who has never battles before." She finished. "And I owe you for your protecting me from that attack."
"Ah hell, it was nothing, relay."
"Tell me then, at least, what is your name?"
"Me, uh, I'm Rex Brandiger." He replied, somewhat flustered.
"And I am Shanna Redhorn. It is an honor to meet you, Rex Brandiger."
"Well, shucks. I'm just glad that someone came along when I was so horribly lost."
Her tiger looked at his Zoid as if to mirror her surprise. "Lost? Are you not from around here?"
"Well... no, really. I was just chasing a guy who had attacked the place where I was working, and I found you here."
"Well then, I shall aid you in finding him." She stated. "And, as I know he did not head in the way I came, we can then deduce that he traveled up the other path."
"That makes sense, I guess. We might as well get going then." The Houndsolider set off down the trail. Behind him, Shanna's Zoid fell in step. "You know, I've worked on a few Zoids, but never seen one like yours. What type is it?"
"High Priest Namer, who guards the Names of Power and the Owners Manual says that it is a Brastle Tiger."
"Brastle Tiger, huh?" He asked. "I'll have to do some research on it then. It reminds me a bit of a Saber Tiger, but a lot bulkier and more heavyset."
"The people of my village said that it suited me." She continued.
All of a sudden, he found himself wondering what she looked like. "Say, Shanna, do you mind if I ask what you are doing out here? I didn't see any other settlements around, so I assume that you're a fair way away form your home."
"Not at all." She agreed.
There was a long pause as Rex awaited her answer. Then he sighed, realizing what was going on. "So, Shanna, why are you out here?"
"I seek a mighty warrior to be my husband." She explained.
"Really?" He asked. "I wonder why."
"It is strange, but many of the men in my village are afraid of me."
All of a sudden, he began to wonder if he really wanted to know what she looked like... and if this partnership was a good idea after all.
oOoOo
As the two Zoids departed, the pilots were unaware that they were being watched by a third party, lurking sight unseen nearby. A trio of cold, inhuman eyes recorded all the information on the battle fed to it by its Zoid's sensors, then transmitted it off. Waiting until the two Zoids were well out of sight, it scurried off, continuing on its mission.