Alien vs Rayman

by Lachimax

After the Robo-Pirates have been destroyed for a second time, the treacherous Razorbeard has infected Rayman's world with a plague of Xenomorphs. This follows on from my Rayman fanfiction Return of the Robo-Pirates. Sorry for the dodgy formatting!

Alien vs. Rayman

Prologue: Eggs in the Mist

The valuable cache of xenomorph eggs on LV-426 was discovered four separate times, by four separate species, from four separate planets.

The first species to discover them was the race known commonly as the Predators, but more properly known as the Yautja. They used the eggs to implant hosts from a lesser species, humans. They then hunted the xenomorphs that emerged for sport, using them as a kind of graduation ritual for young hunters.

The second species was not really a species at all. It was a group of space faring, robotic pirates, known, suitably, as the Robo-Pirates.

LV-426, Before Rayman 2: The Great Escape

A scouting party of Robo-Pirates.

An unsurveyed planet.

A derelict spacecraft that crash-landed millennia ago.

The ultimate bio-weapon.

Ten Henchman 800 ventured into the crashed craft, guns at the ready, torches shining from the tops of their weapons.

They reached a deep pit within the ship, next to the colossal, fossilised skeleton of a dead creature. They activated their jetpacks, hovering down to the bottom.

Thousands of leathery eggs, covered by a thin mist.

Within one of the eggs, sensing vibrations, a spider-like creature stirs. A creature with the potential to destroy an entire galaxy within it.

The third species was the human race, two hundred years after their last encounter with the Yautja. A cargo ship landed on LV-426, pursuing what the crew thought was a distress signal. It turned out to be a message, warning them away from what was a deadly encounter anyway. A crew member was implanted, resulting in the deaths of all but one of the crew. That crew member, Flight Lieutenant Helen Ripley, destroyed the Alien and escaped. She later returned to LV-426 to attempt to wipe the xenomorphs out, but that is another story.

This story is about the clutch of eggs that the Robo-Pirates stole. It takes place just after their home planet was destroyed. The eggs were at that time in the possession of Admiral Razorbeard. They were unleashed upon the population of the planet known as Polokus's World to the galaxy at large, but more intimately called the Crossroads of Dreams to its inhabitants.

This was the beginning.

The Orbital Laser 5000, After the Destruction of Rachara

All it takes to depopulate an entire planet is an egg. A single leathery egg.

Tarayzan was wandering around the corridors of the Orbital Laser. He was amazed by how absolutely huge it was. Such a thing. And yet, it had a dark side. It was nothing like the jungles back home. Everything was metal, artificial. It felt almost like the walls were closing in.

Without realising it, Tarayzan wandered into the place where Razorbeard had docked his warship. All of a sudden, he found himself inside the wooden walls of a warship. In front of him was one of Razorbeard's Henchmen.

"You cannot be here!" the ex-Pirate said. "This is Admiral Razorbeard's ship!"

Tarayzan ran. But not out of the warship. Further inside, he ran, pursued by the Henchman.

He reached a metal door. He opened it, and ran inside.

He found himself sharing a room with row upon row of round, leathery objects. A thin layer of mist covered them.

The top of the nearest one to Tarayzan opened, like some sort of trapdoor. He turned around, and found the door behind him closed. Through a window in the wall, he could see Razorbeard. Watching and laughing evilly.

Tarayzan turned around again. Something was moving inside the open egg. He peered inside.

A spider-like creature leapt out, propelled by its strong tail. In the split second before it attached itself to Tarayzan's face, he saw what it looked like.

Eight legs. Two external lungs. One long tail.

Facehugger.

One egg. That's all it takes.

Chapter 1: Celebration in the Crossroads

The Fairy Glade

What was once Commander Steelwill's flagship, pride of the Robo-Pirate Empire, descended from the sky. A hundred miles above it was the massive hulk of the Orbital Laser 5000, its self-destruct function primed to go off in exactly 30 hours, when it would again be above the Fairy Glade. Onboard the Flagship was the entire assembled Rebellion. Or, what had been the Rebellion, before their efforts had become successful and the Destruction of Rachara, the Robo-Pirate Homeworld, had been brought about.

Well, almost all of the Rebellion. Razorbeard and his crew were gone.

The colossal ship set down in the middle of the Fairy Glade. Teensies and turtles crowded around the ship, waiting for something to happen.

Something happened. A door opened, and a ramp slid out. The crowd watched with baited breath.

Rayman walked out, a grin on his face, his arm around Ly, the Rebellion leaders behind him. Mr. Dark, Lachimax, Christian, King Gumsi, Clark, the Moskito Chief, the Grand Minimus, Begoniax, Razoff.

They walked down, amidst the cheers of Teensies.

Rayman reached the bottom of the ramp, then turned to Ly. "We won."

[i]Yes, we did indeed.[/i] said Ly, smiling.

The celebrations lasted almost two days and two nights. It was during the second night that the Orbital Laser came back into view. People from all over the Crossroads of Dreams gathered in the Fairy Glade to watch the spectacle. A single firework was shot up into the air, exploding in a spectacular display of colour. It was joined by another, and another, until the air was full of firecrackers.

Then, the fireworks stopped. Everything was silent. The crowd watched the gleaming point that was the Orbital Laser.

Lachimax was looking at a watch on his wrist. Under his breath, he was counting down.

"3, 2, 1…"

The sky was suddenly lit up as the Orbital Laser blew itself apart, to cheers from the crowd. None of the wreckage would fall upon the planet, but would completely vaporise itself.

The music started back up, played by Teensie musicians. It was fast-paced, happy, jolly music.

Lachimax never relaxed. Lachimax was a soldier.

He stood at the entrance to the Fairy Council, spear in hand, his Teensie eyes watchful in the darkness. His wings were folded behind him. He scanned the scenery around him, listening to the faint sound of music in the background.

Lachimax heard the snapping of a twig behind him. He spun around, spear ready to throw.

It took him a second to see what he was looking at. Mr. Dark's cloak blended into the darkness almost perfectly.

"A little jumpy there, Lachimax," he said in his low voice. "I couldn't stand the party either. I never liked being with company."

Lachimax lowered his spear. "No. Me neither. I can never relax properly. I have always been a soldier."

Mr. Dark stepped forward so that they were next to each other.

Lachimax looked at him. "Shouldn't you be on your way back to Candy Château?"

"No. I don't think I'll be going back. Actually, that was one of the reasons I came to find you. You see, while I fought with you against the Robo-Pirates, I began to get a taste for fighting in a team. It is much better, more exhilarating, more fulfilling, than fighting on ones own. I think that, with your permission, I would like to join the Crossroads of Dreams Elite Fighting Squad."

For a moment, Lachimax was silent. Then, he said: "Mr. Dark, I have seen you fight, and I know that you are very good on the battlefield. But, to join CODEFS, you must pass a certain qualification test."

Mr. Dark raised his hand, and a flaming sword appeared in it. "What kind of test?"

Lachimax raised his spear. "You must fight me in a mock battle. Your weapons against mine. No magic, except for your sword. At the end, I will decide whether you are good enough to join."

The two friends squared up, circling each other. Then, quick as lightning, Mr. Dark struck, slashing at Lachimax's neck. Lachimax was even quicker, blocking the stroke with the flame-proof handle of his spear. He spun around in a spinning kick, srikning Mr. Dark in the belly. Dark jumped backwards, back-flipping in midair. He dodged under Lachimax's spear, and brought his sword up, only to find that Lachimax was no longer there. Lachimax flipped over Dark's head, landing on the ground next to a turtle, which quickly retreated into its shell, shouting "Young whippersnappers!"

Mr. Dark charged at Lachimax, sword raised, the corks on his hat bobbing up and down. Lachimax simply stepped briskly to the side and knocked Dark on the head with the butt of the spear, sending him to the ground.

Lachimax sat down next to him. Both were breathing hard.

"You are a worthy opponent. You have the skill t be admitted to CODEFS."

Lachimax stood, spear in hand. Mr. Dark knelt at his feet. "As Captain of the Crossroads of Dreams Elite Fighting Squad, I declare that you, Mr. Dark, are a worthy member of this team," he said, tapping Dark on the shoulder with his spear. "From now on you will eat with us, rest with us, and, most of all, fight alongside us," He tapped him on the other shoulder.

Mr. Dark stood. "Thank you, Lachimax."

Lachimax was not listening. He was staring at the sky. There, flying silently along, high up above the Fairy Glade, was a warship.

Admiral Razorbeard's warship.

As the two soldiers watched helplessly, a hatch opened in the hull of the ship. Out of it shot a rocket, aimed at an empty field in the Fairy Glade. The warship flew off, its job done.

Inside the warship, Razorbeard chuckled. He had always wanted to kill Rayman for defeating him. Now it was happening. The missile would deliver its payload, and the entire Crossroads would be doomed.

Lachimax sprung into action, running towards where the rocket must have landed, followed closely by Mr. Dark. Lachimax raised his had to his mouth and whistled, high and shrill.

All over the Fairy Glade, CODEFS members snapped to attention, pulling out weapons, and running towards the source of the sound.

Lachimax and Mr. Dark entered the empty field. There was no music here, no dancing Teensies.

In the centre of the field was the rocket. Its nose was buried in the ground, and its engine had stopped. It looked very ominous in the moonlight.

Gilly, Young Globox and Lieutenant of CODEFS, was first other CODEFS member to arrive, followed closely by a Swamplands Soldier who was the same species as Razoff.

Together the four members made their way slowly, cautiously across the field, back to back, weapons raised. They reached the rocket. It had the Robo-Pirate insignia printed on one side.

Lachimax examined it closely. "It looks like it was a dud," he said.

"If I know Razorbeard, than this wasn't a bomb," said .

The Swamplands Soldier stepped forward and nudged the rocket with his rifle. Suddenly, the rocket opened up, unfolding like a lotus flower.

In the middle of it was an egg.

The egg opened.

[i]Excerpt from Xenomorph: The Living Weapon, a book from Daraxia[/i]

The Xenomorph Queen generates from an Imperial Facehugger. This Facehugger differs from the normal Facehugger in that it has a bladed tail, webbing between its legs, a harder, darker, exoskeleton and hooked limbs. It implants, first of all, a Queen Chestburster into a suitable host, then moves on to another host and implants a normal drone Chestburster, possibly to protect the unborn Queen.

Out of the egg leapt a black spider-like creature. Its tail was bladed, its limbs were webbed, and there were vicious looking hooks on the end of its legs.

An Imperial Facehugger.

It latched onto the first thing it found, which was the unprotected face of the Swamplands Soldier.

Chapter 2: Stalker in the Dark

The CODEFS Warship, The Fairy Glade

The celebrations were finally over. The Knaaren had returned to the desert tunnels, the Moskitos to the Dream Forest. All was calm.

In the Crossroads of Dreams Elite Fighting Squad warship, an examination was happening. The CODEFS doctor was looking over the Swamplands Soldier who had had the Imperial Facehugger on his face. But now it was gone, and he was sitting comfortably on a bench in the examination room.

The doctor, who was a Teensie, inspected him closely, examining his eyes, ears and especially mouth closely. "Well, everything seems to be fine. The creature hasn't left anything visible."

"What happened to the creature?" asked the Soldier.

"Well, it just dropped off. It managed to get away before we could catch it."

The Swamplands Soldier saluted, and marched out of the room. Little did he know that he was doomed.

Crystal Corridors, The Fairy Council

The Imperial Facehugger lay on its back, legs curled up. It was dead. Next to it lay an unconscious Teensie.

His unconsciousness was soon to become far worse.

A lump appeared on the Teensie's chest, throbbing up and down violently. The Teensie's ribcage cracked. Blood began to flow across the floor.

The Teensie's skin broke open, and his clothes ripped apart.

In the hole was a baby.

A baby Xenomorph.

Chestburster.

[i]Excerpt from Xenomorph: The Living Weapon[/i]

The Chestburster is quite vulnerable just after it emerges. Unlike its adult form, which can stand immense temperatures without serious injury, the Chestburster can quite easily be killed by fire or bullets. It runs for cover immediately after emerging. Sometimes, if there is no danger nearby, it may feed on the host's body. It then begins an accelerated growing process, in which the xenomorph gets very big, very quickly. Within hours it is fully grown, growing from a creature a few inches tall to an adult several metres tall.

The Teensie's body, along with its spider-like companion, was not found until the Chestburster was fully grown. Too late. Far too late.

Wine Cellars, The Fairy Council

A pair of Teensies climbed down the stairs toward the wine cellar. They had been sent by Betilla to fetch some vintage Knaaren wine, made by the finest Knaaren grape keepers.

One Teensie held a lantern in his hand. He also carried a key in his right hand.

They reached the bottom of the stairs, to find the door already open. They looked at each other and shrugged. Anything that made their job easier was good.

Neither of them noticed that the steel lock was no longer there. It was burnt away. As if by acid.

The two Teensies reached the barrel they wanted. They picked it up, working together to heave it off the ground. They turned towards the light, where the door was.

There was a silhouette standing in the light.

A bladed tail flashed.

A Teensie screamed.

Blood spattered across the wine barrels.

The barrel the Teensies had been holding smashed to the floor, spilling wine everywhere.

Betilla's Office, The Fairy Council

Betilla the Fairy hovered above the floor of her office, meditating. She could sense evil, evil throbbing through her beautiful Council. The fact that Polokus had never been found after the destruction of Rachara was extremely worrying to her. She knew that he couldn't possibly be dead, as he was a god, and as such was immortal. He was either lying unconscious in some abandoned Robo-Pirate fortress, or…

The other option was too horrible to contemplate. If Razorbeard possessed the Spirit of the World, then all the Crossroads were as good as doomed.

A hand knocked at her door. [i]Enter[/i] she replied telepathically.

A Teensie messenger entered. "Mistress." He said, bowing low. "I have just received word that several Teensies have gone missing, mostly in the underground levels, but at different times and places. A body has also been found, with a hole in his chest. There is some sort of dead creature next to it."

Betilla remained silent, taking this in. The evil had struck.

The Fairy Glade, three days later

Lachimax, Mr. Dark, Christian and Rayman were strolling together through the Fairy Glade. CODEFS was going to leave in a couple of days, so they were enjoying a bit of leisure time together. Their weapons were holstered, and they were all relaxed, except for Lachimax and Mr. Dark, who never relaxed.

They were near the border of the forest when it happened.

The Swamplands Soldier who was a member of CODEFS came jogging over to them, gun in hand. He saluted smartly to Lachimax.

"There is something going on at the Fairy Council, sir," he stated. "Several Teensies have been dis…"

The Soldier began to cough, hitting himself in the chest to stop it. The companions watched with concern.

The Soldier's coughs became worse, racking his whole body, until he was on the ground, squirming. Lachimax knelt next to him. "What's wrong, soldier?"

Christian looked stunned. He began to back away, almost frozen with fear. He knew what was happening. If he had summoned the courage to draw his Form Baton, he could have saved thousands of innocent lives.

Blood began to pour from the Soldier's mouth and nose, and then, with a sudden crunch, to appear on his chest. Lachimax ripped his shirt off to see what was happening.

He wished he hadn't.

With one last push, the parasite within the Swampland Soldier's chest broke through his flesh.

The Queen Chestburster took a quick look around, using its echolocation rather than any eyes, as it had none. It took in its now dead host, the people around it, and the nearby cover of the trees.

The observers watched in horror as the creature ran for the forest, shaking off blood as it went.

Christian finally gained control of himself, and drew his Form Baton. He pressed the 1 button, aimed at the direction the Alien had gone in, and held the B button.

Flames came pouring out, burning the trees. Forest animals screamed as they died.

But there was no shriek of a xenomorph.

"No!" screamed Christian. "Dammit! We're doomed!"

Rayman, Lachimax and Mr. Dark watched in silence as Christian chased futilely into the woods, hunting fruitlessly.

Chapter 3: Escape

The Fairy Council, Two Days later

The xenomorph drone stalked through the plumbing system underneath the Fairy Council, instinctively silent and stealthy. It could feel another of its kind close by, a Queen. It moved towards this source of telepathic energy, ready to join the Queen and protect her at all costs.

It rounded a corner. There, standing in the shallow water, was an almost fully grown Queen xenomorph. She as yet lacked an egg sack, and was not quite as tall as she would become. But she was still very impressive.

The two xenomorphs communicated through their minds, the drone bowing submissively. Then, after a minute, they walked off together, ready to wreak havoc.

[i]Excerpt from Xenomorph: The Living Weapon[/i]

Queen xenomorphs tend to nest near sources of energy, such as nuclear reactors or power generators. It is unknown why they do this, but it is possible that this energy can be used by them to replace food.

The Heart of the World, The Fairy Council

It was night time. All the lights in the Fairy Council were turned off. The King of the Grand Minimuses sat in his throne, watching the great globe of energy that was the Heart of the World. It sat imbedded in the floor, with smaller balls of energy orbiting around it.

The King enjoyed watching the Heart. It soothed him and rejuvenated him. He found the golden light emanating from it pleasant. It distracted him from his worries.

He suddenly sat bolt upright as the huge door that divided the Heart from a small teleporter that lead to the Fairy Council slid open.

"Hello?" said the Grand Minimus uncertainly. "Is anyone there?"

A figure flashed into the room and melted into the shadows, almost too quickly for the King to see. But he did see.

"Who is that?" he shouted, growing afraid.

A hiss came from the shadows.

The Teensie drew a short sword from a hidden compartment in his throne, and held it at the ready.

A monster dropped from the ceiling. It had a very long skull, with spines running down its back, which ended in a long, bladed tail. Its hands were claws, and its entire body had a skeletal appearance.

[img].com/main/content/wp/en/6/69/AVP_[/img]

The King lifted his sword and stabbed at the monster. He impaled its hand, but did not manage to hit any vital areas. The monster, not showing any signs of pain, took a step forward. The King withdrew his blade. It was covered in green blood, and steam was rising from it. The sword burned away to nothing before the Teensie's eyes.

[i]Excerpt from Xenomorph: The Living Weapon[/i]

The most unique aspect of the Xenomorph is probably its blood, which consists entirely of a type of molecular acid. This acid is extremely volatile; it can burn through solid metal in a matter of seconds, although it does lose its acidity after a few minutes outside the xenomorph. This is obviously a most potent defence mechanism: "You don't dare kill it".

This was the last thing the Teensie saw before he was knocked unconscious by a blow to the head. He would not die until a day later, when a larval xenomorph would erupt from his chest, planted there by an egg laid by the new queen.

In the hours that followed, the Heart of the World was converted into a xenomorph Hive, the Queen started laying eggs, several more hosts were captured and implanted by Facehuggers from the Queen's eggs, and an army of Aliens began to grow.

Two days later, Ly's Chambers, The Fairy Council

There were over five hundred fairies, Teensies and other, more miscellaneous beings, living in the Fairy Council at any given time. Each one was susceptible to particular knock out techniques used by Xenomorphs. And every single one was a suitable host for a growing Alien.

Rayman and Ly lay in bed, breathing softly. Both were asleep, unaware of the terrible events happening so close by.

A thump came at the door. Rayman stirred in his sleep, still dreaming.

The door was thumped again, this time accompanied by the chatter of bullets. Rayman and Ly both woke with a start. Rayman pulled on his shirt and shoes, and Ly leapt out of bed.

A hole was appearing in the door, rapidly spreading outwards, as though it was burning away. Outside were the sounds of battle. Screams, shouts, gunfire, metal clanging against walls. Rayman kicked the door down, and charged out into the hallway.

Outside was the entire assembled Crossroads of Dreams Elite Fighting Squad, plus Christian.

The Fighting Squad had decided to stay in the wake of the recent disappearances and the appearance of the thing in the Soldier's chest. And here they were, forming a ring around the door to Ly's room, defending it against…

Rayman blinked. There were five monsters attacking the ring of soldiers.

He immediately leapt into action, charging up his fist. He kicked an Alien in the chest, which didn't seem to have any effect, merely making the monster angrier. It walked forward, tail arched over its back. Rayman launched his fist at its head, again with no effect.

He would have been killed there and then, if it wasn't for Christian.

He darted forward and drove his glowing, yellow, Form Baton sword through the monster's skull. The Alien let out a scream of pain, then dropped to the ground, still thrashing.

"About time you got here!" said Christian. The other four Aliens were dead, but at the price of at least six CODEFS members.

"What are those things?" asked Ly, frightened.

"Xenomorphs," answered Christian, his face darkening.

Before Ly could inquire further, Mr. Dark suddenly came into existence beside them. He held a fire sword in his hand, and part of his cloak was burnt away. "I don't mean to interrupt," he said, "But we'd better get out of here before more of them arrive."

The group ran down a large corridor, just as another Alien stalked around a corner near Ly's room. It let out a screech, simultaneously sending telepathic signals to its brethren, and chased after them.

Gilly was one of Globox's children. He had served many years under Captain Lachimax, climbing to the position of Lieutenant, and always leading the soldiers into battle alongside Lachimax, armed with a minigun.

Writers Note: I imagined the music from Aliens in this bit, from the scene where they are in the tank, getting chased by the aliens. If you have seen the movie Aliens(the sequel to Alien), then you might remember it.

Gilly swung around, aiming his heavy minigun at the creature sprinting towards them. He let out a chatter of bullets, blowing the Alien to pieces. He continued to run backwards, as more Aliens streamed around the corner, firing continually into their masses.

The group had almost reached the field outside, only to find their way blocked. There had been a cave in. Rubble blocked the corridor, and with it their only way of escape from the monsters that pursued them.

"Better find a way through!" shouted Gilly over the screams of dying xenomorphs and the chatter of his gunfire. "I can't hold them off for much longer!"

Mr. Dark pointed at an Alien that was running towards them. It flew up into the air, and hovered towards them. It landed just in front of the pile of rubble in front of them. Mr. Dark made a squeezing gesture with his hand, and the xenomorph exploded. Mr. Dark made another gesture, and the acidic blood of the Alien threw itself at the rubble. It started burning through straight away.

They only had to wait a few seconds before the way was clear. They streamed over the remaining rubble, out into the Fairy Glade.

Gilly was not quick enough. On the roof of the Fairy Council, right near the edge, teetered a huge block of stone. It had been laid there many hundreds of years ago, by the ancient beings who had constructed the building now called the Fairy Council. Now, disturbed by the vibrations from inside, it fell.

Gilly turned to follow the rest of the Fighting Squad, only to see a massive, carved stone fall in his path, blocking the doorway yet then, at that moment, was when Gilly knew he was about to die.

Without hesitation, he turned on the advancing Aliens. They were more cautious now that they had seen what he could do with his gun. Gilly pressed down on the trigger, emptying the minigun's clip into the horde of Aliens. When he was finally out of ammunition, he threw the gun at them, knocking a xenomorph to the ground, and drew a handgun.

He killed at least four more Aliens before they surged forward and overpowered him.

Rayman watched in horror as the stone fell in Gilly's path. He attempted to run at it and break it, but Lachimax held him back. "No, Rayman. Freeing Gilly is beyond your power. And besides, this is how Gilly would have wanted to die. Fighting against overwhelming odds."

Rayman nodded. Together, the band of fighters ran out to where the Warship was parked. Bucket, the renegade Robo-Pirate who piloted the ship, was already at the controls, ready to take off, along with Globox, Uglette, Clark, and several Baby Globoxes. The ship took off, ascending towards the sky.

Christian sat on the deck, his face dark. Rayman, Ly, and Lachimax sat next to him.

Ly was the first to speak. "What are…?"

"They are called Xenomorphs," answered Christian, before the question was finished. "They come from another planet, like me, many light years away. They have a most horrid way of reproducing. They have a Queen, you see, who rules over the Hive, and lays eggs. These eggs contain creatures called Facehuggers. They latch onto a hosts face, and stay their for a couple of hours."

"And then they come off, and die," finished Lachimax. "One of them attacked our Swamplands Soldier…" He trailed off as realisation hit him.

Christian nodded. "The very same Soldier that that Chestburster came out of."

Ly gasped in disgust. "That's horrible!"

"That's not all," came Mr. Darks voice from behind them. They all turned to look at him. "While we were fighting, a managed to obtain this," He held up a small, black spike. "It's the blade from the end of a xenomorph's tail. I have explored it with magic. As I myself have experience at designing and creating monsters, I was able to see this: These creatures did not evolve by themselves. They were genetically engineered."

Christian nodded again. "Yes. The xenomorphs were created millions of years ago, by a race nicknamed the 'Space Jockeys'. They were meant as a weapon. The Jockeys used them in a massive civil war. But the xenomorphs got out of control. They turned on their masters, driving them to extinction.

"Millions of years later, the Jockey's planet was discovered by the Semi-Rays. That's right. My race. They brought some eggs over from the Jockey planet, intending to use them for medicinal purposes. It was around this time that I was born.

"As you probably guessed, they got out of hand. We managed to subdue them and wipe them out, but not before massive losses to our race. Including my father.

"Our race returned to the Jockey homeworld, but only to destroy it. That planet is now nothing more than scattered atoms floating through space.

"But somehow, the Robo-Pirates got hold of a clutch of eggs. They must have come from a different place, maybe an escaped Jockey ship. But whatever happened, the xenomorphs are here. And there is absolutely not a chance in hell or heaven that we will be able to subdue them. They will rip the inhabitants of the Crossroads of Dreams apart, leaving nothing but the skeleton of the planet that once was."

"Enough!" snapped Rayman. "We cannot allow thoughts of defeat to cloud our judgement. We beat the Pirates, didn't we? Well, we can beat this new threat. We must have courage."

Christian took no notice of these words. He continued to stare blankly at the passing scenery, thoughts of doom and destruction filling his mind.

Chapter 4: Razorbeard's Pets

Razorbeard's Warship, Unknown Location

Admiral Razorbeard raised his new right hand to the light, examining it closely.

"The organic material is working perfectly," said a Henchman to Razorbeard's left. "Your hand is now constructed entirely from living cells. It is alive."

Razorbeard flexed the hand, marvelling at how much more control he had over it than his left, mechanical one. He could feel the blood beating through it, pumped by a mechanical heart in his shoulder.

He touched a metal wall. The new nerves in his hand sent signals to his mechanical brain, allowing him to feel it as he never had before.

Razorbeard chuckled. "Open the vault," he commanded.

Another Henchman, this one with a red chest plate, walked forward. He punched a code into a keypad on the wall, and a hidden panel slid back, revealing a handprint pad. Razorbeard placed his new organic hand on it, and it turned green. Another hidden door slid away.

There, behind the door, was a small, raised platform. In the centre of the platform was…

[img].[/img]

A Form Baton. The fifth most potent weapon in the galaxy (The Xenomorph being the first and the Atom Bomb being the sixth), identical to Christian's own.

Razorbeard reached forward and picked it up. He pressed the A button, holding it as though it was a sword.

A crimson blade emerged from the Baton, casting a red light over the vault.

Razorbeard spun around, slicing the head off of his Henchman servant. The decapitated shell fell to the ground, smoking.

"Yes!" shouted Razorbeard. "At last I can use it! At last, after years of trying, I possess a Form Baton! Finally, I can use my living hand to control this power!"

Razorbeard turned to the back wall of the vault. There were two cryo tubes, holding their contents in perfect stasis.

Inside one of the tubes was the sleeping form of Polokus. The in the second tube was the perfectly still Tarayzan, frozen minutes before he was due to give life to a Chestburster. Razorbeard pressed a button on the tube, making the glass slide back.

Tarayzan woke with a stat, rapidly surveying his surroundings. His eyes landed on Razorbeard. "What are you doing to me?" he screamed. He tried to move, but he was held in place by steel cuffs.

Then he screamed again, this time with pain. His bare chest spasmed once. Then there was silence, as Tarayzan fell unconscious with pain.

A head erupted from Tarayzan's chest. A neck less head.

[i]Excerpt from Xenomorph: The Living Weapon[/i]

The Chestburster, while inside the host, absorbs certain genetic characteristics from the host. For example, it often copies whether the host is bipedal(two-legged) or quadrupedal(four legged), and other aspects of the bone structure. In one instance, when the embryo was implanted in a dog, the Chestburster emerged almost fully developed, like a dog is born almost fully developed. It was also quadrupedal, like a dog, and, when fully grown, could run much faster than a normal drone. This mimicry probably aids in the adaptation to a new environment.

The Chestburster emerged fully. Razorbeard examined it, looking closely at it. It looked at him as well, curiously staring into his yellow eyes. It had no neck or legs, just like Rayman or Tarayzan. It was also armless, but that was because all Xenomorphs emerge without arms, growing them later.

Razorbeard began to manipulate the buttons on the Form Baton in a complex pattern, pointing it at the new born Alien. Invisible rays of radiation began to fly out of its end, imbedding themselves in the Xenomorph's simple brain. The brain in question began to mutate, very precisely eliminating those traits which Razorbeard felt didn't belong, and adding certain traits of his own. Obedience was added, aggression left alone, Hive instincts removed.

The very first completely tame Xenomorph.

CODEFS Warship, Above Clearleaf Forest

Lachimax stood in the Crow's Nest of the warship, doing his share of watch duty. He watched the beautiful trees of the Forest pass by, thinking about recent events. His Red Lum companion hovered above his shoulder.

Christian climbed up to sit beside him. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he said.

"Yes," replied Lachimax shortly.

"I came up here because there is something I need to discuss with you," said Christian, getting straight to the point. "During the battle, you will have noticed that the Xenomorphs have acid for blood,"

"Yes. So what?"

"Well, I saw you fighting. You fully impaled at least one Xenomorph with your spear back there, and yet there is not a single etch on it. No sign of damage."

Lachimax lifted the spear. "True," he said, handing it to Christian. "Why is that?"

Christian pointed his Form Baton at the spear, scanning it with a yellow beam. He then raised the Baton to his ear, listening to its computerized voice.

"Just as I thought." Christian said after a few seconds. "Made from a carbon/silicon cell structure. In other words, made from the very same material as Xenomorph flesh."

"What…?"

Then something caught Lachimax's eye. Down, below the trees, was a group of travellers. Teensies and Fairies. Their clothes were tattered and torn, and they wore expressions of weariness on their faces.

Lachimax leaned over the side of the Crow's Nest, shouting down to Rayman, who was on the deck.

"There are survivors down there!"

The ship began to descend towards the survivors. They were definitely from the Fairy Council, no doubt about it.

They were only ten metres from the ground when it happened.

Out from between the trees leapt three Aliens. Saliva dripped from their mouths as they jumped at the refugees, tearing them apart. Their tongues, which had extra mouths at the end of them, flashed out and in, crushing skulls. Their tails flashed, impaling victims. Their claws were the worst, tearing people limb from limb.

CODEFS watched in horror as this happened, unable to do anything. Bucket had the presence of mind to fire the ships cannons at the Aliens, but they were too fast, dodging to the side into the trees.

One Alien swung itself up into the branches of a tree that was near the ship. The people on board didn't notice this, however, because they were watching the other two, who were staring up at them with eyeless faces.

The Alien climbed swiftly, swinging from branch to branch with the grace of a monkey.

On the ship, Ly turned pale. She could hear…

[i]Come with us[/i] she heard. [i]Come to Hive. Serve Queen. Find more hosts. Destroy. Kill.[/i]

"Ly?" said Rayman. For Ly had unwittingly walked to the very edge of the deck, looking down at the Aliens.

She fainted. Backwards, luckily.

Several people ran to her aid. Amidst the confusion and the yelling, nobody noticed a slight thump, as an Alien jumped across from a tree to the hull of the warship. It dug its claws into the hull, crawling up to the cockpit, which it entered through a window.

There was Bucket, at the controls of the ship. The Alien swiped him across the room, hissing.

The ship dropped, hitting the ground with a crash.

Bucket stood, leaping at the creature even though he was weaponless. It wasted no time in tearing his arm off.

It could not take him apart any further, for in the doorway stood Rayman and Lachimax. Lachimax threw his spear straight through the creature's heart.

"Are you okay, soldier?" he said.

"Yes, I'll survive." Replied Bucket. "I appear to be damaged."

Outside, the two other Aliens were dead. One of the CODEFS members had been splashed with blood as an Alien had thrashed. The acid had eaten right through his chest, leaving a gaping hole.

"Sir." Said Bucket. "I think there is a slight chance that, after sustaining such damage, that the ship might explode."

Lachimax swore. "Everybody off the ship!" he shouted. Everybody complied. They all ran into the trees, hitting the dirt.

The ship also complied with Bucket's prediction.

The entire clearing, and much of the rest of the wood, lit up as the ship transformed into a ball of flame.

"Dammit!" shouted Christian and Lachimax in perfect unison.

Chapter 5: Rabbids

Sanctuary of Sands, Desert of the Knaaren

Admiral Razorbeard walked down the landing ramp of his warship, stepping onto the burning hot, red sand. A vulture called from the distance. The sun beat down on the desert even harder than normal, as though trying to halt Razorbeard in his evil tracks. But the Robo-Pirate Admiral continued, oblivious to the sun's rays.

Following him down the landing ramp came his pet. The fully grown, limbless Xenomorph. It now looked like any other adult would, except for the fact that it's hands and feet floated in midair.

Not caring for subtlety, Razorbeard pointed his Form Baton in the general direction of the ground and pressed the 1 button, the 2 button, and the B button.

Accompanied by a very loud noise and flying debris, a very large hole appeared a couple of metres away that hadn't been there before.

Razorbeard dropped through the hole, followed closely by two of his Henchmen and the Raylien.

They were not inside the Knaaren Tunnels, but in a vast, separate cavern, which the Knaaren had not yet found, and hopefully never would.

There are several Sanctuaries scattered across the Crossroads of Dreams. They were each placed there by Polokus at the dawn of the world. Each has a guardian: Axel, Umber, Foutch, Grolem 13, Anatra, and Eregata to name a few; and each has a special purpose: the Sanctuaries of Water and Ice, Stone and Fire, Rock and Lava and Iron and Thunder were placed to serve the purpose of guarding the four Masks of Polokus. Several others, such as the Sanctuary of Time, are hidden so well that not even Polokus himself can find them again, as the object they are guarding is never meant to be retrieved. The Sanctuary of Sands, located in the Desert of the Knaaren, is there to guard the directions to the Sacred Balance Stone.

That's where Admiral Razorbeard was now. The antechamber of the Sanctuary of Sands.

He and his party of Henchmen made their way through the labyrinth that was the Sanctuary. They met many creatures: giant scorpions, serpents, sand elementals, even the occasional Guard Knaaren. But all were disarmed by a flick of Razorbeard's Form Baton. After almost five hours, they finally reached the end of the labyrinth, arriving at a massice, ornately carved stone door.

In the centre was a keyhole. But not one that a key would fit into. Razorbeard drew his Form Baton, and pushed it into the keyhole.

The Form Baton began to glow crimson. The red light spread across the door like water, making the symbols shine. And then, without warning, the door disappeared. Just disappeared, leaving the Form Baton floating in midair.

Grinning triumphantly, Razorbeard walked through the doorway, entering the lair of Eregata, Guardian of the Sanctuary of the Sands.

Edge of Clearleaf Forest, Near the entrance to the Rabbid Caves. Night.

The Crossroads of Dreams Elite Fighting Squad, including Rayman, Ly, Clark, Uglette, Globox and some of their children, sat huddled around a fire.

Lachimax, Christian, Mr. Dark and Rayman were discussing what they should do.

"Christian, you're the expert on these things," said Rayman. "Is there anywhere we'll be safe from them?"

Christian shook his neckless head. "No. They are able to resist both extreme cold and heat, although they are afraid of fire. As long as there are beings to use as hosts, they'll keep breeding, and they will find us eventually,"

"No," said Mr. Dark. "We cannot just lie down and let that happen. We must find a weakness, something that we can use to beat them...."

[i]Yes[/i], said Ly, just coming into the conversation. [i]I believe there is.[/i]

All eyes turned to her.

[i] When those Aliens were climbing the tree, I could hear them... talking... telepathically. They called me... They wanted me to join them. To help them.[/i]

A tear slid down her cheek.

[i]And I wanted to obey. But this means that they are sensitive to telepathic...[/i]

That's when they all heard heard a scream that chilled Rayman to the very bone.

"DAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

The entire party leapt to their feet, drawing weapons.

"What the [i]hell[/i] was that?" shouted Christian. He was the only one present who didn't know.

"Rabbids," said Rayman. That's all he needed to say. For at that moment, a huge, club footed creature with the vague appearance of a warthog appeared over a hill not far from their campsite. And on its back was a white furred, red-eyed, long eared animal, with what appeared to be a toilet plunger in one hand.

Rabbid.

Another Rabbid, also on the back of a warthog-creature, came up next to him. And between them, emerged a robot with four spider- like legs and a torso and head shaped like a Rabbid's.

The PN-K513 Battle Droid, better known as "Pink", was designed by the Rabbids for gladiator-style battles, in which plunger-guns are the chosen weapons. It can launch heat-seeking missiles, which, strangely, can be deflected using toilet plungers, and has an almost impenetrable shield, which, ironically, can only be pierced by its own missiles.

Rayman recognised the Droid instantly.

"Run!" he shouted!

They ran.

The Pink Droid launched a missile at them from the top of the hill. Fortunately, the missile, which looked more like a firework, failed to lock on, and exploded uselessly on the campfire, where they had been moments before.

The two Rabbids screamed.

The hunt began.

Chapter 6: Predator

The party sprinted through the trees, ducking under branches, dodging heat-seekers. Lachimax spun around in mid step, twirling his spear. A missile met the shiny-red tip of the spear, reflecting it. It hit a tree, causing it to combust into a pile of ash.

Ly could hear the Rabbids gaining on them, their warthog-like steeds puffing heavily.

[i]Why can't we turn and fight them?[/i] she asked Rayman through her mind.

"Because that robot is more than a match for us!" Rayman shouted back. "If we had a plunger gun, it might be different..."

"In here!" yelled Lachimax, waving his spear at a small hole, the entrance of a cave.

Rayman rolled right, into the hole. The rest of them followed closely.

"Japa! Aran! Charges on the roof and sides!" Lachimax shouted. Two CODEFS members ran forward to do his bidding, throwing small grenade-like objects onto the entrance of the cave, which stuck there.

"Hit the dirt!" Lachimax shouted, diving to the ground.

The well-placed charges exploded, collapsing the entrance of the tunnel but not the rest, cloaking the party in darkness.

"Great," muttered Christian, "Now we're trapped,"

"At least we're away from the bunnies," said Mr. Dark in his quiet voice.

"If you wanted to escape the Rabbids," yelled a new, familiar voice just next to Rayman. "You chose the wrong tunnel!"

Rayman nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Murfy?!" he yelled. "Is that you?"

"No, it's the tooth fairy,"

Rayman shook his head. It was Murfy alright.

The two hog-riding Rabbids and the Pink milled around the collapsed cave entance, searching for a way through.

Throb.

Beat-beat. Beat-beat.

An almost invisible, man-shaped shimmer in the air, jumping between tree branches.

Three red laser dots in the shape of a triangle appeared in the centre of one bunny's forehead, marking its doom.

A bolt of blue energy flew from the trees, landing precisely between the red dots and blowing a round hole straight through the Rabbid's head.

The body stood straight atop its hog for a second. Then it went limp, falling to the ground. The other bunny stared in disbelief at his fallen companion, and then, with a shriek, turned its hog around and tried to gallop away.

It was cut down before it got two metres away, by a massive, metal shuriken which flew from nowhere and sliced the unfortunate lagomorph cleanly in half.

The Pink Droid's head turned wildly, searching for the source of death. It fired a chain of missiles into the trees, setting several on fire.

Useless.

A net appeared from thin air, corners burying themselves in the ground around the robot, trapping it. The net immediately began to shrink, closing in on the droid. Within a minute, it had cut straight through the robot's armour, shredding it to pieces.

The first Rabbid's hog, appeared blissfully unaware that anything had happened, continuing to graze.

The man-shaped shimmer stepped into the centre of the bodies,. It appeared to bend over for a second, picking up one of the Rabbids' plungers and hoisting it into the air.

A trophy.

"What are you doing here?" said Rayman, inside the cave.

"I escaped. Big deal,"

"What do you mean, the wrong tunnel?"

"I mean that this particular tunnel happens to be one of many entrances to the Rabbid Caves,"

"Great. Just great," came Lachimax's voice somewhere to Rayman's left. "What now?"

Clark, who was taking up the most amount of room in the tunnel and causing quite a disturbance, rested his ear on the barrier of rocks at the entrance.

"They've gone," he said in his deep voice.

"Right," said Rayman. "Clark, punch us out of here,"

Clark obliged.

The party stepped out through the rapidly settling dust.

Their jaws dropped collectively.

"By the thunder of Polokus..."

Two bodies lay in the clearing, both surrounded by blood. Scraps of metal, which had been, no less than five minutes ago, a fully functioning Pink Droid, lay in a small pile in the centre of the space.

"Oh, gods above," said Christian. "There's a Yautja here,"

"Then he shouted "Run! Back into the caves! Run if you value your lives!"

They did.

Back into the Rabbid Caves.

They sprinted through the dark, brushing through cobwebs and other things left behind by Rabbids. A thought sprang unbidden to Ly's mind: [i]Do we ever stop running?[/i]

Rayman didn't know what to expect when they reached the centre of the tunnels. Swarms of hostile Rabbids, possibly? A huge weapons factory?

Whatever he expected, he didn't expect what they found.

As they ran further and further into the tunnels, Globox looked around. The walls were different here than they were at the entrance. They were covered in some sort of hardened excrement, coating every surface in smooth, organic-looking structures. His brow furrowed in puzzlement.

Christian noticed them too.

"Oh, damn..."

The Aliens were already here.

The entire party stopped dead as they reached an open area. There were no Rabbids. No robots, no weapons. At least, no moving ones.

"This can't be good..." muttered Murfy.

Rayman spotted a small movement. He went stock still, until he saw what it was. It was a Rabbid, hanging from the wall and encased almost entirely in the hardened substance. It was still alive, twitching pathetically. Rayman almost pitied it.

Suddenly, the Rabbid's body was seized by a convulsion. It shrieked in pain, chest and arms spasming involuntarily.

Its chest erupted, freeing the Chestburster inside.

Globox and Uglette covered their children's eyes.

Mr. Dark walked forward and raised pointed his hand at the juvenile xenomorph, which was now staring at them with its eyeless face. Mr. Dark unleashed a fireball from his hand, which flew forward and burnt the Chestburster, still sitting in the Rabbid's chest, to a cinder.

"Bad idea!" shouted Christian.

Lachimax signalled to his squad. "Spread out. Maintain radio contact at all times. Don't die. We're going to try and find a way out of here..."

Foilarak, the purple Moskito, drew a handgun and hovered in one direction.

The squad spread out, various blades, guns and other weapons pointed ahead of them. Rayman, Mr. Dark, Ly and Christian went together, practically back to back.

The squad eventually separated, splitting in two and following different tunnels. "If you see a way out, phone in and tell us," Lachimax said, going with the other team to Rayman.

Five minutes later, Rayman still could not see a way out. It was a twisted labyrinth, quite literally a rabbit's warren.

Then the microphone on each squad member's ear spluttered to life.

"[i]Holy...[/i]"

"[i]They're everywhere![/i]"

"[i]They're coming out of the goddamn walls...[/i]"

The chatter of gunfire could be heard through the mikes.

"[i]Aaargh![i/]"

"[i]Rayman! Rayman, if you can hear us, we're under attack! Aliens ambushed us! We've lost most of our team...[/i]"

The signal cut dead.

"Right!" shouted Rayman. "Globox, Uglette, you and your kids stay behind. Everyone else, with me!"

They charged down the tunnel, gunners in front. Christian ignited the Beam Sword on his Form Baton, glowing yellow in the darkness. They reached the place where the squad had split, to find Lachimax, running and yelling. "Everyone else is dead! Go!"

Behind him, the shapes of Aliens could be seen moving through the darkness. There were dozens of them, crawling on the walls and roof and running on the floor.

The gunners opened fire, shooting around Lachimax into the river of xenomorphs behind him. Several exploded into clouds of acid, acid which burnt straight through the floor of the cave.

The team never saw the other Aliens come at them from behind.

They moved stealthily through the darkness, claws sharp, tails ready. One grabbed an unsuspecting CODEFS member from behind, rupturing his skull with a flick of its second mouth. Another impaled a warrior with its tail, flinging him away.

Rayman saw what was happening. "We're surrounded!" he yelled.

It was every man for himself now.

Rayman ducked between two Aliens, punching at their ribcages. One snarled, turning to face him. It leapt at him, pinning him to the ground. He tried to struggle, but the beast was too strong. The xenomorph bent down to administer a killing blow with its second mouth. A drop of saliva landed on Rayman's nose. He closed his eyes. This was it. He was done for...

Then, suddenly, the Alien was wrenched off of him. He opened is eyes to see Clark, holding the Alien in one hand. It struggled to get free, but Clark, being strong enough to take down a squad of twenty or so Robo-Pirates single-handedly without breaking a sweat and to lift an entire house by himself, was able to hold it easily.

Rayman opened his mouth to thank him, but his relief turned to horror as he saw what Clark was about to do.

"This is for hurting my friend!" he said, and began to squeeze.

"Clark, no!" shouted Rayman, but it was too late.

The Alien was crushed, spraying its acid blood all over Clark's fist. He stared in disbelief at his rapidly disappearing hand.

More Aliens took advantage of this to leap onto Clark, biting, clawing. He fought back, but he had only one hand and was weakened by shock. He was submerged under the flood of Aliens.

Rayman saw Clark's face, the only part of his body not covered by thrashing Aliens. He looked sad. Rayman barely heard Clark's last words: "We never did have that arm wrestle, little buddy,"

Then his face was obscured, and Clark, the one-man army, protector of the Menhir Hills and friend to Rayman, was gone forever.

Chapter 7: The Caves of Skops

Razorbeard stepped over the body of the vanquished spider-king Eregata, and began to climb the steps to his prize. Sand fell like waterfalls around him, and the ornately carved decorations on the walls around him shone. His pet Raylien towered behind him. He held his Form Baton ready.

He reached the top of the stairs. Before him was a large, round platform, made from yellow stone. Surrounding it was a pool of quicksand.

In the centre was a square, stone pillar. Razorbeard walked towards it, staring at it. He held his Form Baton high, and stopped before it.

The Form Baton glowed with energy, and a bolt of lightning appeared between it and the top of the pillar, playing between them. Then it stopped.

The pillar slid off of its base, revealing a hole in it.

Inside the hole was a dusty, old book.

Razorbeard would have grinned if he had anything resembling a mouth.

"We're in business."

A tear slid down Rayman's cheek as he fought for his life. One of his best friends, Clark the Giant, was gone.

Christian, Lachimax, Mr. Dark and Ly fought beside him. Mr. Dark blasted Aliens out of his way with nothing but his mind, Christian slashed at them with his Form Baton, Lachimax twirled his spear in increasingly intricate combat moves, and Ly threw fireballs into the Aliens.

Christian pressed several buttons on his Form Baton, and a steady stream of flame began to pour from the end. The Aliens shied from it, snarling in anger. The five fighters escaped through the gap, running down the tunnel, Murfy following them close behind. Again.

They reached the place where they had left Globox and Uglette. Neither of them was there.

"That bloody coward..." muttered Rayman.

They turned off at the first tunnel they found. Mr. Dark raised his hands to the roof, and commanded the rocks to do his bidding.

They did.

The stone came alive, closing the entrance of the side tunnel and sealing the tunnel off from any Aliens that might attempt to follow them.

"But then nobody else will be able to get through..."

"If anybody else has survived, they'll find another way out,"

Lachimax spoke into his headset: "This is Hybrid Knaaren, repeat, Hybrid Knaaren. Is there anyone out there?"

For a few moments, silence. Then the headpiece spluttered to life. "This is Purple Terror, repeat, Purple Terror. I'm heading back the way we came. We are under pursuit by Aliens. With me are Stonehead, Huntress and... What the hell? We just found Uglette and the kids. They're running with us now. Hell knows how they got down here so quickly..."

"Is Globox with them?"

"Negative on that, sir,"

"Okay, Purple Terror. Go out the way you came. From what Christian has told us, these things are essentially nocturnal and they might back off in the light..."

"They won't," spoke Christian. "They'll follow them, trust me,"

"Fine. If you can get out into the open and pick them off with guns, you might stand a chance,"

"Great. See you on the other side. Over and out,"

"Now to see what we can see..." said Christian, his voice penetrating the absolute darkness. Then there was a light, coming from the Form Baton. It illuminated the entire tunnel...

Revealing Globox, huddled in a corner, shaking and crying.

"Globox!"

He looked up.

"Rayman, I'm a worthless plum-sniffer. I lost Uglette!"

Rayman sat down next to him and patted his back. "It's okay, Globox. She's with CODEFS now. She'll be alright,"

Globox sniffed. "An Alien came down the tunnel. We ran, but Uglette and the kids went the other way. Oh, Gaseous Gloop... Our other kids are out there too, you know. Gilly died, but there are another six hundred out on their own, fending for themselves against Razorbeard and the Aliens..."

He burst into tears again.

Rayman hugged him awkwardly.

Murfy's voice interrupted this moment. "Sorry to interrupt, but shouldn't we get moving?"

The considerably reduced band walked through the tunnel, ever vigilant. Eventually the tunnel began to open out. The walls began to change colour, going from dull brown, dirt walls to purplish, stone ones. Finally, the companions emerged into a huge cavern, with a vast lake in the centre. It was surrounded by naturally formed stone pillars, and there were many overhanging platforms. Hovering in the air were herds of Purple Lums, roaming throughout the cavern.

"I know this place..." said Rayman. "I've been here before. This is the Cave of Skops!"

"Yes," said Murfy, ever the man of few words. Or the flying frog with few words. If that is what Murfy is.

"But how did we get here? Clearleaf Forest is miles away,"

"The Rabbid Tunnels link many distant places, it seems," Murfy replied.

"This place is almost directly below my old hideout," said Mr. Dark. "I remember luring Mister Skops too you to prevent you from reaching me,"

"Yeah. Good times, huh?"

Nobody could see Dark's face through the shadows that obscured it, but he was smiling. "Yes. Good times,"

[i]I guess it's safe to rest here for a while,[/i] said Ly.

So they did. The group found a flat, bare space and lay down. And, to the dripping of water throughout the cavern, Rayman began to doze.

The Tower of the Leptys

"Hey, look! It's more of Andre's little buddies! Wonder if they want to play?"

"Shut up Globox, and keep driving!"

Rayman flipped backwards into the reverse facing seat behind Globox's, and gripped the gun turret. He pointed it at the stream of Hoodlum shuttles coming towards their own, and let fly with a burst of green laser. The Hoodlum shuttles burst into flame, falling, crashing into the ground far below. The Black Lums within the Hoodlum suits escaped from the fireballs, flying upwards.

Suddenly, the shuttle jerked, veering off course. "What are you doing, Globox?" he shouted.

He heard a hissing, snarling sound from right behind him, and turned...

To find that Globox was no longer there.

In his place was an Alien.

"Rayman, wake up!"

Rayman's eyes sprung open. He was in the Cave of Skops. The event in his dream had happened almost two years ago, after Andre the Black Lum had escaped from the confines of Globox's digestive system. Except for the part with the Alien.

Rayman rolled over to find Globox staring at him in concern. "You were tossing and turning. I woke you up,"

"Thanks for that, Globox," Rayman said.

"We're gonna move out soon. Mr. Dark has a plan of action,"

Rayman stood up, looked around. He guessed that it was probably around midday outside, but he couldn't tell the difference in here. Mr. Dark and Lachimax were conversing close by, discussing what to do next. Mr. Dark had produced a map, seemingly out of nowhere, and was showing it to Lachimax.

"If we head up this passage, we will be dead on course for Candy Chateau. I have a few devices there that could help us out,"

"Alright, but I have heard of this place. The Caves of Skops are reputedly guarded by a huge scorpion creature, Mister Skops..."

"They are," said Rayman. Both Lachimax and Mr. Dark turned to face him. "But Mister Skops will not attack us unless we provoke him directly. If we stay clear of his cave, he will leave us alone,"

Rayman could sense Mr. Dark was smiling within the shadows of his hat. "As you so unwisely did, all those years ago,"

"Yes. So, what's the plan?"

"We head up, as steeply as we can, towards Candy Chateau. We plan to use it as a base, as it is well protected from any threat,"

"Excellent. Finally, we will no longer be running from these things,"

Lachimax glanced at Christian. "Plus, on the way there, you might be able to talk to Christian,"

Rayman caught his meaning.

The considerably smaller party moved out shortly after, following Mr. Dark's map of the Caves. He led them ever upwards, through the labyrinth of huge caverns and underground caves. And as they marched, Rayman talked to Christian.

"How did those Rabbids die? We came out and they were served on a platter!"

"It was a Yautja, better known as a Predator to other species. The Yautja are a race of technologically advanced trophy hunters. They have developed a cloaking device system, which renders them near-invisible. Although they do have high standards of technology on their home planet, they prefer to use simpler weapons in their hunts, such as blades and throwing weapons. Though a favourite weapon of theirs, the plasma caster, is fairly advanced. But do not underestimate them because of their weapons. The Predators have, and always will be, deadly efficient hunters,"

[i]That explains the running,[/i] said Ly, listening in behind them.

"Yes. A single Yautja can take down a squad of trained Special Forces soldiers with ease. The history of the xenomorphs is tied closely with that of the Yautja. They used them for hunting, considering them the ultimate prey. Aliens were often used in rites of passage. If you killed a xenomorph, you were a true hunter. But the Yautja have been silent for many years now. They supposedly died out in... an accident on their homeworld. But I always suspected there were survivors,"

"Okay... so there's one here, and he's hunting the Aliens?"

"Apparently. Though we should steer clear of him or her,"

Any further conversation was cut off by Mr. Dark cursing. "Damn it! The passage is blocked!"

"What!?"

"A rockslide or something..."

And, indeed, a rockslide had blocked their path. They were on a raised path on the wall of one cave, high in the air. A long drop ended in a vast lake below them.

"We'll have to backtrack. There are alternate routes, though not as quick or safe,"

"We have no other choice,"

So they backtracked.

Eventually they found themselves inside a slightly smaller cave, one with a lake of bubbling lava replacing those of water in the other caves. In the middle of the cave, on a raised platform, was a massive pile of gold, jewels and other treasures, almost equal to the stockpile of the Cave of Bad Dreams.

Fast asleep, on a winding path which led to the treasure, was a massive scorpion.

Mister Skops.

His head rested on his single, disembodied claw, snoring contentedly. His tail lay curled around his body.

Rayman looked sharply to Mr. Dark. "You didn't tell me we were coming here!"

Dark bowed his head. "It is the only way through. We have no choice. Besides, there is a pathway around the edge of the cavern. We can avoid Skops completely,"

At that very moment, several Aliens were crawling across the ceiling.

Globox was the first to spot them. "ALIENS!"

Christian ignited his Form Baton sword. "Not more of these mother..."

They could only watch as the Aliens dropped onto Skops' back, waking him instantly. The giant scorpion roared, attempting to shake the xenomorphs off. He impaled one on his tail, apparently unaffected by the acid blood, and gripped another in his claw. But there were many of them, and they began to drive Skops towards Rayman and the others.

Lachimax turned to them. "Quickly, follow the path around the outside!"

But there were more Aliens appearing by the second, and several of them had dropped in the companions' way. Rayman turned to see that there were more where they had come from.

They were trapped.

"Polokus's vodka..."

The companions fought. There were dozens of Aliens, and they drove the party down the narrow walkway.

Straight towards Skops.

Rayman swept an Alien off the path with his feet, knocking it into the lava. It died without a sound. Globox began to dance, calling a small thunderstorm to strike at the xenomorphs. But, despite their efforts, they were driven, slowly but inexorably, towards Skops.

Finally, there was nothing between them. Skops, unable to get rid of his Alien attackers, turned on Rayman's companions in anger. He grabbed Lachimax in his claw, throwing him to the ground. His tail struck, fast as lightning. It missed once, as Lachimax rolled, but was poised for another strike.

The end of his tail whizzed through the air...

And was blocked by the blade of an axe.

An axe held by something half-dog, half human.

Chapter 8: Xenoborg

The dog-man knocked Skops' tail away with the shaft of his axe, then slashed at his head. Skops reared away. His small, insectoid mind was overwhelmed by the different, confusing creatures surrounding him, and began to retreat.

That left the Aliens to deal with.

The dog-man offered a hand to Lachimax. Lachimax took it, and was pulled to his feet.

An Alien hissed menacingly and stabbed at the dog-man with its tail. An owl talisman on his neck glowed suddenly, and a small force field appeared around him, blocking the blow and causing the Alien to shriek in pain. The dog-man swung his axe, which had a flag attached to the shaft, with frightening ferocity and speed. Alien parts flew, and with the help of the others, the dog-man carved a swathe through them. The acid from the Aliens' blood seemed to avoid him completely, landing around him.

They headed towards the treasure pile, as the flood of Aliens the other way was too big. They reached the pile, which Skops was now on top of.

"Get back!" the dog-man shouted in a low, growling voice. He turned towards the narrow walkway, raised his axe, and whispered "Help me!"

The eyes of his owl talisman glowed violet.

The dog-man brought his axe crashing down, cracking the very rock of the walkway. The crack ran along the entire path, between Aliens' legs.

Then, suddenly, the walkway collapsed into the lava. The Aliens died shrieking, their acidic blood steaming in the molten rock.

And then, all was quiet.

The dog-man turned towards Rayman, Lachimax, Christian, Globox, Murfy and Ly.

"The name's Bloodgrey,"

Bloodgrey's legs, arms and most of his body were that of an extremely muscular human. He was covered from head to toe in fine, black fur, and his head was that of a fearsome dog. His eyes were orange, and he hefted his massive axe with ease. He also had the tail of a dog. Around his neck, a small owl talisman hung, with tiny, clear-crystal eyes.

"Where the hell did you come from?" demanded Christian.

"I was in the neighbourhood and I decided to drop by. You people weren't doing so hot on your own,"

Rayman offered his hand in friendship. "You're right. Thank you. You saved us,"

Bloodgrey shouldered his weapon. "Don't mention it. Now, you'd better get out of here, before Scorpius Brainless gets down here,"

He pointed up to the tip of the mountainous treasure pile, where Skops was slowly making his way down.

"What, you're not coming with us?" said Globox in alarm.

"Pfffft. No. I fly solo. I helped you guys out, so now I'm off again,"

Lachimax stepped in front of him. "I highly recommend you don't. Those Alien things are everywhere, and they are extremely dangerous,"

"Yeah, so get your hairy behind over here!" Murfy, of course.

Bloodgrey seemed to reconsider. "Alright. I guess I could hang with you guys for a while. These things are kinda annoying,"

Candy Chateau, Deep Cellar

Deep within the basement of the labyrinthine Candy Chateau, a chocolate trapdoor slid away. First to exit was Murfy, whizzing straight upwards. Following closely was Mr. Dark, then Rayman. They gazed around, Mr. Dark taking in his old base of operations, Rayman taking in the huge building he had once attacked in order to take back the Heart of the World. He had also faced... dark things... here. Things brought about by Mr. Dark to stop him. He had lost control of his body, been made to fight horrible hybrids, even battling an evil version of himself, one that followed his every move. But that was all in the past now. He would never fully trust Mr. Dark, but he would also no longer see him as an enemy.

[i]So, this is where you defeated Mr. Dark?[/i]

Rayman turned to see Ly, gazing around at the cellar.

"Yes,"

Ly looked deep into his eyes. There she saw the ghost of a haunting past. This being, her partner, had been through so much at the hands of his enemies. First Mr. Dark and his monsters, then Admiral Razorbeard hunting him down and almost killing his friends, then Andre, and then the time he had never talked about... The time he and several of Globox's children had been taken by the Rabbids to another world, another time. And more recently, the war against the Robo-Pirates and the attack of the xenomorphs.

They made their way out of the basement into the main Chateau. Massive towers of pink cotton candy towered above them. Chocolate staircases led to laboratories, where Mr. Dark had conducted his research. Chandeliers of candy canes hung from the ceiling.

And everywhere, evidence of the recent Robo-Pirate invasion lay.

Not only was the wreckage of their equipment covering every metre of space, but when their home planet, Rachara, had been destroyed, the Pirates had simply stopped working. Their empty metal bodies lay everywhere, some on the ground, some remaining upright. It was very spooky, seeing them all standing there, staring eerily into space. Rayman flicked one on the forehead, and it fell backwards, clunking to the ground.

"What now?" asked Lachimax.

Mr. Dark was already halfway up a staircase.

"Now we plan," he called.

Christian was the last out of the cellar.

Before he left, he heard a sound behind him. With lightning-quick reflexes, he span around and ignited his Form Baton in one swift movement...

Blocking the wrist blades of a Predator.

Christian smiled grimly. "Yautja,"

The Predator spoke in its harsh, guttural language. "Semi-Ray,"

Christian lowered his weapon. The Yautja followed suit. It was very tall, almost seven feet. Its fleshy dreadlocks swung when it moved.

"Your race always was too clever for its own good, Predator. We Semi-Rays always advised against your abuse of the xenomorph race,"

The Predator lowered its head. "Yes. They got out of hand, most explosively. We thought they were under control. We were wrong. One or two Facehuggers escaped, and they were breeding in the sewer system without our knowledge,"

"Why are you here?"

"I am here to redeem my race. I plan to kill the queen,"

"There may be more than one by now,"

"One at a time, then,"

"Well, maybe between us, we can succeed,"

"Yes. Maybe,"

Christian turned away from the Yautja. "But if you touch my friends, you will not live to regret it,"

The Predator nodded, then turned away. It shimmered, then was gone.

Razorbeard's Warship, The Menhir Hills

Razorbeard lowered his Form Baton, his dread work done.

Before him lay a work of genius.

He had imprisoned Polokus. He had acquired a Form Baton. He had unleashed xenomoprhs upon Rayman's world. He had created the Raylien, who obeyed his every command. He had uncovered directions to the Sacred Balance Stone. All were steps in his grand master plan.

This was another of these steps.

On the table before him was what had once been an Alien.

Its basic structure remained intact, but its spine and exoskeleton had been strengthened with metal. On its left arm was a Robo-Pirate General Purpose Laser. Half of its skull had been cut away, to be replaced with metal shell. It now had an electronic eye on the left hand side of its head, where an organic eye would be if Aliens had them. Implanted in its head was a small computer, with a modified Robo-Pirate Henchman 5000 program, controlling, but not dampering, the Alien's instincts, increasing its intelligence and its already excellent reflexes.

The strength, speed, stealth and killer instinct of a xenomorph spliced with the technology and intelligence of a Robo-Pirate.

And completely under Razorbeard's control.

Xenoborg.

Candy Chateau, Observation Platform

Mr. Dark looked through his trusty binoculars, their magical lenses allowing him to view the Fairy Council many hundreds of miles away. He handed them to Christian, pointing him in the right direction. "Where would the Queen be inside that building?"

Christian scanned the exterior of the Fairy Council. He could not see any Aliens, but they generally did not venture outside at daytime unless they needed to.

"The Queen Xenomorph generally makes her main nest close to a source of power or heat, for reasons unknown: solar batteries, nuclear reactors, anything, really; in this case, a centre of powerful magic,"

Ly thought of the answer first. [i]The Heart of the World![/i]

"Yes. I think it most likely the Queen has made her nest there,"

Rayman clenched his fists. "That is the centre of our world. To think that these monsters are near it, with their slime and corruption..."

Ly put her hand in his. [i]Not for much longer, Rayman. We will drive them away,[/i]

"Easier said than done," muttered Lachimax.

Globox looked at Christian slyly.

"You were gonna say something at the campfire before the Rabbids interrupted us, weren't you? After Ly mentioned that the Aliens were speaking to her in her head,"

For the first time since Rayman had known him, hope dawned on Christian's face.

"Yes! I have a way to kill these things!"

He pulled out his Form Baton.

"This device is an incredibly versatile weapon. Depending on how you hold it and which buttons you press, it can become almost three hundred different tools or weapons.

"Amongst those tools is a telepathic amplifier,"

Bloodgrey looked up. "Brilliant!"

Christian looked at him. "What do you know about this?"

A wolf's grin crossed Bloodgrey's face. "I know that, with some telepathic hive-based animals, the queen acts as a receptor for the entire hive. What she thinks, they will know about. And, if you use a strong enough signal.... what was that?"

Bloodgrey's owl talisman's eyes glowed purple suddenly, and Bloodgrey seemed to start talking to himself.

"Yes, I was about to say that... be quiet a second... yes, if you broadcast a telepathic signal directly into the Queen's mind, the entire Hive will feel it. And any telepathic animal will die with too strong a telepathic signal. Given the robust nature of the xenomorph mind... I'd say a level of about BASIC 200 would do the trick,"

Rayman and Ly exchanged glances. All had heard Bloodgrey talking to himself.

Christian grinned. "Exactly! AND MY FORM BATON CAN DO IT!"

Lachimax turned to the assembled warriors.

"Ladies and Gentlemen; we have a plan,"

Chapter 9: Return to the Fairy Council

Candy Chateau

For the next few days, all was busy as the warriors made their preparations. Mr. Dark went alone to his main tower often, assumedly casting spells of a dark nature. Lachimax and Christian, the ones with the most technical expertise, salvaged as much working equipment from the Robo-Pirate junk as they could, which they hoped to make weapons from. Globox was continually distressed about Uglette and his children, but stopped his worrying long enough to be fitted out with a Power Refiner, which would give him greater control over rain and lightning. Rayman practiced fighting against Bloodgrey, Lachimax and Christian when they weren't working, and helped them however he could. Ly meditated often, preparing her mind for the trials at hand.

Lachimax had tried to call the remaining CODEFS fighters, but had received no response, meaning they were either dead or out of range. They would be returning to the Fairy Council alone, it seemed.

One night, Ly was meditating when a voice began to nag at her mind. She knew instantly that it was the Queen.

[i]You are Ly the Fairy.[/i] It was not a question. Ly did not reply, but a feeling of terror gripped her.

[i]You hate me. I can see that inside you. You have much reason to. I have been the cause of your every trouble. I and my brood have devastated your world beyond recovery.[/i]

Ly found that she was paralysed. She could not move, not even cry out.

[i]You are afraid. Good. You and your friends are all weak, so weak. You do not understand that there is only one law: survival. You can never succeed against our might.[/i]

These words made Ly angry, angrier than she had ever been. She spoke to the Queen in anger.

[i]You are nothing but evil. Do you know love? Sadness? Happiness?[/i]

The Queen laughed. [i]I know love, fairy. Love for my children. Love for conquest. Love for blood.[/i]

[i]And what happens, then, when everything is gone? When you have ravaged this world to the bone? What does your race do then, Queen of Xenomorphs?"

Silence. Then: [i]You probably didn't know, fairy, that my race possesses a genetic memory. It is passed down from generation to generation. I possess all the memories and wisdom of previous Queens. And I know that no matter how many times we die, no matter how often we are culled, we always come back. And one day the universe will fall to us. Maybe not my generation, but one day. I merely serve that purpose.[/i]

Ly lashed out with her mind, knocking the Queen's telepathic link away. She heard a distant shriek of pain, then silence.

The Queen was gone.

The party left Candy Chateau in high hopes, but with a sense of deep apprehension. This was extremely dangerous, what they were about to do. But so was everything else Rayman had ever faced.

Mr. Dark used a device in his Chateau to create a shadow bird, which flew them across dozens of miles in mere minutes. Rayman saw the ground flash along below them, and with it the destruction the Aliens had caused. Not a single intelligent being stirred below them. No Teensie. No Knaaren. No fairy.

The shadow bird landed in the Fairy Glade, right outside the Fairy Council. Then it rose into the air, disappearing with a screech.

Lachimax handed out the weapons he and Christian had produced. Bloodgrey elected to keep his axe-flag. Ly was given a rapid-fire laser. Lachimax handed Globox a mini-gun, like the one his son Gily had wielded. Lachimax took for himself a big grenade launcher, to wield alongside his spear. Murfy got a large pistol, the only thing he could carry comfortably. Rayman received a double-barrelled shotgun, holding it awkwardly in his hands. The only other gun he had ever used was a plunger gun, given to him by the Rabbids to compete with. But he had practised with this one at the Chateau enough to be fairly familiar with it.

Rayman turned to address his friends. All had proved their mettle a thousand times over.

"This ends today, one way or another. We will fight, and we may die. But we do so for all. For the Crossroads. For the dead. For our friends. For Polokus," A grim determination entered his eyes.

"For our world,"

He cocked his shotgun.

"Let's do this,"

The Predator exited the Fairy Council, his job done. He had planted the package, and could only hope that the Queen did not recognise it for what it was before it "expired". He turned a corner, uncloaked...

To see Razorbeard's Warship, hovering in the air metres from the ground. He activated his cloaking device to late. They had already spotted him. Before he knew it, he was knocked to the ground and paralysed by a stun laser, and Razorbeard was staring down at him.

"A Yautja?" he chuckled. "You expect to destroy the Queen, I expect?"

He reached down and removed the Predator's mask, revealing his large mandibles. He stared defiantly up at the Robo-Pirate Admiral, unafraid to die.

Razorbeard pointed his Form Baton at the Predator's head, then decided otherwise. He gestured to behind him, and the Raylien stepped forward.

"Good-bye, 'almighty hunter,'"

The Raylien crouched over the Yautja's head, snarling. Its second set of jaws extended in a flash, crushing the Predator's skull and killing it instantly.

Razorbeard turned to see that a short count-down had been initiated on a display on the dead Predator's arm. He must have initiated his self-destruct before he was killed.

Razorbeard raised his Form Baton, and a red bubble appeared around the corpse. "Oh no you don't,"

The bomb went off, but the explosion did not go past the force field, robbing the Predator of his last defiance and utterly cremating his body.

Razorbeard turned to the Xenoborg, the Raylien and his Henchmen.

"Time to take the ultimate power,"

They entered in a ring formation so that all directions were faced, Lachimax leading. The Fairy Council had been changed. Everywhere, the Aliens' slime had taken over. Bodies hung in cocoons on the walls. Not a sound found the warriors' ears.

They managed to move very far into the Council without being noticed, as Christian informed them the Aliens were probably resting.

But then, they were attacked.

The Aliens came from all sides, suddenly, without warning. And before they knew it, the companions were neck deep in fighting.

Rayman loosed a round from his shotgun, taking out two Aliens. Their blood spattered the wall, burning straight through it.

"Go!" he yelled. "We need to reach the Heart!"

The companions ran, breaking formation. Then, everything changed.

Christian tripped over. Lachimax saw this, and shouted to everyone else. "Man down!" They formed a ring around the Semi-Ray, defending him.

But Christian did not get up immediately. He had seen something.

Lying on the ground before him was a rectangular, blocky object. It had a small screen, on which a foreign language appeared, flickering every second.

Counting down.

"Mother of Satan," he gasped. "A Yautja bomb,"

"They're retreating!" shouted Lachimax, firing one last grenade into the Aliens' masses. "We need to go, Christian!"

"No! We need to get out of here! NOW!"

He explained what the device before them was.

"The Predator must have planted it here!"

Rayman thought for a minute.

"If we let it go off, it will destroy the Queen,"

Christian nodded.

Rayman continued: "But other Aliens will survive, and there may be other Queens. You need to get the Form Baton to THIS one,"

Rayman looked at Ly. "So I need to get the bomb away," He looked at Christian. "How long?"

"Ten minutes,"

[i]No![/i] Ly shouted, a desperate look in her eye.

"I love you, Ly,"

He kissed her on the lips.

He picked up the bomb.

Then he ran.

He ran as fast as he could, weaving his way through the corridors of the Fairy Council. As he ran, he raised his fingers to his lips to whistle loudly. He was outside in a matter of minutes, and waiting for him there was a yellow, metal creature shaped like a bullet.

The Walking Shell, his old steed.

Rayman mounted the Shell without hesitation, spurring it to run. It sensed the urgency in Rayman, going to new speeds it had never found before. The scenery blurred past at immense speeds. Rayman could not even see where they were anymore, it was that fast.

The bomb ticked ever closer to destruction.

Finally, after about nine minutes, the Shell skidded to a halt.

30.

Rayman did not recognise the spot. He glanced around, looking desperately for a place to hide from the bomb's destruction.

20.

He spotted a large doorway, built into the side of a cliff. It opened into a metal corridor. That was Rayman's best hope.

10.

He chucked the bomb, and urged the Shell towards the doorway.

5.

They reached it, and Rayman looked desperately for the controls that would close the door.

4.

He found them, pushing a button.

3.

The doors began to slide shut, agonisingly slow.

2.

Almost shut...

1.

They felt the shock wave all the way in the Fairy Council. The entire building shook. Ly looked out a nearby window, to see a horrible cloud in the shape of a mushroom rise into the air many miles away. A tear slid down her cheek. Then she turned to the solemn warriors with her. An angry determination rose within her.

"Let's kill this bitch,"

They nodded, cocked their weapons, and turned towards the massive, round door before them, which led to the Heart of the World.

Time to kill a Queen.

Chapter 10: Regicide

The door slid away.

To reveal the most horrific sight Ly had ever seen.

The Heart of the World's yellow light had been choked by the secreted resin that Aliens used to build their hives. And the eggs. Row upon row of eggs. They were emerging from a massive, soft, pale object.

An egg sac.

[img].[/img]

At the other end of the eggsac was the Queen.

She was far larger than any other Alien. She hung from the ceiling on the spines on her back. She had four arms, two large, two far too small to be of any use. Ly estimated that if she was standing up, she would have reached fifteen to twenty feet tall. She had a massive, spiked crest on her head, almost like an awful crown.

Her head turned towards them, and she hissed menacingly.

[i]You would destroy me, Ly?[/i]

[i]Yes.[/i]

"Clear the eggs away. I need to be close to her," whispered Christian.

Already, more Aliens were appearing behind them. Globox and Ly turned to hold them off. Lachimax fired a grenade into the eggs. The Queen shrieked in anguish. Christian converted his Form Baton to a flamethrower, roasting the eggs. Globox and Ly's weapons chattered, keeping the drones at a safe distance.

Finally, there was a clear path to the Queen. Christian stepped forward slowly, raising the Form Baton.

Ahead of him, to his right, an egg that they had missed opened wide.

He pointed the Baton squarely at the Queen's head, barely four metres from her.

"Time to die," he said, finger resting on the B trigger...

Only to have the Form Baton knocked from his hands.

By a Facehugger.

It had leapt from the missed egg, attempting to attach itself to his face. It missed, hitting his arm instead. Now it was trying to crawl up his chest, with him struggling against it. Ly saw this, and turned around...

Leaving an opening for the Alien drones to get through.

They swarmed forwards, crawling over the walls and ceiling. Globox could not hold them alone. He turned as well, running, giving the Aliens a clear path. They sprinted forward, into the Heart's Chamber. In the chaos, Lachimax fired a grenade. It missed all intended targets, and landed...

In the Queen's egg sac, blowing a hole in it for fluids to run out of.

The Queen screeched.

Mr. Dark gesture at the roof over the entrance to the room, causing it to collapse, blocking any more Aliens from entering. Christian continued to struggle with the Facehugger.

The massive ovipositor collapsed. No eggs would be emerging from there again.

[b]Excerpt from Xenomorph: The Living Weapon[/b]

The Queen Xenomorph is the centre of the hive. It lays the eggs and directs the activity of the Drones and Warriors. It lays eggs asexually, by means of an immense ovipositor, or egg sac, attached to its thorax, much like a termite queen. While laying eggs, it remains attached to the roof of the hive through the spines on its back, which are strong enough to hold its weight. It is able to remove itself from the ovipositor and the roof in the case of an emergency, for example, if the hive is in danger. But doing so will render the ovipositor dead, forcing the Queen to grow a new one.

The Queen lowered her legs to the ground.

She thrust forwards, tearing the egg sac from her lower body and removing her spines from the roof. She let out a huge roar.

The Queen was free.

And incredibly angry.

She stomped forwards, lowering her head. Christian, finally rid of the Facehugger, reached for the Form Baton, only to have it knocked away by the Queen's foot, and then to be kicked. Globox shot at her with his minigun, but was knocked against the wall by her tail. Mr. Dark raised his hands to cast a fell curse, but was struck down by the Queen. Bloodgrey swung his axe at her chest, but she knocked him down. Lachimax attempted a stab at her legs, but he, too, was stricken down. Murfy was thrown to the ground by the Queen's arm. His shattered body lay there, still.

Leaving Ly.

Ly backed away, firing her laser. But the Queen was too fast. She grabbed Ly in her claw, and threw her to the ground. She crouched onto all fours, drooling onto Ly's face.

[i]Now you die, troublesome fairy.[/i]

Ly closed her eyes...

BOOM!

The Queen turned her head away from Ly, interrupted by this sudden noise emitting from the wall.

BOOM!

Rubble fell from the wall, hitting the ground.

BOOM!

The wall fell inwards, obscuring the floor with more rocks.

To reveal a twenty foot tall, fat, orange-yellow, robot-like vehicle with funny antenna on its head and skinny arms leading to guns.

It was a Grolgoth.

A voice called out from the vehicle's loudspeakers:

"Get away from her, you BITCH!"

It was Rayman.

FLASHBACK: Site of Nuclear Explosion

The hugely thick doors slammed shut just in time.

KABOOM!

It felt like the entire world was being held upside down and shaken by some celestial infant to see what would fall out. But the walls held.

It was a bomb shelter.

Finally, the shaking stopped, and Rayman stood up, amazed at his luck. He looked around, knowing that the nuclear fallout would make it dangerous for him to leave. But he needed a way to return to the Council. A ship or something...

Off to the left was a big door leading to a hangar of some description. Above it were the words "Evil Genius Inc."

The people who sold Steelwill the Orbital Laser.

And also the ones who had handed Razorbeard...

Rayman peered into the hangar...

To see a Grolgoth.

"It does everything, except the dishes,"

He smiled.

The Grolgoth raised its arm and fired a cannonball at the Queen, under the direction of Rayman. The Queen, incredibly fast for her size, dodged to the side, then rat at Rayman and the Grolgoth. She charged headlong into it, knocking all five tonnes of it backwards. This was to be hand to hand combat.

So to speak.

Rayman pushed forwards, swing the Grolgoth's arms at the Queen. She dodged, grabbing the Grolgoth's head and doing her best to pull it off. Surprisingly, it shifted under the Queen's immense strength, coming half off. Rayman, sitting in the Grolgoth's chest, pressed a button which ran an electric current through the Grolgoth's skin. The Queen shrieked and let go. Rayman took this opportunity to hit her in the chest, knocking her back. She leant down and picked up a boulder, throwing it at the Grolgoth. It reacted automatically, blocking it with a laser fired from its hand.

The two giants closed in again, shaking the ground with their wrestling. Ly looked around, desperately searching for something she could do to help. Murfy wasn't moving. Christian, Lachimax and Mr. Dark were apparently unconscious. Bloodgrey showed signs of stirring. Globox was bleeding all over, but looked alive.

Then she spotted the Form Baton. She ran towards it, but was hindered by the Queen Alien's tail.

Rayman grabbed the Queen's arms and pulled her towards him. Ly took the opportunity to slide between the Queen's legs and grab the Form Baton, and was about to pull the trigger when the Queen kicked her away. She was unable to get any closer.

Rayman had managed to position himself and the Queen under an overhanging rock wall, where the Heart's Chamber roof used to be. He realised this, and slammed his fist down on a button with the word "ROCKET" printed on it.

The Grolgoth raised its foot, and a small, guided missile shot from its tube within the leg. It twisted around the Queen, and slammed into the overhang.

The wall collapsed, as if in slow motion. It knocked them over and buried the Queen up to her chest, the Grolgoth to its head. Rayman, safe inside the cockpit, received only a bruised back.

"Do it now, Ly!" he shouted through the loudspeakers.

Ly picked herself up, walking slowly and deliberately towards the Queen's head. She picked her way over the rubble, raising the Form Baton, pointing it at the totally helpless Queen.

[i]Now [/i]you[i] die, Alien. Along with all of your brood.[/i]

Ly pulled the trigger.

An incredibly strong telepathic signal passed from the Form Baton, directly into the Queen's head. The signal bounced around within her skull, entering her telepathy lobe and bursting her brain along the way. It was broadcast to every single Alien on the planet. All across the Crossroads, Aliens screamed and died. A band of surviving Knaaren stared in wonder as their opponents dropped dead before them. Teensies hiding in the upper regions of the Summit Beyond the Clouds watched in awe as the Xenomorphs fell around them.

Ly felt the signal too. The pain was unbearable, literally head-splitting.

[i]No! Christian told me this would not happen![/i]

And, in the last moments of her life, Ly knew that the Queen had opened a thoughtlink with her brain as a final revenge, meaning that Ly felt everything the Queen felt.

[i]You die with me, fairy.[/i]

She died for a second time, collapsing to the floor.

"NO!"

Rayman emerged from the Grolgoth's head, staring in horror at Ly's body, lying beside the far larger Queen's body. This time, there was no Green Lum to save her. He ran down to her, cradling her head. She looked so peaceful, the life blasted from her body by the Queen's maliciousness. He sobbed violently, his body shaking with sorrow. He kissed her on the lips one final time, then passed his hand over her eyes, closing them.

"How touching,"

Rayman spun around, hate filling his every being.

Razorbeard stood there, chuckling. The Raylien and the Xenoborg both stood behind him, unaffected by the telepathic blast. "You and your pitiful girlfriend have cleared my path to ultimate power. Now kindly stand aside,"

Christian, Mr. Dark, Lachimax and Bloodgrey, brought back to consciousness, stood behind Rayman. Rayman's fists glowed red with fury. This villain, this robot, had been responsible for the deaths of most of his friends. He had brought so much death to this world.

Now, they faced off for the final time.

Chapter 11: The Balance Stone

"You plan to fight me, do you?" Razorbeard cackled.

Tears streamed freely down Rayman's face. Tears of anger. Tears of pain. Tears of sorrow.

Tears of pure, ultimate, unmitigated hate.

"SHUT UP!"

He raised his hand, and a bolt of red energy flew from it. Razorbeard flicked it away almost lazily with his Form Baton. The bolt slammed into a wall, creating a small explosion.

"Temper, temper,"

Christian gasped in shock, seeing the other Form Baton. "But... where did you get that? And how the hell are you using it?"

Razorbeard laughed. "I took this from your old homeworld dozens of years ago. I could never use it, until now."

He flexed his organic hand. "The Form Baton now reads me as a living being,"

He looked directly at Christian.

"And so will the Balance Stone,"

Christian gasped again.

"That's right. I will possess the ultimate power soon enough,"

Rayman acted.

He charged at Razorbeard, screaming incoherently. He raised his hands, ready to grab him by the neck, but was knocked away by the Raylien, which pinned him to the ground. Rayman kicked the Raylien off him, spinning to punch it in the chest. It snarled at him, attacking with utmost ferocity. Rayman, empowered by his anger, gave all he got.

The Xenoborg also charged, picking Lachimax as a target. It fired its laser, which Lachimax managed to block with his spear. But then the Xenoborg was upon him, knocking him back with its strengthened arms. They squared off, and Bloodgrey turned to help him.

Razorbeard raised the Form Baton, and a rumble shook the ground. A huge section of the floor fell away, leaving the Heart of the World in the centre and Razorbeard, Mr. Dark and Christian on their own raised platform, with Ly's body lying behind them. Rayman, Lachimax, Bloodgrey, the Raylien and the Xenoborg all fell to a lower level, along with the Queen's body and the Grolgoth.

Rayman wrestled with the Raylien as they fell, pushing it to below him. It cushioned the impact and stunned it temporarily. Rayman took the chance to kick it in the gut.

Bloodgrey and Lachimax fought the Xenoborg further away, unable to find a gap in its defences. Lachimax stabbed with his spear, only to have it blocked by the cyborg's armour.

Razorbeard stood before Christian and Mr. Dark, laughing. "Look at your friends, fighting my creations. Now, to take what is mine,"

A flaming sword appeared in Mr. Dark's hand, and Christian activated his Form Baton's Beam Sword.

"We take him together," hissed Mr. Dark. Christian nodded.

As one they charged at Razorbeard. Together, they slashed at him, only to be repelled by Razorbeard's red blade. He attacked them, sword a blur as he took them both at once. They exchanged a flurry of super-fast blows. Razorbeard switched between functions on his Form Baton quickly, using it more efficiently in battle than had ever been done. Christian and Mr. Dark were thrown onto the back foot, to busy defending themselves to attack. Mr. Dark stopped a flamethrower attack from Razorbeard with his bare hands, catching the flames and forming them into a ball. He then cast the ball back at Razorbeard, throwing him slightly off guard. He took this chance to run forward, swinging his fire sword gracefully. Razorbeard blocked again, then slashed at Mr. Dark. Dark dodged at the last minute, but the sword cut through his cloak. It fell off altogether, revealing the light body armour Dark wore beneath.

Christian leapt to join the fight, slicing at Razorbeard. Still duelling Dark, Razorbeard pointed his Baton at Christian while ducking beneath a blow from Dark. Christian flew backwards, colliding with a rock.

Mr. Dark attempted to stop Razorbeard frantically, but the Pirate was too fast, too strong. Razorbeard slashed at Mr. Dark's chest, cutting through the body armour and slicing into his ribcage. Dark gasped, and fell to the ground.

"I always was the better villain," sneered Razorbeard, finishing Dark off with a killing blow.

Christian charged forward, yellow Beam Sword flashing. Yellow light blade met red light blade. Razorbeard met him blow for blow, pressing Christian back.

"I have become far more skilful with the Form Baton than you could ever hope to be," Razorbeard taunted Christian as they fought furiously. "I, and I alone, have rights to the Balance Stone,"

"The Stone is but a myth, Razorbeard. You can never hope to possess it,"

"On the contrary, my dear Semi-Ray. It is right here, in this very...ah...what used to be a room,"

"I will never let you take it!"

"That is where you're wrong, Christian,"

Razorbeard blocked one final strike from Christian, then dealt an underhand blow to Christian's leg, cutting it clean off. Christian fell with a gasp, bleeding feely.

Razorbeard stood over him, kicking the Form Baton. "I will not kill you, Christian, because I wish you to see this. But, fear not, for you will die soon enough,"

Razorbeard turned to face the Heart of the World.

Lachimax and Bloodgrey squared off against the Xenoborg. It fought with ferocious skill, meeting their every blow with one of its own. Lachimax stabbed at its chest, then blocked one of its claws. The cyborg grabbed the spear with that claw and ripped it from Lachimax's hands. With the speed of a striking snake, it turned the spear around...

And ran Lachimax through with it.

Lachimax's eyes widened in disbelief, staring at his own weapon protruding from his chest. Then he tumbled, hitting the floor with a resounding thud.

"No!" snarled Bloodgrey.

The eyes of his owl talisman glowed purple.

Time slowed.

The half-Alien, half-robot moved as if in slow motion, coming at Bloodgrey with the speed of a thousand startled snails. Bloodgrey walked towards it at a normal pace. He swung his axe once, slicing the Xenoborg's left arm off. But then time returned to normal once again. The Xenoborg, barely noticing its grievous injury, fired a laser bolt at Bloodgrey. It then used its own wound to its advantage, spraying acid blood at the dog-man. Bloodgrey howled as the acid burnt into his face and arms. He collapsed to the rubble-strewn floor, sheer agony reducing his ability to move.

"I guess this is the end for me, Oulou," he said to his small owl talisman, grimacing as the Xenoborg stood across him.

[i]Your life will go, but will return shortly, Bloodgrey. Heed your guardian spirit's words. Your life will not be wasted,[/i]

Bloodgrey smiled. "That's good to know,"

The Xenoborg slit his throat with one fell motion.

Rayman continued to wrestle with the Raylien, unable to gain an advantage. He kicked it in the head, then assaulted it with a flurry of punches and kicks, his empowered fists digging ever deeper into the beast's exoskeleton. It snarled, then knocked him back. He was winded as he landed on the ground. Then, quick as lightning, the Raylien was upon him, pinning him to the ground.

Rayman spotted something hanging directly over the Raylien's head. Something large. Something purple.

Rayman spun his hair into a helicopter, cutting the Raylien's second set of jaws clean off. The creature flinched, momentarily releasing Rayman's hand...

Allowing him to launch it upwards in a fist...

Knocking the plum of its stem and onto the Raylien's head. It stuck there, enclosing the monster's entire skull. Rayman kicked it hard in the chest, knocking it off. The Raylien struggled vainly to remove the fruit from its head, allowing Rayman to stride forward, calm in his rage, and drop a heavy boulder on the thing's chest, splashing acid all over the floor. It thrashed wildly for several seconds, then was still.

Rayman looked upwards. Razorbeard stood near the Heart of the World, Baton raised.

"Oh no you don't!"

Rayman leapt upwards, higher than ever before, and grabbed the edge of the platform. He swung himself up, standing tall.

Razorbeard faced him. "Ah, Rayman. My old nemesis,"

Rayman launched a punch at him, but it was reflected easily.

"Do you finally see now, Rayman? I orchestrated everything. I planned it from the start. It was I who led the Robo-Pirates to your world for a second time, thus goading you to destroy them. It was I who convinced you to blow up my home planet, removing the obstacle of my brethren. It was I who planted the seed of the Xenomorph race, removing most of the population of this world, thus preparing it for my plans,"

"And what are they?" spat Rayman.

"Once I have the Balance Stone, I will have the power to mass produce my Xenoborgs, creating my own army to rival that of the late Rachara. I shall create starships, millions of weapons. I will conquer the universe, using your world as a base. Perhaps I will keep you as a pet,"

"What is the Balance Stone?"

"Why, has Christian not told you? The Balance Stone is a device of utmost power, built by the billion year old race known as the Ancients. The same race who built the Heart of the World. The same race that created the Lums, thus setting in motion the creation of Polokus. The same race that made your species, the Rays, which eventually split in half to evolve into the Semi-Rays and your race, of which the late Mr. Dark, Tarayzan, the Musician and the Magician were also members. The Semi-Rays, who migrated to another planet, invented Form Batons, whose true purpose they never knew. But I know,"

He turned to Christian, whose face had turned pale grey. "They were designed to channel the Balance Stone's power,"

"You forget something, Razorbeard," gasped Christian. "You said before you would gain the ultimate power. Only the Ancients' Chosen One can gain the ultimate power from the Balance Stone. You may gain immense energy, but you will not be a god,"

"No matter. I have no need of ultimate power. I can rule the galaxy with only the strength of my army,"

Razorbeard pointed his Form Baton at the Heart of the World. It exploded violently, shattering into a thousand yellow lums for a second time, who all flew off confusedly. He raised the Baton again. Rayman charged at him, desperate to stop him, but was paralyzed by a flick of the Baton.

Where the Heart used to be, the floor slid away, and a small altar rose from the hole. On the altar, glowing with bright, white light, was the Balance Stone.

[img].org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Wii_nunchuk_/329px-Wii_nunchuk_[/img]

It was a shape that would fit perfectly in the palm of your hand. On the top was a small joystick, and it had two triggers, one small and round and the other large and square.

Razorbeard walked forward, slowly and deliberately. He lifted the Stone from the altar, holding it reverently in his hand. He raised the Form Baton next to it, and a flicker of light passed between them.

Rayman closed his eyes. This was it. He had failed.

Then, suddenly, without warning, the both the Form Baton and the Balance Stone were knocked from Razorbeards hand...

By a bolt of lightning.

Rayman turned to see Globox, bleeding, arm raised, sitting on a protruding rock sticking out from the wall. Globox smiled. "I finally did something right," Then he flopped backwards, unconscious.

Rayman, released from the Forma Baton's power, leapt up, ran forward, and grabbed the Balance Stone.

"Rayman, here!"

Christian threw him his own Form Baton, which he had crawled to while Razorbeard's back was turned. Rayman caught it...

And power flooded through him.

[i]Ultimate[/i] power.

The Baton and the Stone were connected by a thread of light running between them. Rayman grinned, and raised his fists. Razorbeard could only watch helplessly as his plans fell apart before him.

A nimbus of golden fire surrounded Rayman as he rose into the air. His eyes glowed blue, and his voice was echoed as if by a dozen voices as he spoke.

"I possess your ultimate power, Razorbeard. I am ultimate,"

Christian watched in awe as the Chosen One of the Ancients performed his work.

"I smite all of your creations from this world,"

The Xenoborg disappeared in a flash of brilliant white light. All the Alien eggs left alive in the Crossroads and Razorbeard's Henchmen went with it.

"I rebuild the Heart of the World,"

The one thousand yellow lums returned to their station in the Heart's socket, obscuring the altar and melding back together to form the Heart of the World.

"I heal all wounds caused by your evil,"

Christian's leg was suddenly whole again and Globox's wounds disappeared.

"I release Polokus from his prison,"

Razorbeard's warship disappeared, revealing the smiling Spirit of the World.

"And I return to life those you have destroyed,"

All those who had died at the hands of the Aliens and during the second Robo-Pirate war were suddenly standing in the vast fields of the Fairy Glade, blinking confusedly. Rabbids, Knaaren, Moskitos, Teensies, fairies, miscellaneous beings... All were there.

"I am the Chosen One of the Ancients, descended from the great Rayolen,"

The fire surrounding Rayman increased in intensity.

"And I... am... RAYMAN!"

Rayman opened his mouth, and a stream of white light poured out. It dissipated across the Glade, scattering in the fields. Rayman was lowered to the ground before Razorbeard, who remained cowering before him.

Rayman looked down at him, the flames and glowing eyes gone. He tossed the Baton and the Stone aside, to be caught by Christian.

"Your deeds are undone, Admiral," Rayman said, using the Robo-Pirate's old rank. "You are defeated for a final time,"

Razorbeard stared up at him, crushing defeat in his eyes. "Then finish it,"

Rayman smiled a terrible, grim smile.

"With pleasure,"

Rayman kicked Razorbeard in the head, knocking him back. The Robo-Pirate did not resist. Rayman punched him, over and over, his fists glowing white. He tore Razorbeard apart, until nothing was left but the Admiral's head.

"This is where we part ways, Pirate,"

Razorbeard closed his eyes.

Rayman drop kicked the head, his foot colliding with its forehead. The Admiral's head sailed through into the sky, travelling hundreds of kilometres through the air. It finally landed at the very peak of the Precipice, making it impossible to reach and also making Razorbeard the first ever to reach the summit of that mountain.

Rayman raised his fingers to his mouth, stretched his lips wide, and shook his head in a Grimace.

Then he breathed a sigh of relief. It was over, and his friends were alive.

Rayman took Christian and Globox by the hands, and they rose into the air to float down to the Fairy Glade. The crowds of creatures stared in awe at the one who had brought life back to their bodies. There was utter silence as the three landed.

Then, a massive cheer broke out. All across the Fairy Glade and even the entire Crossroads, people cheered. They cheered for the defeat of Razorbeard. They cheered for the return of their lives. But most of all, they cheered for Rayman. The one who had saved their world no less than five times.

"RAYMAN! RAYMAN! RAYMAN! RAYMAN!"

Rayman grinned, all pressure gone.

Mr. Dark, Bloodgrey, Lachimax, Murfy, Uglette, Clark, Betilla and a veritable army of Baby Globoxes charged forward, tears in their eyes. But Rayman had eyes for only one person.

Ly, smiling warmly at him from atop a small hill.

Returned to him by the power of the Balance Stone.

Rayman, Christian, Polokus and Ly sat around a small table, the Balance Stone and the two Form Batons in the centre.

"I have no wish to keep the ultimate power," Rayman said. "I wish for Polokus to take it and hide it in one of his Sanctuaries.

Polokus nodded. "Most wise, Chosen One,"

Rayman looked at Christian. "Yeah, I'm still wondering about that. How did I become the Chosen One?"

"The Ancients chose one Ray from amongst many to be their Chosen One, the one who could wield the full power of the Balance Stone. He was the great Rayolen. His line has remained unbroken since the beginning of time. You are his descendant. I knew it from the moment I first laid eyes upon you. "

"But... I was an orphan. Nobody knows where I came from. I simply appeared one day, the day Mr. Dark stole the Heart of the World,"

"I believe I can answer that one," said Polokus. "Your parents were killed early on in your life, by forces unknown to us. I then placed you under a sleeping spell myself, for your own protection, until the world needed you,"

Rayman nodded. "That makes sense, I guess... in a weird kind of way,"

So peace returned to the Crossroads of Dreams. The warriors who had accompanied Rayman remained in the Fairy Glade to live, including the CODEFS soldiers. And, a year later...

Rayman held the small Ray against his chest, love filling his heart. Ly smiled up at him, exhausted by her labour. They were surrounded by friends. Globox and his family. Clark. Betilla. Mr. Dark. Lachimax. Christian. Bloodgrey. The Grand Minimus. Polokus. The Walking Shell. The Crossroads of Dreams Elite Fighting Squad. Murfy. Tarayzan. The Magician. All with smiles on their faces.

Rayman looked down at the child in his hands. She looked like Rayman, only with a purple and beige pattern covering her body, similar to Ly's. She reached up and grabbed her father's nose, laughing.

Rayman laughed with her, and it spread through his friends contagiously. Even Mr. Dark chuckled.

She was heir to the title of the Chosen One of the Ancients.

Rayman's daughter.

THE HAPPY END!

Epilogue: The Admiral's Fate

An eagle flew through the sky near the Precipice, looking for the small snowmice that lived at this altitude. She noticed a glint in the snow, and circled down towards it.

She landed next to it, and cocked her head in amazement. It had two yellow lights, and a ring of razors below that. Above the yellow lights was what looked like a tall, purple hat.

The eagle pecked one of the lights, and jumped back as the object made strange, angry sounds. Realising that it could not harm her, the eagle gripped the object in her claws, ignoring its protests. She flapped away with it, taking it to her nest. It would make an excellent toy for her chicks.

Thank you all for reading. This was the final chapter of the Return of the Robo-Pirates/Alien vs. Rayman sequence. It's been almost a hundred pages in Microsoft Word and over a year, and I hope you enjoyed the journey.

Lachimax: Out.