The Flames of Retribution
Chapter 1: The World that once was
Across Zi the children of the four ruling Zoidian families were making their way towards Mithra City, the city of the Zoid Eve. The four had been summoned for a specific reason. As they piloted their Zoids the four had no idea what was about to happen to them. Aizen Hiltz and his organoid Ambient were the first to arrive, since they lived the second closest on the eastern coast. The second was Reese Sheldon and her blue Specular came from the mountains to the north.
Elisi Linette and her organoid Zekeial came from the city itself as her family controlled its throne. And the last to arrive was Astra Guylos from the plains to the west with her wolf-like organoid Damienth. Dr. Kenpatchi was worried as he awaited the arrival of the last of the pilots, Aizen and Elisi were talking quietly over the changes in their organoids since their last meeting. Reese was looking at a picture in her locket when the door slid open, and Astra strode into the room her organoid behind her. It was a common mistake that organoids only came in Dino-types they came in as many different types as the Zoids did.
"Astra you look very good." Aizen said as they shook hands. "As do you Aizen, Elisi your hair is nearly as long is mine. Reese hows life?"Astra smiled as she spoke. The four turned to face Dr. Kenpatchi when he cleared his throat. "Sorry" the four mumbled. The doctor's stern look faded into a smile, and they settled in to listen to him. He looked over the four, they had been his students since they were children. "As you are well aware the Deathsaurer project is nearly complete. But what you don't know is that I am no longer apart of it." the four were startled. Kenpatchi had been the head of the entire project for as long as they could remember.
"I foresee disaster with that experiment, I come here to ask a very important favor of you all." He paused for a moment to catch his breath. "I want you to allow me to encapsulate you, I fear that the Deathsaurer will turn on us and I don't want the Deathsaurer to annihilate the entire civilization." "So you want us to go to sleep, and what If your wrong about the Deathsaurer?" It was Aizen who spoke up. Reese nodded in agreement. "Then if I am wrong I will wake you immediately." The four looked to one another before nodding to him. Dr. Kenpatchi smiled at the bravery that the four had. "Thank you you may speak with me one at a time to choose your locations and what you want to take with you. I do this so that no one but each of you and myself will know where you will be located" And he receded into his office.
Elisi chose to take Zera city near the desert in the south, she only wanted her organoid to be encapsulated with her, her Liger would be brought to the city should the Deathsaurer follow Kenpatchi's prediction. Aizen took the mountain fortress of Barabbas as his and Ambient's place, his Zoid would be placed at another location. Reese took a small town on the edge of the desert with Specular, her Zoid would be hidden in the city by the whirl pools. Astra chose the Dragon pass fortress for her and Damienth, her Zoid would be hidden with her. They left after a few hours of planning, but they weren't going home for long. Astra approached her Zoid with a calculating look on her face. She looked down the street towards the Zoid eve, her purple-blue eyes glittering as she remembered her father's words. 'Beware my child, heed the call of your instincts' At this moment it bewildered the Zoidian.
She turned and climbed into her Zoid, she heard her name called as she settled into the pilot seat. "Astra!" She looked down to see Elisi standing there. "Yeah? What you need?" She yelled down to the blond woman. "Why leave so soon? Come spend some time with us Astra!"Astra looked down at her organoid playing with Zekeial and smiled slightly. "Very Well lets find some place to spend the night." And she whistled for her organoid. "Damienth! Let's go we are going to spent the night here then leave at dawn." the organoid wagged his tail, before jumping on Ambient. Elisi laughed she had missed the loud pilot,she also noticed Astra's organoid stood shoulder to shoulder with Zekeial despite being a quadruped.
The four found a place to stay at a nice hotel, Aizen's room had a window that over looked the balcony that was connected to Astra and Elisi's room. Astra fingered her signet ring,The red dragon that signified the unending courage and determination to see Justice done. Aizen watched Astra fiddle with her ring and saw the woman look to the three moons of Zi. The silvery light made her red hair look like fresh blood. He watched Elisi approach her and lay her hand on the taller woman's arm. "The red dragon looks like its crying." she said as she looked at Astra's ring. "I think it has foreseen the future" Elisi smiled as Astra turned and walked back inside the room they shared, her feet silent on the cool stone as the wind played with her robe.
It was just after dawn when Astra was looking at her Zoid as her thoughts wandered. "Astra?" She started,whirled and held her knife at him. "Dr. Kenpatchi what are you doing here?" He had backed out of range the moment after calling her name so she had missed him. "I must speak with you, Its urgent. I want to send Shadere along with you, but he will be in another location" Astra's eyes dimmed thinking of the black organoid and his former partner. "I am sorry to cause you this pain my dear, but I fear for his life. The Zoidian council wants him." Astra's eyes lit with anger, at the thought of those Zoid murderers getting there hands on Shadere. "I agree protect him. Rafe would have wanted that."
"I also want you to leave early, since you have the farthest to travel." Kenpatchi said. "Alright I'll leave now. Who will I be meeting for my arrival at Dragon pass?" the old doctor smiled. "I will be there myself, I need the time it will take you to get back to separate and hide the others." She nodded and retreated into the hotel to pack the small amount of items she had brought with her. When she returned Dr. Kenpatchi was standing there with Shadere and Damienth.
"Shadere its been awhile." She said as she stroked the black organoid gently staring into his blue eyes, a tear sliding down her face. "Good luck Astra, And one last thing. Don't come back!" She turned to look at him in shock. "I beg you my child, do not return. Follow the plan but don't contact any of the others." She nodded as she climbed into her Zoid. "Until we meet again Doc. Shadere..." Though her words never made it out but the organoid knew. She closed her cockpit and her Zoid got to his feet and walked out of town, she only waited until she left the town before letting her Zoid run to its hearts content.
Elisi was startled awake by the sudden silence and sat straight up. "Astra?" She received no response, so she crawled out of bed and walked out onto the balcony to see if Astra's Zoid was there, it wasn't. When she got the the end of the balcony she noticed her own cockpit was open and Dr. Kenpatchi was sitting in it typing away at the console. "Dr. Kenpatchi what are you doing?" She asked after she had gotten dressed and came downstairs to meet him. "Elisi my dear I need you to go home pack what you want to take and head towards Zera." She was shocked. "Why?" he looked around. "I don't think its safe here anymore, the Deathsaurer project is going to come on-line in fifteen days. I need you to hurry I will send the others on their ways as well."
She managed to get a question out as he watched her pack and hurried her into her cockpit with Zekeial following. "Do you know where Astra is?" The doctor looked around before whispering in her ear. "I already sent her off, she needs the extra time to get Saix settled. I now give you the same warning I gave her. Do not come back! Don't contact anyone and do not tell anyone what may happen." Elisi nodded and set her stuff in the cargo container before climbing into her cockpit and strapping herself in. "Will I see you again?" she asked as tears filled her eyes. "Yes at Zera. May the Zoid eve grant you speed my dear. Go!" She closed her cockpit and called for Zekeial to give her the speed she needed. Her Liger turned and ran home with all the speed it had.
It took nearly four hours for Elisi to make it home and she prayed to the eve that Astra had made home safely. She packed a few changes of clothes and some soft shoes to wear to sleep. She was only home long enough to tell everyone she would be back in a few days. Elisi was glad she was five days away from her destination. She departed at dawn the next morning after a shower and cleaning Zekeial. She had him merge with Liger to make the trip faster. She had a bad feeling that time was running out for them all. Astra on the other hand had a long way to travel and it took her nine days straight to get back to Larukia. When she had passed out while piloting Saix, Damienth had merged and kept them on track. Pilot, Zoid and organoid were exhausted by the time they reached the city.
She allowed for a two day rest while she packed some stuff. The last thing she packed was the picture of her and Rafe with their organoids and Zoids. She remembered going out with him on a run in his Zoid, to a small cove up the coast a ways. He had asked her to be his life-mate she had been about to give him her answer when they were attacked by a Guysak. They had barely made it back to his Zoid. The Guysak launched a barrage of missiles and one hit his Descat's leg while they were getting buckled in.
The Guysak launched its final weapon a harpoon type missile but due to a targeting error it was headed for the cockpit. Rafe ordered Shadere to take Astra to safety and, before he could return for his partner the missile tore through the cockpit and struck the Zoid core. All Astra heard was the screams from both herself and Rafe's Descat before it vaporized. Today made it one year since that day. Astra shook her head and looked to the third moon. As she stood there with her organoid her fingers reached up and stroked his shoulder. "I miss him" she mumbled as the organoid nuzzled her cheek in hopes to raise her spirits.
She sighed again before slinging her bag over her shoulder and heading towards Dragon pass, the trip there would take her five days unless she pushed on through then it would only take her three. She stowed her gear and climbed into the cockpit, She turned Saix towards the dawn and let him lope into the coming day. She arrived at Dragon Pass three days later as the moons rose behind her. "Astra this way!" Dr. Kenpatchi said as he showed up on her screen. She followed his Shadow Fox deep into the catacombs in the red-rock caves. "OK park your Zoid over there and make sure he won't move." She nodded and closed the transmission.
She moved her Zoid behind a rock outcropping within the cavern. She got Saix to lay down before climbing out of the cockpit. Damienth appeared in a black-silver flash of light. "Excellent. Come over here both of you." both Pilot and organoid approached the open capsules waiting for them. "alright I'll explain this to you as I did to all the others. When you enter this capsule it will be just like falling asleep. If I am right about the Deathsaurer you will be protected here." She relaxed slightly as he hooked up the censors that would monitor her health, he continued to talk. "You will wake when Shadere and Elisi wake up." She looked at him for a moment before nodding.
"Your organoid has put your Zoid to sleep he can revive it when you wake." She nodded as he helped her loosen her thigh length hair, so that it didn't give her a headache when she woke up. Her organoid growled as Dr. Kenpatchi closed the door on his capsule,and nearly on his tail. "Doc you better watch it you almost got his tail." The doctor chuckled. "Alright I don't know how the next days will fall but may the eve bless you and keep you safe. I pray that I am wrong and that all is well. One last thing just in case, I want you to know I would have been proud to have you as a daughter had you and Rafe married."
Kenpatchi had tears running down he face as he spoke his last words. "And I would have been honored to call you father" He hugged her before gently pushing her into the capsule and closing the door before walking over to the machine controlling them to push the button to send them to sleep. "Good Night Father" She yelled through the capsules shell at him. After she fell asleep he sunk to his knees before the machine and cried. He had condemned his people to death and now he sends the children of his best friends into hiding hoping to save their race.