AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS STORY TAKES PLACE IN-BETWEEN "CURSE OF THE DARK STONE" AND "LIFE IN EXILE"

Chapter 1: Returning to Base

The blue and green planet seemed to shrink in size with every minute that passed by. The single rocket that was flying up and away from the planet cruised silently through the starry void and up towards the fleet of starships that loomed above the planet. There was somebody watching the planet shrink behind the rocket as it continued to ascend, slowly as if wanting its passengers to admire the view while they still could. The planet still looked beautiful to the passenger peering out through the window even though it was getting smaller and smaller. Soon he wouldn't be able to make out any details and the planet would look like a little speck in the black, starry void of space, mingling with the stars until he came up close to it again. The passenger was a green alien with handsome blue eyes that had a kind but serious edge to them, body armour, grey gloves and a pair of goggles perched above his eyes. He was no ordinary alien though. He was part of an alliance between many worlds known as the "Coalition of Planets". He and the people who were part of the alliance were known as "Chasers" and he was the captain of a new Chaser fleet that had seen plenty of action lately. His name was Commander Torque.

Torque was lying on a bed in the rocket's medical chamber with bandages wrapped around his body and limbs. He was in pretty bad shape but his condition wasn't too critical. He had a few bruises and some small broken bones but nothing serious. He was going to heal, especially with the good medical care that the Chaser fleet provided once he got back to the flagship. He had been injured in a critical battle that had seen the death of Lord Arktivus Brevon at last. He and his fleet had been given a tip-off from his lieutenant and second-in-command, Terra, that Brevon was attempting to invade and destroy Avalice for making him a laughing stock. His fleet had destroyed much of Brevon's fleet but the warlord himself had managed to slip past him in an invisible ship and had landed on Avalice. Torque and Terra had landed on the planet too to meet up with the very special girls that had made Torque's first visit to Avalice pleasant and enjoyable. The girls were known as Lilac the Dragon Girl, Carol the Wildcat and Milla the Hound.

They had helped him stop Brevon the first time he'd ever landed on Avalice, which was now a year ago and yet to Torque, it didn't feel like it had been that long ago at all. Lilac in particular had been very helpful and had been the one to send Brevon packing. Torque had liked her very much and over time, had grown to even love her. He'd managed to see them again at Christmas time last year, also getting to meet Milla's long lost parents too, and now he'd seen them again. But he'd joined up with them as once again, Brevon threatened Avalice's peace and serenity. He had teamed up with Natalya the Lead Scarf, Lilac's personal Avalician enemy, and the two had orchestrated a complex scheme that had led to Lilac being turned into a monster by an evil artefact known as The Dark Stone. Thankfully, Lilac had been stopped and despite Mayor Zao now doubting her and accusing her of treason, she had pulled through and had managed to take out Lord Brevon. She'd not only defeated him again…she had killed him. Brevon's dead body was onboard his rocket and being taken to the fleet so they could deliver it to the man in charge of the Coalition of Planets. He had given the kingdoms of Avalice a photo of Brevon's dead body to show that Lilac was innocent and that they had nothing to fear from him anymore. Now he and Terra were returning back to their friends in the fleet that had come to Avalice to protect it from Brevon in the first place.

Torque reflected back on those events as he glanced out of the window and watched Avalice get smaller and smaller as he left it behind. What a lot to happen in just one day, and all of it had happened yesterday no less! He'd been unconscious when Brevon had been killed and had not long since woken up. The Chaser remembered Lilac's beautiful face and the loving sensation he had felt as she kissed him goodbye. What a lovely sensation that had been. To him, it was as if a knot had been tied between them both as they had locked lips. Torque had enjoyed the feeling of Lilac's lips against his. He would gladly kiss Lilac again if he saw her anytime soon. But would he ever see her again? Was their first kiss ultimately their only one they were ever going to have? The thought made the green alien's face fall.

"Oh Lilac…you're so wonderful and I admire your courage and honour so much. I really feel a connection between us. But we can't be together…" he muttered to himself, "I've got my duties. I can't keep visiting you all the time. I…I wish there was a way things could work out between us and that…we could be together forever."

He imagined that Lilac would jump up to the heavens with joy if such a thing was allowed to happen. But how could it? He was in charge of a Chaser fleet, a role passed down to him after the death of the captain that had once tutored him. He couldn't just abandon the fleet simply because he loved Lilac. What would his High Officer think? Would he accuse Torque of ditching the Chasers? Would he be reprimanded for daring to have feelings for one of Avalice's indigenous lifeforms? It was not recommended to feel affection for anything and anybody in the Chaser fleet. Such emotions could be exploited by the villain. But Torque couldn't just ignore his feelings for the purple-skinned dragon who had helped him defeat Brevon the first time he'd landed on Avalice and then went on to kill the alien warlord himself. He was in love with her, it wouldn't be as simple as just ignoring how he felt about Lilac. Emotions were notoriously complicated things and he knew it.

He was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts as the door opened and in walked his best friend and second-in-command, Terra. The turquoise alien walked up to the green alien, a bright smile on her face. Seeing Terra smile made Torque feel like smiling in return. There was something so lovely about seeing his best friend smiling that could somehow brighten the mood no matter what he felt like. Kind of like how Lilac smiled too. Terra knelt down beside Torque's bed.

"Hey buddy, thought I'd see how you're doing." Terra said cheerfully.

"I'm still achy and I feel like I won't be able to walk for a few days but I'm fine." Torque replied modestly.

"If this is your idea of "fine" then I dread to think what your idea of "OK" is." the she-Chaser snickered.

"Very funny Terra." the commander chuckled.

"Well how about that Torque? We come to Avalice to defend it from Lord Bread-Bin and instead, we end up returning home with his carcass!" Terra exclaimed, "Who'd have thought that was going to happen eh?"

"I imagine the High Officer of the Coalition would be ecstatic to hear this news." Torque replied, "He's wanted Brevon dead or alive for years now. And finally, we're coming to him with Brevon's very much dead body. I never thought I'd see the day where I outlive the evil warlord himself…"

"To be honest pal, never did I." Terra replied, "I honestly wondered if I'd be joining my brother in death before Brevon himself. It's just a pity that Phoenix wasn't as lucky as we were."

"As were the other heroes who fell at Brevon's blade…" Torque sighed, "At least they can all rest in peace with the knowledge that Brevon is gone for good."

"And all because of Lilac, a girl who isn't even a Chaser no less!"

"Yeah…all because of Lilac…"

The alien's eyes shifted down to the bed sheets he was snuggled under and he sighed sadly as the wonderful image of Lilac's kind, loving face came back to his head. Terra caught the signs and knew instantly something was wrong. She put a hand on Torque's arm and looked at him sympathetically.

"You're missing her aren't you?" she asked softly.

"It's a bit early to be missing her since I just left Terra." Torque said bluntly, "But it is related to Lilac what I'm feeling. I'm just…a little conflicted at the moment."

"You worried on what the High Officer will say if he finds out you're in love with her right?"

"A little. But it's something else too."

"And that is?"

Torque sighed again as he brought himself to speak the words he'd been keeping to himself until now.

"I…I kinda want me and Lilac to have a…you know, proper relationship." he explained, "I feel we have a connection and it's one that I feel we should keep between us. But I don't know what to do. I can't just leave you guys and run off with her, it will look as if I'm undermining everything the Chasers are. As our motto goes, "A true Chaser never stops chasing". But at the same time, I don't want to break Lilac's heart by making her think our love will…will never go anywhere."

"That's understandable." Terra said, slowly nodding, "I kinda wish you could stay with that awesome dragon girl too. You deserve her Torque, she's one of a kind and a very special girl. You'll never see anybody like her again, even if you traverse the entire galaxy to find another girl."

Torque nodded grimly, knowing that Terra was absolutely right. He would never ever find a girl like Lilac again, not that he would actively go out looking for said girl anyway as it wasn't in his nature. He had to make his relationship with Lilac work, it was the only way he'd ever be able to settle down and embrace his inner feelings. If he couldn't, then he would never feel any joy in his life with the constant thought of Lilac missing him and he not being able to return his love to her nagging at his mind. The Chaser even began to wonder if it would have been better if he'd never come to Avalice in the first place, that way he and Lilac wouldn't have this potential problem. And yet if he hadn't ever landed on that planet, there would have been a lot worse to worry about than simple feelings for a female. Torque frowned at himself. How could he have thought for a minute it would have been better if he'd never landed on Avalice?! It was fortunate that he'd landed there and he was happy to have met Lilac, Carol and Milla when he had landed last year. He never would've thought that he'd end up in love with one of them at the time though. Torque sighed and looked back at Terra.

"I'll try to find a way for this to work." he said.

"How about you talk to the High Officer about it?" asked Terra, "Surely he'd understand your situation."

Torque stared incredulously at Terra as if she'd just asked him the stupidest question in the world.

"Are you serious Terra?" the captain gasped, "I can't tell the High Officer that I've fallen in love with one of Avalice's indigenous residents! He'll go crazy on me! The High Officer forbids Chasers to become infatuated with anybody, be they our people or other species! If I tell him about my love for Lilac...I'll be finished!"

"Well then maybe the High Officer needs to learn that love isn't weakness like he consistently believes..." Terra muttered, "My love for my late brother certainly didn't make ME weak and your love for Lilac hasn't made you weak at all. Your injuries aren't because of the fact you've fallen in love with the dragon girl for starters."

"Terra my friend, you know full well that we can't argue with the High Officer." Torque said sternly, "We have to respect his wishes or face punishment. He only wants the Coalition of Planets to remain strong in its crusade against injustice and other-world crimes. We can't argue with him...or the Chasers are history."

The she-alien was about to argue some more but she knew full well that the he-alien was right. Any attempts to argue with the High Officer would result in punishment, maybe even banishment. She loved her job in the Chasers and couldn't bear the thought of losing it. She didn't feel that it was fair for Torque to live with the fact he had somebody who loved him but he had a job that left no time for love but it would be better to not get on the High Officer's bad side. Sighing, she stroked Torque's arm to comfort him.

"OK then." she said, "We won't go with that idea. And I would suggest we do something behind his back but knowing you, you'll refuse that too."

"The High Officer is very good at finding things out Terra." Torque reminded her, "Even the most secret of secrets in the Chasers get found out eventually. It doesn't help how he has the ability to hypnotize people into telling the truth..."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that." snickered Terra, "Damian's face was so priceless when the H.O. hypnotized him into revealing that he was the one who pulled that stupid prank on him last month! Man that was so funny!"

"I doubt Damian thought it was that funny." the male Chaser chuckled, "But either way, I'll try and figure something out. For now though, we should focus on getting back to headquarters and delivering Brevon's body to the Coalition of Planets council."

"I wonder if the H.O. and his buddies will reward us for his death?"

"If there's anybody who should be rewarded for this, it's Lilac."

The two Chasers remained in silence for the rest of the trip, having nothing else to say after that statement. They peered out of the window to see where they were now. They were almost back at the Chaser fleet flagship. Just a few more minutes and they would be docking on-board though Terra would have to carry Torque in as he was still too injured to walk. The Chaser fleet had remained on standby, waiting for Torque and Terra to return to them. They had been informed that they would have to wait longer than expected yesterday and had been ordered to wait as long as was necessary. The fleet was now receiving them, the flagship's docking doors opening up as the rocket cruised towards them. The flagship was huge and sleek with the Chaser logo painted on either side and the nose cone. Its silver bodywork made it look even sleeker and the ship had heavy gun turrets that could vaporize any enemy ship if the cannons were at full power. It had been very useful in the defence of Avalice earlier, taking out many of Brevon's ships during the fight and taking out the Dreadnought, Brevon's flagship, itself. Torque and Terra remained beside one another as the rocket's engines shut off and the ship's docking arms reached down to grab hold of it and gently carry it inside. The outside world of space was replaced by a view of the ship's docking bay as the rocket was carried inside. Torque noticed that three of his crew was here to receive him and his lieutenant. The trio waiting for him and Terra were Chasers too and had taken part in the battle against Lord Brevon earlier. One was Torque's size, the second was bigger and the third was smaller.

The smallest one was a girl named Violet. She was so-called because of her trademark violet skin. She had beautiful blue eyes, a slender figure and red armour that was designed the same way Terra's was. She had twin strands of hair and a cheerful smile on her face. Violet was very popular amongst the fleet for not only being very pretty, but for being very chipper and enthusiastic. The Chaser often lightened the mood whenever things were looking rough for the fleet, something that Torque admired greatly. She was the ship's navigator and was very loyal to her job. She enjoyed navigating the flagship through space and planets and was always happy to be where she was now.

The one that was the same size as Torque was a young member named Damian. He was hot-headed and stubborn, something that Torque wasn't too keen on. He had a lighter skin tone than Torque and had wild hair that made him look rebellious. He had brown eyes and a laid-back expression that showed his personality every time he wore it. He was younger than Torque but physically stronger due to vigorous muscular exercises that he often partook in in his spare time. His muscles weren't huge but were noticeable. He was often nicknamed a "Pint-Sized Powerhouse" due to being powerful and yet being small like most of the Chasers seemed to be. He had no role in the ship as he was still learning.

The tallest one was a slightly elderly Chaser named Olaf. He was renowned for his intelligence and often pragmatic nature concerning warfare and any fight the fleet ended up in. Olaf had a thicker set of armour, presumably to protect him as his aged body wouldn't hold up as well as the others, and he was one of the few male Chasers to be a different colour to green. He was a golden-brown colour. He was the science expert of the fleet with skills in technology and biology and was often the one to run to when a study was needed.

The three watched as the rocket's docking ramp lowered down and the two Chasers they knew that would be onboard, came out to meet them. They were surprised to see Terra walking out first with Torque following slowly behind her on a hoverbed. They could see that he'd been badly hurt and were quick to surround him. Terra stepped back to let them see to their leader.

"Commander! What happened?!" Violet squeaked.

"You look terrible dude!" Damian blustered, "Did somebody on Avalice throw a few punches at ya?"

"Judging from his injuries, I'd suggest he's had more than a few punches sonny." Olaf said matter-of-factly, "He looks more like he's been hit by something heavy."

"I was." Torque grunted, pain flaring up his torso, "Lord Brevon…managed to get past us on an invisible ship. He landed on Avalice and he used a gem called the Dark Stone to turn himself into a dragon. A huge, monstrous, destruction craving dragon…"

The trio gasped in horror at what their commander had just said.

"That's terrible!" Violet shrieked, "Did Brevon do that to you?! Is that why you're injured?"

"Yes." the commander replied, "He hit me and knocked me out. I just woke up moments ago."

"How did you and Terra stop Brevon?" Damian asked eagerly, "Did you do it yourselves or did that dragon chick you told us about do it?"

"Me…and Lilac did it together." Torque said truthfully, "I helped her to defeat him. However…she didn't just defeat him. She KILLED him."

"You're pulling our legs Sonny Jim!" Olaf exclaimed.

"It's all true guys." Terra said, "In fact, here's his dead body…"

She and Torque moved aside as another hover-bed came hovering out of rocket and drifted slowly towards the disbelieving Chasers. Damian, Olaf and Violet all stared incredulously at the hover-bed, taking note of what was on said hover-bed. It was Brevon's body, completely nude and with a gaping hole in his chest. He looked more than a worse for wear. His eyes were tightly closed and his body was still. He was definitely dead. The Chasers all gasped, their mouths dropping down far as they took in what they were seeing.

"NO WAY!" Violet screeched, "It's…it's a miracle! A big fat miracle!"

"By Jove…he IS dead!" Olaf cried, walking over to the body and feeling for a pulse, "That hole in his chest, while gruesome, is a definite sign that he's a goner! However did the Avalician dragon girl do this to him? I don't recall you telling us she's brutally savage commander!"

"When Brevon used the Dark Stone, it ended up stuck to his chest." Torque explained, "Lilac had to destroy in order to stop him. She did…and ended up killing him at the same time since destroying the Dark Stone tore that hole into him. Either way, we owe her all our thanks for finally ridding the universe of Lord Brevon's tyranny!"

"If I ever see that girl, she's so gonna be my best friend!" Damian declared, "She must be awesome, beating Brevon twice in a row and actually killing the bastard! Can we meet her?"

"Not right now cadet." Torque said, "First, we have to let the Coalition of Planets know what we've been up to and then we need to show them Brevon's body so we can prove that he's dead. And I also need to rest up. I really took a beating…"

"Once Torque's all better, we promise that we'll take you to Avalice one day." Terra said brightly, "And then you can squeal to Lilac about how much you think she's awesome." she added, chuckling.

"Cool!" the young Chaser exclaimed, punching the ait triumphantly, "I look forward to that!"

"I'd love to visit the planet too." Violet said sweetly, "It sounds like a nice planet and it'd be great to have a glimpse of what we've been protecting from Brevon."

"I myself would love to research the world and see what magnanimous features and properties it has to offer." Olaf announced in a rather authoritative voice, "I could add it to my over growing encyclopaedia of the galaxy. A page dedicated to Avalice and all is history would be wonderful to write about."

"Pity nobody will ever read that boring-ass book you keep updating…" Damian sighed rudely.

Olaf ignored him. He was used to the boy's ignorance and complete lack of interest in literature. Why couldn't people appreciate the wonders of literature like he did? Olaf was an avid reader and had wanted to write his own book, hence why he was writing an encyclopaedia about the galaxy. He planned to release it once he was sure he'd discovered every single world there was though as he got older, he wondered if he'd even live to see it completed.

"I'd love to bring all of you to Avalice one day." Torque announced, "Let's just hope that the High Officer's willing to let me go there again."

"Sorry to burst your bubble commander but we've only just finished a mission there." Violet said matter-of-factly, "We're not often permitted to go to a world so shortly after protecting it. It makes us too predictable for enemies as you know. It might be a while yet before you can ever visit the place again sir."

"I hope it won't be…" the alien commander muttered.

"What's the matter sir? Is there something wrong?" the red-armoured Chaser asked, picking up warning signs from the way her superior had just said those words.

"No, no, I'm just a little sore that's all." Torque lied, "Come on, let's get back to headquarters so I can rest for now."

"Wait, we almost forgot something!" Terra exclaimed suddenly.

She quickly ran back into the rocket. Damian, Violet and Olaf raised their brows in confusion. What was it and why had Terra run off in such a hurry? Torque lay back on the hover-bed, knowing what was coming next. Terra re-emerged from the rocket with a surprising extra passenger. It was General Serpentine, Lord Brevon's right hand man. He had been arrested after Brevon was killed and had spent the entire trip handcuffed and stuffed in the cargo hold. He didn't look very pleased at all. His eyes burned with fury and his teeth were clenched. He was trying to break out of the cuffs but his cybernetic arms weren't strong enough. The cuffs firmly held his hands tightly together. He glared at the trio staring at him.

"What are you losers looking at?!" he shouted.

"I think the only loser around here is you snakehead." snickered Damian, "You've been caught and arrested just like the crew of that ship that tried to fly past us earlier!"

"Come again?" asked Torque, suddenly alert.

"Just a few minutes ago, about half an hour before you two got back here, we saw a ship trying to fly away but we managed to catch it and arrest the crew." explained Violet, "They're Brevon's flunkies obviously. That ship was one of the ones in his fleet and I assume, the one that managed to sneak past us onto Avalice."

"I did wonder how that ship managed to come out from under us…" Olaf mused to himself.

"I was wondering why Brevon's crew didn't stick around." Torque said more to himself than anybody, "Well now we know. They tried to flee but you guys caught them."

"We sure did. They're locked up in our detention block so don't worry, they're not going anywhere in a hurry captain." the Chaser navigator said brightly.

"And now serpent boy here can join them." Damian crowed, smirking at Serpentine.

"Just you wait commander! You and your crew will regret the day you ever arrested me! And that impudent dragon girl will regret the day she ever decided to murder my master!" Serpentine barked, "Lock me up for all I care! I'll only come back and then lay waste to this entire fleet and all of Avalice!"

"Such a darn pity the general's volume level hasn't lowered…" grumbled Olaf.

"It won't be much of a problem once he's locked up." Terra said, winking at the elder Chaser, "Sound proof doors and walls as you know. He can shout all he likes, we won't hear him."

The alien snake glared at the turquoise alien, wishing dearly that his hands were free so he could spin around and strangle the impudent girl. Just his rotten luck to get captured and arrested like this! But he knew that all was not lost. He had a trick up his sleeve, a trick that nobody in the entire fleet would ever suspect. He would wait until he was locked up before he put it into action. He stood still, which in a snake's case isn't quite the same as when a human stands still, and watched as Torque shifted slightly on the hover-bed and turned to Terra.

"Be kind and take Serpentine to his cell if you please lieutenant." he said politely.

"It'd be my pleasure commander." Terra said gleefully, smirking at Serpentine.

She whipped out one of the pistols that she'd stolen from one of Lord Brevon's goons whilst disguised as one before the whole thing started and jabbed it into the snake's back. She forced him to slither forwards, taking him out of the docking bay and leading him to the ship's detention block. The moment the two were out of the room, Torque's hover bed began to move forwards with Damian, Violet and Olaf following him. The bed carrying Brevon's corpse followed the Chaser Commander too. Torque was going to the medical bay with Brevon's body close behind him and the other three were going up to the bridge so that the ship could get going and head off back to headquarters to announce what they had just accomplished to the Coalition of Planets council and the High Officer. Torque waved goodbye to his navigator, cadet and scientist as they headed off down a different corridor while he continued forwards. They waved back to him, wishing him a good rest on the journey home. Said journey wouldn't last very long for the fleet would jump into hyperspace and travel at the speed of light back to headquarters. The trio headed on up to the bridge, taking one of the elevators that quickly whisked them up to the top floor, leaving Torque to deliver himself to the medical bay. His hover bed continued carrying him through the corridors with Brevon's body just inches behind. He wondered how long his injuries would take to heal. He hoped it wouldn't be long for he was keen to get back into the action and continue his duty. And yet…Torque wondered for a moment if the Chasers would become obsolete now that Brevon was gone. He was sure that they wouldn't but he imagined things would be surprisingly quieter from now on now that their biggest and most powerful enemy was dead…

Meanwhile, Terra and Serpentine had arrived at the detention block. It was a row of cells that stretched around all four corners and was located on the bottom floor of the vessel. Some of the cells were full of robots and aliens that were part of Brevon's army. They looked annoyed to be locked up and they were trying to break out. But there were no doors keeping them trapped in the cells, only a transparent force field that drowned all sound out. Escaping the cells were impossible unless you tore your way through the floor or the walls, which even then wasn't easy given how thick set they were built. Serpentine noticed his poor crew-members trying to break out. Even Lord Brevon would never have been able to get out of this one if he'd ended up here. Terra took him over to an empty cell and pressed her hand against the control panel beside it. The panel read her handprint and the force field shut off. Terra shoved Serpentine into the cell and then closed him in, reactivating the force field. She sneered at him, pleased to see the abrasive reptile locked up at last. She and Serpentine had built up quite a rivalry between each other and seeing the general behind a transparent force field made her very happy.

"Hope you like it in here you loud-mouthed schnook." she taunted, "Because you're staying here until we get back to headquarters. And then we're going to put you in a cell in the headquarters where you're staying until you rot. Remember to say high to Brevon for me when you join him in hell Serpentine."

"I have a feeling that you'll soon be eating those powerful, yet poorly-chosen words girl!" the snake general growled, "Don't forget that Brevon's army is still at large! You didn't destroy it all in the fight and some of our ships managed to get away! They'll come for you and make you pay for killing my master and arresting me!"

"Yeah like that'll happen." Terra snorted, "We'll tear his cronies apart, especially since we have his tech to use against them. Remember the mech-suit Torque used against Brevon?"

"We'll see how confident you feel when Brevon's army tears this fleet apart!" Serpentine shouted.

"Not gonna happen sucker so get used to it." the Chaser replied, "See you later General Gruesome. Hope you enjoy the ride."

She then turned on her heels and strode out of the room, leaving Serpentine alone in his cell to sit back and do nothing but think about things. The moment she left, the trigger-happy serpent grinned wickedly to himself. It was the kind of smile a snake might have made before lashed out and snapped its jaws around an unfortunate mouse that wandered into its territory.

"Now for my contingency plan…" he said to himself, "Brevon always told me that there would be a time I'd need this…"

He raised his left arm and touched it lightly with his right hand. A panel on his left arm suddenly flicked open, revealing a big button underneath, surrounded by circuitry on either side that fed power into his arms and picked up his brainwave patterns to determine which action he wanted them to take. Serpentine smiled to himself. How stupid these Chasers were, letting him keep his cybernetic appendages! Then again, they weren't to know that his arms concealed an emergency button that he would press whenever he needed to press them. They were used to call Brevon if he needed his help. But they weren't just for calling Brevon. Serpentine pressed the button and smiled deviously to himself. He had sent out a distress signal and the Chasers had no idea that he'd done so. They would never see his rescue party coming, not from millions of miles away…he was going to be freed…and revenge would be carried out shortly after…


His distress signal was received on a planet millions of miles away from Avalice. The planet itself was distant and lonely with no other planets around it. There wasn't even a moon to partner the planet as many others did. There was only a sun and even that seemed reluctant to be in the same place as this planet. The planet was a vast wasteland with a sickly green sky and black trees with no leaves and a kind of bark that was foreign to everybody except the planet's inhabitants. There were cities on the world but they were dingy, ugly looking establishments with buildings that looked as if they were trying to avoid getting inhabitants rather than inviting them to live in them. The air was revolting too, smelling of poison no matter where you stood on the planet. There were hordes upon hordes of snakes slithering through the streets. They all greatly resembled Serpentine, even baring cybernetic arms like he did. They all ranged in sizes and colours, some being huge and some being tiny and some even had more than one tail. The snakes were indigenous to this world. They roamed every inch of it and despite the horrid atmosphere and the hideous cities they inhabited; they thrived in the world quite happily. It was especially happy for them that they had been given the cybernetic arms that Brevon had given Serpentine. They were ordinary snakes living how snakes lived until they had been given a gift of science from the alien warlord. Now they all had cybernetic arms and some even had extra cybernetics on them like claws on their tails or even making themselves metal all over. Like Serpentine though, their cybernetics had the same kind of side effect they had had on him. Their brains had been altered by their enhancements, making every single cyber-snake on the planet loyal to Brevon or Serpentine.

The planet was known as Vipos, home of the alien snakes that Serpentine originated from. Vipos was considered the ugliest planet in the galaxy thanks to its hideous architecture and abhorrent life forms. Nobody except the inhabitants liked the planet and thus, Vipos never had visitors. The planet was populated only by snakes and they were ruled over by a king and queen. They were horrible people, not that their subjects minded, and ruled over the world of Vipos without any rivals or contenders. They too had cybernetic enhancements, the first ones to receive them after Serpentine himself.

The queen was a sandy-brown coloured python with fearsome yellow eyes that were said to be so chilling that her victims froze in terror upon staring at them. She had a cybernetic torso section and arms and wore a helmet with two sharp knives attached to either side near the face. They gave her a menacing appearance but could also be removed to use as weapons. She had a mace attached to her tail that she wielded to deadly effect. Her name was Valka and she was very special to Serpentine. She wasn't just his queen…she was his mother.

The king was a red-skinned cobra with a hood that had evil eye markings inside and his cybernetics consisted of a helmet that covered his entire head and mouth, powerful cyber-arms that looked strong enough to crush boulders with ease and his tail had a sword blade attached to it. His helmet had a laser that he could fire with just a thought in the forehead section. His name was Steeljaw, a name he now went by due to the fact his helmet gave him the appearance of having a steel jaw. His original name had long since been forgotten after he'd adopted his new name. Valka loved her husband very much and thought that his new name was better than his original one.

Valka was looking at her arm, which also had an opening panel like her son's did, and she peered at it as a light on her arm began blinking several times. It was a distress signal from Serpentine. All cyber-snakes had those installed in case of emergencies. Lord Brevon himself had suggested such an idea when he created the cybernetics that were now being gleefully worn by the people of Vipos. The female snake hissed alarmingly as she saw what was wrong. She closed up her arm panel and turned to face her husband. The two were standing in front of their thrones in a darkly lit room that, like the world outside, had architecture that was clearly meant to intimidate, not invite. This was their throne room and their throne room was inside a colossal fortress that overlooked the grotesque city beyond. The fortress was heavily armoured and massive in size. It could easily hold back an army if any such force was foolish enough to try and attack the king and queen.

"Ssssteeljaw. We have a ssssituation." Valka hissed, her voice husky and menacing, "Our sssson has ssssent a disssstress ssssignal to me. He needssss our help."

"And help is what we'll give him my good queen." Steeljaw purred. He had a smooth, charismatic voice that made him pleasant to listen to, but that all changed when he began snarling and hissing at his enemies.

"Do you have any idea where our son is now?"

"The ssssignal tellssss me that he issss a long, long way from here." Valka explained, "But we can reach him if we use our ssssuper cruissssers. Their hyper-drives will get ussss to him in no time at all."

"Allow me the honour of retrieving our son my dear." Steeljaw offered.

"You are granted that honour my king." the queen snake purred, smiling at her husband, "Do not resssst until our sssson is brought back to ussss."

"I won't." the king snake replied, "Though I have to wonder why he's calling us. Surely Lord Brevon can help him?"

"Maybe he can't contact Lord Brevon at the moment…or worse." Valka murmured, "Either way, we can't ignore hissss call for help."

"Indeed not." Steeljaw said agreeably, "I'll be on my way to rescue him now my love. I'll be back soon…and I'll bring back any dead bodies for us to feast on if anybody gets in my way."

"That'll be wonderful Ssssteeljaw." Valka said with an ugly smile on her face, "Good luck out there, esssspecially if you happen to run into thosssse annoying Chassssers at all."

"If any of them get in my way, you can bet they'll be finding themselves on the dinner table…" the tail-bladed snake growled.

He turned around and slithered away, leaving his wife to sit back on her throne and await his inevitable return. Steeljaw had never failed her before and she was confident that he wasn't going to fail her this time. Serpentine would be saved and back with them before anybody knew it…


Well the Chasers have good news to deliver...but it seems Serpentine's parents are coming to rescue him. Will the Chasers be ready for this or is there no chance of them being prepared for their arrival? Find out next time...