One

Zarkhator trudged along mushroom valley. He hated the valley. He hated the planet. He hated everything on the planet. And he ESPECIALLY hated Tigracc, the one who had made him so weak. He was the one who had cursed him in this cute, feeble form, the one who stopped his plans of ruling the planet, the one that should be dead, at his hands. Zarkhator was thinking of all of this as he slumped forward. He was thinking so hard that he did not notice a red speck in the sky, a speck that was steadily growing.

XXX

The Grox starship was very large, and very red. It's mission was quite standard, and it was simply to make a planet just outside the Grox Empire totally unlivable, which, ironically, is the only environment a Grox can live in. Thank god they can't breathe our air, or they would likely be rulers of the universe thousands of years before. Anyway, after the planet has been "cleansed" it would soon be added to the Grox Empire. It was a really easy mission, since the Grox have a special weapon that can "cleanse" a planet instantly. Luckily, they are extremely expensive, and there are only three in the universe. Moving on, the Grox Commander was just about to fire the "cleanse ray" when a pilot yelled "STOP!"

The Commander looked up. "Yes?" he said, impatiently.

The pilot answered "Sir, there are two strange blips on the radar."

The Commander yawned. "Are you saying another empire is colonizing this planet?"

The pilot shook his head, "No sir, these blips are living organisms."

The Commander froze. "What?"

"We're picking up two living creatures with an extraordinarily high energy level."

"That's impossible. Nothing living has enough energy to be picked up on radar."

"Sir, it's right here in front of me."

The Commander had just realized that things had gotten complicated. He suddenly remembered an old Grox Prophecy, more a fable, about an alien creature that would appear and lead the Grox to enforcing a Universal Dictatorship. If his boss found out he had passed up a chance like this, he would certainly be shot into a black hole.

"I want a small ship to land on that planet, no questions asked! I want a squad of men with protective suits to search for those creatures, ON THE DOUBLE!"

XXX

Tigracc ran through the dense jungle. He had found a heap of berries, and he couldn't wait to share it with his tribe. He began to hum a song, oblivious to the danger fast approaching.

XXX

The squads of Grox were wearing huge metal suits, making them appear much larger than they really were. The right arm of the suit was equipped with a powerful laser cannon, so the squad leader was confident of completing his mission. The drop ship slowly touched down onto the beach, and the leader said to the pilot "Wait for us here, and don't think about leaving without us, because it's obvious this planet is uncivilized." The Grox turned to his squad. "We shall split into two groups. I shall go southwest, you northwest. Go!"

XXX

Zarkhator had entered the forest by now, but his pace had not changed. He suddenly heard rustling behind him. He quickly grabbed a sharp rock and scampered up the nearest tree. Five robot men suddenly entered the clearing, and stopped right below him.

The leader said "That's odd; the radar says our target is right below us..."

Zarkhator had heard enough. He leapt onto the cyborg, driving his rock onto the Grox's head, smashing the glass dome. The Grox screamed, and totally dissolved, because air is incredibly poisonous to Grox. Zarkhator slipped into the suit, and suddenly knew how to fire the laser cannon.

The rest of the Grox were totally shocked at the quick turn of events, and hadn't moved. But their composure returned after another Grox exploded in a blast of energy. A Grox leapt on Zarkhator, but was soon thrown headfirst into a rock, and his suit cracked, giving him a similar fate as his comrade. The remaining Grox managed to hold Zarkhator down and pulled the small creature from the suit.

"Let go of me!" yelled Zarkhator.

"You're the chosen one?" a Grox asked.

"Doesn't look like much, does he?" said the other one.

"Let go of me!" screeched Zarkhator. "I didn't do anything!"

"Yes you did." repied a Grox. "You just annihilated three of our comrades."

"That's only because you were talking about me!" yelled Zarkhator.

"I tire of this," said a Grox. "Can we head back to the ship now?"

"Yes, let's!" said the other Grox, happily.

And the duo dragged their prisoner to their spacecraft.

XXX

Tigracc had realized he was being tracked far before he was found. He had lain in wait for his prey to appear before striking, and had the element of surprise on his side. He jumped into the center of the squad, and knocked two of the Grox senseless. The remaining Grox tried to fire lazers at Tigracc, but he was much too fast. Tigracc suddenly ripped a small tree out of the ground, and knocked a Grox down with it. He then threw the weapon at a foe with such a force it sent both flying. Tigracc then turned to the last Grox.

The cyborg was on his knees, weeping. "Please, mercy!"

Tigracc growled "Who are you, and how did you get here?"

"I'm a Grox, an advanced alien race, and arrived in our dropship. Spare me please!"

Tigracc lifted the alien with one paw. "And where would that ship be?"

"He went east and a little south. Oh let me live!"

Tigracc turned away from the Grox. "Go, now. It would damage my honor to kill a coward like you." He then leapt into the trees, in search of the alien ship.