Plunging through the long wet grass, Chisato Madison could barely see the shafts of emerald light through the thick canopy of rolling clouds. The sunset was
beautiful on this planet, whatever it was called. She had already taken 45 pictures of it and she hadn't long arrived here. It was one of the more pleasant worlds
they had been to since she and Commander Revorse, whom she paid to protect her from harm, had first ventured through the Gate of Styx. Every time they walked in,
they came out somewhere else. It was an amazing device. However, she still hadn't achieved what she wanted most of all - to meet a native Styxian in their own
habitat. She wanted to interview them, to write an article about their culture, their way of life. Was there a planet that Styxians called home or did they wander
through the Gate across many different worlds like intergalactic nomads? Maybe they were all exiles...

Absorbed in her train of thought, she did not spot the enormous green snake that leapt out of the grass at her face, sharp fangs lunging for her throat, until
Commander Revorse fired her laser rifle at it. It screamed, jumped back and dropped to the floor, thrashing around. Commander Revorse fired again. This time it
lay still in a coiled heap, its mottled green skin charred and blackened.

"Careful." she said, "Those things could be everywhere."

"Is it poisonous?" asked Chisato.

"Damned if I know. I don't wanna have to find out!" the lithe Fargettian yawned and stretched.

They continued onwards, more slowly this time. Commander Revorse led the way, beating the grass with her rifle. Occasionally she disturbed a snake and shot it.
Then, after an hour's trek across the grassland, they found something else. A brick.

"Looks like we've found an inhabited planet!" said Chisato excitedly. She checked her recording equipment was working.

Following the trail of bricks, they eventually came to the edge of the grassland. It receded into a valley that looked like a giant barrow. Tiles had been built
into the walls to reinforce them and there was a large stone building at the bottom. It looked like a temple, a terraced design with an archway, statues and
decorations that Chisato recognised as the three interlocking triangles of the holy symbol of the goddess Tria. Beside the building was a small graveyard.
Carefully, Chisato slid down the bank.

She heard voices.

Reaching the bottom of the bank, she dashed to the wall and hid behind it. She listened carefully to the voices. One was low-pitched and coarse, one was louder
and slightly crazed. It was definitely a very long and beliggerent argument, the sort that went on forever. After a while, she realised that the two were speaking
Nedian. Survivors! Real Nedians! She hadn't seen Noel for ten years now, and even the Nedians from the Chronicle were getting old, dying off. There were only four
births among the Nedian staff. They desperately needed to find more.

Then they came closer and she heard their voices clearly, their heavy L'Aquan accents. She saw a glimpse of their clothing, black one-piece suits with flaming red
and yellow patterns like some low-budget game show hosts. She retreated carefully back around the building and bolted up the face of the canyon. Once she was
halfway up, she dove into the soil and crawled the rest of the way back to where Commander Revorse sat, already aiming her rifle.

"What's up?" she asked, "We under attack?"

Chisato shook her head frantically.
"Do not engage! They are more powerful than us!"

"Should we retreat?"

"I don't know." Chisato said, "I don't know what to do, because this doesn't make sense. Those two should not still be alive. I saw them die."

"What are you talking about?"

"Its Decus and Vesper." she pointed to the two tall, muscular men who wandered up and down the graveyard, arguing at the tops of their voices and occasionally
mock wrestling.

Gwesty hummed the song as she walked down the familiar corridors. Lezard Valeth hadn't followed her. This saddened her. She wasn't sure if her powers could
transport more than one person. She hoped that he would be okay.

"I'll come back for you." she promised him, "Don't you worry. I won't be too long. Don't be dead when I get back or I'll be very angry!"

She pushed open the first door. The strange men in suits who looked like older versions of Motoi - she remembered that they were called Programmers - ignored her
when she waved at them. They were always there and always too busy to talk to her. She walked out, shut the door behind her and opened the next door. Someone had
left the trap door open! Honestly, she thought, how irresponsible! Even she wasn't allowed down there, and someone had walked in and not even closed the door to
stop the monsters getting out! The trapdoor was heavy and she struggled to push it back down and fasten the chains back. Then she walked out and continued along
the corridor to the next room...

The sound of footsteps made her turn around.

"Who's there?" she demanded. People usually weren't allowed in here at all. It was for prophets of Tria.

"I think you know who I am."

It was a woman's voice, hard and cold. A tall, slim female figure came into view. She had long blonde hair that flowed of its own accord and wore a green tunic
and matching hat. Gwesty didn't like the way the woman looked at her. She looked like a headteacher addressing a naughty child.

"Did you really think you could hide from me here?" the woman laughed, "I was the guardian of the last floor for a while! I still have the key!"

To prove her point, she unhooked an ornate silver key from her belt and showed it to Gwesty before returning it to the chain and placing her hands on her hips.

"Right now, your performance rating is..." she looked at her wrist. There was a machine like a watch that beeped and flashed red, "Ah... fifteen! Its gone down
again! You're seriously malfunctioning, Valkyrie."

"I'm not a Valkyrie." she said, clenching her fists.

"You're quite right. You're not a Valkyrie." said the woman, "You're really not. You're the worst Valkyrie I've ever met. You make Silmeria look good. What am I
going to do with you, Gwesty?"

"You're Freya, aren't you?" said Gwesty, pointing at her, "The rabbit was right! You're here to kill me!"

"Rabbit?" Freya gave her an odd look, then shrugged, "Don't think of it as death, child. I will simply return you to eternal sleep while I repair your
personality. You could probably do with a memory seal, too, I think you've been involved with things a Valkyrie shouldn't know about."

"I think you have other things to worry about, Freya."

They both turned to look at the newcomer. Even Freya obviously hadn't spotted him walking up to her. Looking across at the battle goddess was a man in cybernetic
armour covered in blue flashing lights. His face and body language were as unreadable as Marietta's.

"Who are you?" hissed Freya, her voice as dangerous as a cat's growl.

The man said nothing. With one hand, he reached over his shoulder and took an object off his back. It was a black spear, dripping with blood.
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