"No! I lost it!" I exclaimed, clutching my head. Through all that confusion, it must've gotten away from my grasp. What a fool I was to misplace the Chromin! It could be anywhere... Or taking control of anyone.

"You lost the Chromia?" Gandrayda moaned, raising an eyebrow. "How could you? The thing's this big!" She made an approximate foot long measurement with her hands. "You're such an idiot sometimes-"

"Hey!"

"Both of you quit it. We need to get you each to your ships so we can fight back the invasion. Let's go!" Admiral Dane ordered, making us end our spat and march towards the docks. "You're acting like children in a time like this."

"She started it..." I mumbled, low enough for only myself to hear. "How strong are the Wotans, Ghor?" I rose my voice so he could listen.

"Copiously strong. An army that big, combined with the Phrygisians and the Jovians is going to be tough to beat, if not impossible."

"That's reassuring," Gandrayda grunted, shooting me a vicious glare. "How are we going to manage?"

Ghor sighed. "I have no idea whatsoever."

"But you always do!" I protested, seeing no reason why he shouldn't know how to fight back efficiently. Ghor always had a plan. "Like on Phaaze, how we got out of there?"

"That was all me! I'm the one to turned into Noxux's Delano 7!" Gandrayda complained. "Shouldn't I get some credit?"

"Fighting again?" Dane growled. "You three are gonna give me a headache. Is it Samus that keeps your enormous egos tame?"

"What's it to you?" The Jovian replied icily. Dane gave her slitted eyes that were so cold, I could feel it. She recoiled. "Sorry I said it, then."

We finally arrived at the shuttle docks, where many small ships were landing and being repaired. I recognized Samus's fighter, which made my heart skip a beat and my internal temperature increase. She was standing near it, talking with an officer carrying a tool box.

I separated from Admiral Dane, Gandrayda and Ghor, jogging towards the huntress. She heard my approach, and turned her head. I couldn't see her face because it was hidden beneath her visor, but she seemed elated and glad to see me. "Rundas! What are you doing here? I thought you were on Phrygis?"

"I was," I replied. "but something happened and now I'm here."

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "What went on?"

"Uh... Well the Phrygisians attacked me. And now they're going after the Federation." I said, feeling a tad silly. Though, the reason was unknown to me.

"Interesting..." Samus muttered, dismissing the officer and looking past me. "They came back too? I guess we couldn't stand being away from each other so long, huh?" She cheerily spoke, gesturing them over. "Did the same thing happen to you guys?"

Gandrayda and Ghor were about to nod, but were interrupted by a bright teal flash that came from the opening of the hanger. Jovian ships that were veined with green and blue landed in the bay, with Jovian people who glowed like Gandrayda coming from the hatches. There were men and women. The women looked like the Jovian I knew, with pinks, purples and ceruleans for their hues, but with different pronged 'hair' styles and a variety of body shapes. The men were mostly mirages of reds and oranges, with spines of 'hair' on the tops of their heads that made them similar to porcupines. The males were broader shouldered, and were taller and more muscular than the females.

Once all the passengers had exited, the ships transformed into a single Jovian for each of the two vessels that had docked. The twenty seven Jovians facing only the five of us.

"Semblent?" Gandrayda breathed, staring at one individual who was deep, crimson blood colored. "What are you doing here?"

He smirked, his yellow colored teeth sharp and scissor like. "Why coming to recruit you, babe. You know, Dray, you could make this easier and just come quietly."

Ghor stepped between Semblent and Gandrayda. "You're not touching her, Jovian. Not while I'm still living."

He squared his shoulders, the surrounding aliens slinking around the hanger like wolves to prey. The three hunters and I all tensed for battle, and Admiral Dane joined by unsheathing a pistol from his utility belt. "Very well, then, traitor Wotan. I'll just have to kill you. Although," Semblent's body erupted red electricity, and the rest of the Jovians bodies went static as well. "the Master won't be pleased to hear we disposed of you." He clenched his fists, discs of vermillion energy radiating from his hands. "But, what's life with a few risks, huh?

"Zrevak, jaa!!"

The Jovians advanced in a tidal wave of bolts and bodies, shocking our small group and striking each of us immobilized before we even had the chance to attack. We all were lying on the ground in an instant, and my vision was clouded once I watched the Semblent pull something white and blobby from a cylindrical capsule. He lowered it towards me-

"Hey! Get your filthy Jovian hands off Rundas, you creep!!" Somebody shrieked, and all heads turned to the right. I could barely move, and instead listened to the Jovian battalion be wasted single-handedly by a person wielding a mighty gun.

After the screams and macabre ended, my sight was starting to clear. I sat up slightly, a little stiffly, and saw that the hanger floor was littered with Jovian bodies of all shapes, colors, and gender, each unconscious or dead. I looked to my comrades, who were breaking free of their temporary paralyzation and were glancing around to see who had saved us.

Familiar, teal, dainty feet stepped in front of me, with a smoking weapon barrel resting on the ground. Curious and delirious, I looked up to see the face of my little sister Raein.

She grinned happily, small, kiddish face lighting up with joy. "Hey, Rundas! I just saved your butt, didn't I?"