AN: Looks like someone is actually starting to update the Twitter feed for the site here, but there doesn't appear to be anyone checking the review reporting system.
I have tried in the past to inquire about the series with the original company that created it, however never received any response, not even regarding potentially re-releasing it online in better quality.
I appreciate constructive criticism and would like to gently remind my readers I do this for myself. Irrelevant comments will be deleted if done as guest.
Samateus carefully padded into the frigid tunnel she had seen the ship belonging to Pyrus disappear into, head low as her back almost brushed the ceiling of the entryway for several meters before it raised up to reveal the cavern containing the capital. She raised her head, flinching lightly at the blaster fire aimed at her from a group of Iceans in civilian attire, surrounding the parked yet still powered up and sealed ship Pyrus, Zera, Zuma and Sternum were inside. Samateus took another step forward, and another bolt ricocheted off her other shoulder. Narrowing her eyes she raised her head high and spread her wings, a challenge and show of her size to warn them as she gently reached her mind to the four in the ship.
**I assume these are misguided civilians?** Zera almost collapsed with relief at how easily Samateus had picked up on the situation, having been able to reach the Aurora only long enough to advise Glailen that Frost had made a move, before the connection was cut off by the capital's shielding becoming active. She hoped he would understand, or that her father would, and thanked the Makers that Samateus had managed to reach them before the shield went up. Straining, she responded, though Samateus' windy psionic laughter let her know she did not need to strain so hard.
**Just a bit of a fright? I can do that easily.** Samateus then took in a deep breath and let out a reverberating roar, almost a trumpeting sound, maw and teeth visible beneath the armoured helm as she did so, the group of civilian Iceans frozen stiff in fear. She took a step forward then, head still held low and teeth visible as she snarled at them, pointedly slamming her forepaw down which prompted the group to flee. Once clear, the ramp of Pyrus' ship lowered, Sternum making a point to tweak one ear as he stepped down, the other three following.
"That was impressive, yet a bit excessive in volume." Sternum complained, Samateus chuckling as she relaxed and straightened back up, Sternum suddenly stopping and staring up at her, fins held flat back as he realised just how large she was. Her shoulder easily matched the highest point on Pyrus' ship, the armour she wore visibly close-fitting.
"Thank you, I only hope my father got my message..." Zera muttered as she followed Zuma from the ship, Pyrus cautiously following, staff ready to deflect any blaster fire aimed toward them. "I hope they didn't hurt you..." Zera's concern and embarrasment at the actions of her people almost tangible, Samateus cautiously stepping forward as she visibly shrank, so she stood no taller at the shoulder than Sternum's own. The comical blinks were furthered with gapes as the armour on her face and long neck melted away like flowing water, revealing blue fur over most of the revealed face and neck, five-ridged triangular crest along her head from just above her nose to the base of her s-shaped horns and hidden just below those were a pair of cervine-like ears. Her glowing golden gemfire eyes felt to those meeting her gaze as though every wrong they had ever committed was laid bare before her, Sternum finding he had to look away from that intense gaze as he felt his chest tighten and breath hitch. It brought to the forefront his aspirations and all the darkness that had led Femur to sending him to the Prison planet, though it was worse than that, as he was forced to see when he had returned and asked Pelvus for cannolies and thought to exploit the weaknesses in the alliance.
"I am unharmed, my armour deflected most of the force. I... Bolster my size in space battles to make myself more visible and less likely to get caught in crossfire from the Ahr'Aht ships." Samateus explained, smiling lightly and craning her neck down when Zuma moved closer and raised a hand, Samateus lightly pressing her nose to the palm of the Sand-kin. They did not speak for a long moment, Zuma meeting her gaze and her eyes also aglow before they withdrew from each other. Zuma almost appeared to deflate, relaxing for the first time in a long while. Zera's comical glancing between the two made Pyrus chuckle.
"I wish I knew what that was about, but I think we should try and find out who is behind this, right Zera?" The Firian Prince hazarded, breaking her confusion for the moment, Zera sighing and crossing her arms before her.
"I already know who it is Pyrus... And what he was likely trying to accomplish by doing all of this now, while we were off world." Zera referred to Frost of course, Sternum already picking up on the name when they had reached out to the Aurora before being cut off. Samateus' eyes narrowed, visible snarl showing off her massive and sharp canines.
"Such a dishonorable thing to do. His actions now, and then. Xerxes made a full report on the event from his perspective. Being Psionic like Zuma and I, he was able to listen in on the thoughts of those in the palace even at a distance from them after they thought he was dead." Zera blinked, looking at her quizzically. Samateus smiled, realising that Zera was not in the communications link when Xerxes had explained his involvement on planet Ice. That she had been, would be something she would likely explain later.
"Xerxes and the Ahr'aht are shapeshifters, he and two others had been in the cluster some time ago, when King Cryos had been a child. Galen had been the name he used." Zera's eyes went wide, Sternum gaping lightly and stiffening.
"Cryos mentioned Galen, who saved his life from a cave in. How did he escape death himself?" Sternum's concerned frown made Samateus tilt her head slightly.
"Xerxes used a personal shield unit, waited until he was certain he would not be noticed, and worked his way out fairly easily using a small energy blade. Frost is known to us as being selfish and out to gain leadership through some of the most vile methods. Some from Bone might have once aspired to using the same." Samateus' meeting his gaze this time did not envoke the memories of the wrongs he had committed as before, instead he recognized she regarded him more respectfully now, as though she herself were sharing this emotion with him. Her head shot up then, grimace of a snarl visible as she looked off in the direction the earlier group had disappeared.
"The group I scared off has returned with more warriors... However I believe I can use my own abilities to teleport us to the corridor outside the control room where Frost has holed up." She looked to Zera and Pyrus, both sharing a shrug and nodding.
"He doesn't have the control codes to lock us out of the room, so we can get in if you get us there." Zera grinned, moving to ensure the wrist-blade Sternum had gifted her beforehand was ready for use, Pyrus grinning as he idly spun his staff.
"Hold on, we don't have any other weapons." Sternum frowned, knowing he would be able to hold his own in close-quarters, but without a blaster, which he had stupidly left on the Aurora before this whole fiasco, he would be useless to them. Samateus' predatory grin spoke silent volumes for her, the feline tooth profile emphasised by her peeling her lips back.
"You don't need to worry, Sternum, I think they'd be more concerned with running." Pyrus chuckled, seeing the eagerness in Samateus to put the fear of what she could do in the Iceans attempting to usurp Cryos' claim to the throne. Samateus briefly turned, narrowing her eyes as she gently shifted their attention to the out of place Firian Inferno sitting nearby, Pyrus frowning as he raised a brow. He almost facepalmed then, realising that Blaze had gone ahead of everyone, having been unable to reach planet Ice remotely, and knowing the leaders to be away, a General's duty would obligate him investigating.
"General Blaze?" Pyrus asked aloud, moving closer to the quiet ship. A few tense moments passed before the ship's cockpit opened, the General cautiously straightening up, blaster in hand and focused directly on Samateus in a flash of movement.
"My Prince, please get to safety!" The general hissed as the weapon's powering whine could be heard, Samateus chuckling lightly.
**I am no threat to you, or your Prince, General.** She sent to him and the few with her, golden gemfire gaze locking his. Instead of an alien being, those eyes envoked the image of his Emperor, and then his lost wife, and lastly Pyrus' expression of betrayal before he turned away, screwing his eyes shut and shaking his head as though to clear it. He recovered quickly, but relaxed immediately as Pyrus had promptly taken the moment to jump up effortlessly and clamp his hand over the blaster and force it down. Blaze bowed his head, relaxing his hold on the weapon and allowing it to power down again.
"Let's go, I can hear them now." Sternum urged, gladly taking a blaster from Zera, who had it on standby in her back arms, and held it ready, nodding a brief thanks to her for being willing to give it up for him to use. He would only use it if necessary as he did not wish to potentially destabilize their already strained Bonean image within the alliance by killing Icean civilians, as he did not trust his instincts to kill to yield to his rational mind. Pyrus motioned for Blaze to follow as he hopped back down and moved to Samateus and the others again, Samateus offering the General -once he was on the ground and standing before her- a light bow.
"Before we attempt to re-establish control of the scanning systems, perhaps we should instead teleport to a room nearer to it, instead of the hallway? Just in case there are any others in that area." Sternum offered, Zera nodding agreement and sending Samateus the image of a nearby room, the training room that she and her tutors, including Sternum himself, were familiar with. Samateus nodded, motioning the others closer before spreading her wings to encircle them, and light enveloped the group, each screwing their eyes shut tightly from the sudden brightness. As it dissipated, Samateus withdrew, folding her wings back and looking toward the doorway near them. Blaze gaped lightly, Pyrus gently patting his shoulder.
"We'll explain everything later. She's a friend, took out all the Beast landing parties on our way in." Pyrus explained to Blaze in barely a whisper, Blazes' eyes widened, frown deepening at the mention of the Beast. "We were ambushed, the Beast had a massive force sitting further out on the far side of that star we went to investigate, and engaged with Samateus and her allies, the rest waited for us to leave before moving in."
"Wait, then how did they know to move in for the attack? Did someone perhaps sell us out to the Beast?" Blaze responded, gaze briefly shifting to the Bonean co-emperor. Zera heard this, as did Sternum, both glaring right back at the Firian General. Samateus raised one of her forelimbs to shift their attentions.
**I believe we just uncovered who is behind this, thanks to your previous and fairly recent encounter with him, and I wouldn't put it past someone with Frost's level of dishonor and greed.** Samateus explained, Blaze relaxing slowly and bowing his head, offering a brief apology for his suspicion. She frowned, looking to Zuma for a moment before her gaze returned to the other four. **You sacrificed the Prison planet, with its teleport engine and a teleport pad? This is bad, the Beast can use them to get through your defenses if it's smart enough!** Her audible hiss and the expression of shock and concern on Sternum's face led the few others to realize they also had not thought anything of leaving such behind.
"Wait, it devoured planet Fire and who knows how many other worlds that may or may not have had world engines, why has the beast not used those?" Pyrus frowned, Samateus tilting her head to her left, eyes not really focusing on anything in particular, as though she were listening to another at a distance. Zuma motioned for the others to wait a moment, able to tell Samateus did converse with another at a distance.
"What I would give to be a psychic now..." Zera mused, crossing her arms. They waited a long moment before Samateus sighed, nodding lightly.
**The teleport pads need to be powered by a world engine, or related tech. The Teleport engine however, might need more looking into.** Samateus explained, the undertone of the explanation did express it came from Xerxes directly. Blaze narrowed his eyes again, sensing something in this other she mentioned that was oddly familiar to him, shaking off his suspicion as his Prince appeared to wholeheartedly trust her.