Disclaimer: This is a fanfic, I do not own the characters created in the show. Happy reading ^_^
TO BE FREE Chronicles of the Prison Planet
Chapter 3: Jade & Sternum
The control room was big-as big as the bridge of the Ice flagship, Aurora. The green female Rock warrior was impressed. She cocked a smile and nodded appreciatively at the other nasculine, proud-looking Bone warrior-not to mention, ex-convict.
"This is my home." He paused, letting it settle in the dry air. "It has been my home for so many years now," he reminisced.
"It's..." she paused and thought hard to describe this dark, sinister-looking place. The kind of place that she especially liked.
"Impressive?" he inserted all too helpfully.
"Nice," she corrected with a hidden smile.
He appeared to disapprove at her choice of word, but then broke into a grin. "I think it's nice too," he replied and then sighed looking at her. "Rock people are always so stubborn, so strong, so.... What is your name?"
"Jade."
"I am Sternum," he answered the unspoken question. "Now, why are you here?"
The Rock warrior eyed him like a tigeress. "We came here to warn you of the Beast."
"We?" he asked with a raised brow.
Jade nodded, never breaking her gaze. "Yeah, four others."
Sternum blinked. "Well, I'll get the word out to find your friends."
She bit her lower lip nervously. She had never handled situations like this before. Should she trust him? Should she tell him who she was with?
The Bone warrior shrugged slightly and turned his back to her slowly. "Anyway, we won't have to worry about the Beast anymore."
Jade looked at him questionably.
"I've gotten the Prison Planet out of that system using trans-warp engines," he answered showing the controls on his wrist.
"Why haven't you found the others? Why have you only found me?" she demanded.
"I'm sorry, Jade," he said, tasting her name and looked back at her. "If they crashed on the other side of the planet, then I'm afraid they're either dead already or going to die."
Jade adverted her eyes and grieved silently for Graveheart. "How do you know? You haven't found their bodies...?"
"No, I will not risk my warriors on such a fruitless search. Outside this fortress is a jungle-a jungle of madness. And the Queen of all that madness is Julia," Sternum explained. "She would think they were my spies-she'd kill them before they can even explain."
"Then I'll hunt her myself and get an answer from her," Jade retorted bitterly.
Sternum shook his head no. "Julia has a champion. Someone who is bound to her by chains and will obey Julia. And it is powerful-very powerful...I know." He showed her an ugly scar on his left thigh. "I'm truly sorry for your loss."
Jade waved it aside. "So why bring me here, huh? What do you want of me? A reward?"
Smirking amusingly, Sternum signalled to three tough Bone warriors. "First I want you to watch, then it'd be your turn."
Now it was Jade's turn to raise her brow.
Armed with sturdy poles, the three warriors approached Sternum, who eyed them confidently. To Jade, he called: "See those weapons on the wall behind you?"
She nodded, gazing over the assortment of weapons. He had everything, from a simple set of three pronged blades, to a A3 machine gun.
"Toss the staff over," he said simply.
Jade's booted footfalls echoed in the room. She grabbed the staff and tossed it towards Sternum without warning. Expertly the Bone leader caught it without taking an eye off the other warriors as it sang softly through the air at him. One of the warriors advanced first trying to knock Sternum's staff out of his hand before he could grip it tightly. However, the warrior underestimated his leader. Sternum caught his opponent's pole with his own and slammed them both to the ground. The staffs cracked as they struck the floor, but neither welder lost his hold.
Skillfully, the Bone leader twisted around and jammed his elbow into the stunned warrior's back forcing him to fall over on his back. Groaning, the warrior Sternum had toppled made a last attempt to take down his leader by using his staff to trip him, just as Sternum turned to face the two other warriors who had closed in to take their own hits. Jade watched, her green eyes fastened on Sternum, her face expressionless, giving nothing away. A true warrior knows everything that happens around him.
At the edge of his vision, Sternum caught sight of movement. Without thinking, he knew it was the fallen warrior, he knew what the warrior was attempting to do (it was afterwall, the only thing a fallen warrior could do). And without hesitation, Sternum did a swift backflip, his palms landing on the warrior's back, forcing the air out of the warrior. But the Bone leader didn't complete the backflip; and Sternum left himself hanging on a handstand. Jade shook her head inconcievably as she watched the two other warrior stepping in closer. Their guards were down; they thought they could take down their leader in such a vulnerable situation. They were wrong.
Sternum grunted as he heaved his arm muscles and propelled himself into the air again. He somersaulted easily just as the two other Bone-men took a swiped at the air where he'd been. Spreading his legs apart, he targeted for the backs of the two warriors. His aim was true. The two received a massive blow as Sternum's boots came to contact. With one move, Sternum kicked up his staff expertly, gripped it tightly, and brought it down horizontally on the stunned warriors. All without even breaking a sweat.
Jade nodded. "Impressive," was all she said, and she said it rather dryly. "But I've seen better."
Sternum cocked a brow and tossed her his pole. She caught it easily and approached carefully. "Really? Well, let's see...." he challenged.
As the three bruised warriors cleared the area for the fight, Sternum kicked up another staff and in less than a second, he had it snaking out toward Jade's. Quick as a fox, Jade blocked the blow easily which surprised Sternum as her block held strong and did not waver a millimeter. Feigning a strike to his right side, Jade spiked the other end of her staff into his left.
The Bone leader grunted, ignoring the sharp pain. He knew then that he was no longer fighting just some female warrior wannabe, she was a trained warrior and she knew where to strike where it hurt most. But he, too, was a trained warrior and he knew where to strike a Rock-man-or in this case, a woman. Stooped low from the last blow, Sternum gripped his pole low, twisted it and slammed it behind Jade's knees with all his strength. Caught unaware, the sudden pain forced Jade to her knees.
Smirking at his victory, Sternum towered over her, dripping with sweat and got ready to deliver his final blow when suddenly, Jade did a graceful backflip on her knees! Already having gained his momentum, Sternum found his staff hitting the hard floor with a clang. He felt a slight nauseating feeling as the vibrations tingled through the pole to his arms. Stunned, he tried to regain his balance when he felt a sturdy pole thwack the back of his neck. Letting out a cry, Sternum fell flat onto his face. Quickly, he rolled over but before he could even get up, Jade's pole came down fast straight for his face.
Expecting a hard blow, he closed his eyes instinctively. But when it didn't come, he dared a peek. Jade stood grinning and she held her hand towards him. He blinked once, twice, and then took her hand as she helped pull him back to his feet.
"You're good," he complimented, rubbing the back of his neck. "Remind me never to pick a fight with you again, eh?"
Jade said nothing.
"So," Sternum said slowly, "what will happen to you if you do find your friends and when we do kill Julia and her resistance?"
"Rock is my home," she answered surely, and then she stressed: "My only home."
"And what if I don't let you return home?" he asked curiously with a sly grin.
Jade's eyes shot daggers. "You need my help with the resistance and I'll give it to you on one condition: that you return me to Rock."
Sternum thought for awhile. "But you're just one warrior.... You know, I don't see how that would help me with my battle."
Jade took a step closer to him and bore him down with a mean stare. "For your information, I am the Captain of the Imperial Guards of Rock. Tell me again how I'm no use in your little fight," she dared him.
"Alright," he said with a smile. "You rid me of Julia and her little merry band of troops and I'll get you home."
Presently, a Fire guard came over to Sternum. He bowed swiftly and then whispered something into his leader's ear. Sternum's smile froze, and his eyes widened.
"Are you sure?" the Bone leader asked emphasizing each word.
"Yes, sir!" came the snappy reply. "Most definitely."
Sternum grinned almost evily. "Bring him here then."
A quick nod and the Fire guard was on his way out again.
Jade gave him a questioning look.
"It looks like we've just found another one of your friends," he replied and then softly to himself he said, "And someone I know all too well...."
TO BE FREE Chronicles of the Prison Planet
Chapter 3: Jade & Sternum
The control room was big-as big as the bridge of the Ice flagship, Aurora. The green female Rock warrior was impressed. She cocked a smile and nodded appreciatively at the other nasculine, proud-looking Bone warrior-not to mention, ex-convict.
"This is my home." He paused, letting it settle in the dry air. "It has been my home for so many years now," he reminisced.
"It's..." she paused and thought hard to describe this dark, sinister-looking place. The kind of place that she especially liked.
"Impressive?" he inserted all too helpfully.
"Nice," she corrected with a hidden smile.
He appeared to disapprove at her choice of word, but then broke into a grin. "I think it's nice too," he replied and then sighed looking at her. "Rock people are always so stubborn, so strong, so.... What is your name?"
"Jade."
"I am Sternum," he answered the unspoken question. "Now, why are you here?"
The Rock warrior eyed him like a tigeress. "We came here to warn you of the Beast."
"We?" he asked with a raised brow.
Jade nodded, never breaking her gaze. "Yeah, four others."
Sternum blinked. "Well, I'll get the word out to find your friends."
She bit her lower lip nervously. She had never handled situations like this before. Should she trust him? Should she tell him who she was with?
The Bone warrior shrugged slightly and turned his back to her slowly. "Anyway, we won't have to worry about the Beast anymore."
Jade looked at him questionably.
"I've gotten the Prison Planet out of that system using trans-warp engines," he answered showing the controls on his wrist.
"Why haven't you found the others? Why have you only found me?" she demanded.
"I'm sorry, Jade," he said, tasting her name and looked back at her. "If they crashed on the other side of the planet, then I'm afraid they're either dead already or going to die."
Jade adverted her eyes and grieved silently for Graveheart. "How do you know? You haven't found their bodies...?"
"No, I will not risk my warriors on such a fruitless search. Outside this fortress is a jungle-a jungle of madness. And the Queen of all that madness is Julia," Sternum explained. "She would think they were my spies-she'd kill them before they can even explain."
"Then I'll hunt her myself and get an answer from her," Jade retorted bitterly.
Sternum shook his head no. "Julia has a champion. Someone who is bound to her by chains and will obey Julia. And it is powerful-very powerful...I know." He showed her an ugly scar on his left thigh. "I'm truly sorry for your loss."
Jade waved it aside. "So why bring me here, huh? What do you want of me? A reward?"
Smirking amusingly, Sternum signalled to three tough Bone warriors. "First I want you to watch, then it'd be your turn."
Now it was Jade's turn to raise her brow.
Armed with sturdy poles, the three warriors approached Sternum, who eyed them confidently. To Jade, he called: "See those weapons on the wall behind you?"
She nodded, gazing over the assortment of weapons. He had everything, from a simple set of three pronged blades, to a A3 machine gun.
"Toss the staff over," he said simply.
Jade's booted footfalls echoed in the room. She grabbed the staff and tossed it towards Sternum without warning. Expertly the Bone leader caught it without taking an eye off the other warriors as it sang softly through the air at him. One of the warriors advanced first trying to knock Sternum's staff out of his hand before he could grip it tightly. However, the warrior underestimated his leader. Sternum caught his opponent's pole with his own and slammed them both to the ground. The staffs cracked as they struck the floor, but neither welder lost his hold.
Skillfully, the Bone leader twisted around and jammed his elbow into the stunned warrior's back forcing him to fall over on his back. Groaning, the warrior Sternum had toppled made a last attempt to take down his leader by using his staff to trip him, just as Sternum turned to face the two other warriors who had closed in to take their own hits. Jade watched, her green eyes fastened on Sternum, her face expressionless, giving nothing away. A true warrior knows everything that happens around him.
At the edge of his vision, Sternum caught sight of movement. Without thinking, he knew it was the fallen warrior, he knew what the warrior was attempting to do (it was afterwall, the only thing a fallen warrior could do). And without hesitation, Sternum did a swift backflip, his palms landing on the warrior's back, forcing the air out of the warrior. But the Bone leader didn't complete the backflip; and Sternum left himself hanging on a handstand. Jade shook her head inconcievably as she watched the two other warrior stepping in closer. Their guards were down; they thought they could take down their leader in such a vulnerable situation. They were wrong.
Sternum grunted as he heaved his arm muscles and propelled himself into the air again. He somersaulted easily just as the two other Bone-men took a swiped at the air where he'd been. Spreading his legs apart, he targeted for the backs of the two warriors. His aim was true. The two received a massive blow as Sternum's boots came to contact. With one move, Sternum kicked up his staff expertly, gripped it tightly, and brought it down horizontally on the stunned warriors. All without even breaking a sweat.
Jade nodded. "Impressive," was all she said, and she said it rather dryly. "But I've seen better."
Sternum cocked a brow and tossed her his pole. She caught it easily and approached carefully. "Really? Well, let's see...." he challenged.
As the three bruised warriors cleared the area for the fight, Sternum kicked up another staff and in less than a second, he had it snaking out toward Jade's. Quick as a fox, Jade blocked the blow easily which surprised Sternum as her block held strong and did not waver a millimeter. Feigning a strike to his right side, Jade spiked the other end of her staff into his left.
The Bone leader grunted, ignoring the sharp pain. He knew then that he was no longer fighting just some female warrior wannabe, she was a trained warrior and she knew where to strike where it hurt most. But he, too, was a trained warrior and he knew where to strike a Rock-man-or in this case, a woman. Stooped low from the last blow, Sternum gripped his pole low, twisted it and slammed it behind Jade's knees with all his strength. Caught unaware, the sudden pain forced Jade to her knees.
Smirking at his victory, Sternum towered over her, dripping with sweat and got ready to deliver his final blow when suddenly, Jade did a graceful backflip on her knees! Already having gained his momentum, Sternum found his staff hitting the hard floor with a clang. He felt a slight nauseating feeling as the vibrations tingled through the pole to his arms. Stunned, he tried to regain his balance when he felt a sturdy pole thwack the back of his neck. Letting out a cry, Sternum fell flat onto his face. Quickly, he rolled over but before he could even get up, Jade's pole came down fast straight for his face.
Expecting a hard blow, he closed his eyes instinctively. But when it didn't come, he dared a peek. Jade stood grinning and she held her hand towards him. He blinked once, twice, and then took her hand as she helped pull him back to his feet.
"You're good," he complimented, rubbing the back of his neck. "Remind me never to pick a fight with you again, eh?"
Jade said nothing.
"So," Sternum said slowly, "what will happen to you if you do find your friends and when we do kill Julia and her resistance?"
"Rock is my home," she answered surely, and then she stressed: "My only home."
"And what if I don't let you return home?" he asked curiously with a sly grin.
Jade's eyes shot daggers. "You need my help with the resistance and I'll give it to you on one condition: that you return me to Rock."
Sternum thought for awhile. "But you're just one warrior.... You know, I don't see how that would help me with my battle."
Jade took a step closer to him and bore him down with a mean stare. "For your information, I am the Captain of the Imperial Guards of Rock. Tell me again how I'm no use in your little fight," she dared him.
"Alright," he said with a smile. "You rid me of Julia and her little merry band of troops and I'll get you home."
Presently, a Fire guard came over to Sternum. He bowed swiftly and then whispered something into his leader's ear. Sternum's smile froze, and his eyes widened.
"Are you sure?" the Bone leader asked emphasizing each word.
"Yes, sir!" came the snappy reply. "Most definitely."
Sternum grinned almost evily. "Bring him here then."
A quick nod and the Fire guard was on his way out again.
Jade gave him a questioning look.
"It looks like we've just found another one of your friends," he replied and then softly to himself he said, "And someone I know all too well...."