Author's Note: I just wanted to mention the significance of what Thaman said to Isabel in the previous chapter. If you notice, he didn't call her Princess or My Lady. He just said her name. I hope you all caught that because it was something that I saved for the right moment. Just for one moment he could call her just her name and nothing else.

Chapter Forty Three

The Granolith Chamber lit up in a bright, blinding light with the Four Square floating just above it. The Granolith started spinning at an incredible speed. The whole room began shaking. They watched as the tension between the beam and the Granolith grew. Finally and explosively the Four Square symbol shot up into the sky and disappeared above them.

All of them ran out of the Chamber and ran outside to look. The beam hit something high up in the sky and the explosion was gigantic. A blue blast lit the sky and they could see sparks fly down onto the Earth. They all stood together with their partners at the edge of a high rock. Max held Liz close to him as he looked up and saw all the destruction above them. Everyone that had been fighting outside the Chamber were now frozen in shock as they looked up at the sight above them. Spark flew down like stars that had fallen from the sky. Everyone stood looking at it in shock and awe. The blue sky of Earth was temporarily red with sparkles.
" That was so awesome " said Kyle looking up at the sky. " We are in so much trouble "

" We'll never be able to cover this one up, " said Maria.

The rest of the debris fizzled in the atmosphere. " Oh God! " said Serena looking at two large ships coming in their direction. Both ships were shooting at each other. " What is that? "

" Take cover, " warned one of the soldiers down below at them. When he warned them he had been temporarily distracted. His body was soon on the floor covered in blood.

They all scrambled to the ground and hid behind the rocks.

" Damn " said Kyle closing his eyes.
" Those are carrier ships " shouted Ryu above the noise. " One is from our side "
" They will be dropping all their men for a final fight, " explained Laric.
The shooting below them started again and clouds of dust were flying around everywhere.
" We have to fight, " said Ryu as he ran with Laric down the rocks and to the battlefield.
" Take those orbs out that I gave you earlier, " said Ryu.

Without a question they all took them out. " Push the symbol " he said.

Max pushed the button and the orb snapped in his hand a light metal flew out. He touched the metal and looked at Ryu.

" It will not break, " said Laric. " You will need to use this rather than your guns "
" Why use a sword when we have these? " asked Michael as he held up his gun.

" Because this is the way things are done on our planets my Lord, " said Thaman looking at Isabel. She was sitting comfortably in his embrace. She felt so safe there, even though there was fighting going on all around her. She tugged at Thaman's collar and looked helplessly into his eyes. " We must fight " he told her softly.

" I can't lose you Thaman " she said holding his face.
Kivar glared up at them. His eyes darkened and turned blood shot as his anger started to boil over. He stretched out his hand and burned Max's shield.

" He's free, " said Kyle pointing down at Kivar. " And he's pissed! "
" Everybody run, " said Max. " I have to finish this "
" Max no, " said Liz.
Max kissed her roughly on the lips." I love you " he said looking into her eyes.
" I love you " she said as she watched him jump off the rock and land right in front of Kivar.
" Come on Liz " said Maria grabbing her arm and pulling her. " We have to get out of here "
" You should go with them my Princess, " said Thaman pushing her in the direction Liz and Maria had just gone.

" I'm not leaving… " started Isabel.
The ground they were standing on collapsed and they both began falling down to the ground. Thaman grabbed Isabel and stretched out his hand. Their fall slowed down and they landed softly on the ground. Thaman was the first to get up, to protect her. Isabel stood up behind Thaman and looked beyond his shoulder. Standing there in front of them was a very beautiful looking alien with long hair and a stunning figure. Isabel was still in the clothes she had worn to the office that day. The woman looked at Isabel with contempt. Isabel didn't need an introduction. She could cut the tension with a knife. This was Ishtar.
" So this is the Vilandra of Earth "
" You leave her out of this " said Thaman.
" She is very much a part of this " said Ishtar walking from right to left, never taking her eyes off of Thaman.
" Leave her be Ishtar, " said Thaman.
" Why is it you cannot understand Thaman? " said Ishtar " You were once on this side yourself "
" And I left it " said Thaman looking at her confused " I can never understand what could have made you turn "
" And it is something you will never understand " said Ishtar. She waved her hands in a circular motion and something as thin as a fishing line but glowing flew from her towards Thaman.
Thaman pushed Isabel towards the ground and landed on top of her. Isabel lifted her head just in time to watch the line split the rock behind them in half perfectly. " When she is not looking, you must get out of here "
" No "
" I will never forgive myself if she hurts you " he said touching her face. " Go "
Thaman got back up and looked at Ishtar. She started running towards him. Isabel watched Thaman as he waved his arm around his head and swung his arm towards Ishtar. Out of his hand flew dozens of darts headed straight for
Ishtar.
Isabel got up and ran behind a rock. She waited to see what Ishtar would do. Ishtar's eyes grew wide as she watched them coming towards her. She tried to dodge them and got hit by three of them on her arm. She flew backwards and landed roughly on her back. She grabbed her arm and winced in pain. She glared at Isabel as Thaman ran towards her. As he ran he stretched his right hand out and pushed it forwards. Ishtar flew further away from them and hit the rock behind her.
" Fight me! " he screamed. " Have you grown soft?! "
~~~~~~~~
The battle had become hand to hand combat instead of guns. It was just like Laric had suggested. They had all thrown their guns aside and wanted to fight the old fashion way. There were men everywhere just fighting with their bare hands and their powers. Many were fighting with special swords. It looked like a scene from ancient times. Countless guards fighting for one last time. All were in human form. There was dust everywhere mixed with the remains of the skins. Rath was in the middle of it. He had the blood of his own people on his hands. He was using his powers against the people that had created him to protect them.
" Killin your own " he heard behind him. " Can't be hard for you "
Rath turned around and almost fell over at the sight in front of him. " What the hell? " he said backing away. He started feeling his heart beat into his chest. " Yous dead "
" No " said Zan. " I'm not, but you gonna be " Zan grabbed Rath by the neck and threw him a few feet away.
" It's yous gonna be dead when this finished " said Rath running towards him and tackling him.
Zan drove his elbow down into Rath's back and kneed him in the stomach.

~~~~~~~~

Max landed flatly on his back, getting the wind knocked out of him. He had a cut on his shoulder and coughed the dust out of his mouth. He tried to flex his arm but it wouldn't really move. He looked up at Kivar as he stood up. He swung his sword down, trying for Kivar's head. Kivar held his sword up and they both glared at each other as they struggled to out muscle each other. Kivar bent down and jumped up causing Max to fall back a little but Max kept his footing this time.

" Just give up Zan " laughed Kivar breathlessly." If you retreat now I will give you a quick execution "

" If you retreat I promise it will be painless " answered Max.

" You cannot win me, " said Kivar.

The fighting was all around them. Both sides fought bravely to win. Men were falling down dying either instantaneously or slowly as they bled to death. But neither Kivar or Max could see this. They only saw the other as they both held up their swords. Kivar didn't waste any time and began charging Max. He let out a battle cry as he swung his sword with all his strength.
~~~~~~~~

" Zan is out there, " said dupe Liz. She had been waiting by the ship for the rest of them to come. She hadn't seen if Zan was alive or not. " I have to go find him " Without warning she started running into the crowds of fighting soldiers.

" Max " said Liz started after her.

" No " said Ryu blocking her way. She crashed into him.

" Ryu I have to… " she said looking up at his face. She stopped talking when she saw that he wasn't listening to her. It was like he was having a flash. " Ryu? " she said shaking him. " Ryu"

" Yes " he said blinking his eyes. He looked into her eyes.

" What is it? " she asked nervously. " What did you see? "

He just looked down at her with his eyes wide open. Then he straightened up and spoke in a stern voice. " You should stay in the ship until everything is clear "

" Not everyone is here. I can't stay, " said Liz " Where did Isabel and Thaman go? "
" I don't know. I didn't see them behind us " said Kyle.
" Michael's out there too somewhere " said Maria.
" This is just insane, " said Liz looking out over the battle. " There's no way this battle will end "
" They're just going to keep fighting until everyone's dead? " asked Maria.
" They are trained to do so, " said Ryu.
" We have to stop this, " said Serena.
" I'm sure none of these guys really know what they're doing " said Kyle. " Maybe if they knew they were on the wrong side "
" I doubt that they don't know, " said Maria.
" There is a faster way to stop the fighting, " said Ryu.
" How? " asked Liz.
" The Granolith, " said Ryu " But we need my father "
" We have to find him "
" We need all the Royals to be present when it happens " said Ryu " So that they know who the real leaders are "
" Whoever has the Granolith is the leader " stated Kyle.
" We should get back to the Granolith now " said Liz.

" Why didn't we think about this before? " asked Maria.

" The thought did just occur to me " stated Ryu.

Maria felt awkward. It was unfair for her to think Ryu would figure out everything. He was only 16 years old.

" You have to trust me, " said Ryu. " As soon as I get the Granolith and my father we will come for you. Please listen to me and stay in the ship with the others "

" You can't tell me to stay. I want to help out " said Liz.

" Do not just think of yourself, " said Ryu harshly. " Think of others when you decide you want to jump into things like this. I will be back with my father shortly. Just stay here " He looked at Kyle and Brody and nodded his head. The three of them ran into the madness below and disappeared.

Liz could only look at him in shock. He had never used that kind of tone with her or anyone before. Why did he feel so strongly about it?

" Come on Liz, " said Maria. " We have to get you in here. " Putting her arm around Liz and leading her towards the door.

Ava and Serena were waiting for them by the door. The four of them went into the ship.

" Did you get a flash? " asked Maria as they all walked towards the control panel area of the ship.

" I don't know why he… " started Liz but she stopped short when she saw what was in front of her.

" It's been a long time Liz " said the person that Liz had never wanted to see again. It was Tess.
~~~~~~~~
Michael was running around with his sword in front of him. His sword was covered with blood and he had a cut on his forehead. The blood was streaming down his face and into his eyes. He wiped his forehead and looked at the chaotic scene around him. He had wondered why Thaman had wanted to train them on how to use a sword. He had protested about how useless it would be to fight with them but Thaman had been so adamant about it. Right now Michael was glad that Thaman had pushed it on them. He had practiced it even though Thaman wasn't around all these years with Max and Kyle. Holding the blade he thought about how it was very different from the stick that he usually practiced with. He looked at all the death around him. Men were fighting bravely on both sides. Michael wondered how this would all end up, would everyone be lying dead in the end? Nobody attacked him as he stood there. Maybe they knew who he was and didn't dare attack him. He saw Max and Kivar fighting on the other end. At first he wanted to go help Max but decided against it. Laric was fighting hard against someone on the other side. God this was madness. He didn't know who he was going to fight. This all reminded him of his favorite movie, Braveheart.

A soldier from the opposing side charged towards him with his sword high above his head. Michael responded by holding up his sword to defend himself against the upcoming blow.

~~~~~~~~

Thaman dodged Ishtar's attack and swung his leg against the back of her knees, making her fall on her knees. He pushed his hand out and she flew back again. She landed lightly on her feet and ran toward him. With her powers she grabbed a couple stones nearby and hurled them at Thaman. Thaman bent over backward and the stones flew right above him. When he got back up Ishtar grabbed him and threw him over the boulder behind them.

She panted as she faced Isabel. " This is all your fault! " she spat.

" I know " said Isabel not moving as Ishtar made her way closer to her.

" No. I think you have no idea just how much you are at fault here " she said glaring at her. She was still panting.

Isabel didn't have time to ask her what she mean cause Thaman had jumped over the boulder and was in front of Ishtar.

" Stay away from her " he said moving towards her, causing Ishtar to back away.

" None of this would have happened if it was not for her, " said Ishtar as she bit her lip and looked sadly at Thaman.

" What are you talking about? " asked Thaman.

Ishtar looked scornfully at Isabel. She looked back at Thaman and backed further away from them. She held out her hand creating a shield. Isabel recognized it to be the same one Thaman had made when he left that day to kill the skins. It was purple and clear. Different from Max's shield but similar. She threw the shield at him. Thaman slid to the side and caught the backside of the shield. He held it in his hand as he looked at Ishtar.

" I cannot kill you Thaman " she said " I just cannot do it ". She looked at Isabel. " But I can kill her " she said making that circular motion with her arms again. Before she knew it, Isabel saw the thin looking whip fly toward her. Isabel raised her hand up to stop it but Thaman was in front of her with the shield. The whip ricocheted off of the shield and went through Ishtar's waist. Ishtar gasped as she held herself together. She looked at Thaman as she fell. " Thaman, I … " she started to say.

Isabel looked away as Ishtar landed on the floor and exposed the fact that she was cut in half. She hid behind Thaman as he approached Ishtar's body. Thaman took off his jacket and covered Ishtar's body. Only after he did that did Isabel look at Ishtar again.

" You don't understand what she said do you? " said Isabel.

" No, I do not, " admitted Thaman.

" That's something you missed with me before too, " she said understanding Ishtar's feelings. She felt bad that it had to end this way.

He looked at her to continue.

" She loved you Thaman " explained Isabel. " Just as I had loved you "

He squinted his eyes. " Ishtar is not that kind of person. She is a soldier "

" So are you " said Isabel patiently. She almost wanted to laugh at the irony. Men on any planet didn't understand women no matter how intelligent they are. " But you fell in love with me "

" Nothing I would have said would have helped her turn " he said sadly. " That is really unfortunate "

" I have to love her taste, " said Isabel.

Thaman turned towards her with a look of surprise.

~~~~~~~~

Their swords were clashing and sparks were flying from the contact of their swords. Kivar was far more experienced than Max but Max held up a good fight. Max was on the defensive side and trying to keep up with Kivar. Kivar kept trying to put more space between him so that his strokes would be more powerful and give him enough room to give a fatal blow. Max was sweating and his breath came in short gasps as he looked his enemy in the eyes. Kivar didn't look so out of breath. Max was going to lose this fight unless he thought of something quick. His arm was throbbing with the pain and blood was gushing out. He knew he couldn't keep this pace up for much longer. He didn't want to use his powers unless Kivar did. If anyone would break that code, it would be Kivar.

As if hearing Max's plea for help Kivar waved his hand. With that Max felt a blow to his face and he flew to the side. Max lifted himself up with his arm and was about to wave his hand over his wound but stopped himself. He wanted to beat Kivar with the wound. But would use his powers to help kill him. Max waved his hand over his head and his shield went around his body like a knight in armor. He squeezed his hand that held the sword and it started to glow green just like his shield. Max lowered his face to glare as Kivar ran towards him.

~~~~~~~~

Zan grabbed Rath by one arm, swung him high, and threw him against a rock. They were both bleeding all over but neither cared. They were fighting the raw way, with their fists. Rath shook his head and then charged with his head stuck out. He crashed right into Zan's stomach and lifted him up and over. Zan landed behind him on his back. Zan reached up and grabbed both of Rath's legs and rolled over causing Rath to land flat on his face. He spit out the dirt that had flown in his mouth. He was about to lift himself up when he felt a sharp pain in his back. He could feel the blade go straight through his body. Rath cried out in pain as Zan grabbed his hair and lifted his face up to his.

" Die you son of a B&*$# " he said and rammed his face into the ground. He watched as Rath stopped breathing and lie motionless on the floor with blood, turning the ground around him red. Zan sighed in relief. He could finally bury this part of his life and not wake up nights wanting to kill something.

" Zan! " he heard. He looked up almost not believing the voice that was ringing in his ear.

" Liz! " he cried as she jumped into his arms. She kissed him all over his face. " I love you. I love you " she repeated with each kiss.

He grabbed her face and pulled it away from his for a good look at her. " You're alive? " he asked still not believing it.

" I am, " she said happily. " I was afraid you would get yourself killed ". She looked around at everyone around them.

" I wanted to " he said almost laughing with joy. " But not anymore " he said starting to run with her in his arms to safety. They disappeared among the crowds of people.

Author's Note: The next chapter will be up soon so please look for updates on my story. We still have figure out what they're going to do with Tess. Max still has to kill Kivar and we have to find out what Ryu saw in his flash. Please leave me your reviews.