Author's Note: Sorry about long time since update. Had to go to see a doctor in another city for a few days, then had to make up the time I missed when I got back. On top of that, my Pocket PC (where I record info and write the story on my lunch break) is on the fritz, so I had to re-type the whole thing.
In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.
Jade and Blackjack were now escorted down a large hall by the five goddesses.
"So I just go out there, say 'sorry' and I'm in the clear?"
"That's it." Peroth nodded.
"And so it begins..." muttered Jade. He then walked onto a grand stage followed by the ever silent Blackjack. The stage was set in a grand hall where hundreds of gods and goddesses were seated.
Jade proceeded to clear his throat, and spoke a single word, a word that echoed through the hallowed halls with a dignified and vigilant tone: "Sorry."
The hall remained silent.
"That's it. That's all there is."
Jade waited a moment longer then turned to leave, when off stage Peroth gave him a angry glare.
"Err... what I mean is, sorry for the demolition of those buildings. Even the one that looked like a bloated frog, though I'm pretty sure that one was built for comic relief. The destruction of those structures was his fault." He jabbed his thumb to wards Blackjack, who somehow manged to produce a glare even fiercer than Peroth's. "He set charges up on those structures, and even tried to shoot a goddess. She was just lucky that I was there to take the bullet for her."
Blackjack had produced a knife and had begun moving up behind Jade.
"I'm telling you if his mother never made me promise-- Blackjack! What did I tell you about that?!" Jade turned to the hall. "See what I have to put up with?"
A goddess raised her hand. "Yes, the cute one in the white and green."
"Umm... who are you? And how is it humans got up here?"
"Excellent question my dear. I will now tell you a grand story. One of woe, gallantry, and the birth of our race. We are part of the Bentusi. The Raj'nek. It all begins during the War of Transcendence, where we rose above simple minded sentients and entered a new awareness.
"Long ago we were once united. Our people spanned the universe in prosperity... then came the great war. Not much is known about this time, the War of Transcendence, except that many empires fought so long that no one alive could remember what peace was like. The war had been raging for over ten millenniums without showing any signs of stopping. The remnants of once great empires raged across the heavens, the fragments of armadas and the scattered troops of mighty armies continued to battle among ravaged planets. Their hatred fueled by thousands of years of war.
"Our home... our galaxy... destroyed planet by planet, system by system, star by star. Great machines of war were scatted across the universe. Ships capable of ripping apart a planet's atmosphere, bombs that could collapse suns into massive supernovas, weapons that could tear ships and planets apart atom by atom, quantum implosion cores that could destroy anything withing millions of light years. This was the time of darkness for our people. A time where fear and anger ruled the minds of the mighty.
"Then a group of nomads banded together and among the debris and asteroids of what was once their home planet, and from the remnants of the planet's core they forged the Great Harbour Ship of Bentus. They foresaw the dark age and the slow decay of the universe, so for the vessel they captured a prototype quantum indermacy core that would let them leave this war-torn reality, and a quantum implosion device powerful enough to slay their brothers before they could spread to other dimensions. This would be their crime, and their valiant act. To condemn a whole universe so that others may not face the horrors of an infinite war as their brother sentients had. To escape into the reaches of the multi-verse so that their brothers could not... with the hope their children may have the chance to grow, thrive, and prosper.
"For four hundred years prepared a mighty vessel to start anew... free from the war and strife that had befallen them for so long. Then it was time. They set out to unlock the mysteries of the multi-verse, leaving behind the quantum collapser... never looking back. To this day they have never returned to see what had befallen their brethren.
"Now some think that the radiation from a nearby star or anomaly changed us. Others think it was a gift from the Great Maker, seeing a band of lost travels hurtling through the depths of space. Some just think it was a lucky roll of the cosmic dice and some fluke from traveling between time and space. What ever it was, made the children of the escaped... gain a new level of awareness and level of sentience. They could see what no one else could see. Feel what no others could feel. Do what no others could do. The children became the race now known as the Bentusi: a race of philosophers, scientists, gypsies, artists, and musicians.
"The Great Harbour Ship of Bentus traveled among the stars trading, exploring, meeting new peoples. We grew, we thrived, we prospered. How ever, soon the dangers of the multi-verse began to take it's toll on the Children of the Mind. Deciding their peaceful ways could not always protect them, they used mighty methods of war their ancestors before them used and forged great warriors. They enhanced their weak physical bodies with cybernetic implants and battle meditation creating mighty telekinetic soldiers, or threw away their organic bodies and put their mind and soul into stronger, faster, and smarter machines of war. The fierce ways of the warrior flowed through them as it had their ancestors. They became reincarnations of what their ancestors were: young gods, lords of war. They are the Raj'nek. The seeds of war, it seemed, were inevitable.
"They left the home of their brothers, and are now scatted among the galaxy, some waging war to hone their skill in battle and to gain honor by thwarting worthy foes. Others still continue to explore, hardened enough by the warrior's life to survive outside the Great Harbour Ship and among the harsh realm of the multi-verse. They all remain scattered... perusing what ever path life my take them down until they are called upon by their brothers, the Bentusi, in their time of need.
"To this very day, many millenia later, we still continue to trek across the multi-verse, still exploring, still fighting, and still meeting new peoples. It is no longer our desire, it is now our nature. Which is why I'm here. And is also which you may see more of us in the future. I guess that makes me an ambassador of sorts. I wonder why I don't have diplomatic immunity. I shouldn't even be charged with this, it was BJ who fragged those buildings in the first place..."
Jade continued to ramble on as he walked off stage in deep thought. He continued
The first figure appeared to be middle aged and wore dark green robes and had his dirty blonde hair drawn back into a pony tail. He had the upright stance of a soldier, and his eyes revealed wisdom beyond his years.
The second figure had short dark red hair and blue eyes. She wore a simple blue skirt and a blouse. She had a blush on her cheeks and a hint of playfulness in her shy smile.
Jade was still rambling on to himself when the man walked up and tapped him on the shoulder. Jade turned around slowly.
"Blackjack. Seriously. Last warning." He looked up and saw the man standing there. "Oh." He said uninterested, turning back around. "Oh!" he said, as if just realizing that it was someone else standing there. "Hmm... you look oddly familiar."
"Sierra Ma Tu. En na trak'na'hen... ela bou eh?" The man spoke.
"Ragnar sha'hanek, de da rhunan wrele. Eh rassanadar diln't ala pree norsh, neh? Brondrish nara de kesh... ranassar klesh tsuari unverisul!"
"Your accent is horrible, but the joke is funny."
"Haha. Well Crow, I've been wandering 'round these parts for a decade. Of course I'm a little rusty. Damn good to see you, you old war horse!" Jade consumed the man in a great hug.
"And you, brethren. You look well. Story weaving again?" Crow smiled slightly.
"Just telling them about the magnificent Bentusi Legacy."
"Jade!" The second figure nearly tackled him in a hug.
"By the Great Cannon of Mehmed!" Jade swore, "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Sorry." She blushed, "I'm just glad to see you after all these years..."
"Oh, you were always so cute when you were embarrassed." Jade laughed as she turned a deeper shade of red.
"Stop it! You were always such a tease!" She cried playfully.
"So Crow, I'm curious what your doing around a backward place like this, especially with a human."
"Words need to be exchanged."
"Of course." Jade turned and saw himself facing a number of goddesses. "Oh right, the crazies."
"The what?" Rind raised her eyebrow.
"Just learn to ignore him. That's what I do." Urd said.
"Well, they do sound rather pleasant." Stormcrow chuckled.
"They are human, remember? Of course they're little... err... I mean these these are my friends." Jade quickly corrected himself.
"This one doesn't seem as crazy as the other two." Skuld whispered to Urd.
"Skuld..." Belldandy said.
Crazy? I'll show you crazy when I get that shipment of nukes from the quartermaster. Then again I could always use my thermite bombs, though I was going to save those for a special occasion--
"Jade..." Crow sighed.
"Oh star blazes, did I think that out loud? Thats what comes from being telepathic I guess. You project your thoughts when you get distracted. You know I was just kidding." Jade through his head back in laughter, "Aha ha... ha..."
"..." Everyone simply looked at him unbelievingly
Jade clapped his hands together, "Well, the past is past, the future's now. Now to introductions. May I introduce: Warlord Stormcrow. Protector of the Northwind. If you don't understand Bentusi titles just think of him as a general or so, so don't make him mad unless you want a war... though he's been seeming rather senile in the last few centuries." Crow shook his head slightly.
"And over here," He motioned to the redheaded girl, "is Aine, goddess of love and fertility."
"Actually my name is Sarah O'Connor, and I'm not a goddess."
"And here off to the side is the ever borderline-psychotic Battlemaster BlackJack. You all know me, Codemaster Jade, and over here we have the sisters first and second class goddesses Urd, Belldandy and Skuld, Celtic goddesses of the fates. The ones over there are Valkyrie Rind and Vixen Peroth." Jade pointed out each of the figures. "Now Crow, whats the word from Bentus? And have you heard about my supply shipment I ordered a month ago?"
"When I left, I checked with the Quartermaster. She told me to give you a message, but that's it." Crow handed out a glass marble, which Jade took and held up to the light to inspect, then dropped it into his pocket.
"What? No nuke grenades? Power armor? Battle tanks?"
"No, I apologize brother."
"No Hovercraft? Drop pods? Battle droids? Hunter-killers? Assault Bikes?"
"No."
"Not even attack buggies, rail guns, munitions, ripper swords, or 'tankpopper' rifles?"
"Who would actually give you two access to that kind of equipment? Sounds like your starting your own personal war."
"Hey, if all else fails we can always try the black market. Contraband is cheaper anyways. And about the war thing, I am actually. Have you felt--"
"That's why I'm here, brother. We need to talk. Your supplies can wait."
"I can't believe this. We have no bureaucracy, mastered instantaneous teleportation, and my supplies got lost? If I ever meet the Bentus Quartermaster, I'm going to rip out her-- oops. Said that out loud again, didn't I?" Jade's face showed a hint of worry. "I'm going to have to see a tech... I might have caught something if I can't even control my emotions or my own thought projection." Jade looking worried as he flexed his hand open and closed, then simply shrugged. "Oh well, it can't be helped."
"Jade, we need to talk very soon."
"All in good time. Let's head planet side. I know a lovely little shack down there where we can get some R&R."
"Amen to that." Everyone turned to the direction of the voice, Blackjack.
"You know", said Peroth, "that's the first time he's spoke without being asked something."
"Something big must be going down. You feel it too, Blackjack?" Jade looked at his companion.
They exchanged a glance and Jade nodded in understanding.
"A change in the winds of war." Blackjack said
"A storm is brewing, one that will sweep all before it." Jade continued
"A storm terrible in it's passing." Blackjack finished.
Crow simply nodded while the goddesses glanced at each other in confusion.
"What are you--" Urd began.
"It's a Bentusi thing." Jade said to the goddesses, then turned to Stormcrow "We have to talk now. Follow me."
Jade, Stormcrow, and Blackjack simply vanished leaving behind five confused goddesses and a certain redheaded figure.
"Umm... where did you boys go?" Sarah looked around.
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
Urd slid through the TV as she pulled a disoriented Sarah along.
"Wow, what was strange."
"Shh. Be quiet and followed me."
"What?"
Urd put her finger to her lips and motioned for Sarah to follow.
Sarah followed her down the hall where Urd was leaning up against a door. Sarah did likewise.
"I don't hear anything." Sarah whispered.
"I know they're in there, but I wonder what they are doing." Urd replied.
"Oh, Urd, did you remember too-- Are you spying on our guests?"
Spies! The psionic yell stunned everyone near by. The wooden door slammed open revealing a green-shimmering-sword wielding Jade. Your lucky we were speaking telepathically, or I'd run you through. He then saw Belldandy standing down the hall, then added. Metaphorically speaking, of course. He grinned broadly then strode down the hall.
Urd glanced into the room and found it devoid of the other two figures. "Hey, wait, what's going on?"
"Aye, you at least us owe us an explination for leaving us behind." Sarah added angrily.
"Do I now? Well, fair enough. If you must know... we're going to start a war."
"What!?" Sarah cried.
"Don't worry, he tends to joke or speak metaphorickly instead of just the straight truth. He probably means something else." Urd said.
"I have to go pre-order my new battle armor if I want to have a suit on the first day. Those new models are to Raj'nek what wealth is to humans swine. No offence to the present company. If you really want to know more, ask Bell. She knows more than she lets on." Belldandy looked slightly suprised as Urd turned to her.
Jade nodded to Sarah then strode down the hall passing Skuld. "I'll see you tonight Sarah. We have some catching up to do. He winked at her then left the temple.
Skuld turned to her sisters. "What did I miss?"