**Where are you, coward!?** Alarak screamed, the entire side of his face had bruised so severely he could scarcely recognise himself, the sheer size of Xerxes could have easily taken his head off. Using his rage as a tangible force to destroy the barrier and walls penning him in, even though he likely could have simply opened them on his own, he had hoped to make a point for them having messed with him far too long.
**Exactly where I knocked you unconscious, braggart. Gods, have all your predecessors been so single-minded and destructive?** Xerxes had completely lost his patience for Alarak now, Samateus sighing and shaking her head.
**While I will not comment on such, he has been like this as long as we've known him.** Artanis quipped, moving to stand closer to Kul as Vorazun, Arska and Taluth also moved. Leon raised a brow, lost for a moment before Samateus quickly filled him in, Leon laughing heartily and then grinning. He fell away to shadow, moving to the doorway where Alarak soon thundered through, the air around him shimmering. Leon reformed slowly, carefully masking his presence until Alarak finally realised that the one he intended to kill was not even looking at him, but past him. Alarak turned, face-to-face with another furred creature akin to the one made of light, raising a brow.
Leon then promptly roared in his face, holding a deep growl as Alarak quieted but did not flinch.
**Another Shadow of yours, 'Taalrulthian'? Please, spare me.** Alarak tried to dismiss Leon as nothing, to which Leon swiftly swept his tail under Alarak's feet, tripping him. Leon had intended to let him fall, instead grasping him by one ankle with his tail and held him upside-down, forcing the Highlord to meet his gaze.
**My Name, is LeonLocke. You would do well to remember such. Will you give up your petty revenge or should I show you what your afterlife will look like?** Leon sat back on his haunches, raising a hand-like forepaw and gathering psionic energy that matched the radioactive green gemfire glow of his eyes. Alarak attempted to engage his blades, to no avail, as Xerxes moved to stand behind him, before Leon, uttering a growl of his own. He felt Xerxes also exuding a form of aura himself, something so repulsive that even Alarak nearly wished to flee.
**Fine. Beasts.** Alarak hissed, crossing his arms, eyes narrowing. Leon allowed Xerxes to take Alarak from him, psionically righting the Highlord and gently traced the fingers of one hand along the bruise that had almost turned half his face black. Alarak winced, partially from disgust at his touch, and at the brief sharp pain followed by soothing warmth. Leon appeared impressed, chuckling as Alarak seemed unaware that the bruise had disappeared as though it never existed, and while the effects of the aura lingered as a form of obvious concern at the edges of Alarak's senses, Xerxes withdrew the repulsive ascpect of it from Alarak for now. Artanis raised a brow, also surprised that Xerxes would have healed the intentional injury to Alarak, despite his myriad attempts to kill him or Kul thus far.
Xerxes turned slightly, regarding Artanis over one shoulder curiously.
**I, admittedly, did not think you would show kindness to one whose intent to kill is rarely stifled.** Artanis explained, eyeing Alarak who huffed and ignored them, forcing himself to remain silent, lest he say something to earn him another strike.
**Ashtareen is also very forgiving, within reason.** Xerxes said simply, Samateus smiling.
**Ashtareen is also very brutal, when her second chances are taken for granted.** She added, pointedly looking to Alarak. **She would have killed you, had I not pushed her to give that reprieve.** Alarak growled, shaking his head in disbelief.
**That attitude is precisely why I am glad Khrillian is not around to see the state in which our followers have ended up. Though I will say, I am glad one strong enough to gain control over the majority did so before Amon twisted them all.** Xerxes sighed, moving to sit as he had earlier in the prison he had been liberated from, near the command console. Artanis and Vorazun both stood near him, Leon appearing to direct his ship remotely as it slowly turned, though this was an illusion as it was simply so large it moved faster than one watching would have thought. The Ahr'Aht World ships then generated a rift, tendrils of light sweeping over to caress and appeared to grasp each ship, including the engine-bearing worlds and the many smaller ships, before the tendrils retracted in one swift motion, pulling the ships through and away. Leon's ship, the massive triangular monolith appeared to warp away as well, disappearing from view.
All eyes turned to Leon and Samateus, the two simply chuckling.
**They moved to a system closer to the outer edge of the sector and galaxy, just to make things less… Awkward?** Leon smiled sheepishly, Samateus nodding. Only Xerxes Surriel's ship remained nearby, for the two to return to their fleet. Zagara took that opportunity to express her concern for the sheer size of their forces, Surriel chuckling.
**You need not worry, Overqueen. I would like to express my gratitude for your concern earlier.** Samateus simply listened in as Xerxes Surriel spoke, Leon doing the same and both including Xerxes Nerthiel in their conversation. Xerxes Nerthiel in turn included all of the Protoss present.
**You have a great deal of different races working together, how is it that so many can coexist without issue?** Zagara asked, intrigued by the variety of species.
**That would be partially my doing.** Leon admitted, grinning lightly. **The worlds with engines, I and many Humans from my Earth -or Sol as some would call it- decided to leave behind a legacy in them. We engineered species specifically adapted to different environments and biomes, still keeping as much similarity to Humanity as possible, while still adding in my own touch. That's why they are so easily able to coexist.**
**So most have Human essence?** Zagara asked, Leon raising a brow as he did not understand her question. Xerxes briefly explained it was genetic sequencing and spiritual energy used by the Zerg to expand and adapt their various strains, or individuals among the Primal Zerg. Leon nodded his understanding, thinking it over.
**As close to Human as possible, I suppose. I'd be happy to give you samples later on for your assistance.** Leon purred, Zagara gladly accepting his offer and expressed openness for him to enter her territory as he pleased, within reason. Once satisfied that her curiosity had been sated regarding the newcomers to the sector, she bid the others farewell and returned to Char with her Brood Queens and their Leviathans.
Valerian meanwhile, had sent a brief update to his advisors and the UNN, regarding the sudden reappearance of Amon's forces and the new alien races that had been welcomed to the sector. He explained that the newcomers were allies against Amon, who had forewarned them of another possible return of the Dark God, uniting under a common enemy. To assuage concerns about resources and shortages, Valerian had advised that the newcomers offered more to help them which would be revealed later as conversations continued.
Thankfully, his small information update had been well received, excitement and conversations amongst the populace returning to what had happened only a few scant years before. This would likely lead to increased military applications and possibly an increase in interplanetary traffic, which had recently become a large taxation backbone for the Dominion as fuel costs were still very high.
Valerian returned to the bridge, still clad in his exosuit as he just generally felt comfortable in it now, over the excessively decorated garb his father had gifted him when he had been named heir apparent. Thankfully, he bore very little similarity to his father's appearance, blond hair and blue eyes a stark contrast to the dark black and grey Arcturus had sported. Egon noticed Valerian seemed to be running circles in his thoughts, gently moving to place a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, as had been done for him quite often since his return.
"I'll be alright, just curious how to proceed from here." He admitted, thinking back to how Xerxes Surriel had mentioned that these newcomers had more than enough resources to continue to thrive even as spacefaring nomads. Perhaps they had perfected hydroponics and animal husbandry? Cloning food-animals or plant vegetation through science with minimal resources?
Egon smiled, nodding, picking up by only slightly pushing into Valerian's thoughts, the idea of further scientific information interesting him a great deal as well. Matthew had long since gone to the medical-wing, to have his injured right arm dealt with, Mira returning her frigate to the cargo hold and going with him worriedly.
After a little while of simply monitoring reconstruction and supply exchange between the Hyperion and the Ulnar Station, Matthew and Mira returned to the bridge, which had almost been completely repaired. Matthew's right arm was in a sling, held in place by a cast applied following it being reset via medical machinery. Thankfully, he felt none of the pain, as the numbing agent Egon had given him earlier appeared to last quite a long time. Mira doted on him, though more rough and silly in comparison to most other couples, the two appearing to have worked past whatever strange apprehension Matthew had prior regarding his marriage.
"Thank you, Egon, for helping my dear Matthew while I was away." Mira said to Egon, moving to give the smaller man a hug, which he accepted, blushing lightly.
"Just doing what I can I suppose. Glad to see that all is well then?" Egon hazarded, glancing to Matthew who nodded.
"Just have to keep it in the cast for a few weeks…" He sighed, offering a light smile. Thankfully, their casualties had been very low during the skirmish, and the Station had very few of their own, so the military would not have to expend too much information to the families of those involved.
Soon, after briefly going over the reports and scans of Ulnar from before and after the Ahr'Aht had arrived, the Hyperion received a hail from the Obsidian Flare. Valerian opened the commlink, raising a brow at Samateus, who stood with Xerxes and another, one they assumed to be Leon.
**Apologies for taking a bit to talk amongst ourselves, I'd like to come aboard, with Leon, to show you what our Alliance is willing to offer to assist the Dominion and its people.** Samateus purred lightly, her thought-speech tinged with her contentment. Valerian nodded, smiling widely as Leon then appeared to hug Samateus, the two enveloped in light for a moment before Xerxes simply shook his head, closing the commlink.
Light flared in the cargo bay where Izsha dwelt, the Zerg ambassador peering out at the two furred beings that suddenly teleported into her space. Samateus offered her a bow, to which she nodded acknowledgement before returning to rest, Leon uncurling from her as he looked around at the cargo bay.
He curiously nosed at some crates, smelling something strange in them, to which Samateus warned him away wordlessly. Leon met her gaze quizzically as Valerian, Matthew, Mira and Egon entered the Cargo bay, having taken a few moments before realising where they had gone and quickly made their way to their guests. Samateus trilled happily at Mira as she approached, very tip of her tongue appearing between her lips as Mira went to embrace her head.
"That blep of yours, never ceases to make me smile." Mira chuckled, Samateus holding her purr steady for a moment before she also chuckled.
"Well I have to be silly sometimes, otherwise I go way too serious and tick people off." Samateus smiled, raising her head again as the other three moved closer. Egon the most excited, seeing not one, but two completely new aliens he could study and learn about, pausing and just staring wide-eyed at Leon for a moment. Leon met his gaze, head tilting to one side as he tried to figure out what Egon could possibly be seeing in him, blushing and letting out a laugh.
"You don't have to worry, I haven't done a lot of -that- since my younger years." Leon explained, confusing the others. Egon saw more the overlaid images of several people from his past, with a much larger shadow looming up and over all those in the room. It appeared to retract and coalesce as he watched, once Leon had realised that Egon could see it.
"Vampirism is real, just varied in forms and application." Samateus explained simply, Valerian now at a loss.
"Is that some sort of curse from Amon then or?" Valerian asked, confused as he knew about vampirism, vampires and their lore from the archives recovered from the UED ships that had been in the sector nearly a half-dozen years prior.
"Yes and No. It does have connotation and connection to the Void, however it's also something that's been used by Ashtareen to help balance Light and Dark." Samateus explained, Leon grinning.
"For example, I was born human, died and was sired by a vampire that had been purely Void connected. After I took back what he had used to control me at first, what I suppose could be called my Essence, I found myself able to access my Illithichtiel heritage, albeit slowly. Took me a few decades before I was able to do what I can now. I am still a bit vulnerable to Sam's energy, as she's almost purely Luminous and an Avatar of Ashtareen, but sunlight and light-energy in general don't affect me." Leon explained, Egon thankful that they both could speak common English, as it could be transcribed by his tablet automatically so he would not have to manually enter in everything.
Valerian nodded, intrigued and concerned by the idea of having Vampires as an actual reality. Leon then wrapped himself in shadow, which melted away to reveal a bipedal version of the form they had beforehand seen, wearing loose fitting robes and bands of jewelry akin to how the Protoss Nerazim had been seen. He stood nearly as tall as a Protoss though, with the digitigrade legs and four-toed feet to match, a bit intimidating for the few humans there, even Izsha intrigued by the conversation ongoing and then shapeshifting exhibited by him.
"That is, far more believable than I expected. Thank you for the explanation." Valerian mused, scratching his chin lightly as he thought over possible applications of the Vampirism Leon sported. Leon shook his head with a frown at Valerian's thoughts.
"I cannot sire others, I made a promise a long time ago that I would never do so unless absolutely necessary. I do apologise." Leon flattened his ears back lightly, muzzle and nose wrinkling lightly in a snarl as the idea of his curse of sorts being used as a weapon by others had happened in his human lifetime, in a few different manners that ultimately had almost wiped out humanity where he had come from. Leon expressed this wordlessly, Egon shuddering at the brief glimpses of armies of vampires bearing down on the solitary Draconian and another, that looked like a human version of himself with blue-silver eyes.
"I see. Understandable, such shouldn't be used flippantly." Valerian nodded, intrigued by the brief memory flash. "You can do that too, like Xerxes?"
"Yes, though I don't like to, sometimes I have to dig a little bit which dredges up some pretty nasty stuff." Leon admitted, hinting that he was a great deal older than he appeared. "I will, however, offer instead my substantial knowledge of animal husbandry, cloning and hydroponics, and perhaps even some terraforming tech that will help your agricultural worlds." Egon's eyes lit up at this, barely holding his excitement. Valerian chuckled, nodding.
"More than acceptable, thank you for your generosity. Perhaps we could speak in private more, on Earth? I admittedly don't know much about our homeworld, I've lived in this sector all my life." Valerian fought to keep the blush from showing on his cheeks, oddly enamored by Leon. Samateus caught that and lightly nudged him, snorting once indignantly at him as he waved off her unspoken comment.
"Oh please, I highly doubt that." He chuckled, Samateus rolling her eyes notably.
"Right, because you're not fully aware of how -attractive- you are." She huffed, Leon stiffening, fur and feathers rising as he blushed himself.
"Oh, oh hell, sorry." Leon shook himself, the strange attraction Valerian felt suddenly dissipating. "Pheromones, totally forgot." He smiled sheepishly, lightly pushing a lock of hair behind his right ear, which revealed a scar from his hairline to his lower jaw. Valerian blushed furiously, Matthew and Mira snickering to keep from laughing outright at the implication of what Leon and Samateus had just suggested.
"It wont leave this room, promise." Samateus smiled, looking to Izsha, who had been watching for some time as they spoke verbally, who appeared to nod. Valerian cleared his throat, blush slowly disappearing as Leon then privately explained that he had been born with both-genders, part of his Illithichtiel heritage, and that his pheromones likely affected Valerian as he is otherwise not in a relationship.
Gentle apology aside, Leon materialized a data padd not unlike the one Egon could usually be seen entering information into, went through and made certain the information on it had downloaded correctly and fully, and presented it to Valerian to review. Valerian's brows shot up, the information on Compact Hydroponics setups for larger ships, agricultural terraforming and streamlined cloning processes for herd animals like Cattle or Boars the first files visible.
"That quickly? I… I have no words." Valerian looked between his two guests.
"Like the rest of the Surrithae alliance, we are very open about sharing information and technology for the benefit of all, without judgement." Leon purred lightly, mane fluffing around his face lightly. Egon gaped lightly, Leon raising a brow at him to which Samateus chuckled.
"The Protoss aren't as open or generous with their technology, preferring instead to guide or confirm already made observations by others." Samateus explained, Leon nodding and shrugged lightly.
"I suppose I will have to pester them a bit myself, Xenophobia is not something I'm comfortable with." Valerian and Egon both chuckled.
"Would love to be there to listen, when you do." Egon grinned, barely containing the excitement he felt from not only being with someone who knew far more regarding his profession, but with one who understood being human, if distantly. Leon nodded, rumbling a purr as he felt more comfortable around these Humans, who reminded him so much of himself and his home from his youth.
"I would appreciate it. Xerxes is very interesting, though his birth-race seem very… Apprehensive toward others." Leon acknowledged, glad that Egon shared a bit of psionic ability, to make it easier on him to explain all of the information he had available to help them.
"Can I ask a question?" Matthew piped up, having been on edge since the idea of Vampires had been brought up, reminded of the massive ship Leon had at his disposal.
"Of course." Leon smiled, tail flicking lightly.
"You said you were Human once, from Earth. What happened to make you leave? Are there any other Humans with you?" Matthew asked, formalities cast aside and simply shrugging when Valerian glared at him.
"Yes." Leon seemed to droop a little, Samateus gently nuzzling his shoulder supportively. "My Earth had other species living alongside Humanity that eventually had enough of the environmental damage caused to the planet, so they pushed us out. I went, mostly because I still had ties to the Humans that had remained after the last War there. As for remaining Humans, yes. A few, in stasis." Leon explained, barely hiding the sorrow he felt in his heart at remembering the home he had long since left behind. Matthew seemed satisfied with his answer, giving a brief nod for Leon's honesty, Mira nudging him lightly to which he appeared to wince slightly.
"Are they significantly different from us or?" Egon asked, also curious. Leon smiled, shaking his head.
"Mostly unchanged. Some have adapted to have slightly larger and pointed ears, almost like Elves, and have actually shrunk some comparatively. I think the tallest other than my sister is only about a metre and a half tall? I'll have to check." Leon grinned nervously, lightly scratching the back of his head. Valerian blinked, raising a brow.
"Sister? Is she like you?" Valerian asked, to which Leon stiffened and became unreadable for a moment, having mistakenly let that information slip. Samateus shook her head, gently pressing her crest against Leon's arm reassuringly.
"She is still Human, and mortal, though is still Illithichtiel." Samateus shared, to keep Leon from becoming upset, as they could see him almost withdraw, ears flattening as he turned away, toward her a bit and mantling his wings around himself almost protectively. "Unfortunately, and I hope that working with you, the Zerg and Protoss will help us remedy this, but she has a very invasive form of auto-immune disorder. We, the Ahr'Aht and even the Legacy world peoples have been, sadly, thus far unable to cure it."
"Understood. When you wish to bring it up I'd be honoured to look and see what I can figure out, if anything…" Egon stated, looking sadly to Leon, picking up on his sudden mood swing. Leon simply nodded, offering him a light smile.
"For now, however, I should go over this information and see what we can make use of immediately. Is there anything else that we wish to discuss at the moment?" Valerian broke the momentary awkward silence that lingered, Egon thinking deeply before he remembered something he meant to bring up earlier, yet had forgotten.
"When Ashtareen used her 'Call', so many were affected, even briefly, but most weren't. Is that from your distinction or?"
"Xerxes did most of the directing of her Rage, when I relinquished control to her." Samateus explained, taking in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. "I don't do it often, as it does negatively affect me for a while. I'm likely to be sore for weeks…" Samateus smiled lightly, Egon picking up on her exhaustion and soreness in her body ever-so-slightly, brows furrowing. "Don't worry too much about me, I've been around more than long enough to survive a few weeks of being sore. This was something needed for the sector and for us, so I have to say, more than worth it."