Author's Note ~
Did you guys see the new one-shot book that we published? We decided to make a new one and re-edit, change a couple of chapters, and add one. So, if you guys want to enjoy that and maybe send in some requests, feel free to!
Side Notes ~
Two chapters? Yes. A one-shot book? Totally. Trollhunter Mania? Oh, yes! Crazy!
Collison Course
The perspective had been placed on Akridion-5, everything seeming normal and calm compared to what the home planet had been going through. Hovering advanced vehicles ran through the streets of Arkiridon-5, an automated voice speaking to the civilized area.
"Quadrant Two, initializing transport in ten sectons." Down, further through the busy streets, people walk with a calm demeanor compared to a rushing Aja, back in her normal form as she panted, seeming worried.
Everyone looked at the screen in confusion, questioning what she had been doing on her home planet which currently was in a bad state. Steve glanced at her, wondering if he had missed something so important that risked her safety once more, but when he looked at her, she wasn't really worried, only reflecting it seemed.
"Aja, I do not remember this, what are or were you doing?" Krel asked as Aja faced him.
"Don't worry little brother, it is just a nightmare. I remember this well."
The crowd leaned in, listening closely for answers, which Aja didn't mind, she really couldn't when everyone was seeing everything about her to begin with.
"What is it with all of you having dreams like this and scaring us? Even confusing us?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jim mumbled.
She froze when she stood near a tall cylinder-like building, a loud thump echoing behind her and causing her to face whatever landed, her face never faltering the panicked look. Aja gasped as General Morando's face appeared between the cracks of the ship.
Quickly, Aja pulled out her serator, the smoke pouring as the ship's door opened while she backed away. She whimpered and donned her blade as Morando stepped closer to her, seeming much more significant than he had been compared to her.
He pointed his finger outward as she began to run, "fire."
"Mama! Papa!" Aja yelled, seeing her parents hugging one another, never moving, but alive as they stared down a vast shadow. Aja looked back, a massive ship being the source of the shadow.
A vast red light lit up behind her parents she froze, screaming in a panic as it fired, a red cloud crashing over her like a tidal wave.
"No, no, no!" She cried, shielding her face before it went dark. She held the same posture as the smoke cleared, panting heavily as Luug barked. Her eyes darted through the room, looking back at her pet who cocked his head to the side, smiling.
She lowered her arms, still under the covers of her bed as the room was quiet and still. That was until Luug jumped on her chest, licking her face as she groaned, trying to escape the drool.
The crowd relaxed as they glanced at the screen. After hearing her say it was nothing but a simple nightmare, they understood, yet, it still sent a slight panic through them. The class had learned with Jim, that relaxing was never a good idea because they knew they'd have to worry later.
"Luug, stop." She gently pushed him off as he continued to stomp on her, the pet playfully rolling on his back as she giggled, beginning to rub and tickle his stomach. She pulled him into a tight hug before realizing something.
Aja plucked her dog off the bed and was soon seen stepping through the entrance of a ship, holding her dog as if he were a baby. She stepped over to a couple of chairs, surrounded by the dark sky, speckled with stars.
"Unable to sleep again, my royal?" Mother asked as Aja stepped up to a strange floating symbol.
Aja sighed, "Another nightmare. I miss Mama and Papa. I wish I could have done something," she sniffled and sobbed, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Might I suggest an Earthling remedy for your nightmares?" Mother spoke before the room had been filled with specks of blue, sparkling around Aja as the soft tune of 'Claire de Lune' played. Aja sat in the chair as Luug whined, closing his eyes. "During my scan of this planet, I studied over 63 million horvaths of Earthling stories, culture, and music. Most don't make a flexel of sense except for the emotions. Those are true."
Aja let out a content sigh as her eyes closed, resting against the sleeping Luug as the chair lifted slightly from the floor, rocking in a calm motion as Aja got comfortable.
"Thank you. Good night, Mother."
"Goodnight, my Royal."
The screen grew black, right before it had lightened up with the soft sunrise, and birds chirping. It seems so calm and still in Arcadia, only a simple flag flapping in the wind until it suddenly switched directions.
On the ground, the abandoned lot, which had been filled with trash, began to rumble, a Seagull fleeing as a can tumble on the floor. A vast shadow stretched over the concrete as the sound of an engine whirried.
A transparent shape landed behind the broken billboard, whatever invisible source it was, had been rough for a seagull that shrieked as it collided with the ship, the massive object digitalizing.
The ship appeared, fully colored, showing its distinct shape. Inside, a still Skelteg had been presented on the table, an orange scanner beeping as it crossed over the insect.
"Awe, man! I forgot about these guys!"
"How on earth can you forget about them? They have been a problem since we started watching this!"
Omega spoke as a hologram image appeared, "Bioscan confirms the specimen is of Akiridion origin."
"Most likely stowed away in their ship's pulsar reactor," Alpha mentioned as he circled the room.
"They can't be far." Alpha smashed the Skelteg into the table, Omega turning to him with confusion. "What are you doing?" On the table, covered in the remains of the skelteg laid a half-eaten calculator.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm sorry. You can smush those tiny bugs and whatever they consume remains intact in their stomachs. I always think I prepared myself for new surprising shocks but this tops it."
"Kinda sucks because now those creepy dudes know exactly where to look."
Plucking it from the table, Alpha read the inscription on the back, turning to the side. "Computer set course from Arc-ah-dia Oaks Hig-heh." Alpha struggled as the computer pinpointed the location he wished for.
"Okay, that's just unfair! Every time I tell my phone to do something, it does something completely else or just doesn't understand!"
"Or cares."
"Excuse me?!"
Just as Aja swiped her weapon, the blue blade smacked against the stick of the broom as the robot mother chuckled in amusement. She blocked every blow that Aja tried to strike the robot, which annoyed Aja to say the slightest.
"A for effort."
"Could you at least let me get one hit?" Aja growled and twisted, delivering more blows. The mother laughed as she backed up, Krel busy with his tech in the back, listening to the damage they caused behind it.
"Varvatos would tell you that enemies will not always go easy, it is good that you could not land one hit."
"Thanks," Aja growled.
"Could you go a bit easier? The Mothership's sustained enough damage." Krel hissed as Mother replied with as much sass as she could muster.
"Tell me about it." Behind Krel, Aja grunted as she leaped over the robot mother, who wore a smile before it was knocked to the floor.
"Little brother, I got one in on the training blank." As Aja celebrated, the robot came to a stand, head facing in the wrong direction before it had redirected itself. With arms raised, the mother swung, whacking Aja with the broom.
Aja crossed through the room helplessly, taking out Krel, the two hitting the floor. "What are you doing?" Krel asked with a glare.
"I need to practice my combat training."
"Why?" Aja pushed herself to a stand, a steady glare on her face.
"Varvatos says Morando has hunters scouring the galaxy for us and I want to help protect Mama and Papa."
"Then why not train with the glorious Varvatos Vex?"
"He says," Aja lowered her weapon, intimating Varvatos. "Princesses are not warriors. But I disagree." She said before turning, ready to run off, only to be tripped by Luug.
"If you want to help, help me. We need to fix this daxial array. At the rate we're draining power, Papa and Mama's life cores won't last two parsons." Krel held out his hands for his sister to take, pulling her from the floor.
"Two parsons?"
"I've looked all over this dump heap, they don't have the advanced knowledge necessary to build one."
"But you do, little brother. What would you need to make an axial darray?" Aja asked, making Krel irritated about how she pronounced it.
"Daxial array, ugh. Mother, holoscreen." A said hologram appeared behind Krel, a massive engine component showing its complexity. "A standard issue daxial array is made up of three main components. A plutonium fuel cell, an osmic circuit, and a subspace manifold. It is part of the propulsion system."
While Eli was full of fascination, staring at the screen as if his eyes would explode from how wide he held them open, Steve stared at the device that had been the main focus of the siblings.
"You know, I don't know what I was expecting but it looks like that was not what I imagined."
"Propulsion," Aja repeated. "The humans must have propulsion system in their cars."
"Do we? How do you know that?"
"We just need a car," Krel chuckled as a hologram of a car appeared. "Easy."
"It will not be that easy, my royals. Humans require a license to drive. You will first need to go to driver's education."
Krel sighed, "Why does everything lead back to school?"
"They haven't been here for so long and they are already seeing the struggles we go through, trust me. That question is relatable."
Back on Akiridion, Morando stepped through the rows of bots, Loth speaking to him.
"Your Excellency, robotic blanks are designed to serve life beings, not harm them. Altering their fundamental program is proving difficult."
"Any more delays with the prototype and I will show you the true meaning of difficult."
Izita's voice echoed as an army of still blanks stood within the room, "Do you have the blank in sight?"
"Affirmative," Zadra whispered as she peaked around the corridor, watching the bot move through the room, inspecting everything. That was until the bot spotted her retreating form.
Aja and Krel stared at one another, curious about what she was doing. They were glad to see that she was okay, they were a little weary that she was a part of Morando's side due to the choice of survival but also saving the people.
"I am curious as to what she is doing," Krel stated, his sister nodding.
"Commander Zadra, I didn't realize you had clearance to access this sector." The blank said, reaching for Zadra who still listened to Izita's command.
"Quietly isolate the unit."
"How may I assist–" The bot started before it was ripped from the room and slammed against the wall, out of Morando's view. "I'm sorry, I didn't get that."
"Shh!" She hissed quietly. As she frantically tried to cover the robot's mouth, hoping to silence the constant question it asked her, Morando had heard, dropping Loth from his grip.
"I understand," Loth answered. Panicked, Zadra looked in the direction of the entrance, knowing that Morando had heard the bot, Izita unaware of the issue Zadra found herself in.
"Now, very carefully extract its memory bank." Zadra moved, ripping the head from the robot as sparks flew from its body.
"Didn't expect that.."
"That was not carefully extracting whatever you were after."
"What was that? What was that sound?" Izita asked as the bot's body bounced around frantically."
"Nothing," Zadra answered.
"Did you get the memory bank?"
"Affirmative," Zadra gasped as Morando made it toward the group of bots, watching as the headless one stumbled around, crashing into the others and knocking them to the floor.
"Your timeline has been accelerated." Morando said to Loth, "Deliver the Omen to me."
Zadra sighed as she clutched the head closer to her, letting her body lift in an elevator-like device. "Let's hope the intel was worth the risk."
"How may I assist you?" The robot asked before it powered down.
Back on Earth, Arcadia Oaks High appeared in view, the top of the building becoming noticeable as the clouds cleared, the same massive ship beforehand had been targeting the building.
As it cut closer to the ground, the visibility of the ship vanished, blending in as the hallways were empty, Coach Lawrence adjusted his hat and grabbed his supplies, the whistle he placed in his mouth thrilled.
"You know, with all the strange things that happen around Coach because of certain kids, you'd think one day he might just actually notice."
"No, he won't."
"I noticed the Eternal Night," Coach spoke out but Toby stared at him with a knowing look.
"Because everyone else noticed it!"
He stepped outside, a small group of kids waiting beside a Driver's Education car, including Krel and Aja. Coach blew his whistle, and the kids turned, each wearing a different expression.
"Good morning, welcome to driver's ed." Eli had been the most excited as they were seen in the canals, the car behind them as Coach spoke. "Your on-ramp to independence, the open road, and certain death. Unless you listen up."
"From the look of this human car, it has nothing remotely like a subspace manifold," Krel whispered.
"It's called driver education, just wait and be educated."
Beside them, Eli leaned slightly forward to look at the two. "Uh, do you guys drive on the right side of the road in Cantaloupia?"
"Right side?" Aja questioned.
"How can there be a wrong side?" Their answers caused Eli to pull off his glasses, staring at them unsure as Coach continued to speak. Beside them, Eli had replaced his normal glasses with his shades, serious.
The crowd was taken aback, staring at Eli with an eyebrow raised. "What on earth are you doing?"
"Getting serious, Drivers Ed, and keeping an eye on those two," Eli stated.
"You have problems."
"You can put your eye on us?" Krel asked suddenly.
"Secondly, your tires must be fully inflated. If your wagon's draggin', that is not…" Eli slid on his Creepslayerz helmet, mumbling.
"That's what I thought."
"Third step," Coach started as Krel took off toward the car, lifting the hood and inspecting it, only for Coach to slam it back down. "Don't touch, Tarron. This baby's brand-spanking-new and I don't wanna see a scratch on her." He smacked a pigeon that dared to land on the car. "The only piece of equipment you'll need to concern yourself with is the one that's gonna keep you alive."
"Poor pigeon."
"What does he mean, new? That thing looks like it has scratches already."
"Those are dimples!"
"No, they're not!"
Coach whipped out a stray seatbelt, "Seatbelt, who writes this stuff, anyway?" He said as above the group, the still transparent ship slowly passed over the canal. Inside, Omega was staring down at the four students.
"Even the most advanced Akiridion tech cannot hide their true nature." Two blue symbols lit upon Aja and Krel's back as Coach spoke, the crowd unaware they were being watched.
"Vehicular manslaughter doesn't look good on a report card." The coach spoke as Omega turned to face Alpha.
"Detected, two life cores." As the camera panned over the canals, cones were set up in a nice format as Coach spoke.
"Remember, no left turns. I'm trying to live long enough to make tenure."
"Can I point this out," Mary started. "You guys are in the canals, how awkward would that be when Jim and the others walked out with the Trolls?"
"I'd take advantage of it!" Eli yelled out excitedly.
"I think we prepared for this," Toby mentioned as he looked at Jim and Claire who nodded.
"Put me in, Coach!" Eli said excitedly, the keys in his grip, but in a flash, Aja had swiftly taken the keys.
"Not today, you're on the advanced track, Pepperjack."
"I get to Tokyo drift?" El asked, pretending to turn a steering wheel.
"No, no, no Tokyo drifting. You're parallel parking." Coach Lawrence pointed to another car, surrounded by cones.
The crowd blinked, "What is going on with Eli!?"
"Right, I am a little nervous."
"Jim, fire him from the Creepslayers, he is getting to be too bold!"
"I…I can't–" Jim started as Eli gasped.
"Aw, I thought this was gonna be the year of Eli." As Eli moved toward his car, everyone else piled into the car, all clicking their seatbelts as Aja started the car, the engine revving in its wake.
She moved the rearview mirror, her brother's slightly worried face in view as Coach sat beside her, talking.
"What's the first thing you do when you get behind the wheel? You pray. A car is a death trap!"
Up above, the mass shadow grew over the car, the ship still out of sight as Omega locked the target upon the two life cores that were within the car. "Target acquired."
"Activate the retrieval ray," Alpha spoke. His slender fingers tapped against the screen as an orange cone of light brushed on the concrete, cutting closer to the car.
"At least the trolls tried to do it without risk of being caught, now we all have to be involved because they don't care." Shannon mentioned.
"We knew that some would not react well," Blinky said. "However, you all are different."
"Now we run through our pre-ignition checklist," Coach started, reading off the clipboard. "Step one of twenty, check your rearview."
Behind them, the orange beam had covered the car, going unnoticed as Aja investigated the wrong rearview. "It itches a little, but it looks fine," Aja said.
"Uh…" Krel breathed out as his eyes stared at a floating can from the backseat.
"Oh, that's real funny, your rearview mirror, smarty pants." Coach hissed as Krel's attention was no longer on the lesson, but on the window behind him, gasping and getting a better sight at whatever was behind them.
Parts of the crowd laughed as the others watched Krel begin to notice their enemy's presence. It was amusing to hear the coach and Aja make comments despite a serious situation, which made it much harder to decide if it was worth laughing or not.
"Hey, at least we know they survive."
"What if they got held captive for a little bit."
"Dude, just admit I'm right."
"Seklos and Gaylen! This isn't part of the class." He looked between the cloud breakage, finding a glitching ship that had been the source of the beam. The whole car was now covered in the light as Krel faced Aja.
"Um, sister? I believe we have a problem."
"Hey, no back-seat driving," Coach yelled as cones lifted from the ground before others had repeatedly whacked the windshield, their car shaking and creaking as it struggled to stay on the ground.
"Little brother?"
"Exactly!"
"Wow, it's super windy today," Shannon stated, which had been unnoticed by Coach who stared down at the clipboard.
"AND NO ONE NOTICES?"
"See, Coach, you are blind to this crap!"
"This doesn't count."
"The car is shaking and doing everything it shouldn't and you are telling me you never reacted. Mr. "New-car-don't-scratch."
"We should go, right now," Aja commented. "Which one is the accelerator?"
"Hold your horses."
"Try the right pedal," Krel answered, appearing over the driver's side, which the coach was not happy about.
"What do you think you're–" Aja ignored Coach, stepping on the pedal and the car squealed against the hold right before it shot from the beam, freed. "You're not following proper procedures!"
Out, under the bridge, Eli was struggling to parallel park between the cones. "Come on, come on, Eli. Give it the ol' Pepperjack squeeze."
The others struggled, the car continuously being followed by the beam and being sucked into the hold as Aja fought against it.
"Increase the acceleration," Krel added.
"Absolutely not! Everyone out of the car."
"Excellent idea," Krel mentioned as Aja sped from the hold, Shannon screaming as Coach burst from the car.
"Teachers first," the tires screeched as the car jerked forward, Krel getting out from the backseat and yelling to the two.
"Step three, wait right there." The boy slammed the car door shut as Aja sped off, leaving both Shannon and Coach by themselves.
"Oh! Hey, that maneuver's not in the driver's handbook." Coach ran off, running toward the beam and losing all the cones and anything loose that was sucked up by the strange cone. "What the– that's above my pay grade."
The crowd watched with confusion, has the coach noticed the strange activity or why had he been reacting the way he was.
The beam drifted over Shannon, twirling her in the air and stealing her glasses. The ship was quick to drop her, giving chase to Aja and Krel and leaving Shannon to follow Coach who had run to the car Eli had been in.
Coach gripped the door handle as Eli hit the gas, making Coach lose his grip and fall. Moving quickly, Coach tried again, only for Eli to reverse. Growing angry as Coach couldn't catch the door handle, he watched Eli hit the gas and brake roughly, pointing his finger down toward the ground.
Everyone let out a loud laugh, Coach ducking his head as he growled while Eli blushed in embarrassment.
"Out of the vehicle, Pepperjack."
"Sorry, Coach, I'm just starting to get the hang of this." Shannon quickly rushed into the passenger side, panting as she was nervous. She slammed the door shut, clicking the lock as Coach gave her an angered look from the other side.
"Open the door."
"Nope."
"If you kids think you can outrun me, you've got another thing coming." he took off running where Aja and Krel were last seen, "I do Pilates."
Speaking of the Royal siblings, they sped through the canals, the ship's outline racing after them, the form of the ship filling in and becoming noticeable and cutting the distance between them.
"What is that ship?"
"Class A Dreadnought from Sector-7," Krel answered, sitting in the front seat and clicking on his seatbelt. "Most likely a bounty hunter ship."
"I don't know, maybe it's a friendly ship. Could it be Stuart?" Aja asked as the tires screeched, a burst of air forcefully shoving the vehicle to the side. "Okay, maybe not Stuart."
"Oh, now I see why you need driver's ed." The ship appeared in the mirror, and the group within the large aircraft continued to give chase, knocking the car onto the slanted concrete.
Aja was easily gaining control of the car, drifting off the side as Krel's face smushed into the window, the scene moving in slow motion as he screamed.
Coach stared at the screen, he should have figured out why they ran, but seeing all of it in a different view had made everything make much more sense.
"She isn't doing so bad, especially for never driving a vehicle like that before."
Back with Eli, he was still struggling to park the car in between the cones, Shannon growing in annoyance.
"I've got a good feeling about this one." Shannon gripped the seatbelt, her body violently jerking around as her cheeks puffed.
"I think I'm going to be sick."
"I'll show you something sick, time to Tokyo drift!" Eli slid the glasses back on his face with a grin while Shannon wore a scared expression.
"What?"
"WHAT!"
Krel and Aja continued to flee, circling the canals as the ship never seemed to give up.
"Uh, they're gaining on us," Krel mentioned, cradling the spot on his face. "We're never going to outrun that ship in this primitive vehicle."
"I'm open to ideas."
"Well, I do have an optimizer for the fuel capacitor, stop the car." Krel pulled out a strange device and Aja didn't hesitate, slamming on the brakes as the ship behind them flew forward.
Krel quickly moved out of the car and lifted the hood, sliding his strange device inside as Aja cried out from the car.
"Hurry up, they're coming back."
"Buckle up," Krel mentioned as he rushed into the car.
"Are you done?"
"One section," Krel said and turned on some fierce rock music, his face full of determination, beside him, Aja wore a worried look, staring at the ship. "Punch it!" Aja grinned and her foot slammed on the gas, the engine revving as it readied itself, shooting off and missing the strong beam from the ship.
Aja yelled in excitement as the ship behind them had grown smaller from the distance. Krel held onto the top of the ceiling, screaming out. "Yeah! Klebtastic!"
Above, the group had been watching the speeding car, Alpha staring down their target. "They're more resourceful than we anticipated." While Coach continued to run, the car flew through the canals, Aja and Krel laughing with joy.
"Now this is lively!" The coach stopped, staring at the car that was closing the distance between them. "Little brother, shield." Krel pulled out his serrator as Aja hit the brakes, pulling off the Toyko drift move as the shield lifted the car over Coach safely.
The car stuck the landing, a rim flying from the tire and smacking into Coach's face and throwing him into the ground, just as the ship came flying overhead. While Eli was still struggling, trying to motivate himself, Krel and Aja sped beside them in a flash.
The crowd blinked at the screen, some letting out a laugh at Coach Lawrence, who didn't seem pleased being laughed at.
"I got it this time," Eli hadn't noticed them race by, nor the ship while Shannon stared out the window in shock. The beam of light cut the distance once more, catching the car as Krel glanced at her.
"Still not enough." The car was pulled from the ground, sucking into the hold of the ship, Aja pulled out her weapon.
"I have an idea."
"Oh, great. Your serrator."
"Don't worry," Aja started, her foot kicking against the windshield and cracking it. "You've seen me train."
"I know, that's why I'm worried." The windshield broke free, sucking into the ship as Aja aimed her weapon.
"Though, I never trained for this," she mumbled before firing, the ship knocking off its balance and losing the beam. A shield wrapped around the front of the car as it nose-dived toward the concrete.
Krel screamed as the car landed on all four, the two watching the ship spin out and away from the kids.
"What did she do?" Alpha asked.
"Destroyed the stabilizer," Omega answered as the ship smacked against the bridge, a piece of concrete falling from the supports as the screen went black.
When the screen returned, Coach was panting heavily as he stopped running, Aja and Krel pulling up to the man as the engine sputtered. From what the car looked like before, it now sported a lower end as the tires were unaligned and the windshield was no more.
"What the?" Coach breathed out, wheezing.
"So, how did we do?" Krel asked, poking his head out from the window.
"What did you do to my car?" He ran to the car's side, "Where's Pepperjack?" Speaking of the smaller boy, the car's tires smoked against the ground as Eli shot off in the car, drifting in a smooth motion in reverse as Shannon screamed in terror.
The screen split in two, Eli looked concentrated as Shannon gripped the seatbelt, all while Coach was screaming as Eli's car came rushing toward them in reverse.
"I've never been kissed!" Shannon yelled as the car drifted into the spot, fitting perfectly in the cones, only causing one to wobble. Inside the car, Eli pulled his glasses off, in denial.
No one could speak as they stared at the screen in shock, listening to what Shannon confessed and that Eli managed to do all of that. The coach sighed, hating this day, once everything calmed down, he realized how much that day nearly killed him.
"What just happened?"
"Uh… I don't know, something chaotic, that's for sure."
"I did it? I did it! I did it! I Tokyo drifted! I Tokyo drifted!" Eli said, crossing his arms against his chest while beside him, Shannon hyperventilated. Outside, by the car, Coach panted, holding his knees as behind him, the orange car had dropped to the ground, a tire falling from the vehicle.
"What the…?" Coach let out an angry scream, the camera panning out as he dramatically let out a vicious scream, only to choke slightly from the throat-ripping scream.
Only to regain himself and scream again.
Back safely at home, Varvatos stared down the strange that hovered from the floor. Mother's scan wrapped around the foreign object as the three stared down the object.
"I have traced the metallic signature of the debris you recovered to the Tiberian Dreadnought."
"It can't be!"
"Oh, it can," Mother spoke as the same ship they had gone against came into a holographic view, then the three enemies that controlled the ship. "It would appear the lifeforms you encountered were the Zeron Brotherhood."
"Commander Vex looks afraid, which makes me afraid," Aja stated, which as she said, the larger alien did look perturbed by the sight.
"Varavtos is never afraid. But for them, he is tempted to make an exception. They are walking instruments of death. They elicit fear, dread, and the occasional incontinence."
"They sound like your kind of people," Krel mentioned as Varvatos continued.
"The Zerons are without honor, they have no respect for the rules of engagement."
"Or civilians. Countless graves have been filled by their campaigns of terror."
"Mother," Vex said, turning. "Show them the aftermath of the Commerce Guild bombing." The trio began to walk as a flash of light brought them back into the past, standing in a different world as the past Varvatos had been near the king, frozen as Mother explained the details.
"The Commerce Guild bombing on Satellite-9."
"That's you, and Papa," Krel said.
"The Zerons orchestrated the entire attack to apprehend one bounty," the area around them began to smoke, distant, disembody screams echoing toward the group. "They killed hundreds of life beings in the process."
As Varvatos spoke, his distant echoed voice cried out in despair, "No!"
"Varvatos's family was amongst them," he said as the view within the frozen Vex's hands were three life cores.
"Varvatos, um… we had no idea." Aja breathed out.
"I'm sure Papa brought them to justice."
"Varvatos Vex's family remains unavenged. Your parents would not authorize the Phalanx to pursue the Zerons across the galaxy. They thought it best to fortify the planetary defenses instead. We cannot wait for them to find you, we need to take the fight to them."
"That makes sense on why Varvatos always talks about gruesome deaths and honor."
The light flashed around them, bringing them back within their mothership as Krel placed his hand on the vast Alien's arm. "I'm sorry, Varvatos, about all of this, but at this point, we don't even know where the Zerons are."
Down by the stray ship's part, Luug had sniffed the object before he went alert, his mouth gripping the piece and running toward the closed door with a muffled bark. It became noticeable to Aja when Luug continued to sniff.
"Luug," she started. "Hey picked up their scent, he can take us. Let's go." They began to run to the door, only to be stopped by their protector.
"Hold, Varvatos will protect the throne, as that is his sworn duty, and he will see that justice is served for his family. Varvatos is in charge, and Varvatos is in no danger. You two, stay here."
Varvatos said as the door closed, leaving the two in the room. "Are we going after him?" Krel asked.
"Oh, most definitely."
Out in the dark alleyways of Arcadia, Luug led Varvatos through, sniffing frantically. "Good boy, Luug. Lead Varvatos to his quarry." Luug barked in response as they went out of view, Aja and Krel having been close behind, sneaking behind corners and following them from a safe distance.
Varvatos groaned, he knew the two had joined, he just never realized how they did it. The fact that they had been behind them the entire time irritated him and he never noticed.
Luug continued to sniff as Aja and Krel stayed in the bushes, watching them. Varvatos followed Luug between cars, stopping in an abandoned lot as a massive billboard would have covered most of the enemy ship parked behind it if it wasn't for the missing pieces.
Luug barked as they charged at the ship, only to be covered in lights that flickered on, causing Varvatos to don his blade, turning to face Alpha who leaned against one of the light poles.
"The indomitable Varvatos Vex. It will be an honor to slay you." Luug ducked under Vex's legs as the guard readied himself.
"The honor of the slaying will be Varvatos Vex's. Varvatos will see to it that you face a death without honor but with agony." Alpha pulled out his circular weapons, gold light streaking in the sky with every swipe he made.
"Like we gave your family?"
"Varvatos will wear your skins like a jacket, or at best, a clutch-sized purse!" He yelled before the two charged, their weapons clashing and creating a wave, pushing the cars that surrounded them, away.
Everyone watched with a disturbed look, blinking at the warrior with nervousness. "Remind me to never anger him."
Varavtos tried to deliver blows as Alpha expertly dodged each one, even trying to land a couple on the four-eyed alien. Three orbs of orange lit, ready to collide with Varvatos but the said guard had kicked Alpha out of distance as another attacked.
Vex chuckled as he was surrounded by enemies. "Glorious! Varvatos has missed such wonderful combat. Especially one fueled by righteous vengeance and fury!" The three bot brothers leaped as Varvatos raised his sword, blocking blows and shoving one from him.
Varvatos raised his shield as projectiles fired at him, however, he was not phased. "Glorious."
On the sidelines of the battle, Krel and Aja watched with glares. "Listen to me, sister. I have an idea. There may be a subspace manifold on their ship!"
"A what?" Aja asked, pulling him down.
"What we need!"
"What we need is to help Varvatos."
"But he's distracting them," Krel stated.
"And outnumbered three to one."
"You said you wanted some combat training. Now's your chance." Without another word, Krel stepped out, staying under cover as Aja whispered to him.
"No, Krel. Wait!" Knowing he wouldn't she sighed, "I said I wanted to train, not to die."
"Your argument is so backward,"
"What?"
As Varvatos continued to battle, using a car to get a higher shot, punching one from getting any closer, he straightened and commented. "Pity, Varvatos Vex was looking forward to a–"
His words were cut short as he was taken from the top of the car, and tossed to the ground but was quick to stand. He cackled as he ducked from the claws that were meant to strike him.
The moves he made were quick, rapidly throwing punches at every open spot of Beta before throwing the enemy to the ground and wrapping his large hand around his neck. However, Alpha flew toward the pair, wrapping around Varvatos and skillfully locking the alien's hand behind his back.
Unable to do anything, Varvatos was punched off, disappearing, only to reappear, crashing into the car with a laugh. Angered, Beta pulled his mask off, revealing a wrinkled face.
"Beg Varvatos for mercy so he can say nay." He raised his weapon, Luug appeared, latched on his arm. "Not now, Luug!" Inside the ship, Krel had snuck through, opening the door and glancing around.
"Okay, if I was a subspace manifold, where would I hide?" His eyes landed on a picture, laughing as it was a photo of him and his family, the parents' heads crossed out while the siblings had their heads circled. "Why is Aja's bounty higher than mine?"
"Why does it matter?" Aja asked, glancing at her brother.
"You mean to tell me that I'm worth less than you? That is not okay with me!"
Behind him, a loud yell was heard, Varvatos slamming into the window, his muffled voice being clear as day to the stowaway.
"Krel?" The said boy turned with a nervous laugh as Varvatos yelled at him, sliding out of view. "Krel, go back to the ship." When Varvatos landed, the three had surrounded him, Alpha's strange weapon raised as he closed the distance.
"Surrender, and we will give you a speedy death."
Vex pulled his weapon free, "Varvatos wishes for his death to be glorious and slow. Take your time." He raised his sword, letting Alpha strike against it, grunting as Varvatos' defenses began to struggle.
Thankfully, Aja had appeared, riding on her hoverboard with the shield high, knocking Alpha from his place. Everything moved in slow motion as Vex stared in shock.
"Aja?"
"Beta!" Omega cried. "The bounty!" In reply, Beta roared, only to have a forceful tug on his leg. He looked down, spotting Luug. He didn't hesitate to lean down and roar angrily at the pet.
However, Luug was unaffected, raising his leg and firing at the Hunter. Beta whimpered as he held the sore spot while Aja rode in. "Good boy, Luug!"
Her distraction was used as she was knocked from her board, landing on the wilting billboard, and moving back from Omega who had cornered her.
"Don't you know princesses aren't bred to be fighters?"
"They seem a lot stronger than you," Claire bit back, staring at the screen as Jim glanced at her. He recognized that look, the one where Claire found someone who annoyed her and that was a look he was glad he didn't receive.
"Much stronger," Aja commented with a grin.
"Not princess, Queen-in-waiting. And I'm a quick study." She bit, kicking her leg out and pushing the hunter back. Her combat seemed flawless as she continued to dodge and strike at Omega.
All the while, Krel was focused on finding the desired piece, lifting random things, and growing disappointed. "Kleb, it's never a simple in-and-out job." He looked toward Varvatos who was running, his head being slammed into the side of a car, but easily fighting back with just one hand.
"For Varvatos, death is beauty!" He yelled, throwing Alpha off. Up above, Aja continued her battle against Omega, her leg being gripped with his tail as she leaped into the air. She gasped before she was thrown to the side, slipping from the billboard but not giving up.
She landed on the ground and took off, which was noticed by Krel who grew angry, forgetting his mission and leaving the ship. She dove to the ground as Omega was ready to leap, only to be tackled by Krel.
Taking her chance, she moved to her guard, helping free him. "Varvatos did not need your help."
"Ah, yes you did."
"You're welcome, Commander." She sliced the cuff off his wrists as he came to a stand.
"Varvatos was setting them up for the most glorious of kills. Well, well. Still, thank you." As they readied themselves, Luug came in front and growled, they stood, staring down the weapons raised at them as Alpha spoke.
"Give our regards to your family, Commander. You will be joining them now." The three stared down the duo in front of them, all weapons raised before a horn blared, taking Alpha's attention as the tires screeched.
Krel rammed into the group, his sister and Commander looking shocked at the sight before he opened the door.
The crowd laughed and cheered, glad that the two were learning how to use the resources around them, especially to keep themselves from getting caught.
"Get in, get in, get in!" He yelled as they piled in, Varvatos climbing onto the truck as Krel sped off, making them a hard-to-reach target as they fled.
"Hurry!" Varvatos said. "They still have their ship. We cannot outrun them."
"About that," Krel laughed as the current ship was struggling to take off, shaking and crashing back to the surface. They tried once more before their ship was gone in an instant, shooting far into the sky and leaving a streak of yellow.
While taken aback by the ship rapidly shooting into the sky, everyone started to laugh as the siblings smiled, glad to see the enemies deserve what happened.
"Did you get the daxial array?" Aja asked.
"Uh, close. I may have taken their navigational subspace manifold." Krel stated as he lifted the strange object. While in space, above Earth, their ship had been spinning out of control. The passengers grunted as they were tossed around, holding onto what they could.
"What's going on?" Omega asked.
"Forget the bounty, we are going to kill them all. As many times as is necessary." The said picture of them, flying back and nearly taking Alpha out as the scene changed.
Instead of an empty orange tunnel, it now supported the face and skeleton of the King, building around the core and incomplete. Aja had her hand on the glass surface, her saddened reflection being shown as Varvatos appeared behind her.
"Your parents would be proud of your valiant efforts tonight." He placed his hands on her shoulder as she smiled.
Despite already hearing it, Aja smiled, knowing that was something she loved to hear. She wanted to make the proud, especially if she was herself and not someone she never was.
"And," she sighed. "Your family would be proud of yours."
From behind, Krel appeared, a large smile on his face. "And we now have a part of the daxial array."
"A glorious victory to be sure. And we valorously avoided incontinence."
"But the Zerons still have us marked for death," Krel reminded.
"Which is why we must begin at once," Aja added.
"Being what exactly? Varvatos questioned.
"My training, I have been using the blank units but I need the expertise of Commander Varvatos Vex." Varvatos hummed as she continued, "Back home, all I wanted was to leave the palace because I felt like I didn't belong, But tonight, fighting by your side, I finally realize why. I belong on the battlefield."
"Varvatos said princesses are not warriors. And then Varvatos fought by your side tonight. You may have been born a princess, but you have the core of a warrior. You do belong on the battlefield, Aja."
Everyone smiled at Aja as she finally got the recognition that she deserved. Steve turned to face her, smiling as she smiled back, knowing that she was happy with what she was able to do.
"For you, training isn't needed, you are already tough."
"Thank you, Steve." Aja blushed, not sure what feelings she was experiencing but didn't deny that she wasn't. She blinked at the boy when she realized she had been looking for too long and turned to face the screen, trying to hide the smile that struggled to stretch across her face.
Her satisfied grin was the last thing in sight.