Sym-bionic Titan AU

Star-crossed

{Hello my dear fans and fellow fan-fic writers. I'm very sorry that I haven't been updating as often as I could have, but I'm afraid that due to the insanity of 2020 and the hot mess that my work schedule has become, has made finding time to think and write all the more elusive. I decided that I needed a new approach to my writing in order to get the creative juices flowing again and so, I'm going to try my luck at AU writing. Basically using the existing story plot, but altering a couple of things to make it interesting, without changing the overall story too much. I'm hoping it will at least help me to figure out how to write better scenes for my other more popular fics.}

Ch. 1 Escape to Sherman High

The rift gate opened and closed almost instantly as they made their escape. The sound of the alarms and the smell of smoke were still strong long after they took off. The galaxy they exit into was unfamiliar and quite remote from what their instruments could tell. The planet that they were rapidly approaching didn't seem to have any defenses in their atmosphere like back home. The single satellite they've passed didn't so much as tried to repel them in any way. It has made it all the easier to enter the atmosphere and land upon this world, however rough a landing that might have been. At the very least they were able to avoid hitting the city they've detected. It would have been difficult to convey a benevolent front after tearing down a building or two. The area around them was remote and deep within a forest of some kind, far from the artificial lights of the city.

They landed hard enough to more or less carve a trench into the ground before finally coming to a halt. It took a little time to recover from the jolting about, but once she had her wits about her again, she looked towards her sole companion. "Robot? Is it safe to go out?" The young Galalunian princess asked, which prompted the floating machine to leave the pod.

The strange device was nothing like she had ever seen back home. It consisted of a circular core with outward extensions that gave an almost clock-like appearance. Three of them were rectangular and occupied the 12, 5, 7 o'clock positions. Four slightly smaller, cylinder shape extensions took the 3, 9, with the final two seemingly splitting to avoid the 6 o'clock position. It was incased in what first looked like a glass sphere, only for the princess to realize it was more of a hard light construct.

"My name is Octus." The transparent mechanoid stated as it scanned the surrounding area and found it to be hospitable for his charge. "And, yes, the atmosphere is practically identical to our own planet." However once the green light had been given, the royal was climbing out and making her way towards the unknown woods. "Where are you going?"

"To find a way home." The royal declared as she continued what was surely an aimless trek through clearly unknown terrain.

"We cannot return." Octus stated as he dutifully followed her all the same. "The king has sent us here on a mission."

The cold factual statement only prompted the young royal to whirl on her protector. "What, to sit by and let our people, my father, fall at the feet of the Mutraddi?" Princess Ilana demanded of the machine.

"To hide you on this planet and keep you safe." Octus reminded the young monarch as it sprouted out limb-like extensions and took on a more bipedal form. "To secure the future of Galaluna." The new form was square in shape and stood taller than the girl, not so much as an intimidating way, but rather out of design for the size of the core. "This planet is called Earth. In case you were wondering." He added as an afterthought.

"How far is that from Galaluna?" Ilana inquired curiously. The rift gate was still fairly new technology and little was really known about its capabilities.

"The Rift Gate makes an exact calculation impossible to determine but…" The explanation trailed off as the pulsing light suddenly became bright and steady.

"Yes?" Ilana prompted after a moment of silence.

"Something is coming." The mechanical guardian stated as his scanners locked on to a fast approaching object heading right for them. An object that was strangely familiar but really shouldn't even be there. "We have to go. Now."

Yet before anything could be done, there was a mechanized sound of something flying through the air and landing right in front of them. It was large robotic figure, purple in color, designed in the form of a giant that towered over both of them. The head was nearly reminiscent of an English guard, the chest was broad and wide while it narrowed down at the hips. It was armed with rocket launchers at the legs and shoulders as well as thick armor. The princess recognized the design instantly.

"A Magnus?" All at once the sky erupted in a flurry of light, sound, and movement, Octus lunged at the princess and encased her within his remarkable hard-light body. "Wait!" Yet her plea was ignored and she was spirited away, zig-zagging through the trees, while shots rang out and missiles were fired. "What kind of robot are you?" She asked incredulously as she has never seen a mechanoid so adaptable.

However, instead of expecting an answer, her attention was drawn towards the Magnus. Whom was defending themselves against the attacking force. The soldiers were opening fire on the Magnus, only for their ammunitions to bounce right off. The Magnus charged forward at a tank just as it was about to take aim at them and stomped it with enough force to for its engine to blow. The Magnus then punched out towards a jeep carrying a heavy gun, neutralizing the threat before it could be used. A bazooka was fired and the missile hit its mark dead center, only for it to have absolutely no effect. The purple giant retaliated by bringing his fist down on the ground in order to force the soldiers to scatter, before swiping it hard to take out another tank taking aim.

Meanwhile some of the heavy artillery were targeting the speeding princess and her robot guardian. "Let me out of here!" Ilana demanded, having had enough of the chaos.

"But your safety will be compromised." Octus pointed out as he continued to dodge projectiles and speeding away.

"Now, Octus!" In an effort to make sure he'd obeyed, the princess activated her own armor, a feminine, golden, Egyptian style armor, and shot out a laser from the forehead. The laser found its mark on an attacking tank causing its front end to explode, but not enough to destroy the whole thing, allowing its operators to escape. She quickly zoomed in on the fleeing figures only to find out that they weren't the enemy she had expected. Instead of the bestial appearance of the enemy the figures were very much like her own physical form. "Their humanoid." Another explosion rand out, and another; the Magnus wasn't letting up its own attack on them.

With her newfound realization, the princess sped towards the Galalunian soldier. He had activated a broad sword and was about to come down on another tank. "Stop!" Ilana commanded as she rushed to put herself between the natives and the Magnus. The action nearly resulted in her taking the hit as the weapon was made to swerve to avoid her and strike the ground instead. "You have to stop!" She couldn't allow one of her father's men to do any harm to these people over a misunderstanding. "They're not Mutraddi! They're human-Aah!"

The princess suddenly found her armored wrist was captured so that she was forced into a spin before the same arm being held behind her back while her neck and chest was secured by the larger exo-skeleton's free arm. Then she was lifted into the air where she couldn't get any traction what-so-ever. The Magnus was holding her prisoner. "What are you doing?! Let me go!" Yet her demands went unheard as the Magnus unleashed a barrage of smoke grenades, creating a fog so thick it forced the attacking soldiers to slow their assault. With their assailant now blinded, the Magnus began to take off. It was at this time Octus came charging towards the two larger mechanoids and rammed the Magnus with as much force as he could manage. Not enough to cause the Magnus damage, but enough to force him to lose his balance and free the Cronus mech.

The action was quickly followed by an electrical blast to temporarily scramble the armor's sensors. "We need to leave. Now." This time, heeding the word of her guardian, Ilana took off into the thick woods with Octus. The Magnus recovered in time to see them escape, but instead of pursuing them, it turned its attention to the ship that had brought the two there in the first place. With a flying leap, the Magnus positioned itself right at the pods and stood armed and ready as the attacking force surrounded the area.

35mins Later

General Ulysses Steel. A proud all American soldier, who answered his nation's call at a young age and dedicated his life to serving his country. He took great pride in that fact and wasn't shy about showing it off through his medals, bars, and personal war museum. He fought in and survived three wars to get to where he was today and had seen many things that would break most other men. Yet nothing could have prepared him when his troops discovered something entering their air-space from beyond the dog-gone stars. Although the idea of aliens was something that popped up every now and then, Ulysses was never the type to read into such cockamamie hog-wash. However there was no denying that his platoon had encountered something at the crash site. Never the type to just oversee things from a distance, the general made the trek into the woods in an all-terrain jeep. Once on site, it only took a moment for Steel to survey the area and take note of how his troops have all their weapons trained on a spot just beyond his vision.

It wasn't long before a soldier came to greet him. "Status report, soldier." He commanded the soldier as he made his way towards what was clearly the edge of no-mans-land.

"Sir, we tracked the object to this location." The soldier reported as he dutifully followed the general at the respected distance. "Upon arriving we came under heavy fire. It was unlike anything we ever encounter before. They were like… giant metal men." It wasn't long before the soldier led his CO to the very fringe of the perimeter they've made. There in the center stood a huge purple humanoid robot standing guard over what could only be the spaceship they've tracked down. "One of them fled the scene. This one remain and won't let us anywhere near the object." The large purple being hasn't moved from its defensive stand over the alien pod when the general came into view. It didn't seem to acknowledge any of the soldiers at all as it stood guard. "All attempts at getting any closer were met with highly précised warning shots."

This didn't sit well with the general at all. He had a clearly defined hostile guarding whatever else was inside that thing and a potential scout roaming heaven only knew where. "Well, where's the other one now?"

"We've lost it, sir." The soldier reported.

The fact that this same metal man seemed to be eyeballing the general from a distance didn't sit well with the man in the least. "Bring out the big guns and-" Whatever the order would have been died with the sudden appearance of a very bright light. An unknown squad could be seen over the hill and quickly approaching the site. A highly advanced looking hovercraft flew just overhead and came to a stop right over the purple giant, shining a light over it and the ship.

"What do you think you're doing, General?" A familiar raspy voice questioned him from behind and without needing to turn around, the old soldier knew who it was.

"Solomon." He all but spat out the man's name as he wagered a glance toward the figure. The man stood tall and thin in a long black cloak, a fedora, and red goggles. His pale white hair framed his long thin face as he stared on emotionless. "First confirmed extra-terrestrial contact, and your late."

"Hardly." The white-haired man stated before turning his attention to the robot ahead of them. "Magnus, stand down!" Almost immediately at the command, the huge mechnoid's weapon retracted and was tucked away, while the alien robot itself stood at attention and waiting for its next order.

Within seconds the night was alive once again with movement as the new agents spread out all over the area without hesitation. Squads of people uniformly dressed in red jumpsuits and identical helmets swarmed the crater like ants. Groups were instantly formed taking readings, pictures, samples, anything and everything that could have been remotely effected by being in close contact with the unknown vessel was bagged and tagged.

However, it was the instant obedience of the robot that startled the General into realization. "That thing's… one of yours?!" Instead of answering the obvious, Solomon merely made his way towards the giant metal man and the pod it guarded while his agents went about taking soil samples from around the ship. Which, in turn, prompted the teed off general to growl after him. "That windup toy attacked my soldiers!"

"Not true." Came a sudden distorted voice from the mechanical being, again taking the General by surprise. "They shot first."

"Typical." The mysterious head of G3 stated instantly, not at all surprised by the claim, as he placed a hand on the surface of the craft. "Pull your men back, General." At the command, the agents began to scatter and the hovercraft began to lower down for pick up. With help from the Magnus, the UFO was secured and prepped for transport within seconds.

"Galactic Guardian Group." Gen. Steel growled under his breath as his operation was swiftly and efficiently taken over. "You guys are a joke!" Again the barb was ignored as the alien ship was soon lifted by the hovercraft and Solomon made a very impressive leap onto the suspended ship. The Magnus activated its thrusters and was soon hovering right next to them both as they ascended into the night air. "The other one's still out there, you know?" The old soldier stated as he glared at the two, burning the image to memory.

"That's no longer your concern." The G3 leader stated as he, his men, and the Magnus soon disappear into the bowels of the hovercraft and into the night without a trace.

Cave

Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the forest, hidden in a fairly large cave, the two outer worldly beings huddle together as a flying machines past overhead with a search light shining brightly down. No doubt still searching for them. Octus had managed to detect this hiding spot in time to avoid being spotted by the new aircrafts and had been scanning for any sort of frequency that would need scrambling to avoid detection. That had been far too close. For a solid 7.89 seconds, the princess had been captured and was about to be abducted by what could essentially be a Magnus armor pilot. The fact that they didn't identify themselves in any way, nor even shown the proper protocol and etiquette expected of the royal guard could only conclude that either the armor was stolen, or they were rogue. This did not bold well for the mission.

"You cannot put yourself in danger like that again." Octus stated, not so much as scolding manner, but rather more as objective fact.

"That Magnus was attacking them!" Ilana argued stubbornly while keeping her voice low just in case there were troops nearby. "They wouldn't have retaliated if-"

"Princess." The advanced robot actually interrupted his charge, startling her into silence. She was unused to being interjected midsentence, and was even more surprised that the robot would even do so. "We must keep you safe." The straight to the point declaration left no room for arguments as the large mechanoid went over its mission objective. "If Galaluna has fallen, then the people will need you if they are to reclaim their world." The statement, the idea that her home could have fallen to the enemy, quickly had her sobering up. "Perhaps our time would be better spent if we concentrated on the purpose of our mission, assimilating with the Earthlings." With that the mechanoid began to study their current location. The cave they were in seemed large enough to establish a base of operation, however there was the issue of basic necessities for his charge. Once the coast was clear he'll need to scout out for a source of water, food, and figure out a functioning plumbing system at the very least.

While Octus began devising a workable layout of the space, Ilana neared the mouth of the cave and looked down towards the brightly lit city. As much as she wanted to argue the point of going home, she couldn't deny that, now that they had been discovered, hiding would be the better option. "So, this is to be our new home." These humanoids, although seemingly easy to startle, didn't appear to be all that different from her own people back home. It was then that an idea struck her. "If we are going to blend in with these Earthings, we'll need to know more about them."

Seeing the logic in her words, the mech turned to her. "Agreed." As a matter of fact, if his initial scans were accurate, the Earthlings had a facility that provided most of what they needed, if limited in usage. It ought to surfeit as a temporary solution until they could obtain a more superior means of resources. "People your age attend high schools. I have obtained visuals."

"Tonight on an all new episode of High School Heights." An announcer stated as the image of two teens were seen kissing in a hallway; while the girl was subtlety checking out another young man nearby. "Todd's got the hots for Janet, but she's already scoping Joey." The image changes to another couple making out in a classroom. "While Andy has a secret only one girl knows."

"I don't know how to read." The boy confessed with a sob, before disregarding the statement and resumes kissing the girl. The images went on to show another couple kissing before it escalated to where the girl randomly slapping the boy in the face.

"That's coming up tonight on the WC." Crying boy seemingly forgives the physical assault and kisses the girl again.

Ilana looked on in fascination. These Earthlings really did physically resembled her people. Other than their curious style of dress, they were virtually the same. Also, with a school being involved, it'll be the ideal way of gaining knowledge without needed to break any local laws. They'll be able to blend in with no trouble and hide in plain sight!

"What a perfect hiding place."

G3 HQ: Mother Bird

Somewhere in an undisclosed location, far from any and all prying eyes and ears, and well beyond the reach of any potential enemy, was the secret headquarters of the Galactic Guardian Group. Deep within its confines the G3 Science Division was hard at work collecting data on their outer-worldly find. The alien ship was beautifully designed, as aerodynamic as a spear, meant to easily shoot through resistance from the atmosphere. The metal was of a completely unknown element the likes of which just didn't exist on Earth. The size and narrow structure was too compact to hold very many bodies, and the fact that it still appeared rather pristine considering its rough landing spoke volumes of the strength of the hull. Whatever fuel it ran on proved to be equally elusive, as its chemical compound has yet to be determined. All of this and more was reported to Solomon almost as fast as it was discovered.

As Solomon stood observing the on-goings from his position in the observation room, only one thought was at the forefront of his mine. It happened. It has finally happened. Years of training, preparation, technological development, and constant monitoring of the outer atmosphere had lead up to this moment. Contact with extra-terrestrials. Or it would have if the military hadn't interfered. Granted there was just as likely a chance that a missile could have been launched from overseas that thankfully hadn't gone off, but the fact that the size, shape, and electronic signatures didn't match anything known to mankind should have been their first clue. If G3 hadn't been flying over the Atlantic at the time of its discovery, they would have gotten to the crash site sooner. It was one of the very reasons the Magnus had gone ahead to secure the area and make first contact.

Speaking of which, he was about due for a debrief. Best to handle that personally and make sure the agent hadn't contracted anything otherworldly from this apparently violent encounter. As Solomon made his way through the vast headquarters of his organization, he studied the video captured by the armor's optical systems that had been downloaded to his private tablet. The military certainly made a mess of the encounter with their shoot first ask questions later mentality. One would think that they were better trained for restraint and self control. At least the strength and integrity of the armor proved to be superior as it took all the punishment Steel's forces had to offer and dished it back just as equally if not more efficiently. Although, upon closer inspection of the video footage, it would seem that the altercation may have triggered more than his mettle… Yet the fact that he wasn't so effect as to strike the solders directly proved that his self discipline and control of the mecha armor had been honed to perfection.

The armored suite, the Magnus, was the most advanced piece of technology they had in their arsenal. It was smaller, quieter and far more mobile than any stealth plane and was armed to the teeth with a near limitless, self-replicating arsenal. It was also outfitted with the most advanced systematic computer system ever made, designed to thoroughly analyze potential hostile tech. It was the ideal response to any interstellar threat. A truly one of a kind marvel, of which the schematics were known only by it's creator. Who, sadly, had passed on, as their official records read. Unfortunately, the level of science needed to reproduce it has, so far, eluded them. Fortunately though, they had found a compatible pilot.

Said pilot was currently in temporary quarantine after coming out of decontamination. With this being their first ever encounter with actual aliens, it was best to play it safe, armor or no armor. Solomon found him within a see-through container of their quarantine sector. His dark hair was still somewhat damped from the sanitizing wash and he dressed in a white formfitting body suite meant to keep the cold at bay. His muscles bulged and contracted from the exercises routine he had utilized to pass the time. Like all agents of G3, this one stuck to a strict regiment that conditioned his body into a lean, mean, fully pristine machine. Unlike the other agents, his body took to the intense training like a fish to water. So much so that he quickly became a prodigy among the other agents and, to an extent, a living embodiment of what their organization stood for. A Guardian of Humanity. A mantle he earned and took to heart.

Upon seeing his superior, the agent dropped his routine and stood at attention, eyes straight ahead and focused on a spot that weren't his superior's eyes. "Report."

"Sir, upon arriving at the crash site, I've caught sight of two unknowns near the UFO." The agent stated upon command. "At first I took them for civilians, until my scanners detected a foreign energy signature from them. I immediately landed and managed to make out one of them in the dark. It was glowing with a soft-light, almost like from a very weak bulb or portable reading light. I could just barely make out what it looked like some form of skeleton structure." The agent paused to recall exactly what he saw. "It seemed unnatural, almost mechanical, unlike anything I've ever seen before." Truth be told he probably should have flashed his light once he found them, but he didn't want to run the risk of them fleeing or becoming hostile. "I didn't exactly had the time to properly secure them before we were… interrupted. It was all I could do to keep the military from outright slaughtering them."

Yes, the military tended to move fairly quickly when motivated. To bad that their unauthorized involvement have just as easily triggered a major galactic incident if the aliens had turned out friendly. "Did you see any form of weapons or technology they may have used to fight back?" Knowing just what was being used may determine intent depending on the answer.

"Not right away, but shortly after the fighting started I did notice a bright flash that didn't come from a missile exploding." The strange thing about it was that it had been eerily familiar. "The next thing I knew another battle suit had joined the fight."

"Another battle suite?" Solomon emphasized in query. There was only one 'battle suite' G3 was unanimously aware of. "Like the Magnus?"

"So it would seem, sir." The agent responded dutifully. "Unless they were really sentient machines using some form of cloak."

The information they've procured from the military reports mentioned something about 'giant metal men'. At first he had believed it was the Magnus armor but now… "But there were, at least, two of them." Information was the key now. Always confirm. Never assume. "And no more came out of the ship?"

"None that I could detect, sir."

If there was one thing all G3 agents were trained on, it was observation. Every single little detail can make all the difference in any report or response. This agent, being one of his best of his best was no different in that regard. If he said he only saw two unknowns, then there were only two to be concerned with. At least for now... Still, with this being their first contact, they needed more details.

"In your written report, you mentioned that one of them had engaged you."

"Yes sir." The agent stated instantly. "They were much smaller than the Magnus armor. Golden in color." If he recalled correctly, standing at full height, they barely came up about waist high on the Magnus armor. "With an oddly familiar design similar to Egyptian." So small that he had easily picked them up as if they were no more than a child. "I almost had it in custody when I was hit from behind."

Solomon brought a hand to his chin in thought. An alien armor design reminiscing of Earth's Egyptian culture… Throughout the years there have been countless theories and speculations about how the perfectly symmetrical pyramids were built, other than by human means. Extraterrestrial means tended to be the most popular, even now. Possible connection? Or mere coincidence? It might be worth investigating if only to see if there had been previous encounters in ancient times. Their R&D team could look into any possible connections there, or, at the very least, determine if one may have been inspired by the other.

"Would you recognize the design if you saw it again?" It might help to determine what era the design of the armor looked like.

"Yes sir."

"Could you describe the armor in enough detail for a sketch?" If a three dimensional holographic model could be formed, it would give them a better idea of what they were looking for.

"Yes sir."

"What about the other one?"

"That one was the one that caught me off guard." The agent admitted as he thought back to what he had been able to see amongst all the chaos. "But I noticed that it was see through." That had been his only clue to confirm that it had been the same creature he saw the first time and not a completely different. "I recognize the skeletal structure from before, but I doubt I could describe it properly." All he could truly make out was a very large mechanical eye before it fled with its companion into the woods. "There was just too much going on at once."

A see-through body, but with an abnormal skeletal structure. See-through meaning possible camouflage. A cloaking system would make sense and would explain how they were never able to find any traces of them as of yet. A vague skeletal description, yet possessing enough mass to physically effect the Magnus Armor. A possible misdirection technique. The fact that they were able to disrupt his equipment just enough to get away indicated counter tech. Close proximity only from the sound of it, since nothing else was effected. At least nothing that the military admitted to in the official report.

"We'll have to keep a steady vigilance." Who and whatever these extra-terrestrials were, they are going to find out. They will find them and, if necessary, put a stop to them. "You performed well, agent." Solomon allowed a rare smile to form on his face as he studied the agent before him. Despite his age he was proving to be a true assent to the mission. Still there was always room for improvement. "Although in the future I would prefer if you follow proper protocol. You weren't supposed to be seen by the military."

"Yes sir." The agent acknowledge dutifully without protest. He had failed in that aspect and he won't deny it or excuse it. "Sorry sir. I just didn't want us to lose this chance."

"What's done is done. And at the very least we've gotten their ship and hopefully most of their technology." Their Science division was already hard at work analyzing it and he'll be receiving the full report within a matter of hours. "Without it they won't be going anywhere, and with it we just may be able to find out what they are doing on Earth and eventually track them down." For now they'll have to monitor any and all forms of media for clues as to their whereabouts. They'll be running scared after that fiasco of an encounter with the military and will most likely lay low. With this in mind, Solomon turned his back to the agent and began to take his leave. "Rest now, son. Until you're needed again."

"Yes sir." With that, the agent obediently made his way to the bed, laid down under the covers, and promptly fell asleep.

Galaluna: Royal Palace

Meanwhile, in a galaxy far, far away from the Milky Way, a more sinister interaction was taking place. The once pristine architecture now laid in ruins, the once peaceful roads were not treacherous to navigate, and everywhere the sounds of screams and battle could be heard. With the once peaceful palace, a man was being hung by the wrists. The king on this once prosperous planet. His once regal clothes now torn and tattered, hanging off his heavily muscled frame. The only thing intact was his golden medallion. The thick shackles took up, not just his wrists, but nearly half his thick forearms, thus assuring that he had no way of slipping out of them anytime soon.

Before him, his large, hideous captors screeched and roared in victory. "Mutraddi scum." The captured monarch spat with distain. These beings, with their crooked jagged teeth, rough shell like skin, and unwashed appearance were hardly more than slobbering animals and yet they somehow managed to blindside him and his kingdom with this invasion. "You'll pay for this, I swear it."

"I doubt that very much, your Majesty." A deep voice spoke out and the figure of a tall, bearded man, cloaked in a long cape came out of the shadows and into the light.

His recognized that voice. He recognized the man. "Madula?!"

"Surprised?" The man stood wearing thigh high boots with spurs at the ankles. A light brown uniform with yellow highlights. The cloak was lined with what looked like fur at the neck and opened wide all but framing his head. The tall helmet he wore, while still resembling that of the Galalunian military, sported a strange eye-shape pendant the likes of which the king never saw before. "Bet you never thought you'd see me again. Hmm?"

This was impossible. "You… You're behind this attack?" The disbelief and disappointment rang clear as day.

"Of course." The living ghost stated as he walked right up to one of the Mutraddi soldier. Angling his head in indication as it simply stood and drooled all over the floor without another thought. "You didn't really think these mindless beasts have the skills to overthrow this planet?"

This couldn't be right. "But you… You died." How well he remembered that faithful day. "I was there." The running. The shouting. The explosion. "I saw it happen." His old friend's body laying unresponsively when the smoke cleared.

"Well, not quite dead." The man admitted as he approached the king. "Let's just say that after you left me behind-"

"Left you? I-"

"Left. Me. Behind." The man emphasized cool yet harshly while cutting the royal off. His tone making it clear that he will not be questioned in this matter. "I was forced to find a way to reason with the beasts of Mutrad. To stay alive amongst them."

No. This wasn't right. "You died." The king knew Madula for years. Since they were boys. "A Mutraddi blast killed you." He saw it all with his own eyes. There was no way anyone could have survived such an explosion. "We barely escaped." It was because of Madula he had made it out at all. "You can't be Madula." The man had died a hero, defending his king.

"I assure you. I am." Came the calm, yet somewhat emotionless reply.

"The real Madula would never turn traitor to his own kind!" The king declared, refusing to believe that this man was whom he claimed to be.

"Amusing how things change like that." Madula, or whoever this was calling himself that, stated. "Once I was your general, now I command the whole of the Mutraddi."

"You're delusional." The royal declared as he glared at his captor.

At this, the formal general really did express his amusement with a smile. "Maybe. But I rule Galaluna now." With that declaration, he reached over and ripped the gold medallion and chain around the king's neck off and studied the symbols engraved on it. "Heart. Body. And mind. Unite as one." The royal family creed represented in a coat of arms a heart, a figure of a body, and the silhouette of a side profile. "How pathetic." With an about face, he began his interrogation. "Tell me. Where's your daughter?"

As to be expected, the king refused to answer. "I don't know."

"Oh come now. You can't expect me to believe that." Madula, again, about faced towards his prisoner. As admiral it was for a father to protect his child, it really was so annoyingly predicable. "After all, I can't have heirs to the thrown lurking about, inciting revolt, and what have you." Suddenly the pendant on his helmet activated and began to glow, drawing the king's eyes to it. "Tell me." With that command a bright beam of light shot out of the pendent and hit the royal full in the face.

Rapid Flashbacks

Before the king realized what was happening, he felt his very mind being invaded by the unknown force. As if millions upon millions of claws were tearing into his brain, picking it apart to get at the center. Memories of the invasion resurfaced in rapid flashes without his consent. The explosion in the hall as a result of the first wave of attacks.

Him trying to comfort his darling daughter after ordering her to abandon both him and the planet. "No father. I won't go."

The look on her face as the entrance to the escape ship closed and sealed, reflecting his own distraught image as he was physically separated from his only child.

The ship launching smoothly upward and out of the palace as his own hands quickly typed in the coordinates for the machine that will send his little girl far away from the conflict. The deep relief of seeing it work as the energy shot out, over took and passed the ship, before hitting the correct distance to tear open a hole in space for it to fly through without interference. And then close and fade from sight without a trace.

Just as suddenly as it began, it all stopped. And to his absolute horror, the king knew that everything he had been forced to recount had been seen. "So, you've finally perfected the Rift Gate technology." Madula stated as the king lowered his head in resignation of the fact, that the enemy now knew of his court's carefully guarded secret.

With this knowledge in his possession, Madula left his prisoner and made his way through the palace and towards the control room. This technology had been in development for well over a decade, even before that faithful mission that had resulted in his abandonment on Mutrad. An idea brought up by the most brilliant of minds as a way to further interstellar exploration and diplomacy. Such limited, short-sighted naivety is what lured them into the false sense of security that resulted in such an easy invasion. Now... Now it will serve him in finding the last heir to the thrown of Galaluna and insure his dominion of the planet.

Recalling the numbers he'd seen, Madula took to the controls, activated the machine, and began to plot a course. Knowing that he devise will work, the formal general activated the pendant. "My pet. I call on you." His thoughts carried over the flashing energy, reaching out to the mind of another, more rudimentary conscious. He will send out one of his most powerful creatures. The fire creature that had all but single handedly laid waste to the capital city. "Seek and destroy our enemy." The beast not only received the telephatic command of its master, but images of its intended target. "Awake and fulfill our destiny."

The living fire obeyed its master's call and shot up from the city and through the sky. It followed the energy of the Rift Gate portal, circling it once out of curiosity before plunging into the center of the portal itself without hesitation. As soon as its distorted body had passed through, the brilliant door of light faded out of sight. Leaving no trace was what had just transpired. Now, he would wait, and trust that his beast will carry out its orders without fail.