Resonance of the Stars: Bleak Horizon

"for a Mortal your not too bad your self, but make no mistake, you and this planet will die by my hand. I own this planets death, not your goddess." He said then saw the blue flame arc from the scyth and form a dagger as the psychotic resonark pilot tried to plunge the dagger at him. He created a barrier of dark matter as a small sheild and once it came into range of Kiri'tas spang up spikes trying to impail him, all the while giving The Demon the time needed to recover from the blows and get out of the way of the flame dagger. "that flame may mean i cant hit you directly but I can still destroy you from a distance!" he began moving in odd patterns at full speed sending out dark matter blasts at him trying to use his speed to his advantage, since he knew he was not built for very many head on attacks, but rather to dodge, thus his sleek design.

Kyuba screamed in rage as his target slipped away yet again. The dark matter spikes slammed into the flame but failed to pierce. Blood spurted from Kyuba's mouth as he felt the force of the spikes slam into his ribs. He felt at least one break. "RAAAAAAAAAAAH IT IS TIME TO END THIS. YOU MAY BE FAST BUT NO ONE OUT RUNS DEATH. Kyuba let the flame dagger dissipate and drew his scythe. The scythe began to glow with a dark energy. "GOOD BYE ROOKIE! SAY HELLO TO OBLIVION FOR ME!" Swinging his scythe around he launched the energy straight at Nephilim. The energy passed through him leaving him unharmed and continued to travel a short distance before dissipating into nothing. The battlefield instantly fell silent. Behind Nephilim reality began to pulse and bulge outwards. a large black spike tore through the bulge and pierced Nephilim's shoulder. The dark energy of the spear seemed to meld with the armor creating a bond. Reality began to collapse as Nephilim was slowly dragged closer to the black hole. "Your speed cannot help you now...You cannot break free. Nothing can resist the pull of a black hole."

The demon couldn't dodge the blast sent forth towards him but it seemed to phase right through him. He thought it was a dud, but then reality started to warp and as he looked behind him he saw a black hole. He immediately put his full speed into trying to escape but not even his speed could handle the pull of gravity threatening to crush him. He fought and fought the pull, then the demon started to lose full control as The Angel pulled arkon from his knocked out state. With a cool head, he was able to think of more elaborate plans where The Demon could not, as it is fueled by rage. 

He quickly analyzed the situation. "from what it seems like, both Nephilum and that guy must be at their limits. This is a desprate move to win, not that he has much to lose. There has to be a way out of this." He thought, then it hit him. He created a whip of dark matter and latched it to Kiri'Tas and pulled tight, using the mech as an anchor. "You stop this black hole now, or we both die. Is this how the chosen one of Shiira is destined to go out? Thats all the death you could muster for your goddess before you kicked the can getting killed by your own attack and foolish pride? Live to kill another day, don't be foolish, Cause that whip isn't coming off, not in your state." he said, hoping that the guy at least held his own life as important.

"Lucas!" Michi tried the mental link, but somehow it wasn't getting through. Frantic she grabbed the grandfather by the collar of his rough burlap tunic. Her grip was weak, but the kindly old man let her keep it. "Where is the man I was with!?" she questioned desperately.  His weathered face turned grim. "Oh dear stars no, please no." she was on the verge of tears. What did I let happen?  

A wrinkled finger pointed to the darkened side of the room. His wife was doing her best to keep Lucas comfortable. She took a cool clothe to his forehead, wiping it gently. Michiko looked on in horror. The seizing individual was none other than Lucas. He was feebly reaching out and it looked as if it was taking all his strength to do so. 

Clawing at the side of the bed Michi tried to hoist herself up. Her legs were not yet under her power and she fell next to the old man. The poor fellow did his best to help her up, but he was too frail to be of much help. "Where's Naro?" He questioned his alarmed wife. "He was the one that carried them here." She shrugged with a worried look. "He went out to get supplies. Please Starling, don't do that if you just wait a few moments Naro can help you over."

Michiko held up her hand to silence the old woman. "Ma'am I'm a doctor and I'm telling you there is NO TIME." She cursed herself for wasting those precious few seconds to explain. Dragging herself across the floor was slow, but at least she was making progress.  The little girl was so small, but even so she seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation.  She too tried to help and although she was a little stronger than the old man her efforts were also in vain.
 
Those last few feet were like 1000 miles. Michiko's arms ached with fatigue and although she couldn't feel them now, her legs were full of tiny splinters. 
Finally reaching Lucas's bedside, she realized it was even worse than she thought. Without time to spare Michi ripped out the left wire that joined Aurora's opal to her neck and slid it into the back of Lucas's. 

The connection was horribly painful at first. She could feel herself seizing like Lucas but soon she felt nothing. Darkness flooded her vision as she came into a distorted sense of consciousness. "Lucas?" She called taking a few steps forward. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and then she saw him.  He looked frightened and half crazed. She looked closer and saw he had something on his shoulder. It was a vile creature, with snakes for heads and long tentacled arms that wrapped around him.

"Get that off!" She rushed forward ready to pull that putrid thing off of him. He heard Michiko's voice but unfortunately instead of seeing her running towards him, he gazed upon the source of the booming sound he'd heard ever since he'd arrived in the city. A huge cow faced beast with long spiraling horns, blood stained swords, and armor made from human flesh and bones. It was advancing quickly, and dream Michiko began to stir. She raised her head then let loose an unearthly shriek.  "KkkILL IT LUCAS!" The voice was Michiko's but something was almost indefinably off about it.

"I am light, I am life." The voice answered.  "You will choose now Lucas."

His head was swimming, clearly having trouble sifting all of the information he had been supplied with. He heard one voice....familiar, caring....shouting to him. He looked around the expanse, desperate.

"Who are you?! Where are you?!" He screamed as he felt the familiar voice vanish almost as quickly as it appeared in his mind. He shook his head rapidly, trying to clear the fog that had begun to engulf his mind. What had happened? Where did everything go wrong? He remembered the voice...fighting by it's side, helping it....And then he looked at the woman on his shoulder and images began to flood his brain. Fighting with her, fighting HER...A kiss? Was this the woman whose voice he'd heard?

He was immediately jarred from the thought as the banging grew in volume, until the monstrous entity towered before him. The woman at his side screamed, and he gritted his teeth as she did. He heard her...he trusted her....but something was making his skin crawl. Some deep, dark part of his mind was screaming.

"NO! THAT'S NOT HER!" It tried to scream, clinging to what little sanity and free will it still had. He tried to listen to it, he tried to hear his own thoughts, but they were being drowned out by the noise, and by that soothing, angelic voice....Again it told him to make a choice, but still he had no idea what the choice even was!

"Please...what am I doing?!" He begged aloud as he tried to slip into a defensive position, made nearly impossible by the illogical decision to cling tightly to the woman on his shoulder, thus throwing him off balance and leaving one arm useless.

"What choice am I making?!" He took a step back, away from the monster before him, eyes narrowing into tiny slits, a growl on the edge of his mouth. He was lost, dazed, disoriented. Like an animal thrown in a cage and left to rot. He was alone, no guidance to help him, nobody left to support him.

"WHY AM I HERE?!" He screamed as he fumbled around on his body, desperately trying to find something he could use. Whatever this thing was, it didn't look friendly, and he was utterly defenseless. The woman....she'd told him to kill it....And he would obey, but...something was wrong. He couldn't place it, but his throat was running dry, he was sweating endlessly. His stomach rose all the way into his throat, and then dropped yet again. He couldn't shake the horrible feeling that something was terribly, dangerously wrong.

And that one wrong move could spell the end of his life.

He stood at the edge of a decision, one that could launch him into the chasm of doom, or could send him back into the arms of his team. And he had no idea the choice was even there. His mind was so fogged he was beginning to forget why he was even fighting. But the voices told him he must. He trusted them. The woman told him to kill. He trusted her, even if for the life of him he couldn't remember her name. All he remembered now was the soothing, almost euphoric wonder that gentle voice brought him, and the tingling on his lips as he was barraged with images of the kiss. Time was running short, and he knew it. The beast continue to lumber towards him, and as it did, he crouched into a stance not unlike a warrior, or a feral beast, baring it's teeth. He wanted answers, he still screamed for them in his mind, and the ones he already asked echoed in the void around them. But he knew, he had to fight.

He had to kill.

Kyuba screamed with rage as he attempted to break free from the whip. "DIE DIE DIE DIE WHY WILL YOU NOT DIE? I WILL DESTROY YOU! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"  He began to feel himself being dragged downward as Nephilim got ever closer to doom. He heard the words uttered by Nephilim's pilot and he paused to think. He pondered the first question completely missing the rest. "Is this how the chosen one of Shiira is destined to go out?" He smiled, the answer was obvious. "FUCK YES!" Kyuba dived and slammed into Nephilim pushing him closer and closer to his doom. " THE GODDESS WILL BE PLEASED WITH THIS SACRIFICE. THE GLORY I WILL OBTAIN WILL BE INFINITE! PREPARE TO GROVEL AT THE FEET OF THE UNHOLY MOTHER AS SHE TORTURES YOUR SOUL IN WAYS THAT YOU CAN NOT POSSIBLY IMAGINE! I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME! FOR SHIIIIRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

He thought for sure this would work. If nothing else, this should have worked. This pilot was truely insane. He felt the full force of Kiri'tas slam into him as he was forced back towards that ominous black hole. Think. Think. What could he do. Well he could hope that the hole closes if the mech that originated it dies, but that wasn't a sure thing, especially with a pilot like this. Then it hit him but he had to move quick. He once again took control of kiri'tas' motion control system. The only way to stop the black hole was if it was shut off manually. Luckily unlike last time, Kiri'tas looked to be far too damaged to throw off his control again. Once in the system he learned how to use that specific attack from the last few motions sent through the machines memory, then he reversed the attack, stopping the black hole and sealing it up, the sudden loss of suction caused both resonarks to hit the ground hard. "There! Now if your all done with your fucking kamikaze attack, we can try to get you back to your team and hopefully get you and your mech patched up, as well as mine. If you wont comply then while I'm in your system I will just shut down your whole system, and this time, you wont be able to stop me in your condition. Make your choice now." he said with a finality he hated being forced to but both he and the other mech were getting dangerously close to being killed. His eyes began to bleed due to the strain on him. He hoped the guy listened. He wasn't sure if he could make good on his threat.

Kyuba screamed even more as he felt Nephilim take control. It felt like an alien presence in his own mind pressing against him reaching in and cutting off a part of himself all the while drilling deeper He desperately fought back but he lost ground quickly. The probe seemed to sever his mind from the Resonark's and he quickly came back to reality. Blinking he attempted to take in the situation when he noticed his black hole shut off. He gave a quick punch and he felt a familiar rage in the pit of his stomach. Then his thoughts were confirmed by the other pilot. "NO ONE....CONTROLS...MY....RESONARK BUT ME!" Kiri'Tas began to melt. It was if the resonark had turned into molten metal. As Kyuba landed the molten resonark began to pour into his back forming a tattoo, the brand of the reaper. Kyuba pulled his scythe from his back as he panted heavily. The battle had taken it's toll on him and he was bleeding profusely from several cuts each with an exact duplicate on Kiri'Tas. This was the penance for the ultimate form one he was all too glad to pay. Kyuba drew his Scythe and began to stumble towards Nephilim. He quickly picked up speed as his rage increased with each step. When he reached Nephilim he held the scythe in his teeth as he began to crawl his way up to the center of the resonark. 

Kyuba hung on with his knees as he repeatedly slammed his scythe into Nephilim. 'COME OUT AND PLAY PUPPET MAN! I'LL SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE A MARIONETTE OUT OF A LIVING BEING!" He managed to cut through and found himself face to face with Arkon. The sight of the mad priest was enough to tell Arkon one thing. Kyuba wasn't even conscious. His eyes were rolled into the back of his head. This did not make him any less deadly however.  "TIME TO DIE KID!" Just before the scythe hit home it stopped. Kyuba slumped forward as his body finally succumbed to the injuries.

Arkon watched as the resonark melted into the pilots back, and the pilot was wear what appeared to be some sort of ceremonial robes with a scythe. he was the very image of the grim reaper. No wonder this man had been able to coax the demon out so easily. He grabbed his scythe and even with all his injuries began to climb nephilum and began hacking at its core, where arkon watched as the man broke through just to pass out. "you definately are a deadly fighter. So deadly that if that had not worked I'd be worse off then you are now." arkon said as he unsummoned Nephilum and made sure to hold on to kyuba's knocked out form with his telekinesis.

Once Nephilum was safely in his back he grabbed Kyuba and threw him over his shoulder. Sure it was a bit rough, but he didn't have much strength left. He did how ever remove the scythe from his hands and telekinetically levitate it out of kyuba's reach. He didn't want to chance him waking up and trying to kill him again. In this form, Arkon wasn't sure who would win between them, as they would likely be as close a match here, as they were in their resonarks. He saw that only a hand full of his men were alive and their mechs were damaged as well. "You guys should either make efforts to set camp here, or take us back to your camp. Your leader seems to be in a pretty critical condition right now and if he isn't treated, he just might die, but either way we need to get out of the cross hairs of the enemy, unless you want us all to meet the same end as your enemies and fellow soldiers. Cause if back shows up, we are ALL dead."

Michiko stopped when she saw Lucas's stance change. He looked like he wanted to attack her, and not only that, the awful creature on his shoulder was screaming some kind of incoherent nonsense. She shook her head, confused. The haze almost took hold of her, but she quickly remembered why she was there.

 She took the time to take in her surroundings. "The star pantheon?" her eyes grew wide. She remembered that this was a dream, but this was Lucas's fever dream, why would he be in the pantheon? It was so detailed, just as the the texts described. Unless he was some kind of religious scholar, she doubted whether many people on Eden 13 worshiped the star gods.

Strange things were known to happen in the holy city. Until now Michiko had chalked them all up to scientific phenomenon.  Although after getting Aurora, her mind had grown a lot more open to the unexplained. 

The drug they'd been exposed to was potent, but why had it affected Lucas this way? She'd taken at most a few hours to regain consciousness again. Was he allergic?

Uncertain about Lucas behavior, Michi decided to play it safe. She wanted him rid of that abomination, but maybe talking to him would put him more at ease. "Lucas, it's me. What are you doing here? You have to come with me right away!" Soon after speaking it occurred to her that Lucas may not know who "me" is. The dust had thrown off her memory, so it only stood to reason that it had done the same and more to Lucas. "Do you remember me? I'm Michiko, I'm part of your crew and also your friend."

Again, the familiar voice murmured through the air, and as it did, he could feel his body begin to relax, betraying him almost. He didn't know where the voice came from, where it originated, but he could hear it in his mind, and it was more welcoming to him than any voice he'd heard thus far in this ridiculous trip. His mind ached, his chest tightened.

"STOP FIGHTING DAMNIT!" That tiny fragment of his brain tried to scream yet again as he bared his teeth at the monster before him. Rational thought was quickly evaporating, he was more and more becoming a beast than a man, more a puppet than a soldier. And yet this damn voice continued to throw him from the euphoria he was feeling. It made him worry, as his mind tried to clear and force itself to focus. It made him upset, as he was denied the relaxation and pleasure of simplicity and ignoring the outside world. His eyes grew mad with frenzy as the war within him raged harder and more viciously than ever before, the void itself almost seeming to fill with a fiery hot fog before his very eyes. He needed to find the voice. That was quickly becoming the foremost thought in his mind.

Find the voice. Find the girl. Make the burning stop, make the aches go away.

He almost cared nothing for the creature standing before him, if it stood aside and let him find the voice, he would let it live, but if it stood against him....He began to grind his teeth as the muscles working in his jaw began to tic and flex, so clearly it looked as though he may very well burst a blood vessel. This was not the same man who led a resistance to the precipice of destruction. This was not Lucas Wynne. Slowly, piece by piece, everything was being taken from him, every piece of his identity, until all that would be left was a thrall, a slave to blind, unending rage.

The voices were burrowing into his head once again. "kill...kill it..." was all he heard, a mad glint in his eye as the serenity provided by that familiar voice slowly began to slip away. He needed to hear it again, the woman on his shoulder had stopped talking. The powerful, seductive voice in the air had grown silent for a time. All that was left were the vestiges of a man on the brink of madness.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" He screamed in desperation as he took a wild swing at the beast before him.

"PLEASE! TALK TO ME!" Another wild swing, still clinging desperately to the woman on his shoulder, as much as his body tried to let her go.

"DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!" He begged through tear filled eyes, his vision blurring and clouding as the tears began to flow.

Why wouldn't the torment end? Why couldn't he simply think for himself and take the course he needed? Why did it hurt so much it felt like his entire body was lit ablaze? He needed answers, but more than that, he needed people. He needed to know he wasn't isolated.

To be alone in this hell. That would drive a man mad.

He took an uneasy step, still off balance from the weight of the woman draped over him. No matter what his body told him, no matter how much fire he felt scorching up him, he couldn't let her go. He needed her. Somehow he knew that. And he would protect her, no matter what.

With each step, he grew more uneasy, his body swaying as his balance was compromised, clearly in the throes of delirium. He took another step, growing faster, more feral, until he broke into a full on run, the slumbering woman flailing over his shoulder as he lunged at the monster before him, baring his teeth.

"HELP ME!!!!" He begged as he threw himself at the monster. Hoping that for the life of him, someone would hear.

Michi jerked back, narrowly avoiding Lucas's haphazard assault. "Help him." A solacing voice entered her consciousness, reinforcing what Lucas had just shouted. "Help him WHAT!?" She didn't even know who she was arguing with. Maybe it was the same voice Lucas was speaking to. What was she thinking? She was arguing with Lucas, what other explanation could there be? This was his hallucination, everything in it was being produced by his subconscious. 

"Nothing makes sense to him." She reasoned. How do you get through when someone's reality is constantly shifting? "Ok, ok..." Michiko gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. If she concentrated hard enough maybe she could alter some of what Lucas was seeing, or at least find out what he was seeing. Their minds were already linked, it was time to take advantage of it.

It wasn't difficult to deepen the connection. Heat, fear, loneliness, and confusion accosted her simultaneously. It was overwhelming, but not impossible for her to navigate. She caught a glimpse of how his world looked. The towering beast that Lucas saw was not in her version. She couldn't understand why she hadn't seen it. There was no way anyone with eyes, ever dust laden dream eyes could miss this thing. She looked to his shoulder where the tentacled menace lay. 

"Me...?" She didn't know what to think or feel. It looked like her but it he didn't know who she was. Then it hit her, "I must be the beast." It might have been Lucas's mind's reaction to a foreign consciousness. A defense mechanism much like an immune system...or it could have been something else. 

Michiko blinked, thankfully Lucas hadn't tried another attack in the few seconds it took for her to get some perspective. She willed her essence to take her natural form to the best of her ability, she had no way of knowing whether or not it worked because she couldn't risk losing track of Lucas again. If his hits landed and she was forced out of his mind there was no telling what would happen. 

Hoping with everything she had that she didn't resemble a hideous monster, she stood still and calmly stated. "You don't remember me, but I remember you Lucas Wynne." The creature on Lucas's shoulder sputtered and slid off. It stood, tentacles splaying out from its center, a grotesque grimace displayed on what Michiko could only guess was it's face. "I remember you too Lucas Wynne. I remember all you've killed, all the mistakes you've made, and all the mistakes you will certainly make for the rest of your life." The words dribbled from its mouth. Michiko closed her eyes again concentrating on showing Lucas the monster's true form. Doing so did nothing more than give her a headache. If she was unable to disrupt it's existence, she was quite certain there was no way she could kill it either. Lucas's mind was protecting it...but why? Was it a part of him somehow?

Kyuba opened his eyes as waves of pain washed over him. He screamed as he heard several clicks and his arms and legs moved further in four different directions. It only took him a moment to realize what had happened. "YOU?! LET ME GO?!? HOW DID YOU GET OUT? WHO LET YOU OUT?" He screamed louder as his questions were answered with more clicks and pain. He felt his right arm pop out of it's socket eliciting another scream. Standing at the wheel of the rack was none other than Kyuba himself. Except this one was different. He looked more wild, beast like, with it's unkempt hair and hungry eyes. It was the Feral Kyuba and he had come to take control. It began to laugh as his other self screamed in pain. "How did I get out? Who let me out? hahahahahahahahaha you FOOL! How do you not see it? HOW CAN YOU NOT FUCKING SEE IT?" He spun the wheel faster and faster as his smile grew all the larger. Kyuba's screams increased intensity as each of his remaining limbs were forced from their sockets. Blood gushed from him in torrents as his arms and legs were slowly ripped from his body.  He finally felt sweet relief as he blacked out from the pain.

He awoke once again and found himself kneeling before the human sized Kiri'Tas that was ever present here. "What? WHAT? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? WHY IS HE OUT? WHY IS HE FREE? I TOLD YOU TO HOLD HIM!" Kyuba grunted as he felt a foot collide with his back. "You still haven't figure it out? Kiri'Tas let me out...because you are so pathetic...you can't even beat a simple little shit like him.....you have gotten soft. Your feelings for HER have made you soft...." The Feral snapped his fingers as chains sprouted from Kiri'Tas and wrapped themselves around Kyuba who struggled and screamed with rage. "You are no longer FIT to serve the Goddess...." 

Kyuba struggled as he was forced to watch The Feral take control of him. "Kiri'Tas what is going on? ANSWER ME DAMN YOU! THE GODDESS CLAIMED I WOULD RECEIVE A GIFT...YOU CANNOT MEAN IT WAS MEANT FOR HIM?" Kiri'Tas remained silent as always but the chains began to wrap themselves tighter. "DAMN DAMN DAMN LET ME OUT I WILL NOT LET THAT ANIMAL TAKE CONTROL....I WILL KILL HIM!" Kyuba's world went dark as the chains consumed him. He was alone. Suffocating to death in the darkness. The Feral had won. He was no longer capable of piloting Kiri'Tas or serving the goddess....it had chosen The Feral as it's new master. 

As he closed his eyes in acceptance of his fate he felt a fist collide with his face. "Foolish worm...how you were ever allowed to Manifest in my mind I will never know." Kyuba opened his eyes and found himself face to face once again with himself except this one seemed to be made of shadow. "What do you mean? I am the real Kyuba...that FERAL is the imposter." He spat out blood as the Shade slapped him across the face. "SILENCE! You are nothing worm...you are the result of allowing yourself to get close to the others....their...weaknesses...rubbed off on you and you became poisoned. The goddess has sent you a gift...a gift of rebirth. I will purge this weakness from us." 

Kyuba sighed with relief and began to thank the Shade. As he reached out with his hand he screamed as a scythe was brought down repeatedly into his chest. "Like I said...Purge the weakness." The shade moved away leaving the Weakness to sputter and die. Back in the mind chamber Kiri'Tas's chest opened and the Shade climbed out. Turning to Kiri'Tas he bowed. "All Mighty Weapon of the Goddess. I am ready to assume control." The Shade looked up as he heard the Feral falling down into the pit. "NO I REFUSE TO GIVE UP CONTROL....WHO THE HELL IS THAT PILOT AND HOW DOES HE COMMAND CONTROL OVER MY RESONARK?" The Feral froze as he landed. "IT'S NOT POSSIBLE! NO NO NO I REFUSE I REFUSE!" The Feral began to back pedal as the Shade calmly advanced. "It is time old friend....we are to become one again." He picked up the pace and reached the Feral. When they touched they began to melt into each other fusing together to make the perfect Kyuba. 

Kyuba flexed his muscles, it was good to be whole again...."Now...time to end this." 

He awoke with a start and found himself in the familiar surroundings of a medical tent. The last thing he remembered was nearly killing another resonark pilot. Everything before that was a blank. He donned his robe and skull helmet and walked outside. His injuries had far from healed but he forced himself to ignore the pain and willed his body to move as he commanded. He spotted the pilot he had tried to kill with his back turned talking to one of his Officers who had survived the battle. He began to walk steadily towards the pilot, pulling his scythe into his hands as he got closer. When he reached close enough he put the scythe blade around Arkon's neck. He moved close and whispered into his ear. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you?"

Arkon managed to get the army of the knocked out pilot to bring them back to their base for now and he laid the pilot down in the medical tent. He made sure the guy was taken care of. He felt almost guilty about his condition, since a fair portion of it was his fault, even if he didn't start that fight. The guy seemed to be stable, thought he appeared to be having some sort of nightmare or something, the man kept saying die often in his slumber. He headed out of the tent to try and get his lay of the land around the area of the base now that he wasn't trying to make sure the planet wasn't destroyed. He was still very sore so after a brief look around he sat down and entered a deep meditative state so he could refocus and heal the damage dealt to his mind. Unfortunately the trance wasn't exactly a peaceful. He had The angel trying to heal his mind and The demon berating him for taking over and not keeping his promise of destruction and taking pity on the pilot. It was about two hours later he awoke from the trance and he decided to go talk to one of the soldiers to figure out the situation. "Well we touched down about two days ago and wiped out the first groups of enemies sent out to stop us. We tried to get info out of them but all it did was blow up on us. We then systematically destroyed enemy surveillance and constituted our own. Then we were sent to where you found us to take care of that area while a smaller group was to take back some important city where we weren't allowed to go. Haven't heard contact from any one since." he said and just as Arkon was about ready to turn around and walk away there was a scythe in front of his neck. "I knew i should have kept that scythe away from him. Hope we dont try that dance again cause even after meditation I'm not sure if I'm up for that again" he thought to himself as he breathed a heavy sigh.

"well for one right now, you can't kill me. Not in your condition at least" and he telekinetically moved the scythe from his neck safely. "And two, cause we are fighting the same enemy, not to mention it seems the other half of your main team seems to still be on their mission so until then its just the two of us and your army. Third would be that i brought you back here and made sure you were taken care of instead of being left to die on that field alone broken and injured. Pick any one of them for answers. So we could have a pissing contest again, for all the good THAT will do, or you could fill me in on what we are dealing with here, and why. Your call there Kyuba." he said. he figured a guy like him would have one of two reaction to a responce like that. One, respect him for it or two, the more likely option, start a fight again. He was hoping for the firs one.

Kyuba growled to himself as Arkon once again used his powers to control him. "Fine...but you no longer get any warnings....next time you piss me off I won't give you a chance to use those powers of yours...", he walked away ignoring Arkon and began to bark out orders to his men. Lucas? Come in Lucas....michiko? Damnit someone ANSWER ME!" It was no use...he would give them 72 hours to respond. After which he would assume them KIA and would assume control of the operation. He stalked back over to Arkon and the officer who he was talking to. He cut the officer down in cold blood severing his head from his shoulders. "The next time ANYONE gives away sensitive information to the enemy I will send him and five of the closest people with him to meet the goddess. AM I UNDERSTOOD?" The men snapped to attention and then went about their business. "Now...rookie...Who are you and why are you here?"

He saw him leave then stop only to come back and cut down his own man. At this point he wasn't surprised. The man seemed to have the morality span of The Demon. He once again called him rookie and that began to piss him off. He grit his teeth. He hated feeling this kind of anger. It made him want to lash out. He had to keep a leash on his anger. Too much time alone with just The Demon and The Angel made him far too prone to extreme emotions and a slight bi-polar attitude. "First off, I'm not a fucking rookie. A rookie couldn't have rocked your shit like I did. Second, i can ALWAYS use my powers, unless of course you can move faster then I can think, which i seriously doubt. But to answer your question I'm Prince Arkon Umbric, and I am NOT the enemy. What I'm doing here, was I saw that a group of people seemed to be giving the order a hard time. Since I'm not exactly a fan of the order I decided to join the fun and help out the rebellion that seemed to be going on. Any thing to stick it to the Order. Not much else a wanted run away can do. Looks like you had things handled, but this planet would have been destroyed by you if not for me. I hope you don't fly into blind rampages too often other wise you'll be doing the orders job for them." he said coldly. Like it or not, seems like these people only respect power so until he proves himself around here, he has to keep on his toes.

Kyuba smiled, it was obvious he had hit a nerve with the rookie comment. He made a mental note to watch and observe this one, it was always fun to press the buttons and watch those beneath him squirm. "I didn't ask for your life's story kid. As for your powers...death conquers all...even the mind. You are here by conscripted into service for the resistance. You will answer to me or you will be disciplined. Do I make myself clear?" The smile and hunger that showed on Kyuba's face made it obvious what he really hoped Arkon would do.

Arkon was stunned for a second. Respect he could see, a punch in the face he expected. Drafted into this mans psycho army he did not foresee. He hated that the guy made the choice for him, regardless of his willingness to join. "Whoa, now your drafting me into your psycho army forcibly and expecting me to answer to you? I don't wear skulls and cloaks, I don't worship death. And if you think for a second that I'll just sit by and let you punish me for anything, then you might meet your goddess far sooner then you think. I will give you aid, I will fight the Order, but I am not your soldier. I joined no army." Arkon said, then a smirk crawled across his face "are you a betting man Kyuba? Cause I have an answer to our little problem. We settle this the only way befitting warriors, We fight. If you win i am forced to join and acknowledge you as my superior officer, If I win, then I continue to be a third party ally to you and your band of psycho murders. Deal?" he offered, with a glint of excitement in his eye. He knew he wouldn't be able to resist it. He hoped not. He wanted so bad to knock this cocky motherfucker on his ass. Then he would be forced to respect him. This was his best option by far.

At the first sign of resistance and back talk from Arkon every soldier stopped what they were doing and raise their weapons ready to fire. Kyuba held up his hand. "You have guts rookie. I could order you dead right now. I doubt your telekinesis can work on lasers let alone all the ones trained on you right now. But your offer intrigues me...." He turned to one of the closest guards. "I want the arena prepped and ready...beam it down from the ship." You have 24 hours to prepare kid...find yourself a tent." Kyuba stalked off to his own tent and collapsed on the bed drifting off into dreams of mayhem and slaughter.

Arkon smirked, he knew he would take the bet. Of course he would. He was all about shows of power. this should prove to be fun. He went off and established a tent on the edge of the camp. He was sure most of them wouldn't interfere with him, but on the off chance that they didn't he wanted to be far enough away where he could be out of harms way mostly unless trouble came to him. He decided to beam down his great sword and stashed it next to his tent. He didn't want to just rely on his power for the fight. That would prove nothing. He wanted to be able to fight with Kyuba on par, an equal fight. Plus they had to pass time while waiting for his group to arrive somehow. Either way he ends up helping the army anyways. He just wanted to prove once and for all he wasn't some lacky to be ordered around at a whim. He had to prepare for the fight. He was sure he was as brutal in person as he was in his resonark. 

He quickly drifted off into sleep, exhaustion finally taking him. As he dreamed, he went back in time. To the day his father had decided to join up with the order. He had been on his throne, talking to the ambassador's when he had walked in. He immediately didn't trust the men just from their look. It was the same look he saw in his fathers face every day. The look of a tyrant. His father called him over. "This is my heir Arkon, He will be in most of our meetings. He has to learn to rule after all. The boy may still not have the ruthlessness of a true king, but he will in time. Time and war will beat that out of him for good." his father said and the men laughed. War was nothing but a joke to these people. How could people jest over such matters. His mother hadn't approved of his fathers ruling methods but he cared not for her thoughts. To him, the only voice worth listening to is one that has power and money behind it. Arkon looked at the men coldly and found his father glaring at him. He went to hit him in the face for his insolance but arkon stopped his punch with his power, then forced his father to sit down. He loved those moments when he could best his father, and he could do nothing due to the company, not unless he wanted to expose his secret weapon. He would have to play it off as a change of heart and it pissed him off. His father wanted him to cultivate his power, and that would one day be his downfall. Arkon did just that. He honed his gift. So long as he was aware of his surroundings, there was nothing he could not do with his power. That wasn't even counting his resonark. He wished there was something he could do to stop his father's rule but the people were far to afraid of him, and for good reason. He needed a resistance. An army to fight under his banner. Sure he would get the throne in a few years time, but even then his father would be the one truly ruling using him as a puppet. He would find some form of weakness and exploit it. It's what he always did. Thats why his mother was killed after all. He bowed to the men and excused himself. He needed off this planet. He couldn't stay. His father was bad alone, but with this new order he would be far worse. He heard stories about them. He had to find a way to stop them. all of them. 

He had slipped out of his fathers throne room and headed to his fathers personal bank and slipped in. He needed money if he was going off world. nothing was cheap. Especially since his father would put out a bounty on him to be returned to him. It would cost extra just not to be turned in most likely. Once he got out with as much on him as he could and transfer them to his personal card, that his father didn't even know he had, he headed towards the hanger bay. He saw his fathers main ship there which was already out for cleaning. He liked his ship to be spotless. Then again every thing needed to be perfect for that man. Arkon slipped onto the ship and got to the controls. He had only seen his father's helmsman fly it a few times when he was younger but he had an idea on how to work it. He started the ship and the men cleaning the sides fell off their ladders as it began to crawl towards the exit. Which Arkon had only just noticed, wasn't open. He focused on the hanger door and pushed it up with his powers which of course set off every alarm in the bloody palace. His father came storming out to see the ship just as it left. Within seconds he was off of the planet and heading full speed in some unknown direction. He knew he had to get out of the solar system. If not his father would find him. Once he was out of the system he finally relaxed. He had no idea what he had just done. He stole his fathers money and ship and just left. No plan, no goal. With no one with him. No one but Nephilum and him. It would be a while before Arkon found what he decided he needed to do and longer yet till he would reach where he was now in life. That one choice, changed everything. For the next two years, much like his year in the jungle, he would spend alone, with no social activity, no people to talk to. He was truly alone and it would have its toll on him.

Kyuba woke and dressed himself quickly in full Knight attire. He was sharpening his scythe when a notice came for him; The arena was ready. He smiled wickedly as he placed Serada's skull on his head and covered himself with his hood. The crimson lightning seemed to glow in the darkness around him. Pushing his way out of the tent he made his way over to the platform which had landed only an hour before. At first glance the arena he had summoned was a typical standard issue arena used for disputes of rank and hierarchy among the member of the church, except this one had a few hidden special features. Of course Kyuba had the advantage because he knew what these were but the rookie had challenged him...and it was his right to choose the arena. 

He stepped inside the barbed wire cage and stood waiting in a corner. He felt himself tense with excitment. It had been a while since his last hand to hand fight. His impatience grew by the second. "You there! Find the rookie and bring him here...it is time!"

The furious tic in his jaw began to grow as the monster before him started to shrink in size, that calm, familiar voice once more resonating in his mind. It had him so enraptured, so drawn in as he tried to remember who it belonged to, and more importantly why it had this effect on him, that he didn't even notice the woman crawl out of his grip and stand beside the continually changing monster. The face was becoming more familiar...the features less horrifying. He was starting to see a woman....but how did he know her?

"Who are you....?" He took a step towards her, immediately hissing and recoiling in pain as the fog rose before him, burning into his skin, blurring his vision as it almost seemed to try and drive him further into the dream. "Be ready to strike. It will save your life." Were the only thoughts currently running through his head. His rational brain had grown silent, the pain was taking over as his mind attempted to fight off further hallucinations onset by this haze.

"...WHAT are you....?" He growled as he clutched his head in pain, slowly crouching once more into the vicious stance Michiko could only recognize as that of a caged animal. Feral. Unfeeling. Desperate.

It was at this point, as he stared intently at the woman in front of him, that he finally noticed the woman he'd thrown over his shoulder was gone. Panicked, he scanned the room. How could he have been so careless? it was his job to protect her when she herself could not!

Then he heard the voice again. Its familiarity and serenity set his heart to a slower beat for just the shortest of moments.

"YES! YES! I'M RIGHT HERE!" He wanted to scream with every fiber of his being, but his body would once again not listen to the inner recesses of his mind

He took a tentative step forward as he heard the voices, almost in perfect sync, with the slightest twinge of a difference between them. Who was real? What was....

He began to twitch and growl as he heard their speeches. How many HAD he killed over his life? How many more would he doom? It was at this that memories began to wave over him in a torrent of pain and ridicule. Every single murder he'd committed, the destruction of the Zigrav...everything came over him in such a blast that he was having trouble even standing.

"NO! IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" His knees grew weak and trembled as he clutched his head in pain. Why did this have to worsen? Why couldn't he be left in peace for once in his life?

He roared like a wild beast, twitching, on the verge of tears as he tried to keep composure, once again a losing battle.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" He screamed in pain as his knees began to buckle. They both claimed to know him, what would they have possibly wanted for him to be in this much torment? What had he done to deserve this? The questions flooded his mind as he tried to organize his thoughts, tried to sift through the memories he was being faced with, see who this infuriating woman WAS, but her face was always a blur, no clear images or memories to decipher.

"Please.....why....?" He whimpered, breaking at the seams.

Arkon woke up in a cold sweat. That dream had felt so real. That day was burned into his mind. He half expected to be back on his fathers flag ship but he was instead in a tent on a warring planet in a den of murderers and psychopaths. Shit, he had challenged the head psycho to one on one melee combat didn't he? He looked to the side of his bed roll and saw Togari, his families sword that was passed down from king to prince. The blade was black as midnight with a blood red gem in the hilt of the large blade. He got up and Beamed down a fresh pair of clothes, He grabbed a black tanktop and a pair of dark blue jeans and put on his black denim jacket. It was his most comfortable clothing and while not exactly prime battle gear he found he had no need for armor, though he had a feeling he would regret not owning armor this day. Just as he levitated his sword to his back and telekinetically fastened the straps on the sword to hold it in place one of the soldiers, came into his tent, guess privacy was nonexistant here. He was told to head to the arena where Kyuba would be waiting for him. 

He ducked out of his tent and sure enough it seemed like every soldier in there army had gathered to see their fight. He over heard most of them chuckling about how he wouldn't last too long against kyuba. He was apparently one of the best if not THE best in his faith. No surprise there. The arena seemed pretty basic with a barbed wire cage around it. Guess wasn't much more one needed for a piece of land meant only to host two people doing their best to kill each other. Stepped into the ring. "ready to do this? And this might be a stupid question, but just what are the rules to this match? I would assume none, but i wouldn't wish to undermine your religion. you might have ceremonial rules other then kill the opponent." he said in a tired tone, as if suddenly the match he had suggested were nothing more then a tiresome chore.

Michiko was in a panic. There was no clear course of action. Every pore on that thing oozed a putrid viscous fluid the likes of which she'd never encountered. It's main orifice curved into a smile as it watched Lucas struggle. "Oh, but it was your fault...Every decision you've ever made has ended in death and destruction. You are a mewling child playing at being a man. "

"Help him choose star child." words rang out again. What was he supposed to be choosing? "I'm Michiko Hoshi, a member of your crew and also...your friend..." After uttering those words the slimy monstrosity turned it's head slowly from Lucas and fixed it's black souless eyes on Michi, tentacles undulating and twitching all the while. "You can't listen to this nonsense. You've been an excellent commander from the moment your were thrown into things." 


The abomination chimed in "Not true, not truuuue. You know it in your heart, you're worthless." Michiko was getting angry. "Shutup! Who are you to tell him this anyway!? What authority do you have!?" She asked more out of frustration than anything else, fully expecting not to get an answer, but it seemed like she struck a chord. The creature started to laugh "Who am I?" It continued laughing and began to change. "That's a very good question because sometimes even I don't know, but I'll tell you just because you asked." it continued to twist and arc. "Well now let's see... who am I turning out to be???" 

Dread thickly coated Michiko's mind as shape began to return to the repugnant being. "Ah yes, it would appear that I'm..." Horror took the place of dread after the last bit of flesh meshed into place. "Lucas Wynne"



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"Sir we have reports that the supply depot outside of the holy city has been taken, we've lost countless units. The reports are limited since our surveillance equipment has been tampered with, but satellite 4857 detected at least one unknown craft entering the atmosphere before it was deactivated." Lieutenant General Brun swirled the last bit of sweet merlot he had left in his glass and swigged it down. "This was to be expected." He yawned. "But sir we have reason to believe there are spies IN the city." The greying General rolled his eyes, "Nothing a bit of dust won't cure. We've tested it on a few visiting dignitaries, apparently never having been exposed to it causes quite the nasty reaction. We don't have to worry because it's been in the air in minuscule amounts since we were born. You know the sort of bliss it induces, sort of like being caressed by a fine woman made from clouds." Brun seemed almost lost in his description, clearly he was a fan. The messenger who's rank Brun didn't know and honestly didn't care about seemed surprised. "Uh no sir I don't... uh...That would be wildly inappropriate." This brought him out of it  "No no of course not, it's for practical purposes only, how dare you suggest such a thing! I should have you court marshaled!"


"My apologies sir, but I'd like to point out that we don't have enough dust to douse the entire city again. We've been in short supply ever since the revolt in the mines. That's why Colonel Gris didn't dust the resistance immediately upon arrival. " The soldier explained. "The only instance of that fool Gris ever showing restraint." Brun thought for a moment. "We've got to stop the momentum the enemy is gaining. How much do we have left?" The soldier looked down briefly at his notes. "About 2.5 million Starlos of it." Brun stroked his brown-grey beard. "That should be enough for a rather large assualt none the less. Perhaps we can take out some key players. Get me as much intell on where their forces are stationed now and who we are dealing with. Also tell Keels down in the refinery to prepare another dust bomb, also a few thousand dust canisters with fittings for the special units, and for starlight's sake get the mines under control by any means necessary." The soldier made additional notes detailing his commander's requests. 

"Oh and Sir, one more thing. We have access to a prisoner taken by the Crimson Forge. It seems that he was part of the resistance. He's set to go off world in about 15 minutes, is there anything you'd like to do with him?" It was a stupid question, a very stupid question. "Contact them immediately. Delay his departure and send in our finest interrogators. I want Everything, EVERYTHING! Has he been dusted?" The soldiers eyes flitted down to check. "Yes sir, that's what it says in the file." A look of disgust crept across his face. "I don't suppose he's Vesdasterian is he?" The soldier didn't have to look down to answer "No sir." Brun slammed his empty wine glass on the table between them, sending shards of broken glass everywhere."WHO GAVE THOSE IDIOTS DUST!?" Immediately he regained his composure. "Very well, send the interrogators anyway, we'll just have to wait it out. If he lives we can still get what we need."

"Shall I contact General Noir about all this Sir?" Brun waved him away "We needn't trouble the General. He's told me not to contact him unless things are dire, he's a busy man." and with that the plans were set in motion.


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What was this!? What was this!? What was this!? Michiko fell to her knees, unable to comprehend what was happening. "Well to be fair...I'm not all of Lucas Wynne, but I am the voice in his head that tells him the truth." He stepped closer to Michi. "And guess what? This is my chance. This is my golden opportunity. I can finally stop him from making bad decisions permanently." He sat in front of Michiko cross legged. "This thing, this state that he, or we are in right now came just in the nick of time." He got even closer  "Because you see, I really do care about you all." He looked into her eyes. "My friends are worth it..." 

Michiko was frozen, this was beyond nightmarish. "I will keep him here until we die. He's dangerous, every decision we've made has put everyone we care about in jeopardy." He couldn't really believe this about himself could he? "You can't do this." Michi finally managed to say.

"LUCAS DON'T DO THIS!" She wasn't sure which one she was yelling at. "You're my commander, you're my best friend! I can't let you do it!" She pleaded. "He's wrong, YOU'RE WRONG! You've gotten us this far, we're only alive BECAUSE OF YOU!" Her voice was frenzied.
"See then you go saying confusing things like that and make my job a lot more difficult." He leaned in so close that his lips were almost touching her ear and whispered. " Remember, this is for your own good." With that he grabbed her throat with both hands and started to squeeze. He was trying to force her out.

Kyuba smiled as Arkon made his way into the ring and and asked his questions. "The rules are simple...we each state our name and rank, since you have no ranking in the hierarchy you may choose a title that you wish. The fight is to the death or until one surrenders or is incapable of fighting. The penalty for failure is usually death but under the current "deal" we have made death will be postponed...for now." Kyuba snapped his fingers and two things happened. The cage around the ring began to hum signifying that a live current strong enough to kill a horse was currently being pumped through it. The second thing that happened became immediately apparent to the two fighters. An energy field expanded around the ring cutting both fighters off from the sources of their powers and their resonarks. 

Kyuba smiled wickedly as he felt his magic fade from him. All he needed was his Scythe. "I am High Father Kyuba Genrei, Chosen of Shiira, Knight of the Unholy Mother, Commander of the Hellion Contingency." At the mention of his titles the men around the arena let out a thunderous cheer. "Who is it that dares challenge my might?"