Resonance of the Stars: Bleak Horizon

Kyuba sighed at Zero's questions. "I cannot answer those question....I wasn't human before I came to this church and I certainly am not now...I am the wrong person to ask...What I can tell you is, stop thinking your doing this for anyone but yourself. This organization is one of self gain...you wont be able to join unless you truly wish for power...joining for a cause does nothing they will sniff it out in a heart beat and crush you beneath their feet. If you join...you join for life...there is no leaving...ever. If you fail you will die and your soul will be trapped forever in agony. I will kill you myself and your skull will adorn my robes...if you are lucky. If you are not....I have known others that still burn to this very day...begging for death with every breath as their skin slowly cracks under the intense heat of a thousand suns....even they are lucky. Joining is up to you Zachary Zimmer....and only you...either join for yourself or do not join at all."

Speak freely he said. So Michi did. "First of all, I'm not some sort of naive child you have to explain these things to. I understand just about every faucet of the situation commander. I understand it so well that I’m seeing things you are not.” Her expression was cold, but not hateful. “You want help from an organization, a so called “church” that is founded in blood and runs on death. Yes, it has it’s advantages. Yes, we do need the help, but surely you’ve noticed how indiscriminate their death goddess is. Their “help” could very well help us into our own graves should they choose to turn on us. Let’s think of the best scenario though, shall we? Say they aid us in our mission and we succeed. We are indebted to this abhorrent establishment. Indebted to these death mongers. No I don’t want to be on the run with the children. I want to make a world where they can be safe and happy…but not this way.” Her face already showed remorse for what she was about to say next. “In truth, I feel it’s a very green decision Lucas.” She finished, using his name to soften the blow.

Lucas scowled. He knew he'd had this response coming, and part of him wanted to grin at the fact that Michiko was not at all afraid to speak her mind. However, the response still stung.

"Fine Hoshi. You want us to leave? You want us to wander empty handed across that desert wasteland we just left behind? The one where we found another two people who are going to need protection? Give me a better option then. As far as I can see, Kyuba is the only one here who has presented us with an opportunity to rebuild."

His face was now focused, angered, yet still in control of his own actions.

"You say we shouldn't work with these people because of future ramifications. I say, what will happen if we don't? Say we leave, and we turn our backs on everything we have worked for to get here. What happens then? We lose Kyuba for insulting his faith, and worse yet, they may indeed be courted by the Faction to hunt us, having now met us and have experienced an encounter with us, why wouldn't they be prime targets to hire? Meanwhile we go off and attempt to fight this war with just our ideals and morals. You know what happens then? We get slaughtered, every last one of us."

Now even more angry, Lucas leaned in and began to whisper to her so as nobody else could hear, especially not the children.

"And those children? They get killed at best. Who knows what kind of brainwashing programs they use in the Faction to get their armies, turning Raul into a slave at the very least. And what about Sophia? Without her brother or us there to protect her, who knows what will happen. You know what kind of depraved sick bastards reside within that conglomerate monstrosity? People tell stories about it every day, political figures within the government that abuse children, what if someone decides she will be their next conquest? Can you rest with that on your conscience because you decided there were too many risks in working with these people?"

Moving away and returning to his regular tone, Lucas once more began to lay into Michiko.

"We can't win this war with ideals, Michiko. We need soldiers, cutthroats, even murderers. People to do the dirty work, the ones who aren't afraid to step into the cockpit and fight for glory or money. We are the minority here Michiko, we don't get to choose where our support comes from, we take it and we LIKE it." He hissed.

His words stung even himself, as he knew that not even a day before he had held Michiko's ideals as his own, arguing with Kyuba. However, he also knew that as a leader he needed to make a choice, and if she wasn't going to be able to make it, he would. He hated the hypocrisy he felt he was spewing, but he knew it was important for her to hear, and maybe, someday, she would understand and forgive him for it, just as he hoped to one day forgive himself.

Zach thought on Kyuba's words. He thought so much he ended up deep within himself.

"So we have a choice here hmm? Join this cult or not? we need to decide." Zero said with an evil grin. Zach looked into his other self's eyes.

"We need to be our self! and we aren't truly a person to join these cultists!" Zach snapped at the darker personality. Zero laughed.

"We dont have a self. There is only us. The chances of us being able to go back to who we were is slim to none. You are a fool!"

"No! We can be our self again!" Zach yelled. Zach had enough of this argument.

-------------

Zach shook his head. He looked at Kyuba.

"Thank you Kyuba. Your right. I don't think i can join your church. Though i am glad you have spoke to me about it this much."

He looked around and shook his head.

"Thank you for looking after us."

“AGAIN you think I don’t understand the necessity!” Michiko’s
voice elevated. “We need alliances, we need support I KNOW! What we don’t need
are chaotic harbingers of death and destruction. We need to surround ourselves
with people we can trust. There are other options! The Creation Bureau, the
Star Society, the Interplanetary Guardian Syndicate. We share a common enemy,
and they were founded in the vein of justice, democracy, and peace.” She
practically snarled. “This is madness and folly.” She bore into Lucas’s eyes. “You’re aware of
this, yet you insist on this gambit…. If this falls apart Lucas I will not be
around to mend your shattered bones, stop your hemorrhaging, or tape your glasses.” The last part was a lie, and
later she would feel horrible for saying it, but in the heat of the moment she
couldn’t have cared less.

Kyuba overheard Michiko's raised voice and immediately guessed what they must be arguing about. I can probably put some of your fears to rest...The children will be kept safe under care on board this ship....before you all protest...they will not be touched except by the medical staff...the church views you all as guests and none of you shall be harmed...at all. If you are worried about what you will owe a group of "chaotic harbingers of destruction..." you will owe nothing...I paid the price for their service...now all you need to do is show them your resolve....if there is enough blood in it the church will back us. If we wish to sever ties after we free your PLANET michiko...which i remind you this is what we are here TO DO....then so be it...they will not bother us further. If anyone else has any doubts speak them now...or else have them forcibly ripped from you later.

A smile began to creep along Lucas' face as he heard Kyuba's response to Michiko's concerns.

"I think we can at the very least trust Kyuba, can't we? Or is he going to betray us as well?"

Lucas quickly took his glasses out of his pocket and placed them back on his face, his smile instantly fading as he stared back at Michiko.

"And as for those other organizations you spoke of? Michiko, I would think you of all people wouldn't think me such a dunce that I hadn't already considered them. They were original benefactors of the Resistance, or did you forget that? With our movement in shambles, we need to bring them solid results before we can even HOPE to gain their trust. Think about every factor on the table before you assume that we're jumping the gun, Michiko. It might just save your life one day. Face it, we aren't on top anymore, we're at the bottom of the rung, and we need to work our way back up by whatever means necessary, earn the people's trust by showing them what we can do. THAT is the only way out of here, and I don't know about you, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make sure we finish this, hell, I'm willing to DIE for it."

He quickly turned away, ashamed for losing his temper so easily.

"....Make sure the kids are set and meet back in the main room in ten minutes. We need to prepare for the Council. Understood?" He asked, cold, rigid tone in his voice.

Michiko wanted to shove Lucas's condescension down his own throat. She also wanted to point out the other organizations would never even think of touching them again. Not after such a direct connection with this church. They weren't quite as open minded as the resistance had been. The resistance only had their support because they covered up the affiliation. Had they known the resistance had soldiers like Kyuba in their midst she was confident they would have been dropped in a heart beat. "Yes...commander" she replied with acidity.

Kyuba let the conversation drop as he received a communication. In about 10 minutes we are to go in front of the council...prepare yourselves.

-ten minutes later-

A different robed man came to take them to the council. He administered the proper greetings under Kyuba's stern eye and Michiko's poorly hidden disgust. Within minutes they were in the same hall that Kyuba had been in before. Kyuba knelt before the council. Do not kneel...stand straight and silent only speak when spoken too...Michiko dear...at least try not to kill anyone with your disgust... "Honorable Council...we come before you with a proposition...Lieutenant Wynne...would like to speak on our behalf.

A nod from the head councilman was all he needed. You are up Lucas...sell it to them...make them see it is worth it...I trust you know what I mean...

Lucas nodded as he stepped forward.

"Honorable Council, my name is Lucas Wynne, I am a Liutenant in the Armed Forces branch of the Sonarqa Freedom Coalition. First, on behalf of my entire team, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude that you have received us with open arms and extended your hospitality to us. But I know we did not gather here to extend mere pleasantries and notions of gratitude, so please, let me explain my purpose here today."

Quickly removing his glasses and sweeping his hair behind his head, Lucas made sure he appeared as a proper gentleman and officer before these potential benefactors.

"Our force was attacked and betrayed no less than two weeks ago, with many of our forces being annihilated in the process. Our team was the only group of survivors from our particular section of the attack, and we fought with impenetrable resolve. Before you stands the Coalition's Alpha Squad, a unique team brought together by the Coalition for a multitude of purposes. Our unit acts as a strike team, reconnaissance unit, rescue force, and tactical assault group. Each member of Alpha Squad is a confirmed Resonark Pilot, Father Genrei being included amongst them. Our team was outnumbered 20 to 1, and every unit that came before us was destroyed."

Lucas stood at ease, arms placed firmly behind his back, resisting the urge to pace across the room as he spoke.

"Make no mistake, esteemed Council, we are at war with a vile government which bears no care or concern for its denizens, offers them no course of action but to train in their military to serve THEIR glory, to farm minerals for THEIR forces with no profit of their own. This organization seeks only to serve itself, offering no chance at advancement or benefit for anyone within, no mater how hard one proves their devotion or strength, they are still considered maggots to be trounced upon by the upper class. We come before you today, humble and in need, coated in the blood of every soldier we have ever slain. We need your aid, we require resources, recruitment aid, and above all else, we need a sponsor. Your order serves the Death Goddess Shiira, well my unit is in the face of constant battle and strife, every day more lie dead at our feet. With us leading the revived Coalition Forces, I can guarantee you that until this war is over, more blood shall be spilt, and with you as a sponsor, more shall die in the name of Shiira. No, this is not just a promise or a guarantee, this is a fact. This is a fact I would be willing to stake my life on, with both the certainty of myself, and the trust I have for my unit. My question to you, esteemed Council, is this: will you provide us with the aid we need, and thus help us bring chaos and destruction upon our enemies?"

Lucas quirked an eyebrow as he made his final statement, waiting for any reaction to be had.

The lead councilor crossed his fingers as he listened to Lucas's plea. The wizened old man paused for a minute after the speech finished. "Spare us the petty details Lieutenant Wynne...is it? Well...your demonstration was lovely and all...but I'm afraid that we will have to re-URK" The head councilor's head dropped to the desk in front of him with a thud, blood spilled over the front. A scythe protruded from his back. Standing over him was Kyuba skull mask glistening with blood. Everyone stared at him in utter shock. Kyuba merely looked up and pulled out his Scythe. He took his place back beside Lucas.

"What?", he asked innocently. "He broke the ultimate code...he turned down an offer of death and destruction and glory for the church. Don't look at me that way Agnes....you were waiting for your chance to do that...looks like you owe me. Let's continue shall we." The body was removed the the councilors shifted seats leaving one empty. A new member would be chosen at a later date. The female named Agnes spoke with a much firmer voice. "Your plea interests us greatly Lucas Wynne...but we must first see If your claims are true." At her beckoning a large chair with a big TV above it was brought into the room and placed just behind the companions. "Each of you shall sit in this chair...every soul you have sent to the lands of our Goddess shall be privy for all to see...you yourself will relive each moment. The test is dual fold....survive the torture of seeing each death....and please us by proving your mettle...do you accept?"

Lucas looked to the woman with a grin.

"I do so gladly, Ma'am."

Lucas stepped forward, placing his glasses on his face once more, and moved towards the new device that had been set before them.

Quickly taking a seat, Lucas removed his glasses and placed them in his pocket once more.

"Simply sit here, correc-"

Before Lucas could even finish speaking, his eyes rolled back into his head as the television above him began to roar with static.

The screen began to blur, and eventually the static turned into a cacaphony of buzzing, cicadas and other insects humming as a view of Eden 13 was seen.

The scene looked peaceful, almost serene, then the view schizmed, shaking violently, until the entire view which had been there previously was engulfed in flames. A home, a forest, all being burned to nothingness.

A scream was heard in the background, and the view began to violently shake, a blue hue rising over the image, until the scream became a roar, and the view shot up another 20 to 30 feet into the air.

The screen schizmed once more, a blast of static and a line appearing across the image as two gigantic metal hands reached down below the view and pulled up a man, appearing weak and feeble, almost like a drunkard one would find roaming a town.

"WHY?!" A voice screamed, one nearly recognizable as Lucas.

The man began to shake and tremble beneath the vicious grip.

"Th-they-they told me to!"

"WHO!?"

"C-couple of guys in suits! Said they was wit' the Guv'ment! Honest, I didn't want to! I swear! Come on kid please! Please don't AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" A roaring cry was heard as the two hands began to squeeze, blood pouring from the man's eyes and every orifice of his body, until eventually all of his organic matter began to pool out, and he popped like a balloon.

The screen began to shake again, now moving to a room composed of an almost metallic color, the crest of the Coalition emblazened on a nearby wall.

A voice began to speak.

"You've made it through basic training, now to move on to more advanced protocols-"

The screen began to schizm with static.

"The first thing you need to understand is this is war-"

Schizm.

"Death around us-"

Again.

"People will need to die."

A single step was heard as the camera moved forward with it.

"Mr. Wynne? I believe you will be the first to demonstrate."

A hand extended out from the camera, and a gun was placed within it.

"The man you are about to see is a local recruitment officer for the Faction. He has a reputation as a brute and a drunkard, and has even been known to abuse women. You know what to do."

A door slid open in front of the camera, and a man was dropped out of the darkness in front view. He looked, battered, broken and tired, but still with the will to fight.

"You punks think this is a real fight? The Order's gonna have you sorted out in wee-" Before his sentence could even be finished, several gunshots rang out, and in place of the man's eyes, two protruding holes now resided, a third hole in the center of his forehead, as he slumped back to the floor.

As the screen blackened, and static overtook the image, several more shots could be heard through the deafening static.

The screen lit up again, now viewing the empty void of space.

Large metallic hands could be seen punching through a variety of machines, robots with people inside of them.

As Lucas' eyes continued to pulsate in the back of his head, he managed to groan out.

"First...Mission..."

The screen schizmed again, now viewing an asteroid belt, before shifting again, now to a facility with a full view of the vaccum, and gunshots being heard.

"Ambush...."

The screen shook again, looking now to a large wave of machines facing the camera, before a blast of white and blue light blinded the viewers, and when the screen returned to normal, all the machinery had vanished.

The screen shook yet again, now showing a series of ruined machines and bodies in the empty vaccuum of space, this time showing a prime view of Xander fleeing the scene.

"Escape...."

Finally the scene shook once more, showing a desert terrain, with a camp nearby.

"Go in quiet and quick-" Lucas' voice could be heard saying as the scene shifted, this time looking into a tent with a man sharpening a blade on a whet stone.

The screen began to rapidly shake between shots of a blade being thrust at the mysterious man, and finally another gunshot, this one appearing to land directly in the man's heart before he slumped to the ground and bled out.

The screen grew black.

Finally, large bold white words appeared on the screen.

"LUCAS WYNNE. AGE: 22. KILL COUNT: 6,896

The council said nothing as the kill count appeared on the screen but some looked very impressed. Kyuba walked over to the chair and removed Lucas gingerly, an impressed look upon his face. "Next", he said as he placed Lucas on the floor comfortably.

Michiko set her jaw. Kyuba’s most recent kill only served to
prove her point, but it was too late to turn back now. Watching Lucas’s
experience was beyond disturbing. She’d seen him kill before, but never like
this. When the number itself came onto the screen she felt faint. She tried
desperately to put it into perspective, but it just wouldn’t compute.





Now it was her turn. Her stomach churned viciously on the
walk over to the chair. She made sure to lock eyes with Kyuba and the newly
appointed council woman before she sat down. If looks could kill she would have
added two more to her count just then. The chair was uncomfortable, but she
ceased to feel it once the television flashed on. She gripped the arms tightly.





Her eyes did not go into the back of her head, and she was
able to view the television normally. The screen was clear as crystal. No
jostles, bumps, or static affected her image. She honestly wasn’t sure she’d be
able to take this, but again, she was well past the point of no return. The cold
dark depths of space panned to Aurora.
Her normally white exterior had become black from extreme power deficit. The energy
had been depleted due to the extensive number of injuries her squad had
sustained. The morbid death, for lack of
a better word camera, was now inside the cockpit. An exhausted Michiko
struggled to keep Aurora’s
basic functions online. The resonark had begun using her blood as a power
substitute. The wires that connected them turned red. Michi had only a few more
moments before either her blood ran out, or the oxygen system failed.





Primal instinct took over. She could hardly see anymore, her
world was going dark. The camera was back in space, at the perfect angle to see
her resonark latch on to the one she’d been towing and proceed to drain the
pilot and his mech of all their energy.





Michiko squirmed while her nails tore into the fabric of the
chair’s arms. Everyone in the room could hear the boy’s pathetic screams. Tears
flowed freely while the boy uttered his final sounds. He’d been young, no doubt
he lied about his age to join up. She sprang up out of the chair once all was
silent. “THERE ARE YOU SICK PEO…”





Lucas wasn’t the only one cut off by the death monitor. Suddenly
there were different screams, a baby’s screams. Michi’s eyes grew inhumanly
wide even before she looked back. “No…” she whispered. “NO I DIDN’T KILL HER!” Michi
yelled out to the council. “IT’S BROKEN!” She turned, flying at the television in
a rage, trying to knock it off of it’s stand, but it was no use. The set was
riveted down.





Now facing the screen she saw the scene. It was the hospital
room where it all began. Yet somehow she’d misunderstood. She saw her sister
already dead, and she hadn’t heard the gunshot. “I don’t understand…” she
whimpered. Just then Michiko was in the center of the frame being held by the
throat. "And for you.... Something a bit more dramatic" Michi heard
General Noir say, just like he did in her nightmares. True to the last, the
screen showed her spit in his face. His knife went in her belly and the screen
faded to black.





Her large white letters read “MICHIKO HOSHI. AGE:18. KILL
COUNT:2





In complete shock. She stood there by the screen before
someone cleared their throat. Mechanically she stepped down and walked back to
her original position.

Some of the council scoffed at the low kill count but they ceased at a look from both Kyuba and the head councilor. Kyuba walked over and looked Michiko in the eyes and smiled. "well done...we shall make a killer out of you yet...Next....is Zero...this ought to be good."

Zach stepped over to the chair. He shivered. He didn't want this but he had no choice. Gods help him for what the others were about to see.

'This will be amusing won't it?' Zaro asked sadistically. Zach sighed and sat down. It began quickly.

A scene of Zach being captured after leaving eden 13. Then Him in a dark dank cell. A voice began.

"Welcome Mr.Zimmer we have been watching you. You will be quite the addition to our forces."

Flash. A scene of Zach getting tortured in the cell. "This is what you get for insubordination Mr.Zimmer." Flash. A scene of him killing one of the torturers.

Flash. A scene of Zach sitting in the corner of the cell. Flash. A scene of Zach looking in the mirror his reflection grinning back at him.

Flash. Finally a settling. A scene of Zach and many other young people in a giant arena. A Voice begins to speak. Zach and the others look up and look at the Warden. On his clothes the symbol of the groups current enemy.

"Look around you. You see the 499 others standing around you? Good cause you're about to kill them. Last ten people standing win. Begin."

The battle starts and Zach dodges away from those trying to kill him. Even after all the conditioning he didn't want to do this.

"Your weak. If you don't do it i will!" The voice inside him head said. Zach tried to keep control but he just wasn't strong enough. Zach's other personality looked around and grabbed the nearest attacker snapping her neck. Dodged a blow from another and kicked him hard in the chest. The man went down to the ground and had his neck stomped on ending his life. A voice called out.

"Here Mr.Zimmer use this." It was the warden and he threw a sword to Zach. The grin that split Zach's face was cruel and evil.

Half an hour later Zach stood in the middle of the arena surrounded by bodies and covered in blood. Clapping was heard.

"Well done Mr.Zimm..." Zach cut the warden off. "Zero. Call me Zero." The Warden grinned. "Why pray tell should i do that?" Zero stared the Warden in the eyes and grinned sadistically.

"Because i have Zero Tolerance for the weak!" Zero yelled. The Warden just grinned. Flash. Similar gruesome battles to the death. Flash.

Zero stood before the Warden. "Your job is simple The City of Evara on the planet Psyzo has a population of 200.000 you are going to poison their water processing plant. Then cause chaos to increase the inhabitants adrenaline levels. This will cause the poison to move faster." Zero just nodded and off he went. Flash.

Zero sitting in a jet far off and high up away from a city. He grinned evilly as he watched out the front of his aircraft as a nuclear missile he was controlling plummeted toward the very military base it came from. He watched the mushroom cloud blossom.

"A city of 1,340,500 people gone in an instant. Such fun." Zero said in a sing song voice. Flash. Scenes of several similar genocidal missions. Flash.

Zach is running down a hall gunning down anyone in his path. Flash. He stares into the Warden's eyes as he kills him. Flash.

Zach escaping and being followed by an air platoon. Flash. His ship is hit and he's just waiting for it to explode. Then a warmth and words form on his lips from nothing.

"Awaken Kyuukenbi!"

Flash. Zach "Zero" fighting beside Kyuba, Lucas, and Michiko. Flash. The mission just before the resistance was destroyed. Flash. Him killing the men on that desolate planet. Flash.

Finally the screen settled.

Zachary "Zero" Zimmer. Age: 22.

Zach kill count: 777
Zero kill count: 4,041,992
Tolerance kill count: 13,666

Total kill count: 4,056,435.

Zach sat up and looked at the council then Kyuba. He avoided looking at Michiko altogether. He was also glad Lucas was unconscious. His eyes were dead again as they had been after killing those men on that desert planet. HE sat down and awaited the council's words.

The council members looked genuinely impressed at the kill count. Kyuba said nothing but mentally noted the oddity of the 3 listed names. He brushed himself off and adopted an air of confidence, his voice snide. "Well...I guess it is my turn." He sat in the chair and smiled as the memories flashed before his eyes.

He was in a barn and the fur in his hands felt so warm...he began to squeeze and squeeze feeling it kick in protest but he was too strong. He let go and gave it a little air before stabbing it with a knife. The blood, warm and luxuriously crimson, splashed onto his face and a feeling of glee washed over him. He began to stab it repeatedly over and over again long after it stopped whimpering. A door opened behind him and he turned seeing his father as well as his reflection in the mirror. He was soaked in blood and in his lap was the broken remains of the family dog. He felt nothing but pure glee at the death of the creature.

"Oh what a troubled youth I was..." He said with a cackle as the images flashed to him donning his black robes for the first time. SLASH. He cut the throat of the man who handed it to him for no other reason than just to see him bleed. To his surprise he was praised for it. Time sped forward again and he was in an orphanage one by one he strangled each child and then proceeded to stab each covering himself in blood. As he sat in the chair Kyuba was smiling wickedly in pure extacy. As if he could see the face of those watching in horror and disgust he said in an innocent voice. "What....it was self defense...i swear....those children attacked me....." He laughed once more.

Countless battles flashed across the screen as Kyuba slashed his way through entire battalions of men. A quick flash to a scene, Kyuba standing on the corpses of 10,000 men each dead at his hands. Each scene more death the mountains of bodies began to tower higher and higher. Kyuba began to laugh wickedly as he relived every kill, every murderous deed. Fast and faster the images flashed as the chair began to shake and smoke. "Oh dear...I believe I have broken it!" Suddenly the latest kill flashed before the viewers just as the screen exploded in fire and sparks. A mechanical voice rang out in its dying breath.

Kyuba Genrei Age: 25
Kills:.... ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Kyuba noted the looks of pure terror, not from his companions, but of those on the council. They knew he did not need to sit in the chair but he did it to show them how truly mortal they all were. He could kill any of them in an instant and he wouldn't care.

The head councilor Agnes cleared her throat as she forced herself from her stupor. "Ahem....we shall adjourn the meeting to discuss and deliberate...we shall call you when ready."

As they were led out of the room Kyuba spoke just loud enough for the council to barely hear him. "I expect...a favorable result...."

Michiko left the council room, somehow ending up in the room with the children, though she didn't remember the walk. The woman the cult had appointed to watch the children was sitting in the corner staring at them blankly. The young ones were still sleeping soundly on their cots. The robed woman rose when Michi entered the room. She started to speak, but Michi couldn't hear the words. She didn't even hear the resounding slap she delivered on the woman's cheek. A red welt surfaced on the sitter's pale flesh. "Get out..." Michiko whispered darkly. The woman quickly obeyed, rushing out of the room. Realizing she would be of no help to the children either, she took the small silver key the woman left on on the table in her haste.

With the door locked, and none of the cultists in the room, she was confident the children were now at least somewhat safe. It was sad, but she almost didn't care anymore. Still a part of her insisted she protect them.

She wandered the halls, venturing deep inside the floating compound until she came across a small door. She opened it, and entered unreasoningly. Ordinarily she would have been perplexed as to why it wasn't locked, but details like that weren't registering.

The room was large despite the deceivingly small door. It seemed to be a trophy room of sorts. Skulls lined the walls along with various organs in glass jars, the most numerous of which being hearts. The room didn't look like it was frequented much. A nice layer of dust covered the morbid knick knacks. She stopped in the middle, curled up on the floor, and thought bitterly "This is something a bit more dramatic..."

Kyuba watched as the nurse ran from the room and noted the welt on her face. "Now now Michi....that is no way to treat people who have given you shelter and hospitality....for shame..." Kyuba let it sink in while he walked over to the table they had laid Lucas on. He slapped him a few times across the face. "Time to get up mighty leader...the council will want to see us soon."

Lucas groaned as he began to stir from his slumber.

"Ugh, what day is it? Feel like I've been hit in the head a few times with an anvil or something..."

Slowly sitting up, he shook his head a few times and looked at Kyuba, eyes clearing of blurs.

"How'd it go? Any problems?" He asked, hopeful look on his face.

Zach looked Lucas in the eyes. His dead eyes meeting Lucas' tired ones.

"It went as well as it possibly could i think. Kyuba would tell you better. I will leave you two to talk." Zach said in a monotone voice. He walked away.

He wandered the halls. Searching for well nothing. He just wandered.

"Hmm that brought up some most wonderful memories no?" Zero asked tauntingly. Zach ignored him. He walked until he came to the ships botanical area. All types of plants grew within. It seemed the followers of Shiira took pleasure in a small amount of life at least. Though Zach noticed that most of the plants either were poisonous or could be used to make poisons. Wonderful.

"Do you need something?" Sadi ,one of the keepers, asked in a polite but condescending voice. Zach just looked at the woman with his dead eyes and the keeper decided to leave Zach alone. Zach found a nice corner surrounded by giant Venus fly traps. These were man eating plants. But it seemed the plants knew to leave Zach alone. In fact one of the plants rubbed against him and seemed to purr.

"I have a lot to think about." He mumbled quietly to himself.

Kyuba sat next to Lucas and flattened out a few wrinkles in his robe. "The council will accept...they fear me to much to deny me anything...my guess is they will only give us a small task force and a mobile operations base with enough supplies to help us. If we cannot deliver results with that....then we are not worthy of any further aid..." Kyuba sighed and removed his mask, his silver hair flowed free. "If you want me opinion...we should take the small amount we can get and then try and rally under a different banner...the church will get us what we need to liberate the planet and that will show other organizations we mean business..." He got up and started pacing. "Lucas....we need to talk about Michiko...."

Lucas nodded.

"Sounds like a good plan. The resources we gather here can be an effective start, however, if we can get more units and more of a rallying cry under a different sign, it might be more effective. No disrespect meant, but the Church is a rather intimidating figure to gather behind."

He slowly began to move off of the table, sliding forward and eventually landing on his feet.

"Hey, think I could get a drink? I feel miserable." He asked, calmly getting his bearings before looking square on at Kyuba.

"I assume this isn't just about her disposition towards the church."

Kyuba walked over to the bar and poured Lucas the strongest mix he knew and then made one for himself. Sadly no...her reaction is to be anticipated...it is her sanity I am worried about...she has become attached to those children on an extreme level...They cannot come with us to war. They will be kept safe here but I fear, based on how she has thus far treated the medical staff, she will protest this. We are also getting closer and closer to people that wronged her. Her mental stability is something we need to monitor...closely....

Drink this....it can steal the very dead from their graves and make them dance with the devils....

Lucas nodded and took a small sip of the drink, the smell alone nearly sending him reeling.

"Wow, this is...heavy." He coughed out, shaking off the shock.

"I understand, and this can easily become problematic. Any suggestions? Honestly all I can see us working out is sending them to another organization until we become secure and have a stable operation. She's going to need to be in contact with them in order to preserve her mental state, I don't like that but it's true. We need to either stabilize her somehow, or we will need to balance this act VERY carefully."

It was true, Lucas could see Michiko quickly becoming attached to the children, hell, he sort of was too. But this was a warzone, and this was not the place to keep children. He knew they would have to be moved, both for their sake and for hers.