---

Huffing and hurrying, the sound of steam and heavy machinery moving, twisting and thumping drowned half of the sound of gunshots and machine guns that echoed through the flagship of the warqueen, Pane crawled through the events trying to get away from most of the action. He was scared his mom said she would meet her in the upper decks where a defence was being mounted as both split up. But for him it seemed like the entire ship was a war zone instead as he huffed for air as he passed another illumination the sound of swords could also be heard he stopped for a moment to catch air it felt hot in the lungs, and to breathe it also felt hot his eyes illuminated the hallways with gold shimmer as he relaxed his body he soon felt an arm grab his back and soon he was lifted up from the vent access screaming he soon saw a fire and a buff man wearing armour saying. “I found a vent rat here!” 

Pane squirmed while being held up in the air he quickly soon picked up a shiv he hid on his pants and stabbed the soldier in a weak joint of the armour. With a shout of pain, he let go of the boy, and as his bare feet covered by bandages hit the metal tiling, he soon began to run away. The industrial access areas were rather tight, but for Pane, it was quite easy to transfer behind the soldiers seemed to be following him they were slow he noticed, but still could catch him up. His heart pounded, rushing forward, turning into corners, hoping to lose them, until he stopped seeing a deep fall chain hanging from the ceiling; this was an access vent system; the air was a bit more difficult to breathe. Looking around, there seemed to be no way to go besides climbing down or up the ledges. 

As he looked back, he soon saw the soldiers turning around a corner and beginning to get close to him. Seconds were all he had, and his heart decided for him as he rushed forward and jumped, aiming to grab one of the chains used for transporting heavy machinery through the area. Holding the rope, he managed to maintain his strength and quickly climbed up with all the strength he could muster. Looking down, the soldiers seemed to give up chasing him, returning to their tunnel as he looked around, he saw another access tunnel just 2 floors above the one he left. With enough strength, he jumped through the gap grabbed onto the ledge, and soon raised himself up the ledge he then collapsed onto the floor breathing heavily as his arms felt sore.

He took deep breaths before rising up and continuing his way through the industrial access tunnels, leaving then into a regular hallway he noticed the blood splatter on the walls. The smoke of gunpowder could be felt in the air Pane looked around seeing dead soldiers on the floor, bullet casings, and holes in the walls by said gunfire. He soon picked up a pistol from a fallen soldier. His heart pounded as he moved carefully through the hallways, the lights still illuminated. He soon froze as he saw a gun being pointed at him by a soldier turning a corner and seeing him. The woman then said. “Come in kid.” Lowering her firearm, he looked on in shock but soon relaxed when he saw the badge of a woman holding a spear charging into the stars. 

They were on his side, he realised quickly and moved on when seeing other soldiers behind the woman setting up barricades as he left the hallway. He could see an opening, a large hall with several entrances one leading to the bridge he soon began to look around for his mom saying. “M-mom?” He felt disoriented by the number of people around looking for his mom after a moment of searching, he soon could see her. She was black-haired with scars on her face, and bright gold eyes glowed towards him seeing her, he shouted. “Mom!” As he rushed carrying his gun his mom seemed to notice him beginning to move towards him as he rushed, and he soon stopped seeing a man remove from a cloak a metallic sphere that seemed strange and rather advanced activating it, he soon saw the glow increase, illuminating the room he soon jumped as an explosion rocked the entire area the ringing of his ears deafening the screams and the sound of gunfire. Rising up he soon saw soldiers beginning to enter through the hole made by the explosion as the world returned to him he could see soldiers wearing their black armour and carrying a blood-red star insignia. The gunshots made him begin to crawl as his ears ringed several people running and soldiers that he was with picking covering positions as he hid behind a piece of debris. Looking up he saw a soldier begin to approach him, gun in hand, aiming at others further along looking down, he began to fondle the revolver he had. A revolver yet he never operated a gun before as he cocked up the pistol, he felt someone step behind him.

Looking behind, he saw the soldier look at him and began to point his arm at him his heart raced until he saw the head of the soldier being shot and collapse on the floor looking in the opposite direction, he could see Nis, she wielded a rifle and fired shots with extreme precision taking down several other soldiers she looked like a monolith of power her red eyes glowing like fire. Behind her several guards continued marching behind her, guns in hand helping in repelling the enemy soldiers. Spanning away from the awe Pane soon realised there were still threats around finally cocking the revolver, he aimed the heavy gun at the first soldier and opening fire the gun flew off his hand with him letting out a. “Yelp!” of surprise the shot seemed to miss he realised, as he soon hid from the gunfire going his way as he cowered he soon saw Nis walk past him looking to him she seemed to be without fear to his eyes returning to shooting as he rose up he saw the guards of her and herself together with a few other soldiers begin to drive back the attack. The bullets seemed to not even hit her or they seemed to ricochet when hitting her armour. After the loud bangs finally stopped he breathed easily as the violence finally ended.

He stared at her for a moment as she seemed amazing to himself, barely hearing a word she said as she talked with her second officer and began to walk back to the centre of the room past him. As they walked past him he soon shook his head realising, he needed to focus beginning to look for his mother again and walk around whispering for her mother in the returning crowds to work. Taking a look around he noticed the corpses and one seemed familiar a shiver ran down his spine as he began to approach some of the bodies being dragged until he saw her black her face covered in blood and gunshots he kneeled not being able to think straight. His heart felt like it had sunk into an abyss, and his eyes were heavy, barely able to be contained as tears began to fall down. He touched her arm holding it up like saying. “m-m-mooom!” He soon felt the world dissolve itself for a moment as he felt himself alone despite being surrounded by people his heart was like a boulder dragging him into an abyss. His soul felt hurt, and he raised his chin, sniffing and trying to find something else to focus on. 

His eyes focused on the war queen. Nis seemed busy making orders, and most of her guard had dispersed; she seemed close by as he swallowed tears he began cleaning his eyes and looking back again. His eyes widened as he could see a man standing next to her pulling from a coat another spherical weapon that seemed visible. He soon began to rush forward shouting. “Watch out!” Closing distance quite quickly either due to adrenaline or luck pushed the large man. The sphere seemed ancient technology as it bounced off the floor it soon began to glow as people began to run. Pane also ran as he heard the man shout in what seemed like a mechanical voice. “GLORY TO THE COUNCIL!”

Pane soon felt himself caught in the blast launching himself in the air and landing on the floor his ears ringing and his body aching in pain as soon as he recovered most of his senses, he felt tremendous pain looking down at his arm, he saw only it was torn off together with his right leg he soon screamed in pain. Laying down his head feeling weak and in pain as he looked up he saw the silhouette of Nis she looked at him shocked, and quickly unbuckled a belt shouting. “GRAB ME A SURGEON!” He soon felt the tourniquet pressure in his leg. “It hurts!” He screamed at her. “I know, stay with me, you are fine. Understood?” She replied holding his head, and a surgeon soon arrived saying. “Loss of blood, severe possible broken bones besides the missing limbs, I will try my best.” He soon began to apply a tourniquet to his arm as she looked at the boy feeling his heart being pressured, she soon heard a clicking sound with a small sigh, she turned around and grabbed the man’s arm, her mechanical arm breaking the arm on his hand before turning to a shotgun and pointing to his chest and firing sending the man back with the fire.

She panted with the adrenaline coursing through her veins she then said. “Check anyone else for traitors!” The guards saluted and began checking Pane looked in awe still holding to life, but soon he heard a voice mechanical yet deep and scary it laughed. “ha ha… What a nice show huh Nis?” Nis looked shocked, turning around to see the body was actually a robot she mumbled. “Impossible…” “Ah everything is possible…” The voice replied as a screen turned on and the silhouette of a man wearing cybernetics appeared, he soon said. “This little boarding action may have failed, but several more are coming. Time is gonna run out honey, and your resources are beginning to run out.” She seemed to chuckle at the comment. “Can’t believe I once slept with you…” “Ah please… under the bridge, I like our friendly games, but my co-workers in the council are becoming more irritated at this game of cat and mouse of ours. Especially as we consolidate the system.” Pane soon saw the man’s face as he leaned closer to the camera; he seemed as young as Nis, his eyes were green, his face had a bionic jaw, and one eye was cybernetic, leaving him looking well.

“So you wanna say a final goodbye?” She replied to him saying. “Yes a game ends well… you are the only one to survive the battle, and even with one-fourth of your forces, you are holding well. Well, good luck my love you were amazing.” He smiled and seemed about to reply. She soon shouted. “WAIT!” Pane looked, and she seemed to hesitate as he took a second look she sighed and said. “What… are your coworker's conditions for my surrender? If I am allowed to still reign in some of my lands.” “Are you willing to surrender after all this time?” He replied, rather shocked by his looks. Nis seemed to take a deep breath before saying. “Does it look like I have another choice, love?” He seemed to stare before typing something in a console as time held, the room still felt silent despite the crowd. Soon several other screens turned on nine in total, Pane could not see the others as a woman seemed to say as his consciousness seemed to fade in and out, the doctor attaching a blood bag to him. “So… you are willing to bow down to us, Winner of one hundred battles?” He heard before going to sleep.

Pane soon awoke feeling a bit dizzy. Yet he felt comfortable, something he never experienced much, his head resting on a pillow and his body on a bed. As he looked around, he soon saw Nis his eyes widened, and he took a deep breath that seemed to be heard as Nis turned to him. “You are awake…” She replied with a light smile her red eyes glowed as he stared, and the only words he could say were. “My queen… I…” “Don’t call me that where your parents are?” She replied, curious he looked down saying. “They are dead…” His heart felt pressed by a boulder as he remembered once again of the events that led him here, Nis meanwhile looked sad saying. “I failed you… I am sorry…” “You did not fail me…” He replied with a weak tone. She looked at him with a soft smile yet her face still looked sad, she then said to him. “I did… Don’t worry I... you will be in good hands.” She said tenderly, running her fingers through his hair. Pane felt comfortable for the moment, falling asleep again.

---

45 years later.

The elevator stopped as Pane stepped out, adjusting the clothes around his cybernetic right arm. His cybernetical leg felt tight, but it did not bother him much. He wore a suit that was well made, his hair was cut short and his beard was trimmed and grey due to his age. Walking towards the chamber, the guards saluted him entering the chamber, he could hear the humming of Nis saying. “My lady… I got the reports of the recent riots in Teyin colony.” As the doors closed, he approached, seeing Nis lose a lot of her age despite having the ancient tech to boost her vitality, she began to quickly age. The flower of her youth departed quite quickly almost 10 years ago as well, her skin had gained more wrinkles and her hair had lost all its colouration, her muscles withered from the days she used to be quite strong, her mechanical arm being the only thing that stayed the same, looking at him she sighed. “Anything bad son?” she asked him. “The reliance of the local governor on a few priests who believed the gate opening was a sign of the king's return caused severe unrest. But we managed to pacify it after approaching them with our guard.” he replied to her reading the report. She sighed sliding in her chair saying. “These days I just sit here… I feel choked…” “I think losing three-fourths of what you had to the council and managing to recover things so you kept two-fourths of the original deal is a good thing.” He replied with her chuckling saying. “Please don’t try to make it seem like settling into this new life is good.”

He soon shook his head saying. “On other news, remember your son?” “Which one of my twelve, excluding you of course.” She replied, he let out a small grunt before saying. “The one who wanted to prove himself to you and became a mercenary despite being your youngest.” She seemed unsurprised asking. “Urukatan? The boy? Let me guess, he got himself in trouble against someone he was hired that was too much to chew?” “Not quite but I believe it's close…” He replied with a light saying. “He has crossed the gate into another system from what I know he has accumulated a small bounty, including captives.” She seemed shocked. “Foolish boy… Why does he do that?” she looked annoyed asking it. “Well, it's hard to live under the shadow of a person of reputation, not only that but the tension between you and your children is a bit high so he wanting to do something that you would find pride in is probably something he wishes.” He replied to her with a scoff being uttered by her. “They still envy you?” She asked. “Sometimes.” he replied, with her rolling her eyes at the answer she then said. “Of course… Why do they always seem distant… Prepare to send a message to him. I don't want him to risk his life pursuing something foolish mission.” He gave a nod heading out she then said. “Oh and Pane…” “Yes?” he replied, turning around with her soon shaking her head saying. “Nothing, go ahead please…” He gave a nod leaving the room thinking. “Still a closed book, despite needing to be open.” The doors opened for him, and soon they closed behind him as he went to work.

---

Part III with @Sep
New Gift

---

Everything changed in pitch and fervour quickly, as everyone stood up and started rushing about packing everything away. The creature had called the ‘hoomans’ a bluff. Spoke of humanity, Disobedient Runt’s arm hung near the plasma pistol nervously, a bluff. The word was familiar but he couldn’t quite place it.

Pathetically Lame, while physically limited. Was not limited mentally, and he figured it out first. He hissed as his mandibles flared and curled, showing his fangs, most of the guards that had been present were now gone. At the centre of the field where only moments ago there had been many different diplomats and the one Tainted. His hand twitched by his side, near his own pistol. ”You, lie?” Pathetically Lame practically spat the accusation.

The Tainted were many things, one thing they were not was liars. Among the many sins listed by their gods, lying was one of the worst. Not only was it a sin, it was dishonourable. Even with his one limp arm, he pulled the pistol from its holster and tossed it aside, as he drew out a smaller knife.

”Perhaps you are an inheritor of the Demons dishonour.”

The Shogun snatched the book back in haste, grunting in surprise as he grabbed hold of his mare’s hair at the sudden threat. The ever-loyal steed went on its hind legs and sent a ferocious kick towards Pathetically Lame, sending him to the ground in a heap.

“Fool.” Todayashi muttered, taking a glance at Disobedient Runt who was getting ready to start something equally as foolish as his superior. He let out a keen whistle and his samurai, already positioned on their steeds and making haste towards their lord, diverted a part of his guard to apprehend the other alien. A chimpanzee leapt off his bareback steed and made to grapple with the reptile.

Disobedient Runt, while smaller in stature, had a distinct advantage in combat over Pathetically Lame. All his limbs were fully functional, he managed to get a stray shot off before he was jumped. The bolt of plasma went wide off the mark, striking one of the aliens in the side. Searing flesh and burning hair was likely a non-fatal blow, especially under treatment. Though the creature would likely always sport a scar. Disobedient Runt grunted as the creature landed atop him, their limbs flailing and twisting as they crossed each other.

Disobedient Runt had the raw strength, however he lacked combat training and military discipline and was soon overwhelmed.

The first Legion outriders started to arrive with the commotion, APCs and tanks surrounding Neo Nippon as the first landship came into view, cannons bristling and drones deploying into the air. The shadow of the purple ship hovered resolute above them.

The Shogun needed to take quick actions to save his face. He bellowed over the engines and stamping hooves. “BROTHERS! WATCH THE SKIES AND THE VESSEL ABOVE! WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT THESE INTRUDERS WANT YET!”

The Legionnaires, unaware of the context of the scenario, deferred their questions for later and turned their attention to the ship above.

The Shogun pointed at Pathetically Lame, who was wheezing himself to a stand. Two more of his samurai went to pin him down, the flat-side of their blades drawn to his neck.

The engines of Neo Nippon roared in the background, tracks starting to roll backward in retreat from the chaos on its doorsteps. Would diplomacy win the day or will fire come to his city? The Shogun merely peered at the alien in front of him, the one who would decide the next moments.

“Your path forward means destruction, friend.” Todayashi explains, soothing his mare with gentle pats. “I apologise once again for the deception but please, realise the situation. In the far reaches of the cosmos, you may have had an advantage but your ship is within reach of cannon and missile here. Calm yourself, think with your head, or you will only live up to your name Pathetically Lame.”

Pathetically Lame wheezed as he tried to push himself to his feet, aliens jumped and grabbed at him as he snarled, the knife knocked out of his hand as he strained against the two beings holding him down. “Demon-Spawn!” He snarled and spat. ”You truly have no honour, you invite us here to lie, then when challenged you have your underlings fight your battles!” The chimps felt secure in holding the Alien.

That was until Pathetically Lame bent his neck over, and clamped down all of his mandibles on one of the creatures’ hairy arms. The chimp roared in pain, as he tore through flesh and sinew till he met bone. Twisting his head, he spat out hair, blood and flesh. Swinging his now free arm towards the jaw of the other chimp roaring in frustration and anger.

It wasn’t long before a new alien took the place of his wounded brother, a third held his head still to prevent him from taking another bite. ”Do you fear facing me yourself Demon-Spawn? Without your lies and deceit to save you.”

“Honour?” The Shogun muttered, as if to no one in particular. If he was the fiery sort, an ape who charged blindly and yelled “banzai” with a sword in paw, he may have answered this challenge. If this was any other Shogunate on New Gift, the Nameless’ response would have been met with fist and rabid teeth. But this Shogun, labelled overcautious by many of his equals, cowardly when out of earshot, could not see himself stoop to such a disgracefully overdone response.

“Friend.” Todayashi started, continuing to stroke his braying mare. “There is no honour in slaying innocent men, women and children. I can claim the same dishonour on your race hundreds of times over. ‘They all lay dead’, you said. Those are a murderer’s words, not that of an honourable warrior. My friend, I am merely attempting to save you and yours from the same fate.”

He raised and closed a paw. The samurai sent curled fists to the top of the Nameless’ heads, repeatedly, till their struggling halted.

While his guards secured their charges to their own steeds, the Shogun raised his gaze to the ship overhead. His other samurai had returned by now, a half-battalion of soldiers armed and ready. If he was anything like his predecessors, he would be charging into the fray, into the heat of the battle he sensed would come.

Instead, the cautious Shogun raised his voice to the Legionnaires around him. “Delay that ship at all cost, we have detainees for the Khan.”

The gorilla started his way in a gallop to the rumbling, retreating safety of Neo Nippon, followed by a stream of his personal guard and two helpless aliens.

---

A Legion captain stared incredulously at the fleeing warriors before snapping back to reality, sending out orders to his patrol.

“You heard the Shogun! C’mon baboons, secure a perimeter on the purple dildo in the sky lest the holy spirits decide to pierce your arses with it!”

Though the vessel resembled nothing like a human pleasure toy, this still elicited a few chuckles from the surrounding Legionnaires.The patrol vehicles went to a frenzied overdrive. They spread in a circle around the vessel, turrets pointed to the sky as armoured personnel carriers deposited Legionnaires bearing their own guns to the still purple ship.

The landship from which they deposited, officially termed a Cairo-class Mobile Drone Carrier, ran in a circle of a radius of two clicks around the vessel in the sky, a full broadside available at a moment’s notice. The dust kicked into the air by landships further afield signalled that backup was on the way. Its complement of Air Support Drones had already been deployed, its two squadrons split with one guarding the Shogun and the other zipping to Neo Nippon. Carnage could be wrought at any moment but under strict orders, they were not to fire first.

The spirits would look kindly upon their stayed paws and with the numerous cameras now pointed over the savannahs, it cannot be said that the Khanate did not try the laurels of diplomacy first.

For good measure, the Cairo-class beamed several quick communications to the ship above. To stand down, explain their underling’s hostility and to come talk as civilised peoples.

---

Relentlessly Reckless sat alone in the flight deck of the small scout ship. He didn’t panic when the audio feed from the planet surface started to change in pitch and tone. He wasn’t entirely sure what this ‘Shogun’ had offered Pathetically Lame, but it had earned him the name Demon Spawn. Before his spiritual ancestors had redeemed themselves by destroying the Demon city on the surface of their planet, that is what the Chosen had called the Tainted. That could only mean one thing, they were in league with humans.

He watched as best he could, as the fight progressively got worse. The Tainted weren’t warriors, and never got combat training. Pathetically Lame had done his duty in attempting to fight the beasts though ultimately it was a futile gesture. More demon spawn arrived, small craft surrounded the ship. He felt it quake in anticipation for whatever was going to happen next. He put a hand on the controls trying to sooth it, as various voices in various languages came through the communications station.

Relentlessly Reckless ignored it all, watching as his two comrades were rendered unconscious and dragged away unceremoniously. A low grumble came forth from his throat, to die at the hands of demons, he shuddered. There was no worse fate.

Slapping a hand on the communications he opened a frequency to all the local craft. ”On the final day, the Daughters and Sons of the Chosen realised their true purpose-” He moved his hand over to the weapons console, his long fingers playing over it as systems heated up and became live. ”-Long had they waded through the dark and murky waters-” He selected his targets. The cluster of aliens who surrounded his comrades primarily, though he threw in a couple of extra for the guns that couldn’t make that shot. ”-uniting together, they brought the light back to the world-”

Plasma spewed from points all over the ship. Multiple shots, roaring as it shot alone. It tore through his brothers and the apes surrounding them, turning them to ash. The shots splashed up, catching others who unluckily were standing nearby. The targeted vehicles he hit found their outer metal hulls molten and red hot, as the plasma burned through.

Frustratingly, these infernal Demon Spawn had spread themselves from a clustered mass of filth to a loosely arranged formation. His comrades were struck down, their captors melting in heaps of plasma-sizzling flesh but the rest of the entourage fled away to the safety of their moving habitation. He swore that the lead Demon Spawn gazed back at him through the console with a hatred that only a Demon could summon.

Before Relentlessly Reckless could shut those anger-filled eyes forever, his vessel came under cannon and missile fire. Those pesky drones strafed the bio-ship, opening up bleeding chasms in the ship’s structural body. The far-away landship spewed massive shells which brought deep scars, one of these striking through to the engines. The vessel began to spin slowly to the ground as the smaller vehicles scrambled out of the path of the listless craft, still firing their incessant guns to carve more canyons through the flesh of his vessel.

Relentlessly Reckless selected as many targets as he could, the vessel began to shake under incoming fire. It screamed in his mind, the pain intolerable. Yet its will stood resolute, as did his own. -”and Honour back unto themselves”

Flesh bubbling from the sheer heat, the Nameless pilot experienced severe agony for mere moments till he lost his senses. The overwhelming firepower of the Demon Spawn had brought the ship into a simmering, unrecognisable pile on the savannah floor.

And thus, here laid Relentlessly Reckless, in a flesh-coffin made by his betters, content that he made appropriate sacrifice. Having brought death to the Demon underlings, he allowed himself, for once in his pathetically short life, to smile in pure joy. Pure, unfiltered, unadulterated joy.

---

Great Ulaanbaatar

---

”Replay that message once more.”

The Shogun kept his eyes planted firmly on the jade before him. Though no one but him, his liege and his enormous guards were present, he had to follow proper procedure. He ignored his trembling hearts, nearly going into cardiac arrest with the terror flowing through his veins. He had to repress the pool of anger welling in his stomach, listening to the alien prayer echoing through the chambers.

He had been so close to reaching his pinnacle, to experience the relief of finally proving his naysayers wrong. Instead, all Todayashi could foresee from here was exile or death. If this had ended in any other way, he could have spun these events in his favour. Alas, it was not to be.

The silence after the recording played was so thick you could cut it with a knife. It near-strangled him, before his liege’s voice cut through it like butter.

”You greatly erred in not relaying these events directly to me, Tokugawa. When your father picked you from the trees, he told me he saw in you a worthy successor. You have only proven how wrong he was.”

All because of him, his father’s reputation lay in the dirt. Todayashi merely bowed further, forehead touching the cool ground.

“I am yours to use as you see fit, my Khan. Please, oh benevolent Khan, forgive this one’s errors. Let me restore my honour and festoon the ground in my useless entrails.”

All because of him, he had to beg for forgiveness, for light sentences given to his subjects and soldiers. There was a shifting in the cloth pillows, a cackle resounding through the air as the Herald danced over his would-be grave.

”Alas, it seems, that despite all the mistakes you made that day, that this can still be spun in our favour. Your city-state will be dismantled, your subjects sent to other Shogunates further afield. But you, Caesar-kin, will encounter these beings once more and you will use their blind hatred of the humans to our advantage.”

All because of him, his lineage would be struck down and made anew. His subjects would be spread across the Khanate and have to, under threat of death, make do in other inferior realms.

There was a clutter of an object falling and rolling on the ground. A scroll knocked against his forehead, never rising from the ground it was glued to.

”Rise, foolish ape, and read your new mission. This will be your new fate. Let these intruders come once more and treat them. Do not reveal our connection with the Demons they hate so much. Instead, send their hatred elsewhere, where enemies can strike each other down without realising the tune they are being played to.”

All because of him, he had to endure this eternal shame. Todayashi unrolled the scroll on the ground, eyes scanning the document. His twin hearts beat like drums in his ears.

”Send them to the jungles. There, they will meet Demons and their Demon Spawn that they hate so much. I want the fires in their bellies to direct themselves to our enemies and you, and your ashamed samurai, will guide them to the pits of hell. To your original home.”

A map stared back at him. All because of him, he and his loyal samurai had been given their final resting place. Todayashi knew it in his bones. The equatorial jungles, where Caesar and his ilk remain. Where, to the Khanate’s eternal shame, unguided humans frolicked in their own inadequacy, under the guise of supposed freedom. A place which would burn in plasma and hellfire, an inferno which he knew would grow into a full-on war not seen on New Gift since ages past.

All because of him, death and destruction would begin once more in the grounds of his forsworn homeland. Tears flowed and stained the scroll he clutched tightly in his paws, even as he was dragged away from the inner sanctum.

All because of him, a long forgotten, prospering community would be brought under heel. Led by none other than an orphaned ape, taken from the clutches of his mother much too soon. Foggy memories flooded through his brain, of trees and intelligent reptiles, of free apes, of happy misshapen humans, of times past.

All because of him, these memories would be replaced by bloodstained blades and raining plasma.

All because of him.