PROLOGUE:
THE BIG BAD WOLF
Location: Gideus Sphere - Vetrosis System - Planet Idak
Concierge Zetram V.27 stood before the burning metropolis with a preoccupied mind. The catastrophe displayed before him was an after thought compared to the concerns regarding his newly tailored suit. It was snug around the mid drift, and felt like the whole thing could tear at the seams from the slightest movement.
"This is unbecoming!" Zetram V.27 kicked the charred carcass at his feet in a tantrum. After realizing he dirtied himself, the Toliath slowly bent down to avoid any potential rips in his clothing, and lightly patted off the soot and alien ash from his shoe.
"Sir?" A Toliath soldier approached him. He was a special operations ranger decked out in black armor and high military grade weaponry. Zetram looked up, a question mark symbol emoting in front of his black and orange face as a hologram projection.
"Did you find it?!" Zetram's question mark flashed into a bold red exclamation point. "Time spent on this holocaust is time kept away from my beauty preparations for tonight's annual gala event at Capital Prime. Surely you understand that that's a big deal, yes?" The ranger did not emote back. Such was the way of his training.
"Apologies, Concierge Zetram." The ranger's voice was dull and unenthusiastic. "Glassing a country with limited resources was a bit of a challenge, but we have captured an alien folk that may know the whereabouts-"
"Bring the beast to me!" Zetram impatiently snapped his fingers. The ranger stepped aside, presenting the captor. It was an Arctori. An armed one! She held a long spear with a blue bladed tip, locked in a battle stance.
"What's the meaning of this?!" The exclamation point on Zetram's head was glowing bright red. "Why is this Wayshield beast not in chains?"
"I'm well aware of the sniper satellites pointed in my direction. I know that if I so much as blink the wrong way, they'll send a laser through my skull." The Arctori female spoke. "Your ranger warrior was decent enough to let me stand proud with my honor intact. I am Shieldmaiden Vaya, last of the Wayshield Wardens."
Zetram glared at the soldier who, again, refrained from holographic emoting. "If she moves that stick knife of hers in any way, I'll personally see to your discharge." He walked forward, then stopped to keep his distance from the Arctori. While Zetram was well aware of the orbiting sharpshooters targeting their captive, it was still unnerving to be in the presence of an uncaged beast.
"Where are the maps?" Zetram demanded in an irate tone.
"They were never here." She answered. "Your intel was garbage. Meant to throw you off the chase. You ravaged this place for nothing." There was no pain in the Arctori's voice, because this country, this world, was never hers. Idak was one of many that belonged to the United Core Systems, an old enemy that never cared for her or her people. In fact, seeing one of its cities burn brought a certain warmth in her heart.
"That's unfortunate." Zetram looked down, visibly disappointed at the time being wasted on this dusty planet. "We'll have to glass this whole puss ball for good measure then. Can't leave a job half-finished, you know?"
Shieldmaiden Vaya was just like the Toliath Ranger in that she expressed no emotional response. At least she thought she didn't. The orange holographic hues painted on Zetram's face were glowing as he quietly observed her. Every muscle twitch, eye blink, and breathing pattern didn't go unnoticed from their brief exchange. Among those physical tells was a concern or worry for something, or someone, still on this planet. Zetram didn't care to press her further about the specifics. The intel never lied. The star map is still here.
"Good. So, we're getting warm are we?" Zetram nodded. In this simple gesture, the Arctori took her last breath before an energy beam from the stratosphere lanced through her skull. Her lifeless body collapsed onto the ground.
"I'm late for my beauty appointment," Zetram sighed. "I leave this operation to you, ranger. I hope to have some good news after my return from Capital Prime."
"Yes, sir!" The ranger held his salute as Zetram initiated the teleportation sequence. Bit by bit, his body slowly reshaped into tiny black cubes of energy that warped into the sky. When Zetram completely vanished from sight, the Toliath ranger pried the magic spear from the Arctori's dead hands. He playfully twirled it around like a child. He even made sound effects with his voice modulator, all while the destruction of Idak's capital city was crumbling in the background.
ELSEWHERE...
Location: Planet Idak - ???
Mej and Rig gestured for the little aliens to come close. They always talked about wanting to be parents someday. Perhaps this was as good as it was going to get for them.
"Listen, you little brats." Mej made sure to smile so they knew he was being playful. "We're going on a field trip, okay?"
"What's a field trip?" The one with the blue hat asked.
"Where's mom?" The one with the red hood chimed in.
Rig slowly exhaled, bringing a hand to her forehead before combing back loose strands of blue hair. "A field trip is like a nice little adventure. And your mom will meet us at our destination. Now go pack your things and be ready to leave at sun down!"
The kids nodded approvingly at the sound of an adventure. For weeks they've been cooped up in this old warehouse without any word from their mother. All of them, including Rig and Mej, were starting to get a little stir crazy. As the little Wayshielders dispersed to collect their belongings, she wrapped her arms around Mej's waist and put her head on his chest. She couldn't hold back the tears any longer.
"Don't worry, Rig." Mej lowered his bearded chin and kissed her on her forehead. "Somebody will come." He brought his hand close to her, wiping away the tear marks. Just then, a notification alert flashed onto his gauntlet. He twisted his arm and saw the best news they've had all month:
"She did it." Mej said in disbelief, eyes beginning to water. "That crazy bitch did it!"
Rig looked up at Mejs' gauntlet. She held it with both hands and stared long and hard at the words to make sure that what she was seeing was real. Rig planted a kiss onto Mej's lips then quickly skirted off.
"Children! Change of plans! We're leaving in 10 minutes!" Rig couldn't hold back the excitement from her voice. The Wayshield youth cheered as Mej and Rig joined them in packing. Mej smiled at seeing her happy, filled with hope. It invigorated him. They had a fighting chance now, and he was willing to do whatever he could to keep Rig and those children safe.
END OF PROLOGUE
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