//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: Seizing the Star (Phase two) // by keithsterling //------------------------------// ~24 miles north of Saurial outpost base 4~ Igor Thunder tail cuts his way through a thick rain forest region that 24 miles long heading toward Dark claw held territory with a machete. Around his waist was a belt with a holster containing his Browning hi-power single-action, semi-automatic pistol. Slung over his shoulder with thick strap was his Lee-Enfield jungle carbine rifle, and his left side was metal sheath with an F-S fighting knife. Covering his prominent fin on his head was camouflage brimmed fabric hat with round, shallow crown called a safari hat. On his back was rain forest camouflage rucksack with all his equipment. A week earlier, at his permanent post saurial outpost base one, his Horn head commander summons him very late in the evening to his office in the command tower to speak to him. His commander told him he needs him for a deep reconnaissance mission into dark claw held territory just north of saurial outpost base four. After quickly packing his rucksack with all necessary equipment, Igor headed down to the base docks and boards a small unit riverine craft manned by two other fin head soldiers. His plan was to ride the river all the way to Saurial Outpost base four. Still, that plan changed went the river was unusually packed with Lizard men swimming south from the northern territory. This forced the small unit riverine craft to dock at Saurial Outpost base three as the lizard men would attack the vessel trying to sink it. This makes it unsafe to travel upriver to Saurial Outpost base four. With this unscheduled stop at Saurial Outpost Base three, Igor was able to refresh his supplies and get the latest Intel as well as an updated map of the northern territory. At noon Igor set out to Saurial Outpost base four on foot after fifteen days trip from Saurial Outpost Base three to Saurial Outpost base four. He arrived and began his deep reconnaissance mission into dark claw held territory. For several weeks now in the capital city of Lost Vale, Valkyria has regularly returned to the nesting grounds to tend to her nest and eggs, hoping to hear the telltale sound of an eggshell breaking from her nest by her hatchlings breaking out of the eggs. As Valkyria's eyes became haunted by some inner pain, she suddenly hears the sound of breaking eggshells. From a small hole in the egg, a little snout pokes out, slowly breaking the shell with its egg tooth. "Viveka! My eggs are hatching!" Valkyria yell as the female blade back run to the nest and reach the nest out of breath. "Lady Valkyria, I am not as young as I use to be when I was, a Guardian of High Priestesses. This old body takes some time to get moving." Viveka said, trying to catch her breath as she used her finger claw to help the hatchling to break free of the eggshell. Meanwhile, outside the hatchery flying high over the swamp monitoring the water, was a Saurial flyer. Suddenly millions of bubble trails appear on the surface of the water heading towards the hatchery. He's power dive toward the nesting grounds Guardians to warn them that many green-skinned barbarians are coming. Quickly the fin head nesting grounds guardians affix bayonets to end of their rifles. The fin head guardians in the guard towers begin loading ammo belts with 250 rounds into the M1919 Browning machine gun in each tower. "All female saurials in the nesting grounds and Priestesses quickly gather your eggs or hatchlings abandon this hatchery! The green-skinned barbarians are coming!" A fin head guardians warn as explosions, gunfire, and screaming erupt outside the hatchery as the nesting ground guardian's fight to protect the hatchery. In the hatchery, a calm panic has descended on the female saurials in the nesting grounds as the normal priestesses. Chief priestesses quickly ushered them out of the hatchery to meet up with their mates outside who grab hold eggs and hatchling to help evacuate their family. A moment later, their terrifying screams from numerous female saurials as the lizard men penetrate the hatchery's inner core. (Rat-a-tat-tat) The sound echo in the hollow out center of the hatchery as High Priestess Viveka Lightfoot stands atop a rock armed with M1919 Browning machine gun mowing down the Lizard men who pop their heads up from the rocks strews about the nesting grounds. She is soon joined by other female blades back priestesses armed with M1918 Browning automatic rifle (BAR). They are covering the escape of the remaining saurial females left in the hatchery carrying their eggs or hatchlings. "Lady Valkyria makes your escape with your hatchlings. My priestesses will hold as long as we can. Till every female saurial has escaped the hatchery!" Viveka calls as she chops open the feed loader of her machine gun and loads another 250 round belt into the weapon and slams the door closed and resume firing allowing the other priestesses to slap in a new 20 round box magazine into their (BAR). Quickly Lady Valkyria scoops up her hatchlings and makes a run toward the exits; the closer she gets to the openings the lower the machine gun fire gets till she can't hear it anymore. As Lady Valkyria emerges from the hatchery, she trips on a rock tossing her hatchlings to the ground and comes to rest at the three-toed scaly feet of her parents. Quickly Duchess Mista Thunder Roars, her mother picks-up the hatchlings and begins to calm them. As her father, Duke Balder Thunder Roars, draw his dual M1911 colt government a single-action, semi-automatic pistol from his quick-draw holsters. He rushes into the hatchery, followed by his royal guard platoon, all armed with Thompson submachine guns. For the next few hours, the sound of gunfire echoes throughout the hatchery. Before long, the hatchery gunfire goes silent, and a moment later, Duke Balder Thunder Roars emerges with High Priestess Viveka Lightfoot on his shoulder, using him as a crutch along with her other Priestesses with various injuries from holding off the Lizard men went their ammo was exhausted. A Lizard man charges toward Duchess Mista Thunder Roars, holding her daughter's hatchlings in her arms bent on devouring them. She quickly draws her colt commando double-action revolver from her own quick-draw holster on her side, the hammer is cock, and the trigger is pulled. Next thing that happens, the Lizard man just drops from being shot. Duchess Mista spins her revolver on her finger and holsters it in one quick movement. Later that same day at the duke's palace in the capital city of Lost Vale, an older magnificent looking dark blue-green fin head female paces back and forth in front of her daughter's door as the royal physician check her daughter. Her fit 5ft even saurial figure was attired in finely made orange embroidered below the knee-length dress. Her three-toed scaly feet were bare with the sharp claw on each toe. This older fin head female is Duchess Mista Thunder Roars Lady Valkyria Thunder tail mother and ruler of the capital city of Lost Vale along with her husband. Soon Duchess Mista is joining by an older handsome light pine green colored fin head male. His fit 5ft even saurial figure was attired in pacific blue finely made long sleeve shirt and finely made Malibu blue embroidered trousers that hit just over his knees. His three-toed scaly feet were bare with the sharp claw on each toe. This older fin head male is Duke Balder Thunder Roars Lady Valkyria Thunder Tail's father and ruler of the Capital city of Lost Vale. "Mista, our daughter's hatchlings are safe in the nursery under the care of a blade back Priestess who was not at the hatchery went those lizard men attack the nesting grounds. Any word from the royal physician about our daughter?" Duke Balder asked as Mista sighs, relieved with the news. "Thank the ancestors for the good news, Balder. No, the royal physician has not come out of our daughter's room to tell me anything. It makes me worry. I hope our daughter didn't sustain any serious injury to keep her for caring for her hatchlings." Duchess Mista comment as the two fin head nobles heard someone running up the staircase to the second floor. On the second floor, landing appeared Lord Igor Thunder Tail attired in azure blue finely made short-sleeve shirt and finely made paprika red embroidered trousers that hit just over his knees. "Lord Igor!" both older fin heads said simultaneously as their son-in-law approach them and bow his head before picking it up to look at the older fin heads. "What happened, your graces? Did Valkyria and our hatchling survive? I was just told went I return to Saurial outpost base one after a short deep reconnaissance mission into dark claw held territory." Igor said, struggling to control quavering in his voice. "(Placing his two-fingered clawed hand on his shoulder) your hatchlings are safe, Lord Igor. Valkyria was able to save them with the help of High Priestess Viveka Lightfoot and her high Priestesses. We are still waiting for the doctor to tell us the condition of Valkyria." Duke Balder reassuring as Lord Igor calm himself down. "Thank your grace." Lord Igor said thankfully as one of the duke's aids summoned him to a meeting. "Excuse me, Lord Igor, But I have a lot to do because of that attack on our largest hatchery in the Capital city of Lost Vale by those Lizard men. I'll have Mista stay with you and wait to hear from the doctor." Duke Balder said his voice edged with tension as he kisses his wife on her cheek before joining his aid. "Dammit Mista, this is why they sent me on that short deep reconnaissance mission into dark claw held territory. My horn head commander was worry about this very thing happening to one of our hatcheries. But by the time I made it to the Lizard Men breeding ground, it all but abandoned with few then a dozen Lizard Men family in the deeper part of the breeding ground." Igor said indignantly slam his three fingers clawed hands on the balustrade of second-floor landing. "(Placing her delicate three-fingered clawed hand on his shoulder) don't take this the wrong way, Lord Igor, I am pleased that our horn head commanders foresaw this happening and tried to prevent it. But it was not preventable (reaching into the pocket of her dress and pulling out a paper)." Duchess Mista said handing the paper to Lord Igor, who faces glazes with shock upon reading the paper Mista give him. "What! The dark claws are testing new types of weapons that fire a beam of light that can destroy fortifications with ease." Lord Igor voice shrill with horror that the Lizard men were just trying to survive. "Your Grace, how can these Dark Claws be more advanced than us?" Lord Igor asked, turning toward Duchess Mista, who chewed on her lip. "They are not; the duke and I figure they are getting the weapons from somewhere else. This technology is way too advanced for them. Our own Horn head scientists have form theories about this beam of light power. But our Horn head scientists feel it will take many more generations before it becomes practical." Duchess Mista explains as she taps her three-toed clawed foot on the ground nervously. "If that case your grace, then who is giving them those beam of light weapons? And why have they not deployed them?" Lord Igor asked Duchess Mista, who rests her chin on the flat of her three-finger clawed hand and sighs. "We don't know, but every ten years the Dark claws leadership gathers numerous resources from around the planet and takes them with them to some cave. As for why they have not deployed them, maybe the reason is the same one we have trying to obtain a sample of the weapons. Once touch the weapons, short circuits, and it is rendered useless. Maybe the dark claws don't know how to fix them or who is selling them the weapons has not told them that fact." Duchess Mista explains as the doctor appears from Valkyria's room to get them and tell them she awake. ~At the Infinity palace Central Communication Block~ Sitting in her command pod in the central communication block at the Infinity Palace was a sculpted white-bodied Imperator Alicorn mare with blue mane and tail. Her athletic 6ft 1in equine figure was attired in Cornflower blue form-fitting spacesuit with green, blue trim. On her bare white feet were knee-high boots. Her Silver bio-mechanical metal bird wings were folded on her back. This Celestial Alicorn mare was Galactic Technician Officer Cassandra Chasm, an Imperator Alicorn Communication officer at the Infinity Palace. "Huh!" Cassandra exclaims as a message from an Imperator Alicorn border surveillance post begins to print-out. As she reads, the print-out Cassandra's eyes transfixed with horror with the contents of the message from the post. She quickly unfolds her wings and flies down the corridor to the Command Center/ Throne Room of the palace. She arrives just as Empress Galaxy Cosmos has finished her royal court session for this space cycle and was on her way back to her large and quite spacious private living quarters in the infinity palace. "Your Imperial Majesty, a message from an Imperator Alicorn border surveillance post," Cassandra said, urgent handing the print out to Galaxy with her gloved hand. Galaxy's face glazed with shock with the message. "By the first star! The hobs are back in this Star System!" Galaxy exclaimed as she quickly dismisses Cassandra and sends her back to the central communication block. As she has something important to do, but at the same time, distasteful. She reenters the Command Center/ Throne Room and walks over to her throne. She brings her arms up and sweeps them across in the air calling up a holographic command center. After a few more fine adjustments, a holographic communication screen appears, and a large multi-colored pulsating energy ball appears. "What do you want your imperial majesty?!" an angry male voice said comes from the multi-colored pulsating energy ball. "As pleasant as every your Majesty." Galaxy said sarcastically as the multi-colored energy ball turns an intense red color. "At one time, we were friends." Galaxy said her voice wooden and distant as the multi-colored energy ball turn a light red color. "That was long ago, Miss Galaxy. Before you left my people to die." The multi-colored energy ball said, turning from a smooth sphere to a spiky ball. "There was nothing my people could have done that virus was spreading to fast to stop it. All because your ruler ignored the warnings and refused to act with the plan you had in place. So the only thing I could do was change your people into energy beings." Galaxy said her voice a lifeless monotone as the multi-colored energy ball blink in rainbow hue. "Enough with the past, why have you contacted me, Miss Galaxy?" the multi-colored energy ball asked as it returns to a smooth ball. "The hobs are back in the star systems. It has been ten years since the last time they appeared in the Star systems. You know what that means, your Majesty." Galaxy comment anxious as the multi-colored energy ball blinks a bright white color. "They are going to poach resources from the Star Systems to fuel their endless war on their own planet. At the same time selling low-grade knock-offs of energy weapons that will never work no matter how you handle them. That is the most dangerous thing about the hobs Miss Galaxy. Both our species have seen the aftermath of one of those knock-offs energy weapons going critical. How many planets did you lose?" the multi-colored energy ball inquiry blinking a bright fire-engine red. "I lost a whole star system because the energy core went critical. What about you?" Galaxy said sharply. "I lost 60% of my echoes went the energy core went critical." The multi-colored energy ball said hotly.