He walked with a huge smile on his face, memories of an incredible night still lingering over his mind as he watched the military camp move around him.
Soldiers chatted, laughed, and played games around fires. Many bowed low at the sight of him passing, while others just gave a nod. He held a sigh, why couldn't they be like that when he wasn't in his normal body? He thought as he glanced at his pale beige hand with a neutral expression that betrayed his thoughts. The Changeling started using this human form a lot when he noticed the change in behavior that took place from his comrades towards him compared to his true form. One of the things that bothered him the most was that, he led them, but they didn't respect him for a simple reason.
He wasn't one of them.
It didn't matter how much he trained alongside them, ate with them, or partied with them. There was only one feeling, a single feeling that permeated most of his soldiers when he got close to any human in his battalion.
Suspicion.
He couldn't understand why. After months together, even having the same enemies in common and being the CHOSEN of their god. They couldn't see him as anything more than an outsider, as if his mere presence was an insult.
What had he done wrong? Had humans been attacked or threatened by changelings in the past? Or.... Have they been used so much by other species that they just don't trust anyone that is not part of their species anymore?
He stopped while pondering this. It could pretty dangerous if this line of thought is allowed to spread. It would only generate more hate and could start a cycle of eternal conflict among species.
He sighed silently for himself while returning to walk, It didn't matter in the end. They might not accept him now, but they will. It doesn't matter if it takes another month, a year, or a decade.
These are his comrades, and he will prove he is worthy to lead them.
"Hi! Boss! Ey boss!" A voice cut through his train of thought. He hadn't noticed, but he'd stopped in his tracks without realizing it.
Looking at the source of the voice, he couldn't hold back his smile. A soldier of his legion was rushing towards him, the blue marks and lines proved it. He came without a helmet, revealing himself to be a dark cat with greenish eyes.
Stonegrove, this was a Cat Thorax never expected to meet. Being a fugitive like him they both met accidentally at the human festival of fertility.
Even in his enormous attempt to be slender and mysterious, it was extremely easy for a changeling to detect an intruder by his scent alone. The worst thing was that he didn't even need so much effort, since he used a cloak that didn't fit his own build.
He would laugh if he didn't feel sorry for the scene he'd seen under the cloak.
An abandoned feline so thin he could see bones from so much malnutrition. One of his ears had a cut that divided it from top to bottom and many other cuts spread over his head, hiding many more under his fur. Even nearly arresting the intruder on suspicion of espionage, he managed to gain sympathy from Thorax for his genuine desperation for a place to stay.
From what he could see, the black cat was a beggar.
After that, they both discovered they had a lot in common; both were driven from their homes by their own people for a crime they had never committed and both had come to human lands in search of shelter and a new life. And with that, they became fast friends.
That had been a few months ago, and now he was part of the Legion of Thorax along with many other soldiers of diverse species and backgrounds who had sworn allegiance to Vader.
Because of Thorax, his forces accepted 'outsiders' into their ranks. Unfortunately to add more to the already constant stream of unluck to the old king. His actions only made their countrymen in the human empire more suspicious and hateful towards them. So much so that they were 'affectionately' nicknamed them The 'Dumpster' Legion, for having so many undesirables from different parts of the continent forming the backbone of it. A place where 'trash' was thrown into.
This angered Thorax to no end, but he couldn't do anything about it.
Many were drawn to a group that offered shelter to those who worked and fought for their cause, and so Thorax's legion could be considered one of the most numerous of those who remain loyal to the Dark Lord of the Sith.
"Boss, it's good to see you!" He says cheerfully as he jumps up and wraps his arm over his neck, pulling him into a one-armed hug.
He was trying to look bigger but the height difference was a little comical to Thorax. He still couldn't wrap around himself how much he had grown in such a short amount of time under the tutelage of the dark lord, he was much bigger than before. And seeing the cat like this helped him in remembering his original height, even so, it still bugged him from time to time.
Thankfully, that little bundle of joy was reliable enough, so much so that he was Thorax's most trusted man.
"I can say the same to you Stonegrove. How's the gang?" he asked with a smile as he walked deeper into his legion's camp. His friend just shrugged.
"Same shit as always. Dominic that stupid bat as always trying to start fights to pass the time, Cordell doesn't leave the shooting range, Foox making sure no one is out of schedule. Serina is-" He chuckled while his friend explained what each of their officers did while he was away. The number of people in his legion increased for each day that passed, and that still baffled the Changeling to no end, it was a surprise but he would welcome it either way.
He wasn't very disciplined or strict in what methods or what his officers did, as long as what was required was done, he let his officers do as they pleased as long as they didn't break any rules of course.
While this made his unit not one of the most disciplined in the army, is at least still pretty effective. The brotherhood formed made up for any discipline they lacked and the abilities of the other species under his command helped them a lot in many aspects that normal humans couldn't accomplish.
"And the old man?" he asked after seeing his friend finishing with the names, smiling amused at the frustrated sigh his friend let out, losing his cheerful demeanor almost instantly. "Being useless and walking around drunk. A little more than usual actually." That made Thorax raise an eyebrow.
"More than usual? That old hag can finish off half a whole fucking barrel when he's bored! There are days I wonder how he manages to drink so much and still function." He says exasperated as he chuckles a little and his friend laughed along.
"I say it's his dedication and determination not to work." He calmed down after a fit of laughter with Thorax
"Take it easy on him, he can be useless sometimes...." Stonegrove gave him a bemused look as he smirked. "Okay, he doesn't really do anything at all, but he boosts our group's morale!" That made the feline shake his head with an amused grin.
"Fine fine, you're the boss. But put his lazy ass back to work! It is already bad enough of how much shit we have to do around here while he sleeps in a hammock around." He says as he looks up to face Thorax, pointing his finger in his face to reinforce his point.
"Okay, okay. I understand. I'll talk to him and try to get him back to work, I've been very generous to that old bastard. Way too generous" The Chosen One says while raising both of his hands in a sign of surrender, which in turn made the cat sigh in relief.
"Thank you! I was tired of watching him just be a dead weight." There was an awkward silence after that, neither of them quite know how to continue this conversation, especially Thorax.
He'd never had so many friends, so conversations were still too complicated for the changeling. It was even worse when since his birth, the only thing he needed to know was to say yes to orders given by the queen and nothing else.
Getting out of this practice was still very difficult even after so long.
"So... How have you been adjusting Stone? I haven't had much time to talk to you." His friend looked at him with a new spark in his eyes.
"Oh! It's amazing! I'm free to do whatever I want whenever I want! I have food, I have friends! I-" As he spoke, Thorax's mind wandered, keeping his smile and nodding as he spoke.
It was impressive to see his change. From a fearful and hungry cat to a cheerful and determined friend. His development has been amazing to see in the last month, but he still had a lot to learn. For now, he was just an administrator with his training not yet completed.
Too bad Thorax couldn't train him with what he had learned, Vader forbade him to train and take under his wing any kind of apprentice. He never understood why, Vader wouldn't want his legacy and lessons learned passed on to future generations? Then why stop him from continuing his teachings?
Yes, he still hadn't learned everything and he hadn't perfected what he had already learned, but he could teach a group of students or at least one student everything he had truly learned from his master.
But he preferred not to question, and just accept his master's decision. But in the future, he would question when they were alone.
He was done being left in the dark by his master.
He chatted more with his friend for a while, but it was just a quick chat to catch up with what they had missed, as he still had a lot to do and a lot of more soldiers to check. Before dismissing him, Thorax remembered something that made him smile a little, it would cheer up his companions a little after weeks of idle and bored.
"Pass the message to the other leaders. The day after tomorrow, we march to the capital!" His friend's face went from happy to surprise to excited in less than 5 seconds.
"SERIOUSLY??? YEEEEEEES! MY FIRST FIGHT!" He exclaimed as he jumped excitedly around Thorax who shook his head in amusement.
"Calm down your hairballs." He stopped his friend with a flick to the forehead, causing him to almost lose his balance in mid-jump.
"Ow! What's that for??" The complaining black cat was cut off by his superior's weak laugh.
"You're not ready yet, you still have a lot to learn. And on top of that, war is not a ride. You're going to see a lot of suffering and death, it's not something to get excited about." He explained, his smile had changed to one of seriousness, his friend was very excited to prove his worth but he didn't know the true horrors of war. Thorax would have to change that.
But all in due time.
His friend's scolding made him a little more annoyed as he lowered his head.
"But...."
Stone's ears perked up.
"If you work twice as hard as you normally do. I might consider."
His friend looked and made a begging cat look, with those massive and adorable eyes. "Promise?" He asked beaming.
'Sneaky bastard, low-blow'. He thought amused. "I promise" The Ex-King smiled, receiving a grateful nod.
"I will count on it!" He exclaimed excitedly as he bolted deeper into the camp, leaving a grinning changeling behind.
He chuckled a little as he waved back, returning to his walk through the camp. He liked those moments, they were small but they easily reminded him of why he fought and moved on. Even though he had only known Stone for such a short time, he almost saw him as a little brother who needed to be guided and protected.
His expression dropped as he thought of that word.
Brother.
What happened to his brother? His real brother?
....
He never stopped to think about it. Since he'd been on the run he'd only thought about his own survival, and even when saved he still felt very apprehensive.
But now that his position was stabilized and he was on friendly terms with Vader, he might stop to think.... Why had his brother never even bothered to come looking for him?
His ears drooped a little with those thoughts that plagued his mind. Did his brother still care...? How did he-
"Look who's coming! Our great love machine!~"
His ears shoot up in the air, and his cheeks took on a bluish tinge as he looked around for the source of the voice that had interrupted him. His look of embarrassment changed to one of bemused while he still maintained his blush. Of course, it was him.
Sitting sprawled in his chair with his armor half-buttoned and parts missing, his helmet on its side showing his scarred and frayed face beneath his long white beard and messy hair. The man was extremely skilled and huge compared to most humans, standing seven feet tall and bearing the scars to demonstrate how long he had survived.
No one really knew his age, but many speculated from 60 to 70 years old. Something absurdly rare for human slaves. The average life span will be 30 to 40 years. But there was this old man, steady and strong as a nail in the sand.
Even if angering many who scolded him for his great laziness, he held a great amount of admiration and friendship of many within the legion. That Man had lived a long time, having seen and witnessed through every possible crisis; from the return of Nightmare Moon to the changelings' Invasion of Canterlot to the fall of the triumvirate of terror. He witnessed and lived it all. And that made him the main 'storyteller' for the rest of the legion whom many came only to listen to the advice and knowledge of the old drunk.
He had a humorous and insinuating look.
"W-w-what??" The Changeling suffered to not stutter, making the old man only laugh out loud.
"Be quiet gramps and show a little more respect for our superiors!" He looked to the side of the old man and noticed the smaller figure, he was also wearing armor but this time buttoned and completely arranged in the correct way, he was cleaning his musket that was between his legs and even with a helmet. Thorax could tell the young man was shooting a dirty look from under his helmet.
From his voice, he could tell he was a young man entering his teens, probably 17 or younger. One of the new batch of recruits.
"Oh shut ye trap shrimp. I've had enough superiors in my life! I'm free now kid, I do whatever the fuck I want!" He complained, scolding the young man beside him as he took a sip from a bottle that looked like it had sprung from thin air. "Especially when Thorax decided to go hooray with some ladybug." The elder finished with a wide smile and a laugh that made Thorax explode with embarrassment and blush like crazy.
"W-WHAAA-" He stuttered while trying to control his blush. "-w-where have you heard of this??!!"
The old man made a 'hunf' sound while putting his bottle aside. "Kid, do you think you were the only one at that party?" Thorax's eyes went wide. "The whole fucking town saw you with that little beauty! Shit, you were the center of all the attention in there, i almost joined in the dancing circle if I was sober!" He burst out laughing while giving a pat on Thorax's back, not getting up while doing so.
Their fellow trooper nodded "Heh, for once i agree with the old hag, you must have received one of Vader's rewards!" he added cheerfully.
The old man nodded as well. "Agreed, Vader is as good at giving as he is at punishing." His eyes bulged as he remembered something. "Like Magnus! He gained an entire province after our Manehattan's victory!"
"Wait really??" The youngster by his side exclaimed in shock.
"Yes! And the motherfucker deserved it. He went alone in the direction of the city and once he arrived in his destination, he had gathered an entire army under his banner using his charisma only!" He told while taking another sip of his bottle. "Burned that bitch to the ground." He chuckled to himself while the youngster was absolutely amazed by his side.
Thorax had not the same enthusiasm remembering the Burning of Manehattan.
Too many innocents died for the amusement of that maniac.
"But still, can you believe it?" He happily exclaimed after cleaning his mouth with his arm. "A human owning miles of land! Soon there will be new contraptions created by human hands; books, arts, weapons, and even entire cities!" He let out a comfortable sigh as he tossed the bottle aside.
"Finally! Free to follow our own dreams! Just like the stories my ma and pa always talked about to me when i was a little runt." He chuckled while continuing. "I can already picture, children, walking around downtown and laughing while playing never having to worry about working a day in their childhood! Adults doing what they want and enjoying it with no fear of being whipped or some bullshit like that!" ignoring the looks he received from his two comrades that heard his little outburst. "Paradise Kid! That will be paradise!"
Who knew the old man was a dreamer.
"Err grandpa, sorry to interrupt your optimistic vision of the future.... But.... Well...." The youngster hesitated while tilting his head in confusion.
"Err...." He looked to the side while sounding a little embarrassed.
"Well? Celestia got your tongue? Spit it out brat!" The old man spat out while looking at the trooper.
"What in Tartarus is a 'Miles'?"
.......
"Oh..."
A silence hung over the air as both Thorax and the old man were a little shocked by the boy's ignorance. The elder quickly recovered and continued with a light facepalm.
"Yeah.... You haven't been taught about it yet. It's what we use to measure distance, you know?" He explained awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. "We can use it to measure the distance between town to town and army to army. It helps us to calculate the time we will have to travel places and measure it."
"This seems very difficult... I rather just follow orders from the eggheads that waste their time on this so I don't have to crack my head with these things." He told with a weak chuckle. Receives a slap on the back of the head by the old man.
"It's a lot easier than it looks! And it's very useful ye lazy runt!" He received what Thorax could presume to be an angry glare of how his body language was being directed at the older human.
"Look who is talking about being lazy! I'm a soldier, not a schoolboy thank you very much! I rather not waste my life away stuck with books or beer like you!" The Old man looked as if he was disappointed.
"That's why you don't have a future kid!"
"Yeah, fuck you too." The teen deadpanned.
They were both silent for a while, facing each other and again maintaining a tense atmosphere that made a bead of sweat trickle down a Thorax. Who broke the silence with a snicker, which was followed by the old man, and then the young man and the three burst into laughter.
Thorax greatly admired the old man's relationship with many of the Legion comrades, these types of banter proved it. Even though they exchanged nicknames and constantly insulted each other, they considered him a great friend and almost like a father figure.
But after a few moments, the laughter died down and a few more insults were exchanged. Thorax decided to change the subject, to something more productive and not about....
That....
"Heh... But jokes aside... Have both of you heard the reports?" Both of the troopers nodded, their expression changing to curiosity at the changeling. "Who do you think these new enemies are that everyone is talking about? Griffins? Raiders? Umbra?" The last one made the old man snicker, much to the surprise of his two companions.
"Hah! Umbra has been trapped in that crystal for an entire decade kid. She's not getting out of there anytime soon." The youngster hesitated but nodded nevertheless.
"I hope it's diamond dogs, so they eat your fatass so you can get out of my hair you parasite!" The old man snickered while opening another bottle of beer.
"Shut up, you little baby! If it weren't for me you'd still be sweating like a pig in the fields and doing nothing interesting nor meaningful with your life!" He gave the youngster a sideway smug glance as he chugged the entire bottle in one go.
"Yeah, and now I do all the legwork while you stand there, getting drunk and peeking at the women!" This brought a reaction from the white-haired trooper, who spit what he was drinking in shock and turned to the younger with anger.
"I am the brains here! If it weren't for me, everyone here would be starving!"
"The only brains you use are in your pants!"
"Is not my fault you have a poor taste of women boy!"
"Lazy idiot."
The old man held a hand on his chest where his heart would be while making a face of fake absolute shock. "Are you seeing this Thorax? I spend 5 minutes resting and even when I'm bestowing this young man with wisdom, I'm disrespected like this! I don't even drink that much!" He told the changeling while making a dramatic pose on his bench.
"I swear by Vader's name if you don't stop being such a drama queen or I will shove that beer up your a-"
Thorax watched the two idly with an amused look.
He looked around the camp they temporarily resided in before being transferred to the front.
How much progress had he made, from just 13 turncoats he had been delivered by Vader to an entire legion. A new fear threatened to surge out of him as he reminded himself of the monumental size of his responsibility. Vader had given him an entire legion under his command.
No restrictions on how to manage or organize them, and complete freedom of leadership even with his lack of experience and insufficient training.
It was an absurd vote of confidence.
Even though he had built the legion from scratch, Vader had helped him all the way, giving him the tips and resources needed to do so. But the Changeling couldn't contain his gratitude for it all the same.
He was cut off from his train of thought when he realized the trooper beside the old man was looking at him. The Changeling could feel the irritation under the helmet. "Yes? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." The Trooper sighed but continued.
"I said, that I have a question for ye." This caught his attention.
"Yes? What is it?"
He cleared his throat before continuing "What happened to that Rainbow lookin spy? The one that tried to make a fuss on the speech of Vader some time ago?" The eyes of Thorax widened a little in surprise.
"She.... It's confidential..." He looked to the side in embarrassment, while feeling the eye roll from the younger human.
"C'mon, you know I won't spill the beans, different from the old hag here I am not an absolute moron." The old man flinched seemingly offended.
"You say that, but deep down, very very deep down. You love Me." He smugly said while waving his bottle around.
He could feel the roll of eyes behind the helmet "Oh yeah! I love you so much! You are my favorite parasite-"
"Thorax! Can I have a minute of your time?" Thorax's attention turned from the bickering duo and back at a new arrival. A Thestral with some dirty blacksmith clothes.
"Of course, any excuse to run away from those two." He with a smile ignored the shouts of protest behind him.
He stared at his opponent with narrowed eyes, his pose with his hands clasped in his weapon and prepared for the fight to begin.
The First way his master had taught him. Form I: Shii-Cho
In his words, the simplest and most important form of combat is learning the basics and essentials to survive in hand-to-hand combat. Looking at his master, he could see that he was holding an open pose and holding his weapon with only one hand. Almost asking to be attacked.
Dun Moch, psychological warfare. The user would try to psychologically break him and force him to make mistakes as his emotions were distorted by him. His mentor had the patience and cunning to completely master the technique to perfect it even further.
But he already had a lot of knowledge in it, its teachings having been passed on by his religion in theory, but in practice, he still had a lot of difficulties. Fighting not to let the beads of sweat seep under his red helmet. He broke free in a run towards his opponent who on the outside did not express anything in his body language, remaining completely static in the face of a rushing human.
His weapon came down on the magnificent figure in front of him. Where that immediately proved he had made a false attack, throwing himself back to dodge one of the master's attacks, who was now going on the offensive now that he realized his bait hadn't been completely successful in its attempt.
He was then thrown on the defensive, taking a step back with every blow he managed to deflect. Knowing that he couldn't stop an attack from with the magnitude of the strength of a divine being.
"I expected a lot more from you." The greatest god that ever existed said, in a tone that the warrior could not identify as he easily dodged one of his blows just by stepping aside. "Were the stories told to me just exaggerations?"
He ground his teeth beneath his helmet, not out of anger at his magnificent master but at himself for being so pathetic. But what would he expect from a living deity? He was just an insect trying to fight a mountain.
But he wouldn't give up, the complete opposite. He had to prove that he was capable of serving him no matter what, it was his destiny.
"Only for you your magnificence." He says in a submissive tone as he deflects one of his master's blows, resulting in a spark and with a whirling swipe making his master do a small leap backward with the ease and grace of a bird. "I am a dust speck before your titanic presence."
He bowed reverently to his superior, not knowing what went on behind his stoic divine black mask. His breath was the only response to the sign of respect, not that he deserved it. As his master pointed out, he had let him down.
"Good, you have no delusions of grandeur." The god of all mankind said in his monotone tone as he tucked his sword into its scabbard.
"I'm just your weapon. To be bled and used as you wish." The Soldier said without leaving his bow. Vader just watched him silently, his attention focused on a messenger who entered the Sith's personal training arena hurriedly yet respectfully.
"My lord, a message for you." He quickly knelt in front of his god with his head down. Trying to hide his veneration and nervousness. The Sith Lord, watching the messenger, silently took the scroll from the servant's hands and signaled with his hands that he was dismissed.
Without question, he would leave. Obviously grateful to just be in the presence of such a grand being.
Vader was a divine being whose essence would crush everyone and everything just by being present before his monumental abundance of power and darkness. His hatred of the abomination of slavery was as clear as the tyrant's sunbeams, his strength of will and righteous cause only demonstrate his deserving claim to the throne of the High Lord of all mankind.
He could still remember entire groups being levitated from the air. Invisible hands choking them and crushing their unholy throats, with their miraculous magic entire armies had their floors exploding and hurling them in all directions. His speed was unsurpassed, and his wisdom was to be envied.
He was the perfect being. The perfect human.
Kissing the ground he walked on was the greatest honor the ex-slave had ever had in his existence.
And it wasn't a false sense of superiority from an arrogant horse, it was from a deliverer and punisher of sinners. He was destined to conquer everything he wanted, to all corners of the planet and as far as the observable horizon. Bringing all the fury of a race that had accumulated and formed the being that he was, the being that was sent from heaven for salvation.
And Magnus made a point of being his lord's weapon of domination. To be used as he wishes.
"Magnus." His head rose to his name to be called by the breaths of his god.
"Yes Master?" Not moving from his kneeling position, he watched his lord walk toward him, that letter in hand.
"Bring Thorax to the War council." Without hesitation, he would hand the letter to Magnus, who would take it quickly and respectfully. "Looks like his friend will give us an advantage in this conflict."
"By your will, your magnificence." He gave a long bow while kneeling, getting up and quickly leaving to carry out his divine master's orders. Not noticing Vader's signs of discomfort in his back, a smiling shadow slowly forms and floats behind with his head by Vader's shoulders with a mocking smile.
"My my.... What an adorable little plaything..." He looked at the Sith, who turned around ignoring the presence of the shadowy monster. "Can i keep him?" Vader kept walking, again ignoring the being, who looked baffled and with an insulted expression.
"Y-you jerk! Don't you dare ignore me!" He flew after his master who continued to ignore the shadow's protests.
'I gained power, but at the cost of having an absolute moron pestering me.' Vader thought while fighting back a long sigh.