Guardians: Downfall Revised Chapter 3

Story by Akutenshi Ishimura on SoFurry

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#4 of Guardians Downfall Revised

Revised Chapter 3 of Guardians: Downfall. Please support the official release in August!


Date: November 22, 2776

Cale had made his way towards the med bay when he heard a female Otter raise her voice. "Ishimura, sit down now!"

"I'm fine!" He heard Akutenshi reply. He rolled his eyes and got down the hall and turned left.

"No, you are not!" He heard the female Otter reply to him. She's going to lose, he thought to himself. Ishimura was rather stubborn when it came to doctors, especially when he was conscious.

"You are NOT putting me in that jævla machine!" Akutenshi said.

"Yes I am!" She responded.

Cale walked into the large med bay and stared at the both of them. "Hun, stop giving the doctor trouble and do as she says." He said crossing his arms and staring at Akutenshi.

"You know I hate those jævla things!" Akutenshi responded.

"The tanks won't hurt you." She replied.

"I spent forever in one not too long ago!" He shouted back.

"That was for serious injuries, these are minor it'd only take an hour in the tank!" The Otter responded.

"Shitoa Niya!" He responded.

Cale took a deep breath. "Akutenshi Ishimura!" He shouted, Akutenshi's ears lowered in fear. Good. "Get your jævla butt in that tank right now." He said calmly staring at Akutenshi. The Wolf's red eyes looked hurt and looked between Cale and the Doctor. "Now."

After a few minutes, Akutenshi sighed and nodded. "Fine...." He mumbled something as he followed the Doctor into another room. "It should only take, an hour at the most." The Otter replied as she stopped in front of the tank. "You know what to do...." She said looking at him. "Strip down to your underwear and get in the tank." Akutenshi's ears flattened and he growled.

"Hun..." Cale gave him a warning and he nodded beginning to undress. Cale couldn't help but blush as he stared at Akutenshi's body. His muscles flexed as he removed the clothing. First his shirt, the scars on his chest shown along with the markings on his right arm. Cale smiled a little and giggled. He slowly removed his pants and Cale stared at the Wolf's crotch smiling. "When we're done here, report to our cabin, we'll have a little fun. But you have to behave." Cale said teasing the Wolf.

Akutenshi stopped and stared at Cale his ears flushing and he gave a sly smile. "Deal." He said as he stripped all the way and allowed the doctor to place several items on his chest to help her read his vitals and lead him into the tank.

"Like I said, an hour in the tank and you'll be fine." The otter said as he hooked up a rebreather and gave her the thumbs up and she went to a control panel and started entering commands. Liquid began to fill the tank and for a brief moment Akutenshi looked like he was going to lose it.

Cale put a paw on the tank and smiled as Akutenshi put his paw to the tank. "I'll see you in an hour Hun." He said as he turned to walk out of the room. "I'll be in the hangar working on the mech." And he proceeded out the room.

Location: Serenity Comms Room (SCR)

The Captain took a deep breath and waited for the last of several dozen other Captains to appear in the Comms Room via hologram. "Status report?" He said.

"Alpha detachment has suffered heavy casualties." Said one of the female Captains. "We've lost the New York, Denver, Reclaimer, and Autumn. The remaining ships have sustained minor damage."

"Bravo detachment suffered minor losses. A few fighter squadrons and one mech squad were destroyed. Ships are still in working order and require minor maintenance." Said a young Fennec Fox. The Captain nodded.

"All other detachments are filing their reports sir." Said a young man next to him. He wasn't a hologram, He was real. A middle-aged Tiger stepped forward, his green eyes shined in the dimly lit room. His standard grey naval uniform shimmered a little in the room.

"Commander Atkens." The Captain said. The Commander had been standing off to the side and nodded as he walked up to the Captain.

"Reports are coming in from the scans that the Prowler had taken. The enemy ship has a number of advancements that a typical Lothian ship lacks. The ship has the same offensive capabilities that the Titus is supposed to have, maybe a little better. Stealth systems are far more superior to any other we've seen as well as their engines. In a sense, they are far more than what the Serenity by herself can handle." Atkens said.

The Captain nodded. "All ships are to rendezvous at Aegis and are to go with their respective detachment and begin scouting the perimeter around Aegis and the two other planets near her. If you get any whispers you are to send a transmission to the other leading vessels of the other detachments and then start tracking them. Command believes that these whispers are Lothian transmissions. For a while we're used to hearing gamma comunications from the enemy, looks like they've found a new way of communicating. The Second Fleet will rendezvous with us at Aegis and will take defensive position around the planet." The Captain finished and looked at all the other Captains. "If it is what High Command is thinking, then the Lothians next target will be Aegis. We will not let them take it. I expect to see everyone there in two hours. Use of the Gate System is denied. Use the Alcubierre Drives or Jump Drives. Once you exit report back in and split up. That is all." All the Captains nodded and one by one faded away. He turned to Akens and stared at the Tiger for a little. "We need to return to the bridge, get ready for anything." Atkens nodded as they proceeded out the room and to the bridge.

Location: SGT Ishimura and LCPL McCoy's cabin

Akutenshi walked up to the door and took a deep breath. He raised a paw and brushed it against a little indentation on the wall next to the door and it opened. The room was dimly lit. Akutenshi smirked as he walked into the room and draped his trench coat on the chair next to the desk and heard Cale clear his throat. His smirk turned into a wide grin as he turned to face the half-dressed Wusky, his ears flushed red. Cale was on the bed on his side staring up at the Wolf. "It has been a while since we've done it Hun, and I told you, once you got out of the Tank, we could have a little fun. Besides, I'm not due in the hangar for the next twenty-four hours and I know for a fact that you aren't supposed to be working since you just got out of the Tank. Doctors ordered rest for you." Cale smiled staring up at the wolf.

"Such an intelligent individual we have here." Akutenshi responded as he put a knee on the bed and leaned down to kiss Cale. Their lips connected and he held the kiss for little murring quietly. He put a paw up on the Husky's side and rubbed it gently and affectionately. Cale put a paw up to Akutenshi's chest and rubbed it gently as well. They took their time, feeling each other and enjoying each other's company. Within a matter of minutes their clothes were off. The next thirty minutes was blissful to the both of them, and when they were done, they fell asleep holding each other closely.

Location: Serenity's bridge

Date: November 23, 2776

The Captain sat in the chair and watched as the stars reappear and took a deep breath. "Status on repairs?" Captain Scheck asked.

"Hull repair is done, all major systems are ready to go." said Nicole in response. The young female Human turned to the Captain.

"All ships are reporting in. They've begun to split up and are beginning to scout the perimeter around Foraoise and Aegis." Reported Commander Atkens.

"Good, take us to coordinates Zero-Nine-One dash Eight-Three-Six Nielson."Captain Scheck ordered.

"Aye Captain." Responded Ensign Nielson. He saw the view screen angle and the orange glow of the planet Foraoise off in the distance. Within a couple of seconds it disappeared and the Sun appeared. The light blinded him for a minute until the view screen polarized and the light died down. "Begin scanning for the whispers." He ordered and saw a young Cat nod in response and began entering commands into a console next to her. The Captain took a deep breath and looked around the bridge and saw all the twenty-four personnel hard at work. "Nicole, anything from the other ships?" He asked.

"Negative." She responded.

"Picking up minor radiation sir." A middle-aged Human responded to the Captain.

"Alright." He said back. The sun began to disappear as the view screen angled away from it. Something didn't feel right. The Captain stood up and began to walk on the bridge moving from station to station. First comms, then Helm, Weapons, Scanning, and then Deployment. He returned to his seat and shook his head. This was not right. "Nielson, pull us up on coordinates zero-nine-one dash zero-five-three." He ordered.

"Aye Captain." Nielson responded. The view screen tilted to the right as the ship changed course.

"Anything yet?" He asked.

"Scans have yet to detect anything Captain." responded the Cat.

"This isn't right." He muttered to himself.

"Captain, picking up a faint whisper approximately thirty kilometers from our position." Said the Cat.

"Nielson, get us to its location immediately." Captain Scheck ordered. Nielson nodded and put in the new coordinates.

"Picking up faint radiation signatures," Nicole said.

The Captain nodded. "Proceed, put the ship on yellow alert." The lights in the bridge dimmed to yellow and an alarm sounded for a few seconds then stopped.

"We are coming into range of the whisper sir." The Cat said again. "Entering visual range."

"Show me." Captain Scheck ordered. The viewscreen changed again and he saw a dim light flashing.

"Beacon maybe?" Commander Atkens asked.

"Get us closer." The Captain ordered. They slowly came up to a small circular device, it's hull a row of black scales on it, a yellow light flashing on top of it.

"Scanning device," Liahm said. The Captain stared at the device, it was a small cylinder-shaped device. Several panels on its side with panels and the light flashing. Nothing too complicated. "Scan complete, confirmed beacon. Unknown origin. But it is giving off a faint whisper."

"Can we track where the signal is coming from?" Captain Scheck asked.

"Affirmative, beginning trace now." The cat was hard at work as the Captain scanned the room. "Trace is complete, it appears the beacon is getting the signal from the planet Aegis Captain." The Captain looked up at the Feline.

"Can't be." He said. "Well, either it's bouncing off of a satellite or something above Aegis, our scans must be wrong, or it is receiving transmissions from the planet's surface." Responded Liahm.

The Captain grimaced. "Set course for Aegis, get us in an orbital position and notify command."

"Aye Captain." Responded Ensign Nielson.

"What about the beacon?" Akens asked walking up next to the Captain.

"We don't want to mess with it, let whoever is using it think that they are still a step ahead of us." The Captain responded. "Notify all ships to go to yellow alert, any signs of Lothian ship will mean automatic red alert for all ships and they are to engage immediately." The view screen tilted to the right as they turned to face the small glowing planet. God help us, he thought.

...............

The setting was dark, he was panting heavily as he ran behind two taller figures. Explosions sounded off in the distance as well as several bursts of gunfire. "Come on! Keep up!" Someone said up ahead. "They're right behind us! Move it!" The two figures turned right and he followed seeing a soldier in a tan metal suit and a helmet motioning them away from the alley.

"Integrity this is Colonel Scheck, we are being pursued by Lothian warriors, requesting immediate Evac!" The man said as he followed them close looking back every few seconds aiming his gun. "Integrity do you read me?!" He said again. He looked down at him and frowned. "We have a Pelzigan couple with their kid, we need immediate Evac!" The two figures in front of him stopped and hid pulling him to the side. The soldier did the same as he hid behind another wall. They were in some other alley by now, it was dark, the only thing he could see was the ominous orange glow of the fires from somewhere in the city.

"It's ok Hun." Said a female voice. The one holding him. He looked up and saw a female wolf trying to force a smile. He looked around the room and gave low whimpers. He was scared, frightened. The attack had begun several days ago and they had been running since then.

He looked behind the female wolf and saw a male wolf putting a paw on her shoulder. "We need to get moving." He said as he pulled up a small handgun. "They'll find us soon." The soldier nodded. "Honey, take Akutenshi and get ready to run. Scheck, follow them."

"What about you?" The Female Wolf Asked.

"Going to do what I signed up to do, fight these Shiyoa's and give you some time to get out of here." The female wolf started to argue with him but was silenced as there was a dull thumming noise. They looked around, panic filling them, taking control. "We don't have time to argue ok?" He said. "Take him and run. Scheck, I'm trusting them to you, get them out of here."

The Soldier nodded then put a hand up against his head. "Understood Integrity, we'll move out to the exfil location. Should be there in ten minutes." He looked down at Ishimura then up at his mother. "We have to move, the ship will be at the exfil point in ten minutes, if we're not there in fifteen they're leaving us."

His mother voiced a protest then stopped and looked at the father. "I'll see you guys onboard the Integrity, I promise." He said and hugged both of them. "Get out of here now." He said as the soldier started to walk in the opposite direction. His mother nodded and picked him up and started walking with the soldier. His father went in the direction the thrumming noise came from. They proceeded towards a tall skyscraper and looked up to see a small dropship beginning to land on top of the roof.

"Integrity, we have reached the building, making our way up." The soldier said. He nodded and motioned for the two to move into the building watching their backs. When they got in, it was silent. The soldier moved into the building and activated a flashlight that was attached to his right shoulder and scanned the area. "Looks clear." He whispered and they proceeded in. The entrance to the skyscraper was mainly intact minus chunks of cement missing from the pillars that supported the ceiling above them. Dust fell as the pillars shook trying to keep the ceiling from collapsing. Across from the doors there was a small round desk with a small computer screen on it and a big TV screen up on the wall. The TV shot out some sparks and sizzled. Akutenshi's ears perked up as did his mother's as they heard something skittering across the floor a few feet behind them.

"We aren't alone." She said. There was a loud clank as a canister rolled between them.

"Flashbang!" The soldier yelled and there was a blinding light. All he could hear was one word, his name.

.....

He woke up to Cale shaking his shoulder gently. "Wha-What is it?" He said sitting up still naked.

"We need to report to mission debriefing." Cale said as he stood up and reached for his clothes. Akutenshi stood up next to him and put both his paws on Cale's sides rubbing the fur.

"Alright." He said giving Cale a gentle kiss on the lips and smiled reaching for his clothes. Within a matter of minutes they had reached the briefing room where Akens stood at the front of the room and motioned them in. Akutenshi's squad, as well as Cale's mech squad, were there.

The Tiger looked around the room then walked over to the wall and the lights dimmed. "Listen up!" He shouted in the room. A holographic display came to life at the front of the room next to Akens. A small town was shown with a giant temple with spires sticking up along the side of it was visible. "We believe that the whispers are being relayed from the beacons we've found around the planet Aegis. We have tracked the signals to the temple in the middle of Kaltou town, one of a few towns that are scattered along the surface of Aegis. Now, as many of you know Aegis was recently colonized twenty years ago. So it is still developing. The source of the signals that are relayed to the beacons is coming from the temple itself. We will be entering orbit over Aegis and deploying several teams' ground side to investigate the temple. The scientists down there have been studying the temple for about ten years now since it was first discovered. We believe it to be an ancient Pelzigen temple. But we are not entirely certain as to what it is. While you are down there you will be staying with the scientists and doing as they say. They know this temple better than you will so I suggest you don't go ignoring their warnings. We've already lost a few dozen people in the ten years of studying this structure too, unknown reasons." Akutenshi stared at the structure. It felt like he had seen it before, like he had walked on the temple grounds. He shivered a little. "You are to enter the temple and make your way to the center where it is believed there is a control center." He looked around the room. The holographic display zoomed to the temple and showed the sections that they had discovered.

"Mech squads will be deployed around the temple to aid security, we believe that there may be a Lothian attack inbound to this planet. Fleets One and Two will be setting up defensive positions around the planet. Once you find out where the signals are being emitted you need to relay it back to Serenity and allow the scientists to find a way to stop the transmission. As I have said, you have two hours to prepare yourselves, get to it." Atkens finished. The display moved through a set of corridors and passages into a large room with monitors then zoomed back out. He pushed the button on the wall again and walked out the room. Akutenshi sighed and looked over at Cale. They stared at each other and nodded as they stood up and walked out of the room. Everyone followed suit. They walked together until the first hangar appeared where Cale disappeared into it with his group and the other mech squads. He and his group went into the armory to start getting what they needed.

"Mysterious disappearances." Said Haki in a sarcastic tone. "Pretty sure those dhia scientists just fried themselves to death messing with the electrical wiring in there." He reached for a Plasma Shotter. A shotgun that fired plasma rounds and was far more accurate than older models. Still had the spread to deal with but it was good for moderate range combat and if the need came for them to take out multiple targets at once.

Miranda smirked. "Human scientists have no clue how to handle our ancestor's technology." She said as she picked up two Plasma Repeaters. The long barrels of both of them shined in the light.

"Hey now guys, some of those dead scientists are Pelzigans. Careful of what you say." Akutenshi said as he picked up his favorite Phasor Cannon. An MKV-12B Phasor Cannon. One of the newer models he had fallen in love with. It had the shape of an old Human handgun, with a rotating chamber towards the handle then a long barrel sticking out at the end. He holstered it and reached for his suit. A standard UGSM battle suit that had its own personal shield attached to it. The pitch-black armor shimmered in the light. He fitted the chest piece on and heard the magnets click together then put the shoulder pieces on hearing the same metallic click. Piece by piece he put the suit on until only his head shown. A black nylon turtle neck covered his neck. It buzzed as the suit came online and he could hear the shield beginning to form around most of his body with a sizzle. He reached for the helmet, the visor was a tinted bronze shade. When he fit it over his head the helmet activated displaying a HUD showing altitude to the sides, shield meter in the center, and small bar beneath it that pulled up different functions of the suit as the system checked it. At the very top the shield meter began to fill. To the bottom right of the HUD came his heartbeat and a small imprint of his body. Everything turned from white to green and he smiled. "Alright guys, let's get moving." He said as he turned to face the door.

Lupin walked into the room and he stopped. "I'm being attached to the squad as your pilot, was told to let you know that your ship is ready." He said and stared at the group.

Akutenshi felt something coming from the man. A strange feeling, an Aurora that he could feel but not see around the Human. He nodded. "Don't get in our way, drop us off and pick us up, that is all." Lupin nodded. "Let's get moving then." He said and turned to the left and ran towards the hangar.

"Joy, a Human escort, I've always wanted one." Said Haki as he made his way out the room. Akutenshi had shook his head and started to pack the ammunition they'd need in case things went bad. "I'll meet you guys there." He said and saw Miranda leave the room in her suit. He took a few more minutes than need be to relax. Something about this mission scared him, he wasn't sure what. He finished packing the ammunition and made his way out of the armory and towards the hangar.

Date: November 23, 2776

Location: Upper atmosphere of Aegis.

The dropship shook violently as it made its way through the planets Ozone layer. Lupin hit several buttons and the reverse thrusters where thrown. There was a sudden jolt as the dropship tried to slow itself. "Gonna be a bumpy ride boys and girls." He said into the comms. He heard a snarky reply from Haki and grinned. He looked to his right and saw his copilot making the appropriate adjustments to help him guide the dropship to its location.

"So far so good Lupin." Said the young Female Human.

He responded, "Approach vector alpha-two, minor storm there, make the appropriate corrections in our NAV computer Britney." He said. The dropship shook even more violently. "Whoa! She did not like that!" He shouted and tilted her to the left a little to compensate for the gravity pushing on her.

"Breaking through the Ozone in T-Minus five!" Britney shouted. Below him he could see the Serenity taking her position just below the Ozone. They had made a premature decision to launch before they were scheduled too and were unlucky enough to get it granted by the Captain. Within five minutes they broke through the Ozone layer and were beginning to pass a moderate size cruiser. After two minutes, they cleared it. Above him he could see several dozen mech's deploy from her underbelly. Lucky pilots. He thought. "Storm is brewing over Kaltou. Making adjustments to handle the storm. Prepare for a rough landing people!" Lupin shouted in the comms. A disgruntled reply from Akutenshi and he could hear Haki trying not to throw up his lunch. Within twenty minutes they had entered the storm and broke through the clouds. The small town below them dimmed with a few dozen lights.

"Town's lost power, Generator was hit by lightning. Emergency generators have activated given the town limited light." Britney said.

No shit. He thought. "Approaching Landing Zone. Prepare for deployment." He said into the comms. Akutenshi gave an affirmative. This was a fun ride, he thought to himself. Within a few minutes they saw landing lights flashing and he angled the dropship over the landing platform and gently put her down.

"Good job Lupin, we're deploying now." Akutenshi's voice came in static over the comms.

"Affirmative, don't get lost in there!" Lupin replied.

"Funny." Akutenshi replied.

........

Once the ship landed, the doors opened up and the wind came gusting in. The rain pelted them as they stepped off the ship. Lightning streaked the sky and thunder boomed. Akutenshi lowered his ears in response to the noise. He had never been fond of lightning and thunder. The building gave him the creeps. The planet was heavily forested and the temple in front of them resembled an old cathedral that was built into a mountain. Vines draping around sections of the entrance. There were several portable generators set up outside the temple with cords running into the building, a welcoming warm light emitted from the entrance. A short older Human male came walking out of the temple wearing a grey poncho. "Sergeant Ishimura?" He said in a shaky British voice.

"Yes, Doctor Smith?" He responded.

"Yes. Welcome to Aegis, don't worry we don't have any space zombies or ancient markers here." The scientist said laughing. Akutenshi looked over at Haki and shook his head. No idea what the Doctor had meant.

"Doctor, you do know we're here to look into the whisper transmissions that were being transmitted to and from this location correct? Not to joke around." He said.

"Yes, Sergeant I know the damn reason you're here, doesn't mean I can't joke around." He responded in an agitated tone.

"Care to show us inside?" Akutenshi asked. Something was off with this man. The scientist nodded.

"This way!" Doctor Smith shouted as the wind picked up. They followed the old man into the temple, the wind died down and was only a whistle coming from the entrance. There were multiple pillars on the inside with several native plants running down it. Water trickled down from the cracks in the ceiling. The whole place had been overtaken by nature. They followed the scientist down several long hallways with several pictures of ancient Pelzigans on the walls. One was of a werewolf with golden armor wielding an old Guardian weapon. Akutenshi recognized it from a story he had read about back at the academy. "This place is rich in Pelzigan history, it dates back to just as the Pelzigans reached their golden age, prior to the first contact war with Humanity and the war with the Lothians." The Doctor said, smiling.

"Yes, I know. Soon after the war with Lothians seemed to end, the Pelzigan people had lost most of their colonized planets, much of which is being recolonized by both Humans and Pelzigans." Responded Miranda. "We were lucky to retain the ability to build starships, let alone Warp technology. We use to be able to do so much more." She said.

"Much like how you were supposedly able to travel through time and space?" The scientist said. "But then, that makes you wonder, why didn't your people go back in time to try and warn your people of the coming Lothian war."

"Back when we supposedly did, we had certain rules in regards to time travel, unlike some of your Human movies Doctor we believed that there were set times in history that were to be untampered with. Left alone, due to the fact that tampering with certain periods of time would result in destroying the timeline." She responded.

"Ah yes, that theory, but it really makes you wonder, towards the end of your war with them, did any of your people become desperate?" Doctor Smith responded.

"Yes, but we held that code high above all else, no tampering with the timeline." She said, a hint of anger in her tone, and that ended that conversation fast. They soon came into a room with several computers and monitors.

There were several scientists in the room, a younger tiger came walking up towards them and smiled. "Doctor, Sergeant, how's the weather outside?"

"Not so good, a massive storm rolled in and knocked out power in the town, we're lucky we haven't lost ours yet." The Doctor responded. "Kat, we need to start storing data in case of power loss, and make sure that the backup data is secure as well, we've put several years of research into this temple and I don't want to lose it again."

"Again?" said Akutenshi.

"Yes, we had a typhoon come in and we had lost power, sadly we forgot to back up our data so during the power outage we lost several months' worth of data." The Doctor said. Akutenshi nodded.

"So, any idea on why there are transmissions being sent to and from this location?" Akutenshi said.

"None, we've only transmitted back to HQ on Leben, but no other transmissions, let alone transmissions to Lothian ships. You're free to check our logs if you want." The Doctor replied.

"Haki, get started on that, Miranda, with me, we're going to investigate the area." Akutenshi ordered.

"Sergeant, I wouldn't recommend it, we've lost several scientists in this temple, they seem to just go missing." The Doctor said.

"We'll be fine Doctor, please, return to your work, but keep your coms open please." He responded. He motioned for Miranda to follow him. They left the room and he sighed.

"What?" She said.

"Nothing." He responded.

"Akutenshi, I've known you since the academy, I know when something is wrong." She said.

"Miranda..." He growled.

"Akutenshi." She snapped.

"Look, something doesn't feel right about this place, I feel like something is happening that we don't fully comprehend." He said.

"Typical for a place like this one." She said.

"What?" He responded.

"Yeah, you know, old temple with god knows what in here." She said. "Perfect setting for a horror movie." She said giggling to herself.

"Ha! Keep talking, the moment the monsters start coming out I'm tripping you just so they can focus on eating you while I run for it!" He said joking.

"You a-" She started to respond but stopped short when there was a loud bang further down the hallway. They had made several turns and were beginning to enter an unlit location. The sound was ahead of them and seemed to be heading away from them. There was another sound, the sound of claws hitting metal then a loud crash. They could hear something like glass shatter in the distance, further down from where they originally heard the first sound.

"Not one of ours." Akutenshi said as he hefted his weapon. The weapon could put a decent-sized hole in anyone or anything that got hit by it and he felt a little safer. "Guess we better check it out, say hello to whoever is down here. Activate night vision." He said. Miranda nodded and took up the rear and the two progressed into the hallway.

They had been walking for a while when they came across a small puddle, Akutenshi sniffed and cringed, even with the filters int he helmet, he could smell it. it wasn't water, it was cryo-fluid. Used during a long stasis in Cyropods. It was originally used to help nourish the body as the individual sleeps. They were discontinued after a newer method was found by the Pelzigans roughly three thousand years ago. In history, Pelzigans where a space fairing race about several millennia ago before Humanity had even launched their first shuttle into space. But was lost back several thousand years ago in the aftermath of their first engagement with the Lothians. It had taken their race so long to finally reach that age again, and when they did, they met Humanity. But it couldn't be. "This is weird...." He said as he knelt down by the puddle. He put a paw gently on the ground and felt glass as well. "Haven't even smelled, whatever this is, even when I had to use one of the older cryopod models." He said.

"Maybe this is more than a Temple." She responded. He started wondering that as well. He smelled something new though, blood. The area was lit up well enough that he could see a black mass a few feet ahead of them. There was a dark color that resembled blood on the floor. The thing in front of them was breathing heavily. He slowly and cautiously walked up to the thing and put a paw on it gently. An even bigger paw reached up and grabbed his. He could feel the fear coming from the thing, and could feel its paw getting colder. He slowly rolled it onto its back and his eyes widened realizing what It was, what he was. He was naked. There were gouges all along his body and his eyes were beginning to dilate. "Cabhraigh Liom." He said. Akutenshi struggled to make out what he was saying. "Cabhair liom le do thoil." He was asking for help, and he knew who Akutenshi was. "Talkinshi." He breathed heavier.

"An ancient Pelzigan...." Akutenshi said. He nodded at Akutenshi understanding.

"What the hell do you mean?" Miranda responded.

"The Talkinshi, a species that existed prior to the first war with the Lothians." Akutenshi said. He held the dying Talkinshi. "What caused this?" He asked, anger rising within him. The Talkinshi's eyes looked at Akutenshi, a small tear rolled down his cheek. Akutenshi could feel the man's eyes pierce through the helmet and into his own. The Talkinshi died within a few more minutes and Akutenshi growled. It was a waste of life, a waste of a life of a Pelzigan species long thought extinct. "This is a temple, but it is so much more." He said.

"What?" Miranda responded.

"The tales, legends, myths of the Talkinshi, awoken during the time of the first war with the Lothians, they are, in a sense, a species of Pelzigan breed for war, breed to protect their brothers and sisters, us. When the war drew to a close, and a Guardian rose with the powers that would rival a god stood up to take the mantle that the Talkinshi had been holding for so long to help protect whatever life we had left during those times, they disappeared. Within time there were tales that they had returned to temples like this one to return to a deep sleep until the time came again that they where needed." He said looking over at her. "Of course, as with most stories, they became tales, legends, myths, over time. But they were true, this is a temple, but it's much more than that." He said. "And something has desecrated this temple. Has attacked a Talkinshi, killed one, maybe more, and is still out there. Radio Haki, let him know we have something down here and that the scientists will have more fun in this temple once we secure it."

"So wait, something is in here killing our distant relatives?" Miranda said in response.

"Yes, and I'm going to kill it when I find it." He said. He slowly stood up, he felt a surge of anger throughout his body. This was a temple yes, but it was a place for the Talkinshi to rest, and to wait. Something that he and thousands of other Pelzigans held onto dearly. And whoever entered this temple, and was doing this, was going to pay. They continued down several corridors, all lined with the same scene, bodies on the floor, and there were crevices in the walls where the pods would have been. There was a rotten smell in the air. Death. They had reported what they found soon after leaving the corridor they had found the first Talkinshi and told them to keep an eye on the scientists and protect them if things went wrong. "Think it's time to report this to the Captain Akutenshi." She said

"Not until we find out what's doing this." He responded. They had entered and left several corridors all with the same scene, a few rooms looked like a monitoring station for the cryo-pods. The more they explored, the more Akutenshi was realizing this wasn't just a temple, but a housing station for the Talkinshi, and something else. They soon came across a room that contained several old monitors and communication stations. The room was well lit with a green hue in the lighting that dangled from the ceiling. At the center, there was a large round table with a holographic projection of the planet and several red triangles at key points of the planet in the projection. "Think we found out where the whispers were coming from." He said as he stepped closer to the middle of the room. "I think it's time we report this into the Captain." He said as he tapped his coms on his helmet, "Serenity, this is Ishimura, we found our source." He waited for a response.

Static came through the radio then he heard the Captains voice. "Good job, relay the coordinates to us and we'll dispatch a demolition crew to take it out."

"Captain that may not be a good idea." Akutenshi replied.

"Why?" The Captain asked, curious.

"The signal's source is coming from an ancient Pelzigan location, a Talkinshi housing station." Akutenshi said. There was a brief moment of silence.

"Care to explain that again?" The Captain said.

"As I've said, Talkinshi housing station, outfitted with a coms room, and several rooms and corridors filled with cryo-pods. Suggest we dispatch a squad down here as well, we may have possible Lothian contacts. Something down here is killing the Talkinshi as they sleep and I intend on stopping them." Akutenshi explained.

"Affirmative, we'll dispatch two dropships to your location, stop the signal then hold that room down." The Captain said.

"Understood." He replied.

Just as the radio clicked off he heard something behind him, something hissed. He drew his weapon and aimed towards a part of the floor that started to rise up. It was another cryo-pod, this one had a Talkinshi that was different from the rest. The same look of a Werewolf, but this one had a skull mask on with red markings on it. Long white claws twitched, his eyes flashed red. Akutenshi could feel his fur prickle. The pod had a glass casing on the front with two clamps holding onto the side with several tubes coming from the side, a small panel came up from the side of the pod, it was smashed in. There were several monitors on the side of the pod that where blinking green, showing the Talkinshi's bio-readings. "He's ok, but what tried to break the glass." He said walking towards it. He walked towards the table and saw a small square on the table, he pressed it and a holographic keyboard came up with several monitors displaying in front of him. He looked at it and started to type in several commands. "Miranda, I need you to watch my back while I deactivate these uplinks." He said, Miranda nodded and took a defensive stance near him. There were several codes blocking his access to the comm's here and at the other location but within a few minutes he was through. He began to deactivate the other uplinks when something came barging into the room, he didn't have time to react, and neither did Miranda. They were both smacked by the giant that came into the room. Akutenshi flew across the table, landing on the middle of it and then rolling off to the floor. That hurt, he thought as he slowly got back up on his feet. He looked around and saw a giant beast, dark red scales covering its body with pitch-black eyes. It growled and opened its mouth, razor-sharp teeth could be seen along with saliva. "Miranda you ok?!" He shouted not taking his eyes off of the thing.

"I'm fine!" She responded. Good, He unholstered his weapon and took aim at the creature.

"Lothian Stalker!" He shouted. He saw her aiming her weapon at it as well.

"I know!" She responded.

"Engage!" He shouted. They both took a step forward and opened fire, their rounds hitting the creature and bouncing off of its body. It growled and leaped towards Miranda, she dodged rolling to the side then resumed fire. She was able to land a hit on the back of its right leg. It screeched in pain and turned to face her. "Miranda move it!" He shouted as he continued firing, feeling the heat in his weapon building up. The creature charged at her and this time took a swipe at her. She ducked and rolled to the left out of its way and took up her usual stance, left paw in front of the right paw, legs locked in. Her tail twitched as she anticipated its next move. He moved in a little closer. It turned it's attention towards him and screeched as it ran towards him, He rolled to the right and got back up evading the creature. It was strong, and most of its body was like armor, capable of deflecting their shots. He holstered his weapon and raised his right arm, opened his paw wide, and red markings glowed. The creature growled and took a step to the right staring at him. He could feel a course of energy growing throughout his body and building up in his paw. He closed his eyes focusing on the power, building it up.

"Akutenshi!" Miranda shouted, he knew what was happening, could feel it, the ground shook slightly as the creature began to charge at him. He opened his eyes and time seemed to slow, not much, but enough for him to acquire his target. He released the energy just as it stretched it's claws out to grab him, a burst of pure energy went forward, cutting through the creatures claw and arm, obliterating it. He rolled to the side as the creatures claw and arm blew up, pieces of flesh, tissue, muscle, and bone flew around the room, he raised his paw and the blood splatters stopped in mid-air. He focused the power to harden the blood and saw the splatters take another form, Icicle in design. He took the iron in the blood that had escaped the creatures body as his new weapon. He motioned his paw in a circle formation as the icicle shaped projectiles circled the creature, he then brought his paw down and the projectiles went sailing at the creature, some connected, stabbing the creature, others bounced off of its body. It screeched even louder in agony. It glared at Akutenshi and sprinted at him, Akutenshi prepared to roll to the side then felt a sudden pain shoot through his body. Damn it, not now. He winced in pain and yipped as he forced himself out of the creatures path. He had used too much energy on those attacks, it would take him a minute to regain it. "Miranda, cover!" He said as he forced himself out of the creatures way.

Miranda leaped over the table and got between him and the creature. She raised her left arm and paw, a black aurora formed around her arm, her markings glowing. She swung her arm and an invisible force sprung to life and hit the creature dead center, sending it flying into the wall. It howled in anger and pain and dropped from the wall. It stared at her and growled. Charging at her, she prepared to hit it again, she flung her arm yet again and an invisible force made the creature lose its footing and sail over her and across the table. It rolled across the ground and hit the cryo-pod with a solid thud, the glass cracking. It stood up and shook off the dirt and dust. It turned to face the Talkinshi and growled grabbing the glass panel on the front and ripping it off. "No!" He shouted, running towards it. It turned and flung the glass at him, he ducked and rolled underneath the panel and continued sprinting forwards. A surge of power coursed through his body and he raised his paw and shot forward a thing of fire. It hit the creature in the chest, he then made his paw into a fist and the fire enveloped the creature. He could hear it screaming in pain as it's scaled were slowly being burned off. He moved it away from the cryo-pod using the fire then pulled out his sword. He leaped into the air, released the power, and the flames disappeared revealing a naked and charred lizard. He landed on it and stabbed the creature square in the chest. It screeched as it clawed him. He could feel its claws trying to get through the armor to his bare skin. He grunted as he pushed off the creature and landed on his feet. He held the sword up high and focused whatever energy he could into the blade. He sprinted towards the creature again and sliced at its feet, cutting them off. The creature screamed and fell forward, blood pouring out of where he had cut the feet off. He brought the blade up and stabbed the back of the creatures neck then pulled out and put a foot on it's back. He then took the sword, raised it high, and stabbed the creature in the back of the head. The blade went through all the way. He grunted as he twisted the blade in the creatures skull then pulled it out. He panted as he looked at Miranda and she nodded giving a sigh of relief. He looked towards the cryo-pod and then heard a soft scuttle of claws hitting metal. He looked around, unsure of what had made the sound and looked up to see two more of the lizards, drool dripping from their mouths and their razor-sharp tails swishing back and forth. His eyes widened as one leaped at him, he raised the sword to protect himself when there was a loud roar and something slashed at the lizard cutting it in half. Blood sprayed in the air and landed in droplets on the floor. Akutenshi stared in fear of what was in front of him. The beast was naked minus the bones that he wore over his face and upper torso. He huffed and growled, his eyes glowing red as he stared at the other lizard, challenging it to try and take him on. The lizard hissed and backed down and lurked away into a dark hallway. The beast stared at Akutenshi for a second, his fur, pure black. Akutenshi could see the muscles flexing as it stepped towards him, he stared into his eyes. "Phase technology." He said to Akutenshi.

"Yes, something recovered a while back. I can have the hilt of the blade and it'll materialize when I "unsheath" the blade." He responded.

"Would've thought you'd have permanently lost that technology after the civil war." The Talkinshi responded.

"You know English?" Miranda asked. The Talkinshi nodded to her.

"We're not just savage beasts bred for fighting you know." He responded.

"So what is this place? It's apparently not a temple, not as what the scientists reported." Akutenshi said.

"Yes, they've known for some time this wasn't a temple, I've been watching them." The Talkenshi responded.

"From in there?" Miranda said.

"No, was connected to security cameras via nerve uplink, granted me partial control over the facility, prior to those Shiyoa's getting in and gaining control." He said.

"The scientists?" Akutenshi asked.

"Yes, and no. It's a mixture of both them and the Lothians. The scientists arrived and I started blocking hallways, trying to keep them from finding the Talkinshi sleeping, but they started overriding my commands and well, soon afterward some of them were killed by Lothians. Which then gained control of this room for some time and have been using it to send signals out. Coded." He explained.

"But if some of the scientists where killed, then why didn't they report them?" Akutenshi said.

"Maybe because the Lothians made us keep quiet." Came a calm male voice. Akutenshi looked around and saw a lone scientist standing there with a plasma pistol drawn and aimed at them.

"What are you doing?" Akutenshi growled, lowering his ears.

"Exactly as ordered Ishimura. You see, there is far more to this war than a simple fight for survival." The man said. "You see, we were given special orders to get rid of the scientists that we knew would be a problem, we did that as you just heard with the Lothians help. You see now Ishimura, there are those of us willing to side with the Lothians to get rid of abominations like you, and those of us like your Father who wants us to be friends. And no, I'm not talking about the mutt, I'm talking about the Captain. Freaking idio-"

"Shut up!" Akutenshi shouted the scientist jumped. Akutenshi sprinted forward and leaped onto the scientist pinning him down. The scientist fired off several rounds, two of which nearly got him. He squirmed under Akutenshi and grunted. "You are going to tell me who gave you those orders, and what the Ifrean you are talking about!" He screamed at the scientist, he could feel his face fluster with anger, he dug his claws into the scientists' shoulders and growled.

"Screw you Ishimura." The Scientist said, smirking, but then there was fear in his face. Akutenshi felt it, but it was too late, he felt a power claw slash into his suit, blowing the shielding out and he felt the claws connect through the suit to his skin. A Lothian had leaped down and slammed into him clawing at him then turned and slashed the scientists throat open. The scientist reacted for a minute grabbing at his throat as blood sprayed out gagging and choking on his own blood. His eyes wide with horror as he tried to scream for help but failed. He soon went limp, his arms falling to his sides and his body involuntarily twitching as the blood began to drip down the sides of his throat.

"Damn Humans say too much...." The Lothian stated hunched over the body. Akutenshi took aim at the Lothian and pulled the trigger, the Lothian dodged the plasma shot and leaped at Akutenshi and knocked him away. "Now to handle the pests." The Lothian said.