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Finding the Rendlok

"First off, we gotta find the nearest Rendlok colony to save fuel and FTL jumps, and hopefully they can give me the answers to my visions...if they're not dead yet."

"C'mon, don't be that pessimistic."

"I am pessimistic with our current ship, Capisa. It's older than you."

Despite their goal to investigate the parasitic aliens, they were stuck with Dairyu's old ship, which, by all account, was damaged from the earlier assault and they didn't have that much money to buy a new one or even make a decent repair for using it at full capacity.

Upon closer inspection, it was then they realized that the hull had started to give way and they survived the space because of the pressurized cockpit and the use of FTL which saved them from anymore damage. This, coupled with the rustic interior and dilapidated screens, made it looked like a space junk salvaged from the space and parked there for plain view.

"H-hey, don't look like that," said Capisa. "I can ask my father's foundation to help you find a new one."

"Do I look like a pushover to you? I appreciate your kindness but you shouldn't ask your father to repair an old model. It's more appropriately called 'restoring', and it's far more expensive than changing one component and others."

"Do I hear you two arguing on this ship?"

They both turned to see Jackson walking to them carrying a bundle of baggage that somehow looked like his own clothes. He put it to the floor and said, "You can ask the council to finance you in a limited basis."

"Wait, they do that?"

"Yeah. How do you think I can get hold to some good guns? Just give them the reason for the insurance and they'll help you the way they could."

"Thank you for the information, Jack, but we're in a hurry," said Dairyu while getting on the ship. "I think we can hold on for a while until this ship crumbles."

"Suit yourself. Make sure you patch that hull."

They both spent about half an hour to allow the dock's robots to repair the hull before they went off the dock, but not before waving goodbye to Jackson. Dairyu instructed the computer to give a list of a Rendlok colony within one FTL jump. Since the computer was also an old model, it took the computer to access the records database in the library to find four Rendlok colonies within FTL range, yet there was another problem. Three of the four colonies, despite of within one FTL range, were in a different sector that the nearest one, which actually required another trip through a Quantum Gate which, while didn't use an FTL charge, required a toll pass fee, which Dairyu didn't have the luxury to use one, not to mention the distance of the colonies to the Quantum Gate adjacent to the sector.

"At least it's one jump away from the Federation sector," said Capisa with a sigh. "I never thought tight budget can be a problem."

"That's why I can be very harsh in travels, and you're in my ship, the Azure Dragon."

"You named your ship Azure Dragon?"

"Customary, kid. If you have your own ship someday, give it a name for save travels. Then, referencing this ship, just call it the Azure when you're talking with someone. The Terrans called it Seiryu."

After initiating the FTL jump, Capisa returned to the questioning.

"So can I call the ship Seiryu?"

"Seiryu is from my native homeland, so it wouldn't be universal. Everyone knew what Azure means, so you can call it with a common language that can be translated by the translator."

"Oh, make sense."

Dairyu returned to the cockpit, trying to find the position of the planet after they broke the jump. The planet had a name, but it was hard to pronounce in a common language due to Rendloks not having an access to the translators all Federation aliens are recommended to use when visiting the space stations or other planets, with the simplest reason of not being a Federation member yet. Complicated reasons had impaired their chances to be inside the Federation for years.

When he had found where the planet was, he broke the jump immediately, and quickly found the planet, a desert planet with no water visible from the space. It wasn't listed as a main planet, so it was a colony or some sorts to the Rendloks, which was fitting with how they actually looked like.

Capisa also noticed the planet, and said, "Wow, it looks a lot like Ta..."

"Do you know how to contact the Rendloks, Capisa?" interrupted the Warrior. "I don't know the frequency for it, and we still need to get down there to find out what happened?"

Capisa quickly took the copilot seat and turned on the holographic interface, putting in commands to the computer, which Dairyu noticed as live translating device he had installed two years prior to talk with non-Federation aliens.

"You operate Azure's computer like you've been in this ship for years, greenhorn," said Dairyu. "I don't think you're fit for a trading business."

"I was a cadet for my race's space military, but I was discharged because of..."

"Let me guess, you're flying recklessly, right? For starters, I won't berate you for flying recklessly with crazy maneuvers, but that's for a good reason, not for joyriding, understand? This is not a shining new spaceship."

"Yeah, I get that. Who'll even go trashing a new spaceship, anyway?"

Capisa didn't find any signals coming from the planet, which struck him as weird. Despite of not being a Federation member, the fact that they were able to establish an off-world colony mean that they somehow had space exploration technologies. There was only one other explanation.

"Ryu, they don't answer to my call. Does it mean they're...?"

"In my experience, jumping into conclusion far earlier than what might be assumed can lead to a fatal end, so stay calm and wait for some response..."

There was a loud static coming out from the transmitter. It was barely recognizable, but there were clicking sounds on the other end of the transmission, followed by sound of lasers flying in the background and a sound that suggested either someone falling into a mud or being maimed by something. It abruptly end, giving both of them a conclusion.

"We gotta go down there and find any survivors!" said Capisa while jumping to the pilot seat and started configuring the ship for reentry. Yet, he was stopped by Dairyu.

"I know where you want to land, Capisa, but I won't let you do that. Land on a solid rock near where you found the frequency."

"But why?! There are goddamn Rendloks to save!"

"Don't act like a hero or we won't be able to save them at all," said Dairyu calmly. "When trying to rescue a needing group, make sure you're not the victim of their panic."

Dairyu knew Capisa silently tried to object, yet he did it anyway. A minute later they landed on a rocky terrain just north of where the frequency was coming from. Dairyu quickly pushed open the door and took his weapons with him. He noticed Capisa was trying to follow him, and he said, "Stop!"

Capisa was surprised by it, which stopped him from getting out of the plane. Dairyu then continued. "You're an Aquros, Capisa. Despite of that holo-suit you won't survive the heat of this planet. Also, someone must protect the ship from anything."

Without looking back, he avoided to argue with Capisa over the ship. He just hoped that if the parasitic aliens really had found their way into the Rendlok colony, then Capisa needed to know what he must do when it happened.

Along the way, he finally found what actually happened to the Rendloks. They were fighting with something from underneath the sand that maimed their bodies into half. Dairyu suspected a giant alien was preying on them and not the parasitic aliens setting each other up, but upon closer inspection, he found out that the maimed bodies were ripped out, not bitten to half, which could only be done by something with strong appendages. The experience in Pascoforta made him realize what horrible fate that could destroy the Rendloks, too.

He quickly ran towards the frequency shown on his watch, where he found that the carnage was still happening. The Rendloks were desperately trying to run from the ones infected by the aliens. All of them quickly found Dairyu and tried to run towards him, but a giant antlion suddenly made a pit under some of them and ate them through and through. A glimpse of the antlion made Dairyu realized that they were killed by the infected native bestiary of the planet.

A Rendlok managed to shoot the antlion when it went up again, making it shrieking. Dairyu helped them with burning some of the Rendloks pursuing them, and they flee.

Halfway to Dairyu's ship, the lead Rendlok made some clicking sounds that was unrecognizable, just like what the message was before. They all stopped, to which Dairyu said, "I have a ship able to carry all of you. That black fire was only a distraction and won't do much to hinder their pursuit."

The lead Rendlok tried to talk to him, but he was making another clicking sound, which Dairyu said, "I don't have any translators out here." But then, it approached Dairyu and planted one of its hands on Dairyu's head. A sudden nausea struck him and he became dizzy and disoriented. But when he returned to the reality, there were voices in front of him, and he realized what the Rendlok had done.

"Now, you won't have any problem understanding us," said a Rendlok directly through his mind. "We want to talk about the attack, but we are still unsure to what actually happened, and we are not one of our races who can fly."

"Then what are you doing stopping midway? Don't tell me you're giving up! I have a big ship enough for all of you."

"We still need to destroy this planet, but we cannot do it ourselves. Only one of us can do it, but he's alone and he needs a companion. We are, just as your language suggests, a group of overgrown insects, and not all of us can fight."

Dairyu was reluctant on following them, especially the fact that they were so blunt on trying to destroy their colonies. Rendloks were actually giant insect-like aliens with a main appearance of a giant ant with six limbs, plus two sharp appendages on their backs. They had four eyes, all with vertical slit pupil that didn't even look like insects, but since they claimed to be like one, Dairyu could only follow them as much.

After thinking a while, Dairyu said, "Okay, stay within the vicinity of my ship's barrier. But before you go, one precaution. The barrier protected those with no affliction with the aliens. It can detect whether you have an anomaly in your DNA structures. Don't worry, even if you're not registered as a Federation alien, similar-looking structures are still recognized. My friend will help you."

After saying that, Dairyu found one of the Rendloks who volunteered to detonate the planet, and both of them went on to the place pointed by the Rendlok, which wasn't that far from where they were and was under an old shrine ruin of an otherworldly proportion.

After they went through the door, the Rendlok closed the door and said, "Now, we don't have any mental espionage in here. You're free to ask anything."

Dairyu stood up and lit up the blade of his sword like a flashlight. He then said, "You never have any planet-destroying device, do you?"

"We are but a primitive organic sentience with no such technology exists," said the Rendlok through Dairyu's mind. "We may be able to fly through the gap between skies, but again, we are peaceful beings not able to produce such a thing on a grand scale. If you would follow me?"

Both went down the cave, following the rocky path with only Dairyu's sword as a substitute torch. During the way, Dairyu constantly hears voices inside his head, all of which were explained by the Rendlok.

"The songs of the native fauna that inhibited this world far longer than even us Rendloks," explained the Rendlok short. "From the back of your mind, I can tell if you want to ask me my name and the reason of a laser rifle on my back. Well, then I am happy to oblige. Atho is a name chosen by the queen, and I'm not what you think as a peaceful and happy Rendlok."

"I've been aware of that. Some Rendloks were hatched to be soldiers to defend the colony. I'm amazed that you're the only one here."

"There were many of us. I am what's left from all of us."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Atho didn't reply Dairyu immediately. Both of them silently ventured deep into the shaft, which made Dairyu wondered what kind of civilization made a vast underground network as a shrine.

They went deeper into the vast darkness, with virtually no light source except Dairyu's sword. There were more voices deep down there, in which Atho said, "Behind the veil of darkness, you will see a great thing. It depends on what you'll react. Will it be terror, or will it be honest fascination? As such, we cannot perceive what is behind the veil of darkness."

"Do you always talk like this in people's mind?"

"It is how you perceive from our native language, Dairyu Tsukasa, and this is the reason of my request."

Walking down the path again, they stumbled upon the same horrific thing that caused all of the massacres throughout the galaxy.

A red Ruby was sitting in the middle of a room at the lowest corner of the shrine, where it made the room it occupied bright red. Again, it made an eerie aura that somehow pulled Dairyu to it, but before he could do that, Atho put one of his clawed insectoid hands and said, "The desire is strong in you, but it is not the time to give in."

Dairyu became conflicted on how to proceed. In one point, he wanted to touch the ruby again, but he was conflicted by his other self, trying to stop him from taking the wrong path that cost Pascoforta (according to him). With a little effort, Dairyu concentrated his mind so his judgments wouldn't be clouded by the ruby's influence, to say, "Did someone...touch this ruby?"

"I'm afraid your concern is true, and it's the reason why the mindless aliens attack the colony. Yet, despite of that, it contains fragments of civilizations long gone."

Dairyu became hesitant. He didn't want to end up having jumbled mind and a torturous headache, but Atho seemed to hear his inner thoughts. He assured Dairyu that it would be different, but the Orient wasn't even sure for a slightest bit.

Despite his internal argument, he decided to find out what happened to the memories he had earlier, and to investigate the cause of the aliens. With a little hesitation, he slowly walked down the path and, willing himself to move, touched the Ruby's surface. It felt warm and smooth, like an egg, but then his vision on the ruby faded, as do all the red scenery around them.

When he blinked, he was in front of a vision he had never seen before.