He crept slowly through the hills, wary of anything and everything, with no idea of what might be a threat. His mind was muddled, but threats seemed to focus him somewhat.

Before the scouts had come looking for him, he had been attacked by a predator of some kind. It was all teeth and claws, and he had torn it to pieces, eating the stringy flesh greedily. The newly awakened part of him despised the raw meat, but he was beginning to starve and needed the substance.

Now, he stooped by a stream, washing the scout's purple blood from his hands. He felt a number of questions trying to form in his mind, but only one was clear enough that he could even attempt to answer it.

Who am I?

He looked at his reflection in the calm water of the stream and couldn't recognize it. It looked wrong, somehow. More heavy and brutish than it should be, although he had no clear idea what it was supposed to be.

He grunted, shrugging the thought off. He was hungry again. He needed to hunt.

As he began to stalk towards the vegetation surrounding the stream, he heard the noise of about a dozen people marching just beyond sight over the stream’s craggy bank. Careful not to make too much noise, he peered over the bank, fixing his purple eyes on them.

It was exactly a dozen. Four just like himself, and eight like the ones he'd killed before, and he somehow knew that they were looking for him. He slinked back down and crawled away from them, heading downstream as they headed upstream. He had seen some caves in that direction. Maybe he could hide out there for a while.

***

The cattle ranchers were ecstatic when their cattle were returned to them. Vanbrook was happy to be rid of the cattle and to be reunited with Talon Squad. Some part of him dreamed of life as a pioneer on a world like Hittania, but owning cattle never featured in those dreams.

Frek-Rep was standing right by the ranchers as they sorted the cattle out by their brands. He laughed and smiled and helped settle disputes as they arose with Captain Yulun standing by him to represent the Navy.

Vanbrook pitched in where he could, letting the more experienced ranch hands handle the more ornery beasts. Leading a bull with a rope secured around its neck, Raivyn laughed at Vanbrook as he moved skittishly around the animals.

“Hey,” he said in mock-defensiveness from where he stood pouring feed into a trough for a few docile cows. One of them licked his arm, and his face twisted in disgust, and, Raivyn suspected, a touch of fear. “We can't all calm these monsters down with our minds.”

Raivyn laughed and went back to tending the cattle, something she obviously had some experience with.

Reclan smiled at them surreptitiously. She could tell their time in the star tree had done them good.

Kaihla was helping as well, having a background in ranching herself. An Astralbian walked by as he ran some errand or another for Rewna.

“Fifteen!” shouted Kaihla at the passing Astralbian.

He turned on her, his forced frown at odds with his bright eyes. “And we got thirteen,” he replied. “Not a huge margin of victory. The only way we can solve this is to fight side-by-side once again, and see who can down the most enemy craft, eh?”

Kaihla laughed. “You’re on.”

Reclan shook her head. Apparently relationships were being strengthened all over the place. She couldn’t have imagined a year ago that the Griffonian Navy and the Astralbians would be anything but bitter enemies.

“I can't thank you enough,” said Frek-Rep later in the day as the crowd thinned out and the cattle went back to their rightful homes.

“Just because there's a war on in one part of the Republic doesn't mean we forget about the rest of it,” said Yulun.

“And we didn't run into any centipedes, so I didn't mind,” said Reclan.

Frek-Rep laughed. “I'm glad to hear that. I haven't had the, uh, pleasure of meeting those particular denizens of Hittania, but they've been spotted south of here, as well, along the southern foothills.”

Reclan shivered. “I have to admit I liked believing they stayed over on their own side of the continent.”

“While folks generally stay away from them, a few bolder hunters have taken down solitary scouts on the edges of their territory. Evidently their roasted flesh tastes like a tangy potato.”

Reclan blanched. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“Regardless,” said Yulun. “We'll be leaving them behind tomorrow. We're glad we could be of help, Captain Frek-Rep.”

***

We are ready to launch our attack on Kirakna, honored Councilors, said Farbin. He stood at his console, his screen displaying a map of Griffonia while his communications array linked him psychically to the Council. He was pleased with the campaign so far, despite the nagging problem of the rogue beast soldier.

So soon? asked Hagan.

Yes. While our scientists cannot yet create their own “ripmed” drive, they have been able to harness a number that were taken from the Griffonians. We have enough to carry an invasion force from one star to another in a week’s time, without the use of a dragon’s maw. I am requesting an additional maw to take with me to establish communications and a supply route.

Astounding. We are quite pleased with you, Herald Farbin, said Hagan. Your discovery concerning these ripmed drives, along with your devotion to the good of the Drakmundi, has earned you the promotion you have so long sought. You will be the world serpent to this planet, Griffonia, or to Kirakna. The choice is yours.

Farbin’s head spun. This was excellent news. It was all he had ever wished for, ever since he had trained as a soldier in the infantry. He could finally shed more of this wretched flesh.

Thank you, Councilor Hagan, he said, trying to keep his emotions out of the response. I would be world serpent over Griffonia, honored Councilors.

Your excitement is crass, but warranted, Herald, replied Hagan.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Clearly, Farbin had not suppressed his emotions well enough. It was a slight embarrassment, but no more.

***

Hunt walked through the airfield, his hands held behind his back, his chest out and his chin high. In addition to the Blue Griffon Fleet, he now stood beside a combined fleet of Wabuluban, FRF, and Gredite ships. He wasn’t yet sure what to expect from the Astralbians when Lady Rewna returned with the Bombard, but hopefully the burgeoning relationship would bear immediate fruit for the Republic.

He stepped onto the Drihn, Captain Hacksaw and Baron Flubbyn joining him. Captain Hrake greeted them with a smile and a nod.

“Thank you all for coming,” said Hunt.

“Gred is happy to help the Griffon Republic,” said Hrake.

“The FRF will not forget its oldest friend,” added Hacksaw.

Baron Flubbyn sighed. “It is clear that this threat is as grave a danger to Wabuluba in the future as it is to Griffonia now. We will not see the breakdown of the IGC, nor allow its member nations to suffer as Griffonia has suffered without seeing that there is a dear cost to those who would attack it.”

Hunt suppressed a smile. Flubbyn, as well as the Wabuluban Kingdom as a whole, had proven to be steadfast and worthy allies over the years, but it was clear that the Wabuluban nobleman was playing the role he had been assigned and had no passion for it.

“I really do appreciate it, all of you,” repeated Hunt. “As you know, the Bombard is due back shortly, along with Lady Rewna, who is now commanding a fleet of three star trees, two of which are the newly commandeered Koomite star trees.”

“So the Astralbians are multiplying,” said Hacksaw, voice laced with suspicion.

“Yes,” said Hunt. “But we trust them. The Astralbians have as much reason as any of you to stop the Drakmundi, and no reason to pick a fight with the IGC or other powerful nations.”

“Don't forget,” reprimanded Hacksaw, “that this Lord Wyven has lost a sizable chunk of the people he would like to rule over via emigration to Cradle. Additionally, the regime he wants to be the continuation of has always hated Robots.”

Hunt held his hands up. “All of that is concerning. But the Drakmundi are a greater threat. I'm not asking you to view the Astralbians as friends, just allies. Please come to me directly if they give you any trouble.”

Hacksaw nodded, his arms folded. “Fair enough, Admiral.”

“Now,” continued Hunt. “To the reason we're here. If you would all follow Captain Hrake to engineering, we'll see what our tech team has come up with.”

Following Hrake through the halls, all freshly painted with blocky Hrudukite designs, Hunt had to admit that the Drihn was an impressive ship. TalpiTech certainly knew what it was doing, and he was glad they had young Ytriv along to help work on bypassing the Drakmundi weapons that had done so much damage to them.

Walking down a set of metal steps, they went through a set of double doors with the word “ENGINEERING” written above it. Inside, Dekken, Ytriv, and Vritik stood around a workbench, Reclan looking over their shoulders from a display screen, live via ripmed. The camera that she was watching through was suspended from the ceiling by a mechanical arm and focused on the table.

“Our fearless leaders!” said Ytriv, looking up at the commanders that had just entered the room. “We have good news!”

“We probably have good news,” said Dekken.

“We’ve been able to turn the data you gave us into a theory we’d like to test,” said Vritik.

The young Hrudukite was covered in grease, with goggles hanging over his neck. There was a datapad in one of his hands and a tool of some kind in the other. Hunt would never have guessed that his species had been in their bronze age up until the past year.

“Explain it, then,” said Hunt.

“Using small words,” requested Hrake with a smile.

“So the initial shields used to protect power sources were thick metal plates, right?” said Reclan, absently moving her camera around to view the object on the table. “What we’ve developed is analogous to an EMF cage. Or rather a series of them.”

“Eehmeff?” asked Hrake. “That is indeed a small word but I do not know it.”

“It’s initials,” said Dekken. “E, M, F. Electromagnetic field. An EMF cage is a kind of mesh box that keeps out electricity. We believe we can create a series of cages that can filter out even the most powerful of the disruptor rays the Drakmundi have fired at us.”

“The rays–inexplicably, I might add–appear to bring electrical flow to a standstill,” said Ytriv. “A live charge being applied seems to bring systems back online, resuming the flow. By building our cages around the powersource–a generator or what have you–the interruption can effectively last no time at all.”

“Of course,” said Reclan, “we can’t test the theory until we, uh, use it in the field.”

“Hmm,” said Dekken. “We’ll have to get this information to Grif-”

Skritka’s face popped up on the screen, replacing Reclan with no warning. His eyes were heavy with stress and exhaustion.

“Admiral Hunt,” he said. “I had Triflin patch the Wingspan’s ripmed comm through to this location as soon as I found out where you were. Sorry I did not ask for permission first, Captain Hrake. But it is a dire emergency. Our scanners just watched a Drakmundi fleet jump from Griffonia towards Kirakna. They’ve got ripmeds now. I don’t know how well they can use them, but I would assume your time is short.”

“Thank you for this warning, Prime Minister,” said Hrake. “We are grateful.”

“And it looks like we may have found a way to circumvent their disruptor rays,” said Hunt.

“Work fast on implementing it, and please send me the information on this connection,” the Prime Minister gave them a smile. “Sounds like the Drakmundi might be in for a surprise when they reach you.”

***

Crush marched up the root that served as a ramp to the Amalgam, stepping onto the deck with a small crew in tow. She oversaw the stowing of some oil rations and spare parts and prepared the ship for lift off.

Before she could give the order to take off, the ground began to rumble. Knowing what to expect this time, she signaled to the crew to hold off on further preparations. A few moments later, as the quaking grew to a crescendo, a massive stone figure emerged from the ground.

“Meristem,” said Crush, nodding to the Coreborn.

“GUARDIAN SPROUT,” rumbled Meristem. “YOU SAID YOU WOULD NOT LEAVE.”

“I said I’d stay for the time being,” corrected Crush. “That time has passed. The Drakmundi have co-opted ripmed technology and are on their way to Kirakna. I will not sit by and wait until they have destroyed our allies and are kicking down our gates when I can be of use there.”

“THAT IS NOT A GUARDIAN’S PLACE,” said Meristem.

“Goodbye, Meristem,” said Crush. She stepped into her cabin and a moment later the Amalgam’s root thrusters were firing, taking the wooden ship to the stars. Meristem stood by the hole he’d risen from, watching the vessel leave. He shook his head and turned, stepping back down into the earth.

***

Darvik was growing weary of the trips up to the surface. It was nice to see the sun, something most of the refugees in the Undercity were sorely missing, but it was also dangerous and nerve-racking. It didn't help that they hadn't managed any successful raids.

He climbed up into the cave, getting a headstart while the Marines checked their gear.

Standing and walking up the slow slope that led to the surface, he turned on a dim light that would allow them to navigate the cave without giving away their position.

He heard heavy boots starting to climb the ladder behind him. Shaking his head and stepping further into the cave, he rounded the first corner.

Shock was too mild a word for what Darvik felt when his eyes met the dark purple eyes that sat just a few yards away from him. He jumped back, surprised to see the beast soldier shrink back as well.

Friend? asked a voice in Darvik's mind.

Darvik froze. Yes.

The response was automatic, and Darvik knew it was out of character, as well. He couldn't explain it, but he was sure it was the right answer.

What followed was a jumbled mess of telepathic static that Darvik couldn't make heads or tails of.

He heard boots behind him as the rest of the group approached.

“Uh, guys?” said Darvik. “Don't freak out.”