• CHAPTER IX
    Prime Directive: Terminate Race: Ganonnian
    >>>>Message from Attack Team Alpha….opening File.
    ……
    ……
    Executed.

    Target Aquired----Analizing…..
    Analization completed.

    Weak spots targeted….

    Firing….Resistance encountered…Analyzing….

    Subject:Ganonian
    Body form: Bipedal Humanoid
    Body type: Flesh and bone.

    Orders?: Terminate.

    Initiating Battle program…

    Target Eliminated…Proceeding with Prime Directive…

    Gates Terminated…Heavy resistance encountered, major losses have ensued…

    Suppressive fire mode… Target: Building ALPHA-àheadquarters of Ganonian resistance.

    Observation: Major energy Signature….Tracking….Discharge detected…

    Major loses….targeting….

    Target acquired… firing.

    Major malfunction detected, hull integrity failing.

    Initiating Self-Destruct Sequence.

    àConnection Lost.



    Half of the swarm fell into pieces and clattered to the ground. The beam managed to kill much of the swarm. The swarm turned their eyes back at the silver building, now tarnished with carbon burns. Shells poured from the swarm once again, sending tendrils of electricity into the building, screams of pain reverberated from within. Alis noticed the electricity, evidently conducted by the metal. She had an idea.

    Tass discharged another cutting beam of rage into the swarm, reducing their numbers a bit, but new ones flowed from the cavern.

    “where the hell are all of them coming from??” he asked himself. They replenished as soon as he destroyed them. Hopeless, he thought. An odd feeling flowed over his skin, his hair was standing on end. A slight crackling noise came from behind him and a glow was cast upon the walls. He spun around to see Alis. She was glowing white, energy discharged around her at random intervals, making the cracking noise he heard before. Alis raised her hand and the electricity flowed like water into the building. In an instant energy exploded from the metal lined building, striking the swarm of Machines. Tendrils of pure destruction jumped into the swarm, obliterating all that it touched. Blue fire filled the front end of the city, engulfing torn down buildings. It was rushing faster towards them.

    “lets go!” exclaimed Tass. He jumped up and pulled Alis along behind him by the arm. It was getting hotter….hotter and hotter. the heat started to singe the back of their neck. The silver building was long gone, engulfed in Flame. They dived behind a building and the flame blasted ahead, followed by molten metal. The flame splashed against the wall of the cavern and dissipated.

    “woah…” breathed Tass. The city was leveled, smoke rose from the ground where the buildings once stood. “I would like to know how we even survived that flame..” said Tass. The wall they dove behind was oddly cool to the touch, even after being exposed to a flame that disintegrated the city.

    “What are you two doing just standing there?” A trapdoor popped open just a few feet behind them. Tass and Alis spun around to see the mayor, standing in front of them.

    “H-How did you escape?” asked Tass. “The Town was disintegrated by the explosion!”

    “I escaped the same way you did.” He said, pointing to the wall. “but I’m afraid that you won’t be free for long.” A low hum resounded in the air.

    “oh-no, not again!” Exclaimed Tass. Alis was looking around, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Too late. Pain shot into Tass’s mind, Dazed, he stumbled back. His vision blurred and he looked over at his partner, she lay upon the floor, and seemed to be unconscious. Two red dots floated in the shadows….Progenitors. His vision went black, and he fell onto the floor, drifting into unconscious.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Buildings…Ruined buildings…as far as the eye could see. Craters dotted the once busy roads and the skies were silent. Ruined cars and ships were strewn across the desolate cityscape, clogging once beautiful reservoirs with their corroding metal and acidic chemicals. Nothing was more lifeless than the surface of Gannon. The air filled with an all-too familiar hum of the engines on a Progenitor ship, and a shadow was cast upon the rubble. Thousands of smaller ships circled around the ship, acting as guards for anything that might be thrown their way. A flash and a bang emanated from the center of the ruined city, in reaction, the smaller ships immediately turned and analyzed the source. A pod sailed toward the larger ship, at first, the smaller ships rushed to guard the ship, and immediately turned away at the last second.

    Tass was thrown from his somewhat…induced slumber by the force of the pod launching forward, pitching him backwards and crushing him into the back of the small compartment. Dazed, he forced his way up against the forces keeping him down and finally stood upright, only to be thrown into the front when the pod landed forcefully in the ship. He regained his footing once more, and a moment after, the front of the pod blew off. Bright light filled his vision, blinding him for a moment until his eyes adjusted to the sudden change. The light faded until he could see. The walls and floor, in fact, the whole place was a yellow tint. He could make out the sound of machines buzzing about outside of the pod, and soon enough, a small metallic, somewhat humaniod head popped into his view from the side of the opening. It's small beady white eyes curiously analyzed every part of his figure, it looked as if it where trying to calulate Tass's next move.

    He returned Its undevided gaze by scrutinizing the head with various looks. After a while of staring at eachother, a metallic hand grasped the side of the hatch opening, not the big and clunky manipulator like that of the normal progenitors, but a more...Feminine and streamlined, most of all, resembling a figure that of a Ganonian.


    "Kie!" a mechanical voice chirped, "Stop Analyzing that Ganonian and step away from that capsule!" It seemed to respond to the command and soon dissapeared from his view, moments later several other more Masculine humanoids gathered around the opening to the pod. They looked militiristic to him, each carrying a polearm with a long blade at the end. They stood in a formation facing eachother, creating a narrow path. A figure appeared from within the path and walked towards him, each step making a sharp clanking sound as it pressed against the metal floor. This was all too odd to Tass, as the figure approched he wondered why they were walking, when he had only seen ones that flew and looked quite like old relics than shiny metal bipedals.

    The figure stopped just in the opening of the pod and reached to a device latched onto its waist. Tass figured that the more clunky ones with weapons were male, and the more streamlined ones were female, although the thought of classifying machines with genders was just a bit odd, he would have to settle with it this time.

    "Greetings!" said the figure in a rather cheerful voice, the device he had clutched in his hand expanded into what Tass thought was a small screen.

    "Your name is Tass, am I not mistaken?" He said, his mechanical eyes focused on Tass's face and waited for a responce.

    "How did he know my name!?" Thought Tass. "Yes..." He responded while still trying to make sence of it. The machine looked at his screen and back up to him, lifting its metal eyebrows in curiosity.

    "You know, it was difficult to locate you." He said. Tass was getting just a bit fed up with this, He thought of blasting this menacing figure away. The machine emitted a sound that resembled a chuckle, but a bad one at that.

    Alis!

    Reality came rushing at Tass at the speed of light, filling his thoughts with his companion...Alis! He remembered he needed to look for her, but who knows where she is, she might be in this place, or even being tortured! He wasted no time, His hand balled into a fist and his face screwed into a furious frown.

    "WHERE IS SHE!!!" He shouted at the Machine, It stumbled back and the guards tensed, ready to strike. Tass raised his hand to its chest and poured rage into his palm. It didnt even glow, or even seem to hold Rage energy. He drew his hand from the suprised machine and took a step back. He fratically thrust his arms forward in an attempt to shoot palmfulls of rage.

    "Whats happeneing!?" He cried, still trying to form his energy weapons. The machine stood up and brushed itself off.

    "If you are speaking of the female we had captured along with you, She is in a safe place." It said in a calming voice. The tone seemed to make Tass believe it, and he soon stopped trying to form Rage. He crossed his arms and stood stern.

    "Why did you bring me here, and who are you?" He asked.

    "I am Drognar, Lifeform Contact Specialist." Said the machine, the metal that formed his mouth streched into a friendly smile. "My purpose is to greet and welcome intellegent lifeforms into the Progenitus Rebellion"

    "...Progenitus rebellion?" Tass asked, in a bit more relaxed manner. He was just a bit confused, Why would the Progenitors have a rebellion? all the questions he had were going to be answered soon. A slim metallic figure caught his eye, it was the one from before.

    "Yeah, we are the remnants of the AIs that still had the directive to protect the Forerunners." It said. Drognar turned around and frowned at her.

    "Kie!, What did i tell you earlier!?" he Scolded. Kie looked at him defiantly.

    "Sorry Drog, but he needs to know, we cant expect him to be friendly to us when he still thinks that we are his enemy...right Tass?" The gaze of her small white eyes fell upon Tass, he was clearly confused. Drognar let out a long sigh.

    "Yes, well we can't keep you in that landing pod all the time!" He said while beckoning him to exit the pod. Tass was still a bit brain-tangled, Although they seemed friendly, he could not believe that they whacked him on the back of the head, stuffed him into a landing pod and stole Alis from him just to say hello. There was more to this than met the eyes, or so he thought.

    Tass walked out of the pod and into the yellow tinted interior. the guards that lined the side of the walkway looked somewhat less intimidating than before, now that he got a chance to see them up-close. Kie smiled at Tass, giving him a warm sence of being welcome. The room was huge, alot bigger than the view he had in the slim porthole, it was almost as if a whole city were in front of him. He saw more of the machines walking along what he precieved to be sidewalks. upon closer observation, thier activity didnt seem autonomous,but more living, free willed movements.

    Drognar lowered one eyebrow and frowned once more, muttering something under his breath. Kie held her smile. One thing Tass didn't notice before about Kie, since he never got a good look at her, was her hair. Yes, Hair, or at least that is what it resembled. He knew it was just thin strands of metallic wire, but it gave her a somewhat even more friendly appearance.

    "Welcome to Restus, City of the Progenitus." Kie said. "How do you like it here?"

    Tass lokked around for a while longer before replying. He looked over his shoulder at her.

    "Its amazing, it feels as if it was created by living things..." He said, unaware of the last part of his statement.

    "Tass, We are living." She said. He suddenly realized what he had said before.

    "Oh, Uh, I'm sorry if i offended you..." He said. Drognar gave him another scrutinizing look, looking as if he was unsure that it was a good idea to let Tass out of the pod's confines. Tass met his stare with an equally sharp look.

    "Tass, you wanted to know where your partner is, am I correct?" Said Drognar. Tass's interest was sparked by that question.

    "Yes, I did." Tass said. Drognar looked at Kie and she nodded back. He quickly turned around to oen fo the guards and whispered somthing into his ears. The guard nodded and lokked at all the other guards, in response, they moved away from their formation and walked into the distance. Kie walked over to Drognar's side. He turned around to face Tass.

    "Folow me." He said. Tass complied and walked in sync with the other two. Kie cocked her head slightly so her eyes met with Tass's.

    "Tell me something, Tass." She said.

    "Yes?" Tass replied. Kie hesitated for a moment, as if he was thinking if she should ask the question she wanted or not.

    "Why was it that you couldnt form your rage?" she asked in a curious tone. Tass didnt know the asnwer, but it had felt to him like someone had just put a cork in his power.

    "I....I dont know..." He replied truthfully.