Lord Celex stood at the center of the room surveying his domain with a critical eye.
Well it hadn't been his domain until a moment again when he had conquered it for himself. What most people didn't know is that he was the rule of all that he saw, he was just smart enough not to let people know that was the case.
What they didn't know could not hurt them.
But this, this was definitely his and no one was going to argue with him over it.
The primary reason?
Well it was his planet, and these were other Celzex
He was ruler over all his domain and every last Celzex in the universe, so that made things easy for him.
HE turned one more time around the room. It was a large room, big enough to house a drev or two in comfortable working conditions. Lord Celex liked Drev, they were similar to his own people and tey were easy to understand.
War and honor.
He hopped across the floor, leaping over the bodies that layer there bleeding purple icor onto the ground.
He stepped in some of it, but didn't mind. Wearing the blood of your enemies was considered the height of fashion for a Celzex.
"What do we know?"
Lady Virax looked up from her work. She was a very strange specimen, though very pretty with fur the color and sheen of a freshly polished pearl. She was also the smartest person he knew, which he would never admit openly considering that, as lord ruler over all he surveyed, he was supposed to be the bearer of each and every desirable aspect.
She looked up at him one of her ears twitching.
She knew she was smarter than him, and he knew that she knew, but both of them made a silent mutual agreement not to acknowledge that fact. If both kept quiet, then it would be less likely to get awkward in the future.
"They were manufacturing something."
"Well yes, but what?"
It was a widely known fact that Celzex built and operated the most powerful military hardware in the galaxy, but what most people did not know was their technological advancements continued further into their everyday technology.
This was not a fact that they enjoyed sharing with their GA counterparts.
Celzex were likely one of the oldest races between Andromeda and the Milky way, though they were very very secretive about this fact. The only reason that they were not too advanced to associate with these new orders of alien was the simple fact that, while Celzex were technologically advanced to a degree that might have made them almost magical, they had always struggled building societies that lasted more than one year.
Cooperation was hardly their forte.
"It is a strange substance, a powder in nature that has dried into flakes which are being ground up. There is very little of it, but they put it into small vials for use later." She examined one of the small test tubes.
Lord Celex sensed some of his other men staring at him and stood just a little straighter.
About a month or so ago, Lord Celex had been involved in an exploration party hit by a blizzard, and subsequently almost froze to death as a result.
He was the only survivor.
And while that might have been considered impressive by most Celzex leaving him to rise in popularity once more, there was one problem.
He had been saved by a human.
Saved by a human who cuddled him like one of it's own offspring.
He hadn't had the energy to fight back or even be indignant about it. Even now the thought didn't bother him all that much, and he couldn't find the energy to be mad at the human for wounding his pride.
He, and some of his PR people were able to spin it in a positive light, being that the most dangerous race in the galaxy, aside from themselves was loyal enough to show up and assist. There was also propaganda being thrown out there that Lord Celzex was fearless and had no concerns for these large predatory creatures.
It had worked for the most part, for the most part of the Celzex race that had never met humans first hand.
However, there was a small minority of his people, generally his own men that tended to see through these lies.
They knew humans well enough, and while humans were dangerous, they weren't actually THAT dangerous when you were on one's good side, and Admiral Vir was probably at the bottom of the danger list.
Ever since the incident, he had been forced to guard his back as others in his command structure got it into their heads that they might be able to use this to their advantaged. He had been challenged twice in the last moth, though he had slaughtered his opponents with ease. Old lieutenants and people he might have once considered friends, simply turned to blood on the end of his spurs.
That had calmed some of it down, but he could see that there was still some unrest among the others.
They were waiting, waiting for any sign of weakness, for the moment that they would be able to attack and usurp his position.
That was alright.
He was not worried about them.
He twitched his ear again, the one that was missing a sizable chunk from frostbite.
There was a beeping overhead and he looked to see that lady Viraz had returned with her results, "It is some sort of organic material, or at least it was produced by something that was—at one point—organic. " She continued to read down her list, "It has a strange chemical structure that I am not familiar with, but the DNA sequence taken from the compounds prove that it is human. I have found traces of some sort of skin cell which I was able to pull out of the sample."
"Human?" He wondered in interest, "Go on."
Lord Celzex admired humans. He admired their strength and ferocity and their simple uncanny nature.
If he ever had the inclination to rule the entire GA, he would take out the humans first.
Of course he had thought about it on plenty of occasions, and there were even some dissenters among the ranks of other Celzex that thought he should, but he knew better. They did not have enough power to control the entire universe after it was taken. Sure, conquering was all well and easy but actually trying to run something that big would be a logistical nightmare that he was not interested in trying for.
Plus, despite their advancement in technology, he wasn't entirely sure that the humans and the Drev combined wouldn't be able to beat them.
Then of course there was the fact that he liked the humans and the Drev.
He liked their spirit and was interested in seeing where it would go.
But he was also interested in gaining some of their power.
He hopped forward to examine the vial.
The scan was continuing.
"Ah, there it is."
His ears perked up in interest, "What have you discovered?"
She looked up at him with her wide bright eyes, "I have a chemical match against the GA database."
How interesting.
"What is it."
"It is a stimulant drug known on the market as Addie, but scientifically known as adrenaline." She shook the little vial before his face, "This concentrated powder is a synthesis of the human hormone adrenaline. Results say that it is supposed to be relatively dangerous and addictive to other species, but has side affects that include, increased, speed, strength, stamina and focus. It is often used illegally in fighting matches against Drev for just such a reason."
Lord Celzex looked from the corner of his eye where two of the other men were speaking quietly to each other.
He knew what they were thinking
Lord Celex always knew when he was about to be challenged.
He reached out with a foot and grabbed the vial from her hands, "I suppose we shall see about that." He hopped down from the little table and landed on the floor just as the other two were coming closer. The way they moved in reminded him of circling humans.
They had, apparently, picked up a few things.
"You will quit before your treasonous actions can be proven." Lord Celex announced.
The two o them stopped in their tracks.
"The way we see it, it can't be treason if you're dead."
That was technically true. If they managed to kill him in single combat than the regime would immediately change, but he knew both of these two. They were pathetic clowns in comparison.
He laughed, "You two!? You will never be able to defeat me."
"That is true."
He paused in confusion, not entirely sure what that was all about.
"True? If it is true than why are you trying?"
"We know that we can't beat you one on one, that is true, but together we certainly can, and once we are done killing you, than we will fight each other to see who takes your place."
"Ah, I see so you are cowards with no honor."
That made them bristle, and the hair on their bodies stood up angrily as they moved closer. The fur on his own back began to rise making all three of them look almost twice as large as they actually were. The fact they had the audacity to challenge him was almost laughable. They were ugly little things with mottled yellow fur n comparison to his kingly and shocking rainbow of colors.
How dare they insult him this way.
He was going to kill them.
Though, of course, there was always the chance that the two of them would manage to score a lucky hit against him, and then what would he do?
He thought about it for a moment.
He needed to make sure he didn't die here.
Needed to make sure that no one ever questioned his leadership ever again.
They began to circle.
He kept to the middle rotating with them as they tried to keep one of them out of sight at all times.
How was he going to do it?
And then he had a thought.
Lord Celex looked down at the vial which he held between the knuckles of his feet.
Then with one motion he pulled the stopper on the vial and tilted it back over his mouth.
The drug landed on his tongue and immediately dissolved.
He grimaced at the strange and unnatural taste just as the other two rushed in at him.
He dropped into a ball and rolled away as the two charged, causing them to run headlong into each other. He popped up right next to them, balance don one foot and kicked forward with the back of his heel and the large metal spur that had been planted there. He caught one of them a glancing blow on the side, ripping out much of his fur as he dodged away and rolled again.
They came at him together.
He kicked back on his heel lashing out with the other foot and aiming for the eye of the one on the right.
They bowled into him trying to pin him to the floor but he wriggled and kicked.
If this was supposed to be a drug that granted you human speed and strength than he was not convince.
He kicked one of them off of him and then rolled to the side.
Purple was already dripping down onto the floor beneath them coating their feet and slicking the fighting arena.
Others had gathered to watch hollering and cheering as the two sides fought.
They were probably just hungry.
They would eat whoever was the first to die.
They came at him again, one from the left and one from the right. He tucked into a quick roll, but someone grabbed his foot and pulled him to the ground. They piled on top of him, pinning to the ground as they tore at his back with their spurs.
He did not scream.
He would not scream.
But then
Something strange happened.
It started with a tingling in his extremities.
It would have been tough to explain as he felt very light very suddenly.
The pain in his back vanished though he could still feel the tearing sensation.
His vision dimmed focusing to a single point where everything else was simply grey fuzziness.
And with it.
Came
Rage.
Rage or desperation or some combination of the two he did not know, but at that moment he roared and through both of his attackers off him with a single heave. They hit the floor and rolled as he turned, and as he turned they stopped and took a step back in shock and fear . he did not waste time to try and comprehend what they were likely seeing and roared across the intervening space.
They ran.
But they weren't fast enough.
He pounced on the first one and began tearing at him with the spurs, pinning him to the ground with ease. Fluff flew everywhere as he tore into the screaming Celzex's back. The crowd around him cheered and hollered. His friend ran forward trying to help his downed comrade, but the blow Lord Celzex received barely phased him.
He didn't even know he had been hit until the second one managed to push him off.
He went rolling across the floor but caught himself and rolled back, springing into the air at the last moment, impossible high and ramming into the second one as his friend lay bleeding on the floor. They locked feet as they went rolling, toes intertwined as the ground raced by beneath them. They both squeezed as hard as they could trying to get a submission on the other.
The other Celzex never had a chance as lord Celex flexed his digits.
There was a cracking noise as bone crushed under his feet.
The other Celzex howled.
Lord Celex let go, throwing the wounded Celzex across the open floor and then raced after him. Across the floor the other was trying to crawl away, his internal structures visible from the gouges in his back.
The others looked on hungrily.
Lord Celex raced after his opponent at double the speed he thought possible and rammed them into the floor.
The fight did not last long after that.
And soon the ground was painted in purple and colorful fluff, looking like a small child's painting.
The crowd started to circle in, but lord Celex snarled.
His body was still thrumming with power.
He had to do something.
Had to get the energy out.
Someone moved forward towards one of the bodies, and he raced towards them.
What ensued was pandemonium as he raced after the unsuspecting crowd, clawing at them if they got to close and howling when they managed to get away. The Drug finally expired when he was standing in a pool of blood, and he slowly sat down against the floor with a sigh.
The crowd murmured slightly looking at him, but them moved forward again to consume the bodies.
He felt strangely heavy watching as the others devoured their meal.
They looked at him on occasion, awe in their eyes and blood on their lips.
He was satisfied.
But he also felt strange, weak in comparison to what he had been earlier.
He needed... More