Lexan looked around as the leaders gathered, they were shaking hands and greeting each other cordially, all except the pilock, who grumbled and glared.
The king sat next to the Terren and Vorgon rulers, who chatted and drank their honeydew wine, linn sat beside her husband, and looked the place of a homely wife, save for the pistol hidden in the folds of her dress.
Raan talked to the grand scholar in rep'ta, the official language of the raa'ga'kid scholars, and they were both talking tensely, as if they were about to break into a brawl.
Altan looked like he was hard pressed, what with the mother superior scolding him for getting caught up in this, and kis'na growling threateningly.
Eventually, the hubbub calmed as the king stood, he beamed at them all and said, in a powerful, booming voice "greetings! greetings one and all to the first ever peaceful meeting of the great powers"
Cheering rent the air, and in some cases, howling and trumpeting.
"Today, we come together to discuss a threat that has long since been a worry for all the great galactic powers: the missioptoan disease, more commonly known as walking death"
Silence settled on the crowd, some were grim, others thought it was a joke.
"I can see some of you are skeptical, so allow me to say this; the threat is real! my own daughter and son in law have fought and near died against them, along the way, they have gathered allies from the races of the fierce Vorgon, allavilieans, the wise ra'ga'kid, the noble Terren and the cunning in'stara, all in the name of stopping the walking dead from destroying that which we have built"
"All of this will have meant nothing, nothing! if we do not band together, and impose laws of quarantine, the Terrens have already enforced these measures on planets that they have deemed infected, but will you follow suite? or damn your people to a slow, agonizing death?"
Lexan looked around as faces hardened and a resolute determination about their now, stone like faces.
The first to stand was the Vorgon chief who spoke in a voice that boomed like thunder, and stood over three heads taller then the king, who was not a small man.
"Though we Vorgon have long since held a deep mistrust to the in'stara, we recognize that in light of these dark times, we must rally together, and fight for what is good! you have my people's swords and guns! may your enemies tremble at our hordes"
He sat to the blood chilling war howl of the vorgons, many waving daggers and vicious gleams in their eyes.
The next to stand was the grand scholar "I may not be a war like or a great commander, but you have our minds to work on a cure, so I say, so it will be done"
The refrain was repeated as the raa'ga'kid rose and held one hand over their breast, the other on their forehead.
Next was the Terren high general, he was a scared and grizzled looking man and he took his time before speaking.
"Once, about thirty years ago, a man approached me, he spoke words that befuddled the mind and confused the senses.....this man, a great and powerful warrior, looked very much like one of our number here.....he too, speaks of galactic understanding, and dreams of a universe united for a life time"
He paused, and everyone looked at him....
"And I tell you what I told him: where do you need us? and how many men!"
Cheers erupted and the Terrens assembled stomped and whistled, though not as chilling as the vorgons battle howl, it was scary to watch as they cheered and screamed, as though happy to traipse off to war.
After everyone calmed down, the king stood and said "thank you all! your help will be most gratefully appreciated, now! the plan"
And so it was decided that Lexan and his ship crew would set off back to ashim, and to aid the in'stara anyway they could, and the rest of them would halt the advance for long as possible.
It was going to be an interesting week....
***
Rook stared in horror at the destroyed entrance and exit, at first he thought the smoke was due to the army camped there, but no, it was due to the burning of a thousand bodies.
He had walked straight up to his father and began conversing in worried tones, while Lexan and the rest stayed back.
Kis'na looked at altan, who was staring with sadness at the destruction, and asked "do you think you should tend the wounded?"
He shook his head sadly and muttered "I don't know anything of in'staran biology, I'm afraid I'd be more of a hindrance then a help"
She nodded, and when rook returned, he said grimly "something happened at the door, we need to check it out"
"Should we wait for reinforcements? or go straight there?" Lexan asked, looking around, but rook shook his head
"No, a small party is needed, if it has escaped, then a large group would draw its hunger"
Lexan sighed and said "okay then, everyone, be prepared to move whenever needed, rook"
He looked at lexan, his eyes showed little to nothing of what he was feeling.
"If you want to remain here and mourn, I understand" was all he said.
Rook looked around and said "you need someone to tell you what it is.....grieving can come after the war"
***
Meanwhile, the stranger knelt, blood coming from the several wounds as this warrior stood over him, blade and pistol in hand
"Who in all of hell are you?! how can you stand against me!" the stranger roared.
"I? I'm not sure who I am, all I know is that it is my sworn duty to kill all those attempting to open this door" the man said simply, almost as if he was a gentlemen, and this fight was nothing more then polite conversation over tea.
"So, I offer you a chance to surrender, and we forget all about this business, yes?"
He stood, a glare on his face and he said "now I know who you look like! that brat named Lexan!"
"Hmm? how do you know of him?" the man looked confused "I thought.....oh, of course, that makes sense, good man he is"
"Oh, shut up!!" he threw his hands out, but he had to pull them back as a bullet soared in from of him.
"Damn it! not this crap again!" he whipped around to see kis'na punch him square on the nose, but he simply grabbed her and flung her at a rock.
But the man caught her, letting her down gently he asked "are you okay ma'am?" she nodded, her jaw down, but he patted her shoulder, then he vanished again.
Next was Raan, though not as strong as kis'na, he lasted longer due to his tactical thinking.
But soon he too fell as a punch to the head left him dazed.
Lexan fired off several more rounds, but the stranger just dogged them, but the man appeared in front of him.
"Interesting spirit in the youngsters these days isn't there" he said simply, laying him low with a single punch, sending him rolling into a cliff.
But he disappeared, and with a crack of lighting, they saw him at the door, trying to rip it open.
But the man appeared beside him and with a sideways kick, knocked him back into the open area.....then, as from the deepest nightmare, they heard a dark voice that chilled even the greatest of men.
"Retreat for now! you cannot win, begone, and spread our disease wide!"
With that, and a sneer, he vanished.....
***
Lexan helped up kis'na while altan made sure that Raan's daze wasn't dangerous, the man looked at Lexan and said "it has been a good few years gorden, hasn't it?"
Lexan looked at him and asked "who's gorden?" the man blinked and said.
"Could it be.....well, anyway, my name is killian, pleasure to meet you" he stuck out his hand and smiled.
Lexan took it, confused, and asked;
"Why do you look like me?"
"Oh, I think the question is, why do you, look like me?" He was obviously joking.
Lexan watched as he leant against the door and said "quite a close call there, I told the blooming idiots that they should of posted a guardian, but oh no! no one would dare try to free it"
Just then, lightning struck close by him, and he looked up in mild indignation.
"Now, really! That was no way to behave!"
There came a grumble of thunder, but no lightning "yeah, yeah.....anyway, what brings you young lads and lasses here to this desolate rock?"
"We originally came here to find the plagr shone-"
"Well, here she is! this door hides it.....probably shouldn't of said that" he mumbled.
Lexan frowned and said "so.....all this time, the place that the evil was making the disease....."
"Was also its prison, yes, very clever Gorden-I mean Lexan, but then.....being who you are, that would make sense"
"How do you know me?" Lexan asked, frowning.
"Hmmm? anyway, this door can only open when the hero who was meant to destroy its contents was revealed"
"You didn't answer me question"
"That's because there's no answer to give; now, I suggest you make camp here, and we'll talk more in the morning"
Lexan looked at everyone, who looked just as he did;
Confused.
Who was this man? how could he fight against the stranger so well? and most importantly of all, was how Lexan looked like him, and why he kept calling him Gorden?
There were so many questions to yet be solved, and so many that just didn't seem to have any, that it was no wonder that there was more then one awake that night......
Authors note: and killian is revealed, but! who is he, and why does he look like Lexan? all will be revealed in due time, I just like teasing people :P anyway, remember to read, comment and vote!!!! hasta luego!