Star Warden 3: CC. Chapter 5

 Royal Reunion

Dawn on Aetherium when the moon Fomoria slowly left to make room for the rising of Aurora. In this twilight hour above a pristine glade covered with morning dew. Two unicorns would make their appearance. One male and one female, sharing a pure white coat but the male had a silver mane and horn. While the female had a rainbow mane with a horn made from pure crystal. The moment the sky was clear, no moons above them, only with the bands of light. A magical transformation took place.

The unicorns became faeries. Covered by silken robes. Oberon and Titania. King and Queen of the Unicorn Kingdom. The handsome King had transparent wings to go with his silver-in-gray eyes. While the beautiful Queen had prismatic wings and crystalline eyes. Their horns had moved to the top of their heads.

A herd of Pegasi and Unicorns crossed from the woods and bowed their heads to their lord and lady. They would serve as the honor guard to escort the monarchs to their thrones. As days passed there would be parades and celebrations to honor their return, petitions would be heard, grievances resolved, and debts were forgiven. A week of jubilation for all.

Oberon took his wife's hands into his own. “We have returned to the world once again. What wonders await us this time, my sweet maiden of the stars?”

“I do not believe my imagination is sufficient for that task. Nor would I wish it to be. I love the surprises that mortals give me.”

“Then let us not tarry. Our subjects await.”

The horses made a sound of alarm as they spotted metallic spheres descend along with a flying craft of some description with red and blue lights. A wailing sound emitted from the black and white flying things.

“Stay where you are!” The voices were unnatural. “Lethal force has been authorized for any resistance.”

“It appears the surprises have come to us, my love,” said Titania.

Footsteps echoed from the woods as Minotaurs and large groups of metallic two-legged creatures walked out. “Yes, a great many surprises. Stay behind me.” Titania moved behind her husband clutching his shoulder. Oberon's sensed felt a foreboding presence from the metal ones. The fact that Minotaurs were here only added to it.

An albino one with eyes emitting some strange whirls and were clearly unnatural stepped forward.

“King Oberon. Queen Titania. By the authority of his Excellency, Daimos, Lord Consul of the Domain and Dictator of the Republic. You two are to be placed in protective custody.”

“What or Who are you protecting us from?”

“Rebel elements. Now come with us quietly or we will use force.” The horned monster smiled.

Oberon detected the implication. The creature wanted to cause a fight. The other Unicorns in the area were prepared for one. Digging in their hooves and horns pointed. The albino licked his lips and pulled out an ax. Titania's eyes went wide as she could sense the evil energy radiating from it.

Oberon began speaking and raised his hands ready to cast a spell. A spell of sleeping and a spell of obscurity so they could escape. Before he could finish a burst of sound disrupted his concentration. Two sphere-like objects with pulsing red eyes started bearing down on him. He focused on his incantation but the tell-tell signs of magic did not show.

The Minotaur laughed. “No magic can work here for either of you. Now last chance. Come with us or we'll make it really hurt.” He cracked his knuckles.

Two beams of energy destroyed the orbs. Hiding in the tall grass on the outer edges of the glade were elves armed with bows, blades, and particle pistols. They fired with disciplined silence on the enemy forces. Oberon recognized their uniforms as being with Ranger Company.

A figure on a white metal horse rode over to the King and Queen. The figure was dressed in blue armor with stellar heraldry: a white star with red trails.

“Your Majesty. I'm the Star Warden and I'm here to help. Ready to get out of dodge?”

******

The ambush had gone perfectly. Ranger Company and the Marauders were providing covering fire and taking out the remaining spheres. The Sprites were using their magic to divide the minotaurs and the SWAT-bots from each other. Everything was going to plan so far. More reason to get out of dodge before their luck ran out.

King Oberon nodded at the Warden and turned to his wife. “Go with the Star Warden and get to safety. I will meet you there.” Titania made a face wanting to protest but she did as asked. Climbing onto a Unicorn she rode off with the Princess and Warden by her side. While Oberon re-cast his spell of sleep.

One by one the beasts would fall leaving only the machines to fight. The Sprites focused on keeping them barricaded letting the King and his escort retreat in good order. Everyone then split up into smaller groupings. Keeping the machines busy chasing after multiple targets and giving them more time to escape with the royals.

The Warden and Kaguya were keeping a brisk pace in the woods. Being only a day's ride from Gloriana they had no time for anything else.

“Where exactly are we going,” asked the Queen.

“To a safe place. We will explain everything when we arrive.” He switched to his Talisman. “Merlin, how's that signal?”

“I am disrupting the signal to the full extent of my abilities. But my functions are limited in these matters.”

The red lights from those spheres were not just for show. They were designed to also bathe the King and Queen with an energy signature that could be tracked. The Warden discovered it by scanning the Queen. He suspected that Daimos would take precautions, doubly so when he learned that the Warden was in the Kingdom. After the events on Ramia, Sam was on the lookout for any disguised tracking.

Merlin was doing its best to keep the signal from being tracked for both King and Queen. But the familiar could only do so much. This scrambling software was good against passive scanning systems. But there was no guarantee that it would hold up under the scrutiny of active scanning.

This was mostly due to the programming itself and unfortunately, it could not be improved. For one the Free Realms lacked the resources to improve it. Peace's skill and knowledge mostly came from Daimos's code. Tuatha code was still beyond him. There was also the fact that Talisman itself was limited.

Much of the device was still locked by the bio-signature of the Enchantress. Like a computer with a guest account. Sam only had access to certain functions of the device. That meant his familiar only had access to certain functions and programs on it as well. Removing biometric security was not an option. As the time and effort needed for it would be better served in just having one made for the Warden from the ground up.

“Incoming Plasma,” shouted Merlin. Kaguya blocked it and the others that followed with her barrier.

Pursuing the three were multiple packs of mechanical dogs. Red optics and bodies of gleaming titanium. They blasted plasma from their maws as they got ever closer to their prey.

Sam drew Dawnbringer from its scabbard. Two dogs leaping from the tree branches got close to fire plasma at point-blank range. Sam deflected the blasts then cleaved one dog cleanly in half. Kaguya knocked the other one away with a blast of light turning into scrap metal on impact with the ground.

“To the river,” said the Queen. “It will aid in ending their pursuit.”

The Warden rode hard to the river in question. Leaping across it quickly. The Queen sang a beautiful melody. The river expanded and started to flow faster as if a torrent of rain had been poured through it. When the dogs attempted to leap across they could not make it and were swept away by the tide.

“Way to go, Queenie,” Sam shouted.

“Queenie?” Titania gave him a bemused look.

His celebration was cut off when a high-pressure stream of wind cut through his horse. It collapsed into pieces forcing the two to the ground. The Queen's unicorn was hit with a stream of chemicals from the air. The horse bucked the Queen off sending her to the ground as it began to neigh in excruciating agony.

A disgusting sight unfolded before her. The Unicorn, mercifully quick, began to liquefy and dissolve into a swampy puddle. That puddle combined with the liquid from the initial attack started to spread across the wood. Once healthy grass turned brown, the trees began to rot and die. Spawning maggots from their corpses. The chemicals reached the expanded river turning it brown and creating a smell that spread the chemicals further. Birds began to drop like flies.

Titania began singing a song of restoration. Leaving her open for a creature to descend upon her. One with sickly green scales, feet, and legs like a dinosaur, a long serpent-like neck with the head and wings of a bat. A Jabberwocky.

It was a creature the Star Warden slew on his first adventure after recovering from burning alive. Though that one had a more draconic appearance. This one was being ridden by a figure in bronze and black with a helm whose face imitated the appearance of a jack o lantern. A baleful glow emitted from the eyes and mouth.

The Jabberwocky's claws snatched the Unicorn Queen and took off north back to Gloriana. The Star Warden took flight to pursue them, Dawnbringer's runes at the ready. Only to be shot down from behind. His rocket pack was damaged and blood started to drip from his back.

“What kind of blast was that” he thought. “My armor can usually take a SWAT-bots hit.”

He attempted to rise and suppress the pain in his back. But the immense pain was far too much, forcing him to focus all his willpower on not falling into shock. 

“SWAT-bots,” Kaguya said as she began to heal him. “A new model from their appearance.”

The SWAT-bot mark 2. Black with gold accents. Skull faces openly displayed instead of the usual face plate and visor. Their visual sensors were gold like a wolf's but with blood-red pupils. They moved without making a sound thanks to anti-gravity technology replacing the rockets of the Mark 1s.

They began to speak but the Warden could not hear it. Built-in encryption devices made the voices come out as a series of beeps and static to organic hearing. A security measure to ensure none could understand what they said and enhance their intimidating looks.

Kaguya acted quickly creating a platform of light to spirit them away. The Mark 2s gave chase firing their built-in particle cannons and missiles. These missiles unleashed nanites upon each impact. Slowly the platform and barrier of magic began to erode forcing Kaguya to put more magic into each. But this division would only delay the inevitable, so she chooses to focus on the platform, hoping to get out of reach.

It would not be so. The sonic spheres cut them off and blared in unison. Causing the platform to crumble beneath them. The Mark 2s launched a barrage of energy on the Princess before she could react. She tumbled to the ground bleeding and unconscious. The Warden used his rocket boots in an attempt to catch her. But was intercepted by a machine punching him in the face. The front of his helm shattered into pieces and he fell to the ground with only an effort of will keeping him conscious. One of the drones put a cyberfield on his arms and legs pinning him to the ground.

One of the robot soldiers walked over him cannon at the ready. Its eyes turned fully red and a familiar voice came out. “Greetings, Star Warden.”

“Daimos.”

“As you can see the Mark 2s are a marked improvement over the original.” He laughed at the pun.

“Free advice: Don't quit your day job. Here's some more: If you're going to vaporize me get it over it.”

“Oh, I plan to. But not through vaporization. Considering burning you alive did not kill you. I fear you may somehow recompile yourself from the atoms. So I will use the one means I know will work.” The robot's left arm shifted into a state of liquid metal then solidified into a blade. The blade heated up as the nanites vibrated at a high frequency.

“Time for you to join your father. In my trophy room!” He slammed the blade on Sam's throat and the blade broke.

“WHAT!” The broken piece began to dissolve into liquid followed by the rest of the blade.

Daimos continued to bellow but only static came out of the frozen machine. Arcs of plasma in the form of green lightning bolts struck the Mark 2s. The Warden heard a loud barking ringing in his ears and the thump of a grenade launcher. Smoke blanked the area with only the flashes of particle cannons and plasma breaking through it.

The cyberfield dissipated from his limbs. “Greetings. All will be well.” The synthetic voice was soft and female. Its source was a dark-furred golden retriever in some sort of battle suit.

“Josie?” His voice was weak as he was slowly losing his will to stay awake. “Kaguya in danger,” he moaned.

Her ears drooped as her suit's sensors relayed how wounded he was. “All will be well,” she repeated. “You will see Kaguya again.” She barked something and it translated into binary which opened up a Bifrost gateway that swallowed Sam and Josie.

Celes called back her nanites as they left the disabled Mark 2s. Summoning an anti-gravity pad from cyberspace. She safely brought the faerie princess through a gateway into her ship. Familiar chrome and white walls with a dash of green electronic lines filled her vision as she put Kaguya inside a medical pod alongside Sam's.

Medical nanites entered into their bloodstreams to began mending their bodies.

Chapter 6

Chapter 4