Fireworks and Mental Pruning!

Probe is out of Murt's chair and violently shaking the orc before he can fall upon his sword.....

"Where, you fugitive from a Tolkienian novel!?" Probe growls. "Where?"

Probe really hasn't "lost his cool" as it were. He's just playing out the part of a rather large and dangerous looking person....who'd you would NOT like to have angry with you! The AI would rather use a more subtle, refined approach.....but that's not going to work for this instance. First, his general appearance (of a large, muscular human being with a bit of the "thug" to him) would be hard to downplay. Second, according to Tarin Gazin, even the other dwarven clans found that the best way to deal with Balok's clan (even before the....er....recent events) was in a brusque, no nonsense manner. Balok and company tended to be rude to others and gave one the impression that "good manners" was a sign of weakness. Finally, there was a fact that Probe knew from a quick discussion with Astra 8.....

There had been mention of Aqualarian troops nearby.....lead by none other than the recently restored Anina! Though Anina, now a hamadryad, is extremely tough to kill.....the same can not be said for the forces she is leading! If this is some type of ambush.....

Time to get results, and worry about hurt feelings and such later! Mend fences (if they need it....and if it's worth it.....later). Lives were at stake..... Aqualarian soldiers definitely....and these new analogs lives....also (since Creator knows WHERE they are now.....).

"Ack, go ahead," mutters Murt, the fight going out of him, "Tell him.....what use is it now?!"

"You will be assimilated. Your technological and biological distinctivness will be added to ours. Resistance is futile." Probe quips, making his voice sound like the voice of a million drones in one. The Borg Collective Voice from Star Trek.

He had been trying to make himself be as menacing (and intimidating) as he could (and that is.....really intimidating....folks). He wanted to, because he wanted to scare the bejeebers out of the orcs. Partly because he didn't like them (he'd seen what they'd done). Partly as something of crowd control (make them fear you....but not to the point of blind panic).

However.....

Well, whatever Probe had been trying for sure wasn't THIS

Certain phrases float throughout the multi-verse, used by various people of various alignments (good, evil, indiffernt). Mages, madmen...and monsterous hive mind entities invent them....but the "phrases" take on something of a life all their own! Being that somehow they slip out and get "assimilated" into other universes. If you just happen to be under the right conditions, even if you aren't a mage (but have magical talent untapped)....AND are able to recreate the original incantation (say.....a million drones speaking as one)....then strange things occur.

Thus, Probe's words have a very profound effect on the ex-dwarves. Lingering traces of the alchemical potions that they'd ingested (re: flare into effect. The original user of the words, the Orcen Shaman, was only able to approximate the voice of the Borg, and got a small taste of the True potential of those Words of Power. He had enough magic to him to be able to invoke the Words, but it would only work once on an intended target. To do so again (not that the Shaman could ever manage it) would be to risk irreparable brain damage/memory erasure. Thus is the reason why the ex-dwarves scream as one as they feel their....minds.....being shredded. They fall to the ground, and then arise again with slack jawed....incredibly dull and simple looks on their faces. Gone is all knowledge of the art of metal smithing, of gun powder making, of even being able to count past FIVE! Gone is approximately two thirds of their intelligence....making them perfect representatives of their new race. In other words, Murt and the others are now orcs....in mind and body (and soul).

That....and receptive to whatever commands Probe gives them.

"What would you have of us, Master," the ex-dwarves say in eerie, thick- witted unison.

Probe glances in surprise at the orcs, then over at his family.

Evis 7, at a loss, mouths "DamifIknow!" back to her husband to be.

Probe decides to test something. Something silly but conclusive.

"Jump on one foot!" Probe commands in the million drones in one voice.

Everywhere, what is left of Balok's clan starts to jump in place....on one foot! Even the female orcs that got left behind (which draws a few odd stares from even the densest of "normal" orcs).

The other agents that came along with Probe in the rescue party quickly report in, telling of the odd behavior they are observing.

Probe, having seen Terminator 2, feels a bit of disquiet at this.....and vows to not be as....silly as young John Conner had been as with the Terminator (besides....things could turn out deadly if he words his commands wrong!) Lastly, controlling others like this...mentally.....leaves a bad taste in Probe's mouth (being against his morals).

Right after this... Probe sighs to himself.

"I repeat....where is the sight of the other Orcs?" Probe drones out, "Are they set up in ambush?"

The one orc lieutenant points a knobby finger in the direction that he came and begins to give simple directions when......

BOOOOOM!!!

From a hidden spot well away....in a hidden grove of trees.

Astra the younger stares in wide eyed wonder at the rising cloud of fire and smoke rising out from what had been a hidden cache of black powder!

"I only thought that that black stuff made the fireworks on the August festival give off pretty colors and loud noises!" the youngster says quietly.

"Ah.....well, while I can't tell you just why they have so much of that stuff around......since we Allarians never saw a use for the stuff beyond the toys we saw in Chin called 'rockets' and 'fire crackers'...." the one Fred who'd arisen from a sticky end whispers, "Still and all, the tenders of that stuff in the festivals we used it in said that you never wanted to store too much in one place....especially around fire.....just for the reason we just saw!"

"I do think we sent off a loud enough warning to whoever the Orcs were going to ambush," says the Astra that came with Anina, hugging her new found love who'd suggested the plan in the first place.

"Hmmm, back home I'd only heard rumors of something about this powder down in the Middle East.....something to do with 'cannons'," Joan says, referring to the Arabic people who she looked to be descended from now. "Though what this powder has to do with Church Law is beyond me."

"Sound nasty," Hannah whispers as she morphs back to human form.

Urnath gives off a warning neigh and points his horn at several spots that have a largish groups of Orcs running in their general direction.

"Oh boy," whispers Anina, who'd expected the Orcs to have scampered off in the OPPOSITE direction of the blast.

Hopes and prayers that the Orcs will turn away (and not run through the area that the group is hidden) seem to go unheard when.....

Dragon Synizn, having taken flight overhead to better view the cause of the explosion, calmly clicks on his radio (dragon sized) and calls to the person that he'd sworn his fealty to as what is due for a debt of blood.

Sharp dragon eyes, able to magically see what would normal eyes would not be able to....even with the sublte magic that tries to through discovery to the side...away from the figures below in the grove of trees.

1. "Probe....I think I've just found our new analogs," the dragon mages says, "And....wait...... I think I better go in and help....."

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