A Prime (Summary) Example Part 5

Nothing, nothing stood between the Atlantians and world conquest but an increasingly desperate draconian people and...the Altanian's malignant nature. 

It was a delicious irony that the crowning tool that SHOULD have clinched victory for the Atlantians at the gifted (but evil) hand of Lord Tesla, should play in their downfall. Quickly, the drive of the invaders was halted as factions arose over just WHO should actually possess the powerful artifact known as the Crystallic. 

The magic relic could have teleported vast Atlantian armies within the midst of the Dragon Council, killing them before the dragons were able to breath a blast of flame in feeble protection. 

It should have been able, at the hands of the ungodly powerful and skilled Atlantians to transform huge numbers of draconic defenders into harmless animals before they got within even sight of the invaders. 

Instead, it caused divisions within the evil nation. Measures had been taken to try to stem the tide of anarchy by scaring the subjects into compliance. Threats of releasing a horrible new curse called lycanthropy were made to dissidents. The threats were scoffed at, disbelieved. The threat of this new, powerful curse didn't work, for the dissidents finally made war upon the forces of Tesla. The curse was released, and thousands and thousands of rebels suddenly found themselves changing, some by the initial casting. Others changed by being infected and surviving attacks by former allies. They changed into werewolves and other lycanthropes. The new curse/disease was TOO powerful, though. The curse spread TOO quickly. Tesla was seeing his mighty empire, his plaything, being torn apart! In a fit of insane rage, the mighty mage initiated a series of signals that triggered massive earthquakes and flooding. Entire islands, including the capital island of Atlantis, disappeared under the waves. 

Lord Tesla's body atomized under the stress of his final act of anger. The ravening monsters that had been men managed to escape the still intact capital city, and spread. Others, in an effort to save their wretched lives from the in-rushing waves, courted necromancy, and were transformed into the world's first vampires. These and other atrocities still plague Terra today; all could trace themselves to that fateful night. 

The dragons were left standing, first stunned and then amused at the fate that had befallen their enemy. The vileness within the invaders had been the Atlantians' downfall! 

It soon became a popular misconception amongst the dragons that this was the nature of all of mankind. It was thought that mankind would always self-destruct, due to the immature and violent nature within them. 

Two schools of thought came about to prevent a threat like the Atlantians from ever arising again. Extermination was out of the question. There was the ethical question on such a vile act, so many dragons dismissed this thought. Others saw it as impossible, for the humans bred too fast for extermination to work. 

Both sides were in agreement over one thing: they "knew" that humanity was NOT capable of nobility on its own, and was a decided threat if left unchecked. 

Irony struck again, thousands of years later when Malachi would find that humanity was very well capable of being noble and good without draconian aid. 

But that was now, this was then. 

One school felt that humanity needed to be guided and taught, to be brought up to a level that would be the monsters the Atlantians had been. "would not be"? The thought that mankind could be domesticated and civilized. However some, while they professed this view, they saw humanity as just a gaggle of children, forever needing protection and guidance. 

The other school felt that humanity was nothing but menace, and as such harsh measures should be taken in case it became clear that humanity was "getting too powerful." Some dragons even took a darker view than this. They reasoned that since Atlantis went and destroyed itself in such a childish and violent manner, that it was obvious that humanity as a species really wasn't very intelligent...little more than animals, actually. Animals to be used and abused as a dragon felt. Through long centuries, it became apparent that the Council harbored many of the latter school. Through the Council's influence and power, the second school of thought was put into positions of power and influence in the Occidental dragon people's society. Soon, the entire group was almost entirely of this school, evil and cruel. The Oriental dragons kept to the first school and resisted following their Western brothers into moral decline but, however, they still hoped to persuade the Council to the more benign view through peaceful means. 

Small chance, it turned out. The majority of the Council had grown to love its power, and love the influence they had over the dragons of the West. They soon "outlawed" some techniques that would perhaps threaten their hold on their subjects. To put it in Probe's word's "The Council blew off the protests of the East." Thus it was. The Council had cemented their power base, until Minestus changed everything. 

When Minestus contacted the Enemy, using the Crystallic that had been thought lost forever, he brought the proud nation of dragons crashing to the dirt! 

"Perhaps we deserve Zerm," Sato says softly, haunted by memories."We Certainly deserved what the Alliance did to us." 

See, Sato had been one of the original dragons that helped form the Council of Wyrms (which later turned into a disaster for all of dragonkind when they refused to even listen to an angry Alliance who warned them to "....cease their alliance with the Enemy...." And the Council even went so far as to destroy the Avatar envoy....setting the stage for their race's disaster). 

Probe breaks in, violently protesting that the Dragons did NOT deserve what had befallen them. It had been a horrible mistake that will never be undone. 

"Thus are the fortunes of war," Sato said softly. "I do not blame you for reacting as you did. The facts revealed to me and my...allies...have been most enlightening. If anyone is to be blamed for you being fooled by such a masterful stroke, it's the Enemy. BUT, it was the Council that sealed our fate. It was the Council that refused to even consider your just warning. 

"I could have listened to the younger, but now apparently wiser, voices." the elder wyrm sighs, looking towards the Regent's new Vizier, Alicia 2. "We should have made a stand against the Council. We should have fought just as those wiser Occidental dragons did in YOUR universe! Thus dragon kind would have been spared such devastation when the Alliance saw us as what we actually were, not as the monolithic menace that the Council made us look like!" 

"But that was just...an isolated incident! (re: 2745)" protested Alicia 2, befuddled. "Just two Oriental dragons attacking an evil Occidental dragon. There were no more events like that!" 

"That you know of," Sato smiled softly. "See, that would have been a quiet affair, out of sight of most non-humans and humans. It would have been. Embarrassing otherwise.. 

"Sorry if that sound strange," Sato finishes. "It's just the way dragons would conduct business such as that." 

Heads that belong to those of draconian origin (or were currently dragon) nod, as if that made perfect sense. The others just looked at each other, askance. 

"Well, that aside," Probe said diplomatically. "The rest of the mages, I, and Inquirer have been having a bull session, a meeting to come up with ideas and share ideas." Sato looked like he was going to ask clarification to that odd phrase. "We finally came upon" 

"Two methods of action which you hoped would work but would have failed miserably!" interrupted a deep male voice, laughing. Probe's Avatar freezes for a few seconds, while Probe himself feels a shock of recognition. He knew that voice. But it was impossible. Somebody was playing a VERY bad practical joke that he or she's were going to regret dearly! 

The humans then jumped back in shock as a ghostly figure appeared, floating above the table. The ghost was of a beautiful woman with flowing red hair down to her rear, dressed in the arms and armor of an Aqualarian Amazon warrior. It looked to be a ghostly Princess Astra, but the only dead Astra they knew of.. The only Astra they knew of was down in a cryo-unit in the shuttlecraft. She had a look of peace and contentment, whoever she was. 

"One is hypnotizing Dr. Vincent and seeing if he can remember some clue that he picked up from his ghostly brother," the ghost of the Astra-icle said softly. "Perhaps while using those funny hats that read some of your minds." "The other was to contact the golems of the Sueze Channel (re: 2118)" said another figure, appearing out of thin air. "Perhaps there had been an emergency feature that could have been used to teleport Zerm, a possible high up in Atlantian society, out of danger. Perhaps that could be used to yank him to you guys so you could kill him." Probe looked up and stares at the ghost of Ajax, a friend and fellow Unuit unit that had committed suicide upon learning that he'd been fooled by the Enemy into killing the almost all of the Dragons. 

Probe saw the ghost of the machine, since he's an AI (not a golem like Inquirer is now). Probe did not see the other ghost, due to some ghostly law in the Afterlife about such things. 

The humans (lycanthopic and otherwise) and those dragons who've been "contaminated" by humanity (i.e. too human by the defunct Council of Wyrms' standards) saw the ghostly Astra. The failed to notice Ajax. The Manimals, Sato, and Inquirer saw neither, and wondered what the heck was up with their friends. What were they staring at?! "Neither would have worked," the ghosts said in duet. 

There was a babble of voices until the ghosts of Ajax and Astra the ice princess shouted for quiet. Dr. Vincent then had a brainstorm, and soon the mages were looking (and hearing) the ghosts by mage sight and spell. 

"We don't have much time," Ajax said, smiling a slightly less than sane smile. "However, for a very short time, we bring to you the answer to your man-hunting needs!" 

Ghostly Astra nudged Ajax, and the AI/ghost frowned, but then continued. 

"Short of it is that, ironically, we find our villain and his ghostly buddies are back near the street corner in Atlantis the first few analogs and natives met. Third pyramid to the North. Can't miss it!" 

"Yes, he's hiding in the LAST place you'd expect," the ghostly Astra-icle smiled down at the mirror with the startled looking image of Astra 1 inside. 

"He kept out of sight of the 'construction drones', and laughs..waiting for the collapse of the slipgates.." 

So the adventurers set off to finish the evil mage after taking care of the problems with their own kin first. After Sato sacrifices his life (much to the shock and dismay of the others) to make it possible for this to happen the adventurers set off and attack and defeat Zerm, Turoc, and the ghostly Dr. Vincent.
 
 

The cost was high, of course. The oriental dragons who'd come along to help against the evil mage had died within the first few moments of the battle and the Astra who'd come along got knocked unconscious when Zerm caused her magical armor to destruct. Probe nearly bought the farm when he got off the killing blow. Zerm's magical shields had been able to block everything that the others had thrown at it, but Probe had noted before his base unit got yanked to this place and his ties to his Avatar severed that light got through since he could be seen. Probe had within his base unit a weapon of last resort....a pulse laser that he could use to cut through the shields and toast the mage. Problem was that there was a magical spell that prevented Probe from deploying the laser safely. He could use it, but the laser beam would blast through his higher functions.....lobotomizing himself. Only his lower base functions would be left....and only for a short while.
 
 

Inquirer was able to apply a magical gem like what had been used on her and sucked the soul of Probe into it (since it was still attached to his base unit until the last spark of energy left it....when it ceased function and died). And so Probe became a golem as well.
 
 

"As for the rest.....you already heard what Fredrina (re: 11213) basically told of the situation on Terra Prime," B'elanna finished up.
 
 

"But perhaps they want to know what has been happening recently," Dr. Who finally says, secretly glad to have been spared the burden of explaining (especially to the Brigadier and Sarah Jane, who'd had the most questions on the whole matter).
 
 

B'elanna had done an admirable job, despite looking a bit vexed at times.....
 
 

1. "I think I'll finish up, dear one." Elrondir says softly, patting the former Klingon/human's hand. 

 Go Back