Outcast of UZ-0320

Energy shots rang out through the crystal maze, as Corporal Singe heard a falling shard. He breathed out in relief, shutting down his arm cannon. It was the one month on UZ-0320 that night shrouded the planet, letting the Gralsun roam free. His dark gray armor was no defense against a Gralsun- or an Aldunari, for that matter.

Rastin-Ze crept through the cavern, following the fleshling. His crystalline form was all but immune to any weapons a soldier would carry. The most the human could do was slow him down. He left his cover behind the gem pillar. This human was trespassing on the Finding Grounds, where new Aldunari were found and brought to sentience. The shards forming his arm coalesced, the mist binding him together drawing them into one, were they formed into a sharp blade. The human swung around, aiming his arm cannon at Rastin-Ze.

"Oh, thank god, it's just one of you. Do you know the way out of here?"

"You are trespassing on sacred ground. Leave now."

"I'm trying, Aldunari. My navigation systems are broken- I feel like I'm going in circles." These words were lost on Rastin-Ze, who had seen a large, simple, eight-edged gem behind the soldier.

"Do you know where you are?!" Rastin-Ze shouted. "You are in a place of purity. You have no business being here!"

Singe primed his arm cannon, clenching his fist inside the metal cylinder. A display on the right of his visor showed several symbols, and he chose one.

"I don't. Can you help me find my way out?" He said, nerves evident in his voice. Rastin-Ze clenched his remaining fist. He calmed himself. He lifted his hand, pointing off to his right.

"Head straight that way. The exit will be obvious when you find it."

"Thank you. Could you possibly come with me? The Gralsun are out."

As he said this, a red, crystalline form appeared from the shadow behind the soldier. Rastin-Ze tackled the human just as a massive red claw crashed where he was standing. Cracks spread through the cerulean crystal forming the ground. The beast smashed a claw into the pillar holding the dormant Aldunari. The eight-sided crystal fell to the ground. Rastin-Ze rushed to the crystal, and laid his hand on it. Energy pulsed from Rastin-Ze's form and into the crystal. It fell apart in a symmetrical pattern, and then formed into a tall Aldunari.

"Avrin sa ze nare?"

"Rosh sav'ir nak." Rastin-Ze said, pointing at the large red crystal creature. The newly-awakened Aldunari stood, and scooped up the human, slinging him over his shoulder. As he did this, he grasped Singe's head, and ran energy through, piecing together the English language. His spread-out form strode across the crystal ground, carrying them quickly.

"Where did you come from?"

"I was not yet sentient. Rastin-Ze just woke me from my dormancy."

"You Aldunari are strange..."

"How do you think we feel?"

Rastin-Ze held on to the Gralsun's head, gripping on by its straight crystal horns. He attempted to impale the blade of his arm into its skull, but it shook him off. He lifted himself up, but was promptly backhanded into a pillar. The beast attempted to crush him, but Rastin-Ze split his torso and legs apart, and reformed atop the beast's arm, where he cut through the essence binding it together. It split apart, turning blue just before dissipating. The disconnected appendage fell to the ground, scattering as all the separate parts split. The beast stood on its back two limbs, and let out a high-pitched sound wave directly at Rastin-Ze. His crystalline form began to crack in several places, but not disrupting his essence. Rastin reached down to the ground, placing his hand on the crystal, and turned his other hand back. A massive crystal spike erupted from the ground, shattering the beast's torso. It was incapacitated as it re-formed, shards coalescing and malding together. He let atop the creature's head, turned both arms into swords. He rammed both in forcefully, shattering the red crystal, and causing the creature to spasm until it fell to the ground. The essence binding it dissipated, and the crystal turned a pale white, and broke down into a powder. Rastin-Ze crouched at the piles, and ran energy through them. They pulsed, and began to form rough crystals. He stood, and then formed into a cloud of cyan particles, which shot into the ground, as a lit trail navigated through the crystal at high speed.

The crystal spire sparkled as a beam of cyan energy shot through the crystal. The particles burst from the crystal, taking several shards with it. The particles turned into an eight sided gem for a second, which then split apart and grew into the blue Aldunari. He looked around, and spotted a gray dot running across the prismatic ground. The one night on UZ-0320 that was the most dangerous was also the most beautiful. Not in the way the trees of CS-235 were, though. The hundreds of stars cast their light upon the planet, the moon adding its great luminance to the mix. Each pin of light cast a new pinprick, making the whole planet a shimmering crystal orb. He coalesced into an eight-sided gem, and turned back into a particle cloud, which compressed, glowing bright blue. A bang rang out, and he was instantly thrown to the front gates of the human settlement.

As this happened, a Gralsun tunneled up through the crystal. This one was clear, matching the color of the planet's ground. As he tunneled, he saw an opportunity to be rid of an Aldunari and a human base. He sent a tangle of energy through the ground, glowing the same color as the Aldunari. He forced a huge crystal spike up through the ground, and impaled the man, blood leaking down the crystal lance. The crystal spilt in two, and tore the corpse in two, organs and blood spilling from the split cadaver. The beast pulled the Aldunari down, and then proceeded to destroy the colony.

"Titan Cannon 16, hostile present, Aldunari, go, go, GO!"

Up in the planet's thin atmosphere, the transmission came through. The operator activated a console, causing several exhaust vents to heat up along the lance-like alloy cannon. Three large shafts came from the sides, and each heated up, and the central tip opened up, where three cannons extended.

"Inertia dampeners primed! Open fire!" Light warped around the cannon, making it waver. The side cannons fire simultaneously, sending out a yellow beam of energy.

Down on the planet's surface, huge crystal spires continued to form. The three beams came down, impacting a crystal spire. A large form under the crystal surface glowed red, and cracked apart. The colony sagged as its foundation was removed from under it. An Aldunari came from one of the more intact parts of the colony, and ran energy through the crystal. It formed back into a solid foundation, with Rastin-Ze bound in crystal.