I looked down as Empress Vodain shot upwards into a sitting position with a gasp. "What in the name of the Five Goddesses happened?" She asked as she pulled herself off the crystal floor and onto her feet, looking as if doing so was a massive effort. "By the Goddesses, Why do I feel as if a thousand bricks have been placed onto my shoulders?"

"You got dazed upon relaying in, it happens to those not used to it. Nothing to worry about, the headache should go away soon enough. About the heavy feeling? This world has higher gravity, drink this." I handed her a vial filled with a glowing blue liquid not unlike the color of Quantum. "Now, let's commence with the tour."

After gulping the liquid down, she gagged but instantly looked relived. "What exactly did I just drink?"

I grinned. "That was one of the pinnacles of Empire medical technology. Its a medication that adjusts your body to whatever gravity it's in automatically, everyone is given one to ensure no issues arrive from the process of going to different worlds." Zebras had begun to teach others how to make what they did, even writing it down in detail allowing these instructions and methods to be programmed into machines, which could mass produce them quickly. Those in the military didn't get the civilian grade one, they got a military grade one that wouldn't do anything to their bodies in low gravity worlds, but if the gravity was higher than Equis they'd adapt to deal with it, I had taken the same one.

Vodain seemed to be looking around at the throne room, Moon having left after waking her to go back to Mars using the royal Portal Gate. Vodain had however seen her and turned to me. "Who exactly was that I saw leave a few moments ago?"

"That was Moon, one my Equals within the Empire. She helps me govern Mars, another planet within this solar system, while Chrysalis runs Vanov for me." I looked at my pipboy to check the time.

The Empress seemed focused on the robotic sentries at either side of my throne, before refocusing on me. "Alright I think I'm ready now, it took a few minutes for me to catch my breath and I must apologize for the delay."

Waving it off I went on. "Don't worry about it, this happens to everyone the first time they use the relay, I could have used a Gate but decided this was quicker than picking you up and just flying back to the command tower with you dangling from my arms." I snorted at the thought of that, that damned scout really screamed quite loudly when I did that for the first two minutes, I had to threaten to drop her to get her to shut her fuckin mouth. "Now follow me, I want you to remember there is more than one sentient species here, all are under my rule that you see."

She seemed rather disturbed at the idea of more than one species existing able to use technology, but walked with me through the Palace halls. "This Palace is constructed entirely of one solid chunk of crystal that the first ruler of this Empire grew with the help of her subjects, it was then carved into the palace you stand within. How this was done exactly I am unsure, but this is what was in the history books I read when I took control."

One of her eyebrows raised. "Took control? Surely if you where in line for the throne you'd know the history of the kingdom you where to take when the time came?" Vodain Questioned.

Stopping at one of the many large windows that lined the hallway, the glass wasn't glass but rather solid clear crystal as was the norm when this palace had been constructed I grinned looking outside. "You'd think that, but I was never meant to rule. Not at first anyways, this empire had fallen under a tyrant who ran it with an iron fist Or, hoof really. Now her skull sits within my collection." I smiled at that thought, Umbra's skull was the prize of my collection. I adored my entire collection of course, but her skull was the centerpiece.

To my surprise, Vodain smiled. "One must seize power when one is able, I can understand that at least." We continued our walk down the palace halls, passing various guards and automated security.

"I did not desire this power, to rule over thousands, if not millions. But I accepted, how could I refuse when these people needed someone so desperately to lead them? I had nothing else I could do, so I became their King, their Emperor, whatever you want to call it." We had made it to an exit at last, and the doors slid open as I approached. "That was eight years ago, and since then I've turned this Empire from one of the most primitive, to the most advanced on this world." I looked up at the clear blue skies with puffy white clouds hanging lazily just within reach of a few crystal pegasi, it was nice to have been picked for this role, to be wanted. To be needed.

Empress Vodain gave me a curious look. "And how can you achieve such a thing within that short of a time?"

"That's a story for another time, now that we're out and about this tour can actually begin. It will be enlightening for you I suspect." As we walked Vodain stopped suddenly, so I turned around to see what the hold up was, only to see her staring at a random dude who was walking around nude as the day he was born, huh normally humans didn't do that, but it was legal. Her face was flushed dark blue, rather easy to see when her skin was a light gold color. It took me a moment to figure out what that color change meant but when I did I nearly died laughing.

----------------------------Deathclaw Colony----------------------------

Jinks glared at the wall next to his bunk, he enjoyed the concept of being on an alien world as much as the next Scifi nerd but he'd like to have been asked rather than reassigned. But, he thought with a sigh that this was pretty much what he should have expected when he signed up as a military field medic. He was glad he could still enjoy his short trips into the local forest, though he had to take his service pistol with him it almost could be mistaken for some forest back on Earth, or Equis really if one didn't pay close attention. So that's what he did, it was easy enough to slip past without being noticed since he was supposed to be on the base, no one really questioned when he just walked out the front gate.

Another fifteen minutes later he was at his normal spot, the walk here wasn't hard, it was a small clearing in the trees that he liked to sit in, just read. Sometimes listen to music or play his 3DS, which thankfully had been converted to a fusion battery so he'd only ever really have to replace the battery every year or so for a freshly charged one. This time he had decided on reading a book on his tablet. It had been a rather simple process to get it converted to a fusion battery as well as a minor change to the device to allow it to function with the information network of his new home. All it needed was a modified microchip that'd allow it to access the odd plasma technology that somehow let people talk like regular phones on Earth did as well as connecting to the internet.

As Jinks read on, swiping with a finger to flip the digital pages, his eyes began to droop without really thinking about it. And before he had known what'd happened he'd fallen asleep under that tree like he had done before, and just like always his snoring was loud enough to scare any local animals into fucking off since nothing should be able to make a noise that demonic sounding. Unfortunately for him this time it attracted something, several Manuka with primitive stone spears dressed in animal hides to be specific. Aroz turned her attention to her friend beside her. "This looks like one of the odd males from that territory that killed Gev, what do we do?"

Rossa rolled her eyes. "It's a male, you know we can't afford to kill him. Just take him and put em somewhere for now, we can sort out what to do with him later, maybe he can be useful." She motioned at Jinks.

Aroz sighed and picked Jinks up hefting him over her shoulder. "Goddess this guy's heavy...the fuck does he eat? He looks so skinny yet he feels like he weighs as much as an entire stack of firewood!"

"Quit your complaining, it can't be that bad you big baby, now lets hurry back to the village."

-----------------------------------UNDF Colony World---------------------------

A soldier looked up at the giant animal headed their way, two large horns not unlike a bull. Switching her radio on she spoke. "I've spotted a large creature heading this way, with the foaming around it's mouth that I can see through my scope I think it has some sort of disease, the rest of the herd seems to have rejected it from what I've been able to gather. It's headed this way and does not look friendly."

The radio crackled with two words. "Acknowledged, hold." klaxons could be heard through the colony blaring as one of the large railguns swiveled in the direction of the animal, before it fired. The sound was deafening and she watched with satisfaction as the beast that had to be nearly seventy feet tall fall to the ground causing a large tremor to shake the entire base. She grinned watching it get pelted with 157 millimeter railgun shells that penetrated deeply into it's flesh and burst open like bombs. In the distance this had apparently been seen, a large fox like creature watching with fascination from the top of a tall tree.

He quickly climbed down and ran back to the village, he'd have to inform the Cheif of this. Hunting on another tribes ground was forbidden and punishable by war, these strange small beings may have odd ways of hunting, but hunting was hunting and they'd broken the agreement that'd helped keep the various tribes from outright destroying one another for the past two decades. Rushing past the modest wooden walls and past the guards who didn't give him but a mere glance he barged into the Chiefs cabin. "Chief! I have news that will interest you!"

The Chief looked over from his seat, a simple carved wooden chair. "Well, spit it out if your just going to barge in here without notice, this better be important." He glared.

Nodding he went on. "It is, very much so! Small beings about up to my ankle I'd hazard a guess hunted a Chox nearby on our territory." He paused to take a breath. "As you know this is in violation of the Pack Agreement that was made twenty cycles ago."

The Chiefs glare instantly faded. "I thank you for bringing this to my attention, do you think it's possible to show the guards where this happened? They can go collect the fine for hunting on lands not their own, and if they refuse they can pay with their lives."

With a smile he nodded yet again. "Yes I can, it's too the east near the creek."

-----------------Imperial city of Ugmal Royal Palace Throne Room-----------

Guards where startled when Empress Vodain appeared in a blinding flash of blue light with the sound of thunder as if the Goddesses themselves had summoned her back to her rightful place of rule. Seemingly stunned Vodain took a minute to stand herself up and looked directly at Grand Priest Musne who was sitting in a chair next to the throne meant for when Vodain was away. "Summon the rulers of the other two major kingdoms at once, I need to inform them of what I've seen before one of them decides to try and do something stupid."

The Grand Priest bowed deeply. "Yes Your Majesty, it shall be done as quickly as possible." As she rushed off to send messenger birds, Vodain walked into an ornate room that held a table with three chairs, hers being the largest. Then, she waited.

Author's Note

Hope chu all like dis! OCO, sorry I haven't felt like writing lately.