I grinned looking out the bridge of a small, one mile large starship. I had decided the use of a small starship for this trip rather than say, the massive Crystal City, or the much smaller, Crystal Lorenzo, because from the data, and information I had gotten from the thawed researchers and general Enclave personal, Mars had life. It was about the size of Earth from my universe, in this universe. The planet itself was a deep rich pink color rather than the copper red we expect when we think of Mar's itself, and best of all, it had a fucking atmosphere and ya could breathe there with no problems, unless ya hated the cold, seeing as rarely if ever did the planet warm up enough for water around the equator to go from frozen, to liquid, and even then it was just above freezing for two, three weeks at most, before back to ice cold, don't be confused however this planet did have an ocean, a medium sized one, the reason it didn't freeze over I was told, was because like everything on this planet it had some sort of biological antifreeze in it, so have fun trying to drink it without filtering it.

From what I had learned, Pre-War satellites had found life on the planet, sentient life at that, so I was excited to see what new citizens I had within the Empire now. I simply smiled to myself looking over at Frank Horrigan, he would be one of the main defenses if the locals turned out to be hostile. As the starship drew closer to the planet, I almost laughed at the planet, it was fucking bubblegum pink! Regardless of how most of it was pink as Pinkie Pie, it did have large splotches of red, grey, and a pinkish ocean, still blue but it was like someone spilled pink paint into it.

We'd be there in an hour, as I had decided I'd like to watch the planet slowly come into view. The Equator is what I was most focused on, as several Enclave bases with automated nuclear silos where supposed to be there, I was going to alter those to have non nuclear warheads, but regardless, I didn't wanna get shot with em even if the starship could withstand it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------Mars Surface, near Equator---------------------------------------------------------

Domain Master Lazoi extended an eyestalk to look up at the ceiling of his castle, it was dripping drops of water every now and again, clearly the ice was beginning to melt due to the coming of summer. Domain Master Lazoi hated summer, if he was unlucky the roof of his ice castle would collapse inwards and crush him, he had such a thing happen before, one scorching summer seven summers ago, the roof of his castle had dripped and dropped far too long and the ceiling had fallen and, thankfully only crushed a few females, thankfully his domain had been at peace during that time, it took months of repair to fix the problem. It also meant he would have to have the stone tools brought out of storage since ice ones would always melt in the summer. He didn't much like those stone and wood tools, they were heavier, harder to make, and tiring to use in the fields, that made his peasants dislike them even moreso than him.

Just as he was going to issue the order, his eldest spawn entered the room, and widened himself before Lazoi making his head lower than Lazoi's own. "You show respect, this is appreciated my spawn."

Uunkax unwidened himself, and nodded one eyestalk at his father. "I come with news, the great domes of snow and ice have begun to act strange, from what I've been able to see the tops are opening."

Domain Master Lazoi turned two eyestalks to Uunkax. "They are?” Air hissed out through the breathing-pores under all six of his eyestalks, two of those eyestalks focusing on Uunkax in surprise. "Let us go quickly then, I wish to see this for myself."

Uunkax wiggled another eyestalk. "Yes Clanfather, follow me I will lead you to where I saw it happening." With that Uunkax....well he didn't turn around, his species had no concept of 'behind you' or a small field of vision, seeing as he had six eyestalks evenly spaced around his entire head like any proper species, rather he sort of waddled out of the castle with his Clanfather following him, it was a few minutes of waddling, or skittering, it was an odd motion which was hard to describe, with their six legs, but they got there in time to witness what looked to be a massive floating....thing, for it had no wings or air bladders to keep it afloat like some animals Unnkax had seen, but as it lowered itself into the dome of ice and snow the top closed again, this time great chunks of ice beginning to fall off leaving behind what looked to be a smooth black rock behind.

Domain Master Lazoi looked over to Uunkax with two eyestalks. "I want you to gather some males, ensure they have ice spears and stone daggers, we may be running into trouble, but I think it's long past the time to stand and finally find out what those ice domes actually are my spawn." When Domain Master Lazoi's ancient ancestors had claimed this territory as their own, they hadn't paid much mind to the ice domes, as such neither did anyone else within the Domain, so it was high time to see what this was all about.

Uunkax did as required. "Yes Clanfather, I shall do so with haste." And waddled off as fast as he could possible hope to do so, which wasn't fast, for a human it would be considered a light jog, but what was one to do? Moreso considering they had no bones in those legs and thus less support.

While Domain Master Lazoi awaited the return of his first spawn, and the other males, and watched in fascination as the domes cracked themselves in half and sunk into the frozen soil beneath them, what lay inside surprised him even more, it looked like a building, but not made of ice! It seemed to be made of some grey stone and black stone mixed in. Just as his curiosity was about to get the best of him, his first spawn arrived with five or so males, armed with either ice spear or sword, or daggers made of chipped stone.

Uunkax widened himself before Domain Master Lazoi. "I have returned Clanfather, let us begin on your word." The other males widened themselves before, and after a few moments rose to their proper heights.

Domain Master Lazoi nodded two of his eyestalks and scooped up some ice from the ground, scooping it into one of his six mouths. "Make sure your thirst is sated before we head off." The males complied and scooped chunks of ice and snow into their various maws, and picked up their weapons again to follow the Domain Master Lazoi.

As they scuttled along, Domain Master Lazoi noticed several.....creatures, for the lack of a better term, walking around near the building holding weird looking things in their arms, from what he could see with two of his eyestalks from this far they where long, with a handle sort of like a dagger on the bottom for their hands, weird as the appendages may have been they could be nothing else, to hold onto the weird objects. He poked his eyestalks over a rock again to look, and got the shock of his life when one of the creatures was standing there less than ten feet away looking at a dead scuttler on the ground, its hide black as his own, but with weird pinkish colored hands and head with a jagged sharp stone atop its head with spikes coming from the top, a strip down its throat having a weird colored stripe of the likes he had never seen. That's when Uunkax realized it was looking at them, and whispered as such to Domain Master Lazoi.

---------------------------------------------------------------------Lorenzo's Point Of View----------------------------------------

I had wandered off from the Enclave facility for a small bit to take a look at what looked, like a dead rodent of some sort, seeing as everything on this planet followed the same basic guidelines for biology it had six eyes, six legs, six arms, and a mouth on the top of its head in the center of its eyestalks, filled with small sharp teeth, and it was long dead if me poking it with my shoe was any indication. I tossed it into a plastic bag for later study by the biologists I had brought along, and heard a few rocks falling from the left of myself, so I turned my head and saw two thick eyestalks looking over the rocks at me, which I found fucking creepy as hell. I was more creeped out when what looked like a bipedal version of what I had just tossed into a bag stood up with several others as well, each one holding a weapon of some sort, a stone dagger and.....is that spear made of fucking ice for god's sake? These things had some clear differences to the thing I bagged however, I saw several mouths under their eyestalks open as they whispered to one another, to quiet for me to hear. That's when Frank Horrigan stomped up and stood next to me, the eyes in his power armors helmet glowing like the fires of hell itself as he looked down at these weird creatures, which had to be the native sentient species if the tools where anything to go by.

Frank Horrigan looked down at me. "These Muties look worse than the Centaurs did, and I say thats reason enough to shoot em." Ah yes, unless the species was a part of the Empire he called em a Mutie or Mutant Freaks, despite attempts to program this out of him it was one of the few personality traits which stuck, also when he said Centaurs, he didn't mean like Tirek, Centaurs are the result of tossing a dozen creatures into a vat of FEV at once.

I looked up at Frank and frowned. "This seems to be the local sentient species, as such they are citizens of the Empire, even if they don't realize it yet, so no shooting will occur unless attacked." I looked back to see one of them getting closer, it seemed to be the tallest of the bunch.

When it stood about seven feet away, it....it fucking flattened itself into a pancake shape and, surprisingly enough spoke in accented, but understandable English. "I am Domain Master Lazoi, who are you to intrude upon my Domain uninvited?" It's six mouths, spoke at the same time from what I could tell, but it only sounded like one person speaking, and the surprising thing was it sounded like a mare, a very....sensual mare at that....the fuck was up with this weird species, to flatten yourself like that you'd have to have either very flexible bones, or no bones at all.

Before I was able to speak, Frank Horrigan did so by stepping closer to the thing, apparently named Lazoi, and spoke with anger in his voice. "This is King Lorenzo, and this planet is now property of the Crystal Empire, and therefore so are you and your entire species." I looked at Frank with a look that screamed 'boi if you don't shut the fuck up I'ma beat your ass with a fatman launcher' but, he either didn't notice or didn't care.

I glared at Horrigan. "Frank Horrigan by direct order from myself you are to stand down, and remain unhostile until the time to be hostile and defend the crew comes, for now shut your mouth and go back to the site."

Frank Horrigan seemed conflicted for a moment, before he saluted and said. "Yes Your Majesty." And stomped his way back over to the facility, the ground shaking as he walked leaving large metal boot prints from the weight of his power armor.

-------------------------------------------------------------------Domain Master Lazoi's Pov-------------------------------------------

Domain Master Lazoi had almost turned green with anger, but refrained and kept himself the normal black color he was, for thinking the color change might provoke the strange rock creature to attack, while the smaller one had been called King Lorenzo, it must have been these strange people's version of Domain Master, they had eyes like people at any rate, but stuck immobile in their heads rather than on eyestalks, and only two of them at that! How did these creatures go around without knowing everything around them? Let alone their voices, deep and rumbling, unlike a proper male, at least the smaller one was easier to understand, the rock monster whose height surpassed his own by quite a lot sounded more like the shriek of a Vomphell after it had snagged itself a fresh kill. To Domain Master Lazoi's, and the other males with him, to their horror, this weird creature somehow summoned a weird chunk of shiny rock, and folded itself in a horrific manner while baring its teeth at them. "Alright, so I'm King Lorenzo, and this planet like Horrigan said, belongs to me, I have claimed it for the Crystal Empire."

Domain Master Lazoi along with the other males could not withhold the horror they felt at how unnaturally this thing had bent itself, but the Domain Master was the first to speak up after having calmed himself as he spoke. "How can one lay claim to the entire world as if it was another Domain next to your own?"

The creature, named 'King Lorenzo' let out a series of alarming yipping noises which Domain Master Lazoi decided was its version of laughing, and spoke, its voice still deep and rumbling, but nowhere near as much as the rock monsters had been. "That's just the thing, I come from another planet within this solar system and have laid claim to this world to expand my territory, however don't worry, plenty of the land on this world is unused and as such I will use this land until your species as a whole is ready to join the Empire proper."

Domain Master Lazoi tilted one eyestalk to the left. "What happens if we do not wish to join?" He asked, curiosity in his voice.

King Lorenzo just bared his teeth at him, his flat teeth...wait no he had four sharp teeth visible from his one small mouth as well as flat ones. "When the time comes, we'll see."

Author's Note

this is a very rough idea of what these aliens look like, perhaps once the artist has more time he said he'd draw a better more detailed version of em, hope ya enjoy regardless

this species does not have bones sept its teeth and claws, and enjoy the thought of one of these scuttling at you in what would be considered a medium jogging pace lmfao

hope chu all enjoyed dis!

Next, something completely unrelated, a story that belongs to a pone whom is special to me, go read it, give em a few comments, a like, share it, etc, its a decent story for his first time writing, certainly better than my first story I guaran-fucking-tee ya that much, and so far I enjoy that story, abit its been a little while that I've read it, I am up to date on the chapters

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/466344/operation-new-world