Episode I: The Encounter.

The pale blue sky was tinged by the first flecks of orange and pink as the
twin suns of Landra begun their long ascent, a soft, comfortable, breeze
streaked past valleys, mountains and trees with equal ease stirring the sleeping
planet to another day of life. The Idriel valley covered nearly fifteen percent of
the planet's surface and it was there that all life had grown, hiding from the arid
sands and acid rain that strangely consumed the remaining surface of the
planet. Very few dared venture within the Desert of Dakhara and even less near
the Mountains of Zil, those that did being mostly nomads with little fear for their
own lives.

Streaks of light reflected off the thick plasteel plating of the Knight
Detachment that had taken a position among the ruined buildings of what was
once a grand city of the Coalition. Tall and proud machines stood nearly the
height of the tallest buildings, silent and still, save the faint dance of the
banners that hang from them as loincloths. Their curved, elegant, hides were
adorned with insignia of the Coalition as well as the Crest of their House, and
carried heavy medals of honour with thick strips of elegant silk, embroidered
with hymns and praises for both machine and pilot.

Marcus squinted as the light seeped through the Knight's visor blinding
him for a moment and offering the momentary warmth of its touch before the
Knight's Enviro-Systems kicked in and equalized the temperature once again.
With a low humming each system slowly came to life and various displays that
had remained still during the course of the long night lit up with readings as the
diagnostics checked each and every piece of equipment of the Knight to ensure
the survival of its soul, the pilot. He gazed at the sensor display for an instant,
still nothing, no sign of the enemy for a mile and more. Muttering a curse under
his breath he switched the comm-link open.

"Good morning Knights", his voice followed by static for brief seconds
before the first familiar sound responded.

"I wonder what you see good about this morning Baron," there was a
pause, brief yet enough for everyone listening to the chatter to be thankful,
"There's no sign of the enemy and we've been stranded here for a week, I
seriously wonder if there's anything going along schedule in this damned
galaxy…"

"Shut it Jonas, the Baron just said good morning", another voice
interrupted, "Good morning Baron, assuming we all slept of course".

A smile appeared on Marcus' lips, the usual muttering of Jonas and the
confident sound of Valen's voice assured him that everything was still in order.
He scanned the display again before speaking to the comm-net.

"Everything is green across the board, how are you boys doing?"
 "I'll be damned if this piece of junk works, I think the servo grid is a bit off
to the left, how is a man supposed to defend the galaxy when treated like
this…" Jonas' voice snapped in the usual annoyed tone.

Marcus chuckled, the exact words had resounded across the comm-net
each and every time they went on a mission and each time Jonas proceeded to
shoot everything in sight, boasting the highest kill record of any pilot in the
Coalition's ranks.

"Everything shows green Baron, well, everything apart the blasted sensor,
I'd beg for a green blip now", Valen replied with an amused tone.

Marcus nodded to himself and leaned back in his seat, there was nothing
worse than the waiting before battle, everyone knew that; thanks to the Xyzal
troops it was always a large and long wait, followed by enormous battles that
could very well decide the fate of the whole galaxy.

A faint blipping sound rose out of the silence, his eyes darted across the
sensor and a grin appeared on his lips; before he even thought of issuing the
command to move he heard the servo systems of the other Knights kicking to
life and slowly sending them forwards with heavy, calculated steps. Without
pause he gripped both controls and sped the Knight to meet with the sensor
contact…

*****

The ground thundered with the heavy steps of the Knights and their huge
frames slowly appeared among the ruined buildings a menacing sight to behold
and a machine of true destruction; perhaps the only reason the Coalition held
so well in the War was those Knights, not more than a hundred in full strength
they were more than capable of laying waste to thousands of troops and tanks
well before a single hit was absorbed by their glimmering energy fields.

The captain of the Xyzal troops tried to find a vantage point, his eyes,
heavy with age and scarred by the horrors of War, danced on the surroundings,
desperately seeking salvation from the oncoming slaughter. To his left a
detachment of troops poured in a building, hoping to use its thick frame as
cover for long enough to be able to assault the Knights. Dirt stirred as a small
number of Xyzal grav tanks skimmed above the ground, using the ruined city as
a hiding place, to avoid the wrath of their enemy and bring their own retribution
upon them.

And then hell broke loose…

Lances of iridescent light tore up ground, building, steel and flesh with the
same ease as the Knights opened fire, the hissing sound of missiles was too
short for a warning before the warheads slammed on the hapless troops
sending deadly shrapnel to tear through their armour and flesh. The captain
cursed before giving the order to fire back, it was suicide, not even full
companies could resist the battering of Knights and he had to hold the eastern
cityscape with only two detachments. A loud explosion tore a huge chunk off
the ground as the second salvo of missiles landed, pieces of concrete, metal
and flesh flying in all directions.

He made for cover, closely followed by his personal guard, making his
way through mutilated men and shattered tanks. Another set of explosions tore
up the building to their left sending its long dead husk to the ground in a
spectacular crash, speeding the troops within to their doom. With the corner of
his eye he spied two tanks returning fire, their pulse rounds causing the leading
Knight's shield to shimmer and crackle before he struck back. With a sound that
imitated the crack of thunder it drove its power lance down and through the
tanks and ground beneath them. The captain spat another curse and levelled
his weapon loosing a couple of shots that were little other than scratches for the
Knight's heavy shielding.

Suddenly there was silence, a nerve wreaking silence, the one before the
full break of the storm. He could see the Knights standing still, their armoured
bodies not even marred by the touch of a blaster. Despair rose in his eyes and
at that moment, everything was lost. He reached for the comm-piece, about to
order the full retreat before he heard it. A blood-chilling roar of an inhuman
creature resounded, filling his senses with dread. The earth shook again but this
time the Knights were not the ones moving, the last thing he would come to see
was a huge shadow that leapt above the buildings heading for the first Knight,
before a strange acidic substance washed on them, taking the last few Xyzal
troops along.

*****

Marcus froze for seconds, the monstrosity that leapt at him was nothing
he had seen before. A towering behemoth of chitin and bone carefully woven
over thick muscle and sinew, he counted four strong limbs, which acted as
arms, ending in menacing scythe like talons. Its head was oblong and covered
in a thick chitinous carapace, totally devoid of features save a gaping maw
bristling with sharp teeth. A strong thick tail flung behind it as it moved, its
barbed end hovering in preparation for a strike. Putrid ichor dripped from
various convulsing pores and for a moment Marcus could almost smell the fetid
stench of decay.

Streams of light slammed on the creature from both sides as the

accompanying Knights brought their gatling laser blasters to bear on it. Marcus
squeezed the trigger lightly and could feel the fluid recoil of the Knight's
weapon arm as bolt after bolt of raw energy was sent upon his assailant. The
creature howled in a mixture of pain and anger but did not slow, it landed a few
meters in front of the Knight Baron and cried another challenge as its tail swept
to the side. There was a loud noise as it slammed on Valen's Knight; sparks flew
as thick chitin tore through metal without effort, severing the Knight's left leg.
With a sound that resembled a moan of anguish the metallic giant fell, twitching
for a moment and then remaining still.
 Jonas gripped the lance control and urged it forward, barely suppressed
energy crackling on its surface as it impacted the creature. There was an
implosion of electricity, followed by a terrifying cry of pain as the creature's hide
gave in and it dropped to its knees. Jonas' lance had come through the
creature's chest from the front left side, running the length of its torso and
breaking free from the back, sending a spray of sickly ichor to the surroundings.
The smile that rose to Jonas' lips was short lived, enraged by the wound the
creature lashed at his Knight with all its strength.

Marcus almost felt the impact of the creature's attack on Jonas' Knight,
there was a loud hammering noise, then a brief silence before the Knight's
plating cracked and dented, streams of liquid trailed from each crack, as the
wounds of a creature that leaked its precious life essence. A snarl twisted
Marcus' features as he pushed the blaster arm forward to jam it in the
creature's gaping maw, without pause he squeezed the trigger anew this time
the lances of light bursting from the back of its head. The creature responded
with a gurgling sound and wavered. A large shadow fell over Marcus as the
creature's thick tail descended on the Knight's head in a last act of defiance…