Radiation Warning 

An In Constant Chapter 

By Zachary Furr 

The Options for Planetary Surrender 

1. Give up without a fight and no lives will be lost in the process of uplifting. 

2. Let the negotiator do a fight to the death with the planet’s champion, after the champion loses the planet must surrender with no further wars made. 

3. If the planet refuses to choose one of the two options then the appropriately sized fleet will commence their wartime battle plans and force the local inhabitants to surrender. 

(Note: this last option will ultimately decimate the population to less than three percent of the current population.) 

    Turco stood looking out at the vast void. A small blue green planet resided there with multiple space stations in orbit and approximately ten thousand, six hundred and forty eight satellites. If he had wanted to, he could have been viewing all of the radio waves coming off of the planet and not be able to see the planet at all. 

    He stood on the viewing deck of “The Plague”, a carrier that could unleash thousands of fighter craft in a matter of minutes. Turco was there to make sure that the battle group was not needed. He was going to send down a small force of Warp, three Chrono Troopers, and an Legionnaire. He was originally opposed to sending an Legionnaire, but the occupants of the have proven to be a bit hostile towards other co-habitants. The Legionnaire would just be added security for the negotiations that may take place. 

    The idea was to get them to surrender peacefully without a show of force, but the inhabitants seemed to be beyond negotiations. This was more of a formality, a way to seek a peaceful solution. 

    A warp approached Turco from behind, Adam was one of Turco’s newest favorites. Adam was version three, able to think faster and make more warp gates than previous versions except for the warps that were deemed an upgrade such as Kyle and Amanda. 

    Adam was humanoid in form, except he had two extra arms and legs and no head. He was almost as tall as Turco, his eyes were in his chest and his back. His mouth was where his neck was supposed to be. His arms were double jointed so that he had no backside. His legs were formed an “X” to provide him with the extra strength and balance. 

    Turco thought that this mission was what Adam was created for. Most warps bodies were created so that their bodies would be of the most use when they were about to die. If any of them knew that particular bit of information they would not want to go on any missions for fear that they would see their own demise. 

    “Are you sure I am ready for this, boss?” Adam asked, feeling a bit timid for the responsibility that he was about to heft. 

    “You are ready. Otherwise I would be going.” Turco answered. “I need to be able to send other warps to do peace talks. It is a tiring event doing it all the time.” 

    “Why me? Why on this planet?” Adam asked. 

    “Did you not look for yourself? The planet is bathed in a nearly lethal form of radiation. The inhabitants all show signs of being more than natural. And they live in this when most others would die from this over exposure.” 

    “Why does the Nursery want this particular planet though? It’s not like they’re able to go beyond their planet’s gravity force yet. Why worry about this planet?” 

    “Because it is a viable threat. If we can put these people in their place before they can travel through space then we can uplift them and add them to our ranks, we don’t have to worry about a retaliation later. Their lack of understanding of how the radiation mutates their own bodies is enough of a cause for worry. Any other questions?”

    “Why send the Legionnaire? The Chrono Troopers can usually handle any sort of situation, getting Legionnaire involved is going to cause nothing but trouble.” Adam was not usually so contrite to disobey any sort of order or directive, but having the overwhelming power of Legionnaire made him nervous.

    “The Legionnaire is there to make sure that if things do escalate then the rest of your team can exfil safely, before we send in the big guns.”

    “Do you think that it will come to that?” Adam asked.

    “I hope that it does not, but I don’t see a very bright future for this planet. Either way it goes, try your best to leave peacefully.” Turco said, and as if his voice was changing gears to the real plan.  “Now, do you see the meeting hall with all of their leaders?” 

    Adam nodded and focused his attention on his warp gate. He opened a small gate in a dark corner of the room he was ready to go to. 

    In the barracks of The Plague, the three troopers and the Legionnaire were getting themselves prepared for the descent onto the planet. It was a bit of an honor to travel personally with a warp and without an army next to them. The soldiers were out of their individual armor and preparing themselves in the locker room.

    The Chrono troopers, Ryan, Matt and Hayden, were adjusting their one-size under armor to readied themselves for the faster-than-light armor of the Chrono medium armor. 

    The Chrono armor is capable of integrating the user with a small armory of three guns of varying size and ammunition, as well as a small sword that is to be carried in one of the arms. The armor is uniquely capable as it can stop time for the user, or better put it gives the appearance that time has stopped as the suit has increased its speed ten thousand fold. The user’s personal time stays the same as the world around them seems to have stopped.

    The Legionnaire, Chrissy, on the other side of the lockers suited herself up with the black shorts and light top of the Legions armor, and a sweater on top for the sake of modesty. The Legionnaires was a brand new division that only had thirty two members. For only having so few members, they had no casualties and had over two million kills each. Legionnaires were called so because they defeated legions to become Legionnaires. 

    “So what do you guys know about this operation?” Chrissy asked over the lockers. 

    “Peace op.” Hayden answered. “Going with a warp to start negotiations with a planet’s population that is supposed to have superhuman powers. If they’re anything like our suits then this should be a battle worth fighting.”

    “Except that we are not trying to go to war.” Matt said, looking over to Hayden. “Our job is to try and avoid a war at all cost. We are only to escort the warp and protect him from harm.” 

    “But in the event that a fight should happen, as Turco believes, we are there for Adam’s protection.” Ryan said. “Didn’t you two pay attention to the briefing?” 

    “The higher ups wouldn’t be sending Legionnaire if they suspected that peace could be achieved.” Matt said. He closed his locker and turned to the other two. 

    “There is no Grand Admiral in this fleet, though.” Hayden said, he closed his locker and turned to face Matt with Ryan in the middle. “Only Vice Admiral Turco. He is the sole authority for this mission. And he usually does this type of mission by himself, so why is he sending someone new?” 

    “Troopers, report to the bridge for duty.” A voice over the public announcement system said.

    Ryan closed his locker and was the first to approach the over armor unit to apply the heavier armor to his under armor. He grabbed his helmet and headed out. 

    “I guess he was anxious to get this over with.” Matt commented as he entered the unit. 

    Chrissy came out from the otherside of the lockers. and Looking slimmer and calmer than the two troopers, she stretched up and picked up a food bag duffel and walked toward Matt and Hayden. “It could just be a type of trial for Adam.” She said, “For as powerful as Turco is he cannot be in two places at once. A chance to uplift faster.”

    “Then why send you?” Hayden asked as he took his turn in the unit. 

    “This is a class seven dangerous world. It needs the strength of a class ten soldier to make it submit.” 

    “There are few threats that warrant class ten on the ground.” Matt said as he put on his helmet. “This ship is one of the most dangerous and only gets thirteen.” 

    “Maybe Turco is just trying to be careful. I am sure that if he wanted to, he could get rid of the planet in one swift action.” Hayden said as he entered the unit. “That’s the good thing about the guy, you don’t need to exaggerate his stories. The footage from the planet being emptied is still played throughout the Nursery. A massive victory.”

    “But what those videos don’t show is the cost of lives that the planet lost. Billions of soldiers and civilians in a near-instant.” Matt said.

    A silence fell over the three as the unit finished with Hayden. Hayden picked up his helmet and proceeded to walk over to the door. “You know that Turco tried to save his men, before the Grand Admiral ordered him to assist. The Admiral wanted the victory so bad that he sacrificed all of his ground troops to achieve it.”

    The three walked down the hall in a sort of silence, with the normal usual talk from the crew. For them to see the armored troopers was one thing, but to see them escorting a frail looking, sweater clad girl. No one knew what to make of it. 

    Crissy looked frail because of the sweater. She said that it allowed her to get away with trouble with captains and colonels. When in truth she could decimate the entire ship in a matter of minutes, her frailty was nothing more than a facade.

    As they came onto the bridge Ryan was talking to Turco and another warp. Hayden and Crissy, who had never seen Turco, were slightly set back as they were not expecting to see this giant creature in front of them. Warps were of all different shapes and sizes, but they all had two features that are the same in every warp: an orange exoskeleton and green blood.

    This behemoth of an alien creature was once human, but to give up his humanity for the power of moving through space as if it was nothing, warps were truly astounding creatures. 

           “Are you all ready to go?” Turco asked as he turned to see the others. “Or do you need more discussion on the mission here?” 

           “I’m ready to go, sir.” All four shouted in unison. 

           “Adam, lead them through the gate.” Turco said.

           Adam nodded and took steps through the invisible warp gate. And vanished into thin air. The troopers followed after him.

           “Please come back alive.” Turco said as he looked out of the bridge’s windows at the small planet.



          The five beings stepped out of the warp gate into a council of elders chamber.

The elders, who had been gathered for this specific time, sat in stunned silence as the four entered the room through the invisible warp gate.

Adam was the first, followed by Crissy, then the Chrono Troopers. The five stood in the middle of the amphitheater. 

Quiet whispers were heard, mummers through the room. “Monster” some said, “Abomination” others said. The whispers drifted from the back circled around the room and made it up to the front. 

    “This is how I die,” Matt whispered over comms. “Standing amidst radiation in front of a crowd that hates me because of the company that I keep.”

    “Quiet!” Hayden said. “Let the warp do his job.”

    “We have come to accept your unconditional surrender!” Adam said in a loud and proud voice.

    Laughter was heard from the back rows, from some younger sounding men, they were quickly stifled by the elders that sat in the front. The council shifted their attention toward their top five. The four on the sides of the man at the center looked to him, and awaited his reply. 

The man stood and leapt over his wall and landed in the middle of the room, to join the Whiskiens. The whole room shook as he landed. He was big as a tall Turco, but he had more human features. More muscular and more well defined. A god in human form. The room remained silent. 

“I am Bingham. I am the head of the council and strongest warrior on earth. And I refuse to surrender.”

Then as if summoned, his other four elders came to his side. And the rest who were sitting came to his side as well. The entire room that was ready to explode into a brawl. 

The Chrono troopers blinked out of sight for a moment then reappeared around Adam. Chrissy had also don the low power mode of her armor and readied herself for action that was about to take place.

Then a door opened from the side of the council room. A woman, small and dainty, rushed in. “Stop this RIGHT NOW!” She boomed in a voice that froze the entire room and caused Bingham to break into a cold sweat. She stepped into the middle of the amphitheater, she stood between Crissy and Bingham and she glared at him. Her flowing robes made it seem that she flew in on clouds. Her eyes were a striking sliver that could pierce through steel. He looked back at her and it seemed that he ducked his head in shame.

She addressed the Whiskiens and the council. “Please excuse my dimwitted husband, for making an important decision without my consent.” Her eyes soften towards Crissy and Adam. The troopers relaxed a little bit.

    She bowed her head. Bingham likewise bowed his head lower than his wife. An impressive feat to be sure, his large body was laying down to keep his head bowed lower than hers.

    Turco and a withered old man came in behind her and stood along the dark wall, out of sight. They were simply observing. 

    “My name is Pretty Pretty Princess. I am the wife of Elder Bingham here, and by that right I maintain a balance between civilian and military. Is there something that I can help you visitors with.” Pretty Pretty Princess stared at the slightly more diminutive Crissy as she asked the question. Pretty Pretty Princess felt that the girl was so much more that was seen.

    Adam, not feeling threatened by the crowd at all, stated once again. “Surrender immediately to the Whiskey Military and we shall spare your planet from total annihilation.” His voice boomed in the quiet room. The troopers tensed up once again, this time their gun barrels protruded from their wrist.

    “I guess your boss never taught you any tact?” Pretty Pretty Princess smiled, and some snickering was heard from around the room. “We can’t just give up without a fight. It goes against our nature. Is there some way to resolve this without destroying the population?” 

    “How about a battle of Champions? Your world’s strongest fighter versus any of the visitors currently in the room. If you win we will leave your planet in peace. If our champion of your choosing wins then you will surrender without a further fight.”

“How many days will you give us to prepare?” Bingham asked as he finally raised his head. 

Pretty Pretty Princess turned to look at him. Concern washed across her face.

“Three days.”

“And I get to choose my opponent from this room?” He asked as he moved into a kneeling position to stand.

“Yes. Any Whiskien in this room.”

The crowd of men and the lady seemed to be weighing their options and tried to determine which of the visible five would be the best choice.

    Murmurs circulated around the room. The soldiers clad in black and silver did not go unnoticed when they blinked in and out of space faster than a normal eye could follow. Most of the men did not want to fight something that they could not see.

    Others gossiped about the size of the warp thinking that he may be a bigger concern. The ability to make warp gates and go anywhere was the larger concern though. It would be an almost instant death to any that face off against him.

    Then came Crissy. The Legionnaire. The smallest of the group. The diminutive young girl looked as if she could be broken in half by Bingham’s giant fingers. 

    “Let not your choice be rash, dear Husband.” Pretty Pretty Princess consoled. For she also saw Crissy, but she was staring more into her eyes and saw the fire that burned within her. A strength that Pretty Pretty Princess had never seen before. Fire of a million souls roared behind her eyes.

    Pretty Pretty Princess thought of the fights ahead and she feared the other fighters respectively, but she also knew that her husband would go for the weakest looking. And the girl appeared very weak.

    “I choose that little girl as my opponent.”

    Some nodded in approval, while others shook their heads in disappointment. Pretty Pretty Princess could feel nothing but fear as she saw the small smirk on the girl’s unscarred face. The fire that was behind her eyes could now be felt throughout the room and everyone, including her allies, took a step back, except Bingham and Turco.

“Very well.” Adam agreed. “Allow us three days to acclimatize to the planet and using your largest arena we shall decide the fate of your world.”

The council room emptied of all the elders and patrons. Bingham left with his entourage to go for some last minute training to prepare for the battle. 

Pretty Pretty Princess stayed with the visitors. The old man that had come in behind her, stayed as well. Turco had also come out from his dark corner to congratulate Adam and Crissy. 

The Chrono Troopers and Crissy had moved themselves to the far corner of the room away from the others.

“That got a bit more intense than what I was expecting.” Matt said, opening his visor. 

“It wasn’t unexpected though.” Hayden put in, putting his visor up as well. 

“They had fair warning that we were coming. One year is more than enough time to unite a planet.” Ryan commented.

“One year for a Whiskien,” Turco put in from across the room. “One hundred years for them.”

“So even more time to unite.” Ryan finished. 

“Not everyone would be on board for fighting in the first place.” Crissy said. “There will always be naysayers. Abstainers. And in a world like this, where everyone has power, abstainers can sit out and maintain that they have power.”

“Are you at all nervous about the fight?” Matt asked. “Bingham seemed a bit dim, but it seemed like his power was legit enough to stand against you.”

“That show of force was just the low power setting. The crackling of the air was simply the Halk effect warming up. The dark energy created small shockwaves that pushed weaker people back. No threat to you, troopers.” Crissy explained.

“A widespread threat that made most everyone take a step back was well used.” Ryan said. “No apology required.”

Turco, Pretty Pretty Princess, Adam, and the elder stood apart from the soldiers and conversed about the coming days. 

“How do you think Crissy will stand next to Bingham?” Adam asked Pretty Pretty Princess. “I mean I saw that he didn’t retreat to her threat, but she was only demonstrating a small portion of her power.”

“Bingham is the most powerful man on earth.” She responded. “If he can’t win then we have none greater. What about you Master Warp? What is your opinion on the coming fight?”

“If I was to tell what I know what was going to happen, no one here would like me.” Turco answered. “I am here purely as an observer until the fight starts.”

“I believe that my son will put up a solid fight and defeat her in one blow.” The elder said. “My name is Virgil, by the way.” he said as he offered a gnarled, skinny hand to Adam.

Adam gently took the old man’s hand. “I am Warp 341, named Adam. I believe your son should be consoled about who he picks fights with. Crissy may appear frail, but her corps has more confirmed kills than any three battalions. And there’s only thirty-four in the corps, more of a company than a corps.” 

“As long as she doesn’t run away, I have full confidence that Bingham will win.” 

“Virgil, you know as well as I that there have been times where even Bingham has been brought to his knees.” Pretty Pretty Princess said. “He’s not invincible.”

“Yes, dear daughter, I know. But he has always triumphed in the end. Even against you.”

“Enough of this talk, milady.” Turco said. “Why not get an escort for the troopers so that they can explore the planet a little bit, before they leave.”

“That would be acceptable.” Pretty Pretty Princess agreed. “Virgil, would you go with them to get an escort? I need to get back to the doctor, to take Roy to see Bingham. He has yet to see him.”

“Yes, I will.” Virgil said.

“I could give you an escort.” Turco offered.

“Thank you Master Warp. I would like that very much.”

Turco and Pretty Pretty Princess left the area and went on their way. Turco had, of course, been a regular visitor to the planet since he had warned it long ago. The elders had understood the situation and accepted the deal with little refusal, believing that strength was enough to place the Nursery in its place. But that deal had taken place one hundred years ago, the current elders did not seem to be as cooperative as their past generation. 

There were some exceptions though, Pretty Pretty Princess for instance. She had married Bingham as she was the most intelligent woman on the planet and Bingham was the strongest. Pretty Pretty Princess had been renamed after the marriage and Bingham had been the one to give her new name. She was considered the best hope to allow the transition to go along smoothly. 

Pretty Pretty Princess had grown close to Turco during his periodic visits. She had found him fanacisanting, even when she was a child. His talks with Virgil had always been accompanied by the young Pretty Pretty Princess. Turco was already a giant but to see the giant walk around with the small child was almost comical, but nevertheless very endearing. 

**Okay, hi there, Zac here. Yea fourth wall break. I am going to explain the hierarchy of the planet right here. mainly cause I don’t really know where else to place it. And because I feel like I need to make sure that my audience needs to understand where my head is at. 

Okay here in this highly irradiated world there are three types of humans that vary in class and in power. The first is called the gods. The gods are, in my way of thinking, akin to Greek gods or supermen. They have extreme strength but little in the department of brains and wits. That is just the way that the radiation has affected them. The gods number is just ten percent of the planet’s population. They are considered to be one half of the ruling class with demigods as the other half. Bingham and most of his comrades in the chamber of elders are gods. 

Next comes the demigods. These are more the brains and inventors of society. They understand and comprehend the world around them. They can devise strategy and are often seen as the philosopher’s and builders of society. they try to maintain a fragile but much needed peace on the planet. They are considered the power behind the throne. They make up about fifteen percent of the population. Pretty Pretty Princess and Virgil are considered to be demigods.

Then the last of the classes taking up a whopping seventy-five percent of the population are the normal humans which act more like a slave class. They are often mistreated and put down harshly. They do not take up a warrior position unless they are conscripted by a physic demigod into doing the bidding of the ruling class.

Now my imagination often sees the gods and demigods in more of the grecian robes and tunics. That allows for more movement as well as a more impressive fight when I put Bigham against Crissy. A David versus Goliath type moment. A god against an Legionnaire, the most epic of situations. 

Anyway thanks for reading this and perhaps this will provide a brief history for what is needed for this chapter.

P.S. I honestly couldn’t think of where to place it.**

The two of them walking down the street was a much needed sight to the people that had gathered outside of the council hall. Bingham and his crew had more on up the street singing songs of glory preparing for the coming battle. Turco had looked at them and thought that their victory parade was still too soon. He looked down at Pretty Pretty Princess and saw that she rubbed her arms as if she was cold.

Pretty Pretty Princess felt worried that her world was about to come to a crashing halt. Seeing her husband celebrate was more discorcerning to her than the deepest battle drums. For she knew, after being around Turco for so long, that he would not bring any weaklings to a negotiation. She was pretty sure that any one of those soldiers could have won against Bingham. And Bingham chose the one that forced all others back against the wall. 

Turco reached into a warp gate.grabbed a shawl, and with one hand placed it around Pretty Pretty Princess. 

She looked up at the giant and gave a weak smile. “Is there any hope that Bingham will win?”

Turco looked her straight in the eyes and said, “I cannot offer words of strategy or of comfort. At the moment I am an observer of the enemy army and if Bingham loses I will be the commander of the enemy army.” The words did not comfort her in any way; so Turco tried a different tactic. “If it was me fighting that little girl, I would not hold back at all, I wouldn’t draw out the fight. Crissy has been trained for extended engagements. Even after she won and people stormed her in anger and tried to take her head, she would still fight on. Defeat her quickly. That is what I would do.”

    “Can she be defeated?” 

“I have only seen one man defeat an Legionnaire and that is because he is the first Legionnaire.” Turco placed a foot forward. “Come let us walk and think of more peaceful ideas about how to improve the city once again.” Turco knew that he had to distract her, and himself or else they would think of nothing but how to effectively kill each other.

Virgil was left alone with the troopers. They looked at him as if he was a rodent that needed exterminating. He looked at them like they were a threat that needed to be avoided. 

“Well, here we are.” Virgil said.

“Yes sir, we are.” Hayden said.

“Can we get a look at the surrounding area? Maybe some touristy spots?” Crissy asked. “ I like to see what you folks do for fun around here.”

“We do have fun in this world but wouldn’t you rather see the surrounding countryside and see the wonders of this planet before you leave forever?”

“Nope. I’d like to see the cities and population before something terrible happens to them.”

The tension was tight, and the two titans could fight and wreck the amphitheater in an instant. Adam and the Chrono troopers could feel it and began to back away slowly. For none of the Whiskiens wanted to be around when Crissy had to go full power.

“Of course it would be my pleasure to visit the sites, unfortunately I will be busy with fight preparations and have to leave you in the capable hands of another.” 

“At least show us the way to the common market before you dump us on someone else.” 

“I can do that, I suppose.” Virgil led the group outside and then They saw the planet was doused in a green glow. They saw the skyline of skyscrapers, moving rivers flowing by, people flying and speeding by. “Just follow this path down through the building and you will see the common market. One of my most trusted men will meet you there and guide you from there.”

Cristie, Adam, Matt and Ryan made their way toward the market and Hayden strayed but a little behind to say some words to Virgil.

“Thank you, sir, for putting up with us.” Hayden said to Virgil. “I know that in a few days we may become enemies or allies, but for now we are neutral and it is hard to determine if one is an ally during a neutrality. So during this time I just wish to say thank you.”

“You are an odd one for a warrior, but one that I can respect for your kind words toward this old man. Go now and catch up to your friends.”

Hayden had activated his Chrono mode and was gone and caught up at the end of Virgil’s sentence.

“You’re too soft on these people, Hayden.” Ryan said. He could sense when Troopers entered and exited Chrono mode. “These people are all warriors. The battle is inevitable, they won’t give up so willingly.” 

“I know, but a little common decency toward our foes may not be such a bad thing.” 

“If you two don’t stop talking like there is no one else around us, I am going to go low-power and stop you from talking anymore.” Cristie threatened.

The people’s faces on the walk ways showed nothing but scorn and disgust for the visitors that crowded their paths. Their focus seemed to be especially on Ryan and Hayden.

“Look I’m just saying…” Hayden tried to defend himself.

“Stow that until after the contest.” Matt said.

The Marketplace was crammed from end to end with people that were buying emergency rations and fresh water. Very few commodities were shown for sale, and those that were ignored by the population. The people cared little for the normal commerce than that of the Whiskiens that were there.

“Warriors out of world,” A woman was trying to catch their attention and it seemed that her mind entered theirs through the commotion of the crowd. “Follow me to the Emissary to partake of our local treats.” 

The Whiskiens turned to see that a lady stood before them and bowed to offer them greetings. 

“I am known to my Lord Husband as Emily.” 

“Hello, small one.” Adam said. “Hmm… Interesting, mind telepathy. Counters to this are fairly easy to perform.” Adam twitched a little as he shut off his mind’s openness and cut the connection. 

The lady placed her hand to her right temple as if a pain had grown there. Matt, Ryan, and Hayden all exchanged mischievous glances with each other. They all turned on their Chrono mode for a fraction of a second. Just long enough to disappear from the concessius thought of Emily, then they reappeared. 

“Please don’t do that.” The voice said in their heads. “I was born without vocal cords, my telepathy is the only way that I can communicate with words.” 

“They are just a bunch of boys at heart, I’m afraid.” Chrissy said to Emily.

“Do not be afraid, off-worlders, I will go no further into your minds than what is needed for communication.

Emily began to lead the Troop through the various markets and through all the Common Grounds of the city showing on the vast sites the wonders of nature and the world that stood around it. She hoped to curb their enthusiasm from mischief and trouble to no avail.

Two days they stood on this path to revolutions of the planet around the small sign ekron troopers long her arrest as radiation was harmful to them into their suits the Legionnaire Chrissy kind of just shrugged it off and Adam felt more at home then anything bathing in the pure radiance.

Finally the day of the Contest of Champions had come. The day when Chrissy would be pitted against the Giant, Bingham. Chrissy had learned all that she could about these people’s sense of honor and she vowed that she would give them a battle worthy of the Whiskien Navy.

 Matt, Hayden, Ryan, and Chrissy all stood in the locker room of the arena. The chrono troopers stood off to the side while Chrissy meditated about the coming battle.

“Who do you think will win?” Matt asked.

“Dude, rude. She’s right over there.” Hayden said.

“Bingham has the size and the shape of a god. But Crissy…” Crissy seemed to be listening at this point. “All I know, I never want to face off against a legionnaire. No matter which one it is.”

“There’s no contest here, and we all know it. Crissy can decimate anyone that crosses her path.” Ryan said.

A servant came into the room and said, “The crowd is here and the champions have gathered, we are ready to welcome you all into the colosseum.

Crissy picked herself up and moved to the hall, the Chrono troopers at her back.

“We’ll be right behind you in the stands, cheering you on.” Matt said to Crissy as they entered the arena. The troopers left her side and went to the stands.

The roar of the chanting could be felt in the echo of the hallway as Crissy came into the sunlight of the arena.

“Bingham!” Are who the chants were for. The crowd numbered in the thousands. Almost every one of them were pumping their fists up and down, cheering their leader’s name. 

Crissy entered and took a quick lay of the land. The arena was a bit more unusual than what she had been expecting. The entryway was on top of a hill that sloped down into a valley. The valley rested between the two entryways and was filled with trees, stones and grasses. Deserts plains were along the outer wall, filled with stones and cati. A forest rose up as the next ring, trees and a strong flowing river were the strong points of this terrain. A hilly grassy plain was the next ring, swooping hills and grass that seemed to be a sea of green that moved with the wind. Then in the direct middle of the arena sat a large craggy mountain that had a castle turret sitting on its peak. 

All around the large arena sat spectators seated and cheering. Crissy looked behind her and saw her supporters. A small crowd compared to all of the others arrayed around her. Fifty champions had come from all corners of the Nursery to watch her fight. Her three friends of the Chrono corps leaned forward against the railing and waved to her. Matt and Hayden were drinking and Ryan was eating some sort of finger food. Their visors were open and they were still jesting with each other even though she could no longer hear what they were saying.

Adam came up next to her. He had come through a warp gate. 

“Do you require anything else, my dear?” Adam said as concern seemed to wash over his untraceable face.

“I need my round of food pills for the day. I think that all these people are expecting a drawn out fight.” Crissy said as she looked up at Adam. She saw beyond him in that same moment that some of the stars could be seen in the daylight of the bright sun. Of course she knew that those were not stars at all. For those were Battleships from the Warp corps. Those held the true spectators and the ones that sought her victory more than those on the ground.

Adam handed her her rations for the day and retreated through a gate and went and sat with the small crowd of her supporters.

Far above the mass of people, far and above the arena sat Turco and Pretty Pretty Princess. Turco did not want to be seen on the surface of this world, but he still wanted to comfort and protect Pretty Pretty Princess. For he knew that if this world was still to have a leader after this battle, then she would have to step up and lead those that would honor their promise. And he would try and save as many of them as possible.

Crissy swallowed her rations and entered into the low power mode of her armor. A steady hum of energy could be heard fluctuating all around her. The void energy of her Legionnaire armor was beginning to warm up.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Homebodies and visitors from other worlds!” The announcer had spoken into a microphone from atop the turret on the mountain. “Welcome to the Colosseum and to the battle for the ages! Today will decide the fate of our world! A one-on-one bout between an invader of tiny stature and Our Infamously, Fearless, Undefeated Leader, Bingham! The contestants have stated that they are ready by entering the arena. So with that out of the way, Let the fight to the death begin!” The announcer flew away from the turret and Crissy descended onto the desert floor.

“Surely they can’t really mean ‘Undefeated’, can they?” Matt said to his buddies in jest. “An undefeated warrior a good leader does not make.”

“Apparently so.” Said Adam coming up to stand with the troopers. “He has never been defeated. Apparently that is, like, his superpower. Any time he has ever been close to defeat, his power kicks in and he gets stronger than his opponent.” 

“So no drawn out battles, then? We should have killed him before we sent the ultimatum.” Ryan put in.

Hayden listened but took no part in the conversation, for he was much more interested in watching the battle that has yet to unfold.

As she descended, she noticed an odd phenomenon. The sound of the roaring, cheering crowd was hushed and left in silence. And when she looked back up toward where the crowds were supposed to be, she saw nothing but blue skies above. An optical illusion to be sure, but a really good one. 

The scenery seemed to be more than a little real. There are actual animals scurrying about and wind blowing across the sands but never entering the forest beyond. These sands seemed to be the last place that she would want to run into Bingham. The mammoth of the man would surely be of some concern to her if he could see her. She walked around the right of her starting point and tried to get closer to the forest. The silence was more than a little unsettling as she approached the forest. 

A trampling of footsteps came crashing through the woods and out bursted the armored giant. The man was wielding a spear that seemed to tower of the trees, a sword clasped to his waist that looked like it could be used to mow the forest, and a shield that could rival the mountains for strength. Though his actual body armor only covered his upper body and down to his mid thigh, and a helm that covered his head except for his eyes and mouth. He looked incredibly well balanced. 

So there they stood in the sand on the verge of the forest. A giant and a child.

Bingham’s eyes were narrowed and focused, he lifted his mighty spear above his head and heaved the spear for a mighty strike. The spear in the instant that it left his grasp pierced the sound barrier. The shaft creaked and groaned under the immense pressure and further exploded the metal tip at an even fasted speed. His aim was true and Crissy barely had time to react. 

She raised her hand as if to ward off the blow and she accepted it wholly. The force that she absorbed sent her reeling backwards. Back to the walls of the arena and around almost to the other side of the area.

She coughed and dusted herself off, but she had little time to recover for the trampling of the footsteps could be heard coming up behind her again. They were quicker than last time. Bingham came up behind her and swung his sword down upon her from on high, it was as if a thunder had come down from the sky and struck the ground.

Yes, that is right he struck the ground, for Crissy had stepped ever so slightly to the side. There was no time for words for every moment that they were in proximity with each other, the battle would rage to greater heights. She jumped and delivered a powerful uppercut that sent Bingham flying into the air. He came crashing down onto the edge of the forest. 

Crissy, who was not as big as Bingham, her foot falls were light and nimble. Bingham shook his head before the light body of Crissy stood on his lap and punched him in the gut twice and then kicked him in the side of the head and into the woods he shot. After a dip and flip Bingham landed on all fours and raised his head once again only to see the tiny nymph coming at him once again. He rolled to the right and leapt up into the trees. His immense weight pulled the tree down the ground and it cracked in half. He picked up the trunk with a mighty lift and raised it vertically above his head, he waited to see where she would appear again. 

Crissy, once again, found Bingham. Indeed, he was hard to lose, but this time he carried a large trunk of a tree, on end like a club. His armor was hard for with every punch that she threw she never dented the plates. She was almost over extending the battle. She was ready to start using her own weapons that were far more deadly than any of the ones that Bingham had used.

“Tell me, Turco.” Pretty Pretty Princess asked, “What sort of warrior is the girl? She seems too young to have seen many battles.”

Turco leaned back and answered with his long arms spread out across the back of the seats. “She is a Legionnaire. The top of the top. It is a special experimental infantry division of the Warp Corps. I may be the Warp commander, but that seems to be in name only when it comes to the Legionnaire division. I, unfortunately, got outranked when it came to what happened with that. So, Commander General Jacobs is in charge of that particular group. I hope that you never meet him on the battlefield. Him and the rest of the Legionnaire warriors are awaiting in orbit for the final results at the end of this battle. They will either come down in triumph, come down for battle, or leave peacefully.”

“What makes them so special compared to others?” 

“They make use of the dark energy of the Void. The most abundant source of energy in the universe. An energy source that will even make me think twice about fighting against. I can’t even imagine a one-on-one fight to the death. Believe me when I say that she has yet to begin to fight in earnest.”

“Can my husband win?”

Turco was silent and remained so till the end of the fight.

In the shadows of the trees, just outside of his sight and reach, Crissy began to power up her secondary weapon. She forced her concentration to the palm of her left hand and she had to use her right to keep it steady. In the low power mode, concentration was key for the Legionnaire armor. She had to remain focused on what she was doing. 

The orb of dark energy began to collect in the palm of her hand. It was a task that took about ten seconds to complete, but once it was ready, it could be thrown and cause an implosion on whatever surface that it impacted. The dark energy would cause immeasurable damage because the very essence of the void would come out for a split second; causing a micro blackhole to appear and its continuous implosion would suck up everything within a meter radius.

She sneaked a peek at Bingham one more time. All of his muscles rippled under his armor, his gaze remained steady. She realized that he was listening more than watching, for he would only get one swing with that gigantic club before she could pounce on him again. She would have to pull a feint and somehow out maneuver the club. 

She bolted from cover and shot toward him with an impressive speed. With her haste she unavoidably made noise. Down came the enormous club, in a diagonal sweep. The club swept through the forest and cracked against the bark of every tree. Its momentum did not slow, instead it seemed to get faster the closer it came.

Such a force was carried through that Crissy had little time to duck and try to dodge. She failed at dodging and was batted away to the upper part of the mountain. She maintained a close concentration on her orb to keep it up. She landed with a piff as she hit the snow near the peak. 

She was almost back to eye level with the crowd and she could hear their cheers. With her free hand she wiped away the blood from her mouth. She was beginning to take a toll from the extended battle with the god. It was like fighting Commander Jacobs with his full powered armor. 

A roar from the forest and Bingham leapt out of the woods and landed on top of the castle. He roared again and thumped his chest, further inciting the crowd. They roared in approval. 

Crissy righted herself and reenergized the almost depleted orb and threw it with a mighty heave toward Bingham. The ball of void flew straight and true and nicked the battlements and absorbed half of the turret. This was quite the upset to Bingham’s victory cry and he looked back down at the half worn Crissy and picked up a stone and chucked it straight at her head.

Crissy threw the orb and had decided that enough was enough. Her stomach had begun to burst and that was the true reason for her bleeding. She adjusted her chest piece underneath her sweater, and she was surrounded fully by the void. Her armor used the dark energy of the cosmos and cloaked her entire body in an indestructible, neverending weapon that has seen no equal.

The stone that was hurled was absorbed by the darkness that now enveloped Crissy. Not ping nor a sound was heard, it was completely absorbed. The power of the void was an indomitable power, one with no equal. Her footfalls were those of thunder. Storm clouds began to gather above, as the whole fight was beginning to tear apart nature.

She ran at Bingham with full force and struck him across the face and sent him flying from the top of the mountain back down to the side of the arena. Where Bingham landed, a dark orb of void energy followed and impacted the body of the god. It swallowed the body, leaving the arms, legs and head for all to see. 

As soon as the storm cloud appeared, Turco knew what the outcome of the battle would be. He had whispered to Pretty Pretty Princess that they should leave before the crowd became hostile, before the champions became entwined in the eventual war. There was no stopping what was about to come. 

When she saw Bingham fall from the mountain, she agreed and they both left. For on the other side of the Warp gate they could hear the turmoil as the crowds cried in anguish. For there was no leader that was as loved as Bingham had been.

She had been escorted to the smallest continent on the farside of the world; already more of the level-headed citizens and slaves had been gathered. About three million and that was all that she could have expected. She needed to be there and comfort those that wished not to fight and those that could not be expected to fight. There her people would survive as the war took place.

Almost as soon as Crissy had raised the decapitated head of Bingham in taunt, she was beset by foes from all over the stadium. hundreds flooded on to the arena. All of these overpowered demigods and gods rushed her hoping to avenge their fallen leader. Others of the defeated began to try and overrun the champions that were nearby, but the champions were perhaps even more dangerous than the Legionnaire that had won the fight. 

Adam and the chrono troopers were also pulled into the fray. The fighting became too much for the three chrono troopers to handle for they were not meant for close quarters combat. They retreated back to the top of the arena and began to lay down their heavy firepower.

Adam was the second casualty of any significant player. He got rushed and before he could leave through a gate, he got torn up and beaten until he was nothing more than powdered stone. Thus the fate and redundancy of being a warp had happened.

The Digger command posts descended from the sky. They created sonic booms as they fell, and clouds of dust when they impacted. Each Digger unleashed a torrent of soldiers and vehicles. All were battle ready, all were hungry for more. 

The fighting had begun. It was a war of attrition. Death to them all. 

One solar month later.

In a bunker deep underground.

Virgil was going over the latest battle reports. He was visibly turning pale as his eyes drifted across the papers. There was no good news to be had. They were losing across all fronts. Perhaps the most costly battle was right at the start after they had lost Bingham. The gods that rushed into the arena never found their way out. That girl had killed them all. The demigods that attacked the champions were all destroyed in a matter of minutes. 

Guerilla warfare took place as the cities fell. The power of the Nursery was shown through sheer numbers and they were overwhelmed. No quarter and no prisoners. As far as Virgil knew, this bunker was the last for his people. Roughly two thousand left. 

A change in the stuffy atmosphere happened with a cool breeze. Virgil looked behind him to see the large shape of a warp standing in the shadows of the cave. 

“I suppose that you are here to finish your work.” Virgil said with a haggard expression on his face. 

“I suppose that you are right.” Turco said as he stepped into the light of the camp. “There is no doubt that this is the last bit of resistance. The planet has been scoured and fought for and you are it.”

Virgil turned to look at Turco and when he saw the warp, he saw that he was not alone. The three chrono troopers and Legionnaire warrior from earlier were standing with him. Their armor was torn and bent, however their stances were ones of fierce determination. Virgil felt himself take steps backwards.

Turco took one full step forward and stood in the light of the underground bunker. All the inhabitants shifted their gazes toward their leader and the giants that were facing off with each other. All eyes and ears were fixed on the conversation that was about to take place.

“Will you not now, surrender and deny the pain that will come?” Turco spoke and offered his hand in peace.

“I will not condemn my people to slavery and death. There is no telling how many bodies you have buried. Should we surrender and forget the glorious battles and wars that it took to get us to this point. That we gods and demigods should become serfs and farmers. Would you condemn us to such a life?” Virgil was adamant in his words and defiant in his stance.

Turco closed his hand and took it back. “I would. At least until your population became greater than it was. But I see that your people are watching, would you mind if I addressed them?”

“Their loyalty is not something to be called into question.”

“Then you don’t mind.” Turco said as he walked past Virgil to speak out loud to the assembled crowd. “People of the last resistance, if you surrender now I guarantee your safe passage to be with the rest of your people that live under the guidance and leadership of Pretty Pretty Princess. If you deny this last chance and choose to fight, then you will not leave this cave alive.

Ryan stood next to Virgil with his hand on his shoulder. Ryan had been given a special armor implant, it allowed him to observe closed warp gates. And as heard Turco’s very generous offer, he could see the light of a star shining through a small warp gate. Though the gate was small, the radiation that it was capable of shooting out. The offer was nothing short of a man pointing a gun at another’s head telling that he is going to be a slave.

One of the demigods pulled up a weapon and fired a shot that rang out across the cavern and that was the last sound of defiance that was heard on that world. The bullet pinged harmlessly off of Turco’s hardened exoskeleton. The Warp gate that had been closed opened for a full two seconds and the light of an unguarded star shot forth and completely eliminated all threats that resided in that cave. 

Indeed, the light that spewed forth punched a hole cleaned through the interior of the planet and out the otherside. The video footage of the event was recorded and passed up the chain of command to further demonstrate how overwhelmingly powerful Turco was.

    Virgil fell to his knees and began to sob uncontrollably. 

    Turco stepped over the small broken man and ordered Crissy to make the final kill. Thus, she had had the first and the last in this overwhelmingly brutal war.

    Turco opened one warp gate and ushered his charges through and he sent them back to his flagship so that they could be debriefed and allowed some time to rest and relax before returning to HarBack for their next mission.

    After they left, Turco picked up Virgil’s body and carried it through a different warp gate and went to visit the only untouched continent on the planet. There he set the body down at the feet of Pretty Pretty Princess and confirmed the deal that had been set with her. The deal that all of her people left under her rule would be unflinchingly loyal to Turco in whatever future events that took place. This deal was made in secret and without the knowledge of Bingham or Virgil or the Nursery or Whiskey.