Koobie saw a fence of barbered wire stretched between the trees. He realised that he made it to an old Annuvian Training Facility where he spent his youth.

Without hesitation, Koobie ripped a part of the fence out and went on. Upon walking a few meters he saw the actual installation - a giant building with android hangars, barracks, and even its own surveillance sattelite.

The base was easily recognizable but looked somehow abandoned. Parts of some unlucky dissasembled android covered the ground, the installation's walls were covered in rust and dried-up mud.

Koobie went to the front entrance door, but the doors themselves were not there. Instead there was a scortched hole on place of a doorway.

Koobie wandered if the acid tanks were also damaged when the facility got overrun by enemy forces (and obviously, that's what happened).

Koobie went down the installation corridors, heading for the acid storage.

Rejko was sitting under the shadows of the trees, eating Jomo plants. (The ones Chamoy was gathering before he became a member of squadron) It was probably the best reward after his adventurers to find some food. The jomo plant had a good taste and smell, plus the most important thing was that they were eatable even if not cooked. Though Rejko could eat almost anything with minimum risk of having stomach problems at the end, he still preferred fresh and tasty food, Actually they were his favorite food so it was a sweet present from the gods for him to find these plants especially in this region of the forest. Unsurprisingly 3 days of starving were too much even for Rejko, so he decided to have a picnic and some rest here.

The air was fresh and not a single sound was heard. It seemed quite peaceful and quit as rarely happens in these war-troubled regions. Rejko's senses showed that there were no people or other beasts for a mile around him, and he finaly relaxed a little... and than something strange happened. His sixth sense which never abandoned him told that there was something else near him. Mutant opened his eyes: "Impossible!", he was alone, but the filling of someone's presence didn't abandon him. "what can it bee?", with disbelief Rejko looked at the black case, which he stole from the crashed plane last night. "Is there anything inside which disturbs my nerve system?", thought he: "Well let's try to open this thing... and, well, ...how do I suppose to do it?" Soon Rejko realized that it wasn't easy to open the case, sinse the lock was too complicated to open without a key, and the cower was so hard that even his steel cutting claws were useless. Indeed it was a fireproof and waterproof steel, so even if the case will fall on the bottom of the ocean the content of it won't be damaged. "Shall I be doing this all day?" hissed the fox with anger and next second a sharp ray of ions with the unpleasant "Bzzzzpppp" cut the lock and the case opened....

"What's this?", with the amusement Rejko was looking at the strange object carefully packed and wrapped in the silk-like material. He never had seen anything like this before. It had a form of octogram with some sort of gems on each end, plus a long chain attached to all of the sides. Carefully he touched the object, but couldn't identify the material: it was nether stone, nether metal, rather light and terribly cold. "What's the use of it?", Rejko continued the investigation of the object: "Must be some sort of Amulet or belt. No, to small for belt, but still too big for amulet. Hey, let me put it on anyway if it was made for wearing." It wasn't really clever for Rejko to put the unknown item on him since he wasn't an Atrtoman (the scientist who is studding ancient artifacts and other magic things, usually a helper of the enchanter.) and didn't knew if this item had any power which could kill him. But even in the days he was young and still human these artifacts were already rare and mythic, so many people didn't even knew that they exist. When the war of Wyrdains and Annuvins broke out nobody more cared about Magic powers any more. To win the war each side had to develop better technology than their opponents, so this was the time of great scientifical progression. The androids, factories, energy weapons, High-tech machinery, and air-travel all were results of this power struggle. But the artifacts didn't disappear, they were forgotten, lost, hidden, but still existed, thought they were useless in war where tactics and strategies were most important the power inside them was still great, and they were still a dangerous thing in the hands of strong and cunning man.

But Rejko wasn't cunning (And not even a man) and soon he felt it on himself. At the beginning nothing special happened, and deep in his mind the fox started to think that it wasn't a correct use of it, and he was wrong in thinking that there was something else that disturbed him some minutes ago, but what happened next he would remember for the rest of his life. Suddenly a sharp pain pierced his nerve system, and like the fire started to burn everything inside him. In a second the hurting became so bad that he lost consequence, but the ever-rising pain immediately woke him up. In agony Rejko tried to take control of his mind but the feeling of a powerful fist squashing his body was too much for him. "That's it, I will die now.." thought Rejko saying Goodbye! To the world, but suddenly the pain stopped and he heard how something inside him said: "Don't take what doesn't belong to you!", and it was all over...

The octogram was on the ground near the poor half dead and totally blinded Rejko, who was gasping for air. Slowly the strength returned to him and he felt that he could see again. He tried to get up, impossible his legs were not listening to him. He checked his Psi-power, it was all empty, the energy he had almost restored by now was lost. With a grimace of pain Rejko turned his muzzle toward the Artifact. Probably he was still lucky since he had his nerves stronger and more developed than human ones, so he could stand high mento-attacks. If the human tested this thing on himself he would definitely die. Yes he was a foolish to do wear unknown things and Rejko promised to himself not to do it again. By this time he was already able to get up, but he didn't do it, he was thinking about the words which were told to him during the moments of pain. It didn't belong to him, that was foe sure, but to which man did it belong? He tried to remember the plane from which he got the case and than suddenly a thing came to his mind: "It was sent to Wyrdain territory so it must be an aid or present to them. It is probably that it belongs to to one of them, as the voice said. So in my hands I am holding a weapon what those dogs want to get! No way, now it's my turn to make them suffer, as long as I am alive they won't get it! The pain they did to me I will never forget!" Angered by his memories Rejko jumped from the ground and swiftly grabbed the artifact. "No way darling, you belong to me! I won't put you on again, but now you have to travel a little with me!", with these words he picked up the artifact.

The wind changed and Rejko's ear could hear the noise of engines coming to the place where he rested. Soon the was going to be a battle here, and a large battle, since there were more than 100 planes were coming here. These were the large drop-ships, who were usually used foe carrying Judge-Warriors. Since Rejko's psi abilities were not working and he couldn't defend himself the best idea was to get his tail out of that place as fast as possible. Rejko put the artifact in his suet's pocket. He didn't dare to wear him around his back again. A second later he disappeared in the forest. Rejko didn't know that the incoming battle was for the small amulet he was carrying, but it was not the last battle for it........

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Play such games as Diablo 2 and Quake 3.

I don't mean to be mean, but I only understood 70% of the above post...

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"We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless." -Oscar Wilde

Interesting. What part didn't you understand, Koobie?

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Play epic RPGs such as Year Infinity, or duel in the Interdimensional Arena @ The High Citadel

The spelling . Bah, nevermind, High, Goudldragon explained it 2 me already

After finding the acid storage in reasonably good condition, Koobie went to find some left over food.

He had a nice meal - the base's fridge (a huge room where all edible products were held) was still working.

Longing to get back home, he found a damaged, but an operatable android in the hangar bay. In fact, it was an KJ23 scout droid, and the only robot in the hangar which was still in one piece.

[This message has been edited by [D6]Koobie (edited May 08, 2002).]

Prince Gwyneth led Llyr, Chamoy, and the other newly recruited Elite Squadron members to the battle android suit storage bay. There were four other members of the Elite Squadron now, besides Llyr and Chamoy.

Gregg Wanderer, who, as his name implied, had been just about everywhere, including Annuvian soil, and knew all there was to know about the surrounding lands. He was more of a spy than a fighter, but both roles suited him.

Jason Ursus, "The Bear", as he was called, was a grizzled veteran of many battles who had acquired an excellent grasp of tactics and a wide range of combat skills in his 59 years of life.

Eilonwy Westley, a young redheaded girl about Llyr's age, who, while having participated in only two battles in her lifetime, was showing remarkable skill and progress.

And finally, there was Adam Scott, a man whom Llyr looked up to as the person he hoped to be in ten years. He was extraordinarily gifted in what some droid pilots referred to as "the battle meld". This was a process in which pilots melded their senses with the sensory impulses being taken in by their own droids and the droids of their squadronmates to gain an almost intuitive awareness of their opponent's next move, as well as the maneuvers of their squadmates.

Gwyneth addressed his band of champions. "These are all of our best designs. Each of you may choose an android suit to pilot." He then fell silent as the Elite inspected the 'droids that were available to choose from.

Jason marveled at a Cavalier-class droid. "Hey," he said delightedly, "the Mark 9 series changes the controls system from the Mark 8 on down to a much easier interface!" He scanned the readouts. "It maintains the extensive arsenal of the Mark 8, but operates more economically." Jason looked up. "This one's mine, Prince." As an experienced warrior, Jason knew well the value of efficiency in the long run of a war.

Gwyneth nodded, and a scribe noted the new pilot's name in his "comport" - short for Computer-Portable. Meanwhile, Llyr was, rather than looking over each and every droid suit very carefully, merely glanced at each suit, relying instead on the intuition that Orgoch had always taught him to heed.

He walked past all the combat suits, but none seemed to jump out at him. At the end of the bay was a large metal door. "Your highness," he called over to the prince, "what is behind this door?"

"Let me show you," the prince returned, pressing a button on the wall. The door slowly slid upward, revealing a great and majestic warrior droid.

It was coloured gold and stood a full thirty meters tall - unusually tall for a droid suit, which were generally around 20 meters in height. The extra space allowed for more weaponry and shielding, and, with an incredibly efficient design, it became apparent to Llyr that this was, quite simply, the most powerful android suit in history! "This," Gwyneth said, "is Auran."

And Llyr knew, in that moment, that this android, Auran, was to be his. "Auran," he breathed, "is mine."

Gwyneth shook his head. "Would that it could be so, Commander Llyr, would that it could be so."

Llyr furrowed his brow. "Why can't it?"

The prince came over to stand beside him. "Auran was created twenty-one years ago, Llyr. . . by Orgoch in a ritual most mysterious involving a melding of magic and technology. To this day it remains ahead of its time by a good hundred years at least."

"So what's the problem?"

Gwyneth sighed. "It's so powerful that, well. . . there's no power source we've ever been able to find or design strong enough to operate it."

"Oh." Llyr bowed his head for a moment, then went off to find another droid suit. The prince gazed after him, then wistfully watched as the door closed on the magnificent, useless Auran.

-----

Alright, I have plans for Auran in the future, so please don't do anything with it! Also, we can now have the Elite Squadron go to the Gammorer Forest in the land of Forrestal.

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Play epic RPGs such as Year Infinity, or duel in the Interdimensional Arena @ The High Citadel

Chamoy watched Llyr as Gwyneth left. After the escape from the Annuvian fleet, it was Llyr's cunning and tactics that had kept the three of them alive long enough to rendezvous with the Wyrdainian squadron and safety. Chamoy no longer saw him as a superior officer to be obeyed because of rank, but because he was right. Chamoy would follow Llyr into the depths of Tartarus if he was so commanded.

It wrenched his heart to see Llyr so disappointed. He knew, though, that he had a job to do right now. He quickly scanned the androids.
"Hey, Miss Westley," he called to Eilonwy, who was inspecting an Orwell class android. "You want this one," indicating a taller, more slender model, Draconian class.
"Why on earth do you think that, Chamoy?" she asked.
"It brings out the colour of your eyes," he said.
The hangar rang with laughter, even Llyr ventured a smile Chamoy was pleased to see.

Chamoy eventually settled on the rather outdated Scanveger. A bulky android, much had been learnt about android design since this one's manufacture. But that suited Chamoy just fine. The slightly cavernous frame made for a great platform for his modifications. With the androids came an opportunity for external bioelectric devices, and Chamoy was determined to exploit that opportunity to the max.

Eilonwy chose the Draconian in the end. "Although, by the time the enemy gets close enough to appreciate how well it brings out the colour of my eyes, they'll be dead," she said whistfully to much amusement. The Draconian was aptly named, combining a vast firepower with nimble maneuvering.
Chamoy didn't really care about the Annuvians appreciating her beauty, though. As long as he could, that was okay by him.

Gwyneth sat at his desk, listening to the report from Orgoch.

She had been continuing investigations into the nature of Jere-Cuzhan. With her new apprentice, she had been able to cast out her awareness further into the murky void of the magical plane.

"So these, what, points of instability, lead down to the Underworld?" he asked, barely following the explanations being given.

"In a sense, my lord. It should be remembered that the Underworld is not 'down' from here. It is, if anything, shifted sideways whilst staying in the same place."

"I don't follow you at all."

"No, my lord, it is difficult to explain. Imagine it as a dimension that is overlayed over ours. It exists in the same place, but is separated by an infinitely thin barrier of nothing. What we have been able to find is a way to weaken the barrier a little bit. Not nearly enough to break through, but we have also identified certain 'weak' spots in the barrier, which if we could weaken further should enable us to break into Tartarus."

"Well, I haven't understood half of what you've told me, except that you may have found a way into Tartarus. Maybe it's time I met your new apprentice. I gather this was all made possible with her help."

As they moved down the corridor to Orgoch's lab, Orgoch nodded. "Yes, the raw talent in her is amazing. At the moment, we channel it through me, as she hasn't the control over it yet. If she tried wielding the full force, it could easily destroy her, but she learns."

They had by now reached the door, and entered. Organa rose from her seat as the leader of Wyrdain was shown into her presence.

"Greetings, my lord."

Gwyneth just stood there, speechless. Until Orgoch elbowed him sharply in the ribs. Exhaling sharply, Gwyneth fumbled for his tongue.

"Er, hello. Greetings. Um, yes. I gather we have, er, you to thank for helping Orgoch discover... whatever it was she was on about."

"If it pleases your lord." A small curtsey here.

Gwyneth was at a loss. If it pleased him? If what pleased him? Fortunately, Orgoch saved him from looking stupid.

"Oh don't stand on ceremony, girl. Gwyneth hates that, don't you?"

"Hmm, um, yes I suppose I do."

"Anyway, Organa, continue with what you were doing. The Prince was just on a flying visit."

"A pleasure to meet you, my lord," flowed over his shoulder as Orgoch guided Gwyneth back to the corridor.

Once safely back in Gwyneth's office, Orgoch sat down, smiling broadly to herself.

"But... she's barely an adult Orgoch, how can she be so powerful? You talk about her as though she's got more power in there than you."

"Well, I don't know about powerful. Without the control that she's working on, it's like a mine without miners. Plenty of potential, but no actual results. But, yes, there's a lot of coal in her particlar mine. But that always was the way with the House of Fey."

"Fey? I was never told she was of the line of Fey!"

Orgoch continued smiling to herself.

Koobie drove his newly aquired KJ23 Scout Droid out of the hangar. The electronic map in the KJ23's cockpit indicated that Koobie was in the Gammorer Forest, the forest of which it was said to be no way out.

This is an advertisement! If you don't like it, sue me! Play on-line text RPG(s) of Sci / Fi genre at "Koobie Laboratories"


[This message has been edited by [D6]Koobie (edited June 08, 2002).]

I will trz to post something soon. This storzy is not over yet.

It was night in the country. Only the small stars were glowing in the sky and dropping the pale light on the plain. The air was cold, or plainly frizzing if to be punctual, since the temperature was lover than zero. No living creature dared to stay in those regions at night, because of the cold the darkness, that was so thick and seemed to be cannibalizing everything inside it. But even in this place and in this time there was a man who challenged the darkness and the dangers of the open wilderness. Sheivl Lengord was his name and he was running along and bare footed threw the absolute darkness of the forest trying to get away from the chase.

The branches of the trees were slapping in his face, and his bare feet were living bloody prints on the dirty wet soil. He was a convict. A convict to die in the Annuvin labor camp: the place where the war prisoners were held. As an Atroman (you must remember what is it) he was trying to do some research on using the nor-gems. (type of artifacts that can start the chain reaction of atom separating, in other words atom bomb!) According to his calculations some explosions on Annuvin territory would be enough to finish the war. By unluck or maybe luck the Annuvins discovered about his project and were able to steel him from the laboratory. The scientist was given a chance of ether continuing to develop his technology for them, ether die. He chose death. It was not a big problem since some plans and project-papers were also stolen, so it was only a question of time for Annuvins to make their own Atom-bomb. Sheivl was put into one of the labor camps to be shot next day, but at night the clever man managed to crack the electric lock of the cell and escape. Of course it was discovered and the chase started. Alone in the cold forest at night he had no chance to escape. His strength was going away from him, and his bare feet were bleeding. Sheivl was not able to run any more. The sounds of the aproachng man and dogs were heard behind his back. It was all over......

Exhausted Sheivl fell on the ground preparing to die. A shot was heard...., than another. Sheivl opened his eyes, they were shooting not in him! Next moment a faint scream was heard, than a lightning stroke and all became silent. "What was that?", thought Sheivl. He turned his head back, but couldn't see the chasers. They simply disappeared! He could see their armor and weapons and armor, but there were no bodies! After having a closer look he fond some sand-like substance inside and near their armor, is that what had left out of them? They had just decomposed, but how? Sheivl felt that there was something near him, something powerful, that had just turned 10 people into the dust . Sheivl felt that the darkness was becoming frightening, he turned his back and suddenly felt silent with terror. Two green-glowing eyes were looking at him from the forest. The yes came closer and next minute the never-before-seen creature entered the place. A thick cover of energy was surrounding his body. "Oh no, please Goddess, not that!", thought Sheivl: "I was running away from the smoke and found a fire, why didn't I chose to die in a camp, now he will do to me what he did to my chasers, I don't even know what this thing is...." The beast came closer and Sheivl prepared to die, (again) and than a thing that he lest expected to happen happened: the beast spoke.
-You have nothing to be afraid, I won't hurt you, because ( ) I am not hungry. My name is Rejko.....

sorry for the long leave of absence, but I'm back to start posting again, but not tonight. I'll post sometime in the very near future, I just want to get some ideas passed through the creator of the page (if he'll be so kind as to email me so I can reply back, please. ahh, come on don't make me beg.)

ok, pretty much like I posted for TEW, I have changed my email account because I can't get into my old one, so if you've sent me any info about the story before now, I can't read it and it's lost out there. If you can, drop a line at my new email addy (just click on the email icon thingy because its been updated to one I can get into) and send it. Hope to get some info soon so I can start up my posts again.

So all you other writers know, Highemp can't access the Internet, and I'm not sure for how long. Just letting you all know so you don't hold your breath waiting for an answer from him.