Fight Another Day: Part 1 of 2

Synopsis: A ruthless armada will stop at nothing to purge the galaxy for their mysterious leader.  Although their efforts were thwarted before, they have spent the years since the last war preparing to unleash an unspeakable onslaught on all worlds that stand before them.  On a planet in the neutral zone, eight warriors of four different species find themselves stranded in a city lost to the invaders.  Alone and left for dead, their only chance for survival lies in working together in the face of impossible odds.

Story start:

“We’ve hit the upper atmo, Captain!”

Far below the climbing frigate, Captain Dex smiled.  “Fire your engines and don’t look back, kid.”  As his gunship’s shielding finally failed, he rushed to finish his farewell.

“Cap, there’s still time!” the young voice on the coms said.

Energy weapon bursts sizzled through the air around Dex’s ship. Eventually, an emerald-green bolt would get lucky.  “We both knew only one ship could make it,” Dex said.  “It’s better this way.”

There was a moment of silence from the other ship before the voice finally spoke.  “It’s been an honor, sir.”

“The honor was mine,” Dex replied seconds before the frigate flashed out of Centurion’s orbit.

“Did they make it?” Dex’s tail gunner asked.

“They’re safe, Koval,” Dex said. Well, as safe as they can be now.  But anywhere without Grakkon fighters on your six is paradise.

Brilliant, crimson plasma bolts erupted from the gunship’s tail cannon, catching one of the Grakkon interceptors in the nose.  “We’re gettin’ popular here, Dex!” Koval shouted over his shoulder.  The remaining trio of fighters regrouped as their wingman plummeted from the sky and into the city below.  Using whatever power he could coax from the engines, Dex tried his best to evade their pursuers.

Laser fire narrowly missed the ship, but the Commonwealth warriors’ luck was about to run out.  A blast rocked the cockpit.  “Tail gun’s down!  It’s all you now!” Koval reported.  Seconds later, another hit stalled out their left engine.  Under better circumstances, the Commonwealth gunship could handle such punishment, but it had already endured too much.

“I’m puttin’ her down while I still have control!  Hang onto something back there!” Dex said.  Despite sluggish controls, he managed to only take out one roof edge as he aimed the gunship for an empty street.  Both men were grateful for their seat harnesses as anything unsecured tumbled around the cabin.  The ship left a long, black scar in the road before it came to rest at the foot of a Centurion skyscraper.

“Anything broken?” Dex asked once the dust settled.

“Probably,” Koval said, grabbing his equipment.  “But this isn’t the best place to worry about that.  No one could’ve missed our landing.”

“Speak of the devils…” Dex whispered.  He peered through a window, and spied a pair of Grakkon scouts creeping towards the wreck.  Their ears were tucked flat against their heads, their bushy tails barely moved, and their lips were pulled back in wicked grins, revealing their teeth.  However, their teeth and claws were the least of Dex’s worries, since both scouts had their plasma rifles trained on the gunship hatch.

“It’s just the two,” Koval said after he checked the other sides of the wreck.  “I’m low on power.”  He held up his weapon, a captured Grakkon rifle he modified with a folding stock.  “Maybe one shot left.”

“Same,” Dex whispered, checking his own weapon.  “Cyprice Gambit?”

“Do we have a choice?”

“Not really.”

Moments later, the Grakkons forced their way inside.  They sniffed the air and searched the gloomy cabin, their eyes faintly glowing red.  “Any leftovers?” one asked.

Koval groaned from behind his gunner’s seat while Dex remained slumped over the ship controls, motionless.  “Yes,” the second Grakkon said, “and this one’s still kicking.”  He raised his weapon, but the other scout stopped him.

“You know they taste better fresh,” he said, “and unburnt…”

They both approached Koval, who wriggled and attempted to crawl away.  The Grakkons never knew what hit them as Dex blasted the first, and Koval downed the second when he whirled around to react.

“Next time, you be the bait,” Koval said, looting the Grakkons.  He removed the batteries from their weapons, and handed one to Dex before he reloaded.  Koval’s plasma rifle hummed for a moment, a small relief despite the circumstances.  He didn’t bother with his plasma pistol as it, like Dex’s own sidearm, was already drained from days of battle.

Dex removed the scouts’ backpacks and pulled spare batteries from their gear pouches.  He ejected the depleted battery from his Commonwealth rifle and slapped the Grakkon battery into a special port.  As his weapon tingled with energy, Dex was thankful he modified it to also accept Grakkon power supplies in a pinch.  With two blasted Grakkons at his feet and countless more on their way, he felt this definitely was a pinch.

“Where to?” Koval asked as he shouldered his new backpack.

Dex finished equipping himself before replying, “Anywhere but here.”

The Commonwealth soldiers crept from the wrecked ship and scampered into the safety of the abandoned skyscrapers.  In the days before, sporadic plasma fire echoed through the embattled streets, but now it felt as if the city’s breath was snatched away.  Dex and Koval progressed through the buildings, neither certain of where they were going.  All Commonwealth forces were gone, along with local defense units.  Frankly, Dex never expected to survive the last mission, so he hadn’t thought much farther ahead.

Suddenly, faint footsteps broke the silence.  The building’s interior was only lit by whatever light poked its way inside.  Without their combat helmets and their night vision capabilities, Dex and Koval relied on their trained senses.  Unfortunately, nearly every other species in the galaxy had better senses than humans; especially Grakkons.

Whatever moved in the darkness sounded too large to be a Grakkon, at least, too large to be a regular trooper.  That didn’t leave Dex and Koval with many pleasant options.  Still, they ventured forth and stalked the building’s other visitor, moving from shadow to shadow as they did.  It didn’t take long to catch up with whatever it was, and they prepared to attack.

Dex activated his rifle flashlight for just long enough to identify his target while Koval covered him.  The light fell on a creature as large as Dex, but it carried strange, metal, shield-like objects on its back.  As soon as it was illuminated however, it spun around and leveled a quad-barreled plasma weapon at Dex.

He ducked into a room as dozens of blue bolts whipped through the hallway, scorching the walls.  “I’m not a Grakkon!” he tried to shout, but the blasts drowned out his voice.

Not a second too soon, Koval managed to flank the creature and forced it to stop firing at gunpoint.  “He said we’re not Grakkons.”

Dex approached the creature and shined his light on it again.  Through its eclectic pieces of armor, he saw grey feathers and a thick, furred tail with black rosettes and a tufted tip.  Behind the helmet’s face shield, the beak of a Gryphon was unmistakable.  However, just before Dex got any closer, he felt a hard poke on the back of his head.

“No sudden moves,” a voice said. “Tell your friend to lower his weapon.”

“Sir?” Koval asked, uneasily.  He tried to catch a better glimpse of Dex’s assailant, but he couldn’t make him out.

“What do you see?” Dex asked.

“The business end of a Gryphon sniper rifle aimed at your head,” Koval said.

“I had a feeling that’s what is was…” Dex sighed. “Well, who can argue with a point like that?  Lower your weapon,” he said to Koval.  Koval complied, but kept his finger close to the trigger.

“Good choice,” the voice said.

“Now, we’ve clearly started on the wrong foot,” Dex said, slowly turning to face the voice. “Or should I say, wrong paw?  Gryphon Rangers, right?  Or are you freelance?”  Once fully turned, Dex found himself staring down the rifle barrel, but he now understood why that was all Koval described.  In the gloom of the hallway, it was the only object that protruded from a hazy cloud of darkness.  The cloud rippled gently, before it peeled away to reveal a Gryphon with feathers and fur as dark as space itself.  “Judging by your gear, it could be either.”

The Gryphon folded his wings, which were draped in optical cloaking fabric, and lowered his rifle.  “Rangers,” the Gryphon said. “Judging by your gear, I’d say you too were a pair of Grakkons.”  He chuckled slightly.

Koval spoke up.  “Well, when you’ve had the kind of day we did, you take what you can get.  Besides, the Grakkons didn’t need it anymore.”

The black Gryphon turned to Koval.  “That’s the spirit,” he said. “Just don’t aim at my sister anymore, and we’ll get along just fine.  The name’s Rav.”

Koval looked at the armored Gryphon beside him and gave her a sheepish grin.  “Sorry about that,” he said, “I thought you were a Grakkon Elite.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, actually!” she said, raising her face shield with one talon before shaking Koval’s hand.  “I’m Tib.  And no hard feelings, I did almost blast your friend after all.”

“So, what are a couple of Gryphon Rangers doing here?” Dex asked.

“We were investigating a weapon smuggling operation,” Rav said, “But that was before the invasion.  Now, we’re just trying to get off this rock.  How about you?  This seems like a bit much for Commonwealth Embassy Guards.  I thought the Embassy was evacuated days ago.”

“It was,” Koval said, “But our squad skipped the last ship out to help evac civilians.”

“I’d say you did a good job,” Tib said, “We’ve haven’t seen any civilians all day, only Grakkons.”

“We just got the last transport through the air defenses,” Dex said, “and lost the last gunship for our trouble.  I didn’t think we’d make it further than that, so our plan is open to suggestions.”

Rav pulled out a holographic map of the city for Dex.  “We’re going to check on the smuggler’s den,” the Gryphon said. “We can pick through any scraps for gear, and then see about stealing a Grakkon ship.”

Koval and Dex exchanged glances before Dex spoke.  “That’s better than sitting around waiting for their scouts to find us.  Lead the way.”

The Gryphon siblings guided Dex and Koval through the city, using the bombed-out buildings for cover.  Although they didn’t tell them, the soldiers were grateful to have the Rangers’ keen senses on their side.  They avoided Grakkon patrols more than once thanks to Tib’s hearing or Rav’s eyesight.  Within the hour, the group was within a block of their destination.

Towering skyscrapers gave way to buildings that rarely exceeded four stories, forming a quaint housing and shopping district.  “Is that it down there?” Koval asked, pointing over the edge.  “The repair shop?”

“Yeah, that’s it,” Tib said, “Scuff’s Engineering.”

“Everyone wait here,” Rav said as he unfolded his wings.  “I’ll scout ahead and radio if it’s clear.”  He draped himself with his wings and disappeared behind the optical camouflage.  Even alert Grakkon scouts would have needed to focus to spot the nimble Gryphon as he padded across the rooftops.  Unlike his sister, Rav wasn’t wearing boots, so his panther-like paws never disturbed the empty silence.

Rav scanned the street, but before he could call the others, he spotted movement at the repair shop’s door.  Instinctively, he brought his scope to bear on the motion.  To his relief, it wasn’t a Grakkon.  The being that crept from the doorway was about half Rav’s size, and covered in a light, sandy coat of fur under its clothing.  With long, triangular ears, a pointed muzzle, and a tufted tail, Rav couldn’t deny he was looking at an actual Rygol.

How has she survived this long? Rav wondered as he watched the Rygol scurry between pieces of rubble and the husks of cars.  When she found a vehicle that was still intact, she rummaged around inside before leaving with handfuls of parts.  In no time at all, she had ducked back inside the repair shop.

Rav informed the others, and they prepared to cross the street.  Under Rav’s watchful eyes, Dex, Tib, and Koval stacked up at the door.  They waited until Rav rejoined them before Dex cautiously opened the door.  He quietly called out to the young Rygol, but no reply came from the empty shop.  “We’re not Grakkons, we just want to help.”

The group closed the door behind them and searched the shop.  Parts and tools littered the table, workbenches, and even the floor, but there wasn’t any sign of the Rygol.  However, before they intensified their search, a young voice piped up from a hidden wall intercom.

“I know you’re not Grakkons,” the Rygol said, “I’ve been watching you with the city’s security cameras.  Well, those still online, that is.  What I don’t know is why you came here.”

“We’re looking for a ship,” Rav said.

“What made you think you’d find one here, Ranger?” the Rygol asked.

Her tone ruffled the Gryphons’ feathers and they looked to each other uncertainly.  Koval was quick to offer an excuse, sensing the sudden tension.  “Or parts for one, at least,” he said.  “We crashed our gunship, but we might get it airborne again.  If you come out, maybe you can help us.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” the Rygol said, “Not until I know I can trust…”  There was a pause as the Rygol’s voice trailed off.  “Oh no!” she exclaimed.

“What?  What is it?” Dex asked.

“I just spotted my family on the cameras!  They’re pinned down by a Grakkon patrol in the Old Market Square!”  A hidden hatch in the floor slid open and the sandy Rygol stepped out moments later.  She was dressed in a vest with improvised armor pieces, and had a shock grenade belt slung over her shoulder. In her right hand was an RAR-37, while her left hand grasped another grenade belt.  “I can’t believe I’m doing this, but here, take these,” she said, offering the explosives to Dex.

“I thought you didn’t trust us,” Dex said as he took the grenades.

“We’ll work our way up to trust,” the young Rygol said, “But for now, I need your help, and you have stronger arms than me.”

She’s a sharp one, I’ll give her that. Dex thought.  “Thanks,” he said.  “I’m Captain Dex, by the way.  That’s Tib, Rav, and my squadmate, Lieutenant Koval.  I don’t think we caught your name.”

The Rygol’s nose twitched and her eyes narrowed for a second.  “Oh, what the heck.  Either way this goes down, it won’t matter if I tell you,” she said, “I’m Spark.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Spark,” Dex said.  “Now, if you lead us to the Old Market Square, we can take it from there.”

Spark charged her plasma rifle with a soft click and grinned.  “I’ll take you to the Square,” she said, “but if you think I’m hanging back then you don’t know Rygols, and you definitely don’t know me.”

…

“I’m in position,” Rav whispered.  He established his nest on the roof of a building behind the Grakkon patrol.  Under his camo cloak, the Gryphon sharpshooter didn’t have to worry about creating a silhouette for the invaders to spot.  “If we’re gonna do this, we gotta go quick.  I heard them calling for another squad.”

At one end of the Square, a dozen Grakkon soldiers huddled behind the barricades they had hastily constructed.  Not far from them, near the center of the Square, was Spark’s family.  Occasionally, someone from each side traded a plasma bolt or two.  Green Grakkon weapon fire went one way, while the telltale yellow bolts of another RAR-37 went the other way.  None of the Grakkons dared to break cover as they’d already lost too many of their group.  As Rav said, they were waiting for reinforcements, and set up automatic sentry turrets to keep their prey from escaping.

Everyone else checked in on their newly-harmonized com systems.  Koval was in place in another ruined building, also overlooking the Grakkons, but opposite from Rav’s nest.  Spark, Tib, and Dex waited on the ground, ready to run into action.  “Alright Koval,” Dex said, “Get their attention.”

Koval rested his weapon on the windowsill, targeted a Grakkon, and opened fire.  He blasted two before the others started shooting at him.  As Koval retreated from the withering barrage, Rav destroyed the sentry turrets with a pair of expertly placed shots.

“Turrets down, and infantry distracted!” Rav reported before setting his sights on the Grakkons.

“Go time!” Tib shouted.  She unfolded her armored wings, spreading the shields for Dex and Spark to move behind.  Thankfully, the Grakkons were too busy with the others to notice the trio cross the Square, and Tib didn’t have to return fire.

“Friendlies coming in!” Spark called to her family.  “I brought help!”

An adult Rygol poked his head around the side of the barricade.  “That’s my girl!” he said proudly, his grey ears twitching excitedly.  “We were just about to call you!”

Dex and Tib were relieved to see the other Rygol was unhurt, but their relief turned to surprise when they saw the other two members of Spark’s family.  In the waning daylight, they immediately noticed their luminous, yellow eyes.  It didn’t take a professional spacefarer to take one look at the creatures, one female and one male, and know they certainly weren’t Rygols.

To start, they were nearly as tall as Dex, even when they relaxed their digitigrade paws and flattened their long ears.  Although the pair had muzzles and short fur similar to Rygols, their faces were more canine-like, and their coats were light blue.  Finally, as if any further differentiators were needed, their dark, blue tails were bushy and unkempt instead of slender.  Without a doubt, Spark’s other two family members weren’t Rygols, they were Gurks.

The male was outfitted with crimson combat armor, and carried a matching Gurk battle rifle along with another weapon secured to his back.  Conversely, the other Gurk was lightly armored in her simple, faded red shirt and olive pants.  Instead of full boots, she preferred minimalist paw covers, likely for the same reasons Rav did.  She also sported a black and red battle rifle, but she kept an automatic plasma pistol holstered on her leg too, and a scavenger’s bag slung over her shoulder.

“They’re Gurks!” Tib exclaimed.

“Woah!” the female Gurk said, “The griff’s got good eyes!  Imagine that.”

“Easy, Venka,” Spark said, “they’re with me, and this isn’t the time.”

“She’s right,” Dex said.  “Reinforcements are on their way.”  In the distance, the plasma exchanges finally died down.  Unfortunately, the peace was short-lived.

“Uh, Cap?” Koval said into his com system.  “We’ve got more than a squad incoming!”  The others heard the Grakkon platoon from across Old Market Square and wished they hadn’t wasted their moment of safety.

Tib flicked her tail, dropped her face shield, and stood at the edge of the barricade with her rotary cannon primed.  “Get back to the shop, Koval!  Rav, you know what to do!” she said as she covered he body with her left wing but extended the right wing.  “Everyone else, get behind me!”

Highlighted targets filled Tib’s heads-up display as soon as Rav spotted them.  Once he marked the whole platoon, he fired a few blasts before he moved.  His shots gave the Grakkons pause, but they soon charged across the open square with fangs bared and rifles ready.  They realized too late that Tib was ready too.

Cyan bolts blasted from Tib’s cannon by the hundreds.  The Gryphon let out a piercing screech as she held down the trigger.  Plasma thwacked into her shields as she slowly led her new allies to safety.  “If anyone wants to get in on this, you’re welcome to it!” she said.  Spark and Venka took Tib’s offer and fired back at the Grakkons when they could.  As soon as solid cover was within reach, the others fanned out and helped Tib blast the rest of the charging platoon.

Smoke wafted from Tib’s cannon as the barrels stopped spinning.  Her HUD reported all 30 Grakkons were down, and everyone finally caught their breath.

“That was quite impressive,” the male Gurk said.  “I’ve never had a griff watchin’ my back before.  I kinda like it!”  He held out a hand and shook with Tib.  “The name’s Feliks.”

“We could have handled it ourselves,” Venka interrupted, narrowing her glowing eyes at the Gryphon.  “But, I’ll give credit where it’s due.  Thank you.”  Her face softened and she introduced herself to Tib and Dex.

The grey Rygol also stepped forward to introduce himself.  “Yes, you arrived just in time, and you have my thanks.  You can call me Scuff,” he said.  “I see you’ve already met my daughter, and since she trusted you with our last plasmex grenades, I’m assuming you made a good first impression.”

Dex smiled and looked down at Spark.  “We’re working our way up to trust.”

“You’re team is doing a mighty fine job of it,” Scuff replied.  “Please, let me repay you.”

He didn’t need to tell Tib twice.  “We’re low on supplies, and need to get off-world fast.  Charged batteries and a ship would be great,” she said.

Scuff started to walk back towards the repair shop and motioned for the others to follow.  “Oh, I think we can scrounge up something for you.”

…

“Rav?” Tib said.

“Yeah?”

“I think we found our weapon smugglers.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Rav replied as he and the others stood in the bunker beneath Scuff’s shop.  Slanted shelves and racks were bedecked with hundreds of small arms from across the galaxy.  A few shelves were bare, but there were still plenty of weapons to choose from.  Scuff had stockpiled everything from standard Commonwealth armaments to Gryphon sniper rifles.  He even had a few Arvgrath Saber Bows, which concerned the Gryphons.

“So, I imagine you were the beaks I saw take an interest in my shop last week, hmm?” Scuff asked Rav and Tib.  “I don’t imagine you’ll arrest me now, given our circumstances.”

The Gryphons ran their talons over racks of batteries for their respective weapons.  “With the peace treaty broken, I think the Gryphon clans have bigger problems,” Rav said.  “If you help us escape, you won’t get any trouble from us.”

Venka interrupted again as Rav eyed a Gurk military crate.  “I’m sorry, are there any more Gryphons we should know about?  Because I was fine with her, but now it’s getting a bit crowded around here.”

Feliks tried to calm his crewmate.  “Venka, relax,” he said. “We could use their help.  In fact, I’d say we need it, with the way our plans are going.”

“Hey, if you have a plan, we’d love to hear it,” Koval said, sliding a new battery into his pistol.

Everyone gathered around Scuff and his hologram projector.  A map of the city appeared with four points of interest marked in red.  “Our ship is hidden here,” he said, zooming in on a warehouse.  “By some miracle, the Grakkons missed it.  Anyway, the ship’s an old asteroid miner, so it can take beating, but the Grakkons own the sky and their tanks will shred us without a working shield.”

The map centered itself around another dot.  “They established a small airfield in the park.  There are at least a dozen interceptors there at any one time,” Scuff said.  “If we destroy the fighters on the ground, the odds will tip in our favor.”  The humans and Gryphons nodded as the Venka took over.

“For extra insurance, we rigged the ship with a Grakkon shield generator,” Venka said, moving the map to the third point.  “The only problem is we need a power core to run it.”

“How’re we gonna get one of those?” Koval asked.

Venka grinned.  “We crippled one of their tanks yesterday,” she said.  “It’s what we were doing before you found us.  They’ll have to replace the core, which means it’ll be easier to swipe.  We have a remote camera watching the tank, plus the transmissions we intercepted suggest the repair crew won’t arrive until morning.”

“After we take the core, we’ll fall back to the shop,” Scuff said.  The last point glowed brighter and extended a jagged path towards the warehouse.  “Then we’ll take the cargo tunnel to the warehouse, install the core, and get out of here.  What do you think?”

Dex sensed the others felt the same thing he did.  There’s a lot that can go wrong, but it’s our only hope.  “I can’t say it’s not a longshot,” he said as he looked to his new companions.  Koval and the Gryphons nodded again.  “But no one in the galaxy ever got anywhere without taking risks.  We’re in.”

“Excellent,” Scuff said, smiling.  “Then let’s get some food and rest.  Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

…

“So, you’re saying Rygols aren’t marsupials?” Koval said to Spark between bites of nutri-rations.

“It’s a common misconception!” Spark said before taking another bite of food too.  “But actually…”

Across the bunker’s dining table, Tib and Rav spoke with Venka and Feliks.

“For what it’s worth, Scuff doesn’t supply criminals,” Feliks said.  “We mostly deal with civilian defense militias in neutral or ungoverned space.  There are plenty of Gurk crews who aren’t happy with us, but we have enough contacts in the black market to keep things flowing smoothly.”

“Still, there are some things we have to do ourselves, if we want them done right,” Venka added, “like recovering hardware from Gurkon.”

Rav cocked his head, and Tib looked back at the crate her brother examined earlier.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Feliks said.  “We decontaminate everything before we use or sell it.  It’s not polite to irradiate your customers.”

“That’s pretty thoughtful for a couple of mercenaries,” Rav said. “No offense.”

The Gurks chuckled.  “We prefer the term ‘adventure capitalists,’ actually,” Venka said.

“Yeah, although I like the sound of ‘Gurk mercs,’ personally,” Feliks added, winking at Tib.

Not far from the table, Dex sat beside Scuff on a stack of crates.  The Rygol admired Dex’s custom weapon as he inspected it, cleaned it, and ensured it was ready for action.  Scuff provided enough Commonwealth batteries to fully reequip the rifle, but he still admired its compatibility with Grakkon power sources.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Dex said.  “I don’t think we would survive long without you.”

“You’re welcome,” Scuff said.  “It’s safe to say we’ve overstayed on welcome on Centurion, and I’m glad you came along to help us escape too.”

“You know, that brings up a question,” Dex said.  “Why didn’t you leave when the invasion first started?”

Scuff flattened his ears.  “You might have noticed that the straggling civilians were armed when they evacuated,” he said.  Dex nodded.  “I was one of those left behind when Rybiria was attacked, and I’ve spoken to others lucky enough to have survived similar invasions.  The brutal truth is anyone left behind is easy prey.  Like you, we stayed to give people a fighting chance.”

Scuff and Dex turned their gazes to the table, and listened.  “The Grakkons destroyed countless families on Rybiria,” Scuff said after a moment, “and they left a lot of broken ones too.”  He looked to his daughter, and to the Gurks laughing with the Gryphons.  “We have to stick together now, more than ever.  In this chaotic galaxy, sometimes our unusual little family is the only thing that makes sense.”

“You’re doing the best you can,” Dex said.  “Spark didn’t waste a second when you were in danger.  She may be young, but she’s a kid who knows what it takes.  You should be proud.”

Scuff smiled.  “I am.  She’s so much like her mother…” He grew quiet.  “I just wish she’d known the beauty of our homeworld, and the peace of a normal childhood.  Instead, all she knows is this.”  He gestured to the bunker.

Dex looked to his weapon and his battle-worn uniform.  “I can understand that,” he said.  “And maybe her generation won’t grow up with peace.  But if we work together, then maybe the next generation will.”  Scuff’s ears perked slightly as he imagined the idea.  “And, even if they don’t, they’ll have Spark to teach them what’s worth fighting for, and to never give up.  Because although you’re the first Rygols I’ve ever met, I get the feeling you folks don’t quit easily.”

At this, Scuff grinned proudly and hefted his RAR-37.  “The Grakkons’ first mistake was attacking Rybiria,” he said.  “Their second mistake was not getting all of us.”

End of Part 1