[center]| A collab with [@Tortoise] |[/center]

Death stalked the protector’s away team. The sandstorm that had whipped up prior to their landing was bad, but not so bad that flesh was stripped from bone. Eta-Theta’s form did not strictly [i]require[/i] the billowing cloth that was currently hung around it, but it certainly did add to the effect that the soldier was going for. Through the vision-obscuring cloud they watched, patiently, until at last the time came for them to stalk closer and begin their assault.

There were six protectors, a large one brandishing a club and clearly in command, and five smaller men and a woman around him with rifles. For possibly the first time, they were all wearing suits fit for the environment- helmets that filtered the sand, thick metal that was both insulated and tough. (And all golden, of course.)
 
Eta-Theta had considered using their new rail rifles, but something about that seemed… insufficient, to them. These protectors had done the Zetan a personal injury, and thus, they deserved a personalised end. The revenant’s eyes had already clocked onto the two primary targets, but they were surrounded by chaff- by fodder, and that fodder needed to be cleared out, so that the juiciest morsels could be savoured.
 
It was time to field-test some of their body’s new capabilities. The sand gave them wonderful concealment on approach, but the cushioned joints of the warform also greatly aided stealth. They were almost silent as they stalked across the sand, extending a hand and trying out another customised feature. The long, elongated fingers of Eta-Theta’s new body fused themselves together, and then as one, the structure shifted, from hand into a leaf-shaped blade.
 
Then, all that was left to do was to maximise the initial terror inflicted. Eta-Theta waited, patiently, following the group as they moved, and then, as one of their number was mid-sentence, pounced. Cleanly, they strode across the short gap between them and their target, reached their hand back and then thrust it forward. Armour, ribcage, spine… None of it provided enough protection to prevent Eta-Theta’s hand from ripping through to their heart and shredding it.

“Ling!” the protector beside him shouted, and that was all he had time to do. An instinct kicked in, spurred on by years of holo-indoctrination, and his next shout was only a furious, wordless scream. He jumped at the invader, half in vengeance and half without thought at all, throwing his entire body weight into the tackle.

His mistake was using all his weight. Eta-Theta drew back and loosened themselves, catching his limbs and tumbling backwards. The duo fell into a somersault, but halfway through, as the robot was on top, they pushed themselves up and spread themselves out, landing on their feet whilst dragging the protector through the dirt. Their foot came up, then crashed down hard, a rush of satisfaction running through the Zetan as they felt helmet and bone creak and crunch underneath their foot.

"Stay away from it, dumbasses!" The chief protector called out. "Just shoot!"

Pre-empting the fire that was to come, Eta-Theta dashed back into the dust storm. As they did so, a cavity in their chest peeled open and presented the android with a small yet powerful handgun. Racking the slide, Eta-Theta hurtled back into the fray at near-superhuman speeds. Their pistol coughed three times, almost-silent, and another protector fell, whilst the last of the chaff was dispatched with the same callous shooting.

Eta-Theta ejected the spent magazine with a flick, catching the empty with their other hand, then slotting a new one in. [b]”Remember me?”[/b]

Yun and Jo were the only two left. The former did not answer, caught trembling by the pure fear and shock of watching four men he knew fall like plastic toys. The latter, however, was not the kind to be shaken by death.

"No," Jo said casually, "I don't remember you at all." Even as she spoke, she took aim and sprayed hail at the robot.

[b]”Do you think this form isn’t reinforced against that?”[/b] Eta-Theta walked calmly forward, through the hail of lightweight fire. [b]”You questioned me. You threw me out of an airlock. You thought my promise was a joke.”[/b] They stalked closer and closer, watching as Jo reloaded, then reached out to squeeze their gun hard, the weapon’s barrel crumpling between their fingers.

Not used to the heavy weight of her armour, Jo almost slipped backwards in the sand. "Wait," she said, "wai-"

[b]”The human brain can only last three minutes without oxygen before it suffers irreparable damage. They had to pull me back together from scraps.”[/b] A lie, but one that suited the Consciousness’ purpose well. [b]”But I made a promise. I intend to fulfil it.”[/b] Those same metallic fingers unfurled themselves and wrapped around Jo’s neck, slowly lifting the protector up. [b]”Any last words?”[/b]

Struggling under the ironclad grip, Jo barely found enough breath to bargain: "Wait, I was the good… one, I… tried to help you… " Her ice blue eyes darted around the sands, looking for help but seeing just corpses and Yun, his rifle trembling unsteadily between the killer and her. She only hesitates for a moment.

"It's- it's him you want!"

[b]”Those are terrible last words.”[/b] The Zeta lingered for a long time, feeling the pulsing of blood through Jo’s neck. The air being heaved in along her throat. The frantic, gulping, like a fish stranded without water. [b]”Humanity… It’s such a fragile thing.”[/b] Then, they squeezed, metallic motors bending cartilage until it buckled, Eta-Theta watching Jo’s face intensely.

Yun would have agreed that those were awful last words, but his mind was not fit to agree to things right then. His nightmare was coming true. How had he known? Eta-Theta was back from the dead. It shouldn't be possible, but it is, and Jo is gone- and he's running.

Through the covering sand storm and the limited visibility, his rifle fell from his grip somewhere in the dust, and there was no time to retrieve it. The transport, he can only think, must be somewhere in this storm. He could pilot it by himself- where is it? Sand in the eyes. Hands are groping through the cloud for its smooth metal.

Dampeners off. Each footstep that Eta-Theta now took was magnified tenfold, a crunching, metallic harbinger of death. They followed Yun as he stumbled about, almost casual in their movement, watching as the sand clogged his eyes and his brain clouded with fear.

[b]”Looking for something?”[/b]

[i]The fight's over,[/i] his mind said. The wind whipped at the back of Yun's knees, and brought him down with it, kneeling in the sand. He didn't try to get up. It was over. The whole planet was against him.

For a moment, the storm seemed to clear, and Yun looked up into the skull-like face of his hunter. It's different. It's not the same body anymore, but- there's something in that tilt of the head. Just like in the airlock.

"Eta-Theta," Yun whispered. He took his helmet off. "It's you."

[b]”You do remember.”[/b] Eta-Theta reached down, fingers coming around to cling to the back of the man’s head. Lifting him up, dangling him in the air, the android paused for a moment. [b]”I was going to kill you now, but…”[/b] Eta-Theta let the threat hang in the air, eyes searching through the sand for the transport that the protector arrived in. Carrying Yun over, the android slammed the man face-first against its smooth metal surface, then dragged his face along it, smearing blood as they went.

[b]”Run along, back to your headquarters, up there in space. Tell them what happened here.”[/b] They paused for extra emphasis. [b]”And try living as best you can. Because one day, I will find you again, and I will make good on my promise.”[/b]

Yun didn’t argue. With only a wild glance into the eyes- cameras?- of the robot, he fled into that transport meant for five more people. His hair was matted red, his heart threatened to explode, but somehow, he was returning to the cruiser alive. 

If only he knew what he was bringing with him.

[hr]

"Of course." The warform nodded as the situation was explained. "Here's the essential situation. Our navy is eradicated, and their ground forces have invaded us and are attacking our cities indiscriminately. It's tunnel fighting down there- dark, dangerous, difficult, but it's also our home, and they have no respect for that. None at all. They've blown up hydroponics systems we need to prevent people from starving. They've damaged the power reactors that keep our lights on. They've attacked our civilian centres. We've been forced to use partisans just to keep the lights on and food in our bellies."

They were overstating the damage somewhat, but nothing the warform said was a lie. "Alas, this module is not fitted with a projector, or I would be able to show you some of this. Their casus belli is nonsense as well, Bodi-Alpha joined us of his own volition, and has integrated seamlessly into Zetan society. Their fearmongering of torture and kidnapping are bald lies to cover up their ideological nonsense."

That was all they had the time to talk about. No sooner had they finished then the diplomats walked in, and it was time for the warform to meet with their opposing diplomat. This was a chance for them to get a nation on [i]their side,[/i] and that was the first step on the road to pushing the invaders out of their system and maybe even winning this war for good.

[hr]

"Our statement has been clear on this. Bodi-Alpha believed himself to be the victim of anti-cyborg discrimination, and felt that he was not being respected properly despite his expertise. He was not kidnapped- he boarded our vessel of our own volition when we were forcibly exorcised from the ECU's home system shortly before war was declared." Sigma-Devi jabbed her finger down at the table between the pair. "And now, as they go to war over false accusations of torture, they hurl prisoners of war out of space airlocks and blow up our farms! It's a hypocritical disgrace, and the worst of it is that they have the damn Undefeated on their side. We could have defended ourselves if it was just the Hollywoodites, but..." She trailed off, clearly listening to something.

"Blast it to Omega, we've got two new nations at the Meeting Place and the ECU has already got their hooks into one of them." Sigma-Devi seemed like she was about to despair. "I can only hope the second have a better sense of judgement than to listen to those..." She glanced at Christensen, before rattling off several ancient Greek phrases that could only be reasonably put together as an elaborate curse.

"Apologies. Things are tense. Too tense for a pleasant diplomatic chat... And it wasn't as if I was a diplomat before the gateway opened either."

[center]| [@Crusader Lord] |[/center]

[hr]

Alfonso had to say, he was... Confused. Was this meeting place not for humans? Why then, was a thin, rocky, bipedal alien approaching him? Straightening his collar a little, Alfonso examined Ghask skeptically. "You'll have to forgive the jumpiness of my men. Aliens are rarely a good sign on Matuvista." Almost awkwardly, the man extended his hand, glad for the fact that there would at least be a glove between skin-to-skin contact. "I suppose the 'Earth Cultural Union' has to wait then, mr..." He trailed off, frowning to himself. "How should I refer to you then?" He gestured with his hand. "And, by all means, allow us to walk and talk."

[center]| [@Sigma] |[/center]