The asteroid reverberated once, the entire solid body shaking for a moment whilst it hung in the endless, formless void of space. And then nothing.
It shook again as if whatever struck the rock was trying to crack it open for some unknown purpose. And then, from the shadows that so reverently retracted themselves from the dull light of the dim star that lit the system with a dusty yellow hue, a long, armoured leg extended. It was followed by a second, and a third and a fourth and a fifth, dragging a hulking beast seemingly made of intricate, interwoven plates of some unknown alloy, across the surface of the asteroid. It stopped every so often to strike the rock with it’s front-most appendages, studying the result, then moving forward to make another strike. It’s purpose was somewhat bizarre when observed for too long. But then again, that was the Cephalrrior; eternally enigmatic and unusual.
The Cephaol -Kyvallior- had taken it upon themselves to explore the region, and they were apparently looking for something. The slow turning of various bodies within the asteroid field revealed seven or eight similar creatures scouring the surfaces of their assigned asteroids, each performing the same unusual task. Between them, signals bounced in strange encoding which revealed even stranger voices. A series of clicks and low, throaty gurgles seemed to be their method of communication. it was complex and confusing, utilising an unknown number of dialects to convey an incredibly complex dialect through which the Cephaol was communicating. To them, the language was simple enough to grasp, but to other creatures in the universe… It was regarded as the most difficult language to learn; as if it were built with that function in mind. The Cephalrrior widely knew the galactic common tongue too, but never used it within their own social circles.
In unison, the Cephaol stopped it’s unusual search. They had picked up some form of signal or warning. It did not take them long to discern the nature of those who had made their presence known: Dwarves and The Equestrians. Strange creatures, to say the least. Tiny, soft and all with a great sense of self worth. Nevertheless, they were capable of achieving great things when unity was in their grasp. The Cephalrrior respected their advancements, but otherwise had made attempts to co-exist with them peacefully on the galactic scale. The Cephalrrior held no averse feelings to either side, and not wishing to provoke any unnecessary conflict, switched their communication channels to address both fleets directly after listening to their first attempts at parley.
Finally, after some quiet observation, the largest Cephalrrior present began to speak directly to the systems of both fleets, speaking in the common tongue with great depth and little haste.
“Ahro, Thorum and Equestrians,”
…
“We are Cephalrrior”
…
“Resolve your issues…”
…
“With peace and prosperity…”
…
“Something lurks within the asteroids”
