NationStates Jolt Archive

The images played over and over in Keith's head as he sat motionlessly in the black room, not looking at the red-brown monstrosity covered in the blood of his former comrades.

He looked up, however, when he saw the woman he thought he could love standing over him, the combat armor of these Neo-Mekantans covering the flesh that before he had touched. Her piercing blue eyes looked down at him, eyes that looked human but were closer to those of the creatures. He knew the truth. Those were the eyes of a Zircon.

"Here to finish me...?" Keith said, taking a deep breath. He had gotten used to the smell of blood and the oppresive heat from the fires raging across the city. "Fine... Just do it..."

He looked away, back down at the floor as he shuddered, images of the past week washing over him. All the lives lost, destroyed, ruined... Everything burned, crushed, evaporated. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore as he screamed in anguish.

"JUST FUCKING KILL ME ALREADY!!" He yelled at her, tears running down his face. "All those people I killed, every sin I commited for you and your Goddess! Why!? Just let me die!"

She just smiled as she leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek. "As you wish, Lover..." He watched as she pulled off the soft gloves she wore, tracing his jaw line with her bare finger before grabbing him around the neck. "Goodbye, Keith."

His eyes widened as his windpipe was crushed managing one last breath before it closed completely. He felt his blood run down his neck as her fingernails dug into his flesh. He waited calmly for death, the faces of his victims fading as everything began to grow dark.

Finally, he slumped, the Zircon the only creatures left moving in the room...

It was only a month before that Captain Kieth Walker, a rising star in the Oceanic Federation's elite infantry, was so happy to be alive.

He was getting restless as he paced around the Oceanic Federation Command building, freezing when his "friend" came out of the medical wing, wincing slightly with every step.

"Lieutenant Banks! So how did it go?" Kieth asked, winking to her as she glared daggers at him. "Oh, hey, sor-ry..."

"Kieth..." Katie hissed, putting an arm around her commanding officer and on-again off-again lover. "Men in the military don't get the full probing."

Kieth just smiled, doing the same. "Yes, but we get a swift blow to the nuts."

"Only when you hit on the nurses."

"... Point well taken..."


On the outskirts of the Orialis system, something menacing approached.

Appearing as nothing more than a giant, spiny rock, a Zircon Deathship sweeped the system with its scanners as the fifteen Battleships maintained thier defense of the large supercarrier.

Minagoroshi had been surprised to detect something so typically Mekantan as a Triad Point hub, but not so surprised as to abandon caution. Whatever caused that Triad Point system to be erected, it was likely Mekantan in origin.

And thus... a threat...