Azurist, A blue babble adrift in space with out a sun or asteroid to follow in its wake. The world was found by the Draconians near the center of the universe. It was terra formed and turned into a fortress world. The Draconians made the small island chains into fortress cities to protect. Orbiting the planet Valhalla class platforms. They are floating cities sculpted for beauty and function. Mostly are models of sea scrapes, birds of prey, even coral. They are the first line defense, then unmanned drones, finally the seas are rich in deuterium and tritium which can be detonated releasing a conflagration of power outwards. The planet would not fall if the Draconians could help it. Here the greatest prize of the Draconian union was hidden with in. Five eggs from the five Draconian species Bozak, Kappa, Shivak, Arclaw, and Baaz. Normally, these eggs would be dispersed around the union, but their reign is challenged by Those of The Gray. These creatures are from an unknown universe they attacked a surveyor team almost wiping them out. The team limped back with a story of creatures that feed on stable matter. The great fleets were rallied and all the legions to arms.
The eggs hidden under ground inside an extent volcano, The whole thing is a huge hospital. Most of the place is empty of Draconians except for the stripped down staff. Divided into several sections, the uppermost area a trauma ward and E.R. Next, the sugary and recovery followed by quarantine. Lastly, a single sealed room off from the out side world. Only one object is kept here an incubator for the eggs. The incubator, a sleek black cylinder would be one of the few things that would survive the last lines of defense. The room it occupies is pure white free of dust and grit, a few claw marks form the Draconians that sealed the room. The staff never had to check on the eggs, but given that these may be the last Draconians, but also these eggs were part of the Second Genesis. The All Father, the sire of all Draconians believed that if the fleets were lost and Those of The Gray would over run his people. He needed to raise his armies quickly and preserve the effectiveness, and Insure they would not compromise the soldiers individuality. The answer was the Second Genesis project, the eggs were encoded with the genetic memory of the strongest, wisest, and all around best Draconians. They had attempted the program but simulations showed that the older Draconian D.N.A. would over write the less aggressive and evolved strain, essentially producing clones.
The eggs parents waited on the island chains their names, Horizon and Raventail Laywrite, Odin and Purehearth Shieldheart, Voidstrider and Graywalker Silverstream, Stormgazer and Blacksea Wader, and Iconus and Goldenrage Resevarta. Each couple represented the diversity of the union the Laywrite's were part of surveyor team that found Those of the Gray, Shieldheart a couple dedicated to the defense of the union Odin is known as one of the top Draconian marksmen and Purehearth is one of the top field medics, Silverstream is part of Gray tech a group that has deducted themselves to understanding the Gray, Wader is part of the engineering corps they were part of the team that made the Draconian flag ship Nexala, finally Resevarta, was part of the ascension a group of Draconian that seek to leave the material universe and ascend to a plane of energy.
They lived on the islands out lining the volcano where the Great tree was planted. The tree a huge tropical mahogany. The bark smooth as silk and the leaves the shape of crescents. They each had their reservations about having their children be the test group for second genesis, but the Laywrite's and other survivors of the surveyor team had pushed “what if” out of their minds. They each accepted they may lose their children in their first few days of life but Those of the Gray were to big a threat. They would wait in their rooms listlessly for weeks. While Draconians do not suffer from depression or any other physical or mental ailment they could get close. Today however they were all awake and active. This was the day the eggs would hatch. Each parent wanted to have their dwellings clean and to bring out their best garbs. The couples each had their own tastes. Horizon wore a simple light weight shirt and pants of silk. The alabaster white pants and cobalt shirt complemented his dark scales and blue eyes. Raventail wore a thin stain dress of a rich red that covered most of her form the only alteration was a hole for her tail, the whole piece rested on her sky blue scales and her green eyes. Odin wore his armor a large suit of black plates made of the strongest metals and fibers. The suit could be used in the gray but was now on every planet, outpost, and ship in theory it could offer some protection from the matter absorbing creatures of the Gray. Underneath that he wore only a tunic of
forest green over his gray scales. Purehearth, in her flamboyant fashion wore a color shifting gown that left little to the imagination she her self never chose one color for her scales instead color dance and shifted in a chaotic manner. Stormgazer and Blacksea both wore their uniforms nearly identical brown and green one pieces. They were still stained with grime and singed by heat but to the Silverstream those were marks of honor found only in the engineering corps. Voidstrider and Graywalker wore only their small cloths. They did not need armor or cloths the world was a play thing to them. The Resevarta's wore voluminous white robes a typical of the Ascension that hid all their features. They were taken to the hospital via a gray gate, The gate a silver sphere made of dense Hg with it they could burrow through reality to and from any point in the universe. The arrived in front of the sealed chamber . The seal was two circles side by side with five ornate dragon heads on each. To open the seal the males and females split into two groups. One circle had a back, a white, a red, a blue, and a green the other had brass, bronze, gold, silver, and copper. The groups chanted
“Black Dragon, from darkness to darkness, my voice fills the emptiness.”
“White Dragon, from darkness to darkness, the way is made clear!”
“Red Dragon, from darkness to darkness, all beneath my feet is made firm!”
“Blue Dragon, from darkness to darkness, time stays its course and you are held.”
“Green Dragon, from darkness to darkness, through fate even gods are cast down, WEEP YE ALL WITH ME!”
“Brass Dragon, from the light to the light, my voice is resolve!”
“Bronze Dragon, from the light to the light, the gate is unlatched!”
“Gold Dragon, from the light to the light, my roots are mighty!”
“Silver Dragon, from the light to the light, time is a river with many tributaries!”
“Copper Dragon, from the light to the light, all that is shall end and all that ends shall be reborn!”
As each line was chanted the heads of mentioned dragon reared back and vanished. When each vanished the wall vanished as well reveling the incubator. Each couple stood shoulder to shoulder before the entrance, for they would have to enter in unison to avoid the last trap set to defend the eggs. The trap a invisible wall that split the two rooms in half if the incorrect number of people try to enter the incubator would be sent even further underground. They stood before the incubator, the sleek perfect cylinder. It would only open when the eggs hatched and draconians were present to collect the young, and so it did a single line formed down the middle and the two halves parted. The eggs floated in mid-air held in place by the will of the All Father. The wader's noticed the “weaving” of reality was beyond complex, and was held together by a scale from the All Fathers person. He had been so worried that he used his own essence to protect the eggs. Each egg shifted color in front of the couples to the trained or observant eye one could see faint movement. That slight movement increased till the eggs shook and began to crack. At this instant the eggs flew into the arms of their mothers and opened. The shells vanished and each mother was looking at the most beautiful, precious, and wonderful thing in the Draconian union their children. Each was perfect and most fell asleep instantly only Laywright's and Shieldheart's infants remained awake they stare into their parents eyes and the mothers looked into their child's eyes they were shocked, intelligence and age burned fiercely in their eyes, but as soon as they saw this it vanished. The Father's scale a black tear drop with a cobalt fan at its base tinged with gold and platinum broke in half, vanished and reappeared on the children's upper arm. The scale looked a half attached and suspended in mid-air. When the scale broke the incubator vanished, for it was created by the Father to protect the eggs when the eggs hatched it had no reason to exist, so it returned to the Father.
Each family returned to their homes with the children. The genetic modification induce rapid growth over the course of two to three weeks their bodies would resemble those of adolescents. They would then be placed in school and that most people hoped would only last a few months. The Draconians need a new fleet to guard their space, and current reports from the gray were not good three ships were lost each with 700 crew men. Those of the Gary's forces were falling back but for every scrape of ground they lost they inflected great pain to the fleet. The Father kept exact figures on his fleet capital ships crew complement 1000-3000 Draconians number in the fleet 101, cruisers crew complement 120-500 number in fleet 203, frigates crew complement 50-250 number in fleet 500, strike/bomber crafts crew complement one-five number in fleet 1000. He had lost 20 strike/bomber, five frigates, two cruisers, and one capital ship now limped home. He had no idea if the creatures they had killed were truly dead or had been recycled. Many times the fleet had destroyed on coming waves for what felt like days but their numbers never seemed to dwindle. This had driven some of his people close to the breaking point other were sent back because the Gray's environment played tricks on the mind. The environment shifted constantly, Arclaws were the only ones not affected by chaos. One second you could see a sea scape then have it become super nova, to become a empty void, to a huge bloated grotesque corpse. Many had to wear blinders to avoid looking at the gray to much for fear of madness.
Those of the Gray provoked a huge debate over what they were. The creatures resembled humanoids and various animals slightly but distorted. Most of the creatures were the size of a cruiser resembling whales with horns or boars with scales. The humanoids were oddly enough block like. The number of the large creatures was quickly decreasing but the numbers of humanoid were growing. This prompted more units have to leave the safety of the ships to fight in the gray its self. At first this was very useful the fleet could attack at range and not be shot back at. This was useful but energy and mass move differently in the gray a shot could move at the speed of light or at a snails pace. The smaller creatures could swarm the fleet and move past the minimum safe firing range and attack, so the Warders were needed to defend the ships. Again, the Draconians found a problem the gray has no brane that they know of, so the reality bending abilities of of the warders were diminished. Most Draconians describe bending the brane as letting ones self sink in to a great sea to deep and one drowns but near the surface one rest peacefully able to take in in the “water”. Here one is forced to reach out to the chaos and drink it in. In doing this many claim to felt a great taint washing over them making them sick, and at the same time a sweetness that makes them want more and more. The All Father stood at the front of his fleets with his warders wielding sword of power. A warders the name given to a Draconian warrior who uses his bending and weaving as a weapon. Their first skill is the sword of power, a blade pulled from ones own body and mind. These were the limits of their power in the gray. Most could barely control them now. The Father was the only one that could keep his stable. His twin sword innocence and malice held Those of the Gray at bay. Innocence a scythe-like sword he found on Home their he pulled the carbon out of it and replaced it with his own essential making it a part of his being. Malice the cruelest sword ever made the blade looks like frozen flame is edges are serrated, the serrated edge's notched are serrated as are those notches. The blade leaves wounds that will never correctly heal of close. To insure that should the blade's bite would always kill he placed a layer of glossy finish that actually was a colony of viruses that only need blood like matter to touch them to become active.
He had the warders form ranks behind him their sword winking in and out of existence before Those of the Gray, The All Father drew power from the fleets shields to boost the effectiveness of the swords of power. He did not tell the warders that he was reinforcing their power it only would have demoralized them. Those of the Gray swarmed around the Warders striking at the lines with total abandon. The Father would cut swaths of creatures down only to have those be consumed by their fellows. It seemed to him he was feeding them and allowing more powerful creatures to form.
These battles raged around the Draconian's brane at all times; Those of the Gray were less affected by the chaos of the gray. Times changed its flow constantly in some all area a step could take a month or a fraction of a second causing further havoc. The lines would hold and the front expanded but the further from their brane they got the more chaotic the gray became.
Throughout the union Draconians were given up to the second reports of the fleets and their soldiers. Azurist was no exception though the children were less aware of the battles they would catch snipts of information such as what ships were returning and what the current rotation of troops was. The children knew their lives and this war were intertwined in some way but their parents choose to wait to tell them of the second genesis or why they were on the fortress world Azurist and not on their native worlds of their parents. They had also chosen the names of the children Vortrecker Laywright, Fenrir Shieldheart, Arconus Silverstream, Diviner Warder, and Seraphim Resevarta. Their growth was accelerated and they were the youngest Draconians to attend their version of school. The group would be taught general subjects like history, math, and basic science, but they also had their own private tutor which taught them to bend and weave reality. Each child grasped the subject differently. Fenrir and Vortrecker always tried to push themselves to new levels of power which often resulted in failure because they could not reach the internal calm needed to access the highest levels of power. Arconus and Diviner had to be pushed to move to the next level of power, for they feared and rightly so that drawing to much power into ones self will cause you to burn out. Seraphim was the greatest challenge she mastered the internal calm needed to become strong in dragonic power but only focused on the ascensions goal of leaving the material universe. Her instructor would tell her that to leave the material universe would require gene mods and a near total understanding of the brane not her idea of ascension through mediation.
The children paired off next Fenrir and Vortrecker became fast friends their near constant desire for more dragonic power. The two realized the scale affixed to their arms could be used to increase the flow power they could hold. They created games around who could alter reality more. One would cause the sea to rise and freeze then explode the other would have to reverse the process. They were a little destructive in their games but the world had no native life on it when it was terraformed so nonnative G.M.Os were brought in. The group today was down by the shore line of Azurist playing in the sea. Fenrir and Vortrecker were making the seas dance for them trying to find who could create the largest funnel of water. Arconus and Diviner sat in the gold and silver tinted sand tracing sea shells. Seraphim sat cross legged in the tree in lost in thought. “Fenrir, watch this,” proclaimed Vortrecker.
He gathered light and heat from the Valhalla ship over head and forced it into the soil around Seraphim. Instantly the seeds that lay dormant erupted to life poking through the soil if full blooms. What was bare earth became a vibrant field. “Nice, but try this,” responded Fenrir. He did the same but instead of creating flowers he caused threes to sprout, but one caught Seraphim's robe hoisting her up as the tree grew. Arconus and Diviner took notice of the affair and fell over laughing seeing Seraphim dangling like a pinita. Seraphim reach out the tree and snapped the branch falling to the forest floor with a loud thud. Now all the children nearly choked on their laughter. “Its not funny! That really hurt you twits!” roared Seraphim. The children continued laughing, so Seraphim reached out to the sea and pulled a wall of water down on the other soaking them form head to talon. “Now thats funny,” clucked Seraphim. The then left disappearing into the trees before the others could say a word. “ An odd girl, I wonder why she never joins us in are games?” Asked Vortrecker to Fenrir.
“My mother says her parents are part of the ascension. They're not the most social from what she learned most don't talk or join in any celebrations. They think that the less and less they interact with the material universe the closer they can become the plain of energy,” answered Fenrir.
“Why do you think they do that no one has ever transcended matter with out gene mods and training?” asked Vortrecker.
“They are determinest to the Nth degree. While we scorn faith they come close but they are still our brother and sister draconians,” Fenrir replied.
“Whatever, to each his own,” said Vortrecker.
The pair returned to playing in the sea. Arconus and Diviner got up to join them in the surf. The Azure waves crashed over and around them. Each enjoyed the fresh water cooling them on a warm day.
They dove down to the coral reefs and spent they the day in childhood bliss. The next day they would be starting vocational school. Each child followed in their parents foot steps. Their classes were adjusted accordingly; only Seraphim and Vortrecker were hard to place. Seraphim held no interests so they had a general program that taught a little bit of everything. Vortrecker, who wanted to learn to be an explorer also had to learn a little bit of everything.
Fenrir's classes were designed to teach him to use his mixed heritage. He had the large mountain sized body of a Bozak and the swift mind of and Arclaw. The problem was the two traits were polar opposites; Bozak were impulsive and took more time to reach a decision. Arclaw were the thinker of the Draconian people could reach an educated opinion on any topic nearly instantly. This caused an anti-pole like affect to take shape sometimes he would act more like a Bozak other times more Arclaw like. Today his tutor was making him focus on striking a balance between the two. “Picture you self a pendulum, you swing back and forth over a floor one half black one half white. You swing between the two endlessly and with out purpose. Steady your self between the two. Find the Balance between the two halves of your self,” lectured Fenrir's tutor. Fenrir did as he was told for the Nth time. Seeking to find the balance between Bozak and Arclaw. He could find it some times when he had support and deep concentration. He found his calm and balance.
“Good, now we can begin; todays lesson will be self healing and pain suppression. Self healing is the hardest technique it is made harder when one is bleeding out or having the matter siphoned off them, so to correctly heal ones self you must master pain suppression. I will strike you with my sword of power cleaving your torso. You must then suppress the pain that WILL run through your body like fire and close the wound. The tutor a Baaz assigned to Azurist was a lower ranking Warder he was chosen because he would not permanently injure Fenrir. The Baaz in full battle regalia summoned his blade it winked in and out letting his inexperience show dove at Fenrir his blade a band of burning white light parted Fenrir's scales. Fenrir felt like his body was being torn apart from the inside he focused on the pain in his chest. He pictured it a malevolent light he willed it small and so it got smaller and smaller till it winked out altogether. His hand moved to his chest felt his blood oozing out he reached through the scale in his arm and pulled energy through it to his cells. In a blink of the eye the wound closed. He sank down to the ground staring at the room he trained in. A void black as night only a white marble floor. In here Draconians taught him the most dangerous form of weaving and bending. It was supposed to be safer that darkness was not the absence of light it was the absence of existence. If he ever lost control of his weaving and binding and they spiraled out of control the only one hurt would be him and maybe one of his tutors.
He half expected to see the novice Warder in front of him waiting for him to recover, but instead he saw his mother Purehearth standing in front of him. She in the past had objected to him learning the most advanced forms of healing because of the risks. Learning to heal an other is a lesser skill in Purehearth's mind, for one you didn't physically feel what the patient was feeling and you could enlist support. To heal ones self required you to relearn healing. You must experience the wound you with to heal and learn suppression. She laid her hand on Fenrir's head and probed his body to see if he had missed any thing... he had not. “You really should slow down, my son. The last time you attempted to heal your self you forgot to reattach all you blood vessels, and the time before that you set you self up for cancer with that uncontrolled cell growth,” cooed Purehearth.
“Yet you caught it every time, and if memory serves Father owes his life to you a hundred times over. But, I think you did not come down here to warn me of the dangers of the healing way. We have plenty of those conversations over diner,” replied Fenrir.
“No, I did not come here for that I came to tell you that your father and I may be called to serve on the front, and that so will you and the others. It is time that we tell you why so many children are in one place and why are letting you study dragonic power at a young age. You and the others are second genesis. The Draconian people ruled that if the fleets fail we must have an army to take its place on the bulwarks. We explored mass training but found that the variation in ability and skill would not allow us to raise a proper army. You five are the second attempt at raising such an army. During are races early years we created one billion Draconian's from the codes of the All Father and the Mistress of Dragons. Now we have used the codes of your friends parents and some of the top Warders and Waders,” stated Purehearth.
“Wow, I knew that you and dad liked Ambrosia and can hold your liqueur but this is a new one. Should I take you home or should I call a Warder?” asked Fenrir.
“I am not drunk this is the truth! (Though it most likely wouldn't hurt to have a sip or two later) You should have been aware of all this earlier but we wanted to wait. Right now the others are being told the same, but we had to wait even though you are different then most Draconians.
“Vortrecker haven't you wondered why the lessons you get on healthy Draconian growth never matched up with yourself. You are twenty but have the body of a near adult. Some one your age would be to my knee and still working on the basics of education. You, have personally read the books written on are development the first chapter is about when one can reach out to the brane and bend reality,” stated Raventail.
“The age is ninety-nine when we are counted as adults that is when we weave reality. If this is so you have had twenty years to train and get ready and the fleets have most likely come close to a counter measure?”questioned Vortrecker.
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“Arconus it hasn't been twenty years to everyone else only us, for them it has been weeks. Your mother, myself, and The All Father set Azurist within a time-space distortion field,” said Voidstrider.
“If the union wills it so shall it be, but what of the error that occurred with the first generation. They are bound to The All Father more then any other Draconian and have a hard time functioning independent of his whims. He has tried for years to break that bond to free them from that narrow existence; will we to become bond?” asked Arconus.
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“We will not allow it, nor will the All Father he still regrets the bond. The All Father and the engineering corps. found the problem. With in us all we carry a gene that bonds us to each other and the All Father; the first generation had that gene reinforced and put a good amount of effort to keeping the gene intact and strong. This gene has these effects one it keeps are people together and prevents one Draconian from killing another Draconian the other was to allow personal bonds to be made and kept meaning we can't lie to each other but we can tell a half truth,” stated Stormgazer.
“What does The All Father want to do with us? Does he ask that we take up the sword now and join him in the gray? Does he ask that we train the next generation or use us as test subjects?” raved Diviner.
“He asks that you go the the gray and try to weave and bend. In the gray we almost can't create a sword of power we want a fresh pair of eyes view the problem. Your experience will help many and be the start of mas production of soldiers,”stated Stormgazer.
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“So, we were conscripts from birth how is the fair to us? We were never asked I know that the union will lay down a harsh ruling if need be but they still have reserves and people that could learn to be Warders and Waders,” stated Seraphim.
“We did, but they were fielded to guard the out skirts of are brane and build the barrier wall. You may not know this but we have several plans in action right now. The Wall which in theory will make the brane non-permeable to hold Those of the Gray while we lick are wounds, the Gray Warder project which has are best minds trying to learn to weave and bend the gray, lastly the Juggernaut and Dreadnought are latest capital ships. The whole union is now on the ration system and every resource is being funneled to produce these and other offensive and defensive systems,” stated Iconus.
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The youth were at first angered that they had been miss lead in a sense; they had thought them selves porgies not then next industrial evolution, but the got over it as most Draconians do when events out of their control occur. They remembered that “though we can alter the past even have it pull a complete 180 on events we choose not to” and “the true definition of power is having the ability to do what one pleases but choosing not to” and many other saying of acceptance.