After they had completed their official surrender, Retholis and his retinue escorted the four to their new lodgings. Of course, they had also made preparations for the rest of the thousands of people on Tartarus Base to come down and live planet-side as well. Where they were all to be relocated during their temporary “visit” was in a large compound that sat along the edge of the dome. It certainly wasn’t anything fancy, especially when compared to the splendor of the buildings closest to the center, but it wasn’t anything to sneeze at either. Since they were up on the edge, they had a perfect view out into the vast ocean. And far out in the distance were a number of other domes, each in multiple different directions. The compound itself was relatively cosy, with a number of apartment buildings littered all over.

After a lengthy family meeting, Eva and Miko met up to cool off. Mack had really dug himself in a hole while they weren’t looking. With everyone around, they were all able to pry the truth out of him - that he had been using opiates for a few months. All completely unchecked. Even he had forgotten how many pills he was taking per day. “I’m glad we got him before things got too deep,” said Eva.  Frustration was embedded in her tone. Miko nodded in agreement. But she couldn’t understand why Mack took the medication in the first place. “Why did he have those opiates?” she asked. “Did he hurt himself? Or did someone else hurt him?” “He never said,” Eva replied. “Just that too many things were eating away at him. Somethi

The two off duty guards loomed over Eva as they processed her words. They had their translators reconfirm her meaning, then glanced at each other in complete puzzlement.To them, she was just some frail human girl. In fact, they viewed all humans as rather frail. The fact that the two of them tied in a brawl against seven humans was more than proof of it. If they fought her, it would have been a complete massacre.The one that barreled through three people stepped forward and puffed up his chest a little. A hint of annoyance was laced throughout his voice.“Imagine just what that report would look like to our superior - two of us against one of you. We would be flayed alive for doing such a thing.”“Oh, so you’re afraid to hurt me, then?”

High above one of the many red spiral towers, Admiral Chase settled down into a slightly-oversized chair. As all the furniture was Drogar-sized, she felt like she was an overgrown child sitting in one.Opposite her, across a dull metal desk sat Stormfather Retholis.Both wore their everyday uniforms rather than their dress uniforms. They were clean, simple, and only bore the markings of their ranks along with the symbols of their nations.The room around them was cozy and sparsely decorated. Behind Retholis was simply a transparent metal window that showed off the city. To their sides were shelved walls filled with books, medals, commendations, and various wartime memorabilia.“I was under the impression that someone like me wasn’t allowed inside of a Red Zon

A short and stout Drogar with rippling muscles and a large gut stood in front of an anvil. Although his facial spines were long and a little droopy, his scales were still taut on his body.In one hand, he held a long bar with a glowing slab of metal at one end, which he laid down in the middle of the anvil. In his other hand was a small metal hammer that looked incredibly well-worn.He adjusted the glowing slab and tapped it a couple of times with his hammer. The moment he moved his hammer away, the assistant by his side brought his two-handed sledge down on the glowing slab.As the assistant struck it, the bladesmith adjusted the slab back and forth, left and right, centimeter by centimeter. Sparks and flecks of blackened metal fell away with each and every hit.And at