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~ 22 000 B.C.E., capital city of Lysanxia, heart of the island of Lemuria - Planet Earth

It had been over three thousand years since the foundation of Lemuria, the Sirian colony on planet Earth, known to Sirians as "Terra". Most would have you believe that life there was prosperous and that it was an idyllic paradise. Of course, that's all wishful thinking. Any sentient species has been proven to have self-destructive tendencies. The fight for survival infallibly leads to territorial disputes and that inevitably leads to social and cultural quarrels with other people. Modern history has proven this, time and time again.

Where it started out as a fairly small atoll with not much to go for, Lemuria had become a lush, green and fertile land through development from the edges of the ocean and inwards into the center of the continent. Thankfully for them, Sirian technology kept them well hidden and safe from invasion from the more primitive Earth civilizations of the era. However, they were not safe from themselves. Eventually, as time would have it, the divergence of opinions on the exploitation of the colony began to create schism between the colonial cities. Many questions were at hand, such as how to expand the colony, how much should it expand, the alarmingly dwindling resources and a growing desire to fully separate themselves from the Sirian reliance and be recognized as a full-fledged independent entity.

Lemuria had evolved quite a bit since its foundation. Even its inhabitants had changed physically, adapting to the environment. Those who failed to adapt were the unfortunate victims of natural selection, a process not even Sirians were able to get around. The MA project had slowly expanded beyond secret experiments from the Sirian military. There were now more and more soldiers that were now "mechanical activators" and it has enough success that it began to slowly expand beyond the military, starting with mechanics and a handful of other volunteers. The few Hilandra which had been chosen as colonists had grown to lead the entire colony as a council. As charismatic as they were, they were unable to please everyone. As the continent kept expanding steadily through artificial terraforming, it became more and more populated and as it did, the gap between the pro-Sirians and the members of the so-called movement for independence dubbed "independentists" went from a small fissure and grew to a chasm. Everyone knew it wouldn't take much for the frequent quarrels to turn into all-out war. All it took was a spark to ignite the fire.

At the capital city of Lysanxia, a familiar face was headed towards the council's audience room. The echoing clanks of metallic soles and soft mechanical squeals filled the air as a much older and worn Alswaram has been summoned by the council. The many modifications he had gone through since his conversion to a mechanical activator had allowed him to live longer than any other Sirian. However, he was not able to escape time any longer. He was growing old and he knew it. Lancer had to constantly compensate for his slower reflexes and his slowly decreasing abilities as a pilot. He did not regret any of it. Even though his body was now almost entirely mechanical, he had lived long enough to see Lemuria grow from a seed into a majestic, lush orchard. However, that orchard's fruits had been reaped to emptiness. The fruits it gave were no longer able to sustain the growing population. The pro-Sirians were always relying on this same argument: they needed Sirius's support, otherwise the colony would either have to move or it would be abandoned. Of course, as aliens to Earth, moving it was out of question and so was mingling with the more primitive civilizations around them. Alswaram was going to be given a vital assignment.

"Honored members of the council, I apologize for the delay, I answered your summons as quickly as I could" The dragon bowed in front of the council members. One of them, a large sea dragon and seemingly the leader of the group, stood up.

"No need to apologize. Thank you for coming on such short notice, Alswaram. Of course, we would not summon you without a valid reason. We have a new assignment for you, one of the utmost importance."

"I would be honored to see it through, Master Saevek."

"Glad to hear it. Here are the details: You will bring a message to the Sirian capital."

"A message? About the colonial situation? With respect, Master... Why me? You know I have not had contact with our homeworld in ages. I don't understand why I should be the carrier for this message."

"I am well aware of this. The reason is simple: You have lived longer and seen far more than any other on Lemuria and as such, we think you are best placed to explain the details of our delicate position. I will not force you, of course. Should you choose to deny the assignment, there shall be no sanctions placed upon you. But we would not ask you if we were not certain that you were the right one for this."

"I understand... Will you let me think about it?"

The sea dragon nodded silently, as if he expected that answer.

"Certainly. However, please be swift in your decision making. The tensions keep increasing as the days ago by and we cannot afford to have Lemuria in a bigger state of sedition than it already is. Tensions seethe within the people and at this rate, it won't be long before something triggers events we won't be able to contain. We already are struggling to contain it as it is."

"I understand. I will not take long. Thank you for your consideration, Master Saevek."

The dragon bowed to the sea dragon and to the other council members before retiring to his apartment, pouring himself a glass of his favorite liquor and sat down, losing himself in thought until he got brought back to consciousness by the sound of knocking.

"Al! Open up, already! Hellooo?"

The dragon went over to open the door, coming face to face with a gruff-looking black and grey timber wolf, his tall and muscular stature making him look quite intimidating to most, even military personnel.

"Raven. What are you doing here...?"

"What do you mean? I thought you already left for Sirius!"

"How do you know about that?"

"Being a part of the council's guard has its perks, heh heh!"

"Come in, don't just stand there."

The dragon let his lupine friend in, offering him a glass of liquor and both sitting on the large couch, the dragon letting out a deep sigh. The wolf looked at him compassionately. He knew he was a busy dragon since he joined the council's advisory board. It seemed to be taking its toll on the dragon. He wasn't young anymore, despite the impressive he'd let on.

"You should take a break, buddy. You're going home, right? Why don't you go to the ocean? Relax and just take it easy for a bit. You look terrible."

"Gee, thanks. You're a real silk, Raven."

The wolf laughed a bit and nudged him, scooting a bit closer. His fur felt quite wonderful against the dragon's cold titanium-laced limbs. Although he looked like a machine, his cybernetic limbs were cutting-edge and they behaved like the real deal. He even had the best engineers modify them so he could have full sensory influx like living tissue would. One could rightfully wonder why he would want to feel pain if he could choose not to feel it. To him, it was his way of not falling into the same trap that others had fallen into, their addiction to cybernetics turning them into actual machines.

"Sorry, Al. I'm just saying. You may be nearly entirely cyber, but you still need to rest. Besides, I thought you could use the company before you left. You're taking it, right? The assignment?"

"...Yeah."

The wolf nodded and rubbed a paw over his leg. These two were extremely close. Raven had been a mech pilot for some time now but unlike Alswaram, he choose to remain a "mundane", the military slang for mech pilots that didn't get the gene therapy to be converted to mechanical activator. Raven liked the feeling of manual piloting. He felt in control and that was his rightful place. Alswaram's liking for Raven was perhaps due in part to the fact that he wished he hadn't gone down the activator path himself. He missed the days where Lancer's heat and his strong exhaust scent would make him dizzy and lightheaded. He missed getting the thrill of his engines roaring to life around him. Now, in his current state, Lancer was still able to relax him and he was even feeding him but it just wasn't the same. The original intent and promises of the MA program had started to feel rather stale to him. Another deep sigh came from Alswaram.

"What's wrong, Al? You've got something on your mind."

"It's nothing. It's just... I'm jealous."

"Jealous? Of what?"

"You! You have an adorable vintage scout mech and you haven't even named him and you don't even enjoy him. I miss the days where Lancer would be more than my personal craft. I miss the nights where I'd go to him and I'd get lost in his warmth and fill my lungs with his scent until it made my head throb and made me pass out against him..."

"You're so weird, Al. Only an activator could cook up shit like that."

"That was way before I even knew that activators are."

"Are you saying...? You're even weirder than I thought!"

"Stop teasing me!"

Raven always found Alswaram to be an interesting and unique dragon. He took pleasure in teasing him and making playful fun of his feelings. But that was his way of letting Alswaram know that he cared for him. Alswaram knew that and he let himself do, never really taking anything he said to heart. Secretly, Raven felt comfortable with the dragon for the simple reason that he always smelled rather similar to his own mech, which made him relax. Raven had long been tempted to push it further with him but he worried he'd get pushed back. He thought he probably cared more for Alswaram than he did for him. He knew that if Alswaram left for Sirius for a while, he'd miss him and he felt like it was the right time to make his move and make his coming out.

"Heh heh, sorry. You're so much fun to tease, that's all. Hey, Al...?"

"Yeah?"

"Well... err... You'll be gone for a little while, right?"

"Probably."

"Well... I'll miss you..."

The dragon looked at him incredulously. He was suddenly completely different, dead serious and it wasn't like him to be like this.

"I'll miss you too, buddy."

"I-I mean... I'll really miss you..."

"Raven...?"

The wolf slowly slid his paw over his pants, feeling over one of his metallic legs, scooting a bit closer against the dragon, who was surprised by the move and now getting a little fidgety.

"W-What are you doing, Raven...?"

"I want to make your cold limbs feel warm before you leave. You've always been there for me, ever since I became a pilot. You've been my mentor. But to me, you've always been more..."

"What are you saying...?"

"You know what I'm saying, you big oaf...!"

The wolf moved in and planted a bashful kiss on the dragon's snout, leaving him frozen in place and not knowing how to react. It was the first time in thousands of years that he let anyone get this close to him. He had forsaken any intimate feelings he had for anyone outside of mechs. For a moment, the wolf blushed and got fearful. Did he go too far?

"Raven, I... I can't. I'm not one of your kind. I'm a machine now."

"Don't fuck with me, Al! You said it yourself, you avoided becoming like those cyber-junkies. You're still one of us! I don't give a shit about your titanium limbs. I don't give a shit that you love machines, either! If everyone's too damn blind to see what's hidden underneath the cybernetics, that's too damn bad. I see otherwise. I see you, Al."

"Raven..."

If he could have cried, he would have. Internally, that's what he felt. He felt deep relief but at the same time, he was terrified. What kind of lover could he be? He was 80% machine! Raven sure didn't seem to care one bit. He was eager to make his move. He now sat in Alswaram's lap and he wrapped his arms around his cold body, nuzzling tenderly into his neck before gently taking him into a kiss, Alswaram's paws now holding Raven's waist and stroking slowly. Raven was trembling in excitement. He has been fantasizing about the cyber dragon for some time now. He had seen old pictures of him in the Sirian archives before all the modifications and he found him extremely sexy and attractive. To him, all the cybernetics didn't change what used to be in their place. He mind was racing - and so was his heart - as he realized that he was making out with Alswaram, that he was going to be _his_cyber dragon!

Raven kept exploring Alswaram's body meticulously, sniffing and nuzzling over every inch, every panel and every joint. The soft hints of sweet oil and other mechanical fluids inside him were not bothering him anymore. Not that they really ever did. He was used to it from his mech. At that moment, the scents seemed to work almost magically in increasing his arousal. The wolf lapped his way down over his body, slowing down and waiting for Alswaram's approval before kneeling down and turning his attention to the dragon's more intimate areas. It didn't take long for the dragon to undo his pants and let the wolf do the rest of the work, slowly pulling down and being quite surprised at the sight, his genital slit and tail hole seeming intact and untouched by the cybernetics. He looked up to Alswaram.

"What? Did you expect some kind of metal probe or some shit? You really think I'd modify that? Not a chance!"

The dragon grinned and chuckled, guiding the wolf to sniff at the slit as it started to bulge outwards a bit, encouraging him to give it a few licks and soon drawing a moan out of him as he tasted Alswaram for the first time. His deep musk was indeed fully intact, typically reptilian in scent, strong and pungent. It made Raven even more eager to get to work, his tongue darting inside, prying the slit's walls and feeling inside, his taste buds quickly hit by the strong taste of his slit's lubricant and soon licking over what he thought was the dragon's cocktip, rewarding him with a spurt of precum as the dragon arched back, his claws digging in to the couch's fabric. Raven was skilled, alright. Not since his beloved shark did Alswaram ever feel anything like this! And he was reveling in it. Part of him wanted out but he couldn't fight it hard enough. Part of him desperately needed to feel alive. Raven knew that and he figured it was now or never. As he kept teasing, Alswaram's cock swelled and gorged, eventually pushing his tongue out as it grew to its full girth, the wolf panting and growling softly as he gazed upon his glistening prize standing erect and throbbing for him. He made his move and kissed along the dragon's length, gently using his lips to suck and kiss his cocktip, almost in a worshipping fashion. The moment was more than worth the wait and the fear of rejection.

Alswaram was squirming and moaning as Raven kept working his skillful tongue over his length, giving it a good coat of saliva before he pulled back slowly and made the dragon growl a bit, the wolf giggling at that.

"Who's the eager one now, hmmm?"

"Shut up and tend to this, will you?"

"Yes, Sir!"

Raven giggled playfully as he moved up and slowly sat over Alswaram's much larger cock. He took a moment to coax it into him, growling and moaning in the process.

"Fuuck! You're much bigger than I thought! Unf...!"

"You're the one who wanted it! Stop complaining and take it, you sissy!"

The wolf moaned at the hint of dominance Alswaram showed him. He was needy! Much more than he'd let on. Raven kept working until he relaxed enough to sink Alswaram's cock in fully, surprised by the slight knot which looked inoffensive at first glance. He howled softly as he popped inside him and locked them together, slowly easing it in as he began riding the dragon in a building rhythm. By now, the wolf's own cock was out of its sheath and it throbbed painfully, He gave a yelp as he felt the dragon's paw gently cupping his balls and stroking over his cock, making it throb even more in response and drawing out loud moans from the increasingly aroused wolf. Alswaram urged him on with insistent growling and grunting, Raven feeling encouraged and building riding speed as he stroked the dragon's half-plated chest, starting to find him even sexier now than on the pictures. The wolf's walls kept clenching and flexing tightly around Alswaram's cock and the dragon was feeling it. He could feel his climax coming and the wolf could tell by his deepened breathing and growling.

"Raven! Hope you have lots of room in there! This is going to be a big one!"

The wolf growled and defiantly.

"Give it to me, my sexy cyber dragon! Give it ALL to me!"

The dragon blushed deeply at that and closed his eyes tightly as he roared out, the wolf feeling his cock flare and lock him inside his walls at it erupted into what seemed like a torrent of hot seed, the high temperature of his cybernetic internals making his cum seem much hotter than the average living being, the wolf's body tremoring at the sensations, his own lupine cock flaring and splattering the dragon's chest in a gooey, sticky mess of his own. The dragon moaned at the scent and reached down to clean him, the wolf blushing and collapsing against him as the feeling, panting hard as his afterglow kicked in, Alswaram slowly wrapping his arms around him and kissing him tenderly.

"Raven... thank you..."

"N... Not thank you. I think you meant "I love you", my sexy cyber dragon"

"Don't call me that..."

"Why not? It's what you are. Well, you're my cyber dragon, to be precise."

The dragon let it go. He was speechless. He thought the wolf spoke with his lust but he meant it. For the first time in three thousand years, Alswaram let himself get intimate with another. He was loved and he was in love. It seemed to make the burden of leaving for Sirius so much lighter. The pair held each other and drifted to sleep, the stench of their steamy encounter still hanging thickly in the apartment.

--- The next morning, 0900 hours

The two woke up almost in unison, the dragon's eyes quickly widening as the saw what time it was.

"SHIT! Get up, Raven! I have to tell the council I'm taking on the assignment. They're going to be really impatient..."

The wolf sighed and nuzzled him softly.

"You run, Al. I'll see myself out."

"Thanks, Rav. I'll see you soon... alright?"

"Of course. See you soon, my cyber dragon."

Alswaram blushed uncontrollably at those words; he wasn't nearly about to get used to it. The two hugged each other and Alswaram threw his clothes on and stormed out of the apartment, rushing out to the council's audience room where he luckily was alone. He bowed apologetically as he entered.

"Council members, I'm so very sorry! I passed out and I only woke up a moment ago..."

To his surprise, a large shark got up and laughed heartily, which made him both relax a bit and blush quite heavily.

"No need to apologize, Alswaram. We did not expect your decision so soon, actually."

"Oh... I-I see..."

The others also seemed to chuckle at his embarrassment.

"I have decided to carry on the missive. I will leave today, once I have gathered my stuff. Lancer will of course be the one to carry me there."

"Of course. We knew you would not have it any other way."

The shark made his way down the stairs and gave the missive to the dragon.

"A manuscript? This really is quite formal."

The shark nodded solemnly.

"Yes... We can no longer turn a blind eye to the tensions. Either Sirius will help us or this place is going to become the site of an imminent war. It might sound slightly fatalistic but it is the truth that no one dares to speak aloud."

"I agree. Thank you, Master Herl."

The shark mumbled something in the Hilandra tongue, a blessing most commonly given to warriors before battle. Few remembered anymore but Herl once served in the Sirian military and he was a highly decorated warrior and a respected leader. Alswaram was not superstitious in the least but his blessing was welcome. He could not shake the feeling that something was not quite right. He thought it was just typical nervousness. After all, he was headed to a place he had not seen with his own eyes in thousands of years. It was bound to have changed quite a bit since was last there and he knew that he would not know anyone there anymore. He questioned himself several times. Was he doing the right thing? It was too late to turn back now. He headed back to his apartment and gathered all his gear and supplies to last him for a good while; he was going to take Raven's advice and take a short vacation while he was there. No one would know if he did. He locked the door and made his way up the launch bays, entering one of them and making his way towards the familiar mech, a familiar figure leaning against his foot.

"Raven...?"

"About time. You're so slow."

The dragon looked at him incredulously.

"What do you mean? What's going on?"

"You really think I'd let you leave by yourself? You need a nanny."

"Oh, so now you're my babysitter? Seriously though, you're sure about this? What about your work as a council guard?"

"Of course I'm sure about this. I already got Master Herl's blessing. Lancer said it was going to be a bit of a tight fit but hey, I don't mind."

Alswaram chuckled a bit and smiled.

"I wonder why? Heh heh. Lancer, are you ready?"

~ Yes. A kind technician did all the servicing just moments ago. ~

"You mean...?"

The wolf nodded and grinned.

"Yep."

"That's awfully nice of you. Lancer, please be mindful of your exhaust vents. He's not like me."

~ Raven said he did not mind. ~

"It's fine. It's not like I've never gotten to breathe in my own mech's exhaust a few times. I may not be like you but I don't really mind anymore."

"I see. That's good. Let's get going, then."

The two climbed up inside the mech's plates, the dragon taking his usual place and getting connected to the mech's systems while the wolf held on to him tightly as the mech's canopy hissed and closed back over them. The wolf was not quite as used to a mech like Lancer as Alswaram was. He groaned a bit as he felt the powerful reactors firing up and rumbling heavily around them, the heat inside quickly increasing as the cloak activated just as they launched from the platform and towards the stratosphere, the dampeners within the hull barely making either of them feel the gravitational forces at work against the hull. It was not long before they entered Earth's orbit and entered hyperspace, the onboard system setting the coordinates for the gravitic relay, Sirian technology which allowed quick warps between two points in the same galaxy. As they warped, Raven shuddered as he felt his whole body being disintegrated and reintegrated within a split-second. Alswaram chuckled quietly at his reaction.

"I know, right? You never really get used to it. I don't feel it anymore myself but I used to get dizzy for several minutes every time. At least, Lancer's dampeners doesn't make you feel the gravitational forces on top of that. You'd probably pass out. I made the mistake of forgetting to check if the dampeners were online before warping once. Never again!"

Raven giggled a bit, batting playfully at his chest. He felt a bit uncomfortable at the sensations of hyperspace travel but the proximity of his cyber dragon enabled him to relax to some degree. It took what seemed like an instant for them to exit hyperspace and approach orbit of the large planet, much bluer than Alswaram remembered it. It didn't seem all that different from Earth, now that he looked at it from that perspective. The mech's comm link went online as an unfamiliar voice resounded through the internal speakers.

"You have entered Sirian space without authorization. Identify yourselves."

Alswaram was surprised at this. He expected a welcoming committee but not quite of this kind.

"Greetings. I am the envoy from Lemuria, the Terran colony. My name is Alswaram Osdanil. I also carry my friend Raven Talvos. My craft's codename is Lancer. I bring a missive from Lemuria and therefore, I'm requesting permission to descend."

"One moment... You said Alswaram Osdanil?"

"That's me."

"We might have a problem. According to my data, you've been MIA for thousands of years."

"Yes, well... that is the truth. I've undergone a lot of mods and I'm basically synthetic now. Events which happened back then kept me from coming home. I've been in Lemuria all this time, acting as a military advisor."

"I see... Please wait a moment, I will speak to the levyataans about this."

"Thank you."

The wolf looked at Alswaram quizzically.

"What's "levyataan", Al?"

"No clue. First time for me too. A lot changes in 3000 years."

"True..."

It took what felt like hours for the reply.

"Alswaram, you have been granted permission to descend on the surface. However, the levyataans wish to speak with you in person immediately."

"Alright, this is no problem. I'm a bit of a special case so I can understand their questioning. Where do I go?"

"Use docking bay #8. As you exit the spaceport, you can't miss it. The council's building is right in front of you."

"I see. Thank you."

Alswaram began to descend and entered Sirian atmosphere, analyzing the composition of the air and not seeing much of a difference in all this time. Actually, the air was still rather similar to Terra's, outside a slight difference in pressure. That was why Sirians originally chose Earth, after all. As they touched ground and entered the docking bay, Alswaram got a sudden moment of panic. Everything seemed surprisingly familiar and yet, it felt like something completely alien to him. Raven nuzzled him and licked his snout comfortingly.

"It's okay to be nervous, Al. But I'm here for you. And Lancer is too."

"Thanks, love... I appreciate it."

Those words rang strong inside Raven. Part of him was still convinced all this was a dream and that it wouldn't last, that he would wake up in bed and get back to his usual, boring everyday life. He hadn't dared calling Alswaram his mate, much less calling him "love" or "beloved". He was beyond grateful for every moment they had together so far and he swore to himself he would do his best to make it last as long as he could. As the pair got out of Lancer's plates, a large orca came in to look at the mech.

"Hello. My name is Garan. If that is agreeable, I will be the technician taking care of your mech while you are out in the city."

The dragon looked at him, surprised to have a technician dedicated to Lancer.

"Really? I'm used to do everything myself. You don't have to waste your time, I'll simply service him whenever I get back".

"It would be my pleasure. I was told you were a special guest, so I thought you could use the down time. I'm a highly qualified mechanic who usually works on H and D class mechs like your own. But if you do not trust me, I understand."

The dragon shook his head apologetically.

"I didn't mean anything like that. It's just, Lancer is more than a ride."

"I understand. You're an activator, yes?"

"Yes... So activators are common fare these days?"

"Not exactly so but certainly they're starting to be more common."

"I see. Well then... I leave Lancer to you. Be good to him. He only drinks military-grade fuel and nothing else. If you wash his plates, use only water-based products. Anything else will warp his raw exhaust scent."

"Of course. You can leave him to me."

The orca bowed politely, Alswaram and Raven returning the motion, the wolf giggling to himself as they made their way out.

"What's so funny?"

"You're totally pampering him."

"What do you expect? He's been with me all this time. Besides, I know you take good care of your own mech. I just take it to another level, is all."

"Well, there's an understatement!"

Alswaram nudged the wolf as he kept teasing him. Normally, he'd get impatient but not with Raven. They could easily read each other and they knew when to be serious and when the time was right to tease. Raven's teasing was working its magic in helping Alswaram settle down a little bit. The two made their way out from the spaceport, Alswaram's eyes distracted by everything there was to see; the spaceport was immense. It must have quadrupled in size since he was last there. As they exited the large building, Raven was surprised at the familiarity of their surroundings. Outside of the differences in populace, it seemed like they were still in Lemuria. Architecturally, it seemed like Sirius had mirrored Lemuria in its development and expansion. Alswaram liked that; it made him feel like he was still "home". As they made their way up the long flight of stairs which led inside the council's congressional building, the dragon seemed to trail behind again, nervousness getting the best of him. Raven playfully moved behind him pushing him up the steps and in response the dragon sighed and limped out, letting himself carry up to the top.

"Mech pilots are supposed to be in shape, you know? If you can't climb a few steps, you're in serious trouble. I'll have to tell Lancer to have you work out a little more."

"Very funny..."

"Hey, don't make that face, Al. It'll be fine, okay? They won't swallow us whole or anything. Worse that can happen is they deny the request, right? We'll just have to go with the flow."

"I wish I had your composure. You remind me of someone..."

"Oh?"

"Never mind. Let's get this over with."

They made their way towards an elevator which took them up to the right floor, soon getting greeted by two large Kelva guards as they stepped out and stopped in front of the large metal doors to the audience room.

"Do you have an audience scheduled?"

"Yes. I am Alswaram Osdanil. I come with a missive for the council members from the colony of Lemuria, on planet Terra."

The large red dragon looked at his interactive pad and scrolled down a list.

"Yeah, I have you on here. Just about right on time. Head inside and mind your manners."

"Of course. Thank you."

Alswaram bowed and nodded to the wolf as the guards opened the doors, heading into the large oval-shaped room where many representatives of each master race were sitting. All stood up as the two entered and Alswaram motioned Raven to bow to them.

"Honored members of the Sirian council, I bring you a missive from the colony's leaders."

One of the council members, a frail-looking Elvani stepped forward, taking the manuscript from the dragon and quickly sifting through it.

"So we heard. You are asking for Sirius's assistance, correct? Unfortunately, I'm afraid we have to deny the request. It saddens me to say that tensions between Sirius and Arcturus have been increasing as of late and we need all the resources we possibly can have, should the diplomatic efforts go sour. Of course we want to avoid any kind of rash actions but we cannot afford the risk of parting with resources we might eventually need. I hope you understand our position, Alswaram."

"I see... even after all this time, things still haven't changed between Sirius and Arcturus then?"

"I'm afraid not. Although we've shared scientific and technological developments, the diplomatic discussions result in divergence of opinions which later result in growing tensions."

"I see. Some things never change..."

"As such, I'm afraid we have to ask Lemuria to hang tight and do their best without our help. If they wish, in a gesture of apology, we have been discussing the possibility of making Lemuria a fully independent colony. Of course, Lemuria will remain allied to us and we will provide anything we can as long it is available. Ahead of time, we had signed an independence treaty to give to you. It bears the Sirian seal and the mark of all the council members. I hope the Lemurian leaders will understand our position and see it as a suitable compromise and not as a dismissal of our affiliation to the colony."

"I will make sure myself that your message gets across and that this treaty finds safe landing in the hands of the Lemurian leaders."

"It seems that what was in the archives was accurate about you. You have not changed much in all this time, it would seem."

"I will take this as a compliment, Your Honor."

"It was."

"Your Honor, if I may be so bold... I was planning on staying here on Sirius for a little while. A bit of a short-lived down time, as it were. While I'm here, would be alright if I visited Second Fleet's HQ?"

"Ah, an understandable request. I will have access granted to you and your companion for your stay. I can have a room prepared there for you as well. Anything else?

"Wonderful! That will be all. Thank you very much for your understanding and graciousness, as this old soldier visits his homeworld for the first time in nearly three thousand years."

The female human nodded, the other council members standing up. Both Alswaram and Raven bowed politely as the dragon was given the precious document. As they stepped out of the audience room and got into the elevator back towards the entrance, the dragon let out a loud sigh of relief. Raven giggled quietly at it, rubbing his neck and kissing it gently.

"See? It went much better than you thought it would. Not the answer we would have liked of course... but they were understanding and we got something important in return."

"Yeah... I'm surprised at how easy it was."

The dragon looked like his thoughts were racing.

"Too easy, you think...?"

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid but it did seem like they were a bit easy-going compared to the ones I remember."

"Or maybe they're just nicer now? I did hear that the council members were generally very accommodating and close to the people."

"Maybe... I hope you're right."

As the two headed down the steps and back into the city, Raven looked to Alswaram and grinned, suggesting a trip to the beach. Sirius was primarily an ocean planet, after all. Most modern humans would probably see it as a luxury resort. Alswaram nodded and welcomed the idea; he was worn out both physically and emotionally and so, he could use the distraction. They headed for a nearby warp platform and Alswaram looked at the virtual map as they headed inside, looking for an ideal spot. He found a nicely isolated spot by the ocean which seemed ideal. As they warped to the coordinates Alswaram entered in the terminal, they were greeted by the soothing and awe-striking sight of the ocean with a large mountain behind them, making the place look like a small inlet. The weather that day was impeccable, comparable to Earth's bright summer days minus the crushing mugginess and humidity of a tropical climate. Judging by the presence of signs and various amenities, the pair figured it was likely to be a select spot for Sirians to retire and take a break from the bustling city life.

Luckily for them, it seemed like they were the only ones who were going to take advantage of it for that day. They laid down on the hot sand and snuggled against each other, cuddling and watching the waves crashing, their hypnotic sound and motion lulling Alswaram to sleep as Raven stroked his chest and nuzzled his neck. He too was tired but he reveled in the moment, keeping his mate close and taking in the moment. The dragon was clearly worn out as Raven pulled off and he didn't move an inch. He was sound asleep. The wolf decided that he should head back and find their room to get more comfortable and get proper rest. He carefully pulled the much heavier cyber dragon onto his back and carried him piggy-back all the way back to the city and to Second Fleet's complex. After he finally found the room, he almost dropped the cyber dragon on the comfy bed, pretty much collapsing and passing out onto him, his body aching all over from carrying him all the way there.

The dragon woke up the next day, opening his eyes and scanning his surroundings, recognizing the room as one of the Second Fleet's. As he glanced to the snoring wolf, he figured he must have taken them back there after he fell asleep. He giggled internally and gently nuzzled him. He thought it was the perfectly opportunity to let Raven sleep while he would tend to... other things. He was hungry. He should have returned to Lancer but why would he go all the way there if he had easy access to military mechs and ships from Second Fleet. Besides, he knew Lancer would not hold it against him. He carefully snuck out without waking Raven and made his way out, starting his reminiscing tour of the new Second Fleet. While much had changed structurally and technologically, not much had really changed at the core. Everything was mostly still in the same place and the scent in the air was still as familiar as it ever was. He looked around, seeing soldiers chatting in the commons and a bunch of activators like him in a dedicated hangar-like area where they talked amongst themselves and with their mechs, comparing each other and playfully challenging themselves. It was their way to keep on edge. Alswaram thought to him, wishing things were like that while he was in charge of Second Fleet. He felt a bit of jealousy, even. At the same time, he felt relief to see that activators were now respected. He wasn't a "machine lover" of a freak of nature anymore. At least, not in that sense. He knew his mechanical body was still freaky to most and he had grown not to mind the looks anymore.

As he explored the area, he eventually made his way to the maintenance bays, looking inside each of them at the various mechs and aircraft inside them, all set for maintenance. One of them caught his attention. Inside one of the bays was a large black mech, a hunter, much like his own partner except much larger and heavily armed. His heart skipped a beat as he looked at him. It has been three thousand years but there was no way he could have forgotten. The memories were still as fresh as they were. There was no mistake in his mind; this was the one who took the life of the shark he had once attempted to rescue. A myriad of emotions rushed through him. First anger, then sorrow, then anger again followed by hatred. His holiday had just taken a whole different turn.

As he kept glaring at the mech, a large green dragon passed him and was about to enter the maintenance bay. Alswaram, in a moment of near-psychosis, grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. Luckily, no one else was around to assist the scene, otherwise he would have gotten into a lot more trouble than he already was going to be. He growled against the Kelva's neck.

"Are you this murderous pile of junk's pilot?"

The Kelva was frozen in surprise for an instant before pressing his pistol's barrel to Alswaram's flank.

"Get the fuck off of me before I blast a hole through your side!"

Alswaram was not in a state to listen. He was blinded by anger and grief, his mind clouded by the memories of the shark's life being drawn out of him, memories which had been incessantly haunting his sleep for thousands of years. Had it been any normal organic being, they would have likely been driven to deep depression or suicide. But Alswaram's conversion to a cyborg had modified his coping mechanisms. He was still haunted by the memories but they did not affect him emotionally to the point of pushing him to suicide. Some would say thankfully but considering the thought of watching the same disturbing mental images like a movie every other night for thousands of years, it was more of a curse. Alswaram's struggle faded after a moment, just enough for the green dragon to hit him with a powerful blow of his pistol's stock.

"What the fuck did you say about my partner, you psychotic imbecile?"

The green dragon was about to hit Alswaram again before the blue dragon fell to the ground, taking the other by surprise.

"The fuck?? Are you seriously going to pass out on me, you mechanical freak?!"

He grabbed the blue dragon and lifted him up about to punch him hard before noticing the tears rolling down his metallic snout from his closed eyes.

"What's wrong with you? You insult my partner then you check me into the wall and now you're crying about it? Did all the mechanical shit make you screwed up in the head?"

Alswaram had passed out cold. His cybernetics had equipped him with a failsafe to avoid emotional breakdowns and the result of that trigger was for him to black out. The green Kelva grabbed him and dragged him inside the bay to the black mech, tossing him to the ground.

"Hey, Shadow. Look at what I found!"

The mech's systems booted up, his shiny yellow eyes lighting up.

~ Oh? You found a Kelva? ~

"Yeah! He was right outside and the fucker tried to mess with me and he called you a murderous pile of junk. I hit him good and he passed out crying. I thought we should teach him a good lesson. You know what I mean?"

~ I have never seen him before. Any idea who he is? We could get in trouble if we hurt him. ~

"Who gives a fuck? I won't let anyone talk shit about my partner!"

~ Thank you, Torva. But I really believe we should at least know who he is... ~

The mech scanned his vitals.

~ That can't be right... ~

"What is it?"

~ Your friend's more than 3000 years old. ~

"Say what? Your sensors are fucked, Shadow. Are you sure you did it right?"

~ Positive. His name is Alswaram Osdanil. According to the archive file, he used to be the Commander around here before he quit suddenly and left for Lemuria. ~

"Lemuria? On Terra? Sounds like he isn't your average idiot, then..."

~ Definitely not. His vitals are very weak. ~

"What? I didn't hit him that hard...!"

~ Then maybe it was due to something else. Shock, perhaps? ~

Alswaram slowly stirred and groaned, his eyes opening and looking around.

"Back to the living, eh?"

Alswaram barely moved before seeing the familiar green dragon and the huge black mech right above him, bolting him and getting held down by Torva.

"Settle down, already! Look, I'm sorry for earlier. You just surprised the hell out of me. Shadow here says you're over 3000 years old?"

Alswaram refused to talk. Not with the black mech looming right above him.

"Look, Shadow says you were possibly in shock. What do you remember?"

"Shadow...? Who's Shadow...?"

"My partner. He's the one looking down at you right now."

Alswaram was confused.

"What are you talking about? His name is Storm and he murdered one of my officers!"

Torva was getting impatient. He did not like anyone insulting his partner.

"Say that again and I'll cut your tongue! Shadow's equipped with powerful guns but he's primarily a medic, you imbecile! He's never murder anyone except to defend himself on the battlefield!"

"What...?"

"My partner was modeled after the original Storm model, that much is true. But he's been Sirius's foremost frontline medic for over 2000 years!"

"Wait... he's not the original...?"

"Hell no. He's the Mk. 2. The original was never found. Are you daft or something?"

~ Leave him be, Torva. Your name is Alswaram, correct? You were the commanding officer of the Second Fleet 3000 years ago? ~

"...Yeah. Until shit happened..."

~ I hate to ask but would you mind telling me what? ~

"You read about it in the archives like anybody else, didn't you? I lost two officers on that fateful day. Ol'rath went MIA and Reiken... he died. He died at the hands of your predecessor! His life was drained out of him!"

~ So it's true... the original model ran on the life force of the pilot... ~

"You're shitting me... You're telling me the original Storm model killed his first pilot by draining him of life?! That's some heavy shit... But still, Shadow would never hurt anyone like that! When I was going to be disqualified from being a soldier, Shadow stepped in and willingly choose me as a pilot! He's the best there is!"

Alswaram looked up at the mech. If that was true, then he definitely was not the same one. He had been wrong and now he hit an officer and insulted his partner. Thankfully, Shadow was kind enough to not hold it against him and Torva started to feel sorry for Alswaram. It was just a case of mistaken identity.

"Look, I'm really sorry I hit you. I didn't know. Shadow says it's fine so I'll let it slide. No hard feelings, alright?"

The two shook hands.

"I'm sorry too. I usually don't let my emotions get the best of me. Sorry for the intrusion... and especially, sorry to you Shadow, for insulting you. As an activator, that was shameful of me. I should get going, I was headed out for food, anyway."

"Food? Didn't you just say you're an activator?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, I'm sure you can tell I'm one too. Would you like to share Shadow?"

Alswaram had a moment of internal panic. He didn't want to see ungrateful but Shadow made him uncomfortable, for obvious reasons. Yet, at the same time, he was hungry and he was a bit shy about feeding on Lancer around Raven. It was best and most polite to accept the invitation.

"Well... would that really be alright?"

~ Of course. I have no problems with it. ~

The mech slid out two small hoses, each connected to a small pump in his fuel tanks. It didn't take long before each of them took one to their muzzle and started to nurse it like a straw, loud purring coming from both of them as they fed to satiety with the mech's fresh fluid, their feeding being livened up by talk of the new Second Fleet from Torva and of Alswaram's stay in Lemuria. As they let go of the hose, the two Kelva rubbed their snouts together, a common gesture of friendship between the Kelva.

"Thank you, Torva... for knocking some sense into me and for sharing your wonderful partner."

"You're quite welcome. Shadow always likes to share, heh heh."

~ Mmm. That I do. Alswaram, I hope things work out for you. I can only imagine the pain and torture you have gone through. Do not hesitate to ever call upon Torva and I. We will gladly help if we can. ~

"Well said, Shadow. Be well, Alswaram."

As Alswaram made his way out, he saluted the two formally before smiling and waving as he head out, making his way back to their room, the wolf pacing in front of it and turning towards Alswaram as he saw him.

"Hey! What's the big idea, leaving me alone like that?"

"Sorry, Raven. I just needed air and I was hungry."

"Oh... that's okay. What happened to your muzzle?"

"Oh, nothing. Just inattention and I bumped into a wall accidentally."

The wolf shook his head and rubbed over it gently.

"You really need to pay more attention."

Just as they were going to spend a quiet day sightseeing, the familiar sound of the Fleet's alarm filled the air, the two seeing soldiers scrambling with gear in hand and getting their flight suits on, heading towards the launch bays. The wolf looked around him, not really knowing how to react.

"Al, what's going on?!"

"Sounds like the alarm. They're probably some kind of problem."

The dragon looked around, stopping a large dragon also seemingly headed towards the bays.

"Wait, what's going on?"

The red dragon was readying his weapons.

"Can't you hear it? I'm not sure what it's about but they wouldn't sound the alarm if it wasn't something serious."

"I'll grab my mech and then Raven and I will join in. I owe Sirius a favor."

"Suit yourself. We always meet up at the same coordinates, can't miss it."

"Right. Carry on!"

The red dragon headed off, Alswaram taking Raven's paw and running back towards the city and to the spaceport, heading inside and making their way back to Lancer, who was already aware of the commotion.

~ About time you two showed up. There seems to be an unknown craft that just jumped into Sirian orbit. ~

"So that's what it's all about. That doesn't sound good. Could be Arcturus making a move."

"You really want to check it out, Al?"

"Well, yeah. I can't sit idly and there's also the fact that we won't get permission to leave until this matter is settled, so I'd rather get involved."

"Alright... I get you. I'll go with you."

"You sure, Raven? You can stay here. I'll come back and pick you up."

"No, I want to go. Lancer may not be my usual partner but I'd go crazy staying here and waiting for you while twiddling my thumbs."

~ I have no objections. You two climb in, now. We need to catch up. ~

The two climbed into the mech, Alswaram taking over the controls and launching them after he got permission from Sirius control. As he made his way out, he quickly picked up the gathered mechs and Sirian aircraft on the radars, flicking on comms and listening to the chatter between the mechs and aircraft.

"We don't know what we're facing out there, Sir! We've already lost seven units to this thing, whatever it is!"

"Don't you think I know that, squid!? The only tactic left to try is to attempt an all-out assault. M3, M4 and M5, on me. M6 and M7, flank him while M1 and M2 will approach from behind. The rest of you mech pilots, escort the aircraft back below and act as the capital's shield. Let's make this intruder sorry he tried messing with us!"

Alswaram decided to follow the main force, hoping that Lancer's admittedly primitive cloaking system would buy them some time and allow them to assess the situation. Lancer's engines powered down to a low throb as he activated the cloak, taking them into Sirian orbit and soon getting blinded by explosions, several of the mechs and their pilots being blown out of space by a single, wide arc beam seemingly coming out of nowhere. Alswaram watched helplessly as the other mechs got fired at and taken out by single shots being fired from far away.

"There's no way! What could be so powerful as to take out so many mechs in seconds?! It has to be a destroyer or some kind of warship!"

Alswaram stayed silent but he shared Raven's panic. He still could see nothing at all on the radar, trying to figure out their next move until they suddenly got rammed in powerfully, the direct blow knocking their kinetic shields offline and deactivating their cloak. Not even Lancer was able to detect the object before it shook them up.

"Lancer, what_was_ that?"

~ I know nothing more than you do! Hold on, I have a visual. ~

A virtual window opened next to Alswaram and Raven, showing them live feed from the external sensors, seeing what looked like a mech flying away with unreal speed, its movements seeming like blinking as it seemed to warp all over the place.

"Damn it! What is that thing!? It's like a phantom!"

Alswaram opened a comm link.

"Unidentified craft, you entered Sirian space and shot down multiple Sirian units without even introducing yourself! What is your motive? Answer now or you will face Sirius's wrath!"

A heavily warped robotic voice came out from the speakers, filled with static and harsh distortion.

~ Kill. Kill. Kill. ~

"Well, at least we have an idea of its intentions..."

"AL!! I don't think it's time for witty sarcasm!"

Then, all of a sudden, they got a proper look at their assailant as a massive black mech almost 3 times Lancer's size warped right in front of them. Alswaram's heart skipped more than one beat.

"You...! How!? Damn you!"

Raven didn't even have time to ask Alswaram anything before he turned on Lancer's energy lance and rammed right into the black mech, making them bounce off its black plates and not even making it flinch, the lance zapping offline on contact. They got immediate retaliation from the black mech as it suddenly hit them with a lightning quick hook of its right hand, rattling Lancer's hull and the two within.

~ Kill. Kill. Kill. ~

"SHUT UP!"

Alswaram tried to ram him again, the black mech blinking and warping out of the way.

Lancer ran a scan in an attempt to match signals and energy traces with known database entries. When the results returned, he knew they had to retreat, if only temporarily.

~ Alswaram, I am warping us out. We are no match for this mech and its pilot. ~

"WHAT?? Lancer!"

The mech took back control and warped them out without warning. They reappeared much further, just at the edge of the Sirian star system. In the meantime, the black mech had suddenly vanished out of thin air as they had warped out, not to be seen again.

"Lancer! What is the meaning of this?"

Raven was confused. He had no knowledge of this mech and he did not understand why Alswaram was suddenly so angry. For one of the very rare times, Lancer's usually calm voice sounded a bit distressed and was saturated with trebling.

~ Alswaram... I got a match with the vocal signal from the mech. Although it was highly distorted, the signature is unmistakable. The vocal signal belongs to Sorvaa'hr Ol'rath. ~

To be continued...