Yup...



Chapter Twenty: A Calm Before the Storm



The entire planet of Turtani was blueish green, with four moons that hung in it's sky.

"The whole planet is a gigantic lifesign reading...and I'd wager it's atleast six billion years old." Kazooie stated, listening to the Penultimate as it scanned the system.

"That's pretty old...be prepared for technological superiority, guys." Seraph stated, as the ship glided into the atmosphere.

"Is the air toxic?" Seraph questioned.

"Negative, infact it's largely oxygen...but there are lots of organic particles in the air, and it's very humid..."

As they flew through the atmosphere, nonchalantly, all of a sudden the constant humm of the engines stopped.

"What happened?!" Seraph demanded.

"I dunno, we've lost power to the engines, but were not falling." Juiso stated, looking at the various indicators.

"Trying manuvering thrusters." Juiso flipped some switches and moved the flight stick, but to no avail.

"Negative, it's not working."

"Curses, it's not working...Kazooie, assesment on what's going on." Seraph asked, taking a commanding tone.

"None...it defyes the laws of physics." Suddenly, as if hit by a physical force, Tymen began floating in the air, and his eyes turned from brown to blue.

"Tymen, whats..." BlackSheep began but, just as suddenly and just as ominously, a form appeared in the clouds ahead of them. It looked humanoid, but it had a squidlike head, and it was entirely made of cloud, except where the eyes should be shone two brilliant, menacing red lights.

"Ook'Tagoth nammala syesm," Though loud and deep, the voice(presumadley eminating from the cloud-figure) was fluid and soothing, but with a edge.

"Trespassers beware," Tymen said, in a altogether similair voice, but it became apparent he was being controlled by the prescence.

"Orfkamm uyluoyok eetmad Askaamla,"

"The secrets hidden by the eldest of the Ancients,"

"Preyn qudoson xelhuuaa buerna,"

"Are not for Demons or spirits,"

"Cvv Ka'konok, evpress Yulolulmada,"

"The Grey and the Black rend this place,"

"Ieyah weskrop maroonat varuylen,"

"Only he who stepped through the fires of darkness,"

"Juut tryemmrunn wakrusk oiunzaash,"

"May survive,"

"Estaron eyukan, jefan qweet mehad nelupius, varqus ned, ofan Knn ofan Jidem ofan Sikrem Teradoss."

"To four worlds, black and blacker, exclude Aad, of the Knn of the Jidem of Demon's Teradoss."

"Sufak...nimelan asanta Askaamla."

"Damned be those who come to the home of the Ancients." The apperition of cloud exploded violently and Tymen fell to the floor, unconcious.

"Uh...power has been restored to our engines...we're continuing our descent..."



The crew of the Penultimate discovered, soon after she set down, that the entire planet was a swamp. They had deployed a raft, and were rowing to a island of sorts, all the while seeing large beasts pick a curious eye out of the water to spy them, then sink back in just as quickly.

"I don't like this place...I don't like this place atall." Seraph said, barely above a whisper.

"It stinks...and there are no signs of civilization, dispite how old the planet is...Tyio, are you sure this is the right planet, where are a good deal of star systems near here?" Seraph turned accusingly to Tyio.

"Yes, I'm certain, this is the star system exactly two hundred lightyears from Mosshein." Seraph snorted.

"Strange beings in the clouds...water beasts of sorts...and it stinks, great, just great."

"Turtani..." Tyio said.

"Ah, what a keen thing to name this place..." Seraph stated.

"Hm? Oh...it's just Gerenpfpssh for 'stinking'...I didn't intend."

"I don't care, it's Turtani, planet Turtani, and what a appropriate name."

"It might...already have a name." BlackSheep said.

"I doubt it, there's no civilization, I wager, and thease fellows," She picked up one of the beatle like things that were climbing up the side of the raft, "sure haven't named it." They rowed for about two hours more, until they arrived at the banks of the largest solid island they had seen.

Not that it very solid, far from it, composed mainly of mud and sand, with thin trees lightly rooted in the soft earth, it indeed was far from

being solid. However, it was apparently the best this boggy planet could offer, atleast in this region, as Ducky piloted the raft up onto the

banks.

"Based on what we saw in the water," Seraph began as she disembarked from the raft, hefting a shotblaster,

"I wouldn't want to be caught by aything onland." Her crew nodded, each selecting one of the weapons they had brought with them.

"Okay, we form search parties," Seraph ordered, in her usual, clan commander's tone, "Look for civilization, or the shard itself, once you

fire something, fire a white signal flare, if you're under attack and require assistance, fire a blue flare, if you're under attack, but it is futile

for us to attempt a rescue, fire a red flare. Understood, men?" Ducky and BlackSheep made a phlemy *ahem* sound, showing there disapproval at Seraphs gender specific statement. The Seraph screamed, right in there faces,

"UNDERSTOOD, MEN?!" With quiet resignation, they stepped back, as Seraph selected the search groups.

"Tymen, you're with me, Tyio, with Juiso, Ducky and BlackSheep, you're together, report back here in three hours." Seraph said, after giving her first, very captian like speech since they escaped from Carrotous.

"Yes sir!" They resounded, and then spread into the humid underbrush of 'Turtani.'



"Just my luck getting paired up with you..." Juiso murmurs once there out of earshot from the others, he probably didn't intend for Tyio

to hear it, but his keen Akaeliian ears picked it up anyway.

"You're grouchier than that Tymen chap, and what's so bad about me, anyway?" Tyio snapped, as he ducked under a branch.

"You're so full of yourself on the Akaelian pride crap. And besides, you stole the Albatross, and then we had to rescue you."

"Humph, I was the one who saved you from the Esx on Tubelectric."

"Seraph did most of the work."

"Shut up, back when you were in diapers I led the Akaelian revolution, and was about to excecuted in a most glorious manner until Ducky saved me."

"And, you're feelings for her are not well hid, do you seriously think she'd care about some piece of scum Akaelian."

Tyio remained silent, deciding it was best to save his malice for later...



"Uh, thanks for choosing me, commander." Tymen fumbled, as he pushed through the brush.

"Think nothing of it, really, I mean, you're the son of the Duke of Daroth, if Daroth still held any power, but any case, that demands respect." Seraph smiled.

"That's my past...I'm not the son of any Duke anymore..."

"Fine then, I trust you over the others, and I'd like to consider you my friend...or something." Seraph winked...and Tymen hoped she wasn't hinting at what he thought she was, he recalled the last time he got that close to someone...like that, a image of Dehmali slashing him across the chest comes and fades in a instant. Suddenly, a blue flare shoots up in the sky, about a hundred feet northwest of there current position.

"Someone's found something!" Seraph shouts, and they take running through the soggy soil, torward the fading pillar of blue smoke.

Being slapped across the face by twigs does little for ones self esteem, but they got to the source of the flare soon enough, BlackSheep and Ducky.

"Hey guys, what's up, what've you found?" Seraph asks, a little out of breath, but the instant she does her own question has already been awnsered, stoof before her, there where multitudes of aquatic like beings, frogs, turtles, crabs, only with manipulates, moving through a camp(or so it appeared at the time) made out entirelly of wood, with thease crossing a lake on the swamp beasts much like the ones seen on the way to the island, only tame.

Tyio and Juiso arrived just as one of them, a turtle like being, crept up to them.

"Welcome to Turtani."



Epilouge

The Demon stood, silent as space, unmoving as stone, staring into the dark abyss.

"Tyio." He hissed between his teeth, atlast.

"Ten billion years ago he defeated me, and he is destined to do it again, I must stop him..." Suddenly, the door to his chamber hissed, and

a Knn officer stepped in.

"Sir, there is someone here to see you, I believe it is of grave importance."

"Fine, fine! Show them in." The Demon stated, his constantly thin temper showing. Deftly, and silently)(to you or I's ears, but The Demon heard it well enough.)

"You again." The Demon hissed.

"Yes, I'm back."

"I thought you were killed back on Carrotous."

"So did I." Asari chuckled.

"Well, what is it? What do you want this time? You couldn't possibly tell me anything I don't already know about the enemy."

"It's not about them, it's about you, I know who you are."

"Who am I then?" The Demon chortled, turning to face Asari, his shoulders shrugged.

"You were the one they thought they destroyed when time was worn away, you are the scourge, the destroyer of galaxies, you are...

Teross."



Up Next: Part Three: The End, Chapter Twenty One: Decades in a Bottle,

Our heros are on Turtani, planet of water and mystery, but, thease jolly people seem to have no knowledge of the shard, and something very strange is happening to time. And Asari is back in action, with Teross close at hand, can our heros survive the comming onslaught?

Find out next time on Sureal!