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mrgrinmore — UOI - WP2 - The Misplaced Mallepos
Published: 2014-07-03 03:17:50 +0000 UTC; Views: 378; Favourites: 1; Downloads: 0
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Description The Mallepos Yeld'Zun had gone to sleep curled up in an ice cave on a planet his tribe had been invading, trapped behind an avalanche he had caused to kill his pursuers and hide from their ilk.  Almost all of his original tribe lay in waste before he had fled to gain the advantage of upper ground, lost due to his poor tactics and his tribe's lack of understanding their foe.

They had thought to merely swoop down with their spacecraft onto the world they had seen below on their journey, populated by large furred beasts each equal in size to their craft, stupid but dangerously instinctive.  What he had not expected, however, was another Mallepos tribe arriving to fire upon the tribe's vessel and strand them there while continuing on their journey.  The furred creatures proved difficult to track down, hiding in the barren wastes, but still great sustenance to tide them over between each raid on the dwindling animal population.  Then one day they came to a point where one frail Mallepos declared that in another few months, if they did not find another source of food, they would all perish.  This stirred unrest and many questioned Yeld'Zun's leadership, something new and foreign to the tribe as none had been physically strong enough to challenge him thus far to take his place.  Their rage-fueled inquiries unanswered, the tribe fragmented from one into three.

Yeld'Zun had done his best to guide what remained of his tribe, but surprisingly enough the two fragments that had split off, each as angry at each other as at him, joined forces in a temporary truce to direct their warfare against those he still ruled.  Certainly, his fraction had been the most loyal, but it was not filled with weak cowards or fools.  They fought back, decimating the two fragments, but the remainder fought back even harder, retaliating with a vengeance.  The captured beasts which were being slaughtered slowly to keep his tribe alive were all slaughtered or driven away, forcing his followers to prepare the meat and hides quickly lest they spoil.  His own daughter was amongst those charged with this task while those stronger guarded the camp against their foes.  Their backs turned to the slaughtered beasts, the guards barely had time to react as those preparing the meat and hides were massacred by those who had hid in the animal corpses, knowing they would be sacrificing themselves in order to not only take out that weaker chunk of the tribe but also strike against the confused guards and draw their attention away from the greater threat...  The remainder of the two splintered tribes had held their truce and driven a stampede of the surviving animals over a desolate ridge straight into the tribe's camp.

With only a handful of members left, Yeld'Kun had no time to mourn his daughter or his tribe, having to hurry them up the nearest mountain to seek refuge in the vast labyrinth of caves and tunnels they had discovered there on their last scouting of the planet.  While the fragments of his tribe that did not follow him had finally merged into one unit chased after him knew of these caverns, they did not realize the desperation they had finally pushed him to.  As he ushered his people toward the mountain he struck back a mighty blow at the new tribe that followed, taking hold of two mighty longspears, each designed to be launched by his ship's cannon, previously used to hold up the tarp his village had used for cover, throwing them each in turn with savage fury at the leaders of the tribe dogging his people.  Their tips pierced through the heads of the great furred beasts the leaders had chosen as their mounts, one continuing onward to penetrate the gut of the female leader, the other narrowly missing the male leader's skull, but still his leg and torso was trapped underneath the weight of his falling mount.  Snarling with anger and roaring with grief, Yeld'Kun prepared to cross the distance to meet his would-be executioners and ensure their deaths, but his vision cleared enough to see the rushing remainder of the tribe charging up toward their leaders and onward toward him and his people.  He turned and did something no Mallepos before had done:  He fled a glorious death to protect his people.

Reaching the mountain passage his people had started to carefully navigate through to reach an elevated cave mouth, Yeld'Kun's remaining tribal members were astonished at his arrival, one even starting to question if the other tribe still remained when he silenced them.  He told them to keep going as he had a plan, but in truth none had come to him during his urgent need to rejoin his followers.  Glancing about their remaining supplies and back down the mountain at tribe clambering up it to meet them he realized that there was a way to both protect his people and wreck vengeance on the approaching tribe.  As his people started entering the cave he grabbed a crude grenade, typically meant to scatter their large prey into a narrow canyon or other tactical location, and threw it up the mountain before shouting for his people to hurry.  The initial explosion was underwhelming but soon the mountain rumbled and roared as a chain reaction in the stone and snow created an avalanche, raining it down upon their foes, a tidal wave of snow pushing his people deeper into the tunnel and sealing them in.  Darkness came for him as he slammed into an icy wall, praying to their creator that his people lived, that such dishonor to those that had come to the planet with him was not in vain.

Yeld'Kun stirred and awoke with a start, feeling not the icy tomb he had trapped his remaining tribe within, but a belch of sulfur stench and heat.  He blinked, looking around and finding himself alone on an expanse of rock and magma.  Rising, however and wandering around, he found that all of his people who had survived, including those who had deserted and eventually formed the second tribe, had somehow arrived in this strange new land.  At first the survivors yelled at one another and drew their remaining arms, but a loud clatter in the distance drew their attention.  Yeld'Kun ordered his people to follow after the sound and descending a ridge they came across a battle going on between warring Reithen factions, each member of both sides armed with their Zwaardkin companions.  For hours and even days the Mallepos watched in fascination, the weaker amongst them gathering and testing local flora and fauna for food to consume while studying the natives.  It took a week before the battle they had arrived during had ended and both sides went their separate way to recuperate.

The Mallepos followed after the victors, curious to see what they would do afterward, assuming they would surely intending to rearm themselves and chase after their foes.  Instead they saw the Zwaardkin being cared for by their Reithen companions, ensuring that they were well prepared to fight again when the time came, farming, expanding their territories and defenses, spending a few days, perhaps more even, enjoying their respite before following some inner instinct to return to the battlefield to face their neighboring rival tribe.  They were cordial, greeting each other and exchanging news before facing each other at some unfathomably agreed point in time from opposite sides of the field of battle, roaring and charging in to begin the bloodshed once more.  Most of the Mallepos were confused and mumbling, but Yeld'Kun had seen something in the midst of it all that he took and held deep within his core.  One of his tribal members tugged on his leg, one of the smallest amongst his people, pointing out at a lone figure walking over to them from the battle.  His people, even those who had deserted before, all bristled and readied their weapons, prepared to defend themselves against this new stranger, thinking it a representative of the alien forces battling beyond them.  Yeld'Kun gestured for them to lower their weaponry and marched out to meet the stranger.

    "You brought us here, didn't you, Capricorn?"  Yeld'Kun asked his creator even before the deity removed his helmet.
    "Now why would I do a thing like that, young one?"  Still, Capricorn smirked, putting both hands on his sword as he rested its point against the ground, dulling it.
    "You heard my entreatment and answered it...  Even if I had doubted there would be a response.  Why you ask?  There was something here...  Something I needed to see."  Capricorn raised a brow, waiting a moment.  "These people...  They are warriors, like my own.  They fight with honor, like I have tried to teach my tribe to do, despite the actions of other tribes.  But...  There is more.  They do not charge after each other after battle.  They wait.  Perhaps not long, but...  There is purpose to these rest periods beyond just traveling to new hunting grounds."  Capricorn's lips widened a moment into a thin but pleased smile, nodding.
    "Indeed.  Now you must make your case to the others."  Yeld'Kun opened his mouth to ask what others, but a light enveloped him emanating from Capricorn's eyes.

    "Bravest warriors, brethren and sisters...  Stay your hand and listen, I plead you."  Yeld'Kun had arrived with his tribe to a hill back on their home planet, surrounded by other tribal leaders, all as confused as he, with their followers a distance below on a plane.  He had been the first to realize where they were, seeing the triple moons and their unique crater patterns.  "I know not where you all have been until now, nor what you have been doing...  But I believe you each had your own experiences that led you back to our home just as mysteriously as mine.  There are a great many things we need to discuss for the betterment of our people...  That we may live honorably and become worthy of the life our creator Capricorn has continued to allow us to live."  He looked around at the others who murmured, mentioning brief snippets of where they had been, but all fell silent at the mention of their deity.  "I am Yeld'Kun Krogar Rieth of the Grievous Gaze, the Gray House of Fulda.  I have a recounting to tell that I pray will be enlightening to you as it was to me.  It all began five seasons ago, when my tribe came to the planet Ilnar..."
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Comments: 2

Darkfoot727 [2014-07-17 00:28:49 +0000 UTC]

This story is awesome! I like how you've expanded on the idea of the Reithen and the Zwaardkin.

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mrgrinmore In reply to Darkfoot727 [2014-07-17 00:49:26 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!  I wasn't entirely certain how well it'd be taken in that regard, but I thought the whole 'their life is built around war' wouldn't necessarily mean that they aren't good to be around when not fighting them, 'cause otherwise they'd likely just wipe each other out.    Glad to see that you liked it!

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