Date: Wed, 08 Jul 1998 21:15:46 -0600 Subject: [ffml] [MW] Change of plan. From: His Dark Lordship The watcher came into the ready room swearing. Eyes focused on him. Spacecat and Edgar winced in the fantastic bone plate armour they had been given. Alguron finally got up and asked when they'd be leaving. "We're not leaving," grumbled the watcher. Everyone looked at him. "Someone already found the damn axe. That fool Bacca has it now." Alguron swore. "Isn't that a good thing? He could use it to fight the moogles!" let out Spacecat. The watcher's metallic eyes glowed a reddish flare. "Bacca is going to destroy the planet if he keeps up his pace. What would be best for the human race in the long run is for Bacca to be crushed by the moogles. That would wear the moogles down a lot, and put them in a bargaining situation. We could buy off the orks and mystics with a land grant, and the undead could be held back with simple artefacts." He kicked at the wall, which chipped. "Not knowing the consequences of his actions, he has set out for glory. In the end he will die a painful death, either way." He swore again. "We can kiss any hopes of neutrality goodbye." Azala came in behind him. "I heard. I sent a proposition to both the orks and the mystics for alliance. If nothing else, it may give us a cutting edge in dealing with Bacca and Mog." He himself swore. "So what do we do in the mean time?" asked Spacecat. "Attack some human and moogle settlements. That'll keep Mog and Bacca reeling for a short time." suggested Alguron. "Good plan. I'd like to wait until we get word back from the orks and mystics, however. Also, we're gonna set up a permanent home for the castle until we get the drills worked on. They're wearing out. Also, the men want to see the stars again." "So when do we touch up?" asked Alguron. "We already have." said Azala. "How? All that's over the surface is the skull!" "We're building our own settlement, as a bit of bait." he pulled out a map and pointed to a ravine. "That's where the dark lord's keep was..." remarked the watcher. "I know. Since the attacks by the moogles and the orks, a forest fire chased all the wildlife out for a short time. Also, some of the lizar war beasts were left behind without the humans knowing, and the offspring has shown signs of adaptation towards them. Several travelers reported that there seem to be prides of cougars, which have grown in size. Bears and other beasts also seem to be adapted, and even the elk and deer show signs. This almost looks like a mirror image of the old lands, where groups of twelve large cats take down small apatosaurs, and the gigantic migrations of hadrosaurs include many deerish species." "How'd they get there?" asked Edgar. "If the dinosaurs have been there sixty five million years longer than the rest of the world, how did these creatures evolve? They wouldn't have a chance." "A land bridge is possible." remarked the Watcher. "Over the course of history the old lands and the oriental lands have been connected at the tip many times over. But then there would be dinosaurs in the orient, to which there are not, except possible evidence they were there, in the depict of dragons.." "They would've made it though. The last evidence of dinosaur inhabitation is the fossils of the great desert." noted Alguron. "Why do these guys know so much about this stuff?" whispered Spacecat to Edgar. "There had been an ice age. This might have forced the dinosaurs to retreat south, or grow feathers or other sources of heat. Their warm blood wouldn't have been enough. This might have given a chance for a mammal invasion." "Though legends do claim of great battles between tyrannosaurs and mammoths." added Azala. "Suggesting that there might have been dinosaur habitation near the southern tips of the ice caps where it was moderately warmer, where they would have caught the Mammoths and other large mammals during their migrations." Anyway, they continue to debate the subject for a couple more hours, but the whole war part of the conversation has pretty much ended. :) Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 12:14:14 EDT From: As the boring conversation continued, Spacecat left the conference room. He took King Edgar with him. "I don't know about you, Eddie, but I'm sure as hell not going to help Azala any more if he will be attacking human settlements, and I'm sure you feel the same way." "Yes, I do," replied Edgar. "Okay, then we have got to get out of here, and warn Bacca that he has a new enemy now. But first, I want to do something." Spacecat went back into the conference room where Azala was going on and on about something. "Sorry to interrupt," said Spacecat, leaning against the wall, "but there is something I must say. Though it's been really nice fighting along side you and staying at your castle, my own interests differ from yours now, and I feel that I must go my own way. So, what I want to know is, how do I get out of this castle?" "You want to leave?" asked Azala. "Um, yes," said Spacecat, uneasily. "Oh no, you don't get to leave." "What? Why not?" "Don't think I don't know what you intend to do after you get out of here. You will tell Bacca about us. You may even gather your own army to fight us. That is something I cannot allow to happen." "Hmm. So what can I do now?" "You can be my prisoner. Guards! Take them away! Spacecat and his friend!" Two big, mean looking Reptite got up. One grabbed Spacecat. The other went into the hallway and grabbed Edgar. Both humans were taken to the dungeon, where their weapons and other belongings were confiscated and Spacecat and Edgar were locked in a dank cell guarded by a tough reptite named Butch. "I can't believe I'm being held prisoner in my own dungeon," grumbled Edgar, "And look what they've done with this place. I mean, I took better care of this dungeon than they do. It used to be clean and well-lit. Now it's dark and smelly." "Isn't that the way a dungeon is supposed to be?" said Spacecat. "Hmm. I never thought of that," said Edgar. "Anyway," Edgar said in a very low voice, "What are we going to do now? Any ideas?" "Yes," Spacecat whispered back. "Hey!" Spacecat yelled to the guard, "What kind of savages are you anyway?" "What are ya talkin' about? We're more advanced than your pathetic excuse for a species!" Butch retorted angrily. "Oh yeah?" said Spacecat sarcastically, "Well in a _civilized_ society, prisoners are allowed one phone call!" "There are no phones in this dungeon," said Butch. "I could use my cell phone, the one you confiscated from me." "How do I know that your phone isn't really some sort of weapon in disguise." "It's not. It's just a phone. You can check it yourself." Butch went over to where Spacecat's belongings were being kept and picked up the cellular phone. He examined it and went back over to Spacecat. "Who do you intend to call, anyway?" "My mother, I want to let her know that I'm in prison. If I don't tell her, she might think I'm dead." "Alright," said Butch. He tossed the phone to Spacecat. "But if you try anything funny, I will hurt you so bad that you will wish that you had been Kupoed to death by the Moogles back at that fort." Spacecat dialed the number. "Hello? Mom? I am calling to let you know that, that..." he began to weep, "I'm in prison mom. I might be here for a long time. Maybe even for the rest of my life. So you can give my possessions to my little brother, Accab. Yeah, my belongings are in that cardboard box that is labeled, 59.380. Yeah, and tell my brother that his big brother loves him. I love you mom, I looove yoouuu! Waaaah!!!" "Alright, you bawling fool. Your time is up." said Butch. "Okay," Spacecat said, still weeping, "I have to get off the phone now. Bye mom." Spacecat gave the phone back to Butch. "I thought your brother's name was Samuel," said Edgar. "It is," said Spacecat. "Then what..." "I wasn't calling my mother," Spacecat whispered, "I was calling Lance Henriksen in my espionage center. Remember when I went back to the conference room to tell Azala that I wanted to leave? Well, when I was in there, I planted a tiny microphone transmitter. 59.380 is the frequency that it broadcasts on. I was telling Lance to monitor that frequency and to tell Bacca about anything he hears on it. That way, Bacca will always know where the Reptites will attack next, and he will always be one step ahead of them." "Brilliant!" whispered Edgar. Date: Thu, 09 Jul 1998 11:54:46 -0600 From: His Dark Lordship So Space and Edgar began to rot away in the reptite prison. For weeks at a time they sat uniformed, with nothing to do but play with the food they got. Occasionally a reptite soldier came down and made an offer to them, which they refused. Meanwhile... "So, I assume the attacks on human and moogles settlements will cease?" asked the watcher. "Aye. The orks and the mystics had accepted. We will simply donate troops if required and they will do the same." "So would there be reason for our friends to stay in the dungeon?" "I doubt they'll be too pleased with us, but yeah, release them." So the watcher went down to the dungeon. He saw butch, muttered a few things in saurian, then entered the dungeon. "We have achieved the neutral position we were aiming for. We now have a peace treaty with both the orks and the mystics, and will join forces if needed. As a result, as we're no longer against, nor for, Bacca, you are free." Butch opened the gate, and Spacecat and Edgar went through. They still wanted to get the hell out of the castle, however. "Oh, and by the way, I happened to notice you planting the bug. I didn't tell Azala but I have removed it." Butch gave them their things and opened the way back up. They were escorted outside the lair where they saw a settlement thriving. What looked like ork, mystic and even human traders were milling about. "You've been down there for six weeks. A lot has happened." he took them to two caught chocobos. "Here are your mounts, now get the hell outta here." Spacecat looked at him. "We doubt you trust us anymore. If you cannot agree with how we run the war, then you'd best leave." Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 22:22:36 EDT From: "Is it just me," said Spacecat as he and Edgar rode through the countryside, "or did time pass REALLY fast just now?" "I dunno," said Edgar, "This isn't half as weird as in the FF3 world, where it is daylight all over the world." "Yeah, I guess that is stranger. But anyway, now that we are out of sight of Tyrano castle..." Spacecat stopped his chocobo and picked up his cellular phone. He dialed and said, "Hello, Lance, what has Bacca been up to? Nikeah, eh? Well, I'd like a lift there and some weapons. Thanks." Minutes later, a stealth bomber landed next to Spacecat and Edgar. They boarded along with their chocobos. "Okay Space," said Lance Henriksen, "Here are your weapons." he handed Spacecat an AK-47, a handgun, and several hand grenades. "Thanks Lance. And now, to Nikeah!" The jet flew through the sky and landed about a mile away from Nikeah, so as not to reveal Bacca's position. Spacecat and Edgar rode their chocobos over to where Bacca and his soldiers were. When Bacca saw them, he waved. "Hi Space! Thanks again for the army!" "No prob, dude," said Spacecat, "So, anyway, what has happened in the six weeks since this morning?" "Wha...?" said Bacca.