KWR: Escalation

Tel-Aora
   A crowd was gathered silently in a large arena. In the middle, was a hologram of the slain tribune, To-Nar. R’Ka wrapped around the arena, as if his coils were a barrier guarding them all.

[To-Nar’s death was a tragedy] R’Ka said solemnly, [She served on the Tribune for many years, and she was a good friend to myself and the people of Tel-Aora.]

To-Som clenched her fist inside of her sling. If he praises the old crone anymore I’m going to lose my mind. It had been a week since the staged attack by the Sol assassin, and R’Ka was holding a memorial. To-Som’s horns perked up in a smile when she remembered the Titan’s rage when he heard the news. It was just as her master had predicted. R’Ka had been easily goaded into escalating the war effort, which would no doubt push the Sol to do the same.

[But she would not want us to stop to mourn her. The Sol are a threat to everything we hold dear: our homes, our freedoms, even our lives. We will not stop what has begun to mourn our dead, for their names will be our battle cries as we fight to protect our homes!]

The crowd cheered wildly. To-Som had to admit, R’Ka knew his people well, and he was no stranger to war. All Vayl children studied the great wars of the past, before R’Ka took an active role in Vayl affairs. Brother against brother, it had been a bloodbath, and R’Ka had been right in the middle of it.

The day after the attack, the remaining members of the Tribunal and R’Ka had met to discuss their next move against the Sol. To-Kal was stricken by To-Nar’s death, and called for guerilla attacks against the Sol in retaliation. R’Ka had been horrified with the idea, but To-Som secretly loved it. However; it was not in her master’s plan, so when the time came she voted with R’Ka against it. Instead, she had proposed a feint on one of the Sol’s major colonies. When the Sol sent their fleets to meet the strike, the Vayl would send their main fleet, led by R’Ka himself, to capture Earth. The strike would be quick, and potentially bloodless.

Even better, To-Som revealed that the Sol assassin she had killed was unable to destroy his encryption keys, meaning Earth’s orbital defenses could be completely disabled. R’Ka loved the idea, the potential for a swift and relatively bloodless end to the war was too tantalizing to pass up. He immediately agreed, and began making plans for the invasion.

What he doesn’t know, To-Som thought to herself, Is that the Sol won’t fall for the feint, and our fleets will be facing an equal foe. Once all of our enemies are in one place, my master will make his move. She smiled again, and clapped with the rest of the crowd as R’Ka finished his speech. What a glorious day… She thought to herself, What a glorious day that will be.
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Earth
Joseph sat atop RagnRok’s still head and gazed up at the massive tree in front of him. “So, you’re telling me it’s alive?”

Twiggawatt shook his head slightly, [All plants are as alive as you and I, my friend. What I am telling you is that it is no ordinary tree. Recently it has begun emanating a kind of power you don’t see in plants, even in trees this size.]

Joseph closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. Victoria had always been more focused on the physical aspects of their powers, but Joseph was more in tune with what the mind could offer. It was for this reason that he looked so much older than her, while she trained daily with her body to channel her mana more efficiently, he had turned inwards. He could feel the life force of every living being around him. Joseph felt the birds sitting atop Twiggawatt’s head, the elephants, giraffes, and all sorts of animals that gathered in the oasis below him, down to the worms in the dirt far below.  Twiggawatt looked like a wildfire in this, a massive pillar of energy, but he was not the only one.

The tree radiated power like nothing Joseph had ever seen before, even in his fellow Guardians. “You’re right, I’ve never seen anything like it, and you say it’s…” He paused for the word, “Alive?”

[Not think, I know it is. It may not be moving now, but it is fully capable of movement and other actions. I believe that the only reason it remains stationary is the oasis surrounding it. It feels no reason to go anywhere else, and it does not want to disturb the animals that dwell here.] Twiggawatt explained. [Look deeper, all of the surrounding foliage is connected to it as well, that should not be possible.]

Joseph looked out with his mind again, and realized Twiggawatt was right. Many different species of plant, but they all connected to the same root system. “Have you communicated with it yet?” He asked.

[No, I was waiting for your arrival, to see if this is indeed a new Guardian. You know I cannot do this alone.] Twiggawatt said with a smile.

Joseph turned his head in confusion. “Why not? You’re the most in tune with the Earth.”

Twiggawatt shook his head, [This is a momentous occasion, and all of us should be present for this.]

Joseph’s eyes darkened. But Leviathan is being held prisoner, and Victoria is still missing. The Vayl can’t have her, they would have announced it already if they did… He shook his head and cleared his mind again, Focus on the task at hand. He reminded himself.

“Alright Twiggawatt, have you tried communicating with it?”

Twiggawatt smiled, [Watch.] He turned to the tree and channeled a stream of mana into it. In response, an enormous flower opened up near the top of the tree. It twisted down as if it was looking at Twiggawatt and Joseph.

Joseph’s eyes were wide.  He channeled some mana of his own into the flower and said, “Hello, you understand me?”

The tree didn’t move. Twiggawatt shook his head and said, [It can’t hear, it communicated through mana flow and thought, similar to myself when I first awoke.]

Joseph closed his eyes and reached out mentally. Suddenly he made contact, and it was as if he were plugged into an enormous battery. Instantly he felt a hundred years younger. Suddenly he was aware of a massive presence coming from the tree. It regarded him curiously, not sure what to make of the small guardian in front of it.

Joseph sent out messages of companionship along with Twiggawatt, and the tree responded with warmth. He asked the tree what its intent was, and if the tree could understand him.

The tree’s upper branches pointed down to the creatures dwelling in its root system. A single word appeared in Joseph’s mind.

Grow.

Joseph looked up at Twiggawatt, “Did you get that too?”

Twiggawatt nodded and grinned, [I have been communicating with it all morning. It seems to want to promote mana, hence the oasis it created. I do not know if that qualifies as an ally just yet.]

“I have an idea of how to find out.” Joseph said. He looked back at the tree and projected images of war and death. He showed the tree images from the Kiliaak war, of death, destruction, and Apocalypse.

A low bellow came from the tree’s trunk, and the animals cowered in fear. The tree’s branches entwined together until they formed two massive trunk like arms. Another word appeared in Joseph’s mind.

Where.

Joseph projected again, showing himself and the guardians fighting against Apocalypse, bringing life back to the Earth. This calmed the tree, and it projected another word.

Protect

Joseph was ecstatic, “I think we have a new ally. Just as before with you, the Earth has given us a new hope in our time of need. I’m sure that with time it will begin to communicate, just like you did.”

Twiggawatt trumpeted happily, [We have needed good news like this for a long time, brother. I am less afraid for the days ahead.]

Joseph nodded in agreement, when suddenly his communicator started beeping. It was the council, and there could only be one reason they were calling. Answering, he said, “What happened?”

It was one of the Sol’s many intelligence analyst’s, Joseph did not recognize the voice. “Sir, I hope I’m not inconveniencing you-”

Joseph cut him off.  “Never mind that, what happened?”

“A Tel-Aoran warship is attacking one of our safe haven colonies in the outer quadrant.”

Joseph looked at the communicator in confusion, “This is nothing out of the ordinary, they have gone after our havens before as bargaining chips. Dispatch a task force to defend them, just as we always have.”

“We would sir, but our scouts stumbled on a massive fleet of warships gathering just a few systems from Pluto. We think it could be a feint.” The analyst paused. “R’Ka is with them.”

Joseph’s blood ran cold. If R’Ka is leading the attack himself, then this is their big gamble. Both the Sol and the Vayl had avoided using any Kaiju, guardian or not, in the war. If he attacks, I’ll have to face him alone. I’m the only one left who can travel in space. Victoria, you picked a bad time to go missing. “Alright.” He spoke softly into the communicator, and he suddenly felt centuries older. “Consolidate our fleet in a defensive perimeter around the inner ring. Use the asteroid belt to slow them down, but don’t hesitate to fall back to our orbital defenses. I will lead the defense personally, Twiggawatt will wait on Earth in case they break through.”

He could tell the Analyst was excited to finally have the Guardians in combat, Joseph could hear the excitement in his voice. “Of course sir, I’ll get right on it!” and then he hung up.

[What happened?] Twiggawatt asked solemnly.

“They’re coming for Earth.”

Twiggawatt paused, and said, [If they had the capabilities to mount such an assault they would have done it before. What has changed?]

“They attempted a feint to get us to divert our forces.” Joseph paused, and then said quietly. “R’Ka is leading them.”

Twiggawatt’s pupils shrank in fear. [He will decimate the Sol’s fleets if he’s not confronted head on, but I cannot leave the atmosphere.] He looked down at Joseph, suddenly understanding what he was implying. [You’re going to face him yourself?]

Joseph nodded.

[He’s too powerful. In his reports Leviathan said he was a powerful foe, and that was a sparring match on solid ground! In the vacuum his control over gravity will give him a huge advantage, you won’t stand a chance!]

Joseph nodded again. “It will be my hardest fight since Apocalypse, but we beat him, didn’t we?”

[We did, but you are alone. If Victoria were here-]

“But she’s not,” Joseph interjected. “and we don’t have a choice.” He looked up at Twiggawatt and smiled, “Don’t worry so much about me, I have the home field advantage.” He looked over at the tree, “And worst comes to worst, we have a new trick up our sleeves. Work with our new friend, and see what it can do.” He dropped into RagnRok’s cockpit and hooked into its mind. “I must see to our defenses. Wish my luck, my old friend.” And then he bounded off.

Twiggawatt watched him go anxiously. Good luck, brother… He thought solemnly. Joseph’s mecha, built in the image of Armageddon, only reminded him of the ultimate sacrifice the old Guardian had made.

Pro... tect.

The tree rumbled behind him. There was a great upheaval of earth, and the ground shook beneath him. Twiggwatt turned, and the tree had uprooted itself, and stood tall on two massive trunks. It had disconnected itself from the oasis, but had not moved yet.

Twiggawatt smiled faintly, [Yes, we have to protect the Earth. Do you understand?]

Protect.

[Very good.] Twiggawatt said. He paused, and said, [What is your name? I knew mine when I was born, do you?]

The tree was silent for a moment before responding,

Bioterra.
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     Hello everyone! As Finals week is just beginning on my part, I had time to finish this picture. Here we have the introduction of a new kaiju.  The immense tree grown by Twigga-Watt has grown into a living creature, and the two remaining guardians hope it can be an ally.  The creature calls itself Bioterra, or the Living Earth (and for the record, this picture is meant to show RagnRok walking away from the tree, so it appears smaller than it is)  Enjoy!