Saraz stood in a large white room with an open ceiling. He was stood on a large platform that was ascended slightly above the rest of the floor. From all sides he was being watched by a variety of beings foreign to Ethan. He had explained all things between the trek to the past and the present moment he stood there in audience with the denizens of future Earth.

Standing before Saraz was an aged man with long, white braided hair and thick eyeliner. He dressed himself in what could only be described as something resembling French court clothes from the Bourbon era, but had seemingly traded in ocean blues for forest greens. A metallic harness was placed around his waist, far too cumbersome to be a belt but he was already eccentric enough. It wouldn't surprise Ethan if this was simply a strange fashion choice on top of many others that had developed in the near future. On his chest there was a series of golden pins, as if to indicate rank.

"Saraz. By bringing our founder to this point in time was reckless and you should have consulted us. You've put our very future in danger with your actions. Every being presently owes their deaths to you."

"Mr Cavalcanti I-"

"However, had you not intervened with your risky stratagem...the Earth would have been lost to your father. You've bought us another day to die in the face of certain defeat. For that I am in your debt. I will try my best to smooth things over with the Interplanetary Confederation...but I cannot guarantee the security of your station."

Mr. Cavalcanti had the countenance of one of those old school style teachers that Ethan knew growing up. They were strict but always fair.

What followed next was a barrage of stares from the other Squadron members and a mass of murmurs and whispers that bounced off the walls. Ethan's rumination on his perception was broken apart by Narsei nudging his arm. "So THAT is why you have such antiquated and outdated views. You should have told me sooner."

She then began to pester Ethan with all kinds of questions about Earth's past. It had seemed she believed that Puritans and Pilgrims were the basis of all human society up until the last few centuries. It would be funny if she wasn't constantly inquiring like a child.

To interrupt the stream of interrogation, Saraz arrived. "Do you really think he'll get you off the hook? That was a wild stunt you pulled, bringing back the Mayflower man from the past."

Ethan grit his teeth. "I am not a pilgrim!"

"Gene Cavalcanti was a senior member of the Squadron before becoming the Chief Mediator between the Interplanetary Government and the Squadron."

The raven haired man's eyes darted towards the Enduri as a bulbous sphere on his wrist began to glow brightly. He quickly looked down upon it before raising his head upwards. "Cyber telegram just came in...there's a situation at Larel."

Narsei chuckled and waved at Ethan. "Well it looks like you'll be home alone, pilgrim. We'll be sure to bring back a cornucopia on our way back home for you," she teased as she walked away.

Saraz placed a hand on Narsei's shoulder. "No. Ethan will be coming with us. He needs more combat experience and this is the best way he can get some. We got lucky last time with my father. If Ethan is not strong enough to kill my father the next time we encounter him then history as we know it will be doomed."

The two gingerly nodded at the suggestion of the ginger. Ethan had to admit he was a bit nervous about all this. It wasn't before facing off Woden that he had gotten into his first real fight. Now he was expected to regularly go into combat situations?

The trio headed towards a dock of some kind, except instead of boats there were a variety of spacial vessels. Saraz made his approach towards a pitch-fork shaped vessel with a gold and blue paint job. It was incredibly sleek and angular in its appearance, resembling something more of the exoskeleton of an insect than a frigate. A series of glass half-domes were placed in key parts of the vessel and wing-like solar panels protruded from the sides of the elongated ship, adding more to its bug-like qualities.

As Ethan walked into the interior he couldn't help but be reminded of those vintage hotels and casinos he had seen in old movies. Everything about the future seemed to be much more ostentatious than he had thought. The floor leading up to the large cockpit was carpeted and soft while the cockpit floor was cold and metallic. He quickly buckled himself in, ready for the adventure that awaited them.

The ship was prepped for takeoff and it blasted into the atmosphere. As soon as it gained enough proximity to the sun, the protrusions on the ship glimmered brightly and it suddenly thrusted itself at hyper speed many lightyears across the cosmos before arriving to the ends of the galaxy. They arrived to the planet and descended down through the thick clouds and found themselves in the midst of a massive jungle world with bright orange skies.

There didn't seem to be any kind of advanced civilization present aside from a lone spire that was built into the side of a mountain. The vessel landed on a nearby platform and as the group exited it wasn't long before they were greeted by the man who had called for their help.

He was a blue skinned man with wrinkles evident all over his body. It was clear that he had lived many years and had accumulated much in terms of knowledge. His weary and aged eyes were hidden behind a golden visor. His hair had receded heavily to the lower half of his scalp, a trait only concealed by a metallic helm that partially covered the loss. The rest of his hair was remarkably thick and long, going down to his ankles. She had long golden shoulder pauldrons that were placed on top of white, scientific robes. He had a charming and bushy mustache on his face, one that made him quite endearing to those who met him on first glance. Most interestingly about his appearance was an orb that he sat criss-cross on and levitated around in.

He ushered the group inside with a wave, too solemn to speak. His facility was a large, open room full of all kinds of advanced machines and technology. Cylindrical tubes hung from the ceiling and floor like stalagmites and stalactites on a cave, containing various flora and fauna. A large circular screen soon drifted down from the ceiling to the westernmost wall, aided by mechanical appendages that hung from the metallic frame of the building.

"I thank you all for coming here. My name is Doctor Nijugo. I am not a man that likes to ask for help. In all actuality it is something I detest. A scientist should be a man that provides for all society and asks for nothing in return. However I feel that the situation is dire here to forsake my code."

In spite of his old age and weary voice, there was a certain fire and passion to his words that endeared Ethan to him. He reminded him a great deal of some of the farmers back home that refused to ally with the big GMO corporations that swept through his town. Even though such partnerships would benefit them, they kept to their code to the very end...or at least until they couldn't keep their codes any longer.

The screen flickered with static for a few moments before displaying videos of a blurry apparition jumping all throughout the jungle world. The moving picture then shifted towards a scene in another part of the building, where the creature attempted to attack the scientist, only for him to manage to seal off the door and lock the beast outside. More videos of the creature's intrusion and rampage played as Nijugo turned his head.

"The monster has destroyed much of my precious lab equipment. It will be very hard to recover such items due to this sector being outside of the Interplanetary Government's jurisdiction and the sheer distance from civilized worlds. It...killed my son during the rampage. It is a highly intelligent monster. I fear that if it searches around the ziggurats much longer then it will find something capable of space travel and wreak havoc across the nearby systems. I want it put down."

Saraz could immediately tell something was off about this situation. He had just spoken of this monster being a threat to other worlds not long after stating the distance between this planet and other civilized worlds. Whatever ship it would manage to recover from the old civilization that dwelled here wouldn't be able to last long enough to reach civilized space. "Ziggurats?"

Nijugo nodded his head. "Yes. An advanced hunting culture lived here many centuries ago. I surmise they've left some of their technology behind in the ziggurats...ritual hunting grounds. They've long gone from this galaxy though...more than likely to harass other races. The only sapient creatures on this planet are the four of us and this creature."

"We will take care of this beast for you, Doctor. Rest assured the monster of this planet will be dealt with extreme prejudice."

The trio then exited the building, walking out towards the jungle. As they did, Saraz manifested portals like he had done so before, taking out strange pikes from them and shoving them into the ground. Ethan looked at him curiously as he did so. "What are you doing?"

The ginger stuck a final pike into the ground as they began to reach a clearing in the forest where the ziggurats laid. "There were logical errors in the statements of that scientist. How can he fear the creature reaching civilization if we're so far out from it? There are no biological life forms in this sector that can survive a trip to the nearest civilization on one of the old vessels on this planet. The engines simply can't traverse enough space fast enough. Either the pilot will starve from the journey or the old ships will fall apart. These pikes should send out a controlled wave that will target the cameras in the area and disable them."

Narsei raised an eyebrow at the ginger. "What do you think this guy is after then? What does he benefit from having us kill this thing?"

"I have several theories but nothing concrete. In either case we'll need back up. If this man is completely honest he won't mind more security."

With a flick of his wrist the machines glowed brightly. The Enduri then looked at his communicator and let out a sigh. "Communications are down. I'll head back to the ship. You two will try to find this 'monster' and bring it back alive."

Ethan placed his hands on his sides. "Hey who died and made you leader. I'm your senior and founder, right?"

"And what would you suggest we do?"

The raven haired man held out a finger before quickly pulling away. "Well your course of action is a good basis...for a plan so I'll take your suggestion."

Narsei laughed wildly at Ethan's antics and he had to laugh at the irony of his position as well, but the humor was lost on Saraz who was already walking away from the two of them.

The pair began to look around the ruins that they found themselves in. Aside from the ocassional avian that hovered in the skies neither of them could find any kind of life present in the area. While Narsei found herself walking around in circles, Ethan was complete enamored with the architecture on display. The structures were tall and complex, possessing massive reliefs on their walls that displayed battles and hunts fought long ago. Blood from whatever rituals still marked the area. Ethan placed a hand on one of the walls, feeling the material. It felt metallically smooth while appearing as stone. He grit his teeth as some blood got on his hands as he accidentally brushed up on it.

His eyes widened suddenly when he realized that it was still warm. As his pupil expanded, he saw a red dot manifest itself in the red stain, much lighter than the blood. Mere seconds before turning his head a rocket was fired straight towards him. Acting on instinct alone he raised his hands upwards and manifested an energy shield right in front of him. The shield shattered but it managed to protect him for a time.

"I think it found us!"

Narsei immediately rushed towards Ethan, pinning him to the ground as another missile came straight towards them. In spite of the projectile striking her directly in the back, the only mark on her body was steam that rose out from her flesh. "How did you..."

The crimson woman's eyes wandered over to the trajectory of the blast, spotting a grey silhouette situated on top of one of the ziggurats. It was waiting for them. "My people have incredibly thick skin that is hard to penetrate and we are immune to most diseases. That is why we do not wear so much clothes for protection as you humans do."

She began to crack her knuckles together and slid off her wrist bands that fell to the ground with a heavy clang. "But most remarkable is that my home-world has many times more gravity than that of Earth. Meaning on other planets we are much lighter and stronger than the native species."

After removing the jewelry from her legs as well she proceeded to jump several dozen feet into the air as if propelled by a trampoline. Ethan had attempted to lift the jewelry that was on her body but found it far too cumbersome to even take it off the ground.

With her bountiful leap, Narsei came crashing down onto the ziggurat platform like a comet. Debris went flying all around and a burst of dust and smoke created a miasma around them. A whip suddenly came straight towards her from the smokescreen and struck her hard against the stomach with enough force to give her pause. Thrash after thrash of the whip came at incredible speeds, however, the weapon failed to pierce her flesh and only managed to light damage her epidermis.

As the whip went back and forth, so did the dust. The miasma soon cleared to reveal the monster that the scientist had spoke of. It had a helmet that resembled a mass of metallic feathers with a series of long, dread-like tubes from the back of its head. The face of the creature was obscured by a black metallic faceplate, similar to a mask that a welder would wear but without any visible visor. It must have had some internal vision system. What little skin could be discerned was a ghastly pale blue color. It hosted two sets of sharp teeth and a long tongue that stuck out at her. The rest of his body was covered in light but durable plated armor, having spiky feather-like protrusions poking out of it.

Narsei simply laughed at the beast. "You know, most people haven't even managed to damage me this much. You should be quite proud."

The monster simply released a blood-curdling howl from its large mouth. He crouched down and rammed her stomach like a wild bull, sending her down to a lower platform. He then grasped at his kneepads and cast them off, revealing them to be merely protective holsters for twin pistols mounted onto his body. He then opened fire upon her, shooting a barrage of plasma bolts that managed to burn through her skin.

It took aim towards the crimson woman's body but it hesitated to pull the triggers. The beast howled in pain immensely as it had some kind of response that was prompted from the hesitation. He cast off his firearms and then turned his attention back to Ethan. He jumped down onto the lower platform, narrowly missing Narsei's throat by a hair.

"Ethan! Turn into that energy thing and blow this guy to kingdom come!"

The vermillion woman grasped on the leg of the armored being, but he simply disregarded her and struck her head with his metal foot. He then made a mad dash towards Ethan not long afterwards.

The raven haired man began to focus every fiber of his being into ascending to his more powerful state. He thought of how his friend was getting hurt and how this monster was going to hurt others. In spite of all his efforts though, the only thing he managed to muster was a few lowly grunts. With the time he wasted attempting to transform the creature had gained significant ground.

Ethan manifested a shield in front of his body, but the creature quickly destroyed it with another missile, which seemed to be fired off from a shoulder mounted canon. Unable to further defend himself, Ethan began to fire off a barrage of energy blasts towards the metal menace. He managed to partially melt the armor, but it was far too little too late as the beast delivered a resounding strike to his head and knocked him unconscious with a single blow.

He then proceeded to hoist up Ethan with little effort and made his way into the bowels of one of the ziggurats, his tall and imposing visage being obscured into the darkness while Narsei was hopeless to do anything.