X-POP3-Rcpt: parasaur@bigbyte Return-Path: herpetophile-errors@lists.best.com From: Jenn The Ice Raptoress Subject: [SB028] The Ties that Bind Date: Tue, 29 Oct 1996 11:48:24 -0900 BestServHost: lists.best.com Sender: herpetophile-errors@lists.best.com Errors-To: herpetophile-errors@lists.best.com Reply-To: herpetophile@lists.best.com To: herpetophile@lists.best.com Hey kids! I apologize for how long it took me to get this one out, and I also apologize that it is rather long and doesnt really have any action in it, but I thought we needed a bridge episode, so here it is. N'joy! [SB028]: The Ties that Bind "Some cultures say that the Universe is but a stage within which we all have parts to play. It was disturbing to some just how large the Dinosorceror's role actually was." -- from an Anolian fireside legend The Dinosorceror wasnt sure whether he wanted to laugh out loud at the absurdity of this situation or scream in frustration. Since he really couldn't decide, he simply stared for a long vacant moment at the spot where they had left the TURDIS not so very long ago. The newest member of the group, Matt the evolved apatasaur, glanced around at all the pained expressions. "What?" "This is just great!" snarled Stormfront, anxiety causing hir to reach automatically for hir swords, hir hands tightening around the hilts until hir hide was frighteningly white. None had anything positive to say about this new turn of events. Even Livingston considered taking a bite out of someone. As the original instigator of this entire mess, Dino was the best candidate. Dino shook himself out of his shock and straightened, pulling his tunic down in a Picard-esque manner. "Alright, everyone calm down. I'm sure this isn't a problem." Everyone in the party eyed the parasaur with mixtures of curiosity and disbelief. No one had the chance to reply to the obviously ludicrous statement, however, because just then the wail of sirens reached them again, causing everyone to stiffen and look around with wary caution. Livingston bristled and moved closer to Benjamin, upon whose shoulder Red huddled. "Is it a problem yet, Dinosorceror?" all three of Orelious' heads chimed. "Sounds like the cops are bringing back reinforcements," Wolfwings commented tightly. Everyone looked to Dino. Later he would wonder what he had done that was so great as to earn their trust and obedience, but there was really no room for rational thought at the moment. He reflected briefly on the fact that his Objects had been aboard the TURDIS, but he didn't have the time to dwell on it, as he might have liked. "Everyone into that alley," he ordered and was surprised by how immediately they all did as he said. "Matt, do you know a back way out of this town?" "Well," Matt began as the group sprinted for the darkened alley. "Nevermind," said a new voice, "Escape wont be necessary." Dino stopped up short, skidding out of his reality and into a new one. The town melted away, as did the sound of sirens and his friends. He slipped and landed on his rump, sliding across an unseen black floor. Momentarily stunned, he blinked rapidly and looked around, hoping for some identifying landmarks or reference points. The only thing around him that seemed to have any sort of substance was the floor, which felt slick and smooth beneath him. "I am really getting tired of being teleported all over the frigging universe without warning," he growled lowly, so that whomever his new tormentor was would know he meant business. There was a low femine laugh from the darkness and a light slowly came up, allowing him to see his surroundings. He glanced around briefly, taking in the details as quickly as possible in case he needed the information later. He seemed to be in a waiting room of some type, for lounges lined the walls and there was some sort of holoviewer on a table in the corner. Piped in music reached his ears faintly. However, everything appeared to be made out of black glass, even the lounges, and the light that shown from the lamp on the ceiling was sucked mercilessly into the dull surfaces. A female stood before him, a beautiful silver maned, ocean eyed female wearing all black leather which fit her shapely body snugly. She smiled in a predatory way, showing fangs and serrated teeth. Her hide was a light mint color and she sported intricate dark stripes along all her curves and contours. Scales lined her eyes like shimmering green kohl. Dino squinted at her, frowning heavily, his hand going automatically to his Lens. "Welcome, Dinosorceror," she said with a low purrrrl in her voice. "I. . . don't I know you?" he blinked. "I do, I know I've seen you before." "You have," she nodded, "My name is Sa. I work for the Patriarch." Dino snapped his fingers. "Right! But. . . wait, I know I've seen you someplace else. . . but I cant remember. . ." "Good. It would get us both into trouble if you could." Sa tossed a bundle at him. "Put this on, Dinosorceror. The Patriarch has decided that this subterfuge must end. He wishes to meet with you." Dino growled again, narrowing his eyes as he stood. X's betrayal was still too fresh a wound and he knew she was connected to this Patriarch bozo. "I want nothing to do with him, toots. He's caused me enough trouble. Now, where are my friends and my TURDIS?" "Your friends are aboard the vessel, which is in good hands at the moment. You have no choice, Dinosorceror. Now put that on," she pointed to the bundle he held with the muzzle of a rather intimidating gun. Dinosorceror was not a fool, and that gun certainly did not look friendly, even though Sa's smile seemed warm and fond. Grudgingly, he removed the battered leather outfit he had been wearing for the last dozen or so episodes, and slipped into the clothes she had given him. She did not seem bothered by his brief show of nudity, though Dino's blue hide turned rather lavender with his blushing. The new outfit was, surprisingly, much like his old tunic, though made from a soft pliable leather of dark brown, and tied with an attractive rust colored sash. Ornamentation on the shoulders was simple but very appealing, and there was an odd triangular symbol on the tunic that was unfamiliar, but that he thought he should recognize. And for the first time in the entire Story Bored series, the Dinosorceror wore pants! Nice form fitting black leather ones that didn't leave much to the imagination, (the author pauses to fan herself *ahem*) and boots that were apparently made to fit the shape of his feet, also black leather. Despite the rather annoying present situation, Dino decided he liked the clothes a lot, and felt rather dapper wearing them. "Very nice," Sa agreed in an appreciative tone. "Now follow me." As she led him through the black glass corridors, Dino tried to memorize the route they took, and locations of all the side halls and doors they passed, but gave up after a while. Even though both Jerhevon and X had stressed the importance of always knowing where he was, there was no way he could keep track of the maze of identical corridors Sa lead him through. To further add to his bewilderment, the halls were often occupied by others, more beings the same species as Sa, all dressed in fine clothes, all peering at Dino with mixtures of interest and puzzlement. Though not exactly sure if he was a prisoner or not, he stuck close to Sa, since she was the only being there he was even remotely familiar with. At last they crossed an immensely large hall, black glass decorated with silver trimming, and stopped before a huge set of double doors. The doors were wrought from some sinister looking black metal and embossed with an impressive seal which Dino could make no sense of. Sa turned to him, and immediately caught his full attention with the shimmering color of her ocean eyes. "This is it, Dinosorceror," she told him, sliding the gun into the holster on her shapely hip. Dino felt a thrill of terror shiver through him and somehow, even though he did not know what was going on, he sensed that this would be one of the most important moments of his life. He was so right. Though he was not aware of this, cultures would sing and tell stories of this moment for hundreds of years to come. The Return of the Dinosorceror. Sa opened the double doors. Immediately Dino heard the murmurs from the conversations of many beings. They stepped through the door and Dino was stunned by the sight which lay before his vision. The hall extended away from him, a red blaze in the black glass floor showing the way, to a dais at the far end of the room. At the top of the dais sat the Patriarch, but it was a few moments before Dino even looked at his antagonizer. He was more interested in the literally hundreds of beings that filled the massive hall on either side of the red stripe. He had never imagined so many different types of creatures. Sizes ranged from bogglingly huge dracoforms to teeny little skinks. Every conceivable color was represented, every body plan, every metabolism, every pylogenic group, though it appeared the majority of the gathered crowd was reptilian. Dino was beyond shock, but even moreso when all the conversation stopped and every eye or photo receptor in the hall turned to look at him. Atop the dais, the Patriarch stood from his throne and all his advisors and generals turned their attention towards the parasaur in the doorway. Beside him, a red uniformed guard cleared his throat and announced in a booming voice, "My Lord! Presenting the Dinosorceror of Lava Dome IV!" Dino blinked. Lava- what? He was about to open his mouth and ask, but Sa nudged him forward and he took her cue to follow the red blaze from the door to the dais, Sa following silently one step behind him and to his right. As he proceeded, all the hundreds assembled there watched him raptly, many bowing as he passed. There were whispers of his name, spoken with awe and reverence. At last he reached the base of the dais and looked up at the Patriarch. He was further surprised. The Patriarch was not what he had expected, though he was not sure just what he had been expecting. The Patriarch was the same species as Sa, with the pale striped hide and silvery mane, and his eyes were an oddly pearlescent blue-grey color. But he appeared to be no older then a human male of seventeen. "Welcome, Dinosorceror, to my Court." The Patriarch said with a warm disarming smile. Dino was surprised for a moment until he realized that smile did not extend to the Patriarch's eyes. They were glittering coldly, and that sent a tremor of warning through Dino, obviously the Patriarch was presenting a front for the gathered masses. Dino decided it would be best to play the same game for the moment. "I am honored, Patriarch," he replied in his best diplomatic voice. Those gathered seemed pleased by that and the tension in the room relaxed considerably. The Patriarch allowed a brief knowing smirk to cross his lips then gestured to the room at large. "The Dinosorceror and I have much to discuss, please continue the celebration." He gestured to Sa, and the female immediately nudged Dino to follow the Patriarch. Another male of the same species also followed and the small group left the hall through an inconspicuous side door. Sa shut the door behind them, cutting of the noises of excited conversation and cueing music. The Patriarch led them to another chamber, a small round chamber with a central display stand. Protected by a shimmering force shield, Dino saw an object he did not exactly understand, but he was drawn to it immediately. It appeared to have been made of silver, and was wrought with intricate designs and whorls along its entire length. It almost looked like a scepter, with a large ruby set at one end. Along its length seven small foreign objects had been set into the design as if they belonged there. Dino could see many more open spots waiting to be filled. He did not know what he was looking at, but realized that the objects set into the scepter were the seven Objects that Selsun had given X. The remaining holes were obviously for the remaining Objects. His hand immediately went to his Lens and he wrapped his fingers protectively around it. The Patriarch chuckled, folding his arms and standing across from Dino on the other side of the force shield. Sa and the other male stood by the door. Dino did not like the hostile gleam of the other male's oddly pale blue eyes. He decided to not worry about it at the moment, however and turned his attention to the Patriarch. He straightened and did his very best to be forceful and strong. Later, when he actually had time to think about what had happened, Dino would be pleased with how well he performed. "I want an explanation, Patriarch." The Patriarch tipped his head with a smirk, "I expected that you would, Dinosorceror." Irritation flashed through Dino. "Well, lets have it." The Patriarch waved a casual hand at the scepter, "This is the Scepter. It is symbolic of the rule of the Patriarch and is an ancient family heirloom. It is more formally known as the Aperture." "Aperture?" The Patriarch shifted his stance, as if he was settling in for a long story. His eyes still glittered with the same hostile light as before, however. Dino could tell that it was just irritating the Patriarch to no end to have to talk to him one on one, as equals. Dino was beginning to wonder why he had bothered. If he was so all-powerful, why had the Patriarch brought him here to talk? "You come from a noble line of leaders, Dinosorceror, extending back into the hazy beginnings of shared galactic time. The Dinosorcerors have long been a symbol of unity and hope, especially for the reptilian based species of the galaxy. Indeed every culture has at least some fragmentary memory or legend of the Dinosorceror. On your own planet, however, these legends were lost when the native culture of dinosaurs was accidentally destroyed. Though not exactly a ruler himself, the Dinosorceror has always been a leader, a savior if you will, a champion for justice and the rights of all reptilian based species. "During the time of the Dinosorceror of Lava Dome II, however, there was a great threat to the reptilians of the galaxy. While my Patriarch ancestor fought to defeat the menace, he worked as a team with the Dinosorceror to heal those on the frontlines, to save the worlds decimated by the enemy. To do this, they used the power of the Device, but when that power inadvertently fell into the wrong hands, the Dinosorceror and the Patriarch made a great sacrifice and together they combined powers and tore the Device apart, scattering its components throughout time and the universe." "The Objects," Dino said quietly. The Patriarch nodded. "The Dinosorceror was forced into hiding, only the Patriarch knew of his whereabouts. As time passed and the menace was finally defeated, the Dinosorceror became little more then a legend. Patriarchs came and went and my noble heritage, I am ashamed to say, became corrupt. The Dinosorceror could no longer rely on us. He, in fact, was forced to work against us, picking up the pieces when we destroyed worlds, helping the survivors of wars we began. "But this changed during the rule of the Patriarch before me. He put a stop to the corruption, and the latest Dinosorceror, of Lava Dome III, came out of hiding once again. He met with the Patriarch and they discussed the missing pieces of the Device. They made the discovery that the Scepter the line of Patriarchs had always held was actually the Aperture of the Device and that all the missing Objects would fit into it and form the Device itself. With the Patriarch's blessing, the Dinosorceror set out to search for the missing Objects, but once the word got out about the Device and its legendary power, the Dinosorceror was thrawted at every turn by more then one nasty with evil intent." Dino growled lowly in his throat, "Like Cera. . ." The Patriarch smiled with a low laugh, "Yes, like Cera. I have quite the history with that one." Dino's eyes widened, "History? Surely you don't mean. . ." The Patriarch thhbted, "Of course not! But I did date her younger, smarter, cuter and larger chested sister, and Cera never really got over that." Dino let it pass, "So while he was looking for the Objects, he crashed. . ." "He was foully killed," Sa interrupted. Dino missed a beat, absorbing that information, "and with his last bit of strength he chose me to be his successor." "Chose is a rather strong word," the Patriarch mused, "Rather, you were the only one available at the time. Seeing that you were hopelessly inexperienced, I sent X to act as your bodyguard until you got the hang of things. Unfortunately, she is a bit high strung, isn't she? She rather botched things before I had the chance to break the whole story to you gently." Dino drew in a breath, "And where is X now?" Somewhere in the back of his mind, Dino had been looking for X in the gathered crowd in the Hall, but had not seen her. Why he should even still be interested he was not sure. The Patriarch shrugged as though he did not really care, which he didn't. "I haven't the slightest. She's a merc, Dinosorceror. She got her pay and took off. Don't expect to ever see her again." Dino sighed mentally. "Alright. Its apparent that you have no wish to make a new alliance with me as our ancestors did, I can tell you don't like me. So why am I even here talking to you? Why are you bothering to tell me this nice little story? You have me, I assume you have my ship. You could kill me at any time and take my Objects." The Patriarch appeared rather annoyed that Dinosorceror had brought up this point. He ground his undifferentiated teeth together ever so slightly, but Dino could plainly see that the Patriarch was most vexed by something. The ruler of the galaxy took a breath then said steadily, "Because I need you, Dinosorceror." Dino blinked slowly, then grinned in the most irritating way he knew how. Folding his arms, he relaxed his stance and chuckled, "Oh really? And would you care to explain that, oh absolute ruler of the galaxy?" The Patriarch's eyes darkened. "Many of my people are hurting, Dinosorceror, many reptilian races are being forced from their homes and planets by other species that do not understand. There is much pain out there, and the Dinosorceror has always been the only hope many of these races have. You are the Dinosorceror. You've been wondering about your destiny, well here it is, buster. You are a symbol, a beacon, you are all these people have. Your path will take you out into the galaxy, to give hope and joy where I cannot. I can rule them, Dinosorceror, I can rebuild their cities or finance their wars, or help them develop their resources, but only you can save their spirits." Dino was quiet for a long moment, impressed in spite of himself at the Patriarch's admission of the truth. It was so that a ruler could do everything for his people, except heal their souls, but was this really Dino's destiny? "Okay then, why do I need you?" Dino asked with a frown, "You want me to heal your people, why don't you just give me the Objects and Aperture and let me go about my business?" Now the Patriarch smiled, a crafty evil smile that Dino did not at all like. The Patriarch flicked a switch on the stand which shut off the force field surrounding the unfinished Device. "If you want it, Dinosorceror, then take it." The other male in the room pulled a weapon that looked disturbingly like a lightsaber and moved forward in defense of the cherished heirloom, but the Patriarch held his hand up to halt him, while Dino grabbed his Lens defensively, startled. "Its alright, Commander, the Dinosorceror may take it if he can," the Patriarch smiled again, his gaze shifting to Dino, "My bodyguard, he's very protective of the Device, as you can understand. But go ahead." Dino knew this had to be a trick, his nerve endings sang as he reached forward to wrap his hand around the inviting silver Scepter, seven of the missing Objects and the power to heal the galaxy. An arch of pure energy rose from the Scepter and Dino was zapped painfully, knocked back into Sa who caught him easily. His entire body twitched for several seconds as the white hot power blazed through him. The Patriarch laughed and reached for the Scepter himself. He wrapped his hand around it with no ill effects and held it with an imperious smile. "This is why you need me, Dinosorceror. As I said, this Scepter has been in my family since time beyond beginning. It is intune with the DNA signature of the line of Patriarchs. In this whole universe, I am the only one alive who can touch it." As she set him back on his feet, Sa quickly whispered in Dino's ear something he was careful not to react to. "He lies, Dino. He is not the only one." The Patriarch apparently missed the whisper. He put the Device back and reactivated the shield. "What now?" Dino asked, straightening his new tunic briskly. "Continue your search for the Objects, Dinosorceror, and I will assist you in anyway I can," the Patriarch said evenly, "You have but to ask. As for the 13 Objects you now hold," he paused for a moment, "They would be safe here, on the Aperture," he gestured at the Device. Dino heard warning bells go off in his head. "No thank you, Patriarch. I think I would rather keep them with me. . . for insurance." The Patriarch grinned, "As you wish, my friend. Now that we have reached an understanding, return to the Hall with me and let the races see you again. Word of your return will travel quickly throughout the galaxy, Dinosorceror, and that alone will bring hope to those who need it." Almost a full day later, Dino wandered silently around the seemingly endless corridors of the TURDIS. After he had spent a confusing evening greeting the delegates of hundreds of races, the Patriarch had sent him back to his vessel which had been teleported into a stationary orbit around Earth. Everyone was thrilled to see him back, and had listened in wonder to his tale of meeting the Patriarch and attending the huge function. They all agreed that he had done the right thing by keeping his 13 Objects out of the Patriarch's reach, and Dino had decided to maintain the orbit until he could decide his next move. It was shipboard night and everyone except Dino was asleep. He was restless with worries over his new responsibilities, concerns for his friends who seemed more then content to stay at his side, and anxiety over this shaky understanding with the ruler of the galaxy. He ended up at the onboard McDonalds, nursing a supersize coke and wondering what the hell he was suppose to do next. As he was sitting there, he felt a bump against the side of the TURDIS. Before he could react, a familiar white light portal opened up in front of his booth. He jumped up, grabbing his Lens, ready for anything, he hoped. As he expected, X stepped through the portal, followed by a young man he had never seen before. He was a grayish blue color, with white hair, wearing a riot vest with what looked to be enough armament to take over a small planet. Most of the right side of his head had been replaced by cybernetics, as well as his right arm. His remaining eye was a brilliant sapphire color. "X!" Dino stammered. She chrrred quietly, eyeing him with a slight lifting of her lips. "Dinosorceror. This is my partner Kaz," she introduced coolly. Kaz nodded with a friendly smile that put Dino on edge. "A pleasure, Dinosorceror. Been hearing all about you." "Great," Dino groaned, then eyed the raptoress warily, "X, what brings you by?" It occurred to Dino that he should be worried about folks being able to get on and off his ship so easily. "I was hired to deliver a message to you," she said flatly. Dino sighed. Was this the only way she'd ever come to visit, when she was hired to? He felt abit hurt but remembered that she really had no loyalties to him. She'd been paid to watch his ass, and to her he was just another job. He shook his head, "Fine. From who?" "Nevermind. I am suppose to tell you this: Your predecessor maintained a stronghold that the Patriarch neglected to tell you about." "That doesn't surprise me. Despite what he says, I think it irks him that he can't just kill me and use the Device himself." "Yes, it does," Kaz volunteered. "Anyway," X tossed an annoyed snarl at her partner which he merrily ignored, "It is suggested that you go and make use of the weapons and equipment stored there, make yourself as independent from the Patriarch as you can." Dino thought he might know who sent the message, and pondered that for a moment. "Stronghold, heh? And where is this stronghold?" X smirked, "Hoth." Dino blinked, having lost hold of the conversation, "Um, Hoth?" Both X and Kaz nodded. Dino clenched his fists in irritation, "No no no. Hoth is not a real place. Hoth was the name of one of the planets in the Star Wars Trilogy. It was made up by George Lucas. Hoth is a very cold planet that does not exist." X looked at him for a moment then stepped closer, close enough that Dino could feel the warmth of the breath she exhaled, "Dino, you are going to find that much of what you thought was reality actually isn't, and what you thought wasnt actually is," she told him lowly, "That is the second law of surviving in the Universe." Dino stammered a bit at having the raptor step so close to him again. The scars on his chest that she had inflicted throbbed slightly in response to her presence. "Second law? What's the first law?" "Assume nothing," she growled in her throat. Kaz cleared his own throat, "X? We had places to be," he reminded. "One moment," X stepped in closer to Dino, who was half inclined to go over the top of the booth, but remained where he was. X leaned forward and gave him a sharp nip on the chin, then grinned savagely, "So long, Dinosorceror." "X, wait," he said as she turned to leave. She stopped and looked back at him expectantly. Dino was not sure what to say, what parting words would carry the most meaning. He settled on, "Will I see you again?" She sneered, "Sure, if you make it worth my while!" Dino watched as X followed Kaz back into the portal, which winked out of existence as soon as they were gone. Slowly, he sat to finish his drink and contemplate this new information which he knew that Sa had sent him. Back aboard Kaz's ship, KITTEN, heading away from the TURDIS and Earth as fast as possible, X paused in the common area and beamed triumphantly at Kaz as he came back from the cockpit. "Well?" he asked. X flashed a toothy grin and held up a shimmering Lens hanging from a long silver chain. "The 4-Dimensional Lens," she proclaimed proudly, letting the Lens swing from her talons. "Nifty. How much do you think the Patriarch will give you for it?" X shrugged, narrowing her eyes is fiendish delight, "Who cares? I'm not turning this one over to him." Kaz's remaining eye widened, "You're not? Jenn, if he finds out you have that he'll hunt you down like a rat. Where could you possibly sell it? No one knows what it is!" X did not even blink as Kaz called her by her given name, he was one of the few she allowed that privilege to, "I'm not going to sell it, Silverfish. I'm going to keep it, and when those two have all of the Objects they need for the Device, this will be the only one remaining, and they will pay very very dearly to get it back," she grinned, placing the chain around her own neck, where she knew it was the safest. "That's a rather dangerous game, Jenn," Kaz commented. X's eyes twinkled with glee, "Don't I know it," then she paused to muse, "I wonder how long it will take before Dinosorceror notices that its gone." ------------------------------------------- Over to you Phil!! .*&#, ______, ##mmWWWU-^~ -' `^4Xz. Jenn _7/ Joy and Raptors! raptor@mosquitonet.com -Raptor X- I'm a _bean BURRITO!!