Lord of the Cross

..........................................The merch end the cross.........................................


         This world was once a vast green place, the only inhabitants were nature and the race of humanoids known as Nalwar.  These were very elegant and inteligent people that were obsessed with nature.  This was all untill they arived, a barbaric people from a far away world.  At first only one ship appeared but then more came.  The ships always landed near water, contaminating water supplys.  This caused a sudden change in the plant life of the planet.  The plants lost there colors and became dull grays untill most plants just dissapeared. 
         
         The Nalwar tried to make them leave but they stood no chance on a battle feild, so they became more resourcefull. Over the years there white clothes have gone the way of the world, browns and greys.  The once elegant people now live in hidden caves and the tops of what trees remain.  The strange people that arrived on the planet now developped a name, they are known as Cross.  They got this name from the Nalwar who noticed there large Cross statues they put on large buildings and ships, but soon they accepted the name and began calling themselves the Cross.  These people lived comfortably in there massive buildings and fancy clothes, but in an attempt to fully controll they planet, they sent there young adults to deep parts of the forests to eliminate the Nalwar.


         "Look at this place, its beautiful" One of the Cross soldiers said in a static filled voice over the radio. "Yeah its hard to believe the whole planet looked like this once." Another replied with astonishment as the group of soldiers searched the forest.  They were on an extermination mission, hunting Nalwar. "You see that on the tree, its one of there symbols." The first soldier shined his light on a large marking carved into the side of a tree. " I read that marking means--"

         An un imaginable sound of a long range Nalwar rifle shoock the trees with a loud bang. Then another shot, followed by another, untill all the cross soldiers were dead.  This was the job of Aluck, to defend the Eastern forest by any means.  He has no superior officer like the cross, no Nalwar did. They simply did there part.  He quickly grabbed the side of his gun and stood up, listening to the sounds around him.  The birds began moving again and a large ant eater ran into the now safe forest.  This was an example of the connection and trust between the Nalware and nature. 

         Aluck had killed off all the Cross in his area and now he was preparing to head threw one of the most dangerous areas for a Nalwar, the area was known simply as the wasteland.  Its the desert like area between the remaining forest and the Cross territory.  Ironicaly one of the largest native trading markets is built along the wall surrounding a cross city. This is wear not only the Nalwar meet but also a couple other intelegent species that lived there, this was why the cross left it alone.  They were at war with the Nalwar, not the entire planet.  The other species gave in and accepted the Cross.

         The small Nalwars small right boot was strapped back on and he placed his hat over his face, putting a dark shadow over the top of his face. Then he checked his ammo, practiced pulling his small machine pistol out of his holster, and last but not least; took a bight from a purple glowing fruit. After placing it back in his pocket he checked around him for any sign of cross soldiers.  The coast was clear and Nalwar pressed on across the grey and brown wastes ahead.  He passed large skeletons of four legged beasts and the occasional dead body. The odd thing about the wasteland is that bodies seemed to loose any feature that made them Nalwar or Cross....or any other creature for that matter.  All the bodys were the same 2 legged sacks of skin.

         At one point Aluck was forced to dive behind a rock and hide.  A Large caravan of merches were heading off, these were one of the few species that originaly inhabited this place.  They looked run down, with there backs hunched over making them very strong.  Althought they were freindly to both Nalwar and cross, Aluck wasnt taking any chances.  Not to mention mass numbers of merches moving together was odd enough, but a large number of them carrying large rectangular boxes was just unheard of.  The only markings on the box were bolts drilled into the boxes to hold them together.  A large Merch lead them carrying a massive rifle.  This was extremely out of place since they had no enemies, but everyone one of them had a gun of some sort on themselves.  Alucks guess was that they were preparing for war, but what side were they fighting for.

         Finaly the caravan passed and Aluck carryied on, he couldn't stop thinking about of the odd thing that he just witnessed.  That wasnt the last thing he saw small cross ships fly by over head. They shook the ground and caused small dust storms.  The wastes were alive today with an amount of activity he had never seen before.  Then to top it all off, Aluck took a break under a large rock structure only to be interrupted.  A merch had placed a shotgun barrel firmly to his forehead.  "Whats a Nalwar crossiing the wastes for?" The Merch asked. "I'm heading for the market." This reply seemed to astonish the merch. "Haven't you heard! The cross have began a massive extermination! They started at the market." Alucks stomach dropped, for once in a long time, he felt fear. The merch could since his fear and then threw the gun on the ground and helped the small Nalwar up.  "You have a large rifle for such a small person..." The merch noticed the massive long range rifle that Aluck had sitting next to himself. "Im a sniper, my jobs to shoot Cross soldiers that pose a threat to nature."  The merch built a great smile and let out a cheer. "Oh thanks the lords, your not one of them sinister Nalwar....The cross built an army of nalwar traders, the bastards."

         Aluck had never heard of Nalwars helping the cross, he was always taught to never give in to them. He couldn't even imagine it, the cross stood against everything the Nalwar were for.  "What do these Nalwar look like?" He asked the lurch who laughed a little at the question, "well there alot like you, they just got themselves some black armor. Actualy pretty cool looken stuff, if you ever find some you should steal it and repaint it....You know so you dont get yourselves shot up."  Then the merch looked around like something was coming, "I've got to go, keep your eyes peeled for black tek wolves." The last part about some kind of wolf was very odd, Aluck had no idea what he was reffering to. But then again merch were very religous people so he left it alone, but he did stopped the merch. "Wait, where are you going?"  The merch picked up his shotgun and smiled. Aluck undestood and noded, he didnt know the mans name but he felt an unbreakable bond. "Where are you going my little freind?"

         "Im not realy sure, I proably need to get to market and check things out..." The merch jumped forward putting both hands on Alucks shoulders, "Look at me, do not go there. What isnt controlled is destroyed and killed. If you have no where else to go, join me"  The merches words shook Alucks insides, made him feel sick. He was in a corner, he had no choice. "Yeah...I'll join you. Whats your name though?"

         "Well my names Antook, I was born and raised in market! Now we head for the great battle of our time! We fight for the freedom of the Merch capitol of the word, Bando city!  The cross moved in under our radar, they said they needed a place to rest.....more and more bagan to appear untill our own people were pushed out.  My people simply moved to Market, but now we've had enough."  Aluck liked the sound of this, maybe he could help out after all. He then remember the Merches carrying the large boxes. "Antook, why are merches carrying large boxes away from market?"

         "Oh my small freind, those boxes are our secret weapons. Massive cannons, these things can peirce any armor, any wall.  Those cannons will get to the batlle field and destroy everything, we put them on spinning platforms that shoot in all directions!  All the diffrent remaining merch cities will bring there own peice, market brings the cannon, another brings the turning device and then the last brings the wheels that allow it to move!"  At that moment the room began to shake, there was a loud rumble. Aluck went to hide but Antook stopped him, "At ease my freind, freindlys approach, rather large freindlys"  At that moment a large foot slammed the ground, the rumbling stobbed.  Now a loud horne shook the rock, so loud it made all Alucks hair stand up. Antoock took off out the door but Aluck stood behind taking out his rifle cautiously.  What he had feared was about to actualy happen, one of the crosses ships flew over head dropping bombs on the large freindly. "They've killed the eliphant! You bastards!."  Aluck signaled for the ignorant merch to come back, the enemy had to still be watching. Aluck was stealthy and could sneak away naturaly, but the merch were more barbaric and bulkey.

         Aluck finaly managed to calm the large brute down, then head off for Bando city.  They walked for days without seeing anythign realy interesting at all.  Thats the surreal thing about the wastes, it seems like theres nothing anywhere.  More trained minds like Aluck know theres always something somewhere, thats why he walked with his gun drawn.  Antook on the other hand walked without a care in the world, the merch were just bafoone like creatures. Its not that they were unintelegent, they were actualy very wise. They just had a goofy skeleton structure.  Although this merch may actualy be goofy after all, he told jokes and laughed the whole way there, untill the smell of smoke choked the air.  The two walked along a mountain ridge taking the high route to the city, this gave them a great view of the enemy army forming.  They had houndreds of vehicles and green tents with soldiers sleeping inside. They also sat up large breaching towers.  "Antook, i thought you said they already had the city? Why do they need the breaching towers?"

         "I guess they took it back!!" Antook pointed to a massive city in the distance with a castle like appearance, this city had been here since before the cross even arrived.  "Lets go little one" Antook yelled as he took off running. It was a the first time Aluck ran without his rifle ready for action, the first time he'd dropped his gaurd.  Somehow both of them knew for the moment they were safe.  The silloutes of freindlys peering over the walls was comforting, but there was still the feeling of war in the air.  Once they passed threw the gate, it slammed shut.  "Ok where to now?" Aluck yelled out, but the merch had ran off ahead into the city of merches.  He tried to pick up his trail but it was no use, he was gone. 

         
         Aluck decided he might as well get some ammo and help out, he found a nice low spot along the wall and set up his riffle. He looked back and forth threw his long scope trying to get it calibrated when he focused in on something curious.  It was a flower in the middle of a dead feild, but it was short lived.  A cross soldier smashed it with his large black boot.  A massive line of atleast a thousand foot soldiers approached. Everylast one of them was armed with large machine pistols and long pointy knives.  As they came near to the wall they stopped and everything fell silent.

         Then a houndreds of explosions ripped the approaching enemy to pieces, the merch's secret weapon had been assembled and was shooting from somewhere far off. Nearly a third of there forces were knocked out in one sweep, now it was up to the castle defenses. "Ready your weapons!" One fully armored merch yelled to his soldiers. Then the Cross moved there large towers to the front of the line and they began climbing there long ladders.  Aluck began to open fire on the soldiers that went up the ladders, killing a large number of them.  It was a waste of time after a while though, they just kept coming.  In just a couple of minutes they had spilled into the city in large numbers.  The merch used flame throwers and threw oil down onto the cross, that took out a large chunk of them.

         The chaos went on well threw the night and into the morning.  Aluck was forced to relocate many times since the enemys were just overwhelming, but there wasnt much farther back they could go.  The castle was running out of defenses, the battle was drawing to an end. That was untill the sound of sniper rifles filled the air. Aluck counted atleast 100 diffrent rifle flashes coming from the mountains nearby.  They're were so many of them shooting that the Merch quickly gained the advantage.  They pushed the Cross back out of the city then into the feild. From there the distant rifles took ever last one of them out.  The Nalwar had come to the aid of the the Merch. 

         Once the coast was clear the Nalwar people came down from the mountain and joined in the celebration. They were very polite people that were always cloacked in hoods or hats, and everyone of them had the Nalwars signature rifle.  The Nalwars leader wore much nicer clothes with gold triming and instead of a machine pistol in his holster, he had a large curved blade.  "Wheres your leader?" The king of the Nalwar demmanded to see the merch leader, then something unexpected happened. Antook ran foreword, now dressed in much nicer cloathing. "I am the king of the Merch! We thank you're people for aiding us in our time of need. Say, wheres Aluck?"

         "You know of aluck? Is he alive? Where is he?" The king suddnely became very interested, the Nalwar were a close nit people, everyone knows each other. Aluck then jump down from his hiding spot and approach his king, "I finished up and left for market, but i ran into Antook here...Why didn't you tell me you were a king?" Antook laughed at Alucks confusion, "Well small freind, you didnt ask!"

         "This is all interesting, but with all respects we must get to buisness here. We are forming an allience to rid the planet of The cross once and all! Shall you join us?" The king of Nalwar asked the antook who looked at him curiously. "An allience? Count us in, its time the green comes back to this world." 






............................................Endone................................................................


                                                                     The dark lord of the cross
                   "Look out this window, all that land out there.  See that small structure over there, it was ours.  Now....Now its not. Do you notice anything weird about that general area? Its all green, its all fucking colorfull! Now look over heres, its all grey. Its all fucking dead! Do you get what I'm saying here? Do you realy? Does it make sense to you at all? The green, the colors, I want it! I want ever last green piece of grass that grows! I want to be able to walk outside without out fucking coughing!" The Lord of the Cross spoke with his sickening voice, the crosses leader was losing his mind with greed.  They went from planet to planet destroying all the resources because of his greed. This was the first planet to be able to put up a fight though, it was driving him mad.  "I want every fucking ship in the god damn armada, and i want them now!" He threw a priceless airlume across the room as if it was rolled up airlume. It smashed on the wall and he let out a sinister laugh. "Only one in existence, ha!"

         The Cross people had many laws but the most important was to always obey, and never question, the Lord of the Cross. He was leader chosen by blood, but its been long known that the blood contained more then power.  It also had a small genetic trace of Dementia.  The lord that noone was aloud to question was literaly, out of his mind. Now this Lord was on a galactic rampage for the perfect planet, evertime he finds it,he over builds and pollutes it. Then the planet is left a wasteland, untill every inhabitant it dies of starvation.