Project TBX: The Teknabunnies Episode 1

Project TBX: The Teknabunnies


On the other side of our galaxy orbiting a gas giant is the Earth-like moon of Lapinia, the home to the Lapinans, a race of technologically advanced humanoid rabbits.
However, the Lapinans still face the same issues we do like famine, bigotry, disease, crime, death, and war.
It was Twelve years ago the great war between The Republic of New Galsa and The Kossikan Union broke out.
After the assassination of one of their ambassadors on New Galsan soil, Kossik unleashed a devastating attack on New Galsa, igniting an eight-year-long war.
When the war ended, Kossik found itself defeated, and New Galsa forced them into signing a peace treaty, an action that would begin a civil war soon after.
Many Kossikan refugees soon fled their nation and found their way to New Galsa and its Capital of Horizon city.
Unfortunately, among these refugees are members of the criminal group known as The Red Stars who have caused a wave of havoc and fear across the city.
Now many innocent Kossikans find themselves the targets of hatred by its brutal police force known as the Civil Legion.
As the city plunges into chaos, the mayor and the government officials have enlisted the Guardian Knights to protect the innocent Kossikans and bring down the Red Stars.
As events unfold the fates of two Guardian Knights will become the center of events that will alter their destinies forever…


Episode 01:
Rebirth part 1: Ralph and Sunny


The sun rose above Horizon City, its bright rays illuminated its futuristic center where most of the population lived.
One could barely tell that little over a decade ago, Kossikan missiles nearly obliterated this city. But thanks to Lapinan technology, it looks mostly untouched, though there are places where one can see the scars they left behind.
The sunlight soon filled the room of Guardian Knight Ralph Bunny, who lived in an apartment in the middle of the city.
His alarm blared off as he slowly awoke and shut it off, then got out of bed and prepared to go to work.
Ralph shared a lot in common with his Earth counterparts. He had four toes on his feet, a tail, long ears and five-digit hands, much like a human.
There were also things he shared with a human, as he was of average human male size and walked on two legs and had a decent build thanks to his training.
Ralph also had blue fur all over his body, something no Earth rabbit would have, and had a tuft of brown hair on his head, a quirk of Lapinan evolution.
He also had light blue eyes, which earned him the nickname “Blue” by his best friend and partner, Sunny Rabbiera.
He took his shower, then put on his Guardian Knight uniform. It was mostly green with strips of gray on it.
He then put on his hat and his badge, then came up to a shelf with a large photo and a ceremonial urn next to it.
The photo was of his late father, Ryan Bunny, who had black hair and blue eyes. He had died trying to stop the assassination that started the war, unfortunately his sacrifice was in vain as the ambassador died and the war began soon after.
“Hello Dad,” he said as his ears drooped a little “I wish you were here.”
Ralph then gave his father’s photo a salute, grabbed the keys to his hovercar and soon left his apartment. He then started his Guardian Knight hover car and then drove off.
He drove his way through the streets of the great metropolis he called home, and it wasn’t long before he arrived at the apartment of his friend.
In front of her apartment stood Sunny Rabbiera, who gave him a wave as he drove by.
Thanks to her training in both the army and the Guardian knights, she was fairly muscular for a Lapinan woman.
She was of average human female height and had magenta fur all over her body.
She had emerald green eyes and short golden hair, Ralph stopped the vehicle, and she soon got in.
“Good Mornin Blue!” she said with her ears pointed up excitedly “Ready for work?”
Ralph nodded, “You bet Sunny, as always.”
But then Sunny gave him a slight scowl, “Well, you don’t sound like it.”
Ralph started driving off as he said, “Oh, I am, it’s just that I have had a lot on my mind as of late.”
Sunny’s ears perked a little “Uh oh, looks like that big brain of yours is at work again, dare to tell me what you got in mind?”
Ralph gave a laugh, “Not now Sunny, but trust me the Captain will like what I have to say.”
Sunny gave a smile as her ears perked to the side, “Ooh, you are going to finally gonna show that big brain of yours to the Cap then?”
Ralph gave a slight nod “Yeah well I didn’t want to do it sooner as I didn’t want him to show me any favoritism because he was my father’s partner.”
Sunny shrugged, “Suppose so, but I think he knows already how smart you are after taking those tests and all that. Still, I wish you would speak up more, I like you Blue, but you are too quiet sometimes. It’s a waste of that brain of yours I swear!”
Ralph nodded a bit as he paid attention to the road, “Yeah, but we are still new to the Knights and I didn’t want to overstep myself.”
Sunny’s ears tilted “But Blue you have been with the Knights far longer than me and its about time you began showing off how smart you are.”
Ralph nodded, “Yeah, you’re right, Sunny.”
Sunny smiled, “You know I am. I mean if it’s anyone who they should pick on it’s me because I was in the army and the Knights rarely recruit people like me. Gotta be honest, I thought I might have to join up with those brutes in the Civil Legion. I mean, it’s bad enough we have to babysit those wannabe soldiers, but the thought of being one of them makes me sick.”
Ralph then laughed, “No you are way too smart to be one of them Sunny, even bull roaches are smarter than those thugs with badges! Besides, the Knights can see that you have no malice in you despite what you did in the war.”
Sunny sighed “Yeah, but there are lotsa things I regret doing though.”
Ralph gave an understanding nod “Well yeah but I think they see you regret it, that is far above the likes of those in the Civil Legion. Those jerks abuse their power with no remorse. You are better than that, Sunny and the Captain knows it.”
Sunny’s ears tilted, “Well, that and Captain Haddenburg knew I would pester him until the end of time unless he let me in.”
“Yeah, I can imagine you screaming at him every day if you had to.” said Ralph with a laugh.
Sunny gave a wide smile, “You know I would, he would be on his deathbed before he heard the end of me!”
“And that’s why I like you Sunny,” replied Ralph with a smile “always persistent.”
The hovercar soon pulled into headquarters and the two got out, unaware of the events unfolding on the other side of the city…


In the warehouse district of Horizon City, down by its riverfront, was the hidden base of the Red Stars.
On the outside it seemed like it was a normal warehouse, but inside was the home of the Red Stars and their leader Yeltsik Vladimir Rabbinitski.
Yeltsik had yellow fur and wore a military uniform. Yeltsik had black hair and only one brown eye, forcing him to wear an eye patch on the left side of his face.
His wife Galena Rabbinitski came up from behind him and asked, “So are we nearly ready to begin?”
Like her husband, she had yellowish fur but had brown hair instead of the normal Kossikan black.
“Yes, my love,” he began, “everything is in line for my plan. We will soon have the Prawnoid power armors and the Mekrab Power armors in our clutches. It is Ironic we use the weapons of our enemies, but we have stolen parts for them for years. We only need a few parts, then our plans will be complete.”
Galena gave a smile, “Then it’s finally time for your plan to bear its fruits.”
Yeltsik nodded, “Yes, and it’s been a long time coming, but we needed the resources. I must admit that getting them took great effort. But my mentor once told me one does not declare war on another nation without preparation.”
“That is clear,” Galena replied, “but my love, I still think this is going to go wrong. Our side may win the civil war back home, but here we are all but isolated from our comrades. I only hope our side will be victorious. We must not have New Galsa win again.”
“That is why we are in the capital of this foul nation, Galena. If my plan works Horizon City will be our hostage for our nation’s freedom and the New Galsan government will have no choice but to give us what we want!”
“It’s a brave and bold plan, and I am sure by the time we complete this mission the civil war will be over. I bet our side will assist you in any way it can. But what about our other enemy?”
Yeltsik smiled, “Don’t worry about them, this city is their base of operations as well and once it’s cut off I assure you, they will falter.”
“As you say, my love, but still I have this belief that our fortunes may not go as you wish.”
“I understand, but I must not stop until at least one of our enemies pays, I refuse to give up at this vital stage of our mission. I will alert Anton when we are ready to strike.”
Galena soon asked, “And you will watch them with the drone, I take it?”
Yeltsik nodded, “This operation could draw in the Guardian Knights, and we may have to fight them. This is our largest and most important mission yet, and we dare not fail. A fire is coming Galena and I will be the one to light the match.”
“I hope we will succeed.” Galena replied with a sigh.
“As do I” Yeltsik replied. He soon began preparing his remote drone and then contacted his cohort, Anton.
“Anton, begin the operation! Head out along the underground routes I plotted and you will arrive in under ten minutes!”
“Yes, sir!” said Anton as Anton headed out.
“Yes, it will not be long now” Yeltsik said with an enormous smile as thoughts of victory began swelling in his head, “The day of revenge is soon upon us!”


Ralph and Sunny entered the Guardian Knight Headquarters, and Commander Jane Valentine greeted them by the door.
She was a little smaller and older than the two and had greenish fur, black hair and green eyes which earned her the nickname “Froggy” by Sunny when not on duty.
“Hello, you two good morning!” she said.
“Morning Yourself Commander,” Ralph replied.
“Morning Froggy!” said Sunny with a smile.
Commander Valentine frowned, “I wish you would stop calling me that nickname off duty. I mean it’s amusing and all but everyone else here is calling me that off duty too.”
“Well, I only call you that because I like you Froggy! Besides, I use your rank all the other time and it’s not like I don’t respect you.”
Commander Valentine pouted a bit and said, “Anyhow you two are right in time, the Captain is about to give the daily briefing. Suit up, I will keep him waiting for you.”
“Yes, mam!” the two said simultaneously.
The two went to their lockers, and the pair suited up in their Guardian Knight armor that had all kinds of tech including body cameras, microphones and other hardware.
The Guardian Knights and the Civil Legion used these tools to ensure they would not overstep their boundaries, but The Civil Legion ignored them in their brutish approach to law enforcement.
After suiting up, the two then reached the briefing room Captain Johnathan Haddenburg boomed “Ah good you are right on time Guardians Bunny and Rabbiera!”
He was an all brown Lapinan compared to the assorted coloring of most others. He was tall and broad and loomed over nearly anyone around him.
“Well, it looks like we have another busy day.” he bellowed “The Mayor called me and it looks like The Civil Legion is already harassing many innocent Kossikans, so I have assigned the following Guardians to the following patrols…”
He quickly pulled out duty folders and walked around the briefing room “Guardians Conroy and Lewis,” he said handing them a duty folder “I want you to patrol Terrytown and Brooks.”
Captain Haddenburg moved on to Guardians McCoy and Trent and said, “you two will patrol Wilsonville and Weyside.”
“Guardians Jackson and Myers,” he said as he moved on, “you got Eddywood and Philburt.”
He soon came up to Ralph and Sunny and said, “Finally Guardians Bunny and Rabbiera you got Bryer’s and Honey corner.”
Ralph then stood up and said, “Sir, may I speak for a moment?”
Captain Haddenburg nodded, “Sure, go ahead, Guardian Bunny.”
“Yes Captain, I have been doing some homework by scoping the records of the Civil Legion and I think I discovered where they will hit next.”
Haddenburg’s ears tilted, “Please go on.”
“There are many reports of Red Star activity around several key points such as major financial and industrial centers, but I think it is all a ruse to trick us.”
Sunny chortled, “Like those clowns over at the Civil Legion would ever notice!”
Captain Haddenburg nodded “Continue.”
Ralph soon pulled a holo cube out of his pocket and it projected a large factory in the industrial center of the city.
“This is the Millstone building where they manufacture the power armors for the army, and it is here where I think they will strike next.”
Captain Haddenburg looked surprised “Are you suggesting that they want to steal those power armors to declare war on our streets?”
Ralph nodded, “I am afraid so Captain, I have looked over the data many times and it’s not pretty.”
Captain Haddenburg gave another nod, “Well, until that time comes, I need you guys on your patrol. If the Red Stars know that we are on to them they may strike another target. Plus, no offense Guardian Bunny but you could be wrong about all this, you may be smart but that doesn’t mean you can’t be wrong.”
Ralph gave an understanding nod, “I agree sir, but I am glad you let me speak.”
“Not a problem, Guardian Bunny. As for those I did not call, you shall remain here until we need you. Does anyone else have something to say?”
Ralph then saw Sunny giving Haddenburg a nasty glare and could tell she wanted to tell him off.
He had seen Sunny like this before, so he put his hand on her shoulder, and she slowly calmed down.
After some time Captain Haddenburg then yelled, “Dismissed!”
Soon Ralph, Sunny and the other Knights all left the room and soon went to their patrols in the city.
Ralph and Sunny got back into the hover car and Ralph drove off from the station, Ralph was quiet as Sunny spoke. “Hey Blue, I am proud of you, it’s too bad that stinking Captain Haddenburg had to shoot you down like that!”
“Hey don’t be too mad at him Sunny, besides I agree with him I can be wrong about the next target.” Ralph said with a shrug, “Though it’s hard to shake off what my gut is telling me. I mean you served in the military Sunny, you understand where I am coming from.”
Sunny laughed, “Yeah, those butterflies you get when going into the field, both soldiers and Guardian Knights can have it.” Sunny then paused for a second, “Your father must have had them many times, he must have had them when…. Well, you know.”
Ralph gave a quiet nod, “Yeah, perhaps he did, though I don’t remember him mentioning it to us.”
“I think he didn’t want to worry you,” she said with a somber tone “sorry for bringing it up, Ralph.”
Ralph knew when Sunny didn’t use his nickname she was being sincere and said, “Hey don’t worry about it, Dad understood the risks as did I.”
As they made their way to their patrol area, the two soon saw an old Kossikan male being harassed by two Civil Legion thugs. They looked like they knocked the elderly Lapinan down, and he appeared to be in pain.
The elderly Lapinan wore a rather Edwardian garb and was carrying a cane. He had yellowish fur and a pointy white beard on his face and snowy gray hair on his head.
Ralph put the car to a stop and parked it, then hastily got out of the hovercar to face the Civil Legion thugs.
Ralph came up to them first and cried, “What’s going on over here?”
The two Legionaries turned to them and spat, “Mind your own business, Guardians!”
They had dark blue uniforms with thick body armor, and Ralph couldn’t help notice that the two thugs had their badges taped up, and neither had their bodycams on their outfits.
Sunny noticed this too and spat, “Hey look at these cowards Blue, too afraid to show their names! And I see they don’t have bodycams either, the nerve of them!”
“Shut up!” one legionary spat.
“We are the law here, not you, this is a Kossikan criminal, and he is in our custody!” the other cried.
“On what charge?” Ralph scolded.
“Being a Red Star operative, I have a witness who has claimed he was in league with them!” The Legionary shouted with his voice sounding more angry.
Ralph’s ears tilted, “And do have more proof than that?”
“It’s all the proof I need!” cried the Legionary.
“Witnesses can make mistakes,” said Sunny with a huff “besides it’s no reason to beat him to the ground like that!”
“We will do what we want!” cried the other “Now leave, or we will force you out!”
But Ralph waved a finger at them, “No way, without cameras or badges of identification, you have no rights here!”
“But Blue we both have our cameras on, and our badges in plain view you know what that means!” said Sunny with an enormous smile on her face.
“Sure do!” Ralph replied he also gave a big grin, “That means we can do THIS!”
He and Sunny promptly tore off the black tape over their badges, then he read their names and spat, “Legionaries Jenkins and Mahoney, you should be ashamed of yourselves!”
“Whatever!” Legionary Jenkins huffed.
“You will pay for this someday, Guardian, I swear!” Legionary Mahoney cried.
The two Legionaries hurried off, afraid of retribution as the pair helped the elderly Kossikan up.
“Are you okay?” asked Ralph.
“Yes, I am now, thank you.” said the Kossikan.
“Glad to see your okay, but next time, if those goons come though, call us.” Said Sunny “The Guardian Knights always help those in need.”
The elderly Kossikan appeared to take notes of their nametags as he said, “Thank you, Guardian Knights, Bunny and Rabbiera. I will tell your Captain about your good deed.”
The pair nodded and Ralph asked, “So you got a name there, sir?”
The elderly Kossikan gave a nod, “Yes, my name is Doctor Victor Cybunno.”
“Huh, that name sounds familiar,” said Ralph, “Say weren’t you interviewed in an article somewhere?”
Doctor Cybunno nodded, “Yes I was, you read much?”
Ralph nodded as Sunny giggled saying “Yeah, Blue is a bit of a bookworm, anyhow come on Blue back to the car, our job isn’t over yet!”
Ralph nodded, “Well it was nice meeting you, take care, sir!”
Doctor Cybunno nodded and waved the pair goodbye. Ralph and Sunny got into their hover patrol car and drove off to their patrol. Suddenly the radio blared, “Attention suspected Red Star activity reported at the Millstone building, all Guardian Knights report for duty!”
“Well huh,” said Sunny “looks you were right Blue.”
Ralph gave another quiet nod and gave a soft “Yeah…” trying not to let his partner know about the sudden unease that filled his body.


The Millstone building was an enormous complex, with many entrances and exits.
As Ralph and Sunny came out of their hovercar, the other Guardian Knights and Captain Haddenburg gently approached the building.
“It seems you were right, Guardian Bunny,” he said, “can you bring up a floor plan of this place?”
Ralph nodded and activated the holo cube and pulled up the floor plans for the building in front of them.
“This place will not be friendly to us. The Red Stars most likely scoped this building out before we did.” said Captain Haddenburg.
Ralph nodded, “We need a strategy, Captain, may I study this map and see if I can come up with a plan?”
Captain Haddenburg nodded, unaware that above them Yeltsik was observing them via his remote drone.
“Looks like the Guardian Knights are here to save the day,” he muttered, “admirable but futile.”
He came over to his holo communicator and said, “Anton, you have company, the Guardian Knights have arrived!”
“I figured as much,” Anton replied, “what shall we do?”
“Find the power armors and activate them, get a few Prawnoids ready.”
“Yes, but sir, may I recommend a Mekrab as well? It’s possible the Guardians are aware of the weakness in the Prawnoids and it may be wise to activate one.”
Yeltsik nodded, “Yes, that is a good idea but keep the Mekrab in reserve and only use it if you have to, is that understood?”
Anton replied, “Yes sir!” as he soon communicated with the other Red Stars “Attention everyone, we have Guardian Knights among us. We need to throw them off and keep them from stopping us. Prepare a few of the Prawnoids, so we can catch them off guard. If that fails, leave the rest to me!”
The Red Stars all replied with a “Yes, sir!” as they all prepared for the Guardian Knights to enter the building.
Outside the Guardian Knights prepared to go in, Ralph had studied the building for a bit and said, “Sir, I suggest we should approach from the south entrance. I suggest we go up the east stairwell as that route seems the least likely of an ambush. If my study of the building is correct, this route will give us the upper hand.”
Captain Haddenburg nodded, “Seems good to me.”
“My worry is they may have had seen us coming,” said Ralph “But Sunny may be of help here. She knows what weapons we may be up against as she used some of them in the war.”
Sunny nodded, “Yeah I do and Cap, I am a little worried. If we encounter Prawnoids that should not be an issue. They have a weakness around the base of the neck and a well-placed ion blast could take one out. My worry is that they could activate something bigger, like a Mekrab or a Lobstroid. Trust me, Captain, if we have to fight one of those we will not be in for a good time.”
Captain Haddenburg nodded, “Well there’s no time like the present, let’s move in everyone!”
The other Guardian Knights moved in, then headed up the stairs, and up the route Ralph planned.
They saw no sign of their foe, but no one let their guard down.
Soon they came to a large room, and before them several Prawnoids came to life.
“All units attack!” Anton cried.
The Prawnoids hastily surrounded the Guardian Knights. Despite them resembling Earth’s Prawns, they were very nimble and fast.
Captain Haddenburg shouted, “We have to get out of here!”
“But they are blocking the escape route!” Ralph spat.
“They have us pinned, we need to take some of them out and call for backup!” Sunny spat “aim for the weak-points, it’s the only way out of this!”
“Okay, you heard her!” said Captain Haddenburg “Hit those Prawnoids with everything you got!”
“Yes, Captain!” Ralph cried as he and the other Guardian Knights fired at it with their wrist mounted ion blasters and hurriedly tried to hit the weak point. The Prawnoids backed away a bit but began returning fire.
“Captain, let me try to take one of them out,” said Ralph “give me covering fire to distract it!”
Captain Haddenburg nodded as they did so, Ralph rushed towards its rear hoping to hit its weak point and tried not getting hit along the way. Ralph slid under a few Prawnoids and took careful aim with his wrist mounted ion blaster and fired straight on its weakpoint. Soon sparks emanated from it as they disabled it.
Anton cried, “Oh well done, you took one of my Prawnoids out, but there are still many of those to come!”
Three other Prawnoids came in for the attack, Ralph and Sunny ran as fast as they could and helped give fire at the remaining Prawnoids.
The other Guardian Knights blasted away at the Prawnoids, the Guardians took out at least one more by flanking it, and Sunny took down another nearby.
“Good, we have taken some of them down, I am going to make the call for backup now!” said Captain Haddenburg.
Anton watched the Guardians take down his fellow Reds Stars and headed for a nearby Mekrab. Anton quickly activated it and cried, “Oh, don’t you think this is over yet Guardians, because it’s time to bring the pain!”
The Mekrab suddenly came down to the foray and Anton fired the Mekrabs weapons and the Guardian Knights all scattered.
“That Mekrab is too powerful, there is no way we can fight it! Trust me, I used to use one in the war!” Sunny cried.
Captain Haddenburg grunted as he cried, “Do your best while I call for backup! Calling all departments I need backup, we got a Mekrab Power armor here I repeat a Mekrab power armor, please come!”
But Ralph knew the situation could be over long before backup came “Hey Sunny lets try taking care of those remaining Prawnoids first! That will hopefully distract that Mekrab long enough for us to get out of here in one piece!” He spat.
“Whatever you say, Ralph, but this is too crazy!” Sunny cried.
Ralph and Sunny and three other Guardian Knights took out the other Prawnoids. They ignited Anton’s ire as he cried, “You two are such pests, time to end this!”
Soon a blast hit the ground under Ralph and Sunny. The two fell backwards as Anton singled them out.
“Foolish Guardian Knights,” said Anton, “you cannot win!”
Ralph and Sunny slowly got up as the Mekrab came near them. They tried to give it fire, so they could retreat. But it blasted at the concrete roof above them and large pieces of concrete and metal came down, pinning them down underneath.
The two then fell unconscious as the mass of rubble consumed them.
Captain Haddenburg cried out, “Guardians Bunny, Rabbiera!” hoping to get a response from the two but didn’t hear any reply.
He cried their names out again, but the two seemingly could not hear him.
“Oh, no!” Captain Haddenburg cried as he worried about the two, as he and the other Guardians became distracted.
The Red Stars took advantage of the situation and began pulling out, grabbing whatever resources they could and retreated.
Captain Haddenburg was beside himself as two of his most promising Knights were down and the Red Stars got away with their prize.
Beaten Captain Haddenburg called for a rescue crew, hoping that Ralph and Sunny survived the terrible collapse…


Ralph Bunny was in a dream world, unconscious but alive.
He felt nothing in this world, adrift in a sea of memories of his past.
Those memories soon came to him as he drifted in their current.
He saw himself speak his first word.
“Papa!” He said as a small child, even this young, it seemed he grew a strong attachment to his father.
Ralph soon remembered making his first steps on two feet. He also remembered his first day in kindergarten and being introduced by his teacher and sent off to play.
It was on this day he met Sunny Rabbiera for the first time.
He wandered around the classroom and saw a Rocket Rabbit action figure, a character from Ralph’s favorite childhood TV show.
Ralph remembered grabbing the toy and started playing with it, unaware that this would bring the ire of a certain magenta furred classmate he had.
“Hey Blue kid, what the heck are you doing, that’s my favorite toy!” cried the young Sunny
“The teacher said we can play with any toy we like, there are plenty of girls’ toys go play with them!” Ralph said back scolding her.
“Yeah, right Blue kid, do you know who I am? I am Sunny Rabbiera, and I am the boss around here!”
The young Ralph laughed, “Yeah, right!”
Suddenly Sunny hit him in the stomach.
“OOOF!” He gave a cry out loud as he fell down.
“That’s what you get for playing with my toys, Blue kid!” The young Sunny spat.
The older Ralph chuckled “Yes, that’s how it started, her being miss tough gal.”
The teacher soon caught them though and gave them a scolding. But it wasn’t the end, as the two would continue to snipe at each other over the course of two weeks, especially when the teacher wasn’t around.
For some time afterwards they would squabble, and the teacher would come in to break them apart.
But one day the teacher had enough and soon put them together alone under her strict supervision as punishment.
“I have had enough of you two!” she spat, “You will not leave this room until I hear you two make up and promising to leave each other alone!”
Ralph sighed “Look Sunny can we please stop this, I know you are used to getting into trouble but not me!”
“Oh, come on, you make it too easy for me to pick on you blue kid!”
“You only pick on me because we like the same toys and games, come on Sunny, please stop this. Can’t we be friends instead?”
Sunny laughed, “Me be friends with you, is that a joke?”
Ralph shook his head, “I am serious, please Sunny, if we don’t make up now the teacher won’t let us go home. Can we at least try it for a few days, see how it goes?”
Sunny sighed “fine, whatever blue kid!”
“The name is Ralph,” he replied.
“Whatever you say… still gonna call you Blue.” she said with a huff.
The two shook hands and eventually began trying to be friends.
Oddly enough, Sunny seemed to enjoy spending time with him and soon over time the friendship became genuine.
A few months had passed and the two soon promised to remain friends no matter what.
That would be a big help for his next memory… the day his father passed on.
This was not such a fun memory for Ralph. It started off as a normal day with no signs of any foreboding.
He remembered his father put on his Guardian Knight uniform, kissed his mother and gave Ralph a hug.
“See you two later!” that was the last words his father spoke to the both of them as he left on that fateful day, soon after his mother took him to school on what looked like a normal day.
But eventually Ralph realized something was wrong when Captain Haddenburg came by with his mother, Emily Bunny, weeping close behind in the afternoon.
“Rrr… rrr… Ralph…” she stuttered as tears came down her face, “Your… your father is dead!”
Ralph remembered crying out “NO!” as tears filled his eyes.
He looked up at Captain Haddenburg and cried, “What happened to him?”
Captain Haddenburg knelt down before him and said, “He died trying to protect a Kossikan ambassador from an assassin. I am afraid to say it was in vain as the assassin still made his kill after hitting your father. Ryan was a brave Guardian and one of the best friends I ever had, I am so sorry Ralph.”
Captain Haddenburg gave Ralph a hug, and soon after his father’s funeral took place.
They cremated him as per tradition and put his father’s ashes into a ceremonial urn.
But he didn’t have a long time to grieve before the next major event in his life occurred.
It was a few months after the assassination and Kossik declared war on New Galsa and had fired a missile attack with Horizon City being one of their prime targets.
There were many warnings and Ralph’s mom made sure she packed as many things as she could, which included Ryan’s urn and photo.
Ralph then remembered hearing all the alarms and sirens as they made their way to a shelter far outside the city. Soon the missiles came, and they destroyed nearly everything, including Ralph’s childhood home.
After the all clear came Ralph remembered seeing his destroyed home and neighborhood and crying out “I hate them, I hate the Kossikans!”
But his mother knelt down to him and said, “I know how you feel, Ralph. It’s only natural, but remember what your father always said?”
The young Ralph sighed and said, “Hatred is a poison and I must not let it take me over.”
His mother gave him a nod, “That’s right, I too felt hatred for the person who killed your father, but I let go of that hate for your sake. Always remember that even if the Kossikans attacked our city, not all of them are bad. Remember, your grandfather was Kossikan and you have Kossikan blood in you. We can rebuild this city, we can rebuild our home. But hate only destroys. Hate is the reason we don’t have a home, and it is the reason for your father’s death. Your father always said to me that hatred is the greatest poison, and I believe it.”
“Yes, she sure did, I married a fine woman in her, didn’t I?” came a voice.
Soon a vision of his father came before him with a soft smile upon his face.
He spoke, “Hello son, it’s nice to see you again.”
“Dad, what is this place?”
“I think this is the inside of your mind.”
“So what is this, a dream?” said Ralph.
“Well, more of a vision but don’t worry son, I think things are going to be just fine.”
“So I am not well… you know.”
“Not at all, I think you are just unconscious and this is your mind’s way of coping with it.”
Ralph shrugged, “I guess that makes sense.”
Ryan looked over his shoulder and said, “Say what is with that Mirror over there?”
Ralph’s head and ears tilted, “What mirror?”
“That mirror.” Ryan replied, pointing over Ralph’s shoulder, Ralph quickly turned around and soon saw an enormous silver mirror in front of him.
“What’s that doing here?” Ralph asked.
“Beats me, this is your mind, son, not mine.”
Soon visions appeared in the mirror.
He saw a vision of himself, of Captain Haddenburg and the other Guardians rescuing him and Sunny from the rubble. He also saw an ambulance and paramedics who took the pair to the Hospital.
Then a vision of his mother came as she wept over him, with Captain Haddenburg standing behind her somberly.
He even saw a vision of Sunny, who looked down on him with great sadness in her face.
“That’s all happening now?” Ralph asked.
“Yes, you were hit a little harder than Sunny, but then again that girl could get ran over by a truck and walk away from it.”
Ralph laughed “Yeah that’s Sunny for you… I just hope I will awake soon.”
“Oh, you will” said Ryan. Soon the mirror glowed and quickly melted into a silver-colored liquid metal that slowly covered Ralph’s body.
In a panic Ralph cried out, “What in the heck?”
Soon the metal covered his entire body and transformed into what appeared to be armor.
“Dad, what’s happening to me!” Ralph cried out loud.
“I think it’s your destiny son, it’s summoning you back to reality.”
Ryan gave a smile “Don’t worry, it will all make sense here soon… See you again someday Ralph.”
His father’s image vanished away as Ralph slowly awoke…


Ralph’s eyes fluttered open, and a pounding headache soon came over him.
“Oh, ow!” he cried. He then tried to put his left hand on his head to rub it, but it wouldn’t move.
He then saw it was in a cast and immobilized and then tried to move his other arm.
As he moved it, he felt a small jolt of pain as he lifted it up and felt the bandaging he now had on his head.
Soon all sensation came back to him as he looked around his surroundings, and he realized he was in a hospital room.
He glanced around his bed and saw tubes in his arms and large bags of medication dripping from them down into him.
He felt some pain and then cried out, “Nurse!” but his voice sounded dry and weak.
Ralph then reached for the button to call the nurse and hit it, and it wasn’t long before a nurse came by.
“Oh Guardian Bunny, you are awake at last!” the nurse said with a smile.
“Can I get some water?” Ralph asked, noting the dryness he had in his mouth.
“Sure, give me a second” The nurse soon marched off and soon came back with a cup of water and a straw.
Ralph drank it and asked, “How long was I out?”
“Three Days,” the nurse replied with trepidation in her voice, “we almost thought you wouldn’t come out of it.”
Ralph gave a soft nod, “And my injuries?”
“You have several broken ribs, a broken arm, a fractured leg, not to mention the huge bump to your head.”
Ralph sighed, “And how long do you think I will be out of action for?”
“At least three months, even with the nanotech we have these days.”
Ralph nodded and asked, “What about Sunny, my partner?”
“She’s doing better than you, despite having most of the same injuries. That girl is one tough cookie, as she woke within an hour of coming here and put up one heck of a fight to see you.”
Ralph smiled, “Yes, but that’s Sunny for you. Can I see her, please?”
The nurse gave Ralph a smile and said, “Sure, I will grab her for you.”
Soon after she brought in Sunny, who gave him a loud cry, “Oh my gosh Ralph, you’re awake!”
“Yeah Sunny, I am awake but I guess we are going to be out of it for a while though.”
Sunny nodded, “Hey I don’t care about that, I am just glad you are okay!”
“I bet, but Sunny did you hear anything about the Red Stars when I was down?”
Sunny gave a shrug, “Not one peep, and they left little to no trace of where they went. What’s worse is the Civil Legion has upped its game by using us as a rally to hurt even more innocent Kossikan refugees, the nerve!”
“And here we are, stuck in bed for three months while this city tears itself apart and the Red Stars probably have another attack up their sleeve.” Ralph huffed.
“Perhaps you won’t be in here as long as you may think.” Came a familiar voice, Doctor Cybunno wandered into the room and said, “I guess there’s no need to introduce myself.”
Ralph and Sunny turned to him and Ralph asked, “Doctor Cybunno, what are you doing here?”
He gave a gentle smile, “Providence and fate. When I heard about your plight, I asked a nurse to tell me when you two were awake and ready for me.”
“Ready for what?” Sunny asked as her ears perked to the side.
“I have been looking for volunteers for a project of mine. By your kindness towards me and your bravery in action, I think you two are the ones I want. Yes, the circumstances of this meeting may be more unfortunate than I expected, I still hope you will volunteer.”
Ralph’s curiosity peaked, “Volunteer for what?”
“To be my test subjects for a machine I call it the Cybernizer, it will fuse the two of you with cybernetic parts. You will become far stronger and powerful than now, and it will completely heal your current wounds. I offer it to you as I think you are ideal for my project.”
Sunny’s ears perked up, “Wait, are you going to turn us into robots or something?”
“Not at all, you will only become part machine.” Doctor Cybunno replied. “Do not worry, this is not like those silly comic book stories you may read where people become mindless automatons.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Sunny replied
Ralph’s head tilted “But there must be a catch somewhere, right?”
Doctor Cybunno gave a soft nod, “Sadly yes, you see this process is irreversible and your lives as normal Lapinans will end. You will also need time to adjust to your new bodies.”
Ralph nodded, “Well thanks for the offer but let us think about it, okay?”
Sunny’s ears tilted, “Yeah Doc, I mean it sounds cool and all, but we need time to mull it over.”
Doctor Cybunno nodded and gave them a gentle smile, “Well then how about I give you both three days, and if you say no, I will understand. Goodbye for now.”
He soon left as the two pondered his offer.


Ralph’s mind worked like crazy over those three nights. As he tried to rest Ralph thought about the end of his vision, that strange body he had in it. Was this a premonition?
“That vision I had. It can’t be a prediction. Such things are nonsense, made up by crackpots and loons.” he said “Yet I can’t help but wonder about the dreams I have been having, I had the same vision of myself in that armor. It’s too real to be a dream as Doctor Cybunno’s offer sounds so close to my vision… It must mean something!”
He also had dreams of what happened to him and Sunny during the Red Star attack and the vision of the Mekrab power armor haunted him nightly.
“That Mekrab power armor, if the Red Stars have more of them or something worse, the Guardian Knights don’t stand a chance and innocent people are at risk. Not to mention the Civil Legion will target even more innocent Kossikans.” Ralph then gave a huff “Maybe the Cybernizer is the only answer this city is in danger and even if it changes me forever I will try it.”
He then wanted the nurse to bring him Sunny again, so he could speak with her.
“So tomorrow is the day Doctor Cybunno comes back to us,” he said, “have you thought at all about his offer?”
Sunny nodded, “Yes, I did Ralph, I think we should do it. This city needs any help it can, I’m with you on this as hey this whole thing can get worse for all we know.”
“Yes, and it seems Doctor Cybunno is the only one with the tools we need to help. I know that if this escalates they may call in the army and you know what that may lead to.”
Sunny’s ears tilted, “Yeah, the city is going to become a war zone with so many that will suffer in the crossfire.”
Ralph sighed, “Well, that means there’s only one answer. We take Doctor Cybunno’s offer.”
“But Blue, you know what he said, our lives as we know them will be over. You would have to say goodbye to your mom for a while and even your dream as a Guardian Knight.”
Ralph nodded, “But Sunny, we took an oath to protect this city and its citizens. The cost is high, but I can live with it. Our city and our country can use our help and you know it, and I think us doing this is the only way we can help. It would take three months for us to recover, and I don’t think our city has that long.”
Sunny’s ears tilted, “Yeah, there is no doubt about that one, Ralph.”
Ralph’s ears perked as he cried, “Well, I say lets do it! I mean, it’s better than sitting here watching our city get destroyed again.”
Sunny nodded “Well if you want to do it so do I. Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I let you have all the fun?”
Ralph laughed “I knew you would say something like that, thanks for the laugh Sunny.”
Sunny gave him a nod, “No prob Blue, goodnight.”
“Goodnight” Ralph replied as the two rested for that one last night.
The next morning came and soon Doctor Cybunno came by with Sunny right behind him in tow.
“Hello again,” he said, “I heard Sunny say you two want to volunteer.”
Ralph nodded, “We do, but I have to ask if everything you said to us is true.”
Doctor Cybunno gave an assuring but reluctant nod, “Every word, does it concern you?”
Ralph gave another nod, “Yes, but who could blame me?”
“It’s understandable, but you can still say no.”
Ralph shook his head, “Not a chance, it’s a deal Doctor Cybunno.”
Doctor Cybunno nodded, “Good, I will set everything up for you.”
“There’s only one request I must make though,” said Ralph, “I want to call my mom and Sunny, I think you should call your parents. I want to tell them in person about this. I will also call Captain Haddenburg too.”
Sunny nodded as Doctor Cybunno said, “I understand, take all the time you need.”
Doctor Cybunno soon left as Ralph and Sunny prepared to call their families and thought about the upcoming changes to their lives…


End of episode 01