123507-the-ravaging-of-arboria

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The Ravaging of Arboria
An unforeseen attack
When the distress call came in it was barely audible, garbled and frantic. “Please someone come in! Please, please help us! Answer us!”
The grunt at the comm station’s eyes widened, he began to tremble. “No…”
 
“Quick! Get the Commander on the line! It’s urgent! Arboria’s under attack!”
 
The news was indeed grim. As the information was gathering, it only got darker. The Exiles had made a brazen attack on Arboria. Axis Pheydra’s logic center made a cold and instant conclusion. “Gather the armies. This war ends now.”
 
The Crown Jewel of the Dominion
 
After the failure of the uplifting of the Chua, only to see them turn into psychotic, uncontrollable planet destroying fiends, and after seeing the Granok chase away their Army.  Grismara was just another blow. Axis Pheydra did not accept failure easily. But the people of the Dominion needed a victory… it needed something to lift its spirits.  They reluctantly turned to the Aurin of Arboria. The initial study found them intelligent but far too innocent a race for any military use. However, there was more to running an empire than conquering. They needed -builders-.
 
For that, the Aurin were well suited. They took to the technology the Dominion provided. They were excited about meeting new worlds, making friends across the galaxy. They were savvy diplomats. Their planet provided numerous resources and their Queen was quite the naive and impressionable sort. Easily manipulated.
 
Arboria was held as a success story. This is what the Dominion does. It spreads the good of the Galaxy around and suppresses the bad. It was declared the Crown Jewel of the Dominion. 
 
Now all of that was being destroyed by the unworthy.
 
A Desperate Bid
 
Viktor Lazarin leaned over his monitor.  The Mother Tree was in their sights. After the Mordesh’s rejection from the Dominion after the Fall of Grismara, Avra Darkos had managed to ally with the Exiles and rescue many of their race. But Vitalus required Primal Life.  With the help of their fellow rejects, the Chua, they had been able to invent a device that could suck primal life out of any planet. While some moons and asteroids had managed to hold them over, Arboria contained enough Primal life to sustain the Mordesh for centuries.
 
Armed to the teeth, the Granok easily pierced Arboria’s defenses. The Exiles came at them with the strength of their entire fleet. The feeble Aurin were no match for these battle hardened mercenaries.  At several sites on the planet, Primal Life was being beamed out into special holding ships, leaving huge scars of dead plants, dead animals… dead women… dead children… Lazarin shook himself.
 
“Aiming for sector 3051.″ Viktor gave the command. “Fire.”
 
The Death of the Queen
 
“Where are they?! Where are their armies?” Arwick paced back and forth, his tail whipsawing behind him. “They’ll suck the planet dry by the time…”
 
“Arwick…” 
 
The voice was enough to give him immediate pause. He hurried to the Queen’s divan, where she lay, pale and wasting. He bowed at her side, gripping her hand.
 
“D…Desodar… is gone.”
 
Hot tears dripped down Arwick’s face. “Why… why couldn’t they just find their -own- planet? Why destroy ours?” He snarled to himself. “They should just get their -own- planet!”
 
“Please… please hold on Myala…” He pleaded.
 
“I must needs go to the Mother Tree. My people…” Myala staggered upright, supported by her consort. Her legs then gave out. She collapsed, limp in his arms.
 
“MYALA!!”
 
The Wrath of Arwick
 
The Dominion did arrive. The Exiles were driven away. They managed to save the Mother Tree. But as Axis Pheydra stepped out of her landing ship, she could see that the damage was done. Much of Arboria was a smoldering ruin. The Crown Jewel of the Dominion had been desecrated.  She knew the Exiles were celebrating. They had thrown down the Dominion’s prized planet. But as she saw Arwick step forward with an army of hundreds of millions, she knew that the Exiles had made a terrible mistake.
 
Arwick’s eyes blazed with the fury of supernovas. Even the Draken Commanders couldn’t help but sit up at attention.  The days of the peaceful Aurin were over. Arwick would pursue the Exiles to the ends of the galaxy.	
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Interesting take on the whole story Rocio.
Happy I read through it :)	
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Someone wondered if the Dominion Aurin would just be another flavor of Draken, a bloodthirsty and fierce armed demihuman militia in exclusive service to the Emperor. However, there are only a few similarities between the two cultures and too many differences for this to be the case. Most Aurin in my Alt Universe would remain civilian, living on Nexus (as well as other planets in the Dominion) until their own planet heals.  The Aurin who fight the Exiles, while still ultimately under the influence of the Axis Pheydra, would be another thing entirely from the Draken horde.
 
The Queen's Mandate
 
Over the millenia, our people have lived in harmony with all living things. We tended, we watched, and we communed. Our place in the Dominion is still harmonious and strong.  But a great imbalance in the Weave occurred, the day that the Exiles brought injustice and ruin to Arboria.
 
The only way to restore balance is to respond with alacrity and force. Nexus is the planet from which The Exiles intend to bolster their attacks against us and even now, they perpetuate their crimes against the Weave on that planet. I have thus appointed Arwick Redleaf to spearhead a new group of hunter.
 
The races of the Exiles have been demonstrated to be unsustainable to any Planet and thus must be eradicated for the safety and health of the galaxy. In this missive is my mandate for you as Queen:
 
Propitiate the Mother Tree and the spirit fallen Wise Ones with the blood you shed.  You are Hunters. You are killers.  Show no mercy to those who would commit crimes against the Weave. You carry the vengeful spirits of the fallen Matrias and our Fallen Queen.   
 
 
You are the Thorns of Arboria.
 
-- Queen Mara Everstar	
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